NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 25
Chapter 25: The First Spirit (2)
The place was a massive cavern filled with stalactites.
But these weren’t just any stalactites; they glowed brightly, illuminating the entire chamber.
—Welcome, human.
In the center stood numerous large boulders. Meredith squinted as she muttered, staring at the rocks.
“The rocks… they’re moving…”
—I am Lukkar.
The boulders began to bind together by some invisible force, forming the shape of a being. To be precise, the form resembled an ogre, but roughly shaped, like a crude imitation.
—I am the essence of the Zairut Mountains, and the protector of the ogres that call this place their home.
“Are you hearing any of this?” I asked Meredith, just to confirm. She nodded cautiously, her eyes still wary.
“I hear the scraping sound of stones. That spirit… it’s enormous.”
So she couldn’t hear it. Well, it’s just as it was before. Nothing has changed this time either.
—Can you hear my voice?
The stone spirit extended a finger toward me. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before responding in my mind.
‘I can hear you. Can you hear me?’
—I can. You are a human with an extremely low affinity for communicating with us. Yet, despite that, you’ve quickly figured out how to converse.
I’ve done this before, after all.
Given my abysmally low aptitude for spirit magic, communicating with spirits was an exhausting challenge at first.
‘I’m just saying what I hear. But why speak directly into my mind?’
—You are not attuned to spirits.
—If I were to speak aloud, you would not understand the meaning of my words in your current state.
—It takes more effort for me to project my voice outward to someone like you. That’s why I’m planting my thoughts directly into your mind like this.
“Planting thoughts”? Sounds more forceful than the last time we talked. Is he excited or something?
—I have something to convey. You were the only one I summoned, small human.
‘Why?’
—Because you were the only one who aided the ogres.
—However, this misunderstanding arose due to my subordinates failing to relay my instructions properly.
—I will not blame you for this. Instead, I’ll punish my subordinates later.
‘Go easy on them. It’s not their fault.’
—Not their fault? So, you knew and did this on purpose?
‘Yeah.’
—Why?
‘Because I need a favor. Oh, and by the way, I found records about you in an elven library.’
Not in this regression, of course, but it’s true nonetheless. The stone spirit Lukkar seemed intrigued, his massive form shifting slightly.
—Do you know me? Then you must also know why I called you here?
‘I can guess. Since I helped the ogres, you intend to lend me your power, right?’
The spirit magic of Lukkar.
This is the true reason why I needed to resolve the Ogre Rebellion route without violence.
The first time I obtained this spirit magic was during the 7th regression.
Back then, I couldn’t afford to send priests to help transport the sea serpent meat.
I poured everything into divine magic, but by the time I arrived, half the meat had already spoiled.
Yet, despite that, Lukkar was so impressed with my efforts to aid the ogres that he agreed to a contract.
Now, having delivered the meat in perfect condition, surely this monumental achievement will earn me even more. Maybe I can even ask for a little extra.
—Correct. But first, tell me your name.
‘Claude.’
—Claude. What you’ve done today is commendable. You have provided a great turning point for the ogres I protect.
‘Turning point? What do you mean?’
—The creature of the sea you’ve brought will cause significant changes in the bodies of the ogres.
—Those who consume it will grow stronger, and they will bear offspring with even greater power.
‘That’s… good news, right?’
—Indeed, it is. You have made a major contribution to the history of the ogres.
—For this, I shall grant you my power. From now on, you may summon me in the form of spirit magic whenever you desire.
Swish!
Suddenly, a transparent shard of stone shot toward my forehead, passing right through it.
Of course, it didn’t actually pierce my skull—there was no physical substance to it.
Most contracts with spirits are sealed in this manner. I remember the first time it happened; I nearly had a heart attack thinking I’d been killed.
—I am Lukkar.
—Whenever you call my name and summon me, I will appear to crush your enemies into dust until nothing remains.
‘Wow, really? That’s amazing! Thanks, I’ll make good use of it.’
Wait, was that too casual? I’ve gone through this enough times that my response felt a bit… detached.
—You won’t expend any of your own energy summoning me, so don’t worry.
—However, because your aptitude for spirit magic is so low, I won’t be able to remain for long.
Phew, it seems he didn’t take offense.
—Still, your affinity for spirit magic has improved slightly thanks to our contract.
—If you were to form contracts with other spirits, you might gain even greater aptitude for it.
—Now, until we meet again…
‘Wait! Stop! Hold on! I need to ask for a favor first!’
I quickly stopped him just as he began to revert to his stone form.
‘It can’t end like this. Do you know how much trouble I went through to get here?’
—What are you talking about?
The spirit halted, reassembling itself. Phew, that was close. I sighed inwardly and got straight to the point.
‘I told you before—I need a favor.’
—A favor? What sort of favor?
‘Let me explain…’
I proceeded to lay out the simple plan I had prepared. After listening to my explanation, Lukkar responded in a confused tone.
—Why would you need to go to such lengths? Can’t you just explain it directly to the humans with you?
‘It’s hard to explain with words. Anyway, it won’t be difficult for you, right? I went through a lot to get that sea serpent meat here fresh. Can’t you grant me this one small request?’
—As you say… It’s not a difficult task.
Lukkar nodded, seemingly convinced. He then spoke with a more dignified tone.
—Indeed, the fresher the meat, the more potent its effects on the ogres’ bodies.
—Perhaps I became overly excited, realizing how well-preserved the meat was. I almost failed to give you the full thanks you deserve.
—Allow me to express my gratitude once again. Truly, I am thankful for your efforts.
—And in recognition of that, I shall also grant the favor you’ve requested.
‘Really? That’s great, thanks so much!’
Nice. It seems he bought into my request.
—There’s no need for thanks.
—This is the right thing to do, and it still feels insufficient to repay you for what you’ve done.
—Therefore, I will give you one additional small gift.
‘A gift? Besides granting my request?’
—First, let’s carry out your request.
At that moment, a fissure appeared in Lukkar’s otherwise featureless stone face, and a booming voice echoed from it.
“Hear me, humans! Do you hear my voice?”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
Meredith and Didi, startled, quickly responded. Oh right, I should join in too.
“Yeah, I hear you loud and clear.”
“Good! I am the Stone Spirit Lukkar, and from this moment, I will bestow my power upon Claude.”
Lukkar purposefully stepped forward, placing his finger on my forehead in a grand gesture.
Press…
“Your Highness! Are you alright? Your Highness?”
Meredith was in a panic, unsure of what to do. I waved her off with my hand.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing serious. But it felt like something just entered me.”
“That… is my power. Claude, as repayment for aiding the ogres, I have awakened the latent magic potential within you.”
“Magic? Not divine magic, but regular magic?”
I did my best to feign shock as I asked. Lukkar nodded and repeated the lines I had prepared for him.
“Yes, the magic that humans call elemental magic. From this point on, you will be able to wield magic through the blessing of the spirits. And it will be… very powerful.”
“Your Highness…”
Meredith hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the dust from my face.
Excellent. Now, no one will find it strange when I suddenly start using magic.
“Use this power wisely. The potential I have awakened within you is at the level humans call… Archmage.”
“Does that mean His Highness is now an Archmage?” Meredith asked, her eyes wide with surprise. I shook my head, playing along.
“That’s impossible. No one can become an Archmage overnight.”
“But Your Highness, you’ve already gained the ability to wield Archpriest-level divine magic all at once through the blessings of the gods…”
Meredith looked as though even she couldn’t believe what she was saying. Meanwhile, Lukkar, having finished his performance, suddenly turned toward the opposite wall of the cave and gestured.
Rumble…
There, a small pile of rocks began to assemble, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape.
—Now, this next act is not part of the favor you requested, but rather a further gift from me.
Lukkar’s voice boomed inside my mind. This time, he looked directly at Meredith and spoke
.
“Another human! What is your name?”
“I am Meredith.”
“Good, Meredith. Of all the beings I have encountered, you possess the highest affinity for communicating with spirits.”
“…”
Meredith looked stunned into silence. Come to think of it, when I checked her status with my Emotion Eye, her spirit magic potential was rated A+.
“For that, I will bestow upon you the ability to summon my loyal servant, the Pebble Spirit Kval. Kval?”
Stomp!
The newly formed stone spirit stamped its foot in response.
Though it was small compared to Lukkar, the so-called “Pebble Spirit” still boasted a size that could easily overwhelm an ogre.
“You will now serve this human, Meredith. Obey her commands.”
Nod.
Kval, the Pebble Spirit, nodded and pointed a small, transparent shard at Meredith’s forehead.
“…!”
But Meredith dodged it.
Wait, what? She dodged it?
“Do not dodge, human. To receive my gift, you must allow the shard to enter you. Only then will you gain the ability to summon Kval through spirit magic.”
“Your Highness? Should I accept it?” Meredith asked, looking to me for approval. Forcing my gaping mouth closed, I nodded.
“It’s worth having, right? Go ahead.”
“I understand. I’ll follow Your Highness’s decision.”
This time, Meredith didn’t dodge as the shard flew toward her forehead.
Swish!
“…”
Even then, she flinched as it approached. Her reflexes really are something else. With the right training, she could become an incredible knight.
“And finally, ask the servant outside for a ‘Connection Stone.’ I have already instructed him to give it to you.”
A Connection Stone? What’s that?
That wasn’t part of the previous runs. I was about to ask out of genuine curiosity, but before I could, Lukkar’s body quickly crumbled back into a pile of rocks.
Rumble…
And just like that, silence returned. As I processed everything that had just happened, I suddenly thought of Didi.
“Didi? Did you feel anything when you saw the stone spirit?”
“I was frightened. The world is full of terrifying things, isn’t it?”
His expression didn’t match his words at all, but it seemed that, once again, his talent for Beast Affinity didn’t apply to spirits.
I’d brought him along, hoping to see a reaction like with the sea serpents, but it looks like this was another miss.
In any case, I had achieved more than my initial goals.
I’d obtained the spirit magic of Lukkar, established a reason to start using Archmage-level magic, and Meredith had even gained an unexpected ally in the form of the Pebble Spirit.
But what in the world is this Connection Stone? I’ve never heard of it in all nine previous regressions.