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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The contract between the human man, Lev Denec, and the Spirit King progressed swiftly.
However, unlike the composed Ariel, Naiad maintained a sullen expression.
Communicating with a Spirit King, let alone forming a contract, was a feat even a seasoned spirit summoner might spend their entire life striving for without guarantee of success. Yet this human acted as if he was on equal footing with them, audacious in his demeanor.
In short, Naiad’s displeasure stemmed from his perceived lack of respect in their power dynamic.
Then, a rather intriguing thought crossed Naiad’s mind, her teeth unconsciously grinding.
[Should I just rip it out?]
The moment the contract was established, Naiad would gain access to his body. Currently, the Water Dragon’s orb was absorbed throughout his being, functioning as an integral part of him.
But what if she ruthlessly extracted this power from him?
It would be akin to instantly removing a vital organ from a human. This boy, seemingly lacking in magical prowess and generally frail, wouldn’t be able to withstand such an ordeal.
[Besides, he’s the one who offered it up.]
It was a rather cruel thought for Naiad, a neutral Spirit King, to entertain.
But for spirits, death was simply a part of nature’s cycle.
She donned a mischievous smile, her face resembling that of a playful child.
[Shall we begin?]
“Do as you please.”
Lev’s confident demeanor extinguished any lingering guilt Naiad might have harbored.
-Whoosh!
As Naiad raised her arm,
a magic circle etched with intricate patterns materialized on her fingers, hand, and wrist.
The layered inscriptions began to rotate,
-Whir…! Swish.
and in an instant, pierced through Lev’s body.
These magical energies would gather any lingering traces of the Water Dragon within him and begin reconstruction.
-Rustle…
However, in a matter of seconds, the inscription returned to Naiad’s hand.
[Huh…?]
It was over much faster than she had anticipated, completed in under five seconds.
“Done already?”
What was even more baffling was that he seemed perfectly fine.
[He withstood this much extraction…?]
She had definitely intervened; the orb containing the Water Dragon’s essence now rested in her hand. Yet, this boy had yielded the essence of a monstrous being as if it were a detachable part, remaining unscathed.
[Ariel… what happened?]
Ariel was equally surprised.
This human was unlike any he had encountered.
Even for spirit summoners, perfectly separating and storing the power of a spirit or monster within their body was considered impossible…
The King of Wind Spirits sighed.
[It seems the orb was indeed tainted.]
The repulsive aura that had surrounded the boy had vanished.
Lev Denec had spoken the truth.
Judging from the current situation,
it appeared he had absorbed the corrupted Water Dragon’s orb, but instead of gaining power, he had been afflicted by a curse.
-…
Dawn had broken, illuminating Lev Denec’s face, which had been obscured by the darkness. Now free of the ‘unidentified curse that even the Spirit King couldn’t discern,’
his features, by human standards, were quite handsome.
Of course, physical appearance held no significance for the formless Spirit Kings.
“So, we’re done? Nothing more to say?”
-…
“I’ll let this slide. Later.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the two Spirit Kings behind.
.
.
.
[Ariel, are you sure about this…? Who knows what he’ll do with your power!]
[It’s alright. I have a plan.]
Ariel watched as Lev’s figure receded into the distance.
It had been a long time since such an extraordinary human had appeared.
But even a Spirit King wasn’t a fool.
He had subtly added a condition to their contract.
There was a suitable candidate residing at Clarice Academy who could monitor and keep the boy in check.
[Don’t go back.]
He had dispatched a trustworthy individual; it was time to observe how fate would unfold.
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[General trait – ‘Appeal’ activated]
[Stats significantly increased due to contract with the Spirit King!]
The negotiation with the Spirit King had been a gamble, but it paid off handsomely.
Damn, who knew the ‘Villain’ trait would be this useful?
As soon as I formed the contract with Ariel, I swapped the newly acquired ‘Contract with Ariel’ trait with the ‘Villain’ trait.
The before-and-after contrast in my aura was so stark that they must have assumed it was caused by the demonic curse.
And it seemed Naiad had intended to inflict significant damage on my body, but
‘Like that would work.’
No way.
To me, a gamer, the Water Dragon’s blessing was just another skill.
Giving it up was no big deal.
‘Stats.’
These were my final stats.
I had turned a crisis into an opportunity for growth.
The stat boost from the Wind Spirit King’s contract was only
30% to Agility and 10% to Magic Power,
but since the maximum displayed stat was 10, this would become an enormous advantage in the later stages of the game.
“Damn… I’m exhausted from lack of sleep.”
The duel was in a few hours.
I needed to test out ‘Wind Archery’, but getting some rest to manage my condition would be wise.
As I turned to head back to the dormitory, a status window popped up.
-Cha-ching!
Huh…? What…?
I wasn’t seeing things from sleep deprivation.
Cynatis was…
the monster professor at the Evolution Chamber…?
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Early morning,
at the Clarice Academy Evolution Chamber.
Cynatis, the monster girl, finally awakened from her long slumber and was assisting students entering the trials.
“Good morning, Professor!”
“Good morning! I’m here to challenge the trial again!”
-Welcome, everyone.
The chamber was always bustling in the morning.
Since it was physically demanding to train and then attempt the trials,
students preferred to challenge them when their condition was at its peak.
If they failed, they would spend the day training in the gym, focusing on their weaknesses.
-This, is, right.
Indeed.
This was the ‘right’ way to utilize the Evolution Chamber, as Cynatis envisioned.
Last week, that unknown man,
Lev Denec, had given her quite a headache.
-Will he, dare, come again, this week?
If he returned, she was determined to prevent him from exploiting any loopholes this time.
At that moment, a conversation between students leaving the trials caught her ear.
-Failed the trial again?
-Yeah, got stuck on the second stage.
-When will I ever reach the third stage… I’m about to run out of scholarship funds.
-Forget about that, let’s go watch the duel later. The second-year archery department runner-up is dueling a freshman.
-A duel? Right before the ranking matches?
-Who knows. I heard that freshman is a real troublemaker, with 49 penalty points.
-He’s going to get his ass handed to him. Gailon has quite the temper.
49 penalty points.
Since that day, Cynatis had also heard the rumors surrounding him.
He was a certified troublemaker in the academy.
Last week had been a simple misstep; from now on, she would just avoid him.
Wasn’t there a human saying?
‘It’s not that I fear poop, but I avoid it because it’s dirty’.
-Whoosh…
As Cynatis was being brushed by her personal maid, Flora, a wind spirit gently floated towards her.
-?
The spirit hovered near her ear before transforming into a soft breeze that carried a voice.
-Cynatis. I command you.
-!!
It was a message from Ariel, the King of Wind Spirits.
And what he said next shocked Cynatis.
-Keep an eye on Lev Denec.
-……………………
The Spirit King’s words were absolute.
Cynatis couldn’t disobey, even if she wanted to.
However, the only human Cynatis, the wind-attribute monster, had acknowledged was Krun.
Krun Dalenhill.
He was supposed to be her first and last target of observation.
.
.
.
-Are you a monster?
-Monster.
-Why are you so cute, for a monster?
-…
-Come closer. I’ll pet you.
.
.
.
Though their relationship had begun on a bad note, they had become soulmates.
Even after his death, Cynatis still lived, cherishing the memories of Krun.
But now… Lev Denec was her second target of observation…?
Her hands trembled involuntarily.
-… No… I won’t…
That face that made her uncomfortable just to look at…
That man was physiologically unbearable.
“What’s wrong, Lady Cynatis…? Could it be… you don’t like your hair…?”
Flora, who had just finished braiding her hair and was about to tie it with a ribbon, asked cautiously.
‘I thought she was always satisfied, even though she never explicitly said so…!’
To her, Cynatis was both her savior and a precious being whom she enjoyed dressing up.
Flora took pride in carefully choosing ribbons and meticulously styling Cynatis’s hair.
-No, no, no!
Although Cynatis’s outburst was directed elsewhere, it was Flora, the maid, who ended up hurt…
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Second Hero coming
Damn. The more they say “no” the more “yes” it will be later
Chat is this NTR?
Not really. The dude has been dead for a long time already and she still likes him and given how the MC is doing so far i doubt they might truly fall in love.
Flora no…