Chapter 46: Spirit Appears!

Beep-beep-beep~

The phone rang early in the morning, waking me from sleep.

It was Kang Daehan, the head of the Kanghan Group.

So, the head of the group rises even earlier than a farmer.

Or maybe I’m just a late-rising farmer.

But contacting me directly without going through his secretary, Kim Sang-hyun?

He wants to meet to discuss the issue of sea pollution and purification.

“Yes, of course. I’ll come to Seoul. Then, I’ll see you at that time.”

I felt it last time, but he really is a man of action.

He must be incredibly busy with meetings and schedules as the head of a major corporation, but still, just one day after hearing my proposal, he agreed and set up the meeting.

The appointment is set for tomorrow, at the group Headquarters building.

Truly a swift and decisive response.

“Minho! Are you ready!”

Kasia came into the room with a beaming face.

For TV-addict Kasia to be up at this hour—she must really be looking forward to today.

“Yes. Now, let’s go get the other Elves.”

“I’m so happy that I can finally show them Earth, too.”

I entered the Portal of Elia with Kasia.

By now, the underground cave felt familiar.

The fireflies that always accompanied our portal journeys were nowhere to be seen this time.

“No fireflies today?”

“Let’s hurry up and get going.”

Kasia seemed eager to share the good news as soon as possible.

We climbed the stairs, passed through Kasia’s house, and stepped outside.

But an unexpected scene awaited us.

“Wait! Are you okay?!”

This was my second visit to Eliya, but I’d never seen anything like this.

The Guards who normally watched over Kasia’s home were nowhere in sight, and only Elves, sprawled on the ground and moaning in pain, could be seen.

“Could it have been the Wave…?”

“Wave?”

Kasia bit her lip anxiously and muttered something as she rushed over to the fallen Elf.

The Elves, writhing in pain, didn’t even notice Kasia’s approach.

Only one Elf, who had managed to stay conscious, looked up at her with relief.

“Ugh… Lady Kasia, you’ve come.”

“Did the Wave come?”

“Yes. This time… there were quite a few of them. And the Monsters went berserk…”

In the Elves’ world, something called a Wave exists.

Monsters, which exist in the forest in insect form, if not regularly exterminated and if their numbers reach a certain point, gather together and attack.

It had been that time again—but unlike previous cycles, this Wave brought much stronger and more frenzied Monsters.

Even the Elves, who had become accustomed to the Waves and were always prepared, had suffered this time.

“How many days did it last this time?”

“Three days. We’ve moved the worst-injured to a safe place for treatment, but today, we’re even short on hands for transport.”

He looked down at his own injured arm, but his expression was full of concern for those who were hurt even more severely.

“What about the Boss Monster?”

“…Fortunately, we managed to deal with it, but this time’s Boss Monster was much stronger than any we’ve seen in past Waves…”

“What’s going on! Tell me everything, clearly!”

“The Chieftain… many of the guards were also badly hurt…”

“We shouldn’t just stand around talking like this! We need to help the injured Elves first!”

There were Elves with serious wounds all around. Standing here talking didn’t seem right.

I didn’t know much about the Wave, so I’d been quietly listening, but treating the wounded should come first—my voice rose without thinking.

“That’s important, but the Boss Monster is even more crucial.”

If the Boss Monster isn’t dealt with, the Monsters will gather again the next day for a fourth Wave.

If we don’t prepare, the damage could be far greater—irreversible.

“At least the Boss Monster is taken care of… That’s something. As you say, we should move these people.”

Kasia’s eyes were full of sadness and distress, seeing her people hurt.

The place for transport was the Great Hall—the same place I’d first met the Chieftain and Elders when I arrived in Eliya.

It’s the largest space in the Elf village.

I picked up the most seriously wounded Elf.

Elves are tall, making it hard to lift or support them safely.

I glanced at Kasia to see how she was handling it; she was using the Spirit of Air to float several at once and move them.

‘I’m envious… If only I could control Spirits, I could help move them faster.’

But I’m just a non-combatant with only the Sympathy skill. Nothing I can do about it.

I left the seriously injured to Kasia and was about to take care of the less injured, when an idea struck me.

‘Wait. I’m not non-combat anymore, am I?’

Thanks to Little Pepper and Jinsu, my Sympathy skill had recently evolved into a new one: Sharing.

‘I should get Kasia to share her Spirit-handling skill with me.’

This was my first time using the skill.

After moving a round of wounded Elves, I told Kasia my plan during a short break—but ran into an unexpected problem.

“Spirit skill? That’s not a ‘skill’ the way Hunters mean it—it just happens naturally. And Spirits can only be handled by those they permit.”

“What?! So I can’t use it…?”

Kasia explained that from birth, she could see and command Spirits naturally.

Other Elves, too, could handle Spirits, but each only one type, while Kasia could command all four main Spirits.

As the Chieftain’s daughter, she really was an elite Elf from birth!

“I want to help, but I’m only getting in the way… Just tell me how you use them. Let me try, at least once.”

“It’s fine. How to handle Spirits… Elves can sense Spirits around them. If you can feel a Spirit, you’ll instinctively know how to handle them.”

In other words, it’s not something you can learn like a subject at school—you have to sense it yourself to control Spirits.

‘That sounds hard… I don’t have a clue how to start.’

Kasia looked exhausted and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.

“Do you remember where you collected the Porti?”

“Of course. It’s similar to the way we went when we were looking for Ainmosni last time, right?”

“That’s right. Then, I’ll move the wounded. Could you gather some Porti?”

“Will you be all right alone?”

“I’ll be fine. We’re short on medicine, so we should prepare plenty in advance.”

I’d been feeling bad for not being much help, since moving these well-built Elves wasn’t easy, and compared to other Elves who could handle Spirits and do many things at once, I hadn’t done much.

“All right. I’ll be quick.”

I traced my memory back as I headed to the wild Porti patch.

Monsters could jump out along the way, but they shouldn’t attack me this time, right?

‘There were a lot of seriously wounded. I have to gather Porti fast and get back.’

I quickened my pace.

‘I think I turn right here…’

Speeding up, I soon found the wide Porti field.

‘Thank goodness. I found it faster than I expected. But how much should I collect?’

About a thousand Elves live in the village.

Not all are hurt, but the seriously injured will need plenty of Porti.

‘Whatever. I’ll just pull up everything I see.’

Eliya is vast; there must be plenty of other Porti fields around.

No need to worry about destroying the ecosystem because of me.

Besides, the Elves are planning to leave this place anyway.

As I bent down to pull up Porti, I felt someone’s gaze on me.

Could it be a Monster? I tensed and scanned the surroundings, but nothing was there.

Even after focusing on the grassy spots with plenty of hiding places, I saw nothing.

‘Am I just being paranoid, since this is a world where Monsters appear?’

All I could see was sparkling dust floating in the air.

‘Sparkling dust?’

Now that I thought about it, I’d seen this sparkling dust before.

‘Where was it…?’

The specks circled closer as I searched my memory, not seeming like ordinary dust at all.

“Are you Spirits!?”

Dust floats around, but it doesn’t circle people like this.

And recalling further, I remembered Kasia using Spirits to water fields with clean water or to add good soil.

I could almost hear the Spirits’ cheerful laughter.

“I can’t tell what kind of Spirit you are, though.”

Maybe feeling playful, the Spirits came closer—pulling my hair, perching on my nose before fluttering away.

Definitely Spirits.

Right, I don’t have time for this. Porti first!

Without a hoe or shovel, pulling up Porti by the root wasn’t easy.

Still, I picked up the pace, thinking every extra one could help.

I ended up pulling up every Porti in sight in the patch.

“I’d like to get one more batch… Is there any more nearby?”

The Spirits, who’d been circling and watching, suddenly sparkled and zipped off in one direction.

They glowed prettily in place, as if telling me to follow, and when I did, I found another Porti patch.

“Wow! Did you understand me and show me? Thanks! I found it quickly thanks to you.”

Not sure if they actually understood, but I showered them with praise, as I always did with crops.

At that, the Spirits all dove into the ground at once.

No, ‘seeped’ into the earth would be more accurate.

The ground trembled!

“Whoa??!”

The earth rippled as if about to burst.

Worried there might be an earthquake or something dangerous, I backed away and kept an eye on the shaking ground.

When it finally settled, there was a pile of Porti, roots intact, lying on the soil.

“Whoa! Is this for me?”

The Spirits, appearing again, danced in a circle before my eyes as if to say they understood.

“Thank you so much! You saved me a ton of time.”

I now had so much Porti that I couldn’t even carry it all in my arms.

To bring back as much as possible, I stacked them carefully and lifted them, hugging the bundle to my chest like a tree.

Careful not to drop any, I began walking back.

“Whew. It’s hot.”

Carrying such a heavy load made me break out in a sweat.

Luckily, a cool breeze came from somewhere, drying the sweat.

But still, I couldn’t help but drop some Porti as I went.

“At this rate, I’ll be late… Guys! If any of you are nearby, could you help me out?”

Even as I spoke, Porti kept slipping from my arms.

If I lost so many, there might not be enough for the injured Elves to be treated, which would be unbearable.

I didn’t expect much when I called out.

But then, something amazing happened.

The falling Porti stopped mid-air, surrounded by white, sparkling dust that fluttered around them.

“So that’s where you went—you came back to help!”

I welcomed the Spirits, but they felt different from before.

Earlier, the ones who helped me harvest Porti sparkled with an earthy brown color. Now, they gleamed a bright white.

Not only did they catch the falling Porti midair, but a cool breeze brushed past my hair.

“Are you Spirits of Air?”

Instead of an answer, a strong gust of wind blew.

I didn’t know any other way to tell them apart, but it seemed the color was different for each element.

“So the others earlier were Spirits of Earth. Spirits of Air, could you help me carry these back to the Elf village?”

Another strong wind swept by.

As I started walking, the floating Porti followed, keeping pace with me.

“Thank you, everyone.”

Thanks to them, I reached the village without being late.

The Spirits of Air set the Porti down at the village entrance and disappeared like the wind.

“Eek? You brought this much? Thank goodness. We’d just about run out of Porti for treatments, and we were in short supply.”

I wanted to ask about the Spirits who’d helped me, and Spirits in general, but there were more urgent matters, so my questions would have to wait.

Even after bringing all this Porti, Kasia’s voice sounded troubled.

She said there was both good news and bad news, and asked which I wanted first.

“Um… let’s hear the good news first?”

“The good news is, though there are Elves with serious injuries, there were no deaths.”

“That’s such a relief! I was really worried, thinking things might have gotten worse while I was gone…”

“No, it was perfect timing. Even if you had been late, it wouldn’t have been your fault. Just you being here today is our good fortune.”

Kasia smiled at me as I let out a sigh of relief.

But I could sense there was something hidden behind that smile.

“Then… what’s the bad news?”

“Father is badly hurt.”