Chapter 157
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Unexpected Omens - 3
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Lee Hyun-wook stood alone in the dark, cavernous room.
He closed his eyes and extended his metal control as far as it could reach in every direction.
His target was random—he was sensing for any and all metal in the vicinity, but…
‘…There’s really nothing?’
Beyond this room, in the entire surrounding area, there wasn't so much as a speck of metal.
It was an isolated space within Yggdrasil, made entirely from the World Tree’s trunk.
‘In that case, it should be safe to open the <City Scrubber> here.’
Of course, Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t sense materials like earth or stone, but Donald Harris, an S-rank Spirit Master, had summoned an ‘earth spirit’ to sweep the area and confirm their absence.
Just then, a wind spirit flew in, its vibrations forming the distant Donald Harris’s words.
- Hmm, if it’s a spirit colony, I could actually control it for you…
An S-rank Spirit Master of his caliber could surely suppress a rampaging spirit colony.
- …But if I did, they might inadvertently become my familiars.
As mentioned before, Donald Harris was effectively ‘banned’ from the Spirit Realm of Lake Chad.
His familiars—the spirits who shared his mana—were likewise barred from entry.
- But really… are you sure you can control it?
“Yes, it’s possible.”
As the Player world’s foremost expert on spirits, Donald Harris couldn’t easily shake his concern. Taming them was a different matter entirely, even if there were no earth-attribute materials nearby.
- Just in case, that metal manipulation skill of yours… whatever you do, do not use it.
He wasn’t joking. A careless use of a skill like ‘Rigidify’ could get his entire body torn to shreds. The ‘attribute dominance’ of a spirit rampaging with self-destructive intent was just that powerful.
- No matter how I think about it, you should need ‘Spirit Affinity’ or ‘Spirit Dominion’ to control them…
“Yes, I know. But I have an item that makes it possible.”
- Hmm, I don’t know what it is, but just know that I’ll intervene if a problem arises.
“Yes, thank you.”
Lee Hyun-wook walked over to a wooden box placed in a corner of the room.
*Creeeak—*
He opened it to find a large glass tube inside.
‘This is the City Scrubber.’
At a glance, it resembled a vacuum tube amplifier, with a tangle of complex devices and magic circuits inside the glass. This was where dozens of earth spirits were trapped in a ‘colony’ form.
[Item Information]
- Name: Spirit Prison (Proficient)
- Effect: Can imprison spirits. (43/50)
‘To think they’d trap spirits, who love freedom more than anything, in this tiny tube. And 43 of them at that…’
Forced into this cramped space for years, how could they not be enraged?
No, it would be stranger if they hadn’t gone mad. Most of them probably had already.
And that wasn’t all. The 43 spirits were ‘bound’ together as a single entity, unable to separate.
It was the failed result of an experiment to create a ‘Spirit King’ from numerous ordinary spirits.
‘The moment I open this, the enraged spirits will burst out and start rampaging.’
Lee Hyun-wook carefully twisted and unlocked the lid-like cap on top of the Spirit Prison.
The moment he did—
*BOOOOM—!*
The entire Spirit Prison exploded like a fragmentation grenade.
“Ugh—!”
Lee Hyun-wook was thrown several meters back. He rolled as he landed and sprang to his feet.
It was his first time opening it, so he hadn't anticipated such a reaction.
“Dammit… I didn’t think it would blow up right away…”
His right palm was torn and bleeding. He couldn’t use Rigidify for the aforementioned reason, but skills like ‘Strong Bones’ and ‘Draconic Strength’ had significantly enhanced his body, preventing his hand from being blown off completely.
*Whoooooosh—*
From the front, where only the base of the Spirit Prison remained, dark energies began to rise and swirl.
‘They’re coming out.’
「Aaaargh—!」
「Gaaah—!」
「Kyaaaa—!」
A cacophony of 43 voices—children, men, women, the elderly—filled the space.
Among them, the most prominent were screams of hatred directed at Lee Hyun-wook.
「Human, human, kill—」
「Crush him with stone, bury him in dirt—」
「Ugh, where is this?」
“Hold on, you want to kill me when we’ve never even met?”
Lee Hyun-wook raised both hands to show he had no intention of fighting, but it was useless.
「Yes, kill all humans!」
「Revenge on the treacherous humans!」
「Gah, I was sleeping so well. What’s going on?」
A wave of murderous mana surged toward Lee Hyun-wook, surrounding him.
But he just stood his ground and smirked.
“So… what are you going to kill me with? And how?”
At that, the spirits, who had been spewing curses like a rap, fell silent all at once.
「…」
The souls hovered in the air, slowly rotating as if looking around.
「…Uh, there’s nothing, nothing!」
「How can this be?」
「No stone, no dirt, no metal!」
They had realized there wasn't a single trace of the specific ‘attribute’ materials they could manipulate.
「N-No way! A place like this can’t exist unless it’s in the sky or under the sea!」
Even a rage so intense it made them lose their minds couldn't help but falter in the face of utter helplessness.
“If you’re looking for something like metal, how about this?”
At that moment, an item materialized from the mark on Lee Hyun-wook’s right wrist.
*Shhhhh—*
「—There, it’s over there!」
It was the ‘Iron Golem’s Core.’ Being metal, it drew a sharp reaction from them.
‘Metal Generation—’
Lee Hyun-wook then generated metal from the palm holding the core.
「Ooh— The human is creating metal!」
But as soon as the metal was produced, it was instantly sucked into the Iron Golem’s core before the spirits had a chance to snatch it away. And so, a tiny Iron Golem, 105 cm tall and weighing 25.5 kg, was born.
「Oh, a metal doll!」
「That’s mine!」
As it was the only piece of metal in the room, all 43 earth spirits rushed toward it.
They were like people who had found an oasis after crossing a desert, desperate with thirst.
- Warning! You have lost master authority over the ‘Iron Golem’ due to an unknown force!
That’s right. All 43 earth spirits had simultaneously possessed the Iron Golem.
‘Good, they took the bait.’
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook pulled another item from the mark on his left wrist.
[Item Information]
- Name: Athena’s Golden Bridle (Heroic)
- Effects
1) Controller of the Battlefield: Greatly increases maximum number of familiars for 15 minutes. (+50)
2) Taming of Mythical Beasts: Placing this bridle on a monster allows you to tame it as a ‘familiar.’
It was said to be the very item the Greek hero Bellerophon used to tame Pegasus.
Lee Hyun-wook threw it over the small Iron Golem, which was still waddling about as if not fully adjusted.
- Commencing ‘Capture Process’ on the target monster with Athena’s Golden Bridle. (Stage 1)
* All of the target monster’s abilities are temporarily and significantly reduced. (-30%)
「Gaaah— Let me go—」
The creature began to thrash about, but right now, it was just a small, 25.5 kg metal doll.
Lee Hyun-wook pinned it down with sheer force, then wrapped the bridle twice around his hand for a tighter grip.
- Commencing ‘Capture Process’ on the target monster with Athena’s Golden Bridle. (Stage 1)
* All of the target monster’s abilities are temporarily and significantly reduced. (-30%)
The longer the golden bridle was on, the greater the reduction in the monster’s abilities became.
‘And eventually, I can completely suppress it and make it my familiar.’
But Lee Hyun-wook had no intention of forcibly subjugating it. Not only would that prevent him from drawing out the spirit’s full power, but it was also dangerous, as it could lead to betrayal at any moment.
“Alright, everyone calm down. How about you listen to what I have to say?”
「Grrr— Let go of this—!」
「We’ve been caught again…」
「No, I don’t want to be trapped again!」
“If you make a contract with me, I can grant your wish!”
「What? You, make a contract with us?」
「You are not worthy!」
「Still, shouldn’t we at least hear him out?」
“Yeah, just listen. Your wish… it’s revenge, isn’t it?”
「Shut up—!」
“I’m not talking about killing just any human. I’m saying I’ll help you kill the human who imprisoned you.”
At that, he felt their resistance weaken slightly.
「Uh, what, what did you just say?」
It seemed he had struck a chord with their desires.
「What did you say you could help with?」
「Ah, this is frustrating… Just listen!」
Amidst the jumble of voices, he could hear some that hadn't yet lost their reason.
Lee Hyun-wook loosened his grip on the golden bridle slightly and spoke in a gentle, soothing voice.
“You all remember, don’t you? That place called the Spirit Master Association, and the Black Elementalists…”
Black Elementalists were those who used force to subjugate spirits and treat them like slaves. It was people with such tendencies who had performed horrific experiments on these 43 spirits.
‘The current vice-president of the Spirit Master Association, and the woman who will one day become the leader of the <Black Door>…’
She was one of the key Villains Lee Hyun-wook had to deal with eventually.
「I remember, that evil woman—!」
「We have to kill them…」
Whether they had been forcibly captured or coaxed, they knew who their enemies were.
Lee Hyun-wook focused their attention by stimulating that very point, their most intense desire—revenge.
“That’s right. I will create an opportunity for you to kill them. I swear on my life.”
「Is… is that really true?」
「No, don’t trust him!」
「But I want revenge so badly!」
“And I will take all the spirit stones those bastards have and help you become a Spirit King.”
Just as humans have a desire for self-actualization, all spirits dream of becoming a Spirit King.
「But what makes you so great that you can make such a promise!」
「Yeah, you expect us to believe some guy who isn’t even a Spirit Master?」
“Haha— Right, of course…”
Lee Hyun-wook then generated metal from his body, creating a 2 kg iron ball.
- Commencing ‘Capture Process’ on the target monster with Athena’s Golden Bridle. (Stage 1)
* All of the target monster’s abilities are temporarily and significantly reduced. (-30%)
「Oh, metal we can control!」
“You think you can control it? Go on, give it a try.”
The earth spirit colony began to pull at the metal, and Lee Hyun-wook extended his left hand as well.
*Whirrr—*
The iron ball vibrated back and forth in mid-air as forces pulled it from all directions…
*Swoosh— Thud—*
But in the end, it landed in the palm of Lee Hyun-wook’s hand.
「Hey, what the!」
By now, the spirits’ power had been halved and their rage had subsided.
Lee Hyun-wook’s metal control could now overpower their attribute control.
「Gasp— That’s some serious metal control!」
「What, he seems stronger than us?」
Spirits tended to have considerable pride in the ‘domain’ they commanded.
In that respect, defeating them in a contest of earth-attribute power made it more likely he would earn their acknowledgment.
“So, with my level of power, don’t you think we can kill those bastards together?”
「Honestly, it seems possible with this much…」
「But why are you showing us such kindness?」
「Aaaargh! Suspicious, he is! Kill him, first!」
“Of course, I can’t do it for free. You’ll have to help me with my work too.”
「Just as I thought, he plans to use us! Aaargh!」
「That’s how they tricked us before! We can’t fall for it!」
「Gah— Shut up! Just listen to him until the end!」
“Calm down and think. I’m the one who freed you from that Spirit Prison in the first place.”
「That… seems to be the case?」
“If that’s true, doesn't it mean I must have attacked those Black Elementalists to get you?”
「Ah… is that so?」
“You didn’t see it yourselves, but it’s the truth. So doing it a second time won’t be difficult.”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, the spirits began to mutter amongst themselves, as if holding a meeting.
And since they had already been subdued by him, it seemed there was no reason for their deliberations to drag on.
A moment later—
「Alright, we’ve decided!」
The voice was that of a cheerful boy, a stark contrast to the rampaging creature from moments before.
Seeing the 108 cm metal doll wave its arms as it spoke really made it feel like a little kid.
Come to think of it, this was the voice that had maintained its reason amidst the earlier cacophony.
「Let’s make a temporary contract! Since you’re not a Spirit Master, a subservient contract has too many restrictions!」
“Phew— I’m glad we can still talk.”
「And from now on, I’ll be the representative, so you know!」
At that moment, a system message appeared before Lee Hyun-wook.
- Would you like to form a ‘Contract’ with the Earth Spirit Colony? (Y/N)
* The Earth Spirit Colony will gain the right to ‘share’ your mana.
* As you are not a Spirit Master, you will not receive any additional effects.
Anyone could form a contract with a spirit, but for those without the Spirit Master trait, it was practically unheard of. After all, there was no need for a Player to borrow the power of a spirit that wasn't even a good match for them.
‘But an earth spirit will have the best synergy with my abilities.’
*Crackle—*
Lee Hyun-wook stripped the metal off the Iron Golem and retrieved just the core.
Strange symbols began to etch themselves onto its surface.
‘The item information has changed.’
[Item Information]
- Name: Elemental Vessel (Special)
- Effect: Unknown
Since Lee Hyun-wook wasn’t a Spirit Master, he needed a separate space for the spirits to dwell.
The earth spirits had modified the Iron Golem’s core to serve that purpose.
“Alright, from now on, your name is… Maru.”
Maru, a pure Korean word meaning ‘world.’
「Hmm… that’s kinda lame. What does it even mean? Everyone says it sucks.」
“…It doesn’t have a deep meaning.”
「And is giving us a name part of the contract?」
“No, just go with Maru.”
Just then, a section of the wall—a mass of tree trunks—began to slide open.
Donald Harris walked in from the opening.
“…Are you perhaps a Prophet?”
He asked the question out of the blue, leaving Lee Hyun-wook with a puzzled expression.
“If not, how do you keep pulling off these bizarre feats?”
“Haha— Do I? I guess I’ve always been a bit lucky.”
“Honestly, I never expected you to tame a spirit colony…”
He said with a deep frown, his tone somewhat displeased.
But beneath that expression was a strange sense of wonder.
“Hmm— I guess Emilia’s praises weren’t just because she was smitten with a man…”
***
「So, you’re saying you’ll give us a 1st-grade spirit stone as a down payment on the contract?」
Maru asked from inside the backpack on Lee Hyun-wook’s back.
“Yes, so please be quiet for a bit. It looks like I’m talking to myself.”
Lee Hyun-wook was currently walking through Yggdrasil’s ‘commercial district.’ He was naturally in disguise to hide his identity; with eyes and ears everywhere, he needed to be as careful as possible.
「Geez, should I have written ‘prioritize mutual communication’ into the contract?」
“…You were locked up in that Spirit Prison for so long, so how are you so lucid?”
「Heehee— You don’t think this is what being crazy looks like?」
Ah, that was a possibility.
“Anyway, a 1st-grade spirit stone is unconditionally good for you, right?”
「That’s true… but isn’t it a bit pricey for a down payment?」
‘This little guy is sharp.’
The reason he was going out of his way to get them an expensive, top-grade spirit stone was to ask a favor.
He planned to enter the Spirit Realm of Lake Chad tomorrow and needed them to act as his guide.
‘At that time, I’ll have to entrust everything to this guy’s guidance, and things could get out of control.’
Just in case the mad spirits had other ideas, he needed to secure their loyalty.
The best way to do that was with money. To make them think, *Good things happen when I stick with this person.*
“Hmm, anyway, just be quiet for a bit.”
Lee Hyun-wook was looking down on the magical city of Yggdrasil in the Republic of Chad through Hugin’s eyes.
He had visited this brilliant city several times in his past life, but this was the first time he had seen it so intact.
The buildings, a refreshing blend of white and blue, gave off a strange sense of tranquility.
‘The first time I came to this region was after several major terrorist attacks.’
Back then, the Saintess, one of Yggdrasil’s pillars, had also been assassinated, and the atmosphere had been grim.
‘So the South Tower was still standing at this point?’
The South Tower was the name of the wizard tower to the west, tall enough to be seen from quite a distance.
Later, during a World Mage Player Forum held inside it, a Villain would carry out a terrorist attack.
「Oh— That Spirit Master over there has some solid potential.」
At Maru’s words, Lee Hyun-wook turned his head toward an alley.
There was a stall in the gloomy alley, and its owner was a Player.
- Player (LV: 34)
The three people standing in front of it were also Players.
- Player (LV: 29)
- Player (LV: 41)
As expected, the streets of Yggdrasil were filled with as many Players as civilians.
It seemed Players from all over the world came here to study or travel.
‘But once the invasion begins, they’ll all flee…’
Few Players were righteous enough to throw themselves into a disaster that didn't concern them.
But just then, an unexpected variable caught Lee Hyun-wook’s eye.
“Huh?”
This time, it wasn’t a Player, but a monster.
To be precise, it was a monster that had ‘polymorphed’ into a Player.
And not just any monster…
- Dark Elf Spirit Master (LV: 61)
“…What is this?”
And there wasn't just one of them.
They were walking at set intervals, sitting in cars, drinking cola in restaurants…
- Dark Elf Forest Warrior (LV: 59)
- Dark Elf Forest Hunter (LV: 41)
- Dark Elf Forest Hunter (LV: 48)
It seemed the Dark Elves were scouting the area ahead of their invasion.
‘In that case… have I unintentionally stumbled upon their trail?’
Lee Hyun-wook began to trail them discreetly.
And by listening to their conversation through Hugin, he caught a shocking phrase.
- …The Spirit King’s daughter has been secured.