The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 26

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

Strongest in Our Neighborhood (26)
Whoosh.
Following Smith inside his master’s house, Jang Ga-in was taken aback by the oppressive heat that surpassed even midsummer.
‘The charcoal piled outside has already burned down, so there’s no reason for it to be this hot……’
Jang Ga-in scanned the room searching for the source of the heat, and discovered a small Furnace heating water in a large Kettle.
From the palm-sized Furnace, heat rose in waves, and somehow it was warming the entire living room—easily twenty paces across.
“Master, I’ve brought Ga-in.”
“Ah, well done. A pleasure to meet you, Ga-in. I’m Tomaatop, Smith’s master.”
Click, click, click…….
As Tomaatop spoke, the wheels of his chair began to roll smoothly beneath him.
Jang Ga-in watched as one side of the living room floor rose higher than the other, the slope causing the wheels to turn, and his expression shifted to one of mild surprise.
‘Impressive—to move the earth itself to that degree…… remarkable indeed.’
As Tomaatop drew near to greet him, Jang Ga-in returned the gesture in kind.
“It’s already astounding that you healed Smith’s affliction, but to teach him Spirit Arts as well—I’ve been meaning to visit and express my gratitude. I’m Jang Ga-in.”
“I heard that you rescued the village children and teachers who were abducted. As one of the village’s residents, I offer my deep thanks. Ah, and I was just boiling tea to welcome you—would you care for a cup?”
“Yes, I’d be grateful to have some.”
Shortly after, as Tomaatop lifted the Kettle to pour tea into a cup, the flames rising from the Furnace became visible—and curiously, they resembled a small lizard.
“Is that lizard-like form perhaps a Fire Spirit?”
“Yes, a Lower-tier Spirit of Fire.”
I thought you were an Earth Spirit practitioner, since you teach Smith the Earth Spirit Arts—but it seems you also command Fire Spirits.”
“I was originally a Fire Spirit practitioner. I only learned Earth Spirit Arts out of necessity, for mobility, after damaging my left hand and both legs.”
“How did you come to injure your hand and legs?”
“While developing the Centron Mine together with the village people, we were attacked by mercenaries and I was wounded.”
Jang Ga-in’s eyes widened slightly.
“The Centron Mine was seized three years ago, wasn’t it? So you were injured then and learned Earth Spirit Arts?”
“Yes.”
It’s remarkable—you’ve only trained for three years, yet you handle the Earth Spirits with such proficiency.”
“When survival itself depends on it, there’s no choice but to train far more intensely than one would with Fire Spirit Arts. Thanks to that, I’ve now come to command them nearly as well as my Fire Spirits.”
“Ah, of course—when your life is on the line, you have no choice but to work harder. But surely the other villagers helped you?”
“The villagers did take turns helping me, but how could I rely on their aid forever? I had to make every effort to become self-sufficient.”
“I see.”
“It appears you’ve been studying Wind Spirit Arts, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I’ve been learning Wind Spirit Arts from Eldom.”
“Your Spirit Power is considerable—you should be able to contract with a Lower-tier Wind Spirit soon.”
“Really? But Eldom said that even at the fastest pace, it would take at least a year of continuous Spirit Power cultivation before I could hear the voice of a Spirit seeking a contract.”
Upon hearing Jang Ga-in’s words, Tomaatop tilted his head.
“Haven’t you been training for over a year?”
I’ve only been accumulating Wind Spirit Power for about ten days now.”
“T-ten days?! You’ve only trained for ten days and your Spirit Power is already that abundant? That’s impossible, no matter how good your Spirit Affinity is!”
As Tomaatop recoiled in shock, Jang Ga-in tilted his head in confusion.
“Is my Spirit Power really that extraordinary?”
“Yes—Wind Spirits would drool over that much.”
Jang Ga-in fell silent for a moment, head cocked as he pondered the reason.
‘Could it be the Wind Character Seal from the Wind Cloud Divine Art?’
It seemed that ever since his Inner Force had resonated with Natural Qi, his ability to manipulate wind through the Wind Character Seal had surged dramatically.
Jang Ga-in unfurled his Inner Force through the Wind Character Seal so that Tomaatop could perceive it more clearly, then synchronized it with the surrounding Natural Qi.
Whoooosh…….
As wind began to swirl around Jang Ga-in and rotate gently, Tomaatop’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“Wh-what on earth…….”
“My martial art is so specialized in wielding wind—the character for wind is built into it—that when I unfurl my Aura in this way and resonate it with the surrounding wind, I can generate this much force.”
“But Aura and Spirit Power have completely different natures…… to convert Aura into Spirit Power like this! It’s impossible! This defies all convention!”
…….
“Ga-in, with this much Spirit Power, you could easily contract with a Mid-tier Spirit, not just a Lower-tier one.”
“A Mid-tier Spirit? But I haven’t even heard the voice of a Lower-tier Spirit yet.”
Upon hearing Tomaatop’s words, Jang Ga-in tilted his head in confusion. Eldom had clearly told him that he needed to hear the voice of the Spirit seeking a contract before he could make one.
“With this much Spirit Power, you haven’t heard a Spirit’s voice yet? That can’t be right. Have you perhaps not been listening for the voice of the wind?”
“The voice of the wind? What do you mean? Isn’t this whistling sound I’m hearing right now the voice of the wind?”
“Ordinary people can only hear the whistling, but as Spirit Power accumulates and your Spirit Affinity grows stronger, you eventually come to hear the Spirits whispering softly between the sounds of the wind.”
“Ah, I see—perhaps I’ve just been neglecting to focus on those subtle sounds. Let me try concentrating my attention on them.”
Jang Ga-in closed his eyes for a moment, gathered his Inner Force in his ears, and focused intently on listening to the sounds of the wind.
Whiiiiine…….
At Jang Ga-in’s action, not only Tomaatop but Smith and Lahena held their breath, watching intently.
Five minutes passed, then ten, then thirty, yet Jang Ga-in said nothing of hearing the wind’s voice.
“That’s strange. I should have heard the wind’s voice by now…… Ga-in, are you still not hearing the sound of wind?”
Finally, Tomaatop, tired of waiting, asked the question, and Jang Ga-in opened his closed eyes and released a short sigh.
“Oddly enough, all I hear in my ears is the sound of wind roaring fiercely. I don’t hear the subtle voice of a spirit.”
“Is that so? You certainly have enough Spirit Power, so there must be some other factor at play. I haven’t made a contract with a wind spirit myself, so I’m not entirely sure.”
“I’ll have to ask Eldom or Kailin about this when I see them later.”
“That would be best.”
* * *
After leaving Tomaatop’s house, Jang Ga-in went directly to find Eldom.
Just as he had shown Tomaatop moments before, he released the wager with the Wind Character Seal, resonated it with Natural Qi to summon wind, and asked why he couldn’t hear the wind’s voice.
As Eldom watched Jang Ga-in’s method carefully, he seemed to realize something and sighed softly before speaking.
“It’s true, just as Tomaatop mentioned—your Spirit Power is indeed abundant enough to even contract with a mid-tier spirit.”
“Then why hasn’t the contract been established?”
“Even with abundant Spirit Power, you fundamentally need to hear the spirit’s voice to make a contract. But from the way you handle Spirit Power, I suspect the spirit won’t speak to you at all.”
“Is there a problem with how I handle Spirit Power?”
“Yes. You see, both my sister and I use Spirit Arts, but we don’t force the wind spirit. Instead, we communicate and make requests together. Your Spirit Power, however, is forcefully controlling the wind with brute strength.”
“Controlling it with force? Don’t I need to control it to move the wind as I wish?”
“If you control it that forcefully, how could the wind spirit ever see you as a friend? You need to think of it the way we do—that you and the wind are in harmony—and treat the wind as a friend. Only then will the wind spirit speak to you.”
“Hmm, treat the wind as a friend……. I have no sense of how to do it or where to even begin.”
Jang Ga-in tilted his head in confusion, and after a moment’s thought, Eldom spoke.
“It will be difficult to understand just by hearing words, so let me show you by example. For instance, if I want to strengthen this spear through a wind spirit, I do it by conveying my heart to the wind like this.”
As Eldom infused Spirit Power into the spear, wind immediately whirled around it, creating a fearsome pressure.
Jang Ga-in observed this and, after a moment of contemplation, shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s certainly different from the way I infuse force into my weapon…… but no matter how I look at it, I can’t quite grasp the principle.”
“I’ve shared everything I know, so the rest is something you’ll have to work through yourself.”
“Sigh, understood. It feels like I could grasp the feel of it quickly, but I’ll keep thinking about it.”
“Yes.”
After his conversation with Eldom ended, Jang Ga-in quietly went over the method Eldom had just shown him in his mind.
‘It seems simple at first glance, but I can’t quite get a grip on it! So it’s not that easy after all. How can I see the wind as a friend?’
To Jang Ga-in’s mind, the wind was simply wind.
* * *
Baron Jabedra had sent an unilateral notice to Baron Dafaron that he could not acknowledge Dafaron’s stake in the Centron Mine and would send not a single coin starting next month. To find out what had happened, Dafaron immediately turned on his Communication Device and called for his son.
Whoosh.
Moments later, the Communication Device lit up and his son’s figure appeared faintly. Dafaron asked urgently.
“I just received word from Baron Jabedra that Sir Dimitrion lost to some fellow named Ga-in, and because this Ga-in took fifty percent of the Centron Mine, he said he can’t send me a single coin. What happened? Did Sir Dimitrion really lose to this Ga-in fellow?”
―Kugh! Ah, Father.
His son’s voice was laden with sorrow, and Baron Dafaron felt his lips go dry.
“Speak. Did Sir Dimitrion lose?”
―Yes, Father. He lost terribly.
“Terribly? How badly did it go for him to say he lost terribly?”
―Sir Dimitrion couldn’t land a single proper attack. His armor was shredded to tatters by repeated slashes until he finally begged for his life and barely escaped with it.
“W-what? What nonsense is this…….”
Baron Dafaron could not bring himself to finish his words.
One of the Ten Blades representing the Smed Kingdom, begging for his life—it was unimaginable.
―I know it sounds absurd, but I saw it with my own eyes, and everyone in our party witnessed it. This Ga-in is undoubtedly a master of Expert Highest Rank, a full tier above Sir Dimitrion.
“Expert Highest Rank? How could such a person be in this remote frontier?”
Grand Duke Morona Valentia, the first blade of the kingdom and the right hand of the sovereign, was known to have reached the Expert Highest Rank.
Shouldn’t someone of such caliber be playing in more significant waters?
“Then is Sir Dimitrion receiving treatment now?”
―No, Father. After meeting Baron Jabedra, he followed this Ga-in into the forest and disappeared.
“What! No, why? Why would he follow him? Is he plotting revenge?”
―No. After I recovered, I suggested we return to our domain together, but he said he could only advance further if he learned from this Ga-in, so he would become either his disciple or his servant and followed him.
“M-mad! Even if he swore revenge a thousand times it would be justified, yet he speaks of becoming a disciple or a servant! How can that be?”
―From my conversation with Sir Dimitrion, I sensed he was not thinking about what damage his defeat might cause you. He only thinks of growing stronger. He is stubborn to a fault.
“Hmm, his skills are excellent, but as a knight his loyalty has never been strong. That’s why he’s never served any lord until now. But this is troublesome! I tried to increase my stake in the Centron Mine, and now I’ve lost both Sir Dimitrion and my share…… I’ve become a fool in an instant!”

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