Chained
With a small grin tugging at his lips, Nyx decided it was time to gather the 2,000 mana stones Viktor had brought over in bags. They had been farming tirelessly for days, cutting down hordes of monsters to amass the treasure trove, and now, it was finally time to put them to use.
Nyx felt the weight of the stones in his hands as he retrieved the bags from Viktor, each one shimmering faintly with stored energy. It was a tangible testament to their effort, but more importantly, a key to further power. Nyx could almost feel the surge of potential radiating from the stones, his mind already calculating the possibilities.
"I think it's time to move to the next area," Nyx said calmly, addressing both Viktor and Lucas.
Their progress had been swift, systematically farming one zone after another, but there was a growing scarcity of monsters in the region. Nyx had already wrung everything he could from their current location.
"Time's almost up," he added, his gaze drifting toward the sky.
Both Viktor and Lucas followed his eyes, looking up at the massive translucent screen hanging in the scarlet heavens. The countdown blinked ominously:
[ DAYS UNTIL DISCHARGE - 5 DAYS LEFT ]
A short while later, after finding a quiet spot, Nyx activated his system to harness the power of the mana stones.
[ HOST HAS GENERATED SKILL TIER : C | SOUL PACT ]
[ HOST HAS GENERATED SKILL TIER : C | LIFE CONTRACT ]
Nyx quickly inspected the new skills, his eyes narrowing with interest.
[ SOUL PACT ] [ TIER : C ]Allows the User to create a contract linked to the party's soul.
+ Soul recipient receives 4% of the contractor's attributes.
[ LIFE CONTRACT ] [ TIER : C ]
Allows User to create a contract for Party B on specific terms
"Soul Pact even has a secondary effect," Nyx whispered, intrigued by the possibilities these skills opened up. It was tempting to explore each in-depth, but he had a different idea in mind. He took a deep breath, eyes gleaming with resolve.
"Combine," Nyx commanded, his voice cutting through the stillness of the dawn.
"Soul Pact and Life Contract," he followed up immediately.
A brilliant light engulfed the area, glowing intensely as the system went to work, fusing the two skills together. The air buzzed with raw energy, making the hairs on Lucas and Viktor's necks stand on end.
The light dimmed, and a notification appeared before Nyx.
[ SOUL PACT (C) + LIFE CONTRACT (C) ]
[ COMBINATION RATE: 66% ]
"It's a huge risk," Nyx muttered to himself, acknowledging the gamble. "But high risk, high reward."
Even if the fusion failed, Nyx had the advantage of his unique talent—he could always generate more skills if needed. The loss of two C-tier abilities didn't weigh heavily on him.
[ SUCCESS ]
The notification flashed before him, confirming the result.
[ CHAINED DEBT ] [ TIER: B ]
Allows the User to chain the contractee's life and soul.
+ Contractee can be lent attributes from the User ranging between 2% - 8%.
"Fantastic, and I have two perfect test subjects," Nyx said with a sly grin, his gaze shifting toward Viktor and Lucas.
Lucas immediately tensed, creeping closer to Viktor. "Why do I feel like something bad's about to happen?" he muttered under his breath.
"I know exactly what you mean," Viktor responded, his tone wary.
Moments later, a surge of energy coursed through both of them.
"Whoa! This power... it's incredible!" Lucas exclaimed, his entire body glowing with a faint purple aura.
"I feel twice—no, almost three times stronger than before," Viktor added, his own aura blazing brightly in the same violet hue.
Nyx watched them both with a calm detachment. Chained Debt had taken hold. He had lent them 8% of his strength, enough to significantly enhance their abilities.
'I've linked their lives to mine with Chained Debt,' Nyx thought. 'With this, I've effectively erased a bit of chance of them betraying me.'
Nyx had only erased a bit of thought of Lucas and Viktor ever betraying him however Nyx did not erase all reasons for he knew that there is none to trust in the old and new world.