"You seeing this, brother?"
Just as the phoenix collided with Soobin, a torrent of information surged into his mind. And after that moment, his senses heightened, his hearing improved—the whistling of the wind, the quiet breaths of the crowd—and his vision became razor‐sharp. It was as if the spirit inside him was examining every memory, every hidden corner of his soul. He felt utterly exposed, as if that inner force were absorbing every detail of who he was.
Then, almost instinctively, a sudden burst of glittering blue spirit energy exploded from Soobin's body. The energy moved of its own accord—yet Soobin somehow instinctively knew what it sought to do—and how to let it flow. In one controlled act, he released waves of shimmering, blue energy that flooded the entire stadium—but curiously, they were targeted at one particular figure in the stands.
Standing in the center of the colosseum, Soobin fixed his gaze on that person, a knowing smirk curling his lips.
Up in the Golden Zone booth, Jinsoo observed the spectacle with amusement. "Interesting… what a nice little present, huh," he murmured.
Meanwhile, Kai—ever cold and reserved—watched silently, his eyes locked on Soobin from behind a shield of red aura that flickered around him.
Then the announcer's voice boomed:
"This is history in the making! Two Platinum-ranked spirits in one day, one with the highest recorded points in history!! This is going to break news all over the world!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as the blue energy gradually faded. Soobin staggered for a moment, "Ahh…" before regaining his balance. The pounding headache that had accompanied his awakening dissipated, replaced by a clarity that made every detail in the arena vivid. He glanced down at his hand—the intricate phoenix tattoo now glowed an intense blue—and the jacket gifted by Hyunmoo and Soyeon shimmered with glowing blue strips, clear evidence of his transformed state.. Just as he was stretching a bit, "TING"
A flash of his Status Window appeared before his eyes:
[ Quest: Form a Contract with a Spirit ]
Rewards: 500 EXP, +4 Status Points
[ COMPLETE !!] [Accept Rewards ✓]
Soobin smirked softly. "Ah, the quest… I'll accept it later. Let's head to the stands first." With that, he closed the window and made his way back among the cheering crowd near Taehyun and the others.
" 2 platinum ranks seriously? Korea is in good hands.... wife lets celebrate with some wine today, i feel like crying... " omo.... control yourself... ah these young kids... hope they grow up well, this grandmas blessings are with you" a elderly couple in the audience commented...
" Yaaaaaa... did you see our cutie Taehyunie face when he falling down?? so cute" " oh realllly... how can he be so perfect even at such a position.omo omo". Fans of Taehyun also were talking while seeing pictures of Taehyun they took. " Jisoo also looks elegant too, i took a few of hers as well.." Looking at soobin walking back " btw who is that Shin Soobin? he seemed to be friend with our Taehyunie..? a platinum rank too... our Tyun has such nice friends?" " not only that but just look at his face? hes a looker for real daebakkk. Its just a time till ESN forums will be filled with him" " crazy, he has such an innocent yet sexy vibe.." Soobin was also being noticed and mentioned a lot. ESN short for Esreal Spirit Network was the biggest community site or app in this world. Heroes informations, dungeon informations, spirit energy and Luminaries. Luminary is the term used to describe students in the different academies who aspire to become heroes in future. The app and site is used by both heroes ,Luminaries, their fans, guilds, reporters and the official Korean Hero Association too.
Soon, Soobin joined his friends Taehyun, Jiho, and Jisoo near their booth. " Are u serious Shin SoobIn???? a platinum rank??? arent you too much? wow look at this celebrity here.." taehyun mocked but was overjoyed... "
" ahhh... what are u saying... " Soobin, slightly bashful, pushed him back with a gentle smile.
"But still…I'm happy for you, man."
"Thanks…" Soobin replied warmly. "Congratulations, Soobin—you legit got the highest score in the world."
Jiho added. "Thank you, i just dont know how to take it in... besides there were few others in history who got over 100k too.."
"Don't be too humble," Jiho teased.
"Just how big the numbers are, the amount of eyes in you will also increase... so be careful.." Jisoo added in a serious tone.
"hmm"
A group of excited luminaries nearby—students who would one day become heroes—chattered:
"Wow, look at that group! Isn't it stacked?"
"How is the platinum newbie in the same group? God, it's so unfair…"
"Isn't Kim Jisoo beautiful? A goddess indeed!"
Amid all the banter, Taehyun with told with one hand up already walking away not even facing them.. " Me and Soob are off to our booth then.. ".
Soobin just looked at him with a irritated smile and said his goodbyes to Jiho and Jisoo.. "You both are going to the golden zone booth right? bye then, it was nice to meet you all after a long time, " ..
"Bye…" they echoed softly.
"Soobin, that guy , i almost forgot about him since that day.....btw Jiho, did you tell Taehyun about father sponsoring you?"
"..hmm... uh.. no.. i kept it a secret since Jinsooshi told me to keep it a secret for now"
" huh then how did Soobin know that we were going to the golden zone booth?" Jisoo added...
"uhhh... maybe he guessed just?".. Jiho replied confused....
"i guess" Jinsoo looked front again... not thinking much of it.