◈ Episode 87. Blooming in the Swamp (4)

A subforest spirit nymph.

Flapping her butterfly wings, Nymph’s expression was serious.

“It’s gotten weird.”

An unfamiliar landscape had been added to the predator swamp.

“Still, it looks like a forest…….”

Nymph furrowed her brow and fidgeted.

She was a forest spirit, if only a subspirit.

Even if it looked strange.

That forest must be from the continent of Arcana.

Once she communed with the forest, she would know what was going on.

“……?”

But no matter how hard I listened, there was no sound.

It was impossible to communicate, let alone understand.

Confusion flashed across Nymph’s face.

“I don’t know what’s going on.”

Tsk.

Her fluttering wings drooped.

A sigh escaped her lips.

How did this happen?

Yes, it was all the demon’s fault.

“By now, the forest where I was born should be…….”

The nymph didn’t doubt it.

The forest was stronger than anything else.

Animals snapped branches, men cut down trees.

The forest did not groan.

It had suffered worse natural disasters.

The forests of the continent of Arcana have endured.

But.

“I’m sorry, everyone.”

The forest screamed as it was set ablaze by the demons.

A terrible scream, like it was burning in hell.

The nymph fled from the forest, away from the demon, into the predator swamp.

If she stayed in the forest, she would be corrupted and become a demon herself.

Even though she knew it was inevitable, her heart was not light.

“If it were a swamp of predators, I wouldn’t have to worry about demons.”

Forest, Wind, Water, Fire…….

Nature is everywhere on the continent of Arcana.

The spirits that inhabit them are well aware of the events of Arcana.

How the demons were expanding their power.

The demons were clever.

They only invaded places they could take down.

Hence the predator zone.

This predator swamp was no place for demons either.

“……I can’t get used to it, no matter how hard I try.”

No wonder!

The nymph’s lips curled into a pout.

In the swamps, it was a constant battle, day and night.

If I’d known it was like this…….

I should have flown a little farther.

“Even if it means flying to the Zero Mountains.”

Why, I could have found somewhere better than this.

I could have found a quieter place.

But he couldn’t bring himself to fly to another region now.

“I don’t know what’s going on out there.”

The demons would have expanded their power.

In the process, the demons would have grown stronger.

Places that had once been safe were now likely to fall into their clutches.

“And the swamp would have gotten weird.”

That alone was enough to give me a headache.

Forest mixed with swamp.

An unrecognizable landscape.

Something else had happened.

The nymph shook her head softly.

“I don’t know. I’m resting now.”

I need to get some sleep under the mistletoe.

Magic drained from trying to commune with the forest.

I could replenish it with the energy of the mistletoe.

But.

“……?”

The nymph’s sleep was brief.

Another angle─

The footsteps of an improbable stranger were heard.

The nymph woke up from a sound sleep and thought in her slumber.

‘I’d never heard footsteps like this in a swamp… … .’

No, wait.

How did the footsteps get so loud in the first place?

“We’re in the treetops!”

The question didn’t last long.

Soon, the owner of the footsteps appeared.

It was a man with silver hair.

It was a man with silver hair, climbing a flight of stairs.

I couldn’t understand the language.

I had never seen a human before.

“Well, that was a bit of a surprise.”

But ordinary humans can’t see spirits.

Or hear their voices.

It was a spirit without a name or rank.

I used to speak to humans who came to the forest without realizing it.

But never once did they answer.

“I’m going to bed. I’m tired.

That’s spirit common sense.

He can’t see her.

Yes, it had to be that way.

Somehow.

I felt a gaze on me.

She slowly opened her eyes, and sure enough, it wasn’t an illusion……!

The man was clearly looking at him.

Somehow, with a very cold gaze.

The nymph opened her mouth in disbelief.

“By any chance, can you see me……?”

* https://pindangscans.com

Elementalism.

One of the schools of thought in the Magic Tower.

The senior mage was Feiyan Lot.

I remembered her.

‘I didn’t know her well, but she had quite an appetite.

After Vanguard Tom.

Breakfast with twenty senior wizards, all of them.

In the midst of all the fidgeting senior wizards, Feiyan was silently concentrating on her meal.

Naturally, the Elementalist School had also presented their research at a regular conference, which meant that I knew about Elementalism at the level of a scratch on a watermelon.

I mean.

“Why am I seeing this ……?

I couldn’t help but marvel at the elementals.

Elementals, of all mages.

They were a rare ‘being’ that only a few could see.

I racked my brain.

I’ve read so many magical texts.

Is there a mistake in my knowledge?

No. Not if you’re the Great Scalpel.

There is no such mistake in Grandfell’s brain.

Then the story is simple.

Grandfell can see spirits……!

Once I admitted that, my mind went blank.

Yes, I remembered the conditions for seeing spirits.

It was an introductory book on elementalism.

The first page.

The second paragraph.

『There are only a few humans who can witness the spirits in a state of no contract.

This is because it requires excellent mana sensitivity and an extremely clear mind.

That’s why most of the spirit contractors sign contracts with the spirits at a relatively young age.』

A clear mind.

And a relatively young age.

To put it bluntly.

You have to be immature to see the spirits of nature.

I realize again.

that the Grandfell is the black history of my school days.

Yes, whether he became a demon king or a gigantic evil.

I consider them all to be insignificant demons.

I think it’s safe to say that Grandfell’s mental state is a field of flowers.

Anyway.

“I’m not saying I’m seeing things.”

A spirit wriggles beneath the mistletoe.

Naturally, it’s a shallow knowledge, barely scratching the surface.

I couldn’t guess its identity just by staring at it.

But.

“By any chance, can you see me……?”

This wasn’t a Grandfell who was going to be meekly listening.

Besides.

“How did you manage to find an elixir, and it’s called Mistletoe.”

I, Lee Ho-yeol, had no intention of making concessions to the spirits.

Therefore, I spoke in a cold voice.

“I am Lee Ho-yeol, the chief co-researcher of Magic Tower.”

“……Magic Tower?”

“Identify yourself. Nameless spirit.”

He was less awake.

The spirit didn’t seem to understand the situation.

But that was no reason for its silence.

The knowledge of the Elementalist’s primer resurfaced.

Second table of contents.

First paragraph.

First sentence.

-Spirits have ranks.

Lower, middle, and higher.

And the Elemental King.

There is a strict hierarchy among the spirits.

I knew that.

I had something to say.

“I ask you again.”

Just like the spirits.

There was a hierarchy in the Tower, too.

‘Feiyan Lot.’

Why did she take the senior position?

It was because the spirit that made the contract with her was a higher spirit.

To be precise, the Higher Fire Elemental, Fire Drake.

So I stated the unvarnished truth.

“I am a contractor for the Higher Fire Elemental, Fire Drake.”

“……!”

Indeed, it’s nice to have a class system.

As soon as I say the name of the High One, his eyes widen.

Of course, you have to listen to the Korean.

“Senior Mage, Feiyan Lot.”

“That was Feiyan Lot……!”

” Chief co-researcher, one rank above her.”

” ……, yes?!”

“Identify yourself. Little spirit.”

Me and the nymph.

Strictly speaking, the relationship was south-south.

But some things work between people of the same class.

“I’m not referring to Chief Nug in the movie for nothing.

I’m so good at socializing.

Me, admiring my social skills.

The spirit replied.

“My name is Nymph, a spirit of the lower forest.”

That worked like a charm.

She even bows politely.

But something about the nymph’s expression was off.

The Nymph continued to bow.

“To Mr. Lee Ho-yeol, Chief Researcher of the Magic Tower, who is one rank higher than Mr. Feiyan Lot, the contractor of the Higher Fire Elemental, Fire Drake. Do you mind if I ask you a favor?”

……Wait, that’s a long-winded way of saying something.

This is the ills of a class society.

But if it pleases you, here it is.

I couldn’t bear to reveal my embarrassment.

I replied brazenly.

“I will listen.”

Why would a forest spirit be in a predator’s swamp?

That primal question was answered in our conversation.

In fact, I had a pretty good idea even without hearing it. Considering the current state of affairs on the Arcana Continent, it’s likely that demons are responsible for most of the events.

“In the meantime, just like now.”

“?”

“Suddenly the landscape of the swamp changed, I saw a forest overlapping the swamp, so I tried to communicate with the forest……. It was in vain; I, the nymph, didn’t hear any voices.”

He was talking about the rift.

Nymph blamed herself for her incompetence, but it couldn’t be helped.

She could ask the forests of Scandinavia, Europe, about the state of affairs on the continent of Arcana and get no answer.

“I got discouraged and went to……. to take a break.”

Even in the middle of a conversation.

The mistletoe was giving off a faint glow of magic, and it seemed like a fitting place for a spirit to rest.

“By chance, Mr. Lee Ho-yeol, the chief researcher of the Magic Tower, who is one rank higher than Mr. Feiyan Lot, the contractor of the Higher Fire Elemental, Fire Drake, has written an article……. About this forest. I mean, do you know anything about this situation?”

Suddenly.

But.

“But first, can we do something about that damn title?

But I can’t say what I really think.

I put on a smug face.

Well, the explanation of the rift was simple enough.

I’m sure the nymph knew about it to some extent.

“Villages and forests that disappeared. Even magic towers are all like this……?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean I’m going to be transported to the same world as my chief collaborator?!”

“No, that won’t happen.”

That’s when regions are added.

Or when the rift collapsed.

A swamp of predators.

No matter how powerful the monsters are, given the caliber of players gathered here, it’s unlikely the rift will ever be cleared.

But, wait…….

A possibility suddenly dawned on me.

If we clear the Predator Swamp.

the space of the [『Anomaly』], the rift will disappear.

The Predator Swamp will return to the Arcana Continent.

Suddenly, I shifted my gaze to look at the relieved nymph.

“Huh. That’s a relief, ah.”

But then I had a thought that would make that relief moot.

“Information about the Arcana Continent.

The information I knew about the Arcana Continent was extremely limited.

[The horrors I’d witnessed at the Quernberg Machine Tower.

And that I could interfere with the Arcana Continent through the [Anomaly] space, the rift.

That’s all it was.

Still, I was better off.

Other players had to rely on new updates.

And then.

‘If there is a being on the continent of Arcana that understands this…….’

The specific situation on the Arcana continent.

You can get information, right?

Depending on what that information is.

I can make various plans.

Depending on the situation, we could prepare for anything.

But there was a practical problem.

Even if there were beings on the continent of Arcana who could speak.

I had to weigh the odds of seeing them again.

The continent of Arcana.

What kind of place expects to be caught in a rift and expect to meet again?

The odds of coincidence would be lower than the odds of winning the lottery.

“But if it’s a spirit, that’s a different story.”

You might be able to overcome the odds.

Yes, if you make a pact with the spirit.

I remembered the top priority of the Elementalist school.

“Overcoming the broken relationship.”

Reality and the Arcana Continent.

Two completely different worlds, completely cut off from each other.

Even if you have a contract with the spirits.

It was impossible to summon an Arcana spirit from the real world.

But I knew.

I saw the possibilities.

I had arrogantly claimed it at a regular conference.

-“It would require verification, but it would be worth studying.”

And it was.

“In the rift, in the space of the [[Anomaly]].

We might be able to summon spirits.

Grandfell’s brain was telling him.

“It is possible.

That is, if you make a contract with the nymph.

It would mean being able to summon nymphs from the rift.

That meant I could get information from the continent of Arcana.

So I spoke up.

“Nymph, spirit of the lower forest.”

“Ah, I hear you.”

“I wish to make a contract with you.”

I realize with a start.

I really had a griddle on my face.

In this contract, the “First” is Nymph, and the “Second” is of course me.

As I said, spirits are the ones that no one can see.

Proof of this is that there is no Elementalist class in the Arcana, which has thousands of classes.

Spirits’ abilities were a different realm of {nature} than [skill] and [magic].

‘Considering my level.

It wasn’t strange to be rejected by a nymph.

The spirits had nothing to complain about.

But.

“Are you serious, how could you say that to me……?”

The nymph’s reaction was unexpected.

The nymph was crying with emotion.

As she continued, I realized why.

“How is it possible that Lee Ho-yeol, the chief researcher of the Magic Tower, who is one rank higher than Feiyan Lot, the contractor of the higher fire elemental, Fire Drake, would make a contract with a lower elemental like me……? Of course, I, Nymph, am greatly honored!”

A contract with a spirit.

I should be happy.

Why?

I am so, so, so ashamed…….

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. https://pindangscans.com

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A staircase out of thin air.

Even as they hunted down the charging monsters.

The players’ attention was focused on Ho Yeol.

“What the hell is he doing up there?”

I had no idea.

He couldn’t possibly be following in Ho-yeol’s footsteps.

But the anxious wait didn’t last long.

“!!!”

Something popped into view.

It was the Predator Swamp Rift.

A message appeared to all players who entered.

[Someone has made a pact with a spirit].

[Dryad, Spirit King of the Forest, blesses the pact].

[The Predator’s Swamp has the blessing of the Forest Elemental King, Dryad…….]

The messages were coming and going.

The players’ concerns remained the same.

“Lee, Lee Ho-yeol again!”