Chapter 38: At the Bottom of the Polluted Lake
With the help of the unfortunate and lucky goblin, the rare goblin, I called forth a worm.
The surface of the underground lake swelled, and enormous worms emerged. Only the parts protruding from the surface were about 10 meters long. They had no eyes, but their teeth, arranged in a 360-degree circular shape, resembled a tunneling shield machine. Honestly, it was disgusting. Their flabby bodies and everything about them were physically repulsive.
"Wow... Worms are cute, aren't they? I've never seen them before."
Why is it that in another world, things that are gross and cute go hand in hand? I glanced at Katarina-san and she sighed, shaking her head. That's good. It seems like not everyone has a taste for grotesque things.
I asked one of the worms to come closer, and it crawled towards us while scraping its body against the ground.
"I have remembered the process of regenerating my body."
The worm moved while regenerating its scraped body. It must not have any sense of pain, but it wasn't pleasant to watch.
Appearance aside, the worms' abilities are useful for us. If possible, I would like to control them, but apparently, I cannot override their control. Therefore, reluctantly, truly reluctantly, I ended up controlling the worms indirectly by using the rare goblin.
Afterward, while everyone was conducting the surrounding investigation, I completed the contract with the Goblin King and the Griffin.
"Summon! König Flügel!" I summoned two beings.
[Rank] A
[Name] König
[Species] Goblin King
[Age] 15
[Status] Contracted
[Level] 70
[Stamina] 6,985
[Mana] 1,982
[Attack] 6,947
[Durability] 6,965
[Agility] 6,466
[Intelligence] 394
[Skills] Demon Enhancement, Intimidation, Command, Magic Resistance, Physical Resistance, Earth Magic [Advanced]
[Rank] A
[Name] Flügel
[Species] Griffin
[Age] 25
[Status] Contracted
[Level] 70
[Stamina] 12,985
[Mana] 9,982
[Attack] 12,947
[Durability] 12,965
[Agility] 12,466
[Intelligence] 9,430
[Skills] Flight, Wind Magic [Advanced], Intimidation, Acceleration, Poison Claw, Strong Arms, Magic Resistance, Physical Resistance
"Both of you, do you know where this tunnel leads?"
"Of course, master. This tunnel leads to the capital city of Astraea, Centrea."
König replied, kneeling on one knee. As I thought. I need to inform Celestina as soon as possible.
"Your Highness! There are spirits residing in this underground lake. You might be able to make a contract with them."
Oh, there are spirits here. Spirit magic can only be used by forming individual contracts with spirits. As it is now, my skills are going to waste. I wonder if the spirits in the underground lake are earth spirits or water spirits?
Searching for spirits by the shore of the underground lake. Unable to find any, I decided to touch the surface of the lake and faintly sensed the wave of a spirit. For the time being, I decided to dive into the lake.
Since my body was enhanced, I could easily hold my breath for about 30 minutes without any problem. As I swam vigorously like a fish, I could hear something resembling the voice of a spirit.
"...Help...help..."
I swam towards the direction where the voice was coming from.
"...Help...don't want to disappear..."
This time, I heard it clearly. It was a voice seeking help.
Following the voice, I headed towards the bottom of the lake. The waves of the spirit became visible. They were so weak that one wouldn't notice unless paying attention.
At the lake bottom, there was a large stone, and the voice and waves could be heard coming from the crevices of that stone.
I landed on the lake bottom and gently lifted the stone. There was a teardrop-shaped, semi-transparent entity trembling and shaking. It was the size of a thumb and seemed like it could vanish at any moment.
"Help...I don't want to disappear..."
It had become nothing more than a mere core, uttering the same words like a muttering.
I carefully wrapped it in my hands, ensuring not to crush it, and emerged from the lake.
Sara and Sylphy rushed over.
"My lord, how was it?"
I showed them the protected spirit core without saying a word. Sara's expression clouded at the sight of the spirit that seemed to vanish any moment.
"This is terrible...Salamander!"
Sara called forth the fire spirit. It was only natural to ask the spirits themselves about the spirits.
"Sara, when they become this weakened, they can no longer maintain their existence as spirits. It's unfortunate, but it's too late."
Salamander emitted a wave that seemed filled with sorrow.
Sylphy also summoned Sylphide and asked, but they came to the same conclusion.
Even if they wanted to help, there was nothing they could do for spirits of a different attribute.
"How can we restore the power of the water spirit?"
"Normally, we would need pure, untainted water, but the water in this lake has been contaminated by demons. However, if the spirit leaves the lake in this state, it won't last five minutes."
As Salamander said, the water in this lake was polluted and unusable. However, we couldn't move from here either. Damn it, we're completely stuck. Wait... hold on, maybe...
I took out a water bottle from my backpack and poured holy water over the spirit core. It was the most sacred water imaginable. It's bound to have an effect.
As soon as the divine water was poured, the spirit core started shining in blue. The radiance kept increasing, and the entire underground space was engulfed in light.
Eventually, as the light gradually converged, a beautiful girl with transparent aqua-colored hair and eyes stood there.
"...Yo-you're a Water Great Spirit..."
"I'm surprised... What did you do, Kakeru?"
Salamander and Sylphid were astonished and dumbfounded.
The beautiful girl, the Water Great Spirit, who had been staring at me, spoke.
"Thank you for saving me, dear brother."
"...Huh? No, I don't have a sister like you!? I'm an only child, by the way."
To my bewildered response, the Water Great Spirit (sister?) smiled sweetly.
"When reconstructing my body, I incorporated a part of your body, dear brother. Therefore, we are like family. Or perhaps... should I call you father?"
"No, that's a bit... okay, let's stick with dear brother! Hmm, I feel kind of complicated."
"No need to worry, dear brother. We can still get married as siblings."
"I'm not worried about that!?"
Somehow, women in this world are quite assertive. Not that I'm complaining or anything.
"...Dear brother."
"What's wrong?"
"Please give me a name."
"A name, huh... something related to water would be nice... Alright, your name shall be Mizuha."
"Mizuha... It's a very nice name. Thank you, dear brother."
That's good. I'm glad she seems to like it.
"Oh, by the way, Mizuha, I have a favor to ask. Would you contract with me as a spirit?"
"...Dear brother! We don't need such a formal contract. You and I are already connected by soul."
Mizuha shouted angrily, her cheeks puffed.
"Huh, is that so? Then, I guess that means I can use spirit magic now."
"No, dear brother. You can not only use mundane spirit magic but actually manipulate the spirits themselves."
"Oh... I don't quite understand, but it seems amazing. By the way, what can Mizuha do?"
"Hehehe, if it's you, dear brother, then allow me to show you a glimpse of my power. Water purification!"
The underground lake begins to shimmer. Through the power of the Great Spirit, the polluted water is instantly purified.
"Ah... wait a moment, Mizuha--"
I hurriedly try to stop her, but it was too late...
"Gyaaaahhh!"
From the lake, worm-like creatures crawl out, emitting voiceless screams. Their skin melts and it's gross, really gross... Ugh. Well, I guess that's how it goes.
"...Dear brother, may I eliminate these ugly creatures?"
"I understand how you feel, but they are insects with a purpose, so please don't erase them."
"...Hey, Sera. Who is this man called Kakeru? I've never heard of a contract between a Great Spirit and a soul."
Sarah, the fiery spirit of fire, widens her eyes in astonishment.
"Yes, you are amazing. I also want to be bonded with you soon through our souls."
"Indeed, Kakeru is interesting, Silphy. He's the only human I'm interested in..."
Silphy gazes at the black-haired person from another world with intense eyes.
"Yes, of course. After all, he is the one we have chosen."
In the distance, the investigation team returns. We've gained reliable allies, so I need to introduce everyone.
***
Status at the end of Chapter 38:
[Name] Kakeru Watanohara (Male)
[Race] Human
[Age] 17
[Status] Free Citizen
[Occupation] Adventurer (Rank B)
[Condition] Good
[Level] 70
[Strength] 8423
[Magic Power] 35952
[Attack Power] 8423
[Durability] 8423
[Agility] 8423
[Intelligence] 35952
[Luck] 90
[Skills] Instant Memory, Sketchbook
[Divine Blessings] Death God's Blessing, Great Spirit's Blessing