Matan’s Shooter

– What are you talking about? Prea-ssi, are you leaving just like that? We don’t even know how to get out of here. What if they kill us for no reason? Didn’t you come here to get the dark attribute spirit?”

Unable to hold back, Leeha sent a whisper, but Prea didn’t look at him. However, he could see the corners of her mouth slightly curling up as she looked at the Spirit Kings.

“Since Ha Leeha-ssi showed one thing, I should show one as well. I think we need to get along ‘better’ from now on.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

Before Prea could respond to Leeha’s question, the King of Spirit of Power adopted a reclining pose in the air.

『Looking at that confidence, it must be a top-grade Rainbow Spirit. If a rainbow bridge is formed, you can escape.』

“That’s correct.”

『Rainbow? The Rainbow Spirit? I felt the aura of a contracted spirit, but… already a top-grade Rainbow Spirit? Are you saying it can form a bridge?』

『Tch, annoying. There are two who aim for the next Allen Srna’s place.』

The attitudes of the Spirit Kings, who had been full of annoyance, anger, and negative energy, softened a bit after hearing those words.

“Rainbow…?”

The Rainbow Spirit. Leeha had neither heard of it nor even considered such a type of spirit.

– I believe you will keep it a secret. The Rainbow Spirit can help you escape any space, from small instance dungeons to places like this.

– Ah!

Among the five hidden spirits beyond the seven Leeha knew, one of them was the Rainbow Spirit.

‘No, I’ve never even heard of such a thing. Did Prea find something that even the communities in Middle Earth haven’t discovered? No, it’s beyond just finding it—’

It meant she had reached the highest grade among the spirits, just below the Spirit King.

Compared to ordinary users who hunted using one advanced spirit from the four major elements and one or two intermediate or low-level spirits, what level was Prea’s skill?

– Does that mean there are no spatial constraints? Can you escape even if a barrier-like skill is used?

Leeha hastily asked.

Prea pondered for a moment before responding.

– Hmm, I mentioned that I could use the dark spirit to learn about Le’s whereabouts, right?

– Yes.

– Then before contracting with the dark spirit—before Ha Leeha-ssi informed me about it, how do you think it would have been?

– I would have to hear it directly.

– You know roughly where their main hideout was, right?

Leeha was even more surprised than before.

Where was the main area where the Demon King’s army personnel usually operated?

Not just Chiyou or Sasuke, even Bluebeard had faced Prea’s sudden appearance without knowing the reason. They could only assume she had heard it from another person belonging to the Demon King’s forces.

Because that place could only be accessed in such a manner.

It was a place where you couldn’t utilize skills to store or record locations within a crystal ball.

‘The eastern part of the New Continent! Skills even worked there—no, does that mean she could travel using the Rainbow Spirit?’

But no, that wasn’t it.

A place where even teleportation by a dragon’s skill wasn’t possible.

Even flight-related skills were restricted, and one would have to travel on foot unless willing to suffer significant losses.

Prea’s capability implied she could go to a place with a far more potent mana interference flow than a usual ‘spatial barrier.’

Not relying on mana-based skills but through the spirit itself.

‘Crazy! The Rainbow Spirit is also overpowered.’

Leeha was momentarily dumbstruck.

He felt that there was one more reason added to Prea’s insistence on playing solo. Because she could gather plenty of information alone, she didn’t need anyone else. Alone, she was just as strong as a party.

‘And she can’t risk leaking her own information to others.’

To protect herself, she must have played the game alone thoroughly.

To the extent that the existence of the Rainbow Spirit hadn’t been revealed until now.

―Oh! And even though these guys are pretending, they’re no different from the spirits I’ve met before, okay? Leave them to me. Haha.

Leeha couldn’t understand what Prea was thinking as she looked at him.

When she revealed her secrets, she felt a slight sense of relief, and seeing the four new types of Spirit Kings made her quite happy.

Leeha observed Prea’s confident demeanor as she faced them.

“Of course, I won’t use the Rainbow Spirit to escape and badmouth you all. I’m just a humble Spiritualist who wants to befriend you and explore the world together. If you trust my abilities, and consider the bond we’ve built and will continue to build, that is.”

Her nickname was Prea, also known as the 『White-Eyed Spiritualist』.

She ranked 10th overall in Middle Earth’s rankings and 1st in the Spiritualist rankings.

“Would you make a contract with me?”

Reputation wasn’t built in a day.

As all the Spirit Kings remained silent, Black Bass, who stood behind Leeha, let out a sinister laugh.

―Hehehe…―

* * *

Leeha watched the contract process between the Spiritualist and the spirits for a while.

Although the Spirit Kings showcased their specialties, they couldn’t destroy or incapacitate Prea in the end.

More than anything, Prea’s confident presence as a Spiritualist must have fascinated them.

‘To be exact, it’s because of her 100% affinity.’

During the time the contract and proficiency measurement, which felt like a test to determine which grade of sub-spirits would be with her, took place, Leeha had his own matters to attend to.

“So… what’s the deal? Demon?”

―After spending all this time together, you still don’t know about me?―

“No, I know. I know, but I didn’t expect you to be affiliated with demons…”

―I am connected to the roots of demons but not a demon. Do these spirits look like they are related to the Demon King’s Fragment?―

“Hmm, probably not. I could sense the hostility toward Le and Ghibrid. Well, considering that, they were also hostile towards me.”

Conversations with Black Bass flowed more smoothly than usual.

Although her clear form couldn’t be seen, her aura felt like a thick bubble or whipped cream, showing a distinct texture.

However, it was difficult to distinguish as the color was pitch-black, blending with the background.

“Can’t you appear more clearly? Even with the 〈Distorted Eyes〉, I can barely make out the outline.”

―Don’t forget, I am still incomplete.―

“Ah, the charge rate?”

At Leeha’s question, Black Bass’s form wiggled slightly. Leeha understood it as a nod.

Black Bass’s charge rate was currently 50%.

The fact that it hadn’t decreased was fortunate, but she needed to consume a deity or a demon to reach 100%.

―Hehehe! If you fire at them here, I wonder if I can consume them. I’ve never swallowed spirits in the Spirit Realm before.―

“You don’t even know yourself. But wouldn’t it rise somehow? As you said, if dark attribute spirits are rooted in demons, it means extracting demons from dark attribute spirits is possible.”

―That might be true. Would you want to try? I welcome it anytime, contractor.―

Leeha’s words were logical.

Black Bass agreed as well.

It was certain that it had never been attempted before and equally certain that Leeha wouldn’t be the one to attempt it.

‘No matter what, shooting Spirit Kings… that’s insane.’

No one knew what would happen.

Moreover, with Prea close to completing the contract now, it was even less viable.

Prea had poured out her secrets and revealed the existence of the Rainbow Spirit.

By this point, a perfect bridge of trust was forming between them.

‘It’s a pity I can’t contract with them.’

Leeha smacked his lips with regret as he watched Prea contracting with the Spirit of Strength.

Right after Prea tried to contract, Leeha had also made a proposal to them, but they didn’t accept it.

‘What’s the deal with that bastard, Uncanny—the Spirit King of Terror—that other dark attribute spirits dislike him?’

It was clear that there was an affinity relationship even between the Spirit Kings.

And despite being the same attribute, the other Spirit Kings didn’t look kindly upon those who had already accepted the Terror Spirit.

One day, Leeha thought he would summon Uncanny and investigate thoroughly.

“So, when you reach 100% and come here, will you appear like a human?”

―I will appear in the way the Contractor finds it easiest to understand.―

“That’s a shame. It’d be interesting if I could summon like this outside too. You and Jellypong, and Koma—oh, Koma is always a bear.”

『Myooong—!』

If one could see Blaugrunn, Jellypong, and Black Bass in human form outside the Spirit Realm, how chaotic and powerful would their legion be, especially with a child among them?

‘Would it be possible to shoot a gun then? Or is it more like extracting the essence of the self? If so, would they still be able to fire guns? And what would happen to their skills? Wait, from the beginning―’

“It’s over!”

Just as Leeha was about to dive into an endless train of thought, Prea shouted.

“Oh! Yes!”

The four Spirit Kings who created the Dark Elves stood behind Prea. They still seemed to harbor some hostility, but their expressions had noticeably softened.

“Did it go well?”

“Two high-grade, one top-grade, and one intermediate. Well, that’s excellent.”

Of course, this was because Prea’s skill had satisfied the Spirit Kings. For her first contract made without even having seen spirits before, to summon high-grade and top-grade ones already, she would quickly ascend to handling top-grade spirits as she becomes more experienced in spirit usage.

『If you’re done with your business, leave. Humph, you two becoming Allen Srna. Humans haven’t evolved but rather devolved.』

“Yes! We should head back immediately! But how do we get out, Ha Leeha-ssi?”

The Spirit King of Wrath grumbled. Prea seemed relieved, but Leeha felt somewhat disappointed.

“Um, I don’t know how to get out either. Should we just say that we plan to exit?”

It was only natural for Leeha to hope for additional gains besides achievements now that Prea, who controlled all the spirits, was on his side. The Spirit Kings eyed him. More precisely, the gazes came from the three Spirit Kings other than Wrath.

“… Uh, is there something wrong?”

『Considering you saved the Dark Elves, it’s pretty weak.』

『It’s also a pity you’re not a Spiritualist.』

『Just give it quickly.』

The Spirit Kings of Destruction, chaos, and lethargy and sloth approached Leeha. Although he wanted to back away, he couldn’t move as he pleased in this place. While watching him in this state, the Spirit King of Wrath opened its mouth.

『Keep using the 〈Forbidden Wrath〉 as it is! Instead, I will halve the constitution it consumes from you.』

Momentarily, Leeha couldn’t comprehend. Forbidden Wrath was a skill attached to the Dark Elf’s necklace, decreasing total HP but significantly boosting attack power.

“Decrease constitution…?”

『I shall grant you my power of destruction. Please contribute to the protection of the Dark Elves.』

Before Leeha could respond, as the Spirit King of Destruction spoke, a flash of light erupted from Leeha’s body.

You have learned the skill―Single Destruction.

“Uh―”

『To protect the few from the many, you need more than just strength, right?』

This time, it was the Spirit King of Chaos. Another flash of light burst from Leeha’s body.

You have learned the skill―Reservoir Dogs.

“Skills―”

『No need to think about it. Just knock them all down. Leave quickly.』

The last one to speak was the Spirit King of Power. When she spoke, there was no flash of light.

“Woahaaa―”

Feeling like being sucked into a whirlpool, Leeha and Prea’s bodies began to descend.

It felt like infinite falling in an endless cosmic space!

“Goodbye, Spirit Kings! I’ll return as a top-grader as soon as possible~!”

Even in the midst of this, Prea bid the Spirit Kings farewell. They were already drifting far above. How long had it been since the feeling of falling rapidly?

Just as another system window appeared before Leeha’s eyes, You have learned the skill―Burn Out.

You have leveled up.

Thud.

Their feet were now firmly planted on the ground.

“Oh!? So, we come out like this. And I leveled up too!”

Prea, in her elated state, jumped around with joy. White light continued to emanate from her body. Leeha couldn’t help but grin widely.