A Beast - 25

A month had already elapsed, and today, much like any other day, Edge was venturing into another dungeon with the intention of completing it solo.

King had specifically admonished him against using his ability to fly, advising him to travel by foot so as not to attract undue attention, as they were already garnering significant notoriety in the game forums.

Rustle Grunt...

Edge heard a sound and halted immediately, his senses on high alert.

He recalled King's caution about potential followers seeking information, prompting him to meticulously survey his surroundings.

As he trailed the noise, it became more discernible, and he deduced it was a pained grunt.

Venturing deeper into the forest, he eventually located the source of the sound.

A colossal beastkin lay sprawled on the rocky ground, his size so imposing that Edge hesitated to approach, but curiosity prevailed, and he drew closer.

"You, human..." a deep, growling voice intoned as the creature perceived the human's approach.

Upon closer inspection, Edge discerned that the beastkin was a tiger, though his fur was dull and desiccated, stripped of its former majesty. Yet, for a beastkin, his size was extraordinary.

The average tiger beastkin seldom exceeded 6 to 8 feet, but this one stood at an imposing 10 feet.

"You are dying," Edge finally concluded.

"Indeed, and that's why I am forsaking my pride to ask you to expedite my suffering," the tigerkin responded.

"You are unlike any beastkin I have encountered. What are you? Tell me about yourself first," Edge, initially apprehensive, quickly realized that even if the tiger chose to attack, he could easily subdue him in his current debilitated state.

"I cannot adequately describe myself, for I have no name. My father was a demon, and my mother was a beastkin," the tigerkin explained.

Apparently, his father was a demon general who had inexplicably fallen in love with a tigerkin, and soon thereafter, they had him.

His mother perished during childbirth, and by the age of five, his father also died in a war, leaving him an orphan.

As a hybrid, he knew his life would be arduous. Beastkin gain intelligence at an early age, so he was well-prepared.

At five years old, he could easily blend in with the beastkin and lived in their village for some time.

However, as he grew, his body became abnormally large for a tigerkin, his fur a peculiar mix of orange and white, with larger canines. Upon inspection, the beastkin discovered he was a hybrid and thus expelled him from the village.

But he had anticipated this day, merely biding his time for his growth spurt, as weak children perish first in demon territory.

He fought his way through the demon kingdom, eventually securing a position as a regular soldier in the army.

Just as he thought his life had stabilized, another misfortune struck. He was accustomed to the bullying due to his hybrid nature, but one day, he clashed with a fellow soldier who happened to be a demon noble's son.

During a mission, the demon noble exacted revenge by capturing the tiger with his fellow demon soldiers and poisoning him.

After completely restraining him, they tortured him for an entire month, repeatedly healing him only to torture him anew. Finally, they healed him and administered a poison designed to kill him slowly over a month.

They intended for him to suffer through a slow, agonizing death. The poison was potent, so despite consuming animals and monsters, he could only delay his demise slightly.

Now, he was weary of this life.

As a hybrid, he possessed the appearance of a tiger but lacked the aura that beastkin utilize.

He had the physiology of a demon—stronger, faster, more durable—but lacked the dark magic of demons.

He didn't even have the system that other individuals had, which informed them of their progress.

Thus, no one accepted him.

"I can help you. Demons can form blood contracts, right? The contract will ensure your survival. I will form a slave contract with you because you are much stronger than me, and I don't want any betrayal. In return, you will work under me," Edge proposed, having absorbed enough information about demons from King to be somewhat knowledgeable.

"Me, a demon... your slave... ha, argh... this pain... I have no love for this life, so perhaps I will agree. But even so, you, a weak human, cannot help me. Even after contracting with you, I need blood to recuperate, and you are merely a weak human," the tiger was about to say more but was interrupted

"I bear the legacy of the strongest god. Surely you understand the significance? I possess his divinity in my blood, which will be a feast for you," Edge declared.

"Urgh, alright, I will agree," the tiger was still skeptical but decided to proceed, hoping for a better life this time.

Edge approached and made a cut on his left hand, doing the same to the tigerkin's hand before pressing their palms together.

A prompt appeared in his status window:

(You are about to form a blood slave contract.)

(Blood slave contracts are limited to only one per player.)

(Slaves under a blood slave contract cannot permanently die unless the owner receives a permanent death or decides to kill them.)

(After dying, the blood slave will take a minimum of a week to resurrect.)

(20% of your EXP will unconditionally go to the blood slave when you level up from now.)

(You can also transfer 100% of your EXP if you choose.)

(10 levels will be deducted due to certain conditions.)

(To complete the contract, give the blood slave a name.)

Hieeekk, 10 levels... King will certainly kill me for this, but why? Is this tiger truly that powerful? Edge thought, but he decided to proceed and entered the name he had chosen for the tigerkin.

( RAGNAROK )

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