Hate me, Miss Witch!
Chapter 51 - 41: Let’s Call You Crimson (Two in One)

Chapter 51: Chapter 41: Let’s Call You Crimson (Two in One)

Shiayar’s gaze swept over the descriptions in the azure skill bar one by one.

Except for "Slash," Shiayar was seeing the other Skills of this little silver spirit for the first time.

Moreover, from the descriptions alone, "Blood of Filth" and "Dark Descendant" clearly seemed to be negative Skills.

"Haven’t you chosen your contract beast yet?"

"Then again, someone as gifted as you would naturally be very selective."

An aged voice sounded beside Shiayar’s ear.

The Trial Elder had appeared behind Shiayar at some point, presumably having finished assessing the remaining participants.

He followed Shiayar’s gaze to the little silver spirit that was continuously practicing its sword strikes.

"You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? Speaking of which, it shares a certain fate with you outsiders.

"The cataclysm sixteen years ago... it wasn’t just you who lost your parents and became orphans. The same happened to it.

"Back then, the entire Azure Garden Dukedom was plunged into disaster. Not even the Royal Capital was spared. Twilight Calamity Beasts, carrying contaminants, invaded the Silver Spirits’ habitat. And that very day was when this little silver spirit was born.

"Its mother died fighting to protect it when it was just born, merely an incomplete astral spirit body. It’s said that on that day, the Blood of Filth from a Twilight Calamity Beast mixed with its mother’s blood and splashed onto its still-maturing astral spirit body. That’s what made it what it is today.

"Because its Element body was corrupted, its growth has been extremely slow. And having lost the purity inherent to an Element lifeform, even its own kind regard it as an aberration.

"Perhaps because it witnessed that tragedy at birth, its personality became somewhat obsessive. It has been training itself relentlessly, at any cost, all to become stronger. It seeks a Beastmaster’s recognition, hoping one day to avenge its mother."

"Unfortunately..."

The elder shook his head with a slight sigh.

Silver Spirits, as a high-level Sovereign type, possess an incredibly diverse range of evolutionary paths.

However, the mere loss of "Elements Perception" meant this little silver spirit was cut off from all possibilities of advancing along the path of Elemental Magic.

And if it were to abandon magic and specialize in physical Skills, it would not only lack "Elementalization"—a Silver Spirit’s vital trump card for survival—but it also suffered from an incurable disability in its left arm.

Furthermore, its growth rate, noticeably slower than that of its kin, was a critical flaw that was difficult to overcome.

No one would squander such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contract with a Silver Spirit that was congenitally flawed.

As the elder who had overseen the Silver Spirit habitat for decades, the Trial Elder held some affection for these Silver Spirits before him.

In his view, this little silver spirit was inherently unsuited for battle and should have simply lived out its life within the habitat.

Mediocre, perhaps... but at least it would be alive.

"My apologies. Perhaps I’ve touched upon a painful subject for you," he said, shifting his gaze from the sword-wielding little silver spirit back to Shiayar.

"If you’re not quite satisfied with these Silver Spirit younglings, then come with me.

"I have a good relationship with several Sovereign Rank Silver Spirits in the habitat. Perhaps among their offspring, there are some with excellent potential."

But then, he realized Shiayar, who had been right beside him, had vanished.

He looked up and saw Shiayar already down in the valley, standing beside the little silver spirit. The Trial Elder was momentarily stunned.

CLANG—

CLANG—

The crimson and white blade, a blur of motion, struck the black iron ore, producing a harsh, grating sound and sending sparks flying.

The sword marks on the black iron ore grew increasingly distinct.

It was impossible to tell how many times the little silver spirit had swung its sword, but it had already cleaved through hundreds of such massive black iron ore blocks.

Its kin within the habitat had expressed their disapproval on more than one occasion.

Silver Spirits were Element lifeforms nurtured by nature. As a race, they were generally mild-mannered and fond of the natural world.

While they did not shy away from battle, such things were supposed to happen after leaving the habitat and forming contracts with Beastmasters.

To the Silver Spirits, this habitat was tantamount to a pure land—a home for nurturing their young, recuperating, and living in peace and contentment, not a battlefield for endless fighting.

Thus, its kin could not comprehend the little silver spirit’s frenzied training methods.

If it truly possessed exceptional talent for battle, that might have been understandable. The problem was, its growth was extremely slow; it had already fallen an entire rank behind its peers of the same age.

Consequently, all its actions seemed mad and utterly incomprehensible.

The little silver spirit was, of course, perfectly aware of all this.

But it didn’t care.

At the moment of its birth, the Crimson that had seeped deep into its astral spirit body had already left an indelible brand upon the depths of the little silver spirit’s Soul.

Become stronger.

Then take revenge.

From that moment onward, this had become the very meaning of the little silver spirit’s life.

That was why it had been able to endure the corruption of the Abyss, never allowing its spirit to be tainted by even a speck of defilement.

Since it had lost its affinity for the Element, lost the self-healing and Elementalization that Silver Spirits prided themselves on... then it would make its very body its sword.

Day after day, year after year.

Until the very concept of the sword was engraved into its mind, becoming a part of its Soul.