Chapter 115
t/n Posting now , dunno , if will be able to do it tomrrow .
After a soak in the hot springs and a full night's rest, a child's body bounces back remarkably fast.
Especially when fueled by a belly full of delicious food—recovery speeds up even more.
"Today’s the day we finally meet the spirit!"
Nell, her skin and fur now glossy from the springs, declared this under the morning sun.
"Yeah, we’ve got the map, and thanks to the human-faced tree, this area should be monster-free. Easy trip." "*Overconfidence is the grim reaper of the unprepared.*"
Claudia, also glowing post-soak, chastised my carelessness, reminding me that mountain travel demanded full readiness.
Unlike in games, real-world mountain treks required proper prep. This wasn’t a day trip.
The ducal house had provided climbing gear, but double-checking wouldn’t hurt.
"How far is it to our destination?" "About three days on foot—if all goes well. We’ll definitely need to camp."
Last night’s banquet had been tense with Baron Norridge in attendance, but when I mentioned our mountain plans, he offered meticulously measured maps from his own expeditions.
Grateful as I was for the aid—*We owe our town’s survival to you*—I didn’t push further. The baron had already lost veteran retainers; he had enough to handle.
Rebuilding after the tree’s destruction would demand funds.
In a game, quest rewards were non-negotiable. But seeing the town’s real scars made hesitation creep in.
"That means we’ll pass back through here on our return, right?" "We *could* teleport with the pendulum, but that’d leave Lotus-san behind, so yeah." "The hot spring vouchers are a rare chance. Saving them for the return trip seems wise." "You liked it that much, Ingrid?" "Yes."
What we’d received instead were lodging passes—essentially prepaid stays at the inn, courtesy of the baron.
Not unlimited, but enough for our party to stay a month if needed.
The passes were valid until the current lord’s reign ended—*Come anytime until then.*
Lotus-san and the others had their own arrangements with the ducal house.
A noble who repaid debts so meticulously was rare.
Ingrid’s expressionless nod and subtly improved complexion hinted at revised travel plans.
"True. Soaking sore muscles after the climb *does* sound good. Let’s stop by on the way back." "Yay!" "Having something to look forward to is nice."
No reason to refuse. I adjusted the schedule.
Once we secured the spirit stone, delivering it via pendulum would satisfy the Duke.
"Alright, let’s move out."
With a young pack mule from the ducal house, we left Norridge behind.
The narrow mountain path barely fit single file. The mule carried supplies for five as we pressed on.
"It’s… quiet." "No birds either." "Aftermath of the tree. Any wildlife either fled the steam or died. Now it’s just plants."
Mountains usually teemed with animal sounds. Here, only wind-rustled leaves remained.
The unnatural silence unnerved Nell and Amina, their eyes darting nervously.
To me, the lack of ambush triggers was a blessing—easier to spot threats.
"Can we even *meet* a spirit in a place like this?"
A forest stripped of its fauna was a broken ecosystem.
Like a town standing empty, waiting only for ruin.
"We *will*. In fact, this might work in our favor."
Nell’s uneasy murmur drew my reassurance.
"Why would silence help?"
Ingrid, guiding the mule from the center, glanced back at me.
Up front, Claudia also peeked over her shoulder.
"Spirits won’t appear unless conditions are met. Remember Donta? Sweets, a scroll, a passphrase—*three* requirements." "But what’s that got to do with no animals?" "Monsters or wildlife complicate summoning. Interruptions *fail* negotiations—the spirit vanishes and won’t reappear for a while." "So… we can’t guard against disruptions?" "Nope. Full reset. Hence, *this*"—I gestured at the stillness—"is ideal."
Spirits were delicate beings.
Even curious ones like Donta warded off intruders unless their conditions were fulfilled.
Nature spirits hid in mist-shrouded forests or deep seas—places only they could reach.
I still cringed at the memory of a *cockroach* startling a high-tier spirit into vanishing mid-negotiation.
*"You could’ve just zapped it?!"* I’d yelled at the time.
Later, dataminers confirmed: *Any disruption = instant fail.*
"I… see? This clashes *violently* with my image of spirits." "The gap’s jarring, right?"
A divine phoenix bolting like a startled housewife—*that* was the dissonance.
My lack of honorifics stemmed from bafflement. *Why flee when you’re stat-wise OP?*
Yet spirit allies fought fiercely once contracted.
"But… a *cockroach*?" "Not *all* spirits are like that. Just skittish by default. When resolved, they’re *monstrously* strong."
Amina’s folktale about a spirit driving off a dragon? *True.*
The quest *"The Spirit’s Truth"* chronicled it.
A bard’s apprentice, struggling to infuse his tales with authenticity, sought proof of the legends.
NPCs mocked him—*Fairy tales aren’t real*—but the journey led to encounters with spirits.
Famous among spirit-skill builders.
"A turtle-shaped earth spirit *did* repel a dragon. The village even erected a memorial." "But it fled from a *bug*?" "Not all react the same. Panic ≠ weakness. That ‘turtle’ was *low-tier*—Class 3—yet it routed a Class 5 *wind* dragon."
The tale’s biggest shock? The spirit’s *disadvantage*.
Earth vs. wind—terrible matchup. Yet it *won*.
"*What?!* Seriously?!" "It’s documented." "Amina, *volume*! You scared the mule!"
The girl’s starry-eyed awe was almost comical.
Her singer’s lungs made the mule spook, requiring Ingrid’s swift calming.
Then, a quiet realization:
"So… we’re meeting a spirit *stronger* than one that repelled a dragon." "Yep." "Meaning… we’ll face a being capable of *slaying* dragons." "Correct."
Her next question froze even Claudia mid-step.
"What happens… if we *anger* it?" "..............."
The silence was deafening.
Three pairs of eyes locked onto me.
I sighed.
"We’ll… *improvise*."
It was the only answer I had.