Adrenaline Junkie [Book 2 Complete]

Archie pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Okay, let me make sure that we are both in agreement."

He held up a hand and started ticking things off with his fingers, as the magma sprite figure-eighted while atop the lava lake. "You want the last two days of the week off to do whatever you want, no summoning, no crafting, no attack enhancements, or other 'Archie emergencies' – your words, not mine."

The magma spirit bobbed in the air, flickering smugly.

"And if I do try to reach out to you on those days, the mana cost for summoning or channeling you doubles."

The spirit wobbled forward slightly in acknowledgment.

"Also, any spare beast cores or elemental cores I've got lying around that I'm not using and you do want, I can give you those instead of the standard mana payment." Archie rolled his shoulder. "Fine by me. Better than letting 'em sit in my bag like decorations."

A flare of heat pulsed from the spirit—approval, maybe? It was hard to tell when the person in question was a blob of liquified magma.

"Oh, and this one's a big one," Archie continued. "I can use your Magma Affinity for crafting and forging experiments. Free rein. But, when I sell anything made with your help, you get a cut of the profits, which is five percent."

The spirit flared again, hotter this time. "Ten percent."

"Five."

"Ten."

"Six."

"Nine."

"For fuck's sake," Archie muttered under his breath before clearing his throat. "… Let's just break it into an easy eight, okay?"

"…Deal."

Archie smirked, then gave a small nod. "Cool. Let's see… anything else?"

"Yeah," the spirit said, voice suddenly more serious. "Give me a System Heirloom."

Archie blinked. "What'd you say?"

"A System Heirloom," the spirit repeated, like he hadn't just asked for a priceless, near-mythical artifact. "One with Magma Affinity."

Archie let out a slow breath. "Bro. I haven't even seen one of those. Let alone touched one. If I did find one, I'd probably use it to power a goddamn generator or my next project."

The spirit let out a noise. A click that was far too human, accompanied by a very dramatic flicker. "Fine," it grumbled. "Just… if you find any good rocks, give 'em to me."

Archie squinted. "Good rocks? What do you mean, like bedrock or something?"

"…I'll know 'em when I see 'em," the magma spirit replied.

"…How am I supposed to – y'know what, forget it." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. I'll just ask Aoife what counts as a good rock and skim through that book – what was it? Rocks 'N Shit?

The magma spirit let out a sound that might've been a laugh. "Deal."

Archie stood up, dusting ash from his palms. "Alright, then. I think we've got ourselves a contract."

The spirit hovered forward, flames curling into the ritual circle again.

"Then speak the Rite of Acceptance," it said. "And let the bond be forged."

Archie exhaled slowly and looked at the glowing ritual circle between them. The runes he'd etched on another basalt slab a couple of minutes ago were still faintly pulsing with his mana and coated in his blood, waiting for the final component of the ritual: the mutual agreement to finalize everything and create a spirit contract between him and the magma spirit in front of him.

Clearing his throat, he then placed his hand over his heart. "Alright, here goes nothing."

Following the instinctual knowledge given to him when the trial started, Archie began to chant.

"By mana freely given, and magma shared,

Let this pact be made, with all terms declared.

I, Archie, seek not a master, nor a servant,

But a partner in purpose, whose will burns vibrant.

In heat and mana, we shall be bound,

By the craft, by the strike, by flame unbound."

The magma spirit drifted into the center of the circle and flared, its form growing slightly as it responded in kind, its voice crackling with power.

"I, Vul, Low Magma Elemental Spirit of the Molten Vein,

Accept this bond, with pride unfeigned.

No leash, no chain,

In forge and flame, I am prepared.

So long as terms are met and honored,

Let this pact be sealed by magma evermore."

The ritual circle pulsed once more, before a burst of molten rocks erupted from its center and mid-arc, they seamlessly transmuted themselves into light, molten gold and ember-red, arced between Archie and Vul, weaving themselves into a shimmering sigil that floated between them for a heartbeat before sinking into both their chests.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

A new System Notification blinked in the corner of his vision:

[Spirit Contract Formed]
Spirit: Vul [Magma Spirit – Lv 100]
Affinity: Magma (Uncommon)
Contract Type: Temporary (Renewable)
Rights & Privileges: Custom Terms Accepted
Access Granted: Spirit Bond Access, Magma Affinity (Uncommon)
Weekly Cooldown Days Registered: [Day 6, Day 7 of every week]

Archie let out a short exhale that he didn't know that he held, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Whew. Well, that wasn't so bad."

"I've had worse," Vul said, already floating toward a nearby rock and sinking halfway into it like it was a hot tub. "This one's not bad, by the way. Not a 'great' rock, but… comfy…. Anyways, you should be feeling it any moment now."

"What do you mean?" Archie's brows furrowed in confusion seconds before they began to furrow even more as the middle of his right forearm began to itch, and the feeling began to grow sharper.

Rolling up his right sleeve all the way up to his elbow, where the sensation burned hottest, smack dab in the middle of his forearm, his skin began to spasm as molten lines blotched his skin and began to shape themselves into an ornate-looking volcano.

It pulsed once with a dull, red-orange light before branding itself into place with a soft sizzle and a brief waft of cool wind. His brow furrowed a bit more. Fuck... Mom's so gonna kill me for getting a tattoo... at least it's a volcano and not something dumb like a brick.

Title Gained: [Spirit Contractor]

Spirit Contractor:
You have successfully formed a contract with a Low Elemental Spirit under custom, negotiated terms, an act rare among newly initiated beings. Your bond with Spirit Contractees is a partnership, giving you deeper access to elemental affinity and spiritual synergy. Effect: +10% Mana Efficiency when using elemental abilities.

"Huh," he muttered, reading the new Title he'd received. "Nice"

Behind him, Vul floated a few inches higher. "Wait. That's it? No screaming? No falling over like a dying deer? That's what the last three did."

Archie looked over his shoulder. "Didn't seem worth the drama."

"Didn't seem worth—" Vul crackled loudly, flame flickering in what was probably incredulous laughter. "You got your soul branded, and you look like you stubbed your toe. That's honestly weirder than screaming."

"Try getting mentally gut-punched for five straight days inside a dungeon made of math and fractals. This is light work."

The magma spirit stared for a beat longer, then slowly shrugged—though on his small, flickering frame, it looked more like a ripple of flame. "Alright. Guess the System sent me a psycho."

Archie stood, flexing his fingers as the heat from the brand faded into a slow pulse in his arm. "So... it's official now?"

Vul gave a satisfied nod, drifting in a lazy circle over his "comfy" rock. "Yep. Pact sealed. My flames are yours when needed. Just not on the weekends. And I want those rocks."

Archie smirked faintly. "You'll get your rocks."

Before Vul could retort, two familiar dings echoed through the air.

[TRIAL 1: BONDING RITE]
To begin your path as a Spirit Brawler of Nature, you must form a temporary contract with a spirit of your choosing. Use the knowledge temporarily granted to initiate the Rite of Communion. The spirit must accept you of its own will.
Status: Complete

[TRIAL 2: Combat Gauntlet]
To begin your path as a Spirit Brawler of Nature, you must use your newly formed, temporary spirit contract to fight. Using nothing but your fists and the abilities of your newly formed temporary spirit contract, fight through five waves of increasingly difficult opponents. No cores are allowed to be used at any time during the trial.
Time Limit: 48:00:00.
Location Restrictions: Arena.

Archie barely had time to read the final line of the new System Notification informing him of his second trial before everything around him vanished into nothingness for a brief moment before color returned to his vision.

In the space between that nothingness and the next, the basalt slab beside both him and Vul vanished, the smell of molten rock and sulfur was replaced by sand and dust, sun-scorched stone, and the weight of thousands of unseen eyes atop his form.

Both he and Vul stood in the center of a vast arena.

Stone walls rose high around them, mosaicked with scenes of battles of old, one where spirits and warriors were frozen mid-strike, side by side with one another, battling various opponents.

The ceiling of the arena was open to the sky, showing a beautiful, bright blue sky with a singular sun.

The air was dry and hot, but not oppressively so, just enough to keep his skin tingling and somewhat regret wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants.

Archie exhaled slowly and scanned the space. Smooth arena floor. Circular layout. Tiered stands that stretched impossibly high, though not a single actual spectator filled the seats.

Just the pressure of people watching him.

System-generated audience, maybe? He guessed.

Vul hovered beside him, fizzling with energy. "Well... The System doesn't waste time, does it. I was hoping to simmer that rock for a little bit longer."

"Yeah, well, story of my life," Archie muttered, rolling his shoulders. He felt his mana stir differently now; he felt a new type of mana try and mingle with non-attuned mana and Nature-Attuned mana before settling beside his nature mana pool.

From above, a voice boomed, not a real one, but a System projection echoing in his skull:

Combat Gauntlet Initiated
Wave 1 Approaching: [Lesser Rockhide Boars Lv 100] × 3
Warning: Subsequent waves will scale in coordination, resistance, and tactics.

Spirit Contract Functionality: Active
Core Usage: Disabled
Countdown: 00:00:05...

Archie's feet shifted into stance on reflex, breath slow and measured as the center of the arena rumbled.

Stone cracked open.

From the cracked stone floor, three Lesser Rockhide Boars rose and slowly began to make their way towards him and Vul.

The Lesser Rockhide Boars were broad and muscular, built like battering rams the size of a small car, each covered in thick, craggy stone fused with their muscle. Their tusks jutted like sharpened basalt, and as they pawed the ground.

[Wave 1: Begin]

Archie didn't wait a second longer.

He launched forward, momentum building instantly with Savage Charge activating, his body weaving side to side like a blur, red as sand exploded beneath his feet, creating a shallow cloud that hid his bare footprints that had embedded themselves on the ground.

BOOM!

His shoulder crashed into the nearest boar with brutal force, the impact sending a loud crack throughout the arena and staggering the beast sideways, the invisible crowd went wild.

The next two strikes he sent at it were already in motion before it could even squeal, channeling the newfound affinity he gained from Vul via Spirit Bond, his jabs became enhanced with magma mana. His fists slammed into its side, and Leeching Strikes of Fury kicked in, needlessly siphoning a trickle of vitality into his own body.

"Left!" Vul barked, flame flickering.

Archie pivoted on instinct, already weaving to the side. One of the other boars had attempted a flank, but he dipped under its tusks, skin scraping close as his Sixth Sense flared.

"Let's cook these pigs," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Damn, I'm craving bacon."

He activated Relentless Flurry and let the rhythm take him.

A series of brutal, fluid punches erupted from his limbs, each one lined with spiraling magma-threaded vines courtesy of Thornscourge Expansion. He channeled his temporarily gained Magma-Affinity through them, and the translucent vines lit up with ember veins.

"… I mean it does go well with beer."

The boar he had staggered earlier was caught in the full barrage.

Crack! Thwack!

By the seventh strike, magma-veined vines pierced deep into its stony hide, bursting superheated steam and molten dust. It squealed and dropped, stone plates split open, smoking.

*[Lesser Rockhide Boar Lv 100] has been slain – XP has been given.*

Two more to go.