Absolute Dweller-Chapter 170

[The Job Research Institute has completed research on the job "Spirit Summoner."]

‘Finally.’

The biggest issue at the moment was the existence of monsters immune to firearms.

Most of the incidents and accidents stemmed from these creatures.

The Spirit Summoner was a job designed to counter such monsters.

‘The problem is the job transfer difficulty.’

Every job had its own job transfer quest.

For example, to become a Priest, one had to achieve 100 Trust.

‘Since the research conditions for Spirit Summoner were the same as Priest, requiring a level 5 Job Research Institute... that means the difficulty should be similar, right?’

Currently, fewer than ten people had managed to transfer to Priest.

That was how difficult it was to reach Trust 100.

‘The transfer condition for Spirit Summoner... is a contract with a spirit?’

It wasn’t clear what exactly that entailed.

The citizens’ status windows didn’t even have an entry like Spirit Affinity.

‘I'll understand once I initiate the transfer myself.’

I had already chosen the first person to become a Spirit Summoner.

[Jeong Sora, do you have time?]

She was an odd one—the moment she joined, she immediately hit Loyalty 100 and Trust 100.

In fact, thanks to Jeong Sora, I had been able to accept the Four Great Spirit Kings as familiars, and the Spirit Summoner job itself had been born.

In a way, Jeong Sora was the original Spirit Summoner.

‘She even received the [Spirit Summoner] title when she became a retainer, so she should gain additional synergy with the job.’

For many reasons, she was the perfect candidate.

“Yes! I have time!”

Unlike the serious first impression she gave, Jeong Sora was actually quite lively and cheerful.

‘This suits her age much better.’

She was eighteen.

Rather than carrying the weight of responsibility for everyone, she looked better smiling innocently like this.

[Then, I’ll leave it to you.]

With that, I granted her the job transfer quest.

《Job Transfer Quest》

Quest Objective: Make a contract with a spirit.

Time Limit: 23 hours 59 minutes 57 seconds

Reward: Spirit Summoner Job Transfer

Failure Penalty: Transfer Fails

The moment she received the Spirit Summoner Job Transfer Quest—

Fwoooosh—!

A blue flame ignited and began expanding until it reached a fixed size, then stopped.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

‘So, this is how it works.’

Unlike Priests or Hunters, Spirit Summoners did not have a designated space for job transfer.

I had been wondering how one was supposed to form a contract with a spirit, but it seemed that giving someone the transfer quest automatically transported them to the Spirit Realm.

[Would you like to enter?]

“Yes...”

With a mesmerized expression, Jeong Sora stepped into the blue flames.

Spirit Realm – Realm of Fire

Inside the blue flames, she found herself surrounded by fire.

A vast plain, covered entirely in flames, stretched out before her.

Directly in front of her, an enormous mountain of fire burned majestically.

Hundreds of flaming orbs drifted through the sky, and along the streets, various fire-elemental spirits in the shapes of different animals roamed freely.

All of them were intensely focused on Jeong Sora.

“Uh... Hello?”

The moment she greeted them, the fire spirits eagerly approached.

Tiny firebirds clung to her body, rubbing against her affectionately.

Smiling, Jeong Sora gently patted the fire spirits.

“Haha, that tickles.”

Small flames danced around her feet, while the larger fire spirits observed from a distance.

With the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I could easily see their levels and rankings.

The wisp-like tiny flames were mostly 「Lesser Fire Spirits (Lv. 8)」.The sparrow-sized ones were 「Low-Tier Fire Spirits (Lv. 16)」.The huge firebird, towering over Jeong Sora, was 「High-Tier Fire Spirit (Lv. 43)」.

‘The bigger they are, the stronger they tend to be.’

All of them were displaying affection toward Jeong Sora.

Then, one of the high-tier fire spirits in the form of a bird stepped forward.

[It has been a long time since I've met such an interesting human. How about forming a contract with me?]

Not a bad option.

Among the spirits gathered around Jeong Sora, this one had the highest level.

But before she could even accept the offer—

Fwoooosh—!

A dominant presence swept across the surroundings.

The fire spirits instinctively stepped aside, parting like a well-trained army.

And there—

A knight clad in brilliant fire armor appeared.

「Top-Tier Fire Spirit (Lv. 51)」

A spirit of overwhelming presence and exceptionally high level.

He strode confidently down the path the fire spirits had cleared and knelt before Jeong Sora.

Then, he spoke.

[Your hand...]

At his request, Jeong Sora reached out hesitantly.

The fire knight carefully took her hand.

And then—

[My name is Ryan Flameheart. May I know yours?]

“Uh... I’m Jeong Sora.”

[Sora-nim, I swear my loyalty to you.]

With those words, the fire knight kissed the back of her hand.

At that moment—

Fwoooosh—!

A ring of fire formed around them, and I heard the system notification.

[Citizen Jeong Sora has completed the job transfer quest.]

[50,000,000 won has been consumed as a quest fee.]

[Citizen Jeong Sora has acquired the Spirit Summoner job.]

As the contract concluded, Jeong Sora returned to reality.

‘...Incredible.’

Ryan Flameheart, the Top-Tier Fire Spirit, exuded an undeniable charisma.

‘Up until now, the strongest spirits Jeong Sora had controlled were mid-tier at best.’

Even with just mid-tier spirits, she had been able to dominate an entire district in Seoul.

Now that she could command a top-tier spirit, her future potential was something to look forward to.

The Fire Knight was clearly an extraordinary existence.

‘Only fire spirits appeared... That must be because the other Spirit Kings haven't reached level 10 yet.’

The Spirit Summoner job had only unlocked after Sallion, the Fire Spirit King, reached level 10.

‘If I had known this, I would’ve worked harder to feed the others life force too.’

And then—

“Ugh, this is so annoying~ Why do you keep waking me up~”

[You can sleep after you eat.]

Sallion, the Fire Spirit King, appeared—bringing along another Spirit King.

A tiny ball of fire, barely the size of a basketball.

Compared to the Top-Tier Fire Spirit I had just seen, or even the high-tier spirits, it was utterly unimpressive.

‘...This thing is supposed to be a Spirit King?’

The moment I was recalling the overwhelming presence of the other fire spirits—

[...What’s with that look? You’re giving me a bad feeling today.]

As expected, quick-witted as always.

I swiftly changed the subject.

"Thanks as always. Let’s get started right away."

The moment I began distributing the World Tree’s life energy, the other Spirit King rushed forward to feast.

"Food—!"

[Elquines' level has increased.]

[The power of water within the domain has increased by 100%.]

[The power of water has reached maximum efficiency.]

Elquines must have been on the verge of leveling up, as its level rose the instant it started eating.

And at that moment—

[Conditions met.]

["Spirit Summoner" can now form contracts with Water Spirits.]

Drip.

A puddle appeared before Jeong Sora, who had been watching absentmindedly.

‘I thought I’d have to issue another job transfer quest, but I guess that’s unnecessary.’

It seemed that the moment the right conditions were met, a portal to the Spirit Realm naturally opened.

Without needing my instruction, Jeong Sora stepped into the puddle.

SPLASH!

Spirit Realm – Realm of Water

The moment she entered, she found herself deep underwater.

Numerous droplet-shaped water spirits greeted her.

"Lesser Water Spirits (Lv. 7)"

These fist-sized blobs of water were mostly low-tier spirits. They gathered around her, guiding her deeper.

Various water spirits in different shapes danced around her, and some of the higher-tier spirits—those who could communicate their will—began offering contract proposals.

However, having learned from her experience with the fire spirits, Jeong Sora declined for now and swam even deeper.

Despite not having made a contract yet, she could move freely, thanks to the lesser spirits assisting her.

Deeper in the abyss—

She finally encountered her target.

「Top-Tier Water Spirit (Lv. 53)」

It was even higher-level than Ryan Flameheart, the Top-Tier Fire Spirit she had first contracted.

A colossal spirit in the form of a massive whale.

However—

[I'm sorry, but I cannot form a contract with you.]

"...Why?"

[I sense the energy of fire within your heart.]

The whale’s rejection caused an uproar among the surrounding high-tier spirits.

[Huh? You're right! I can sense fire energy.]

[She must have already formed ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ a contract with a Top-Tier Fire Spirit. I had no idea. Forget my contract offer.]

[Hmph. Disappointing.]

More than half of the high-tier spirits departed, but some remained by her side.

[I still want to form a contract with you. What’s your name?]

"Thank you. My name is Jeong Sora."

[I am Aqua. Let’s work well together.]

Wuuuung—

The moment the contract was sealed, Jeong Sora exited the Spirit Realm and collapsed onto the floor of the living room, sprawled out.

"...Jae-hyun, I’m exhausted. Can I rest for a bit?"

It seemed she had assumed she would immediately have to contract with Wind and Earth Spirits next.

Unfortunately for her, Sylphid, the Wind Spirit King, was still only Level 9, and Trowell, the Earth Spirit King, was Level 8.

She wouldn’t be able to contract with wind or earth spirits for a while.

[Rest as much as you need.]

The moment I granted permission, Jeong Sora closed her eyes without even drying her wet clothes.

‘We should hold off on Spirit Summoner transfers until Trowell reaches Level 10 as well.’

It seemed that forming a contract with one spirit made it harder to contract with others.

‘It’s lucky that Jeong Sora was able to secure a high-tier contract despite this.’

I believed she had managed to achieve the best possible result thanks to her "Blessing of the Four Great Spirits" ability.

Without that ability, she would never have been able to control mid-tier spirits freely, let alone form contracts with both fire and water spirits.

For optimal results, it would be better to unlock all four elements before initiating future Spirit Summoner transfers.

Otherwise, someone who could have contracted a Top-Tier Earth Spirit might get rejected just because they contracted a Mid-Tier Water Spirit first.

‘Judging from the strength of these spirits, they’ll be a much greater help than I expected.’

***

Jeolla-do, Gwangju

A party was entering the city.

Many groups sought out major cities to scavenge for food or useful supplies.

This particular party had traveled from Hwasun to Gwangju.

"Something feels off."

"What do you mean?"

"There haven't been any people or monsters for a while now."

The party leader frowned as he scanned his surroundings.

‘He’s right...’

The city was eerily silent.

If there were no survivors, then at least goblins or orcs should have appeared by now.

But so far—nothing had happened.

What was even stranger—

‘There are no corpses.’

The entire city was too clean.

Not a single human corpse.

Not a single monster corpse.

As if nothing had ever existed here in the first place...

An uneasy feeling crept up his spine, and he turned to speak.

"Let’s pause and—"

But—

“...Huh?"

The party members—who had been right behind him just moments ago—were gone.

‘What the hell?’

A chill ran down his spine.

Crunch—

A glass shard shattered beneath his foot.

Looking down, he saw—

This place was strange.

There were no bloodstains or bodies, yet there were countless shattered glass pieces scattered everywhere.

As if someone had deliberately broken them.

At that moment, he caught a glimpse of himself in the side mirror of a nearby, unbroken car.

His reflection—

Was grinning ominously.

And then—

Swish—

The man vanished.