"132: The Contract, The Creation of the Philosopher’s Stone"

While Ais rested and recovered her mana, Su Mo strolled leisurely around the small mountains of magic stones. There were far too many to fit into their current bags, let alone carry all of them out of the dungeon. Such a haul would certainly cause a huge commotion.

Su Mo wasn't particularly worried about exposing his strength; after all, his power spoke for itself. But unnecessary trouble was best avoided. Besides, by choosing Ais—a naturally airheaded girl—as his supporter, he never intended to keep too many secrets from her. Still, precautions and necessary instructions couldn't be neglected.

"As I mentioned before, a supporter must know how to keep secrets when necessary," Su Mo said, turning toward Ais. "You remember this, right?"

"I do," Ais nodded firmly. Even if Su Mo hadn't reminded her, she understood the importance of secrecy. The methods to grow stronger were private to every adventurer. She was already deeply grateful that Su Mo had agreed to teach her; there was no way she would ever betray his trust.

However, she did find it a bit strange that Su Mo was only bringing this up now. Along their journey, whether it was his overwhelming wind magic or his devastating finishing spells, all of it seemed like top-level secrets. If secrecy was such a concern, shouldn't this talk have happened much earlier? Why wait until now?

Su Mo, unaware of her brief confusion, stepped closer once he saw her nod. Then, without hesitation, he gently took hold of the golden-haired swordswoman's soft hand.

—This absolutely wasn't taking advantage. Probably.

"Good," Su Mo nodded, holding her hand, and his tone grew slightly more serious. "Then let's make a contract. From now on, without my permission, you're forbidden from revealing any of this. Anyone who breaks this contract shall suffer the Boar's Punishment."

The words sounded like something out of a child's game, especially with Su Mo's somewhat serious delivery. Anyone watching might have chuckled, thinking he was simply playing with a young girl.

Yet Ais could feel an inexplicable binding force connecting them through their joined hands. She immediately realized that this was no joke. If she agreed to this contract and later broke it, punishment would surely follow. She didn't know exactly what the "Boar's Punishment" entailed, but it was clearly no ordinary wild boar.

Fully understanding this and having no intention of ever betraying the contract anyway, Ais nodded without hesitation. "Alright!"

As soon as she spoke, she sensed the contract taking effect—a mysterious link now tied her to Su Mo. Since she never planned to reveal anything, Ais didn't mind the arrangement. But despite her calm acceptance, a faint blush spread across her cheeks as she stole a shy glance at Su Mo.

"Sensei… is it done now?" she asked softly, lowering her eyes to their clasped hands. The warmth of his palm against hers felt both unfamiliar and oddly familiar. Still, it was… a bit too close for comfort! While her mind was still filled with thoughts of becoming stronger, she hadn't yet awakened to matters between men and women. Her blushing stemmed entirely from the unexpectedly intimate gesture. After all, ever since parting from her mother, she hadn't held hands with anyone like this. Though Su Mo was her teacher, he was still a man, and such close contact with a man was something she was unused to.

Hearing Ais's soft request, Su Mo finally noticed their posture. Composing his expression, he slowly withdrew his hand without any rush. After all, this was simply the necessary posture to finalize the contract—though of course, it was beauty-exclusive.

"It's done," he answered calmly.

Su Mo believed he understood Ais well enough to trust her silence. But trust was one thing; safeguards were another. After all, you can never have too many insurances. Therefore, he had utilized one of his Authorities to bind the contract.

The contract was established using the Authority he had seized from the war god Verethragna of the Zoroastrian pantheon—specifically, the power of the [The War God of the East]. This Authority contained various beast incarnations, each representing different aspects of his divine role. Verethragna was a guardian deity serving under Mithra, the god of light and contracts. The white horse incarnation, which carried the solar flames, embodied Verethragna's role as protector of light. Meanwhile, the furious boar incarnation symbolized his power to guard contracts.

By tapping into the boar aspect of this Authority, Su Mo could imbue any contract he formed with divine enforcement. Once bound, the contract would remain under the Authority's watchful grip.

Anyone who violated this contract wouldn't just invoke the wrath of the divine boar but would also be marked with a special debuff by the beast, drastically amplifying the damage they'd receive. In fact, this was a technique effective even against gods and Campiones. Of course, it was unlikely to ever be triggered on Ais, but it never hurt to have an extra layer of insurance—cautious scheming was simply Su Mo's standard operating principle.

With the contract formally sealed, Su Mo felt much more at ease. Without wasting any time, he immediately began converting the mountain of magic stones into Philosopher's Stones. Ais, meanwhile, wasn't particularly concerned about the punishment clause itself. What truly piqued her interest was what Su Mo was about to do next.

After all, the contract only applied to what would happen from this point forward. Everything up to now—the mastery over wind magic that bordered on godlike, the overwhelming spell that had instantly annihilated a Level 7 floor boss—none of it was included. Apparently, Su Mo didn't even consider those feats worth being secretive about. Instead, what followed was, in his eyes, far more sensitive.

Naturally, this made Ais even more curious. What could possibly be more important than single-handedly obliterating a Level 7 boss?

Under her inquisitive gaze, Su Mo pressed his palms together. But unlike before, no dazzling light attribute magic was cast. Instead, dark red lightning-like arcs sparked through the air. In the blink of an eye, the towering pile of magic stones vanished completely. In Su Mo's hand now rested a crimson, transparent crystal roughly the size of a goblin's skull.

Ais blinked in astonishment. "Sensei… what is that?" she asked, her voice full of wonder. This was the first time she had seen magic stones transformed into something so beautiful. Though the scarlet gem was certainly pretty, it didn't seem particularly dangerous or extraordinary at first glance. Why would this need to be kept secret when the earlier, far more shocking light magic didn't?

Su Mo glanced at her, his expression calm. Now that Ais was bound by contract, she could not reveal any of his secrets, not even if a god tried to extract them from her. There was no need for further concealment.

"You may have heard of it," he said casually, tossing the crimson crystal lightly in the air. "It's called a Philosopher's Stone."

Ais's eyes widened instantly. Even she had heard of the legendary Philosopher's Stone—an omnipotent elixir rumored to grant immortality and transmute base metals into gold. According to myth, even the greatest sages could only rarely produce tiny shards of it, barely the size of a fingernail. Yet what Su Mo held was the size of a goblin's skull.

If the legends were true, the value of a Philosopher's Stone this large could easily buy the entire city of Orario. And that was just from the raw worth of the stone alone. But the most terrifying part wasn't the value of the stone—it was the fact that Su Mo had created it here, on the spot. Meaning that if he wished, he could theoretically produce Philosopher's Stones in quantities sufficient to purchase the entire world. This level of power was enough to shake global stability. Even the gods would struggle to contain such influence.

Realizing all this, Ais finally understood why Su Mo had gone to such lengths to emphasize secrecy. Indeed, if word of this ever leaked, the entire world could be thrown into turmoil. But Su Mo had shared this secret with her—trusting her after nothing more than a contract.

Deeply moved by his trust, Ais vowed with unwavering determination, "Sensei, I swear I will keep your secret!"

Su Mo simply nodded, completely casual. He hadn't thought much of it. The reason he'd chosen not to hide this from Ais was simply because it made things more convenient. Otherwise, he'd have to haul mountains of magic stones around. As for trust? That was mostly Ais overthinking things.

Based on his understanding of Ais, combined with the authority-bound contract, there was simply no way she could ever leak this information. Even if she wanted to, she would never have the chance. The power of Authority wasn't absolutely invincible—it depended on its target. But for someone like Ais, who hadn't even stepped into the divine beast domain, it was an unbreakable shackle. This twofold assurance allowed Su Mo to be perfectly at ease.