Immeasurable Catastrophe
I stared back and forth between the unbelievable sight unfolding before me and the wreckage of my junkyard roof, swallowing a curse under my breath.
'What the hell? You wreck someone's house and then say "nice to meet you"?'
I wanted to grab him by the collar and chew him out, but I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud. The overwhelming presence of this absolute being was crushing me.
"W-Wind Spirit King?"
I stammered, my lips barely moving, and a faint smile curved Ariel's mouth.
[Heh heh. That's right. Mortals usually call me that. It's been ages since I've met a human I can actually talk to.]
Spirit King. A concept straight out of the fantasy novels I'd devoured back in the day. Even in the modern hunter world, scholars only speculated about their existence—no records anywhere on Earth of one ever descending.
Baek Hayeon and Seo Ara, watching this from beside me, looked like they were about to faint dead away.
The world's strongest spiritist was Switzerland's S-rank hunter, Anna Miller. And even she could barely handle top-grade spirits. Yet here, in the back alley of a neighborhood junkyard, the pinnacle of all spirits—the embodiment of nature itself—had deigned to grace us with its presence.
"Wh-what's it saying, boss? Th-that great one is really the Spirit King?!"
Baek Hayeon, collapsed on the ground, asked in a trembling voice. I nodded blankly.
"Yeah... It said it's the Wind Spirit King Ariel."
"N-no way...! God..."
I swallowed dryly, barely pulling myself together to address the Spirit King hovering in midair.
"B-but... why has such a great being come to this humble place?"
At my cautious question, Ariel tilted its chin slightly, flashing a captivating smile.
[Hmm... Because it's interesting?]
"......Pardon?"
I doubted my ears—no, my brain.
"Interesting? That's it?"
[That's right. Spirits are terribly lonely beings, you see. The spirit realm is far quieter and more boring than you can imagine. Even when we venture out to other material planes, drawn by a contractor's mana, no one can fully understand our language or converse with us... It's dreadfully dull.]
"Still, you're a king. Is boredom really the reason you descended?"
Ariel burst into giggles at my incredulous retort.
[Heh heh. Humans, who live but a fleeting moment, can't comprehend it. But for us eternal spirits, boredom is a grave and serious affliction, little human.]
Boredom. To stave off ennui, the Wind Spirit King had observed a mere human's summons and torn open a dimensional gate to descend in person.
"Haa... I see. Well, if you're bored, I can't argue."
I started to nod in resignation—
Ariel's translucent eyes gleamed sharply, piercing right through me.
[But up close, you're quite peculiar. You're not fully human. Fascinating.]
"......"
I ignored the cold sweat trickling down my spine and kept a poker face.
[Dragon... right? No... not quite?]
"Nope. Just an ordinary guy."
I played dumb, and Ariel floated around me curiously, stroking its chin.
[Hmm... How strange. You can't fool my eyes or senses. I clearly feel the immense aura of those arrogant, insolent reptiles from your heart... Yet your body is human. In tens of thousands of years, I've never seen such a bizarre harmony. What happened to you?]
The silver lining: no one else could hear this conversation with the Spirit King. I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Hey, weird miracles happen in life sometimes. Like a lofty Spirit King punching through a neighborhood junkyard roof just because it's bored."
Ariel stared blankly for a moment, then exploded into laughter.
[Hahaha! What a delightful fellow! Yes, conversation should be this fun.]
Ah, that wasn't meant to score points...
She floated right up to my nose, whispering in a seductive, lethal voice.
[How about it, little human? Want to contract with me?]
"C-contract...? With me?"
[Yes. I've been stuck on my spirit realm throne too long. I'm bored. I'd like to use you as a medium now and then—to tour the material plane.]
"How long have you been stuck there?"
[Let's see... In human time, about ten thousand years?]
Ten thousand years. Longer than Dangun founding Gojoseon—back in the Ice Age, basically a shut-in.
An eternity beyond human comprehension.
[The last big dragon I contracted with has vanished without a trace by now... Even if you're not a dragon, someone who understands me fully? It'd be a fun diversion after ages.]
A bolt of realization struck my mind.
Dragon? The Spirit King's last contractor was a dragon?
I whispered to the hovering Ariel, too quietly for others to hear.
"Um, Ariel? Do you know... 'Jermad' by any chance?"
At the name, Ariel's expression froze briefly, then softened into a wistful smile.
[Oh, a nostalgic name after so long. Never met him myself, but my kin were summoned by him a few times, so I know of him. No direct ties, though.]
Holy shit... Wait, does this mean?!
My Earth, connected via the Multidimensional Secondhand Market to the magic-and-dragon fantasy continent of Ereinia.
Ariel knowing Jermad meant it could traverse both Earth and Ereinia—a higher dimension.
This was huge.
I swallowed hard.
"I'll contract. Right now. What do I need to prepare for a Spirit King contract?"
Ariel smiled approvingly at my eagerness.
[No rush. First, prove you're worthy to bear it.]
"W-worthy? Like a test?"
[Heh heh. No worries. I'll check myself.]
No sooner had she spoken—
Whoooooooong—!!!
The mighty Wind Spirit King Ariel exhaled softly, and mana of immense density coalesced around me. A dazzling emerald whirlwind spiraled up from my feet.
[It won't hurt. Just relax and let it happen.]
"Wh-whoa?! W-wait a sec!"
Against my will, a gentle cradle of wind enveloped me, lifting me effortlessly into the air.
Ten meters up. Strangely, no fear—just pure, cozy warmth as the breeze caressed my body.
My Dragon Heart throbbed in resonance with the Spirit King's mana; the inner energy in my new dantian churned wildly.
Ariel's eyes widened in astonishment.
[Incredible... So many diverse powers fused in a mere human shell. You're more than worthy—you're overflowing.]
The wind subsided, my feet touching down lightly.
Ariel approached, declaring solemnly in a voice like rolling jade beads.
[I'll ask once more. Do you truly wish to contract with me, talented human?]
I nodded without hesitation.
"Yep."
[Very well. From this moment, the Primordial Breath shall be with you eternally.]
Ariel extended a graceful finger, lightly touching my forehead.
Conditions fulfilled!
Contract established with the Wind Spirit King 'Ariel'!
The mark of 'Primordial Wind' is imprinted on your soul!
You have acquired a new authority.
A cool, refreshing wave of wind pulsed from my forehead through my body, something etching deep into my chest. As the contract ritual ended, Ariel's translucent form began crumbling into particles of light.
[A delightful diversion after so long. I'll happily await your summons, my new contractor.]
"Ah, Ariel! Fix the house before you—"
Fwaaah—!!
She heard me but pretended not to? With that, the Spirit King vanished in a brilliant emerald flash back to its dimension.
Whiiiish—
Only silence settled over the typhoon-ravaged junkyard backyard.
"Gonna have to call someone to fix this."
I grumbled, turning around—only to find Baek Hayeon, Seo Ara, Seo Ayoung, and Taesoo hyung flat on the ground from the Spirit King's aura, staring like they'd seen a ghost.
Taesoo hyung pointed a shaking finger at me, voice barely a whisper.
"D-Daensung, you okay? You good...?"
I shrugged casually, dropping the bomb.
"Yeah, no biggie. I just contracted with the Spirit King."
"......"
"......"
Dead silence. Then, after a beat, four screams shattered the junkyard.
"Whaaaaaat?!!!???"
"Crazy!! You contracted with the Spirit King?!!"
"A repairman with the Spirit King whhhhy?!!"
You guys wouldn't get it—I just went for it when it offered.
While that absurdity unfolded at Daesung Resources...
Chaos reigned elsewhere.
In the Republic of Korea government's Superpower Management Agency, under the Special Disaster Control Bureau—agents who usually sipped coffee monitoring screens were now pale-faced, hammering keyboards like mad.
The central control room blared with blood-red emergency sirens spinning wildly.
Wheeeeoooowheeeeoooowheeeeooo—!!
"Director!! I-it's immeasurable!!! Mana saturation suddenly spiked in the Seoul outskirts—it's blown past the observation system's limits!!!"
"Th-this surpasses an S-rank gate break by miles!! Disaster level unassessable!!"
The massive main hologram screen in the situation room flashed crimson warnings, the mana graph rocketing off the chart.
MANA OVERFLOW DETECTED
Level: IMMEASURABLE
The Special Disaster Control Bureau director clutched the mic, face ashen, screaming.
"Damn it!! Pull up the epicenter coordinates NOW!! Where the hell is it?! How do you idiots even do your jobs?! Screw this up, and we're all dead!!"
"C-coordinates on the map."
The displayed address zoomed in, furrowing the director's brow.
Daesung Resources
"......A junkyard?"
"Y-yes!!"
The director's face twisted in horror. Mana exceeding S-rank from a junkyard—this was an unknown crisis that could upend Korea's, no, the world's security.
"What are you waiting for?! Dispatch agents NOW!! Lock down the area!! Request Hunter Association support!! This is a disaster level unprecedented in human history! Every second counts—move your asses!!"