God of Contracts: I Buy, I Rule

6. Shadow Wolf

Arthur sucked in a deep breath when he was finally out of the tunnel. The air was clean and refreshing, and he felt his mind relaxing. His lips curled into a smile, and he turned around to check where he was.

Arthur looked at the empty well behind him and smiled faintly. The Tianze clan surely had planned it all well. 

Who knew that the tunnel would lead to an abandoned well? 

The well was hidden and on the ground level, making it difficult for people to find it. Moreover, with the wooden plank covering it, it easily camouflaged itself with its surroundings. 

Unless someone walked over it, they would never find anything amiss.

Arthur looked around, trying to find out where he was.

There were trees everywhere. The air smelled of moss, and the leaves rustled whenever a breeze blew.

Arthur couldn't make out where exactly he was. There was nothing in the host's memories.

Relying solely on his senses, he started walking, trying to find a way out of the jungle. 

Although the moon shone brightly in the sky, the trees prevented the light from reaching him. So, he had to rely on the luminous pearl.

Arthur scowled when he couldn't find a route even after trying for a long time. He was going around in circles, and the darkness was only making it more difficult.

He thought of asking the Heavenly Pavilion for help, but gave up when he recalled that it was currently useless. It couldn't help him in any way.

His stomach kept grumbling, begging him to feed it. Since he didn't have a spirit root and couldn't cultivate, he couldn't curb his hunger just like that.

Eventually, he couldn't take it any longer and gave up walking. He leaned against a tree and slid down, his legs giving up on him.

Arthur sighed softly and wrapped his arms around his knees. He didn't know what time of the night it was. He could only rest for some time before continuing.

Just when he was about to close his eyes, he heard a mewl from somewhere nearby, and he sat up straight, his body stiffening immediately.

Arthur didn't know what kind of animal was nearby, but it didn't matter. He was in a jungle, and the ones that lived in a jungle were usually predatory.

Moreover, the world he was in had spirit beasts. What if he encountered a spirit beast?

"Master, Master, there is a spirit beast nearby." The Heavenly Pavilion became excited immediately, and Arthur's brows jumped when he heard its high-pitched voice in his mind.

"Calm down, will you?" he chastised its behavior and stood up.

Although he was tempted to check what kind of spirit beast it was, he still knew where his priority lay. He had nothing with him to protect himself. What if the spirit beast went berserk and attacked him?

'I don't intend to become an animal's prey,' he thought, and listened keenly to check where the sound was coming from.

When he realized it was coming from somewhere ahead of him, he didn't hesitate even for a moment and turned around to look for a safe space.

"Master, Master, it is a spirit beast. It has not been tamed yet," the Heavenly Pavilion said again, trying to persuade him to take a look.

But Arthur ignored it and kept walking.

"Master, it seems to be hurt. Please take a look."

Arthur stopped suddenly, and he hesitated. Even an injured spirit beast was capable of sending him to hell.

Although he wanted to leave and not think about it, his curiosity got the best of him.

Eventually, he retraced his path and looked for the spirit beast.

"How did you know it's a spirit beast?" he asked while he searched the area where he had previously rested.

"I can sense anything that has a spirit root, Master. It's one of my abilities."

Arthur didn't ask him anything else and kept walking until the mewls turned louder. A metallic scent filled the air, and he knew what it was.

Blood.

The spirit beast was injured and bleeding as it kept mewling in pain.

As if sensing someone approaching, it growled in warning. But its growl had no depth, and came out more like an anguished cry.

Arthur held his breath when he saw a black wolf, its glowing eyes staring at him vigilantly. It even growled at him, showing him its canines and threatening him to back off.

"Master, Master, it is a Shadow Wolf. It is a Second Grade Shadow Wolf. It's an incredibly rare spirit beast. Very few Shadow Wolves have been tamed and formed a master-pet bond," the Heavenly Pavilion said excitedly.

"Ohh..." Arthur didn't react much. He was instead stunned to see the faint orange light around it.

"Why does it have an orange light around it?"

"Master, it is a Second Grade Shadow Wolf. The orange light around it is because of its orange spirit root. Master, it is a very powerful, manipulative beast. You should bind it to you."

Arthur again ignored the Heavenly Pavilion's suggestion and leaned forward, trying to see where the wolf was injured.

The wolf was bleeding. Its hind leg seemed to be broken, while there was a deep gash along with claw marks on its stomach.

It was slowly turning weak, and if it continued, it would eventually bleed to death.

Arthur found it pitiful and lowered himself until he was at its eye level while maintaining a good distance.

"Master, spirit beasts with higher cultivation levels can heal by themselves. But the wolf is severely injured, and being a Second Grade Shadow Wolf, its healing abilities are not that great," the Heavenly Pavilion said, analyzing the situation.

"How do I heal its wounds?" Arthur asked, his eyes trained on the wolf. He scrutinized the beast the same way it did to him.

"Master, we do not have any spirit herbs. We can only offer it spirit stones."

"Can spirit stones heal them?" Arthur was surprised.

Could spirit stones be used that way as well?

"Yes, Master. Not only will they heal its wounds, but spirit stones can even help it."

Arthur didn't even think twice before he asked for a green spirit stone, and immediately after, two green spirit stones appeared in his palms.

The wolf stared at him cautiously as it stood guard. When the spirit stone appeared in his palm, it almost lunged forward to get it.

Arthur knew that the beast was suspicious of him. So, he placed the stones on the ground and moved back, showing that he meant no harm.

The beast stared at him for a few seconds before it slowly padded towards the stones. It sniffed at them and closed its eyes.

"What is it doing?" Arthur asked when he saw its peculiar behavior.

"Master, it is absorbing the qi in the spirit stones. I think two green spirit stones are not enough for it. It needs more powerful ones."

"Which one should I offer?" Arthur asked, having no idea what to do.

"Master, I would suggest an orange one."

Arthur thought otherwise. He had a bold thought and asked the Heavenly Pavilion for a blue stone.

"Master?" The Heavenly Pavilion was stunned, and its mind went blank for a moment.

"Just give me," Arthur said sternly, and the Heavenly Pavilion relented, crying unshed tears when the count of the blue stones decreased.

As soon as the blue stone appeared in his palm, the wolf opened its eyes. Unlike before, when it looked at him vigilantly, it now stared at him as if it was pleading with him.

Arthur was speechless. 

What's with everyone acting cute to him? Did they think acting pitiful could win him over?

'They are right,' he thought. He was completely defeated by the wolf's teary eyes.

He was about to place the spirit stone on the ground when the wolf walked to him and nudged his arm.

Arthur was surprised. But he held his palm before it, and it started sniffing the blue spirit stone.

While Arthur waited, he looked for the two green stones, only to find them missing.

Soon, he saw the wolf healing at an incredible rate. Its injuries vanished, and the gash too disappeared as time passed. Moreover, the beast's fur started glowing, the black, shiny hair making him look majestic.

Its eyes started glowing red, and the aura around it changed. The faint orange light vanished before it was replaced by a blue light.

"Master, Master, Master." The Heavenly Pavilion almost went berserk in excitement.

"What?"

"Master, the Shadow Wolf broke through. It really broke through. It is now a Third Grade Spirit Wolf."