After hours of pushing through twisting vines and a fog that smelled faintly like burnt mana, the group finally found a clearing near a quiet stream. The merchant's caravan rolled to a stop, creaking softly as the beasts snorted steam.
"We'll camp here for the night," Elira announced, scanning the trees. "The corruption won't spread this far before dawn."
Zarek flopped down instantly, daggers buried in the dirt beside him. "Finally! My legs are killing me."
Seraphina sat gracefully on a rock, crossing her legs. "Some of us weren't meant for marching through mud."
[Advisor: Correction. Some of us weren't meant for existing without maintenance.]
"Advisor," I muttered, glaring at the air, "don't start."
Mimi, on the other hand, was busy trying to toast mushrooms over the campfire with mana. "Hehe, look! Sparkling mushrooms! Oh… oh no, it's melting!"
Zarek leaned closer, smirking. "That's not food, that's poison fungus."
Mimi's eyes widened. "Eh?!"
She screamed, tossed the glowing thing, and it hit Seraphina's robe, instantly turning the bottom edge neon pink.
"...Mimi," Seraphina said, voice dangerously calm, "you have five seconds to run."
"I'm sorryyyyy!"
Mimi sprinted behind me and hid, clutching my cloak like a terrified kitten. I sighed. "Guys, we're supposed to be a team, not a traveling circus."
[Advisor: Correction. You're both.]
---
There was silence between the group.
The fire crackled. Despite the chaos, the night grew quiet and warm. Crickets sang somewhere nearby, and faint wisps of mana drifted over the water like fireflies.
Elira sat beside me, her blade laid across her knees. "You handled yourself well today, Yuto. The spirit transformation was… unexpected."
"Yeah. It's something that happens when I'm about to die," I admitted. "Guess I should be careful not to rely on it too much."
Lyra smiled from across the fire. "It's still beautiful. When you changed, I could feel the mana shift. Like the forest itself paused to listen."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "That's… poetic. Thanks, I think."
[Advisor: Translation ; she's either impressed or planning to dissect you later. Hard to tell with humans.]
Zarek chuckled. "Well, if you can glow like that, you're officially our light source."
Mimi, still hugging my arm, nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Shiny Yuto!"
Seraphina rolled her eyes. "Let's focus. That corrupted energy wasn't natural. I've read about such concentration of spirit miasma it's usually from a fallen core."
The campfire dimmed slightly as everyone turned to her.
"Fallen core?" I asked.
Elira nodded. "A spirit that lost its purpose. When their soul twists, they leak corruption and infect everything nearby. If one's inside this forest…"
Lyra's eyes flickered with unease. "Then this entire region could fall apart."
[Advisor: Wonderful. From escort quest to apocalyptic cleanup. Your luck is truly something, Yuto.]
"Don't jinx it," I muttered.
---
Later that Night
The others slept, or at least pretended to. I stayed by the fire, staring at my hand, the faint blue light beneath my skin still pulsing like a heartbeat.
I whispered, "Hey, Advisor. That thing earlier… when I absorbed corruption… my mana felt different. Heavier."
[Advisor: Observation confirmed. You've begun partial Spirit Resonance. Your core adapts faster than expected. Probability of mutation: 17%.]
"Mutation?"
[Advisor: Potential benefits include improved mana capacity, regeneration, and… other untested results.]
"Untested?"
[Advisor: If I told you everything, it wouldn't be suspenseful.]
"...I hate you sometimes."
[Advisor: You love me. Admit it.]
I chuckled quietly. "Shut up."
A sound made me turn, Lyra stood behind me, holding two cups of warm tea. "You're still awake."
"Couldn't sleep. You?"
She smiled faintly, sitting beside me and handing me a cup. "I wanted to thank you. The caravaners said without your light, they'd have been eaten before we reached this far."
I took a sip. "It's nothing. Just doing my part."
Lyra looked at the fire, her expression soft. "You know, when I joined the guild, I thought adventuring was about fame and gold. But traveling with you all… it feels like something else."
"Like insanity?"
She laughed lightly. "Exactly."
The fire reflected in her eyes. She leaned closer, her hair brushing my shoulder. For a moment, the world felt calm..until.
Crash!
A sudden burst of light came from Mimi's tent. "Yuto! Help! My mana crystal exploded!"
Zarek shouted, "Why are you sleeping with a mana crystal?!"
Mimi's muffled voice replied, "It glows at night!"
Seraphina groaned. "I am this close to burning her tent down."
Lyra sighed, trying not to laugh. "Peaceful night, huh?"
[Advisor: Correction. Never peaceful. Especially with your luck magnet party.]
---
The Next Morning
We resumed travel at dawn, mist curling through the trees like ghosts. The forest seemed alive, whispering with faint voices.
"Yuto," Elira said suddenly, eyes narrowing, "do you hear that?"
I paused. The whisper wasn't from the wind, it came from below.
[Advisor: Detection; Mana disturbance detected. Source: Subterranean spirit signature.]
Before I could react, the ground trembled.
The caravan shook violently. One of the beasts roared and bolted, the wagon lurching sideways.
Zarek jumped to grab the reins while Seraphina raised a barrier spell. Roots ripped from the earth, glowing with purple-black veins.
A massive creature emerged, half-tree, half-beast. Its body dripped black sap, and dozens of pale eyes opened across its bark.
Mimi screamed. "It's a moving tree!"
Lyra's voice trembled. "No… that's a Corrupted Spirit Guardian! They're supposed to protect sacred forests, how did it twist like this?!"
[Advisor: Excellent. You're fighting a divine tree monster in the middle of breakfast. Truly, peak adventuring experience.]
"Focus, Advisor!" I shouted.
---
The corrupted guardian raised an arm made of thorned roots and slammed it down. I barely dodged, the impact shaking the ground.
"Zarek, flank it!" I called.
"Already on it!"
He dashed up a fallen log, slicing at the beast's limbs. Seraphina fired bursts of purple energy from her staff, each explosion splintering bark. Elira moved like lightning, cutting open weak spots.
"Lyra!" I yelled. "Barrier support!"
"On it!" She raised her staff, golden circles forming in the air around us.
I focused, mana swirling inside me. I can't just stay defensive anymore.
I called out, "Spirit Core, Partial Release!"
Light erupted from me, covering my right arm and shoulder with luminous energy patterns. My hair glowed faintly blue.
[Advisor: Warning. Partial spirit manifestation active. Duration: 2 minutes.]
"More than enough!"
I shot forward, slamming my glowing fist into the creature's trunk. The impact sent mana waves crackling through its body. Corruption hissed and recoiled.
HP: 300 → 250
MP: 460 → 380
New Skill Triggered — "Spirit Resonance: Phase I"
Effect: Amplifies spirit-related damage and regeneration by 25%.
The guardian screeched, black mist leaking from its wounds.
"Now, everyone, together!" I shouted.
The team moved in unison, magic and steel flashing. Lyra's light burst from the ground, purifying waves surging upward. Elira's blade cut deep, Zarek drove both daggers in, and Seraphina fired her strongest spell yet "Celestial Burst!"
The explosion lit up the entire forest.
When the dust cleared, the guardian stood trembling… then slowly, peacefully, crumbled into ash.
---
Silence followed.
The air cleared, light filtering back through the leaves.
Zarek panted. "We… actually did it."
Mimi cheered. "We're alive!"
Seraphina smirked. "Barely."
Elira walked toward the fallen ashes. "Yuto… you purified it. Not killed, it's resting."
I blinked. "Resting?"
Lyra smiled softly. "You released its corrupted soul. The forest's mana feels… lighter."
A gentle wind blew through the clearing. The corrupted air faded, replaced by faint green sparkles of pure mana.
Quest Complete "Purge the Corrupted Grove"
Reward: +800 EXP, +3 Levels
Bonus Reward: Spirit Affinity Increased
New Passive: Spirit Purification (Minor) Corruption damage reduced by 30%.
[Advisor: Congratulations, hero. You've turned mass murder into environmental restoration. Truly inspirational.]
I smiled. "Guess I'm just that good."
---
As the others packed up, Lyra tugged on my sleeve. "Yuto… there's something you should see."
From the ashes, a faint light flickered , an orb, smaller than my core, floating weakly.
It pulsed once, then whispered faintly in my mind.
> "...Core… successor…"
Then it vanished into me, merging with my spirit.
[Hidden Notification: Body Evolution Pending (...%)]
[Advisor: Oh. Oh no. This will be fun.]
****
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