“Don’t you want to make a contract with me? I like you.”
The water spirit smiled brightly as it spoke.
That sight was so lovely that he felt the urge to make it smile forever.
“I like you too. Let’s make a contract.”
At Lawrence’s answer, the water spirit held out its tiny, adorable hand.
Afraid that the little spirit might get hurt, Lawrence carefully took the water spirit’s hand.
The moment he held the water spirit’s hand, a cool and refreshing sensation spread through him.
His mood naturally brightened.
Then water that had appeared from somewhere without warning gently wrapped around Lawrence’s whole body and swirled.
Along with the refreshing sensation, new vitality welled up from his body, and the taut cord of tension that had been stretched tight slowly loosened.
It felt as if all the stress that had been pressing down on his head had been carried away on the wind.
At last, Lawrence realized that he was connected to the water spirit.
No, to be more precise, it could be said that two different souls had met, and a portion of them now overlapped like an intersection.
And Lawrence instinctively understood that the larger that intersection grew, the greater his bond with the water spirit would become.
“Ah, come to think of it, I haven’t even heard your name yet. What’s your name?”
When Lawrence spoke while holding out his hand, the water spirit gently settled onto his palm.
“Name? I’m a lowest-grade spirit, so I don’t have one.”
“You don’t have a name?”
Lawrence tilted his head and spoke.
“Then can I give you one?”
“You’ll give me a name? Really? Yes! I’d love that.”
Unable to contain its joy, the water spirit hopped up and down on Lawrence’s palm.
Lawrence wondered what he should name this adorable water spirit.
But no particular name came to mind.
‘I don’t have to give it a name from this place, do I?’
Lawrence decided to use the knowledge from his days living as Hyeon-seong to give the water spirit a name.
“I don’t have to name you in this world’s style, do I?”
“No! It doesn’t matter. If you like it, I like anything.”
“All right~ Give me a moment.”
After sinking briefly into thought, Lawrence’s eyes sparkled as if something had come to him, and he opened his mouth.
“Right, Malgeum! Let’s go with Malgeum. I think that name suits you best.”
“Malgeum? What does Malgeum mean?”
Curious about the word it was hearing for the first time, the water spirit tilted its head slightly and asked Lawrence.
As Lawrence looked at it, a gentle smile spread across his lips.
Because the sight of the water spirit blinking its large, doll-like eyes while lost in thought was simply too lovable.
If the highest form of cuteness existed in reality, would it not look exactly like this?
With a bright face, Lawrence explained to the water spirit.
“It’s a word that means clear and transparent, just like you.”
After hearing Lawrence’s explanation, the water spirit’s expression brightened radiantly.
When a brilliant smile spread across that transparent face as if flowers were blooming, Lawrence felt as though everything around him had grown bright.
“Malgeum. I like it. I love it. From now on, I’m Malgeum, Malgeum.”
The water spirit flew around Hyeon-seong in joy, circling him again and again.
[A contract has been formed with the water spirit ‘Malgeum’.]
A system message appeared before his eyes, and the changes were also displayed.
[Skill: ‘Friend of Spirits’ has been created. Mana slightly increases due to skill creation.]
His lower abdomen grew warm, and he felt a reassuring fullness there.
It was a pleasant sensation that came from his mana increasing.
‘Because Malgeum is linked to my mana and obtains energy from it, my body’s mana increased as compensation.’
At the same time, he could also feel that the more active the water spirit became, the more mana flowed out little by little from his mana circuit.
Lawrence checked the changed status window.
Name: Lawrence Romanov
Class: None
Level: 1
HP: 100
MP: 110
Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Agility: 4
Sense: 10
Skills: Mana Affinity.
```
Friend of Spirits.
```
A new skill called ‘Friend of Spirits’ had been created, and his mana had also increased by 10.
When he saw that his mana had increased, one thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Oh, right! I’m using the game interface. Things have been so hectic that I forgot. Then to get stronger, I’ll need to level up, won’t I?’
It was obvious, but in a game, hunting monsters was still the fastest and most effective way to grow stronger.
Lawrence realized what he needed to do first.
He would have to live a life completely different from the one he had known until now, but he was not particularly afraid or worried.
After all, in the end, the one who became the strongest in a game was the user.
This was not the game world, but as long as he had the cheat key called the interface, he was confident he could become stronger faster than anyone else.
‘Lawrence.’
He quietly repeated inwardly the name he would have to carry and live under from now on.
‘Let’s add my dream to your dream and set it off in spectacular fashion. Since two people’s dreams have been joined together, it ought to be at least that much, don’t you think?’
Lawrence’s eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.
Lawrence explained to his parents how he had met the water spirit and made a contract with it.
And after hearing the entire story, a blush rose on Adela’s face.
“R-Really? To think our son was chosen by a water spirit……. This mother of yours has never once doubted that you would become a remarkable person. I’m already grateful that you’ve risen like this, and now you’ve become a Spirit Master too. It’s truly something to be thankful and happy about.”
Tears welled in Adela’s eyes, overcome with joy.
Her face was filled with emotion and delight.
Like Adela, the surprise and joy Jason felt were also beyond words.
He simply could not close his open mouth and only let out short sounds of admiration.
In this world, Spirit Masters were that precious and rare.
Like a sparkling emerald oasis in a vast desert, only those with a high affinity for nature and the ability to commune with spirits could be chosen and receive a spirit’s blessing.
As far as Jason knew, to make a contract with a spirit, one needed a spirit stone and a magic circle capable of summoning a spirit from the Spirit Realm.
But the fact that Lawrence had contracted with a water spirit without any of those procedures shocked him greatly.
Jason had never heard of a case like this even once.
That was why, before hearing Lawrence’s explanation, he had found it hard to believe that Lawrence had contracted with a water spirit even though he had confirmed it with his own eyes.
But soon he had no choice but to accept it, and as if to calm his heart, which had grown heated from the emotion caused by such specialness, Jason drank the water the water spirit had cooled for him.
It was merely cold water, but it also tasted more special than water ever had before.
The cold water traveled down his esophagus and cooled the burning heat inside him.
At last, having calmed himself, Jason spoke in a gentle and warm tone.
“Lawrence, becoming a Spirit Master is a very joyful thing, but you still need to be careful with your body. For now, your health comes first above all else.”
In his opinion, Lawrence’s body was still no different from glass.
It might break quickly from even the slightest impact.
It was a happy thing that he had become a Spirit Master, but Jason first worried that his son might overexert himself because of this.
“Father, please don’t worry too much. I will never overdo it. Still, in order to recover my health, exercise is more important than anything else, so I’m thinking of starting within a range that won’t strain me. And since I’ll be exercising anyway, I’d like to learn the family’s swordsmanship.”
“Hmm. Will you give me a little time to think?”
Jason let out a low groan and rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger.
As if deep in thought, his thick brows furrowed slightly.
‘Does a Spirit Master really need to learn swordsmanship too? I heard ordinary Spirit Masters focus on training body and mind while increasing their affinity with spirits…….’
But there was also reason in Lawrence’s words.
Whether he was a Spirit Master or not, a healthy body was the foundation.
And in one corner of Jason’s heart, pride swelled.
In truth, Jason had thought the family’s swordsmanship would end in his generation.
He felt apologetic to his ancestors, but since Lawrence had been sick for a long time, he had considered it unavoidable.
In the midst of that, seeing Lawrence not only become a Spirit Master but also say that he wanted to learn the family’s swordsmanship made him feel so proud and fond of him.
It would be difficult for him to rise to a high realm, but even that sentiment alone made Jason deeply grateful.
However, because he worried that Lawrence’s health might worsen again, he hesitated to grant his son’s request.
Even so, Jason decided to support his son’s resolve.
Because long ago, he had resolved that if only Lawrence could rise from his bed, he would do anything for him.
“Very well. Since you want it so much, I will assign Martin to you.”
Because Jason thought Lawrence might overdo it while learning swordsmanship, he decided to assign a knight to him as a safety measure.
It was also because having someone teach him would be more efficient than training in swordsmanship alone.
But although his father had given permission, Lawrence did not look happy.
Rather, he looked clearly flustered.
“Father, there’s no need to go as far as assigning Martin to me…….”
Martin was the knight his father favored most.
He was his father’s right-hand man, his guard, and also a reliable comrade who helped with his work.
And Jason had assigned such a knight to him.
“It’s all right. This father of yours is not dead yet, so you do not need to worry.”
Because Lawrence understood his father’s concern for him, he could not bring himself to refuse.
“Yes, thank you, Father.”
He rose from his seat and bowed respectfully toward Jason.
A satisfied smile spread across Adela’s face as she watched that sight.
After finishing dinner in a pleasant mood for the first time in a while, Lawrence returned to his room.
Perhaps because he had received plenty of his parents’ love, Lawrence was wearing a smile as bright as the full moon.
Happiness filled his heart.
If every day could be like today, he felt he would have nothing more to ask for.
When he opened the window, a cool breeze brushed his face.
The night sky was clear and clean, and countless stars sparkled beautifully.
‘It really is a beautiful sky.’
Beside Lawrence, who was admiring the beautiful sky, the water spirit responded to his mood and danced in joy.
When morning came, white clouds walked across the sky along with the rising sun.
The sight of the clouds drifting on the slowly blowing wind had a certain charm.
Morning in this place began with sunlight entering through the window and tickling his face.
At the bright glare, Lawrence slowly opened his eyes.
CRACK!
Lawrence rose while stretching, then lifted his still bony, skinny arm and held it up against the sunlight.
Though it was not a satisfying sight, compared to when he had first risen from his sickbed, he had gained a fair amount of flesh.
Lawrence pointlessly tried to flex his arm and make a muscle, but because there was no flesh, all he could see were dry-looking muscles with striations as clear as jerky.
“Well, this is only the beginning. Just wait a little. I’ll turn you into big, impressive muscles in no time."
After making that resolution, Lawrence finished a simple meal and headed to the training ground where the knights mainly trained.
Martin was already out at the training ground, waiting only for Lawrence to arrive.
“You have arrived, Young Master. Before we begin training, allow me to greet you. I am the knight Martin.”
He greeted him with disciplined movements.
Lawrence himself was not short, but Martin was nearly two meters tall.
Just from his broad shoulders and the muscles of his exposed forearms, Lawrence could feel how diligently he trained on a regular basis.
But more than anything else, the most impressive thing was his face.
His thick eyebrows, square jaw, bushy beard, and upright gaze made him seem like the very model of a knight.
It was as if faithfulness and loyalty were projected directly onto his face.
In truth, the reason Jason had survived the battle against monsters five years ago and escaped with only wounds was thanks to Martin’s life-risking devotion.
Because Martin had risked his life to draw the monster’s attention, Jason had been able to defeat the monster.
How can a person follow someone who isn’t even family that far?
To Lawrence, who had lived in modern times, the loyalty of knights in this era felt extremely fresh and fascinating.
“Good to see you, Martin. I’ll be in your care from now on.”
“Please do not worry. I will teach you everything I know.”
Martin straightened his back and struck his chest with his fist, his expression full of resolve.
His serious attitude was enough to make Lawrence feel slightly flustered.
At that moment, he heard someone speaking mockingly.
That voice dyed the bright atmosphere between the two of them black in an instant.
“Well, well, this is such an eyesore I can’t bear to watch.”
Lawrence’s face hardened in an instant.
With his brows deeply furrowed in displeasure, Lawrence turned his gaze toward the direction of the voice.
Several knights were standing there.
While Lawrence briefly wondered how he should deal with this situation, Martin took one step forward first.
“What did you just say?”
Enraged, Martin glared at the knights and shouted.