The contract was sealed

Without waiting for Dean to answer, Stavago reached out and pointed a finger at him. In an instant, the little shadow's aura weakened by more than half. Not only could Sanderson, a former Fifth-Level Grand Mage, sense the change in Stavago, but even Dean, a Level-One Magic Apprentice, could feel it.

Stavago's aura was fading. In another few minutes, he would probably dissipate completely, and seeing him again would not be so easy.

But Dean was not concerned about Stavago's condition right now. He was concerned about his own body—or, more precisely, his head. Something strange seemed to have happened to it.

"Boy, this is a treasure bestowed upon you by the great demon Stavago—a Demon Horn, something that belongs to demons," Stavago said weakly.

Demon Horns were exceedingly rare even among demons. Possessing one could greatly enhance a demon's control over the elements.

Of course, although Demon Horns appeared at random on demons, they could be seized and used by someone else.

And now, what Stavago had bestowed upon Dean was a Demon Horn.

However, when Dean felt the back of his neck, he found an extra piece of bone there. Its presence did not interfere with his normal movements.

The bone would not harm his body. Despite being called a Demon Horn, it was really just a small, protruding piece of bone.

"It feels a little strange." Dean kept touching the spot beneath the back of his head, where he could feel the extra bit of bone.

Although it did not affect him, having something extra there still felt odd. Yet he could not say it was uncomfortable, either.

Sanderson gave his unexpectedly acquired student a puzzled look. What was going on? Why would Stavago give his student a Demon Horn?

This was something Mages dreamed of possessing, though those supreme geniuses did not desire Demon Horns quite so desperately.

"Huh? The elements around us—why have they suddenly become so much denser? There are even quite a few dark elements," Dean suddenly said. In his perception, the amount of every element around him had multiplied several times over.

"That is one of the effects of a Demon Horn. It can amplify your sensitivity to the elements several times over, or even dozens of times," Sanderson said with a trace of envy. Even he, an old man nearing death with no hope of salvation, could not help being envious.

Sensitivity to the elements directly determined whether someone could become a Mage and what sort of Mage they became.

Dean was most sensitive to dark elements, followed by fire elements and undead elements. As for the other elements, he could barely sense them without the help of special items.

This was also one of the reasons Demon Horns were so precious. Of course, anyone could use items to enhance their sensitivity to the elements, but those items had severe limitations.

"All right, boy. Giving you a Demon Horn hurts even me a little. Grow stronger. Grow to the level I expect of you, so that your soul will become all the more delectable! Hahaha!" Stavago said smugly. Yet even as he spoke, his aura weakened further.

Stavago said nothing more and brought the contract directly before Dean. This time, Dean did not hesitate. Stavago was already close to his limit, and even someone as inexperienced as Dean knew how precious the boundless knowledge offered in this exchange was.

Dean held out his hand. At the same moment, an ice blade swept past its edge.

It did not cut his hand, but the airflow carried by the blade tore a small wound in his palm.

Sanderson had cast the ice blade. They had no time to leisurely search for a knife, so this was the only way he could make Dean bleed.

Before long, blood covered Dean's entire palm.

Then Dean raised his blood-covered hand and pressed it onto the parchment.

The contract was sealed.

In an instant, the demon Stavago's aura surged, as though he were struggling against something.

An arm appeared before Dean. He wanted to say something, but Sanderson stopped him.

"This is the world will. When a great demon like Stavago crosses between worlds to sign a contract with someone from our weak world, he will inevitably draw the world will's attention. This portion of the world will is now helping you remove the hidden traps in the contract while contending with Stavago," Sanderson said solemnly.

Sanderson did not dare joke in the presence of the world will. Of course, this was only a tiny, tiny portion of it. Perhaps even the world will's main consciousness was unaware that some insignificant person here was signing a contract with an Abyssal Demon.

"Huff, huff... damn it. The world will was actually this strong this time. I almost couldn't withstand it," the demon Stavago's little shadow said viciously. But he now looked extremely weak.

Dean even felt that a simple casting of Basic Illumination would be enough to dispel the little demon shadow.

Of course, Dean would not do that. They were now bound to each other by a contract.

"The world will of this world is rather strong. Five generations—you are the final generation to sign a contract with the great Lord Stavago. Treasure the knowledge you have obtained and grow stronger as quickly as you can!" With that, Stavago's little shadow dissipated on the spot.

The stone slab crumbled into a scattering of powder as well, while the spatial node vanished, presumably obliterated.

At the same time, the parchment contract began to burn spontaneously, though there was no wind. Dean had a feeling that its combustion could not be stopped—that no means whatsoever could halt the burning of the parchment.

The tiny portion of the world will and the dark clouds in the sky vanished along with Stavago.

The dark clouds overhead seemed to represent something, but Stavago had ignored them. Despite their prolonged efforts, they had accomplished nothing.

"Teacher, if Stavago can contend with the world will, does that mean... he already has ninth-level power?" Dean's throat felt dry. It would have been a lie to say he was not afraid. The ninth level—that was the pinnacle of the world.

"Probably. But demons are all cunning creatures. Aside from the information stated in the contract, anything they tell you, any method they give you, may not be true," Sanderson told Dean.

Wait, only what was stated in the contract counted? Something suddenly occurred to Dean, and he hurriedly examined the contract in his mind.

A copy of the contract existed in Dean's mind. Of course, Stavago had a copy too.

Dean read it three times. Only after reading it a full three times did he give up.

Looking utterly crestfallen, Dean turned to Sanderson, the teacher he had unexpectedly acquired, and spoke.

"Teacher... Stavago lied to me. He never wrote in the contract that he only had a little over a thousand years left to live."

(End of chapter)