<CHAPTER 9>

“It sprouted? W-Wait… spiritual energy…!”

The divine power contained within the sprout was so faint that it could have been blown away with a single breath.

Yet Jina possessed eyes sharp enough to perceive even that tiny trace.

“This is impossible. Spiritual energy is flowing through both the sprout and the soil. How… how is that even possible?!”

“Your questions are answered.”

“But—!”

“Then have a safe trip.”

Before Ms. Jina could protest any further, I quickly waved goodbye.

“Huh? N-No, wait a second.”

“There’s nothing else I want to ask anymore.”

The only thing I had wanted to know was who this woman really was.

Now that I had my answer, I had no interest in digging any deeper.

But instead of leaving, Ms. Jina simply stared at me blankly.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I said,

“Could you remove this first?”

The spiritual energy surrounding us still lingered like a blanket of white mist.

It was probably keeping outsiders from noticing us while also preventing our voices from leaking beyond its boundaries.

And judging by the feeling, it was also meant to stop anyone from leaving the barrier without permission.

Even so, Ms. Jina couldn’t tear her eyes away from the tiny sprout.

Her expression stiffened as she cautiously stepped closer and held out her hand toward me.

“That cucumber… give me just one.”

“Stealing a child’s snack is a little cruel, don’t you think?”

“I need to verify something, okay?!”

Well…

If it was for that reason…

I handed her the last remaining cucumber.

Arin looked absolutely heartbroken as her precious snack was taken away.

“Hmm…”

Ms. Jina turned her head slightly before taking a bite.

Crunch.

The crisp sound echoed through the air.

The moment it did, her eyes flew wide open.

It wasn’t simply because the cucumber tasted fresh and refreshing.

“I’m really… absorbing spiritual energy…”

Her expression grew deadly serious.

When she looked back at me, an indescribable resolve filled her eyes.

Then—

“Take her.”

She practically shoved Arin into my arms.

“Huh? You mean… so she can say goodbye?”

“No. Please look after my child for a few days.”

“…What?”

Before I could process her completely unexpected request, Ms. Jina snatched up the plastic bag and took the remaining cucumber.

“I’m borrowing this.”

“Wait, that’s—”

That was Arin’s last snack.

Completely unaware of the situation, Arin stuck her head into the now-empty plastic bag.

“This is all so sudden…”

“I know I’m asking too much. I know it’s shameless. But this is important.”

The seriousness in Ms. Jina’s face made it impossible for me to tell her to take the child back.

Besides…

If I were being honest, I didn’t actually mind taking care of Arin.

My nieces and nephews would be thrilled if I brought her home.

“By the way… your name is…?”

Realizing there wasn’t a single cucumber left inside the bag, Arin looked up at me with the expression of someone whose entire world had collapsed.

Unable to help myself, I gently stroked her head.

“Yoo Seo-jun.”

“I see. Mr. Yoo Seo-jun… are you planning to cultivate these?”

“I’m considering it. Whether cucumbers or something else.”

“…Something else works too?”

“As long as it grows from the ground? Pretty much anything.”

I shrugged.

Ms. Jina immediately began muttering to herself with an intensely serious expression.

“Fill the soil with spiritual energy… and grow crops infused with that energy? If that’s really possible…”

“Excuse me? You’re starting to scare me a little. I’d actually like to go home now.”

Only then did Ms. Jina snap back to reality.

Her face was filled with determination.

“Hm?”

Did… her body just glow?

Was I imagining it?

Tiny lights like fireflies surrounded her before gradually shrinking inward.

When the light finally disappeared…

Standing there was none other than—

“Heh… So you can transform into that form too.”

A small gasp escaped me before I realized it.

Apparently, my reaction was even stranger than the transformation itself.

Ms. Jina tilted her head.

“You’re not even surprised. Are you somehow connected to our world? A shaman, perhaps? Or a Taoist?”

“You could say I’ve experienced something similar to receiving a divine calling.”

“Really?”

It was only a figure of speech.

I’d been struck by something like heavenly lightning and had borrowed the power of a god.

So it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Perhaps feeling a sense of kinship, Ms. Jina—now in the form of a fox—gave her tail a cheerful swish.

“So you only have one tail after all.”

“…Just what were you expecting?”

“When people think of fox spirits, they usually imagine a nine-tailed fox.”

“Your imagination is certainly something.”

Apparently deciding I was hopeless, Ms. Jina let out a deep sigh.

“It won’t take more than a few days. My child eats five meals a day, so please feed her well. She also needs two hours of walking every day. You have to sing her a lullaby before bed, and she absolutely has to sleep beside someone. She might bite you in her sleep sometimes… sorry about that!”

“If you’re sorry, then take her with you! That’s way too much work!”

Ignoring me completely, Ms. Jina clamped the cucumber between her teeth, turned around, and sprinted away.

Her luxurious fur, streaked with hints of gold, fluttered behind her as the fox disappeared into the darkness of the mountain.

The sight was almost dreamlike.

Before I knew it, the mist barrier surrounding us had vanished as well.

I gently patted Arin, who had curled up inside the plastic bag.

“So… you weren’t a puppy after all.”

A fox.

Maybe it was because foxes belonged to the canine family.

Or maybe she was simply too young.

Either way, she hadn’t looked like a fox at all.

That said…

Your mom stole every last one of your snacks, so why are you biting my finger and taking your anger out on me?

What a spoiled little brat.

Still, the tantrum didn’t last long.

After squirming around for a while, Arin seemed to find the plastic bag surprisingly cozy.

She curled into a tiny ball and quickly fell asleep.

Watching her sleeping face with a smile, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“I wonder… are there more spiritual beasts out there?”

The lingering traces left behind by Ms. Jina after transforming into a fox.

The spiritual energy she possessed carried a faint, elegant fragrance through the air.

It felt astonishingly similar to divine power.

And somehow…

I couldn’t believe beings like her were the only ones.

After all, even this tiny little child existed.

“If there are lots of spiritual beasts… this could turn into a pretty good business opportunity.”

Judging from how intensely interested Ms. Jina had been in crops infused with divine power, they might desperately need them.

Then again…

If anyone learned what divine power could do, they’d probably think the same.

“Ahem… Let’s not get carried away.”

Money was nice.

But becoming greedy because I overestimated my own abilities would only bring consequences.

Still…

Surely it wasn’t wrong to hope my future customers would at least be decent people.

—

Her moonlit fur shimmered with an ethereal glow.

She raced effortlessly through the dark mountain trails.

With every leap, countless motes of light scattered behind her.

Ordinarily, she would have been careful to avoid human eyes.

But at this moment…

That was the last thing on Seong Jina’s mind.

Who are you, Yoo Seo-jun?

Not only did a human possess spiritual energy despite not being a spiritual beast…

He had even used that power to awaken new life.

If that sprout continued to grow and bore fruit…

It would undoubtedly become a crop infused with spiritual energy, just like the cucumber she now carried in her mouth.

It’s impossible…

The spiritual veins of this land had already been severed.

Since that day, nothing born into this world had ever possessed spiritual energy again.

That included everything that sprang from the earth—

Food.

Water.

Even newly born children.

Arin gained spiritual energy… If what he said is really true…

Human civilization had advanced at a terrifying pace.

Nature had been devastated.

Even the currents of spiritual energy flowing through the world had been cut off.

Spiritual beasts were never born with spiritual energy.

Instead, they slowly accumulated it from their surroundings as they matured into adulthood.

But nature no longer provided them with that nourishment.

As a result…

Countless young spiritual beasts grew up without ever acquiring spiritual energy.

Those children could no longer become true spiritual beasts.

The adults fared no better.

Every time they used the spiritual energy they possessed, it diminished—

And it never replenished.

She herself was suffering the same fate.

Once, she had possessed nine magnificent tails.

Now…

Only one remained.

The number of spiritual beasts dwindled with each passing year.

Eventually…

They were destined to become yet another species driven to extinction by humanity.

We can survive.

A tiny spark of hope slowly blossomed within her heart.

After running without rest for an entire day, she finally arrived at a small temple hidden deep within the mountains.

“Haa… haa…”

Jina had already returned to her human form.

After straightening her disheveled clothes and hair, she took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The temple was so quiet that the silence itself felt sacred.

Though old, it had clearly been cared for with diligence.

There wasn’t a single broken wall or neglected corner.

Standing before the largest Dharma Hall, Jina respectfully lowered her head.

“Lady Yuju. It’s Jina.”

Despite her greeting, the hall remained silent.

“I have something urgent that must be reported.”

A moment later…

The doors of the Dharma Hall slowly creaked open.