The Captive Spirit
The stern of the sailing vessel.
On the ship gliding swiftly down the muddy waters of the Yujanggang River, Ilyang was currently lost in deep thought.
It was slightly different in form, but that was undoubtedly the aura of a spirit.
Far in the distance.
At the edge of Ilyang's gaze lay the flagship, where the Jinsung Escort Agency's iron carriage had been secured.
Though no sound or energy leaked from the iron carriage now,
he still vividly remembered the trace of energy that had slipped out just before they boarded.
Its energy was strangely weakened, but it was definitely a wind spirit.
How on earth had a human captured a spirit?
Was there actually a proper spirit summoner in this world?
What he found truly incomprehensible was this:
even if they had somehow managed to capture the spirit through some trickery,
all the spirit had to do was sever its connection to this world and flee back to the spirit realm.
Why hadn't the creature trapped over there escaped to its home plane?
Soul-binding magic is a fairly high-tier spell. Could someone here actually cast it? Or was it simply unable to escape?
In this dimension,
there were far too many things that defied Ilyang's common sense.
Ilyang habitually pinched his soft, chubby cheeks,
and for nearly half a day,
he could not take his eyes off the flagship trailing behind them.
Eventually, he let out a soft sigh and turned away.
Once this escort mission is over, I must find a way to stay near the Namgung Clan for a while.
To be honest, he wanted to break open the cargo right this instant and speak with the captive spirit,
but there were too many complications.
For now, I am a vagabond. I must focus on the commission.
He had considered sneaking over,
but the people aboard the flagship were far from pushovers.
At least ten experts on par with high-ranking knights.
In this world, experts of that caliber were referred to as peak masters.
With ten such masters packed onto the flagship,
trying anything foolish would likely end poorly.
Speaking of which...
Ilyang, perched on the railing of the swaying ship, slowly shifted his gaze to the side.
Standing on the deck with a relaxed expression, as if merely out to catch a breeze, was a middle-aged man.
The man's name was Jang Geoi.
This one is also at the level of a high-ranking knight.
For some reason, he was hiding his true strength, but he was undoubtedly a high-ranking knight—which meant he was a peak master.
He catches my eye strangely often.
At first, Ilyang had wondered if the middle-aged man was monitoring him, given how frequently he appeared in his field of vision.
However, he soon dismissed it as oversensitivity.
Jang Geoi stood blankly staring at the river for a moment,
before striking up a casual conversation with So Il-hyeon, the Flower Sword of Escorts, who had just emerged from the cabin.
Indeed. There is no reason for him to have any connection to me.
As Ilyang's suspicion subtly faded,
Song Gwang-sik, the Bright Moon Sword, let out a silent sigh of relief.
Whew, I thought I was busted.
Realizing his target was beginning to grow wary of him,
Song Gwang-sik resolved to be much more cautious in his movements.
Meanwhile, Ilyang briefly checked on the Blood Jiangshi with whom he shared a mental link.
It's cutting it close.
Because his circle level was not yet high enough,
it would be problematic if the Blood Jiangshi strayed too far.
The connection could easily snap.
Fortunately, by utilizing their monstrous physical capabilities to the fullest,
they were managing to keep pace with the ship along the riverbank.
But because the Yujanggang River was nearly as vast as an ocean,
they occasionally teetered on the very edge of his effective range.
If worst comes to worst, I'll have to make them swim.
That was far better than losing control of them entirely.
After completing his brief check, he once again focused his mind on the iron carriage aboard the flagship.
If its energy leaks just one more time, I'll be able to identify it precisely.
While he was certain it was a wind spirit,
its exact grade remained unclear.
The leaked energy had been far too faint.
If only it were at least a mid-tier spirit.
Even that much would be of immense help in reaching the 4th circle.
Spirits were beings of pure natural force—vessels of elemental power.
Swaying up and down with the motion of the rolling ship, Ilyang recalled memories of his past life.
In any case, it is now certain that spirits exist in this world. That means demons or magical beasts might exist here as well.
The demons and magical beasts that had once clashed with humanity
had all formed and nurtured cores within their bodies.
Extracting those cores upon their deaths yielded incredibly powerful mana stones.
These stones boasted a purity incomparable to anything mined from mana stone veins.
Because they harbored such power within themselves, high-ranking demons and magical beasts were exceptionally formidable.
However,
humanity's desire for mana stones
ultimately conquered their fear of the demons' overwhelming strength and magic.
To obtain those high-purity stones,
humans hunted countless demons and magical beasts.
They were truly madmen.
If one person was no match, ten would charge.
If ten were not enough, a hundred would gather and swarm.
No matter how magnificent the demon or beast, none could withstand such relentless onslaughts indefinitely.
Eventually, after the Demon King—the focal point of their forces—was slain by the Hero,
the weakened demons had no choice but to flee back to the demon realm.
They simply could not endure the insatiable greed of humans who kept coming no matter how many were slaughtered.
We nearly drove the demons to extinction back then.
Of course, humans had also died in staggering numbers.
At least a hundred times more humans had perished than demons.
Yet,
no one cared about that obvious cost.
Such was the madness that mana stones induced in humanity.
At any rate, the inner cores of demons or magical beasts could serve as ingredients for an elixir.
His train of thought rolled on.
He could not yet know what form or name the ingredients for an elixir took in this world.
But the existence of a spirit of that caliber
meant that the primary ingredients for an elixir must also exist.
This was highly valuable information.
Splash! Splash!
Ilyang stared blankly at the muddy waters of the Yujanggang River from the ship's railing.
Just then, So Il-hyeon, the Flower Sword of Escorts—who had grown quite close to him over nearly ten days of traveling together by carriage and boat—slid over to strike up a conversation.
This fellow
certainly possessed an extraordinary social charm.
"Our little divine dragon seems quite accustomed to ships. Your posture is incredibly stable."
During the escort mission,
after he had thrashed the Blood Wind Spear multiple times,
the accompanying vagabonds and escorts had playfully begun calling Ilyang the "Little Divine Dragon."
He had no idea why the people of this land loved giving nicknames so much.
They weren't even that cool.
"I have boarded ships a few times in the past."
In truth, he had ridden them to the point of boredom.
In his past life, Ilyang had sailed the seas, not rivers,
and had even boarded massive galleys more than ten times the size of this vessel on numerous occasions.
He had risked his life to plunge into the Sea of Death multiple times just to learn the unique magic of the merfolk.
As Ilyang wore a distant, nostalgic expression, lost in memories of the past,
So Il-hyeon watched him and asked with his signature friendly smile,
"By the way, what does our little divine dragon plan to do once we arrive in Cheonjungseongdo?"
"I have no particular plans."
Ideally, he wanted to stay with the Namgung Clan, or at least nearby, but that was something he would have to figure out gradually.
As Ilyang replied casually, feeling the rough texture of the wooden railing beneath his palm,
So Il-hyeon tilted his head.
"Oh? I heard the Blood Wind Spear has to climb Mount Potala to deliver a request from his master."
"Oh? Is that so? How dare he hide his itinerary from his father! I must head down to the cabin for a moment and discipline my insolent son."
"Hey, hey! Wait a minute. If you go now, it'll look like I betrayed his secret! I'm the only one Yang Cheon-jo told directly!"
Ilyang paused for a moment, then gave So Il-hyeon a thumbs-up and smiled brightly.
"That was excellent information. It seems my son will lose a precious friend today, as the culprit has been clearly identified."
"..."
Flustered, So Il-hyeon sputtered soundlessly before quickly snapping out of it to ask,
"B-but how long do you plan to keep up this father act? It's entertaining to watch, but that Blood Wind Spear fellow is actually quite famous here in Myeongju."
To be more precise, it was his master who was famous.
Ilyang knew this as well,
but his attitude was strictly "so what?"
Leaning against the deck railing to stretch his shoulders, he answered honestly,
"He requires a great deal of effort in many ways, but he possesses talent. I am instructing him here and there because I believe he will be quite useful once properly raised, but his slow progress is rather troublesome."
"...You were actually teaching him?"
And "once properly raised"?
The Blood Wind Spear was far older than him, for starters.
As So Il-hyeon stared at him with a dumbfounded expression,
Ilyang gazed back at him intently and offered a faint smile.
"The Three Bonds and Five Relations, or the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness that I preach, are merely a facade. To be precise, they are simply excuses to impart lessons to my son."
An excuse to teach?
So Il-hyeon pondered this for a moment before a look of realization dawned on his face.
"Ah! No wonder you nag him and flick his forehead every single time. That was your way of teaching!"
Ilyang glanced at the sailors busily adjusting the ship's sails and nodded.
"Every time I strike him while lecturing, my son manages to react somehow, but he still has a long way to go. Perhaps because he learned his martial arts through some shortcut, his stance is riddled with openings."
"You... you do know who his master is, right?"
"Yes, I am aware. But even if the master is an expert, it does not guarantee that the disciple will be one as well."
"Well... you're not wrong about that."
As So Il-hyeon let out a silent sigh of relief at having successfully steered the conversation,
Ilyang locked eyes with him and suddenly brought up a different topic.
"We are about to enter the most dangerous stretch of this escort mission. It seems we have reached the perfect moment for an ambush."
"Huh? Ah, yes. I suppose so. Being on the water is always risky."
"Indeed, an attack on a ship is far more perilous than one on land."
Even the Blood Jiangshi, who had been stealthily trailing them, could not easily navigate the vast, ocean-like river.
Furthermore, this was not a simple crossing.
It was a long journey that required traveling along the river for six full days to ensure a swift transit.
The scale of this river is truly immense.
This was not an ocean,
but merely an inland waterway connecting one region to another.
Yet, even while traveling at such high speeds on a sailing ship, it would take six days.
Ilyang once again marveled at the sheer vastness of this continent.
It is a shame I cannot utilize the Blood Jiangshi on board.
If trouble arose on the ship, he certainly could not count on their assistance.
He would have to rely solely on his own strength to ensure his safety.
Well, barring any unforeseen variables, there shouldn't be any major issues.
A 3rd-circle master.
In the lower planes, this was the stage where one finally shed the title of apprentice
and could be called a true mage.
Surely, this level of power would place him among the stronger ranks in this world.
"You... the look on your face right now is incredibly unsettling."
"...Ahem. Were you watching me?"
Ilyang quickly composed his expression and turned his gaze back to the river.
If his predictions were correct,
it was about time for the villains to make their appearance.