Looking at Kestrels' face then to the paper and back to her face, I suddenly feel that this piece of paper looks a lot heavier then it should be. It had only two parts to first read: [I, Kestrel, take thee, ___, to be my soul bound partner, to advise and to strengthen, from this day forward, for better or for worse, till death do us part, according to the almighty's' divine ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith. If so I defy this contract then allow my soul to be struck by tribulation lightning and shattered across the realm.]
Shocked I continue to read onward.
[I, ___, take thee, Kestrel, to be my soul bound partner, to grow stronger for and be responsible for, from this day forward, for better or for worse, till death do us part, according to the almighty's' divine ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith. If so I defy this contract then allow my soul to be struck with tribulation lightning and shattered across the realm.] 'This contract is void upon the death of either of those whose name is on this contract.'
"Is this really necessary? This seems to be more in my favor than yours." I asked I feel like I'm cheating her somehow.
"It's fine first off if you die during your training the contract becomes void. Also as long as you're alive I get a valuable research dummy. So are you going to sign it or not. If not then get out and we'll act like we never met each other." She continues to stare into my eyes. Although I'm hesitant, it's as she said this contract works for both of us and I don't mind being her research target as long as it doesn't threaten my life. Taking her pen I sign my name in both blanks. Then she took it to read it through once more nodding her head. Then she tossed it into the air and said: "Let the almighty be our witness!" Suddenly the paper started shining and split in two quickly shooting into our heads.
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Ding! You have signed a soul contact with Kestrel. From now on you are soul bound partners with Kestrel. For details check the status.
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I pull up my status menu.
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Welcome back Luke~
Status*
Name: Luke
Soulbond: Kestrel
race: Human
Age: 25
strength: 7
endurance: 7
Agility: 10
intelligence: 14
Mana: 100% 100|100
Stamina: 100% 100|100
Innate abilities: minor body regeneration 8.53
Absorb true essence from the atmosphere
innate affinity: minor water affinity 70.05
Basic wood affinity 25.02
{skill slots}
[Renegade immortal cultivation path]
[Appraisal 3.70]
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No matter how I look at it I feel like this soul bound thing feels like it's more then she makes it out to be. Looking back to Kestrel, she was leaning back into her chair staring at the ceiling. I'm very familiar with that look, it's the 'I'm contemplating my life's choices look. Sighing she looked back to me, stared for a bit and then sighing again. Shifting the glasses on her nose, she stood up and went to a cabinet. Looking through it for a few moments pulling out two beakers of liquid. One was very colorful it was never the same color for more than a second, the other was a glowing white. She walked back towards me and sat them on the table."For now, we should test the limit on your minor body regeneration, and if possible get it to basic. This potion is a body tempering potion that all normal humans can get for a few silver. Since it's the only potion that's safe for them to use. This one is an energy potion. Since you need to power your innate this should help. Drink them now." She ordered while pushing the colorful potion forward first then the white one, and picking up her notebook again. See as I don't have much choice I take off the stopper and quickly down it. Doing the same for the other potion. The first one tasted like medicine from earth, the second one was like milk. Finishing the two I prepare for the effects to happen.
Not too long later I feel something, I can feel my stomach warming up. This feeling spreads quickly throughout my body. With that feeling I also get a very giddy feeling, as if I just needed to get up, this is like I drank a strong coffee but this feeling kept growing alongside the warm feeling I'm getting which is getting hotter. In fact, it was quickly going from warm and fuzzy to a burning pain that instantly caused my body to cease up. I couldn't move an inch of my body, the pain quickly multiplied into a screeching pain but I couldn't shout out. If not for the giddy feeling amplifying from just a coffee high to a full-blown itch in my brain. I'm sure that I would have fainted from the pain by now. My body was spasming and shuddering. I quickly fell face first from the chair I was in onto the floor. It's a good thing too cause shameful enough my body was having the most pain erection I've ever experienced. Although it hurts more to fall on it, I'm already in a world of pain so this extra pain was short-lived and replaced with even more pain. I've been kicked in the nuts before and I know the pain but this pain topped all that but at least 4 times.
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Ding! Your minor body regeneration has leveled up to basic!
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I thought this was a good thing at first but with that level up the pain in my body actually increased. It seems the body tempering potion was spooked by the level up and decided to put in more effort. Suddenly I feel something else in my body I'm not sure what this feeling is but I feel like I know what it was. It was a confusing feeling to know but not know at the same time.
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Ding! Your water affinity has leveled up to basic.
Ding!~
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I finally realized where the feeling was coming from, it seems my affinities were automatically pulled into my body and started circulating. Since it's the only thing that isn't making me feel like shit I focus my mind on them, just like this afternoon I put all my mind on just following them. After I don't know how long they seem to start to dim almost like they were running out of energy. Seeing this I try to provide them with the only energy I have control of in my body, my mana and stamina. Pushing them to the elements the water affinity took more to mana and the wood element to stamina. I could feel the wood element flow through my heart and muscles and the water element flow through my veins and to my brain. With the two doing this a really refreshing feeling began to spread around my body. I can feel my body relaxing and no longer spasming. This feeling was just like when I got the innate from the starting lobby, but many times better. This time I'm shuddering from pleasure and not pain.
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Ding! You have unlocked the condition to permanently turn your mana to water elemental mana!
Will you accept? "Yes""No"
Ding! You have unlocked the condition to permanently turn your stamina to wood element stamina!
Will you accept?"Yes""No"
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In my stupor, I mentality hit yes for both of them and again for confirmation.
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Ding! You have unlocked the condition to permanently turn your mana to water elemental mana!
Will you accept? ""Yes""
Are you sure? ""Yes""
Ding! You have unlocked the condition to permanently turn your stamina to wood element stamina!
Will you accept?""Yes""
Are you sure? ""Yes""
Ding! Your mana is permanently water elemental mana.
Ding! Your stamina is permanently wood elemental stamina.
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The constant 'Dinging' noises pulled me from my stupor. Realizing that I was laying face first on the ground drooling with a silly smile on my face, I quickly pick my self up and checks my body. I immediately notice that my body was feeling much stronger compared to before, though very sore. I call up my status to check how much the increase was.
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Welcome back Luke~
Status*
Name: Luke
Soulbond: Kestrel
race: Human
Age: 25
strength: 16
endurance: 18
Agility: 14
intelligence: 14
Mana(Water): 20% 20|100
Stamina(Wood): 20% 20|100
Innate abilities: Middle basic body regeneration 60.76
Absorb true essence from the atmosphere
innate affinity: Middle basic water affinity 50.05
Middle Basic wood affinity 92.02
{skill slots}
[Renegade immortal cultivation path]
[Appraisal 4.0]
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My stats doubled! Seeing my affinities just straight to the middle stage was also a great boon. Body regeneration also reached the middle stage. I also got the condition for water manipulation but I just hit no on it. While I was checking out my stats I hear Kestrel speck. "You stink go bath!" I look at where I heard her voice and see her at the far door holding her nose and pointing to a door on the other side of the room. Tossing a large towel and an extra-large lab coat at me. "You must burn those clothes cause I'm not washing them and you might forget them if you just put them in your inventory." With that, she disappeared beyond the door.
Taking one deep breath was all it took for me to neatly faint. I noticed my skin was covered in black grease. If I've learned anything from novels it's that this must be impurities. Quickly grabbing the stuff I ran to the room that age pointed out. Although I'm wondering why she has a bathtub the size of a small pool I just strip and jump into it. There were many new soaps on the edge of the bath so I just grabbed one and started scrubbing.
It took me a whole hour to finally get the stuff off and a lot of it was in my hair too. I felt like I was scrubbing off a layer of skin, especially when I got to the more sensitive areas.
When I finally stepped out of the water I felt like I had cast off a huge burden and felt much lighter. Looking at the clothes that were covered in muck even I felt that washing that would be pointless. Simply putting it into my inventory I pulled out the extra shirt and underclothes that I got for free I quickly dress. Without any pants on again I'm reminded of this morning. Putting on the lab coat that reaches below my knees. Leaving the bathroom I see Kestrel wearing a face mask while mopping the floor. Seeing her working hard to get it clean made me feel awkward. After a few minutes, it looks like she was satisfied with her work and put everything away. Turning to me she gave me a once over. "Next time I'll make sure to put down tiles. I forgot that so much would come out during the first time. So what did your innate reach?"
Remembering that I'm only wearing underwear under this lab coat I tighten the coat around my body, I'm sure that if her eyes were open I would have earned an eye roll. "Well my innate reached middle basic, my endurance and strength doubled and agility increased by a few points. Oh and I fused my mana with my water element and my stamina with my wood element." She seemed to expect as much until the last part. She seemed shocked at first, then she facepalmed and began to rub the bridge of her nose.
"You do know that you can't train other affinities in the future now right? Not to mention that you need to fuse your mana and stamina to get chakra. Who knows what will happen when you try? Even Theodore only had one element and said that trying to train more will make chakra more unstable and now you go and add one more unknown fact to the mix. 'Sigh' Forget it, we'll know when it happens, at most you'll die nothing more nothing less."
Hearing her words I start to sweat. What had once been predictable has become muddled again. "Welp I can't do anything about it now. Also since they're not conflicting elements and more work with each other it might not be that bad."
Sighing and muttering something about a fool who doesn't fear death she spoke "Tomorrow you can go around town while I prepare some things that will increase your decreasing chances of successful creating chakra. What you do I don't care but you must be back by noon. You can sleep in there." She said pointing out another room across from the bathroom and heading somewhere into the house with a tired expression. The room she put me in had everything a room needed to be called a bedroom. A bed, a desk, and a closet. what more could you ask for? Laying on the bed, a wave of exhaustion hits me and I drift off to sleep.