Simple, crude, and unreasonable, it seriously disrupts game balance. But as an administrator’s exclusive artifact, it’s understandable for it to be a bit overpowered—otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to keep things under control.

After all, this is the Fourth Calamity. If the administrator doesn’t exude authority, they’ll just end up being played into a spineless, righteous fool by the players.

Now, most of the settings for the Book of Greed are grayed out. It’s unclear whether they’re temporarily inaccessible or have been permanently deleted. Even if there are a few loopholes left, their effects can’t compare to before. Take sacrifice, for example: it used to require offering up a living being, but now it’s about signing a contract with a certain creature.

Wayne Baker tried it. His first choice was Veronica Smith, but the contract failed, and his plan to enslave the magical girl fell through.

Afterward, he reluctantly switched to William Johnson, but still failed. Even the black cat Monica Harris couldn’t be contracted.

Unable to sign a contract with magicians or their pets, Wayne Baker could understand—he was too weak, unqualified. But why couldn’t he sign a contract with a taxi driver or random passersby on the street?

He finally activated his golden finger and was ready to make a big move, but it was as if nothing had changed—in fact, he even lost a magic!

Is it that the golden finger was nerfed too hard, or is the user just weak and incompetent?

The more Wayne Baker thought about it, the more cheated he felt. Just then, the Book of Greed successfully captured a creature that could be contracted.

No, it was a vengeful spirit!

On the blank page, a string of blood-red code appeared. The contract was generated, waiting for Wayne Baker to sign and confirm.

Without hesitation, Wayne Baker focused his mind and left his name on the contract.

[Humble supplicant, wrongful soul filled with resentment, I have heard your wails...

Under the witness of the sacred contract, all that you are belongs to me. You may keep your past, but you will lose your future...

You have gained a chance at rebirth. You will become a spirit of vengeance, wielding the blade for your master, for your god, for me.]

Wayne Baker: (一`′一)

This thing... how should I put it, it doesn’t sound like something a good person would say!

Chapter Six: The Magician’s Battle

Signing an unequal contract for the first time, Wayne Baker was a bit nervous. He hurriedly flipped through the Book of Greed, wanting to see who the lucky, big-time victim was.

The result wasn’t great—the contract target wasn’t just not alive, it wasn’t even human.

It was a dog!

The moment the contract was signed, a table of contents appeared on the second page. Opening the page where the spirit of vengeance resided, the first subordinate revealed its true form.

A vicious dog with half its body rotted away, gums exposed, one eyeball gray and lifeless, the other just a pitch-black socket. Its abdominal ribs were exposed, and all its internal organs had vanished.

The remaining black fur clung to decaying muscle, with oozing black-yellow fluid like glue. Several forces barely held the ruined body together.

The revolting image was so vivid that even though it was just a picture, Wayne Baker could smell the nauseating stench.

“Yue～～～”

He gagged twice, nearly throwing up in the car.

“Buddy, if you dare puke in my car, I’ll throw you out.”

The taxi driver was very displeased. The car was his beloved, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to mess it up.

“That’s not my fault—your car smells too much.” Wayne Baker shot back immediately, blaming the taxi driver’s beloved for the overwhelming odor.

With the interlude over, Wayne Baker continued flipping through the page of the spirit of vengeance and got both good and bad news.

The spirit of vengeance was a subordinate. Strictly speaking, the moment it became a spirit of vengeance, it was no longer a vengeful spirit, but a magical lifeform transformed by the Book of Greed.

As Wayne Baker’s subordinate, servant, and summon, all its actions depended on Wayne Baker’s magic power, and only Wayne Baker’s magic could feed it.

Wayne Baker had no magic. The only reason he could open the Book of Greed and sign his first subordinate was because of the magic William Johnson had cast on him.

Because of this, he couldn’t summon or command his subordinate.

If it went too long without its master’s magic, the spirit of vengeance would go mad from hunger until it completely disappeared.

At this point, the spirit of vengeance had two choices.

First, devour its master to gain freedom, wandering the night fog to become a new urban legend.

Second, stay put and wait for death, offering its master a most sincere curse before dying.

Reading this, Wayne Baker shuddered, afraid his subordinate would come to haunt his dreams in the middle of the night.

He comforted himself that dogs are loyal, humanity’s best friend. What bad intentions could a dog have? There’s no way it would turn on its master.

The good news was that the contract and sacrifice had some similar effects: Wayne Baker gained part of his subordinate’s abilities—two, to be exact: sense of smell and supernatural perception.

There’s not much to say about smell—dogs are best at that. Supernatural perception is also easy to understand: in humans, it’s called a sixth sense; in dogs, it’s animal instinct.

Both abilities could be used without magic. The moment he gained them, they instinctively became habits for Wayne Baker. If he used magic, he could expand their range and strength.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t—he had no magic.

How did it end up like this...

He opened the Book of Greed for the first time, signed a subordinate, and became part of the extraordinary world. Two happy things overlapped. And these two joys should have brought even more happiness—a time as blissful as a dream...