I am the god, grant me the divine covenant

After listening to Bai Xu's explanation of the "Divine Contract," Shi Mo returned to his guest room in Bai Xu's villa, which had almost no personal belongings. He stood in the center of the room, his heterochromatic eyes flashing with an almost scorching light.

That unconventional power, which touched upon the very essence of the rules, greatly intrigued him, the former master of those rules.

"System," he called out in his mind, his voice carrying an unquestionable tone.

[Yes, host!] The system responded immediately.

"Get me one of those 'Divine Contracts' too." Shi Mo's request was simple and direct, as if he were instructing a servant to bring him a glass of water.

"Ah?!" The system's electronic voice instantly rose in pitch, filled with terror and embarrassment. "Host! This...this is against the rules! The 'Divine Contract' requires 'approval' within the instance, bestowed by...by 'above'! I...I'm just an auxiliary system, I don't have that authority!"

"Rules?" Shi Mo frowned slightly, his tone turning cold. "Who made these rules?"

The system stammered, "It's just...it's just..."

Shi Mo took a step forward. Despite being in an ordinary room, an invisible pressure originating from the very source of his soul instantly spread out, causing the core code of the system to begin to malfunction. His golden and blood-red pupils seemed to pierce through the void, directly gazing into the essence of the system.

"System, tell me," Shi Mo's voice was calm, yet carried a power that went straight to the heart, "the so-called 'Divine Contract' is the approval of 'God,' a gift from 'God.' So, who... is this 'God' you speak of?"

[...] The system fell into a deathly silence, with only the buzzing noise of an overloaded current.

"Answer me." Shi Mo's voice was like a final judgment.

"It's...it's you..." The system's electronic voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, filled with utter submission and fear. "It's you...the great being...the source of the strange tales of rules...the ruler of the Abyss Corridor..."

"Then," Shi Mo's lips curled into a cold smile, laced with an air of self-righteous arrogance, "I accept myself. I give myself something. Is there a problem with that?"

The logic is impeccable.

The system felt like it was about to crash. This wasn't a logic problem at all; it was a hierarchy problem! A permissions problem! It was... a paradox that its little system simply couldn't handle!

[But...host...your power is sealed...your status is restricted...] The system made a final attempt to protest, its voice trembling with tears, [According to the current world's operating rules, the process of issuing 'Divine Contracts' is fixed, I...I cannot directly interfere...]

"That's your problem," Shi Mo interrupted. "Find a way. Or, I'll 'take' it myself." The last part of his sentence carried a hint of danger.

The system was terrified (if it had a soul).

Let this big shot "take" it himself? Who knows what he'll do! Maybe he'll pry open the underlying code of this strange and unpredictable world? That would probably mean the world's doom!

【Wait! Host! I need a solution! I need a solution!】The system screamed, its database frantically searching for any possible loopholes or workarounds.

【I've got it! Although I can't bestow it directly, I can try using the system's own lottery mechanism to perform a special targeted draw! I'll add the 'Divine Contract' as a 'special reward' to the prize pool! But... but I really can't guarantee what you'll get, or its strength! It all depends on your luck! And this might consume a lot of energy, and even cause... cause a slight backlash from your own body's rules...】

"Okay." Shi Mo agreed without hesitation.

Luck? He never doubted his luck.

Backlash? Just a negligible price to pay.

Okay, fine.

The system resigned itself to its fate and began to mobilize all available energy, even at the cost of overdrawing some core permissions. A virtual roulette wheel, completely different from any previous lottery wheel, more ancient and profound, seemingly constructed of stars and rule runes, slowly condensed in Shi Mo's sea of ​​consciousness.

The roulette wheel doesn't have the usual color-coded areas; instead, it's a chaotic, rotating nebula with a constantly shifting symbol at its center representing "unknown gifts."

"Begin." Shi Mo gave the order.

The roulette wheel began to spin slowly, initially very slowly, as if resisting some invisible resistance. The system's electronic voices became intermittent due to overload.

As the wheel spun, Shi Mo could feel an extremely faint but profoundly sublime power emanating from its center. The feeling was... somewhat familiar, yet also somewhat strange.

The roulette wheel sped faster and faster, eventually turning into a blurry blur of light and shadow.

[Ding! Special targeted extraction complete! Congratulations, host, you have obtained... obtained... obtained...] The system's notification sound stopped here, as if it had seen something completely incomprehensible and beyond its processing capabilities. The electronic sound became shrill and distorted. [...Yama... Yama?!]

The roulette wheel stopped, and the ever-changing symbol at the center froze—an extremely complex, ancient, and majestic rune, seemingly representing the supreme authority that holds life and death and judges sins.

A vast, cold, and awe-inspiring phantom of power, imbued with supreme majesty and an aura of annihilation, was projected from the runes. Though it lasted only a moment, it caused the entire sea of ​​consciousness to tremble.

[BUG! There must be a bug!] The system went completely mad, its code erratic. [This is impossible! How could this be?! This is not within the scope of a normal 'Divine Contract'! This...this is almost...this is...a pro! Your luck is just too incredible!!!]

Shi Mo ignored the system's madness and carefully sensed the "divine contract" mark called "Yanluo" that had merged into the origin of his soul.

The information naturally emerges:

【Divine Contract: Yama】

[Effect: Upon active activation, it can temporarily recall and retain a portion of the host's power and authority from their peak period. The duration and the amount of power retained depend on the host's current mental attribute strength.]

Cooldown time: Extremely long (related to usage duration and power level).

To awaken...the power of one's prime?

Even with Shi Mo's composure, his breath hitched slightly at this moment. His sealed power—the power that belonged to the source of the strange tales of rules, the power that ruled the Abyss Corridor? Even if it was only a part, even if it was only for a fleeting moment…

What does this mean?

This means that in this restricted world, he possesses a true trump card, powerful enough to overturn the table! Although it has an extremely long cooldown period and cannot be used easily, its very existence is his greatest source of confidence!

The system was still rambling incoherently: "[This...this is practically tailor-made for you! No! This is your own power! I just...I just helped you 'get back' a tiny bit of authority?! What kind of divine contract is this? This is clearly returning something to its rightful owner! Oh no, this is against the rules, definitely against the rules...]"

As Shi Mo felt the "Yama" mark deep within his soul, which had fallen silent yet exuded a familiar and reassuring power, the corners of his mouth finally couldn't help but curve into a truly joyful and unrestrained arc.

"Luck?" he murmured to himself, a hint of mockery in his voice. "I simply took back what was rightfully mine."

He looked out the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of space, seeing the candidates still struggling in the strange tales of rules, seeing the busy crowd of the Seventh Sequence, and seeing this seemingly ordinary world that hides countless secrets.

Now, the game seems to have become... even more interesting.

With the trump card "Yama," he is no longer just a "player" restricted by the rules.

He wanted to see where this game he was involved in would ultimately lead.

The system crashes and screams became the best background noise at this moment.