Chapter 37
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Greenery and Embers
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“Where... huh?”
The woman named Prin seemed to notice the hidden compartment in the multi-spirit pouch and fussed over it for quite a while.
Griz was a genius with a mindset unlike anyone else. His inventions ignored all conventional wisdom.
‘Did they figure out it’s one of Griz’s creations?’
The two mages exchanged glances before turning to Kang Seol.
“There’s no problem. However...”
“However?”
“Could we know the origin of this item?”
It was a question Kang Seol had anticipated, so he deflected smoothly.
“The owner prefers to remain anonymous, so I can’t disclose that freely.”
“Ah... well, of course. A craftsman capable of designing and building something like this couldn’t possibly be ordinary.”
“Anyway, is the registration complete?”
The man racked his brain for an excuse to pry more information out of Kang Seol but soon remembered they’d have to stop here again before leaving the area anyway. Reassured, he replied.
“Y-yes, here it is. Just insert a spirit corpse or a live spirit into the pouch.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and by the way, there seems to be a troublesome issue nearby right now.”
“Troublesome issue?”
“Some of the adventurers who came for support have gone missing...”
“Missing?”
“That’s the rumor going around internally. But with the Magic Tower short on resources right now, any search efforts will take time.”
In other words: if you run into trouble in the forest, don’t expect a rescue—survive on your own.
Kang Seol sighed and nodded before heading into the woods.
The environment here appeared heavily influenced by the spirit flood.
Some areas of the forest had trees growing in grotesque shapes, small streams had overflowed, there were sinking marshes that swallowed feet whole, and even cracks in the ground spewing intense heat.
‘What a mess. It almost looks like the Great Forest at a glance.’
As long as spirits treated this place like a playground, the forest would die out quickly. It might already be on its last breath.
Kang Seol unfolded the blueprint for the multi-spirit pouch belt he’d obtained from Lab 81.
The blueprint was filled with Griz’s helpful, detailed explanations.
How the spirit pockets worked, which spirits went into which slots, expected power outputs.
It even included methods for coaxing the relevant spirits.
True to his reputation as a continental genius, the content was inventive and showcased his intellect.
After skimming the blueprint, Kang Seol could guess why the belt had remained unfinished.
‘He got lazy.’
Griz’s own notes confirmed it.
- Another inspiration struck, so I didn’t test it personally, but theoretically it’s perfect. Just follow the blueprint as written...
The rest was page after page of excuses for why he hadn’t completed the belt.
‘Anyway, first up is the verdant spirit?’
Now that he knew how to use the spirit pouch, he couldn’t just sit around. Kang Seol wasn’t one to hesitate when he had a clear goal.
First, he ventured deeper into the forest to capture the famously docile verdant spirit.
Whiiiii...
The foliage grew denser the further in he went.
Thick vegetation blocked the sunlight, gradually dimming the light.
Kang Seol preferred it that way.
He had good night vision anyway, and the spirit he sought was easier to find in the dark.
Rotten wood and leaves created a damp, musty smell.
Kang Seol’s first day searching for spirits passed like that.
Crackle... crackle...
That night, he lit a campfire to ward off the chill and fell asleep.
He didn’t need to prepare any special defenses.
While he slept, Jamad and Karuna patrolled the area in turns.
Times like this made him glad he’d chosen to be a summoner.
On the third day.
Endless marching had worn Kang Seol down.
‘That’s why they gave a whole month.’
The Great Forest was absurdly vast.
The boundary stone being on the outskirts was a blessing; if it were deeper in, he’d already be fighting monsters.
That was when it happened.
Whiii.
‘Hm? The wind...’
The sharp scent of wet wood hit his nose.
Ssssss...
As an eerie chill crept in, a green glow pierced his vision from deep in the forest.
‘Green light?’
Chiriring...
A clear, crystalline sound like a gem rolling captured his ears. Green light spread in the distance.
Kang Seol headed steadily toward it.
‘Here it is.’
Finally arriving at the source, he spotted the glowing green spirits.
Chiriring... chiring...
The sound emanated from their bodies.
These green spirits, about a meter tall, resembled chubby acorns the size of young children.
Chiriring...
One approached Kang Seol, as if speaking with its eyes.
Of course, Kang Seol hadn’t learned Spirit Tongue, so he could only guess at its intent.
As if sensing his discomfort, options appeared.
You have discovered a Verdant Spirit. What will you do?
1. Kill it.
2. Kidnap it.
3. Attempt communication.
4. Follow it.
5. [Requirement: Spirit Sorcerer] Demand submission.
...
Options 3 and 4 were the least crazy, but one-sided communication was pointless, so Kang Seol chose 4.
From then on, he carefully followed the verdant spirit.
Chiring...
The verdant spirit stroked trees and even hugged Kang Seol’s leg, mistaking it for a trunk.
Cute... so cute...
Run! Snowman is ruthless!
He’s licking his lips looking at you! Be careful!
Kang Seol trailed the verdant spirit with the mindset of babysitting his nephew.
It had already been two days like this.
Even the cutest nephew would stress you out after two straight days of babysitting.
Yet Kang Seol followed three steps behind with a faint smile, seemingly enjoying the monotony.
In moments like this, when his mind emptied, he recalled having times just like it.
‘I see.’
Back in the Eternal World, rolling dice outside adventures, he’d had experiences like this.
After rampaging through blood-soaked battlefields where flesh rained down, stepping away from the world’s central events for a peaceful side adventure brought the same calm he felt now.
Perhaps after five grueling prior adventures, he’d grown weary without realizing it.
His stray thoughts and worries seemed to wash away.
You are in prolonged contact with the Verdant Spirit.
Mentality permanently increases by 1.
Mental magic resistance slightly increases.
He hadn’t aimed for these bonuses, but the messages still warmed his heart.
Kang Seol kept following the verdant spirit.
After two days of aimless wandering, it led to a withered, dried-up patch of earth.
The Great Forest was originally abundant in water.
Such localized dryness had to be the work of other spirits.
Chiring...
The verdant spirit stroked the ground.
Then, something magical happened.
Shhh...
The sizable patch of earth quickly moistened, grass and flowers sprouting up.
In exchange, the verdant spirit looked exhausted, its eyelids drooping more than before.
Shhh... shhh...
With weary eyes, it cast magic. Soon, a flower crown formed in its hands.
Poke, poke.
“Bow?”
Nod.
Kang Seol bowed, and the spirit placed the crown on his head.
Then it stared at him intently, as if awaiting a response now that its task was done.
“Want to come along?”
Nod.
Kang Seol opened one of the spirit pouch slots.
Click.
Swoooosh...
The verdant spirit was sucked inside.
As the slot filled with green light, messages scrolled up.
You have captured Verdant Spirit Chirring.
Green secured.
Current captured spirit types: 1
Green slots into the Spirit Pouch.
Crackle... crackle.
Sitting by the campfire, Kang Seol stared blankly at the flames.
‘Just two so far?’
Green and orange were his haul up to now.
A month sounded generous, but he’d already used five days. He needed to pick up the pace.
In any other adventure, he’d have returned to Nobira by now.
“Verdant... then morning next?”
After the verdant spirit came the orange morning spirit.
Capturing two types this quickly would shock other adventurers, but Kang Seol felt unsatisfied.
‘Will the night spirit show up tonight?’
The purple night spirit.
It appeared at night, but expecting it so soon was wishful thinking.
Sticking it out like this, he’d probably encounter it before the deadline.
‘Anyway, Griz’s belt activates at three, right?’
The spirit pouch strengthened with each filled slot.
The minimum threshold was three slots. Kang Seol hadn’t reached it yet.
“Hoo... Hm?”
Rustle.
A presence stirred in the bushes—deliberately, it seemed.
“Who’s there?”
“Ah... um... please don’t be alarmed.”
Rustle... rustle...
A woman who looked like a college freshman burst from the undergrowth.
Kang Seol took one look at her scratches and figured she was lost in the woods.
“Sorry, but could I warm up by your fire?”
Kang Seol eyed her silently for a moment before nodding toward the flames.
“Over here.”
“Thank you!”
“Lost?”
“Yes...”
She resembled a drowned rat.
Her hair was a mess, blood staining spots here and there. The quiver on her back marked her as an archer.
They sat facing each other, warming by the fire.
Kang Seol, bored anyway, asked.
“Party?”
“None. I came alone from the start...”
“I see.”
“At least tonight I can sleep easy, thanks to you...”
“Name?”
“Han... Han Seoryeong. And you, mister?”
“Not mister. Kang Seol.”
“Ah... okay.”
“Here, cocoa.”
“Thank you...”
Slurp...
Crackle... crackle...
In the awkward silence, Kang Seol scratched idly at the ground.
Kang Seol? Snowfall? That explains it! Lol why Snowman tho
How’s a person named Kang Seol? Lmao
As viewers buzzed over learning Kang Seol’s real name for the first time, a sound echoed from afar.
Thud. Thump...
The ground trembled too.
Something was approaching, no doubt.
Thump.
“H-huh? Over there...”
“I heard it.”
Thump...
The midnight intruder clearly wasn’t stealthy.
Its body glowed red, and it was huge to boot.
Smaller than Jamad, but larger than Karuna—a giant.
“I-it’s spirits...”
“Yes.”
“Th-there’s a bunch of them!”
“I see them.”
“Sh-should we run? How...? Th-the spirit pouch!”
Lol her freakout is hilarious
“No need. Just stay still.”
“Huh? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Think of them as bees.”
They call those bees these days? Lmao
Five or six flickering flames approached Kang Seol and Han Seoryeong, stopping nearby before settling down to bask by the campfire.
Most spirits didn’t target humans unless provoked—or unless playing pranks.
‘Plus, I didn’t light this fire for nothing.’
Ember spirits were drawn to any flame.
Of course, Kang Seol hadn’t expected a whole family to show up.
Kang Seol and Han Seoryeong froze, staring at the fire.
As his shoulders grew stiff, the ember spirit beside Kang Seol looked down at him. Huge in size, but gentle as a lamb inside.
Its eyes looked sleepy.
“Want to go inside and rest?”
Nod.
Kang Seol opened a spirit pouch slot.
Click.
Whirrr...
Han Seoryeong watched wide-eyed as Kang Seol handled the spirit like a seasoned tamer.
‘Perfect!’
You have captured Ember Spirit Pozo.
Red secured.
Current captured spirit types: 3
Red slots into the Spirit Pouch.
The condition was finally met.
Soon, the message Kang Seol had awaited since obtaining the spirit pouch appeared.
The Multi-Spirit Pouch Belt (Incomplete) transforms.