Chapter 53: Soul Contract
A surge of warm energy rushed within Winter as if she were being bathed in lukewarm water—just the right temperature for a comfortable, soothing bath.
Her soul contract with the Vampire Butler went smoothly, connecting every nerve with the exact right amount of familiarity with the beast.
It was as if the moment they entered the contract, they became one. A deep bond was made, precisely how a proper contract should be.
That sensation was something Terrence wouldn’t be able to feel himself, since he couldn’t form traditional contracts with beasts. However, as he observed Winter standing there with her eyes closed, he knew in his heart that he actually held a far superior connection with the Vampire Butler.
’Why is it that even if I’ve already sold a beast, I can still feel them inside me...?’ Terrence wondered silently. ’It happened with the Guard Slimes too. I just instinctively know that they are safe and being treated right.’
Pondering came over his mind as he processed the fundamental difference between the System and traditional soul contracts.
While normal soul contracts bound two beings together through their souls, his connection with the beasts originated directly from the System—which didn’t automatically disconnect like he usually claimed to others.
The beasts rewarded by the System and Terrence were all linked together in one massive network. Even if they weren’t directly connected at the moment, that deep familiarity always remained.
He couldn’t quite find the right words to describe it.
’It’s almost like even if I wanted to scam someone and call the beast back to me, it would actually come straight back...’
But of course, that idea sounded completely absurd on the surface, since beasts bound by a soul contract were supposedly locked to one another. A normal connection only disconnected easily when extremely strong, conflicting emotions damaged it over time.
If a beast felt terrified of dying, but its tamer didn’t care at all whether the beast lived or died, the contract would fracture—making it easy for the beast to sever the link and destroy the contract entirely.
While forcing a contract on a beast in a weakened state was considered the norm, specialized Taming Techniques existed that bypassed the usual prerequisites to force a strong, immediate connection.
Well, that was precisely why it was called a Beast Taming Talent, meaning proper taming knowledge while boosted with affinity was always required. That was why so many techniques existed in the first place.
Other than those methods, there was one absolute fastest way to disconnect a soul contract: for one of them to die—either the beast or the human tamer.
Winter finally established a powerful connection with the Vampire Butler, slowly opening her eyes after those long minutes of contracting.
Her gaze fell onto the Vampire Butler standing beside her bed. It was almost as if she were looking into a mirror, seeing her own reflections echoed back from the vampire’s thoughts.
It was a success. This was a flawless, proper contract where both sides agreed to a perfect 50-50 balance, where neither party overpowered the other.
"Already done?" Terrence asked, looking at Winter without any clear expression. His hands unclenched at his sides as he tried to ease the lingering excitement from his earlier system discovery.
Winter nodded softly. Her eyes retained their usual coldness, but Terrence could feel that they were noticeably different this time around.
A small smile came to his face as he stood up and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.
Winter didn’t mind the touch at all. It was as if they had grown genuinely close with each other despite the short conversations they had shared so far.
For some reason, Winter’s heart felt remarkably light whenever she was around Terrence. She felt that he truly cared about her well-being and would remain a completely reliable ally, even if they didn’t see each other again for a long time.
"This beast is unbelievably strong," Winter admitted, her voice filled with awe. "I can feel all the heightened senses he’s sharing with me right now. Also... I feel ridiculously powerful."
Terrence nodded with a proud grin. "Of course he is. All of my beasts are basically God-Tier."
Raising a single brow, she turned her head to face Terrence directly.
"Are you really sure about that? I won’t ask you anymore about how you’re even able to acquire such insanely strong beasts... but why do you sell them in the first place?"
"I am a beast supplier," Terrence stated plainly. "Of course I sell them. They are my primary source of income."
She simply stared at him in silence, as if she wanted to look deep into his soul to find the truth. There was no real doubt in her eyes, just overwhelming curiosity.
Even though she desperately wanted a straight answer, she knew deep down that she wasn’t going to get a proper explanation out of him.
"Anyway..." Winter shifted her body, taking a deep breath. "I was briefly oriented about the family’s plan earlier, and I already told them a few things about Gilbert."
Terrence’s lips parted in surprise. "What exactly did you tell them about Gilbert?"
"Nothing too specific," Winter explained, her eyes narrowing slightly as she recalled the dungeon battle. "I know that he was acting completely different back there. It was as if he were possessed or something... or maybe he was just fake acting the whole time. But since he specifically targeted you, I didn’t tell them everything."
Terrence nodded in understanding.
It was completely reasonable on her part. Winter had been right there beside him, witnessing and hearing every single detail Gilbert spouted about his true goal with that unknown organization—specifically about turning Terrence into a human sacrifice.
Although sharing information was vital for their upcoming scheme against the rival Lee Family, the internal structure of their own faction still felt extremely suspicious.
"I don’t want to blindly doubt my father or Klein..." Winter said quietly, her fists tightening against her lap. "But they could easily be a part of this plot, and I don’t want to let them know that you already realize you’re being targeted."
Terrence nodded again, a faint smile touching his lips. Somehow, hearing those words from Winter brought him a massive sense of relief.
’If they really are a part of it, then since Gilbert vanished so suddenly, they must have already received some kind of update,’ Terrence analyzed in his head.
"Anyway, I just told them that Gilbert was acting weird and ended up disappearing into the deepest part of the dungeon," Winter continued. "Somehow, Klein just took the news like it was nothing... though I could see clear doubts lingering in his eyes."
"Don’t worry about it. I am completely prepared for whatever comes next," Terrence interrupted smoothly, stopping Winter mid-sentence. "If there’s one thing I want to do right now, it’s to continue forward with the original scheme."
Terrence genuinely still wanted to participate in the scheme against the Lee Family despite everything that had transpired. By staying involved, he could closely observe them from the inside and hopefully uncover why he was being chosen as a sacrifice.
And if he got lucky, he could even use their ongoing conflict to completely erase the Lee Family from existence once and for all.