Legend of the Supreme Archmage

Contracted Soul

“Why didn’t you expose Victor’s wickedness?” An unfamiliar voice called out from behind Lucan.

Lucan’s shoulders tensed. His eyes became alert as he turned around.

WHOOSH!

Three silver needle blades shot rapidly from Lucan’s fingers. Straight toward the source of the mysterious voice that had startled him.

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!

“Ah!”

Following the sound of the needles that embedded perfectly into the wooden wall of the room, a child’s scream could be heard.

Lucan stared at the silver needles that had struck the wall precisely. Their blades were still trembling because of the force of the man’s movement.

Directly beneath the three needles was a yellow creature that was half-crouching while observing the weapon that had almost taken its life.

The chick-like creature trembled in fear, even its beak shaking.

With watery eyes, showing that it was on the verge of tears, the creature looked at Lucan with a pitiful expression.

“C-cruel! Cruel human!” It took several steps forward, avoiding the needle above its head. “W-what exactly did I do wrong to be treated like this?!”

Lucan extended his long leg and nudged the creature in front of him until it toppled backward. “Your mistake was startling me.”

The creature chirped, then flapped its small wings. It exerted all its strength until it managed to get back up.

“Cruel, heartless human! How could you hurt a small, helpless, and cute creature like me!”

‘Cute?’ Lucan repeated the creature’s words inwardly. ‘So confident.’

Lucan crouched down so he could observe his conversation partner. He listened to the chick continue babbling and complaining without stopping.

“Since when can animals talk as much as you?”

“Lucan, look at how you treat me! Many Mages have wanted to form a contract with me, but you treat me like an ordinary animal.” Its small wings flapped rapidly. Occasionally, it pointed toward Lucan while shouting, “You ungrateful human!”

Lucan rolled his eyes upon hearing the little chicken’s curses. “Noisy.” He added, “If you hadn’t suddenly appeared, would I have attacked you?”

“So you’re saying this is my fault?!” The little chicken shouted angrily again. “If you hadn’t saved me before, I wouldn’t have ….”

All the little chicken’s chatter went in Lucan’s left ear and out his right. He only watched the little creature chirping endlessly while remembering how he had become bound to that talkative chicken.

Lucan first met the little chicken when he was still on Mount Mistveil. Their meeting could be called a coincidence, but it resulted in a bond that forced him to get used to the noisy animal.

Lucan, who had just reached the second magic level at that time, could still feel hunger, so he had to hunt for dinner. He was crawling beneath a tree when he heard the panicked, frightened chirping of a chicken.

Lucan initially wanted to ignore the cry for help. However, the high-pitched voice pierced his eardrums, making it difficult for him to concentrate on hunting.

“Chirp! Chirp!” the little chicken shouted with a frightened expression that it tried to hide. “Chirp! Chirp Chirp!!”

The little chicken’s chatter made Lucan, who was observing from afar, fall silent, finding the animal very interesting. In front of a terrifying wolf-shaped beast spirit, the little chicken was indeed afraid, but it could still cleverly avoid it by climbing up the tree and remain alert while looking downward.

If not for Lucan not sensing any Mana energy in the little chicken’s body, he would certainly have suspected that the little chicken was a low-level beast spirit.

Lucan shifted his gaze toward the wolf-shaped beast spirit that was trying to climb the tree to catch the little chicken. Its sharp claws scratched at the tree, as if making a foothold for itself. If it continued like that, sooner or later the little chicken that could not fly would surely be caught.

The weak become food for the strong, that was the law of nature. Lucan respected that and had no intention of saving the little chicken. It was just that the situation at that time was that if Lucan ignored the wolf and continued hunting, the wolf beast spirit would certainly discover his presence and end up attacking him.

He would certainly have difficulty if that happened. Because the wolf beast spirit could call its pack to prey on Lucan.

‘It’s better to attack first than to be attacked later,’ Lucan thought as he picked up a fist-sized stone beside his left foot. Although Lucan’s strength was not sufficient yet, he was confident he could aim at the fierce beast spirit’s forehead.

Carefully, Lucan aimed at the beast spirit, then his hand swung hard to launch the stone in his hand.

WHOOSH! THUD!

Lucan’s throw hit its target directly. The wolf beast spirit did not have time to dodge, and it immediately collapsed to the ground with its legs twitching.

Because his task was finished, Lucan immediately dashed off to continue his hunt. The little chicken was not his target because with its body size, Lucan would not be full at all!

However, just after taking a few steps to leave, Lucan was forced to stop suddenly because his vision suddenly went dark.

“Human! Human! You saved me!” The shout startled Lucan, making him immediately tightly grab something that suddenly landed right on his face and then move it away so he could see again.

Unexpectedly, he saw the rescued little chicken. The little chicken flapped its wings and hugged Lucan’s face tightly again, making him unable to breathe.

“My master, my master! My life belongs to you!”

Being able to hear the animal speak forced Lucan to accept a conclusion. The little chicken turned out to be a beast spirit!

With one hand pulling the little chicken away, Lucan frowned. “I saved myself,” he replied curtly as he released the chicken, causing the low-level beast spirit to land on the ground.

“No matter what your intention was, you saved me! Therefore, I am willing to become your contracted familiar!”

Lucan stared coldly at the little chicken. “No need.” Then, he walked away. “Don’t bother me and leave.”

However, once again, Lucan’s steps were forced to stop because of the little chicken. “However, you have no choice.” The little chicken smiled widely. “Besides, you’re already contracted with me!”

Lucan’s head immediately turned quickly and his face looked shocked. “What did you say?”

Right as Lucan asked, his forehead emitted a bright light in the shape of a flame colored golden yellow mixed with red.

With a proud, victorious expression, the little chicken said, “Look! You’re already contracted with me!”