The Beautiful Hybrid
"No!"
Jin Yu-seong screamed, drawing his sword and leaning precariously over the railing.
Ilyang also stepped up to the railing, finally getting a clear look at the mid-grade wind spirit that had revealed itself.
"This is..."
A three-tailed red fox floating quietly on the river.
Observing the creature, Ilyang let out a genuine exclamation of admiration.
"Ha... does this even make sense? A spirit hybridized with a magical beast?"
He knew this world differed from the lower realms in many ways. But this was a combination he had never even imagined.
Could all the spirits of this world be like this?
Spirits are supposed to be purely spiritual entities. That is common sense.
Along with the vertical circle formed in his heart, another of Ilyang's long-held preconceptions shattered.
Originally, spirits were entities closest to gods, formed from the condensed energy of Mother Nature.
Because they lacked physical bodies, they lived eternal lives, and it was known that high-grade spirits could not be destroyed by any means.
The only reason these beings of formless power bothered to form contracts with humans and lend them their strength was, ironically, because they lacked physical vessels to draw out their true power to its limit.
They needed a lever to exert their power.
Yet, amazingly, the spirits of this world possessed physical bodies.
But isn't that completely game-breaking?
If all spirits in this world were like this, was it even possible to contract with them in the first place? Why would a spirit with a physical body bother contracting with a human?
Ah! No wonder the Earth Spirit King didn't respond.
Because they had nothing to gain.
Now, the entire situation made sense.
Just as Ilyang finished analyzing the situation in his mind, the three-tailed red fox lightly stepped on the river's surface and began grooming its soft fur with its tongue.
It was leisurely grooming itself right before their eyes, almost as if mocking them.
"C-Catch that thing!"
"Shoot your arrows, now!"
"Who said to shoot arrows?! Nets! Yes! Throw the nets over there! Hurry!"
The Bureau Head, Jin Yu-seong, and the surviving escorts and leaders of the Jinseong Express Bureau ran around the deck despite their severe injuries, trying every method under the Bureau Head's command.
But floating on the river with a haughty expression, the fox effortlessly evaded every arrow and net thrown its way, rendering the Jinseong Express Bureau's efforts utterly futile.
"Move the ship closer!"
"No, just ram it with the ship!"
Amidst the chaotic shouting all around him, Ilyang quietly observed the fox's movements.
Yes, that is definitely a mid-grade wind spirit.
The air around the fox rippled subtly with the movement of the wind.
I had my doubts, but...
No matter how he looked at it, it was indeed a spirit with a physical body.
His head throbbed. He felt like he was going crazy.
What a terrifying hybrid.
Vargas, the Earth Spirit King with whom Ilyang had once contracted... what if that bastard had possessed a physical body in the past?
Perhaps Vargas could have fought the Demon King alone.
No, even if that was an exaggeration, it was clear he would have been more terrifying than a dragon.
Just imagining it made his head spin.
Come to think of it, my own preconceptions were deeply rooted.
He felt as if his creativity had dulled since coming to this world.
While Ilyang was silently chiding himself, the fox, which had been casually dodging the escorts' attacks as if playing a game, turned its gaze toward him.
Its eyes widened slightly, and then the corners of its mouth curled upward.
Is it smiling?
Ilyang wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt as if the creature was smiling at him.
The fox wagged its lush red tails a few times as if in greeting, gave Ilyang a mysterious look, and then shot up into the sky, vanishing from sight.
"Ah... No...!"
"Catch it! I said catch it!"
Jin Yu-seong, the Head of the Jinseong Express Bureau, and Namgung Min, the Soaring Sky Sword of the Namgung Clan, cried out toward the sky. Soon, they stared blankly upward with hollow, devastated eyes.
"We're ruined..."
"Ha..."
They had lost the most important cargo of this escort mission right before their eyes.
They had barely survived a life-or-death crisis, only to face this nightmare.
The pirates, who had been slowly following the flagship on their own vessels, had also witnessed the three-tailed fox and realized exactly what had just happened.
"W-Wasn't that a spiritual beast just now?"
"It had three tails, so it must be. Isn't that a three-tailed fox?"
"Ha... so that was the cargo bound for the Namgung Clan? Then where is the Elixir of Demonic Spirits?"
"You idiot, that must be kept somewhere else."
Except for the peak masters of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Sect who had been subdued and locked in the cabins, the remaining pirates were distributed across the wedge ships and sailing vessels. Unable to flee, they had been awkwardly trailing behind the Jinseong Express Bureau.
Having witnessed such a rare spectacle, they broke into a clamor of their own.
Regardless of the commotion, Ilyang stroked his smooth chin, lost in thought.
That creature definitely met my eyes and smiled.
Why? Simply because of his high spirit affinity? Or did it sense the circle magic within him?
He couldn't fathom the reason.
Just then, from far away, a voice etched itself clearly into his mind, like a message spell.
"Until next time."
It was a short message, but it carried a wealth of meaning.
Ilyang narrowed his eyes and looked up in the direction the fox had vanished.
"...Amusing little creature."
The creature had the audacity to declare that it would come find him.
Ignoring the despairing Jin Yu-seong and Namgung Min, Ilyang let out a soft chuckle.
Perhaps this is for the best.
To reach the 4th Circle, the assistance of a spirit was essential. Low-grade elixirs were not only expensive but incredibly difficult to obtain, so this was a welcome turn of events.
That's why I stood by and let it escape earlier.
If he had used magic, capturing it would have been simple. But he hadn't wanted to provoke any unnecessary hostility from the creature.
If it really comes back, I'll have to coax it over to my side.
Yet, a question remained.
While Ilyang needed the creature to advance to the 4th Circle, why would the creature want to find him? What did it have to gain?
"Ah... Ah..."
"W-What should we do?"
Beside him, Jin Yu-seong and Namgung Min, whose minds were completely shattered, groaned in agony.
But their plight was of absolutely no concern to Ilyang.
"Strategist, I heard we ultimately lost the Blood Sect and the Mansi Sect."
"Indeed. It is a common occurrence. Even when they show themselves, our lack of spellcasters severely limits our ability to track them."
"Still, we cannot let this happen every time. I can no longer persuade the elders. Perhaps we must pressure the Mosan Sect to dispatch their people. What do you think?"
"But what can we do when the Mosan Sect truly lacks manpower as well?"
"Could they not simply recruit more disciples than they currently have? If the Alliance provides more material support..."
"Alliance Leader, have you forgotten what the Land Monster of the Mosan Sect said in the past?"
"Are you referring to his claim that without that damned 'immortal root,' accepting ten thousand disciples is utterly useless?"
"Indeed."
The fundamental root, or talent, required to walk the path of an immortal in Daoism. It refers to an innate spiritual aptitude. Without it, no matter how brilliant a genius one might be, they can never learn spellcraft.
A middle-aged man with a half-white beard and hair.
The Chief Strategist of the Wulin Alliance, Jegal Hwi-myeong, known as the Divine Calculator of the Wondrous Fan. He brought his teacup to his lips and spoke with a bitter expression.
"Since it is something that cannot be overcome through human effort, the Mosan Sect is also helpless."
"Tsk, if it is a matter of spiritual talent, there is indeed no solution. Very well. I shall focus on that excuse during the next elders' meeting."
"Still, it seems the Mosan Sect has not been wasting the funds we provided. In fact, they recently created quite an interesting item."
"An interesting item?"
Clack—
Jegal Hwi-myeong pulled out a round jade plaque, roughly the size of a palm, from his drawer.
"What is that? It looks like a compass."
"Yes, it functions similarly. The Mosan Sect spent a long time crafting this. They apparently used the funds our Alliance provided to create it."
"An item built with a fortune... Surely it does not merely point out directions."
An elderly man with white hair and a refined countenance.
The current Alliance Leader of the Wulin Alliance, Wi Do-hak, known as the Golden Heaven Sword Emperor. Without even touching the jade plaque placed carefully on the table, he chuckled.
"So, in your estimation, is this item actually useful?"
"Yes. It is the very thing that will fulfill our greatest need."
"Oh? How rare. Your evaluation is remarkably high."
For the usually cold and calculating Jegal Hwi-myeong to speak so highly of it, the small jade plaque had to be exceptionally useful.
"How does one use it?"
"To put it simply, it points in the direction of the person with the highest spiritual power in the vicinity. They call it the Heavenly Escape Disc (Cheondunban)."
"...What?"
As astonishment washed over the face of Alliance Leader Wi Do-hak, the Chief Strategist of the Wulin Alliance, Jegal Hwi-myeong, spoke with a chilling expression.
"In short, with this Heavenly Escape Disc, we can track those wretched cultivators to the ends of the earth."
"Is... Is that truly possible?"
Currently, the greatest difficulty the Wulin Alliance faced when dealing with public enemies of the Murim was not their bizarre martial prowess or grotesque spellcraft.
It was the fact that once they resolved to flee, there was no proper way to track them.
But with this item, they could hunt down and capture those public enemies.
"Unfortunately, mass production is impossible. At least for now."
"Why? If it is a matter of money, we can increase our support. I shall persuade the elders immediately..."
"It is not a matter of money. To craft this, the Land Monster and his disciples must work by hand for an entire month. Thus, there are currently only six of these Heavenly Escape Discs in existence."
"Mmm... That is indeed a shame."
"Still, it is highly promising. It can track targets within a radius of a hundred li."
"A hundred li... That seems far too short."
The world was vast. A mere hundred li seemed insignificant.
"They plan to improve upon that gradually. We cannot expect too much from the very beginning."
"True, that is fair."
"Ah! And though it may be a bit late, we have already dispatched one Heavenly Escape Disc to the Namgung Clan. Perhaps they will be able to catch the tail of the Mansi Sect or the Blood Sect once more."
"Haha, yes, an excellent decision. The Namgung Clan will certainly put this item to good use."
The undisputed Greatest Family Under Heaven.
That was the Namgung Clan.
Not only did they consistently produce numerous peak masters generation after generation, utilizing their renowned Soaring Sky Boundless Swordplay, but they also possessed one of the twenty-three absolute masters of the realm, the Sword King Namgung Jin-cheon.
They were a clan of absolute, overwhelming power.
"Just show your tails one more time, you wretched rats."
The Alliance Leader of the Wulin Alliance, the Golden Heaven Sword Emperor Wi Do-hak, gnashed his teeth, believing that this time, the Wulin Alliance would finally have the chance to show the world a definitive victory.