Chapter 171: Chapter 52. Spirits (4)

The seeds didn’t have parents. Superior spirits were the closest beings they had as parental figures, but they only got to name them. Thus, “father” did not fit with the nature of the spirits.

I guessed there was only one explanation for this: It was Ifrit. He was the Great Fire in charge of domination. I devoured his mana, so the spirits acknowledging me as their ‘father’ could be because of it.

I tried to maintain an indifferent reaction, shaking off what I just heard. I was not expecting this, but it was not a really bad thing for me. If spirits followed me sincerely, my power would increase. I would be able to adjust the terms of the contract as I wished, so it was a win-win situation.

“You should gain more experience with contracts. But, until you grow to a certain extent, you will need someone to guide you.”

― You are right, Father.

― Yes. I am not good enough. Please, teach me.

Rei and Sera giggled and emitted warm fire around me.

“I will light your ways, but the basic contract has a limit. That’s why I want to modify its contents.”

I double-checked the contract to make sure that nothing was amiss. Important matters included in the contract had to be confirmed several times. It was particularly a one-sided modification, so I had to soothe and comfort them.

Well, it would be normal if I had to soothe and comfort them, but…

―I agree, Father!

―Sera agrees too.

It seemed like I did not have to do that.

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t just a matter of the title; they had absolute faith in me. It was a blind faith I found difficult to understand. They believed in me from the moment they were born. Could the impact of domination really be that great?

I took a deep breath and said, “So, the contract will be like this…”

It took me some time to explain to them about the modifications in the contract.

Mainly, it was a double contract. I would be the main contractor, and other parties would be considered subcontractors. It was something unusual in a regular contract.

And that was not it. I told them to follow my orders and consider them as their priorities. If they refused to obey, their contracts would be terminated.

― Is that all, Father?

― Then, let’s make a contract with Sera.

The spirits were fundamentally tied to the contract. What I did was to meddle in their base and instinct. I was pleased that they didn’t mind.

They seemed like they were just happy to contract with me. It was very different from the other spirits that I knew.

I nodded. Rei and Sera immediately pull out the seal for the contract.

Small letters made of fire formed on the bodies of the spirits. It contained the basic contract details and the changes I made.

― Randalf Bruciel! My father! Would you sign a contract with Rei?

― Father, will you do with Sera, too?

“Okay…”

An unfamiliar atmosphere enveloped me. It was similar to the time I had made a contract with Lyhee—similar but completely different as well.

It was something I felt when I was with Krithli, too, but I had never known exactly what this feeling was. I was sure it came from the Rei and Sera.

The words on their bodies burned up as soon as I was done discussing the contract with them. Then, the Tree of Origin moved its branches and embraced them.

[The low-rank spirits, Rei and Sera, made a contract with the user, Randalf Bruciel.]

[The Tree of Origin has blessed the two spirits. The Quintessence of Origin has been consumed for this.]

[The low-rank spirits, Rei and Sera, have successfully evolved into intermediate spirits.]

[Due to the blessing from the Tree of Origin, they have a chance to obtain a higher rank.]

[The spirits can grow from interactions with the contractor. If communication is weak, they will not be able to develop further.]

[You have gained 10,000 points.]

After they emerged from the branches, Rei and Sera were approximately 1.5 times bigger. The other fireballs still had a long way to go compared to their development.

― Father, please make contracts with other children.

― Sera is okay as it is.

When I turned my head, almost 100,000 spirits that had been playing with the Tree of Origin gathered to me. It seemed like they had felt the contract between Rei and Sera.

‘Naming all of them will be challenging,’ I thought.

Maybe Lyhee could help me. She had named her Spirits Fire One, Fire Two, and Fire Three.

I shook my head. As the system said, interactions were a big part of their growth and development. If I named them without giving it a serious thought, they would lose connection with me.

Of course, it would be impossible to memorize all their names, but I decided to name them properly at least.

“It drives me nuts!”

And it did not take long for me to realize this was a wrong decision.

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By the time I finished all contracts, three days had passed. Only 500 spirits reached low class, and none were intermediate ranks like Rei and Sera.

It seemed like the blessing from the Tree of Origin was a big help to Rei and Sera. Thanks to the Quintessence of Origin, they had evolved immediately. Also, they got a chance to reach a higher rank.

It meant that they now had a chance to become Spirit Kings in the future. If they became Spirit Kings, I could probe one or two Quintessence of Origin with a smile.

“Wait. Kerpy gave me some seeds, too,” I suddenly remembered.

Kerpy was a Spirit of Water. I had totally forgotten that she had given me some stones. My mind was too occupied with the Spirits of Fire.

“She said the Spirit King of Water quite adores them…”

I took out the stones from the magic pouch. There were exactly five of them.

Kerpy had mentioned the Spirit King at that time. I never heard about the Spirit King of Water before, but there had to be a reason for giving me the seeds that the Spirit King of Water adored.

Of course, there was a chance that she just said it to make it appealing to me. However, I certainly could feel stronger vitality from them compared to the Spirits of Fire.

“Was it because they were in a pouch? There was no change.”

Even though they were in a pouch all the time, they should have been getting some effect from me. I put the five stones on the ground.

―Father, what is that?

― Don’t look at that, Daddy. Look at me!

Rei and Sera approached me with other spirits.

They had opposite personalities. Rei spoke carefully, and she was very meticulous. Meanwhile, Sera reminded me of an ‘immature’ child.

They often disagreed with each other due to the stark difference in their personalities. The 100,000 spirits were also divided into two groups. It was a surprising phenomenon. I thought about interceding, but the competition could be the motive for growth. So, I left them alone.

The competition would have caused some side effects, but I figured the benefits outweighed those.

Perhaps, due to the nature of fire, more spirits preferred Sera over Rei. The ratio was approximately 6:4.

“These are seeds of the Spirits of Water.”

I looked at them intently and waited for their reactions. Rei and Sera were quite unusual compared to the other spirits. Water was opposite to fire, so it was normal for them to not get along.

However, the two of them approached the stones without hesitation. Their faces were filled with curiosity. There were no indications of dislike.

― Then, they will be our youngest siblings.

― Are we having young brothers and sisters?

It looked like Sera was okay with it, too.

― I want to see them soon, Father. Is there anything I can help you with?

― Hey! Come out quickly. Play with me!

They were really interested. The 100,000 spirits behind them were watching the stones more closely, too.

“I guess I don’t have to do it alone.”

The Spirits of Fire were derived from my mana. We had similar mana, so it seemed that it would be okay to use them.

“Look after them with sincerity,” I told them. I felt awkward after that. It didn’t sound like me.

But Rei and Sera nodded their heads as they understood me well.

― Leave it to me.

― Sera will do it, too.

At least, they would work together this time. They started taking care of the stones of Water Spirits with profound affection.

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Three days had passed.

The stones began to crack like eggs, and the Spirits of Water were born.

[Those are the spirits born with the care of numerous spirits with antagonistic attributes.]

[Originally, they would be destroyed due to loss of harmony. However, they were strengthened by the mana of the user, Randalf Bruciel. Thus, they are well-balanced.]

[The limits have increased significantly. They are fundamentally the Spirits of Water, but they contain a weak fire in them.]

[The Spirits of Water received the title ‘Harmony with Fire (Epic)’.]

Bubble…

The Spirits of Water were in the form of water droplets, while the Spirits of Fire were in the form of fireballs. However, unlike the Fire Spirits, the Spirits of Water were frightened and did not come near me. They nervously scanned the surroundings.

― Don’t be afraid. My name is Rei.

― I’m Sera. I’m your sister.

Rei and Sera slowly went close to them and reached out their hands.

It took a while for the five droplets to slowly approach them and take their hands.

― Father, please give names to these children. It’s a pity not to have a name.

― That’s right.

Just a few days ago, I had spent time thinking of names for 100,000 spirits. Thinking for five more wouldn’t actually drain me, but I didn’t want to go through the process of naming again.

“Water One, Water Two, Water Three, Water Four, Water Five.”

Lyhee’s naming sense was very helpful. I had actually laughed at it; but it turned out Fire One, Fire Two, Fire Three were fantastic names.

― They are pretty names…

― I won’t say anything.

I could sense the sarcasm in their comments, but I did not care.

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The spirits had made a contract with me, but it was still too early to release them. They needed to adjust to the world to stabilize their egos.

My influence was absolute in them. The spirits were particularly sensitive to my mood.

I was always cynical, and it was hard to change my attitude. The majority of demons had this nature, and I had been living cynically for years.

‘In normal circumstances, I would have asked them to change themselves for me,’ I pondered.

I was never the type who would go out of my way for others, such as behaving in a certain way to please them. Instead, I made others go out of their ways for me.

But the spirits were very sensitive. Also, they were different from regular monsters.

As time went by, the spirits, except for Rei and Sera, were getting uncomfortable with me. It was not a good sign.

“Changing myself for others… Is it possible?”

If needed, I could be friendlier or more approachable. I had actually done it many times. However, there was no way that the spirits would not recognize it—that I was just acting. They would see through it and distance themselves from me.

This problem had been bothering me for a couple of days. Then, suddenly, a few messages popped in front of me.

[The Fairy of Origin, Lyhee, takes a hit in her soul.]

[The Fairy of Origin, Lyhee, has supported the dungeon and the Tree of Origin only with her presence. The aftermath has caused depletion in the soul.]

[Be careful. The fairy is the foundation of the dungeon. If she disappears, the dungeon will not be safe either.]