Chapter 472
Chapter 472
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 472
Chapter Title: Academy's Savior
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My body, flung behind the spirit gate, rolled across the floor several times.
"Yu-jin!"
Sung Myeong-saeng and Sung Han-gu rushed over and immediately helped me to my feet.
Looking around, the spirit gate had vanished, and the mana density had dropped. The pattern on the floor no longer reacted at all.
I could feel the connection between Moka and me growing even stronger and more efficient. However, there was no time to leisurely ponder the upgraded Spirit Contract (B).
"Sung Yu-jin! Do you have any idea what you've just done?! Didn't I tell you not to move and stay still?"
Sung Myeong-saeng's booming roar made my ears ring. I had no idea where an old man like him got that kind of power from.
"S-Sorry."
I whimpered like a child.
Sung Myeong-saeng took a moment to catch his breath, then softened his expression and tone as he began his lecture.
"Yu-jin. From now on, you must listen carefully to this old man's words, or you could get hurt. Do you know how dangerous that was just now? One wrong move, and you could've gotten lost in the spirit realm or even had your mind shattered."
"...Father. Didn't I tell you? Yu-jin is too young for this."
"Quiet. I'm talking to Yu-jin right now. You stay silent. ...Actually, go fetch something to drink. I need to teach Yu-jin how important an adult's words are."
"Ease up. Ease up. What if Yu-jin decides not to come back to the main house because of this?"
"......Isn't Yu-jin supposed to live at the main house?"
"Do you think Ha-ri will just sit still for that? Yu-jin has to go home by evening. Otherwise... Ha-ri will storm in here and turn the place upside down. I'm telling you in advance, even if Ha-ri is weakened, we can't stop her. Our compatibility is the worst."
Sung Ha-ri's Spirit Devourer (S) trait was the natural predator of spirit mages.
"Aw, for Yu-jin's future, it would be better if he stayed at the main house..."
"This is non-negotiable... Gasp!"
Sung Han-gu's face turned ashen.
"What's wrong?"
"Yu-jin is hurt!"
I had scraped the back of my elbow rolling on the floor earlier. It was bleeding a little. Just a drop.
"Why make such a fuss over that? Kids, especially boys, grow up by getting hurt. You were the same way as a kid, always falling and scraping yourself."
"That's not it... Ha-ri won't let it slide if she finds out."
"Did we hit Yu-jin? It's just a scraped elbow."
"......Father, you don't know the current Ha-ri. Her obsession with Yu-jin is insane. I'll get a potion and treat it."
"Hmph. It'll be fine. You're overreacting. Just apply some ointment. Does it make sense to waste an expensive potion on a scraped elbow?"
"Father. Please."
"A potion is overkill. Our family's ointment is plenty good. The wound will be gone without a trace in a day."
"......"
Sung Han-gu let out a sigh of resignation. Still, he was clearly hoping Sung Ha-ri would let it slide. Even to me, it was just a minor scrape on the elbow—nothing unusual.
But Sung Han-gu didn't know how extreme Sung Ha-ri could be.
To act more convincingly like a child, I occasionally tripped in front of her on purpose. It was self-inflicted extortion, bracing for scraped knees or arms.
Every time, Sung Ha-ri would lavish me with top-grade potions that cost a fortune even for a graze.
And that wasn't all. If there were fruits or herbs said to be good for the body, she'd buy them no matter the price and make me eat them. That was why an SS-rank hero like her was always short on cash. Sung Ha-ri raised me with excessive pampering.
"Yu-jin. Your first step to becoming a strong spirit mage is something you need to do."
Sung Myeong-saeng said to me. Finally, some real training.
"Yes!"
Now I would learn spirit arts properly. I looked forward to what it would be.
"From now on, come to the main house every day and play with the spirits to your heart's content."
"...Yes?"
???
Common sense dictated that forcing rigorous training on a four-year-old was tantamount to abuse.
In wuxia novels, kids often trained in martial arts from a very young age, but this era valued human rights.
And there was a clear reason for playing with spirits.
For spirit mages, spirits were more important than mana.
'If the spirits don't listen, no amount of mana lets you control them.'
Playing with spirits built spirit affinity and familiarity. Affinity was partly innate but developed by spending time with them.
"Sigh... To think I'd have to play with spirits at my age... I'd rather play computer games."
I squatted in the garden.
It was a hassle.
To autopilot through this with auto-play, I needed to set it up first. That way, the avatar would repeat exactly what I did next time.
"Squeak."
"Hey. Hey. What's your name?"
"Charruk charruk."
"Let's play! Play! Play!"
The spirits gathered around me. They had shown interest when I first arrived at the main house, but now it was even more intense. Probably because I had half-entered the spirit realm earlier.
"Ah, so noisy... But I can't just not play..."
Skipping out here would make the adults suspicious.
"Fine. How about house pretending?"
"House pretending? What's that?"
"Purrrr! Puruk!"
Some spirits could speak human language, others couldn't. But they communicated fine among themselves. Spirits connected through the mind, not sound.
"Hey, you."
I pointed at the water turtle that spoke human.
"Me? Why?"
"We're doing house pretending now. Like role-playing."
"Yeah. Yeah. I think I've seen human kids do it before. I'm the wife, right?"
"No. You're a private. I'm the sergeant."
"Private... What's that?"
"Learn as we go. Starting now."
I cleared my throat.
I'd never served in the military as a hunter, but I'd heard and seen enough.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"...Ha. Crazy. Hey, where'd you sell your rank and name? Huh?"
I turned dead serious. The atmosphere shifted instantly, panicking the water turtle. It seemed like a mid-rank spirit, and being able to speak human meant it had some street smarts.
"...Uh. Uhhh...?"
"Oh? No answer? Ha, fuck. Can't believe I'm a sergeant dealing with this private bullshit..."
"S-Sorry."
"Sorry? You fuck! Hey, is this your friend's house? Why the casual talk?!"
"Sorry, sir."
"...Sir? Gonna lose my mind. For real. Hey, Corporal Moka."
"Squeak!"
Moka responded immediately, even saluting with a wing.
Moka had been with me for over a year, so it was used to this. I scolded Moka whenever I was bored. That was why it obeyed me so well—it hated getting chewed out.
'Humans, spirits, dwarves—scold 'em first, and it somehow works.'
Life's truth.
"Gonna hit the john for a bit, so drill this recruit properly. If he's still shit when I get back? You're getting it too. Got it?"
"Squeeeak!"
And so, I spent hours playing military house with the spirits.
???
4:30 PM.
Sung Han-gu left his room and headed to the garden. Time to take Sung Yu-jin back to Sung Ha-ri. He wanted to feed him dinner too, but the promise was to send Yu-jin home by 5 PM. Breaking it could lead to who-knows-what.
"Hm...?"
It was oddly quiet. Normally, spirits buzzed around outside, but none were visible. Rare occurrence.
'Are they all engrossed in playing with Yu-jin?'
Heading to the garden to find Yu-jin, Sung Han-gu was stunned.
The horde of spirits stood in perfect formation. In front, the water turtle that could speak human yelled with bulging veins.
"Is that all the volume you've got?!"
"Kaaaaah!"
"Grrowl!"
"No, sir!"
The lined-up spirits shouted in unison. Sounds varied, but the rhythm was perfect.
"Ten laps! How many?"
"Kaaak!"
"Ten!"
"Whooo!"
"Fifteen! No final cadence! Go!"
Sung Han-gu's jaw dropped. He was witnessing spirits doing laps for the first time in his life.
'...This is... the military?'
Glancing around in bewilderment, he spotted Sung Yu-jin. Not hard to find—he was lounging on the veranda, sucking a juice box straw while watching the spirits. Beside him, the thunder owl named Moka glared fiercely at them.
'Just like... a general and his aide in the army.'
Chuckling in disbelief, Sung Han-gu approached Yu-jin.
"Yu-jin. Can you tell this old man why the spirits are suddenly like this?"
"Oh, Grandpa. We were playing house."
"House... pretending? It's nothing like the house pretending I know."
"Just taught them what I saw on TV. I'm the commander."
"I-I see."
No problem... probably. Spirits were free beings. They wouldn't do what they hated.
"Yu-jin. Time to go home."
"Okay. I miss Mama."
Sung Yu-jin hopped down from the veranda. At that moment, a bellow erupted from the spirits.
"No final cadence, I said!!! Again! Thirty times! How many?!"
"Hooaaak!"
"Look at that volume! Is that all?! Drop and give me push-ups!!!"
Ignoring the spirits with effort, Sung Han-gu broke into a cold sweat. Something felt off.
???
After dropping off Sung Yu-jin, Sung Han-gu returned to see the spirits still at their house—no, military—play. He shook his head.
He'd tried stopping them once, but they ignored him completely.
Sung Han-gu entered Sung Myeong-saeng's room.
"Father. I took Yu-jin home."
"Good. The spirits outside seemed strange."
"Yes. Looks like Yu-jin taught them exactly what he saw on TV. They're just hooked on a new game for now. They'll go back to normal soon. ...Probably."
"Hm. Spirits are fickle. Anyway, I've been thinking. Don't you think Yu-jin should grow up at the main house?"
"......Father. That's settled already."
"Don't think so lightly. It's for Yu-jin's future."
"Then you convince Ha-ri. I have no confidence..."
"......I'll think on it more."
Sung Myeong-saeng's face stiffened slightly. He wasn't on good terms with Sung Ha-ri either.
"Father. How do you plan to educate Yu-jin?"
"......First, was Yu-jin okay? He stuck half his head into the spirit realm, even if just for under 30 seconds. Wasn't bewitched by a spirit?"
The spirit realm wasn't for humans. Even glancing at it shocked the mind. Even advanced spirit mages risked madness from spirit bewitchment there.
"Lucky. Yu-jin's mental strength is beyond imagination. We can advance the training schedule a bit."
"Father!"
"I know. Don't yell. Even advancing it, I won't push him. For the next few months, let him play with the spirits. Then slowly teach the basics of spirit arts."
"Father. Proceed carefully. Carefully. If Yu-jin loses interest in spirit arts... we can't force him. Spirit arts rely on one's will above all. And above all... Ha-ri won't stand for it."
"I know. ...You watch that child too much. No paternal dignity. Dignity."
"...How can I have dignity as a father when I couldn't even properly play the role...?"
"Tch."
That was when Sung Myeong-saeng clicked his tongue briefly.
Boom!
A massive impact rocked the main house's barrier.
Startled, Sung Myeong-saeng and Sung Han-gu flew toward the entrance where the sound came from.
A uprooted tree had smashed the front gate.
"......An attack? Who dares attack the Jinryeong Sung family...!!"
"Father. Calm down. There's lightning aura on the tree. It's Ha-ri's doing."
"That girl?! Why, out of nowhere?! A declaration of war?!"
"No. Probably... she found Yu-jin's wound."
"......She hurled a tree over a scraped elbow?"
"I told you. Her obsession with Yu-jin is tremendous..."
"Heh..."