Water Spirit King (3)
Aqua shifted the mood in our favor in an instant.
[What will you do, Niagara!]
Aqua declared proudly from my arms. Niagara's face twisted in a mix of distress, displeasure, and bewilderment.
[Duel! Duel!]
[Woo! It's a duel!]
[Niagara's scared! Scared of Lady Aqua!]
[If you're scared, you lose!]
But Niagara had no other options left. In the end, he let out a deep sigh.
[……Fine. I accept the duel.]
[Wooo!]
[Duel!]
The spectating spirits erupted in cheers. They say the best show in the world is watching a fight, and spirits were no different.
I cut in before Niagara could speak.
"Let's set the duel for four days from now."
[Four days?]
Niagara glared at me fiercely.
[Do you think I'll let you scheme behind my back?]
"Don't worry. I'm not planning any tricks or running away. With all these witnesses, could I even pull that off?"
[Then why four days?]
"I'll be in top condition by then."
[…….]
Niagara furrowed his brows in an inverted V, staring at me. I shrugged and provoked him the same way Aqua had.
"Surely the Spirit King isn't scared of me at full strength and won't even wait that long, right?"
[……Tch.]
Niagara clicked his tongue and turned away.
[Four days, Aqua. Prepare to return home on time.]
Niagara turned his back. Whoosh! A waterfall poured from the empty air once more, splitting in half to open a path to the Spirit Realm. Niagara crossed through, and the path sealed shut. The overwhelming spirit power that had pressed down on me vanished with him.
"Phew……."
I leaned against the balcony railing and exhaled.
[Are Niagara and Lady Aqua gonna fight? For the Water Spirit King seat?]
[This'll be fun!]
[Gotta drag my spirit user into this—call more spirits too!]
The spirits chattered excitedly as they returned to their contractors. The spirit users on the ground below, looking up at us, already had their phones out.
"This just ballooned in scale out of nowhere."
[This is the day this supreme one debuts as Spirit King! A small scale would be an insult!]
Aqua puffed out her chest. I chuckled and stroked her head. Whether drunk on the thrill of battle or not, Aqua didn't swat my hand away—she just huffed, glaring at the spot where Niagara had vanished.
* * *
After Niagara left, we resumed our meal.
"Eat well and rest well to fight well."
At my words, Aqua and Mandu attacked their drinks and meat with combative gusto, chomping away. Watching them sparked a realization.
Come to think of it, four days from now is exactly the date from the prophecy.
Who knew if the prophecy foresaw even this.
[You eat too! Didn't you say training matches what you eat!]
"Oh, right."
I picked up my chopsticks and shoved in some meat. It was cold, but I stuffed my stomach to the limit for energy replenishment.
As we finished eating and cleaned up, the doorbell rang. It was Jeong Ri-on and Mulsuja.
"Sorry for the late hour."
"No, come on in."
I guided them to the table. Before I could even grab drinks, Mulsuja spoke up.
"It's chaos right now. Rumors of the duel have spread across the whole resort—guests are all extending their stays like crazy."
"And the scouts who quieted down are swarming back. Even reporters are showing up."
Mulsuja shook her head.
"The parking lot's packed—no spots left. Feels like every reporter in Gangwon-do is here."
"We'll do our best to block the scouts and reporters. At least until duel day, you can relax."
Jeong Ri-on's face was unusually stern.
"If you need any more help, just say the word. We can't let a guest at our affiliate resort—Phoenix Guild's own—suffer. And more than that……."
Jeong Ri-on looked at Aqua. It was the first time I'd seen such a serious glint in his eyes.
"Forcing a spirit user and spirit apart is unacceptable. As a spirit user myself, I can't stand by."
Aqua nodded vigorously in agreement. Mulsuja and Mandu did too. Even Jang Gilsan, leaning against the wall away from the group despite not being a spirit user, gave a small nod.
"Tearing apart a happy family deserves divine punishment."
Everyone agreed.
* * *
After Jeong Ri-on and Mulsuja left, we prepped for bed right away. We'd trained plenty during the day—rest was key now. But Aqua seemed unable to sleep.
[…….]
I placed a hand on her belly and patted gently to soothe her. Despite my intent, her eyes stayed wide open.
Aqua stared at the dark ceiling for a long while. Silence hung heavy, laced with anxiety and tension like spiderwebs.
The prophecy warning of Niagara's arrival felt different from the man himself setting the duel four days out—the weight was heavier now. Mandu sensed the mood too, lying quietly without a peep.
[Hey.]
After an eternity of quiet, Aqua spoke.
[What if we lose?]
I kept patting softly as I replied gently.
"Then I'll come find you in the Spirit Realm."
Aqua's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me.
"If we lose and you have to go back and can't come out, I'll just go to your side, right?"
Aqua's eyes began to sparkle. I smiled.
"You came to find me once. Next time, it's my turn. I'll bring Mandu too."
Aqua gazed at me a moment, then rolled over and burrowed into my arms.
[Heehee! That's my spirit user!]
Her mood lifted; she hugged me tight, rubbing her cheek against mine furiously. Then she spun, dragging Mandu into her embrace.
[Come here! Sleep time!]
Aqua clutched Mandu close. I held her, patting her back. Feeling my warmth on her back and Mandu's on her belly, she giggled heehee before drifting off.
[Snore~.]
"……."
Confirming both were asleep, I quietly slipped out to the living room without waking them. Jang Gilsan, tapping away at his tablet at the table, glanced up.
"You look better than I thought."
"Hahaha."
I laughed weakly and sat across from him. He stared, then asked.
"Want some ginseng? I'll buy it."
"Aqua's healing water has me covered."
"Confident you'll win?"
"Confidence……."
I gazed out the window.
Spirit Kings were said to match S-rank awakener power. Aqua was A+, but the gap between A and S was vast.
"Honestly? Not entirely."
I grinned at Jang Gilsan.
"Confidence in losing, that is."
"……Jokes."
It was meant to reassure, but not entirely a joke. I didn't think we'd lose.
Niagara fights alone without a contractor, but we've got two.
I wasn't a high-rank spirit user, but my contract with Aqua let me punch above my weight.
And Niagara can't go all out.
His goal was taking Aqua back. He wouldn't hit her with full-force attacks. As for me, her contractor—killing me would shatter Aqua mentally and physically. Spirit users weren't the only ones who became wrecks losing partners.
He'll hold back. That's our opening—plenty of them.
Of course, easier said than done—I knew that better than anyone.
It's possible. If not, we'll make it possible and win.
Plus, I hadn't given up on a peaceful resolution. Until duel day, the door stayed open.
Jang Gilsan watched silently. Knowing it was worry in his eyes, I flashed a small smile.
"Don't worry. We'll win. You know I get it done when I say I will."
Grasping slim chances and pushing through with effort—that, I was confident in. Hadn't I contracted Aqua that way?
"Yeah. Your grit and will are top-notch."
A faint smile tugged at Jang Gilsan's lips—his friend's vote of faith.
"Go flatten the Spirit King—or Stamina King, whatever."
"Ahahaha."
I chuckled softly at the joke.
* * *
The next morning.
[For training, let's stuff ourselves today too!]
Aqua chugged her cherry ade aggressively. She glanced at me between gulps. When I smiled back, she beamed heehee and shoveled in more food.
I could only rub my gritty eyes when she wasn't looking. Pondering breakthroughs beyond my current ideas had cost me sleep.
Can't show weakness to Aqua.
She was stronger, but leaned on me mentally. That's the spirit-contractor bond. I couldn't falter in front of her.
After eating, we checked the Spirit Shop quests. It was refresh day.
[Ooh!]
But the quest content surprised me.
Overthrow Niagara
Do not let Aqua go
🎁 Reward:Multi-Attribute trait, Spirit Shop expansion
I was speechless for a moment. It felt like peering into my heart. Even more, quests always said "spirit" before—this specified "Aqua."
The Spirit Shop really came to us to connect me and Aqua.
As I basked in quiet emotion, Aqua lunged into my arms.
[Heehee! It says don't let me go!]
"Of course."
We hugged briefly. Holding her close, eyes shut, all tension melted away.
After our overflowing embrace, we eyed the quest again.
Overthrow Niagara
Do not let Aqua go
🎁 Reward:Multi-Attribute trait, Spirit Shop expansion
Multi-Attribute allowed contracts with multiple spirit types. With it, I could formally contract Mandu too.
[Great news, Mandu!]
Aqua hoisted Mandu in both hands. Oblivious to the invisible quest window, Mandu just flicked his tongue in confusion.
We had to win anyway—but now one more must-win reason.
And Spirit Shop expansion sounds promising.
Then—
Ring ring! The intercom buzzed. A call from the lobby—visitors.
Jang Gilsan answered, then remembered.
"Oh, right. Ordered a special remedy."
"What kind?"
"To help you prep for the fight as comfortably as possible."
Ding dong. The doorbell rang.