Chapter 128

The change was sudden and quiet. The humans of the continent hardly noticed it at first. There was a new sparkle. The simple forests overflowed with a never-seen-before vitality, and occasionally, incomprehensible events occurred as if someone was playing pranks.

However, there was no underlying unease amongst the humans. It was as if these were the mischievous acts of fairies, light-hearted incidents that brought about a chuckle. The humans thought of these phenomena as the forest's pranks, as they were far removed from the spirits.

This also meant that the elves noticed the change immediately.

"…Elemental spirits? These are spirits, right?"

Jin and the Guardians of the Balance, who were closest to the source, were the first to witness this unexpected change with their own eyes.

"It's an elemental spirit. Definitely a spirit. There are spirits!"

"What in the world? How is this possible? It's been three hundred years since the last spirit disappeared!"

"Could it be because of Legia's disappearance? Maybe they were just hiding somewhere!"

Speculations led to more speculations, ranging from the idea that elemental spirits never disappeared, to the hypothesis that they were suppressed by Legia.

And finally,

"…Could it be something the adventurer Seojin did?"

"It's possible… But how did he bring all these spirits here?"

"You saw the spirit he was with, and that light, didn't you? Maybe, just maybe, this is the accumulated light from all he's done across the continent."

The conclusion was that the adventurer Seojin had done something.

In the past, such an idea would have been met with immediate ridicule. However, they had seen him for themselves. In just a few days, he had discovered a sleeping elf, thwarted the disaster named Legia, and even restored their cherished forest.

It was something no other human or elf could have done.

And now the return of the elemental spirits, something that was supposed to be impossible.

"…Whatever it is, he must have used a method beyond our imagination," Jin concluded. The elves gazed blankly at the lights in the forest. Soon, these would become elemental spirits, and through their communion, they would earn their true elf names.

"Let's continue preparing for the festival. For our true friend."

Friend.

The word, now heavier than before, carried a deeper sincerity in the elves' actions.

* * *

"…An elemental spirit! How is this possible!"

The astounded exclamation came from Maya, the only elf present. She was in disbelief at the situation that unfolded before her, and soon, tears of joy began to well in her eyes.

"Seojin!"

"Wait. You'll startle them."

"…Okay. I-I'll wait."

Maya covered her mouth with her hands, suppressing her overwhelming emotions.

The elves of Shahav had only seen spirits that had already been revived. But Maya had watched from the beginning. She saw the suffering "wills" come out, and rub against Seojin and Flappy in a greeting full of joy.

They were like children who had found their lost parents.

As an elf, Maya was overcome with emotion. And Flappy, being an elemental spirit herself, was overwhelmed with joy.

"Y-you little…! Come to me! How hard it must have been for you, not even knowing the concept of hardship! Damn you, Legia!"

"Isn't that a bit harsh?"

"That darn Legia! Forget what I just said. Come here, let me pet you, you adorable little things!"

The little lights gathered around Flappy. Flappy's claim of them not yet having a form was true. She hugged them, stroked their heads, and looked at them with warm eyes full of love but also pity.

The lights hovered around Flappy, occasionally approaching Seojin, who watched on with a content smile, though not daring to touch.

And then,

"Oh, they're leaving?"

The spirits around Seojin began to disperse in all directions.

It was said that these "wills" had no intelligence at all. Yet, it was like they instinctively knew: to them, Flappy was a familiar and strong figure to rely on, and Seojin was the one who had freed them from that place.

"Live well! If it gets tough, come find me!"

Flappy waved her right hand wildly until all of the lights had gone.

After everyone had left, Seojin asked Flappy,

"Can they come find you again?"

"Of course. They just took in my… well, let's just say scent, to make it easier to understand."

"Even from anywhere on the continent?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as they want to find me, they can."

"Can you do the same, Flappy?"

"Of course. I won't forget a single one of them. I've marked their scent on my body. All the ones who just left are connected to me through an invisible line."

"That's good to hear."

"You're such a kind human when it comes to situations like this."

"Well of course?"

Given a choice, Seojin always tried to lean towards doing good. But him saying, "that's good to hear" had a slightly different meaning.

'These elemental spirits, when they grow, will definitely be helpful to Flappy.'

Seojin could see it: the bond between Flappy and these "wills" was more than just strong.

How long the bond would last, he did not know, but the fact that Flappy mentioned marking their "scent" meant it was more than a superficial connection.

'There must have been hundreds of those light beams.'

What if hundreds of spirits were to join their side? Even if they were the lowest grade, combined, they would be an immense force.

"How long will it take for these guys to grow as much as you?"

"That's something no one can predict. Growing to my size is impossible without a special cause."

A phenomenon akin to a stroke of fate was necessary. For instance, obtaining something like the [Source of Life] given by Seojin, or finding a place where natural energy was densely concentrated.

"But it won't take long to acquire the minimum qualifications."

"But didn't you say you needed about three hundred years?"

"Yeah, but most of that time was spent here. The desert is a place furthest from vitality."

In the desert, it would take centuries. But under Seojin's touch, the barren desert transformed into a forest. And not just any forest, but the largest one on the continent, once only remembered as a thing of the distant past.

"It might not take that long."

"That's good news."

"It sure is. These guys might seem like this now, but I think they'll get smarter soon…."

Her eyes were lost in reminiscence. Seojin chuckled and approached Maya.

"You heard? Everything will return to the way it was soon."

"The way it was… How did you do it?"

"Legia left a clue before she left. I just followed it. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not a big deal?!" Maya protested choking up while shaking her head. "You're an amazing, incredible adventurer. I've never met anyone like you in my life, and probably won't ever again."

"Then I guess you'll have to take care to prevent incidents like this from happening again."

"Of course. I won't let anything like that happen again. I'm sure Jin feels the same."

"And you remember our contract, right?"

"I remember. It doesn't matter. I'm actually happy now. An adventurer like you… nature isn't the only thing the elves need."

Maya smiled sweetly, her long-eared elven face beaming. The descendants of nature had now decided to willingly devote themselves to Seojin.

"A human lifespan is less than a hundred years. It would be my honor to fill a chapter of my life with memories of you."

"You'll have to leave the forest."

"The forest is everywhere. Elves don't seek out forests. Where we stay becomes the forest."

"So, you want to come along?"

Maya nodded. Her distrust in humans remained and her pessimism about adventurers had not changed. There was just an exception.

Just as with the lord of this land, Oldman Shahav, she had come to accept that among adventurers, there were exceptions like Seojin.

That's why Seojin tore up their contract.

He pulled the contract from his inventory ripping it into shreds. Torn horizontally and vertically, the pieces fell to the ground.

The contract has been terminated.

The effect of the "Book of Truth" is suspended.

From this moment on, Maya was no longer bound to Seojin.

"Why did you…"

Maya's eyes widened with incomprehension, to which Seojin just shrugged.

"Humans change."

"Change?"

"10 years might be short for elves, but it's not for humans. As you said, we live at most a hundred years. But if our relationship is bound by something like that…" Seojin glanced at the torn contract. "There might come a time when, despite your wishes, you'll be bound to me. That's why I tore it."

The person Maya wanted to help was the "good human" Seojin. But what if Seojin, for some reason, were to fall into corruption? Maya would be helplessly bound to one of the axis of evil.

"It's just a warning to myself. That if I want to be with an elf, I shouldn't forget this feeling."

He spoke quite casually. Maya looked back and forth between the contract and Seojin's face.

"You really are…"

She paused, pursing her lips, then continued.

"There won't be another adventurer like you. Not anywhere on this continent."

"Someone like me is pretty rare, I suppose. Even I think I'm quite unique. Don't you?"

"Very unique. But in a good way."

Absolute trust gleamed in Maya's eyes. As if his countless achievements were not enough, he, despite his power, willingly freed her of her shackles, thereby proving that he was absolutely worthy of trust.

He smiled gently and continued, "The winds of the forest, was it? They said it would sing only for me."

The winds of the forest.

A term that referred to the unadulterated will of the elves, something beyond human control. It could become a gentle breeze or a harsh, biting wind, depending on Seojin's wishes.

"Stay here, Maya. Lead the wind so that you can sing anytime."

"But it was only thanks to you that…"

"The forest is everywhere, right? Thanks to the forest returning to Salevania, your domain must have expanded in every direction."

The saying that the forest is the land of elves was not metaphorical.

There, they were fast, strong, and wise.

As long as Seojin was on this continent, the elves would appear, as if they had always been by his side.

"…I should tell Jin."

It was a nod of agreement.

Seojin grinned. "Let's leave a bit later. We should give Shahav some time to prepare."

It was said to be a grand festival. The elves would spare no expense, giving everything they had, and that would take a considerable amount of time.

And just as it seemed the situation had settled.

-How did you do it?

Merhen finally burst out with curiosity.

-Nothing special. I revived them with that thing from before.

-That thing from before? The Source of Life?

-The spirits from then are something like… chicks about to be born. They just needed to hatch out of their shells, but they lacked the strength.

-You gave them strength? With the Source of Life?

Seojin nodded, Merhen asked again with a stunned face.

-…Isn't that the fruit you mentioned before? The one worth 1.2 billion?

-Yeah.

Only then did Merhen feel relaxed, though he was still astonished. It was certainly something worth being astonished by.

-That… what….

-Wait. Let me write a post on the community.

-A post?

-I have to.

-Don't tell me you're going to post a guide again?

-I will, but not now. Just letting them know what I did is enough.

Seojin smiled and casually typed a title in the community post.

Anti-Mainstream here

The title of the post was very short, but its impact was immense.