Body Change and the High-class Spirits
I stood there for a while. The fight was over, but my body refused to relax. I took a slow breath and surveyed the corpses scattered across the floor and the shattered rock formations.
“This… is going to be worth a fortune.”
It had come out like a joke, but the sheer amount of remains piled inside the nest made it clear the words weren’t an exaggeration.
I started with the drake. Cutting open the area around its heart, I extracted the highest-grade mana stone and stored it directly in my subspace. Finally, the Dungeon Core embedded deep within the drake’s heart came into view, fused as one with the organ itself.
I didn’t hesitate. The moment I reached out and grasped the Dungeon Core—
Mana flooded into me all at once. There was no time to register it. The core crumbled the instant it touched my palm, spiraling inward and being absorbed into my body.
The amount of mana pouring in was overwhelming. Every bit of mana accumulated in the Dungeon Core surged into me at once. In an instant, my central mana hole reached saturation. Then my lower mana hole hit its limit as well, and I felt something inside me break.
“Ghh—!”
Breath caught in my throat. My body pitched forward, and I staggered under the torrent of mana rushing through the Dungeon Core. Uncontrolled mana slammed into my mana holes. Muscles swelled beyond my control, pressure building from within, and every attempt to exert force only triggered convulsions.
Mana poured like a waterfall. Bones and joints were pushed to their absolute limits. I felt structures realigning in my shoulders, waist, and legs. The more I inhaled, the tighter and hotter my insides became. Each exhale blurred my consciousness, yet the thought that I couldn’t afford to lose this flow came first.
I clenched my teeth and activated the Harmony Heart Method. Instead of forcing it down, I anchored the flow around the central mana hole, releasing the pressure built up in the lower hole and guiding the circulation. Once my breathing synced, the wild mana gradually regained its rhythm, but both the central and lower mana holes were already saturated. The remaining mana, with nowhere left to settle, began pushing upward.
The back of my neck grew hot. I felt the sensation of something repeatedly pounding against a sealed gate. I seized the flow and drew the Harmony Heart Method’s circulation straight upward.
Thud—
The first collision sent mana rebounding. My body shook violently, but I held the flow. A second wave followed soon after. This time, the mana accumulated in the central and lower holes surged upward together, slamming against the barrier at the back of my neck. When the pressure repeated, the sealed passage finally gave way, and the upper mana hole opened.
At the same moment, the mana flowing through my body passed through the upper mana hole and briefly escaped outward before being drawn back in. The returning mana no longer rampaged. It moved between the mana holes, matching their rhythm, and gradually compressed into a calmer state.
The first visible change appeared in the central mana hole. The accumulated mana gathered instead of scattering, and a solid crystal began to take shape within it. The lower mana hole underwent the same transformation.
Only then did the meaning of this flow become clear. The original form of the Harmony Heart Method—the Omega Circle. Mana rising from the lower hole was purified and amplified around the center before flowing upward. This state matched exactly what the Omega Circle described as the Master stage.
With the upper mana hole open, the flow changed. Released mana mixed with the ambient mana of nature, making external manipulation far easier. The power I expended returned naturally, absorbed back into the lower and central mana holes. My mind felt lighter. The lich’s language and magical structures connected without interruption, and calculations that had once stalled now resolved themselves without explanation.
My body followed the same flow. Over-expanded muscles tightened and firmed. Misaligned joints and bones settled back into place. Old scars vanished without a trace, and my hair regained its deep color. Pain remained, but it had shifted from something I had to endure to something I could manage.
I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but the sensation that the flow inside me had completely stabilized was unmistakable. I sat down naturally and slipped into quiet meditation to confirm the reorganized circulation.
When I opened my eyes again, two spirits were looking down at me with startled expressions.
“Jihoon, are you okay?”
“Yeah. My body feels completely light. And overflowing with power.”
“Jihoon, you just went through a Body Change.”
“Body Change? What’s that?”
“In Elderium, when someone surpasses Sword Expert and reaches Sword Master, their bones and muscles realign, transforming the body into its optimal state. Mana capacity increases, circulation becomes far more natural, and that’s the stage where you can wield a Mana Blade.”
“Hmm… With the upper mana hole open, the circulation has definitely changed. I think I’ve reached the Master stage the Omega Circle mentioned.”
“Whoa… That usually requires enlightenment. You just forced it through with raw mana volume.”
“Jihoon, are you really okay? That much mana should have gone berserk…”
“It almost did. I thought I was going to die trying to fix it.”
“Hohoho, congratulations anyway. You succeeded in the Body Change. Now that I look at you, you seem a little taller too.”
“Right, right! Jihoon got bigger!”
“Haha, really? Nice. Thanks, you two.”
“Hohoho, you say the strangest things… Huh? Wait, something’s wrong. Power is suddenly welling up inside me.”
“Huh? Me too. Arin, mana keeps overflowing.”
With those words, flames enveloped Arin’s body and blazed brightly as she slowly rose into the air. Elly curled her body as well, drawing water around her as she lifted alongside. Moments later, the flames surrounding Arin grew even brighter before being absorbed back into her. She opened her eyes and approached me.
“Jihoon! I ranked up! I can use the power of a high-class spirit now!”
“Congratulations, Arin. You worked so hard collecting spirit stones all this time. You finally get to see the results.”
“Byun Jihoon! You always have to phrase it like that… Hehe, but I’m still happy. It seems your growth is affecting us too. Thank you, Jihoon.”
“No need to thank me… By the way, Arin, you look a little taller too. You’re almost up to my chest now.”
“Yeah! You’re right. We can increase our body size a bit each time our rank rises.”
“Ah, I see. I’ve been wondering for a while—do all spirits take female forms?”
“No. We can change into whatever form our contractor desires. The appearance is fixed to whatever you imagined at the time of the contract.”
“That’s why Elly and I look like this now.”
“Hohoho, now that you mention it, Jihoon, you definitely like human women!”
“Ahem… Huh? Look, Elly seems to be finished too.”
“Hohoho, look at you changing the subject because you’re embarrassed.”
While I was talking with Arin, Elly finished her evolution and approached me as well.
“Jihoon, my rank rose too. Thank you.”
“Congratulations, Elly. You worked really hard all this time. You did it all yourself.”
“Hohoho… Thank you. Still, it feels like we rose together because you got stronger.”
“Alright, let’s clean up the area first. We’ve already spent too much time here. There’s a lot to collect.”
“Kekeke, got it, Jihoon. Let’s hurry and sort everything.”
The spirits and I scattered to search the dungeon. I began by storing the drake’s corpse in my subspace. There was no reason to leave it behind, and even just processing it would fetch an enormous price. Then I scanned the nest once more. Bones and various traces covered the floor and walls, but most of the swords and equipment were rusted or severely damaged. Anything that looked like it would crumble at a touch was just old debris. The real valuables were elsewhere.
Mana stones lay scattered among the bone piles, and several of them appeared to be in decent condition. Between them, two bags caught my eye.
“These…”
Elly reacted first. She approached the bags, examined them for a moment, then spoke with certainty.
“They’re subspace bags.”
“They’re on a completely different level from ordinary subspace pouches.”
I picked one up and tested its weight. It looked ordinary, but the moment it touched my hand, the difference was obvious. The internal space wasn’t just larger—the structure itself felt fundamentally different.
“The capacity… is different.”
Arin nodded immediately.
“Yeah, at least ten times bigger than a subspace pouch.”
“Even by Elderium standards, these are quite valuable.”
Arin paused, thinking, then added, “In the Belcarium Empire, only nobles of count rank or higher would carry something like this.”
“Not the kind of thing ordinary mercenaries or hunters could use.”
I looked down at the bag again. Its condition was far too pristine to have simply been lying around in a dungeon.
“Then whatever’s inside must be just as valuable.”
Arin and Elly both nodded. I made my decision.
“Let’s check.”
When I opened the bags, my expectations were met. One contained mid-grade swords and various items neatly organized, with gold, silver, and jewels filling the spaces between. The mana preservation was good, and despite their age, the items looked remarkably clean. The other bag held a different sort of contents: swordsmanship manuals, several volumes on sword techniques, monster encyclopedias, and stacks of organized documents, along with what appeared to be ledgers for slush funds. These were closer to records than simple loot.
“This… carries traces of a fairly old civilization.”
Elly spoke as she slowly flipped through the pages, studying the texture of the paper and the traces of ink for a long time.
“They’re only mid-grade, but by current hunter society standards—”
“They’re incredible materials.”
Arin nodded beside her.
“There are both swordsmanship and magic texts.”
“Even if they’re not practical combat gear, their research value is significant.”
I examined the contents of the bags once more, then took out my old subspace pouch. One by one, I transferred everything inside it into the new subspace bags. There was more than enough room. Even after loading everything, plenty of space remained, and the act of organizing felt naturally efficient.
“We really hit the jackpot with these.”
Once the sorting was done, I sat down in one corner of the nest. I needed to take stock of my current state. Closing my eyes, I slipped into a brief meditation. The flow of mana felt completely different from before. After absorbing the Dungeon Core, the total amount of mana accumulated inside me had clearly increased—not as a number, but as a tangible sensation. The density of the mana circulating through my body was unmistakably higher. Beyond that, I could now clearly perceive the movement of mana scattered in the air. It no longer felt like a vague background presence; it felt like something I could reach out and touch if I wanted. If I wished, I could draw in external mana, blend it into my circulation, and rapidly refill my mana holes.
In this state, whether in battle or a prolonged war of attrition, entirely new options had opened up. My body had changed as well. Simply channeling strength into my muscles produced a response far beyond what I’d been capable of before. The process of exerting force was almost imperceptible. My body reacted before my mind even finished the command.
“…This.”
I opened my eyes and muttered quietly.
“If I lose control, this could really be dangerous.”
Arin heard me and chuckled.
“That’s why you need practice.”
Elly nodded in agreement.
“Right now you have more power than you can handle. The flow is stable, but your body hasn’t fully adapted yet.”
I stood up and headed toward the cave exit. As I moved toward the gate, I deliberately avoided using mana. Only telekinesis and raw physical ability.
A troll blocking the path roared and charged. I reflexively reached out. In an instant, its body lifted into the air. I didn’t need to apply much force. A light twist snapped its bones. An orc rushing in from the side took a punch. I hadn’t even put real power behind it, yet the impact sent it flying through the air to crash into the rock wall with a delayed thud. Another one I caught with telekinesis. Without pulling or throwing, I simply compressed it until its body crumpled and dropped to the floor.
I regulated my breathing and controlled my strength, handling them one by one without excess force.
“At this level…”
I opened and closed my hand again. The sensation lingering at my fingertips was still vivid.
“A little more practice and I’ll be fine.”
Beyond the end of the cave, the gate came into view. It wasn’t as far as I’d thought.