Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 220: Arulia, the World of Spirits and Humans (3)
“Ah, of all things…”
Akien looked deeply regretful.
In this world, spirits were everything, literally. When judging a person, their lineage was secondary to which spirit they had contracted with. The ability to handle spirits took precedence over physical prowess or intellectual capability.
No matter how skilled an architect, no matter how strong physically, or how high their intelligence, if they couldn’t properly handle spirit magic, they were considered handicapped.
“Still, I think Taesan-nim will be fine.”
Taesan was strong. Even with just his bare hands, he had the power to reverse-summon lower-level spirits.
With that level of strength, even if he had no talent for spirit magic, he could still be respected anywhere.
The only downside was that people would still gossip behind his back, calling him a fool for being unable to control spirits.
“Really?”
Taesan leaned back against the wall of the carriage.
The carriage continued forward. Taesan quietly closed his eyes, while Akien kept nervously glancing at him.
“Is it true that the jewel hasn’t changed color?”
Ferina approached and whispered. Akien hurriedly put a hand over her mouth.
“Be quiet!”
“What’s the big deal? He seems like he’s sleeping. I’m not teasing him, I’m just curious.”
Akien nodded slightly, and Ferina let out a small sigh.
“A person to whom the jewel doesn’t respond… There really is such a person?”
“I don’t know either.”
Their world was one where spirits and humans lived in harmony. Every being born had an inherent talent for spirits.
Ferina murmured with a curious expression.
“Could he have come from a completely different place?”
“A different place?”
“You know, like that legend we heard when we were kids.”
Akien realized what she was referring to.
“That place they call the Labyrinth?”
“Yeah.”
“No way.”
Akien shook his head.
“That’s just a legend. There’s no way such a place could really exist.”
“True.”
Ferina agreed, as if she hadn’t been serious.
But Taesan had heard every word of their conversation. He simply continued his thoughts without paying them any attention.
He couldn’t use spirit magic. He had no talent for it.
Taesan felt no particular emotion about this fact.
It was the same with aura. Aura was a power only granted to those personally acknowledged by the God of Swords.
Spirit magic was similar. It was a power that only those born with a blessing from a specific world could learn.
Just as Earth’s people had gained strength through Rakiratas’—the demon god’s—blessing, this world had its own rules.
‘What could there be?’
Taesan had gained aura by defeating sword masters and triggering spirit ascension, which had brought him the blessing of a god.
But that method was now impossible. Spirit ascension wouldn’t activate if the power gap was too large.
Back when he fought Bekweseta, the difference in power between him and the sword masters wasn’t that vast.
But now, Taesan had grown too strong. Even if he defeated someone contracted with a high-level spirit, spirit ascension wouldn’t trigger.
Taesan remained calm.
There had been countless times when learning something seemed impossible.
But Taesan had always managed to break through, learning skills like multiplication, division, and copying.
Spirit magic would be no different.
‘First, I need to understand the basic conditions.’
The carriage stopped. As they got off to have a meal, they summoned their spirits.
[Master…]
“I told you, it’s fine! You guys are the ones making this difficult for me.”
The spirits were wary of Taesan, but the others couldn’t understand why.
“Can you just boil some water?”
[…Understood.]
The spirit sighed as it began to gather power.
Taesan, who had been watching, approached. The spirit instinctively created a barrier.
“I told you not to do that!”
“I have something to ask. Is that alright?”
Taesan asked Akien, who was scolding the spirit. Akien nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes. Ask me anything.”
“You said this jewel shows whether someone has the talent to handle spirit magic, right?”
Taesan held up the jewel. It still showed no color.
“Yes.”
“What exactly does it mean when someone can’t make a contract because they lack an affinity?”
“It’s just as it sounds. Hold this for me.”
Akien handed the cooking prep to someone else and brought out a wooden stick. She began drawing lines on the ground.
“A contract with a spirit involves calling a spirit from the spirit world through a specific method and synchronizing with that spirit. The summoner doesn’t take the lead in this process. The spirit from the spirit world must respond to the call.”
The lines formed a magic circle. Akien placed her hand on it.
Wooong.
The magic circle responded. Taesan identified the energy flowing through it as mana.
He analyzed the pattern, approach, and the strength of the energy.
Then energy from Akien flowed into the magic circle.
At that moment, the magic circle began to glow green.
“I have an affinity with the forest, so when I call a spirit, a forest-affiliated spirit responds.”
“So, no spirit responds if someone lacks an affinity?”
“Yes. Without an affinity, there’s no spirit to respond, so a contract can’t be made.”
“I see.”
Essentially, mana was used to activate the magic circle. Taesan had mana as well.
The spirit world responded based on the affinity of the summoner, and an appropriate spirit would answer the call.
Taesan understood the process and smiled faintly.
“Good. That’s enough confirmation. Thanks.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
Akien waved her hands. She thought Taesan had called her over to see if there was any way he could learn spirit magic.
‘He’ll probably try for a bit and then give up.’
Without a responding spirit, learning was impossible. That much was certain.
The meal was ready.
They began eating.
Once the meal was finished, the carriage moved forward again, and soon, more enemies appeared to block their way.
“They’re here again!”
[Master!]
The darkened spirits unleashed their power and attacked. Akien was controlling her spirits to defend, but she was gradually being overwhelmed.
Taesan walked toward the blackened spirits.
Upon seeing him, the darkened spirits swelled up, drawing out endless malice as they rushed at him.
Snap.
Taesan grabbed one of the spirits.
Flames erupted from the blackened spirit, engulfing Taesan in a fiery inferno. Akien screamed.
“Taesan… nim?”
“Their power has increased slightly.”
Standing amidst the flames, Taesan checked the spirit’s condition without any change in expression.
“Has its consciousness been consumed? Maybe I can consider this a form of corruption. Nothing special.”
He squeezed. The spirit was crushed and disappeared.
With swift movements, he shattered the other darkened spirits rushing at him. Akien murmured blankly.
“You’re really… so strong.”
“You don’t know what these things are?”
“No. The darkened spirits appeared along with the orbs. These spirits don’t speak or make contracts. They only attack us with malice.”
“Is that so?”
Taesan had a rough understanding.
In the absence of the Spirit King, the ancient gods were targeting this world. And Beatrice, the spirit god, was holding them back.
But she couldn’t block all of them. In terms of raw power, the ancient gods seemed to surpass the current gods.
Moreover, their strength was virtually limitless, giving them a significant advantage.
Even the god of magic had been forced to wait until they crossed a line, so it was likely the spirit god was in the same situation. The spirits appeared to have been corrupted as a result.
“They’re doing a good job of interfering for someone who claims to have won.”
As always, the ancient gods would obstruct him whenever he tried to achieve something.
Taesan was preparing for that.
With the darkened spirits defeated, they moved forward again. The carriage continued slowly, and night fell before they reached their destination.
Though Taesan had no problem going without sleep, the others naturally needed rest, so they settled down for the night.
Once everyone had fallen asleep, Taesan stepped out of the carriage.
The spirit standing guard startled and began gathering power.
[You!]
“Don’t be so wary. I could kill you with a flick of my finger if I wanted to. But I don’t.”
[What is your purpose?]
“To do something that benefits you.”
[…I don’t believe you.]
“Then don’t.”
Taesan spoke indifferently and walked past the spirit.
He entered the forest. As expected in the spirit world, the natural energy here was far stronger than on Earth.
He drew his sword.
He traced the magic circle that Akien had created earlier into the ground. Then he infused mana into it.
Despite using the exact same method as Akien, the magic circle didn’t respond.
There was no spirit to answer the call.
This much, he had expected. The real problem came next.
“Will this work?”
Taesan raised his hand.
The pure white ring on his finger began to glow in the darkness.
[An artifact imbued with elegance and mystery, shrouded in pure white.]
[It has its own spirit level, synchronizing with the user to assist them. It can also store a variety of powers to be used when needed.]
[A ring created by merging the Light of Origin and the power of the Apostle. Its immense energies have clashed and unified into one. It possesses its own consciousness and grace. It can accept other forces, except for its twin. The one who fully masters this ring will gain even greater power.]
The ring had two functions: synchronizing with its user through its spirit level and assisting them.
It also stored great power to be used as needed.
Taesan synchronized with the ring. The ring, having its own consciousness, began to draw out power in sync with its master’s will.
Woooong.
The surrounding energy started to flow toward the ring.
But it was faint.
The flow was slow, and at this rate, it wouldn’t be enough to summon the level of spirit Taesan wanted.
Taesan focused even more.
Time passed.
The scattered bushes around him.
The leaves fluttering in the wind.
The dew forming on the tips of the leaves as dawn approached.
The energy contained within each of these elements began to seep into the ring.
As the gathered power synchronized with the magic circle, the magic circle began to shine brilliantly.
Kiiiiiing.
If he couldn’t make a contract with a spirit due to a lack of affinity, then he would gather the necessary attributes to fool the spirits.
The light spreading through the magic circle began to shift into the colors of a rainbow. Taesan continued to draw in more power.
Boom.
The energy collected in the ring exploded and flowed into the magic circle.
At the same time, the surrounding natural energy gathered and began to take shape.
[I am the supreme spirit, Varcaza, one who bears a multitude of colors.]
It was a green spirit, with a form resembling a golem. The power radiating from it was strong enough that even Taesan couldn’t underestimate it.
[Who is it that summoned me…?]
“Hello?”
Taesan waved. The spirit stopped speaking and stared at Taesan.
[You are…]
“I want to make a contract. And I don’t want to hear any refusal.”
Taesan muttered as he drew his twin swords.
“Let’s keep this simple. Really simple.”
He moved swiftly.