Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 40: The Aptitude to Become a King

The habitat of the Silver Spirit clan was located in the outskirts of the capital of the Cangting Principality, deep within a mountain valley.

A long mithril vein ran through the entire valley, with a small portion of it exposed on the surface.

Because of this, when Xia Ya bypassed the security magitech formations set up by the Branstat family and entered the valley—

The mental energy he released immediately sensed the dense, free-floating metallic elements in the atmosphere.

This was precisely the ideal habitat for the metal-element species known as the Silver Spirits.

"If I could just shove this entire mithril vein into my 'Spatial Pocket' in one go, then Little Ai and I wouldn’t have to worry about transcendent resources all the way up to the Sixth-Ring…"

Xia Ya licked his lips and carefully suppressed this audacious thought.

Not to mention whether Shiny’s Spatial Pocket could even fit such a massive mithril vein, the high-tier security magitech formations were not just for show.

If he really went through with it, the entire Branstat family would probably hunt him down.

Still… once I finish my beginner quest, maybe I really could pull off a major heist…

After all, the ancient Cangting Kingdom is doomed to fall in the future. Keeping this vein here would be a waste—might as well let me, the last descendant of the Branstat family, take advantage of it.

Xia Ya reined in his scattered thoughts and extended his mental perception further.

Before long, he detected several other lifeforms within his range of perception.

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There was no hostility in their mental fluctuations—only a trace of curiosity.

Following the direction of these signals, Xia Ya soon saw a few small, ethereal Silver Spirits peeking at him with inquisitive eyes.

Compared to the quasi-monarch Silver Spirit that the assessment elder had, these ones were much smaller in both size and presence—clearly still in their juvenile or adolescent stage.

Unlike the former, which exuded a dignified and imposing aura, these young Silver Spirits appeared more delicate and refined.

From a dozen meters apart, they observed each other through mental perception.

For Xia Ya, this was part of his selection process for his third Soul Pact beast.

For the Silver Spirits, this was also their selection process for their future Beastmaster.

The relationship between Beastmasters and summoned beasts on the Western Continent was complex.

Humans and some humanoid races could cultivate their mental power, open a Soul Pact Space, and become Beastmasters.

Summoned beasts, in turn, could benefit from the Soul Pact and its many advantages.

Generally speaking, forming a contract was a mutual, voluntary, and beneficial process.

Beastmasters relied on their summoned beasts for extraordinary power and self-enhancement.

Meanwhile, summoned beasts could accelerate their normally slow growth, recover from serious injuries within the Soul Pact Space, and enjoy a steady supply of transcendent materials.

In most cases, contracted summoned beasts progressed far faster than their wild counterparts.

However, as with any general rule, exceptions existed.

Among humans, there were, of course, those who would stop at nothing for power, forcibly contracting summoned beasts for their own gain…

And among wild summoned beasts, there were also those who despised Beastmasters—some even leveraging their own superior strength to manipulate the Soul Pact as a mere tool, establishing anarchic domains as Lost Beast Kings.

Of course, as the guardian species of the Branstat family, the Silver Spirits naturally didn’t reject contracts with Branstat family members…

But forming an equal contract was akin to marriage—one’s choice of partner directly impacted their future development, so careful selection was only natural.

Their mental connection lasted for a moment.

Soon, the young Silver Spirits conveyed waves of friendly emotion.

This signified that they had acknowledged Xia Ya and were willing to form a contract with him.

As elemental lifeforms naturally attuned to their surroundings, Silver Spirits possessed a keener perception than humans.

Thus, they quickly sensed that the black-haired boy before them had a soul far deeper and more radiant than any previous Beastmaster candidates.

Or rather, compared to Xia Ya, those so-called elite candidates of the Branstat family might as well have been fodder.

Without comparison, there would be no sense of disparity—but whether summoned beasts or Beastmasters, who wouldn’t want the strongest possible contract partner?

This world was ultimately pragmatic and materialistic, and to the summoned beasts, Xia Ya was essentially the epitome of a high-status, wealthy suitor.

On the other side, Xia Ya was also carefully choosing his contract partner.

In his mind, lines of deep blue data flickered, displaying the detailed attribute panels of the Silver Spirits before him.

[Species: Silver Spirit – Silver Armor Evolution Type]

[Category: Elemental Species]

[Attribute: Metal]

[Stage: Growth Phase]

[Soul Pact Status: None]

[Combat Level: 26 (Second-Ring)]

[Species Tier: High-Tier Monarch (Fourth-Ring)]

[Beast Skills: Elementalization (Expert), High-Speed Regeneration (Expert), Slash (Proficient), Elemental Surge (Proficient), Metal Enhancement (Proficient), Super Hardening (Proficient)]

An excellent attribute panel, fitting for a High-Tier Monarch species—despite only being in the growth phase, its combat level had already reached the late transcendent tier.

As for its skills… “Elementalization” and “High-Speed Regeneration,” the downgraded version of “Accelerated Regeneration,” went without saying.

"Slash" and "Elemental Surge" were standard damage skills in their respective physical and magical categories—about as fundamental as a "Fireball" spell in classic Western fantasy. Nothing special, but universal.

The two advanced skills, "Metal Enhancement" and "Super Hardening," indicated that this Silver Spirit was more inclined toward close-quarters combat. Both were devastating in melee battles.

All in all, a very standard frontline warrior—a textbook sustain fighter, perfect for fortifying Xia Ya’s third Soul Pact’s direct combat capabilities.

However… it still felt a bit too standard.

Not weak, but lacking a unique edge. It seemed out of place compared to the more unconventional styles of his other summoned beasts.

In a group battle, Little Snow Ferret would be clad in a black robe embroidered with red clouds, Shiny would wear a ceremonial Hokage cloak… and the new one wouldn’t even have a recognizable aesthetic.

Silently, Xia Ya moved this Silver Spirit to the backup list and continued browsing.

“Growth Phase, Level 28, spellcaster specialization… possesses the same high-tier damage skill, ‘Silver Meteor,’ as the quasi-monarch Silver Spirit owned by the assessment elder.”

“Not bad, but it doesn’t fit my third Soul Pact needs. If it’s just a pure spell turret, it overlaps with Silver.”

…

“Youth Phase, Level 19, perception specialization, high-tier passive skill ‘Premonition.’ Occasionally receives foresight from the Starrealm, but the content is completely random. In other words, whether it’s good or bad is pure luck…”

“If I were truly a Luck God, I might pick this one. Maybe I’d get a vision leading me to some Sixth- or Seventh-Ring transcendent material and achieve financial freedom overnight.”

“But no matter how many times I read my own fate with Tsukuyomi, I know deep down—I’m just a cursed unlucky bastard…”

Xia Ya internally shed the tears of an unfortunate soul and decisively eliminated this option.

He followed the valley downward, encountering many juvenile or adolescent Silver Spirits along the way—each suitable for forming a contract.

Yet overall, none of them particularly impressed Xia Ya or made him feel a spark of excitement.

"After all this searching, it seems like the most suitable choice is still the very first Silver Spirit I saw."

"I just don’t know if it’ll reject me for treating it like a backup option if I go back now."

Just as Xia Ya stretched lazily and started descending the valley, preparing to return to contract the first Silver Spirit—

His gaze suddenly paused.

A faint clang echoed from a slope nearby.

Xia Ya followed the sound down the hillside, entering a dense forest.

In the clearing ahead, a small Silver Spirit was swinging something at a massive metal ore.

As blade met solid black iron, a sharp metallic clang rang out, sending sparks flying.

When Xia Ya steadied himself at the foot of the slope, he finally noticed what set this little Silver Spirit apart from the others he had seen.

Normally, elemental lifeforms didn’t suffer from permanent disabilities—any injuries could be healed with time and energy replenishment.

Yet, for some reason, this little Silver Spirit's left arm was missing.

A dim yellow glow surrounded the severed area, as if some unknown, tainted force had invaded its shoulder, preventing the regeneration of its silver elements.

Even more striking was its overall appearance.

Silver Spirits were supposed to have pristine, radiant silver bodies…

But this one had been completely stained with a crimson hue, as vivid as fresh blood.

Even the silver sword formed from the flowing metal of its right arm was soaked in scarlet, leaving a trail of red light with each swing.

Unlike its kin—favored children of nature and the elements—this small, red Silver Spirit had lost its pure, immaculate form and carried an unsettling, tainted aura instead.

In Xia Ya’s mind, a completely different set of data surfaced.

[Species: Silver Spirit – Twilight Corrupted Form]

[Category: Abyssal Species, Corrupted Species]

[Attributes: Metal, Darkness, Sword]

[Stage: Juvenile]

[Soul Pact Status: None]

[Combat Level: 7 (First-Ring)]

[Species Tier: High-Tier Monarch (Fourth-Ring)]

[Beast Skills: Tainted Blood (Beginner), Darkborn (Beginner), Slash (Transcendent), Sword Bones (Expert), Bloodburn (Expert), Monarch’s Heart (Beginner)]

A Silver Spirit with a mere combat level of seven.

Given its High-Tier Monarch species classification, even a newly born Silver Spirit should normally have at least an Awakening-Tier combat level.

This little Silver Spirit was an anomaly among anomalies.

It was clear that the so-called "Twilight Corrupted Form" was not a beneficial mutation—on the contrary, the taint had severely restricted its growth.

But what truly shocked Xia Ya was the skill "Slash" and its Transcendent mastery level.

This was the first time he had ever seen a wild, uncontracted beast possess a skill beyond "Perfect," reaching Transcendent proficiency.

Even though "Slash" was a low-tier skill, making it easier to improve… reaching this level still required unimaginable training.

Back when Xia Ya helped Silver develop Tsukuyomi, it had taken five full years just to raise Silver’s "Charm" skill to "Perfect"—and even then, the final breakthrough had required system-assisted point allocation.

Let alone a beast without a Beastmaster’s guidance, without training assistance, without access to transcendent materials—achieving this level purely through sheer perseverance was beyond extraordinary.

The little crimson Silver Spirit remained unaware of Xia Ya’s presence.

It simply continued swinging its sword at the massive ore, sparks flying as a clear slash mark gradually emerged.

This wasn’t just a momentary whim—it was a daily, yearly routine, carried out relentlessly.

Only through such ceaseless repetition could the most basic, often-overlooked skill, "Slash," be refined to such a pinnacle.

"Now this is interesting."

Xia Ya’s gaze locked onto the sword-wielding Silver Spirit.

He didn’t interrupt it. Instead, he continued examining its skill panel.

[Tainted Blood]

[Attribute: Abyss, Curse]

[Tier: High-Tier]

[Proficiency: Beginner (0/100)]

[Skill Description: This elemental body has been invaded by a higher-dimensional taint, resulting in the loss of elementalization and elemental affinity. The missing left arm is unable to regenerate due to the Twilight Curse.]

…

[Darkborn]

[Attribute: Abyss, Curse]

[Tier: High-Tier]

[Proficiency: Beginner (0/100)]

[Skill Description: The body and soul have been jointly corrupted. Once fallen, the bearer will lose their sense of self and become an apostle of the Abyss.]

…

[Sword Bones]

[Attribute: Metal]

[Tier: High-Tier]

[Proficiency: Expert (1193/10000)]

[Skill Description: Through countless swings of the sword, the very concept of 'Sword' has been imprinted upon its origin.]

…

[Bloodburn]

[Attribute: Spirit]

[Tier: High-Tier]

[Proficiency: Expert (3018/10000)]

[Skill Description: Burns the body, incinerates the mind, and uses the soul as fuel to temporarily enhance all attributes.]

…

As for the final skill in the panel—[Monarch’s Heart]—

Its description contained only a single line:

[The Potential to Become a King.]