Chapter 145

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter: 145

‘There it is again.’

Ever since Sylph evolved, another title had appeared.

Hanbit immediately checked the details.

[Summoner of the Four Elements]

-All summoned spirits can wield their powers autonomously.

-This effect is proportional to the abilities of the Summoner, Black Dragon, and its potency varies based on the spirit’s rank.

The Summoner, Black Dragon, can forcibly halt the spirits from using their powers at will.

-Holy shit. LOL

-This isn’t just a title—it’s basically a skill!

-The spirits can use their powers on their own??

-Auto combat mode, damn.

-You’ve officially won at life.

-That’s some high-tier pets you got there.

-And there are four of them. Crazy.

The chat exploded with excitement over the title’s incredible effect.

Hanbit was just as surprised.

‘…This was supposed to be a high-tier spirit ability.’

Spirits under contract typically lost much of their autonomy.

Once they left an environment rich in elemental energy, their existence became stabilized through their bond with the summoner.

Only high-tier spirits were capable of using their powers freely without channeling through a skill.

And yet, he had unlocked that ability now?

"Can you all come out for a moment?"

Shhhk—

At Hanbit’s words, three figures materialized in the air.

Gradually, their forms became distinct.

A wolf wreathed in flickering flames—Salist, Spirit of Fire.

An otter encircled by a disc of water—Undine, Spirit of Water.

A turtle composed of solid rock and crystal—Gnome, Spirit of Earth.

They all looked just as Hanbit remembered them.

-Look at that lineup.

-So that’s what spirits actually look like.

-Feels like watching Animal Planet. LOL

-Black Dragon, here’s your new content—time to be a spirit breeder.

-Max-tier attention grabber. Hahaha.

Chirp-!

Sylph flapped its wings excitedly as it gazed at its new companions.

It seemed happy to have allies now—perhaps because they weren’t competing for its contract position, unlike Shuriel.

‘So they can wield their power on their own…’

Spirits were, at their core, beings that controlled the elements.

Wind and fire were the most adept at free-form movement, while water specialized in healing and earth in defense and detection.

Though each had different specialties, they all held the ability to manipulate their respective elements.

‘No need to test it right now.’

It was an unexpected development, but in the end, Hanbit had gained a powerful new ability.

And since it wasn’t classified as a skill, this would become a major advantage in the long run.

People like Adventurer A and the Nesto Guild already viewed him with hostility—there was no doubt others would too.

How they chose to interpret the power of spirits was up to them.

Shhhk—

With that thought, Hanbit left the earth domain and returned to the central area.

Avantgarde, who had been lingering near the ancient tree, was still surveying the surroundings.

"What about Luna?"

"Oh, she went up into the tree."

"…Up into the tree?"

-That’s a bold move.

-She climbed that high?

-That thing’s like a skyscraper. LOL

-That’s why she’s part of the expedition team.

The chat’s reaction was expected.

The ancient tree was so massive that its top wasn’t even visible.

It had to be at least 100 meters tall—if not more.

"I’ll be right back. Sylph, can you take me up?"

[Sure!]

Whoosh—!

With a floating speech bubble and a gust of wind, Hanbit was lifted into the air.

It didn’t take long to reach the top of the tree.

"Here to enjoy the view with me?"

Perched on a branch, Luna greeted him with a faint smile.

It seemed she had been watching the stream the whole time.

“What are you doing up here? There’s not much to see.”

“Just felt like it. I’ve always liked high places.”

Luna stretched before standing up.

Her gaze slowly swept across the distant edge of the garden.

“You’re not interested in spirits?”

“Well, seeing them on your shoulder does make me a little jealous.”

Luna kept her eyes on the four elemental spirits still materializing.

The bird and the wolf playfully tangled with each other, while the otter watched them with a gentle expression. Meanwhile, the turtle lay down with its eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the commotion.

Each spirit’s personality was on full display.

Maybe it would take a little more time before they could communicate like Sylph did.

“If you’d like to connect with one, I can take you to the right domain.”

“If I had to choose, I guess it’d be ice… but that’s not an option here, is it?”

As someone specialized in ice-based abilities, Luna’s interest was clear.

After a brief moment of thought, Hanbit turned to the otter on his shoulder.

“Undine, what do you think?”

Shff—

At the question, the otter slowly raised itself.

Then, with a splash of water droplets, it soared toward Luna.

[Water Spirit Undine is observing Player Luna.]

The spirit stopped in front of her and gazed at her intently.

A brief silence followed.

Then, after a short delay, another message appeared.

[Water Spirit Undine expresses curiosity.]

[Water Spirit Undine wishes to take the player into its domain.]

“Hm…”

The otter was clearly expressing its will.

Chances were, this would lead to an extended exploration session.

“I only plan to learn a skill and leave. What about you? Just a heads-up—there’s no telling how long Undine’s observation will take.”

“I’m curious, so I’ll give it a try. That’s the Water Domain over there, right?”

“Yes. Once you enter, Undine inside will respond. Sylph, can you take us down?”

[Got it!]

Whoosh—!

At Hanbit’s request, a gust of wind wrapped around them.

In an instant, their bodies were lifted and gently lowered to the ground.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at Vestige’s headquarters.”

Luna left those parting words and headed toward the Water Domain.

Even though the otter had returned to Hanbit’s shoulder, Undine’s consciousness was still connected.

Now, all that remained was to see what would come of this.

“What about you, Avantgarde?”

“I’ll pass. Actually, if I try to leave, it forces me back in.”

“…Ah.”

The meaning was clear.

The spirits were restricting Avantgarde’s actions.

It was safe to say he wouldn’t be able to bond with them.

After all, it was rare for spirits to take an interest in someone, like they did with Raphina and Luna.

“In that case, let’s head back. Those two will probably take a while.”

“Understood. Perfect timing, too.”

Avantgarde turned toward the space between the domains.

As he spoke, Asla was returning.

“You’re already back? Like I told you, reaching a mid-tier spirit is no easy—”

Asla had been about to lecture his student on the difficulty of connecting with mid-tier spirits.

But before he could finish his sentence, his gaze landed on the four animals perched on Hanbit’s shoulder.

“…All of them responded to you?”

“That’s how it turned out.”

-LOL, that’s how it turned out.

-The student is just built different.

-The master just hit a wall.

-He told him to get one, and the dude got all of them.

-Professors love moments like these.

Though clearly caught off guard, Asla still paid his respects to the spirits.

Hanbit turned toward the exit and spoke.

“The other two are still inside their domains. Let’s head back first.”

* * *

Hanbit returned to the top of the stone tower with the other two.

Only one task remained.

He had to learn swordsmanship that could harness the power of Sylph, who had evolved into a mid-tier spirit.

“You don’t have to look at me like that. I already know.”

Sensing Hanbit’s gaze, Asla let out a short sigh.

Normally, this kind of training would take a long time, but his student was anything but ordinary.

Not only had he formed contracts with spirits, but he had also mastered the sword techniques Asla had taught him at an unprecedented pace.

“The next technique requires a storm as preparation. That shouldn’t be difficult for you.”

Ding—

[Hidden Quest]

Hanbit has been given the opportunity to learn Asla’s next sword technique.

Preparation: Amplifying the wind.

He must achieve this goal alongside Sylph.

Objective: Create a whirlwind that surpasses the required threshold.

Reward: 600,000 Gold, Asla’s Secret Manual, 25 Stat Points, 300,000 experience points

The golden quest window had become a familiar sight.

Sching—

Hanbit drew his sword and slowly assumed his stance.

Sylph was already fluttering its wings in anticipation.

“Are you ready?”

[Ready!]

Perched on his shoulder, the spirit responded confidently.

Gripping his sword tightly, Hanbit took a deep breath and focused his mind.

Then, the moment he called upon Sylph’s wind—

Whoosh—!

A massive whirlwind erupted around them.

KWOOM—!

The raging vortex surged outward with incredible force.

It was the result of elemental awakening, the spirit’s domain, and his title all stacking together.

“…Hah.”

Asla had expected a strong wind, but this far exceeded his predictions.

The sheer power and vast reach of the storm seemed capable of sweeping everything away.

After briefly closing his eyes and reopening them, he muttered, “That’s enough. You’ve done more than enough.”

Swoosh—

At his command, Hanbit immediately dispersed the wind.

Asla, watching closely, stepped forward and handed him a green book.

“You may be my student, but you continue to astound me. Dedicate yourself to this, as you always have.”

Ding—

[Quest Completed.]

[Retroactive rewards for omitted hidden quests have been applied.]

[Received: 1,000,000 Gold.]

[Received: Asla’s Secret Manual.]

[Granted: 40 Stat Points.]

[Gained: 500,000 experience points.]

[Level increased by 4.]

[Granted: 4 additional Stat Points.]

-?

-Why are the rewards going crazy again?

-This feels like an entire story arc completion.

-Just stop thinking about it. It’s easier. LOL

-Has anyone tracked his stat gains?

-Check the new skills ASAP.

-Something big is coming.

-Drumroll...

As the chat flooded with excited messages, Hanbit picked up the green book.

The moment he flipped open the cover, a holographic window with a golden border appeared.

[Would you like to use it? (Yes/No)]

Click—

Without hesitation, he pressed ‘Yes,’ and the hologram vanished.

Poof—!

The book dissolved into smoke.

Then, a new message appeared.

[Hidden Spirit Skill: Wind’s Leap (Rank 3 - Epic) has been added.]

[Hidden Spirit Skill: Gale Slash (Rank 4 - Epic) has been added.]

[Hidden Spirit Skill: Storm Barrage (Rank 5 - Epic) has been added.]

-Wow.

-He just learned three skills at once?

-Did he skip straight to Rank 3?

-This is broken. Nerf him.

-Balance patch ASAP.

-If you’re jealous, go learn them yourself. LOL

-Look at those skill names.

-Gale Slash… damn.

-Is Storm Barrage an AoE skill?

-Wind swordsmanship. You’ve come a long way.

Three new skills had appeared at once.

But Hanbit didn’t need to check them individually—he was already familiar with all of them.

The names alone made their functions clear.

“Never forget to show gratitude to the spirits,” Asla said. “Though, I doubt you’d ever take them lightly.”

“Yes. I’ll treasure them and use them wisely.”

His words carried genuine sincerity.

The spirits had been a great help in the past, and even now, they continued to support him.

If anything ever threatened them, he was ready to risk his life to protect them—without hesitation.

“Where are you headed next?” Asla asked the question as Hanbit sheathed his sword.

“I’ll stop by Edlen first, then head back to Ifrit. After that… I’ll probably go to Temosha.”

“Temosha… It’s been a while since I was last there.”

Asla’s expression grew serious.

“Stay vigilant wherever you go. You never know what those bastards from the Holy Kingdom might try.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll come back even stronger next time.”

Hanbit gave a respectful nod before leaving the Wind Domain with Avantgarde, who had been watching everything with fascination.

When they finally returned to Edlen, they were immediately greeted at the city gates by a furious blonde-haired girl—Lia.

“Why didn’t you come find me right away?!”

[Translator - Jjescus ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]