Contract with the Fire Spirit – Arin's Appearance
The Flame Behemoth twisted its massive body at the center and charged straight toward Hyunmu Team 3. The ground trembled briefly as flames flickered between its rippling muscles. Hyunmu Team 3 met the assault head-on. Ice, water streams, and magic bullets erupted almost simultaneously, slamming into the beast's front. Ice shards sprayed in every direction, and several lizards were sent flying from the impact.
In that instant, the Behemoth abruptly changed direction. Its enormous frame launched into the air, soaring over Hyunmu Team 3's defensive formation and barreling straight toward us.
"Rear guard. It's coming from behind."
I couldn't remember who shouted first.
"Everyone, get back!"
Yoo Mira's voice rang out immediately. She stepped in front of Kang Doyun and deployed a flame barrier. Fire splashed against the shield and scattered. Oh Jaehoon and Baek Sorin retreated behind a nearby rock, pushing the heat away with a wind barrier.
I instinctively lightened my body and kicked off the ground. As I sprang sideways, a scorching current brushed past right behind me. But the Behemoth still had momentum left. When it dropped and stomped down, the earth shook violently, and deep cracks raced outward across the floor. The fissures slowly widened beneath my feet, and the ground gave way.
"Jihoon!"
Someone called my name, but my body was already tumbling downward. Rocks and dust poured with me, heat and wind mixing until up and down lost all meaning. Just before my head struck stone, I forced my body to stop with telekinesis. I hovered inches above the floor, heart pounding, then lifted myself again and landed carefully.
I exhaled and looked around. A tunnel-like passage stretched beneath the collapsed gap. No wind reached here, only a steady, oppressive heat. I walked slowly into the passage. Soon a small chamber opened up. In the center stood a pillar-like structure, and atop it rested a single crystal glowing with red light.
A Dungeon Core.
As I approached, a reddish-yellow glow pulsed faintly in the darkness. Its color alone revealed the grade.
"It's really C-rank."
The moment I reached out, the core trembled and tugged at my fingertips. The closer my hand came, the more the heat pressed against me, making it slightly hard to breathe. Just as my palm was about to close around it, a low voice echoed from between the rocks. It came from neither too close nor too far.
"……Who are you?"
I froze immediately. Nothing was visible except rocks, dust, and the hot air.
"I'm Investigator Jihoon Byun from the DIO. I've come to retrieve this Dungeon Core."
A brief silence followed. The core's reddish-yellow light flickered faintly.
"Dungeon Core. So that is what you call this thing."
I steadied my breathing and explained.
"It's the condensed energy that sustains a dungeon. In our world, we classify and manage them as Dungeon Cores."
The light around the core wavered more strongly than before.
"Then I suppose I was sealed together with this mass of energy."
The scattered heat between the rocks began to gather. Flames coalesced, and a hazy silhouette took shape.
"I was clearly sealed inside a volcanic crater in Elderium. Yet the place I awakened is this object you call a 'core.'"
Another silence.
The spirit's voice dropped lower.
"…How much time has passed? What happened that I ended up sealed in this form?"
I answered carefully.
"Dungeons first appeared in our world about twenty years ago."
A short silence. A faint sigh seemed to slip through.
"Time in the human realm truly is distorted. Just a moment."
The heat flowing through the rock crevices gathered in one place. The shadow-like silhouette gradually took on a clearer form.
"Roughly fifteen hundred years, it seems. My power has diminished greatly as well. To think I've fallen to a level below even a lesser spirit."
Once the words ended, the figure grew sharper.
"…I can't feel the energy of the spirit realm. The connection must have been severed. No, it's faint, but it still seems to remain."
The spirit turned its gaze toward me. Eyes like flickering flames rose thinly.
"You. You don't have a contractor yet, do you?"
"Pardon?"
The flames trembled slightly.
"As I thought. This world has almost lost its connection to the spirit realm."
The spirit paused in thought, then spoke in a low voice.
"Very well. I have one question. Do you intend to form a contract with me?"
"A contract…?"
"You must."
The voice drew one step closer.
"That core is currently heavily distorted by flame energy. If a human without resistance touches it—"
The light flashed briefly before my eyes.
"—your body will turn to ash and vanish."
I swallowed unconsciously.
"But if you contract with me, I can lend you a portion of my power so you can withstand the heat. I escape my seal, and you survive."
What looked like the spirit's fingertips of flame swayed slowly in the air.
"It is the only way for both of us to live. Contract with me, human."
I didn't hesitate.
"…I will."
At that moment, the core exploded outward. Flames surged from my hand up my arm and engulfed my entire body. My skin burned first. Heat layered upon itself, peeling away flesh only for new skin to form immediately. Hair scattered like ash the instant it was touched. The pain didn't come in waves; it spread like steady pressure from deep within and remained constant. A red energy bloomed at the edge of my vision. My eyes grew hot, and my sight wavered for a moment. My chest tightened. My bones rang as if crushed by searing force, and with every breath, heat flooded deep into my lungs.
The agony continued until, at some point, it stopped at a single point. Skin that had been burning away bloomed anew, and wherever ash had fallen, fresh flesh filled in naturally. Hair grew back within the flames, the tips now carrying a faint red glow.
Then light gathered at the center of the cavern. The reddish-yellow glow swelled once, then settled, and the outline of a small figure slowly took shape. Flames moved like flowing hair, and crimson light pooled in the eyes of a silhouette roughly thirty to forty centimeters tall. The being slowly lifted its head and looked at me. I reflexively took a step back.
"Who… are you?"
The small figure tilted its head ever so slightly. Embers swayed gently at the ends of its hair.
"You don't have to speak so formally. You freed my seal and even formed a contract with me. Honorifics don't suit the occasion."
The voice was short and precise. There was no anger, only a tone that simply stated facts.
"…Then I'll speak casually."
"Good. That feels much more natural."
The being looked down at the back of its hand. A thin layer of heat rose over what resembled a child's small hand. It moved its hand to its chest.
"I need a name that fits this form. I discarded my old name long ago, so I can't use it. My new contractor can give me one."
I hesitated for a moment at the unexpectedly calm tone. The light swayed before me in a steady rhythm.
"…Arin. How about that?"
"Warm like fire, and light to say."
The being's eyes widened. A brief spark flashed within, like embers.
"Arin. Arin."
The small body spun once through the air, and tiny sparks gathered faintly at its lips.
"I like it. It feels exactly like something you would choose. It suits me."
The small flame scattered once around us before settling again.
"…Take care of me."
Arin stood with arms crossed for a moment, then stared up at my face for a long while. A small ember scattered beside her.
"Then I'll be counting on you from now on, Contractor."
"…Yeah. I'll be counting on you too, Arin."
Arin nodded slightly. Then she looked at my face again and tilted her head.
"By the way, what's your name? Calling you 'Contractor' all the time feels awkward."
"Ah. I'm Jihoon Byun."
"Jihoon."
She murmured the name, and a small flame flickered inside her eyes.
"Good. I'll call you Jihoon from now on. You can call me casually too."
Arin glanced at my chest for a moment. A tiny ember trembled at her fingertips.
"Jihoon, can I ask you something?"
"…Sure."
"When the contract formed, my seal was broken. Normally, the energy crystal that was containing me would leave some trace behind."
"But this time the crystal quietly faded, and part of its energy flowed into you. The rest scattered around us."
"That's right. I felt an especially hot energy coming in with it."
Arin's gaze lingered on my chest.
"That's why I'm asking. Is this something humans can normally do?"
"No. Most can't. After awakening, they almost never get the chance to touch a Dungeon Core. But last year, I happened to touch one by chance. That's when the absorption started."
"I see. Even in Elderium, I'd never seen a human absorb an energy crystal. Your body clearly moves differently from a normal human's. It's not just because of the contract."
"I don't know the exact reason either. But it's true that this power keeps strengthening me."
"Yeah. Your energy feels much more stable than when I first saw you."
After a brief pause, Arin looked at me again.
"By the way, why do you look so awkward while speaking casually? It's really obvious."
"Ah… well."
I hesitated, and my gaze wavered for a second.
"You said you were over fifteen hundred years old. So every time I speak casually, that keeps coming to mind."
"What does?"
Arin's eyes narrowed. Embers swayed lightly at the ends of her hair.
"No, I mean, if you're fifteen hundred years old, then you're kind of a grandm—"
"A what?"
The flames rose sharply. Arin's brows drew together in an instant.
"What were you about to say just now? Grandmother?"
"No. Nothing."
Embers flashed at her fingertips.
Smack. Heat brushed my left cheek first. A brief flame burst, and a sharp sting spread.
Smack. This time the right. Though her hands were small, thin flames erupted, and both cheeks burned at once.
"Agh, hot! Hey, two is too—"
Arin lifted her chin and snapped.
"Don't even think about calling a fire spirit 'grandmother.' I'm still young."
I rubbed both cheeks in turn and shook my head.
"Got it, got it. But it really is hot."
"Then don't do things that get you hit."
Arin kicked the remaining embers with her toe and laughed. As the heat from the flame slaps faded, Arin perked up her ears. A faint vibration reached them from above the cavern.
"Is something happening up there? The rocks keep shaking."
"My teammates are still fighting. They probably haven't finished with the Behemoth yet."
"Then we should go up."
Arin nodded and looked at me.
"By the way, your clothes. They're completely tattered."
I tugged at my collar to check.
"At least the important parts are covered. Getting up comes first right now."
"Let's take it slow. Your body's going to feel different from before."
When I drew up my telekinesis, my body slowly lifted from the floor. I rose while keeping distance from the ground, then moved sideways smoothly. The power didn't lean to one side, and my center stayed naturally balanced.
"…It really has changed."
"Right? The Dungeon Core's energy flowed into you."
I raised my hand and extended my telekinesis. A much thicker, more stable flow than before followed.
"Hold on. How much stronger did I actually get?"
Three boulders the width of my shoulders came into view. When I pulled deeply on my telekinesis, all three rocks shifted at once.
"…Rise."
All three floated up together without any strain, and I still had power left. I rotated them slowly and changed their direction; the boulders followed without the slightest wobble. Even when I added more force, control didn't falter.
"…This is… smoother than I expected."
I set the rocks down and tested my body next. The moment I kicked off the ground, the air split and my body shot upward. I rose higher than expected, and the ceiling rushed into view.
"Wait—"
My head slammed straight into the ceiling. Rock dust rained down, and I tumbled back to the floor, unable to withstand the impact.
"Ow. That really hurt."
Arin clutched her stomach and laughed.
"You jumped, so why did you headbutt the ceiling?"
I tried testing my speed next. The instant I pushed power into my feet, my vision stretched forward.
"Stop—"
The wall shot toward me as if it had appeared out of nowhere. A dull impact scattered dust in every direction.
"Haa. I can't even handle the speed."
Arin couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Haha. Jihoon, you really have no intention of stopping, do you?"
At that moment, another heavy vibration descended from above the cavern. Dust fell between the rock gaps, and heat slowly spread.
"…They're still fighting up there."
I clenched and unclenched my fist for a moment. Both my telekinesis and my movements felt different from before.
"If I go up like this and can't control my strength, I'll end up hurting my allies first…"
I turned my gaze to the side. A single rock pillar caught my eye nearby.