Branded by Spirits

“This is just ridiculous.”

Do-yun let out a hollow laugh as he stared at his reflection in the lake. Tattoos covered him without discrimination—nape, forehead, cheeks, everywhere.

At least it had settled somewhat with time. Right after the spirits had first seeped into him, his entire body had glittered so brightly it was almost blinding.

“Heh, heeheehee!”

Ciel couldn’t stop laughing at the sight of him. She rolled around on the ground, unable even to flutter her tiny wings.

“Hands up properly.”

“Hiiing.”

She was currently being punished by Do-yun, yet the way she kept glancing up at him and twitching the corners of her mouth suggested she hadn’t reflected much at all.

Do-yun sighed once and looked down at his sword. In the end, the sword’s influence was largely to blame for ending up like this.

Of the three options applied to the sword, these two were related to spirits. It seemed Do-yun had severely underestimated the influence of S-rank options. He never imagined every spirit in the lake would come swarming in a mob.

“At first they were all excessively wary of me.”

The decisive variable that created this dramatic change was none other than the Flame Spirit. Only after receiving the brands of countless spirits did he understand. The Flame Spirit was the oldest and most powerful among the spirits of this lake—not merely strong, but a leader the others instinctively followed.

That was why the moment the Flame Spirit approached Do-yun of its own will and settled into him, the remaining spirits instinctively followed as well.

“No wonder I could use telepathy.”

Sharing intent was something only possible from high-ranking spirits onward. Even the first Spirit Master had only reached that stage after surpassing the 50th floor. Without the synergy between Spirit Affinity and Flame Affinity, accepting the Flame Spirit would have been nearly impossible. From the start, Do-yun had expected the spirits in this lake to be no higher than low-rank at best.

“Now that it’s come to this, there’s no choice.”

Staring at the lake any longer wouldn’t make the spirits pop back out. With the eyes of surveillance multiplied from one to dozens, finding the mana stones had become a problem he could no longer neglect.

“Where to start…”

Do-yun rose and surveyed the surroundings with his arms crossed. The Flame Spirit had shown him its memories, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but that alone made locating the mana stones nearly impossible. Even using the minimap wouldn’t change what simply couldn’t be done.

“Ciel?”

“You’re not seriously going to tell me to search this entire huge forest, are you? That’s fairy abuse!”

At the sight of Ciel flailing her hands in horror, Do-yun clicked his tongue in mild disappointment. If it had been something he could force, he would have pushed her into it, but even he knew having Ciel scour the whole forest alone was unreasonable. It would be a miracle if she didn’t get lost and go missing halfway through.

“Guess I’ll just have to tough it out myself.”

He’d probably stumble across them while searching for other hidden pieces. Just as he was about to leave the lake, it happened.

Fwaaat.

As Do-yun pushed through the trees, his entire body began to glow. At the second coming of the human disco ball, Ciel burst into another round of cackling, while Do-yun scanned the area with a look like he’d bitten into something foul. If the spirits were reacting, there was a high chance a mana stone was nearby.

This way, huh.

The light pouring from Do-yun’s body grew stronger the closer he moved in one particular direction. He drew his sword and advanced carefully. Before long, a strange sound reached his ears.

Aeeeeeng.

Far too loud for insect wings—more like a siren. Soon he discovered a blackened beehive. Crystal Bees’ hive. The information already existed in Do-yun’s mind. Blackened bees were flying around near the hive, and the noise that had been ringing all this time came from the beating of their wings.

Normally it should be transparent like real crystal.

Do-yun stared at the hive with a dubious expression. Corrupted by a mana stone, the Crystal Bees’ hive had a grotesque appearance that completely belied its name. Black slime oozed in place of honey, and the bees’ eyes glowed a vivid red.

Does that mean the hidden piece is spoiled too?

Originally, digging into that hive would yield an elixir called Crystal Honey. Looking at this mess, he doubted even the honey would be intact.

Aeeeeeeeng!

At that moment the bees on patrol spotted Do-yun. A bee thrust forward a razor-sharp stinger that no honeybee should possess and charged at him with a ferocious roar.

“Not a chance.”

Do-yun didn’t so much as blink. He flicked his hand lightly, and a gust of wind rose and flung the bee away. The unbalanced insect slammed its head into a nearby tree mid-flight and collapsed.

It was the power of the Wind Spirit dwelling on Do-yun’s forehead. True to its F-rank, the force wasn’t particularly strong, but it was more than enough to deal with mere insects.

And it doesn’t even consume mana.

A power whose ceiling was lower than skills but whose floor was far higher. That was the true value of spirits. And Do-yun carried not one but dozens of them in his body.

Ttak.

Do-yun flicked his fingers lightly. Lightning and a stream of water burst from empty air. The bees couldn’t even approach and could only thrash about helplessly.

Wuuuung.

But if that had been the end of it, the spirits wouldn’t have been driven all the way back to the lake. When the patrol bees proved unable to stop Do-yun, new bees began pouring out of the hive.

“Quite the variety.”

Bees that fired stingers from their rears. Bees that shrank in size for greater mobility. Bees whose shells thickened for durability. The enhanced bees could no longer be properly stopped by spirit power alone.

“About this much, then.”

Having gauged the limits of the spirits, Do-yun gripped his sword hilt. Then he swung forward with Bash packed into the strike.

Kwajijik.

The shockwave that erupted from the sword split not only the bees but the hive at the far end cleanly in two. In the process, the mana stone hidden among the trees was smashed as well.

Unlike Do-yun, who casually drove his sword into the ground, the tattoos covering his body flared with excitement and poured out light.

What am I, a Christmas tree?

Do-yun frowned at the light that brightly illuminated the surroundings. If it had only made his appearance unsightly, he would have gritted his teeth and endured it, but this light could invite far greater danger.

What if other challengers find me like this?

Until now he’d been lucky enough that their paths hadn’t overlapped, but other challengers existed on the 8th floor besides Do-yun. This light was no different from advertising his location to them.

Exactly like right now. The instant the notification floated before Do-yun’s eyes, he ducked. An arrow buried itself in the tree right beside him.

“Aigoo.”

Speak of the tiger and it appears, but having it happen the moment he thought of it was a bit much. Do-yun was about to sigh when he forced himself to think positively. Honestly, not running into anyone until now had been the stranger part. Meeting another challenger only after evening had fallen could even be considered lucky.

“Robin, of all people.”

A familiar name. Wasn’t this the same guy who’d shot arrows at Do-yun on the 6th floor? Whether the bastard recognized him and attacked or not, the moment of revenge seemed to have arrived.

“Northeast! Roughly five hundred meters away, hiding up in a tree.”

Ciel fluttered over and immediately reported the enemy’s position. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Their teamwork had reached the point where she could pinpoint the enemy the instant an attack came. Just as Do-yun was about to put strength into his legs and charge forward—

“Just what have you done?”

A hard male voice carried from far away. Do-yun, who hadn’t imagined the other party would start a conversation, paused.

“Have you imprisoned those free spirits within yourself?”

From atop the tree, Robin’s voice rolled out low from within the shadows. Do-yun answered in a tone of pure disbelief.

“Imprisoned? Who imprisoned anyone?”

“Spirits are not slaves. They are beings of personhood who must be respected.”

“Wow, a real spirit-rights activist has arrived.”

He’d listened to see what the man would say, but it didn’t seem like a particularly nutritious conversation. Just as Do-yun gripped his sword again and began drawing up mana—

“The Wind Spirit you carry… it was originally my partner.”

“What?”

“We were together even before I climbed this tower. But I failed to protect it.”

Robin muttered in a gloomy tone, as if recalling the past. Having abruptly spat out that shocking truth, he nocked an arrow to the string.

“I will defeat you and take my friend back.”

At those words came the sound of an arrow cutting the wind. Even though Do-yun had been hidden behind cover, the arrow plummeted from the sky as if ignoring every obstacle.

“What a load of crap!”

Gritting his teeth, Do-yun swatted the arrow aside and immediately kicked off the ground. The figure drawing his bow while hidden in the tree saw Do-yun staring straight at him and hastily rose.

“Did you leave the spirit with me for safekeeping? You already abandoned it once—where do you get off obsessing over it now!”

Do-yun thrust a hand forward, and the mark on his forehead blazed. Whirling wind flipped Robin’s robe, revealing the pointed ears hidden beneath.

Seuk.

Robin’s expressionless hand moved to the quiver at his waist. He seized five or six arrows at once and laid the entire bundle across the string.

Robin’s hands moved like lightning, plucking the string in rapid succession. The speed rivaled the continuous fire of a mechanical crossbow.

Swaeeeeek.

An organic barrage of arrows that gave no room to dodge. In response, the tattoos carved across Do-yun’s entire body blazed with light.

Hwaak.

Wind whirled, flames flashed, and ice surged up like walls. The powers of countless spirits intersected and deflected Robin’s arrows.

“Kh!”

Robin’s face twisted at the sight. The reason his expression darkened was not hard to guess.

He can’t accept that I’ve received the spirits’ recognition.

Spirit power could not be drawn out through coercion. That was why, unlike skills, using spirit power consumed no mana. Do-yun merely designated the direction of the power through gesture. The ones actually releasing the power were the spirits dwelling in his body. The very act of using spirit power meant the spirits supported him.

“That is not a power the likes of you may wield.”

“I’ve heard that line before.”

Halleon on the 6th floor had said the exact same thing. And what had been the result? The power of the Scorching Sword Do-yun used had surpassed even Halleon’s.

“If you’re going to talk like that, at least handle spirits better than I do.”

What right did a guy who could only shoot arrows have to talk back?

Huuk.

Do-yun’s sword plunged toward Robin’s body. Robin’s form rippled like water and reappeared on a distant tree.

No wonder an archer had been so close. He’d had at least one escape skill. But Do-yun was not so soft as to simply let Robin go.

The moment Do-yun closed and opened his eyes, he was face-to-face with Robin, who had just been reaching for an arrow.

“Think you’re the only one with skills?”

Do-yun swung his sword. Robin rolled across the ground and barely dodged. But the instant he confirmed Robin had left the sword’s range, Do-yun was already lifting his foot.

Kuung.

The moment his foot stamped down, earth and stone surged up as if alive and the ground heaved. The Earth Spirit had read Do-yun’s intent and acted. Robin, about to lose his balance and fall, drove his bow into the ground to brace himself—but Do-yun was never going to miss that opening.

An unavoidable blow crashed down toward Robin. After a brief hesitation, Robin raised his bow with both hands and caught the sword.

Kwaaaaang!

The bow that received the sword bent sharply. Robin’s arms, gripping the bow, trembled under the impact they could not withstand.

Kkeugik.

The bow creaked as it was forced back, and Robin’s knees touched the ground. Just as Do-yun poured strength into his arm to finish it—

Robin muttered in a small voice.

“Mother World Tree, wrap me in your branches.”

The surrounding tree branches bent toward Robin. As the branches bowed as if in worship, green energy blossomed from the tips of the leaves and gently enveloped Robin’s entire body.

It looked like something serious was about to happen, yet Do-yun only smirked as if it were nothing special.

“Hey. You think I couldn’t predict something on this level?”

Lily, who had somehow drawn upon the mana of an entire magic tower. That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spectacle had planted a certain conviction in Do-yun. If something like that could occur from the 7th floor, the possibility of a similar situation on the next floor was more than enough. So before entering the 8th floor, Do-yun had spent his free time coming up with an idea—an idea that could smash this kind of cheap trick the moment it appeared.

The moment Do-yun clenched his fist and activated Remiel’s authority, the green light settling over Robin’s body ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flickered faintly and faded away.

“Just take a hit first.”

Toward Robin, who was staring down at his own hands in disbelief, Do-yun’s fist flew.