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chapter 22
Gulp—
Gulp—
Only the sound of the old man drinking echoed atop the stone pagoda.
Around him, twenty empty bottles were neatly lined up.
“Hyung, is he really okay? He drank that much?”
“Leave him. He’s always like that.”
-The old man can really drink;
-Non-alcoholic?
-Even 20 bottles of water would be GG.
-For real, you’d be full.
Yeonwoo watched worriedly, but the man remained composed.
If someone attacked him even now, he would react instantly.
“Kahaa!”
Finally emptying the last bottle, the old man wiped his mouth.
Standing up, he turned around.
“They were not bad drinks.”
Despite the plain evaluation, his face was deeply satisfied.
Hanbit knew that was the highest praise.
‘I worked my ass off making those.’
After seeing the spirit user in the city.
Hanbit had gone around gathering ingredients to brew special alcohol.
It was a method he’d learned from a small tribe he’d met by chance at the edge of the world during his seventh run.
“I’m glad you liked them. Then we can talk now, right?”
“…So you brought this.”
The old man lifted the cloth tied to the bottle.
Inspecting the green sword emblem, he said,
“Hmph. Are you really saying Balder sent you?”
A short sigh mixed with surprise.
No one knew Balder’s pride better than the old man.
That such a disciple had acknowledged someone’s skill enough to send them—it wasn’t easy to accept.
“What did Balder say?”
“That I’d receive completely different teaching.”
“As if.”
With a dry chuckle, the old man tucked the cloth into his waist.
Then, in a cold voice, he said,
“Go back. I cannot accept my sword.”
“Why? Because no disciple has ever succeeded in learning it?”
“…You’re perceptive.”
The Wind Swordsman had not lacked disciples.
But none had succeeded in embodying his sword.
When even the last promising disciple, Balder, failed.
He gave up and quietly disappeared.
“The talent my sword requires is not simple. Swinging a sword well alone is meaningless.”
Whoosh—!
The old man slowly raised his hand as he spoke.
The surrounding wind naturally intertwined toward that spot.
It felt as though it were moving with intent.
“That talent is spirit affinity, isn’t it?”
“…It seems Balder told you unnecessary things.”
The old man mistook it for something he’d heard from his disciple.
But Hanbit was someone who had experienced the importance of talent firsthand.
-Is that a real spirit?
-It’s showing up here?
-Spirit talent theory wins.
-Why does a game need talent?
-That’s why you’ve been bronze your whole life.
-Why are you hitting me?
‘Talent does matter.’
Hanbit wasn’t born with high spirit affinity.
He had simply persisted in trying to commune with spirits.
The strange thing was that the results of that effort accumulated steadily over each run.
Eventually, he could grow close to them with minimal process.
‘Even that time is too precious now.’
A technique he could count on one hand as familiar.
The best technique learnable in Edlen.
A technique absolutely necessary to open the gateway to spirit communion.
The list of advantages was endless.
That was why he needed to learn it as quickly as possible.
“Hm.”
The old man quietly looked at Hanbit.
The first test he’d made was reaching this place through the traps.
He had observed every step of Hanbit’s ascent.
Clean, sharp movements and calm, flexible judgment.
If this were for ordinary swordsmanship, he would have reached out first.
If it were only ordinary swordsmanship.
“Go back. I have nothing to teach you.”
Having resigned himself alone, the old man turned his back with a bitter voice.
Then, with a chime, a message appeared.
Ding—
[Quest completed.]
[Linked quest unlocked.]
[Hidden Quest]
You must persuade Asla to learn his technique.
First, you need to turn his heart.
Objective: Choose which method would be best.
1. Should I properly prove my sword skill?
2. Should I try persuading him with words as much as possible?
3. Shouldn’t I just get close to a spirit somehow?
Reward: 100,000 gold, Asla’s Secret Manual, 10 stat points, 10,000 experience
-Whoa.
-Shit, a hidden quest popped.
-It appears like this?
-Is the skill hidden?
-Still doubting it till the end.
-The rewards are insane. ㅋㅋㅋ
[ㅇㅇ has donated 10,000 won.]
[It’s really a hidden?]
[Bugger has donated 20,000 won.]
[It’s a bug.]
The sudden appearance of a hidden quest set the chat on fire.
“Whoa.”
Yeonwoo also stared wide-eyed in shock.
‘So this is how it appears.’
Even the quest window looked different.
An elegant golden border was gleaming.
Hanbit re-read the objectives listed in the quest.
1. Should I properly prove my sword skill?
2. Should I try persuading him with words as much as possible?
3. Shouldn’t I just get close to a spirit somehow?
Asla had no intention of teaching the technique.
The quest was about finding the best way to change his heart.
‘There’s no need to choose.’
Reaching out, Hanbit immediately selected option 3.
That action drew gasps from others.
“…Hyung, did you just choose number 3?”
-He’s finally lost it.
-Is he throwing away the hidden skill?
-Now we’re stuck here forever?
-Even camping won’t work. ㅋㅋ
-I trust Black Dragon.
-Yeah, no way.
Amid confusion and doubt.
Whoosh—
A breeze brushed lightly against his cheek.
‘It’s here.’
The way spirits express curiosity.
A sensation he’d felt countless times, deeply familiar.
And he knew exactly which spirit this was.
Slide—
The texture of the wind gradually grew denser.
A spirit with an unmistakably strong will.
Like a playful child.
Hanbit closed his eyes briefly, then spoke softly.
“Sylph.”
Whooo—!
A lower wind spirit, Sylph.
As he spoke its name, the wind surged violently.
Then, with a chime, a message appeared.
[Title: New effects of Record Keeper of 55 Times have been unlocked.]
‘……!’
Hanbit reacted instantly and opened the title information.
[Record Keeper of 55 Times]
The experiences accumulated by the record keeper are unlocked.
1. Proficiency for all experienced skills accumulates at an extremely rapid rate. Performance is enhanced in proportion to the depth of experience.
2. All spirit affinities are activated, and the effects of spirit power increase dramatically.
3. Locked (Keyword: Item)
‘Yes!’
Seeing the content, Hanbit clenched his fist.
When he first obtained Record Keeper of 55 Times, the second entry had been locked.
The keyword written there had been ‘Spirit’.
Hanbit, who had long sought wind swordsmanship, had naturally envisioned this moment.
The moment he first communed with a spirit and called its name.
‘Now the question is how it manifests.’
Spirits do not approach humans lightly.
And affinity cannot be measured in numbers.
How would spirits be implemented in the game system?
Would communication be the same as his memories?
Such questions kept swirling in his mind.
Whoosh—
The wind now lightly wrapped around Hanbit’s hand.
At that moment, another message appeared with a chime.
Ding—
[The Wind Spirit Sylph feels strong curiosity toward you.]
-Is that a spirit message?
-So you just had to say the name?
-If it were that easy, no one would suffer.
-How the hell did he do it?
-Rapina crying.
-Pioneer spirit user <<<<< Black Dragon
There was no need to interpret it.
Smiling, Hanbit looked at the old man and said,
“Proving spirit affinity is enough, right?”
“That is not something you can prove so easily. If you anger them needlessly, they may drive you far away—”
The old man’s words trailed off as he slightly turned his head.
“Huh.”
His gaze froze, fixed in place.
At some point, more wind had gathered around Hanbit.
‘It works.’
The sensation of the gentle wind was clear.
No—strictly speaking, it was slightly different from his memories.
Probably one of the limitations of Level 2 gear, but it wasn’t a problem.
Now was the time to welcome the spirit.
Slide—
Hanbit slowly moved his hand, as if embracing the wind.
Spirits were somewhat like animals—they liked this kind of communion.
Ding—
[The Wind Spirit Sylph laughs as if amused.]
[The Wind Spirit Sylph shows greater interest in you.]
[The Wind Spirit Sylph expresses surprise at your high affinity.]
…….
With the continuous messages, the wind grew stronger.
After a little more time, it enveloped Hanbit completely.
“…O Spirit.”
The old man deeply understood wind spirits.
That was why he acutely felt how absurd this situation was.
Whooo—!
The swirling wind threatened to swallow everything around it.
Standing at its center, Hanbit felt the wind with his entire body.
And the moment a warm sensation embraced his chest.
[The Wind Spirit Sylph wants to be with you.]
The spirit’s will appeared as a message.
Slide—
Beyond the shimmering text, the wind gradually took shape.
Gaining a clearer outline, it soon transformed into the form of a small bird.
Chirp—!
About the size of a human hand.
Its translucent form fully embodied the mystery of spirits.
[Lower Wind Spirit Sylph]
Flap—!
Spreading its small wings, the bird descended onto Hanbit’s shoulder.
Then, once again, a chime rang out.
Ding—
[Title: Friend of Spirits has been added to the list.]
[Friend of Spirits]
All skills based on spirit power have their effects increased by 20 percent.
-They even give a title.
-20 percent is busted, isn’t it?
-What did he even do to become friends?
-Spirits are easy;
-I’m going to go befriend one right now.
-Breaking news) People still falling off the cliff.
-Entrance gatekeeping is brutal. ㅋㅋㅋ
‘Already a friend.’
An incredible result, skipping several stages.
Friend of Spirits carried immense meaning.
Enough for them to manifest like this.
Slide—
Hanbit gently stroked the spirit’s head with his finger.
It flapped its wings happily in response.
“…….”
The old man, who had been staring blankly at the scene, couldn’t open his mouth.
Walking right up to him, Hanbit smiled and asked,
“You’ll teach me swordsmanship, right?”
“…Kuh.”
At the confident question, the old man made a strange sound.
Then he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Kuahahaha!”
That hearty laughter contained countless emotions.
After laughing for a long while, he looked at the small bird perched on Hanbit’s shoulder.
“Have we not waited long enough?”
The muttered words were directed at the spirit.
Turning his head, he took out a green book from his robe and handed it to Hanbit.
“You are my disciple now.”
Ding—
[Quest completed.]
