Refusing My God’s Advances

When I opened my eyes, I had to shield them, letting out a groan at the same time.

"So! I know we have had our differences, but let's just put all of that in the past, right buddy old pal?! I have the sweetest deal for you!" Garland announced, but I gave him a thumbs down.

"I refuse, send me back," I demanded, still feeling disoriented.

"Come on, Leon! Hear me out! I've got a fantastic offer for you!" Garland insisted, appearing in front of me with a wide grin.

I sighed, realizing that arguing with him might not get me anywhere. "Fine, what's the offer?"

Garland rubbed his hands together with glee. "You see, my friend, I can grant you the power of magic! With just a snap of my fingers, you'll be casting spells like a seasoned wizard!"

I raised an eyebrow, skeptical of his offer. "And what do you want in return? There's always a catch with you."

Garland chuckled. "Ah, you're a smart one, Leon. But this time, I ask for nothing. Consider it a gift! I just want to see you have a little more fun in this world."

I eyed him suspiciously. "No tricks? No hidden consequences?"

He shook his head, his expression seemingly sincere as a strange-looking book with what clearly looked like a dark aura oozing off it. "No tricks, I promise! Just imagine the possibilities! Healing magic, elemental spells, teleportation – you name it! What do you say?"

I put my hands on my hips and gave him my best not impressed look. "Really?"

"What? It is only a little bit cursed. Hardly anything to get your underwear bunched up about! It even had a demon inside, and I know how much you love them, right? Would almost be an act of prejudice not to take the book after hearing that, right?" Garland taunted, and I glared at him.

"Only a little bit? What the hell does that even mean?!" I demanded, and Garland shrugged.

"This is something I am giving you of my own free will, so that brat of an angel's contract doesn't apply! Be happy that I have told you this much!" Garland laughed, and I groaned.

That was a clear admission that he had probably been lying about most things, but that didn't stop me from being curious. This was clearly a trap, but just how bad was it? 

"Can I touch the book first?" I asked, and Garland easily offered it to me.

"By all means. Look away. You will not be able to read anything that is about your magic rank," Garland explained as the book floated over into my hand.

The moment my fingertips touched it, I felt a shadow pass over me, and then smoothing crept up my back. As it did, I felt it come up to my shoulder, and then lean into my ear.

"I grow tired of my prison, mortal. Are you going to let me eat your soul and let the monster that has us both trapped win? Or do you think that you can keep me from tearing your soul apart long enough to form the contract?"

The voice was like an icy wind reverberating with bass in my ears, and then I felt pain like I had never before. It was like claws were tearing into my very existence, trying to tear me apart until I no longer existed.

From his throne, Garland watched with a childish grin. If the stupid boy died here, then Garland would get that quarter of power back, while also keeping the book. From there, the god could make his own hero that would help him finish what he started long ago.

The boy had fallen into his trap without hesitation, but now he would pay for taking the one thing that he had desired most. Even though his desires were gone, last night was burned into the god's mind. 

'Being removed from existence was too good for this useless summon!' Garland thought in his head but then sat up as complex magic rings started to layer around Leon. 

Standing from his throne, Garland watched in horror as Leon continued to resist the attacks on his soul from Ashagan, The Soul Harvester who was trapped with the grimoire. The undead entity trapped in there only had knowledge of Necromancy, but it was far more powerful than this brat needed!

Within the torrent of attacks, I had found a grove. After getting hit a few times, I realized that "Soul" attacks were targeting and damaging something within my body. If that thing was my soul, then it should be part of my body. 

With that in mind, I activated my Restore skill and all the damage I had felt coming from within vanished. The claws kept going, but now I was just about to restore the barrier or whatever that was protecting my soul. 

Then it just stopped, and the shadow that had surrounded me sucked back into the book in my hands. It was then that I noticed the crazy-looking magic circles that ringed my body from head to toe. They still seemed to be... doing whatever they were since the magic circles had places in them that were still being filled in.

"How can you still exist?!"

I looked up to see a furious Garland glaring at me. "You were supposed to be consumed by Ashagan's power! How did you resist it?"

I shrugged, still feeling a bit disoriented from the whole experience. "I have a skill called Restore. It seems to heal any damage to my body, including attacks on my soul. Guess that's one of the perks of being a Player in this world."

Garland's eyes narrowed, his frustration evident. "Restore, huh? Well, you might have resisted Ashagan's power, the book only has magic to do with Necromancy. On top of that, Ashagan is notoriously bad-tempered, and never works with anyone. He is just using you to get away from me, but this is fine. The best you can hope for at this point is to raise a rabbit skeleton for a pet!" 

I chuckled, not letting Garland's taunts bother me. "Well, I appreciate the 'gift,' but I think I'll pass on the rabbit skeleton. Now, about that magic you promised..."

Garland grumbled but didn't protest further. He snapped his fingers, and the dark aura around the grimoire intensified. "There you go, Leon. Enjoy your newfound magical abilities. Just remember, it comes with a little extra darkness. Have fun!"

The grimoire floated in front of me, its pages flipping open on their own. I could sense the dark energy emanating from it, but curiosity got the better of me. I focused on the book, eager to explore the magical knowledge within.

As I delved into the grimoire, I felt a surge of power coursing through me. Spells, incantations, and dark rituals unfolded before my eyes. It was a mix of necromantic magic and other arcane secrets. I marveled at the complexity of the spells, realizing that this grimoire held a vast reservoir of magical knowledge.

There was only one problem. I could only read one spell in the entire book: Raise Undead Pet