Chapter 235 – Spirit Island (Three)

Speculations and questions poured down like rain.

[How did a human get in here?]

[How did they get past the island’s barrier?]

[Do all humans look like you?]

But the most important concern was separate, and the topic converged into one.

[Do all humans possess such supreme Mana?]

[I wish I could taste it just one more time.]

[It was an exhilarating feeling I’ve never experienced before. The forest’s Mana can’t even compare.]

The leader Spirits, as if entranced, approached and began licking Ray’s entire body.

It wasn’t that they had lowered their guard.

They simply couldn’t resist the temptation.

[Look at this. Mana is flowing from their body.]

[Yes, that’s what I felt earlier.]

[It’s ecstatic. With Mana like this, I could lick for over a hundred years.]

Lick. Lick. Lick.

Envy filled the Vessels of the subordinate Spirits watching their leaders.

“Grrr! Grrrrr!”

“Grrk! Grrrooork!”

Their bodies, which tried to step forward only to flinch repeatedly and stop, were desperately suppressing the desire to rush over and lick the boy immediately.

Ray, being pushed around by the giant tongues, felt a sense of danger as his body rapidly became soaked.

He used Electrification to make an urgent escape.

[Huh? They disappeared?]

[An incredible speed. Even my eyes couldn’t keep up.]

[That’s not the important issue right now.]

Ray extended his palm towards the leader Spirits who were closing the distance again.

[No.]

The leader Spirits, who stopped in their tracks, showed signs of disappointment.

[Is that it?]

[Once you’ve tasted it, it becomes impossible to resist.]

[Can’t you give us more Mana?]

The Gem’s Mana was literally infinite, so giving it wasn’t a problem.

However, the boy’s principle was that nothing in the world is free.

[The Mana is mine. Whether I give it or not is my decision. If you’re thinking of taking it by force, I’m warning you in advance, it’s better to back off. My Mana won’t move without my will, and even if we fight, you’ll be the ones who lose.]

He conveyed the message with strong emotion, but the reaction he got back was slightly different from what he expected.

[Take it by force?]

[Humans are truly savage beasts.]

[We don’t recklessly take others’ things without an agreed-upon Duel.]

[You should fix such dangerous thoughts.]

[……?]

Somehow, it felt like being scolded.

Ray realized that there wasn’t a hint of malice in the Spirits’ immense desire.

‘It’s pure desire itself.’

The other emotions in their Vessels were the same.

The Sky Island seemed to be a place accessible only to Spirits, isolated from the world for a long time.

…Could that isolation have made the island’s Spirits into pure beings, untainted by the world?

Then, maybe I can push harder here.

[I can give Mana, but there’s a condition.]

[A condition? What kind of condition?]

[I came up to this island because I’m looking for something. If you help me find it, I’ll give you Mana.]

[What are you looking for?]

[Just tell us. We’ll find it for you.]

[A Stone Tablet with characters engraved on it, or a Wall with a picture drawn on it. I think it’s definitely somewhere on the island.]

Whether on the ground or in the sky.

The Doctor seemed to be trying to prevent him from getting close to the island.

Ray thought that records about the Ancient Era, which the Doctor seemed to want to hide, must surely exist here as well.

[Characters? Pictures? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.]

[The fluffy orange tail probably knows about such difficult concepts. It’s the second smartest Spirit on the island after the Blue Horn.]

[Ah, characters and pictures, that is…]

Ray looked down at Philip’s tail as he explained.

Indeed, it looked fluffy.

He thought he must definitely lie down and use it as a pillow later, and continued speaking.

[The explanation is as the orange tail just said. First, release your subordinates and search the entire island for me. You’ve probably lived on the island for a very long time, but there might be places you haven’t discovered yet, or places you overlooked.]

[Will you give Mana only to the Spirit who discovers the Stone Tablet and Wall?]

[I’ll give it to all the Spirits belonging to that species, not just the leader. Enough to eat until your stomachs burst.]

By the time the leaders turned to give instructions, the subordinates were already scattering at the speed of light.

[I’ll receive the report in the evening. Come find me at the foxes’ den. And absolutely don’t fight. Before Duel Day. I will never give Mana to any Spirit who causes conflict and damages the forest, no matter what happens in the future.]

The leader Spirits, who had been baring their teeth and growling at each other, instantly became docile.

Ray left the spot with the fox Spirits.

When they were a considerable distance from the center of the commotion, Philip, unable to contain his excitement, hopped up and down in front of Ray and spoke.

“This is amazing! Those three have been famous since they were young for having terrible personalities! Ordinary Spirits are usually overwhelmed by their presence and can’t say anything! But Ray-nim, you subdued them in one go!”

“Terrible…?”

“It’s a human word preserved in the memories within my head! Was it used incorrectly?”

“No, it’s correct, but…”

Hearing a curse word mainly heard in back alleys come from a fox’s mouth gave him a strange feeling.

“I’ve been curious since earlier, what is this ‘memory’ you mentioned?”

“Memory, you say! Memory, you say!”

“I’d appreciate it if you stopped jumping for now.”

“Memory is memory!”

“Honey! I’ll jump with you! Ray-nim! How were you able to speak in the Spirit’s way earlier?”

“Grrr! Grrrrr!”

Ray had to put in considerable effort to calm down the three foxes.

After finally managing to have a conversation, he was able to grasp the fact that memories are passed down among Spirits of the same species.

“Grrr! The stronger the Spirit, the more memories they can convey, and more clearly. Grrr, if they give up conveying a portion of their memories, they can also pass on the accumulated Mana itself.”

Thus, Spirits seek the prosperity of their own species.

By passing down memories.

Or by passing down Mana.

“Grrr, initially, the two ratios were similar. But as time passed, cases of giving up memory transmission and pouring all effort into Mana transmission became more common. After all, you need to have accumulated a lot of Mana first to be able to pass on more memories and Mana to the next generation.”

Through the accumulating Mana, the island’s Spirits grew endlessly stronger.

But there was a side effect.

They forgot all important past memories and became situations where they blindly chased only power.

Afterwards, the island’s hierarchy became fixed.

In a situation where not just one species is running, but all species are running together, it’s not easy to close the gap.

Since the areas rich in Mana are occupied in order of strength, the disparity can be seen as a situation that continues to widen.

“However, we foxes chose a different strategy. We boldly gave up Mana transmission and chose memory transmission.”

We are content with growing our power only by absorbing the forest’s Mana.

Instead, we secure more knowledge and memories than anyone else on the island.

“That’s the reason we were guaranteed territory inside the Mana-rich forest. Everyone, while giving up memory transmission, is afraid that memories of the island’s history might go extinct. We’ve become a kind of protected species.”

Memory transmission.

The boy recalled a certain being he had once encountered in the wilderness, whose entire body was made of transparent water.

According to Curiosa, that being also definitely passes down memories through generations.

“But, do all humans emit such supreme Mana?”

Ray looked down at his own body.

The Gem’s green and Yellow Mana were faintly emitting from his entire body.

‘…I can’t control it well. It’s not just because of emotions; it seems the Gem is Resonating with the island’s Mana itself.’

Is it because they both share the commonality of high purity?

Ray looked at the vivid, shimmering Hues of Mana undulating in the atmosphere and thought.

If this island is a place that existed in the Ancient Era, and the scenery from that time is preserved as it was.

Perhaps the Mana he was seeing now might be the form that was prevalent at that time, close to the primordial state.

Ray brought out the delayed answer.

“There are Wizards. Beings who carry a Ring in their chest that stores Mana. But they almost never go around intentionally releasing Mana. If people know they’re a Wizard, many target them. Also, even if they intended to, they probably couldn’t release Mana of this high quality.”

“So you’re saying Ray-nim is an extremely special case. If it’s not rude, may I lick you a little?”

“No.”

Philip deflated instantly.

His ears drooped, and his tail curled up.

He suddenly felt it.

One of the big differences between Spirits and humans seemed to be that they have not a shred of concealment in their emotions.

Still, since they’re guiding me, wouldn’t it be okay to show a little goodwill?

Ray scooped up the fox family in his arms and then spoke.

“Only until we arrive at your den.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

Feeling the scratchy touch of tongues on his cheek, the back of his hand, under his chin, etc., Ray hurriedly quickened his pace.

How much time passed like that?

Passing through the trees, they arrived at a grassy field bordering a wide lake.

Whoooosh───

The wind stroked the heads of the plants.

The lake’s waves sparkled in the sunlight.

About twenty foxes were playing on the grassy field.

“……?”

“……!”

The ones who had scattered and hidden upon discovering Ray quickly gathered around after Philip stepped forward and explained.

Looking down at the baby foxes biting his boots, Ray said,

“These friends don’t seem to have become Spirits yet.”

“They’re still young, you see. Usually, around 3 months old, they become Spirits.”

Philip explained that since the Mana is so abundant, they become Spirits just by breathing properly.

To chase away the foxes that kept clinging to him, Ray gathered the Gem’s Mana into dozens of small spheres and threw them far away.

[The Spirit who bites first gets it!]

[It’s mine! Everyone move aside!]

[Adults first! You youngsters, back off!]

Ray grabbed Philip by the scruff of his neck as he was getting ready to launch himself along with them.

“You can’t go. You have to guide me.”

“That is… very regrettable.”

Freed from Ray’s hand and shaking his body, Philip guided Ray to the front of the lake.

“This is the place I mentioned earlier, where only the Blue Horn can enter.”

“Enter the lake, you say?”

“Yes. That’s correct. The Blue Horn often goes into the lake, disappears, and comes out a long time later. I don’t know what they do inside, though. I’ve also been to many places on the island, but I’ve never seen the Stone Tablet or Mural you mentioned. But if those two targets must exist on the island, I think the only remaining place is there.”

Ray bent his knee and placed his palm on the lake’s surface.

It was clear and transparent, brightly revealing what was below, but it was too deep to see the end.

Was it because of that depth?

The pounding in his chest that occurred when he was close to a Stone Tablet was not yet felt.

However, he felt a slight unease.

Fiddling with Philip’s tail, Ray asked,

“But how is this lake maintained? There isn’t a single cloud above the island. Then it probably doesn’t rain. How do the plants in the forest survive?”

“The Blue Horn manages everything. The water level of the lake has never dropped once in the island’s history. The plants are managed by the Blue Horn occasionally making it rain directly. But why are you touching my tail like that? Have you ever been bitten by a fox before?”

Philip bared his teeth and growled─

“I’ll give you Mana in exchange for letting me touch it. Consider it a deal.”

“Wouldn’t this posture be better for fully enjoying the tail’s texture?”

─and became docile.

Stroking Philip, who was sitting on his knee, Ray asked about things he was curious about regarding the island.

Since when has the island existed?

Has it always been floating in the sky?

What exactly is a Spirit?

But he couldn’t get answers to all his questions.

“Grrr, I don’t remember everything either. Quite a few memories were lost during the transmission process.”

Ultimately, to fully satisfy his curiosity and inquisitiveness, he would have to wait until the Blue Horn, who possessed more memories, arrived.

The island’s absolute being who could freely move above and below the clouds.

“When does the Blue Horn come?”

“There’s no set schedule. Sometimes they come after a few days, sometimes after several months.”

And it was then.

Far away in the distant void, a single precarious blue dot appeared somewhere.