Chapter 48. A Fierce Encounter

Spirits are incarnations of nature. It is not uncommon for natural attributes such as wind, fire, earth, and water to become spirits, and it was not unusual for spirits to be born from conceptual beings such as trees, fear, and love.
Spirits were everywhere and nowhere. Although spirits could dwell in everything in the world, there were not many cases where they appeared with reality.
In particular, various attributes were mixed up in the physical world, so it was difficult for the mental body to maintain its substance. For that reason, unless it was a spirit with strong power, it was normal to feel only a weak presence.
But the fairy forest was different. In this place between the material world and the spirit world, spirits were running around, which could not be seen often.
From the weak flow of power that is still difficult to describe to the fluttering flames, water droplets floating in the air, and the figure of an animal staring blankly.
All of them were spirits. Incarnations of natural objects, each of which has a different origin.
The place Elena Evenwood guided was where the most spirits gathered in the fairy forest. The splendid and fantastic scenery made even Ivan admire it.
“I think this will be remembered for a very long time.”
Ivan murmured lowly, and Ferocious Tooth nodded.
“I agree. It’s a great place.”
The Fairy Forest was a beautiful place, but honestly, the party couldn’t even appreciate its beauty. The unique atmosphere of the elves put pressure on them, so they just thought it was stuffy. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
But seeing so many spirits gathering around in one place made their hearts tremble. It was a very transcendent sight.
Whoops.
When strangers appeared, the spirits gathered around the party, probably curious. It flew around and flew by, gently brushing their cheeks.
-Ahahaha!
Somewhere, I could hear the sound of a child’s laughter.
Delfino stroked his cheek. A cool and refreshing feeling spread from the cheeks that the water spirit touched and passed.
“I never imagined I would see such a sight in my entire life.”
The corner of Elena Evenwood’s lips rose slightly upward when the party saw everyone in the group admiring it. That was enough to be considered as a laugh for an elf. She seems to be in a pretty good mood too.
“The spirits are welcoming you. There must be a spirit among them who will be your friend.”
At that, Ivan stretched out his hand. The spirit of lightning flashing in the air landed on his hand.
Instantly, I felt the thrill of electricity passing through my body. But it wasn’t a bad feeling. There was no pain, but rather, it felt cool.
“I think this guy likes me.”
Ivan, who was talking, suddenly frowned.
Because the spirit of lightning that had been wallowing on his hand escaped from his body as if startled.
He knew right away what the reason was.
Because the presence watching him was very strong.
Crackle!
Sparks flew out of Ivan’s body. The god of thunder was staring at him, so there was no way the spirit of lightning dared to approach him.
Suss-.
The spirits surrounding them moved away quickly. They were more sensitive to transcendental gazes than anyone else as mental bodies. The existence of the gods watching from behind Ivan was just overwhelming.
Crackle!
Whi-ing.
Whoosh!
The god of thunder pretended not to know and fiddled with the hammer. The God of Storms looked at him with one remaining eye. The god of mischief lit up a spark, asking if this was the right time.
It felt as if they were questioning whether Ivan dared to borrow their powers and mix them with the power of miscellaneous spirits. The spirits with overlapping attributes had already run away, and those who did not were also trembling while keeping their distance.
Elena Evenwood, Delfino, and Ferocious Tooth looked at Ivan. Ivan stared at the sky.
‘Damn it! Stop being so wild.’
As Ivan, who spit out abusive language inside, took one step forward, the spirits retreated just as much. It was a sight that broke his heart in many ways.
I wondered if the spirits would be wasted just like this, but some spirits stood in the back and then came forward.
Two wolves with gray fur and two crows with dark feathers and a fairly large body.
They were spirits whose origins were emotions and concepts. It was clear what the prototype was.
Ivan grabbed his throbbing forehead and spat out a swear word.
“Damn bastards.”
Spirits are born naturally, but they are influenced by people’s ideas and culture in many cases.
For example, there are many water spirits in the world. Still, it was the influence of Undine that many of them were in the form of beautiful women. There were also many spirits of fire, but it was the influence of salamanders, especially in the form of lizards.
Two crows, two wolves. It was the same reason that these guys came closer to Ivan.
Huginnn and Muninnn, Geri and Freki.
They must have been spirits born as prototypes of the guys Odin was carrying around.
‘It literally makes me his avatar.’
Avatar, the one who came down from heaven. An alter ego made by the great heavenly god to function on earth.
He would have yelled at the god to get rid of it in the past. He would never have wanted to be like him.
It was a thrilling event for a warrior with faith, but not for Ivan. It’s just a weird feeling of discomfort.
But not now. In the corner of his head, he had a judgment that it wasn’t bad.
To say that he resembles a god is equivalent to saying that the burden of borrowing the divine power is less.
There was little resistance to using the magic that originated from him.
Magic was the reproduction of miracles and the imitation of god. If god himself was making Ivan his incarnation, it wasn’t difficult for Ivan to show his abilities beyond what he already had. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
The benefits that can be gained by doing a little bit of cosplay on the outside are too great. This is a satisfactory deal.
Ivan, who had been thinking about that, suddenly narrowed his eyes. He realized that such thoughts were strangely different from his original personality.
‘Why? Why am I thinking like this?”
Ivan, who questioned himself, could understand the reason without difficulty. Magic was the problem. The magician’s knowledge and way of thinking had colored him.
Most of the wizards were stubborn, eccentric people who lived by their own standards. They’re madmen who won’t hesitate to use themself as a tool to find the truth.
Ivan’s mind slowly instilled a magical way of thinking that only thinks about the purpose and process, regardless of means and methods.
The stronger he got, the more he changed himself. Ivan didn’t know if he should like it or be sad about it.
As Ivan stood still with such a complicated expression, Elena Evenwood approached.
“They want to be friends with you. What would you do?”
Ivan, who was suddenly awakened by those words, nodded his head.
“I don’t have a choice. These guys are the only ones who fit me.”
“Then you can take out the Spirit Stone and infuse it with magic. If you have a strong desire to be with them, you can become friends.”
Ivan took out the Spirit Stone from his arms. And he looked at the spirits and asked.
“Come if you want to join the hell where you drink blood and devour corpses.”
The spirit stone with magical power disappeared as if it had melted, shattered into small pieces, and scattered with light.
The spirits did not avoid it.
Woo-.
Ivan realized that there was another line connecting him. The presence of the spirits was felt more clearly, and new power rose.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
It sounded like someone’s laughter.
It was a harsh, dark voice that was completely different from the pure laughter of the spirits.
“We will leave now. I don’t think we have much time.”
Elena Evenwood nodded her head when Ivan, who had finished the maintenance, said that.
“We’ll send you back to the Western Union Kingdom. Once you get out of her forest, you’ll need to visit this place first. She’ll give a detailed explanation.”
The fairy forest was located between the material world and the spirit world, and its entrances were scattered throughout the continent’s forests. So, if they go through the fairy forest, they can use it as a kind of portal.
If they were going to walk, they had to go a long way from the Roman Kingdom to the Western Union Kingdom. Because there was a big forest or a steel mountain range in the middle, they had to go back a long way.
“Blessings on your path ahead. We look forward to the day we meet again.”
Elena Evenwood bowed her head slightly and stepped back after another elf appeared.
She was the one who would guide the party to the Western Union Kingdom.
“Follow me.”
They moved after the new elf. It felt strange to see the elven village and the fairy forest getting farther away.
“It’s like I’ve been dreaming,” Delfino whispered, and Ferocious Tooth agreed.
“It is a strange place. But I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”
Even the appearance of a huge world tree, a shelter for spirits, and a strange elf village. Each one was impressive. It was a landscape that an ordinary adventurer would never experience.
After walking that few steps, they felt a cold wind, suddenly, they left the fairy forest and returned to the material world.
Unlike the fairy forest, which was full of green leaves and flowers, all the trees here were bare.
“Still, it’s not that cold here. Is it because we’ve moved to the Western Union Kingdom?”
“Spring is probably closer. This winter has been really long.”
When they came out to the forest border, the elf who was in charge of the guide gave an anxious expression. It seemed that the elf was afraid to leave the forest and lose connection with the World Tree.
“From here on, I think we can go alone. You should go back.”
At that, the elf shook her head.
“Our job is to guide you. It’s not far from here, so just follow me.”
The guide elf hesitated and took another step out of the forest. Her expression didn’t get better as she got further and further from the forest, but she didn’t turn away.
Ferocious Tooth glanced at the elf and murmured lowly.
“There’s a lot of expression on her face. She seems much more alive.”
A Norse warrior, a priest of the light god Arun, a lizardman, and an elf were a strange combination, but there was no problem passing through the gates of the Western Union Kingdom. Unlike the Roman Kingdom, which is mostly human, in the Western Union Kingdom, there was frequent traffic with different races.
The guard finished the inspection by glancing at them and letting them in. Delfino, the priest of Arun, was a great influence. Because the Church of Arun boasted the largest power on the continent. Wherever possible on the continent, they should not touch the priest.
The guide elf took them around the narrow alleyways. She pointed to a building, guiding us into an ambiguous area between the business district and the slums.
“You just need to go over there. She’ll be there. Then I’ll go back.”
Just by looking at the expression on the elf’s face, Ivan could guess how stressful it was to be disconnected from the World Tree. So the party let her go without holding her back. (dlazarturead(dot)wordpress(dot)com)
“Go back carefully.”
“May your path ahead be filled with blessings.”
Ivan, who had watched her disappear quickly, turned his head. If he didn’t intend to keep standing on the sidewalk, he had to go inside.
Knock!
Ivan knocked on the door, but there was no response. Obviously, there was a presence, so he banged the door a little harder.
bang bang!
Then the tightly locked door swung open. A rather sharp and husky voice came from inside.
“come in!”
When the party entered, someone waved their hands half-buried on the sofa.
Sueup, hoo-.
Cigarette smoke rose from the tobacco pipe, which was a little longer than a span. Between her and her stinky, thick smoke, she appeared.
Light blonde hair and dark green eyes with a free-spirited cold-weather outfit that reveals all of her body and a dull and languid expression on her face. Three earrings fluttered in her long, pointed ears.
taktak.
Shaking off the ashes of her tobacco pipe, she asked.
“Did you come from the forest?”