The crimson mist of Corrupt Calamity trembled, replaying scenes Stia had once experienced.
It showed a young boy desperately begging him.
"Big Sister Stia, could you... could you please put in a good word for me with Lord Ash? I'll work hard! I'll do better in the next battle! Please, ask Lord Ash not to take back my Contract. Don't take away my power. I don't want to become an ordinary person again. I don't want to lose everything."
"I... I want to keep fighting alongside everyone!!"
Looking at the boy in the crimson mist, looking at this character model, a memory that had been forgotten in some corner of Liao Ji's mind was finally stirred.
He recognized the boy. He was Pirei, the first name in the list Stia had just recited—a [Vanguard] Corrupted Liao Ji had contracted during the early pioneering stages.
Pirei's star rating had been low, only two stars, and his skill set was equally terrible. Yet Liao Ji had still contracted him and taken him under his wing because Pirei possessed one exceptional talent.
[Experience Gain Efficiency +15%]
That meant Liao Ji could use fewer resources in the early game to raise a two-star "Common Rank" character to max level.
But as the difficulty increased, Common Rank characters became increasingly inadequate, especially in the fiercely competitive [Vanguard] profession. Pirei was quickly phased out.
Liao Ji then used the [Reset] ability to reclaim the resources he had invested in Pirei.
Back then, Liao Ji had not thought there was anything wrong with it. He had not hesitated in the slightest. After all, wasn't that a standard operation for many players, especially early on, when resources were desperately scarce?
But now, as Stia showed him these scenes, the young man fell silent.
He watched Pirei weep bitterly.