What that Elf girl said was entirely correct.
Not long after the connection was severed, A Mi noticed his body felt unwell.
It wasn't sharp pain, but a weakness and a sense of "detachment" spreading from his existence's Core, as if he himself was being erased bit by bit by the world's foundation, his edges becoming blurry and unstable.
He had to concentrate just to maintain his form.
He staggered out of that Elf Academy—or rather, he was pushed out of the area by some invisible force.
Outside the academy, the scene opened up dramatically, yet it made A Mi realize even more profoundly what a strange World he had arrived in.
It was the kind of world he had seen in countless Western fantasy novels.
The streets were bustling.
Stocky Dwarves with thick beards carried heavy tools or barrels, conversing in gruff voices;
Elegant Elves with pointed ears and long hair （, just as he had seen, were generally "barren" ） and moved lightly, their expressions mostly carrying a degree of aloofness and arrogance;
Burly Orcs with abundant fur, displaying various beastly features, with sharp gazes or simple honesty, formed the most striking scenery on the street.
Besides them, he also saw some creatures with even stranger forms, some like floating Light Orbs, others like walking plants or Rocks.
They all emitted an Aura that felt both slightly familiar and strange to A Mi—it seemed to be the unique energy fluctuation of a Contracted Spirit, though varying in intensity.
...Even so, there were hardly any whose Aura seemed weaker than his...
"No wonder I was immediately released from the Contract upon arrival..." A Mi chuckled self-deprecatingly.
It seemed that Contracted Spirits summoned and remaining in this World were not few; they appeared to have integrated into this society in some way.
The entire area was lively, with the sounds of hawking, chatting, and forging ceaseless.
But A Mi soon noticed something odd: as far as his vision could reach, he could not see a single "Human."
It was as if this Race had never existed, or perhaps, had completely vanished from this land.
However, he couldn't afford to ponder for long—his increasingly critical condition forced him to concentrate rather than "overthink."
Just as he was about to find a place to rest properly, a stifling sound pierced his ears.
It was the dull thud of fists and feet hitting flesh, mixed with a few coarse Incantations, and a girl's suppressed whimper of pain that still managed to escape.
A Mi frowned; the whimper was like a fine needle, piercing the emotional defenses that had become somewhat numb due to transmigration and rejection.
He followed the sound and turned into the corner of a secluded alley.
The scene before him made his gaze sharpen.
Several ruffian-like thugs, who looked like Mixed-blood Orcs, were shoving and kicking a small figure.
It was an Orc girl, with black feathers like a crow dotted in her hair and on her arms, but what drew more attention were the places on her back where Wings should have been—
They were bent at a bizarre angle, clearly injured and deformed, hanging limply, with a few broken feathers covered in dust lying on the ground.
She curled up, trying to protect herself, yet appearing so helpless.
"What are you looking at? Scram, you bad omen!" One of the thugs noticed A Mi and roared fiercely.
A Mi said nothing.
He couldn't stand such behavior.
Whether in his original world or this strange place, bullying the weak could always easily ignite the unextinguished spark in his heart.
"Let her go... and apologize."
He walked forward.
"Heh... I wonder which master your Spirit Master is..." The leading thug stood up, clenching his fists and sneering as he approached.
"But let me tell you, on this street, you Master Ma is the sky!"
"Take this!" The thug calling himself Master Ma shouted like a horse, and rushed forward along with his companions.
A Mi was slightly shocked, but his body acted on its own.
...Although he had lost his Spirit Master and his existence was unstable, the basic qualities of a Contracted Spirit remained. The standard of an ordinary Sentient Being was clearly quite different from that of a Contracted Spirit.
He easily sidestepped a straight punch, deflected a kicking leg with a flick of his wrist, and pushed, causing the thug who shouted at him first to stumble against the wall.
The others rushed forward, but A Mi's movements were unexpectedly fluid: blocking, dodging, simple grappling...
He reacted almost instinctively, as if the combat skills were already imprinted within this Spirit Body.
After a few clean moves, the thugs were already groaning on the ground. They glanced at A Mi in terror and fled, scrambling away.
A Mi himself was somewhat surprised. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary office worker; he rarely even argued, let alone fought.
But in that instant, his body seemed to know exactly how to move.
...Was it because this Contracted Spirit body inherently contained combat potential?
He didn't have time to think deeply and turned to the Orc girl huddled on the ground. "Are you alright?"
The girl looked up, revealing a delicate face streaked with tears. Her Black Eyes were like lacquer, currently filled with terror and a hint of gratitude.
She had obvious bruises on her face and exposed skin, but what caught A Mi's attention more were the faint, strange purplish-black markings visible on her neck and arms where the feathers didn't cover—they didn't look like tattoos, but rather like something naturally branded beneath the skin.
"Th-thank you..."
Her voice was weak and trembling.
She struggled to stand up but gasped in pain as she moved her injured back.
A Mi instinctively wanted to help her up, but his hand paused before touching her, worried about what effect his Spirit Body state might have. "Can you walk? You need to treat your wounds."
The girl shook her head, then nodded, looking at A Mi with a complex expression, and whispered, "I... my home is nearby. Could... could you trouble yourself to take me there? I... my name is 'Xiao Ye'."
A Mi did not refuse.
Those thugs were long gone, and A Mi wasn't too worried about them causing trouble.
He followed the Crow Person girl, who called herself "Ye," out of the dark alley.
They traveled along the edge of the bustling market, eventually arriving at a somewhat desolate woodland outside the city.
Beneath a massive, gnarled Ancient Tree, a very crude Tree House was built leaning against the trunk, using materials that looked like discarded wooden planks and scattered leaves, barely enough to shelter from wind and rain.
"This is it..."
Ye's voice carried a hint of imperceptible shyness.
A Mi: w(?Д?)w
He looked at the Tree House, which was almost comparable to a bird's nest, then back at the girl trying to climb up, hesitating to speak.
He ultimately chose to follow her inside.
The interior of the Tree House was even more cramped, barely allowing one person to turn around. Dry grass and an old cloth served as the bedding on the floor.
But it was kept relatively clean; in the corner were a few small jars and some collected plants.
Xiao Ye carefully curled up on the dry grass, trying her best to avoid touching her injured Wings.
She was silent for a moment, her Black Eyes looking at A Mi seriously, as if her next sentence required all her strength.
"You... you are a Contracted Spirit, right? And, you are about to dissipate."
A Mi was stunned; he hadn't expected her to see through it immediately.
Xiao Ye seemed to sense his confusion. "Contracted Spirits have a special 'Qi' flowing around them that can be sensed... it's not difficult to distinguish a Contracted Spirit from normal people."
"As for why I think you are dissipating... Contracted Spirit Sir, your color looks very dim... I have seen many Contracted Spirits about to dissipate, and their final appearance... is very similar to yours."
So that was it.
A Mi nodded, not denying it. "Yes, I was just released from my Contract."
Xiao Ye's eyes brightened momentarily, but then dimmed again. She lowered her head, unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers.
"Contracted Spirit Sir... I know I am being presumptuous, and I... I don't have any good Sacrifice, I can't even produce decent Silver Coins... but, if you don't mind..."
She looked up, her eyes holding desperate hope mixed with deep self-abasement. "Would you... be willing to form a Contract with me?"
A Mi looked at her battered appearance, at her dilapidated dwelling, and then thought of his own "D-Rank Trash" evaluation, and couldn't help but give a wry smile. "Are you sure? A piece of trash like me? I might not be able to help you much."
A flicker of pain crossed Ye's eyes. She slightly turned to the side, allowing A Mi to see the strange purplish-black markings on her back and her broken Wings more clearly, her voice dropping lower.
"I... in my clan, I am also regarded as an inauspicious person who brings misfortune... because of these... they say this is a mark of a curse. I am also... unwanted."
Xiao Ye turned slightly; the strange black markings on her body, beneath the swollen wounds, made her look even thinner and more pitiful...
Fellow sufferers of the same plight.
This phrase inexplicably surfaced in A Mi's mind.
He looked at the light in the girl's eyes, a mixture of despair and the last shred of hope, and found he couldn't utter a refusal.
Perhaps, this was also an opportunity for him to exist?
"...Alright." He nodded.
Xiao Ye's face instantly bloomed with unbelievable joy. She was so excited she almost jumped up, but then she pulled her wound, grimacing in pain.
She quickly composed herself, took a deep breath, extended a slightly trembling hand, and traced a simple symbol in the air according to some ritual, while softly reciting an Incantation.
Though clumsy, it was delivered with immense piety.
A Mi could feel a faint but firm connection extending from Ye's body, touching his own dissipating Core.
In an instant, a small, soft white-glowing rhombic Imprint lit up on both their foreheads simultaneously.
A warm current surged through A Mi's entire body. The uncomfortable sense of detachment vanished instantly, replaced by a strange feeling of "anchoring," as if he finally had a foothold in this World.
The Imprint disappeared immediately, but a new Contract had now been established.
A Mi could feel that the "System" hidden deep within his consciousness, whose Interface had been dim and restricted, seemed to be injected with new energy, instantly becoming clear, rich, and detailed.
Countless previously inaccessible information and options seemed to have been unlocked.
But now was not the time to investigate that.
A Mi looked at Xiao Ye, whose face was pale from excitement and pain. Her joy was evident—it was the delight of a long-held desire finally being fulfilled.
For her to have a Contracted Spirit, even one like him who was "Trash," was enough to make her this happy.
"The Contract is complete," A Mi's voice softened slightly. "But first, let's treat your injuries. You need herbs, right? Tell me what they look like, and I'll go find them."
Ye froze, then nodded vigorously, her eyes welling up with more genuine moisture.
She carefully described the characteristics and growth habits of several common herbs for stopping bleeding and reducing bruising to A Mi.
"I don't have money for good medicine... I've always used these," she explained somewhat sheepishly.
"It's fine," A Mi stood up, feeling the power from the new Contract, which was slightly more stable than before. "Tell me the features, and I'll be back soon."
The immediate priority was to help this Crow Person girl, who had just become his Spirit Master and was also abandoned by the World, recover first.
As for the enriched System, and what was special about him being a "D-Rank" Contracted Spirit, those could be explored slowly later.