The instant Ryan's foot came down, Jasper made a move no one expected.
Instead of retreating, he charged forward, ramming his shoulder hard into Ryan's chest!
Thud!
Caught off guard, Ryan was knocked back a step, and the sword at Jasper's neck was pushed aside.
"You're courting death!" Ryan roared in fury, swinging his sword in a backhand strike aimed at Jasper's back!
At the same time, his two followers lunged forward with sinister grins!
Attacked from front and back, there was no escape!
At this life-or-death moment, an unprecedented madness erupted in Jasper's eyes! He ignored the sword blade at his back and, with the fastest speed he could muster, pulled the Three-Eyed Jackal's crystal lens and the vial of Crypt Worm mucus from his backpack!
He clenched them tightly in his palm and crushed them!
[All materials have been gathered. Proceed with concocting and consuming the Sequence 8 'Contractor' potion immediately?]
[Warning: Forcing an advancement in the middle of combat increases the risk of losing control by 300%!]
"Yes!" Jasper roared with all the force of his soul in his mind!
He was betting everything! Either advance or lose control!
Boom—!
An indescribable, violent torrent of spiritual energy instantly exploded within him! Countless chaotic whispers and maddening knowledge flooded his mind, threatening to tear his sanity to shreds!
"Aaaargh—!"
Jasper let out a pained roar, his body trembling violently from the agony.
Ryan's sword stopped abruptly, less than an inch from his back. He and his two followers stared in horror at the bizarre scene before them.
Countless black, vein-like, mysterious runes had appeared on the surface of Jasper's skin. An aura far exceeding that of a Sequence 9—cold and majestic—erupted from him!
[Advancement successful! Current Sequence: 8 - Contractor!]
[New abilities unlocked: 『Spiritual Contract』, 『Damage Transfer』!]
The world, in Jasper's eyes, had changed.
He could clearly "see" a translucent black chain made of spiritual energy, one end connected to his own heart, the other to Nidhogg's soul on his shoulder.
He no longer needed words. A single thought was all it took to communicate perfectly with Nidhogg.
"Kill!"
The cold command was issued through the mental link.
Nidhogg let out a sharp hiss. Its body swelled visibly, its scales growing darker, and the flames of destruction burned in its dark-gold vertical pupils! It transformed into a black bolt of lightning, instantly pouncing on the nearest follower!
The follower subconsciously raised his sword to block, but Nidhogg was too fast! It deftly dodged the blade and bit down on the man's wrist!
"Ah!" The man screamed, his longsword clattering to the ground.
Meanwhile, Ryan had snapped out of his shock. He roared and swung his sword at Jasper again!
Jasper didn't dodge.
Squish!
The longsword cut deep into his left arm!
Yet, Jasper didn't even frown. He just looked at Ryan coldly, a strange smile playing on his lips.
Alarm bells screamed in Ryan's mind!
The deep, bone-visible wound on Jasper's arm didn't shed a single drop of blood! The flesh at the wound writhed, healing at an unnatural speed!
And on the other side, on the follower who was trying to break free from Nidhogg, an identical, bone-deep sword wound appeared out of thin air on his arm! Blood instantly soaked his sleeve!
Damage Transfer!
This was the ability of a 'Contractor'! To transfer a portion of the damage he received to an enemy through the contract!
"Monster!" For the first time, fear appeared in Ryan's eyes.
He was scared. This young man, radiating an ominous aura, was beyond his comprehension!
His will to fight vanished. He turned to run!
"Trying to run?"
Jasper's cold voice sounded. He raised his hand, aiming at Ryan's back.
"Come back."
An invisible spiritual chain shot from his palm, accurately wrapping around Ryan's ankle! Ryan felt a massive force pull him, and his entire body flew backward uncontrollably, landing heavily in front of Jasper.
Nidhogg released the follower, who had already passed out, and with elegant yet lethal steps, walked over to Ryan. It looked down at him and opened its small mouth, lined with sharp teeth.
A cold terror completely engulfed Ryan.
Staring into those emotionless, dark-gold vertical pupils, he finally understood what kind of existence he had provoked.