Chapter 10: The Spirit King

Unlike the first time I saw it, the mysterious orb now had many colorful spots appearing on its surface.

It absorbed the golden apple from the Home Master’s treasure, turning some spots golden-yellow, and it absorbed the Orb of Wind, the Orb of Water, and the Orb of Fire from Barim, causing other spots to shimmer with different colors like a rainbow.

Fight—!

And finally, the orb cracked open, revealing its contents.

A cute baby appeared, bouncing energetically.

Wait, a baby?

“Pak!”

What was this? A baby had just hatched from the orb.

“Pak! Ah, ver!”

“… Eepi?”

I slowly approached the green orb. Glancing sharply at the system window and sending a meaningful look toward the sages, I stayed alert.

(Heavenly Decree 1): Is it trying to subtly get information from us right now?

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): It’s sneaky, using the system to spy…

(Farmer’s Father): I’m curious too. Does anyone know who that baby is? Anyone?

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): Me?

(Biological Sage): Seems like there’s no prohibition on communication here.

At the words of the sage, I chuckled and raised my hand. Without revealing any information, I immediately forbade any communication, making it clear that this was a martial command.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): That’s the Spirit King. Now that I remember, it absorbed the golden apple from the Home Master, plus the Orb of Water, the Orb of Fire, and the Orb of Wind from Barim. It definitely holds the power of all four elements.

The Sun God of the Blue Flame, holding onto this new information, nervously blew on his clenched fist.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): Spirits usually have their own unique spiritual bodies, but normal spirits don’t possess physical forms. From mid-tier spirits onward, they can take animal forms. Only Spirit Kings can take human forms, which is very rare.

(Heavenly Decree 1): A Spirit King who can master all four elements… That’s no joke. Even in my homeland, just one elemental Spirit King is a huge deal.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): That’s right. A Spirit King controlling all four elements only appears in legends. It must be incredibly special, and since you absorbed orbs related to the four elements, this is the result.

“… That’s incredible.”

The Dragon Spirit is powerful.

No, since it can wield all four elements, it must be stronger than a dragon.

That guy calls it Eepi.

“Ba!”

With a single hand gesture, he summoned the wind.

“Jerrok—!”

As soon as he appeared, he tried to use some power, but since he was just born, Jerrok stumbled and bounced awkwardly.

(Heavenly Decree 1): …Can a Spirit King really be this cute? I’m honestly not familiar with that kind of thing.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): It is pretty adorable.

(Biological Sage): Let’s see how it grows, it’s really cute.

(Farmer’s Father): What should we name it?

I approached the freshly hatched baby, and it grabbed my finger and bounced again.

“Ba! Ah, ver!”

It called out while waving my finger.

Then a piece of broken orb fragments gathered around me.

The baby used the wind to gently move the fragments like it was using some kind of power.

The baby began nibbling on the fragments.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): It’s just born, so it probably lacks nutrients. It’s eating the fragments to replenish itself. It must have a lot of mana to be safe.

After devouring all the fragments, the baby laughed energetically.

“Beran!”

Honestly, it’s incredibly cute. Sharp eyes, strong hands, a pointed nose. It could easily be a celebrity, but it’s the cuteness that stands out.

“Gak!”

While playing peekaboo, it produced a tiny flame from its finger.

It was a bit scary but adorable at the same time.

(Heavenly Decree 1): Ah, what are we going to name it?

“Name… huh…”

Since this is how things are, I have no choice but to raise this child. A Spirit King with power stronger than a dragon, capable of wielding all four elements—born from my orb.

Should I hand it over to that guy I don’t even know? No, I have to raise it myself.

With a quiet child like this, it’s obvious who will take care of it.

Although my time is limited, I have to raise this child well as long as I’m alive.

“Name…”

I pondered for a moment, deep in thought.

“Seonggye, if you’re going to name it, it should be a good one!”

Since I decided to raise it, I might as well give it a proper name during the one year I have left.

I believe that the moment a human receives their name is the beginning of life.

From then on, everyone calls them by that name.

(Heavenly Decree 1): Happiness.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): Mind.

(Farmer’s Father): Apple.

(Spirit Sage): I want to vote for one of those three.

I nodded in agreement to the sage’s words.

“This isn’t about making a character, but about naming it properly.”

(Heavenly Decree 1): Then it’s up to you. It’s an important right; you should choose.

After some internal debate, I nodded my head.

“Kimbyeol?”

I looked into its eyes, and the name naturally came to mind.

“Yeah! Kim… Byeol! Byeoreum!”

It suits the baby’s form.

I smiled and gently patted its cheek.

“Are you hungry?”

I rummaged through my bag to see if I had anything. I didn’t have any snacks, so I wrapped a blanket around it.

Then.

“Jinwoo! It’s done! …Huh?”

(Heavenly Decree 1): Two babies hatched from the orb? Is this some kind of burning event?

The mention of a burning event made me wonder what on earth that even meant. Recently, my illusions about the Holy Empire were all falling apart.

“Ra! Haga!”

“Sooho, say hello, its name is Kimbyeol.”

“Your name is Kimbyeol?”

“Byeol means star!”

“Wow! Byeol!”

With the arrival of a new character, Byeol smiled brightly and waved its hands frantically. Considering its power, it loved people greatly and was very expressive.

From now on, I vowed to raise Byeol so it wouldn’t ever have to go through hardship during my remaining life.

Though the vow was sincere, it felt bitter on my tongue. I thought it would be possible, but since my life is limited, the odds were stacked against me.

I smiled softly and looked at Sooho’s Byeol.

“Super cute!!”

“Hehe, right?”

“Who’s this Byeol? I don’t know him…”

Sooho, who had met him only briefly, was watching Byeol with curiosity.

(Heavenly Decree 1): A Spirit King of that level has to have some innate spiritual power that activated communication. Its growth will be far superior to normal spirits, and it can understand everything.

“Byeol is my child.”

Season 1 Eepi Sage.

Who would have thought my life would end up like this? Sponsored by the sages, blessed and protected, I had become a Spirit King in the blink of an eye.

“…!”

Sooho looked at me with surprise.

Indeed, I look too young to be the grandfather.

“… Grandpa asked me to come eat.”

He called me without any odd feelings.

(Heavenly Decree 1): Seeing him like this, you’d think he’s not his mother’s child.

(Sun God of the Blue Flame): Seems so, it’s odd no one’s asked yet. Interesting.

Sooho went down to the kitchen happily.

I left Byeol nearby for a moment and took out the red wolf meat I had stored.

Thanks to the nature of monster meat, it wouldn’t spoil quickly even left out. I could store it on the kitchen wall.

After cutting a bit of meat, I sealed it in a bag.

Sooho’s family was preparing to eat the wolf meat.

“Beran, shall we eat together?”

Byeol wagged its little tail. Was this an invitation to eat? I wasn’t sure. It just seemed happy.

I picked up Byeol, wrapped like kimbap in a blanket, and carried it.

“Jerrok—!”

The baby got excited and waved its hands energetically. Then, a light that looked like cola bubbles shimmered around.

“Does it hurt?”

“Here, here!”

Every passing second, it grew stronger.

The Spirit King’s growth really is different from ordinary people, just as the sages said.

“Byeol, since you’re still growing, can you hold back on using your powers recklessly?”

It tilted its head, clearly not understanding. Its ability to communicate was still limited, so the question must have been confusing.

“You’re a bit special compared to others. That’s why you can’t use the powers that other spirits use. Others might be surprised by that.”

Byeol nodded at me.

*****

Carrying Byeol, I headed to Sooho’s home.

“Who is that child?”

“He’s my child.”

“… You had a child?”

Her eyes searched for answers.

“Born from my heart.”

“… That’s rough. He’ll have a hard life. Now, come on, let’s eat.”

Since the story had been explained, Sooho’s mother and father no longer asked questions.

I handed them the red wolf meat, and they smiled brightly, bringing something from the room.

“It’s never easy raising a boy alone. When Sooho was little, my wife took care of him almost by herself.”

While stacking my inner layers carefully, I tended to my body with my own hands.

I was touched by their kindness and bowed my head in gratitude.

“Thank you. That’s all I need. Thank you very much.”

Byeol also smiled brightly and gave its own thanks. Its cuteness was enough to melt even the coldest heart.