Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A moment later, Trowell sighed and said,

“…Jihoon, I can roughly guess what you’ve heard… but there’s no need to worry. We would never harm you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, we don’t actually have the authority to do that. A Spirit King can only eliminate another Spirit King when it’s judged that they are harming the Spirit Realm and Arkhadon. That’s only in cases of those who dream of destroying dimensions or go on rampages out of their own volition, not for something like a delayed awakening of abilities like you. Even the Divine Realm wouldn’t allow that.”

“Hee, I see.”

So, they were just trying to scare me? I narrowed my eyes and glared at Ifrit. But instead of showing remorse, he just snorted lightly. It seems like it would be difficult to get along with that guy for life. I can only hope that it’s just my imagination.

“Then what were you going to say earlier, Trowell?”

At my question, Trowell nodded lightly and replied,

“Ah, about the method of awakening. If just looking isn’t enough, I was thinking of trying a more direct method.”

“What’s that?”

“Experiencing it with your body. If you try something that ‘humans can’t do’ directly, it will help stimulate your senses.”

“Something humans can’t do?”

“For example, like this…”

As he answered, Trowell gazed at the side where the rock bed was placed. Immediately after, I held my breath at the sight unfolding before my eyes. The bed’s form gradually distorted and transformed, changing into the shape of a tree with lush branches.

“Woo… waaa?”

Toward me, who was uttering a dumbfounded exclamation, Trowell wore a seemingly apologetic expression.

“Sorry. Since the only material I can manipulate here is rock, I unintentionally ruined a piece of furniture. I was just demonstrating, so I’ll return it to its original state when I’m done.”

“I-It’s okay. But how did you do that just now?”

“Since I’m the Earth Spirit King, I can freely manipulate any material made of earth and rock. I simply altered it into the desired form.”

“I see. That’s really amazing.”

“You can do it too.”

“M-Me too?”

Trowell nodded lightly and gazed at the rock that now resembled a tree. Then, it instantly changed back into the form of a flat bed.

“In your case, since you’re the Water Spirit King, you can manipulate much more than I can in this water domain. You can move all the water filling this space as you please.”

“…Really?”

Move the water to make a tree and a bed?

Feeling somewhat skeptical, I asked back in a hesitant tone. Trowell lightly patted my shoulder as if he couldn’t help it.

“First, try to feel the water energy surrounding you. I think that’s the first step.”

“Water energy?”

“Concentrate on your surroundings, you idiot.”

At that moment, a sharp voice suddenly cut into the conversation. It was Ifrit.

“You’re just too scattered. How can you take responsibility for anything else when you can’t even take care of your own body properly? A spirit’s body isn’t limited to the physical form you see now. All the water in the world—the seas, rivers, and lakes, even the moisture in the air—is all connected to you as part of your body. Just like you’re using your hands and blinking your eyes without thinking, you need to be able to control all the water here like that.”

“E-Even if you say that, it’s not like I can do it…”

“Don’t just assume you can’t do it and at least try! How can you be so passive? It’s frustrating.”

“Yes, Jihoon. Even if it’s just little by little, try to put your will into it. Once you realize it, it won’t be difficult at all.”

Following Ifrit’s scolding, Trowell comforted me in a gentle tone. But the more they did that, the more I felt suffocated by the pressure to succeed. No matter what I heard, it all just felt vague, and as I was now, it was too much for me to even grasp the true meaning.

Both Spirit Kings easily noticed my state. Seeing me stiffen, they sighed as if they couldn’t help it, decided that I needed time to think alone, and returned to their respective domains. They gave me a temporary reprieve since I couldn’t do either this or that.

“Haa, really. Why is it that nothing works out?”

After they left, I was left alone, entrusting my body to buoyancy as I quietly closed my eyes. I hoped it would cool down my complicated mind even a little. As the blue scenery that filled my surroundings disappeared, a pitch-black darkness began to creep in as if it had been waiting.

And then, a perfect sense of silence.

Originally, I didn’t particularly like being alone or when my surroundings became quiet. No, in fact, I hated it. When I was Kang Jihoon, if I had to watch the house alone, I would deliberately turn on loud music or go out and wander around the crowded downtown streets. Even when I died and became a soul, what I feared most was the fact that I would be eternally isolated from the world alone, more than any punishment I might receive in the afterlife.

But now, even though I was alone, I felt strangely at peace. I never knew that being in a quiet place could feel so good. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever felt lonely or isolated since I came here. Maybe it’s because I’m still too busy adapting to the new environment.

‘Or… is it because this is my original place?’

In fact, I still can’t quite believe that I’m a Spirit King. Even now, I feel like someone from the Underworld might appear and say that there was a mistake in my birth process.

Yes, this is exactly the problem. Like Ifrit said, I’m not even taking care of myself properly yet. I haven’t established my own sense of worth, to the point that I’ve completely forgotten even my instincts.

‘…Right, instincts.’

As a sense of helplessness filled my mind again, I sighed deeply. Spirit Kings can instinctively create spirits. That’s what Ifrit had been emphasizing to me throughout his nagging.

Since he, as my senior, said so, it must be true, but there were still quite a few parts that I couldn’t understand. But the more I thought about it, the more complicated my head became, so I couldn’t dwell on it for long.

‘Ugh, but I can breathe just fine underwater. So why can’t I create spirits! Isn’t instinct something that happens without you even knowing it? Then I should have created a spirit on my own. Does it make sense that such an important instinct is controlled by something as trivial as the unconscious? Wait a minute. Actually, the unconscious and instinct are the same when it comes to what’s latent inside. But for the unconscious to be influenced by instinct… does that mean the unconscious takes precedence over instinct? Ugh! I don’t even know what I’m saying!’

For example, like this.

I stopped struggling as I groaned while clutching my head. Anyway, accomplishing one thing means that you can accomplish other things as well. Minerva and Trowell only said that it would take a long time, but they didn’t say that I couldn’t do it. Rather than wasting my energy on useless thoughts like this, it seemed better to try something, anything, during that time.

Okay, let’s start with the most basic thing.

‘Moving the water.’

I strengthened my resolve and lifted my head.

* * *

My luck didn’t keep pace with my overflowing enthusiasm. That was the same even for me, a special being called the Water Spirit King.

For the first few times, I worked tirelessly to consciously move the water. I stared at the water for a long time, stretched out my arms and put strength into them, and even took a pose as if I were shooting a spirit blast. I really felt like I had tried every possible attempt.

But despite this one-man show, I hadn’t gained any particular results for several hours now. I also had no idea how to do what Trowell called ‘practicing putting my will into it.’

“Water energy…”

I sighed lightly while sitting with my legs crossed.

Trowell said that my surroundings were enveloped in water energy. Since the space was full of nothing but water, it was a natural explanation, but there must have been another reason why he specifically mentioned it.

But unfortunately, it seems that becoming a Spirit King doesn’t make you smarter. The more I thought about it, the more my head spun around like a coiled snake.

I gave up on thinking any further and flopped backward. Then, I felt the undulating waves of water lightly support my back like a cushion. It was a sensation I always felt when I moved my body significantly, although it was usually unremarkable.

This moment was the only time I could distinguish it from air. Since it was a liquid, the sensation of flow and the visible phenomena were clearly more pronounced.

Could this feeling be the water energy?

Just then, with a thought that flashed through my mind, I focused my mind even more and looked around. This time, I was focused on feeling the ‘flow’ rather than just watching.

Although it seemed stagnant at first glance, the water here was definitely flowing in a certain direction. If I could catch that flow, I felt like I could realize something I hadn’t noticed until now.

Then, perhaps because of my heightened senses, I began to feel the flow of water, which I hadn’t been able to detect until just now, more clearly. At the same time, I also realized that my body was swaying along with that subtle flow. The reason I hadn’t recognized it until now was because the flow itself was so natural. Because it was a phenomenon that was taken for granted, I didn’t feel it unless I tried to recognize it clearly like now. It was like how you only realize that air is flowing around you when the wind blows.

It felt like a silky, pleasant sensation was permeating every inch of my skin on my hands, feet, and body, enveloping me warmly. Only then did I realize why I didn’t feel lonely in this space where I existed alone.

Ah, right. I wasn’t alone. I was with the water that filled my surroundings. Just being inside it felt like countless emotions and sensations were pouring in. I was definitely here, but my consciousness seemed to be directed far away to a distant place I didn’t even know. It was definitely me, but it was a conscious entity made up of another self.

All the water is connected to you as part of your body!

Ah, is that what that meant?

The words that had only been vague were now being established one by one in my head. What was clear was that it was a sensation that I could never have known when I was human.

Feeling my chest swell, I lightly reached out my hand. There was no sensation of grasping something solid, but I could definitely feel that the flow was following me.

‘I can move it.’

In my mind, I imagined a sphere of water being created in front of me. No, I couldn’t even say I was imagining it. Before I even thought about it, the water that had gathered in front of me had already formed a sphere. It was as natural a sight as moving my hand without having to think about it separately.

Looking at the blue, shining ball of water, like an uncut sapphire gemstone, I slowly moved my gaze. Then, following the direction of my gaze, the ball of water that had left my fingertips slowly began to move to the other side.

The way it rolled around like a large glass marble was like looking at a blue globe. In that state, I rolled the ball of water around for a while, moving it here and there.

‘It works! It really moves as I want it to!’

An overwhelming emotion that I couldn’t put into words arose. Feeling a sense of wonder even though I was the one doing it, I became engrossed in the act.

But at the same time, I felt something stuffy stuck in my chest. It was as if I was thirsty, as if I hadn’t quenched my thirst for a long time.

‘Why is this happening?’

I frowned and stroked my neck.

‘I’m thirsty…’

The feeling that had been filling my chest until just now had disappeared. Even though I was in water that was spread out so abundantly that I couldn’t see the end, I felt strangely unsatisfied. My insides felt like they were burning up completely because of my desperate thirst. I needed colder, fresher, and more water than I had now.

‘It’s not enough.’

I consciously felt that I had to do something, but I had no idea where to start or what to do. In the meantime, my body began to tremble. It was like someone addicted to caffeine.

It’s hard. I feel like I’m going to die. This isn’t enough.

At this moment, the only thought that dominated my mind was that.

‘There’s no time. What are you doing?’

‘You have to hurry. This is dangerous.’

‘I have to do ……’

‘I have to do …… quickly.’

But what is that?

Something kept circling in my head, as if it was about to come to mind but wouldn’t. An impulse that was so close to spilling out if I opened my mouth. I couldn’t stand it any longer, something that was struggling to get out and occupying my consciousness, and I opened my mouth.

“Move!”

Shooaaa!

At that moment, the calm water surged greatly. At the same time, I felt the power inside my body drain away all at once. It was a dizzying shock, as if I had been electrocuted. With that recoil, my body staggered helplessly.

“Ugh!”

I bit my lip and quickly steadied myself. Fortunately, I came to my senses faster than I thought compared to the initial shock. I quickly looked down at my body, but it was perfectly fine without any abnormalities.

What, what just happened?

If I wasn’t mistaken, I had just shouted something strange. It was an action that burst out without going through my brain, regardless of my will.

At that moment, I lifted my head and blankly opened my mouth at the sight that came into view next. The surrounding waters were all bubbling like they were boiling in a hot pot.

“Wh-What is it?”

To be exact, it wasn’t bubbles, but tens of thousands of water droplets. They were constantly clumping together to form something, then dissolving and clumping together again. At first glance, it seemed like a blurry shape could be seen in between, but it was too instantaneous to recognize properly.

“What on earth is going on?”

I stared blankly at the scene in front of me with a bewildered feeling. As I was now, no matter how bizarre a phenomenon occurred, I couldn’t know the reason or find a way to stop it. The only thing I could do was guess that it wasn’t a particularly dangerous situation, judging by the fact that my stuffy chest had become a little more relieved.

The strange phenomenon continued for more than half a day, from deep at night until the next morning.