Became the Unjust Contract Slave of the Archamage’s Book

Binaeril and his companions asked Simon to guide them towards Wind Gorge.

“This is the fastest route, right?”

They decided it was better to attempt communication with the spirit in the gorge rather than encountering unknown monsters while circling the mountains.

Simon was delighted with their choice. If the issue with Wind Gorge could be resolved, he too could return to his homeland.

They followed the Miao path towards Wind Gorge.

They spent the night in a cave halfway up the mountain, and miraculously, didn’t encounter any battles along the way.

“Arriving here so peacefully makes me doubt Hoenberg’s notorious reputation.”

“The treacherous terrain reputation is 120% justified.”

…That was agreed upon.

“Is this Wind Gorge below?”

They were currently perched atop a cliff. According to Simon, their destination was at the bottom of the sheer precipice.

“Once we cross Wind Gorge, we’ll reach the Miao village, and from there, there’s a path that leads straight west.”

“…Of course, that path will likely be as challenging as the one we took to get up here, right?”

They hadn’t even crossed the gorge yet, and another worry was added.

As they approached Wind Gorge, everything around them became eerily silent.

There were no sounds of birds or wildlife; the only sound was the sharp wind howling through the gorge.

Someone tugged at Binaeril’s sleeve. It was Rike.

“Binaeril, I can feel the vibrations of mana inside.”

Almost simultaneously, Veritas also warned Binaeril.

– There’s something unusual inside. We need to be careful.

Veritas rarely gave such warnings unless it was serious.

‘Got it.’

Wind Gorge was covered in the fierce wind as Simon described. However, it didn’t extend beyond a certain point. 

Was it due to the spirit’s influence? It felt like a barrier rejecting intruders.

Binaeril and his companions stepped into the raging winds.

Wind Gorge.

Simon said this place was named after the Wind Spirit residing here. But now, it seemed different.

In the fierce winds befitting its name, Binaeril and his companions raised their arms to shield their faces.

“It’s hard to keep my eyes open!”

The wind lashing at their faces made it difficult to see properly. The inside and outside of the gorge felt like entirely different worlds, separated by just a step.

“We have to go inside to meet the spirit!”

“We need to go further in!”

Even though they were close to each other, communication was almost impossible due to the howling wind.

“Grr!”

“I think I heard something just now?”

Amid the deafening wind, Binaeril sensed an unfamiliar sound. He warned his companions.

“Be careful!”

The source of the sound soon revealed itself.

Amid the raging wind, monsters appeared.

“……!”

Binaeril wasn’t the only one who noticed the approaching monsters. Though their voices were muffled, Rike and Sylvia were chanting spells in preparation for an attack. Right in front of Binaeril, the maw of a monster appeared.

“Piercing Arrow of Mana.”

Binaeril chanted a tier-1 piercing spell.

Even his own incantation was barely audible over the wind.

“Kiieek!”

The monster died instantly from Binaeril’s spell. As it fell, a curly pig-like tail protruded from its rear. This creature was a Pig Tail.

Binaeril felt the increased power of his magic, thanks to the mana stones he had fed Veritas in Fairhill.

“Everyone, back to back and focus on the enemies in front!”

Binaeril shouted, infusing his voice with mana to ensure his companions could hear. They positioned themselves with Simon, who lacked combat skills, at the center, and stood shoulder to shoulder.

“What’s happening? There shouldn’t be monsters in Wind Gorge…”

Simon probably wasn’t lying. They hadn’t seen any monsters until now.

“Rike, you said you felt mana from deeper within the gorge, right?”

It seemed the monsters were drawn to the mana exuded by the spirit.

“Do you still feel it?”

Rike closed her eyes and concentrated. Soon, she pointed in a specific direction. They cautiously moved forward, alert to their surroundings despite the limited visibility.

Though the Pig Tails occasionally lunged at them, they managed to fend them off.

But the challenges of Wind Gorge didn’t end there.

As they ventured deeper, the frequency of monster attacks increased.

“This isn’t working.”

Though Binaeril was still holding up, Sylvia, specializing in close combat, and Rike, inexperienced with offensive magic, were accumulating minor injuries.

“Do you have any ideas?”

“Stay alert.”

Binaeril extended his fingers and fired a compressed air blast into the air. The spell temporarily cleared the wind, revealing a glimpse of the landscape.

During that brief moment, Binaeril confirmed that the inside of the gorge wasn’t subjected to the wind.

“It looks safe inside.”

“Let’s run for it.”

“What if we get attacked?”

“I’ll cover the rear.”

Binaeril prepared another compressed air blast, larger and more powerful this time, to clear a path and secure their safety.

“Fire!”

A path opened through the wind, following the trail of the mana-infused blast.

“Run!”

The cries of Pig Tails echoed from all directions, sensing the scent of mana. The group, except for Binaeril, used their remaining strength to dash toward the inner part of the gorge.

Pig Tails charged at the lone Binaeril.

But he was ready.

“Rise, Earth Spikes!”

Stone spikes erupted from the ground around him, forming a protective barrier.

“Kreeek!”

“Keeek!”

The frontline monsters perished with a single blow. Taking advantage of the hesitation, Binaeril launched himself forward.

The Pig Tails, seeing their prey escaping, became frenzied, snapping their jaws. Binaeril’s arms got scratched in the process.

The remaining distance: 10 meters… 5 meters… one last step!

“Phew!”

“We made it!”

Crossing a certain point, the deafening wind ceased entirely.

Thud!

In the sudden clarity of his vision, Binaeril stumbled over an exposed tree root and fell.

“Are you alright, Binaeril?”

“Ouch… it stings.”

Rike applied healing magic to Binaeril’s wounds, then tended to the minor injuries of the others as well.

Simon exclaimed excitedly,

“You guys are amazing mages!”

“Thanks for noticing.”

“Is this the heart of the gorge?”

It seemed so. Unlike the outside, this place was serene. 

Swaying plants, a cool waterfall, and a crystal-clear pool – it was an untouched, natural paradise.

“But something feels off.”

“There’s no sound at all.”

“…You’re right.”

Apart from the sound of water falling into the pool, there was an eerie silence. No bird songs, insect chirps, or even the wind or monster sounds from outside.

“It’s like this space is completely isolated.”

The cause was likely the presence hovering in the center of the gorge.

In the middle of the cascading water was a translucent, spherical bubble. Inside it, a faint silhouette was sleeping.

“Is that the spirit of the gorge?”

“Seems like it.”

Even Simon, a Miao, wasn’t entirely sure. Communication with the spirit was handled by the Spirit Priests.

Finally, Binaeril’s group encountered the spirit of the Hoenberg Mountains. They needed to wake the spirit, converse with it, or somehow gain its permission to pass through.

“…But what do we do now?”

The other three looked at Binaeril, questioning why he was asking them.

“Try talking to it.”

‘…But how?’

The others had followed Binaeril blindly. He was the only one who could potentially interact with the spirit.

However, Binaeril wasn’t technically a Spirit Priest. He could command spirits because of a gift from the Tower Master, not because he inherently had the talent to communicate with them.

Binaeril hesitated as he approached the spirit encased within the bubble. Inside the transparent sphere, a faintly glowing blue entity was curled up, hugging its knees.

‘So this is what a spirit looks like up close.’

It resembled a miniature human but with many surreal characteristics. The Wind Spirit had blurred skin boundaries, and its lower body diffused into a faint blue mist.

“Uh, hello there, Spirit?”

No response.

Binaeril tried speaking, but the spirit in the gorge remained unresponsive. He could feel the expectant gazes of his companions behind him.

“Haha, looks like it’s deeply asleep.”

Binaeril moved closer to the spirit.

“Spirit? Sir? Madam? Hey? Hello!”

The more he raised his voice, the more skeptical the looks from his companions became. Binaeril broke out in a cold sweat, trying to ignore their gazes.

“You suggested we come here. Do you have a plan?”

“Maybe try touching it?” Sylvia urged, and Rike offered a suggestion.

The spirit hovered at a height just out of reach. Binaeril used his magic to elevate the rock he was standing on. The Wind Spirit still slept soundly.

Knock, knock. Even tapping on the bubble yielded no reaction.

‘Should I try using mana to break this barrier?’

He had to wake the spirit to communicate with it. Binaeril quietly chanted a spell, summoning his strength.

Just as he was about to harness Veritas’s mana,

[!]

the spirit inside the bubble suddenly opened its eyes.

[It’s you!]

The bubble shattered into pieces. The Wind Spirit extended a hand towards Binaeril’s face.

From the spirit’s hand shot a stream of mana like an arrow aimed at Binaeril. Instinctively, Binaeril converted his gathered mana into a defensive shield to block the attack. 

But it wasn’t enough to completely neutralize the impact.

The spirit’s attack was imbued with clear intent to kill.

The best Binaeril could do was to deflect it from his face, causing the sharp attack to rip through his shoulder instead.

“Argh!”

Binaeril fell in an arc towards the ground. Sylvia rushed forward and caught his falling body.

Blood gushed from the wound in his shoulder.

“Ouch! The spirit suddenly attacked!”

Sylvia and Rike looked at Simon in bewilderment.

“I-I don’t know! Why is the spirit doing this?”

But Simon didn’t know either.

[You will not achieve your goal. Die, human!]

The serene gorge quickly transformed into a scene of chaos. The gentle breeze around the spirit intensified rapidly.

“Princess, get down!”