The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 417

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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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Chapter 417
Chapter 417
Master?
What kind of nonsense was this?
I tilted my head in confusion, but the Dark Spirit King Arcane’s demeanor remained unchanged.
A posture of absolute submission.
Kneeling, head bowed, not daring to even lift their gaze toward me.
Well, the reason was simple enough to deduce.
“Luke, what’s going on here?”
– In the past, you once dominated the Dark Spirit King… or rather, played with them.
“Are you talking about the previous Spirit King?”
– Yes. However, I’ve heard that spirits inherit not only actions but also memories. Additionally, they seem to be sensing my dark bone power, which is why they’re behaving this way.
Luke again.
It seems that back in the First era, before the first world perished, I had placed the Dark Spirit King beneath me.
And that memory was continuing through.
Well, spirits were certainly peculiar beings.
Spirits had names determined only by their rank and gender, not individual names of their own.
This current situation must have arisen because of that.
“Then shouldn’t you be the one answering?”
– My power is your power. So if that creature follows me as their master, then you become that creature’s master as well.
“…I see.”
Even if not a four-star spirit, they were still a proper Dark Spirit King.
Though the Neutral Zone was composed of various spirits, Dark Spirits held considerable influence even within the Neutral Zone, or so I’d heard.
To be called master by such a Spirit King.
Still, I needed to resolve this situation first.
“Lift your head.”
“Yes, Master.”
I issued the command to Arcane.
Fortunately, just as Luke said, Arcane obediently followed my words.
A Spirit King was actually obeying me—I wasn’t sure what to command, but first things first.
“First, explain the situation.”
“Yes, Master.”
Understanding the situation came first.
The moment I issued that command.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
The ceiling sealing the top of the Pit began to collapse.
Had an hour already passed?
Three Spirit Kings were breaking through the walls.
Immediately.
“Dark spirits!”
“Ifrit, get ahold of yourself!”
“Human…!”
The spirits of water, wind, and earth descended urgently.
All three were in combat stance, and behind them, an enormous number of spirits above began descending with tense expressions, but.
“Wait!”
“Ifrit?”
“I’m fine now. That’s enough.”
“The influence has worn off? Then Arcane….”
“My apologies. I was consumed by overwhelming power and caused you all considerable trouble.”
“You’ve… regained yourself?”
“As punishment for the disturbance, all of us dark spirits will serve the Spirit Realm for some time.”
“That’s fine. Never mind the service. It was merely a threat—no actual damage was done… though, I suppose the fire spirits did suffer some harm.”
“No, it’s alright. When I resonated with Arcane, I caught a glimpse of the situation. I have no intention of assigning blame.”
“Ifrit, if you say so….”
Fortunately, the situation resolved itself well.
In reality, causing such a disturbance and drawing such a massive army would have been an unforgivable crime.
But the spirits seemed content to let it pass without further incident.
Of course, not everyone shared that sentiment.
“Human, what is the meaning of this?”
“How did you manage it?”
“We never expected you to actually resolve the matter.”
The three spirit kings questioned me.
How I had resolved this situation.
Of course, I had no intention of admitting that this incident had originated from me.
The Dark Spirit King certainly wouldn’t make statements disadvantageous to me either.
The Fire Spirit King seemed to be experiencing some confusion of memory.
Fortunately.
“You needn’t answer. What matters is that you’ve resolved a grave crisis for the Spirit Realm.”
“Hmm, indeed.”
“Right. If war had broken out, the damage would have been catastrophic. You are truly a benefactor to the Spirit Realm.”
Elquines, the Water Spirit King, quickly grasped my intent.
And there was more.
“We must repay our benefactor.”
“Indeed! You prevented a great war the moment you arrived in the Spirit Realm—we absolutely must repay you!”
“Is there anything you desire?”
An offer of repayment reached my ears.
For me, this was most welcome.
In truth, Luke’s dark bone had caused this entire situation, so I had created the problem and resolved it myself.
Still, I saw no reason to refuse the offer of repayment.
“Speak freely—what is it you wish for?”
“Is there a spirit that desires a contract? I can arrange any spirit you wish for.”
“Hmm, your spirit affinity is quite extraordinary. With affinity at this level, I suspect the spirits themselves would come forward seeking contracts without our mediation.”
“Then this cannot be called a reward.”
“I would gladly forge a contract myself, but it appears you lack the capacity to sustain a true pact with us. You must grow further still.”
“It’s merely a matter of time, but what a shame.”
“I have never encountered talent of this caliber!”
“Once you grow a bit more, contracting with our Spirit Kings would be entirely within reach.”
“If not a contract, what reward should I offer?”
“What of spirit stones?”
“Spirit stones, you say….”
The Spirit Kings began deliberating on what compensation to grant me.
As expected, a true pact remained beyond my reach this time as well.
My level simply did not align with contracting a king of such magnitude, like the Holy Water King or the Demonic Beast King.
Moreover, even if it were possible, contracting with Spirit Kings of this caliber would inevitably impose limitations.
At best, my capacity would max out at contracting with four Spirit Kings.
Had a spirit summoner heard that four Spirit Kings represented the ultimate limit, they would have been astounded.
But from my perspective, it was deeply unsatisfying.
With that in mind.
“Would it be possible to forge a provisional contract instead?”
I proposed a provisional contract to them as well.
Much like the contracts I had forged with kings from other dimensions thus far.
“Hmm, a provisional contract?”
“A provisional contract, you say….”
“It is not our preferred form of agreement, but a provisional contract does seem feasible.”
“Indeed, if we establish a provisional contract now, we could immediately forge a true pact once you have completed your growth!”
The Spirit Kings nodded in agreement.
However, I had no intention of stopping here.
After all, I had proposed a provisional contract despite being in a position where I could have forged true pacts with these Spirit Kings, had I wished.
Thus, a provisional contract with them could hardly be called a reward at all.
My true request for compensation was.
“I wish to forge provisional contracts with every Spirit King in the Spirit Realm.”
This.
Through my experience contracting with kings across numerous dimensions.
I had discovered one tremendous advantage to provisional contracts.
Namely, that they imposed no limitations.
While a provisional contract prevented me from summoning a king into reality as a true pact would, in exchange, the lack of a true pact meant no restrictions on the number of contracts.
In other dimensions, where only a single king existed, this advantage had not been particularly significant.
But the Spirit Realm was different.
The Spirit Realm contained so many Spirit Kings that they were nearly impossible to count.
With provisional contracts, it would be possible to forge pacts with every single one of them.
Of course, since it’s a provisional contract, I won’t be able to summon them directly, but borrowing their power by opening dimensional gates like I’ve been doing is possible.
If that happens, I’ll be able to borrow the power of every Spirit King in the Spirit Realm.
By borrowing the kings’ power this way, and once my level rises higher, I can form true contracts with the kings I favor among them.
“Every Spirit King?”
“Hmm, this is truly unprecedented in the history of the Spirit Realm.”
“Isn’t contracting with all the Spirit Kings going too far?”
“It’s true that we should offer proper compensation to our benefactor if they desire it, but….”
The Spirit Kings fell into contemplation.
Indeed, how many Spirit Kings could exist in the Spirit Realm?
Counting not only the Spirit Kings derived from the four primary attributes but also all the Spirit Kings corresponding to the diverse attributes existing in the Neutral Zone, their numbers exceeded expectations.
To bring all those Spirit Kings under my wing.
And to form provisional contracts rather than true ones—there was no way these proud Spirit Kings would simply nod in agreement.
Sensing the atmosphere drifting in a negative direction.
I added one more thing.
I decided to instill in them the sense of crisis I had learned through my conversation with Celestial Fantasy Dragon.
“Do you know what is happening outside?”
“Outside?”
“Evil Gods are arriving.”
“…Ahem. We’re aware of that. Our spirits maintain closer relations with the outside than any other dimension, and many spirits have witnessed and heard of the situation beyond.”
“The Evil Gods continue to reveal their threat. At this rate, the ‘Ruin’ that once destroyed the world in the past may come again.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Rather, it was an undeniable fact.
As a user, I merely thought of it as a major content event in Second, but for them, it was a genuine threat—one where the world itself might truly perish.
This ‘Ruin’ was the true threat they faced.
In truth, I myself didn’t yet fully understand the nature of this Ruin, so I had worried whether they would accept my words if they rejected them.
“…Ruin, you say.”
“Just how much do you know, exactly?”
“There was a human who remembers the Ruin.”
“Not just humans, but all dimensions—even we spirits, who have accumulated power over the longest spans of time, do not know the details of the Ruin.”
Fortunately, the spirits understood my words.
Their grave expressions proved it.
Unfortunately, it seemed the spirits themselves didn’t know the detailed contents of this Ruin either.
“Who exactly are you to remember such a thing?”
“You mentioned Evil Gods. I smell the scent of Evil God blood on you. You must have defeated an Evil God as well.”
Facing the Spirit Kings’ ensuing curiosity.
I offered the answer I had come to understand through my conversation with Celestial Fantasy Dragon.
“I am a reincarnate.”
“…A reincarnate?”
“The reincarnation of the one called the Savior, before the world fell to Ruin in the past.”
Savior and reincarnate.
Fortunately, the Spirit Kings seemed to know of my past—the true identity of the Savior.
After confirming my identity through a series of questions,
“…This doesn’t seem to be a matter the four of us can decide alone.”
“We should convene a grand assembly.”
“Summon all the Spirit Kings of the Spirit Realm.”
All the Spirit Kings of the Spirit Realm began gathering in this place.
Fortunately, because most of the Spirit Kings were already assembled here due to the incident caused by the Dark Spirit, the meeting commenced without much delay.
* * *
At the summons of the Four Great Spirit Kings,
all the Spirit Kings of the Spirit Realm gathered.
Vulcan, the Spirit King of the Volcano.
Illipia, the Spirit King of Life.
Lore, the Spirit King of Wisdom, and others.
Among them were Spirit Kings who governed only a handful of spirits, hardly deserving the title,
but there also existed Spirit Kings who commanded legions as vast and formidable as those of the Four Great Spirit Kings.
Before all these Spirit Kings,
“As you all know, the incident with the Dark Spirit was resolved not by us, but by our guest—a human.”
“We’re aware of that. But was there a need to summon us all?”
“Does this human wish to form a contract with one of us?”
“Even so, was there a need to summon every one of us?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“This person wishes to form provisional contracts with all the Spirit Kings of the Spirit Realm—with everyone present here—to borrow our power.”
Elquines began explaining the purpose of this assembly calmly.
“Isn’t that too greedy, even for a benefactor?”
“To form provisional contracts with every Spirit King.”
“A provisional contract rather than a true one means they wish to borrow our power without forming genuine bonds with us, doesn’t it?”
“Humans are truly humans, aren’t they.”
“Unacceptable!”
“Well, but shouldn’t we repay a benefactor? For instance, we could proceed with a provisional contract by limiting the number of times they may borrow our power….”
The Spirit Kings’ reactions varied.
Some bristled with wounded pride and anger.
Others sought common ground.
“I support this. Rather, I’m honored we can repay them through even a provisional contract.”
And some ardently championed the human.
Of course, this last group was extremely small, excluding even the Dark Spirit King.
In the midst of this situation,
“Do you all know of the Savior?”
“The Savior?”
“I remember now. Wasn’t that the human who saved the world before the Spirit Realm—indeed, the entire world—was reconstructed after its destruction?”
“Yes. That person is indeed the reincarnation of the Savior.”
Elquines relayed exactly what she had heard from the humans.
“That’s absurd!”
Of course, there was initial resistance.
“We interrogated that person directly and reached our conclusion. He is certainly the reincarnation of the Savior.”
“I, Trowell, Spirit King of the Earth, testify to this.”
“I, Spirit King of the Wind, say the same.”
“So do I.”
Four Spirit Kings had authenticated this claim.
Thus, the other Spirit Kings had no choice but to accept it.
“You all must be aware of the situation outside. The Evil God is revealing itself. This is undoubtedly the same process of decline that occurred in the First world.”
“That can’t be—surely that’s merely something recorded in historical texts.”
“That event is becoming reality right now.”
As Elquines continued her explanation,
“To avoid repeating the same mistakes, we spirits must act first.”
The proud Spirit Kings began nodding one by one.

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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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