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60.71% The Summoner & Contractor System / Chapter 34: A New Day, Still Lost

Chương 34: A New Day, Still Lost

A harrowing storm of black crows with red beady eyes, their molted feathers displaying their putrid flesh. Numerous beasts ranging from wolves, panthers, jaguars, leopards, even rodents and hares, all glared from behind the trees and within bushes. Serpents and overgrown frogs, possessing deadly venoms.

These undead beasts outnumbered them, though they were among the strongest in the village.

"We're outnumbered, but unlike these foul creatures who run off of pure instinct, we can act with intelligence." Kia-Nian stated.

Nero shook his head, stating dismissively, "The dead don't fear death. I'd say their pure instinct is much more frightening than intelligence. Quint, you get moving. We'll take care of this."

As Nero spoke, lightning surged through his body in an even stronger current than before. His muscles convulsed, his entire body growing in size with bulging veins and eyes that sought only to kill all enemies.

He lunged forward, grabbing a deteriorated jaguar's skull between his large hands, smashing it together. The body fell to the ground, attempting to regenerate when Nero's foot smashed down, flattening part of its chest into a meaty paste that splattered his robe.

A serpent shot forward as he rose his head, grasping it between his hands. Nero opened his mouth and his teeth seemed to sharpen like canines as he bit into the serpent, tearing it in two while both signs wreathed on the ground.

Without a single trace of viable reason left in his mind, Nero continued to tear apart beast after beast.

Kia-Nian followed, "Don't mind my next ability, it's a special gift I received long ago. Vultisori's Embrace - Summoning Stamp of Vultasori!"

As Kia-Nian spoke, his pupils lit up as they formed into blue iris flowers, while wood and life energies converged in front of him, taking on the form of a beast of vegetation. Its body sturdy like a tree, thistled vines acting as whips, and a blossoming of flowers of unknown effects.

Similar to Icrin, Kia-Nian had been bestowed with one of Vultisori's flowers. But unlike Icrin, he had long since learned how to use this gift.

Vultisori, Prodigium Silvis, was the original beast of the forest. Vultasori however was an identical name given to both iris flowers, the equivalent to seeds which would birth new Prodigium Silvis'.

When bestowed with one of the flowers, it would bury itself into the host's soul and form a bond, where it continued to nourish both itself and the host. Once the flower was nourished enough, its host would be able to summon it from their soul, their strengths being identical.

"Vultasori, all of these freaks are our enemies. Let's make quick work of them."

Vultasori's canopy shook in agreement, extending thorny vines out in all directions, tying up beasts while shredding others. Soon, the beasts found what was left of their bodies being devoured by Vultasori as it greedily consumed what nutrients remained.

Kia-Nian's eyes glowed purple, his lightning energy a mutated variant from those of his clan. His lightning was peaceful rather than chaotic. Rather than destroy, it seemed to have the properties to nourish. As he sent strands into the surrounding beasts, their bodies fell slowly to the ground. The energy controlling their corpses was simply erased.

Astrona jumped around rhythmically, dodging the beasts with fluent steps while leaving behind a trace of energy with each step.

He declared in exhaustion, "Whew. The formation is finally ready."

Despite being worn out, his eyes flickered with light as he forced his axe into the sky, matching in the middle of the formation.

Crackle.

A crackling followed through the night sky and lightning flashed.

Bang!

A thunderbolt crashed into the ground, obliterating several beasts in the proximity.

The fighting came to a halt, thankfully as all of them were nearing their limits. They quickly neared the makeshift shack, opening the door.

As they peered inside, their mouths went agape in shock. No one spoke, not a single sound came out no matter how much they tried.

There were four people inside. Well, one person unconscious—Tsyun—and three dead bodies.

Tsyun's eyes were tightly covered by a blood stained bandage, his breathing faint. The three bodies were his parents, as well as his older sister. All their eyes were still wide open in shock, their bodies perfectly intact.

The cause of their death was unfathomable.

"It's my fault...." Nero shook heavily.

"It's not your fault, Nero. You made sure he continued to stay at his home in seclusion. You upped security throughout the village. This cult's abilities are just beyond our comprehension." Astrona dimly replied.

"I should've personally stayed by his side. No, I should've just taken action the first day they made their appearance." Nero voiced in anguish, his hands curled into fists while his eyes bled.

Kia-Nian yelled, maintaining the rationality of the group, "Patriarch! Now's not the time for this. We need to get Tsyun back to the village, then gather our dead for a burial. And where's Quint?"

Several bangs rang out nearby.

Kia-Nian looked at the two, "Go. I'll watch over Tsyun; Vultisori can provide him with life energy in the meantime. He'll be fine under my care."

Nodding in agreement, the duo left.

As they neared Quint, they had to stop and watch the fight from afar. Even Nero being a half-step into Core Formation couldn't approach the two carelessly. The pressure the two gave off—it was immobilizing.

Edalas, the researcher, wielded a slim red and black blade. Each swing was basic, yet without impurities. It seemed that aside from his research, Edalas' swordsmanship was of high quality.

Quint held a small dagger formed from ice, yet it rapidly changed shape, length, and took on different forms.

While it seemed the two were caught in a stalemate, Edalas' sword suddenly changed direction, piercing through Quint's foot and into the ground.

"Gargh!" Quint let out in pain, yet a vicious smile formed upon his face.

Edalas came to a realization, attempting to dive back as Quint caught his arm.

"You think you can hurt me and remain unscathed?" Quint burst forth, ice energy quickly encasing Edalas' hand, traveling up his arm.

"Damnit. Foren, tear it off!" Edalas screamed out manically.

A black timber wolf with dull eyes stormed in his direction, its jaw opening as its sharp teeth tore apart Edalas' arm, severing even the bone. Edalas screamed in pain as the arm was torn from his torso, yet a smile soon accompanied his face.

Edalas grabbed onto Foren's back, exclaiming fanatically, "Haha. You're quite something, aren't you? We'll meet again though, and I'll be waiting to see how Tsyun turns out. Make sure he takes care of himself."

As Edalas turned to depart, a group of five blocked his path. It was Ced, Faline, and three other hunters.

A cynical smile escaped Edalas' face, while Astrona screamed out from afar in panic, "Ced! Faline! Go back, now!"

The five looked at each other, before ultimately deciding not to move.

They couldn't let this man escape! Not when he was the leader of that cult!

Edalas yelled out, "SHUREN!" Another beast made its appearance, its body covered in a brown fur with needles like a porcupine. Each needle tip was of a coppery green color, and its body was much larger than a porcupine, about the size of a cow.

Faline readied her bo staff, Ced standing by her side as his energy surged. The other three prepped for the worst.

Before they could act, a flurry of needles shot out from the porcupine's back in acute angles—it was impossible to dodge them all.

The five dodged what they could and deflected others, yet several managed to pierce their defenses and lodge into their flesh.

Two of the hunters instantly died, one's neck pierced through, the other shot through the skull.

"Foren, Shuren, get us out of here!" He laughed maniacally, quickly escaping.

"God dammit! Not again!" Astrona and Nero quickly attended to their injuries, while Quint limped over to the third hunter.

"It's just a minor injury." Ced coughed.

Faline started, "Yeah, we'll make it through—"

The third hunter who survived started to spasm, his mouth foaming white and red, "Astrona, not good! They've been poisoned by that thing's needles!" Quint started in panic.

Astrona's heart started racing, as he looked towards the third hunter.

His convulsing body quickly went still, no sign of life remaining. As he turned his gaze, Ced was holding Faline's hand in his.

Ced turned his gaze, flaring into a coughing fit, "Father... Sorry... Icrin... I'm sorry...."

"Father-in-law... I failed to protect him... I'm sorry... It's unfair, but please, watch over Icrin for us—"

Alongside Ced, Faline's eyes closed, their pulses coming to a halt.

Just like that... they were gone. Astrona felt a piece of him break, bursting into tears as he screamed out in anguish.

And just what he had always feared... he broke through in his cultivation. Going from stage 6 to stage 8. Astrona's weeping only grew stronger.

"Every time.... Every time someone I love dies, my cultivation breaks through! WHY! WHY AM I DAMNED! Damned to just watch... To watch all I love suffer...." He screamed out over and over, his face of snot and tears while Nero and Quint stood behind him silently, their gazes lusterless.

There was nothing to say, nothing at all to explain this situation could be put into words.

Astrona cried and screamed until he could no longer make a noise, his eyes puffy and red. Silently, they returned to the village.

The moon had long traded positions with the sun. But despite it being a new day, they still felt lost. Maybe a part of them would always be lost on that day, forever unable to move on.

All who were able grouped and went out into the forest, searching for and bringing back the bodies from their village.

No matter who, everyone was mourning. Grand Elder Ahan, normally the most stern of all in the village, burst in sorrow as he saw his son's body brought back. Over and over, he screamed about how he was stuck guarding the village while his son was out fighting.

Elder Astrona, after the death of his son and daughter-in-law, started wearing a plain grey robe. His blue robe was personally made by Faline, and every time he saw it his emotions flared.

Icrin locked himself away in his room after hearing the news, refusing to go out. Soon, the moon rose, and yet he couldn't fall asleep.

His eyes bloodshot, he cried out softly, "Paramnesia, Sapience."

Two serpents formed beside him, "I won't do this forever... It's just for a little."

Icrin cried, while the serpent "Paramnesia" bit into his neck, distorting his memory.

"It's just for the night... Just so I can sleep... Even if for a bit...."

Icrin's eyes shut slowly, finally falling to sleep and into his dreams.


Chương 35: Consolidating Affinities

From the good to the bad, Icrin finished telling his story to Rentaro, Haz, Tsyun, Phu, Ichi, and Shin.

Unlike the others who personally experienced all of the events, Rentaro felt it was incredulous. How could someone commit such cruel acts?

He shook his head, 'As cruel as it is, these situations aren't so uncommon in this world."

Alongside his revelation, Rentaro felt the urge to become stronger. Only by having strength could he take care of his loved ones.

The others saw the minute changes flashing in his eyes, nodding in approval. Yet they also understood, only time could tell if Rentaro would truly live up to this newfound resolve.

For them, two years had passed and every day seemed to blend together, all their time focused on training. The pressure was incredulous, and Tsyun found the most improvement.

What happened to him that day? The others weren't exactly sure, yet they continued to support him regardless.

And Icrin too. Once they found out about his coping mechanisms—using illusions to put himself to sleep—they gave him a good talk.

They wouldn't forget about what happened that day, but they also wouldn't trap themselves in the past either. Together, they would press on to their futures.

Suddenly, Haz spoke, "Rentaro. I'm not sure where you're from, but considering what's about to go down soon... You know you don't have to stay here, right?"

Phu nodded in agreement, "Haz is right. We were born in this village, all of our family and friends are here. There's really no need to stick around and risk your life here, y'know?"

Without a single thought, Rentaro muttered, "I don't have a home in this world... Heh, I don't even know where I am, or where I'm going... But as I search, I might as well make a home everywhere I go. That way, life won't be so lonely no matter where I find myself."

The others were shocked, finding themselves at a loss for words.

Breaking the silence, Icrin smiled, "My home is your home."

The others smiled alongside him before repeating the same. After this share of stories, and the revealing of Rentaro's thoughts, everyone felt a bit closer.

Excusing themselves, everyone took to their leave on their own accord. It was time to get training!

Rentaro and Icrin also split off as Rentaro mused his next plan of action.

He, Roy, Kyon, and Wilhelm had work to get done. He also had to check his stats, mainly to review the rewards from his recently completed missions. And so Rentaro left to one of the training fields, rather than returning home with Icrin.

Rentaro yelled aloud, "System Missions!"

The pre-recorded voice followed:

[Missions]

*

[First Hunt] [Uncommon]—[Complete]

Hunt a Foundation Establishment Stage 1 Beast.

[Rewards] [2.0 credits of one credit type or 1.0 of each] [Sub-Shop Function—Trade-In]

*

[Investigate the Strange Anomaly] [Uncommon]—[Complete]

[Rewards] [3.0 credits of on credit type or 1.5 of each] [Sub-Mission Function—Research and Investigations]

*

'Collect all rewards, split credits towards each type.' Rentaro thought in his mind this time.

[Rewards Collected]

'Great, display stats.'

* * *

Name: Rentaro Eccel

Race: Human

Contracts: 2

Cultivation Stage: Affinity Foundation Stage 4

Elemental Affinities:

Fire - Assimilation

Dark - Assimilation

Light - Assimilation

Wind - Embryonic

Credit Balance:

[Syndicate Credits: 14]

[Spatial Credits: 14]

Innate Talents:

[Summoner]

[Paktierer]

[Elementalist]

[Extrasensory Perception]

[Spirit Whisperer]

* * *

Rentaro nodded happily. After forming a soul contract with Kyon, he awakened an elemental affinity to the wind element. How would this affect his foundations in the future, he wondered.

Paying no further mind, he summoned Roy and Kyon.

"Second brother!" Roy exclaimed.

"Haha. Finally, helping your elder out to get a breath of fresh air!" Kyon remarked.

Rentaro's eyes were without the usual playfulness, calling out, "Kyon!"

"Eh? Why so serious all of a sudden?"

"Kyon, please train Roy and I. Wilhelm's given us some pointers here and there, but I need more authentic training."

Roy backed away, grumbling, "Don't I get a say in this?"

Thankfully for Roy, Kyon shook his head in disagreement, "Rentaro, if we're talking about combat training, there's only so much you can achieve in the little time before disaster strikes the village. The most efficient way to progress right now would be to consolidate your elemental affinities."

Rentaro nodded his head in agreement, though his eyes expressed his disarray.

Kyon took notice of his glance, giving an exasperated sigh, "Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Thanks to our soul contract, we can see each other's memories. Likewise, we can send specific memories to one another. Here, just take a deep breath and focus on the message I'm trying to convey to you. Everything will be explained."

Rentaro closed his eyes in response, feeling a strange fluttering within. There was a calling, and in his focus he instinctively accepted it.

Now in his mind, he saw a strange scene. No, it wasn't a strange scene, but a memory shared by Kyon.

In Rentaro's vision were nine graceful palaces, all floating amidst the beautiful puffs of white clouds in the boundless blue sky. Each palace released the cyan energy of the wind element, all of which moved in the same direction.

Rentaro's gaze followed the moving energies, leading to an even grander sight! There was a cloud shining in a resplendent gold, and growing atop the cloud was an azure tree that towered beyond his sight.

The memory ended abruptly with the astonishing sight. Pulled back to reality, he looked at Kyon in a daze.

Roy was also looking at Kyon with the same expression, clearly shown the same memory.

In a bragging tone, "Hmph, Impressive, right? For my Foundation Establishment, rather than going from the size of a pond to the size of an ocean, I decided to form a simple building for each stage. Then, I nourished each building until they reached the grandeur of a palace."

"Upon reaching Foundation Establishment Stage 9 and breaking into Core Formation, the wind energies from each palace combined to form a cloud alongside a seed, soon sprouting a tree."

"Rather than restrict yourself to a method, you should decide for yourself how your cultivation will progress. What will your foundations combine into? I'm truly looking forward to seeing it in the future." Kyon smiled mysteriously alongside his wizened gaze.

Rentaro nodded absentmindedly. Having four elemental affinities, he hadn't even checked what they looked like in his dantian. Considering such, he closed his eyes before finally looking into his dantian.

Inside were a mass of four small blobs. The red energy of fire, gold of light, purple of darkness, and the cyan wind element. Comparing these four small blobs that seemed to be in a raw state to Kyon's grand palaces—Rentaro could only shake his head in embarrassment.

At the same time, his mind surged with various ideas, 'If I'm going to form nine elemental affinities, then maybe I could form something even more miraculous than Kyon's palaces.....'

Similar to Kyon, Rentaro urged the cyan wind energy to form into greyish-white clouds. Then, the light energy formed into a dim sun that hung overhead, while the dark energy formed into a dark moon. Lastly, the fire energy took on the appearance of a fiery volcano, without the fiery part though.

Among the four creations, the cloud was the smallest with his affinity with the wind element being the weakest.

All four creations were merely in their beginning state, lacking the wondrous lusters of life. 'One day,' Rentaro's eyes glowed, 'One day the cloud will breathe life. The sun will give off a resplendent warmth, the moon will give off a gentle glow in the night, and the volcano will erupt with a fiery lava as it fertilizes the soils. Of course, there's no soil yet, but one day I'm sure of it!'

Rentaro smiled while he felt an ambitious drive bubbling within him, considering how he'd set up his future affinities, 'Maybe I could create a small world of my own within my dantian one day.'

He took one final glance, musing, 'Seeing the volcano floating around like the cloud... It's a bit off. '

Waking up, Roy shouted in excitement, "Second Brother! In my dantian, I formed four different versions of myself! Each one is entirely made of one specific element!"

Roy's eyes were like tiny crescents, giving rise to Rentaro's laughter.

Wilhelm's voice suddenly followed in their minds, "Honestly, I don't think I can assist you two in cultivation. Kyon, I'll need your guidance in the future as well."

"Of course, kiddo. Though I can't help but wonder, which of us is older?" Kyon scratched his chin.

While the two older ones were making a pact of sorts, Rentaro and Roy started practicing in the field.

As Rentaro utilized his fire energy, a fireball quickly took form, much faster than previously. Furthermore, the fire burned with a much more intense heat.

The golden energy of light followed, forming into a shield. It was not only more durable, but it possessed an aura that felt... holy. Then came an arrow of darkness! As it shot out it consumed all the surrounding light, blotting out even the sky!

As for the wind element, Rentaro decided to hold off on casting it for now. He hoped to learn more from Kyon in the future. Maybe even learn some proper techniques.

As of now, he was merely utilizing his internal energy, as well as the surrounding energies through the use of the Grimoire of Twilight.

Roy sounded out in applause, calling for attention, "Second Brother! My turn!"

Accompanying his shouting, Roy's body changed in color, while all four of his eyes burned red. Soon he transitioned entirely to gold, his scales shimmering like royalty before turning a dark purple. His fourth transformation of the cyan energy of wind caused his body to take on a cyan hue.

Kyon and Wilhelm were struck with awe.

Wilhelm said, "Being a chimera, his foundation establishment causes such great changes. His body can either accompany all or a select amount of elements at once, even taking on one element purely."

Essentially, Roy could alter his body's element at will, as long as he had an affinity with said element of course.

The gains of consolidating the elemental affinities were much greater than Rentaro had expected.

Next, it was time to move on to checking out the two new system functions: [Sub-Shop Function—Trade-In] and [Sub-Mission Function—Research and Investigations].


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