Leveling Up With Skills - Chapter 225: The Wind Spirit King. Minerva (3)
“Ah…”
Hasak stared blankly at the remnants of his vanishing spirit.
His contracted high-level spirit.
The embodiment of his absolute power.
The strength that no one in the world could deny.
It had now shattered into pieces before his eyes.
“…This can’t be real!”
Hasak couldn’t help but shout.
“No matter what! Even if you are from the Labyrinth! There’s no way you could destroy a high-level spirit so easily!”
“That’s not for you to judge. That’s for me to decide.”
Taesan approached leisurely and grabbed Hasak’s head.
Hasak, his eyes bloodshot, glared at Taesan with fury.
“You’re a fraud! I don’t know what kind of trick you pulled, but how dare you reverse summon my spirit?! You’ll pay with your life!”
“Pfft.”
Hasak’s tone made it sound like there was some mysterious artifact from the Labyrinth that could reverse summon spirits, and Taesan had somehow used it against him.
[Denial of reality due to shock? It’s not unheard of, but cases this extreme are rare.]
[A pitiful human.]
Hasak continued cursing, denying what had just happened. Taesan stared down at him calmly, still gripping his head.
Killing him wasn’t an issue.
But the Spirit King had said that they were to be protected—that these were beings he was meant to shield. He had been told to punish them, but not kill them.
“Maybe this will knock some sense into you.”
Taesan began to gather power.
Those watching from a distance recoiled in horror, their eyes wide with fear.
He activated the Three Proofs.
With the skill *Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination*, he drew in his spiritual power.
Then, using a conceptual skill, he focused his will and unleashed it.
The overwhelming force of Taesan’s presence washed over the crowd.
“Aaah.”
Their faces turned pale.
They began to suffocate under the sheer weight of Taesan’s power, which pressed down upon them all. But it wasn’t just the raw force that overwhelmed them—it was the sheer magnitude of his presence.
He was an existence far beyond their reach, an absolute being.
“A-Aaah…”
They dropped to their knees, bowing their heads to the ground. It was as if they were worshipping a great god, showing Taesan reverence and awe.
“What the…”
Taesan raised an eyebrow, retracting his power.
He had intentionally excluded any physical pressure. If he hadn’t, these people would have been crushed to death the moment they came into contact with his presence. He had only revealed his aura.
He had expected them to be intimidated, but he hadn’t anticipated this extreme form of worship-like reaction.
[Your current presence feels godlike to them.]
With his *Apostle Transformation* activated, along with his conceptual and divine skills, Taesan’s presence had now reached the level of an apostle, close to that of a god.
In this world, where the strongest entity was only a high-level spirit, the presence of an apostle was an overwhelming force, akin to a god that they couldn’t hope to resist.
As Taesan retracted his power, he looked down at Hasak once more. Hasak’s face had turned deathly pale, his mind broken under the weight of Taesan’s presence.
“This… this can’t be.”
He stammered.
“This isn’t real. You… you’re lying.”
[Wow, even after being crushed by your presence, he’s still in denial? That’s quite impressive.]
[Twisted emotions and a delusional belief in himself. It’s a mixture of many things that allow for this level of denial. Honestly, it’s almost impressive.]
“What a nuisance.”
Taesan clicked his tongue in annoyance.
This man posed no real threat. With just this level of power, there was no way he could harm Taesan or the Spirit King.
But if left unchecked, he’d likely return time and again, causing trouble.
And that would be annoying.
‘What should I do with him?’
Taesan narrowed his eyes.
As he stared at Hasak, he sensed something within him.
‘What is that?’
It was a connection, a link.
Focusing his spiritual power, Taesan traced where the link led.
‘A spirit?’
The link extended to another dimension.
Taesan realized that this was the contract between Hasak and his high-level spirit.
‘Let’s see if this works.’
[You have activated *Apostle Transformation: Intertwined Spiritual Force*.]
Taesan’s presence reached an even higher level. Varcaza gasped in shock.
[Master? What is this power…?]
Taesan manipulated Hasak’s connection.
But even as he touched it, the link trembled but didn’t break.
The bond was created by the contract between a human and a spirit. No matter how powerful Taesan was, he couldn’t sever it.
However, the power of the Fallen Gods was different.
The forces of these exiled beings were inherently twisted.
Using *Twisted Spiritual Force Coordination*, Taesan manipulated his spiritual power and touched the link again.
“Huh?”
Hasak’s eyes widened.
He didn’t fully understand, but he sensed that Taesan was interfering with something crucial to him.
“Stop it!”
“It’s too late.”
Taesan poured his spiritual power into the link.
The connection snapped.
“Aaagh!”
Hasak collapsed, clutching his head in agony. Something vital to his very being was slipping away.
[What?]
[Master… did you just tamper with the contract itself?]
Varcaza was shocked. The contract between a spirit and a human was established directly by the Spirit God. Unless the god allowed it, no one could interfere with such a bond.
Yet Taesan had managed to do so.
“So this is how it feels.”
Taesan withdrew his spiritual power.
He now understood how the Fallen Gods continued to interfere with this world.
Their power was inherently twisted.
“It’s not perfect.”
The severed link was already trying to reconnect. In about a week, the contract would likely be reestablished.
Taesan realized that while interference was possible, completely breaking the laws governing the contract wasn’t within his abilities.
But Hasak, who didn’t know this, sat there, clutching his head in disbelief.
“…What did you do to me?!”
“Shut up.”
Taesan tossed Hasak aside. Those watching from afar screamed and rushed to catch him.
“This is not something you should meddle with. Nor is it something you’re worthy of.”
Taesan’s voice carried across the now silent area, reaching everyone’s ears.
“If you keep trying to approach, you’ll pay the price.”
In the quiet, his words echoed ominously.
—
Back in the white space, the blue-haired girl, Minerva, greeted Taesan with a bright smile.
“You’re back!”
“You did great! You’re definitely the one Father sent for me!”
She wrapped her arms around Taesan’s waist and spun around gleefully.
The people outside, hearing Taesan’s final warning, began to gather up Hasak and retreat.
They didn’t seem ready to leave just yet, but most of them had lost any desire to challenge the orb. It was likely that many of them would never return.
Akien and her group, watching from a distance, looked at Taesan with complex emotions.
Fear, awe, and gratitude.
Knowing the truth about the orb, they felt grateful that Taesan was protecting it.
Minerva twirled around again and then pulled out her ball with a bright laugh.
“Alright, let’s play again!”
“Okay.”
Taesan nodded.
The game wasn’t anything elaborate. Taesan would throw the ball, and the Spirit King would catch it and throw it back—a simple, repetitive game.
But the Spirit King found immense joy in the simple act.
“This is so fun!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“It’d be even more fun if there were more people to play with.”
Minerva glanced over at Varcaza, then smiled.
“You should play with us too!”
[If the king desires it, I shall obey.]
Varcaza joined the game.
And she didn’t stop there. She looked at the Ghost as well.
“You too!”
[That sounds like a pain. And besides, I can’t play a game like this.]
The Ghost, being an incorporeal being, couldn’t touch physical objects like the ball.
But Minerva waved her hand casually.
“Then I’ll make you one!”
[What?]
A dense energy began to swirl around the Ghost’s form. The energy coalesced, taking on a physical shape that wrapped around the Ghost.
[Huh?]
The Ghost now possessed a mannequin-like body.
He moved his new limbs around, clearly bewildered.
[A physical body?]
“Now you can join us! Let’s play!”
[Wait… can a Spirit King even create physical bodies?]
The Ghost was clearly taken aback. He had once received a physical body during Pabsha’s trial, but that had been granted by the power of a god.
“This space exists to protect me as I grow. I can do many things here.”
Minerva smiled brightly.
“I can lend you a temporary body, though it only works within this space.”
[Well, I guess that makes sense.]
The Ghost tapped his new arm, and as he did, the arm began to crumble slightly.
It was a fragile body.
But it would suffice for a simple game.
“Now, let’s all play together!”
[Who would’ve thought I’d end up babysitting.]
The Ghost grumbled, but he joined the game. He seemed to enjoy the novelty of having a physical body again.
[Better than just watching.]
Varcaza, the Ghost, the Spirit King, and Taesan began tossing the ball back and forth.
The game itself hadn’t changed—just a simple game of catch—but Minerva looked happier than ever.
Time passed, and the white space began to darken.
“I’m sleepy…”
Minerva’s head began to droop.
“I’m going to bed now… see you tomorrow.”
She waved her hand as the white space faded, and Taesan found himself back in the real world.
He sat down in front of the orb. Varcaza spoke up.
[Spirits are born alone. So when a spirit is newly born, it clings to the beings around it. Even kings are no exception. Normally, they rely on the spears and shields that will be born after them… but this time, it seems the king has chosen you as the one to rely on.]
“I don’t mind. It’s been a while since I’ve taken care of a child.”
In the Labyrinth, the system was fair to both the elderly and the young. No matter one’s age, stats were distributed equally.
But young children rarely survived the Labyrinth. Those who did were mostly unable to return to Earth alive.
Thus, after so long in a desolate world full of fighting, the innocent Spirit King was a refreshing presence for Taesan.
“Aaah!”
At that moment, Hasak was rampaging through his office.
His workspace was in complete shambles.
“Come out! Come out! I said, come out!”
He roared in frustration.
But nothing happened.
“A-Aaah…”
He could no longer feel the presence of the high-level spirit he had spent his life with.
“What is this…”
The connection that Taesan had severed was slowly reestablishing itself. Within a week, Hasak would be able to summon his high-level spirit again.
But Hasak didn’t know that. He believed that Taesan had completely severed the contract.
“H-Haha…”
He sat down, utterly defeated.
With his head hung low, he muttered.
“It’s over.”
Word of his broken contract with the high-level spirit had already spread.
People would soon learn the truth, and once they did, they would abandon him without hesitation.
Hasak knew that. The only reason no one had dared to punish him was because of his contract with the high-level spirit. Without that shield, he was worthless.
“…It’s fine.”
Hasak tried to calm himself.
“I just have to enter the Labyrinth. If I can just get into the Labyrinth…”
In the Labyrinth, he could obtain the kind of power that made spirits seem insignificant.
Once inside, he could become as powerful as a god.
Hasak, who had been obsessed with the Labyrinth itself, now believed that merely entering it would grant him power.
“But how… how do I get in?”
That was the problem. Hasak had no idea how to enter the Labyrinth. After a long moment of blankly staring ahead, his face twisted in anger.
“…I see! That orb is the gateway to the Labyrinth! That bastard is blocking it so I can’t get in!”
The man who had preemptively seized the Labyrinth’s power feared that Hasak would become too powerful, so he was blocking access to the orb.
“That bastard! He’s afraid of how great I’ll become!”
In Hasak’s mind, this had become the absolute truth. He began to rage once more.
“Power!”
The power to be great!
The power to become a god!
Hasak screamed.
And the gods answered.
Though in a twisted form.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped the room. Hasak froze mid-rage.
“W-What?”
He swallowed hard.
The darkness that filled the office was like a bottomless abyss, swallowing everything around it.
From within that darkness, a figure began to emerge.
Hasak held his breath.
It was both formless and tangible. A presence that wavered like a mist, yet existed as a distinct entity.
The shadow stretched its body.
“A-Aah…”
Instinctively, Hasak shut his eyes.
He was too afraid to look.
His very soul warned him that merely gazing upon this being would corrupt him and drag him into the deepest depths of the abyss.
Hasak realized what this shadow was.
It was not a being permitted to exist in this world.
It was a creature that would consume everything and create a world of darkness.
The shadow spoke.
It asked if he desired power.
Hasak couldn’t answer immediately.
He was terrified.
Even someone like him, who had craved power more than anything, could sense the primal fear emanating from this being.
But eventually, Hasak nodded, his face trembling.
He wanted power. That was all he had ever wanted.
With his nod, the contract was formed. This being, which was not meant to reside in this world, had gained permission to stay.
The darkness enveloped him.