179 – Target – 4

Chapter 34. Target – 4

That evening, it was only around the time the Lumen party, which had entered the dungeon, cleared out the disgusting giant earthworms once and pitched their tents that Estoc returned.

It had slipped secretly into the inventory, acting stealthily in its own way… and in the first place, how it entered and exited at will a sub-space bound only to Gi-jun personally, which was not even a physical space, was a mystery, but Lucy, who had been keeping an eye on the evil spirit’s movements, caught it immediately.

Thinking that it was no longer something he could just pretend not to know and overlook, Gi-jun had asked her.

—What on earth are you?

—Uhuhu…

Estoc, forcibly dragged out of the inventory by Lucy, drifted in the air while letting out an eerie laugh.

To Gi-jun, it looked as if it was trying to feign indifference to hide its embarrassment, but the other party members, excluding him, were genuinely in awe.

“It is not just a matter of controlling a sword. I can feel a very powerful energy… It seems there is also a vampire’s authority.”

“How interesting. It doesn’t seem to fall behind even when compared to Jun’s spirits.”

Laura, who sensed the powerful dark energy dwelling in Estoc, was wary despite her astonishment, while Tilla saw through its essence and clapped.

Eun-shin also nodded seriously and said.

“As expected, the mention of an ego sword back in Uralta was foreshadowing.”

“Nonsense, this is a hundred times scarier than an ego sword.”

Gi-jun, who replied to Eun-shin’s speculation with a snort, reached out his hand and grabbed Estoc.

Once caught in his hand, Estoc stopped all movement and trembled.

As it looked like it was fawning on Gi-jun, Lucy flared up in anger again—but thinking that there would be no answer if he left it to her like this, Gi-jun questioned the evil spirit directly.

“What were you doing running around on your own?”

At Gi-jun’s gaze directed at Estoc, it trembled once again.

It had only tried to move secretly out of consideration for him, as if the attention Gi-jun was giving it was more than it deserved.

—I merely went and cleaned up some filthy trash that roamed about, displaying their dirty malice to the whole world without any intention of hiding it… Fufu.

No wonder the path to the dungeon had been excessively pleasant compared to how firmly they had steeled themselves when leaving Uralta.

Had the evil spirit cleaned up in advance on Gi-jun’s behalf? It was dumbfounding.

However, considering the things she had done in her lifetime, he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy after all.

“Malice, you say… There is no word as vague as that. The reason I left you alone was not because I wanted you to run wild at your own discretion.”

—At least, I did not commit anything that would go against your principles as the ‘Übermensch’ you envision. Please know my heart that cares for you…

Since it was a bit embarrassing to hear it in front of others, he wished she would stop talking about the Übermensch.

If Gi-jun had actually reached the state of the Übermensch discussed by Mr. Nietzsche, it might be different, but right now he was also running wild under the pretext of doing it for himself and his companions.

However, Gi-jun’s companions, seemingly getting the gist of the situation from the evil spirit’s somewhat empty and sorrowful voice, were looking at Estoc with strange expressions.

“Anyway, putting that aside… It seems you have completely digested the power, so do you have any intention of showing your true form?”

—Fufu… How could a sinner like me dare to shamelessly show my face in front of my benefactor?

That meant she had the power to do so.

The ‘true form’ Gi-jun referred to did not simply mean a translucent spiritual body like a ghost, but a state of materialization like Lucy or Ur, so that even someone without spiritual power could easily see her.

There was no way the evil spirit could have misunderstood his meaning, and the fact that she replied in this manner meant she had no intention of hiding the stage she had currently reached.

That was obvious, for no matter how foolish Gi-jun was, there was no way he wouldn’t know that the evil spirit harbored goodwill toward him.

“I noticed the spellbook had disappeared?”

—Since digesting the vampire’s power on my own was overwhelming, I borrowed the help of magic. If you happen to need that spellbook, I can provide a replacement…

“No, that’s fine. ……Do you have any intention of making a contract with me?”

Estoc vibrated once more.

It was not that Gi-jun had made a particularly spontaneous proposal.

He had first thought of it when he learned that the evil spirit, which had ultimately failed to ascend, was clinging to him and growing in power; and he had felt it very strongly when he realized that she had grown strong enough to even inflict damage on the Lord of Thorns.

This was because Gi-jun had believed he needed to control the evil spirit directly.

Although it was clear that the evil spirit moved for his sake, considering that her identity was, after all, an ‘evil spirit,’ leaving her as she was was ridiculously dangerous.

‘But if we make a formal contract…’

It was not like stamping some business contract.

A contract between spirit and spirit bound each other.

It was something possible because Gi-jun possessed spiritual power.

They would share a part of each other’s emotions, and naturally, instances of her running wild at her own discretion like today would also cease.

‘Whatever the case, the evil spirit is quite strong, so it would also mean my hand of cards is increasing… and if we make a formal contract, a skill will appear just like with Lucy or Ur, so I could also directly strengthen her while fighting together.’

It was not that he did not feel uncomfortable, but from the moment he learned that the evil spirit was helping him, he had already made up his mind to walk this path together.

He had no choice but to bear it all.

—Fufu… I cannot do that.

But unexpectedly, the evil spirit rejected his proposal.

Even Lucy, who felt uncomfortable about the spirit due to her innate attribute but had thought she could not interfere with the contract if it could make Gi-jun stronger, was astonished by that firm attitude.

—Are you out of your mind? To give up the chance to connect deeply with the contractor.

—As much as I get to know my benefactor deeply, I would also have no choice but to reveal the filthy thoughts hidden deep within my heart. That must not happen; I cannot stain my benefactor.

Gi-jun did not know what on earth she wanted to say, so he could only tilt his head.

So, was she refusing the contract because she did not want to reveal her inner thoughts to Gi-jun?

……Or did she actually plan to play some wicked tricks, true to her nature as an evil spirit?

—A being who is only dazzling, like you, would not understand my feelings… I have no choice but to explain so that both of you can understand.

For a moment, it seemed like the tip of Estoc’s blade aimed at Lucy.

The evil spirit, who had briefly shown her unconcealable hatred for the Spirit of Light, quickly withdrew the blade and spoke to Gi-jun once again.

—My benefactor right now is a dazzlingly bright being. A contract with a filthy being belonging to the darkness, like me, would only stain your future.

—…Ah!

Lucy belatedly let out a gasp of realization.

—You, despite having such a low grade, were already thinking that far ahead?

“Lucy?”

—Ah, what I mean is…

As Gi-jun’s gaze fell upon Lucy, who had understood it on her own, she hastily explained so that he could comprehend as well.

—You know how you have the achievements and alignment you’ve accumulated so far? She is saying she’s worried that contracting with an evil spirit, who is too diametrically opposed to those, might hinder your future growth. For example, it could easily mess things up when you advance to the Legendary rank. Or you might change into a weird class. Or black might mix into your pure white karma, turning it gray…

It was the first time he had heard of such a thing, but it made perfect sense.

In the first place, his growth into a Light Human was also heavily influenced by Lucy and the Light Mana he had trained thanks to her.

And thanks to steadily training the power of light and showing great performance even after coming over to the continent of Leta, he had been able to grow into a [Lumen].

Since Ur also had great compatibility with Lucy attribute-wise, Ur’s contribution to his growth into the Lumen race must have been significant as well.

—I am satisfied just being able to support you from the shadows. Fufu, just as I have done until now…

The moment Gi-jun’s grip, having instinctively accepted it, loosened, Estoc quickly vanished into the inventory as if it had been waiting for that very moment.

Come to think of it, even before obtaining the power of the Lord of Thorns, the evil spirit had possessed considerable power.

Without a doubt, with Gi-jun’s spiritual power, he would have been able to contract with the evil spirit even in that state.

But if the evil spirit had been avoiding making a formal contract with Gi-jun all along…

—How unpleasant…

Lucy clicked her tongue and muttered.

—It makes it look like she cares about the contractor to a fault. She feels like a devoted supporter volunteering to hide in the shadows to assist the contractor…!

“Well… isn’t that actually the case?”

At Gi-jun’s cautious retort, Lucy flashed her entire body and got annoyed.

—But she is subtly revealing it like this to score points with the contractor! I don’t like that kind of sly behavior!

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re the one who cares for me the most, Lucy.”

—So the contractor does recognize it!

Was there a spirit this simple in the world?

While appropriately coaxing Lucy, who always struggled to show off how much she cared for him, Gi-jun recalled the conversation he had shared with the evil spirit.

‘Interfering with my growth… Is that really all?’

Although it was nothing more than a simple hunch, he felt that there was another reason for the evil spirit to avoid contracting with him.

If they had made a contract, he would have been able to open his heart completely and trust her, but since she avoided it like this…

Perhaps the evil spirit knew something more that Gi-jun was unaware of.

He needed to keep an eye on her from now on—

That night, as he fell asleep with those thoughts, Estoc once again left its place in Gi-jun’s inventory.

* * *

The next day, after confirming that Estoc was missing from his inventory, Gi-jun began hunting with his party members, harboring a lingering uneasiness for no reason.

Because the lava earthworms truly hated light, when Gi-jun suddenly activated Luminescent Provocation in the middle of a cavern that appeared empty, they popped out from all directions and swarmed toward him.

“Everyone, attack!”

“Wow, I really hate this…”

“Think of Jun-nim, who is buried among those disgusting earthworms!”

Then, the party members only poured down frantic attacks to defeat the lava earthworms, which had clumped together around Gi-jun to become a single giant mass.

Of course, it was not that Gi-jun was simply having physical contact with them; he was holding his two shields in defense mode, swinging them frantically to strike them back.

Although he wished to kill them all himself, there was no end to it if he dealt with each of the earthworms rushing in by bursting through the ceiling and the floor, so he only focused on drawing their aggro and parrying them.

“Hyaaaaap!”

—Contractor, aren’t you dizzy from spinning round and round like that?

“With just this much!”

If running wild in Zealot Mode was the Guardian Eight Trigrams 64 Palms, parrying attacks from all directions in defense mode could be said to be close to the Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Spin!

Because his armor was not yet finished, it was an ironic situation where the equipment of Gi-jun, the tanker, was the most lacking compared to the other members who protected their entire bodies with divine beast leather, but…

In any case, since no monster dared to get past Gi-jun’s shield, there was no problem at all.

—Contractor, wouldn’t it be fine for you to just wear cool clothes instead of armor in the future as well?

“If I do that, I’ll definitely get hit at least once. Just like in the last battle.”

Gi-jun conversed naturally with Lucy even while frantically wielding his shields to cover all directions.

As he shook his head, saying he really thought he was going to die back then, Lucy said in disbelief.

—So the contractor is saying that you will continue to seek out enemies comparable to the Epic rank in the future as well…?

However, looking at the party members who were easily defeating the lava earthworms—each of which was equivalent to a high Unique rank—it also seemed like there would be no issue even if a stronger enemy appeared.

It went without saying for Tilla, a powerhouse who had already reached the Legendary rank, but…

Eun-shin, whose biggest problem had been that his attack power fell short compared to the other members, seemed to have had his attack power significantly enhanced after hunting the divine beast and crafting a weapon from its spoils; every time he flashed here and there, wielding a dagger shrouded in a thick aura, he inflicted major wounds on the earthworms.

As for Lora, she was freely moving the skewers she had scattered in all directions, driving the earthworms mercilessly—and since the earthworms hit by her attacks even vomited rotten fluids and died in droves, he was almost fearful of how far she, wielding the authority of both the Lord of Thorns and Carmilla, could grow.

—It’s amazing, for them to grow that much in such a short time.

Gi-jun, who had no leisure to check on the party members due to dealing with the overflowing wave of earthworms, asked Lucy as she unconsciously voiced her admiration while looking back at their conditions.

“How is Shin? How is Shin doing?”

—Yeah, he is quite something. Although it was on a stage prepared by the contractor—it seems he gained a lot from facing the divine beast. The same goes for his utilization of the equipment that contains that karma intact.

“That’s a relief.”

However, the peaceful hunt did not continue indefinitely.

While they were gradually moving deeper into the dungeon, Estoc suddenly revealed itself before Gi-jun’s eyes again.

—It seems you will have to prepare for battle.

The evil spirit warned him, laughing softly.

—Many people are flocking here. Foolish ones blinded by greed.

If there was a minor problem, it was that at the same time, violent vibrations began to echo from deep within the dungeon.

In the depths of the dungeon where no one had been able to enter, a monster that had quietly nurtured its power was opening its eyes.

Gi-jun spoke after contemplating.

“Shin, I need you to step up.”

“I knew you’d say that.”