Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 224: The Wind Spirit King. Minerva (2)
Hasak walked confidently at the head of the group, approaching the orb. Behind him followed his contracted high-level spirit.
The people around him marveled at the sheer power emanating from the spirit. A subtle yet powerful aura spread out, commanding awe from everyone present. The spirit’s very existence evoked reverence.
They all believed it was an unbeatable, absolute being—one they could never hope to defeat, no matter how many of them there were.
As they drew closer to the orb, greed flickered across Hasak’s face.
“Oh…”
Even though they hadn’t reached it yet, the immense power radiating from the orb was palpable. The strength contained in the orb easily dwarfed that of his contracted high-level spirit.
‘If I can just absorb that power!’
He could gain unimaginable strength.
Struggling to contain his excitement, Hasak asked, “Is the domain ready?”
“Not yet, sir. It still needs a bit more time.”
“Why is it taking so long?”
“We apologize. It’s just that it requires some adjustments…”
Hasak clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Everyone around him was useless. Once he gained power, he planned to destroy them all.
They were nearly at the orb when Hasak suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“What is that?”
Hasak scowled.
There was a man with black hair leaning against the orb, eyes closed.
“Who is that?”
“Who is that person near the orb?”
The people were taken aback. Akien let out a small gasp.
“Oh…”
The man next to the orb was Taesan. Marianne, noticing her reaction, asked,
“Do you know him?”
“…No.”
Akien shook her head, choosing to stay silent as she watched Taesan with complicated emotions.
“What the hell is this?”
Hasak glared at Taesan with a displeased expression.
“…I don’t recognize him. Didn’t we put up a barrier to keep outsiders away?”
“Yes, we did, sir,” said the man responsible for the barrier, his voice filled with confusion.
The barrier was still functioning perfectly, allowing no one but authorized personnel to enter. And yet, there stood a man who clearly didn’t belong.
“Who is he?”
Hundreds of people began murmuring about Taesan.
At that moment, Taesan opened his eyes.
As he slowly rose to his feet, the murmuring ceased.
“You! Who are you?!”
Hasak shouted, his voice filled with anger.
“That’s my spot! Get out of there! Or I’ll kill you!”
Taesan’s gaze shifted toward Hasak. For a brief moment, Hasak flinched.
There was nothing in Taesan’s eyes—no emotion, no sense of value. It was as if he were looking at an inanimate object.
Hasak had never been looked at like that in his entire life.
[Master, this person…]
Hasak’s high-level spirit groaned softly.
[He’s dangerous. We should retreat.]
“Shut up!”
Hasak barked, angrily waving his hand.
“You lowly human! Get lost!”
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”
Taesan’s voice, though quiet, seemed to echo in the ears of everyone present.
“From this point on, this place is off-limits to you. Leave.”
“Hah!”
Hasak scoffed.
“You vermin. Do you think you’re the first to try and stop me?”
There had been many before. Those who believed the orb to be a sacred object, untouchable by humans, had tried to stop him, proclaiming that no one should approach it.
All of them had resisted, trusting in their own power.
None of them were still alive.
“I don’t know how you got past the barrier, but I don’t have time to waste talking to the likes of you.”
Hasak signaled to his high-level spirit with a nod. The spirit groaned.
[Master…]
“Do it!”
[Damn.]
The spirit cursed under its breath, its eyes sharpening as it focused on Taesan.
Power surged from the high-level spirit. The onlookers gasped at the display of force.
“Oh…”
“So, this is a high-level spirit…”
It was a power beyond their imagination, a force that had gathered and now shot toward Taesan.
Everyone thought Taesan would be crushed by it. Those with weak stomachs averted their eyes.
But Taesan spoke calmly.
“Varcaza.”
Boom!
A colossal golem appeared in front of Taesan.
The high-level spirit froze in shock.
[Varcaza-nim!]
Bang!
The high-level spirit’s attack clashed with the golem, creating a massive shockwave.
But Varcaza’s body remained unscathed, not even a single dent.
[You’ve gotten stronger. You’re quite useful now.]
Varcaza chuckled heartily, while the high-level spirit swallowed nervously.
[Why are you here…?]
[Why else? I’ve formed a contract.]
“Varcaza?”
“The Varcaza?”
“Could it really be…?”
Those nearby, hearing the spirits’ conversation, began to murmur in disbelief. Hasak, now panicked, shouted.
“What is this?!”
His attack had been blocked.
Hasak had never imagined such a thing could happen. Varcaza looked at him with a grin.
[You’re the human who contracted with a high-level spirit after so long, huh? For someone like that, you’re quite brutish and lack manners. You won’t live long.]
“…Who are you?!”
Hasak yelled in denial. He had a suspicion but couldn’t bring himself to believe it.
Varcaza shattered his denial.
[I am the supreme spirit of many colors. Varcaza.]
Varcaza unleashed his full power.
The crowd gasped in shock.
An unfathomable force washed over them, dwarfing even the high-level spirit.
Varcaza stood in front of the orb.
[Apologies, but I must protect this one. I cannot allow anyone to approach further.]
The people were utterly astonished.
Hundreds of years ago, there had been a man.
He had formed a contract with a supreme spirit, something the world believed to be impossible. With overwhelming power, he conquered the world, forcing it to submit.
The name of the supreme spirit he contracted with was Varcaza.
Now, this legendary figure, known only in history books, stood before them.
“Th-Then…”
Spirits could only exist in the human world through a contract. Meaning, someone had formed a contract with a supreme spirit.
Naturally, all eyes turned toward Taesan.
“…Don’t be ridiculous!”
Hasak screamed.
“A human contracting with a supreme spirit? That’s just a myth!”
“But…”
The power radiating from Varcaza spoke for itself. It was undeniable that he was a supreme spirit, far beyond any of the spirits they had contracted with.
“I don’t believe it! Attack!”
[Master!]
“Shut up and attack!”
[Sigh.]
The high-level spirit sighed, gathering its strength. Hasak turned and barked orders at the others.
“You too! Quickly!”
“But…”
The people hesitated, unsure of what to do. Hasak’s face twisted in anger.
“I’ll kill anyone who doesn’t move!”
As if to prove he wasn’t bluffing, the energy of his contracted spirit surged around him. Reluctantly, the people began summoning their spirits and gathering their power.
Varcaza chuckled.
[Master, what should we do?]
“If words don’t work, we’ll have to teach them a lesson. It’s perfect timing to gauge your power anyway.”
There were numerous spirits present, including one high-level spirit.
It was the perfect scenario to assess Varcaza’s abilities.
“Go ahead, do as you wish.”
[That’s what I wanted to hear the most.]
Varcaza clapped his hands happily.
[Come on, then. Let’s see if you can take me down, my fellow spirits.]
“…Die!”
Hasak shouted.
The spirits’ powers all rushed forward in unison.
[What a sight.]
Hundreds of beams filled the sky. It was a spectacle worthy of admiration.
Varcaza brought his hands together.
Boom!
A massive barrier formed around the orb. It was one of Varcaza’s abilities—the power of defense.
Rumble!
The spirits’ attacks collided with the barrier.
But the barrier held firm, not wavering in the slightest as it blocked every single attack.
[My king has commanded me to show mercy, so I will not harm you.]
Varcaza clapped his hands again, and beams of light began raining down, just as they had when he protected Taesan earlier.
“W-What is this?!”
“Run!”
Screams erupted from the crowd.
The beams of light precisely pierced the spirits. One by one, the spirits were unable to withstand the force and were forcibly reverse-summoned.
“You can control each beam individually?”
Taesan was intrigued. If Varcaza could manipulate hundreds of beams simultaneously, it meant no matter how many weak monsters there were, none would be able to approach. This was a significant advantage, especially considering battles on Earth.
[Varcaza-nim!]
The high-level spirit gathered its strength and formed a shield, but as soon as one of the beams touched it, the shield shattered.
[Ugh!]
“You…”
Hasak gaped in disbelief.
The hundreds of beams were erasing the spirits without resistance.
Even though there were hundreds of them, the low-level spirits couldn’t put up a proper defense.
“…This is insane!”
[…Varcaza-nim!]
The high-level spirit screamed in desperation.
[That man is our enemy! He killed our kin!]
[So what?]
Varcaza replied indifferently.
[What do you expect me to do? Strike my master?]
[Why would you form a contract with such a man?! And why is he here?!]
The high-level spirit ground its teeth.
[Could it be… he’s targeting the one behind you?!]
[You’re close. Though the details are different.]
The contract between Taesan and the Spirit God was something even Varcaza hadn’t been aware of. Naturally, the high-level spirit had no clue. The spirit mistakenly believed that Taesan was after their king.
[Why would you do this?!]
[Enough.]
Varcaza said casually.
[I lost to my master. So, I accepted him as my master. If you have a problem with that, then defeat me by force.]
[…Varcaza-nim!]
The high-level spirit roared as its power surged.
Hasak gritted his teeth.
“The domain! What about the domain?!”
“It’s ready, but…”
“Just do it!”
“Y-Yes!”
Wooooooom!
The domain created by the high-level spirit activated. The power of the low-level spirits that were desperately trying to escape was siphoned into the high-level spirit.
[M-Master!]
[It hurts!]
The low-level spirits flailed in agony but couldn’t escape the domain. In the end, every spirit that wasn’t forcibly reverse-summoned was drawn into the high-level spirit.
[Ooooh…]
The high-level spirit’s power visibly increased.
[From now on, things won’t be easy. For the sake of our king, I will defeat you.]
[Interesting. Give it a try.]
Boom!
The power of the two spirits collided. As the high-level spirit said, it was no longer being pushed back.
“So, they’re gathering the power of the spirits to amplify it? Interesting.”
Taesan muttered to himself.
But that was all he said.
Varcaza clapped his hands. Hundreds of beams shot toward the high-level spirit.
The high-level spirit gathered its power and released it in a burst.
The beams scattered in all directions.
But the scattered beams reformed and rained down again.
Boom!
[Ugh!]
“There’s a fundamental difference in power.”
No matter how much power the high-level spirit gathered, it was still a high-level spirit. There was an insurmountable gap between it and a supreme spirit.
As the high-level spirit continued to be overwhelmed, Varcaza spoke.
[Don’t worry too much. It’s not what you think. It’s actually the opposite.]
“This is impossible!”
Hasak shouted in frustration.
“I am the strongest human in the world!”
The absolute truth that Hasak had believed in was beginning to crumble.
“I’m the man destined for the Labyrinth! I’ll go there, grow stronger than anyone, and become a god!”
“You?”
Taesan sneered.
Hasak was strong, no doubt. There was no denying that.
If he entered the Labyrinth, he could probably descend to the 20th floor without much trouble.
But that was it.
Many people with even greater talent and experience had failed to survive the Labyrinth, either dying or losing their will.
“You have big dreams.”
But Taesan planned to show him the reality.
“Step aside.”
[Master?]
Taesan ordered Varcaza. Confused, Varcaza stepped back.
[Human…]
The high-level spirit, barely standing, rose once more.
“Come at me.”
“…Ha!”
Hasak laughed.
Challenging a spirit to a fight with a human body? It was impossible. Hasak thought Taesan had gone mad from his own power.
“Kill him!”
[…Enemy of our kind!]
The high-level spirit charged at Taesan.
It had absorbed the power of hundreds of low-level spirits. While still a high-level spirit, its strength had nearly reached that of a supreme spirit.
The spirit’s power surged toward Taesan.
Taesan casually raised his fist.
By the time anyone realized his fist had moved, the high-level spirit’s body had already exploded.
“W-What?”
[You human!]
The high-level spirit reformed its body and charged again.
Taesan waved his hand lightly. The spirit’s power was thrown into disarray.
[Gah!]
A casual gesture.
A simple punch.
Each movement from Taesan made the high-level spirit tremble, as if it might be destroyed at any moment. Hasak couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“H-How? How can a human defeat a spirit?”
The power of spirits was supposed to be untouchable by humans.
Even low-level spirits were beyond human capabilities, let alone high-level spirits, which could hold back floods and stop landslides.
Yet this spirit was being completely overwhelmed by a mere human.
“The high-level spirit you thought was absolute? In the Labyrinth, it’s nothing.”
“…You’re not…”
Hasak’s pupils dilated in realization.
Taesan clenched his fist.
Sensing something was wrong, the high-level spirit reinforced its defenses, surrounding itself with all its remaining power.
Taesan’s fist moved.
The spirit’s defenses shattered, and the high-level spirit was reverse-summoned.