Chapter 9: Supreme Exchange System

"I'll spill everything if you spare me," the leader's face contorted in pain, and he surrendered.

"Eh? What was that? I couldn't quite catch it," I smiled, maintaining my calm demeanor.

"You... you devil!" he shouted with all his remaining strength, his face etched with despair.

Once again, I raised my sword and repeated the process on his other hand until only a skeletal joint remained. 

At that moment, a high-pitched scream and an eerie voice echoed through the dungeon hall, and soon, his body went limp.

"Good will, I repay tenfold; bad will, I will repay thousandfold," I muttered, drawing a lesson from today's events. 

"Netherworld Soul Devouring," I murmured, and flames erupted over his body.

A fragment of memories flashed in my mind, accompanied by a prompt.

"Huh! No significant information. What an eventful day," I thought after reviewing his fragment of memories.

Still, it was better than nothing.

I employed 'Undead Extraction' on all 19 E-rank players.

[World System]

[You have supplemented undead energy to undead skeletons, rather than mana points]

[Undead Skeleton rank increased by one]

[You have extracted 3 D-rank skeletons]

[Undead Extraction takes effect]

[You can name this monster]

[Named monsters have a chance to grow]

"Now, I have only 3 D and 5 E-rank skeletons left."

"Let's clear this second floor as well," I ordered all the skeletons to eliminate every undead skeleton.

A multitude of notifications appeared before my eyes, culminating in a satisfying one.

[You have defeated 30 F+ rank undead skeletons]

[They dropped 60 stat crystals, 150 gold coins, and bones]

[You have defeated one E-rank undead skeleton]

[It dropped 4 E-grade stat crystals, 10 gold coins, and bones]

I proceeded to use 'Undead Extraction' on the piles of bones.

[You have extracted 5 E-rank skeletons]

"Preserve," I muttered, causing all the undead skeletons to vanish.

"Ah!" I shouted with elation, having single-handedly cleared this dungeon where many players would have required a team effort.

I also stowed away the concealed mask and cloak in my inventory.

Flashback ends...

Present...

This had transpired in the F-grade dungeon. 

As for those who had sought my demise through these pawns, "I will make them pay," I vowed, my expression growing even colder, for Uncle would soon have to endure a similar ordeal after my father's death. 

For now, though, I needed to regain my composure.…

It was already 10:00 p.m., and I found myself thinking about dinner.

[25 minutes later...]

With dinner finished, I decided it was time to go to sleep.

Butler's POV:

Inside the room, two men were present.

One was busy preparing dinner while the other knelt before the butler.

"Report to me, provide every detail," the butler said calmly as he continued to eat his dinner.

The middle-aged man who knelt there trembled, recognizing that the "sir" was extremely angry.

He replied carefully, "Sir, the Wu family sent 20 mercenaries into the dungeon."

"I didn't ask about mercenaries; I asked about the 'young master's' details," the butler interrupted firmly.

The man then proceeded to elaborate on everything that had transpired in the dungeon.

"The young master successfully eliminated all the mercenaries, including their leader, and his 'Profession' is anything but ordinary," he reported.

"Ohh!" The butler was surprised and thought to himself, "The young master didn't tell me anything."

"I believe that you all know when to take action, and I want to keep everything about today's events a secret," the butler replied.

"Understood, sir," the man said before disappearing from the room.

"It seems that the young master doesn't wish to confide in me," the butler sighed, contemplating.

"It appears that the young master has grown up now," he thought with a smile, reminiscing about past events.

.....

April 2, 2600

5:00 a.m.

The golden rays of the sun struggled to pierce through the darkness, slowly illuminating the world and banishing every trace of darkness.

Inside a villa, I was abruptly awakened, puzzled by Neo's sudden announcement.

[Ding...]

[Supreme Exchange System is deactivating for 3 years]

"Why are you deactivating for 3 years? Is it because the plot hasn't started yet?" I asked Neo, as I had some inkling about its deactivation.

[Yeah]

[You are now living in a Novel World, and with the help of 'My Existence,' you can alter many events.]

[As an inconvenience, I will deactivate after 24 hours]

[This system will reactivate during the college entrance]

"Eh! Neo, will all the system's functions be deactivated, or just its main function?" I asked, confused.

[All auxiliary functions will remain active except the main function]

"Thank God," I uttered a silent prayer and let out a sigh of relief.

The inventory, as an auxiliary function, would still be available, but the main core, the 'System Mall,' would be deactivated. I still had 24 hours.

Checking the time, it was 5:05 a.m., and I had four hours to prepare for school.

I decided to contemplate what items or skills to purchase from the system that could be beneficial in the future.

I grabbed a notebook and started making a list.

...

Firstly, I needed an S rank player who could assist me in both business and safety.

Secondly, I needed to acquire an auxiliary function that would enable me to connect with any dungeon.

Thirdly, I considered weapons, but I recalled an opportunity where the main character obtains a growth-type weapon, so I crossed that option off.

Fourthly, I required techniques - 'Absorption Technique' and 'Hand combat technique.'

Fifthly, I needed skills - 'Appraisal skill,' 'Life-saving skill,' and 'Undead-related skill.'

Sixthly, a training room would be beneficial.

That should suffice for the next five years.