Wizard: Scamming a Demon God

WHOOSH—

A terrifying face formed from the gray flames as the will of the Black Orc God descended. Gazing at Isaac, who stood before the ritual, the corners of the God’s mouth curled in excitement. After so many years, a fool had finally taken the bait!

Although many new and old Legendary Mages made deals with beings like them every year, there were simply too many Outer Gods. When spread out, it didn’t even average one Mad Witch per God.

And for a being like him, who left a massive backdoor in his rituals, the number of fools he managed to hook was naturally even smaller.

But now, it was finally his turn. ’How wonderful~’

HSSSS—

The Black Orc God took a deep drag of the gray flame. While this paltry amount of energy couldn’t strengthen him in the slightest, an occasional whiff was good for the mind and body!

In a word: bliss!

’Excellent. I’ve decided. When I devour this fellow’s soul, I’ll make it quick. That should lessen his suffering!’

Just like that, the gleeful Black Orc God had decided Isaac’s fate.

And so, while secretly working to bypass the ritual’s protective wards, he asked Isaac, "Wizard, state your desire. I can fulfill any wish you may have!"

That was a lie.

Isaac instinctively tugged at his hood, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

He hadn’t been fooled by the Black Orc God. It was a classic Outer God deception.

It wasn’t that the Black Orc God was incapable of it. Given the vast difference in their power, he might very well have been able to grant even Isaac’s wildest dreams. But the words themselves were a trap.

If Isaac had agreed, the Black Orc God would have been able to seize his soul directly!

No amount of protection would have helped! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But this deception was already common knowledge, and the bewitching power woven into his words was being completely nullified by the ritual’s firewall. Naturally, Isaac wasn’t about to agree.

He performed an ancient Wizard’s salutation before speaking softly, "O great Black Orc God, ruler of the night and of Demon Beasts, I have but one question for you. Why have so many High Priests appeared among the Black Orcs of the Wilderness?"

"...That question... is difficult to answer..."

Another lie.

A smirk touched Isaac’s lips once more. ’Just as I thought. The Black Orc God and the Master of Billions of Flesh—one’s an Evil God, the other’s a Demon God, but they’re cut from the same cloth. They love to put on a show of compliance while secretly scheming behind your back! What a scumbag!’

After inwardly spitting in disgust at the Black Orc God, Isaac didn’t remain idle. He immediately manipulated the power of the ritual, secretly beginning his own invasion of the Black Orc God’s domain.

"However... as a reward, I shall make an exception for you~ The answer involves certain... special Existence, so it will take a bit longer. Be patient~ While you wait, you can also consider what else you might require. I will do everything in my power to grant your wishes!"

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Isaac glanced at the constantly decreasing percentage visible only to him on the ritual’s interface. He remained outwardly expressionless, but inwardly, he scoffed.

’This two-faced bastard... All big talk while making his move behind my back. How shameless!’

’Good thing I’m doing the same thing!’

Isaac narrowed his eyes slightly. His vision filled with what seemed to be a black night sky, where countless specks of starlight stood guard around three enormous moons!

Perhaps it was because this was his second time performing such a ritual and he was more familiar with the process, or perhaps it was due to the difference between an Evil God and a Demon God.

In any case, compared to the last time when he’d been fumbling in the dark and just grabbed whatever he could, Isaac could now "see" much more.

The three enormous moons in the night sky were the Black Orc God’s Authorities, representing Night, Demons, and the Stars.

That was right. Although he was called the Black Orc God and received the Faith of nearly all Black Orcs, the [Black Orc] Authority was not among his powers. Isaac didn’t understand the reason for this. Perhaps the God was an imposter, or perhaps this world simply had no such thing as a racial Authority or divinity. His Knowledge on the subject was still sorely lacking.

But it didn’t matter. This wouldn’t affect Isaac’s plan.

The three moons were undoubtedly the Black Orc God’s most important, most valuable possessions. But they were not Isaac’s target. He was, after all, only an Official Wizard. Even with the ritual’s amplification, he had no way of seizing an Authority—the core power of an Outer God.

This was different from the case of a Dimensional Demon God. While a Dimension is also a Demon God’s most crucial power, it is simply too vast. It was fundamentally impossible for any Demon God to focus all of their attention on all of their Dimension Worlds at all times.

That was precisely why he had been able to use the ritual as a cover to snatch a Dimension Seed. He only succeeded because the theft itself was on a small enough scale to go unnoticed.

But if his target were the Black Orc God’s Authority, he would be doomed to fail. And even if he miraculously succeeded, he was just an Official Wizard; he wouldn’t be able to use an Authority in the slightest. He wasn’t a Divine Species, after all.

Therefore, Isaac’s targets were the Stars surrounding the moons—the Forbidden Knowledge!

Not only were they easy to take, but he could actually use them.

In fact, this was the target of most Mad Witches. Few of them ever aimed for something like an Authority or a Dimension. In the eyes of a Mad Witch, that would be... well, truly mad.

And so it went. The Black Orc God delayed transmitting the information while secretly trying to breach the firewall of Isaac’s ritual. Meanwhile, Isaac pretended to mull over his subsequent wishes while quietly "taking" things from the God’s domain.

Of course, he was also keeping a close eye on the percentage counter. If the buffer dropped by half, he would terminate the ritual immediately, whether the Black Orc God had delivered the information or not!

Worst case, he would just find another Outer God. No matter what, it wouldn’t be a loss for him.

Fortunately, the Black Orc God didn’t drag out the act for too long. By the time the buffer percentage was down to six hundred percent, the relevant information had finished transmitting. A Beast Hide Book exuding a sinister aura floated quietly above the ritual.

"That is all the information. I have also gifted you some targeted Magic. Now, tell me your next wish."

Hearing the Black Orc God’s words, Isaac blinked from beneath his hood. ’It’s over already?’

’But I’ve only managed to grab three "Stars"...’

Still, his main objective had been achieved, and a good chunk of his buffer had been consumed. There wasn’t much he could do with what was left. So, Isaac decisively pulled the plug and terminated the ritual!

"Hm?"

Isaac moved quickly, but the Black Orc God sensed his intentions a split-second beforehand. As the one invited to the ritual, he couldn’t stop Isaac, the host, from closing it. But he still had a trump card!

It was time for a final, desperate gamble!

Without a hint of hesitation, the Black Orc God’s eyes blazed. A formidable power surged across the Void, threading the very needle of the world’s rules as it shot toward Isaac!

The terrifying might of the Evil God whipped up furious gales, causing the gray Flame above the ritual to boil violently!

The progress bar in Isaac’s vision plummeted instantly... a drop of eighty percent...

And then, the ritual ended.

The gray Flame dissipated completely, before the indignant eyes of the Black Orc God.

"Whew, that was close... A little too close. Good thing my skills are a cut above the rest," Isaac said, wiping non-existent sweat from his brow. He looked with satisfaction at the slowly fading number before him: a remaining fault tolerance of five hundred and twenty-three percent.

’See? It pays to be cautious, doesn’t it?’