At night, the sea was profoundly dark and lightless, a darkness that devoured any light, with only the faint stars and moon above guiding the way.
Aboard a cargo ship en route to Hamlet, aside from the sailors on the night watch, most people were asleep. Even Lance had fallen into slumber. However, for so reason, he was suddenly awakened by the sensation of being watched.
He instantly got out of his bunk and activated his Spiritual Vision, his tense expression showing he didn’t dare to relax one bit.
Dammit, last ti it was a collector. This ti, it better not be choosing this mont to ss with .
Being on a ship was nothing like being on land. If a fight were to break out, the trouble would be major.
However, after he remained on guard for a while, no further anomalies appeared. The space before his eyes was stable, showing no signs of spiritual fluctuations.
Could it be sothing in the sea?
Lance knew all too well that the seas of this world were a chaotic ss, and it wouldn’t surprise him if they encountered so strange creature.
He imdiately left his cabin and made a round of inspections. Everything was still calm, and the sailors on duty hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
That was strange.
Standing on the deck, he focused his senses but detected no problems.
As he hesitated, the familiar sensation of performing a Sacrifice ca to him. The Void unexpectedly returned a substantial amount of Spiritual Essence to him—an amount he hadn’t obtained even from slaying hundreds of people on his journey, enough to threaten to fill his body to the brim.
What the hell had been sacrificed?
There was no ti to ponder. Lance didn’t hesitate. Shedding his previous penny-pinching attitude, he imdiately willed: [Bless]! [Strengthening]! Then, he allowed the Spiritual Essence to nourish his body.
He didn’t need to worry about the volatility of Spiritual Essence as other Transcendents did; as long as he had it, he’d pile it on.
Power... A potent force filled his body.
But Lance did not use it unrestrainedly. Instead, his powerful will suppressed the craving for power and interrupted the [Strengthening] process.
True, he didn’t need to worry about spiritual agitation, but the human body had its limits. Too much [Strengthening] at once could make him lose control over his body.
Furthermore, reckless use would, to so extent, waste the refreshing chanism it provided. It was better to let his body adjust gradually.
The body is like a bottle; each [Strengthening] expands its capacity. Once he sensed it was about enough, he naturally stopped. Only when filled with Spiritual Essence could he have ample reserves.
He then transferred the remaining bit of Spiritual Essence to the Wolf Spirit at his side, watching it grow as if nurturing a pet.
The Wolf Spirit’s ethereal body grew more solid and intricate, to the point where he could almost see individual hairs. Its movents also beca much more agile, no longer as stiff as before.
But the gifts from the Void had not yet ended. A patchworked leather scroll and a pure, white Crystal appeared out of nowhere.
These two items landed in his hands. Unlike Extraordinary Equipnt, he automatically knew what they were.
The leather scroll was the [Abyssal Contract]. It allowed Lance to form a contract with an entity and control it.
Moreover, this item wasn’t written by humans but created by an Abyssal demon. In a world as rife with betrayal as the Abyss, only contractual bonds could enable them to control other Aberrant Demons and fallen humans.
To mbers of the Church, this scroll was filled with profane rituals, but for Lance, it contained much intriguing knowledge.
It described rituals for communicating with an Aberrant Demon, signing a contract to control it, and even rituals for exorcising, Sealing, and killing Aberrant Demons.
The contract’s binding power was particularly noteworthy; through mysterious forces, it could restrict even an Abyssal demon into fulfilling its terms, let alone ordinary humans.
As for the Crystal, it was an [Indomitable Spirit]—a soul that not even an Abyssal demon could subdue, only imprison.
Lance stored the items in the Exhibition Room. Although he had inexplicably stumbled upon a great windfall, he had no intention of relaxing yet.
Judging by the items, it seed an Aberrant Demon had been Sacrificed. But when had I ever done such a thing?
He just couldn’t figure it out. However, at that mont, the strange sensation of being watched returned. Lance instinctively looked back. How could he not understand now?
It felt very similar to when Tamara had probed his talent.
Soone was using Supernatural Power to investigate him and had suffered a backlash!
How could I have forgotten about that?
Lance’s expression turned odd. This world has no surveillance caras, but it has plenty of strange Supernatural Powers. Finding a thief should be easy, shouldn’t it?
No wonder the Totnes officials hadn’t seed too concerned.
But this backlash... it has probably stirred up a hornet’s nest. Luckily, I ran fast enough.
Lance ca back to his senses, recognizing his rashness. Thankfully, he had connections in high places; otherwise, if he had been discovered, he would have faced trouble even if not caught.
However, Lance then realized that the rewards from this backlash—both Spiritual Essence and items—were greater than what he had earned from his prior rampage and half a day of hard work.
If this happened a few more tis, could I perhaps...?
The thought was appealing, but Lance dared not take such great risks for relatively small gains anymore.
Greed itself isn’t terrifying; what’s terrifying is being controlled by greed.
Glancing at his panel, after expending so much Spiritual Essence on [Bless] and [Strengthening], it was evident that his [Brave] rank had changed.
[Brave] → [Elite].
Rank three already, huh? Lance mused, observing the change on his panel.
Reaching Elite rank in just over a month... I don’t know if that’s fast or slow, but ultimately, it’s the result of my own efforts.
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