Chapter 8: The Final Step of Completing the Contract

Such a thing happened in the class; to say the teacher isn't troubled is impossible.

Liu Ge standing on the podium was far from as calm as she appeared.

Objectively speaking, aside from Gong Xianjing's usual targeting of Bai Yan, her doubt was actually not wrong at all.

If Bai Yan were not the person identified by the Miracle Stone as having the highest-grade golden talent,

If it weren't for Bai Yan's usual diligent and hardworking attitude that she had observed,

she would also find it hard to believe that someone with extremely scarce magic power could complete a familiar summon, or that the black cat in her hand was a monster emerged from the familiar summoning circle.

After all, this black cat before her...

It really is just an ordinary black cat, exactly like the stray cats seen everywhere before the magic power revival.

However, as someone who has fought in frontline dungeons, Liu Ge knows many monsters remain unrecorded.

She also wanted to try believing that this was due to Bai Yan's extraordinary, undiscovered talent summoning an undiscovered new type of monster.

Although it truly looks exactly like a black cat.

Seeing the well-behaved black cat Bai Yan had placed on the podium sitting nicely, Liu Ge gathered her thoughts and decided to use the most direct method to investigate this matter.

She slowly raised her right hand, constructing a silver magic circle above the black cat's head,

As magic power slowly flowed in, her previously tightly closed eyes snapped open,

"Magic Power Identification."

……

The expected swift feedback result did not appear.

Liu Ge's gaze toward the magic circle gradually began to blur.

She felt the magic power she sent into the black cat's body was like merging into an endless abyss.

Silent and traceless, probing its internal magic power even gave her a hint of fear.

If we regard a living being as a container, then magic power is the water poured into it.

Being a container, it must have its limits.

This magic determines whether a creature possesses magic power and how much, by injecting magic power and probing the container's boundaries.

But…

Liu Ge now discovered that the magic power she poured into the black cat's body vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, with no response whatsoever.

The fact that magic power could be continuously infused shows he is a magical creature.

Just…

Just how much can he actually hold?!

What exactly is he?!

The shock in her heart made her hastily stop casting the spell.

Even disregarding the teacher's dignity for the first time, she hurriedly pulled a thick magic book from her storage ring, infused it with magic power, and continued to identify the black cat.

"Species Identification!"

The book in Liu Ge's hand is an encyclopedia distributed by the Association to all mages with D‑level teacher qualifications.

Its function is to read and identify currently known biological species.

It is generally used for the identification when high school students first contract a familiar.

What kind of species incarnation is this cat?

What kind of existence is he exactly?!

At this moment Liu Ge's heart was filled with anxiety; she recalled the last time she felt this urgent was when her team entered a dungeon full of special ores.

The golden, magic‑stained pages turned slowly, finally stopping at…

"Species: Cat"

It is a low‑level monster that arose by absorbing residual magic power from nature after the magic power revival.

"Level: 0"

Because it lacks growth potential and intelligence, and all its abilities are low, it is not recommended to cultivate it as a familiar.

The students had been staring fixedly at every move of Teacher Liu Ge and Bai Yan on the podium, not knowing why the teacher who had just performed the magic power identification suddenly withdrew her spell with a shocked and slightly fearful expression,

but the golden characters floating on the identification book were clearly visible to them all.

Species, cat; level, zero.

Some classmates' mockery now bore no concealment.

By now they had quite forgotten the original reason for challenging Bai Yan, and instead heartily mocked her for summoning a worthless creature on par with herself, who always ranks at the bottom in written exams.

Teacher Liu Ge looked at the chaotic class below the podium and furrowed her brows tightly.

She felt great pity for the helpless girl standing on the podium.

But even as a teacher facing this situation, she could do nothing.

Her help and explanations only earned her more hostile words from them.

It's like a curse; basically every year there are such students in the class.

They either bring it upon themselves or suffer inexplicable misfortune.

Liu Ge felt that such a situation arose from her own inadequacy as a teacher, and she could not let this child down again in her specialty of magic.

The urgent matter at hand was indeed to resolve the issue of her summoned beast.

"Bai Yan, my suggestion regarding your familiar is to terminate the contract and then summon again."

Although the magic power identification encountered some surprises, Liu Ge still chose to trust the judgment of the identification book.

A level‑zero monster is utterly unsuitable as a mage's familiar, let alone as the summoned beast of a golden‑talent holder whose potential remains undeveloped.

Don't get stuck on saving face now; timely damage control is the wise course.

We can't let this familiar keep dragging down this child, who already struggles to upgrade practical skills.

Teacher Liu Ge's suggestion is correct, Bai Yan understands her meaning, but…

"Teacher, thank you for your kindness, but I don't want to terminate the contract; I think he's fine."

She sees the laughter and mockery in the class, hears them in her ears, and the teacher's worry, guilt, and concern are also recorded in her heart.

But some things she decided long ago will never change, no matter what.

"Bai Yan, I know you are very reluctant to part with this Xiaohei cat.

Even if you terminate the contract, you can still keep him; that's fine.

But you cannot let a monster without growth ability become a familiar that will accompany you for life."

Hearing Bai Yan's refusal, Teacher Liu Ge even became a bit anxious.

Just as she was about to say something, Bai Yan suddenly said,

"Teacher, the contract I signed with him is not a Familiar Contract, but a Symbiotic Contract."

With those words, Teacher Liu Ge was stunned in place.

"She actually went to a Zero Rank monster to sign a Symbiotic Contract!"

"This might be the biggest joke since our school was founded!"

Some classmates even declared at this point.

Facing the few people who are kind to her, Bai Yan does not want her persistence to hurt their hearts.

So, the version of herself who is inarticulate and unwilling to express her inner feelings stands on the podium, bearing the class's laughter, and slowly, sentence by sentence, says to Teacher Liu Ge:

"Teacher, although my signing a Symbiotic Contract with him was an accident.

During the long summoning, it was he… only he who responded to me."

We will work together, grow together, become stronger together.

I think he is not like the encyclopedia says—a wild cat without intelligence.

Bai Yan, let me tell you, this matter is not something you can decide on your own.

As your teacher, I have the right to intervene when you sign a contract that puts you in danger.

In Teacher Liu Ge's view, signing a contract with a Zero Rank monster is tantamount to suicide.

Not only are the mutated beasts limited in potential, their lifespans are also short.

Even if that black cat looks small, how long can a cat live?!

How can she watch her own student die with her eyes wide open!

Fortunately, this is only an unfinished Symbiotic Contract; everything is still in time.

Just as she raised her staff to cast a spell to control Bai Yan, a sudden Lightning Light wrapped around her.

A purple‑white Forest Python, formed of thunder, slowly exhaled lightning, coiling her from the soles of her feet up to her neck.

At the same time, a burst of White Light spread from the floor to the ceiling; in an instant, Ceiling Serpents filled the roof, spitting lightning at the classmates who had just laughed at Bai Yan, mouths open.

In panic, Teacher Liu Ge's gaze fixed on the black cat she had placed on the podium.

The black cat at that moment was still exactly as before, obediently standing on the podium.

However, at the tip of its raised tail was a sphere of light condensed with thunderous power.

"Teacher, the final step of completing the contract is naming, right?

As a monster, it either has no name of its own, or its true name carries binding and power, so the master must give it an alias, using a name as a bond to link the two together."

Listening to Bai Yan's words, Teacher Liu Ge's head throbbed even more.

Bai Yan said nothing more to Teacher Liu Ge; she turned her head toward Cat.

If Bai Yan can boast about his dashing entrance, Cat would be very happy.

"From the moment I first saw you, I already thought of your name.

Even though it may sound hasty…

But from today on, you shall be called Xiaohei."

As Cat responded in its heart, a massive blood‑colored formation instantly rose beneath Bai Yan and him.

With the formation, the sound of rotating dials accompanying Magic Text echoed, and text appeared again before Li Wei.

【Bai Yan names you 'Xiaohei'】

【Your and Bai Yan's lifelines are now bound together】