100. An Ominous Sign
100. An Ominous Sign
Spirits.
Like mana and divine power, it's a concept that doesn't exist in my original world. But since they possess clear will, maybe they should be classified as a species, like the demons.
That thought only grew stronger as I watched the spirit cluster materialized before me act like a fully-fledged being.
"Elder, this thing is copying me, isn't it?"
"Indeed. Its form is shaped by imitating the one who guided it, so it will mimic your actions too. The more it repeats this behavior, the more defined its ego and personality will become."
-Wooooong.
The spirit cluster stared at me, letting out a quiet hum as if in response to my words.
I could sort of understand what it was saying, but I decided not to pay it too much mind.
The important thing was that these little ones perceived my existence, and that had accelerated their growth even further.
"And the mana control exhibited by an entity that has awakened its ego in such a way reaches a peerless level. No matter how many humans cooperate, they can only muster the will of ten, twenty, or at most a hundred. But a spirit cluster is essentially countless individual entities, each controlling mana independently."
In other words, if you can secure the cooperation of spirits, your precision mana control will far surpass the limits of humanity.
Saying this, he straightened the staff before me, took a deep breath, and began concentrating on the hand gripping it.
"However, even if they are guided by a human and imitate that form and mindset, it is ultimately only a temporary phenomenon. If the concentration needed to lead the spirits is disrupted, the cluster will also scatter. And that can be seen as the extinction of that personality and ego."
"It disappears? You mean it dies?"
To use an analogy, it's no different from a person being assembled at the cellular level, then split apart again.
Of course, if that happens, the person dies.
If the same cells were to reassemble, the same personality could emerge again. But how could you call a being created that way the same as before?
"That is what it means to commune with spirits. Every time you repeat the attempt, you endlessly face the birth and death of a being that projects yourself......"
-Wooong.
A spirit cluster still humming softly beside me.
Did it understand what Jang was saying right now?
Or was it incapable of even perceiving the concept of death in the first place?
"Then, isn't this kind of communion meaningless?"
A slightly bitter thought crossed my mind, but more than that, a seed of doubt began to sprout about the purpose of training to handle spirits.
No matter how much more precisely spirits could handle mana than humans, I figured it would be impossible to ask for cooperation from an entity that was no different from a newborn every time it constructed a form.
"It's not entirely meaningless. Even if it dies, disappears, and decomposes, a tiny vestige always remains with the caster."
"A vestige?"
"It means that every time the personality created by the spirits repeats its cycle of birth and disappearance, a trace of what they were is gradually etched into the caster themself."
-Wooong.
An aura formed on the raised staff, quickly beginning to stabilize.
It was exactly like when he had sliced through the undead before.
Even while manifesting physical force in response to will, not a single tremor could be felt in the hand controlling the mana.
Focusing on his hand due to that strange sensation, I soon realized a change had occurred there.
"So, if you continually commune with the spirits, and repeatedly train by building up these vestiges....... Eventually, these trained remnants will learn to refine your mana to suit you, or momentarily execute the level of force you need at a critical moment."
What appeared on his hand was different from a ring (Circle) formed by dense energy flow.
A translucent shape layered over his hand, without the characteristic hum or light distortion that comes from concentrated mana.
For a moment, I wondered if he had put on gloves made of mana... No, that wasn't a glove. It was a hand.
More distinct than the unstable cluster formed beside me, he had succeeded in temporarily manifesting only a fragment of that being's existence onto his own hand.
"The state achieved at the end of that path is this."
-Craaack!!
A boulder split cleanly in two, slaughtered by the swing of a staff.
If aura emphasized the blunt nature of the weapon, the destructive power should have been higher, but what occurred where the staff was swung was a clean line, as if cut by a sword.
Even the force seemed concentrated solely on cutting; the split rock didn't budge sideways, remaining planted upright in its spot.
"Because I remember handling aura with a sword, I can now handle that state even with a staff like this."
Yes, that was the result of borrowing the power of a being capable of precise mana control.
Furthermore, a state reached by leaving that being's vestiges on one's own body, remembering them, and endlessly training.
"What do you think? Do you feel like you could do it?"
"...Not at all."
That state seemed impossibly far away to me.
At least, among all the Heroes I knew, none could manifest something like that through pure mana alone.
How could a guy branded as a Foreign Worker even think of attempting a realm impossible for Heroes themselves?
"Indeed, as you suspected, handling spirits is not a feat accomplished overnight. Typically, the goal of clearly manifesting even a body part takes at least thirty years."
"...Heh heh, thirty years?"
Yeah, I figured it wasn't something you could achieve in a day.
It was a moment that drove home once more why the Empire was so obsessed with summoning Heroes.
Even so, Jang just kept smiling, speaking to me in a gentle voice.
"No need to be so daunted. In your case, haven't you already caught up on five years' worth of growth from the very start?"
Five years.
Did it normally take that much time just to manifest such an incomplete form?
Did the fact that I manifested it right away mean I possessed talent and blessings I hadn't even been aware of until now?
"I understand your unease, but don't worry too much. As long as you don't give up, I won't give up either, and I'll help you to the very end."
The moment I heard that sincere encouragement, the confidence slowly welling up inside my chest began to turn into conviction.
Right, this man wouldn't have arranged this meeting without any basis.
So, whatever happens, let's just try and see this through to the end.
"......I look forward to working with you, Elder."
"Heh heh, yes. I hope you'll follow along well."
And so began my training in handling spirits.
Under his guidance, I spent a period of time focused solely on that, devoting myself entirely to repeated practice.
Until a full month had passed since we entered this land.
Pouring myself into growing stronger more intensely than ever before.
****
Commonly known as the Dragon's Tomb.
An excavation zone established under the leadership of the Empire, which is called humanity's last hope.
But even if it was an excavation site, as long as the Empire's core military forces—the Legions—were stationed here, it could practically be seen as a military garrison.
In other words, Marcus Cradle, who had brought the legion here under Imperial orders, was effectively the supreme commander and chief authority of this place.
"Commander, our scouts have reported that a large number of undead are massing at the entrance to the ravine."
For the man in charge, the priority even above excavation was to safely protect everyone involved in the digging operation and eliminate any threatening risk factors.
Naturally, with the internal undead extermination nearly complete, the new danger gathering from outside was something to be wary of.
"...So the Corpse Lord is targeting this place after all."
"Yes, if they move as a mass, it's almost certain."
At the soldier's agreement, Marcus's expression hardened rapidly.
It was hardly surprising.
In fact, even before they established their garrison, undead had been roaming this mountain range, and some had even shown behavior like searching for something or digging through the earth.
The reasoning was sound: after most of those advance-scout undead were wiped out, the Undead Legion, now wary, had begun stationing troops nearby.
"The number of troops? Any signs of the Four Horsemen?"
"The forces confirmed so far are at the battalion level. According to the scouts, they're being led by a Lich. It's likely they've dispatched an advance force to scout this area or apply pressure in preparation for an assault."
"Do not slacken your surveillance under any circumstances. While I continue inspecting the defensive lines, order the scouts not to leave their positions until further instructions are given."
The soldier saluted at Marcus's command and left his post.
After that, accompanied by his adjutant, he crossed through the garrison zone and hurriedly made his way toward the barricades being set up on the outskirts of the excavation site.
"Commander. Is this really going to be alright?"
A question from his adjutant as they moved.
Though it was still just a portent, the fact that the Undead Legion was directly targeting this place meant a full-scale battle was likely to break out here sooner or later.
Of course, there were reports that the Corpse Lord himself was currently engaged in a power struggle with the Demon King's Army, but even so, since he hadn't brought his entire legion, there was no room for complacency.
If even one of the Four Horsemen came here, a calamity would surely descend upon this land.
"Don't be anxious. Our duty is to represent the Imperial House and protect humanity....... Whatever happens, we must not lose morale and simply do our best."
But no matter the opponent, the Imperial Army's duty never changed.
Marcus knew his mission to protect humanity well, and that's why he was also pouring his heart into reinforcing the army and managing morale.
Regardless of how the upcoming fight played out, they would at least be able to exert the maximum force they were capable of.
"..And for that, we've also brought along many Heroes."
Yes, with Heroes joining such an army, there should be nothing to fear.
-Kwoong!
The place he arrived at with that conviction was the defensive line being constructed based on the valley terrain.
There, workers were busily building the defensive line with laborers in tow, and the work was progressing more than three times faster than previously planned.
Thanks to a single Hero exerting his strength among them.
"Hyyaaaaap!"
A helmeted man struck the ground with a shovel, letting out a booming shout.
The moment the ground received that force and flipped over as if defying gravity, the soil moved along the arc of his swung shovel and began piling up like a wall.
For now, it was only temporarily hardened by magic, but if the workers used it as a framework, it would be a tremendous help in building a sturdy defensive line.
"Phew~! Alright! This section's done, so let's move to the next spot right away!"
"Hero! Thank you! The work's gotten so much easier thanks to you!"
"Ah, don't mention it. I'm just getting paid to shovel dirt, so I gotta work as much as I'm paid."
Hero Nam Ja-seong.
A Hero with a track record of growing a small, weak Order without any particular backers, and an oddball among oddballs who preferred simple labor over the glory-drunk path other Heroes chased.
But his ability, Great Earth Reversal, was demonstrating outstanding efficiency in accelerating the construction work that would normally require countless laborers to dig and shape.
It was no exaggeration to say that after he joined the construction, the work speed had become nearly ten times faster.
'On top of that, he possesses the leadership and tolerance to get even the working-class people—who usually have strong aversion to Heroes—to follow him....... When forming corps later, he might be worth considering for a battalion commander role.'
Marcus watched this scene from afar, making his evaluations.
Overall, he concluded that Nam Ja-seong was an essential talent for this garrison zone, but he still couldn't shake a feeling of regret.
Because no matter how much a Hero's power surpassed the efficiency of hundreds of laborers, it would still be difficult for a single person to build a defensive line capable of protecting this entire mountain range.
If only one more Hero had come here to help.
-Thud-thud, thud-thud!
Just as that thought crossed his mind, bricks flew in from afar and began covering the earthen wall.
Even though they were thrown without touching human hands, the bricks balanced themselves appropriately, forming a plausible frame as a wall in no time.
A barricade possessing framework, mass, and even durability was created in the blink of an eye.
If this work was repeated and the laborers only needed to apply finishing touches, a defensive line enviable even compared to the solid ramparts surrounding the Empire would be built in this ravine.
"So I just need to stack the bricks here onto that wall built over there, right?"
A girl with twin-tails who had seemingly barged onto the site to lend her strength.
Just as Marcus recognized that she was also a Hero, Nam Ja-seong, who had been working on the defensive line, turned to the girl and expressed his delight.
"Oh, squirt! You came to help, too!?"
"I'm not 'squirt,' I'm Ga-ram!"
She snapped and shouted, but only for a moment.
The girl who quickly let go of her anger grinned and, lifting the bricks that floated up with her power, spoke confidently.
"Well, I'm free right now, so if you need help, I can help as much as you want."
Hero Yi Ga-ram.
A unique Hero who was helping reinforce the garrison alongside Nam Ja-seong, and a super rookie who had mopped up several Fallen Heroes right after being appointed as a Hero.