Avelia's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly snapping Kylen out of his complacency.
Perhaps the day's experiences had been too dramatic and smooth, making him almost forget this was a world fraught with danger where abyssal threats lurked everywhere, and life could flicker out like a candle in the wind at any moment.
After returning to Avelia's villa, which was like a small castle, Kylen couldn't wait to ask, "So, what's the entrance test actually like?"
Avelia shook her head lazily, a few fingers twisting the ends of her hair unconsciously.
"I was admitted as a special student, so I never took the regular test.
But I've heard it uses an Abyssal Rift Simulation Field for assessment… that thing is barely different from a real abyssal environment."
"Of course, those old fogeys at the academy probably can't bear to let their precious reserve students die easily. They should have some kind of protection mechanism in place."
Kylen's brows furrowed tightly. A simulation of a real abyssal environment? No wonder it was called a death test.
"Then, Avelia, what should I do to prepare right now?"
Avelia leaned comfortably into a velvet-upholstered recliner, flipping through a thick ancient book casually.
Her tone carried a hint of indifference, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
"How would I know? If it weren't for you, little one, I'd never bother caring about how humans who are at the bottom of the sequence rankings grow stronger."
What? Humans were actually ranked last at No. 999 in the sequence? We humans are really… "full of potential," aren't we.
"But didn't you study at Saint Laurent Academy for a year?" Kylen asked in confusion.
Avelia let out a soft, ambiguous chuckle, her fingertips brushing the pages. "What I learned from books is that the best way to hide my identity is to stay silent."
Kylen suddenly understood! So that's why the legendary "cold and aloof" school beauty had such a quiet, reserved personality!
He shook his head, then remembered the Contractor's Basic Introduction handbook the academy had given him. He pulled it out and started reading immediately.
The handbook detailed information about abyssal rifts, contracted creatures, and Contractors.
In this world, there were a total of 999 species with sequence numbers.
The lower the number, the more superior the species' magic circuits, and the greater its potential and strength.
Among them, sequences No. 501 to No. 999 were called lower-tier sequences; No. 101 to No. 500 were middle-tier sequences; and the top 100 were revered as high-tier sequences, most of which could take human form.
As for the top 10 sequences, they were even more special, known as "Origin Sequences," said to be ancient descendants from the era of the world's origin.
Talent ranks ranged from F to S. Only Origin Sequences could awaken power beyond S-tier.
After awakening their talents, both Contractors and their contracted creatures were uniformly classified as Tier 1 · Awakening Realm.
The names of the first four realms were: Awakening → Ascension → Transcendence → Rebirth.
As humans ranked last in the sequence, they inherently lacked innate magic circuits. Before advancing to a 4-Star Contractor, humans relied on their contracted creatures' breakthroughs to drive their own realm progression.
Kylen took a deep breath.
He finally understood why the Contractor profession existed in this world. It wasn't a choice humans made voluntarily, but the only way to survive under the pressure of extinction.
He continued reading.
Contracted creatures had countless ways to advance, but the principle for the first four stars was roughly the same: they strengthened their life force by devouring the flesh of abyssal beasts and enhanced their magic by absorbing the beasts' cores.
The higher the tier of the beast's flesh and core, the more significant the effect and, of course, the more exorbitant the price.
Avelia, who was lying on Kylen's back and pointing at the handbook to read along with him, curled her lips in disgust."Ugh~ I'd never eat that lowly, filthy blood food…"
"Then how did you advance before, Avelia?" Kylen asked curiously.
At the same time, a panel of information about the Vampiric Slime Queen automatically appeared in his mind:
[Rank: 1-Star Awakening Realm (10/1000)]
Intimate contact with her could heal her wounds and replenish her depleted life essence, but it couldn't directly increase her realm; the progress bar never moved.
And that measly 10 points of progress seemed to have… come from drinking his blood earlier!
Avelia's voice softened, tinged with tenderness and dependence. "Naturally… by relying on blood."
"But everyone else's blood is filled with impurities and desires, stinking and disgusting. I don't want to touch it at all. I only crave the unique, fragrant blood… from you, Master."
"As the heir to the 'Crimson Goo Throne,' to step into the Ascension Realm, I need to absorb a full 1,000 liters of pure blood."
Yet she refused to harm Kylen excessively, so her advancement progress had been stuck here.
Kylen suddenly stood up, cupping Avelia's delicate face in his hands and forcing her to look at him. His gaze was bright and firm.
"Avelia. Your 'Blood Coagulation Control' ability lets you precisely manipulate all blood cells, right?"
Avelia tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in her crimson eyes. "Hm?"
Kylen pressed his fingertips gently, pulling her face closer to his neck. His tone carried a firm and unyielding command.
"Avelia Selis, in the name of your Contractor, I command you! Use the power of 'Blood Coagulation Control' to manipulate all the hematopoietic stem cells in my body, activate them for infinite regeneration!
Then, without holding back, take as much as you need!"
Avelia's crimson pupils contracted sharply, then sparkled with astonishing radiance. A smile mixing surprise, admiration, and excitement curved her lips, impossible to hide.
Only at this moment did she truly recognize, from the depths of her soul, that Kylen was fully worthy of being her Contractor, standing beside her as an equal.
She had always loathed timid, hesitant souls. When she first met Kylen, there had been a spark of attraction, but it was more of a desperate choice in a time of crisis.
Yet the near-reckless courage and determination Kylen showed now made her eyes glow with an unusual light.
"It seems… our bond is more than just a simple contract~"
"My little Contractor, it appears our meeting wasn't a random coincidence…"
"But a certainty woven by the threads of fate long ago."
"Don't worry, I won't let you feel any pain."
Kylen smiled and closed his eyes. In this dangerous world, the only things he could fully trust were his own growing strength and this Vampiric Slime Queen who would follow him through life and death.
Blood Coagulation Control, cellular activation, ultra-fast regeneration!
[Ding! The Vampiric Slime Queen has drunk your blood. Realm progress +10!]
...
[Ding! Your blood has successfully triggered the Vampiric Slime Queen's "Ancient Awakening" phenomenon! Mastery of Blood Coagulation Control has increased! Control over plant cells, energy fluids, and even the concept of "vital essence" in some non-physical forms has been enhanced!]
[Ding! Avelia Selis's advancement progress is full. Realm advancement begins!]
[Rank: 2-Star Ascension Realm]
[Ascension Realm: Both life form and soul essence will undergo a significant leap, far exceeding mortal limits. The effective range of Blood Coagulation Control has expanded to 200 meters. The number of targets Primordial Assimilation can affect simultaneously has increased to five!]
[Primordial Assimilation: The Vampiric Slime Queen can release special energy waves to temporarily assimilate up to five living beings or substances within 100 meters into part of herself, or paralyze them.]
At the same time, as her Contractor, Kylen's life level also rose with Avelia's advancement, allowing him to step into the Tier 2 Transcendence Realm in sync.
He could clearly feel that every inch of his muscles, bones, and even nerves had been fundamentally strengthened. A warm energy seemed to flow slowly in his blood vessels. He curled his fist casually, feeling the explosive power within enough to shatter rocks with ease.
Moreover, even when Avelia drank his blood now, he felt no pain at all. On the contrary, her movements were extremely gentle, like the softest caress.
Using her Blood Coagulation Control ability, she precisely guided the blood to flow gently and slowly, even bringing a strange sense of comfort.
"Thank you for the feast, my Master."
The next day, Kylen, who was in high spirits and better shape than ever, arrived at Saint Laurent Contract Academy with Avelia, who looked radiant.
There were countless new students who signed up for the entrance test, roughly 3,000 at a glance. Even though Contractors were a rare profession (one in ten thousand), given the huge population of the Arcana Empire, this number was still quite considerable.
In the crowd, Kylen even caught a glimpse of William, his face gloomy, sitting in a custom wheelchair and Jessica, who stood beside him with a complicated expression.
He couldn't help but marvel at the advanced medical technology in this supernatural world. William had suffered such a severe injury, yet he could barely show up here in just one day.
Above the Saint Rose Square at the center of the academy, a female Contractor with an elegant demeanor rode a starlit phoenix.
She descended gracefully from the clouds onto a high platform, and her voice echoed clearly in everyone's ears:
"Dear students, welcome to apply for Saint Laurent Contract Academy. I am Seraphina Ling, Dean of the Otherworldly Creatures Department."
"As we all know, for 20 years since the appearance of abyssal rifts, human civilization has been shrouded in their shadow, ravaged by war.
Our academy bears the responsibility of guarding the second-largest rift within the empire, the 'Wailing Rift.' This responsibility is also an inescapable mission for every student here in the future!"
"The battle for survival between races is cruel. It will not give you any time to prepare, nor will it follow any rules. Tell me, are you ready to fight for the survival of humanity at any moment?"
"The upcoming entrance test, the 'Abyssal Rift Simulation Field,' will teleport all of you into a highly realistic abyssal environment we have carefully created! All you need to do is find any way to survive and complete the assigned tasks!"
"If you want to give up halfway, tear up your temporary admission certificate immediately. Rescue personnel will take you out then."
"Welcome to this path of racial struggle filled with thorns and glory. May luck be with you!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
While most new students were still in shock and confusion, unable to fully process the meaning of her words, countless brilliant beams of light suddenly fell from the sky.
They precisely enveloped every student in the square, teleporting them away in an instant!
Kylen was also shrouded in a blindingly bright light. His vision turned completely white in an instant…