First, Johan emptied his purse and booked himself a good inn.
He did not leave aside any money for the trip back to the Barony of Raks. He planned to force a regression soon anyway.
The Status Window Goddess's frantic reaction had also played a large part in his decision to choose an expensive inn.
[Prospective Customer, please think this over one more time. This is different from when you were fatally injured by a chimera because you did not want to be captured by the mage. That counted as an attack, but this would count as a deliberate death.]
'So that's why no Achievement appeared.'
He had assumed there had to be an Achievement for something like that, and now he understood why he had never obtained one.
[Is that really what's important right now? You cannot even use your Achievements properly when you check them anyway.]
'Were you just angry?'
[No. Not at all.]
A crisp, refreshing feeling spread through his entire body, like drinking soda.
The goddess who had tormented Johan by manipulating his regression point was now fretting over a single thing he said.
Was this what they meant when they said a gentleman's revenge was not too late even after ten years?
'If a grudge I haven't even held for long feels this satisfying, how good would one aged for ten years feel?'
[Urgh......]
Johan learned one more thing about the goddess's ability to read his thoughts.
It seemed [Otherworlder's Soul] did not separately block thoughts that worked in his favor.
That was actually good news. It meant he could keep getting under the goddess's skin in the future.
Johan decided to use this opportunity to distinguish which thoughts the goddess could read and which she could not.
Now was the perfect time, while she was so irritated that she reacted immediately to whatever he said.
'I am from Earth. My country is the best. Curry tastes better with meat in it.'
He deliberately started with the most important information, then moved to a sentence that could be interpreted ambiguously, and finally mentioned a food that might also exist on the Arcana Continent.
Even Johan was impressed by himself.
To think he could test three things at once so quickly.
If only his brain had worked like this during the exam. It had started up far too late.
'No reaction. The Status Window is a goddess.'
[I told you I'm not!]
Johan carefully committed what he had learned to memory.
It was probably safe to assume that most thoughts related to Earth were filtered out.
[Anyway, value your life.]
'Why does that matter when regression resets everything?'
[If you refuse to value it, I will not let you regress.]
'Then the trial ends here.'
It was a bluff. Johan had discovered far too many things he wanted to do and learn to end his regressions now.
At the very least, he wanted to Gather the Twins.
Johan and the goddess remained locked in a silent standoff for several minutes.
Johan pretended to be relaxed while peeling and eating fruit until he heard the goddess sigh.
[......Go ahead, then.]
'Fine. Then I'll end this run now. I just need to make sure it happens quickly.'
Johan made it clear that he was prepared to push the matter all the way.
The goddess stayed silent.
'Let's see who gives in first.'
Even though it was a bluff, forcing himself to keep up the act made his nerves tighten.
After a long moment of steeling himself, the goddess finally shouted in irritation.
[Fine! I lost! So stop it already!]
'How am I supposed to believe you if all you do is say you lost?'
[I will let you regress. Just do not force a deliberate death.]
It was a declaration of surrender.
Fireworks seemed to explode in Johan's head, but he forced himself to calm down.
There was still a great deal he wanted to pry out of the goddess.
'Why?'
[What do you mean, why?]
'Why is a deliberate death forbidden? If you trap me in endless regression and I die again and again anyway, is there really that much difference?'
[Haa......]
The goddess let out a deep sigh.
Hidden behind the curtain of messages, she thumped her chest without Johan knowing.
No matter how much she did it, the frustration would not go away.
[Why does he take death so lightly? Has dying too many times finally made him lose his mind?]
Souls valuable enough to tempt even a goddess were rare, so only a handful of people had used regression over the past several thousand years.
And every one of them had purchased the Full Version.
Even users of the Full Version, who were granted resistance to death itself, had eventually had their minds worn down by repeated deaths and become the goddess's possessions. Yet this unpredictable Trial Version user remained perfectly functional even after dying more than a hundred times.
'Ms. Goddess? I can hear all of that.'
[Ah.]
Her inner thoughts had leaked out because she had become too worked up.
After calming down, the goddess explained things one step at a time.
Of course, she mixed in a few lies as well.
[An ordinary death is fine, but deliberately forcing one damages not only the mind but also the soul. I want to obtain my prospective customer's soul intact. I have no interest in receiving something like shattered scraps of metal.]
'Hmm. So that's how it is......'
After hearing the goddess's explanation, Johan rubbed the goosebumps on his arm.
His fears about the soul that served as the price of purchasing the Full Version had turned out to be justified.
'Temporary rental of the soul, my ass. So it really was permanent ownership.'
His determination never to purchase the Full Version became as firm as a mountain.
At the same time, greed stirred within him. He wanted to squeeze out even better terms.
'If I use this situation properly, I might be able to get something more.'
Until now, Johan had assumed that the goddess, as the provider of regression, held all the power while he, as the recipient, was the weaker party. That was why he had endured her abuse of authority.
But now that he knew he possessed an irreplaceable soul, he had realized that he was an exceptionally valuable customer with leverage of his own.
He needed to carefully prod at the goddess's desire for his soul.
'Anyway, the point is that forcing a deliberate death is forbidden, right? If you're going to let me regress like you said, give me a bonus too.'
[What? Isn't regression enough? What else do you want? Forget it. Just live normally and wake up before you die. Considering you have already died trying to mount a horse and getting struck by a rampaging horse, I doubt it will take long before you die again.]
'Hey......'
She had dared to touch one of Johan's sorest points.
At first, he had only been thinking that it would be nice if this worked and no big loss if it did not. But now that she had dug into an old wound, things were different.
'Then I'll end this run right now.'
[Oh, come on. Seriously.]
'Think about it. Even if this is the Trial Version, not letting me use an Achievement Carryover Slot is too much. Let's say Carryover is food. If you've never eaten it before, you don't know what it tastes like. Then some street peddler comes up with a picture and shouts, "This is delicious, so eat it!" Would you buy it? Would you?'
[A street peddler......? No...... That is why the Trial Version......]
'Give me one Carryover Slot. Otherwise, this run ends here.'
Johan made his refusal unmistakable. The goddess panicked.
[I said you cannot do that!]
'Keep refusing if you want. Then everything ends here.'
[Haa...... Fine. I will let you use one for exactly one run.]
Johan recalled a famous negotiation tactic.
'One run is too little. Make it four.'
[No.]
'Four runs.'
[......Two runs. If you demand anything more, I will stop arguing with you altogether.]
The goddess's determination not to compromise any further came through clearly.
Compared with getting nothing, Johan had already won a great deal, so he was satisfied as well.
[Achievement Acquired!]
[Negotiation]
He had even gained an unexpected reward.
Johan desperately kept his eyes from drifting toward the Achievement notification.
'Good.'
[In exchange, do not force another deliberate death.]
'I have a question. If I fall from a cliff while looking for a fortuitous encounter, does that count?'
[An accidental fall is not treated the same way. When Goren was chasing you, there was an unavoidable reason, so it counted as a fatal fall rather than a deliberate one.]
'Good. Then let me regress.'
[Finally.]
Johan felt a sensation similar to dying.
Suddenly, his sense of caution returned.
'Even if I agreed to it, she can trigger regression without me dying. There may be other conditions I don't know about. I need to be careful from now on.'
***
After returning to the Regression Room, Johan checked the new Achievements first.
[Flunking Student]
[An idiot who cannot even get admitted to the Academy. Pass next time.]
[Achievement Perk: When equipped, Intelligence Correction Low-Mid]
[Negotiation]
[You successfully negotiated with the provider of the Regression Service for the first time. We provide this reward in the hope that you continue standing up for your rights as a customer.]
[Achievement Perk: While held, Achievement Carryover Slots +1.]
[New Challenge Unlocked]
[Chimera Elimination]
[A chimera is not a magical life-form but merely a hideous monster. Eliminate chimeras. And strengthen your Correction.]
[Each Chimera eliminated grants a related Correction.]
[Achievement Perk: When equipped, Blunt Weapon Correction Low-Low]
[*Achievement Carryover Slot - Limited to 2 Runs*]
[(Empty)]
'Good!'
[Are you really that happy?]
The message sounded more relaxed than before.
Apparently, the goddess was relieved that Johan's earlier dangerous standoff had ended without incident.
How would she react if she knew Johan had shouted because he was looking at the [Negotiation] Achievement rather than the limited slot?
Including the limited slot, he could now equip as many as three Achievement Perks.
'What should I equip?'
[What Achievements did an awful customer like you even earn this time besides Flunking Student?]
'Oh......'
Apparently, the goddess could not see [Negotiation] or the Challenge.
He had always thought so, but today [Otherworlder's Soul] felt more precious than ever.
Johan carefully opened his own information while making sure not to expose his secret.
[Name: Johan]
[Possessed Talent: Memorization]
[Active Effects: (Speed Correction Mid-Low), (Empty), (Empty)]
After confirming the empty slots, Johan happily agonized over his choice. Which Corrections should he equip?
'Excluding the low-grade ones, the Achievements that only grant Corrections when equipped are [Legendary Womanizer], [Overcame Mana Rampage], and [Flunking Student]. Three in total.'
[Legendary Womanizer] granted a Mid-Mid Charm Correction, [Overcame Mana Rampage] granted a Mid-Low Mana Utilization Correction, and the newly obtained [Flunking Student] granted a Low-Mid Intelligence Correction.
For now, he had to equip [Flunking Student]. That left two choices.
Charm worried him because he might become a womanizer all over again, while Mana Utilization seemed less useful for his future as an administrator.
After thinking for a long time, Johan chose [Legendary Womanizer]. Fighting the Chimera had made him realize that no matter how much Mana he had, things became difficult if his other talents could not keep up.
Rather than a Correction that needed to be combined with other Achievements, it seemed better to take one that could do its job by itself.
[Name: Johan]
[Possessed Talent: Memorization]
[Active Effects: (Speed Correction Mid-Low), (Charm Correction Mid-Mid), (Intelligence Correction Low-Mid)]
[You finally equipped it? You only have one anyway, but that took you an awfully long time.]
'......It may be a trivial Correction to you, but to me, this is my monumental first Achievement. Whew. Now no one can stand in my way.'
Johan barely managed to cobble together an excuse.
[You're excited. Trial Version again, right?]
'Yeah.'
[I want some rest too, so I will send you right away.]
Before the message could try anything else, Johan shouted inwardly.
'Activate Save Point.'
[Save Point: Regressing to before meeting the mage.]
***
Johan followed the same process as in the previous run and arrived at the Academy Special Territory.
Last time, he had wandered around having fun because he thought he knew the exam questions. This time, he stayed firmly in his room and studied.
'Is this because of the Intelligence Correction? I remember almost all the questions!'
Even questions he had remembered only vaguely came back to him when he looked through the books.
He studied hard and took the exam.
When Johan saw his name proudly listed among those who had passed, he roared.
"I passeddddd!!!!"
"No matter how happy you are, there should be some limit. How utterly undignified......"
"I wonder which family he belongs to."
People whispered around him, but Johan did not care in the slightest.
For now, he would simply enjoy the joy of passing.
"Father! Mother! I did it!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
[Achievement Acquired!]
[Academy Attention Seeker]
Johan was moved.
He had not even attended the entrance ceremony yet, and the system was already giving him an Achievement.
It seemed Achievements were much more generous when he acted personally instead of leaving everything to Auto-Progress.
'I should be fine through the first class.'
With the activity time he had left, he could even attend the first class. His heart raced with anticipation at the thought of how many more Achievements he might obtain.