Pride's Humble Duty
Pride, the Earth Spirit, was a fallen spirit of the land. Once an ordinary Earth Spirit, he had become corrupted for reasons unknown and served as the boss monster of an S-rank Gate. Pride was powerful. As an S-rank boss, he wielded immense strength, and facing him was akin to battling nature itself. With a single gesture, the earth would split open, transforming into razor-sharp blades that drove hunters toward death. The very ground that had always supported them could turn into an enemy in an instant. No matter how skilled the hunters were, they were not birds. Jumping high was possible, but they ultimately had to plant their feet on the ground to fight. He was a troublesome foe indeed.
To unleash powerful attacks, one needed solid footing and leverage. Yet Pride could manipulate that very ground at will, forcing hunters to rack their brains. Dozens had entered the Gate to slay him, only to perish by his hand. Because of this, the Gate housing Pride earned a special distinction among other S-rank Gates—an extra star, much like how an A+ grade surpasses a regular A in academics.
Pride, the calamity of the earth who had slain or driven countless hunters to their deaths, saw his march toward victory come to a crushing halt before Albert. Though not entirely overwhelming, Albert had thoroughly dismantled his defenses. In the end, Pride had no choice but to kneel before him. He formed a contract, becoming Albert's loyal subordinate. The name Pride was granted to him at that time.
'I am the mightiest Earth Spirit. A figure of terror to hunters, and none can wound me.' He had even contracted with Albert, an EX-rank hunter and the pinnacle of the world, the strongest of them all. His pride soared to the heavens. Together, they had conquered SS-rank Gates, SSS-rank Gates, and even EX-rank Gates beyond, solidifying his status as the strongest hunter's summon. His arrogance had grown considerably.
Pride was prepared to carry out Albert's orders with a smile, even if it meant diving into a volcano of bubbling lava. Of course, he wouldn't die from something like that. 'I am the strongest summon... incomparable to the others... Therefore, I deserve treatment befitting my stature.'
"This... isn't this a bit much...?"
The Pride once called a calamity by hunters was now buried in the ground with only his face exposed. It was Albert's doing. After ordering Pride to dig a hole, Albert had stuffed him inside and covered him up. Originally, Albert had demanded his entire head be buried too, but Pride had begged to at least leave room to breathe.
'Technically, as a spirit, I don't need to breathe...' Leaving his face exposed was his last shred of pride.
'At first, I thought it was a joke.' When told to get in the hole, he had assumed it was playful. But Albert had been serious. There was no trace of jest on his face when he asked if he should bury Pride himself. It had been real.
"Haa..."
Still buried, Pride released his spirit power. Normally, this ability was used to scan the surroundings. Now, he was using it to restore the land's fertility.
"This isn't what this power was meant for."
Regardless, it was an order from Albert, so he had no choice but to comply faithfully. 'I was ready for lava, but not for being buried in dirt...'
The next day, an early-rising villager patrolling the territory stumbled upon Pride buried with only his face showing.
"U-uaaah!! S-someone abandoned a corpse!!"
"Th-they even left the face exposed!!"
A commotion erupted. Pride, who had been resting with his eyes closed, snapped them open.
"How dare mere humans treat me like discarded trash? You must have a death wish!"
The two villagers fainted on the spot at the sight of his glaring eyes. The uproar only ended when Albert arrived.
"How is it?"
"My word..."
Elena couldn't hide her astonishment as she gazed at the land that had become fertile in just a single day. A few days prior, the soil had been dry and crumbly, seemingly incapable of supporting even a single blade of grass. Water would simply seep through without being absorbed. But now?
"Is this really the same land?"
When she touched the soil, it had regained its viscosity. Even a layperson with no agricultural knowledge could tell the ground's condition had vastly improved. She would need to bring in an expert later, but instinctively, she felt crops could thrive here.
"Did you really do this, Brother? That's amazing!"
The nanny beside her also touched the soil several times and sniffed it. A strangely sweet scent lingered. While unusual for soil, it was certainly better than the day before.
"What do you think, Nanny?"
"The land seems much improved. Though I'm no expert, I believe farming here would pose no issues."
The nanny was deeply impressed. Worried about Elena's troubles, she had visited the previous day. Back then, the land had been utterly desolate. Even the other villagers had sighed deeply upon seeing it. In just one day—after consulting with Albert—the land's fertility had been restored to the point where farming was viable.
"Young Master, you've worked so hard. But how did you manage this?"
"Ah, that? He did it."
Albert introduced Pride. The spirit had been brushing dirt from his clothes when Albert beckoned him over with a finger.
"Who is this?"
Elena's eyes widened with mild wariness at the appearance of a stranger she had never seen in the territory. Pride's face twisted in displeasure.
"Do not look at me with such eyes, human. I am the great Earth Spirit, Pride. I am not someone a mere human like you can gaze upon so casually."
He was quite prickly.
Pride was indeed discriminatory. Whether due to his origins as a spirit or the lingering effects of his corruption, he viewed all humans except his contractor, Albert, as primitive. At best, he acknowledged Kang Min-seob and Yeseul. The rest, he tended to look down on as inferior.
"Pride."
"Yes! Speak, my lord. I am..."
"She is my younger sister."
"Y-your sister?"
"That's right."
"......"
Pride jolted in surprise, turning to look at Elena before glancing back at Albert. His face paled.
'Wh-what did I just say?'
In that instant, his arrogant words to her flashed through his mind. Come to think of it, back in the other world, he had spoken of his family many times. Especially when mentioning his sister, his expression had revealed his humanity—filled with deep longing and affection. Yet he had spoken so rudely to that very sister.
"Pride."
"Y-yes! P-please speak!"
"You get one chance. Since I hadn't told you yet, you may not have known. But listen..."
Albert's demeanor shifted abruptly. An explosive killing intent, like a volcanic eruption, focused on Pride. Pride felt his entire body freeze. This killing intent was different in quality from any human's. A chilling sensation ran down his spine. He could never win against this. The moment he crossed this man, an inner terror whispered that he might vanish from this world forever, making his body tremble.
'A-as expected... my lord... To possess such power as a human...'
Albert quickly withdrew his killing intent and issued a quiet warning.
"If you ever speak to my sister or the nanny in that manner again... no matter how useful you are..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
'Death.'
To survive, Pride swallowed his pride and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle before Elena and the nanny.
"I am Pride, the Earth Spirit who serves Lord Albert as my master! I look forward to working with you!"
The Earth Spirit's attitude had flipped with remarkable speed.
Land fertility recovery confirmed.
The soil is now perfectly suited for farming.
Releasing spirit power deep into the ground truly restores it in an instant.
"Indeed."
Albert smiled contentedly as he watched the villagers bustling about the farmland.
"Oh! With this, farming is possible!"
"How did the land change in just one day...?"
"It definitely wasn't like this yesterday!!"
"E-everyone, grab the farming tools! We can start planting right away!"
"Woohoo!"
"Let's begin!"
The villagers showed their enthusiasm. With food supplies dwindling, they had been deeply worried. Now that farming was possible, they moved to act immediately, unwilling to waste even a single day.
"Thank you so much, Brother."
Elena, watching from the side, spoke up. The worry that had clouded her beautiful face seemed to have lessened slightly.
"For what?"
"Thanks to you, we can farm again. Without you, we might not have survived this winter."
"It was nothing."
He had heard plenty of praise from others, but hearing it from his sister stirred an odd, ticklish feeling in his chest.
'He's truly amazing.'
Elena was genuinely impressed. In just one day, Albert had resolved her greatest concern. Could anyone else have done it? No, it would have been impossible. Countless people had seen the land and shaken their heads in defeat. It was a plot everyone had given up on, despaired over, and been crushed by. Yet he had turned it into fertile soil in a single day.
'I'm so glad I have a brother.'
She had believed she shouldn't rely on anyone, that she had to handle everything alone. As the lord, that was her duty. She had worked tirelessly without showing weakness to anyone. Though the days were often lonely and filled with solitude, she had endured in silence. Because she was the lord. 'This is my responsibility.' Days of patient perseverance. The path ahead had always been dark, like walking on thin ice—precarious and unstable. She had to keep moving forward alone on that fragile surface. But everything changed when Albert arrived. He had healed the nanny and instantly solved their food shortage.
'So this is what family feels like...'
She smiled warmly. The reassurance of having someone to lean on. A comforting warmth spread through her heart. The once-unstable ice now felt like solid stone that nothing could shake. A foundation she could walk on freely.
'This is nice.'
Watching Elena's pleased expression, a gentle smile formed on Albert's lips. The revival of the farmland was a signal flare announcing the territory's resurgence. They could farm to their hearts' content. Normally, one would use various farming methods to maximize efficiency while considering soil depletion. They had done so ten years ago as well. But now, there was no need to worry about that. Because...
'If the fertility drops, I can just recharge it again.'
Albert's gaze turned to Pride. After all, he had an excellent fertility charger.
"......"
Under that gaze, Pride couldn't help but shudder, a chill running down his entire body.