Kanzaki Ren arrived at the main hall.
The adventurers were all cheering excitedly.
"Aya, what's going on? Why is it so noisy?"
"This is bad, Lord! The first stage of the Apocalypse Frenzy has been breached!"
Nancy Lia's emotions were complicated.
Over the past two days, she had been watching the adventurers delve into the dungeon.
After countless deaths and narrow escapes, finally forcing their way through the Apocalypse City, even as a spectator it was impossible not to feel stirred.
This was a great victory.
A manifestation of wisdom, courage, and luck!
But an adventurer's successful breakthrough was not necessarily a good thing for a dungeon.
Nancy Lia grew more and more impressed with Lord Kanzaki's inspiration, creativity, and craftsmanship. The secret realms he created were deeply appealing even to her. He was unquestionably a lord with tremendous potential.
Lord Kanzaki was fully capable of making the secret realms darker, more sinister, and far more cruel.
He could have made it so that adventurers couldn't clear them for ten days or half a month, or perhaps never clear them at all. Many dungeons operated exactly like that.
Yet Lord Kanzaki seemed to possess an overly noble artistic pursuit. The secret realms he created were more like gripping stage dramas. Every adventure was filled with excitement and uncertainty, always delivering tension and satisfaction, but he clearly had not pushed the difficulty to its absolute limit.
If this continued,
once the secret realm was fully cleared,
the territory's income would inevitably drop sharply.
Nancy Lia increasingly believed in Miracle City.
She did not want to see its potential damaged or cut short.
After all, this dungeon might become the hope of the Eternal Night Forest.
The adventurers immediately crowded forward to show off.
Nekomi Momo: "Lord Kanzaki, sorry about this. The first stage of the Frenzy Secret Realm that you built at such great cost was completely conquered by us so quickly!"
Shirasawa Yukari: "We've already found the exact location of the safe door!"
Pig King: "You really underestimated us adventurers. You didn't even put a few Tank Witches at the safe door. Not rushing through the stage would've been letting ourselves down!"
"…"
"The lord isn't going to get farmed bankrupt, right?"
"I'm worried too. I already handed in all the souls I farmed. It's basically to help Miracle City stay alive for another wave!"
"Lord, how about considering increasing the difficulty just a bit?"
Blackstone Hammer King: "Man, as an adventurer, actually asking the lord to raise the difficulty… even I feel like that's kind of messed up!"
"…"
Kanzaki Ren quickly understood the situation.
Three teams had already cleared the stage.
He had not placed the strongest combat units near the safe door. In theory, as long as one had enough luck, it was entirely possible to avoid the tanks and witches, drastically lowering the difficulty of clearing the stage.
Once the method was mastered,
there would likely be many adventurers capable of clearing the first stage.
Facing these smug, overly pleased adventurers,
Kanzaki Ren couldn't help but complain inwardly. Give them a little sunshine and they start blooming. This was just giving them some early sweetness so they'd farm more resources for the territory. The real fun hadn't even begun yet!
Before he could say more—
"Lord!"
Raging Chick pushed her way impatiently in front of Kanzaki Ren.
"I want to submit the Witch Essence Soul. Same terms as Shirasawa Yukari, but I want to contract a Tank Zombie Essence Soul!"
Raging Chick was a short-haired girl, barely one and a half meters tall. Her features were very androgynous, a textbook tomboy.
She was close friends with Pig King, Lone Wolf, and Blackstone Hammer King.
But having a perfectly good Witch Essence Soul,
yet insisting on turning into a muscle monster?
What a strange girl.
Kanzaki Ren rejected her mercilessly.
"No."
"Why?!"
"Shirasawa Yukari was not only the first adventurer to submit a five-star Essence Soul, she was also the first to request a contract with Miracle City. Naturally, she receives preferential treatment. Others cannot enjoy the same conditions."
Kanzaki Ren paused before continuing.
"However, I can give you 300 Contribution Points and promise that as long as I have Tank Zombie Essence Souls in stock, you'll be given priority access at half price, with all additional ritual costs waived."
Shirasawa Yukari had exchanged a Tank Essence Soul for 300 Contribution Points, plus a free contract with a Witch Essence Soul.
Raging Chick could also obtain 300 Contribution Points.
But she would not receive a free Essence Soul.
Only a fifty percent discount.
Kanzaki Ren announced, "From now on, adventurers who wish to contract with Miracle City should submit applications as soon as possible. Current contract slots are extremely limited, and related benefits will gradually decrease until they are completely canceled."
Want to contract with Miracle City?
Of course it wasn't free!
A five-star Essence Soul started at no less than 300 Contribution Points!
Miracle City currently had no stock of such Essence Souls. Applications had to be submitted in advance, followed by waiting in line.
Adventurers could also provide their own Essence Souls. Doing so would waive the Essence Soul cost, but a 100 Contribution Point ritual fee would still be required.
The adventurers immediately stirred. Although Miracle City had built an Essence Soul Altar, the number of adventurers who could be contracted was capped. These slots were extremely valuable. Miss it now, and there might not be another chance!
Even with discounted or self-provided Essence Souls,
100 Contribution Points for the ritual fee
was still no small sum!
Very few people could afford that right now.
Farm souls!
They had to farm like their lives depended on it!
A sense of urgency filled every adventurer's heart.
Secure the Contribution Points and lock in a contract first. Otherwise, there might be no seat left at all.
After doing some calculations,
Raging Chick decided to submit the Witch Zombie Essence Soul.
Although the benefits weren't as generous as Shirasawa Yukari's, guaranteeing a Tank Essence Soul contract was still a solid deal.
"Lord!"
Kanzaki Ren had just completed the recovery transaction
when Shirasawa Yukari eagerly stepped forward.
Kanzaki Ren glanced at her. "Relax. This lord always keeps his word. We'll use the Witch Essence Soul to contract you today."
Shirasawa Yukari was overjoyed. "Thank you, Lord!"
A quarter of an hour later.
At the Essence Soul Altar.
Under the watchful eyes of all the adventurers.
Miracle City's first contracted adventurer was born!
Shirasawa Yukari possessed multiple Tier-1 Essence Souls within her body, all originating from Amakumo City. The fusion level of her life soul had already exceeded seventy percent, and she was not far from breaking through to Tier-2.
Re-contracting
would cost at least half of her cultivation.
Yet Shirasawa Yukari felt no regret!
She did not want to walk the path her grandfather had arranged for her.
She trusted her own judgment and the potential of Miracle City!
Contracting with this dungeon would definitely not be a loss. And as Miracle City's first contractor, she was certain there would be many benefits in the future.
What's more,
her original life soul
was only a four-star Essence Soul.
How could it compare to a Witch Zombie Essence Soul in strength and utility?
[You are initiating an Essence Soul Contract for adventurer "Shirasawa Yukari." This contract will consume 30 Mental Energy. Proceed? Yes / No]
Contracting adventurers
consumed Mental Energy.
It had nothing to do with the Essence Soul used.
It always cost 30 Mental Energy.
Kanzaki Ren did not hesitate and immediately completed the ritual.
The Essence Soul Altar released a surge of powerful energy, instantly branding the Witch Essence Soul into Shirasawa Yukari's body. This Essence Soul became her new life soul, establishing a deep connection with Miracle City.
All Essence Souls within her body that did not belong to Miracle City
were automatically disintegrated, releasing a massive amount of energy.
Although more than half inevitably dissipated, a portion was absorbed as nourishment for the new life soul.
Shirasawa Yukari had a solid foundation. After absorbing this residual energy, the Witch Essence Soul's fusion degree jumped directly to around fifty percent. While her cultivation, or rather her experience bar, suffered losses, she was far from being reset to a complete beginner.
The contract was successful!
From this moment on, Shirasawa Yukari became deeply bound to Miracle City.
Because the source of an adventurer's power came from the dungeon they contracted.
If the contracted dungeon were completely destroyed, the life soul within would also vanish. While it wouldn't kill her, it would result in a total loss of cultivation. The price was undeniably severe.
Although Shirasawa Yukari had not yet fully fused with her life soul,
she could already be converted into a Witch unit through the Soldiers' House, allowing her to wield the Witch Zombie's full power. Compared to mercenary temp workers, even if she died in battle, there would be no loss of Essence Souls to the territory.
If she could cultivate her Essence Soul fusion to one hundred percent,
then even without relying on territorial facilities, and even without transforming, she would still be able to wield part of the Witch Zombie's power. Both her lifespan and adventurer stamina would see significant improvement.
In other words,
from this moment onward,
Miracle City possessed two long-term, high-quality combat forces.
One was the Tank Zombie monster unit.
The other was a contracted adventurer unit fused with the power of the Witch Zombie.
The former had no intelligence and vanished permanently upon death, but its loyalty, stability, and obedience were absolute.
The latter possessed intelligence, could be reused indefinitely, had low costs and high growth potential, and could be freely dispatched across the Chaotic Continent to explore, discover opportunities, or carry out complex missions.
Although a contracted adventurer's obedience could never match that of a pure monster unit,
they were deeply bound to Miracle City as a community of shared interests, making them reliable assets.
With two five-star combat forces in hand,
Miracle City's overall strength increased significantly!