Chapter 74: This is the Only Method I Know
I gaze at the water basin while holding a cup of coffee.
The archer keeps his distance from the man who rolls on the ground, clutching his stomach after jumping out from behind a tree. The Black Spirit is returning to the rolling man.
Once a spirit has obtained a vessel (body), it can no longer maintain its power without one. Now, having been repelled by the archer, it is returning to the severely injured but still alive man.
Um, how do you defeat a Black Spirit? I’ve been contracting with spirits left and right, and now that I think about it, I don’t know any other methods. I’m pretty sure I can defeat spirits with a Spirit Weapon, but what do I do about one that’s possessing a person?
…
The archer is drawing his bow taut, aiming at the man. Could it be that he plans to take down the vessel (man) itself? If it’s a Demon Beast, I could take it down too, and I’m sure Dean and the others could handle it with regular weapons.
Is that it? The Black Spirit, sensing imminent danger to its life, might try to escape into a nearby Demon Beast—something like that? He shot!
This is the first time I’ve seen someone die or be killed. I already know that in this world, human lives are cheap and violence is a part of daily life. Death is alarmingly close to everyday existence.
Even so, my heart is racing, and I find myself staring blankly at the water basin.
Feeling the rapid beating of my heart in the blood vessels around my temples, I try to calm myself.
Normally, spirits are invisible and intangible to humans, but if they’re inside a vessel, it’s a different story. If you injure the vessel, the spirit inside will also be harmed.
It’s possible to defeat a spirit without a vessel using a Spirit Weapon. Otherwise, you could use magic to obliterate it.
Archer! You have a Spirit Weapon, don’t you? Why didn’t you attack when the Black Spirit appeared!?
As I fume, a man who seems to have heard the commotion rushes over, startled by the sight of the fallen man.
The man who arrived appears to know the fallen one—perhaps a fellow adventurer who participated in the hunt? He clings to the fallen man, shouting something loudly.
The Black Spirit shifts from the fallen man to the man who rushed over. It looks visibly weakened, but this time it enters the man’s body without being repelled.
The archer lowers his bow. The man possessed by the Black Spirit is gesturing wildly, excitedly talking about something. In contrast, the archer looks directly at him, speaking calmly.
Ah, he can’t see the spirit. If it had completely taken over, the area around his eyes would be blackened and rotting, making it obvious. But in this half-taken state, it’s hard to tell if he can see the spirit.
There are various abilities to see spirits. Some see them as a colored mist, others can only see spirits of a specific attribute, some can only see spirits closely related to them, and some can only see stronger spirits, or the opposite.
Though I’ve never seen it before, I can see the spirit trying to take over the man’s body. Considering Yukihyo and the Demon Beasts, I suppose if it fully takes over, it would become invisible.
When the man died, the Black Spirit was almost entirely inside him, but in this new possession, it’s protruding halfway out from the man’s chest.
I wonder if either of the remaining Gold Rank members can see it? But then again, a spirit inside a person seems like a high difficulty level… If they could see it, they would have isolated it from the start. What about this half-in, half-out state?
Hmm. I don’t intend to take responsibility for everything happening, nor do I want to solve it, but I know that this situation can be easily resolved.
Alright, time to disguise myself.
What I need: a large hooded robe and high-heeled boots like cowboy boots. That’s it.
“Could it be a Shadow Spirit and a Light Spirit? Can you darken the shadow falling on my face a bit so I won’t be seen from the outside?”
I don the robe, pulling the hood low over my face and call out to the spirits.
The area above my nose in the mirror becomes so dark it’s indistinguishable, as if a strong light is shining on it. —No, it’s not just like that; it’s actually happening. A little adjustment.
Even with the height boost from the boots, the hem of the robe still touches the ground. Alright, I should look at least four centimeters taller than Ash. No, I’d rather float.
“Can you lift me about ten centimeters off the ground?”
My body gently rises, yet remains stable. It’s worth saying, I don’t need the boots anymore.
“Also, make sure the hood doesn’t fall off and my legs aren’t visible from the hem—do it in a way other than hanging from the hood.”
It’s becoming quite amusing in appearance, so I adjust again.
Alright, now I’m a tall man cloaked in a black robe. I feel like my overall evaluation is suspicious, but I won’t worry about that.
Using 【転移】, I arrive in an open area near the campsite. I wonder if I can approach without being noticed? Well, it’s fine if I get noticed.
As I get closer to the campsite, a commotion breaks out.
“Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt you while you’re busy.”
“!?”
“Who are you!?”
“What are you!?”
Even if I introduce myself as Gene here, I doubt anyone other than Ash would recognize me. If I were to introduce myself by status, I’d say I’m a Copper Rank Adventurer, right?
Still, everyone is wearing similar colors. They should take a cue from Chris! Ah, but I’ve found him.
“Don’t mind me; I have business with what’s inside this man.”
I grab the head of the Black Spirit located in the man’s chest and start to pull it out.
Wait, did my fingers just go inside the man’s chest? He doesn’t seem to be injured, so it’s probably fine. Just my imagination, right?
“A Black Spirit!?”
The Prairie Dog, who is actually a big Gold Rank man, raises his Great Sword against me.
“Was he possessed? But the one acting strangely was this man…”
The Robe Woman points to the fallen man at the feet of the archer.
Ah, he’s alive.
“【治癒】”
“Ugh…”
As I heal him, the man seems to regain consciousness.
“What!?”
The surrounding crowd is now shocked as they look at the man at their feet.
“Recovering from that state…? Who on earth are you? And what about those spirits—”
Amidst the astonishment, a voice filled with anger comes from the Robe Woman, who is a beautiful Gold Rank adventurer.
Ah, so she can see them after all. Normally, she wouldn’t have come close if I had asked her not to, but since I asked for help today, I let the spirits roam free.
As a result, they’re all following me! The spirits helping me adjust my robe are hiding inside it!
“I don’t know where you picked him up, but the first one you brought was that man. Be careful.”
Sensing the atmosphere of shock around me, I say this and use 【転移】 to make my escape.
Ash and the others’ gazes felt painful, but I had the voice and sound spirits lower their volume a bit, so it should be fine! I shouldn’t have been noticed!
Oh, I still have the Black Spirit in my grasp.