Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 9: From Today On, Your Name is Shiny!

[Sealed Stone Monkey]

That was the species name of the summoned beast contracted under Xia Ya's Second Soul Pact.

Unlike other summoned beasts, which were traditionally born through egg-laying or live birth, the Sealed Stone Monkey had no concept of bloodline inheritance.

Its birth was governed by the laws of nature—or, in the words of the cultivation novels from Xia Ya’s past life, it was a creature formed from the essence of heaven and earth, infused with the radiance of the sun and moon.

Because of this, the species was incredibly rare. Xia Ya had only stumbled upon this round, chubby boulder due to a fortunate twist of fate.

The Sealed Stone Monkey’s unique trait was actually quite simple.

In its juvenile stage, the monkey remained encased within a companion boulder. Other than the fact that this boulder had decent defensive capabilities, in every other regard, it was utterly useless in battle.

It had no means of attack whatsoever. Even movement was limited to rolling around clumsily. A mere Awakening-Tier Steelfang Hound could easily stomp on the rock and beat it senseless.

However, despite its apparent weakness, the Sealed Stone Monkey possessed an extremely rare racial ability, one that was uncommon even among Monarch-Tier or Overlord-Tier summoned beasts—

[Nurture].

As the name suggested—

While in its sealed stone state, the Sealed Stone Monkey could continuously absorb external elements and resources, gradually accumulating power.

And this accumulation would eventually allow it to undergo a complete evolution when it broke free from its sealed form.

According to Xia Ya’s research—

If, during its juvenile stage, the Sealed Stone Monkey absorbed fire-elemental transcendent materials—such as the carapace of a Molten Tortoise, Fire Lizard Powder, or scales of a Crimson Flame Wyvern—

Then, its evolution path would likely lead to forms like the Molten Flame Spirit Monkey or Demonic Blaze Gorilla.

If, instead, it absorbed earth-elemental transcendent materials, then its final evolution might be something akin to the Titan Colossus Ape, a king of the earth domain.

But of course—

Now that the Sealed Stone Monkey was in Xia Ya’s hands, it absolutely wasn’t going to follow any predetermined evolution path.

Without hesitation, Xia Ya retrieved a crystal ore that shimmered with a silver-white glow—

A Fourth-Ring spatial evolution material, known as [Void Crystal Stone], a highly precious resource he had painstakingly exchanged using his merit points from the Order Bureau.

According to the Order Bureau’s records, this material even contained traces of time-affinity properties.

"Get ready."

Xia Ya spoke softly, giving a brief warning.

Then, without any further hesitation, he placed the Void Crystal Stone onto the slightly trembling boulder.

A brilliant silver-white light erupted from the Void Crystal Stone—

Moments later, the solid crystal ore began to liquefy, melting into a silvery liquid that slowly seeped into the companion boulder.

Xia Ya absentmindedly stroked Silver’s fluffy tail as his snow ferret curiously approached, watching the flickering silver glow with rapt attention.

Acquiring this Fourth-Ring evolution material had cost Xia Ya everything.

Not only had he burned through months’ worth of merit points, obtained from scouring half of Resa City—he had also emptied his last remaining savings.

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When he had decided to exchange for the Void Crystal Stone, the Order Bureau official, who had taken a liking to him, had spent a long time trying to dissuade him.

After all—

The spatial attribute, and even the more mysterious time attribute, might sound prestigious—but their depth and complexity were beyond what an ordinary person could handle.

While fully developed spatial-type summoned beasts were undoubtedly powerful, their growth cycles and resource demands were far greater than those of other beasts of the same tier.

Moreover, until they fully matured, spatial-type summoned beasts mostly had support abilities, severely lacking direct combat power.

The same amount of time and resources invested in a traditional combat-type summoned beast would have yielded immediate battle-ready results.

But with a spatial-type, it was entirely possible that years of investment would amount to nothing.

To the Order Bureau official, Xia Ya lacked the powerful family backing required to support such an endeavor. Choosing a spatial-type summoned beast for his crucial Second Soul Pact was nothing more than blind ambition, an example of arrogance over ability.

But—

Xia Ya never let others’ opinions shake his decisions.

Time passed in silence.

In just an instant—

The once solid mineral-like Void Crystal Stone had fully liquefied, becoming a pure silver-white fluid—

Which then seeped into the massive Sealed Stone, causing silver-white veins to spread across its once gray surface.

And then—

Crack.

A crisp shattering sound suddenly broke the deathly silence of the chamber.

A brilliant silver radiance flared from the cracked boulder, as a thin fissure slowly spread across its surface.

Under Xia Ya and Silver’s tense gaze—

The hairline crack rapidly expanded, branching out across the entire boulder—

Until—

Boom!

The massive stone shattered, disintegrating into countless fragments.

And at its center—

Amid the fading silver-white glow, a small figure emerged.

Its slender fur shimmered like woven gold, glowing warmly under the dim chamber light—

It looked exactly like the golden snub-nosed monkeys from Xia Ya’s past life.

Unlike their larger, more aggressive relatives, which many found unsightly, this fluffy golden monkey seemed almost like a snowy mountain spirit from another world.

The little golden monkey blinked its black eyes, curiously scanning its surroundings.

Although it had been aware of the outside world through its Soul Pact link with Xia Ya, seeing it firsthand was an entirely different experience.

"Ying-ying-ying! (Welcome aboard, newbie!)"

Silver chirped excitedly, greeting the newcomer with cheerful squeaks.

As Xia Ya’s first summoned beast, Silver had long been eager for a companion. Even skill training was more fun with a partner.

Before, the Sealed Stone Monkey had been nothing more than a giant rock, completely unaffected by illusions.

This had forced Silver to seek out wild beasts in order to practice its Tsukuyomi illusion arts.

Now that it finally had a proper training partner, its enthusiastic welcome was entirely genuine.

Of course—

As its Soul Pact companion, Xia Ya could sense the hidden meaning behind Silver’s chirps—

It was essentially telling the newcomer to pay its respects.

"Jiji! (Greetings, Big Sis!)"

The little golden monkey was quite perceptive.

It blinked its shiny black eyes, then swiftly leapt onto Xia Ya’s right shoulder.

It had envied Silver’s prime real estate on Xia Ya’s left shoulder for a long time.

Now that it had finally broken free from its sealed form, it wasn’t going to miss its chance to claim its own spot.

If future summoned beasts joined their ranks, where would they sit?

Well—that wasn’t its problem.

Xia Ya chuckled, rubbing the little monkey’s fluffy head, making it close its eyes in bliss.

Why was it that everyone else’s summoned beasts were cool, intimidating, and brimming with combat power—

Yet his just kept getting cuter and cuter?

To an outsider, Silver and the golden monkey would probably seem like harmless ornamental pets.

"Well, now that you’ve evolved successfully, you need a name—just like Silver."

Xia Ya gazed at the monkey’s golden fur, glowing brilliantly in the dim light.

"In that case—"

"From today on, your name is Shiny."