Soul Contract

What just happened?

Am I really alive?

Noel could not fathom what just happened. He was in excruciating pain right now, to the point where he could feel his consciousness slipping away, but not to the point where he would go delirious. He was certain that he was alive.

Just a few moments ago, he was sure that he was going to die. After all, at his current level of strength, he stood no chance against a Marshal-level Guardian. Let alone him; even if there were thousands of him present, he still wouldn't be able to defeat a Marshal-level guardian.

These guardians were typically found in D-rank rifts, and Awakened only at the novice realm would have little chance of defeating such a monster.

Their strength was evident in how the Undead Knight had slaughtered the entire team without breaking a sweat, so why wouldn't he be surprised when golden flames appeared out of nowhere and devoured the powerful Undead Knight before it could even respond?

Noel forced his eyes to remain open, the pain and confusion he felt stabbing at his head. Moreover, as if to make things worse, there was a floating black screen currently in front of him.

"System?"

"What the hell is this system? Have I gone insane?" Noel wondered as he stared at the floating screen in front of him.

"I must be seeing things…" Noel muttered as he came to a conclusion. There was no other way to explain what was going on. Unfortunately, no matter how many times Noel closed and opened his eyes, the floating screen never disappeared.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through his head, and his vision became extremely blurry, almost making him lose his consciousness.

"Shit…" Noel cursed and let out a bitter laugh at the sudden wave of pain that assaulted him, harshly reminding him of his current situation.

What difference did the Undead Knight's death make? He was going to die here anyway…

"Fucking hell…" Noel cursed yet again as another wave of pain, more painful than the last, hit him. Noel knew that in his current state, he would only last a few more minutes before he succumbed to eternal rest.

"In the end, I wasn't able to achieve anything."

"I wasn't able to save Julius and fulfill the promise I made ten years ago." Noel said bitterly, tears pooling at the corners of his eyes.

"Sorry, Julius, but you'll have to live on without me…" Noel said wryly, a look of helplessness on his face.

At that moment, a ping sound echoed again in his ears, and the floating black screen in front of him appeared.

[Activating Passive Skill: Regeneration]

The moment the skill was activated, ancient golden runes appeared all over his body, and his injuries started healing at a speed that was visible to the naked eye. His torn flesh, broken ribs, pierced lung, and broken leg that he had sustained while fighting the Undead Knight started healing, and barely three minutes later, all his wounds were fully healed.

"What's going on?" Noel was in disbelief as he watched his body heal miraculously.

"What the hell just happened?" Noel muttered as he felt the changes in his body. He felt completely rejuvenated!

He got up from the floor and stretched, surprised at the changes to his body. Not only had his Mana Stream, which was wrung dry after his fight with the Undead Knight, been filled to the brim, but his stamina had been fully restored as well!

Moreover, he could even feel that the hidden injuries he had suffered in previous raids were fully healed, and his cells had rejuvenated.

It was simply a miracle!

He had been raiding rifts after rifts, willingly throwing himself in danger countless times and fighting for survival just to make sure that he earned enough money to keep his brother in the hospital. As a result, he was barely able to afford healing potions to heal his injuries properly and always had to make do with the cheap healing balms he carried around in his duffel bag.

However, all the wounds and injuries he had sustained over the months had fully healed. The bloodstains all over his body were the only way someone could tell that he had been on the verge of death minutes ago.

If that weren't a miracle, how else could he describe it?

"This must be due to this floating screen in front of me…" Noel quickly arrived at that conclusion, a small frown on his face as he decided to study the system.

"Still, what is even this thing? How do I even get to study it?" Noel muttered to himself. However, the moment he had that thought, the floating screen shimmered and expanded, and he couldn't help but gasp in shock.

[Host: Noel Augustus]

[Age: 18]

[Mana Cultivation: Mana Stream]

[Mana: 100%]

[Class: Necromancer]

[Realm: Novice]

[Health: 100%]

[Stamina: 100%]

[Undead Contracted: 0/3]

[Skills: ]

[Blessings: None]

"What is this? Not only does it know my full name, but it also knows my cultivation level and my class?!" Noel gasped, disbelief colouring his face.

"Just what is this system? And why did it bind itself to me?" Noel asked in confusion. He was unable to comprehend what was going on.

"Is this system meant to help me?" Noel couldn't help but ponder. He wanted to dismiss it as absurd, but after the miraculous healing he experienced, he couldn't just dismiss the thought.

There was only one major question in his head—why?

Why him?

He was merely a Necromancer in the Novice Realm, and he could barely survive in F-rank rifts, the lowest-ranked rifts available. Shouldn't mysterious things like this choose the more powerful awakened?

"Well, there are still many things I don't know about this, and I can't keep making wild guesses either. I'll think about it later." Noel said in a resigned tone.

He then glanced around the destroyed surroundings, and a deep sense of fear rose in his heart. The air reeked of blood and gore, with the corpses of the Hunters gruesomely slaughtered scattered across the necropolis where the battle had occurred.

He couldn't help but feel terrified.

"What power! Even among Marshal-level guardians, that Undead Knight would rank at the very top." Noel muttered, the fear he was feeling replaced by awe. If he could sign a soul contract with such a powerful undead, not only would he be able to raid higher-ranked rifts, but his strength would also undergo a qualitative transformation.

Unfortunately, it was merely a fleeting thought. As a Necromancer in the Novice realm, he couldn't hope to sign a contract with a Marshal-level existence. His soul was currently too weak to handle it, and the backlash could very well cripple his cultivation. It could even kill him.

He just barely escaped the jaws of death, so he was not eager to return there at all. However, a cunning grin appeared on his face as his eyes landed on the Undead Knight's armor and massive greatsword.

"Heh. Although it's impossible for me to sign a contract with such a powerful undead, I can still loot its armor and weapons!"

"That greatsword in particular must be an elite weapon! With how powerful they were, I'm sure they'd sell for a million credits at the very least!" Noel laughed happily, the mere thought of the potential financial windfall he could gain making him delighted.

He had almost lost his life in this raid, but the loot he could claim more than made up for it.

Noel let out an elated sigh and approached the weapons, but the moment he held the greatsword in his hands, a loud ping suddenly echoed in his ears.

[Soul Fragment Detected]

[Would you like to initiate a Soul Contract?]

"A Soul Contract?" Noel couldn't believe the words on the floating screen in front of him.

A soul contract was the way a Necromancer gained full control of an undead, and it was the core of a Necromancer's existence.

To form a soul contract with an undead, the Necromancer had to draw a magic circle that would form a connection with the soul of the undead, and the soul would decide if it wanted to accept the contract or not.

Naturally, establishing a soul contract with the undead didn't have a 100% chance of succeeding, and the stronger the soul of the undead, the lower the chances of success. Furthermore, the backlash from the failure of a soul contract was not a laughing matter.

Since the Undead Knight was a Marshal-level existence, one that even an awakened in the Lord realm would face a significant amount of danger to defeat, it was no wonder that Noel was stunned at the content of the floating screen in front of him.

Noel took a deep breath and gave his response in a determined tone!

"Yes!"

Of course he would! If the system hadn't suggested it, he would never have taken such a risk. But since the system had been the one to ask the question, he would go all in and gamble on his chance of success!

He didn't know why, but he had a gut feeling that he could trust the system. The system hadn't lied so far. It had healed him and saved his life. To him, that was enough.

Moreover, this was his chance to finally break from the shackles of struggling at the bottom.

He had to take his chances!

The moment he gave his answer, the greatsword flew away from his hand and hovered in the air. The pitch-black armor on the ground followed suit and hovered in the air, and a fourfold gigantic golden magic circle suddenly appeared in the air, sucking in a horrendous amount of mana from the surroundings.

"Such powerful mana!" Noel gaped in shock at the sight in front of him.

The pitch-black armor and the greatsword suddenly disintegrated into dust, and at the same time, Noel felt a seed sprout in his soul, a sign of a contract establishment.

The commotion was so much that Noel couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. If he had done this in the outside world, he would have attracted so much unwanted attention. After all, this was the first time he was seeing such a phenomenon when signing a soul contract.

The golden magic circle continued to suck in a horrendous amount of mana, and it wasn't until ten minutes had elapsed did the magic circle finally disperse.

After the gigantic golden magic circle dispersed, a humanoid figure materialized in front of him.

The humanoid figure was tall, with skin as pale as moonlight and a slender physique that was poised with unnatural grace. Smooth golden hair fell down his shoulders, framing an exquisite face that could make countless women swoon. His piercing red eyes glowed faintly, and the intensity of the danger they held could not be hidden.

Noel couldn't hide the astonished expression on his face, as the appearance of the humanoid figure in front of him only meant one thing.

The Soul Contract was a success!