[Lirra's POV]
I didn't want to be a charity case and be used as a way to earn Reputation Index (RI) for them, but still I introduced myself, "My name is Lirra Thornshade. Thank you for the save."
"Do you need any help?" "The Ember boy, Max," he asked.
I looked at him; there was a sincerity in his expression, but I still didn't want to entangle myself in any kind of mix-up.
However, before I could object, the girl standing beside him, Fiona, spoke up, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so you should think hard before you speak anything."
What is this duo? I was slightly baffled. I took a deep breath and asked the first thing that came to my mind, "Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I saw all those thorns and the pain you are going through." "Ember boy," Max said. I was immediately alarmed; he noticed and further added, "You don't need to be frightened; why don't we go someplace else to talk? Take us to the best hotel or inn you know here."
I thought for a moment and followed his suggestion. I took both of them to the most VIP hotel, which is only booked when higher Tower residents come here or some Tower representatives themselves.
I asked him while we were en route, "Do you know who the goblins whom you struck down were?"
Fiona replied instead, "Boss doesn't need to care about every twerp on the road. It doesn't matter even if he is the son of some king."
I couldn't understand what her deal was; she looked almost annoyed that we were walking together.
I brought them to the inn, hoping they would run after hearing the price, but to my dismay, Ember boy had deep pockets. He instantly paid for the entire hotel to be booked for 3 days. What kind of man was he really?
We sat at the dining table; some waiters tried to make a fuss about me being there, but he literally shoved Myth Coins in their mouths to shut them up. Does he have mine or a particular talent related to Myth Coins? I was really intrigued about the 'once in a lifetime chance.'
While we were eating, I was just devouring because I don't think I ever had such a meal in my whole life.
I thought of savoring the food but decided against it; a full stomach is more important than a flavored palate. He said, "Meanwhile, while we are eating, you could take a look at this and think about it."
I was confused by his words, but the next second that melted away as a translucent panel, which I had heard only belonged to players and never seen before, manifested in front of me. I started reading it frantically.
[SYSTEM CONTRACT]
[COMPANION AGREEMENT—ACTIVE MODE]
[CONTRACT TIER: Mythical-Class (Upgradeable)]
[CONTRACT TYPE: Loyalty & Empowerment Pact]
[BENEFITS:]
Cure your current predicament and make you healthy.
Become one of the strongest beings.
Receive continuous growth and support.
Access to potential skills, arts, spells, titles, and traits granted by Player Max.
Protected from outside forces if the signee is in need.
[ETHICS CLAUSE:]
Player Max shall not compel, order, or request the Signee (Lirra Thornshade) to take part in any act she perceives as unethical or immoral.
Protection of conscience: ENSURED
[PENALTY:]
Erasure of Existence (Total Deletion)
Record Nullification (Memory Deletion)
[REQUIREMENTS:]
Absolute loyalty to Player Max and his allies.
Obedience to issued orders.
Orders cannot violate or harm the signee.
[SIGNATURE FIELD:]
Contractee: MAX [Bloodmark Linked]
Signee: [_______] [Soulmark Pending]
[STATUS: Awaiting Signee Confirmation…]
[SYSTEM NOTE: You will become an active Player in Tower after you sign this contract]
I read the whole thing for a few minutes; as I read it again and again, I wondered if he was trying to scam himself.
Fiona, the blue girl, voiced her thoughts: "I had that same reaction when I read the contract."
But my eyes were fixed on Max, who came out of nowhere and gave me everything I could ask for. To be free from this curse and able to become a player in the tower—that's actually more than I could have asked for.
"Why?" I simply asked.
"I don't know what you went through in your life, but these thorns on your body, paint a very painful picture of life. I saw that I could help, so here we are," he explained in short.
I looked at him for a few more seconds; he went back to silently eating his food like he didn't just promise me or give me a contract to sign, which could bring existential change to my life.
I couldn't see through him; I didn't know exactly his reason, but if it's under system contract, I could trust that. I didn't know what to feel; all this felt like a dream, and I could wake up at any moment and continue with my daily, abuse-filled, and always hungry life.
I finished my meal, but my mind was on the contract and what to do with it. It was a chance to move forward from my painful life but also step into the unknown with a duo I just met a few hours ago.
I took a deep breath and finalized my decision. If there is a chance that I could leave behind this painful past and this place, I should take it instead of fearing the unknown. It surely won't be as cruel and painful as my life till now.
"I accept." I declared and signed the contract. A sigil formed on my wrist and disappeared.
"Congratulations, welcome to the team, newbie." Fiona greeted.
Max just nodded and said, "Let's go someplace private; I don't know if it will be painful or not when I try to cure this condition of yours."
We moved to another hall and were left alone. I sat on the sofa and asked nervously, "Could you really cure me, like, this instant?"
"Yep, I think so," he replied.
Before I could ask anything, I felt something warm entering my body, and for the first time in my life, I felt the pain subsiding, vanishing like it never existed. I closed my eyes to enjoy this surreal feeling, the forever pain, and the clash of two forces inside me.
The goblin part and human part fighting for dominance just died down. The forever soul-grating pain I felt, which had become background music in my life, stopped.
Max's voice reached my ears, "You will feel some changes and maybe some discomfort and may lose consciousness."
I just nodded; I didn't want to break my moments of feeling bliss. I started feeling the warm fuzzy feeling at the start become more rampant, and it looked like it was fighting both the human and goblin parts.
This was the discomfort he was talking about; it was nothing compared to the pain I felt every moment just a few minutes ago.
I sensed some changes occurring in my body. The skin, which was covered in thorns, started getting dissolved and replaced by thin greenish lines.
I experienced something shift monumentally inside me as a cocoon of whitish layer started forming outside me, and in that moment I knew I had made the right decision.
The cocoon engulfed me as I lost my consciousness; my final thoughts were to see myself as something new after emerging from the cocoon.
[Max's POV]
I used my OGS on her, and I understood the reason behind her unusual appearance and weak, fragile body. She contained two opposing forces, excluding the goblin and human parts.
She had a presence of a decay element, probably from the goblin side, and a life element, which seemed to originate from a third source instead of the human side. This clash made her body a living battlefield.
Suddenly, a thought occurred in my mind that my Primordial mana could cure this. I didn't know the origin of this knowledge, as I haven't read something like this. I asked the system inwardly, 'Is it because of Infinite Mind?'
[Yes, the more you push the limit of your mind, the more knowledge will appear according to your need, which will eventually conclude with the final test to gain complete access to Infinite Mind]
I nodded. After we reached the hotel and had a late lunch, I gave her the same contract as Fiona. She thought about it while we ate; I was a bit skeptical because I also knew my contract was too good to be true.
It's all thanks to the reputation of the system that I don't have to explain everything or keep proving myself to others for signing a contract that benefits them the most.
We reached a quiet hall and sat on a sofa. I spread my mana and made it enter her body as I told her to relax. I started slowly, as I didn't know what the reaction would be, but once I saw positive changes in her body, I pushed as much mana as possible without breaking her body.
Suddenly, a cocoon started forming around her. I stopped supplying mana, thinking I went overboard, but a system panel flickered alive.
[Due to excess supply of Primordial Mana, her genetic structure is being rewritten]
[Cocoon will act as an incubator until she evolves into a new species]
[Time period: 1 hour]
Fiona was slightly startled after seeing and asked, "What happened, Boss?"
"Nothing much, she is just evolving; it will take about an hour. Use this time to work on your both affinities." I suggested.
She nodded and moved to the side for her practice; I excitedly waited to see the result of evolution.
After an hour, the cocoon started cracking up, and a system panel flickered before me.
[Congratulations on being the catalyst for creating a new species]
[Lirra Thornshade has evolved into a new species, Bloomshade.]
[Congratulations on being the Catalyst for the birth of the progenitor of the Bloomshade species, Lirra Bloomshade]
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