Chapter 13: New Spirit

The buzzing of the fly-like monster reverberated through the air as it darted toward Niko, its grotesque green body and oversized wings cutting through the atmosphere like a blade. The sight of it coming directly at him sent a shiver down his spine. What had seemed like a mere insect moments before now appeared nightmarish, closing in on him with terrifying speed.

Niko’s body tensed. The buzzing, the relentless approach—it all screamed danger. His breath caught in his throat, but he shook his head. Focus. Stay sharp. You can’t freeze now, he told himself, pushing away the fear.

"Hey! Over here, ugly!" Louis yelled, his voice loud and taunting as he waved his arms, jumping around to draw the monster's attention.

The fly jerked in mid-air, its uncoordinated movements betraying how unstable it really was. Its huge, twitching blue eyes fixed on Louis, and with a violent burst of its wings, it shot toward him at full speed.

Louis smirked, his body coiled with confidence. "Come on, then."

Just as the fly was about to reach him, Louis’s horns crackled with dark green electricity, and with a sudden blur of movement, he sidestepped. Niko barely caught the flash of Louis’s form as he dodged, leaving the monster flying helplessly past him, unable to correct its direction.

"Nice," Niko muttered, impressed by Louis’s reflexes. But there wasn’t time to admire his friend’s skill. He reached out with his mind, willing the glowing orb that floated near him to strike.

The orb shot forward, almost as if it shared Niko’s urgency.

Bang!

The orb collided with the side of the fly, knocking it out of the air and sending it crashing to the ground with a dull thud. Niko blinked in surprise. That’s more force than I thought... It’s like throwing a rock with my mind. The orb hovered above the twitching fly, pulsing with an eerie, faint light, as if awaiting further instructions.

The fly writhed on the ground, stunned but still alive. Before it could recover, Maria rushed forward, her face twisted in determination. Without hesitation, she brought her boot down on the creature, stomping again and again. Her eyes were shut tight, as if to block out the sickening crunches beneath her feet. Green goo splattered across the ground with each impact.

"It's done," Louis said, stepping over to inspect the motionless body. He gave Maria a nod of approval. "Nice work."

Maria’s foot froze mid-stomp. She opened her eyes and took a step back, staring at the unrecognizable mass of green pulp. Her expression fell, disappointment clear in her eyes. "Nothing..."

Niko glanced at the mess and offered a sympathetic nod. “You’ll still have a 25% chance next time. It’s a decent shot, especially in this world. Don’t get discouraged.”

Maria forced a small smile, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. “Yeah… guess I’ll just have to keep trying.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Looking across the clearing, Niko noticed the larger group had finished off their batch of flies as well. A few people were cheering, clearly thrilled by their victories. The adrenaline was wearing off, and with it came the cautious optimism that maybe—just maybe—there was a way to survive in this new world.

Turning back to the ruined fly, Niko murmured, [Spirit King’s Order].

The familiar green aura surrounding him flared to life, swirling like fog around the fly’s body. As the aura wrapped around the creature, it slowly pulled away, forming another translucent orb—identical to the one already orbiting him. The new orb floated toward Niko, clumsy and slow, much like the first.

Niko sighed. Another weak spirit. Still, these orbs had proven to be more useful than he’d expected. With more practice, they could become valuable tools.

As they waited, the trees swayed once again, their branches rustling ominously. The familiar buzzing grew louder, and soon, another wave of about ten fly-like creatures burst from the jungle. This time, just like before, one broke away from the swarm and flew straight toward Louis.

The group didn’t hesitate. They had their routine down now. Louis dodged the fly’s attack with ease, Niko sent the orb crashing into its side, and Simon rushed forward to deliver the finishing blow. The creature collapsed, twitching for a moment before going still.

Simon stood over the dead fly, breathing heavily. Then, the body began to glow.

White light gathered around the corpse, swirling together into a shining orb that hovered above it for a moment. As the light dissipated, a small, baguette-shaped skill gem was left behind, gleaming beneath the green goo.

Simon’s face lit up with pure excitement. “A skill gem!” he shouted, hardly able to contain himself.

Niko watched as Simon scooped up the gem, goo and all, with a wide grin on his face. The young man wasted no time in activating it, his entire body briefly bathed in an orange glow. Niko, always curious, quickly used [Celestial Probe] to check the skill Simon had received.

[Giant Candle of Nature]

“What a strange name…” Niko thought to himself, but he smiled at Simon’s excitement. “You should practice with that while we’re still out here. Figure out what it does.”

Simon nodded, clearly eager to test his new ability. He clenched his fists, focusing hard as he activated the skill. The ground around them began to shift and ripple, as if the earth itself was alive. Slowly, the grass and dirt rose up, molding itself into the shape of a massive candle, easily as tall as a grown man.

Louis stepped closer, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “What the hell is that?”

Simon’s grin widened. “Watch this.”

He clapped his hands once, and in an instant, a flame appeared at the top of the candle. It wasn’t just any flame, though—it burned a soft, soothing blue. The flame cast a strange, ethereal glow across the jungle, bathing the group in a calming light.

Maria gasped, “Why do I feel… so good?”

Simon scratched his nose, clearly pleased with himself. “The fire heals minor injuries for anyone within range. And the best part? I can exclude enemies from its effects.”

Niko couldn’t help but smile. It was a powerful support skill—one that would make Simon invaluable to any group. With a skill like that, he wouldn’t need to worry about protecting himself. He’d be the key to keeping everyone else alive.

“Not bad, Simon,” Niko said, clapping him on the back. “That’s going to save lives.”

Simon beamed. “Thanks. It’s… It’s kinda amazing, right?”

Niko nodded, then turned to Maria. “Alright, it’s your turn now. Let’s see if we can get you something useful.”

Maria’s eyes gleamed with determination as they prepared for the next round of monsters. The strange blue glow of the candle flickered around them, casting an otherworldly light over the jungle as they waited for the next challenge to emerge.