Chapter 325
Chapter 325
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 325
Chapter Title: Gathering Spiritists
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After passing through the wind district and arriving at the central district.
The Spirit Kings all returned to their own domains.
- Spirit Kings don't enter the central district. It's an unspoken rule among us. From here on, you're on your own.
Central district.
The region located at the center of the spirit realm, where the four great spirits could roam freely.
The fact that the Spirit Kings didn't go there was a form of consideration.
If the Fire Spirit King Sallion appeared, the water spirits would suffer.
If the Water Spirit King Elraim appeared, the fire spirits would suffer.
The principle of mutual克制.
It was akin to an unwritten rule that the Spirit Kings wouldn't participate, even if those below them went to war.
- We kept those spiritists you mentioned safe.
- We left descriptions of their appearances, so you should be able to meet them soon.
- Ahem, we told them to head to the central district as fast as possible.
The Spirit Kings were accommodating.
They relayed the message to their top-grade spirits right there on the spot.
As a result, each was able to dispatch one spiritist as support.
Of course.
There were two from the wind side, at Jeya's request.
"Sis."
Sua kept looking for Jeya, as if something was bothering her.
Then she whispered.
"...Now that I think about it."
Jeya leaned in to listen.
"That legendary spiritist, Yuisah, got killed by that earth dragon or whatever, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Yuisah had a contract with a Spirit King back then, you know."
"...Right."
"But is it really okay? No matter how much of a fateful encounter it is, you have to survive for it to mean anything."
Even the Spirit Kings couldn't do it.
What could a few top-grade spirits accomplish?
She had a point.
'But.'
Nukalhyup?
Who went there holding a knife to their throat?
Of course, they could whisper among themselves.
The problem was that my heightened hearing caught every word.
"Miss Sua?"
I looked at Sua and smiled gently.
"Y-Yes? Yep?"
She jumped in surprise and looked up in a fluster.
I continued.
"If you don't want to go, you don't have to."
"Huh? What do you..."
"I mean it literally. You don't have to go. It was support from the start, remember?"
"No!"
Jeya, who had been listening from the side, stepped in right then.
She swept her gaze over Sua with an angry expression.
As if to say, [How can you kick away such a precious fateful encounter?]
"We have to go! I'm definitely going!"
"No, no."
I shook my head.
"That wasn't said to you, Jeya, so don't worry."
"But..."
Her sister tried to say more, but I cut her off.
"If I hear negative talk before I even properly challenge it, I'm the type who gets negativity all the way to my bones."
"B-But still..."
Honestly, the thought had crossed my mind.
Me, who was confident in successfully completing this mission, giving 'Sua'—the one who tried to kill me—a chance to touch the 'Crystal of the Depths'?
'No way in hell.'
Of course, 'Jeya' was different.
She had tried to save me somehow.
Karma!
Isn't it the law of the world to receive the fruits of one's actions?
"I guess it's time to decide. The anxious Miss Sua, you just stay here. Only sis will enter the depths of the central district."
"..."
Sua's eyes wavered as she listened.
Why?
When I actually told her not to go, her feelings got complicated, right?
A sense of loss mixed perfectly with the anxiety of missing out on a real fateful encounter.
And.
The fear she originally felt would slowly fade away.
"Wh-Who said I'm not going?"
Finally, Sua spoke up.
"I'm going too! I was just asking if it'd be okay..."
People's psychology is so funny.
Tell them to go and they don't want to; tell them not to and suddenly they do?
It never fails to surprise.
But.
Too late, Sua.
No matter how cool and grudge-free I am, I don't want to hand anything good to someone who holds a grudge against me.
"No. Miss Sua, don't go."
"I'm going, I said?!"
"No, I'm telling you not to go?"
Whoosh!
Flames sparked in my hand, and a glowing red club appeared.
"Are you not getting it?"
"..."
Sua, at a loss for words, opened and closed her mouth.
She never expected me to pull out a club just to tell her not to go.
I turned to Jeya.
"You decide too, sis. Are you going together? Or going alone?"
"..."
Jeya hesitated, mumbling her lips as she stared at me.
Her eyes showed conflict.
But that conflict was extremely brief.
She clenched her fist tight and stuck right to my side.
"S-Sis...?"
"Good call. You're the sis, after all—you have to be better than your little sister. Touch the Crystal of the Depths, boost your spirit affinity. Right?"
Heh, I smiled and turned around.
Then I kept walking.
But it's weird.
Looking at Sua's dumbfounded face, unable to say a word—why does my chest feel so refreshingly clear?
'Ah.'
Maybe.
I do hold a bit of a grudge after all?
* * *
It was quite a distance to the entrance of the depths.
It took nearly a week after reaching the central district to finally see the entrance.
The area around the destination was covered in brown energy.
A massive brown portal-like thing spread across the ground like a pond, slowly flowing.
Not a single spirit was visible around it.
And.
"You're the one the Spirit King mentioned?"
"..."
"...Yeah, it matches. That woman spiritist following behind—Jeya Sylphrion. The sisters from the Cepheus world."
Surprisingly, the three had arrived before me and were waiting.
Their reactions varied.
One silently observing, one subtly on guard, one relaxed.
"Truly as rumored."
First, the relaxed one stepped forward.
A man with distinctive armor and red hair down to his waist.
I could sense fire-attribute energy.
Likely a spiritist contracted with the top-grade fire spirit, Seleana.
"A guy with zero spirit affinity actually in the spirit realm. Which world's being are you?"
Which world?
"Earth."
"First time hearing of it."
"And you? Which world?"
"Me?"
The man grinned broadly.
"B-A-12."
?
Quite the unusual name.
What's with the number attached?
"Everyone makes that face the first time they hear our world's name. Heh heh. We're a civilization that conquers planets. I'm from the 12th planet of the B-A Empire."
Crazy.
I was shocked inside.
A civilization that conquers planets?
That means way more advanced than Earth, right?
True aliens.
'Well, whatever.'
Everyone I'm meeting now is an alien anyway.
Even my bony subordinates.
'Still.'
Hearing 'planet conquest' right in front of me was a shock.
Anyway, the man's name was Ista.
Next was the silent observer.
A woman with neat straight hair slightly touching her shoulders—Kerin.
A ranker from the 'Oshirotum' world.
She was contracted with the top-grade water spirit, Elestra.
Finally, Ringring.
The short girl with yellowish-brown hair and a slightly guarded expression was a ranker from the 'Tantara' world.
An earth spiritist.
"Hoo."
I let out a short breath.
Well.
People from all sorts of worlds had gathered.
"Anyway."
The red-haired man, Ista, spoke first.
"The Spirit King said you confidently claimed you could subjugate the earth dragon?"
He licked his lips.
As if savoring a delicious meal right in front of him.
"Mind sharing what gives you that confidence?"
"Confidence?"
I tilted my head.
These guys.
Seemed like they were having the same misconception as Sua.
"Looks like there was some mix-up in the message relay."
"What?"
Ista frowned.
"Whether you all go into the depths or not is up to you."
People I had to protect?
No, even 'protect' is too much—people I just needed to keep an eye on a bit.
That was only 'Jeya'.
The rest were just buffers to team up with since going in alone was iffy.
In short, stones to test the well's depth.
"Confidence? I don't have any. I'm just challenging it to get stronger. I won't be taking responsibility for your lives, and I won't be entrusting my life to you. Just a mutual deal. We fight together, succeed in subjugating, great. If not, oh well."
"Whoa, looks like there really was a mix-up in the relay."
Heh.
The man let out a scoff.
"I thought you had some genius plan. You're just gonna brute-force it?"
"I'd rather prefer that."
The girl contracted with the top-grade earth spirit Noeaanen, Ringring, stepped up.
"No matter how much I thought about why we were called, I got no answer. Better to be upfront like this than get backstabbed."
Rumble...!
She summoned her small golem, Noeaanen.
The roughly 5-meter golem extended a hand, placing the girl on its shoulder.
"I'm ready. Whoever goes in first, I'll follow. To contract with Noahs, this much trial is necessary."
Ho.
Ringring was unexpected.
As expected, rankers were rankers, no matter the world?
She was sharp as a tack.
'But.'
I suddenly got curious.
She looks underage no matter how I see her...
Doesn't her world grant unique abilities at adulthood?
As I stared blatantly at Ringring, Jeya poked my side from beside me.
Then she whispered.
"Just in case... Lady Ringring over there is 127 years old."
"..."
Huh?
An old lady even older than the Magic Tower Lord?
"They say humanity in her world has a longer average lifespan."
"I see."
Right, right.
A civilization that conquers planets exists, so why not one with long lifespans?
Her world must be more advanced in biotech than space tech.
While we were talking.
Step, step.
Someone walked silently.
Kerin, who had been quietly observing.
Her destination was the entrance to the depths of the central district.
She kept walking steadily and soon—poof!—slipped inside first.
Wow.
That one's really cool.
Just goes in first without a word?
"Kerin's gone in first. Guess I'll go too."
Thud! Thud!
Ringring followed with Noeaanen.
"Ha, haha!"
The man, Ista, laughed.
"Yeah, we're not here for a picnic or bonding. If you've made up your mind, act on it. Self-intros are done—let's head in!"
Not wanting to lose to the two women who went first.
Or...
Judging it safer to enter together, even if just a bit.
Ista quickly followed.
I'd barely said anything, and they chatted among themselves before slipping inside.
A moment of silence followed.
"We should go too, right?"
Jeya mumbled.
I nodded.
Honestly, I'd worried what if they didn't go in, but this wasn't bad.
They went in first—suits me fine.
"Let's go."
Earth dragon hunting.
Swish!
I stepped on the shadow, heading for the entrance.
Jeya followed behind me.
At the same time.
I threw myself toward the brown energy currents enveloping everything.
[Entering the dungeon.]
Rumble!
My vision flipped into chaos.
[Exposed to harsh environment!]
[All stats reduced by 10%!]
Finally.
My beloved subordinate.
The reincarnation of Bonegu.
The existence that killed the great spiritist Yuisah Stormtree.
The moment I entered the domain of the earth dragon.