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“Three times a day. With the spirit power you gained from contracting with me, you’ll be able to use my power three times a day even without mana.”

The Spirit King released energy towards Ethan. It was a powerful attack that would have caused serious injury if not avoided.

But before Ethan could dodge, an earthen wall automatically rose up in front of him.

“Automatic defense.”

The earthen wall that blocked the attack crumbled away.

“A fairly durable earth shield will protect you.”

After finishing his words, Tror immediately scraped his foot slightly. Then he stepped forward a bit.

Whoosh-!

Tror’s form, which had been right beside him until just now, was instantly far away.

“Earth Slide. From now on, the ground is entirely your domain. As it should be for the contractor of me, Tror.”

Ethan didn’t hide his admiration for the speed he had shown.

Tror, who had gone far away, was suddenly back at his side. It was a speed almost indistinguishable from teleportation.

“That’s fast.”

That speed was as fast as the power of lightning Ethan could produce.

Though he was watching with the Eye of Horus, it was a speed that made his eyes ache.

“But it’s a technique with clear drawbacks. Of course, its advantages are as clear as its disadvantages. If used properly, it can definitely complement your mobility.”

The last was the Spirit King’s signature technique. A power possessed only by the Spirit King among earth spirits.

“Earth Quake.”

As Tror stomped his foot hard, the surrounding area suddenly began to shake violently.

It was such an intense shaking, incomparably stronger than when he had scraped his foot earlier, that even Ethan almost lost his balance and nearly fell forward.

“You won’t be able to use this properly in your current state, but it should at least be enough to catch your opponent off guard.”

-You have learned new skills!

-Skills added: Earth Shield (S), Earth Slide (A), Earth Quake (S)

Except for Earth Slide, the other two skills were S-rank.

‘Excellent.’

Especially Earth Shield and Earth Slide were skills that could turn the tide of battle if used well.

‘Earth Slide will take time to get used to, though.’

It allows one to instantly glide along the ground, drastically increasing one’s speed.

‘This is important.’

Right now, Ethan possesses the power of lightning and can use it to move quickly.

‘But it didn’t work properly against the Apostle. Though that was partly due to my lack of proficiency.’

This Earth Slide was a technique that could add wings to that speed.

Ethan couldn’t accurately predict how fast he could become by combining the power of lightning with the power of earth.

But there was clearly a problem. As Tror said, this Earth Slide was a technique with distinct advantages and disadvantages.

‘Control.’

If one can’t properly control the speed, it can’t be used effectively. In the worst case scenario, one might end up ramming their head straight into an opponent’s attack.

Even now, the power of lightning isn’t completely under Ethan’s control.

‘Still, it’s certain that this can break my current limits.’

“It’s an honor, Lord Tror.”

“You don’t need to use honorifics anymore. Making a contract means our positions are equal for the duration of the contract.”

“Oh?”

“Uh, um…”

Ethan nodded.

“I see, Tror. I’ll be in your care.”

“Y-Yes. I’ll be in your care too, Ethan Whiskers.”

Tror stammered in confusion at Ethan’s quick change of attitude.

And before he could calm his bewilderment, Ethan quickly moved on to the next topic.

“Well then, Tror, let’s start the treatment. Just trust me completely. Don’t think about anything else.”

Swish-.

Ethan created a needle. It was much larger than his usual needles.

-Using Pulse Diagnosis.

-There is a major wound.

-Wound identified: Stigma of Exile.

-It’s an old wound. The possibility of treatment is significantly low.

After mastering Heo’s Acupuncture and Heo’s Decoction techniques, the functionality of Pulse Diagnosis had also greatly improved.

‘So it gives such clear explanations now.’

It felt like he was finally using a proper Pulse Diagnosis skill.

‘As expected, it’s quite severe.’

Ethan slightly frowned.

“I’ll need to take a look at the wound first.”

At those words, Tror revealed the wound on his side that he had been hiding. A pitch-black crack was visible on his ochre-colored skin.

“Ugh…”

Roanna furrowed her brow.

Tror’s wound was beyond rotting, to the point of necrosis. It was so severe that just looking at it from the side was enough to make one’s face scrunch up involuntarily.

Tror pointed at the wound with a bitter smile.

“It’s a severe wound. I tried everything I could to resolve it. But it just kept getting bigger. Can you see how it’s cracked like broken glass? There weren’t any cracks at first.”

The wound had worsened to this extent, which is why he couldn’t help but be tempted by Ethan’s claim that he could heal it.

“Well, do you think you can heal it?”

“How much pain are you in?”

At Ethan’s question, Tror replied with a bitter smile.

“If I were human, I would have taken my own life by now.”

“Then we should start by reducing the pain.”

Ethan took out the Donguibogam right there.

Rustle-!

The Donguibogam opened by itself and turned to a specific page.

Ethan skillfully began making a decoction using only one hand while holding the open Donguibogam with the other.

For Ethan, who had already reached the level of a master, making a decoction with just one hand was a very easy task.

“With one hand…?”

The Spirit King was greatly surprised at this sight.

Even to his knowledge as a Spirit King, making potions required tremendous concentration.

Yet Ethan was making a potion very easily with just one hand.

Moreover, he looked so natural doing it that it almost made one mistakenly think that making potions was an extremely easy task.

“Something that shouldn’t look easy looks easy… I don’t understand how he has such skill with that body. At this level, isn’t he already on par with an Archmage?”

Ethan’s skills continued to surprise Tror from the moment he entered.

But there was something even more surprising.

“Um, Lord Tror, our teacher isn’t a mage.”

“What? Not a mage? With that level of skill, he’s not a mage? Did something unbelievable happen in the human world while I was in seclusion? To the point where that level of skill became ordinary?”

“No, that’s not it…”

Roanna pointed at Ethan’s waist.

“He’s a swordsman.”

“…A swordsman?”

Tror frowned deeply.

“Granddaughter of Sloan, your joke goes too far. Ethan Whiskers, a swordsman? That’s impossible. Wasn’t it entirely due to this Ethan Whiskers that you passed through this entrance? Of course, you contributed too, but wasn’t the overall command done by Ethan Whiskers?”

“That’s true, but…”

Roanna was at a loss for words.

If she were in Tror’s position, she wouldn’t have believed it either.

Who would believe it just from hearing the story?

That this Ethan Whiskers, who could interpret the Spirit King’s magic and make potions with one hand, was a teacher in the Swordsmanship Department at the prestigious Ivecar Academy on the continent.

“I see, you have many talents that Sloan didn’t have. Including that sense of humor.”

“…”

“My goodness. His skill in breaking down magic was impressive, but that skill in making potions with just one hand is also extraordinary…”

Look at those hand movements!

The expertise in handling ingredients and precise timing. Who would think he was a swordsman looking at that?

“It was an amusing joke though, hahaha.”

“…”

Roanna just gave up on explaining. He would find out soon enough anyway, now that he had made a contract with Ethan.

Even as the two were talking, Ethan continued to make the potion.

Then, the Donguibogam he was holding began to glow.

“Hmm.”

-The effect of Donguibogam is enhanced.

Suddenly, the Donguibogam in Ethan’s hand floated up into the air and stopped at a position where Ethan could slightly raise his head to see it.

-The magic book: Donguibogam has recognized you as its true master!

-The effect of True Heo’s Acupuncture is enhanced.

-The effect of True Heo’s Decoction technique is enhanced.

“Oh ho.”

Ethan smiled as he looked at the Donguibogam floating in the air.

This was the first ability he learned when he first subscribed to the New World.

And it was also an ability that had directly saved his life.

He felt very pleased that this ability seemed to be acknowledging him.

-You have made a decoction!

A decoction imbued with that enhanced power was created. Needless to say, it was S-rank.

‘This is a decoction I made by recalling the memory of when I treated the Spirit King before.’

The effect is certain. But whether this decoction alone can heal him is not guaranteed.

‘Because a perfect cure is needed.’

Tror unconsciously sniffed the overwhelming scent emanating from the created decoction.

“Hmm…!”

He had watched the entire process of making the potion from start to finish. The skill was so mesmerizing throughout that he couldn’t help but trust it.

-[Contracted Spirit: Spirit King Tror] The spirit shows trust towards you.

-Spirit affinity increases!

As the spirit affinity value increases, one can obtain stronger power from spirits.

Of course, this spirit affinity isn’t one-sided, so one’s own power can also be transferred to the spirit.

As a result, it was common for low-level spirits to evolve into mid-level spirits, and mid-level spirits to evolve into high-level spirits.

In short, spirit affinity was a value that was better the higher it got.

‘He hasn’t even drunk it yet. The Spirit King seems to trust people more easily than I thought.’

When Ethan gestured for him to drink it all in one go, the Spirit King gulped down the decoction.

Instantly, light began to emanate from the Spirit King’s body.

And not long after, that light concentrated on the pitch-black crack on his side.

Timing it with that, Ethan used acupuncture.

Despite being suddenly stabbed, due to Ethan’s skill, the Spirit King couldn’t react properly and was hit with the needle.

“What are you doing…”

However, Tror couldn’t finish his sentence. Because there was a reaction in his side.

“My goodness…”

Tror was literally astonished.

He had lived with this wound for decades. Until just now, he had been feeling considerable pain from the wound on his side.

Pain doesn’t become familiar. It’s just that after such a long time, the thought of that pain had become dulled.

But that pain decreased as soon as he was hit with the needle.

“Huh…!?”

Roanna pointed at Tror’s side.

“It’s disappearing!”

That terrible wound was disappearing. The cracked fissure began to heal, regaining vitality, and the blackened area started to return to its original ochre color.

“The, the wound… it’s returning, returning to normal.”

“Teacher!”

Overjoyed at the perfect healing result, Roanna looked at Ethan with a happy expression.

However, Ethan was frowning.

“Teacher?”

‘No, this isn’t perfect healing.’

Although the wound seemed to have cleanly disappeared, Ethan could see it.

Thanks to the Eye of Horus, he was seeing much more accurately.

“Tror, your hand.”

At Ethan’s words, Tror held out his hand. He seemed to trust Ethan even more after drinking that decoction.

-Using Pulse Diagnosis.

-There is a wound.

-Wound identified: Faint Stigma of Exile

“Hah.”

“Thanks to you, contractor! I never thought this would really heal…”

“No.”

Ethan shook his head.

“It’s not healed yet.”

“…Not healed? But now there’s no pain and… look, the wound that was there has completely healed.”

“Isn’t it fully healed?”

“No, not yet.”

Normally, this would have been enough to clear the quest. He had succeeded in quests like this before in MePan.

If Tror acknowledged that his injury was healed and bowed his head in gratitude, that would complete the quest.

But that wasn’t the success Ethan wanted.

‘If it was completely healed, the mark should have disappeared entirely.’

Ethan pondered for a moment.

‘No need to think too deeply about it.’

Ethan immediately opened New World and started searching.

The keyword was medical arts.

“Hm?”

In the middle of his search, Ethan noticed a new video from Heo Jun had been uploaded. But the title was unusual.

“It’s a collaboration video…”

The name of the collaborator was written in the title.

Ethan checked again to make sure he saw it correctly. It was definitely a name he had seen somewhere before.

“Yi Je-ma?”

Author's Thoughts

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