"Do you understand everything?" Raymond asked.
Ben nodded.
"How can I come back?" Ben asked.
"Naturally, through this orb."
Raymond held up a small crystal orb.
"It’s a safety device. If you feel like you are about to die, simply break it."
"It will create an invincible shield around you that can defend you against all kinds of attacks from the creatures inside the dungeon."
"We will receive a signal the moment you activate it and come to rescue you."
"The shield will last for an entire week, so don’t worry. You will be safe until we arrive."
Ben nodded.
"Ben, don’t try to be greedy, okay?" Maya warned.
"Just focus on killing slimes, awaken, and return."
"Only enter the forest once you have awakened a powerful innate ability."
"Without a strong ability, the forest can be dangerous."
"The monsters there can surround you, trap you, and kill you."
Ben nodded seriously.
"Okay."
"Then, are you ready?" Raymond asked.
"Wait."
Ben suddenly stopped them.
"Give me a minute."
He closed his eyes and focused.
Then he contacted Morbius through their soul contract.
Meanwhile, Morbius, who had been watching television in the mansion, suddenly disappeared.
The next second, he appeared inside the café.
The small black puppy looked around before noticing Ben.
"Why did you call me, human?" Morbius asked.
Raymond and the others looked at the small puppy in surprise.
"How..."
"How do you already have a familiar contract when you haven’t even awakened yet?"
Raymond stared at Ben in disbelief.
Amanda and Maya also looked at Morbius with interest.
"Fascinating..."
"This must be the Death Flame Cerberus."
Unlike Vanessa, Amanda was powerful enough that she wasn’t intimidated by Morbius’s presence.
Ben immediately realized he needed to give another explanation.
Once again, he used the same excuse.
The mysterious magic scroll he had found in an antique shop.
Hearing this, Raymond sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"What are those idiots in the search department doing?"
"How could they miss an artifact like this?"
He shook his head helplessly.
"On Earth, artifacts can appear randomly and secretly."
"Most of them are discovered by chance, while some remain hidden for hundreds of years."
"The search department is supposed to locate these artifacts before they fall into the wrong hands."
"But somehow, they failed to detect this one."
Raymond looked at Ben.
"It seems you must have been the one who acquired that artifact by chance."
Ben smiled awkwardly and nodded.
"Yeah... I guess I was lucky."
Raymond looked at him and said, "You were indeed extremely lucky. Cerberus species are one of the top species in the entire vast universe. They originate from the Niflheim Galaxy, a galaxy many times stronger and more advanced than our small Milky Way Galaxy."
Raymond sighed.
"With him as your contract familiar, you are basically invincible within your realm. Until you reach the realm where he was before you formed the contract, only then you may find your opponent, still universe is vast and you may find your match sooner than we thought."
Ben nodded.
"Anyway, now that you have him, we don’t even have to worry about your death anymore."
Raymond handed Ben the orb.
"Like I said before, this is a safety device. If you feel like you are about to die—which I doubt will happen now that he is with you—just crush this orb."
"It will create an invincible shield around you."
"And if you want to return, simply pour some celestial energy into it. It will create an exit portal and bring you back."
Ben nodded.
Morbius then jumped onto Ben’s shoulder and calmly sat there.
"It seems like you are going through the awakening ritual," Morbius said.
Ben nodded as Morbius yawned.
"Great, I was getting bored anyway," he said stretching his body.
Raymond then snapped his fingers, and a portal appeared beside them.
"Go on. Kill some slimes or anything else you encounter, awaken your ability, and return safely," Raymond said.
Ben nodded and stepped toward the portal.
As Ben stepped through the portal, Raymond and Amanda looked at Maya.
"Why didn’t you tell us about the Cerberus?" Raymond asked.
Maya smiled awkwardly.
"I didn’t know either. He told me about it once, but I brushed it off. After all, who could even form a familiar contract with such a creature before awakening?"
Raymond shook his head.
"You are right, but there are Galaxy-grade treasures that can make such things possible."
"Even a non-awakened person could control a Sun-grade creature like that Cerberus if they possessed such a treasure."
Maya’s eyes widened.
"Galaxy-grade?! I thought those were just myths," Maya said in disbelief.
"They are almost like myths," Raymond replied.
"Even in our entire Solar Association, there are only three recorded Galaxy-grade treasures. And the fourth one was just used like that."
Raymond sighed.
Amanda shook her head.
"Leave it, Old man. It was just that kid’s fortune."
Raymond nodded.
"I now really think Little Maya has found us a promising young lad," Amanda said.
The portal closed on its own, and the old man Raymond nodded.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ben walked into a grassy plain.
"So this is the Celestial Realm, huh? It looks exactly like the dungeon descriptions from the books," Ben mumbled as he looked around.
In the distance, he saw several colorful blobs of water bouncing around.
"They must be slimes," he said.
Ben walked toward them.
"Slimes are born to be cannon fodder. They are nothing more than that."
Morbius looked at the slimes with disdain.
Ben nodded.
"How exactly are these creatures born?" he asked.
"Hmm... they are nothing but natural energy that has taken life form," Morbius explained.
"If you think about it, they are actually quite fascinating creatures," Ben said.
Morbius looked at him curiously.
"What is so special about these blobs of water?"
"I mean, you said they are natural energy that has taken form. Doesn’t that mean that as long as they continue absorbing energy, they can grow infinitely?"
"Since they are made from energy itself, they should have an incredible affinity with it, right?"