God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 2: God-Tier Talent [2]

"There is a price... are you willing to pay the price?"

Gabriel's mind reverberated with the giantess's words, as a contemplative look swept across his striking face. Silence dominated briefly, with nothing but the soft, seductive, enticing breaths of the giantess audible, her gaze locked on him with hopeful intensity in her eyes.

Yet Gabriel overlooked it entirely, despite staring straight forward.

Because...

Turmoil churned fiercely inside his mind.

Wasn't he dead?

Did he desire life?

Absolutely.

"Countless people await my rescue, numerous fates demand my alteration, and above all, I yearn to plunge my blade into the hearts of those scum." Icy resolve flickered in Gabriel's eyes while visions of Sutre's devastating sledgehammer blow replayed relentlessly in his thoughts.

What further toll could he bear beyond what he'd already endured?

Gabriel's fists tightened, knuckles blanching. He'd forfeited it all once before.

Mom, Leon, Father, Valery, his loyal followers.

The entire world had vanished.

Could anything surpass that devastation? Should this giantess—the enigmatic entity facing him—offer the path to his revival, he'd seize it regardless of the demand.

Just how dire could that cost possibly be?

His soul?

Composing himself, Gabriel declared in a profound, resolute, steady tone: "What do you desire? I'll fulfill anything you ask... provided you restore me."

He hesitated, then murmured softly, his words heavy with sorrow, remorse, and yearning. "Provided you restore them all."

The giantess observed him intently, her mismatched eyes piercing deep, as though peering straight into his essence.

Then...

An inscrutable smile curved her lips, and she cooed in a honeyed tone edged with peril.

"The price is simple. You’ll become the Champion of Death... You will walk the world once more, but never as you were before."

Gabriel stayed composed, face impassive, fixing the giantess with a disinterested stare even though her words would terrify most into recoiling.

Amused by his reaction, the giantess laughed lightly, her gentle, tuneful mirth both delightful and eerie, enough to send shivers through the bones of weaker mortals.

"I love this... It seems you’re the perfect person I’ve been waiting for all these centuries."

Centuries trapped here? One eyebrow rose on Gabriel's face. Still, it mattered little to him, and his features settled back to stoic calm.

"Of course, I won’t be heartless enough to simply send you back without granting you something in return." A peculiar gleam sparkled in the giantess’s eyes. "So make your choice—do you want to hear the price for your return or the power you’ll receive?"

Those words... they evoked a devil's temptation.

Gabriel wasted no time, responding in a resonant tone, "The power I get. After all, if the price I have to pay is massive, it’s only natural that I get something that will give me an edge over all the others."

"Negotiating with me? Oh boy, with each moment, you’re becoming even more charming in my eyes." She pouted playfully, eyeing Gabriel like a tempting treat eager to be devoured.

"Very well, then. I shall start with the talent you’ll receive," she said. "In the universe, there are eight ranked talents: E, D, C, B, A, S, SSS, and finally, God-Tier. As the name God-Tier suggests, this skill is exclusive to divine beings—in other words, gods.

"However, I’ll grant this talent to you."

For the first time, emotion visibly stirred on Gabriel’s face. His eyes expanded in shock.

Tales of fearsome SSS-ranked talents that rattled the skies and ruled battlefields had reached his ears. Yet God-Tier? That belonged to immortals, to gods alone.

Noticing his reaction, the giantess pressed on with heightened fervor. "The name of the talent is... Extraction."

"The skills of those you kill? Yours."

"Their strength, their talent, their souls? Yours."

"Their loot? Yours."

"Their class? Yours!"

"The resources of the universe? Yours!"

"Their experience points? Yours!"

"You will devour the power of the strong and rise beyond the heavens."

Gabriel's blood surged hotly, his stoic mask on the verge of shattering.

Extract class, skills, loot... Could he claim it all?

A sharp breath filled Gabriel's lungs with icy air.

Power to seize every asset from foes?

More than a mere talent.

Pure dominion.

No surprise it earned God-Tier status.

Such a horrifying ability in human hands defied cosmic balance entirely.

Wielding this, wouldn't he embody catastrophe? A harbinger of doom?

A deity walking among men?

No idiot was Gabriel. He understood such immense might demanded a matching sacrifice. Moments later, he inquired,

"What is the catch? The price?"

"Like I said—bloodlust." The goddess smiled, though the expression faded swiftly. Menacing fire ignited in her gaze. Instantly, her allure turned fearsome.

"Kill, KILL, KILL, KILL! Kill everything that blocks your path—monsters, humans, whatever! Slaughter them and extract!!"

"From now on, the lives you take... will fuel your ascent."

"Let me advise you." The giantess murmured slyly. Though separated by space, her whisper grazed Gabriel's ears. "If you want to survive and not become a mindless murdering hobo, you have to kill—always—to keep your Bloodlust Meter full!"

"After knowing this, do you still want this power?"

Gabriel pondered for precisely five seconds before meeting her eyes, determination flooding his tone. "I just have to keep my Bloodlust Meter always full, right? I accept. But in return for all this, what do you want? What would you gain?"

"Get strong... strong enough to shatter these hateful chains. I want to see the sun again—it has been centuries. If you do that, I’ll grant you even more power."

"Deal," Gabriel affirmed instantly, skipping deeper reflection. His sole priority: return and rewrite destiny. The rest could wait.

"Great," the woman exclaimed with zeal, her crimson and sapphire eyes blazing bright. "I shall send you back in time. Good luck, Champion."

Radiant energy surged, shaking the temple violently. Reality warped, birthing a dark portal.

Right then, a thought struck Gabriel. His lips parted to speak.

"Wait, I don’t even know your na—"

Before completing the sentence, an irresistible pull dragged him into the vortex. Yet in his final glimpse, horror gripped him.

She smiled.

No longer that cryptic, flirtatious curve from earlier.

Something different.

A grotesque leer—unnaturally broad, brimming with jagged fangs gleaming like black stone.

Her formerly lovely visage warped, contorting into an inhuman, otherworldly abomination.

"My name is Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld," the giantess proclaimed.

But Gabriel had vanished.

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