Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

Chapter 150: Bonding [8]

’Hmm...’ President Marron’s eyes narrowed into a sharp squint, his posture stiffening with clear suspicion. An S-rank magic beast offering a bond to a young human was unprecedented, and the potential political and security implications immediately began spinning in his mind.

Director Elenaria, however, merely gave a nod. After all, she had anticipated this outcome from the exact moment Malakor first reacted to Soren’s mana during the testing phase. To her, the beast’s declaration was simply confirmation of what she already suspected.

Soren remained completely silent, matching the creature’s intense gaze. The deep, mesmerizing hue in its eyes triggered an unexpected pang of familiarity, vividly reminding him of her.

Breaking the silence, Elenaria stepped forward. "Alright, I can understand that, and it is entirely your own decision to make. However, will that even be possible? Your affinities do not match, and the sheer difference in your current strength..."

"You do not have to worry about that." Malakor laughed. "Nothing will happen to the boy. I am perfectly capable of controlling my own strength."

"And what about the affinity?" Elenaria pressed, her brow furrowing slightly. "A mismatch during a contract can cause severe spiritual backlash."

"Is that really so important?" Malakor tilted his head, a glint of amusement in his violet eyes. "Besides, I am certain you already know whether we are compatible or not."

Elenaria fell silent as she recalled the staggering 95% compatibility rate in the test results. That data point had baffled her earlier, but the beast’s confidence now forced her to reconsider what she knew.

Could Soren possess an unawakened affinity for darkness that their sensors had missed? Or did the match run deeper, tied to the small stray cat Soren had bonded with before? If that creature belonged to the same or similar lineage as Malakor and carried the same dark traits, it would bridge the gap between them. It was the only theory that made sense.

"What do you say, boy?" Malakor asked, turning his full attention back to Soren. "Are you willing?"

"I am." Soren nodded without hesitation. "In fact, I am honored. But I have a question before we proceed. Why did you choose me?"

"I... I sensed a familiar scent on you," Malakor replied, his violet eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the young human. "It is faint, but it undoubtedly belongs to my kin, albeit with a unique trace to it that I cannot quite place."

Soren’s eyes widened slightly at the panther’s words.

’...’ Malakor smiled faintly, noting the reaction before continuing. "That connection caught my attention initially. However, what truly decided it for me is your potential and character. Although I hate to admit it, I have already reached the absolute limit of my own growth in this form. If I remain here, I will never progress. I believe that following you might finally give me a chance to break through those limits in the future."

Beside Soren, President Marron and Elenaria exchanged a subtle, startled glance. An S-rank magic beast admitting its own growth stagnation was rare enough, but watching it place its bets on a young human’s future was entirely unprecedented.

However, the logic was sound, as bonds often allowed magic beasts to surpass natural boundaries through their partners’ evolution, making the explanation highly believable to both officials.

’Hehe~’ Malakor secretly amused himself with how easily they accepted the reasoning. It made perfect sense to them, which allowed him to keep his real motives hidden.

"I understand," Soren replied, keeping his composure despite the magnitude of the revelation. He offered a respectful nod to the massive beast. "Thank you for choosing me. I will make sure you do not regret this decision."

"I know I won’t," Malakor replied, a mysterious smile playing across his powerful features.

Elenaria glanced over at President Marron, waiting for his final approval. Seeing the man give a reluctant nod of consent, she stepped forward into the center of the chamber.

"Alright, since both parties are willing, let us start the bonding ritual," Elenaria announced. Channeling her mana, she triggered the room’s mechanism, causing a complex circle of intricate, dark violet runes to manifest on the floor between the two.

Malakor extended a heavy paw toward Soren, allowing the radiating energy to envelop them both.

The binding ritual officially initiated. Shifting his awareness entirely into the spiritual plane, Malakor sent his consciousness surging forward, seeking to delve deep into Soren’s core.

For a brief moment, he encountered a stubborn layer of resistance, a dense mental shield that required a concentrated push to bypass.

’Hmph. You think you can stop me?’

Malakor scoffed and, with a calculated surge of his power, he broke through the barrier, his awareness successfully sliding into the young human’s soul space.

He found himself standing within a vast, pitch-black void. The darkness here was absolute, stretching out infinitely without a single speck of light, even better than he had expected.

From the very beginning, Malakor had never intended to become a mere pet or a cooperative partner to a weak human. He had feigned docility and offered a bond for one reason only: to gain direct access to the boy’s internal spiritual foundation and consume it from within to fuel his own breakthrough.

’Hehe.’ An involuntary grin pulled at Malakor’s spiritual form. ’To think I could find such a rich feast hidden inside a mere human vessel. My patience in this mundane world has finally been rewarded.’

With his satisfying thoughts pushing him forward, the S-rank beast wasted no time and prepared to assert his dominance over the domain, ready to feast on the latent spiritual energy of the soul. But just as he was about to act, a strange sensation pricked at his instincts. He froze, his ears twitching as he slowly turned his gaze forward.

There was nothing but the same suffocating, pitch-black darkness.

’...’

Malakor frowned, his confidence wavering slightly as he concentrated his senses to sweep the void once more.

’...I must have imagi-!’

Suddenly, an icy chill ran straight down his soul, freezing him in place.

It was a primal, terrifying sensation he had never experienced before in his entire existence.

He stared intently into the abyss, tracking the unmistakable direction of a gaze. Someone—or something—was looking down at him.

Right on cue, a pair of small, piercing purple eyes snapped open in the darkness. They were tiny compared to his own massive stature, yet the sheer intensity radiating from them made the S-rank entity feel microscopic.

"...Scram."