Chapter 54: Spirits (5)

To become a powerful Spirit Master, there are two major abilities one must cultivate.

The first is Spirit Affinity.

This grows through bonding with spirits, deepening the connection between them. As the affinity increases, spirits can exert a greater influence on this world.

A spirit belonging to someone who has reached the peak of affinity will feel just as comfortable in this world as they do in the Spirit Realm.

Even Arin had only recently reached that level—it was a long and arduous process.

The green-flame spirit appeared quite relaxed, just as she had said. It was even sleeping on a bedspread laid out on the grass, wearing an eye mask.

“Then… are spirits stronger in the Spirit Realm?”

“Yes. To be precise, the power they display there is their true power.”

I see. So, if I had to compare, it would be like a god descending in a fantasy novel.

A being with immense power, but one whose influence on the world is restricted.

Nodding in understanding, I moved on as Arin continued.

The second ability is Control—how skillfully a contractor can wield a spirit’s power.

Unlike affinity, which can be nurtured through interaction, this ability falls purely within the realm of intuition. It’s something no one else can help with.

Even Arin said she had gone through countless trials and errors to improve her control.

Especially since, unlike me, she had no teacher or mentor to guide her—she had to become a Spirit Master entirely on her own.

“No matter how high one’s Spirit Affinity is, without this ability, they will always be vulnerable in battle.”

It’s like having a massive water tank—if the faucet is too narrow, the water won’t come out properly.

Increasing the total amount of power one can unleash at once and developing the intuition to control that power—both are necessary.

In this way, Spirit Masters were unique beings who had to train both Spirit Affinity and Control to grow stronger.

Arin pointed to the word “Control” written on the board with her finger and spoke.

“What we’ll be training today is the second ability—Control.”

[Isn’t this a bit too intense for a first lesson? Usually, people start by bonding with their spirits.]

At Sylphi’s question, Arin shook her head.

“Adele-nim and Sylphi already have an exceptional level of affinity.”

[...Really?]

Sylphi frowned, as if finding that hard to believe.

It was strange to see that expression on Abel’s face—it was such a rare sight.

While I was lost in thought, Arin approached Sylphi and carefully observed him.

“It’s very uncommon for a spirit’s first transformation to be as clear and well-formed as Sylphi.”

Saying that, she extended her palm.

“Pii?”

[...Huh?]

At Arin’s call, a spirit emerged from its bedding, removing its eye mask.

It was Pii. She carefully perched on Arin’s palm and then slowly altered her form.

Her shape became significantly more crude than before.

Earlier, she had looked like a well-crafted figurine, but now she resembled a clay doll.

She still had arms, legs, and a face, but her nose and mouth were barely distinguishable.

Seeing that, I finally understood what Arin meant.

“This was Pii’s first form.”

[...How long do I have to do this?]

“You can come back now.”

At her words, there was a soft pop, and Pii instantly reverted to her original form—a stark contrast to before.

Looking at Sylphi again, I could now see why he was unique.

[So I’m a special case.]

He examined himself while spinning in midair.

Seeing him do that while looking like Abel felt oddly cute for some reason.

[...Ha.]

Sylphi sighed and took a step away from me.

He probably just read my thoughts again.

Arin, seemingly used to this, continued her explanation without reacting.

“In other words, you already possess the minimum level of Spirit Affinity required to train your Control ability.”

“How do you improve Control?”

In response to my question, Arin pulled a wheeled cart closer.

It was neatly stacked with a considerable number of wooden blocks.

She took one out and carefully placed it on a tree stump.

“Training methods vary depending on the spirit’s element, but for wind spirits, this is the best approach.”

[It’s just a plain wooden block, though?]

At Sylphi’s muttered comment, Arin nodded.

“That’s right. Now, you need to split this in half.”

She emphasized that it had to be exactly half.

I wasn’t sure if I could do it, considering I hadn’t yet grasped the sensation of using my power properly.

Perhaps noticing my doubtful expression, Arin spoke confidently.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it soon.”

[Easy for you to say...]

Grumbling, Sylphi floated back to my side.

Seeing him do this while looking like Abel gave me a weird sense of dissonance.

Abel wasn’t the type to get irritated over small things like this.

Well… but I guess this side of him is kind of cute in its own way.

[You’ve got it bad.]

Reading my thoughts, Sylphi clicked his tongue. Then, reaching out, he extended his hand toward me.

Realizing what Sylphi was trying to do, I instinctively reached out my hand to meet his.

As my small hand pressed against his, I took a slow, deep breath.

[Contractor, visualize it.]

Closing my eyes, I slowly began to form an image in my mind.

[Compress the wind into a sharp shape and release it.]

I imagined it just as Sylphi instructed.

For reference, I recalled the blue aura slash that Evan had shown before.

Mimicking that shape, I carefully started channeling my power. A new sensation seemed to awaken within me as the wind around me gathered.

[Make it a little rougher. A weak gust won’t be enough to cut through.]

Right. Evan’s slashes had a similar effect.

At first glance, they seemed refined, but the moment they struck their target, they went wild.

“Sylphi.”

[Are you ready?]

“Yeah.”

I pictured myself drawing a sword, trying to replicate the powerful stance that Evan had once shown me.

Go.

In my mind, I swung the sword.

I followed the trajectory of his strike as closely as I could.

Whooosh!

A sharp slicing sound tore through the air, and a blade of wind shot forward.

Before I could even register its surprising power, the wind cut cleanly through the wooden block.

“...Huh.”

[...Whoa.]

The only problem was…

I hadn’t expected it to slice through the tree stump as well.

Arin, watching from the side, let out an exclamation of admiration.

She stepped closer, grasped both of my hands, and shook them excitedly.

“That was amazing! I thought your affinity was high, but I didn’t expect this level!”

“I-Is that so…”

I felt a bit dazed.

So this is what it feels like to be naturally talented? Somehow, it was a little anticlimactic.

“But you lose points for Control.”

“Ah…”

Fair enough.

She had only asked me to split the wooden block—not to obliterate the entire stump.

“Still, you’ll get used to it in no time.”

Seeing Arin say that with such confidence, I nodded.

She pulled another wooden block from the cart and placed it on the grass.

Meanwhile, Pii hovered next to her, burning only the surrounding weeds while leaving the block untouched.

Doing that without Arin’s instruction… So, when a spirit’s Control ability is highly developed, they can act independently at this level?

Sensing my gaze, Pii murmured as if making an excuse.

[Weeds get in the way of training…]

“I see. It’s fine.”

Was she afraid I’d scold her?

This wasn’t a garden—just an empty backyard. A few burnt weeds wouldn’t be an issue.

And knowing Arin’s spirit, there was no way she’d recklessly act without reason.

“Now, try splitting this block into four equal pieces.”

“Four…?”

The wooden block stood vertically.

Unlike before, I couldn’t just send a wind blade in a single direction and be done with it.

Ah, so this is what Arin meant by Control Training.

It wasn’t just about restraining my power, but about figuring out how to use it effectively in different situations.

This must be foundational training.

‘How should I do this?’

One option was to send two wind blades from different angles simultaneously, but I couldn’t clearly picture it.

And even if I could visualize it, there was no guarantee I could execute it properly.

‘Wait… do I even need to do that?’

“You said I just can’t touch the wooden block with my hands, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Arin smiled.

Seeing my expression, Sylphi drifted closer and asked,

[Got an idea?]

“Yeah. Want to try it together?”

I reached out my hand.

Sylphi chuckled and placed his hand against mine again.

From the way he nodded slightly, he must have understood my plan through our connection.

“Whew…”

I visualized Abel’s spatial magic—the technique he used to lift and move objects with a simple motion.

Whoosh…

With the sound of rushing wind, the wooden block rose into the air.

At first, it ascended vertically, but I quickly tilted it horizontally.

The slashes should form an X.

This wasn’t much different from before.

I just needed to slightly adjust the angle and strike twice in quick succession.

The tricky part was keeping the wooden block suspended in midair while I executed the attack.

Multitasking wasn’t my strong suit, but I could manage.

“Let’s do it.”

[Yeah.]

Whoosh!

The blades of wind shot forward.

In an instant, the wind carved an X-shaped slash into the floating wooden block, slicing it cleanly into four equal pieces.

As the fragments fell to the ground, I let my power fade.

“That was incredible!”

Arin clapped her hands.

For a moment, I felt like a baby taking its first steps and being praised for it.

But I couldn’t deny that it felt satisfying.

– – The End of The Chapter––

 

[TL: You can support the translation and read 5 chapters ahead of the release here on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OracleTls

 

Join our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community members: https://discord.com/invite/SqWtJpPtm9 ]