Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Successor Doesn’t Matter — Let’s Just Heal | Episode 69

Stepping through the Labyrinth’s gate, Lion was greeted once more by soft grass underfoot and a gentle breeze stirring through the air.

‘Now that I have Spirit Art, I can finally feel what Natural Energy really is.’

He could understand, at least partly, what the elves meant when they spoke of feeling breathless in its presence.
As Lion stood there savoring the boundless freshness of nature spread throughout the Labyrinth,

[You are absorbing Natural Energy. Your body’s fatigue is being continuously restored.]

‘This must be another effect of Spirit Art.’

An effect he hadn’t anticipated had activated.
Lion’s complexion, which had grown paler than usual from constant day-and-night experimentation, gradually returned to life, and the dullness in his eyes gave way to brightness.

“Come to think of it, this is the first time Grandfather and I have taken a walk together like this.”
“That’s… true enough.”

They had come to the Labyrinth together before, but they had never wandered through it so leisurely.

“Next time, shall we map out a proper walking path? I think it would be nice for the family to come here and clear their heads with a stroll.”
“Very well. The Labyrinth will soon be yours anyway — do as you wish with it.”

Lion smiled quietly at his grandfather’s approval.
In the past, he would have immediately warned him not to do anything dangerous.
Not that he was planning anything too ambitious.
Just clear the path, tend to the landscaping a little.
Add some gravel decoration to the ground and it would be a proper walking trail.
And while he was at it, plant the Moonflower that Ricshel had given him, coax it to bloom.
Mentally organizing his Labyrinth Walking Path project as he walked, Lion soon arrived at the Forest Center.
It was the very place where he had first discovered the Cabin, deep within the forest.
Grass had begun to grow sparsely over the ground where the Cabin once stood.

“This is the place. It does indeed seem optimal for summoning spirits.”

Patrick found it a fitting location.
Abundant Mana and Natural Energy mingled in harmonious balance, emanating a quiet, auspicious presence.

“Then I’ll draw the Summoning Circle.”
“Very well. Take your time — calm your mind before you begin.”

With those words, Patrick stepped back and watched Lion standing in the Forest Center.

“Breathe.”

Lion drew in a deep breath, then released it slowly, repeating the rhythm.
He had heard detailed instructions on how to draw the Summoning Circle and what precautions to take from Embrog and Tialie.
Even if he hadn’t, he already knew.
He’d done it once in the game, after all.

‘First, I steady my breath.’

He filled his lungs with the fresh scent of nature and released it back, returning what he had taken.
This was the fundamental difference between Magic and Spirit Art.
Magic involved drawing Mana into your body and confining it there, then greedily channeling it through Mana channels to store it.
To put it simply: ‘to seize’.
But Spirit Art was different.
It was ‘to borrow’.
And so no lingering energy remained in his body. Without summoning a spirit, he would possess no more power than an ordinary person.
In exchange, there was no strain on his body.
All transformation began with the spirit, after all.
So the first thing he needed was.

‘A mindset that accepted any spirit that came.’

To harbor no greed.
Lion naturally had no preference for which spirit appeared.
He wasn’t going to fight, nor did he harbor any desire to reach the pinnacle of Spirit Art.
He wasn’t the Hero, after all.
Whoosh.
Lion scattered Fairy Dust across the ground and constructed a Summoning Circle.
Geometric patterns were drawn within the circular boundary.
Spaces for the four cardinal elements were formed in all directions.
Normally one would place Spirit Stones in the elemental positions, but…….
Lion had something better.
Spirit Water, precisely.

Drip-drip-drip!

Lion scattered Spirit Water bit by bit into the elemental positions.
It shimmered with the color of falling stars.

Whoosh!

The Fairy Dust glowed as if responding to the Spirit Water.

[Set Effect with Fairy Dust Activated]
-The Spirit Summoning Circle will not shatter under any circumstances.
-The summoner’s mental fortitude is protected.
-The probability of summoning a spirit well-suited to the summoner increases significantly.

‘Do I need effects like this?’

In any case, it seemed to be a summoning bonus effect, so it wasn’t unwelcome.
Once Lion had set aside the empty potion bottle and stepped into the center, the Fairy Dust began to glow slowly as if answering his presence.
One by one, fine particles of light drifted slowly upward into the empty air, constructing a three-dimensional Summoning Circle of their own accord, while the whisper of Natural Energy hummed softly against Lion’s ear.

[Will you summon your spirit?]

“Yes. Please.”

Lion affirmed in a quiet voice, unperturbed.
Now the Fairy Dust would open a passage to the dimensional realm, materializing the spirit in this place.
He understood that the higher the spirit’s rank, the stronger the Natural Energy effects that would manifest…….

“…….”

Silence.

‘Nothing’s happening? No, wait…….’

Something felt wrong.
Because.
……he heard nothing at all.
Not the whisper of the breeze that had been blowing, nor the sound of flowing water, nor the rustling of leaves.
Not even the sound of his own movements.
Nothing at all.
As if someone were pressing their hands over his ears.

‘Ah.’

Was it already here?

‘Wind-based, perhaps?’

Whatever it was, the spirit seemed playful by nature.
Lion suspected it might be an Intermediate Spirit—a sylph, perhaps.
Lion blinked his wide eyes slowly.
In that instant.

[Set Effect Activated: Protects the summoner’s mental fortitude.]
[Set Effect Activated: Negates the impact of the summoning circle.]

Every sound that had been suspended erupted into Lion’s ears all at once.

Roooaaarrr!!

“Ugh…!”

The stilled wind now howled like a savage tempest, whipping his hair and cape into a violent flutter.
The once-calm lake churned into a maelstrom. The ground trembled beneath him, and fire bloomed around the summoning circle, dancing and writhing with fervent light.
Yet none of it touched Lion’s body.

“What on earth—”

Patrick, watching from afar, immediately reached for his Mana before stopping himself.
He recognized the presence.
A sensation he had felt once, long ago, from someone he knew.
The moment Patrick was about to speak the name—

Crack!

A sharp, breaking sound echoed from the summoning circle where Lion stood.
It was faint, yet everyone present heard it clearly.
A fissure opened in empty air.
Like a mirror fracturing, like an eggshell breaking as new life hatched within.
The empty space before Lion’s eyes split apart, and something erupted from within.
It was undeniably an immense presence.
So overwhelming that Lion himself could barely breathe—a being far beyond what he could hope to command.
He had never felt such a presence, not even from his grandfather.

[Set Effect Activated: Protects the summoner’s mental fortitude.]

Once again, the Set Effect shielded his mind.

‘I can endure this.’

In truth, though chaos erupted all around him, Lion himself remained unharmed.
The wind cut fiercely but never grazed his cheek; the flames towered and swelled, sending sparks scattering, yet not a thread of his clothes was singed.
Instead, it felt like an enthusiastic, violent greeting.
An ordinary person would have been terrified, but Lion…

‘I wonder what will emerge?’

He remained calm.
It was exactly as he had seen in the game.
Had any other elf witnessed this, they would have fainted on the spot.
Even Patrick, watching from that distant vantage point, was visibly astonished.
Lion, oblivious to all of this, simply waited for the chaos to subside—or more precisely, for whatever had been summoned to calm itself.
After the tempest passed, the water grew still, the fire dwindled to ash, and silence fell across the earth once more…….

[An ancient presence greets you with joy.]

A form erupted from the rift and dropped gently into Lion’s palm.

“Hmm? You are…….”

By a strange coincidence, Lion recognized this creature.
It was none other than…….

“Nature?”

The partner of one of Lion’s alternate characters, the Druid.
It was a summon obtainable after leveling to the cap and satisfying rather demanding Skill requirements—and its efficiency was considerable.
Typically, when a Druid player summoned spirits, they had to call forth different ones depending on the element each time.
To wield the power of water, you summoned a water spirit, and so on.
Moreover, if you hadn’t reached a certain threshold, you could only harness one or two elements at all.
Which meant the early-game grind for a Druid was punishing.
But.
Its true potential revealed itself the further up you climbed in gear and level.
And that was entirely because of this creature.
Instead of the tedious chore of summoning repeatedly, you only had to call Nature—and you could wield the power of all elements at once.
Moreover, since the elements stacked fourfold, the damage output became explosive.
Put plainly, if you had Nature, endless affinity, and infinite Mana, you could trigger a volcanic eruption from bare ground.

[You have awakened the slumbering Ancient Spirit.]

That’s right.
It was called an Ancient Spirit.
A being of near-omnipotent power and utility.

‘Which is why people called it the Spirit King, too.’

Its appearance was striking enough that Lion had grown quite fond of Nature when leveling the Druid.
A human form crowned with phoenix wings.
In battle, it transformed into the perfect shape of a phoenix…….

‘The majesty and aura of it were incomparable to any ordinary spirit.’

He thought he’d never see it again, yet here they were, reunited—the feeling was surreal.
That terrible sound from moments ago, the one that had protected his hearing—that surely came from this creature as well.
But…….

‘It’s so small now.’

Back then, it was definitely larger—much larger.
Now it was tiny, no bigger than his palm, and rather cute.
One might argue it was merely a descendant of that Ancient Spirit.
But Lion knew instinctively.
This was the same Ancient Spirit his Druid had used.

‘Because it responded to the name I gave it.’

Ancient Spirits had no names of their own.
So Lion had given it one.
Nature.
It might have seemed a little childish, but he couldn’t think of a more fitting name.
Fortunately…….

“You recognize me?”

The creature seemed to know Lion as well, its face breaking into a crooked smile.
Cute, despite everything.

[Please designate a name for the Ancient Spirit.]

“I’ll call you Nature.”

Since I’d be the only one summoning it anyway, this would suffice.
Besides, I already knew this creature—I had no desire to give it a new name.

[Nature has returned to its master’s side.]
[You may now summon the Ancient Spirit ‘Nature’ from anywhere.]
[Due to the Spirit-rank Set Effect, you will not lose the spirit even if you unsummon it in any situation.]
[Your Spirit Art power remains insufficient to reveal its true form. Let us restore its strength together!]

There was no need to worry about losing it, and I found this satisfactory enough.
And then—

[You have achieved the ‘Long-Awaited Spirit’ Achievement.]
[You have acquired 20,000 Shillings.]
[This Achievement is beyond your current level!]
[You additionally acquire 20,000 Shillings!]
[Spirit Art Proficiency has reached Apprentice Lv.4.]

A sudden explosion of levels.
The Shillings were a sweet bonus on top of it all.
Just as I was savoring that joy—

Drip.

Blood trickled from Lion’s nose and fell to the ground.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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