I Contracted Myself

Three months remained until the graduation ceremony, and the students had already begun to go their separate ways.

Zhang Ping hadn't left the school, but he no longer went to the teaching building. Instead, he moved between the dormitory, the playground, and the cafeteria, exercising daily under the pretense of preparing for a future life of farming.

He wasn't the most outstanding student; many others were doing the same. After all, once they left school, they could only get the worst jobs, with little hope for the future. Staying in school for one more day was better than facing that reality.

Moreover, he discovered that these students were relatively safe; almost none of them were replaced by the Tianchang Fox.

In other words, the Tianchang Fox targeted students with high potential or those who joined key departments like the Patrol Guard. The rest, being less of a threat, were not immediately targeted.

Take Zhang Ping, for example. As a summoner who couldn't obtain a summoned beast, he was destined to farm, posing no real threat. Hence, the Tianchang Fox hadn't acted against him yet.

In contrast, Luo Shiyu was a different story. She had awakened extremely powerful abilities two years ago. On the day she was deemed exceptionally talented, she had likely already been targeted by the Tianchang Fox.

***

Every day, Zhang Ping could feel himself improving, his physical fitness growing stronger.

If it weren't for the limits of his stamina and mental strength, he would consume Contract Gems like candy. Unfortunately, after several days, he hadn't awakened any new talents, only continuously enhancing his potential.

The most noticeable change was that, in just a few dozen days, he could now do a thousand push-ups in a row.

Moreover, after finishing, his stamina quickly recovered, no longer leaving him sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, too exhausted to move.

At night.

Zhang Ping sat cross-legged on his bed, glanced out at the night sky, and once again condensed a Contract Gem.

He tossed the gem into his mouth, chewed it slightly, and then swallowed.

This time, he suddenly felt an overwhelming silence, as if the entire world had lost its sound. It took a while for him to emerge from the silence, with the sounds of crickets and frogs gradually returning.

He immediately used his Appraisal Skill on himself.

[Appraisal Successful]

[Summoned Beast: Zhang Ping]

[Master: Zhang Ping]

[Race: Human]

[Potential: ☆☆​​​​​​​☆​​​​​​​☆​​​​​​​]

[Lifespan: 89]

[Talent: Contract Gem: Can consume stamina + mental strength to condense a Contract Gem. Once the target willingly accepts the Contract Gem, their life, soul, and consciousness will be dominated by the summoner. However, they will also gain the summoner's potential and luck. After the first consumption, subsequent consumptions will slightly enhance their potential, with a 1% chance of awakening a new talent. Note: The talent ability obtained by summoner Zhang Ping through overextending his IQ, potential, and luck is powerful but comes with significant drawbacks. Overambition might not be a good thing.]

[Absolute Command: You have absolute control over the summoned beast. Your commands cannot be disobeyed by the summoned beast.]

[Absolute Obedience: You absolutely obey the summoner's commands. You will loyally execute the summoner's orders.]

[Unstable Appraisal Skill: Can appraise a target with a very low probability of obtaining target information. The smaller the power gap between the two parties, the higher the success rate. The first successful appraisal greatly increases the chances of subsequent appraisals on the same target. Note: This talent ability was born from the knowledge-seeking desire of both summoned beast Zhang Ping and summoner Zhang Ping.]

[Night Walker: Gains night vision, significantly reduces presence at night, greatly increases movement speed, reduces weight, and becomes completely invisible in shadows.]

Sure enough, he had gained a new talent!

Zhang Ping didn't need the appraisal to feel it; his body sensed it first.

After all, it was nighttime, and the improvements in vision and reduction in weight were very noticeable.

He got out of bed to test it and found his body much lighter. A light jump allowed him to touch the ceiling, and landing made almost no sound.

With night vision, the pitch-black city outside the window became bright.

He even saw a giant bird with a twelve-meter wingspan flying across the sky, trailing thick black smoke.

If that bird descended to attack the city, the consequences would be unimaginable.

This world was too dangerous.

Zhang Ping exhaled softly and then turned to enter the bathroom.

He had just noticed that his potential had increased by one star. Originally, his potential was three stars, but now it had become four stars. The most noticeable change was the addition of a new talent, but there were many other subtle changes he needed to explore himself.

In the bathroom, he did 2,500 push-ups in one go. If he used a forced command, he estimated he could do around 3,000.

Of course, this was related to his reduced weight, which would likely be less effective during the day.

Additionally, his five senses had become more acute.

Sounds he couldn't hear before were now faintly audible with a bit of concentration.

For instance, the sound of teeth grinding from the neighboring room.

"I wonder what level I am now?"

Zhang Ping wondered as he lay on his bed after coming out of the bathroom.

Awakeners had a level system, and it wasn't complicated.

Anyone who had just awakened their abilities could be classified as a Level 1 Awakener.

Primary Awakeners ranged from Level 1 to Level 9. Upon breaking through to Level 10, they became Intermediate Awakeners.

Intermediate Awakeners who broke through to Level 20 naturally became Advanced Awakeners, and beyond that were Top-Level Awakeners.

As for those above Top-Level Awakeners, it was said there were King-Level Awakeners, but Mingzhu City had never seen one. Even the City Lord was only a Top-Level Awakener.

Kings were merely a legend passed down among Awakeners.

***

The next day.

Zhang Ping woke up half an hour earlier than usual, finding himself already on the playground, his body in automatic running mode.

He didn't change the command but instead carefully assessed his mental state.

Good, very alert.

He didn't feel sleepy despite waking up early.

Zhang Ping estimated that his increased potential had reduced his need for sleep.

After running, his body automatically moved to the cafeteria, and everything proceeded as usual until 'Luo Shiyu' appeared.

"Good morning, Luo Shiyu!"

"Luo Shiyu, I'll help you get in line. What would you like to eat?"

"I was a bit sleepy, but seeing Luo Shiyu has woken me right up."

The giant fox with Luo Shiyu's human skin on its forehead walked slowly through the crowd. Even though Zhang Ping's strength had improved, he still felt a chill.

Suddenly, the Tianchang Fox walked up to a girl, grabbed her by the neck with its claws, and lifted her like selecting from a buffet, dragging her along.

Zhang Ping lowered his head, gripping his chopsticks tightly. Only after the Tianchang Fox passed by did he grit his teeth slightly and command himself to continue eating, trying to finish everything before the smell of blood reached him.

When he left the cafeteria, many people were still envious of the girl chosen by 'Luo Shiyu' to have breakfast together.

In the eyes of his classmates, the Tianchang Fox was eating with the girl, but to Zhang Ping, the girl was being brutally torn apart and devoured by a terrifying fox.

He had to quickly uncover the truth about Mingzhu City!

He had to confirm the strength disparity between himself and the enemy!

Zhang Ping clenched his fists and returned to his dormitory, locking the door before starting his training.

"One thousand push-ups!"

He commanded himself mentally, and his body began to move.

"Five hundred sit-ups!"

After a thousand push-ups, Zhang Ping was drenched in sweat, but he immediately gave himself another command.

"Three hundred frog jumps!"

"Keep going!"

Zhang Ping's eyes burned with determination as he gritted his teeth and roared in his mind.

He spent the entire morning in intense training.

Mingzhu Academy of Powers taught students how to judge if their bodies were overworked, so as long as he hadn't reached his limit, he wouldn't stop!

At noon, after eating and resting for two hours, he got up and started practicing boxing.

Mingzhu Academy of Powers had boxing classes. Before students awakened their abilities, the primary training focused on physical strength, boxing techniques, and weapon use.

Besides the basic boxing techniques, the boxing class also taught a set of moves called the 'Mingzhu Three Punches.'

This was a boxing technique created by many ancestors of Awakeners specifically to combat Mutated Beasts. It originally had nine moves but was gradually refined to three.

The name evolved from Mingzhu Nine Punches to Mingzhu Three Punches, but everyone generally referred to it as 'Ming Fist.'

The first move of Ming Fist was called 'Chase Mouse.'

This move targeted the lower body, specifically designed for Mutated Beasts smaller than oneself. It emphasized using one's weight to crush the enemy.

The second move was called 'Racing Wolf.'

This move targeted Mutated Beasts of similar size, focusing on a single, precise strike to vital points like the eyes, ears, and spine.

The third move was called 'Imprison Bull.'

This move required high footwork skills, aiming not for success but for avoiding failure, specifically targeting much larger Mutated Beasts. It focused on maneuvering and deflecting force.

Though there were only three moves, each had different adaptations for various situations.

Many physical-strength-enhanced Awakeners spent their entire lives studying these three moves. It was said that the City Lord was a master of Ming Fist, capable of killing Mutated Beasts above Level 30 with his bare hands.

Although Zhang Ping wasn't a physical-strength-enhanced Awakener, the Contract Gems continuously increased his potential. In the future, his physical strength might not be inferior to physical-strength-enhanced Awakeners, so he didn't plan to give up on training in boxing and weapons.

He trained until dusk, then went to the cafeteria for a hearty meal before returning to the dormitory to continue his training.

***

Night fell.

At nine o'clock, Zhang Ping took a shower, changed into black clothes, and left the dormitory.

The playground still had lower-year students practicing boxing under the cover of night. Zhang Ping walked along the edge of the playground, glancing at the girls' dormitory from a distance, his fists clenched tightly in his pockets.

He was still too weak.

Leaving the school, he moved through the night. Thanks to his Night Walker talent, no one noticed his presence.

He moved like a ghost through the streets around the school, silently gathering information on the Tianchang Fox.