Chapter 87. We Need to Talk

Affinity was akin to a vessel for receiving the true power of spirits, which were nature itself. Hence, the stronger the affinity, the closer one’s body was to nature, allowing it to hold more of the spirits' power.

Among all the Elves living within the stem, Naiyel's vessel was among the most exceptional ones. Even the Spirit King even personally bestowed his power upon her. But that was no longer the case. The body that once resonated perfectly with nature now rejected it entirely.

Naiyel knelt on the ground, defeated. The once-proud Elf, who never entertained the possibility of defeat, faced her downfall. Training or self-discipline weren’t her priorities, as the power from the Spirit King made them seem unnecessary. Thus, she’d created her own weakness. Without that power, she was nothing.

"

A

...

ah

..."

Naiyel struggled to speak, overwhelmed by a tremendous sense of loss. The contract wasn’t broken—the mark of Nereid was still on her body. However, the immense power that once surged through her, filling her to the brim, had disappeared without a trace.

Splash.

Splash, splash.

Desperately, she splashed the water around her, trying to summon her power once more. And yet, she couldn’t even make a single droplet rise. Nothing happened, just as it had been with Luin.

Her pitiful attempt to command the water, paired with her tearful expression, was a far cry from the strong, imposing figure she had once been.

Despite this, Kim Do-Joon felt no pity for her. He knew all too well what the white-haired Elf had done and what she planned to do. But he didn’t mock her either. He simply stood there, quietly pleased with his success.

I can neutralize even the Spirit King's contractor!

If it worked on the Spirit King's contractor, it’d surely work on all the other Elves as well. At this moment, Kim Do-Joon had become the natural enemy of the Elves.

Of course, Kim Do-Joon couldn’t have done this alone. He had succeeded thanks to Hwang Hyun-Woo’s help. The man was truly a treasure, someone he needed to keep close and take care of.

Thump.

Kim Do-Joon took a step forward.

"...!"

Naiyel flinched and retreated, fear evident in her eyes. Then Kim Do-Joon’s gaze fell to her waist, where a sword hung prominently. It was identical to the one Luin had carried.

"Are you not going to draw it?" Kim Do-Joon asked, his voice calm yet tinged with a challenge.

"

Ah...!

" Naiyel gasped, finally realizing she still had her sword at her side.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

In a panic, she pulled it out, but her movements were clumsy.

Suddenly, it occurred to Kim Do-Joon how pathetic she looked. He recalled Eldora, whom he had fought before. Even without the power of the spirits, Eldora's swordsmanship had been formidable.

Of course, when Eldora had fully harnessed the power of Silaphe, the battle became even more challenging. But still, Eldora had been a worthy opponent even before that.

However, for this one, as soon as the power of the Spirit King disappeared, she was reduced to this pitiful state.

Seeing the disdain in Kim Do-Joon's eyes, Naiyel bit her lip hard. No one had ever looked at her like that. As the Spirit King's chosen contractor, she had never experienced such humiliation before!

"So, without the contract, you're helpless," Kim Do-Joon remarked coldly.

"The contract... it hasn’t been broken yet!" Naiyel protested desperately, clinging to that one shred of hope.

Kim Do-Joon raised an eyebrow, doubt creeping into his expression.

The contract hasn't been broken?

Kim Do-Joon remembered the elf from earlier in the day—the spirit itself had appeared and then vanished. So, reducing the affinity didn’t automatically nullify the contract.

But that didn’t matter. Whether the contract was still intact or not, the fact remained that Naiyel couldn’t wield her power at the moment.

"Once Nereid sees this, he’ll break whatever strange spell you’ve cast on me! Don’t come any closer, or there’ll be consequences!" Naiyel shouted, her voice trembling yet defiant.

"

Hmm...

Well, that's a problem," Kim Do-Joon replied in a nonchalant tone.

He highly doubted there was any way to restore one’s lowered affinity. Otherwise, the Spirit King would’ve simply enhanced the affinity of all elves, making them all his contractors.

Well, who could say? There might be some special method Kim Do-Joon wasn’t aware of.

"Then, it seems like I'll have to kill you here after all," Kim Do-Joon said, his eyes narrowing, the icy resolve within them sinking the temperature.

The blood of Gwak Dong-Gyu and Eldora stained his hands. Hesitating now would be pointless.

Naiyel’s eyes widened in fear as she sensed the murderous intent radiating from him. She scrambled backward on the cave floor. Her panic grew and her panic grew as Kim Do-Joon stepped closer.

"Nereid! Mr. Nereid!"

As he approached, Naiyel screamed desperately.

In the next moment, a powerful surge swept through the depths of the cave, crashing down like a tidal wave.

***

Water came pouring in. In a cave where only trickling underground streams flowed, an overwhelming wave surged as if a dam had burst. Clearly, the situation was unnatural.

Kim Do-Joon's eyes immediately darted to Naiyel, but she seemed just as confused and alarmed by what was happening.

So, it’s not her.

Kim Do-Joon thought, clicking his tongue in frustration. Who was the other being capable of causing such a phenomenon?

Wait, I need to get out of here first.

Kim Do-Joon cut off his thoughts. There was no time to stand around and ponder. If he stayed any longer, he’d surely drown. He had to reach the surface as soon as possible.

However, there was one thing he wasn’t willing to leave behind.

"

Aaah!

"

Naiyel screamed as Kim Do-Joon hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Then, he sprinted toward the surface using Sky Thunder. The monstrous wave roared behind them, snapping at their heels.

The ceiling of the cave started to open up, revealing the sky. Kim Do-Joon pushed forward without losing momentum. He launched himself out of the cave and onto the ground above. Rolling several times to steady himself, he then stood upright.

The wave didn’t follow him out. Instead, it shot upward like a reverse waterfall, defying gravity as it erupted into the sky. The water then began to condense, taking shape in the air.

As the droplets gathered, they formed the figure of a small boy, barely tall enough to reach Kim Do-Joon's waist. His hair was a deep, watery blue, much like Naiyel’s. His eyes were unnervingly sleek, like those of a snake.

The next moment, the boy tilted his head as he looked at Kim Do-Joon.

"Who... are you?"

The boy’s voice echoed, as if reverberating through the very air around them.

Naiyel, still slung over Kim Do-Joon's shoulder, let out a cry of joy.

"Mr. Nereid!"

The Spirit King of Water had never shown himself to Naiyel before, but his voice was unmistakable. Naiyel’s face lit up with a mixture of relief and awe.

He’s come to save me!

Naiyel was overwhelmed with gratitude.

In contrast, Kim Do-Joon clicked his tongue again. At this point, it was clear what happened in the cave was Nereid’s doing.

If only it had been one of her subordinate elves...

Kim Do-Joon thought that would have made things much easier.

"Did you come to save your contractor? You seem quite devoted," Kim Do-Joon remarked, his tone laced with sarcasm.

However, Nereid didn’t nod or show any signs of agreement. Instead, he blinked a couple of times and tilted his head.

"Not really," Nereid replied nonchalantly.

"What?" Kim Do-Joon asked, clearly surprised.

"I don’t need her anymore. You can have her."

Nereid made a casual gesture with his hand.

As a result, Naiyel’s face twisted in frustration as veins bulged on her forehead. She clutched her head, screaming in agony.

"

Aagh! Aaaagh!

"

Then, a small, orb-like object slowly emerged from her forehead, and was absorbed into Nereid. At the same time, her once-lustrous, water-colored hair dulled to a lifeless gray.

The mark of their contract—the power Nereid had granted her—was being taken back. Nereid hadn’t come to save her, but to sever the contract.[1]

Kim Do-Joon had confirmed that his power could even break a contract with a Spirit King. But in doing so, he now faced the Spirit King himself.

Is this what people mean when they say life is full of twists and turns?

"But seriously, what are you? Are you really human?"

Nereid asked, staring intently at Kim Do-Joon.

There was only one possible answer for Kim Do-Joon: he was indeed human. However, as he opened his mouth to respond, he suddenly noticed a dark shadow forming beneath them.

Both Kim Do-Joon and Nereid looked up at the same time. Above them, a massive Dragon of Prominence was descending rapidly, jaws wide open.

"Nereid!"

The dragon roared as it plummeted, intent on devouring the water spirit whole.

The next moment, a loud crunch echoed through the air as the fiery dragon, Vulcanus, clamped down on Nereid.

However, it wasn’t so simple to kill a Spirit King. Nereid quickly shot out a sharp stream of water, forcing his way out of the dragon’s maw. The escape left a hole in Vulcanus’s mouth, but the flames soon closed the wound. For a being like Vulcanus, a simple hole wasn’t even considered an injury.

"How dare you set foot in my domain again!" Vulcanus bellowed, flames engulfing the sky.

"Why are you so angry?" Nereid asked, darting gracefully around the flames.

Even when an attack seemed like it would hit, the water surrounding Nereid extinguished the flames effortlessly.

Vulcanus was in a frenzy, his anger palpable, while Nereid appeared to be toying with him, almost mocking.

"Is it because I flooded that village you cared about five hundred years ago? Or maybe because I put out all the lava in Mount Kurun? Or could it be..."

Nereid glanced down from the sky. At the end of his gaze was Naiyel, trembling in her weakened state, looking utterly defeated.

"Is it because of her?" Nereid added.

Vulcanus’ mouth opened wide, unleashing a massive torrent of flames. Strangely, the fire didn’t touch the forest—it was as if the flames existed solely to hunt down Nereid. Realizing he couldn’t simply counter the attack, Nereid twisted his body to evade. His movements were suddenly urgent, a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor.

"Don’t be angry. I’ll return her to you. I don’t need her anymore. That vessel is a defect," Nereid said dismissively.

Crunch—

Vulcanus growled, grinding his teeth in frustration. As he spread his wings, a fiery mass began to form above him, glowing with an intense, sun-like radiance.

"

Tsk

," Nereid clicked his tongue, finally showing annoyance. "I came all this way to visit, and this is the welcome I get? I’m going to take my leave."

With that parting shot, meant to further provoke Vulcanus, Nereid vanished.

Naiyel, trembling and desperate, reached out a hand, but Nereid didn’t spare her a glance. He was gone.

"

Ah...

" Naiyel let out a weak sound before collapsing, unconscious, depleted of all her strength.

Vulcanus, seeing that Nereid was truly gone, transformed back into his human form. Still fuming with anger, he stormed toward Kim Do-Joon. His gaze lingered on the unconscious Naiyel with apparent disdain. The fact that her spirit affinity had plummeted to a shocking negative hundred undoubtedly caused her current state.

In fact, Vulcanus had been repulsed by even minor items with negative affinities before, so her presence must have been intolerable.

Finally, Vulcanus turned to Kim Do-Joon and asked, "Human, what is your name?"

Although they had crossed paths several times, this was the first time they had formally introduced themselves.

"It’s Kim Do-Joon," he replied.

"...Come to my fortress. We need to talk," Vulcanus said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He then picked up the unconscious Naiyel as if she were weightless, and began to walk away. Kim Do-Joon frowned, watching Vulcanus's reaction to Naiyel. Her affinity was at a dangerous -102, so how could Vulcanus even stand to be near her?

Then, Nereid’s words echoed in his mind.

—

Don’t be angry. I’ll return her to you.

Indeed it seems we do need to talk.

There were so many things he needed to understand. Moreover, depending on how the conversation went, acquiring the Fire Elixir might become a lot easier.

1. When the Spirit King hates you so much, he comes to sever the contract personally ☜