I Contracted Myself

"Su Jingyao, want some candy? It's on me."

Zhang Ping lay sprawled on his desk, holding a green hexagonal crystal in his hand. He squinted at his deskmate, Su Jingyao, and asked.

Su Jingyao glanced at the hexagonal crystal, her face expressionless as she spat out a single word, "Scram."

"Fine, no need to get so angry," Zhang Ping retracted his hand and muttered under his breath.

A vein throbbed on Su Jingyao's forehead as she retorted, "Zhang Ping, I understand you're upset about awakening a useless ability, but if you keep asking people like this after leaving school, do you believe you won't get beaten to death?"

"Useless ability isn't that bad. I was just asking you, I wouldn't ask anyone else," Zhang Ping mumbled.

Su Jingyao rolled her eyes at him and continued filling out her graduation application form.

"Are you really planning to graduate?" Zhang Ping glanced at her and asked.

Su Jingyao replied calmly, "I've mastered all the knowledge in school, and my awakened ability is very suitable for combat. Only through real battles can I become stronger. Joining the Patrol Guard has been my decision for a long time."

"But you're only seventeen," Zhang Ping sighed.

Su Jingyao gave him a disdainful look, "Zhang Chen next door applied for graduation a week ago. He's probably already left the city with the Investigation Team to fight Mutated Beasts. He's only sixteen."

"Yeah, true genius," Zhang Ping sighed.

Seeing that Zhang Ping showed no envy or jealousy, Su Jingyao sighed inwardly.

Zhang Ping used to be one of the most diligent students in the class. On the day he awakened his ability, he frantically experimented with it, but it was soon evaluated as a Useless Grade ability by the Evaluator. Zhang Ping was devastated and even skipped classes for several days.

When he returned to class, he had already become the laid-back person he was now.

"Even though your ability was deemed useless, there are so many mutant creatures in the world. Maybe one day you'll find one willing to accept your ability, and then it will have its use..." Su Jingyao said earnestly, not wanting Zhang Ping to give up on himself.

Zhang Ping lay on the desk, indifferent, "Forget it. Do you think any creature would willingly give its life to be controlled by someone else? If I gave it to you, would you eat it?"

"......"

Su Jingyao thought of the hexagonal crystal in Zhang Ping's hand earlier and was at a loss for words.

Just seeing the hexagonal crystal made her instinctively repulsed, like seeing feces and wanting to stay far away.

"Alright, I've accepted that I'm a useless person. Actually, being useless isn't bad. Maybe if I honestly go into farming, I'll live longer than you guys who are always fighting," Zhang Ping said with a smile.

He truly thought so.

After all, whether it was the Patrol Guard, the Investigation Team, or the free Adventurers, the casualty rate was high.

Staying in the city as a farmer, although the treatment was poor, at least he could barely survive, and the casualty rate was much lower than in combat professions.

If he wanted to die of old age, staying in the city was the safest option.

***

In his past life, Zhang Ping was a member of a private Search and Rescue Team.

One night, during a rescue mission in the mountains, he encountered a landslide and died on the spot.

When he came to, he had transmigrated into the body of Zhang Ping, who had died from anger.

After absorbing Zhang Ping's memories, he had only one thought: It's just awakening a useless ability, was it worth getting so angry?

Although he was somewhat grateful to the original owner, otherwise, he might not have transmigrated and would have truly died.

But to be honest, the original Zhang Ping was too mentally fragile.

As for abilities, in his past life, he had no abilities at all and still managed to live stubbornly. Since it was a useless ability, he might as well treat it as if he had none.

However, Zhang Ping's awakened ability was quite interesting.

He could consume stamina and mental strength to create a hexagonal crystal. Any creature that willingly consumed this crystal would be completely controlled by him, both physically and spiritually.

Hmm.

It sounded powerful.

But there was a catch: the target had to be genuinely willing. Otherwise, even if they ate it, they would just expel it intact.

The original Zhang Ping had tried many creatures, like cats, dogs, snakes, and mice, but all failed without exception.

For this, the original Zhang Ping had even tortured several animals, forcing them to accept the hexagonal crystal, but the result was unchanged. It seemed that the rejection on a spiritual level was absolute.

In the end, the original Zhang Ping grew more and more frustrated, coughed up blood in despair, and died from anger caused by his own ability.

Now, Zhang Ping wouldn't be so extreme or radical.

Although his ability seemed useless, he still had some ideas.

The hexagonal crystals he produced were quite beautiful. Could they be polished and sold as gems?

After all, the tastes of the wealthy were unique. What if they could fetch a good price?

***

After class, Zhang Ping packed his things and walked back to the dormitory area with Su Jingyao.

Both he and Su Jingyao were orphans and had been living in the school dormitory since enrollment.

"Don't wait for me tomorrow. I'm moving out of the dorm tonight," Su Jingyao said as they walked.

Zhang Ping nodded and smiled, "Take care."

"You too."

Su Jingyao glanced at Zhang Ping, her reluctance hidden deep in her eyes.

They parted at the dormitory entrance, with Su Jingyao entering the girls' dormitory and Zhang Ping entering the boys' dormitory.

Zhang Ping's dorm was on the fifth floor. Originally, he had three roommates, but they had all left the school after failing to awaken their abilities, a week before the original Zhang Ping died from anger. So now, he was the only one left in the dorm.

"Compared to failing to awaken, this guy is actually much better off."

Zhang Ping opened the dormitory door, recalling the confused and pained expressions of his roommates when they left the school, and muttered to himself.

He put down his backpack, took a shower, and then sat cross-legged on the bed.

Raising one hand, green particles gradually appeared in his palm. As his stamina and mental strength quickly depleted, the particles rapidly grew into a hexagonal crystal.

According to the Evaluator, his ability was a composite type and should be named 'Greed Gem' according to the superpower naming conventions.

Because this ability was too greedy.

It wanted everything, wanted to control everything.

But precisely because it was too greedy, all living beings instinctively rejected the Greed Gem, rendering it useless.

"Let's test the hardness first!"

Zhang Ping held the hexagonal crystal and muttered to himself.

If the crystal was hard enough, it might be used to make something, like chainmail, fully inlaid with hexagonal crystals, which should provide decent defense.

He took out a small knife he carried with him and tried to cut the crystal.

Unfortunately, the crystal's hardness wasn't as high as it appeared. The knife quickly cut the crystal in half, and from the feedback during the cut, its hardness was probably similar to bone.

Zhang Ping was a bit disappointed, but seeing the cut crystal, he felt a bit hungry.

He couldn't be blamed for being tempted.

After being cut, the crystal's surface was smooth and translucent, with a bright color, resembling jelly or chlorophyll-added agar.

Just by its appearance, it looked quite appetizing.

Wait!

Zhang Ping suddenly froze, then his gaze fell on the cut crystal, and he pondered, "What would happen if I ate the Greed Gem myself?"

Could he perfectly control himself?

Wouldn't that be the legendary 100% control over his body?

Clearly, this was a path the original Zhang Ping had never considered!

Should he try it?

After all, the worst-case scenario was just controlling himself.

The more Zhang Ping thought about it, the more tempted he became. He picked up the cut crystal and swallowed it in one bite.

Unlike other creatures, he didn't instinctively reject the hexagonal crystal.

After swallowing the crystal, he keenly sensed a slight change in his body.

This change was hard to describe, somewhat like the feeling of man and sword as one.

It could only be experienced, not explained.

After a long time, Zhang Ping opened his eyes and thought, "Go pour a glass of water!"

Next, it wasn't him controlling his body; his body automatically went to pour water.

The feeling was strange, like his body was moving on its own, without his control.

Although he still had sensations and it still consumed his stamina, the process of pouring water was irreversible. Even if he wanted to go to the bathroom or do something else midway, as long as he didn't change the command, his body would insist on pouring water.

"Do 500 push-ups!"

Zhang Ping drank the water, ending the previous command.

Then, with a thought, he gave another command, and his body started doing push-ups automatically.

After 500 push-ups, Zhang Ping lay on the ground like a dead dog, unable to get up, but with a happy smile on his face.

Because the original Zhang Ping was a workout fanatic, this body could originally do 250 push-ups, but now, through commands, he could do 500.

This had already surpassed the limits of willpower.

Without commands, Zhang Ping estimated he could only do 300 push-ups at most, reaching the limit of his willpower.

Although this ability still seemed useless, superpowers were really fascinating.

***

After lying down for half an hour, Zhang Ping got up and dusted himself off.

Even though he could control his body through commands, his body was still an ordinary body. Facing those invulnerable Mutated Beasts in the wild, it was still useless.

But he wasn't disappointed, as he had already mentally prepared himself to stay in the city and farm.

If this ability could be used for farming, it might have other uses when his stamina improved in the future.

After another shower, he went downstairs to the cafeteria for dinner, then returned to the dorm to rest.

***

The next day, early morning.

Zhang Ping was still asleep, but his eyes opened on their own. He got dressed, left the dormitory, and started running on the track.

This was the schedule Zhang Ping had set the night before: wake up at 4 AM and run.

Although his consciousness was still asleep, his body moved on its own.

It was somewhat like sleepwalking.

By six o'clock, he was fully awake, sitting in the cafeteria with plain porridge and three steamed buns in front of him.

Looking at the steamed buns and plain porridge, his eyes lit up slightly, and he smiled.

"It really works!"

Zhang Ping had only been experimenting, not expecting his body to follow all the commands.

But he was puzzled: if his consciousness was asleep, how could his body move?

Was it the subconscious?

No matter, since it worked, it would make future workouts easier.

"Luo Shiyu, good morning!"

"Luo Shiyu, I've already got your breakfast."

"Luo Shiyu is so perfect. Just thinking about not seeing her after graduation makes me want to cry."

"I wonder which of the Big Three Luo Shiyu plans to join after graduation?"

At this moment, a commotion erupted nearby. Zhang Ping, used to it, knew it was the school beauty from the neighboring class.

Luo Shiyu, the class beauty of Class 2 and the school beauty of Mingzhu Academy of Powers, was adored by both boys and girls.

For instance, Zhang Ping's former roommates were all admirers of Luo Shiyu, but after failing to awaken their abilities, they left the school in despair.

Thinking about Luo Shiyu, Zhang Ping took a bite of his bun and looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He quickly lowered his head to drink his porridge, hiding his shock.

In his memory, Luo Shiyu was a slender, beautiful girl.

But just now, he saw a two-meter-tall giant fox, with a human skin mask on its forehead, walking boldly among the students, who were all oblivious and admiring it.

What was going on?

Zhang Ping's mind was in turmoil as Luo Shiyu slowly approached, surrounded by compliments.

"Good morning, Zhang Ping," the giant fox rasped as it passed by.

Zhang Ping commanded himself to stay calm, nodding, "Good morning, Luo Shiyu."

Fortunately, 'Luo Shiyu' didn't stop and continued walking, greeting other students along the way.

Zhang Ping finished his breakfast at a normal pace and then left the cafeteria as usual.