“That magic you used just now… it’s a healing spell, right?”
While walking through the dungeon, Aldo asked this question, pondering why he had needed to see a doctor when magic could seemingly heal him immediately.
“Hmm? Well, to be precise, it’s a little different. It’s magic that heals damage from malevolent spirits. The phenomenon is called ‘spirit affliction.'”
“Spirit affliction…?”
“Yes. Did you know that malevolent spirits are viewed as akin to ordinary spirits?”
“Yes, I remember.”
Aldo recalled his master telling him about this.
Clara held up her index finger and resumed explaining.
“Malevolent spirits and regular spirits are different from humans. Humans have physical bodies, but malevolent spirits and spirits are called ‘spiritual entities’ and don’t have physical forms. Yet, they can interact with us. The damage caused by interacting with malevolent spirits is known as ‘spirit affliction.’ The magic I used earlier removes that affliction.”
“Uh… I see…”
Aldo’s head began to spin; he could barely grasp what Clara was saying.
“Just remember this: damage caused by things other than malevolent spirits can’t be healed with this magic.”
“Got it… Sorry, I didn’t really understand…”
With that conversation, they reached the dungeon’s deepest part, where the strongest malevolent spirit awaited.
“Now, Aldo, this is the real fight. The boss of this dungeon. Bound by a spirit, it can’t leave this floor, but it’s powerful.”
“If we defeat this spirit, that means the spirit is freed, right?”
“Yes. When this strongest malevolent spirit is defeated, the spirit won’t have to sacrifice itself as a seal anymore.”
With the dungeon-clear objective confirmed, Aldo and Clara found the strongest malevolent spirit—a blue-scaled, winged creature resembling a lizard known as the Blue Wyvern.
The wyvern roared loudly at Clara, showing its fangs as it prepared to lunge.
“Haa!”
Clara punched the wyvern square on its snout. The wyvern staggered, and Clara took advantage of the opening, launching into a somersault kick. With a spinning kick, she broke the wyvern’s left claws.
Clara’s overwhelming combat strength left no chance for the wyvern to counterattack.
“Graaaah!”
The wyvern let out an even louder roar, which pressured Clara, creating an opening for the wyvern to launch a fireball from its mouth.
“Ugh…”
Clara narrowly dodged the fireball.
“Phew… this thing’s tough.”
“Clara, should I help?”
“Hold on. You’d only be a burden here, Aldo. Leave this to me.”
Clara raised her thumb confidently, then leaped high, spun in mid-air, and drove her heel into the wyvern’s head.
“Gah…!”
The wyvern collapsed, hitting the ground with a thud. Its body slowly melted away, leaving behind a blue, sparkling gemstone.
“Whoa! This should sell for quite a bit,” Clara said, dancing in delight with the gemstone.
With the malevolent spirit defeated, the dungeon began to purify itself, and the remaining spirits vanished.
Then, a slender, white-furred beastfolk appeared on the floor, bearing a serene, ethereal aura.
“I am a spirit. Humans, thank you for defeating the malevolent spirit,” the spirit said, raising a hand toward Clara, filling her with a surge of energy.
“Whoa! What is this power?”
“I grant you this strength as a token of gratitude. You, come forward as well,” the spirit beckoned to Aldo, who approached. The spirit raised its hand over Aldo… but he felt no change.
“Hmm… this is unusual.”
“Um… Spirit…?”
“You don’t need to call me ‘Spirit.’ I am an entity that lives alongside humans. There is no hierarchy… By the way, may I know your name?”
“My name is Aldo.”
“Aldo… You’re not of this world, are you?”
“What?”
Both Aldo and Clara were shocked, exchanging looks. Though Aldo had lost his memories and didn’t know his origins, he couldn’t grasp what the spirit meant, as he’d lived here without any signs of difference.
“Apologies. To be precise… your body is indeed that of a human from this world. However, your spirit—your essence—is different. Specifically, it lacks the vessel needed to receive a spirit’s power, called ‘mana.’”
“The power of mana?”
“Yes. We spirits are spiritual entities, so our power depends on the spirit. When sharing power with a human, we lend it to their spirit vessel. But Aldo, your spirit lacks that vessel. This is unlike any resident of this world.”
Aldo couldn’t understand the spirit’s explanation about the nature of spirits, just as he hadn’t grasped Clara’s earlier explanation about spirit-related afflictions. Terms like “spiritual body” were completely lost on him.
“So, to put it simply, does that mean I can’t use the power of spirits?” he asked.
“Yes, exactly. The power of spirits, in other words, is supernatural—a form of magic.”
“Oh, no…” Aldo slumped his shoulders, disappointed. According to Clara, being a Digger meant it was only natural to use magic, but he lacked that ability. Going forward as a Digger would be tough without it.
“But don’t be so pessimistic,” the spirit continued. “It’s true that you can’t use spirit powers—magic—but that also means you can wear equipment imbued with dark spirit energy.”
“Equipment of dark spirits?”
“Indeed. Materials found in dungeons are transformed by dark spirit energy, and they can be crafted into equipment. However, these dark spirit-infused items drain spiritual mana from the user. When mana is depleted, the vessel of mana is destroyed, which leads to a broken spirit. Such individuals are left as hollow shells.”
Aldo nodded, feeling like he was beginning to understand the spirit’s explanation.
“However, Aldo, you lack the vessel that would be destroyed. In other words, you can wear dark spirit equipment without risking any mental damage. Do you understand?”
“Uh, yes. So, I’m the only one who can use dark spirit equipment without any drawbacks?”
“Precisely.”
Aldo began to understand his unique advantage, but Clara raised a question.
“Hold on, spirit. Dark spirit equipment certainly exists, but when the Digger Guild processes it, they neutralize its dangerous properties.”
“True. But neutralizing those properties weakens the power of the dark spirit. Wearing equipment stripped of that energy would be pointless.”
“Hmm…” Clara crossed her arms in thought.
“Honestly, I don’t know of anyone who’d craft dark spirit equipment without removing its mana-draining properties. The process is intricate, and mana-draining techniques are considered lost technology—ancient knowledge we’ve forgotten.”
“So, in the end, I’m just left without magic…” Aldo sighed, discouraged. But when he thought about it, it made sense. Equipment that only he could use effectively—who would go out of their way to make such a thing?
“Human curiosity knows no bounds,” the spirit replied. “Somewhere in the world, there might be someone making dark spirit equipment with mana-draining properties intact.”
The spirit’s vague words left Aldo unsure whether to feel hopeful or not.
“Now, I must take my leave. I have other dark spirits to seal. Farewell.”
With that, the beast-spirit vanished.
“He’s gone now. So, Aldo, what’s your next move?” Clara asked.
“Well… I guess I have no choice but to find someone who can make that special dark spirit equipment. Otherwise, I’ll be pretty useless in a fight.”
