“Sure. What do you have in mind?” I asked while trying to hold back the smirk that was threatening to creep up the corners of my lips.

The snake on the other hand made sure to keep its head at the same level as my body, probably done to not anger or disrespect me.

My eyes did not leave their own, making it finally open its mouth and speak.

“I would like to propose that the two of us make a soul contract so neither side can break their end of the contract. On your side, I simply want to learn and study you. My ambition in life is to learn as much as I can from all the creatures in the world. I was to talk and learn from them, and in return I would give them a fraction of my knowledge too to pay them back for what they had told me.” The snake explained.

The desire to smile immediately dissipated while a confused expression replaced the one I had worn before.

“What makes you think I would allow you to study me? It seems like you are gaining a lot more from this contract than I am.” I frowned and narrowed my eyes at it.

“Well of course, I hadn’t even gotten to the part where you would be benefiting.” The snake snickered at my words before continuing once again.

“I am willing to accompany you for a year, helping you in situations where you might need it as well as provide you with any information you might need. On top of that, I’m willing to provide you with techniques and arts that will help you get stronger in the future.”

My expression turned grim once again, yet in a final act of defiance, I asked once again “And what makes you think I would need your assistance?”

For a second, I could have sworn that the snake had looked at me as if I was stupid, but it quickly closed its eyes and let out an audible chuckle that caused my frown to deepen._-.

“I am aware that you have the capability of defeating, if not killing me if we happen to fight. However, I am also aware that with that power comes a sacrifice. While all the external sacrifices were clear, an example being your armor and weapons, I am also aware that there must be a few internal sacrifices to this power of yours.”

“What I am proposing here is a compromise. I gain knowledge and information about you while you gain power, knowledge, and techniques from me. I will guide you, but in return, I get to observe you.” If the snake could smile, I would have sworn that the expression it was looking at me with right now would have been exactly that.

A huge grin on the face of someone who knows they’ve gotten you.

After staying silent for a bit and quickly looking at an overview of my situation, I realized that there was no way out of this.

“And what if I refuse?” I asked the snake, causing it to snicker at me for the umpteenth time and aggravating me in the process.

“Nothing. I’ll go on my way and you’ll go on your way too.” it replied in a matter that made me believe it would have shrugged if it had shoulders.

“Why do you you want to observe me? Aren’t there any better candidates around the world?” I asked with an annoyed tone.

“Well, you are the first… I don’t even know what you are! You seem like a dwarf-elf hybrid, but at the same time, I know that you aren’t. Plus, you are one of the first intelligent creatures I have met in a while so I am intrigued.”

After hearing its explanation, I could not help but let out a defeated sigh.

What the hell was I supposed to say to that explanation? It was giving me a choice probably for the sole reason that it thinks that I can still activate that power of mine that it had seen earlier, while at the same time its reasons seem reasonable too.

I gain and it gains too. Win-win.

“Alright fine. I want to see this contract first though.” I stated, causing it to look at me intently and almost weird me out. However, this only lasted for a few seconds since-

[Ding!]

[The White Snake Blanca is attempting to form a soul contract with you]

[Would you like to see the contents of the soul contract?]

Seeing this system message made me wonder for a moment how the hell anyone else without a system would have seen the contract details. Would they have just downloaded into the brain of the person? Would they have floated within their minds or something?

Yet just like my confusion as to why the snake could understand what I was saying, I threw the thought to the back of my mind before I once again focused and began to read the contract.

‘Yes!’ I replied to the system question.

[Conditions: Through the creation of the contract, Party A declares to help Party B with any of their inquiries. Party A also declares that they will help Party B in battles whenever deemed necessary by either party. However, the contract does not require Part A to take action if Party A’s life would be put in danger.

In exchange, Party A will be allowed to observe Party B for a year. Party B does not need to answer any questions or inquiries from Party A, while Party A is not required to answer any of Party B’s personal inquiries (E.g. species/clan/tribe/sect secrets that would put its life in danger, as well as any personal inquiries about Party A’s past)

Both parties cannot try attacking, injuring, or killing one another 2 years after the contract’s end. Breaking any of the prior rules would result in death.]

‘So this is a soul contract…’ I thought as I finished reading it. After reading the last sentence, however, it was as if a lightbulb had lit up above my head.

‘If the situation ever comes to it, I can always k-kill m-myself to get out of it…’ A shudder went down my spine that moment I thought about having to die again, yet my resolve to get stronger overcame my fear of death, allowing me to sit the next few words with my chest puffed out and my head held high.

“I accept.” I said, causing the snake to tilt its head to the right by a few degrees in confusion. That confusion immediately disappeared when it felt like something similar to a link forming between the two of us.

Both our soul energies connected and I finally felt the link as well.

*DOOM*

An intense dread hit the snake, Blanca before its vision changed for a split second. Yet a split second was all it took for it to see everything it needed to see.

Its eyes widened in horror as it watched the sky become a crimson red.

Millions upon millions of eyes peered down at the snake from the skies. It was a pressure that no normal mortal mind would be capable of bearing, yet here was the snake barely able to keep its consciousness after having so many gazes locked on it.

There was no malice within their gazes, and nor was there anything that might have indicated a desire.

Their eyes were empty of emotion, yet their gazes alone had made someone like Blanca begin to tremble in fear at the pure quantity.

After the split second had passed, the snake could still see those eyes whenever it closed its own. It was as if that memory had forever been deeply ingrained into its mind with the chance of becoming an ever-recurring nightmare that the snake would struggle with for the next few weeks if not months to come.

I on the other hand had not realized the dilemma that Blanca was going through at this current moment. I knew that it was no longer looking at me, but I was simply more engaged and interested in something else that had just popped up.

[Missions Complete]

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Golden Tickets (Per month):

-Top 200 = 1 Extra Chapter

-Top 100 = 5 Extra Chapters

-Top 50 = 10 Extra Chapters

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Gifts:

-Castle = 2 Extra Chapter

-Spacecraft = 4 Extra Chapters

-Gacha = 6 Extra Chapters

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