Chapter 9 : Contract

*Creak*

The door to my room opened. Kuro Kiba entered my room. He looked surprised to see me sitting in meditation.

"You woke up. How are you feeling? Can you control the bloodlust?"

"I'm sorry, I've been a burden to big brother. I feel calm now, but I seem to have grown stronger. I need to form a contract with this little guy soon."

"Forming a contract with lightning element best should help you suppress the bloodlust from taking over your mind. But you still need to be able not to let the bloodlust influence your decisions."

Kuro Kiba was referring to Max cutting off Jin's arm. Although the brothers have an unspeakable vengeance to seek with the beast people, it was not yet time to antagonize them.

"I'm very sorry brother. But me chopping off his arm was forgiving enough to him already. To mention Yamato to me and leaving the arena alive is a blessing. Enough about him. Brother, I need your help."

"Oh? what do you need?"

"I need a 3rd order beast contract."

"3rd order? For this common fox? Why are you being so hasty? Just make a normal contract. I have a calming mind bracelet to help you in the meantime."

"It's not that..."

Max suddenly silenced himself. He took out a piece of paper from his drawer and started writing. Kuro Kiba immediately understood they were being monitored.

After Max finished writing, he handed the paper to Kuro Kiba. Reading the information Max gave him, Kuro Kiba had a surprised look painted on him.

Kuro Kiba threw a curious glance at the white Phyonet in the corner of the room. How could he not be surprised? This immature-looking fox was already a 1st order beast.

Normally, a beast has to become a 1st order beast, it has to reach strength comparable to the 10-star Essence Transformation stage. But, that was still not enough for it to become a 1st order beast.

To be labeled 1st order beast, the beast must be able to condense a second element nature.

Kuro Kiba was surprised to learn the common fox he brushed off was already able to use a second element nature.

It may be due to its habitat, or its surrounding kin, but its unnatural elemental affinity had caused it to condense an affinity with the fire element.

But this was good news for both of them. Not only does it shows the phyonets future potential, but 1st order beast's main elemental affinity will also grow stronger when it condenses a second nature.

Although Max's eye power is strong, the effect of using it is devastating. Max's eye will release a thick bloodlust that takes control of his mind and sends him into a destructive frenzy.

To suppress the bloodlust, he can use ice elemental energy to forcefully calm his mind, but Max's natural affinity is the fire element.

If he contacts an ice elemental beast, his future growth will be significantly affected. The ice element will suppress his fire element nature and impede his growth.

The best way to suppress his bloodlust at his level was to use the lightning element to hone his mind at the same time destroy the bloodlust as it leaks from his second core. The stronger the lighting, the better the effects.

Kuro Kiba took out a paper from his interspacial bracelet and handed it to Max. An interspacial bracelet is a bracelet that has a small space condensed into it, to keep nonliving things inside it. The internal size varies with the maker's skills.

Interspacial bracelets are rare and expensive goods. But as sons of a great blacksmith, Max and Kuro Kiba both owned one respectively.

Kuro Kiba felt a small tug in his heart as he handed Max the paper. The simple-looking paper was naturally a 3rd order contract.

While it may look like just a simple piece of paper, when activated, it will allow any beast weaker than the 5-Star elemental fusion stage to submit to the caster.

The price of such a miracle item that can even work on 2nd order beast is high. The price of five 3rd order contracts is comparable to Kuro Kiba's Fiery Blood Saber.

Even Kuro Kiba, a guard in Amethyst Maple City had painstakingly saved up his money to buy only two 3rd order contracts. Even for him, it was comparable to half a year of his salary.

But to help Max, he was willing to part with such an expensive item. For his age, Max has a great sense of responsibility. He wouldn't have asked for a 3rd order contract if he was not confident in taming the phyonet.

With the contract at hand, Max walked to the Phyonet. The Phyonet, which was already slightly scared of Max for some unknown reason, growled at him as he walked closer to it.

Max ignored the angry growls of the phyonet and placed the third order contract in front of the growling phyonet and sat down facing it.

Max held a brush in his hands and closed his eyes. He slowly opened his right eye, which shone with a slight yellow glow. He condensed the brush in his hands with spirit energy.

Max slowly moved his hand and started to draw in the air. His hands slowly danced in the air as he formed a floating yellow sigil filled with pure spirit energy.

After the sigil is formed, Max swallowed the sigil into his body and closed both his eyes. After a minute, a bright yellow drop of blood floated out his mouth.

This was a drop of essence blood. A drop of essence blood is condensed from the soul. By using a drop of essence blood, one can establish a soul-binding contract that can be used to tame and control spirit beasts.

But before Max could activate the 3rd order contract to send his essence blood into the phyonet, the phyonet madly jumped towards the drop of blood and swallowed it.

The Phyonet shut its eyes and circulated its spirit energy. Max and Kuro Kiba were dumbfounded, although they expected the phyonet to resist, they never imagined it would willingly swallow Max's essence blood.

A thin thread of gold energy exited between the phyonet's eyebrows and entered between Max's eyebrows. The Phyonet was initiating a soul contract on its own.

Max had only captured the Phyonet for over a week. Not to mention he was asleep most of the time. Just a couple of moments ago the phyonet was growling at him, so why was the phyonet so eager to establish a contract between them?

While Max and Kuro Kiba were still dazed, a high amount of spirit energy started to condense visibly around them. The condensed energy slowly moved towards the phyonet.

"Big brother. It's... It's forming a second spirit core?"

"But how is it possible? Its first spirit core has yet to mature, so why can it already condense a second on?"

"But still, it looks like it's going to succeed. Should I use some fire crystals to help it?"

As Max was still thinking, Kuro Kiba waved his hand, and five mid-grade fire crystals appeared from his bracelet. With a slight motion, the crystals ruptured and transformed into visible fire elemental energy.

As the fire elemental energy slowly entered its body, a second tail grew. The second tail looked the same as its first tail, elegant and fluffy.

As its second core formation was coming to an end, the surrounding spirit energy slowly thinned. The phyonet slowly opened its eyes.

A faint red glow exuded from its eyes, and the room temperature raised slightly. Its eyes had a sense of calm compared to the past week.

Even though it was just a small beast, it exuded a majestic aura as it slowly walked toward Max. When it came just a few feet from him, it gave him a deep stare and lowered its head, acknowledging Max as its master.

"This is so weird. Big brother, why did it acknowledge me so easily. Shouldn't a 2nd order beast give more resistance before becoming tame?"

"This. I don't know either."

Kuro Kiba was as dumbfounded as Max. Even though he had seen so many people tame beasts, Max taming a 2nd order beast without a beast contract may be the weirdest thing he had seen.

'Blood good... Ancestor... Blessing...'

Max was extremely surprised by the sudden voice in his head. But then he understood, the voice belonged to none other than the Phyonet.

Even though he couldn't completely understand the transmission, he could make a gist out of it. The Phyonet was telling him, Max's blood had special properties that could help it grow.

Max turned towards Kuro Kiba, suddenly he had an odd expression looking at Kuro Kiba. His elder brother picked up the 3rd order contract with an extremely relieved expression.

Kuro Kiba was glad the 3rd order contract was not activated. Even though he couldn't understand why the Phyonet willingly contracted itself with Max, he could care less as long as his money was not involved.

Max decided he would tell his brother about his mental communication with the small Phyonet at a later date. Max crouched and picked up the Phyonet.

"Since we have officially become partners, I should give you a proper name. I am going to call you Sparky."

The phyonet let out an annoyed growl.

As he remembered something, Max turned towards Kuro Kiba and whispered

"Big brother, now that this is settled. We should welcome the guests, right? It rude to let them wait long."