Alius stood atop a small hill, surveying the vast expanse of Kara’s [Time Space], deep in thought. He knew his existence would be short-lived, that he would ultimately merge back with Sora to strengthen the original soul. Yet, because of such knowledge, he had trouble getting used to the thought of living such an ephemeral life.

'Before splitting my soul, I’d planned to use this body to grind for skills while my original body worked on body forging here in the [Time Space]', he mused. 'But without [Mana Evolution], I can’t steal skills from others. I have no clear goal, no destination for now. It looks like I’ll need a different path.'

Looking over at Hiyoko, perched playfully on Sora’s head, Alius felt a pang of loneliness. 'Maybe this is what I need to focus on first', he thought, a smile forming. 'Finding a companion could make this life more meaningful'. With that, he told Sora and Kara of his intentions before stepping out of the [Time Space], eager to start his own journey.

Once outside, he immediately felt the limitations of his new body.

His [Human Resource Assistant] job was back to level 1, and his mana reserves were nowhere near infinite, but his control was refined beyond what most people of his level could dream of. Drawing on his experience, he channeled [Condensed Mana], that Sora had taken the time to perfect, focusing his energy on crafting a contract. Though the process took some effort, he was relieved to see the faint outline of a contract materialize. It was a start, even if it was just a shadow of what he could create when his job was level 62.

Roaming through the forested area, he soon encountered a [Jade Raccoon], its green fur shining under the sunlight. Level 15— but a fine candidate for his first contract. Alius knelt down, reaching out with a pulse of [Condensed Mana], and cast the contract with the beast in mind.

The air between them trembled as the contract’s terms formed:

[Contract Terms]

* Alius promises to spare the Jade Raccoon.

* The Jade Raccoon will submit to Alius.

* Alius can grant the raccoon its freedom as long as the location isn’t harmful to him.

* Alius will not harm the Jade Raccoon upon its release.

As the words solidified, Alius sensed the contract’s balancing effect, weighing his promises against the raccoon’s submission. The raccoon trembled, but eventually, it signed the contract, opting for survival over freedom.

The air vibrated as mana flared between them, binding their spirits. A warm glow enveloped the raccoon as it became Alius’s contracted beast, their bond solidified through a surge of shared energy.

[Jade Raccoon has become your contracted beast.]

[Job level up!] x40

Alius grinned, feeling his [Human Resource Assistant] job shoot up to level 41 in an instant. His Growth Factor had multiplied the experience gain, allowing his experience gains to be multiplied by more than a million thanks to his job level being under his current level. He knew this value would drop to 1 as soon as his job level reached his level.

He released the raccoon almost immediately, watching it scurry off, but he was pleased to find that the act alone had boosted his proficiency significantly.

He spent the rest of the day seeking out more creatures, signing contracts with them and then releasing them, watching as his job level climbed rapidly. By nightfall, he had reached level 100 and unlocked a few new abilities, including some he had in the past.

[Unfair Contract] – Allows for the creation of contracts that are increasingly less balanced and fair depending on the gap in power between the parties at the time of signing.

[You Should Have Read the Second Page] – Allows the user to place hidden conditions on the back of a contract. If the other party doesn’t explicitly ask to see these conditions, they will go unnoticed.

[Shut Up and Sign!] – When the power gap between both parties is substantial, the user can force the weaker one to sign the contract against their will.

[Job Interview] – Creates an environment where the user can conduct a formal interview with the other party, reducing their hostility, potentially leading to recruitment while having the upper ground in negotiations.

[Talent Appraisal] – While conducting a [Job Interview], the user may analyze the other party’s status and profile.

Alius felt a spark of inspiration as he scrolled through his new skills, eager to try them out. Knowing Sora was occupied in the [Time Space], he decided to take advantage of the quiet time to experiment. Spotting a [Celestial Tiger], a level 115 beast, he moved in its direction.

Without hesitation, he slapped the tiger across the face, activating [Job Interview]. Both he and the tiger were transported to an unusual office setting, complete with a table, two chairs, and bottles of water on each side.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Alius glanced around, feeling a twinge of embarrassment. This skill was clearly made with humanoid candidates in mind.

The Celestial Tiger, now shrunk to fit the room, looked bewildered. Alius cleared his throat, trying to adopt a professional tone. “Hello there, little tiger. I understand you’re currently unemployed. Would you be interested in a job?”

The tiger, though slightly understanding the situation, shook its head initially, clearly not interested, still in pain after the slap it had received.

Alius raised an eyebrow, letting his voice drop into a darker tone. “Not interested? Then tell me—do I really need you alive?”

The tiger’s eyes widened, and it began nodding quickly, clearly rethinking its stance.

Alius watched as the contract terms materialized between them, the tiger staring at them with growing disbelief.

Since the split from Sora, Alius had felt depressed about his status as a being with inferior purpose in life. With no one to remember him if he died, he couldn't help but diverge from Sora's direction in life. Alius still had some goals, but he felt that Sora would probably beat him to them, making him rethink his interest in life, and its value.

Considering the beasts surrounding him, who also had been restricted to a region by some unknown power, he found himself more open to experimentation.

‘Perhaps The Dark Elven General was right. Maybe I should just treat this as a game.’

Activating [Talent Appraisal], the details of the Celestial Tiger appeared:

"[Talent Appraisal]"

[Talent Appraisal: Celestial Tiger]

Beast race : Celestial Tiger (100-120)

Talent level : B

Special skill: Holy Judgment

[Name : Unnamed]

[Species : Celestial Tiger]

[Level : 115]

[Talent Level : 4]

[Primary Attributes : Strength (AA), Agility (A), Stamina (B), Magic (A)]

[Mana Affinity : Holy element]

[Special Abilities : Holy Charge, Sacred Beam]

[Unique Traits None]

[Disposition : Brave, Rebellious]

[Growth Potential : 7%]

Alius reviewed the information. 'A Talent Level of 4—I wonder if it is considered decent. It’s built for Strength and Agility, but that Growth Potential is probably too low. I assume special skills are either a monster's normal skills or racial skills based on their Affinity but I’ll need to test more creatures to confirm and find out more. This Unique Trait part is intriguing though.'

Looking at the contract offered to the Celestial Tiger, he used [Shut Up and Sign!] to eliminate any resistance.

[By forcibly contracting your familiar, you will lower the affinity rating with it]

[Affinity below 50% hinders a beast’s progress and potential.]

[The difference in mental power is insufficient.]

[You have failed to subdue Celestial Tiger]

Alius noted the drawback, unfazed by the tiger's resistance. 'This is just a test', he reminded himself.

Subduing the [Celestial Tiger] with a different approach, he thought 'What I need to know next is how many beasts I can contract at once.

Finding a level 110 [Frost Fairy] next and attempting to repeat the process, he was met with a message:

[Contracting a second beast requires sufficient Soul Level and a Beast Space.]

'So that’s why having multiple familiars is impossible for most people… It’s locked behind such requirements,' he thought, recalling the Beast Spaces he’d seen in the Auction House. Back then, he’d dismissed them as too expensive, but now he needed it. He had never heard of anyone having Soul Power except himself.

Opening the [War Shop], Alius navigated to the Miscellaneous section and quickly spotted the item. It was exactly what he needed—a storage space specifically designed for hosting living, contracted beasts. And for only 50 War Points, it seemed almost too good to pass up.

Just as he clicked to purchase, a frustrating message popped up:

[You don’t have enough WP.]

Alius cursed internally. Of course, that old relic has all the points... the system couldn’t even give me some?

Leaving the Frost Fairy behind, confused, he headed toward Sora and Kara's training place, eventually spotting some beasts frantically rushing toward an area, then vanishing. Recognizing the signs, he realized Kara’s [Time Space] was nearby, and he was soon invited in, joining up with Sora and Kara.

After explaining the situation, Sora accessed the Beast Space item from the War Shop and transferred it to Alius. Sora even bought one for himself, as he also felt the need for such item.

Leaving as quickly as he came, Alius returned to find the Level 110 [Frost Fairy]. This time, he had a different approach in mind.

So, the system says I need a sufficient Soul Level for multiple familiars. That suggests the familiar system is tied to contracts and Soul Power… but what if I bypass the contract entirely? What if I can use Soul Power to dominate the familiar?

He called out to the Frost Fairy, who hovered a bit farther away, clearly apprehensive but watching him with a hint of curiosity. Alius noticed her unease and offered a smile, hoping to reassure her.

"Come here, little Fairy. I want to try something," he said, his tone almost apologetic. "I’m sorry, but I really need to run a few tests. Who knows—maybe today will be your lucky day… or maybe not. Guess we’ll find out soon enough."

The Frost Fairy hovered warily, but curious.

Alius gathered the raw, unrefined but condensed mana in his body, guiding it toward his heart. He intended to siphon some Soul Power from the Soul Palace.

He led a steady stream of mana around the Soul Palace, hoping it would latch onto the Soul Power encircling it. At first, nothing happened. Undeterred, he gradually increased the flow, allowing a larger quantity of mana to swirl around the Soul Palace.

After a few minutes, Alius sensed something shift. The mana began to feel heavier, a sensation he recognized from his previous experiences with Soul Power. 'It's starting to work', he realized, a hint of excitement creeping in.

Alius continued directing mana around the Soul Palace, coaxing it to absorb Soul Power bit by bit. As the process progressed, his mana grew heavier, rich with the potent Soul Power he was drawing.

He gathered enough Soul Power into his mana, ready for the next step.