Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 8: Historical Echo, Xia Ya’s Second Soul Pact

A deafening rumble shook the entire hidden chamber, extending even to the ruins outside.

Fortunately, this ancient principality ruin was nestled deep within the Gray-White Hills, far removed from any settlements. If such a disturbance had erupted within a city, it would have surely sparked widespread panic, with civilians mistaking it for an earthquake or some other natural disaster.

Xia Ya remained motionless at the chamber’s center, as layers of settled dust cascaded down around him.

Yet, his gaze remained firmly locked on the bronze pedestal.

A brilliant crimson glow radiated from the stone carving, illuminating the entire chamber with an eerie clarity.

After a long moment, the red luminescence gradually receded, and with it, the tremors subsided.

While the stone carving’s appearance remained unchanged, Xia Ya could sense that the corrupting and deathly aura that had once clung to it had completely vanished.

Now, it was no longer some strange and sinister Corrupted Object tainted by an Evil God’s influence—it was simply an ordinary stone artifact.

But in its place, something new had emerged—

Above the bronze pedestal, twisted rays of light converged, forming a gate-like phenomenon.

Perched on Xia Ya’s left shoulder, his small snow ferret blinked its gem-like crimson eyes, curiously observing the distorted gateway that Xia Ya had just summoned.

As a master of high-tier illusion arts, Silver could clearly perceive that this warping portal was no mere optical illusion—it wasn’t a trick of light refraction or misaligned perspective.

No.

This was a true spatial anomaly—a fracture in the laws of space, where even light itself twisted upon passing through.

Xia Ya stared at the distorted gate, his heart racing with unrestrained excitement.

"Historical Echo."

Or, as some called it—

"Echoes of Time," "Fragments of the Past," "Remnants of the River of Time"…

So many names, all describing the same extraordinary phenomenon.

This event was exceptionally rare, involving both time and space laws—a mystery even among the legendary-tier powerhouses.

To commoners, it was nothing more than an urban legend, a fairy tale dismissed with skepticism.

Even to the top-tier extraordinary beings, the Historical Echo remained an enigma—a phenomenon without a clear, universal explanation.

The most widely accepted theory was that a Historical Echo could only manifest within ancient ruins of significant historical weight, preserving fragments of a forgotten past, often shaped by the obsessive will of a peerless powerhouse.

As for the specific mechanics behind it, even after countless hours of research, Xia Ya had found few concrete answers.

But one thing was certain—

To complete the third stage of his Beginner Quest, finding a Historical Echo was his only possible path forward.

Only within the cracks of time, within these fragments of history, could Xia Ya have a chance to encounter the long-lost Grand Duke’s daughter—Sylvia, the Argent Witch.

After all—

If the System accepted something as ridiculous as writing his name in a family registry as a valid method to join the Grand Duke’s family—

Then surely, interacting with Sylvia within a Historical Echo to increase her favorability was just as feasible.

And fortunately—

Xia Ya had bet correctly.

As the final remnant of a once glorious principality, this ruin indeed contained a Historical Echo.

Just as he had predicted, the Evil God’s relic, which had likely played a role in destroying this ancient nation, had been the key to unlocking the Historical Echo.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Xia Ya reached toward the shimmering distortion of light.

The instant his fingertips approached, he felt a forceful repulsion, pushing his hand away.

At the same time, a cold System notification echoed in his mind—

[Entry Requirement: Insufficient Space-Time Affinity.]

"Knew it."

Xia Ya’s black eyes gleamed.

The Historical Echo was so mysterious and rare, not only because it barely ever appeared, but also because entering one required a high level of affinity with space-time laws.

Without sufficient Space-Time Affinity, even if someone stumbled upon a Historical Echo, they would only be able to watch helplessly from the outside, waiting for it to fade away with time.

But Xia Ya had spent years preparing for this moment—

There was no way he hadn’t accounted for this issue.

With a thought, he summoned a round, half-meter-tall stone, which silently dropped onto the chamber’s floor.

"Ying-ying~ (Long time no see!)"

Silver, the snow ferret on Xia Ya’s shoulder, chirped excitedly at the rolling stone.

"Jiji!! (Long time no see!)"

A muffled voice responded as the stone rolled forward, wobbling slightly before tumbling toward Xia Ya.

"Jiji! (Master, is it finally my turn to get some upgrades?)"

Through their Soul Link, Xia Ya could clearly feel the boundless joy and anticipation coming from his contracted beast.

【Soul Pact Details】

Species: Sealed Stone Monkey (Sealed State)

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Soul Pact Status: Second Soul Pact (Master-Servant Contract: Xia Ya Egut)

Combat Level: 1

Species Tier: Low-Tier Extraordinary

Unique Beast Skill: "Nurture" (Perfect)

Although Xia Ya was a Transmigrator, he hadn’t inherited the classic "waste protagonist" trope often seen in such stories.

Quite the opposite—his Soul Aptitude as a Beastmaster was exceptionally high.

At just seventeen years old, he had already reached the Second-Ring Mid-Tier Beastmaster rank—

According to the System panel, he was Level 28, only a step away from advancing to Third-Ring High-Tier Beastmaster.

His progression speed was so remarkable that even the elite noble heirs of the Imperial Capital would have trouble keeping up.

However—

Even among his academy peers in the Imperial Capital, no one had ever seen the beast of his Second Soul Pact.

Many assumed that Xia Ya followed the "Single Beast Specialization" route—

Focusing all his resources on training one exceptionally powerful summoned beast, without the luxury of raising multiple beasts at once.

A reasonable assumption—after all, Xia Ya had no powerful background or family support.

Raising his snow ferret, Silver, to a level where it could defeat young Monarch-tier beasts was already a remarkable feat.

It only made sense that he lacked the resources to train another.

But—

Only a handful of people knew the truth—

Xia Ya’s Second Soul Pact had long been occupied.

And over the years, the majority of his resources had been poured into it—

Even more than he had invested in Silver, whose abilities were already well-developed.

Crouching down, Xia Ya picked up the slowly rolling stone, gently running his fingers over its smooth surface.

A slight smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Since I already have a snow ferret that can use Tsukuyomi—"

"Wouldn’t it make perfect sense to train a monkey that specializes in spatial abilities?"