Laws of the Insect Hive

Chapter 59: Executor of Winter

The hovering ice-blue circle above System’s head fitted him perfectly. It was a very suitable headband.

Seeing a grasshopper don a headband was undoubtedly weird, but it was even weirder to see it with a light ring.

“What is this light ring… Am I going to die soon?” System shook his head and cleared his thoughts.

Every time System moved, the hovering ring would move too as if they were connected. It would even oscillate for some time after System’s head stopped moving.

“What the hell is this thing?”

System touched it with his tentacles and realized it had a physical shape. It was very soft and even more comfortable than his colloid.

However, when he applied pressure on it, it would become illusionary and his tentacles would pass through it. Therefore, there was no way for System to remove the blue ring.

…

System spent a few minutes trying to communicate with the ring through [Mind Transmission], but it was useless. The ring was not completely unresponsive, but it seemed to be asleep, and the feedback System received was vague and intimate.

Left with no other choice, System enhanced his tentacles with [Perception] to check the ring’s structure.

Surprisingly, System managed to find out something. The ring was a special life form that had a level attached to it. System could not check its exact information as he could for insects.

System could tell that the ring was between Level 23–27, and its max level was 120–150. Given the ice-blue ring’s maximum level, it should be a more advanced life form compared to insects.

As System continued examining the ring, his tentacles’ effect affected the ring too. The ring vibrated lightly and started waking up.

After some time, the ring awakened and spoke to System in an unknown language, which was similar to the Frost Dragon’s. And, System could fully understand it.

“Creature with Frost Blood, what did you do to me?”

Unlike the dragon, the ring had a gentle female voice that was very comforting.

System fumbled with his mandibles awkwardly, as he sensed an all-too-familiar feeling. The ring acted like the insects that he had tortured with his tentacles.

Most likely, the ring was unable to mate, like Shava, and thus, it could not comprehend the special feeling that arose within it.

After a moment of silence, System ignored the question and used [Telepathy]. “What are you? Why are you on top of my head?” he asked the ring.

The silence had calmed down the ring, and it responded. This time, however, it didn’t speak in the unknown language and instead used System’s [Spirit Connection] to reply. “That’s an interesting skill. Creature with Frost Blood, I’m Nellis, an Ice Spirit and Executor of Winter.”

‘Ice Spirit?’

System paused for a while before asking, “Ice Spirit? Fine. Nellis, right? Why are you following me?”

System’s past-life memories contained information about mythological creatures, such as Elves and Spirits. However, usually, Spirits would have a pair of small wings and look cute. In System’s case, its form was a ball of light that creepily hovered over his head.

Still, that was not a big issue…

No matter how weird it was, System did not sense any harmful intentions through [Telepathy]. It was more like a sense of attachment, like that of a family and the bond between siblings.

Nellis did not hesitate and answered System, “Contract.”

System was puzzled. “Contract…? What contract? Why me?”

Nellis sensed System’s doubts and started explaining, “There are thousands of Ice Spirits in the Leyte Forest, but it is rare to find a descendant with Frost Blood. Although it’s this, you have pure Frost Blood flowing in you. That makes you the perfect candidate for signing a contract.”

System was more puzzled now.

‘Descendant with Frost Blood?’

If Frost Blood was running through grasshoppers’ veins, they would not die so soon after autumn.

At that point, System recalled the Frost Dragon’s yawn again—he had a new organ because of that yawn!

Nellis must have mistaken his [Frost Cold Breath] with the Frost Blood it was talking about.

System chose not to explain all the complex details to Nellis and asked again, “Can I choose to decline the contract?”

“Of course. But you should have told me that before the contract.”

“Wait… what?!” System inferred the underlying meaning in Nellis’ reply. “So we are…”

“Yeap, the contract is already signed…”

“HUH? When did I agree to it?” System was a little frustrated.

Nellis answered, “Neither did you decline.”

System was rendered speechless…

Decline? What more could he do?

He had tried his best to remove the ring from his head, but it had been impossible!

System remembered he had cast [Frost Cold Breath] and Nellis, in its ice-blue light ball form, had intercepted it and absorbed it. Maybe, that was the fateful moment…

“What do I have to do after the contract?” asked System.

“Live, pass on the Frost Blood.”

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System could not believe what in his ears, that was all?

System asked carefully, “And…?”

“In the past hundreds of years, it’s a rare occasion for snow to appear in our Leyte Forest. That’s why I was sleeping until just now.” Nellis did not answer System’s question.

System sensed the sadness and sorrow in Nellis’ words and realized something. “So you are saying that your previous contractor died a few hundred years ago, and you had been sleeping all this time?”

“Yes…”