Chapter 92: Contracts

Several days passed after the meeting with his master.

And as he had decided, he did not bother attending the trial of that vice-principal. He had better things to focus on. But the trial and what took place was what everyone could talk about.

Apparently, the vice-principal had made a big scene at his trial, shouting and cursing that Adam was a scourge against the social order. His elitist mindset got a lot of people thinking about what the academy stood for.

The academy had to assure the public that such doctrines had no place in their values and mission. On the other hand, they had to ensure they did not offend their shareholders too much.

This led to an interesting development.

Some of the students who had been involved in the setup were let go with what could essentially be described as a slap on the wrist. James Mardner was one of those interesting developments.

Their backings came through for them, with the condition that they stayed away from Adam. Jennifer Nolan, the girl who had played the victim, was unequivocally dismissed, as she had no backing to speak of.

She had done it for the money and extra credit, which was not too surprising.

Many had expected Adam to be present during the hearing, but his absence was just as loud. It meant he did not care enough to even show his face to those who sought his downfall.

They were right. Adam did not care enough to pay attention.

He spent most of his time at his master’s personal training chamber. And he had made a lot of progress in his training and understanding of the many principles of the world.

The most pleasing development was the breakthrough he made in matter creation, or more specifically, manipulating existing matter and transmuting it into other materials, though limited to non-living materials.

It required a deeper understanding of atomic structure, molecular bonds, understanding the properties of materials and energy manipulation. It was not an easy process, but the results were worth it.

The creation of water worked on a similar principle, making it easier for him to grasp the intricate details relating to the necessary principles. Very soon, he would be able to create materials from scratch.

His only disappointment was the spatial element.

It was absurdly difficult to grasp, unlike material creation. Space wasn’t like other principles. Even those with a natural affinity for it took a long time to grasp its intricacies outside the basic teleportation the affinity granted.

He needed first-hand exposure to the element to make progress. He could see the spatial fabric of reality, but manipulating it with his current level of understanding was something else entirely. For this reason, he could not create anything with the space affinity.

Though the skills he created were just as impressive. With his newfound understanding of vector forces, he had been able to create a speed-based skill, skyrocketing his escape and combat capabilities.

Outside of material manipulation and transmutation, he had also deepened his understanding of runes, using the tokens his master had given him and what he secretly learned from the academy’s database.

[Runic:....28.73%]

<Rune Theory:.....45.91%>

<Enchantment:.....32.97%>

<Formations:....39.13%>

<Seals:....36.64%>

<Summoning:.....17.65%>

<Contracts:...52.83%>

Adam learned so many things that he felt overwhelmed. There was so much kept from the public that they might as well be called ignorant. It turned out that runes were another form of reality’s language, just like mathematics and physics.

But one of the interesting subindexes he paid attention to was <Contracts>, and it did not just involve beast taming. Contracts, while they could be mutual, could be forced on people as well.

The discovery opened his eyes to how the elites and powerful ensured the loyalty of their subordinates. And truth be told, it scared him. What would happen if those who were after him forced a contract on him?

He would lose himself and be forced to do unimaginable things.

The bright side was that he now possessed an antithesis for it. Simply named Contract Immunity, it negated and destroyed any attempt to establish authority over him.

[Contract Immunity (passive): No contract, oath, or binding agreement can be formed without the user’s genuine acceptance.]

But the benefits could not be undermined either. Beast tamers had the inherent ability to establish contracts with the beasts they had subjugated, mutually benefiting the person and the beast.

Through that contract, the user gained a permanent increase in their base stat with every beast tamed. But that was not all. They also obtained the ability to use the tamed beast’s ability, including innate abilities.

Adam would have envied the affinity had he not possessed the kind of physique he did. While he could tame beasts as well and obtain similar benefits, his Genesis affinity was far more broken.

Taking everything he had achieved and the tokens he had received from his master, he was confident stepping out of the academy. Though he intended to put a few measures in place whenever he went out.

One could never be too careful, after all.

An alert from his phone snapped Adam out of his cultivation session. He had been diving in cyberspace, secretly learning from the academy’s hidden knowledge archive. Glancing at the phone beside him, he saw an email from Aurelius.

"How did he get my email?" He wondered, picking up the phone.

[Hey Adam,]

[I hope you’re not too busy.]

[I know we’ve only recently started conversing, but I was wondering if you’ll be available for the spar this weekend. I also have a proposition for you.]

[No pressure, though. Reply in the affirmative if you’re available.]

[Aurelius]

"Someone’s eager."

Adam could not help but smile. He could tell that the boy was itching for a fight, and he wasn’t any different.

The combat classes the academy offered only focused on the basics and common styles, as they were the foundation upon which specialised martial arts were built.

"I’m available tomorrow. Text me the location, and I’ll be there." Adam muttered as he typed in his response.

As for the proposition Aurelius mentioned, he had a guess as to what it was.

He looked at the time before putting the phone away. It was well past 8 pm. He rose to his feet and stretched, though he felt little to no relief. His body had already recovered to its peak state.

"Good night, Lucy. See you later."

Adam said out loud as he made his way to the exit.

[Good night, Adam. Have a safe journey back.]

The lights progressively went off as Adam left the training chamber.