Shadow's Hand-Chapter 22: Shadow Contract

While Karl remained in his posture of kneeling, Damien attempted to communicate with the Shadow.

He indeed wished to have a pawn and build up his forces.

After all, he had nothing but the empty status in his name. Without actual supporters or pawns to be used, if the status became nullified, Damien would have been in big trouble.

Despite his eagerness and intent to gather manpower, he was not desperate enough to recruit just anyone.

This was especially true when he nearly got ambushed by Lucas and Jasmine. The two people who had expressed their reverence toward him easily changed in an instant.

Given that lesson, Damien would deserve death if he chose to believe or trust anyone else without any guarantee. And when he thought that—it included the Shadow lurking in him.

Although the Shadow had yet to display any hostility, who was to say it wouldn't turn against him one day?

Nothing was ever guaranteed, and nobody could remain forever loyal. The only person that one could trust was none other than themselves.

However, Damien still inquired about the Shadow because one must learn to adapt to unforeseeable circumstances. Currently, the Shadow was his only safety charm. It might not last, but at the moment, it was protecting him.

'If the Shadow wishes to use me, then it would be foolish to not use it to my advantage.' Damien thought.

And it appeared that the Shadow was still somewhat submissive to him.

There was no communication, but Damien's mind received some information and methods to ensure absolute loyalty.

'Shadow Contract. So it's something akin to a Blood Contract but in another form and term.' Damien absorbed the knowledge and turned his attention to Karl.

"I'll give you a chance to reshape your life, but you must adhere to one thing." He calmly said.

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Stunned, Karl's body trembled slightly. He had a feeling that he might have an opportunity, but when it became a reality, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

Slowly, he raised his chin up and glanced at Damien.

"What must I adhere to?" He asked, his eyes filled with determination. An opportunity to get rid of his low life status and become a Transcendent—even if it meant being an underling, it would be worth it.

At the very least, it was better than being a Coachman and constantly lowering his head to everyone as opposed to one person.

Meanwhile, Damien snapped his fingers, and a Shadow Contract emerged. Wisps of dark, blue, and purple hues seeped from the surface of the contract—intertwining like living shadows.

Karl's eyes widened in shock as he felt the intensity of the swirling colors that continued to pulse faintly. It gave him a feeling of eeriness.

'What kind of contract is this?' Karl wondered silently. The contract was suspended in the air, but it appeared distorted as well, almost as if the contract didn't belong in this world.

When Damien noticed his inaction, he thought Karl became frightened and had a change of heart. For people who get scared quite easily, Damien had no intention of offering a helping hand to them. After all, it would only become a nuisance and possible trouble in the future.

'Looks like I overestimated his desperation.' He was about to cancel the contract until Karl suddenly stood up.

"Sorry, Sir, but I'm ignorant and don't know how to sign the contract. Please guide me." Karl said, his expression firm and determined. There was no hesitation even though it was clear that he was wary of the contract.

Being wary and cautious was not the same as being afraid and nervous. Wary and cautious was what allowed one to survive, whereas the latter was just the cowardice trait.

"Before you sign, I must remind you that signing means becoming a pawn of mine. It's essentially a form of slavery, but also not quite." Damien calmly said.

The crux of the Shadow Contract was that the other party understood what they were signing up for and was willing. Otherwise, even if they attempted to lie and sign, the contract won't be in effect.

That was the power of the Shadow Contract. It was inherently making the other party a shadow of his, and what kind of shadow disobeyed the owner?

"I am willing, Sir," Karl responded and knelt with one knee. The action was the symbolization of agreeing to serve the other wholeheartedly.

"Very well." Damien nodded and proceeded to explain the method. The process was similar to the Blood Contract, in which Karl had to dip some of his blood in the contract.

However, the difference was that part of Karl's shadow would be absorbed into the contract. Once that occurred, then from there on, he would forever be Damien's pawn unless Damien freed him.

After the explanation, Karl bit his finger, only to end up failing to bite it hard enough to bleed.

"Eh, this is awkward." Karl smiled bitterly.

Rumors had it that such action was the common one to form a contract, but Karl wondered if it was true. After all, his brain would constantly stop him from intentionally hurting himself through his bite. The force won't be enough to cause his finger to bleed.

Nevertheless, Karl darted his eyes at the surroundings and quickly recalled the robber's corpse. He hastened his pace and rushed over to the corpse, searching for their weapon.

Soon, he found a rough dagger and made a small cut immediately.

'Not bad.' Watching Karl's determination to complete the signing of the contract, Damien approved it. The more eager and desperate Karl behaved, the more he felt relieved. Only desperate people would do whatever was necessary to earn the approval.

Karl's expression and demeanor underwent a drastic change upon the completion of the contract. There was a small shadow-like card imprinted on his forehead, but it was only visible for a few seconds before it faded away.

Karl looked down and stared at his hands. For some reason, he felt a surge of power, and the inside of his body seemed to be heating up.

Meanwhile, Damien watched the process unfold with a stoic expression. 'Karl could now construct a mana core just like that. How powerful is this Shadow Contract?'