Chapter 39 Part7 (1/2)
<chapter 39.=”” new=”” party=”” member=”” -=”” 7=””>
The giant flame lizard, the Elder Salamander Prince Zenon, was a spirit on the same level as Sinea, evidenced by his level and his naming convention. As spirits, they were the peak of their respective elements and were incredibly rare.
[Since spirits don't naturally grow on their own, contractors are indispensable. These factors... stimuli, experiences, will, all have an effect on a spirit's growth.]
”Then what about you, Sinea?”
[Me? Well... you and I are pretty much already contracted, Paul Zero.]
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo asked, and for some reason, Sinea blushed and seemed embarra.s.sed. That was enough for him to figure out what was going on. When he gave her the spirit stone in the past, she awakened as a Dryad Princess and a contract of sorts was formed between them.
[...It seems like you have met a good contractor. How enviable.]
Zenon breathed out a tiny bit of flame, and gazed at Sinea. It didn't seem like he was being sarcastic; it looked like he was genuinely jealous of Sinea.
The reason was easily explainable. Sinea just said it. A contractor was essential for a spirit to reach level 7. Zenon must've had a contractor in the past as well. Of course, it didn't really matter at this point.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo gazed at the injured flame lizard, and spoke his mind.
”You're name is Zenon, right? I'd like you to tell me about the Spirits' Spring, as well as how you got here. ...How you lost your contractor, and what happened to the other spirits. Could you tell me?”
[You said you came from the Underground Empire? If that's the case, then you should already have a grasp on the situation; do you really need to hear it from me? Are you trying to make me suffer?]
”You see, I wanted proof. I've been looking for proof ever since I came up to the surface.”
That's right. The purpose of his dual ident.i.ties, Lawrence and Kay, was to find proof of what had happened. He'd never thought of himself as hero material and he certainly didn't intend to meet G.o.d's expectations, but... he felt like it was his obligation to figure out what had happened to divide the underground and the surface.
In order to appease the souls of the countless undead he'd slain thus far, as well as the other heroes who have fought on the same battlefield with him, albeit briefly.
[Is that so... Fine. I ran away that day; perhaps this is the reason I survived. Follow me. I'll guide you.]
The salamander turned his body. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo, Jin, and Sinea glanced at each other and followed him. However, the inside of the cave didn't match his original expectations of the Spirits' Spring.
It was known as the paradise of spirits, or the origin of spirits... a bright place filled to the brim with magic, and a place overflowing with the aroma of spirits. A place that all spirits yearned for as if it were their hometown... That's what he'd thought it was, at least.
”...A shelter?”
”Hey.”
[Indeed.]
Jin blurted out and Lee s.h.i.+n Woo quickly retorted. However, Zenon looked nonchalant and nodded his head.
[Of course, it wasn't like this in the beginning. It was formed from the collective will of the spirits and was a resting place for all spirits. A place that welcomed all spirits, which was akin to a spirit's hometown. However, that was all in the past. Ever since 'that day', it's become a shelter for all the escaped spirits. ...Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a place of exile.]
There were several spirits that dwelled within the Spirits' Spring aside from Zenon. All of the said spirits were wounded, with wounds big or small, but their mental scars were worse than their physical ones. Although their minds should be sound, their eyes were lifeless, and merely leaned upon the trees, the spring, or the walls.
What's the point of a beautiful interior when its inhabitants were exhausted? Wherever he looked, the scattered spirits looked as though they were dead, and he didn't really know what to think. Sinea was currently looking for any Dryads that might be inside.
”You can't heal your wounds... No, you've chosen not to heal them.”
[Spirits are living beings composed entirely of mana and a soul. If we lack in either, then we don't heal.]
”...How sad.”
But aside from the inhabitants, the Spirits' Spring did indeed meet his expectations. He could feel the overflowing spiritual power (of various elements) everywhere and enjoyed the mysterious, natural objects that were formed from rock, water, and flames.
There were several objects akin to Sinea's spirit stone rolling around. But they were, of course, much smaller than the one he'd given her at the time.
'And the spirits... They're, on average, level 4. About 20% of them are level 5. There're about 10,000 of them total. While it may seem like a lot, this is a place where all the spirits on the surface (where they're abundant) gather, so it's actually really low. Which means that several of them died or were chased off to the Underground Empire.'
He saw a few level 6 spirits as well, but nothing more. Moreover, the higher leveled spirits seemed more mentally scarred, as the higher their level, the clearer their mind was. Sinea looked as though she would cry since she could empathize with them more, being a spirit herself.
[Paul Zero.]
”Yeah, I'm right here.”
[You can't leave my side.]
”Yeah, okay.”
Sinea clung to him even tighter. He looked around the Spirits' Spring; the mood had become as depressing as a graveyard. Zenon called for Lee s.h.i.+n Woo, who was astounded by the size of the Spirits' Spring.
[Now, let's talk.]
”Are you done testing me now?”
[I don't follow human conventions. I just didn't know how to deal with someone as powerful as you. A spirit follows you around, despite not being formally contracted to you, and you can even a.s.sume a spirit's form.]
As expected, Zenon was extremely straight forward, perhaps because he was spirit. Considering how frank he was, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo realized how impossible it would be for him to imitate a human being.