ALL NOVEL Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Spirit Magic (2)
Kim Si-hu circled around Yoo Ji-han, scrutinizing the magical energy enveloping his body.
‘It’s rough.’
As expected, he could see the erratic flow of magical energy in several places.
There were also mistakes typical of beginners who were learning magic for the first time.
But the important thing was that it wasn’t a complete failure; he had succeeded in forming the essential structure necessary for magic manifestation.
And this was all from the first attempt of a hero who claimed to have never used magic before.
Is this something that can truly be done so easily?
“Hyung! You’re not lying about never having used magic, are you?”
“I’m really not lying…”
At his question, Yoo Ji-han scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed.
This was actually the first time in his life that he had used a magic skill.
‘So this is the feeling of using magic.’
Yoo Ji-han looked down at his hands.
He could feel the rough magical energy coursing through the skin of his hands, arms, and legs.
The tracksuit he was wearing was reacting to it, swaying slightly.
To put it metaphorically, it felt like standing in front of a fan bigger than a person and feeling a gentle breeze.
But it wasn’t just a breeze from one fan; it was more like being surrounded by wind from all 360 degrees.
If sweat were to start flowing from his body, it would likely dry up in mere seconds.
‘It’s a bit different from my own magic.’
This was not wind blowing naturally, but wind generated from magic.
Moreover, this was magic that didn’t solely rely on his own magical energy, but utilized the power of a spirit.
Normally, when accepting someone else’s magic, it would feel awkward or somewhat unpleasant, yet it didn’t feel like that now.
Whoosh—
The Sylph was emitting a brighter light than usual from the center of the sphere.
This was proof that it was lending its power to its contractor, Yoo Ji-han.
“I’ll move for a bit.”
Yoo Ji-han lightly stretched to warm up his body.
Then, he dashed towards the opposite side of the personal training room with all his might.
This was to test the effects of the buff.
Whoosh!
As he ran, the air split to the sides.
‘It feels light!’
His moving arms and legs felt incredibly light.
While it wasn’t as light as a feather, he felt much more comfortable than usual.
In an instant, he reached the wall of the training area and stopped.
‘To think I can use such magic myself…’
He clenched his fist tightly, feeling exhilarated.
Generally, it is rare for warrior-type heroes to use magic skills directly.
Despite all the magical energy appearing to be the same, there are different properties, and most magic does not gel well with a warrior’s energy, except for a few spells.
However, with the help of the spirit, Yoo Ji-han could be included among the exceptions.
This would certainly prove to be quite beneficial for future battles.
Whoosh—
He returned to where Kim Si-hu was standing.
Kim Si-hu, who had been silently watching him, spoke up.
“After observing for a while, it seems usable in battle, but… it looks like an unstable state is being maintained, so stabilization work will definitely be necessary.”
“That sounds like a rather difficult task.”
“It could actually take some time. There are aspects that need research, and the Sylph still has to adapt to your magic, which is new to it.”
The previous contractor, Erna Hass, was very different from Yoo Ji-han in many aspects.
She had a different age, gender, and the nature of her magical energy was also different, not to mention they weren’t even of the same race.
Plus, the Sylph had been resting in a staff made from Florun for several years, so it needed time to get used to its new contractor, Yoo Ji-han.
“I’ll leave that part entirely to you.”
“Sure… But I do feel a bit regretful.”
Kim Si-hu gazed at the Sylph, who had its magic untied.
His expression was mixed with regret, just as he had spoken.
“When the Sylph was in my staff, it used to help me a lot during my moments of casting spells.”
“Really?”
“Back when I got high grades at Hero Academy with the help of the Sylph. Ah, of course, it’s somewhat more pleasing that a new contractor has emerged. For both the Sylph and me…”
“Then can’t you just ask for help again?”
“Pardon?”
“Sylph! He wants a little help.”
As Yoo Ji-han made his request, the Sylph flew over to Kim Si-hu.
And…
Whoosh—!
A light green glow emanated from the staff Kim Si-hu was holding.
Yoo Ji-han stared in bewilderment.
“…Did it really work?”
“…?”
Kim Si-hu’s brain momentarily stopped as he couldn’t comprehend the situation.
But when he felt the familiar energy from the staff, he soon opened his eyes wide.
The power had returned, now infused with the Sylph’s energy.
‘Did it understand our conversation from just a moment ago?!’
Yoo Ji-han hadn’t given any clear instructions.
He had merely asked for help.
Yet the Sylph had delivered exactly what was desired.
As if it understood everything that Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu had exchanged mere moments before.
‘How is that even possible?’
How many Spirit Masters had been tormented by spirits that wouldn’t listen, and yet here was a Sylph so different.
He had thought the Sylph, his mother’s spirit, was quite strong before, but he never imagined it would be this intelligent and cooperative.
“Is this really happening?”
“Uh, yes! The power is back!”
“Wow, that’s amazing…”
Yoo Ji-han turned to look at the Sylph.
“You’re quite something, aren’t you?”
Upon hearing his praise, the Sylph spun around in a full 360-degree circle.
It seemed to be showing its joy.
But soon, the light the Sylph was emitting began to dim, turning the green sphere translucent.
Surprised, Yoo Ji-han exclaimed.
“Why is it doing that?”
“This is a fatigue phenomenon that appears when a spirit has used too much magic. It seems we’ve pushed it a bit too hard since it hasn’t even been a week since the contract.”
“Is it okay?”
“It should be fine after resting for a day in the spirit realm.”
Yoo Ji-han quickly released the Sylph from summoning.
For the time being, he was also planning to avoid summoning training.
“Phew, today has been quite the surprise.”
“I never expected I would be able to use magic…”
Thus, Yoo Ji-han had finally been able to use magic through a spirit.
Though somewhat unstable, after going through the stabilization process, he would surely be able to use it better than now.
Moreover, he had unexpectedly gained the ability to reinforce Kim Si-hu’s staff like before.
It was truly hard to believe that they had achieved this just minutes after entering the personal training room.
‘To think such a person had to go through that humiliation.’
Kim Si-hu glanced at Yoo Ji-han.
He simply could not understand why someone with such notable talent would choose the newly established guild, Sweet Fun, one that had revealed almost no information among the existing guilds.
And even without his contracted spirit, Yoo Ji-han was still a hero with considerable talent.
If Kim Si-hu were the Guild Master of Keroes, he would definitely not want to let him go.
Though Kim Si-hu still lacked hero experience, Yoo Ji-han, as an abnormal candidate under the informal party system, brimmed with possibilities.
‘I’ll have to thank Guild Master Park Joong-seob someday.’
Kim Si-hu silently sent his gratitude to Park Joong-seob of Keroes.
For sending such a talented hero his way.
“I’ll focus on magic stabilization work for now.”
“Sounds good.”
“First, you need to correct how you use magical energy when generating magic…”
Yoo Ji-han took a lesson on magical energy from Kim Si-hu for several hours afterward.
*
At the moment when Yoo Ji-han and Kim Si-hu had completely left the training center due to separate personal schedules related to banking and such.
A man wearing black sunglasses appeared at the now less crowded public training center.
His regent style hair exposed his forehead, and he wore ripped jeans and a black t-shirt as he swaggered toward the entrance of the training center.
A staff member, spotting him from a distance, rushed over and bowed at a 90-degree angle.
“O-oh, welcome!!”
“Did you wait long?”
“No, not at all!”
“Hey, no need to be so stiff. I’m just here to take a quick look around.”
“Yes!”
Though he spoke that way, the staff member continued to fidget nervously.
And rightly so, the man before him was a Rank 1 Hero, of which there were only ten in all of South Korea.
He was Yoon Do-ha, the Guild Master of the Dice Guild, one of the top ten guilds in South Korea.
Not only was he well-regarded in Korea, but he was also a person to be treated with utmost respect wherever he went.
He wasn’t the kind of hero who would just be casually wandering around a public training center.
“I heard you’re planning to expand the training center.”
“Uh, yeah. We’re going to build a new one because complaints have been coming in about it being too cramped in the guild.”
The Dice Guild was preparing to build a new training facility to replace the old one.
As the guild master, Yoon Do-ha was personally touring other training centers to discover which structure would be most efficient.
“I hesitate to ask, but shouldn’t you, Mr. Do-ha, have access to other private training centers? Is there a reason you’re visiting a public one…?”
“I’ve visited a few other guild training centers. But everyone was only using the newest machines.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“I found all those weird functions piled onto them rather off-putting.”
Yoon Do-ha poutingly replied.
Training machines that emphasized convenience rather than genuinely being helpful for training.
In the past, he had managed to train just fine without such bizarre functions.
“The most crucial part is the one doing the training. In other words, you shouldn’t blame the tools.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Our machines will be similar to the ones we previously used. I came to check on the internal layout today. It’s said that this area is used a lot by smaller guilds but has less confusion, right?”
“Yes. We’ve gathered user data over the years to increase the proportion of the most popular training spots and optimized it to avoid traffic congestion between heroes.”
“Oh, big data…!”
In many large supermarkets, they place fresh produce like vegetables, fruits, and seafood by the entrance.
These are items that consumers buy the most.
The public training center, which various guilds utilize, is set up in a similarly strategic manner, making adjustments based on established rules, and putting in numerous efforts for the convenience of heroes.
Yoon Do-ha had come specifically to learn such know-how.
“Please use this to cover the fees for 24 hours.”
“No! The head of the training center said that when Mr. Do-ha comes, absolutely do not charge him.”
“Hmm… Okay. Please pass along my thanks.”
Yoon Do-ha stepped into the training center.
The staff member who had been chatting with him trailed closely behind.
He had been dispatched as a representative for Yoon Do-ha’s needs.
“Hey? Isn’t that Yoon Do-ha?”
“That can’t be… Why is the Dice Guild here?”
“Looks similar, doesn’t it?”
“Probably someone copying the concept.”
Whispers arose.
People began murmuring and glancing at Yoon Do-ha from afar.
All eyes were familiar to Yoon Do-ha.
“There are many machines here that are similar to the ones in our guild.”
“There must be a reason they’re used frequently.”
“Right?”
While wandering about observing the training center’s interior.
Yoon Do-ha suddenly stopped in front of a personal training room.
The staff member following him asked.
“Is something wrong?”
“…?”
Yoon Do-ha looked at the training space with a strange expression.
When he opened the door and stepped inside, it revealed an empty room.
“Who’s using this space right now?”
“If a guild name isn’t mentioned, it’s currently unoccupied.”
“Then may I check the list of guilds that used this training room today?”
“Uh? Why all of a sudden…?”
“Hmm.”
Yoon Do-ha took a deep breath of the air in the training room.
Then, exhaling, he said,
“…There’s the scent of an unfamiliar spirit in this training room.”
It was a fragrance of a spirit he had never smelled before.
It was an incredibly alluring scent that sparked a strong sense of possession.