5 Chapter 5 - Sealing the First Contract

Broken's eyes widened in excitement when he saw the gift Akidia had given him. "Five high-grade spirit contract tickets!" he exclaimed.

"I can make a contract with five high-grade spirits!" he added excitedly, reaching into his Inventory and retrieving one of the tickets.

He held it aloft, shouting, "Yes!" his voice reverberated in the air.

The spirit orbs that had been swirling around him suddenly grew wilder, gathering together in greater numbers. The orbs seemed ecstatic, leaping up and down in the air, their enthusiasm further fueled by the sight of what Broken was holding.

"Goddess Akidia, I love you!" He exclaimed joyfully, his previous worries about coming to his workplace completely forgotten at the moment.

However, he immediately opened his eyes, and his heart suddenly began to race again. "I need to finish the contract, and log out of this game right away," he declared.

*Ding

[You had received an email from Akidia, the Goddess of Sloth.]

"Eh?!" Broken exclaimed upon seeing the notification reappear before him and spotting Akidia's name on it.

"Goddess Akidia?" He smiled slightly in anticipation and hastily opened the email, eager to find out what Akidia had sent back.

[Hi, my cute champion,

I love you too, ( ͡─ ͜ʖ ͡─)

Akidia.]

Akidia sent a simple text to Broken, and he instantly felt a little embarrassed, as if she was still observing him and had heard the outburst he had just made.

"I guess I have to watch my words carefully," Broken muttered under his breath.

He thought to himself, "How do the deities monitor what everyone in the world is doing? Is it because this is just a game and information can be easily absorbed by them, like a machine?"

"This game is incredibly realistic," he exclaimed, "the deities even have their own special characteristics. I'm having a hard time telling the difference between reality and this virtual world."

He then read the description of the item he had just obtained.

[High-Grade Spirit Contract Ticket]

[Tear this ticket to activate its effect and attract spirits of the highest Unique grade to your vicinity.

This ticket is an invaluable tool to increase your chances of forming contracts with spirits, but the success of your endeavor still depends on your ability to build an affinity with them in a limited amount of time.

Remember, spirits are incredibly sensitive to human emotions and can sense the intentions of your heart. They will make their choice of master based on their own preferences, so be ready to accept whatever outcome you are presented with.

By restraining yourself and utilizing the ticket to its full potential, you can maximize your chances of success.]

Broken nodded slowly, attempting to comprehend the item's description. "So, while there is no guarantee I will get spirits with the highest grade, I still have to remain mindful of not being too demanding, lest I miss out on the opportunity to form a contract with the spirits that come my way."

He didn't waste any more time; he immediately tore up the ticket in his hand, and a notification appeared.

[You have activated the effect of the High-Grade Spirit Contract Ticket]

[you will emit a signal to attract high-grade spirits to come to you]

[Duration: 30 minutes]

Broken gulped nervously as he realized he would have to wait another 30 minutes before he could fully log out of the game. Taking a deep breath, he determinedly declared, "Okay, let's try until I get a contract with my first spirit and continue with it another time."

Suddenly, he felt something tug at his senses, and he looked around, stunned by sight before him. Several spirits were calling his name, dancing and moving rhythmically around him. Unaware, a smile spread across his face as he watched the joy of the spirits. "It's so beautiful," he said in delight.

"Broken, what do you hope to accomplish in this world?" one of the spirits inquired.

"Me? I want to become the strongest!" Broken replied with a smile.

"And what kind of spirits are you searching for?" the other spirit asked.

"Well... I'm searching for a companion; if I can, I'd like to make all the spirits in this place my friends," he replied nonchalantly, feeling a sense of warmth from the spirits' friendliness.

Broken then noticed a spirit that shone more brightly than the others. It was a white ball of light with green streaks radiating from its body.

"Broken, Broken..." he heard a voice, like that of a teenage girl, emanating from the spirit.

As Broken watched, the ball descended to the ground and transformed into a transparent fox with three tails.

[Polly, a Unique Grade Spirit Beast of the Nine-Tailed Fox, has taken a strong liking to you and desires to become your friend. It has kindly offered to make a pact with you.]

Broken sat down and carefully grasped the white fox's body, taking note of the patches of green fur that seemed almost translucent.

"Hi," he said softly.

Polly lifted her gaze to him, her eyes wide and filled with innocence. "Broken...please, be my friend," she implored.

Broken mumbled to himself, "A Unique Grade?"

He then nodded slowly at Polly and greeted her. "Hi, Polly...Nice to meet you. So, are you some kind of Spirit Beast?"

Broken tried to pet the fox's head, and after, a notification popped up in front of him.

[Affinity with Polly the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast has risen to 65.]

[Polly is a remarkable spirit, capable of transforming into a powerful beast.]

[Her formidable fighting skills and magical abilities make her an invaluable asset in battle.]

[Many would be willing to give their life for the chance to form a contract with a spirit beast of such a high grade.]

[Even though she only has three tails at the moment, she will continue to grow and become even stronger, and her grade will only increase further in the future.]

Broken nodded after reading the system description before him.

"Hi, Broken," Polly said pleadingly, her eyes filled with hope. "I can help you in battle. Yes, I'm a spirit beast, so you can ride me and increase your mobility. Please, be my friend. I want to be your friend, Broken." She paused, her gaze expectant.

"Sure, let's make a contract," Broken replied.

[Do you wish to enter into a contract with Polly, the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast?]

[Yes/No]

Broken immediately selected 'Yes' and was immediately filled with a feeling of energy radiating from his body and enveloping Polly's. Soon enough, her form appeared to become more solid, and Broken could almost swear he saw a smile on the fox's face.

Excitedly, Polly ran around Broken's body before jumping into his arms. "Thanks, Broken!" she exclaimed.

[You have now entered into a contract with Polly, the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast]

[Affinity with Polly the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast has risen to 85.]

[Name: Polly]

[Grade: Unique]

[Level: 0]

[Race: Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast]

[Skills - 3]

[Illusion Casting: The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast can cast four illusions that are designed to confuse and disorient its opponents. Each illusion has 30% of the Spirit Beast's total HP, and the cooldown for this ability is five minutes.]

[Natural Weapons: The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast can fight using its claws, teeth, and tail which all deal physical damage. Its illusions will apply 20% of its total damage.]

[Magic Resistance: The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Beast has 60% resistance to many forms of magic.]

Broken's eyes widened in disbelief at Polly's skill description. "Eh?!" he gasped. "You have a high resistance to magic?"

He couldn't believe it; the spirit beast he possessed had a skill of such a high grade. With high resistance to magic, she would surely become a formidable opponent for magicians. Not only that, but she could also create illusions and withstand physical damage from physical type players.

Polly was going to be quite the challenge for any players to deal with.

Broken realized that the level of the spirit beasts was dependent on his own level as well as their total stats; nodding in understanding, he concluded that it should be easier for him to acquire additional stat points in the future. "It should still be easier for me to collect more stat points in the future," he said.

Broken felt he had endured enough for the day and had decided to revisit the spirit world on another time to capture more spirits. He had been procrastinating for far too long, and he wanted to make sure he still had an opportunity to attend his work.

He waved his hand at the spirits around him, which were swirling around him in a dizzying array of colors.

"Hi everyone," he said, smiling warmly. "Thank you for kindly welcoming me today. I will definitely come again in the future, and I hope you will all still welcome me with open arms."

"Bye Broken," the spirits chorused.

"Until we meet again Broken," they sang.

"I will wait for you, Broken," they echoed.

[The visit to the Spirit World has come to an end; you will be compelled to leave.]

Broken seemed to be forced out of Spirit World, and then his feet touched the cold, familiar floor.

He saw several people who immediately turned to look at him with surprised expressions on their faces. Ignoring them, Broken continued walking away, and only then did he realize he was completely naked.

"Shit, I completely forgot that all my armor was left inside," he muttered, not wanting to wait any longer. He ran out of the clearing, not caring about the people looking at him and pointing at him.

"Who is that guy?" one of them asked. "Is he being crazy for not securing a contract with the spirits?"

"Can I record it and make this person go viral?" another one chuckled.

"What a fool. I'm sure after this, there will be news of people taking their own lives because they failed in the game."

"More and more fools are joining this game," they sighed. "Hopefully they'll go away soon and make the game even better - haha!"

Broken sped up, and soon his body was hidden by the forest trees. He quickly pressed the logout button, letting himself exit the game.