Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Great Spirit Gnome
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I'd chanted the resurrection spell, so I had to make it work somehow... but I didn't just charge out recklessly.
I picked up a knight's helmet from the floor and tossed it to Yeongyi.
"Put this on. You might wake up."
We had to save them, but keeping our identities hidden was just as important.
I dashed out wearing the helmet, blocking the boss's path.
The eighteen arms writhing from its shoulders and sides were grotesque in themselves.
"What now?"
Yeongyi asked, nocking an arrow at the boss.
"...No idea."
One shockwave had turned three strike team members into that mess.
They were the guild's elite hunters—A-Rank or higher, no doubt.
'What can a C-Rank and a newbie do against that? Even the strike team got wrecked.'
I'd charged out boldly, but we had no plan.
I fiddled with the return ticket Yeongyi had given me on the way in.
Tear this, and the two of us could escape.
'But no, that's not right.'
I'm more selfish than selfless.
But as a human, I haven't forgotten basic decency.
Like not abandoning the people who came looking for us.
"Let's try the same as before. Draw your bow and wait. I'll pour as much power as I can into it."
To take on the boss, a baseball-sized arrow wouldn't cut it.
I wasn't sure if it was possible, but I planned to make the biggest one yet.
"So you did do something."
"That's not important right now! Get the arrow out quick."
I just needed to buy time for those three behind us to come to.
That's what I was thinking when I tried to move—but my feet wouldn't leave the ground.
'What the—?'
Looking down, golem dust scattered on the floor had grabbed me.
It covered my shoes and climbed up my ankles.
Just dust on me, but I couldn't budge.
Delicious. To think a human carries such Yin Energy.
A thick voice, like it belonged with makgeolli.
It crawled up my spine and stabbed straight into my head.
'Who are you?'
Humans call me a spirit. I rule the land you're standing on.
The Great Spirit governing earth among the Great Spirits—Gnome.
A being that lends power to mages and summoners, but only sends familiars; its true body never appears.
'The real Gnome?'
You saw the familiar, didn't you? Who else could send something like that?
I recalled the massive golem scraping the murals.
Yeah, only a Great Spirit like Gnome could dispatch something that size.
'I heard Great Spirits don't deal with humans.'
That's true. If the higher-ups weren't so noisy, I wouldn't have come up.
'Noisy?'
Yeah. Something that shouldn't be in this gate was rampaging. Too noisy to sleep.
[He's talking about the boss. That mural wasn't actually for a Blue Gate.]
'What?'
[I called a higher species on purpose to test how good you humans' boasted hunters are. Two birds with one stone—I get to test Master too.]
It had seemed odd that three strike team members went down in one hit.
They'd entered expecting normal difficulty and got a very hard mode instead.
Good thing you came up. And found such delicious Yin Energy too.
I pictured an old man smacking his lips somewhere unseen.
How about it? Contract with me? If you keep feeding me your Yin Energy, I'll make you the first human to contract with a Great Spirit.
'I'm not a mage or summoner.'
You're the King of Yin Energy. You can wield the classes of all females with Yin Energy.
The ultimate all-purpose class.
So that's what King of Yin Energy meant?
'What do I get from contracting with a Great Spirit?'
Summoners borrow familiars to fight for them; mages get earth-related spells.
I needed to weigh what the King of Yin Energy gained.
Call me, and I'll come myself. It'll help against other Great Spirits or divine beasts.
'Fight Great Spirits?'
News to me.
Hunters borrowing power from them, only to fight them?
We're friendly now, but they're fickle—could turn any moment. Same with humans, right?
Yesterday's friend becomes today's enemy.
Spirits and divine beasts too, apparently.
"Woojina, what's going on? Why's that thing even here?"
After Gnome appeared, a massive sandstorm blocked the boss's approach.
Didn't want our conversation interrupted, it seemed.
This alone would let us escape the spire with the strike team, but Gnome's contract offer piqued my interest.
First man in a gate, plus first hunter to contract a Great Spirit? How could I pass?
'Get rid of that thing. Then I'll consider it.'
I pointed at the boss trapped in the sandstorm.
Ho ho, a human testing a Great Spirit?
'Humans line up for hours at tasty spots for good food. You say my Yin Energy's delicious—do this much at least.'
Hahaha, what a fun human. Work for good food, eh? Fine, why not.
The sandstorm vanished like a lie, and the ground heaved.
Not just the floor—the walls and pillars shook too, bricks and tiles popping out one by one.
'Sandcraft?'
It looked just like it.
Stone fragments, tiles, and bricks gathered in the center, stacking like blocks into a human shape.
The blocky character from Sandcraft.
'Kinda lame.'
I can hear you.
Compared to the magic circle golem, it was downright crude.
If the golem was 4K, this was an 8-bit pixel sprite.
Humans still obsess over appearances. Not to my taste.
'Well, yeah. No joints on the limbs, all straight lines—looks half-assed. And why's the head so big?'
It's use-once-and-discard. Why fuss with design? Just watch quietly.
'Discard?'
Instead of answering, the block man strode toward the boss.
The boss roared, seizing it with all eighteen arms.
A bizarre clash of 4K and 8-bit.
Struggling. Cute little thing.
I expected the block man to crumple instantly, but it didn't budge.
Instead, its stubby arm grabbed the boss's side and hoisted it up.
"Kraaaah—!!"
The block man carried the glowing boss to the wall.
Bricks, stones, and tiles flew in from all sides, stacking like before.
This time, not a person—four blocks wide, five high, forming a door.
'What's that?'
Portal.
The center rippled, revealing crimson lava beyond the wall.
The block man, cradling the boss, stepped inside. The rippling portal vanished in an instant.
Done.
Speechless.
How was it this easy?
Contract now?
No clue which gate the boss came from—probably a green one.
It one-shotted three strike team members, yet handled like this.
'Just feed it Yin Energy, and I can command it.'
No reason not to contract.
[Think carefully.]
'Why? My Yin Energy's an endless spring, right? Enough to share with a spirit?'
[Spirits vary. That's a Great Spirit. It can dry up even an endless spring.]
Even if so, I could just refill.
How could I miss a chance to contract a Great Spirit?
'I'll do it. How?'
Kekeke, smart choice. Simple—give me your hand.
I held out my hand, and something etched into the back— an intricate magic circle pattern.
Great Spirit mark—invisible to others. I'll come when needed; no need to call.
True to Gnome's word, the contract was simple.
My body warmed slightly as the pattern formed, then returned to normal.
Contract bonus: some Yin Energy. Level up quick—your capacity's smaller than expected.
'Small?'
No way.
You called it an endless spring.
Sudden dizziness hit.
Like when I kissed Yeongyi, but on another level.
All vitality draining from my body.
Kruuuh, delicious indeed. Grow your capacity before next time.
No strength to reply.
So this is what Yin Energy depletion feels like.
Legs gave out; I dropped to my knees.
That's why Han Chaewon had knelt, gasping.
"What happened to you? Snap out of it!"
Yeongyi rushed over, shaking me, then squinted.
She realized what happened.
Touching me sucked no Yin Energy.
"Sorry. Those three... you get them out... don't tell anyone outside what you saw here..."
With the strike team entering, Hunter Agency folks were probably camped nearby.
Had to hide this until we assessed the situation.
Darkness closed in; I got sucked somewhere.
Yin Energy depleted—booted from the gate.
"Aggggh..."
I tumbled across the ground the moment I was ejected from the gate.
Hunter Agency must've mobilized—no cushions?
Murmurs around me.
I cracked my eyes slowly. Not sky—something else.
Definitely Yeongyi's studio rooftop.
"Black... lace...?"
Inside a tight H-skirt, mature panties peeked.
Sexy enough for victory undies in bed.
A pretty woman with a messy bun glared down, trembling.
Land like this, this angle...
Thwack!
Her slap stung as bad as Yeongyi's.
Too weak to lift a finger, I just lay there. Agency staff loaded me into a car and took me somewhere.
Did Yeongyi and the strike team make it out safe?
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[Rewards]
Points: 1,000pt
Artifact: Yin Energy Scout