Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Three Spirits Belt
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His spirit pouch was enveloped in green, red, and orange light.
Whoosh-!
As the light gradually faded, a belt shining in three colors emerged, utterly unlike its previous clumsy form.
Multi-Spirit Pouch Belt (Incomplete) evolves into Three Spirits Belt.
'Three Spirits...'
The spirit pouch was finally starting to show its true power.
Three Spirits
Grade: Rare
Appropriate Level: 10 - 20
Defense: 30
Durability: 140/140
Weight: 0.2kg
A belt imbued with the energies of three spirits. Designed by Grizz, completed by Snowman.
Basic Stats: Strength +10, Agility +10, Stamina +10
Special Ability: Blessing of the Spirits (Unique) – Changes with each absorbed spirit.
'What the...'
Donated 300 Madness!
What the fuck is this?
That's some fancy-looking gear.
It actually exists, you know.
Wear that to a club and you'd be the star.
You've never been to a club, have you?
Sorry, just imagining it.
The Three Spirits Belt.
This belt, whose name sounded suspiciously like a Chinese restaurant, came with a unique effect.
'A unique effect? Those are almost nonexistent this early in the game.'
Stat boosts, speed enhancements, or vitality buffs were common enough, but gear with abilities that directly aided in combat was rare.
Such equipment didn't appear in earnest until mid-game, each boasting its own distinctive special power.
These unique abilities produced all sorts of specialized effects.
'Blessing of the Spirits, huh... So that's how it works?'
As Kang Seol understood it, the Blessing of the Spirits acted like an elemental shield.
An ability that could protect against sudden magical sniping.
'The more types of spirits you fill the pouch with, the more elemental types and shock amounts it can block...'
Collect all seven types of spirits, and you could block seven kinds of elemental attacks for a brief time.
Theoretically, it could stop seven spells fired in a single second.
Of course, it was limited to low- and mid-tier magic, but even that was enough to make any early-game caster curse in frustration.
"Oh? The belt changed. Is that the spirit pouch?"
"That's right. Pretty unusual gear."
"It's amazing. Can I touch it?"
"No."
"Ah... Okay."
Nope.
Keep it together!
Iron wall!
How dare she eye me up? A million years too early!
LOL awkward...;
Avoiding scandal lol
With the fire spirits settling into place and drifting off to sleep, Han Seoryeong's eyelids grew heavy, her head nodding drowsily.
"I'll take the watch. You can sleep first."
"Really? I feel so exhausted... Did we walk too much today?"
"Probably."
"Then, thanks... Wake me when it's my turn."
"Sure."
Han Seoryeong yawned and rolled over on the large leaf bed.
Kang Seol pulled something from his inventory.
Swish...
No!
Blue alert! Blue alert!
This stuff is 19+!
What Kang Seol pulled out was a book—Grizz's Multi-Spirit Pouch blueprint and its annotated translation.
Heh heh... I'll read secretly with her sleeping form right in front of me.
Reading is food for the soul... Heh heh... How's that!
Aww...
Kang Seol pored over the unusually long blueprint diagram.
'After three spirits...'
-This belt's true power activates once you've gathered three types of spirits.
Of course, having all types would be ideal, but other matters kept him too busy to collect even one. He had no interest in a theory already perfected.
But what if future generations judged me for failing to capture spirits? Heh heh... I'll include the method for live-capturing them here. No one will doubt my genius now.
Below that were detailed instructions for capturing low-grade spirits.
Since mid-grade spirits wouldn't even fit in the pouch, the belt had been designed solely for low-grade ones from the start.
Kang Seol scanned down the text.
This much he'd read repeatedly and memorized.
And from here on, he'd only skimmed and memorized the gist.
-Bonus: On the Spirit of Flash and the Spirit of Shadow.
"Hm..."
Kang Seol watched Han Seoryeong stir in her sleep for a moment before returning to the book.
-Don't take this section as gospel; it's based on hearsay and lore, not personal experience.
What was he supposed to do with that?
-This is Grizz blending info from ancient fairy tomes with his own genius. How do I know ancient fairy? I speak 12 languages! Though I'm most curious about machine-to-machine communication...
Surprisingly, that wasn't bravado. Kang Seol had seen it wandering the continent, causing trouble everywhere.
-The Spirits of Flash, Venta, and Shadow, Shade, are far rarer than others. Shade sightings are especially scarce.
But that's a relief. Most spirits are docile idiots (which is why I hate them), but these two demand caution. They hunt human lives.
Which was why Kang Seol had always been careful when live-capturing spirits.
-I'll note countermeasures and capture methods.
Finding them is the hard part. The belt has nine pouches total. Two look different from the rest—those are the special ones for them. (They won't go in willingly, so force them in when exhausted.)
Check the dark one. White powder inside? Vitality solvent. Deadlier than poison to spirits. How to feed it? Here's how. First... Wait, why am I even writing this?
Meanwhile, a few days prior.
The three who had encountered the teleported Kang Seol were trudging through the Great Forest.
"Lee Woo-cheol, why'd you go all the way in there? Just fight nearby."
"Sorry... Embarrassing, right?"
"It's a forest. Whatever."
"Haha..."
"Anyway, where the hell do these things live? We'd catch 'em all if we could find 'em."
Despite venturing deep into the forest, their haul was just one filled spirit pouch.
They'd spent over ten days already, yet lagged behind Kang Seol.
Feeling their lack of progress, frustration burned within them.
Lee Woo-cheol hesitated.
"Um..."
"What?"
"Earlier, when I went deep... I think I saw some tracks."
"What? For real!?"
"N-not sure."
The news was enough to excite the group.
More than verifying it, the relief of having a goal over aimless wandering mattered most.
"What are you waiting for? Let's go! What if it runs?"
"Sleep...?"
"We can check first and sleep during the day."
"Let's go together. I saw it that way."
"Lead on! We'll wrap this up and bail. Can't take the frustration anymore."
Rustle...
Lee Woo-cheol guided them.
Night brought clinging bugs and thorny scratches, but with success in sight, nothing else mattered.
And fortunately, Lee Woo-cheol was right.
"It's real! Actual tracks. But..."
"They keep going..."
"Shall we?"
"Obviously."
"What if it's a person?"
"Then we back off."
They followed the movement traces far.
By the time a foul stench filled their mouths, they'd arrived somewhere.
Fwoosh...
An open hilltop.
Spirits clustered amid flowers and fireflies, their pure white glows like stars fallen sadly to earth.
"My god..."
"Jackpot... Jackpot..."
Soon, one spirit spotted them and approached cautiously.
Chiiing...
"H-huh? It's coming this way?"
"Stay still. It'll be fine."
"How do you know? Uh..."
The white spirit drew near and tugged their hands.
Lee Woo-cheol made contact first.
"Doesn't seem dangerous. It's welcoming us?"
"Huh? Y-yeah, kinda looks like it..."
"Come on. Looks like it has something for us."
"Huh?"
Other spirits pulled the others' arms.
Drunk on the dreamlike atmosphere, the group mingled into the throng.
Swish...
A cool breeze rustled flowers and grass.
This was what it meant to be swept up in the mood.
Like a hallucination, they danced with the spirits.
Twirl.
Twirl again.
And slowly, they lay down on the flower hill. Perfectly naturally.
But unlike the entranced group, Lee Woo-cheol stood rigid.
'Huh? Why am I lying down?'
The group glanced at him, sensing unfamiliarity in his eyes upon meeting theirs.
Which probably explained their words.
"Who... are you?"
"Woo-cheol? That's not Woo-cheol?"
Suddenly, Lee Woo-cheol's mouth tore wide. As a black shadow, he grinned at them.
Crack...
Krunch!
"Gaaahhh!"
Rumble-!
Lightning struck a tree.
Crackle...
"Kyaaah!"
"Screaming is dangerous. You might startle the spirits."
"H-hey! Didn't you see me jump?"
"Han Seoryeong wouldn't kill someone just for being startled, right?"
Gulp...
Han Seoryeong clamped her mouth shut at Kang Seol's words, grasping their implication.
"Y-you mean we could die? Here?"
"If you startle the spirits, yeah."
"How can you say that so casually, like ordering jjajangmyeon at a Chinese place?!"
"Shh. Keep your voice down."
"Seriously..."
Rumble-!
Lightning scorched a nearby tree again.
"O-okay, I'll be quiet. My bad."
"...It's coming."
"Huh? What's coming?"
"A spirit."
Zzzzt... Zzt...
A yellow-glowing being sent currents rippling through the ground as it approached Kang Seol's group.
"Eek... It's tingling even from here. Dangerous?"
"Very."
"...Damn it."
"Stay still, and you won't die at least."
The static spirit Spatz finally appeared, innocently pouring electricity into the earth.
"Why's it doing that?"
"Probably... to talk?"
"Talk?"
Zzt...
"Eep!"
Current surged into Kang Seol and Han Seoryeong.
「Who are you?」
The electricity conveyed Spatz's thoughts. Simultaneously, options appeared before Kang Seol.
The Static Spirit has spoken to you. It seems intrigued by humans. How will you respond?
1. How dare a mere spirit... Want to die?
2. Don't do that, my bad.
3. Are you the one messing up this place? You shouldn't.
4. Wanna come with?
5. Need any help?
...
Kang Seol responded exactly as Grizz had instructed for capturing Spatz.
"Need any help?"
Spatz, somehow understanding, zapped him back.
Zzt...
「Help me? You?」
"Yeah."
Zzt...
「Can you help me? It's really, really hard.」
"Anytime."
Zzt...
「Then follow me. If you grant my wish, I'll grant yours.」
Whoosh...
Spatz withdrew the current and turned away.
Kang Seol nodded to Han Seoryeong, signaling success.
"What's going on... What does that kid want help with?"
"You'll see when we get there."
Kang Seol recalled Grizz's description of Spatz's traits.
-Spatz is one of the few spirits that can communicate. Like a kid with lots of worries. Well... petty ones, not world peace or inner turmoil like mine. Anyway, solve its little problem, and it'll follow you unconditionally.
In short, solve a trivial worry to claim Spatz.
Pzzt...
Spatz moved fast.
Kang Seol and Han Seoryeong practically ran to keep up.
"Huff... pant... Not there yet?"
"Almost."
"...A cave?"
A pitch-black cave mouth greeted them.
Spatz turned at the entrance.
Zzt...
「My worry is in here. You really gonna help?」
Kang Seol stepped inside without hesitation.
A chill wrapped around him. His smile deepened.
"Ah, I get Spatz's worry now."
"R-really?"
"But it's not a simple one."
"...Huh? What do you...?"
Thud... Thoom...
Something huge lumbered toward them.