Mike didn’t move from his spot.
He simply watched.
The Lich Duke raised its staff high, dark magic gathering into a massive spell. Black lightning cracked through the sky as dozens of cursed runes formed around it.
But before the spell could finish—
The Death Lords moved.
They didn’t rush wildly. They advanced like trained generals. Two charged from the front, blocking the spell with their massive blades, while another appeared behind the Lich Duke in a flash of dark mist.
The Lich tried to react.
Too slow.
A heavy slash tore through its body, shattering its ribcage. The spell collapsed instantly. Another Death Lord drove its sword straight through the Lich’s skull, pinning it to the ground.
Then he was gang banged by many Death Lord swords until his body was torn into many bone gragments.
The Lich Duke let out a distorted scream before its body crumbled into black ash.
[Mini-Boss Defeated: Lich Duke]
[Massive EXP Gained]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Mike raised an eyebrow.
"...Wow."
He hadn’t even moved.
"Damn... no wonder Lily could farm like crazy with this," he muttered. "Near-infinite mana really is broken."
He watched as the remaining undead forces collapsed, their cores shattering as the Death Lords cleaned up everything efficiently.
"So that’s how she did it..." Mike said quietly.
Mike glanced at his status window again and smirked.
"If this keeps up, reaching Rank 2 will be easy."
While his undead continued to wipe out everything in the dungeon, he took out another empty skill book.
"Since they’re doing all the work..." he muttered, "might as well make use of the time."
Mike took out an empty skill book from his inventory and placed his hand on it. Blue light spread across the surface as he copied the Ice Elemental Summoning skill into it.
"Alright... Ice Elemental Summoning copied."
He didn’t stop there. Raising his hand again, he activated Midas Touch, upgrading the skill book from Unique to Legendary.
"Damn... did I just find a loophole to get infinite Mythical skills?" Mike muttered.
He shook his head immediately. "No. That’s not possible. Empty skill books are too rare, and I can’t have them in mass."
Still, the idea itself was terrifying.
"Alright, next step."
Mike placed his hand on the book again and activated another talent.
"Reversal Engine."
Black and white energy spiraled around the book, twisting violently. The icy blue glow shifted, deepening into crimson. The temperature around him spiked as waves of heat rolled outward.
The book trembled violently before finally stabilizing.
Mike’s eyes widened as the result appeared.
[Inferno Elemental Summoning – Legendary Rank]
He grinned. "Nice."
The book radiated intense heat, the air around it warping as if near molten lava.
Without hesitation, Mike learned the skill and then activated the skill.
A massive summoning circle formed beneath him, glowing crimson and black. The ground cracked as flames erupted upward, forming a towering pillar of fire.
From within the flames, a figure slowly emerged.
A woman stepped out of the inferno.
She had long, flowing crimson hair and pale, flawless skin marked with glowing red runes that pulsed like molten veins beneath the surface. Her eyes burned like living embers, and heat radiated from her body in heavy waves.
She hovered in front of him, studying his face with glowing crimson eyes. After a moment, she nodded slowly.
"Hm... you have enough affinity for me to form a contract," she said calmly. "Though I must say, your affinity for ice is terrible. Worse than a pebble buried under a glacier."
Mike sighed. "Yeah, I know."
She tilted her head. "Then how did you form a contract with the Ice one? That should have been impossible."
"I upgraded him myself," Mike replied simply. "He was Unique rank before."
Her eyes widened. "You... upgraded a spirit’s rank?"
She stared at him in disbelief. "That’s absurd. Even ancient monarchs can’t do that."
She floated closer, her face now only inches from his. "Wait! Don’t tell me you are one of those special humans?"
Mike scratched the back of his head. "You could say that."
She circled him slowly, examining him like a rare artifact. "Interesting. Very interesting. I just hit the jackpot like that."
She stopped in front of him again. "Very well. I will form a contract with you."
Mike nodded. "Good. But just so you know, upgrading you right now might be difficult. The last upgrade drained a massive amount of mana."
She smiled confidently. "That’s fine. I don’t need an upgrade immediately. As long as you can upgrade me later when you rank up in future its fine."
"Plus your Peak Fire affinity is enough for me right now" She added.
She extended her hand toward him. "Then let us form the pact."
Mike reached out and took her hand.
Instantly, blazing crimson light erupted around them. A magic circle formed beneath their feet, covered in ancient infernal runes. The air grew hot, but not painful—controlled, refined.
"I, Inferna of the Crimson Flame," she declared, "acknowledge this human as my contractor. By the laws of the Elemental Realm, I bind myself to him."
The light surged, and a burning symbol appeared on Mike’s left arm—an elegant sigil shaped like a flame coiled around a crown.
The contract completed.
Inferna stepped back, smiling with satisfaction.
"Done. From now on, our fates are linked."
Mike looked at her "Your oath was different from Cryace"
She chuckled softly. "Of course it was. The Oath is just a word we say to abide by the law of Elemental Realm or Supreme Elemental King."
Then she tilted her head. "Now, tell me—what do you want from me?"
Mike frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
She tilted her head, her crimson eyes glowing faintly. "I mean Spirit Weapons or Spirit Magic. For someone like you, a physical-type fighter, a Spirit Weapon suits you far better."
"Huh?" Mike looked confused. "I thought spirits only give spirit magic. Cryace only gave me that."
She shook her head. "That’s because below Legendary rank, spirits can only grant spirit magic. But once we reach Legendary rank, we gain the authority to bestow Spirit Weapons as well."
Mike blinked. "I didn’t know that."
"That’s normal," she replied calmly. "Legendary spirits rarely form contracts with humans. Most never even see one in their lifetime."