Chapter 195: Job Transfer Scroll In Hand!

Darkness.

Still, the same oppressive darkness.

Novak waited for what felt like an eternity, but nothing happened.

What's going on?

He blinked, momentarily dazed, unsure of the situation.

However, it wasn't difficult to piece together. It seemed that the King of Hell was attempting to take control of Novak's body—a classic possession, like those described in countless fairy tales and cultivation novels.

But something had gone wrong.

Bound to the Time Hourglass, Novak's soul had undergone changes that made possession impossible. His soul, perhaps due to its connection to the hourglass, had become resistant to the intrusion.

The King of Hell, who had schemed and plotted, possibly alongside the Night Lord Aga Reiss, for millennia—thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years—had failed.

And now, it seemed, the King of Hell's grand plans had crumbled. 

His mind must have broken under the weight of failure.

As for Novak, he was now focused on a different concern.

Is the King of Hell truly dead?

He didn't feel any disturbance in his soul, nor any abnormal fluctuations in his consciousness, which left him surprisingly calm. There was no immediate threat, and Novak wasn't worried.

In fact, he was more intrigued by the remnants of Satan's soul imprint.

"Your Excellency? Aren't you going to use my body to wield the authority of the Abyss and reign over the heavens and all worlds?" Novak called out, mockingly.

Silence.

The only sound in the Well of the Abyss was the occasional prompt from the will of the Abyss, reminding him of the option to leave.

Novak's brow twitched, but he pressed on. "Lord Satan, if you don't act, I'm going to use this job transfer scroll myself…"

Still nothing. Just silence.

Novak's gaze shifted to the object in his hand.

It was the Hell King's Ring, the very item Satan had previously used as bait.

Novak had no doubts that even Satan's phantom form, under the oppressive will of the Abyss, was likely no stronger than a level 10 entity. In such a weakened state, Satan was either truly dead or had found a new place to hide.

Years ago, if Satan had been able to conceal himself within this ring, there was surely something peculiar about it. However, when Novak looked at the ring now, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disbelief.

[King of Hell · Solomon's Lord of the Rings (D-Incomplete)]

[Accessory—Ring]

[All attributes +3]

[Seventy-Two Pillar Seals: The broken seal has rendered this treasure's power irrelevant. To unlock its true potential, you must obtain a soul from each of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods of Hell to break the seal, one by one. The ring can also store dead souls.]

[????]

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[Gate of Hell: Can open a portal to and from the Hell plane. Cooldown: 10 days.]

[Equipment requirements: Level > 5]

[PS: Wear it, and you may sit on the throne of the King of Hell! But first, you'll need to unlock the full power of this ring...]

Novak couldn't help but let out a dry chuckle.

"Satan really was a trickster. Could it be that the 'Fraudster' profession let him modify an item's displayed attributes at will?"

Where was his SSS-level equipment?!

Novak felt his breath catch in frustration.

"This is trash! A fake! A knockoff! Forget it, I should just smash it into pieces!"

Novak removed the ring without hesitation, and instantly, the biochemical disaster was unleashed. The once-intact ring now seemed fragile, barely holding up against the impending disaster. But just then, a voice broke the silence.

"Dear friend, surely we can talk this through, right?!"

"..." 

Novak smiled.

As expected, the lingering soul imprint of Satan was hiding humbly within the Hell Lord's ring. Without the Hell King's ring to protect him, the Abyss' will—resting within the Abyss Well—would soon sense his presence and erase this intruder like a glitch in the system.

The dynamic between them had completely shifted. Novak now held all the cards.

Without the abyssal power, all that remained of Satan was a mere life imprint.

"So, what is it you wish to discuss?"

"Respected Novak, you are the most revered being across all heavens and realms! Your power will let you conquer the so-called impossible trials set by Gods. You are the future master of the Abyss, the Demon King himself. The heavens, the worlds, the boundless universe—all will echo your name. I can offer everything I possess to aid your growth. That's all I ask for!"

Novak smirked, amused. 

"Tsk tsk… Truly worthy of the King of Hell. One of the oldest gods in the universe—you can really adapt when needed~"

With a smile, he continued, "So, what do you have to offer? Can you fully restore the Hell King's Ring or do you have more SSS-level equipment?"

The voice fell silent for a moment, before reluctantly replying with a shake of its head.

"Do you have an SSS-level skill scroll?"

Again, Satan hesitated, before lowering his head in defeat, shaking it once more.

"In that case," Novak said coldly, "It's a pity. You seem to hold no value for me..."

"No, no, Lord Novak! While I don't have those things on me right now, they still exist in the boundless hell! Only I know where they are kept!"

Satan's voice carried a note of desperation.

For as long as he could remember, he had never been this humiliated.

It was all part of his grand scheme—even his initial death had been planned out meticulously. His sacrifice had been a necessary one, meant to propel him further into power.

After all, he still had a projection of himself in the Abyss and a loyal pawn, Aga Reiss, to enact his plan. The moment the Abyss challenger appeared, things would unfold, step by step.

But fate had taken an unexpected turn. Satan hadn't anticipated failure in the final, most crucial step. All the abyssal power he had wielded to devour Novak's soul had been in vain. Now, the only thing left of him was a faint imprint of life, one so weak that even a gust of wind could scatter it.

Desperate to hold onto any control over the Abyss, Satan's hopes lay shattered. He was left with one grim option: survival.

Yet, Satan couldn't grasp why the human soul before him exuded an aura that made him tremble with fear. Even at his peak, he had struggled to sense such a presence. This human clearly held a profound secret.

Ignoring Satan's desperate words, Novak chuckled and slid the Hell King's Ring back onto his finger.

As for Satan, that could be dealt with later. After all, the once-feared entity no longer posed any real threat. And there was some truth to Satan's words—Novak, too, was interested in the wealth of Hell.

But that could wait. Right now, his attention was fixed on the special job transfer scroll tightly clutched in his hand.

The Master of the Abyss—Job Transfer Scroll!