Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 18 (Part 2)

The closer he got to the summit, the stronger the wind became. As Instructor Serion said, the strong wind shook his body. It was hard to keep his balance, and he sat down several times.

But he didn’t give up. Almost crawling, he managed to reach the summit and sat on the prepared large rock.

“You have perseverance.”

Serion admired the effort of the young ones.

If this place wasn’t for training soldiers, if these children weren’t slaves, he might have taken them and carefully nurtured them himself.

‘I hope a war doesn’t break out.’

While Serion continued his thoughts, Cory focused on summoning the spirit. Crouched down to withstand the strong wind, he chanted the spirit summoning rune.

‘Oh, dual?’

About 10 minutes later.

A new presence was felt around Cory. Rodin felt a fresh and pleasant energy settling on Cory’s shoulder and smiled slightly.

‘Congratulations.’

Rodin sensed the spirit’s energy, but Serion didn’t. He wasn’t as sensitive as Rodin and didn’t have a spirit affinity.

“How did it go?”

“I succeeded.”

Cory, who had to endure the strong wind while reaching the summit, now stood up straight without any issues. The wind that had been fiercely blowing now gently wrapped around Cory’s body and passed by.

“Haha, it’s dual. Congratulations.”

“Should I be congratulated… Um, instructor. Does this mean I have to jump into fire and climb mountains every day?”

“You can do it every day or alternate between them. The special forces training center doesn’t have an instructor who can teach spirits. Of course, I’m not a spirit master either.”

“Oh! I see.”

Cory already knew that there was no spirit master at the special forces training center. The environments created here and the things Instructor Serion taught were all knowledge from books.

“No need to worry. I had it verified by a spirit master I know. While there may be some shortcomings, I can confidently say there are no mistakes.”

“I’m not worried. I’m just concerned about coming up here.”

“Let’s proceed immediately. Number 108.”

“Yes, I’ll go.”

Rodin climbed to the summit with difficulty.

The wind was really strong. Unlike Cory, he didn’t crawl on the ground, but he couldn’t pick up speed either.

He barely managed to sit on the rock at the summit and attempted to summon the spirit. And he failed neatly. Once again, the spirits showed no response.

“I’m sorry, instructor.”

“The water attribute is still left. Let’s move.”

“Yes.”

Cory was beaming all the way down the mountain.

He had become a spirit master with two attributes. Serion’s words about the importance of growth speed didn’t even reach his ears.

The descent route was different from the ascent. They came down by a slanting path that felt like it was going around in circles.

But it wasn’t deliberately going around. When coming from the barracks later, there was a much faster path.

“Wow!”

“Hmm.”

As they reached the ground, a breathtaking view unfolded.

An endlessly wide lake, trees densely planted around it, and the ground covered with grass like a carpet. The entire scene looked like an ideal world described in books.

“Hey, isn’t that a deer?”

“There are many animals here. We deliberately leave the wild animals to keep the water clean.”

Water is the cleanest in its natural state.

This was the conclusion reached by the special forces training center after much deliberation. To maintain nature, they released wild animals and restricted human access.

“Wow, I wouldn’t mind coming here every day.”

“It’s a wonderful place. Even the instructors often come here to relax. Committee members also visit occasionally. Although it looks like this, it’s not that far from your barracks.”

Sure enough, after coming down, they could see the clock tower standing next to the central building in the distance. Judging by eye, it was at most 3 km away.

“The method is to go into the water. Hold this pipe in your mouth and go in. Who wants to go first?”

“I’ll go first.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Cory stepped forward again. He threw off his top and excitedly stepped into the water.

“Yah!”

He skillfully held the pipe in his mouth and went underwater. After about 10 minutes, Cory came out of the water with disappointment.

“Failed.”

“Yes, I’m sorry.”

Cory was more disappointed than when he failed to contract with the earth spirit. He wanted to visit this beautiful place often, but the opportunity was gone.

“You’ve already contracted with spirits of two attributes. That’s enough.”

“Thank you.”

“Next, number 108.”

“Yes.”

Rodin took off his top and stepped into the lake. His expression was stern.

He had already tried three times and failed to contract. This was the last of the four major attributes.

‘Hoo.’

He held the pipe in his mouth and went underwater. He felt the slight trembling of the water on his skin.

He went deeper and deeper. For an adult, it would be waist-deep, but when Rodin sat down, his head was well below the surface.

He closed his eyes and chanted the rune. The sound of water and chanting mixed into a murmur.

He took a deep breath through the pipe and continued chanting the rune. He felt the connection between his mind and the spirit world growing stronger.

‘Hmm.’

He sensed a presence on the other side of the passage. It was a refreshing and clear presence.

However, it seemed hesitant, not stepping through the passage. It was peeking through, wondering whether to come over or not.

‘Come on. Please.’

His desperate feelings were conveyed. The presence on the other side of the passage slowly stepped through. It tilted its head curiously in front of his face.

‘Hello.’

Rodin cautiously reached out his hand. He was careful not to startle it with any sudden movements.

The spirit stared at his face for a moment, then brought its head to his fingertips.

‘Got it.’

He succeeded in making a contract. Just like when he contracted with the beast Jito, he felt their souls connecting.

Moreover, the presence of Jito watching from afar became clearer. The spirit contract and the beast contract boosted each other, creating a synergistic effect.

Splash!

He stood up in the water. Even though he stood as tall as he could, his mouth and nose were still underwater.

He was about to breathe through the pipe but changed his mind.

‘Can it work?’

He slightly removed the pipe from his mouth and breathed. The spirit naturally created a passage between the outside and his mouth, allowing him to breathe.

‘This feels good.’

He had found a friend who would never betray him. It was the second one after Jito.

He emerged from the water, cutting through the current. The pleasant fullness made him smile involuntarily.

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