He glanced around before looking down, where a sleek black cat with piercing golden eyes stared up at him from the floor.
"What are you? And how can you talk?" Asher asked.
"You can hear ?" The cat was also surprised.
He nodded, still keeping his gaze fixed on the small creature. "I can. Now, answer my question."
The cat tilted its head, its tail flicking back and forth. "Talk about being lucky," it muttered, then spoke more clearly. "It's a good thing I tried talking to you... I was starting to lose hope. All these so-called sorcerers are too dumb and weak to understand , and—"
"Wait!" Asher cut it off. He realized the cat was speaking directly into his mind, and he instinctively responded the sa way. This particular spell was unfamiliar to him, which ant the cat was responsible for it.
'This is dangerous. How is it bypassing my ntal defenses?' He made a note to develop a counterspell later.
This was the downside of his isolation and seldom real-life experience. He lacked many spells that would be useful, but he had never learned or invented them because they hadn't been necessary before.
Still, this encounter with the cat served as a wake-up call.
"Who are you, and how can you speak through my mind?" he asked, more curious than worried.
"Of course, I'm no ordinary cat. I'm a very powerful legendary beast cursed into this form," It declared.
Asher raised an eyebrow. "A legendary beast, like that serpent?"
The cat's golden eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing its face. "Please, don't compare to that inferior beast who was turned into a staff."
"I am a legitimate. I could destroy this city when I was at my peak, young man," it added, its tail flicking with pride.
Asher studied the creature, a mixture of skepticism and intrigue crossing his features. "Destroy this city, huh? I can do that too."
The cat froze, its golden eyes widening in shock. "You... can?"
Asher shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by the reaction. "Sure, with enough preparation, anyone can pull it off."
Technically, he wasn't lying. There were just so many ways to do it, especially in a world full of people who could literally control nature and elents.
For example, this place had so many canals. If a sorcerer built multiple runes to create a flood, it would be possible, though it would take a lot of ti and could be traced back easily.
It stared at him for a long mont, its tail flicking with irritation. "You're lying."
"You don't have to believe ," Asher shrugged. "So, why did you disturb ? I'm really busy."
The creature jumped onto his desk and began flipping through the book using its small paws.
"Basic Arcane Arts?" it sneered in disdain, then looked at Asher as if he were an idiot. "You claim you can destroy a city, and here you are, reading this trash?"
Asher's eyes narrowed. This world was full of egotistical, narcissistic beings who couldn't wait to brag about themselves. He wondered if there was sothing in the air that made people like this pop up like unwanted weeds.
"Leave alone if you don't have anything useful to say," he shooed it away.
"Young man, you should treat with respect. I'm a very important figure," the cat scoffed.
"Ligare" he cast, intending to bind the creature, but his spell shattered like glass hitting a concrete wall."
The sudden backlash shocked him, and he quickly tried another spell—only for that one to shatter as well.
'Immunity?' he muttered under his breath.
"Are you impressed?" The cat scoffed, its chin held high. "I'm immune to—"
Before it could finish, a hand shot out, choking its thin neck.
"Get off ! I can't breathe… This is animal abuse!" it screeched, scratching at his hand, but to no avail.
"Oh, so you're not resistant to physical attacks," Asher nodded in understanding. "Good to know."
The creature's eyes widened, and it started to squirm in panic.
"W-Wait! You don't understand! I'm a very important figure. I have knowledge—powerful spells!" it yelped, flailing its tiny paws.
Asher tightened his grip, raising an eyebrow. "I don't care."
The cat's eyes darted around, and it coughed out, "I'm a mber of the Great Council of Cats... well, not officially… They control this world in secret… but I'm close!"
"Now you're just spouting nonsense." Asher shook his head. He couldn't tell if the cat was playing gas or simply stupid.
A council of cats? Did it expect him to believe all that?
The creature puffed up, looking offended. "It's real! The Great Council of Cats, a powerful and prestigious organization—"
"I'm getting impatient…" he interrupted again.
It sighed dramatically, its voice now pleading. "Fine! No council! I'm just a legendary beast who got cursed, okay? Stuck in this form, and can't use my powers, but in exchange… I've got immunity to spells that used energy."
Asher released his gripped, sensing that it was indeed incapable of fighting back. What he had done was simply test whether it could harm him or not.
"Leave alone. I don't have ti to waste on you." He waved his hand, growing impatient.
Without another glance, he returned to reading his book.
The cat blinked, montarily stunned. Instead of leaving, it climbed onto one of the shelves and continued watching from the sidelines. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire
Asher remained focused, the quiet rustle of the pages the only sound in the room.
Absorbed in his pursuit of knowledge, he lost track of ti. Over four days had passed—what might feel long to others felt like a fleeting mont to him.
Now, his understanding of the Arcane Arts had reached an advanced level.
Overall, it was just as he suspected—magic here followed different formulas and thods of execution. However, it was significantly weaker than the one he was using.
He didn't find much practical value in it, aside from understanding a few unique spells from this world, such as teleportation and summoning.
'Ti to leave this place,' he thought, stretching his arms. But as he turned around, the annoying black cat was still there. It jumped down and blocked his path.
"What now?" he asked.
"Take with you! We can be partners," the cat declared, its tail swishing with determination.
"No," he imdiately rejected the offer as he walked away without a second glance.
"Stop. Think about it! I'm a legendary beast! If you sign a contract with , you'll break my curse and gain as your ally. I'm far more powerful than that serpent. It's not a bad deal at all."
"I don't want you. "
"Is it because you think I'm weak? Like I said, I was cursed, and signing a contract would let recover my powers," it insisted.
"You're too noisy," he responded bluntly.
It was one thing to have a talkative companion, but dealing with one that constantly spouted nonsense and annoying remarks was a different story entirely.
Asher turned to leave, but the cat's eyes still burned with resolve.
"Fine, ignore . But rember this—you will need one day."
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Author's Note:
Happy Holidays , everyone! Thank you for all your support.
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