As soon as I heard that a new spirit had been born, I rushed to the camper.
It was almost dinner time, and I had been about to head back anyway, but I returned in a single bound at the news. Sightseeing? What did sightseeing matter when a new spirit had appeared?
*Swoosh—!*
The form of this spirit was an eagle.
— Screee! Ki! Pyah!
Seeing as it had a physical form the moment it was born, this spirit was also an Intermediate Spirit.
What was unusual was that even though it was a newborn, it was overflowing with spiritual energy. I wondered if it was because it had received Byeol’s essence so directly. After all, Byeol’s management of spiritual energy had become much more delicate and experienced compared to when the other spirits were born.
(Anonymous 1): It is a fine spirit.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): It looks magnificent.
(Father of Crops): Indeed.
(God of Blue Water): It truly looks like an eagle.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): Wow, that little guy is quite handsome.
(Endless Waiting): It is impressive.
(Liberated Swordsman): It looks strong.
(The Last Smith): It has a cute side, too.
(Martial Artist Who Buys Death): It is truly cute yet handsome.
The Constellations were right. The way it rubbed its head against me and acted cute the moment it saw me was incredibly adorable, yet its face was undeniably handsome. I didn’t know an eagle could be this good-looking.
— Hello! Hehe, I’ve heard a lot about you!
Its way of speaking was cute, too… wait a second.
“You’ve heard a lot about me?”
— Yes!
“Huh?”
— Eh?
— That’s strange! It’s amazing!
— Oh, how!
— I don’t know! I could hear everything from the outside while I was asleep in the egg!
(Father of Crops): It’s an unusual case, but it happens sometimes.
(Anonymous 1): Hmm, I have a general idea of why.
‘Please tell me.’
(Anonymous 1): It was likely a Lower Spirit while inside the egg. Then, Byeol must have given it power right around the time it was supposed to hatch. So, it likely began growing into an Intermediate Spirit after its senses were already somewhat formed. In that process, memories from before hatching can remain. It happens very rarely.
(Father of Crops): That’s right. If they remain in the egg as a Lower Spirit, they can hear others speaking.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): Fascinating.
(God of Blue Water): Since the egg has been around for quite a while, it must understand Jinwoo’s situation to some extent.
— Hello, Constellations!
It already knew about the existence of the Constellations. It was a smart child, which was a good thing. I pondered for a moment to give the newly born spirit a name.
*Swoosh—!!*
*Whish—!!*
The creature spread its wings wide and soared into the sky, flapping them with dignity. The sight reminded me of a duck floating peacefully on the water.
‘Floating comfortably…?’
I decided on its name.
“How about Dungdung-i?”
— I love it!
(Anonymous 1): It feels a bit half-hearted.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Truly.
(God of Blue Water): It’s cute. I like it a lot.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): It’s half-hearted, but it’s also cute.
(Martial Artist Who Buys Death): Hmm.
(Endless Waiting): Still, you captured the essence perfectly.
‘It’s not half-hearted.’
As Endless Waiting said, I had thought hard and created a good name by focusing on its specific characteristic.
— I like it!
Could they not see that he liked it?
(Anonymous 1): Hmm….
— Dungdung-i!
— Hello, Dungdung-i!
— Hello!
— Hehe, hello! Sister Sol-i, Brother Maru, Brother Baekgu!
— How did you know our names?
— I could tell by your energy! Water Spirit Brother Baekgu, Earth Spirit Brother Maru, and Fire Spirit Sister Sol-i!
— Wow, you’re so smart!
— You’re right, he’s super smart!
— It’s amazing!
— Hehe, thank you!
— You can speak comfortably with us!
At Sol-i’s words, Dungdung-i nodded slowly. The more I looked at him, the more handsome of an eagle he was. Since Dungdung-i was born, I planned to make seaweed soup.
(Anonymous 1): What about tteokbokki?
‘I’ll make it for your late-night snack.’
(Anonymous 1): Is that a promise?
‘Yes.’
These Constellations sure were obsessive.
Well, what could I do but fulfill their wishes? They were people I was grateful to.
Since I had to give some to Dungdung-i as well, I planned to make the seaweed soup first and then start on other things. Seaweed soup itself wasn’t difficult, but this time, another amazing ingredient had fallen into my lap.
The “Fresh Seaweed,” a C-grade buff-type ingredient item, had appeared. This seaweed was sponsored by Habaek, the God of Blue Water.
(God of Blue Water): …I hate to admit it, but I tried to copy what I saw the Father of Crops, Maru, and Alton doing with their farming. Although I am the God of the Yalu River, I can create a sea and grow seaweed. I have lived as a Constellation for thousands of years, after all.
‘That is impressive.’
Pleased by my words, Habaek laughed and even sponsored 300 coins.
Using this seaweed, which had a richer aroma and a stronger savory taste, I boiled the soup. The soup was easy to make. Furthermore, I used the buff-type ingredient items and the orb, then transformed the sword that surpassed limits into a pot.
With such support, the cooking time was significantly shortened.
***
Dungdung-i had been in the egg for a fairly long time. In truth, he could have come out as soon as he received Byeol’s essence, but Dungdung-i, who had begun to grow within the egg since then, intended to surprise everyone.
So, he nibbled away at the essence inside the egg and chose to hatch only after becoming an Intermediate Spirit.
Being exceptionally smart among the spirits, Dungdung-i already knew that Jinwoo’s cooking skills were outstanding. While in the egg, he had deduced everything through the conversations outside, and those deductions had been correct.
“Eat up.”
— It looks delicious! Thank you!
“Sure.”
Jinwoo smiled at the cute creature. Dungdung-i skillfully spread his wings and tried to move his muscles to hold the spoon, but…
*Thud—!*
*Thud—!*
It kept falling.
“Hehe, I’ll feed you!”
Byeol picked up the spoon herself and put it into Dungdung-i’s mouth for the inexperienced spirit. Dungdung-i spread his wings wide and cried out.
— Wow… wow… it’s incredibly delicious!
It was truly the best meal of his life. Well, since it was his first meal, that was somewhat expected, but…
Every time the seaweed was chewed, a fragrant and savory flavor spread out as it gave way softly. The deep flavor of the broth was also a masterpiece, and the way the rice soaked it up was the best.
— I’m so happy! I’m happy I was born here!
At Dungdung-i’s words, Jinwoo, Byeol, and the spirits all laughed. The summons like Alton, Eric, and Baekcheon, as well as the Constellations, laughed heartily too.
(Anonymous 1): You have something to do now, right?
A Constellation sent a message, seemingly expecting something from Jinwoo. It was a prompt to make the late-night snack immediately since dinner was over.
‘…It’s too early for a late-night snack.’
(The Last Cook): The seaweed soup was delicious, but it didn’t fill me up.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Hear, hear!
‘I’ll definitely make it after we play a bit more in Busan.’
Jinwoo looked at Byeol. As soon as Byeol saw the look in Jinwoo’s eyes, she grinned and started to whine on purpose.
“Dad! I want to play more!”
What could the Constellations do when they were suckers for Byeol’s charms?
(Anonymous 1): …Fine, since Byeol says she wants to play.
(God of Blue Water): …I’ll trust my descendant anyway. He’ll definitely make the snack.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Dammit, I guess I have to trust him.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): Keep your promise, Jinwoo.
Jinwoo smiled and nodded. To show his gratitude to the understanding Constellations, he poured beer from the craft beer keg and offered it as a tribute. Since he expected to make the snack only after midnight, he was using one of his remaining tribute opportunities for beer instead. He even added some salty, spicy, and stimulating snacks to go with the beer.
(Anonymous 1): Dammit, I knew I could count on you!!
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Whoa! Look at this guy!! You’re recognized!!!
(The Last Cook): …Truly, are even the snacks on Earth this delicious?
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): …It’s been so long since I’ve had snacks like this, it’s overwhelming. I’m going crazy.
(God of Blue Water): This is a perfect match for beer.
“Of course, you don’t have to sponsor me for this.”
At those words, the Constellations cheered once again.
(Endless Waiting): …Jinwoo, you really are something.
(Liberated Swordsman): You are the best, the absolute best.
(The Last Smith): Wow… Jinwoo, you’re a truly cool guy.
(Martial Artist Who Buys Death): You are a great hero.
Having calmed the Constellations, Jinwoo smiled and left the camper. Since their time was nearly up, the summons each returned to their own dimensions or pendants.
The spirits all followed Jinwoo out while remaining invisible, and Jinwoo moved to board the Haeundae cruise ship.
The cruise ship he had reserved for the evening session followed a course that went to Gwangalli and then returned to Haeundae. It was an event that lasted less than one hour, allowing one to see the night views and the line of buildings from Haeundae to Gwangalli from the sea.
Moreover, since there was a fireworks display today, they could even watch it from the middle of the ocean.
‘It was a bit difficult to reserve, but I succeeded.’
Jinwoo still couldn’t forget the thrill of barely succeeding in securing the last reservation while he was boiling the seaweed soup. The invisible spirits also chattered among themselves, boarding the cruise ship while floating in the air. Jinwoo and Byeol sat on the open deck, looking at the skyscrapers towering along the coastline.
“Woooah….”
“Woooah—!”
The two let out sighs of pure admiration.
— It’s so pretty!
— It’s beautiful!
— The buildings are so big!
— Is this what they call a night view? This is absolutely beautiful!!
From the high-rise buildings located in Haeundae to the lights sparkling on every floor of the Sky Tower, where one could overlook the Haeundae area—everything was a sight to behold. Those sights unfolding behind the sandy beach were so pleasing that their eyes couldn’t look away.
Right then.
*Vroom—! Vroom—!*
Finally, the ship began to move.
*Swoosh—!!*
The small cruise ship moved at a fairly fast speed, cutting through the water.
(Anonymous 1): Even we, who are just watching, feel the vibrancy.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): It certainly is beautiful.
(Returnee from the Demon Realm): An autumn night sea definitely has a lot of atmosphere.
(Martial Artist Who Buys Death): During the cycles where I lived as a wanderer, I sometimes drifted at sea, but back then, I could only see the stars in the night sky. There were no night views like this. The martial arts world and the modern world have different kinds of fun and romance.
(The Last Smith): I think spending time leisurely like this is also good. That’s what I’ve been thinking lately.
(Endless Waiting): I agree.
(God of Blue Water): I agree as well.
(The Last Cook): I want to cook using those sea fish.
(Father of Crops): My dream is to farm in the sea.
(Anonymous 1): You crazy bastards.
Fishermen catching fish from small boats on the sea could also be seen. Jinwoo took in the sights of people living their lives in their own time.
*Swoosh—!*
Paradoxically, the further they moved from the coastline, the clearer the night view became. Contrasted against the darkness of the water’s surface and the sky, it felt as if that place alone existed in the world. On the deck, people took photos and made memories in their own spots.
Not to be outdone, Jinwoo picked up his phone.
Lately, he had been feeling a desire to buy a professional camera. This was because he felt great joy in taking photos of Byeol against beautiful landscapes.
*Click—! Click—!*
Jinwoo took several photos of Byeol standing in front of the most beautiful backgrounds. Since Byeol had been particularly fond of having her picture taken lately, she struck all sorts of cute poses.
(Anonymous 1): Whoa—!
(God of Rain and Sunlight): She’s so cute!!!
(God of Blue Water): Byeol is the best!
It was then.
*Pop—!*
*Boom—!!!*
The fireworks display began.
“Wow….”
Jinwoo began to adjust the angle of his phone’s camera. The look in his eyes right now was more serious than that of most professional photographers.