The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 123

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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 Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 123
Whoooosh—
The scenery shifted in the blink of an eye.
Unlike Elder Kiel’s warning that humans would die with their limbs decomposed, I felt no pain whatsoever.
‘Is this thanks to my Spirit Affinity, after all?’
What would have become of me if I hadn’t possessed a skill that dramatically increased my affinity with spirits?
I shook my head as if refusing to imagine such a fate.
—Are you alright, Zeke?
‘Yeah. Carbollearos. You’re fine too?’
—Shouldn’t you have asked that before we entered?
‘You’re a spirit, so you wouldn’t have your limbs decomposed anyway.’
—Enough. Let’s find Elder Daryen quickly. He might know something about the dragon’s whereabouts.
I took in the world with clear eyes.
The vast Grassland stretching endlessly, with curtains of light cascading down to meet it—the vista was truly breathtaking.
‘Is this the Spirit Realm? It doesn’t feel particularly dangerous.’
The real problem was figuring out where and how to search.
I’d rushed in without a plan, and the thought of combing through such an enormous Grassland felt utterly overwhelming.
‘Where on earth am I supposed to find Elder Daryen? It’s clearly massive.’
A sigh escaped me, but before I could dwell on it, another problem emerged.
[Temperature drops sharply.]
[Resistance: 100% resistance to cold.]
Just moments ago, the warm sunlight had felt pleasant, but now clouds gathered and the air turned brisk.
The temperature shift was startlingly abrupt.
Yet as time passed, I realized this was merely the beginning.
[Temperature rises sharply.]
[Resistance: 100% resistance to heat.]
The temperature fluctuated wildly up and down—this was the Spirit Realm’s true nature.
I grasped this reality mere minutes after stepping foot inside.
‘This place is insane. The temperature swings are ridiculous. It feels like the temperature changes every minute or so….’
It was only because my Resistance stat exceeded 4,000 that I could endure it; otherwise, I might have struggled.
‘Anyone else would’ve been sweating profusely trying to protect their skin with mana.’
So this was why only those of Elder-rank strength could survive in the Spirit Realm?
‘Regardless, this environment is absolutely absurd.’
Fortunately, my Resistance allowed me to manage.
The environment posed no real obstacle.
I just needed to locate Elder Daryen and get out quickly.
With that thought, I moved about searching, but nothing caught my eye.
Not a single shadow of a person, not even a common insect—nothing could exist in this place. I found absolutely nothing.
Only the temperature continued its relentless fluctuations.
‘It seems like a world where no living creatures exist.’
I’d rather die than live in a place like this.
I need to find Elder Daryen and get out of here quickly.
‘But I didn’t even ask how to leave, did I?’
Zeke pressed his forehead at his own oversight—he had to find Elder Daryen if he wanted to survive.
The elder would surely know the way out.
‘I have to find an elf whose face I don’t even know in this vast place.’
I couldn’t help but sigh deeply. I’d been wandering around for what felt like an hour, yet I’d found nothing of note.
In the Spirit Realm, there ought to be spirits everywhere, yet I sensed none of their presence.
‘I’ve searched nearly the entire Grassland. Should I try heading into that Forest over there?’
Beyond the Grassland lay what appeared to be a Forest.
I didn’t expect to find any living creatures there, but I quickened my pace, hoping at least to sense some spiritual energy.
My instinct proved correct.
‘Huh?’
The moment I stepped into the Forest, I detected a presence that unmistakably felt like a spirit.
[Spirit detected at 128 meters ahead.]
‘Nice!’
The system pinpointed the spirit’s location, and I dashed forward with renewed hope, orienting myself toward it.
I felt like a castaway spotting a lighthouse keeper in an endless sea.
‘The Spirit Affinity skill doesn’t just let me sense spirits—it lets me communicate with them too.’
That meant I could ask them questions about anything.
In my current situation with no leads, this was a blessing.
‘Is that it?’
As I drew closer, my eyes fell upon a fairy with shimmering wings.
Judging by how she startled at my approach, she was clearly a being capable of emotion and conversation just like humans.
[H-how did a human get in here?]
“Nice to meet you, spirit lady. Can you understand me?”
[H-how are you speaking the spirit tongue…!]
The fairy’s mouth fell open in shock, and without another word, she fluttered her wings and bolted away.
“Well, at least she understood me.”
I chuckled softly, and in that instant, my form vanished.
[Eek!]
Suddenly appearing before her and cutting off her escape, the spirit’s heart nearly stopped from fright.
[Kyyyyyeeeek!]
“Sorry for startling you. I just wanted to talk.”
I raised my hands to try to calm the fairy.
But she must have mistaken the gesture for an attack, because she squeezed her eyes shut.
“Whoa, don’t be scared. I’m just raising my hands to tell you to relax.”
I spoke in the gentlest tone I could manage to show I meant no harm.
I even took a few steps backward to demonstrate my peaceful intentions.
Yet the spirit still wore an expression of pure terror.
“As you can see, I’m human. A being you spirits fear and despise. So how did such a creature enter this place? Shouldn’t the Spirit Realm have barriers preventing intrusion?”
[….]
“And how do I converse with spirits? How can I even see you—beings supposedly invisible to humans without spirit affinity?”
The spirit’s agitation subsided at Zeke McLafflin’s words.
Reason returned to its expression.
Yet contemplation now clouded its features.
“Hmm? Think about it for a moment—doesn’t the answer become obvious?”
[Could it be… that you’ve been chosen by the Spirit King?]
‘Spirit King? Such a thing exists?’
Zeke McLafflin tilted his head briefly, then shook it and answered honestly.
“I don’t know about that, but you can at least understand that I possess exceptional spirit affinity, right? That’s how I’m able to be here.”
[How could a human possess spirit affinity… Who exactly are you?]
I wanted to retort that it was none of their business, but I held back.
The spirit’s aid was necessary right now.
“Just know that I’m a descendant of the gods.”
[A, a descendant of the gods? Such things actually exist?]
The spirit seemed quite startled when I mentioned a phrase Carbollearos frequently used.
It appeared that descendants of the gods were indeed real.
‘This one certainly has a talent for being amazed.’
Finding the tiny spirit rather endearing, I chuckled softly before judging it sufficiently composed to broach the main topic.
“The reason I entered this realm is simple.”
[What is it?]
“I’m searching for an elf named Daryen. Do you know where they are?”
I asked with hope, but unfortunately the spirit shook its small head side to side.
[I haven’t seen any elf enter here.]
“But they said they definitely came in. They came to obtain a leaf from the World Tree.”
[A leaf from Yggdrasil?]
“Can’t you help me locate it?”
[Hmm, I’m not familiar with an elf named Daryen, but I can guide you to where Yggdrasil is located.]
“Okay. Would you mind leading me there?”
The spirit nodded readily and took the lead, assuming the role of guide.
The displeasure the spirit had harbored toward Zeke McLafflin for being human seemed to vanish entirely once I mentioned being chosen by the Spirit Realm.
‘Or perhaps my dramatically increased affinity with spirits is responsible.’
Either way, the misunderstanding was resolved and I’d secured a guide.
All I needed to do now was follow the spirit and search for traces of Daryen.
Still, I felt inclined to at least ask for the spirit’s name, so I opened my mouth.
“My name is Zeke McLafflin. What’s yours?”
[Oh, I realize we haven’t introduced ourselves properly. My name is Silvana. I’m a spirit who commands the wind.]
“Silvana. How vast is the Spirit Realm?”
[Well, I’d say it’s boundlessly expansive?]
“How many other spirits are in this place?”
[As I mentioned, it’s far too vast for me to know their exact numbers.]
I asked out of boredom, and she answered readily enough.
Deciding to satisfy my curiosity while I had the chance, I peppered Silvana with questions about spirits.
Roughly thirty questions in total.
Thanks to Silvana’s tireless responses, I managed to gather quite a bit of information.
‘It seems she’s completely let her guard down now.’
As a result, I’d satisfied my curiosity and whiled away an hour of boredom.
[We’re almost there. That tree you see over there is Yggdrasil, the World Tree.]
Where Silvana pointed, a seedling far too massive to be called a mere tree floated in the sky with its roots exposed.
‘This is troublesome. It would take more than half a day just to walk around it once.’
So overwhelmingly vast was it that I could only stare blankly, unable to muster the courage to explore it.
At the moment, I couldn’t even spot anything resembling an elf.
“Silvana, is there any way to find where the elves are?”
[Well, as for me, I’m not sure how to….]
“What if you asked the Earth Spirit? You said yourself that they know the land better than anyone.”
[It might be possible, but I’m not entirely sure where the other spirits are either….]
“I know where.”
I pointed in one direction with my finger.
[A spirit has been detected at the 98-meter mark.]
“There. There’s a spirit over there.”
[Huh? What do you….]
Silvana’s expression suggested she thought I was joking, but when I headed straight toward the spirit and found it, she covered her mouth with both hands in astonishment.
How could a human locate a spirit that even she couldn’t find?
That was the look on her face, but such things didn’t concern me.
What mattered right now was whether the spirit I’d found was the Earth Spirit or not.
“Is this the Earth Spirit?”
[Y-yes, it is.]
[A human dares to trespass upon the Spirit Realm!]
The Earth Spirit, who had only just noticed me, cried out in alarm, but after Silvana’s persuasion, it regained some composure.
“What’s your name?”
[They call me Grinder.]
“So spirits really do have different speech patterns, just as I heard.”
Since this was only the second spirit I’d encountered in an hour, I observed it with curiosity before broaching the main topic.
“An elf elder named Daryen entered the Spirit Realm. Do you happen to know where he is?”
[Hmm, give me a moment. Let me search for him.]
The Earth Spirit, resembling a figure molded from clay, sank briefly into the ground before bursting back out, its expression refreshed as though it had just finished bathing.
[Phew. Ah yes, thanks to the World Tree’s influence, the scent of earth is absolutely divine. Hehehehe!]
“Hey, Grinder. What did you find?”
[Ah, found him. Found him indeed. There’s definitely an elf in the Spirit Realm.]
“Really?”
My face brightened at the news.
It was exactly what I wanted to hear.
[But the situation seems quite dangerous. Judging by the complete lack of movement, as if everything’s dying.]
“What do you mean by that?”
Startled, I decided to first locate Daryen’s position.
“Lead the way, Grinder! Hurry!”
[Ah, understood.]
The location the earth spirit guided me to wasn’t far at all.
It was nearly adjacent to Yggdrasil itself.
[Right there. That elf.]
“Elder Daryen?”
An elf lay motionless on the ground.
I hurried to shake his body, but there was no sign of him waking.
“Sigh…”
As I grasped the situation, a heavy sigh escaped me.
‘He’s dead.’
Daryen, who had come seeking a leaf of Yggdrasil, had become a cold corpse.
Despite the World Tree being right before his eyes, the very thing he sought.
[Finding Daryen in the Spirit Realm complete!]
[Sudden Quest cleared!]
[Reward: Random Stats increased by 1,400.]
[Reward: 5th-tier Skill Proficiency increased by 70,000.]
[Proficiency remaining until 9-star Achievement: 230,760/300,000]
The rewards came through without any sense of timing.
I felt no joy whatsoever.
How could I be happy about finding a corpse?
‘The rewards came, but what about clues regarding the dragon? Am I going to gain nothing this way?’
Should I turn him into an undead and extract information?
I shook my head quietly.
It would be no different than desecrating the dead.
‘Besides, there’s no guarantee he’d become an intelligent undead.’
Just as another sigh was about to escape me.
Suddenly, information I’d heard from Silvana flashed through my mind.
“Silvana! You said a leaf of Yggdrasil is the source that breathes life into the Spirit Realm, right?”
[Huh? Y-yes, that’s correct.]
“Then, what if I use it on someone whose life has ended? What happens? Can it revive the dead?”
[I’ve never tried that, so I wouldn’t know.]
“Then let’s try it.”
[What?]
“Let’s give it a try.”
Zeke McLafflin extended his hand with unwavering confidence, making his demand.
“That leaf from Yggdrasil you mentioned—bring it to me at once.”

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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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