Chapter 4

**The Spirit King Elquines [Revised Edition] - Chapter 4 (4/608)**

Chapter 4

"It was because of the Spirit King."

"The Spirit King?"

"Aqua Don is different from Earth, where the main deity directly intervenes. Here, the order of nature is maintained through the Four Great Spirits. In particular, each Spirit King can influence the flow of the ecosystem just by existing."

"What, what do you mean by that?"

In response to my question, Arehis stroked his chin with a troubled expression.

"Ah, now that I think about it, since you're from Earth, these terms must be unfamiliar to you. Spirits are pure entities that reside in the four elements of nature: water, earth, air, and fire. The Spirit King is the pinnacle of these entities, with a basic lifespan exceeding ten thousand years. Their abilities are almost on par with deities. In fact, after they cease to exist, they are granted a divine life, making such distinctions meaningless."

"Wow, they become gods when they die?"

"Indeed, the Spirit King is born from the most complete and noble souls. They are fully qualified to be granted divine status. Of course, they can also choose to remain in the human world, in which case they are likely to be reborn as a noble race like a dragon."

"Um, I see."

Come to think of it, when he mentioned the four dimensions earlier, there was also a place called the Spirit Realm. I couldn't understand exactly what he meant, but I knew it was something incredibly significant. I nodded to show that I understood and asked,

"But a disaster happened because of the Spirit King? Did they deliberately stop the rain?"

"No, it was a more fundamental issue."

"..."

"Recently, there was a generational change among the Water Spirit Kings. When one Spirit King ceases to exist, the next one is immediately born to take over. However, for some reason, after the previous Water Spirit King ceased to exist, a new one did not appear. The ten-year disaster in Aqua Don was due to this."

"Just because of that?"

So, the absence of one Water Spirit King caused it to not rain for ten years? I found it hard to believe, but Arehis nodded without hesitation.

"Not just because of that, Jihoon. The existence of the Spirit King is that significant. The 'Water Spirit King' has the authority and control over all 'water' in nature. Especially in Aqua Don, which is governed by the Spirit Realm, the impact is even greater."

"Um, I see."

"I'm glad you understand. Anyway, the gods, who were investigating the reason for the Water Spirit King's non-appearance, were shocked again. They discovered that the soul of the new Spirit King, which was about to be born, had suddenly disappeared."

At that moment, the two guides standing behind us shivered all over. They must have suffered a lot from that incident. Arehis, too, closed his eyes with a pained expression, recalling the past.

"It was truly terrifying. Creating a Spirit King's soul is already difficult, and the previous Water Spirit King had already inherited all the power from the former. If we couldn't find him, the line of Water Spirit Kings would be broken. Since the birth of souls is the responsibility of the Netherworld, we were at risk of taking all the blame. We sent guides across all dimensions to search, reviewed all past records, and spent days looking for him. Despite all that, we eventually thought it was impossible."

After a long explanation, Arehis finally smiled, looking relieved.

"But today, we finally found the soul of the Spirit King. It's really fortunate. All the efforts to find him over the years feel like they were for nothing."

"Really? You found him? Where is he?"

With a glimmer of hope that I might meet this great being, I quickly looked around. If Arehis hadn't immediately responded, I might have foolishly asked to be introduced to the Spirit King. No, given my usual personality, I definitely would have. What a foolish thing to do!

"Where is he? Right in front of me, sitting there."

"Huh?"

What? If Arehis is in front of me, then it must be... Eek? No way? Seeing my flustered expression, Arehis's face looked incredibly smug. Was it just my imagination, or did he look like a victorious general, grinning triumphantly?

"The color of the second Soul Mate represents the status of the race. The iridescent color that changes depending on the angle symbolizes the nature spirit... Among them, the sapphire-like, icy blue color represents the 'Water Spirit.' However, all the Water Spirits in Aqua Don have ceased to exist. Without the birth of the Spirit King, lower spirits cannot be born. Therefore, the only being who can choose the Water Spirit in this Soul Mate is the 'Water Spirit King.'"

After quickly finishing his explanation, Arehis looked at me with a meaningful gaze and said,

"Many souls who had lost their destinies tried, but no one chose this color. We searched for a long time, Water Spirit King Elquines. We have been waiting for you."

"Eeeek??"

* * *

Once upon a time, in a very, very distant past, there were four great Spirit Kings who ruled the world. Their names were Ifrit of Fire, Minerva of Wind, Trowel of Earth, and Elquines of Water. One day, Elquines of Water realized that his time to cease to exist was approaching, and he immediately went to the Netherworld to grant all his power to his successor. A new Water Spirit King was born.

But what happened next? The newly born Water Spirit King, in a rather foolish manner, was born in the wrong world and lived as a human.

Isn't that ridiculous? Apparently, he didn't even know he was a Spirit King until the Netherworld's messengers pointed out his mistake. Because of him, people on the other side were dying from lack of water. What a clumsy fellow, right? Hahahaha!

"Well, as I've said many times, this is not your fault, Jihoon, or rather, Lord Elquines. You don't need to blame yourself."

Arehis, who had suddenly started addressing me with extreme respect, spoke firmly. It seemed he couldn't bear to see me, who had been wallowing in self-deprecation, any longer.

"Your wrong birth was our mistake, so the damage to Aqua Don due to your absence is our responsibility. We have already taken various measures to correct it, and fortunately, we found you before the situation worsened. Now, the only thing left is to restore everything to its original state."

By "original state," Arehis meant that I would be reborn in the Spirit Realm of Aqua Don. While I was curious, a lingering sense of unease prevented me from readily agreeing.

"But, are you sure? A regular guy like me being a Spirit King..."

I wasn't particularly smart, and I had no remarkable appearance or a history of having a girlfriend. The idea that I was such a significant being was hard to believe. So, I cautiously asked, and Arehis, looking at me as if I was saying something absurd, firmly dismissed my doubts.

"The Soul Mate is created by the power of the main deity. It can't be a mistake."

"But, you said the Water Spirit King hasn't been born for ten years. I'm only 17."

"No, if we count the exact period, it's been 25 years."

"Eh?"

"Even if a Spirit King doesn't appear, the existing Water Spirits can sustain for a while. The full-scale disaster began ten years ago when all the Water Spirits ceased to exist. Moreover, time flows differently between dimensions. Three years here could be ten years on Earth, or just one day."

"Um, still..."

"Let me explain in more detail. You mentioned that you were weak as a human. That was because the powerful energy of the Spirit King was too much for a human body to handle. The more you grew, the stronger the Spirit King's energy became, leading to more frequent rain and greater damage. Does that make sense?"

S, so that's why? But if that's the case, all the kids my age, born in Korea, and who were weak as children, would be candidates for Elquines. There must be more than a few of them!

The more I tried to understand, the more I felt like I was falling into a confusing maze. After a long while of racking my brain, I finally nodded.

Well, if I'm reborn, it will be fine, right? If I'm definitely the one, what could go wrong? If it turns out I'm not, I can think about it later. I've already been born wrong once; it can't happen twice, right? It was a resigned, almost fatalistic thought.

"Phew, I understand. It will be fine."

"Of course. There's no need to worry. Other Spirit Kings, your colleagues, are there. They are all good people... Well, anyway, you don't need to worry too much."

"...Did you just trail off there?"

"Hahaha! No, that's just your imagination."

Is it just my imagination that Arehis is avoiding eye contact and looks like he's breaking out in a cold sweat? I stared at him persistently but didn't get a proper explanation.

I had a bad feeling.

* * *

From the moment my identity was revealed, Arehis started to hurry. He looked at the sky several times as if checking the time and then stood up with an anxious expression.

"Oh, it's already this late. Well, shall we go for your rebirth now?"

"Eh? Already?"

"People are dying by the hour in Aqua Don. To restore Aqua Don as soon as possible, Lord Elquines needs to be reborn quickly."

Ah, right, he did say it was a serious situation.

I obediently stood up and followed him. We opened the door and started walking down a seemingly endless white corridor.

The corridor, which branched out like a maze, was filled with a fog-like mist, making it very difficult to see ahead. Despite this, Arehis walked without hesitation, as if he had excellent vision or some special technique.

After what felt like a very long time, almost a whole day, our steps finally stopped.

When I came to my senses, we were standing in front of a dead-end wall. I wasn't surprised because there was a small wooden door in front of us. Although the fog made it hard to see clearly, there was a small sign above it.

"Surely, I don't have to go through this door to be reborn in the Spirit Realm, right?"

Come on, surely not. Being reborn can't be that simple and mundane. Yeah, that's right. But as I muttered to myself, Arehis's blunt answer hit me like an arrow.

"Wow, how did you know? This is the 'Gate of Life.' Those who pass through this gate are reborn with the appropriate status and appearance according to their given destiny. You have a sharp intuition."

"..."

Damn. Why do I always hit the mark on these useless things?

I frowned, feeling uneasy. Wait, what did he say? About being reborn with an appearance?

"Do spirits have appearances?"

"Of course. Especially the Spirit Kings, who are manifested in a form closest to their true souls. While the material is fixed and each has a unique color, they do have appearances."

"Unique color?"

"Like hair and eye color."

"Ah! So, will I be reborn with the same appearance, just with a different color?"

Until now, I hadn't noticed, but my current appearance was the same as when I was Kang Jihoon. If the appearance is based on the soul, it means it will be influenced by this form, right? I thought to myself. Then Arehis exclaimed in surprise.

"Really? No way. That can't be."

"Eh? Not really?"

"Of course not! Your current appearance is not your true form. It's been distorted due to the influence of the human body you had. When you return to your original position, you will regain your true form."

"R, really?"

I have a true form? I had never thought about it before. While finding my true form might be good, the idea of changing was a bit disappointing. I had grown attached to the face I saw in the mirror every morning for 17 years, even though it wasn't particularly handsome.