🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 6: Different From His Memories (1)
Spirits had a strict hierarchy.
Lower spirits could never go against higher spirits.
Once a spirit became a Spirit King, no spirit could easily disobey its will.
This was true even for spirits of different elements.
The authority wasn’t as absolute as it was over spirits of the same element, but they were still expected to obey to some extent.
This hierarchy also applied to Spirit Contractors.
The Otherworld Covenant became popular because of this unique system.
In front of a Spirit King’s authority, lower-ranked Spirit Contractors couldn’t even stand properly.
When the protagonist became angry, they would fall to their knees, become unable to move, and even struggle to breathe.
That didn’t mean Spirit Kings were weak against people who weren’t Spirit Contractors.
Their authority was less effective on ordinary people, but they were still far from weak.
After all, a spirit king was a legendary transcendent being.
Defeating someone backed by such a being was no easy task.
Unlike other transcendent beings, a Spirit King’s authority also extended to blood relatives recognized by the contractor.
Because of that, families who had contracts with Spirit Kings naturally became powerful on Earth.
Eugene belonged to the family contracted with the Water Spirit King.
The only time the protagonist ever lost was when he fought his rival, Lee Shin.
Since Lee Shin also came from a Spirit King family, the spirit hierarchy didn’t affect him.
On top of that, Lee Shin had once been famous as a martial arts and magic prodigy.
Without relying on a Spirit King’s authority, it was almost impossible for Eugene to surpass him.
Everything changed after graduation, when both of them made contracts with Spirit Kings.
Although both succeeded, their relationships with their Spirit Kings were completely different.
The Water Spirit King valued purity, justice, and kindness.
To him, Eugene was a contractor worthy of receiving his full power.
The Fire Spirit King valued ambition, domination, and the law of the strong.
To him, Lee Shin was an unsatisfactory contractor.
Despite possessing great power, Lee Shin allowed himself to be controlled by his family.
He also insisted on protecting his weak younger sister, whom the Fire Spirit King believed deserved to die.
Although Lee Shin had an excellent body and extraordinary soul power, his personality was exactly the type the Fire Spirit King hated most.
The Fire Spirit King wondered if Lee Shin would become stronger without his sister holding him back.
So he ordered another contractor to burn Lee Shin’s sister to death.
That was the event that caused Lee Shin to fall into darkness in the webtoon.
He destroyed his own family and eventually became the final villain.
“This bastard deserves to be treated by the same law of the strong he believes in.”
As Lee Shin sorted through Jinwoo’s memories, he gritted his teeth in anger.
He hated the Fire Spirit King’s actions.
Once he made a contract with the Divine Fire Spirit, he planned to get rid of him.
“Mm…”
“Big brother…?”
“Go back to sleep.”
Lee Shin calmed his aura and comforted his younger sister, who had just woken up.
His gentle touch was completely different from the cold expression on his face.
Lee Rin quickly fell asleep again.
Lee Shin quietly looked at her sleeping face.
She was tiny.
Although she was already nine years old, she looked much younger.
She was precious.
More precious than anything.
When he recovered his memories and realized that his life had been shaped by the webtoon and the game, he had questioned himself.
Did he truly love his sister?
Or was it simply because of the story’s settings?
Had joining the family and putting a leash around his own neck really been his own choice?
He didn’t think about it for long.
Whether it was fate or a story’s setting didn’t matter.
One thing was certain.
He wanted to protect his sister.
Even after recovering his memories, that feeling hadn’t changed.
He had decided to escape the role of Eugene’s rival.
But he would never give up the role of protecting his sister.
That was his own choice.
Not something forced by the story.
I’ll continue with the Spirit contract as planned…
Lee Shin placed a notebook filled with coded plans on the bedside table and turned off the lamp.
As he lay down, a small warm body quietly snuggled into his arms.
It was such a fragile warmth that it felt as though it could disappear at any moment.
He carefully hugged her and slowly drifted to sleep.
Please… let me keep this warmth for a long time.
***
As usual, Lee Shin woke up early and began training.
Training in a place completely free of spiritual energy wasn’t bad.
It allowed him to focus entirely on strengthening his body.
After showering, he enjoyed a simple breakfast with coffee.
Normally, he would already be busy preparing for his Spirit contract.
Instead, he had postponed his schedule because there were other things to prepare first.
He was about to contact Ban Jung-hoon to check on the tasks he had assigned.
Then he remembered.
He had left behind every item that used Soul Power before coming here.
If everything’s finished, he’ll come on his own.
He pushed complicated matters aside and quietly enjoyed his free time.
Once he made a contract with a Divine Spirit and took over the family, he would be busy for a long time.
He needed moments like this.
“Big brother…”
“You’re awake?”
“Mhm.”
Lee Rin walked out of her room, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her tiny hands.
Lee Shin’s expression immediately softened.
If Ban Jung-hoon had seen him, he would never have believed it.
“Big brother, you’re not going out today?”
“No.”
“I won’t leave until Ban Jung-hoon finishes what I asked him to do.”
“Yay!”
Lee Rin happily ran toward him.
Lee Shin easily caught her as she threw herself into his arms.
“Be careful.”
“You’ll get hurt.”
“Okay.”
“Hehe.”
She rubbed her face against him affectionately.
As Lee Shin gently patted her head, his hand paused.
She looked five or six years younger than children her age.
Maybe it was because she had spent her whole life inside a place where soul power was blocked.
She was far too small.
She looked so fragile that he worried she might break.
Still… there is a way to fix it.
Not yet.
But once the Lost World appeared, there would be a way for people without soul power to live freely.
They only had to hold on until then.
I’m glad this is Hard Mode.
In the webtoon, Lee Rin spent her entire life trapped inside this special room.
She never saw the outside world.
Then she died in a fire that burned down the house.
After that, Lee Shin completely fell into darkness.
Before her death, he had only been the protagonist’s rival and a possible future ally.
Afterward, he became a true villain.
An enemy who could never walk the same path as the righteous protagonist.
That was also true in Normal Mode.
There, Eugene was the protagonist, while Lee Shin was both his rival and the final boss.
Lee Rin’s death was fixed.
Without it, Lee Shin would never become the final boss.
Hard Mode was different.
Here, Lee Shin was the protagonist.
Changing the story was difficult.
But not impossible.
I will save you.
No matter what.
Lee Shin silently made that promise as he hugged his sister more tightly.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts.
“Ugh… this place always feels awful.”
Ban Jung-hoon had arrived.
Every time he entered this area where Soul Power was blocked, his own Soul Power was suppressed.
The feeling was so unpleasant that he shivered.
“You’re here already?”
“Yeah.”
“I came.”
Someone spent all night changing schedules and running around…
Meanwhile, this guy looks completely relaxed.
Ban Jung-hoon gritted his teeth in annoyance.
“…Every time I come here, I think the same thing.”
“This place doesn’t feel like a home.”
“It feels like a museum.”
He looked around before sitting on the sofa across from Lee Shin.
The house looked like an ordinary family home from before the Great Catastrophe.
There were no tools powered by Soul Power.
It barely felt like anyone lived there.
It really did resemble a museum recreating life in the early 2000s.
Does it?
Lee Shin slowly looked around.
It was exactly the kind of house that existed in Jinwoo’s memories.
It certainly looked unusual now.
Homes powered by electricity and gas instead of Soul Power no longer existed.
“Hi, Rin.”
Ban Jung-hoon smiled kindly at Lee Rin.
She quickly hid behind Lee Shin and secretly peeked at him.
She looked so adorable that Ban Jung-hoon almost grabbed his chest.
Unlike Lee Shin, she had a soft, round face.
And now she was nervously peeking at him.
“What are you doing?”
“She’s adorable.”
The words slipped out before he realized it.
He smiled brightly.
Startled, Lee Rin hid completely behind her brother.
I didn’t even do anything…
I only smiled.
Feeling unexpectedly hurt, Ban Jung-hoon looked toward where she was hiding with teary eyes.
“Stop staring.”
“Sorry.”
“My fault.”
People usually say I’m pretty handsome…
Why do these siblings treat me like this?
Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
“Come inside.”
As Lee Shin walked away, Lee Rin instinctively grabbed the edge of his shirt.
“I’m not going anywhere today.”
“You don’t have to worry.”
“…Really?”
“Really.”
Lee Rin smiled brightly and let go.
Lee Shin patted her head before entering his room.
Ban Jung-hoon quietly followed.
“How did the things I asked for go?”
The moment the door closed, Lee Shin got straight to the point.
After swallowing his complaints, Ban Jung-hoon answered.
“I postponed our entry into the Spirit Realm Gate by one month.”
“The chairwoman found out.”
“You’ll probably hear from her soon.”
“That’s fine.”
“I expected her to find out.”
“I’ve already prepared a way to deal with it.”
Of course you have.
Ban Jung-hoon simply accepted it and continued.
“You remember the item you mentioned?”
“We bought a factory.”
“Our engineers are making it according to your design.”
On the way home after graduation yesterday, Lee Shin had given Ban Jung-hoon several instructions based on his game knowledge.
This item was one of them.
“Make sure to patent it.”
“I will.”
“But is it really that valuable?”
“To me, it just looks like a waste of Spirit Stones.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Once we return from the Spirit Realm, its value will completely change.”
A confident smile appeared on Lee Shin’s face.
Ban Jung-hoon frowned for a moment before sighing.
“Also…”
“I requested permission from Canada to use their gate.”
“They’re demanding a lot in return.”
“We don’t have to accept everything.”
“Don’t let them think we’re desperate.”
“Use whatever influence we have to pressure them.”
“That’s what I planned.”
“But they’re asking for way too much.”
“What exactly do they want?”
Even Ban Jung-hoon looked disgusted.
Lee Shin’s eyes turned cold.
“So…”
“So?”
“They want a one-million-dollar usage fee…”
“And priority access to any information or maps we discover in the Legendary area of the Spirit Realm.”
“And?”
Lee Shin didn’t think that was unreasonable.
One million dollars wasn’t a problem.
Sharing information about new areas wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t worth this reaction either.
Knowing about a place didn’t mean just anyone could go there.
“…A marriage alliance.”
“What?”
“Who?”
“With whom?”
“They said the Canadian side can decide who’s on their side.”
“They want someone from ours.”
“So?”
“Then let’s marry off Lee Min-ho.”
Lee Shin shrugged.
To him, it sounded like no big deal.
Ban Jung-hoon hurriedly corrected him.
“No.”
“The Canadian side chooses one of their people.”
“The person from our side…”
“They specifically mentioned either you…”
“…or Rin.”
“You bastards…”
“How dare they even think about her!”
The Canadians couldn’t even use their own Legendary Gate because they lacked qualified people.
Yet they dared to make demands like this.
Flames burst from Lee Shin’s eyes.
Literally.
Not figuratively.
I’d better not mention that they also offered to build a huge Soul-Power-free mansion for Rin.
Even the special room began trembling under Lee Shin’s anger.
Ban Jung-hoon quickly changed the subject.
“It looks like Canada wants to build up its Spirit Contractors.”
“What if we use that as leverage?”
“Then we can ignore these ridiculous demands.”
“Right?”
Little by little, Lee Shin calmed down.
The room stabilized as well.
Just as Ban Jung-hoon sighed in relief—
“That’s not enough.”
Lee Shin’s cold voice echoed through the room.
A chill ran down Ban Jung-hoon’s spine.
“Haha…”
“I—is that so?”
“Then… should we find another weakness?”
“Yes.”
“They seem desperate to profit from that unused gate.”
“Maybe we should give them exactly what they want.”
Ban Jung-hoon had only been trying to lighten the mood.
He hadn’t expected Lee Shin to answer seriously.
“So.”
“Who did they recommend?”
“They suggested the Ines Guild.”
“They said they have young people around your age… and Rin’s…”
The moment he almost mentioned Rin again, Lee Shin’s eyes turned sharp.
Ban Jung-hoon immediately changed his wording.
“Wait.”
“Hm?”
“Wasn’t the Ines Guild one of Canada’s Five Great Guilds?”
“Y-yeah.”
“It is.”
“But why?”
Relieved that the question wasn’t anything serious, Ban Jung-hoon relaxed.
Meanwhile, Lee Shin sank into thought.
That’s strange…
According to Jinwoo’s memories, the Ines Guild was one of Canada’s Four Great Guilds.
It was the first time Jinwoo’s memories and Lee Shin’s own memories didn’t match.
