CHAPTER 57: Shaman
“Hoo…”

He took a deep breath to calm his mind.

Being dropped into the 6th Floor was certainly a disaster. He had experienced all sorts of crises in his life, but this was the first of its kind.

But hadn't someone once said that crisis is opportunity?

If he just kept his wits about him, he would survive. Not only would he survive, but he could also gain a great deal. When else would he ever get to visit a world so overflowing with mana?

'I heard the 5th Floor has a lot of mana, but that most of it is monopolized by dragons.'

He had heard that the 5th Floor, like this place, was a world filled with mana. However, the mana there was monopolized by dragons. They said that dragons invariably built their lairs on places like leylines, where mana was known to pool, so it was impossible for an ordinary person to steal mana from there.

In that sense, how was the Spirit Realm?

It was full of mana like the 5th Floor, but there were no dragons monopolizing it.

Of course, there were dragons in the Spirit Realm, and they would surely occupy a leyline or two, but their numbers were small.

The number of my kind in the Spirit Realm is far smaller than on the 5th Floor, which is called the Dragon Star Realm. It's just my conjecture, though.

That’s what Kalesian had told him.

'He called it a conjecture, but it's credible.'

In this world, Jinwoo could gather all sorts of mana. It was even possible that he could achieve the "trinity of the three" that Kalesian had spoken of here.

Though he wasn't sure what would change even if he did achieve it.

'First, let's get all these wild berries.'

He picked and gathered every wild berry in sight. He tried one along the way and felt it pop in his mouth, its refreshing juice exploding with a fragrance that filled his nasal passages.

'This is crazy. I could get addicted to this.'

It wasn't the feeling of being forcibly addicted by some kind of drug or harmful substance. The taste and aroma were so purely good that his hand kept reaching for more.

Jinwoo, who almost unconsciously tossed a whole handful into his mouth, barely managed to restrain himself and took out the Dragon Sword.

'What if I absorb it with the Dragon Sword?'

The Dragon Sword's attractive force drew in the mana contained within the wild berries. The mana absorbed into his body this way was slightly more than when he ingested them by mouth.

It was a minuscule difference, but the Dragon Sword was clearly more efficient. However…

'They look so withered.'

The wild berries, completely drained of their mana by the Dragon Sword, immediately shriveled up. At a glance, they looked like they had been sun-dried, but they were even more brittle than that.

He put one in his mouth and chewed.

“Ugh, ptooey.”

As expected, it was utterly tasteless. It had a texture more horrible than a Block, like chewing on sand that had been moistened and clumped together.

“Grr.”

What should he do? Logically, it was correct to absorb the mana with the Dragon Sword. Although the amount was small, he could gain more mana, and he couldn't give that up for a mere moment of pleasure.

But he was conflicted. The taste of the wild berries was so fantastic that it made him hesitate.

In the end…

“Haa… Still, the Dragon Sword is the right choice.”

With tears in his eyes, Jinwoo brandished the Dragon Sword and sucked out all the mana from the handful of berries he had picked.

Along the way, mana was also drawn from the mist and the soil. However, after a small amount of that mana was absorbed, it all began to pass through him from a certain point.

'Is unlimited absorption impossible?'

Was his body rejecting it? Or perhaps he lacked enlightenment. Maybe the vessel of his body or mind hadn't grown enough.

It was the same with the wild berries. The mana, which had been absorbed smoothly, albeit little by little, suddenly began to pass through him transparently at some point, returning to its original place.

It became impossible to absorb any more mana from the berries.

'Maybe some kind of resistance is forming.'

Perhaps there was a set amount that could be absorbed from the same source. Or maybe there was another reason.

Various hypotheses came to mind, but they were all in the realm of conjecture. Mana itself was such a mysterious energy that very little had been discovered about it.

In any case, he had obtained everything he could from this spot. He had gathered some information, and the mana in his heart had certainly increased, even if only slightly.

And he still had a handful of untouched wild berries left. For some reason, this made him the happiest.

'This is it.'

Savoring the small wild berries one by one, Jinwoo continued his exploration.

Soon, he discovered a thin stream cutting across the meadow. With a pleased expression, Jinwoo approached the stream.

Of course, he didn't forget to extend his senses to detect any Blue Flames.

'I can't repeat the mistakes of the past.'

When he first entered the Primitive Forest, he had been so blinded by the sweet fruit and fresh fish that he had, at some point, let his guard down.

Because of that, he hadn't noticed the Elf approaching until she was at point-blank range. Of course, considering his skill level back then, it wouldn't have mattered how vigilant he was…

Regardless, mindset was important. The current Jinwoo did not stop sensing for Blue Flames for even a single moment.

'Let's see, are there fish here too?'

The stream's water was so clear it was transparent, revealing the bottom perfectly. However, there were no fish swimming in it. Feeling a little disappointed, Jinwoo scooped up some water to drink, and found that even the water tasted incredibly refreshing.

Choosing to head upstream rather than down, Jinwoo followed the water's path. After walking a short distance, he saw a large, beautiful tree growing.

On the tree were fruits that looked like peaches.

'These are actual peaches, aren't they?'

He picked one and ate it. It wasn't just like a peach; it was a real peach.

Unsurprisingly, it had the same rich and fantastic taste as the wild berries. As a bonus, it also replenished his mana.

'Is this a real paradise?'

From what he had seen so far, it was no different from heaven. Just as with the berries, he used the Dragon Sword to absorb the mana from the peaches first, and then kept only the amount that was left over.

Unfortunately, only a few peaches remained after that. Maybe he should eat them sparingly…

'It'll be a while before the sun sets.'

The sun had not yet reached its zenith. He had set out early in the morning, and it wasn't even noon yet.

For today, he planned to explore for just one day and return to the tower at night.

'Finding the stream is a huge gain.'

Jinwoo took out a piece of paper and began to sketch. He was drawing a map of the path he had taken, starting from the tower.

For the time being, he planned to explore all directions around the tower on a daily basis and map them out.

'If I plan to return before sunset, I can walk for another three hours or so.'

A rough calculation told him he had about that much time.

As he walked on for a while longer, Jinwoo discovered something strange.

'HI?'

Or perhaps it would be more correct to say he discovered something dangerous.

It was a field that had clearly been touched by someone's hand.

'An herb garden?'

It wasn't a field for growing things like grain. A thick medicinal scent and a refreshingly sharp aroma that stung the nose wafted from the entire plot.

Though they were all plants he had never seen before, he somehow got the feeling it was an herb garden.

'…I should get away.'

An alarm bell rang in his head. He didn't know who was cultivating this field, but nothing good could come from meeting them.

A being that had settled in one place in this Spirit Realm to cultivate a field. Just looking at it screamed danger.

Just as he was about to flee, a Blue Flame rapidly approached within Jinwoo's sensory range.

It was closing in at a dizzying speed, and what's more, it wasn't running on foot but moving by traversing space.

'Spatial Movement?'

The being approached, casually using magic that only an S-class archmage on Earth could cast.

He had seen Permu use it in the White Tower, but that was only possible because she was a being who was semi-integrated with the tower itself.

This was the first time he had seen it used out in the open.

Feeling a strong sense of crisis, Jinwoo tried to get away from the field, but the opponent had already arrived in an instant.

"Kereuk!"

It was a goblin. In one hand, it held a hoe, and on its back, it carried a wicker basket. No matter how you looked at it, it was a being that appeared to be nothing more than an herb collector.

Even while surprised that the creature who appeared using Spatial Movement was a single goblin, Jinwoo couldn't let down his guard.

Crackle! Sizzzzzle!

The goblin rubbed its fingers together and flicked them, and a great bolt of lightning fell from the sky.

'Crazy…'

A thick bolt of lightning, reminiscent of the Thunder Emperor Reinhardt's, descended upon Jinwoo.

He had heard many stories about goblin shamans.

Goblins themselves were insignificant beings. They were creatures that even an E-class Hunter, comparable to a 2nd Floor skeleton, could hunt.

But if goblins were in a tribe, they could not be ignored by even B-class or A-class Hunters, depending on the size.

One of the reasons for this was the presence of a chieftain, and the other was…

'A shaman!'

The presence of a shaman, frequently found in tribal units.

A goblin shaman could drive allied goblins into a frenzy, doubling the group's combat power, and it could also contribute to the firepower by shooting powerful fireballs itself.

A goblin tribe composed of a chieftain, a shaman, and numerous goblins was said to be a place that even B-class Hunters found difficult to approach.

However, this herb-collector-like shaman was alone. There was no tribe nearby.

It was just that…

'I've never heard of a goblin shaman using lightning.'

This single unit was unimaginably powerful.

Jinwoo swung his sword aura to offset the falling lightning. To be precise, he sensed the precursor before the lightning struck and slashed that spot.

However, a war of attrition was clearly disadvantageous. Jinwoo could only swing his sword once to release a single sword aura, but the lightning was falling in several streaks at once.

"Kyaaaak!"

The herb-collector goblin's fingers. The static electricity generated by rubbing its fingers spread through the mist of the Spirit Realm and guided the lightning to a spot above Jinwoo's head.

It was a simple mechanism, yet its speed and firepower were second to none. Was this really the power of a mere goblin shaman?

It was astounding. Were all creatures living in the Spirit Realm this strong?

However, at the same time, another thought occurred to him.

'This is doable.'

It was more manageable than he thought.

The shaman's lightning was certainly fast and powerful enough to be reminiscent of the Thunder Emperor. But the shaman itself was weaker than its magic.

The spell to call lightning was powerful, but it seemed to have very little combat experience. Its attacks were always linear and easy to predict.

It was said that in a battle between masters, even the movement of a toe held meaning and psychological intent, but the shaman's movements were remarkably easy to read. In the first place, the habit of always rubbing its fingers before calling lightning was a dead giveaway.

"Kerok!?"

During a gap in the enemy's movements, Jinwoo closed the distance in a single step. At this range, it wouldn't be able to call lightning so easily.

Jinwoo thrust his sword, and the goblin opened a sub-space and pulled something out. It was a staff made of old oak.

The ancient-looking staff seemed surprisingly sturdy, as if it could block Jinwoo's sword. But that hope was short-lived, as it was inevitably split in two and fell to the ground.

"Kureuk!"

Tossing aside the useless staff, the goblin ran towards the field.

Had it realized it couldn't defeat Jinwoo? It desperately scraped together only the most valuable herbs and fled.

'Can't let it escape.'

Once a fight had started, he had to see it through to the end one way or another. If he let it escape now, it would be a headache if it gathered its comrades and attacked him later.

Jinwoo quickly chased after the creature as it fled using Spatial Movement.

It seemed that while it could traverse the air, it couldn't cover a long distance in a single jump. Chasing the creature's form as it disappeared and reappeared, Jinwoo kicked off the ground.

It wasn't a forest, but this place also had a floor of dirt and grass. It was a place where the Elven Step he had learned from watching Mahiri could be put to good use.

'A cave?'

The place the shaman fled to was the front of a cave.

Upon arriving there, the creature stopped running. Even though it seemed to have plenty of energy to flee further, it stopped and displayed its hostility towards Jinwoo like a cornered hedgehog.

"Ah! Kyaaaah!"

Why did it stop here after running so well?

Sensing the flame inside the cave, Jinwoo could guess the reason.

'A Black Flame…'

A Black Flame could be felt inside the cave. But this flame had a form he had never seen before.

It was neither completely black nor completely blue.

The Black Flame was clinging to the Blue Flame… yes, as if it were devouring it.