Chapter 463: The Maiden

"So, even if I'm the master of the gem, I still have to form a contract?" Shin asked, momentarily taken aback by what Rekka and Pekka had suggested.

"Yes. Although you have become the master of the gem, it has yet to reveal its true powers... especially the ability to give a living body to the dead; that's no small thing," Rekka revealed, stating a fact.

Shin nodded once or twice before inquiring, "How do I do it? How do I form the contract?"

Pekka interjected, saying, "A mere drop of blood is enough."

"So, I put a drop of blood on the gem?" Shin asked, to which both of them nodded in agreement.

Shin wasted no time, biting the tip of his thumb and letting a drop of blood naturally fall onto the gem, while attempting to delay the self-healing factor of his body.

Tapack!

A drop fell onto the gem, creating a strange noise seconds before it started to glow.

The light was blinding, causing even the nearby sound wup to retreat, but for Shin, it was nothing; his All-Seeing eyes remained active.

He kept staring at the gem, whose glow slowly began to fade. However, before it vanished completely, something else emerged from it.

A white mist that gradually took on the form of a young maiden – a girl no older than 16.

Both of her hands fit into each other as if she were praying, her eyes closed. Shin couldn't help but wait.

With his all-seeing eyes, he could discern that the so-called maiden was a soul from the gem. However, he wondered if she was the one with whom he was supposed to form the contract.

He continued to stare at her as she opened her eyes, and a silent staring contest ensued.

"Dear master, the contract has been established. What is your request?" she asked.

"Huh? That easily?" Shin was utterly confused. No conditions were laid out, nor was anything mentioned. Just a drop of blood, and the matter was settled!

Regardless, he heard her loud and clear.

"Ahem, so, I want you to give them living bodies," he pointed at Rekka and Pekka, who remained levitating just a meter away.

The soul merely gazed at them for a moment before asking, "Master, should I provide them with human bodies or wolf bodies?"

"Uh, wolf bodies will suffice," Shin replied. Hearing this, the soul turned towards them again.

She extended both of her palms forward, and seconds later, a gust of wind blew, followed by a bright light.

Pekka and Rekka, their bodies slowly started to materialize, manifesting out of thin air.

Shin observed the wonder unfold, not entirely captivated, but somewhat intrigued.

It took about 5 minutes for the process to complete. Rekka and Pekka now stood proudly on the rocky terrain of the Valley, their brown fur fluttering in the gentle breeze.

"Brother..." Pekka called out, finally able to speak and perceive their surroundings.

Thanks to their senses and retained skills in their soul form, they could successfully communicate and observe everything. However, for the first time in ages, they were finally able to actually use their eyes!

The sensation was surreal; their eyes filled with tears. Their throats were wet as they rushed towards Shin, almost instantly bowing.

"Thanks a lot!" lights

"Thanks a lot!"

Both of them repeated in unison, their gratitude overflowing as they had regained their physical bodies.

Shin gazed at the maiden, inquiring, "How long will the bodies last?"

"About 1 day if they remain 1000 meters away from me, almost eternity if they remain close by," the gem said, stunning Shin.

This revelation was unexpected, resembling a revival method for bringing back loved ones.

"Are you sure? There are no drawbacks?" Shin's intrigue grew.

"Master, there is," the gem responded.

"All of this will happen at the expense of your mana..."

As soon as the words reached Shin, he instantly checked his MP, noticing it decreasing. It wasn't a rapid decline, but it wasn't slow either. Every moment the Ghost wolves spent in the bodies caused him to lose a substantial amount of mana.

'Hmm...' 'System, focus the maximum amount of energy on conserving MP.'

[Understood.]

Just as he said that, many of his passive skills were temporarily locked—especially those that regulated his sensitivity to temperature. Inevitably, these skills started conserving and regaining MP. About two minutes later, the amount of MP regained exceeded what was lost, a satisfactory result that Shin aimed for.

However, he had a lot of traveling ahead and couldn't afford to waste time. He was compelled to mention the drawback, which surprised the Ghost wolf brothers after all, they weren't much aware of this.historical

"Pardon us, we didn't know such a thing could happen," both of them stared at each other blankly as Shin revealed it to them.

They couldn't exist in soul form outside the valley, as their souls would be destroyed. This presented quite the predicament right now, the situation demanding them to think more on the matter.

Shin tried to think of a solution but couldn't find one until he stumbled upon his inventory.

'What if both of them enter my inventory?' With this thought in mind, he approached them.

"Listen, I'm going to test something..."

"Oh, what?" Pekka was curious, and Rekka shared the same curiosity.

Shin focused on one of the ghost wolves that remained nearby.

"Hey, buddy, come here," Shin requested, and the wolf approached.

"Alright, don't be scared, I'm just testing something," Shin assured.

The wolf nodded, seemingly understanding. Seconds later, Shin successfully placed the wolf inside his inventory.

"Keep me updated about its condition," Shin instructed. He activated his Speed Run ability and almost instantly vanished from the area.

He traveled about 3 kilometers ahead, but there was no change in the soul's condition. This outcome left him nothing but satisfied.

'Yes, this could work,' he thought to himself. With newfound confidence, he retraced his steps and returned to the same spot he had left, almost instantly!

"We are set to go."