Hellhound and Earth Bear

[With your help, Earth Bear Tuen mastered a new skill. Parsing Points +400]

The message had barely popped into He Xi's mind before he had time to examine it closely.

The figure had already been sent flying by a single slap from Tuen, crashing into a tree trunk several yards away like a ragged sack with a dull thud.

Yet his tough physique kept him from passing out on the spot.

Jared struggled as he slid to the ground, swiftly adjusted his posture, and dropped to one knee, his eyes filled with lingering terror.

But the tremendous impact still left his mind in chaos.

The dense scent of Earth Element lingering in the air told him that this was a high-level magical beast capable of expertly casting earth spells.

And it could speak... Could it really be a legendary Earth Bear?

Anyone capable of forming a connection with such a creature could not possibly be an ordinary person!

But... what had that pure white light been just now?

Jared found it strangely familiar, yet he could not connect it to a novice skill for knight apprentices—Holy Light Strike.

In that bear's paw, the power of that white light had been utterly terrifying.

He suddenly remembered the talking dog.

Could that really have been a disguised Hellhound?

So... this seemingly frail kid was actually a monster hiding his strength. That sudden blush of his must have been some kind of special skill after all.

The more Jared thought about it, the colder his spine became. A bead of sweat slid down from his temple, and he felt like an idiot who had blundered straight into a hunter's net.

As a stealth rogue, he knew well that if one strike failed, fleeing a thousand miles away was the only creed.

Facing an enemy so far beyond the intelligence he had received, continuing to fight would be no different from suicide.

Seeing that the fellow was still alive, Tuen was preparing to follow up with another blow and let him have a taste of a bear's strength.

Then, with a bang, thick smoke instantly billowed out, and the other man's presence vanished within it.

Only after the enemy retreated did He Xi's taut nerves finally relax.

He let out a long breath and patted Tuen's thick arm. "Tuen, thank you. You saved Bruce and me."

After spending several days together, Tuen's speech had become much more fluent.

It dispersed the holy light in its palm and said in a deep, muffled voice, "He Xi, you're hurt."

The shattered stones from earlier had torn several holes in He Xi's clothes, leaving thin bloody cuts on his arms and cheeks.

"It's fine, just a few scratches." He Xi waved a hand. "Why are you here?"

Bruce, standing nearby, said, "This guy secretly follows us every day. He won't turn back until he sees us off at the edge of the woods."

Seeing that his trail had long since been discovered, Tuen scraped at the ground with its claws and let out an embarrassed rumble. "Wa... I just wanted to... make sure you left safely..."

In its eyes, Mr. Bruce was indeed unfathomable. Everything had been within his grasp all along.

You could not judge a dog by its appearance.

"Mua has a way to treat you." Tuen invited him, "He Xi, come back with me."

He Xi did not stand on ceremony. As a transmigrator, he knew that even the smallest wound could lead to infection.

As he walked through the forest, his consciousness sank into the ball of light within his mind.

[Race: Earth Bear]

[Parsing Points: 475]

[Tag Extraction: Requires 520 Parsing Points]

He had gained 400 points in one go!

Helping a target grow really was a shortcut to farming points. But by his calculations, he was still short by 45 points.

Only twenty days remained before the contract expired.

The Favorability he could gain from Tuen was already nearing its limit. His recent interactions had yielded only one or two points each. It would be difficult to fill this gap of 45 points by farming Favorability in the short term.

"Was that man a stealth rogue? Why did he want to kill me?"

"The original owner's memory fragments are incomplete, but I vaguely remember that He Xi moved from Holder City to this remote corner of Plint to avoid something..."

"So the enemy came from Holder?"

"But the Atmesia Family has been in decline for generations. If it truly had a mortal enemy, they would have acted long ago. There would have been no need to wait until now."

"Unless... it was inconvenient to act in Holder? Or this enemy only appeared recently?"

He Xi's thoughts raced.

"No matter what, it has something to do with Holder."

"I need the means to protect myself as soon as possible. I might not be this lucky next time."

Before long, they had returned to Mora's resting cave deep in the woods.

"Mua, look!" Tuen ran up to its mother as if presenting a treasure, raised its bear paw, and a gentle holy light lit up in its palm. "I protected He Xi just now! Mua, I became a knight!"

Mora reclined against the rock wall.

Though she had not shown herself these past few days, she had silently watched everything that happened.

To be honest, the power of Holy Light Strike was hardly worth mentioning compared to the Earth Bear's innate strength.

But what that light represented was Tuen overcoming the shadow of cowardice deep within its heart.

That growth and transformation brought Mora more comfort than any mighty power could.

Her gaze fell upon He Xi.

This seemingly frail human boy had not only taught Tuen to speak, but also guided it toward its own path and ignited the light of courage in its heart.

[Earth Bear Mora's Favorability toward you has increased. Parsing Points +50]

He Xi had not expected to gain so many points from Mora.

Delighted, he saw that his Parsing Points had reached 525.

[You spent 520 points to extract the tag—Earth Affinity—from the Earth Bear]

[Earth Affinity]: You possess an innate connection with Earth Element. You can sense, guide, and absorb earth elemental energy more easily. Your learning speed for earth spells increases, their power is enhanced, and standing on the ground slowly restores stamina and mana.

At that moment, the bell-like voice rang in his mind once more.

"Human, thank you for everything you have done for my child."

"I am the Stone Vein Speaker of the Earth Bear clan, guardian of the clan's memories and the Earth's Contracts. Your kindness deserves repayment. State your request."

A contract?

That word struck precisely at He Xi's most sensitive nerve.

He quickly gathered his thoughts and seized the opportunity to ask:

"Respected Stone Vein Speaker, I would like to ask you about a matter concerning contracts."

He Xi succinctly described his predicament: a demon named Salamachis had entered into an ancient Bloodline Contract with his family...

Mora quietly listened to his account. Her massive head shook slightly, and her voice carried a trace of regret.

"I'm sorry. A Bloodline Contract is rooted in the soul and is completely different from an Earth Contract born of nature's laws. In this matter, I cannot directly offer you help."

He Xi's heart sank, but Mora's next words rekindled his hope.