CHAPTER 55
055 - The Spirit Realm

Jinwoo was sitting across from Mahiri, eating chicken. He had placed the freshly fried boneless chicken directly into his inventory, so it was still crispy and dripping with juice.
He ate it with simple rice balls sprinkled with seaweed flakes and sesame oil. The salty and savory meal was simple yet filling.
If it felt too greasy, he could sprinkle a bit of lemon juice on it or have some salad.
He wasn't sure if it was a nutritionally balanced meal, but it was certainly a hearty one.
"Why don't you have some of the fried chicken?"
"I'm fine. It's not a particularly healthy food."
Mahiri, sitting opposite him, was only chewing on a nutrient Block.
Of course, it wasn't Mahiri herself, but a part of Kalesian's consciousness moving her body to consume nutrients.
Therefore, nutrition was prioritized over taste. Despite having crispy fried chicken and savory rice balls in front of her, she was content to eat the Block, which was like chewing on cardboard.
"Your ability is quite impressive. To be able to devote your main body to research while transferring a part of your consciousness here."
"It's not that difficult. You can multitask too, can't you, Jinwoo?"
"From what I know, multitasking is just processing tasks in rapid succession..."
As far as Jinwoo knew, multitasking wasn't about doing multiple things simultaneously. It was about processing several tasks in such quick succession that it seemed like they were happening at the same time.
But Kalesian was different. His dragon hatchling body was fully dedicated to research, while only a part of his consciousness controlled Mahiri's body. He was truly handling two tasks at once.
It was fascinating, but understandable for a dragon.
"By the way, when are you going to let me into your treasury? You haven't forgotten about the two treasures and one small elixir, have you?"
"Haa... I made that promise, but in the end, the divine object became your property as well... What did I even gain from all this?"
"I'm cooperating with your research, aren't I?"
"Tch. When you return to Earth, come to New Delhi. My treasury is in my mansion."
It seemed Kalesian's treasure vault wasn't in a sub-space but located on Earth.
"You'll be shocked when you see it. I'll show you my Golden Mansion."
"Golden Mansion? Don't tell me it's actually coated in gold."
"Of course, it's not entirely plated in gold, but that's the design theme. Anyway, you'll be amazed when you see it."
Mahiri giggled as if she was looking forward to it.
"Doesn't a place like that attract thieves?"
"Sometimes a few crazy ones try to get in. But they can't get out."
"...The security must be tight."
Just how luxuriously was he living in New Delhi? The daily life of a treasure-obsessed dragon working as an S-class Hunter on Earth.
At this point, Jinwoo became curious too. I'll definitely have to visit New Delhi when I get back.
"That was a good meal."
After finishing the rice balls and chicken, Jinwoo cleaned up the trash.
It had already been three days since he had arrived at Kalesian's workshop.
During that time, Kalesian had been tirelessly absorbed in his research, and Jinwoo hadn't been idle either.
"Well then, I'm off to train."
"Yes, go ahead. I'll make sure no one disturbs you."
In the room prepared for him, Jinwoo spent his days from dawn till dusk in meditation.
Lately, the topic that filled his mind was the transformation of his body and spirit by the power of the Golden Apple.
'I know something has changed. Does this mean I've gotten closer to the status of my soul?'
His physical abilities and mental state were incomparable to before.
The time he had grown the most was during his fight with Johann.
Because of his promise to a god, he couldn't absorb Johann's soul, but he had absorbed a dragon's soul instead.
Not only that, but he had also obtained the Dragon Sword and absorbed most of its mana.
He'd never experienced such explosive growth, but the power of the Golden Apple surpassed even that.
'But I don't think I'm on par with my soul just yet.'
However, he hadn't yet reached the stage of the unity of the three that Kalesian had spoken of.
His body and mind had certainly ascended, but they hadn't reached the status his soul possessed.
Even after fully absorbing the Golden Apple's power, he was still far from his soul's level. Jinwoo quickly figured out the reason.
'...My soul is growing, too.'
Just as Jinwoo's body and mind were growing, his soul was growing as well.

The blue flame that burned quietly within him.
Compared to the flame he saw when he first awakened his ability, the current flame was vastly different in quality and intensity.
Every time Jinwoo absorbed the blue flame of a monster, and especially the black flame of Erosion, his own flame had continued to grow.
'The unity of the three... But I can't just intentionally lower the status of my soul to achieve that.'
He didn't know how, and even if he did, it wasn't the right way.
If he achieved the unity of the three by lowering the lofty status of his soul, would that truly be the state of the 6th Floor that Kalesian spoke of?
Even Jinwoo knew that wasn't the answer.
The soul had to grow on its own, while he had to make his body and mind grow even more rapidly to catch up. That was the correct way to raise his state of being.
And for that...
'Elixirs would be the most direct method.'
There seemed to be no surer method than elixirs.
Even if they weren't on the level of the Golden Apple, consuming precious elixirs while endlessly training would surely allow his body and mind to grow together.
'When I get into Kalesian's treasury, I should focus on finding elixirs.'
That was what he needed most right now.
And so, Jinwoo meditated, and ate when it was time for meals. Occasionally, when Kalesian requested, he would participate in experiments involving the scabbard.
In the meantime, Kalesian's initial investigation came to an end.
"I've extracted all the data I need for now. You're free to go."
"How did it go? Did you find out anything about the Spirit Realm?"
When Jinwoo asked, Kalesian shook his head with a weary expression.
"Not at all! I've learned nothing yet. At best, I've only confirmed that the scabbard is made of a material completely different from the lower worlds, and that it's connected to the Spirit Realm through a principle I can't comprehend."
"If you've found the connection, can't you just unravel it?"
"It's not as easy as it sounds. The Spirit Realm is a world that cannot be ascended to unless one is an ancient dragon of at least 8,000 years. I don't know if I can properly figure it out with such a shortcut."
The scale of lifespans was on another level. He had been surprised to hear about the lifespan of elves, but dragons were in a different league altogether.
He had heard that Kalesian was not yet 3,000 years old. To Jinwoo, it was an unfathomably long time, but Kalesian himself seemed to consider it young.
"Still, I have plenty of time. I am not one to give up so easily."
Perhaps because he was young, his fighting spirit was far from extinguished. Despite being completely in the dark without a single clue, he showed no intention of giving up.
"Good luck. I'll come back again."
"I'll be counting on it."
Leaving a word of encouragement, Jinwoo took the Sky God's scabbard.
He sheathed Bulkar's Sky Sword back into it and placed it in his inventory. Then, he left Kalesian's workshop.

After parting with Kalesian, he recalled the conversation he had with the God of the Moonlight Forest a while ago.
[Please come to the temple with that scabbard.]
If he wanted to know about the Spirit Realm, she had told him to come to the temple with the Sky God's scabbard.
Jinwoo headed alone to the temple of the Moonlight Forest.

He crossed the city and headed for the forest. It was a bit of a distance from Kalesian's workshop to the Moonlight Forest temple.
As he walked, he noticed that the scenery of Pandemonium had changed somewhat compared to before.
'The tree trunks have extended to support the floating islands, that's all.'
But that alone had changed the city's impression considerably. It had originally been a chaotic city with all sorts of buildings, but now that the tree trunks filled most of his vision, it somehow looked more uniform.
Of course, it was still a mess if you looked closely.
'But that's the character of this city.'
Chaotic it may be, but that was the city of Pandemonium. With 13—no, 12—temples of different gods, it couldn't be anything but chaotic.
Even the people wandering the city were a diverse mix of humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs. There was even a dragon coiled up in one spot.
"Hey, human. Got any meat on you?"
Just then, a growling voice was heard, and a hand clamped down on Jinwoo's shoulder.
He turned to see a huge, green-skinned figure glaring at him with threatening eyes.
An Orc, filled with an innate instinct for battle. Some called them a warrior race, others a barbaric one. Either way, the meaning wasn't all that different.
"Hey, hey. That's the human Kang Jinwoo!"
"What? Kang Jinwoo?"
Just then, another Orc next to him nudged his companion in the ribs and whispered.
The face of the Orc who had boldly grabbed Jinwoo's shoulder turned pale, and his vaunted fighting instinct completely vanished.

"S-Sorry!"
Leaving only those words behind, the Orcs left anticlimactically. Jinwoo shook his head and continued toward the temple.
'This happens a lot.'
Getting into fights like this was a common occurrence in Pandemonium.
It wasn't just Jinwoo; this was a city where people got into all sorts of altercations, fought, and ultimately died.
However, any trouble that involved Jinwoo always ended quickly, because his name was deeply ingrained throughout the entire city.
'It's convenient, but...'
It was convenient that they avoided him on their own, but the constant stares were also uncomfortable.
Just by walking through the city like this, gazes of observation poured in from all directions.
Gazes trying to find the secret to Jinwoo's strength, a trick to earning contribution points, or perhaps a weakness.
'Well, they'll probably die down with time.'
The stares were just uncomfortable; they didn't cause any direct harm.
Brushing it off as nothing important, Jinwoo thought about a more pressing matter.
About the message from the God of the Moonlight Forest.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest welcomes your visit.]
As soon as he arrived at the temple, a welcoming message appeared as usual.
He always saw this kind of message whenever he came to the temple, making him feel as if she was always there to greet him.
"I brought the scabbard."
The interior of the temple had also changed a lot. The tree trunks supporting the floating islands had extended inside the temple as well.
The trunks covering the walls and ceiling made it feel like he was inside the belly of a living creature.
These very trunks were the divine object of the God of the Moonlight Forest.
[Having two divine objects should be enough.]
The god's voice was still faint, as if shrouded in mist.
Simultaneously, the tree trunks covering the ceiling and the scabbard Jinwoo was holding resonated with each other.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest guides you.]
[As it was meant to be.]
'Huh?'
The next moment, Jinwoo's vision abruptly changed, and he found himself thrown into a place covered in a light mist.
The mist wasn't thick enough to obscure his vision. It was a strange mist, neither unpleasant nor damp.
'Mana?'
The mist, which exuded a very familiar energy, was mana so dense it was visible to the naked eye.
And beyond the mist, he could see a tall, white tower.
A tower that looked somewhat familiar. It was...
'Isn't that the tower the World Tree showed me in Bellen Village?'
It was a tower identical to the one that stood in the heart of the Elven royal palace.
But this wasn't the royal palace. Looking around, there were no other buildings, only this single tower standing alone in a vast meadow.
And above all...
[6th Floor: Spirit Realm]
[Find the blue portal. If you wish to return.]
This was not the world where Bellen Village was located.