Chapter 14 : Apparition ceremony

My assessment of the world after being away for 10 years.

Nothing has changed.

Everyone, down to the smallest thing, is trying to rip each other off, and the way they look at black hair hasn’t changed either.

One difference is that everyone became nice when I showed them the dagger at my waist.

The weather was also disgusting, so it took about 12 days to reach the capital, instead of the expected 10 days.

There were bandits who attacked the carriage along the way, but they prostrated themselves after a few Dark Bullets.

Thanks to that, I got some funds, so it was a more comfortable trip. Who was trying to rob whom?

The annoying sound of horse hooves stopped.

“We have arrived. The capital of the Armonia Empire, Semal.”

I got off the carriage and looked at the people passing by.

‘It’s huge, and there are so many people..!’

Compared to Luden, this place feels like it has 10 times, no, 100 times more people.

As soon as I got off, there was something I had to do.

It was to dispose of the bloodstones that took up a lot of weight in my bag.

Since there was no place to buy bloodstones other than Semal, I had to carry them all the way here, and my shoulders felt like they were going to fall off.

As I was looking for a buyer, I kept feeling people glancing at me.

They must be concerned about my hair color.

To avoid their gaze, I pulled my hood down deeper.

I arrived at the buyer and put down the backpack containing the bloodstones.

A stern-looking man wiped his glasses and asked.

“You came to sell bloodstones, you came to the right place. How much…. Eek!?”

What I took out was a bloodstone the size of a boulder, which I got from killing the Master Sarkas.

The man, who had maintained an arrogant attitude, took out a magnifying glass and asked.

“W, where did you get something like this….?”

“A rabbit gave it to me.”

“You got this from a rabbit-type Sarkas..?”

I didn’t say it was a super-giant king rabbit.

“There are no traces of it being put together, and it’s moderately transparent, so it’s not fake. I’ve been doing this for 17 years, but this is the first time I’ve seen something like this..”

“Ah, and this too, please.”

I also put up a sack the size of a rice bag that was behind me.

“What is this?”

“Bloodstone fragments.”

He weighed it, and his complexion turned pale and he asked again.

“No, where did you get this much..!?”

These are the bloodstones I’ve collected over 5 years of hunting small Sarkas.

Among them were also bloodstones of medium-sized ones like wolf-type Sarkas.

His hands were busy tapping the abacus.

Perhaps this is the first time a private customer has brought this much.

“The large bloodstone is 250 gold, and the small ones are 300 gold. It’s an honest price, so you can sell it with confidence.”

‘A total of 550 gold..?!’

1200 gold can buy a small house in Luden, so it’s definitely not a small amount.

I was going to sell it and leave in a good mood, but a bead in my pocket kept bothering me.

It was an item left behind by the spirit master Windgart, who attacked the bandit group five years ago, when his summon spirit died. it’s a material used in the special weapons used by spirit masters.

If I sell this, its value will be enormous, but since it can only be obtained by killing a summoning spirit, I might be questioned about its source.

Unfortunately, I decided to be satisfied with trading only bloodstones.

“You made a wise choice, customer. If you obtain bloodstones in the future, please come here.”

There was a reason I trusted this man and traded with him.

Since this was the largest trading post in Semal, the trust relationship was vital.

If he was a man who took unfair advantage of customers, footsteps would naturally stop.

But didn’t I trust some old hag last time and get betrayed?

It’s okay. If that happens this time, I can go back with a knife.

With the money I got, I first bought the supplies needed for the academy entrance.

The supplies are of course not like plasticine like when we were in elementary school, but supplies needed for the ceremony.

Bloodstone fragments, dried Ypnos powder, and small glass bottles to hold some blood.

I had already prepared the bloodstone fragments, so I only bought dried Ypnos powder and glass bottles and headed for the academy.

‘It’s big…!’

Armonia Spirit Academy.

As the only spirit master training center in the empire, its size and scale were enormous.

The clothes worn by the students were all luxurious, giving the impression that it would be difficult for commoners to reach.

Ignoring the gazes I felt, I went to the reception desk.

“Welcome. Registration is here..”

The woman’s gaze was fixed on my clothes.

My hair color and the appearance of wearing a shabby hood must be quite suspicious.

“You came for.. registration, right?’

“Yes.”

“..Do you have enough for the entrance fee?”

I put the money bag I had just earned from selling bloodstones on the table.

“Would this be enough?”

“You only need to leave 400 gold! Please take the rest back.”

As soon as she received the money, her eyes changed and she became kind.

What an honest person.

Anyway, 400 gold, I was lucky to have earned enough, I almost got blocked from entering because of money.

“If you fail to manifest and are unable to enter, we will refund the full amount, so please come back to the reception desk!”

You can’t just enter by paying money.

Only those who succeed in taking out their spirit through a ceremony called the manifestation ceremony can become spirit masters.

I entered a large cathedral on the academy grounds.

“Please move aside! We have an unconscious test taker!”

Two men were holding and moving a male student who was foaming at the mouth.

‘If you fail, it’s over.’

Like the person who was just carried out, if you fail to take out your spirit, you can lose consciousness, and in severe cases, you can even die.

Fortunately, even if there was no problem with the body, once you fail, you lose your mark.

In other words, if you fail, you lose your magic.

Nevertheless, the reason why so many noble children challenge is because the position of spirit master is given national treatment and enormous honor.

“Test taker, please follow me.”

I followed the nun into the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, many participants were already lying on the drawn magic circles and performing the ceremony.

Even though they were unconscious, some were sweating profusely and groaning, while others were screaming.

“The records are all low this year. I’ll look forward to a fast record. Test taker.”

“What’s good about a good record?”

“If you’re in the top 10 in order of speed, the academy will provide all the funds necessary for education.”

“All of it…!?”

“Yes. And, if you set the best record this year, the emperor will personally grant you the position of spirit master. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

She said she was looking forward to it, but her expression didn’t look like it at all.

“You know what happens if you fail the manifestation, right? And, even if you succeed..”

“You lose half of your lifespan, right?”

“That’s right.”

In the process of forcibly pulling out the spirit in the body, a price of lifespan is paid.

Half of your lifespan. Would it be about 40 years?

It’s not a waste.

Anyway, if I don’t become a spirit master, I won’t be able to save the protagonist, and the world will end in a year.

“If you’re ready, please lie down.”

I put the prepared items in their respective places and lay down.

The nun sprinkled the prepared bloodstone powder on the candles, and cut my palm and collected the blood and sprinkled it on the magic circle.

When your vision is completely engulfed in darkness, the ceremony begins.

‘Let’s be in the top 10.. only in the top 10..’

Before I lost consciousness, I heard the nun’s words.

“No matter what happens, you must not let your mind be controlled by the spirit. Absolutely.”

My vision went completely dark, and my surroundings became terrifyingly quiet.

Did I enter unconsciousness?

I quietly opened my eyes and entered a dark space.

All the belongings I had before falling asleep were intact, and the two daggers and crossbow were safe.

In the darkness, I heard a low cry.

“Grrrrr…’

‘Is that my spirit..?’

The so-called armored spirit.

Also called Osteon, it has been dwelling in the human body for centuries and coexisting.

A transparent soul covered in full body armor, a somewhat heterogeneous form to call a creature.

Since seeing Windgart’s armored spirit when I was 11, this is the first time I’ve faced it again.

“Grrrrr…!”

It’s dark so I can’t see the shape at all.

Is it in the shape of a giant? Or is it in the shape of a beast?

Because everything around me is black, there’s no way to know.

The cry gradually got closer, and two blue eyes appeared in front of me.

‘That’s it.’

It rushed at me with incredible speed.

I rolled my body to dodge, but a deep claw mark was engraved on my side.

‘It hurts like
..!’

Judging by the claws, it doesn’t seem to be a giant type.

I thought about hitting it with Dark Bullet, but it wouldn’t wait for the casting time, and I couldn’t predict where the target would go.

In the end, engaging carefully is just being a troublesome prey for such a fast opponent.

‘This is just an unconscious space, right?’

If so, what does it matter if an arm or a leg is broken?

I put my whole left arm deep into the mouth of the rushing guy.

“Krrrrrrrr!”

“Aaaaargh….!”

It hurts so much that I scream.

An ordinary person would lose consciousness, but I’ve been living a bandit life for 10 years.

I was used to pain.

I suppressed the scream that was about to burst out, readjusted my grip on the dagger with my other hand, and persistently stabbed its heart.

The heart is shining blue, but because of the fairly hard armor, the dagger doesn’t easily penetrate.

“Krrrrrrr!”

The one resisting the pain being inflicted on its heart tries to tear me off, but because I know that, I pushed the arm in its mouth even further inside.

“I’ve… met… worse than you….!”

Thanks to the blood that splattered all over its body, I could roughly know its shape.

The form of a wolf covered in jet-black armor.

No, is it a dog?

The form of the spirit is said to be a projection of a person’s unconsciousness, and it seems to be somewhat true.

“Krung!’

Every time it resisted and scratched my back with its claws, it was accompanied by the pain of the skin being torn off.

Being hit by the claws of a few tens of kilograms with hard armor attached, even I, who am used to pain, can’t help but scream.

“Aaaagh….!”

After experiencing it firsthand, I understand why the success rate of manifestation is only 20%.

Fighting an opponent without pain or emotion, it’s obvious that most people will give up halfway unless they have a strong determination.

I stabbed so much while hanging on that the blade of the dagger was all worn out and blunt.

If it were reality, it would be strange if I was still alive, my body was becoming like a rag.

With the determination to stab with a dagger, I finally hammered the heart, and a blue light burst out from the gap in the dented armor.

I was sure of victory, and when I was about to strike the dagger hard.

“Krrrrrrrr…..!”

‘..? ‘

Its blue eyes shone for a moment, and my vision was completely covered in darkness.

It was, magic casting.

Dark type elementary magic Nightmare.

It’s an illusion-type magic that shows the opponent a nightmare, but usually, it can’t be used unless you’re asleep.

‘Could it be, it knows that I’m unconscious..?’

It’s amazing that it cast magic, but it used the Nightmare spell on purpose, knowing that my body was asleep.

I tried to resist the pouring thoughts, but it was helpless.

…

My hands and feet are all restrained with iron shackles, and next to me, I saw a young Gillian.

“Saya, are you awake?”

“Gillian? Why are you here..”

“What are you talking about. We, were being sold as slaves. Haha..”

Looking around, I saw the figures of the beastmen who were caught together.

‘This isn’t real, this….’

From the opposite side, I heard the familiar voice of the old man.

“Ooh. You’re awake. You’re still a young girl, it’s so unfortunate..”

This isn’t reality.

“It’s all, fake…! This is in a nightmare!”

“Have you lost your sense of reality because of fear..? If this isn’t reality, what is it..”

It’s creepily realistic.

The sound of horse hooves, the sound of rattling iron shackles, and even the damp straw smell peculiar to carriages are all real.

“It’s all, fake…”

Gillian clings to my shoulder, which was trembling.

“Saya, it’ll be okay. We’ve managed somehow until now, haven’t we?”

“…Yeah.”

Huh?

Come to think of it, what was I doing before I got caught?

Yes. That crazy old hag.

The old man looked at us with sad eyes.

“Give up vain hope. It will only make you more painful.”

“You..?”

The old man explained in detail about how he was a s*ave for decades and what would happen if he was caught as a s*ave.

In the gloom that I can’t escape now, even a small hope disappears.

“Now… for the rest of my life as a s*ave..?”

I was filled with anger at Gillian.

Yes, if I hadn’t brought someone like you from the beginning.

“If I hadn’t been with you, I wouldn’t have come to this point…”

“S, Saya..?”

And the next anger is directed at myself.

“Pretending to be expelled.. I’m in this state..”

Luna. If it weren’t for you.

“Young man.”

The old man who was watching me said.

“Give in to fear. Fear is the easiest way to escape reality. There’s nothing easier than shifting the responsibility to others and running away from reality.”

“…”

Run away, from reality..?

I glared at the old man and said.

“You, you’re not real. Right?”

“What do you mean..?”

“You wouldn’t say that.”

At least the old man I know was a person who never gave up his humanity during his 40 years of life as a s*ave.

Such a person, telling me to run away from reality?

There’s no way.

Even after being freed from slavery, he was a person who was grateful for the life he had regained, rather than resenting the 40 years he had been deprived of.

You are fake.

When I quickly regained my sense of reality, the mark on the back of my hand, which I didn’t know when it was engraved, was shining.

My body, which was the size of a child, has grown to be suitable for the age of 17.

“I’m indebted to you twice. To you.”

I said, looking at the old man.

In the carriage I first met, and in this dream, in some form, he woke me up to reality.

The old man stopped talking and just smiled.

‘Dark Bullet!’

To escape from this nightmare, I cast the spell.