BSS 115

Chapter 115

“Oh my god……”

[Gasp.]

I’d always thought I was someone who didn’t get easily shocked by most things—but this was on another level.

Even Rai, who was usually sly as a snake, was at a loss for words.

“No way… that thing, it can’t be… right? It’s not. It can’t be.”

[…Who would do something this stupid?]

“Is this for real?!”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A non‑attribute spirit stone—only nine of them existed on the entire continent!

The legacy of the ancient spirit masters!

The final treasure of spirit summoners that would never exist again!

“My spirit stone!”

[It’s not your spirit stone, Master.]

Gah!

“Fine, whatever—look at it! It’s broken! How could this even happen?!”

The two spirit stones had been mercilessly damaged. Right in the center of each, there was a huge, deliberate hole drilled clean through them.

Yes—someone from the tribe had turned them into necklaces. And not only that, they’d drilled holes far larger than necessary.

“Aaaargh……”

Without realizing it, I collapsed onto the floor and wailed. It was so painful I felt like crying blood.

“Waaah, who in their right mind makes a necklace out of this?!”

[They really didn’t know any better. Well, it’s not like they even knew how to use them.]

“Even so, this goes beyond common sense!”

Clinging to the last shred of hope, I picked up the necklace displayed on the altar.

When I poured mana into it, it emitted a faint glimmer of light—but that was all.

I could feel it. The power wasn’t circulating properly.

The contract array inside was unstable and couldn’t fully accept mana.

It was like countless wheels spinning uselessly in place.

Examining it closely under Ador’s light, I realized the damage was far worse than I’d expected.

A large portion of the most critical part—the contract array engraved inside the gem—had vanished.

Once a spirit stone’s spirit array was damaged, it could no longer be called a spirit stone.

My hands trembled as I gripped the necklace, and I collapsed into despair.

The joy of finding two spirit stones instantly turned into a crushing sense of loss.

It felt like someone had given me something precious—only to snatch it away moments later.

After ten years of searching, this was what I found… a hideous necklace.

I lay sprawled on the cave floor, unable to do anything, stunned.

“This is insane. You can’t even remake these… And out of the original nine, one got destroyed when Ador was summoned, so there were really only eight left… If two are like this… that leaves six… I have one… where are the other five… are they even safe…?”

I was muttering to myself when Rai spoke brightly.

[It’s okay, Master! You’ve got me! Cheer up!]

“Huh? And what exactly does that help?”

I was too drained to even scold him properly.

[We can fix it!]

“…What?”

[It can be restored. Those.]

What was this idiot saying?

A guy who had a million things he couldn’t do—

I sprang up and grabbed Rai by the collar.

“You can fix it? You said before you couldn’t! You said enchanted items were impossible!”

I shook him violently.

He wouldn’t joke about something this serious, right?!

[That was then. You were way too weak back then, Master. But ten years can change mountains and rivers. Naturally, I’ve changed too…]

“So you learned how to kill people now?”

[No, not that.]

“Can you really do it? Really? Then do it right now!”

[Not right now.]

If he weren’t made of metal, I would’ve punched him already.

“Are you messing with me? I’ll kill—”

[Whoa, whoa, calm down, Master! You’re way too worked up!]

“You give something and take it back, and you expect me to be calm?!”

[I can do it! It just takes time! These spirit stones have been damaged for far too long! They’ve been in that state for over a thousand years! Restoring them to their original form can’t happen overnight!]

Since he said it was possible, I finally calmed down and let go of his collar.

Strictly speaking, it had been his chest hair.

“How long will it take?”

[Hmm… much longer than removing rust. But the principle’s similar. You make it remember its original form and reverse it…]

“Bottom line.”

[About three months?]

That wasn’t bad.

Compared to losing the spirit stones forever, waiting that long was nothing.

I must’ve been a bit hysterical earlier from the shock.

I nodded in satisfaction.

[If the broken-off pieces still exist, it’ll be even faster. Then it’s just a matter of reattaching them.]

“You said it’s been about a thousand years.”

[From what I can tell.]

“Then there’s no way the fragments survived. They probably turned to dust when the holes were drilled.”

Still, the fact that they could be fixed was a relief.

I patted Rai on the head in praise and looked at the necklace again.

I didn’t feel the same despair as before.

Though seeing something so valuable ruined by ignorance still made me sigh.

“Judging by the energy… the brown one’s an animal spirit stone, right?”

[Correct.]

“That’s easy enough. What about the other one—forest spirit?”

[No. Forest spirits are extremely high-ranking. Among the four great spirits, they’re top-tier. Their energy is far greater and more majestic than this.]

“Then what is it?”

I focused again on the green spirit stone, which reeked unmistakably of forest.

Damage shouldn’t change its nature—so what was this fresh, grassy scent?

[We won’t know for sure until it’s restored, but… it’s probably a plant spirit. One under the forest spirit’s command.]

“Oh?”

[Forest spirits actually control nearly all elements—water, fire, wind, earth, life forms like plants and animals, and even light and shadow.]

“Fire too? That’s impressive. It doesn’t seem related at all…”

[A forest spirit that lives near a volcano could manage it. Within their own forests, they’re basically gods.]

Hearing Rai—king of bragging—acknowledge another spirit was surprising.

Forest spirits really must be something else.

I wanted one.

I really wanted one.

[Hey! That look again! Stop being so greedy! You already have me—the one and only, strongest, cutest spirit!]

“I want everything that’s good! I’m greedy!”

[If you put it that way… I can’t argue. And it’s true, too.]

Maybe because I knew I couldn’t have it, I wanted it even more.

To contract a non‑attribute spirit like a forest spirit, I’d have to use the ancient summoning array that summoned Rai—and the fact that Rai had emerged from it at all was a miracle.

I’d been trying to summon spirits using that ancient array every few months since then, but for over ten years, nothing else had appeared.

It wasn’t a lack of skill.

I’d summoned Endairon, a spirit said to be rare even among high-ranking ones.

Which meant there was only one answer.

As Rai said, that summoning array had become a truly “abandoned path.”

There was no hope left there.

Staring down at the spirit stones turned into necklaces, I muttered,

“Maybe it’s too much greed. But I don’t care. I want to gather every remaining spirit stone. I want them—and I will have them.”

The spirit stones left by the ancient spirit masters were now the only way humans could summon non‑attribute spirits.

And hardly anyone even knew that.

Perhaps… only I did.

***

I often found myself secretly agonizing over the ice spirit stone I already possessed.

Whether I should share its existence with other spirit masters—or keep it to myself.

I still hadn’t decided, which meant it would probably only be revealed after my death.

People want to keep good things to themselves.

I wasn’t generous enough to share what was mine, nor did I feel particularly guilty about it.

Sharing something I’d suffered to obtain wasn’t an obligation.

‘So what should I do about this?’

As I exited the narrow cave holding the spirit stone necklace, I wore a deeply troubled expression, pondering how I could make it mine.

Even if its power had faded, it was still a talisman prayed over for the village’s peace. They wouldn’t hand it over easily.

Bribing them with gold and jewels probably wouldn’t work on the jungle tribe either.

What now? Money was the only thing I could offer.

With Rai—now practically a spirit of wealth—I could make riches pour out like digging into the ground.

This was when dealing with greedy people would’ve been much easier.

“Unni.”

As I stepped out of the cave, worrying about money in a very literal sense, I saw Anel‑unni guarding the bushes.

Her bronze skin blended perfectly into the darkness; the only things visible at a glance were her cold, gleaming twin blades.

Did she know how solid and beautiful she looked, standing there with swords drawn—like a statue carved in stone?

Why did I like her so much?

Was it because she’d saved me as a child?

Because she was the first strong woman I’d ever seen?

Or because she treated me like a daughter, and I didn’t have to push that away?

Unaware of my thoughts, she sheathed her blades and approached.

Despite the forest being full of noise, her steps made no sound at all.

Under the moonlight, I saw her smile and reach out to me gently.

“My goodness, Jini. Your pretty hair—what happened? Spider webs, dead bugs…”

Everything I’d brushed against in the cave had left me a mess—my hair and clothes alike.

We stood side by side for a moment, picking off the grime.

“Did you bring Galata out?”

“I wanted to take a closer look. Was that not allowed?”

“No, it’s fine. It used to be something the chiefs always wore around their necks. These days they say it’s old-fashioned.”

Even jungles had fashion trends, apparently.

Pointing to the part pierced by the thick tricolor cord, I said,

“It shouldn’t have been made into a necklace. Look—this hole damaged the core. That’s why it no longer works.”

“I see… We don’t really understand magic.”

“Who even thought of drilling a hole through it?”

“We used to wander constantly. There were always conflicts between tribes… We’ve only settled here for a few hundred years.”

I couldn’t see what wandering had to do with drilling holes, and my displeasure must have shown on my face.

She shrugged lightly.

“When you’re always on the move, you develop a habit of keeping important things on your body. You never know when you’ll have to flee or fight. It probably happened during those unstable times.”

“Ah…”

“If it seems unbearably foolish to a spirit master like you, then let me apologize. Please don’t be upset.”

“It’s not something you need to apologize for.”

“I’d be angry too if someone treated my swords carelessly.”

That was exactly why I couldn’t help liking her.

“Still, you’re amazing. You figured out the problem at a glance. Truly a professional.”

“It’s nothing like that. Any mage or spirit master would know the cause right away.”

“Really? Usually, we don’t show these things to outsiders.”

I appreciated the trust—but it made things even harder.

Asking her to give it to me wouldn’t come easily.

I tried thinking of excuses to borrow it, but none seemed convincing.

“So,” she said, “what do you think?”