Chapter 9: Buy One, Get One ( 1)
In the world of superhumans, gates are important strategic resources.
Without entering a gate, you cannot meet beings from other worlds.
Without meeting them, you cannot make contracts or pacts.
A superhuman without a contract or pact is not much different from an ordinary person.
They cannot deal with dungeons efficiently.
In other words, gates are essential for creating powerful superhumans.
Because of that, Korea was considered a powerful nation.
It possessed two gates.
Even better, both were normal-grade gates.
Many people might think higher-grade gates are more valuable.
But the truth was the opposite.
A gate’s grade only shows the minimum soul power required to enter it.
Besides that, you also need enough soul power to protect your body from the harsh environment of another world.
Soul Power is used.
- When entering the gate.
- While surviving in the other world.
- When leaving the gate.
If you fail to calculate your soul power correctly…
“Ugh… I almost died.”
“S-Someone… help…”
“Ugh…”
…you end up crawling out of the gate half dead.
People crawled out like zombies.
The Dungeon Management Bureau staff stationed outside immediately rushed over to treat them.
“Stay awake until your soul power recovers!”
“Don’t lose consciousness!”
“Take them to the recovery capsules!”
Even with a normal-grade gate, many people collapsed like this.
These people were actually lucky.
Sometimes people disappeared completely while passing through the gate.
That was why few people willingly challenged higher-grade gates.
“How do you end up half dead in a normal-grade gate?”
“If you entered our country’s gate, you’d probably disappear. Hahaha.”
Near the foreigner inspection line, several foreign superhumans laughed as they watched the exhausted people.
The Korean superhumans waiting nearby frowned.
“And how amazing are you people?”
“You came all the way here because you don’t have the guts to use higher-grade gates.”
“Yet you’re acting so arrogant.”
“Ungrateful idiots like you shouldn’t even be allowed in.”
“What is the government doing?”
The foreign superhumans clearly heard them.
“What did you say?!”
“What?”
“Were we wrong?”
“You low-ranked brats…!”
“Well, at least you look old.”
The Korean superhumans laughed while deliberately provoking them.
The foreigners’ faces turned red with anger.
“Did someone install a giant mirror?”
“The glare is blinding.”
“That’s enough.”
“Do you want to get sued for defamation?”
“What?”
“I just said the sunlight was too bright.”
“That’s a crime now?”
“You little…!”
One foreign superhuman finally stepped forward.
Water swirled violently around his arm.
“I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to be denied entry…”
“Oh really?”
“With only that much skill?”
“Don’t you know Korean superhumans learn martial arts from childhood?”
“You don’t have gates like these in your country, do you?”
Shing!
The Korean superhumans drew their swords from their Smart Gloves.
The officials immediately became alert.
The atmosphere became extremely tense.
Then…
“Where is the person in charge?”
“Why is there so much noise?”
A calm voice interrupted everything.
Everyone who had raised their soul power suddenly staggered.
“Who dares…? L-Lee Shin?”
Under his black hair, crimson eyes burned brightly.
Although they contained the power of fire…
They felt unbelievably cold.
Like the edge of a perfectly sharpened sword.
His confident, almost arrogant gaze alone was overwhelming.
His black coat fluttered.
The magic circuits made from red Spirit Stones glowed faintly.
It looked as though a road of fire stretched behind him.
Not ordinary fire.
Hellfire.
Everyone immediately fell silent.
The noisy area became completely quiet.
Lee Shin ignored everyone’s reactions and calmly walked toward the gate.
“I thought you were going to Canada’s Spirit Realm gate.”
Ban Jung-hoon quietly followed behind him and whispered.
The sudden change of plans confused him.
“There’s a spirit I need here.”
“A spirit?”
“Don’t tell me you’re making a contract with another spirit before the Spirit King?”
“The Spirit King doesn’t have to be my first spirit.”
“That’s true, but…”
Making a contract with a Spirit King was extremely difficult.
You had to pass through the territories of countless other spirits.
Endure endless natural disasters.
Survive increasingly dense elemental energy.
And even after reaching the Spirit King’s territory…
Success wasn’t guaranteed.
Arriving there only proved you were qualified.
The Spirit King still had to acknowledge you.
For a superhuman with no previous spirit contract to reach that place from the beginning…
It was almost impossible.
Everyone who had ever made a contract with a Spirit King had prepared for years.
Lee Jung-ho had done the same.
She made contracts with many powerful beings from other worlds.
Raised her soul power.
Trained her body through martial arts.
Prepared every possible piece of equipment.
Only then did she challenge the Spirit King.
Everyone else followed the same path.
But…
“You’re different.”
Lee Shin was different.
His Soul Power was already more than enough.
His physical body rivaled High Rankers.
He had even mastered magic, allowing him to survive most natural disasters.
Yet he wasn’t choosing the Spirit King as his first spirit.
Anyone in the world would be shocked.
Besides…
“Even Eugene, with lower soul power, immediately started his journey.”
“And you’re not?”
With his rivalry against Eugene, this decision made no sense.
People would definitely compare them.
Why would he choose another spirit first?
“Reaching the Water Spirit King’s territory is much easier.”
“Unlike the Fire Spirit King’s.”
“The public won’t know that.”
“They’ll only say Eugene succeeded immediately while you couldn’t.”
“So you settled for another spirit.”
“I don’t care.”
“What do you mean you don’t care?”
“You’re not giving up on becoming the Spirit King’s contractor… right?”
It sounded ridiculous.
But after seeing Lee Shin’s recent behavior…
It wasn’t an unreasonable question.
Instead of preparing for the contract…
He stayed home playing with his sister.
He ordered strange inventions.
Now he was choosing a different first spirit.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“I’m still going to inherit the family.”
“Right?”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“I’m trusting you.”
“Really.”
Ban Jung-hoon kept repeating the word “trust” like he was pressuring him.
Lee Shin ignored him.
Making a contract with a Divine Spirit and taking over the family from the elders still counts as inheriting it.
***
After completing a few simple procedures, Lee Shin and Ban Jung-hoon entered the gate.
“Gasp!”
Spirit Realm energy rushed into Ban Jung-hoon’s body.
It felt like his lungs were burning.
Lee Shin lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Use your internal energy.”
Ban Jung-hoon turned around.
Lee Shin looked perfectly fine.
Seeing the disappointed look in Lee Shin’s eyes, he realized his mistake.
He quickly surrounded his body with a protective aura.
“Ahem.”
“I just wanted to experience the natural energy.”
He awkwardly made an excuse.
Lee Shin snorted and walked away.
Embarrassed, Ban Jung-hoon hurried after him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wasn’t wrong.”
“If I want to adapt to the Spirit Realm, I have to experience its natural energy.”
“Oh, right.”
“You’re planning to enter a legendary area.”
“Then shouldn’t you get used to the natural energy too?”
“If you keep protecting yourself with aura, you’ll never adapt.”
“Hah.”
“Looks like your sensing ability has gotten worse.”
Lee Shin laughed in disbelief.
Ban Jung-hoon carefully observed him.
Then he noticed something strange.
There was no soul power.
No mana.
No aura.
Nothing protecting Lee Shin.
“What?”
“You’re enduring it without any protection?”
“How?”
“How are you perfectly fine?”
“You haven’t even made a contract with the Spirit King.”
“I’ve built up enough resistance to natural energy.”
“Don’t act like I’m the only one who trained!”
“I’ve spent more time in the Immortal Realm than you!”
“Talent.”
This jerk!
Ban Jung-hoon wanted to argue.
But the evidence was right in front of him.
He couldn’t deny it.
Seriously…
Why does someone like him have such ridiculous talent?
Grumbling to himself, Ban Jung-hoon followed Lee Shin.
He was so busy complaining that he didn’t pay attention to their surroundings.
Only after they reached their destination did he realize something was wrong.
“Wait…”
“Don’t tell me…”
“You’re choosing them as your first spirit?”
“No.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“I knew you weren’t crazy enough to choose Guardian Spirits as your first contract.”
Ban Jung-hoon sighed in relief.
The order of spirit contracts mattered.
If your first spirit was too weak…
Stronger spirits might look down on you.
Guardian Spirits were often treated that way.
“Then why are we here?”
“To find a new spirit.”
“A new spirit?”
“You mean one the world doesn’t know about?”
Ignoring the question, Lee Shin opened his Smart Glove.
Unlike the one the academy had given him…
This one was top quality.
It felt exactly like his real hand.
Its magic circuits, built with red Soul Stones, worked in every world.
Normally, only magical tools powered by Spirit Stones functioned inside the Spirit Realm.
Soul Stones were different.
They worked anywhere.
They were incredibly expensive and extremely rare.
The glove also contained spatial storage, a phone, internet, and many other functions.
Lee Shin activated the storage feature.
Something slid out from the glove’s core.
“Huh?”
“Isn’t that the prototype?”
“What are you doing with it?”
“We’ve entered the tiger’s den.”
“So now we’ll call the tiger.”
“Using… that?”
Ban Jung-hoon’s confusion was understandable.
It was a cotton candy machine.
The only unusual thing was that it used Spirit Stones.
But at the end of the day…
It was still just a cotton candy machine.
How could that summon a new spirit?
“It works.”
Lee Shin turned it on.
He poured sugar inside and confirmed it functioned in the Spirit Realm.
Just as he was about to explain…
“Class President and Grumpy Face?”
Someone called out to them.
A doll-like girl with light pink hair and crimson eyes stood there.
She was a classmate from Hanul Academy.
In the webtoon, she later became one of the protagonist’s companions.
She was also the first contractor of the spirit Lee Shin planned to summon.
Good thing I wasn’t late.
Otherwise she’d have stolen the First Discovery achievement.
Yu Ai.
She loved sweet food.
Especially cotton candy.
She always said she liked its fluffy texture.
He remembered how she and that cotton candy-loving spirit constantly caused trouble together.
She probably had cotton candy inside her Smart Glove even now.
“H-Hello…”
Another girl shyly greeted them from behind Yu Ai.
Seol Yu-ha.
A half-elf.
Her silver hair and emerald-green eyes gave her an unreal beauty.
Just like her bloodline, she possessed the greatest spirit affinity in the entire story.
Yu Ai also had a half-elf mother, giving her high spirit affinity.
But she couldn’t compare to Seol Yu-ha.
Both are incredibly talented.
And I know the most efficient way to train them.
In that case…
Lee Shin slowly touched his chin.
One of Jinwoo’s strongest companion characters came to mind.
As long as I don’t steal the protagonist’s role…
If I recruit one or two powerful companions…
Getting materials for my business should become much easier.
***
He’s still so annoying.
Yu Ai frowned while watching Lee Shin completely ignore her.
“Haha.”
“Hello.”
“Did your spirit contract go well?”
Ban Jung-hoon stepped in front of Lee Shin.
He smiled brightly, hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Fortunately…
It worked.
Yu Ai relaxed.
“It went okay.”
“I’m here to make one last contract with a Guardian Spirit.”
“Really?”
“You seem satisfied.”
“So it must have gone well.”
“What about you two?”
She naturally assumed they had also succeeded.
Not only Lee Shin…
Ban Jung-hoon was also one of the academy’s strongest students.
He was one of the few Hero-class superhumans.
His martial arts talent was exceptional.
Even the Immortal Realm wanted to recruit him.
His fire affinity was also outstanding.
If Lee Shin was known as the future contractor of the Fire Spirit King…
Ban Jung-hoon was expected to become the contractor of a top-ranking spirit.
He just gets overshadowed because he’s always beside Lee Shin.
That was true during their academy days as well.
Lee Shin was unquestionably number one.
Below him came Eugene, Ban Jung-hoon, Cha Joo-won, and Sun Woo-yeon.
Even making the top five was an incredible achievement.
Without the heirs of the Spirit King families, Ban Jung-hoon could easily have competed for first place.
“Us?”
“We…”
“What?”
“You don’t want to tell me?”
“Everyone will know once you leave anyway.”
Yu Ai pouted as Ban Jung-hoon hesitated.
“It…”
Ban Jung-hoon nervously glanced toward Lee Shin.
It was obvious whose permission he wanted.
Yu Ai looked at him with sympathy.
This is why ordinary spirits are better than the Six Great Spirits.
What’s the point of having great power…
What if hierarchy forces you to watch someone’s mood all the time?
“Hey.”
“Where are you going?”
“Uh…”
“We’ll talk later.”
“See you.”
“Bye, Seol Yu-ha.”
Without saying anything, Lee Shin picked up the cotton candy machine and casually walked away.
Panicking, Ban Jung-hoon awkwardly said goodbye before chasing after him.
Seriously…
I could never live like that.
Following around someone your own age and acting like their servant…
Yu Ai shook her head.
She had only spoken to them because she was curious about the cotton candy machine.
Now she regretted it.
“Shall we go too?”
“Okay.”
Yu Ai and Seol Yu-ha continued toward the Guardian Spirit area.
They planned to enjoy the beautiful scenery and have a relaxing picnic.
Just as they arrived at the Guardian Spirit habitat…
“W-What is this?”
Violent winds suddenly began raging in every direction.
