Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: 5. Spirit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A single horse was slowly making its way along a path dotted with scattered trees.
Clop, clop.
It had been a week since leaving Karemshi.
The city of Todun was quite a distance from Karemshi. Though they had stopped at villages along the way, So Gun-ak had no choice but to camp outdoors four times.
He had no qualms about camping, but since his Ren and Du meridians had not yet been activated, his senses were not particularly sharp. To guard against potential ambushes from wild animals or bandits, he could only catch short naps.
It would have been ideal to set up a formation, but the materials needed for that were far from cheap, so he didn't even consider it.
However, what So Gun-ak needed now was not a comfortable sleep.
Thus, he decided to dispel his drowsiness with one or two hours of light rest, then spend the remaining time cultivating his internal energy technique to prepare for any unforeseen situations.
While cultivating in a stable location would allow for better focus, as long as he stayed vigilant, practicing the internal energy technique while camping posed no major issue for So Gun-ak.
"We'll rest here today."
As the sun dipped low, painting the sky in crimson hues, So Gun-ak brought the horse to a halt.
A small stream happened to be nearby. He let the horse drink its fill and tied it to a nearby tree.
He unpacked the two bags from the saddle and placed them against a tree trunk. One contained the magic crystals, while the other held a few tools and provisions for camping.
So Gun-ak gathered a pile of dry branches and stacked them to one side, then used a few to start a fire.
If he could wield the Blazing Sun Palm at its pinnacle, he could ignite a flame without flint—but that was still a distant dream.
Crackle, crack.
He shaved the dry wood to make sawdust, struck the flint, and soon sparks caught. After burning some twigs, he loosely stacked larger branches to build a bonfire.
He snapped some longer green branches to form a tripod and hung a pot from it.
He threw in some roughly gathered rice and dried meat, then boiled porridge. This world had both wheat flour and rice; flour was cheap due to good harvests, while rice was rare and exorbitantly priced.
The grains were longer and harder than those from the Central Plains, lacking in flavor, but still better than flour.
Thanks to the valuable treasures taken from White Dragon Crokshu's castle, So Gun-ak had ample funds and considered his decision to buy rice without hesitation a wise one.
By the time he sated his hunger, darkness had already fallen, leaving only the chirping of grasshoppers in the air.
Crackle, crackle.
He tossed a few more logs onto the dying bonfire, and the flames roared back to life, illuminating the surroundings.
So Gun-ak sat with his back to the fire.
To guard against any surprise attacks, it was best to face the darkness. Closing his eyes in that position, he opened his ears wide. He heard insect noises and the chirps of fledglings in a nearby tree nest.
Basking in the bonfire's warmth against his back, he stirred the energy in his dantian and began circulating his qi.
Since he was vigilant of his surroundings while circulating, the efficiency of accumulating inner power was reduced, but this had its own benefits.
It trained his senses and helped him fully adapt to Jamie's body, which he had not yet completely attuned to.
Whoosh.
An hour had passed since he began circulating his qi according to the Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign Art's incantation.
Feeling a presence behind him, So Gun-ak's eyes snapped open. He whipped around swiftly, a dagger already in his hand.
But behind him was only the bonfire. No one was there.
Whoosh.
Gazing at the flickering flames, So Gun-ak muttered something inexplicable.
"It's been three days already."
It was after leaving Chirato Village and passing through another village. Every night while camping, he sensed a presence. But whenever So Gun-ak noticed it, it vanished immediately, slipping away.
Yet So Gun-ak did not grow wary of his surroundings.
His gaze remained fixed on the bonfire.
The presence always originated from the flames.
Whoosh!
From the dancing flames leaped a puppy—astonishingly, it was made entirely of fire itself.
"You've come again."
So Gun-ak had a hunch about its true nature.
A fire spirit. A fairy-like being embodying the raw elements of nature. True to its name, a spirit was a being of soul.
For one to appear meant he had the potential to become a spiritist.
Likely due to cultivating the Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign Art, an inner energy technique of the Yanggang level, and Jamie's body having high affinity with spirits.
Whoosh.
The puppy stretched its front paws forward like a yawn and lowered its head. The flickering flames of its tail looked endearing.
So Gun-ak turned his back again and resumed circulating the heaven and earth's qi according to the Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign Art. Yet the presence behind him lingered.
An hour later, when So Gun-ak opened his eyes again, he saw the puppy with its front paws on his thigh.
Made of fire, yet it neither burned his clothes nor felt hot.
"You're staying longer today."
The first night he sensed the fire spirit, it vanished quickly. It played hide-and-seek, appearing and disappearing repeatedly the next time, and on the third night, it stayed for about ten minutes before leaving.
And tonight, it had remained for over an hour, even approaching to place its paws on him and rub its head against him.
So Gun-ak was simply intrigued.
Contracting with a spirit was surprisingly straightforward.
The catch was that the spirit had to choose you. Jamie had been chosen by the wind spirit Raf at age twelve, becoming a spiritist.
But after So Gun-ak took over Jamie's body, Raf had vanished.
"Shall I give you a name?"
At So Gun-ak's question, the puppy nodded.
Naming it sealed the contract with the spirit. It would become a friend, appearing whenever called by name.
"How about Hwarang?"
At So Gun-ak's question, the puppy rubbed its face against him happily.
Whoosh.
The puppy scattered into a handful of flames.
"Hup."
So Gun-ak tensed as an unfamiliar energy flowed into his body. But he soon realized it was due to the spirit contract.
The wind spirit contracted with Jamie had freely entered and exited his inner world. Spirits used their contractor's body as a medium to dwell in this world, departing the spirit realm.
"Hwarang."
Whoosh.
At So Gun-ak's call, the fire puppy now named Hwarang appeared.
"Heh."
Despite its grandiose name "Fire Wolf," it was unmistakably a puppy.
Contracted spirits drew power through their spiritist's body, residing within rather than returning to the spirit realm.
Fire spirits could manipulate flames at will, their power growing stronger over time through training and synchronization with the contractor. At its peak, the spirit would leave the contractor and return to the spirit realm.
There were countless fire spirits in the spirit realm, but only one Fire Spirit King at the pinnacle.
That was why they returned upon reaching maximum power—to challenge the Spirit King. It was the spirits' path of growth and life's purpose.
"Let's get along well."
So Gun-ak stroked Hwarang's head. The fire felt neither hot nor strange, only wondrous.
Then, a gentle breeze blew, scattering Hwarang. Still a small flame, Hwarang was whisked away by the wind, but the flames soon reformed into its puppy shape at a distance.
But in front of So Gun-ak, where Hwarang had been, stood a tiny fairy formed from the breeze.
It resembled a little girl, no bigger than a hand掌.
The two pairs of wings on its back looked like those of a dragonfly.
"Hm."
So Gun-ak tilted his head at the sudden appearance of the wind spirit.
Hwarang had observed him for three days, appearing and vanishing to test his suitability as a contractor.
Yet this wind spirit appeared out of nowhere, hands on hips, its face puffed up like a sulky child.
Whirl, whirl.
Fluttering its delicate wings, it circled So Gun-ak's head, pointing and jumping in frustration. Though it was his first time seeing the wind spirit, it had actually been following and watching him for a long time.
Jamie's body naturally had tremendous affinity with wind spirits.
It was only natural, having once been contracted to one. But when the original soul vanished, the wind spirit Raf disappeared with it.
Still, traces of the wind spirit lingered strongly. Recognizing So Gun-ak at a glance, it had secretly trailed him.
So Gun-ak hadn't noticed because his senses, attuned more to fire than wind, were sharper for flames.
That was also why the wind spirit hesitated to approach, merely observing from afar.
Drawn by the strong scent of wind emanating from So Gun-ak, yet repelled upon sensing the inner fire energy.
After trailing him for so long, a fire spirit suddenly appeared and contracted with him outright. The wind spirit was throwing a tantrum like a child robbed of its prized persimmon.
"Shall I name you too?"
So Gun-ak roughly understood, knowing Jamie had wielded a wind spirit.
He also felt a twinge of anticipation.
For So Gun-ak, skilled in shamanistic arts, contracting spirits was fascinating and curiosity-stirring.
Whoosh!
The spirit crossed its short arms and turned its head away sharply. Its cuteness made So Gun-ak chuckle, feigning regret as he spoke.
"No helping it, then. Off you go."
The wind spirit blinked in disbelief, clicking its tongue repeatedly. Its demeanor was just like a pouting woman, making So Gun-ak smirk inwardly.
Be they spirits or humans, why were women all so alike?
"One last time. Shall I give you a name?"
The wind spirit puffed its cheeks and nodded reluctantly.
It feared pushing too far and losing So Gun-ak forever. Though it chafed at sharing a medium with the fire spirit Hwarang.
"How about Chu-a?"
The wind spirit pursed its lips primly and nodded. It acted tsundere, but clearly liked the name.
The wind spirit vanished in a whoosh.
So Gun-ak felt another alien energy enter his body.
"Hmm."
Though just experienced, the peculiar sensation made him flinch again.
Whish.
Chu-a reappeared like a gust, circling So Gun-ak's head.
Whoosh.
Hwarang bristled its fiery fur at Chu-a and bounced excitedly.
It was more like flying than jumping. Though shaped like a four-legged puppy, as a fire spirit, Hwarang moved through the air effortlessly.
"No fighting."
At So Gun-ak's word, Hwarang and Chu-a vanished. He resumed cultivating his internal energy technique.
"This feels peculiar."
The Great Heavenly Demon Sovereign Art coiled in his dantian stirred, sensing the natural energies.
He felt both Chu-a's wind energy swirling around and Hwarang's fire energy. Unlike before, they felt familiar and comfortable, not alien.
After cultivating through the night, So Gun-ak rose at dawn, stamping out the smoldering bonfire and packing his gear.
He secured the bags to the saddle and gripped his spear.
Neigh.
"We should reach Todun City by evening. Just a bit longer."
So Gun-ak patted the horse's neck before mounting.
Gripping the spear in one hand and reins in the other, he spurred the horse forward.
Whish.
Chu-a appeared, perching on the horse's head.
Its smiling face at So Gun-ak was adorable. From Jamie's absorbed memories of spirits, newly contracted spirits didn't do much at first.
Just play with them a lot to build intimacy—like raising a low-maintenance baby.
Communication with spirits was through intent, not words. So Gun-ak's will conveyed his meaning for them to understand.
Spirits comprehended his speech fully, but weaker ones could only express themselves through gestures.
Once they developed a stronger ego, intent-based conversation became possible—he'd see in time.
Jamie had been a skilled spiritist, able to converse with Raf.
Whoosh.
Flames flickered from So Gun-ak's bosom as Hwarang emerged.
It planted its front paws on his collar and poked its head out.
Having it nestled inside provided a warm aura, warding off the morning chill.
"Thank you."
Hwarang growled low, pleased by the praise.