Chapter 28: New Contracts

The cascade of system notifications flooded Liam’s consciousness like a digital waterfall, each building upon the previous one:

[You have entered into a contract with a Houndkeeper]

[You have entered into a contract with a Lycan Creature]

[You have entered into a contract with a Lycan Creature]

[You have entered into a contract with a Lycan Creature]

[You have entered into a contract with a Lycan Creature]

[You have entered into a contract with a Lycan Creature]

[You have Leveled up]

[You have leveled up]

[+10 stats points available]

[You have gained a class skill]

[contracted summons are now ranked into different grades]

[Skill Upgrade available]

[Muscle boost Lv1 Has been upgraded to Iron Fists Lv2]

The notifications seemed endless, but eventually, the storm of screens subsided. The Houndkeeper had accepted his offer to join Liam’s growing army, not just because it was preferable to death, but because the creature couldn’t help but acknowledge the overwhelming power radiating from this human.

The contract process had become routine for Liam, though he still didn’t fully understand its mechanics. After defeating a monster in battle, the system would establish a telepathic link between him and his defeated opponent, with the system serving as mediator. Liam would express his desire for a contract, the creature would agree, either through words or mental acknowledgment and the system would automatically formalize the bond. It was elegant in its simplicity and mysterious in its execution.

With the contracts sealed, Liam activated his regeneration skill, sharing its healing properties with his new summons using his Unity Weaving. The giant wolf beasts and their Houndkeeper watched in wonder as their wounds closed and their strength returned to full capacity.

[“I’ll get you another weapon to replace that spear.”]

Liam said to the Houndkeeper, who nodded solemnly in response. A new notification materialized: [Contracted summons can now be sent to Private Space]

“Perfect,” Liam muttered, accepting the prompt. Immediately, a dark crimson aura enveloped his newly contracted summons. The wolves and their keeper shimmered for a moment before vanishing entirely, transported to whatever dimensional space the system maintained for his army.

Communication with mythical creatures varied wildly. Some spoke fluent English, others managed only broken phrases, and many couldn’t speak human languages at all. Most Visors, the elite monster hunters rarely bothered attempting conversation with high-threat creatures, considering it futile at best. This made Liam’s casual interactions with monsters appear bizarre to other visors, it always looked wrong.

The blade Storm-edge rested in his left hand, and as he prepared to return it to his inventory, another notification appeared:

[A name has not been assigned to the weapon]

“Oh, right,” he said to himself, considering his options. “Hmm, do I keep its original name…” After a moment’s thought, he decided. “Stormbringer.”

[Assign the name Stormbringer?] → [Yes/No]

He selected yes, and the system responded with a detailed breakdown:

[ITEM]

-Name: Stormbringer

-Item Class: S

-Type: Longsword

[STATS]

-Attack power: +80

-Attack Description: Weather control

“Okay, that’s pretty cool,” Liam said, impressed by the system’s detailed analysis. The naming had apparently unlocked additional information about the weapon’s capabilities. With a thought, Stormbringer disappeared back into his inventory.

“So where did those monsters go?” Sarah’s voice cut through what Liam had assumed was private contemplation, making him jump like a startled cat.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed, nearly leaping out of his skin. Elaine chuckled at his reaction while Amir simply shook his head in amusement.

“I thought you guys left…” Liam said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“We couldn’t just abandon you,” Elaine replied. “We wanted to help, but it turns out you never needed it.”

Amir stepped forward, his expression thoughtful. “You know, with the kind of power you possess, you could start your own faction. Why work for USOV at all?”

Liam’s weird smile returned as he continued scratching his head, looking almost embarrassed. “I don’t know jack about running a guild. Sounds like way too much work.”

Meanwhile, in the USOV command center, the Director had been observing the entire encounter. His fingers moved across his smartphone, composing a message. While the contents remained hidden, the recipient’s name was clearly visible: Lucien.

Team C and Liam departed the scene in their SUV, heading back to USOV headquarters. From an aerial view, the aftermath of the battle was starkly visible, a desolate stretch of destroyed road and crumbling structures, testament to the powers that had been unleashed.

…

Later that evening, around eight o’clock, Liam was preparing to leave USOV when Elaine appeared at his side. “Special agent privileges?” she asked, noting his early departure.

Liam scoffed. “Not really. My sister’s home alone, and she gets worried when I stay out too late.”

“Oh, you have a sister. How lovely,” Elaine said warmly.

“Yeah…” Liam replied, then Elaine continued, “Good job containing the situation today. I’m not sure how bad things could have gotten without you there.”

Liam laughed awkwardly and simply nodded; his way of saying ’no problem.’ They reached the gates where they shook hands. Elaine turned back toward the facility while Liam’s body began to lift slowly from the ground. Within moments, he was airborne, flying through the evening sky toward home. But Liam wasn’t alone.

A figure emerged from the shadows as soon as Liam took flight, someone who had been watching the entire time. As Liam’s form disappeared into the sky, Ray’s silhouette blurred with incredible speed, dashing along the ground below while trying to maintain visual contact with his aerial target. He deliberately avoided taking to the air himself, not wanting to alert Liam to his presence.

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