Since the Void had made it perfectly clear that any request it could not fulfill, or any request exceeding the merits they had earned, would be nullified, there was no possibility of pestering it like chasing a girl—if sex was denied, one couldn't just switch to fondling; if fondling was denied, one couldn't switch to kissing; and if kissing was denied, one couldn't switch to hugging; if hugging was denied, one settled for holding hands. Thus, Fang Senyan considered his next move with great deliberation and said:
“I am already a Colonel, and my Merit Points are nearing Major General. May I ask a few preliminary questions first?”
This was Fang Senyan’s advantage due to his military rank, which the Void could not deny, so it replied:
“You may, but I am not obligated to answer questions that exceed your clearance level, or certain inquiries may incur a corresponding fee.”
Fang Senyan nodded:
“Are all questions regarding that fellow named Fu strictly off-limits?”
“Yes,” the Void stated. “This question is free of charge.”
Fang Senyan continued:
“Then, there was a fellow I once killed named Fate. What is the name of his ability, which seemed to manipulate others’ luck, causing misfortune to surround them? This question does not involve a rank higher than mine, and it concerns an opposing Void. That fellow’s rank was lower than mine, so you should be able to answer it, right?”
“Data retrieval in progress… Please wait. Data restoration expected in sixty minutes. If you can provide relevant node information, the query time can be significantly shortened.”
“…….What exactly is relevant node information?”
“Anything previously associated with the individual named Fate, such as personal belongings or evidence.”
Fang Senyan’s eyes lit up:
“Zi, give the Void your Ring +7 Stark Energy Component (Superior Grade). This item is his relic.”
The ring on Zi’s finger instantly radiated a soft glow, and soon, a series of prompts was transmitted:
“Location successful, data inputting… The ability of this contractor, bearing the serial number A801C71, is known as the Power of the Departed, a unique ability originating from the Final Destination world.”
“Power of the Departed?” Fang Senyan murmured, considering it. “What is the Void’s evaluation of this ability?”
“If you require the accurate answer to this question, you must pay ten thousand Universal Points,” the Void responded.
Fang Senyan waved his hand decisively:
“Here you go. Can you answer now?”
“The Power of the Departed is rated as an A-Grade ability. The learning method requires gaining the trust (reaching the ‘Adoration’ relationship level) of a key plot character in the Final Destination world: the Coroner. Learning it here is rated A-Grade because although the difficulty to learn is not high, the difficulty to improve it is substantial.”
Seeing the Void’s answer, Fang Senyan felt his ten thousand Universal Points were well worth the cost. He then inquired:
“How difficult is it to resurrect a teammate?”
“Extremely difficult.”
Hearing the Void’s reply, everyone’s faces dimmed. Fang Senyan closed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, then pulled San Zai to stand before him and whispered a few words. San Zai looked profoundly surprised, hesitated, and then addressed the Void:
“I now wish to make my first request to you.”
“State your request, esteemed Chosen One,” the Void’s voice, while still a synthesized monotone, now eerily included the word “esteemed”! Fang Senyan cursed the Void internally for being so fickle; he, a Colonel, received no honorific, yet San Zai, who wasn't even a true Scavenger yet, did…
San Zai glanced at Fang Senyan, then mustered his courage:
“My first request is that I wish to master the Power of the Departed ability.”
Hearing San Zai say this, both Reef and Zi were instantly shocked; it turned out Fang Senyan’s long preparation was all aimed at obtaining the Power of the Departed!
Honestly, Fu’s ability was incredibly bizarre, killing without warning and utterly repulsive. However, if they switched perspectives, if they possessed this power and used it to backstab others, they would certainly approve wholeheartedly.
Fang Senyan had San Zai make this request for two major reasons:
First, in his estimation, to simply ask the Void to bestow an A-Grade ability without compensation would be slightly insufficient based on their previous merits. That is, the Void would have a fifty to sixty percent chance of granting it, but there was still a fifty percent chance of refusal. Therefore, he wanted San Zai, as the Chosen One, to earn extra positive impression points.
More importantly, Fang Senyan certainly wished for absolute victory in every battle, for all the best abilities to be his, and for all the most formidable equipment to be delivered right to his doorstep. But in reality, how could that be possible? Every contractor had their own opportunities; the difference lay only in grasping them timely.
Fang Senyan certainly desired the Power of the Departed, but he also sensed that this ability followed a subtle, winding path—striking at the enemy’s throat from a thousand miles away. This path did not align with his current identity as the main tank (MT) and his actual combat style.
Fang Senyan’s current style was much like a blood-soaked general standing firm on the battlefield, vowing to take the enemy commander’s head even amidst a massive army. The Power of the Departed, however, was like smearing Dichlorvos insecticide onto Diao Chan’s breasts—subtle, insidious, and lethal before the victim even knew how they died. The two styles were completely incompatible.
Furthermore, Fang Senyan sensed that a certain level of intellect and mental fortitude was required for the Power of the Departed to unleash its full destructive potential. This was the primary reason he had San Zai bring up this ability.
After San Zai presented the request to the Void, the Void responded with no discernible fluctuation in tone:
“Esteemed Chosen One, your request can be satisfied, but you will need to pay a fee of 20 Merit Points and 50,000 Universal Points.”
Fang Senyan couldn't help but immediately question:
“Void, didn’t you say the learning difficulty isn't high? Why is there an extra fee?”
The Void completely ignored him, repeating the terms only to San Zai:
In the 2012 Doomsday world, the Ace team suffered its first casualties, but they also engaged in widespread slaughter! Everyone acquired a considerable amount of Merit Points; it was not difficult for San Zai to produce 20 Merit Points.
It is worth noting here that San Zai had always held a formal military rank, and after meeting Fang Senyan, Zi and Reef also realized the strength of a formal rank, so they were both transitioning away from reserve ranks; all three now held formal military ranks.
So, San Zai promptly chose to “Pay,” and in return, received an A-Grade scroll: Power of the Departed.
The description on it was simple: A scroll containing the incomparably powerful force of Death, which, upon learning, grants the owner the power to alter the fate of others! Prerequisites for learning are mastering Meditation Technique LV4, Astrology LV4, and Spell Material Identification LV4.
Among these, Meditation Technique is the advanced version of Meditation Skill, and Astrology is a required course for San Zai as a Summoner—useful for divining the location of good pets or calculating the success rate of the next capture. However, Spell Material Identification LV4 was a blank slate; it would likely need to be purchased internally within the Nightmare Space to meet the learning requirements for the Power of the Departed.
In addition, the Void somewhat sneakily set the scroll as Soulbound, the implication being clear: this reward was granted solely due to the Chosen One’s standing; others only had the right to look at it…
Strictly speaking, Fang Senyan and his group were getting a massive advantage by learning the Power of the Departed so easily.
While this ability sounds easy to learn, suggesting anyone could potentially master it, the requirement to gain the trust (reaching ‘Adoration’ level) of the key plot character, the Coroner, was an agonizingly slow process!
This Coroner was a true solitary figure, having no relatives, friends, acquaintances, or close companions. Any relationship with him started at ‘Indifferent.’ The only way to build a relationship with him was by completing the tasks he set.
His tasks were not difficult, but they all required specialties from other plot worlds! The items demanded were bizarre and varied—not necessarily expensive or hard to find—such as snot-flavored candy from the Harry Potter world, compressed biscuits from the StarCraft world, zombie guts from the Resident Evil world, or even a roll of toilet paper from the Titanic…
Therefore, one could imagine that successfully completing one of his tasks, even with good luck, would require at least returning to the Final Destination world, purchasing the item on the Void market, and then returning to the Final Destination world to complete the task… Okay, to raise the relationship to Adoration, even someone with high Charm would need to complete about ten such tasks, maybe more…
Some tried bringing a large stack of miscellaneous items they thought the Coroner might like, but this individual could see what you were carrying and rejected anything you brought with you. He only valued the sincerity shown by making the journey. Even though accepting the mission allowed for distant completion, to accept the next task, one had to return to find the Coroner again!
So, yes, the learning requirement for the Power of the Departed isn't high? Indeed, any contractor who wishes to could potentially achieve it. The key was the grinding required, which would make anyone’s eyes roll out of sheer exhaustion!
The second request was put forward actively by Fang Senyan himself: he asked that the demon Freddy, parasitic within his servant Old Charlie, be allowed to leave this world.
The Void satisfied this request with a compromise. It allowed the demon Freddy to leave a seed within Old Charlie’s mind. If the demon’s power needed to be summoned, Freddy could be reborn through this seed. However, this ability had a limited number of uses; this seed could only be used three times before completely withering, and there had to be an interval of one entire world between each use. RQ