[Yeah. I found a message they left behind. If I trace the message, we might be able to find living spirits.]
Lee Shin Woo, whoâd returned to his lodging, was hugged by Sinea (no matter how he thought about it, the spiritsâ âskinshipâ was too much) and he looked at her again. Although she seemed happy in his arms, she sported a complicated expression.
[To be honest, I donât expect there to be any living spirits. Weâll probably just find where they had livedâŚ]
âWhy is that?â
[Mm. Once I became an Elder Dryad Princess, I was able to very faintly see through our entire speciesâ memories⌠Itâs a blurry memory, an image of when the spirits were driven from the surface.]
âŚWhy was she telling him this now? Lee Shin Woo stared softly at her and Sinea sported a prickly expression and explained.
[It hasnât been very long since I became level 7, Paul Zero. Plus, I didnât think there was any reason to tell you since the memories were fragmented and there hadnât been a way of getting to the surface before.]
âHoo⌠Itâs fine. Keep going.â
[Ok. According to my ancestorsâ memories, the humans feared the spiritsâ power and ostracized them. Contrary to magic, which could be fully controlled by humans, spirits possessed a power that was erratic and atypical, which couldnât be trusted. So, not only were contractors oppressed and killed, but the Magic Empire also attempted to drive out the spirits from this world.]
He felt like heâd heard something really important at an unexpected moment. Moreover, something she said bothered him: that the Empire was trying to drive out the spirits.
âThey attempted to drive them out⌠With the others?â
[Yeah, probably.]
âSo, the Underground Empire wasnât formed by a gathering of eccentric individuals, but by those who were driven out of the Magic Empire.â
They were driven out because of the spirits? No, that probably wasnât the only reason. Perhaps those ostracized by the Empire were gathered up all at once and were banished underground, like gathering a bunch of criminals and putting them in prison.
âThe spirits mustâve not liked the underground very much then?â
[It probably wasnât a very conducive environment for them, regardless of the presence of death energy. Though itâs a livable place for us Dryads due to your help, Paul Zero.]
âThen, why didnât they escape from the surface? Wait, I suppose I should be asking why they couldnât escape⌠There shouldnât have been much death energy back then either.â
Yeah, this was the core of the matter. From the very beginning, Lee Shin Woo didnât think that the Underground Empire had been formed and developed naturally.
The Underground Empire was built by those who had been driven from the surface. If thatâs the case, then why were they stuck underground⌠or turning it around, why couldnât they âreturn to the surfaceâ?
âAnd if Iâm right, then itâs becauseâŚâ
Now it was time to check his answer. Lee Shin Woo looked squarely at Sinea. Sinea looked shy and turned her head away.
[Donât look at me like that. Itâs embarrassing.]
âHey.â
[Sorry, but I donât know anymore. However, I do know that the spirits and the people underground wanted to escape like you said. Even if they had to risk their lives in doing soâŚ]
âRisking their lives, huhâŚâ
Lee Shin Woo repeated after Sinea like a parrot and recalled the Underground Empire.
Although it possessed an artificial sun, the world always seemed dreary, grey and was teeming with the undead. The master of these undead, the Emperor⌠Did he really seek immortality? Probably not. He sought something beyond that.
ââŚAs I thought, I really need to see the Emperor at least once, face-to-face.â
[Paul Zero, can I keep going? Itâs regarding the traces of the spirits.]
âAh, sure. Now that you mention it, we went off topic. Keep going.â
He had forgotten what sheâd originally brought up, as heâd been thinking about the capital, the Empire, and the Underground Empire. Lee Shin Woo urged her to keep going, and Sinea continued calmly.
[So, there probably arenât any that are still alive, but thereâs a high chance that spiritual power or an artifact that contains the spiritsâ power resides within the place the spirits once lived. If we can, Iâd like to collect those.]
âAlright. Then letâs go together.â
[Youâre willing to come with me!?]
âThe surface is just as dangerous as the underground, so I canât just send you off by yourself⌠Moreover, I just sent the Pope a message, so itâll be some time before I can move to the capital.â
Moreover, establishing a branch of the Lawrence shop in Kuroaâs Glory wouldnât take just a day or two. Heâd already made various preparations with the help of the merchantâs guild, but it would still take some time before Ye Jin Jin could fully take the reins, so Lee Shin Woo was currently free.
[Hoo. Hoo. Thanks. I knew I wasnât wrong.]
âWhile weâre at it, letâs go.â
Lee Shin Woo and Sinea went down to the 1st floor. Ye Jin Jin was listlessly sitting on the sofa.
âYou did good, Ye Jin Jin.â
âAh, Mr. Shin Woo! Eut.â
Once she noticed Lee Shin Woo, Ye Jin Jinâs eyes shined and she stood up. However, she immediately sunk back down onto the sofa. She had acted like a completely different person at the auction house and it seemed like it was all catching up to her now.
Seeing that, Lee Shin Woo thought, âit sure is a pain being humanâ. Mental fatigue had a direct effect on the body.
âRest up. But since youâre going to taking over starting tomorrow, itâll become a lot busier around here.â
âAh, ok.â
Lee Shin Woo couldnât just leave Ye Jin Jin in Kuroaâs Glory. Since she needed to act as Lawrenceâs representative in the capital as well. The Lawrence shop would draw even more attention to itself, due to todayâs events, so she would have to work even harder in the capital.
If he knew it would be this much trouble, then he wouldnât have created the Lawrence identity and wouldâve had the hero, Kay manage the shop instead. However, he hadnât known things would turn out this way, so there was nothing he could do about it.
âUm, then what are you going to be doing, Mr. Shin Woo?â
âIâll be back soon. Itâs a matter regarding the spirits.â
âThe spirits⌠Mm, I want to go too.â
While Lee Shin Woo considered Sinea an ally, Ye Jin Jin thought differently; she had already considered her a rival.
She was reluctant to let her rival and Lee Shin Woo go together without her, but unfortunately, her body wouldnât comply right now. Then at the very leastâŚ
âThen, Jin is going with you as well, right?â
âAh, yeah. Thatâs probably for the best.â
âThatâs a relief. Please take care.â
[Tch.]
Lee Shin Woo didnât know what Ye Jin Jin was trying to say and tilted his head, but it seemed as though Sinea understood her, as she openly clicked her tongue. She could only do that because she didnât know that Jin was the reason that the death energy was sucked from their bodies.
âHow far is it?â
[Mm, with this horseâs speed⌠Itâll take 6 hours if you go with me. We couldâve taken our time if we were alone, though it wouldâve taken a lot longer⌠Tch.]
âHo.â
Jin was surprised when he heard her. Even though heâd reached level 7, it would take them 6 hours to get there, so they might circle around the Magic Empire. Jin was genuinely happy, as it had been a long time since heâd run at max speed, but Lee Shin Woo had a hunch.
âIs it spatial magic?â
[As expected of you, Paul Zero. Yeah, the mana is interfering with the space. A magic that allows you to go there wherever you are in the world, but also makes it difficult to get there⌠Normally, non-spirits cannot go in, but you should be able to, right Paul Zero?]
âYeah, I should be able to.â
He could already create life or death energy. Imitating the spiritsâ mana wouldnât necessarily be easier than creating life or death energy, but he should be able to copy Sineaâs mana somehow, as heâd observed her for such a long time.
In addition, heâd become adept at disguising otherâs mana, so he should be able to bring Jin along with him no problem.
[Good. Then letâs go. We have to go to a secluded place first.]
âOk.â
They left the city immediately. Lee Shin Woo shabbily disguised the two of them (Sinea could disguise herself; to see through her disguise, the opponent would need to be a higher level than her, or be a spirit), and it was already dusk by the time they left the city.
âSo now what?â
[Paul Zero, assimilate my mana.]
Lee Shin Woo matched his mana with hers. He could easily make his mana resemble hers, as he used the Mana Bone, Mana Acceleration, and even the Disguise skill. In the process, Lee Shin Wooâs body shook like leaves blowing in the spring breeze, and became very slightly translucent.
âOh, so a spiritâs mana has this kind of effect.â
[Paul Zero, how closely did you copy me�]
Sinea was speechless at the sight. Lee Shin Woo hadnât just nonchalantly copied a spiritâs mana, but he had made his body like a spiritâs!
It was no longer on the level of changing oneâs mana; he was changing his very existence. Where the hell would you find a level 7 like this? Even a level 8, or a level 9 Archmage wouldnât be able to enact this miracle!
âOh. I kept using my Disguise skill after I came to the surface, so I got a lot more familiar with it. I should be seeing a message right about now⌠Oh, there it is.â
Whenever Lee Shin Woo did something crazy, a skill message would appear as if waiting for that moment. But that message, like always, was shocking.
[The Disguise skill has become Lv9. Nothing is as it appears. You disguise truth as lies and show this to the world. If you succeed in fooling all, then it becomes no different from being real. Change is a form of creation. You only have one task that remains. You already know what that is.]
[You have indirectly gained the power of a Dryad, and have been approved by the world. You have acquired the High Rank Earth Element Lv1. Magic has increased by 100. You have acquired High Rank Earth Resistance Lv3. Magic has increased by 120.]
âOh, oohâŚ?â
âIâm not sure what it is, but you got another cheat skill, didnât you? Give me that.â
âMm, my bad. I donât think I can give it to you just yet.â
Once heâd gained a Dryadâs power, Lee Shin Woo immediately disguised Jin and attempted to give him the Earth element and resistance, but he couldnât, perhaps because he hadnât yet mastered the skill. He was limited to disguising Jinâs mana to resemble a spiritâs.
[Itâs the Earth element. Since we (the Dryads) rely on trees, we can only use that power through trees, but youâve memorized the Earth element, so you should be able to use it now, Paul Zero.]
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âYeah. I think so too.â
However, Lee Shin Woo wasnât analyzing the Earth element right now. He had this feeling when his Disguise skill went up to level 9.
âI think I can fully transform into a human now. Not just the outside, but even the internal organs; a proper human⌠Ha, like this?â
Why had been so conservative with the Invisible Heart, gathered so much Perium, and attempted to study said Perium⌠Lee Shin Woo felt skeptical. Indeed, things didnât always go as Lee Shin Woo wanted.
Lee Shin Woo had finally become able to transform into a human.