'What a coincidence!'
He found himself thinking about how likely it was that he might meet someone connected to his past life—perhaps not directly, but still something to explore. He has found a way to talk to a top hunter from his past.
Nick was a leading hunter in his previous life and was also an Ability Holder. Leo didn't understand the specifics of his innate ability; he only knew that Nick could enhance his body with his own ability.
He had heard that Nick was an unusual person, even referred to as a madman by other hunters, so he felt somewhat assured while talking with him. If he couldn't express his thoughts to Nick, he could intimidate or manipulate him through his sister...
"I never knew that you were such a valuable hosta... ehm... I meant a nice sister to raise your own brother all alone. That must have been tough for you! Did your relatives help you at all?"
Lost in his thoughts, he almost referred to her as a hostage, but he quickly found a different way to express himself. Although he meant to refer to her as his hostage, he genuinely believed she was a wonderful older sister.
From what he understood, living in Cosol was quite expensive, but she managed to send her brother to a high school that must have cost a lot, along with covering basic needs and school supplies.
"We got a little help from our aunt, and we also used some of the savings our parents had."
Although she did her best to answer his question, Leo could see the tension on her face. It must be really hard for her if talking about her relatives causes her so much stress.
"To meet your brother, you need to be strong enough to take care of your life and protect others. If you can't help him, it won't matter."
His words might have seemed harsh, but it reflected the reality they faced. The strong overpower the weak and take advantage of them, enjoying a comfortable existence, while the weak struggle to survive. That was the only truth he had discovered in his previous life.
When he spoke, Charlotte looked confused and unsure. After a few moments, though, she appeared to find the strength to keep going until she could see her brother again. Although she remained concerned about her little brother, she now had a path to follow and a goal to pursue.
After breakfast, Leo left the table and returned to his room, leaving Charlotte responsible for waking everyone up.
He quickly entered a meditative state and continued to grow his mana reserves, which was happening much faster than the day before. He was sure he could triple his mana pool in the next week because his spirit stat had gone up.
...
After two hours, once everyone had finished their breakfast and got ready for the day, Leo took his hunting group outside, while Hazel and Sarah stayed behind to prepare a meal for them. After a day of rest, everyone felt refreshed and ready to take on more zombies. Even Charlotte, with her new determination, was eager to hunt zombies more quickly.
"Before we proceed, I want to check some items for safety."
Leo's calm voice made everyone pause as he reached into his backpack. He had obtained the Basic Elemental Contract Scroll from one of the Treasure Chests.
While they were safe, he wanted to see how well they matched with it; maybe someone would be lucky enough to connect with an elemental.
"Yesterday, I got an Elemental Contract Scroll, but I can't use it. You should give contracting an elemental a try. I believe it will really enhance your strength, so let me explain how to use it."
He briefly explained its uses, opened a scroll, and saw many runes on it, along with a magic circle engraved in the center, which made it look even more impressive. He cut his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the magic circle.
But nothing occurred after he dropped his blood on it.
[Your elemental affinity (light) is insufficient.]
Although he didn't expect much, he still felt disheartened by his lack of talent since he wanted to be an Elementalist.
"Here's how to use it, so come and give it a try. Maybe someone can make it happen!"
Hearing him speak, Willie quickly ran over and took the scroll from his hands. He found it amusing that he hadn't been given an order, and it appeared that Adam and Charlotte weren't upset by what he did.
Despite his reluctance, He wielded his Failed Dagger and made a small cut, wincing in pain. He followed Leo's instruction and let his blood drop onto a circle, then waited patiently.
But it just glowed a little and then went back to looking normal.
Willie did not succeed!
'Willie really seems to have a special connection with magic, as there was no reaction when it was my turn.'
Now, it was Adam's turn. He walked over and gently patted Willie's shoulders. He did exactly what Leo had demonstrated, but the magic circle didn't respond at all, not even lighting up like it did for Willie.
Adam also did not succeed!
It appeared that he also struggled with magic, just like Leo. Leo felt sad about his failure, but he also felt a connection to Adam because they were both not good at magic. Well, he knew, though, it was not a competition.
After both of them couldn't activate a scroll, Leo lost hope in it too. Getting the scroll was tough, but he believed finding someone who matched it was even harder.
Even though he had given up on his own hopes, he still encouraged Charlotte to give it a shot because there was nothing to lose. So, Charlotte switched places with Adam and walked up to Scroll nervously, as she had already thought that she might not succeed either.
Following what others did, she borrowed a Needle Rapier from Leo and pricked her finger, creating a small cut. She lacked the confidence to use a scroll, even though she wanted to grow stronger with it.
When she dropped her blood on the magic circle, it shone brightly like never before, lighting up the area with a bright milky color, as if a star had come down to the planet. It was so bright that everyone had to close their eyes to protect them from becoming blind.
Leo was surprised by the scroll's sudden reaction, realizing that Charlotte had a strong connection to light. He never thought he would find the right person right after he got it. He even believed that finding someone on campus would be difficult.
As the bright light gradually dimmed, he noticed an orb of light hovering above the scroll. It was shining brightly and lighting up everything around it, but it was difficult to see its eyes in all that brightness, even though it had two shaded spots that looked like eyes.
Charlotte looked amazed as she stared at the bright light floating in front of her. It was a bit bigger than a human head and was looking around, curious about its new surroundings.
"Charlotte, you accomplished it. Complete a contract using the system before it disappears."
Leo took a deep breath and encouraged her to move forward with the final step before it was too late. She nodded while quickly moving toward a glowing orb, still amazed by what she had achieved. She seemed to be reading system notifications while staring into space with a blank expression.
The Basic Light Elemental lacks offensive abilities and is mainly useful as a source of light. However, with proper adjustments and training, it could become very valuable later on, as it would help Charlotte gain control over light-type magic.
Elementalists used mana to maintain the elements in our world and to control the light around them. They used the power of their elementals to cast light-type magic.
'It looks like I need to show Charlotte how to meditate so she won't depend only on the system. I can teach Adam and Willie along with Charlotte, so I won't have to repeat myself the second time.'
She should find it easier to learn meditation compared to Adam because she already has a strong mana affinity, and her Elemental can help her sense the mana around her.
"Charlotte, what name did you choose for your Elemental Spirit?"
Although Leo had never contracted one, he was familiar with the steps for contracting an elemental. The last step is to give it a name.
She blushed a little and appeared flustered by his question, but she answered him quickly.
"Star. I named it Star because it resembles a bright star that has come down from space."
She blushed even more at her words, feeling that her name was too childish.