Chapter 12
In the past, during my time as the Grand Duke of the Black Tower.
I once asked the old man a question.
“What is the difference between magic and shamanism?”
“The difference between magic and shamanism? Haha, you’ve been studying hard, it seems. You’ve asked quite a profound question.”
In truth, I was asking because the old witch from the Green Tower tried to lure me over, saying that shamanism was cooler, but I didn’t mention that.
“Magic is the manifestation of mana through formulas and rules, while shamanism is achieved through spiritual communication. Let’s take lighting a candle as a simple example.”
“With magic, you would insert mana into an equation like ‘X+Y’. Of course, the result would vary greatly depending on the magician’s abilities, but there is a clear formula, making it objective.”
“On the other hand, shamanism is highly subjective. The result could vary entirely depending on how the communication goes, like saying ‘a warm flame’ or ‘a small flame to light a candle’.”
Magic follows objective rules, while shamanism depends on the subjective soul.
Even though the same candle is lit, the process is entirely different.
“What?! Which is superior? Of course, it’s magic! … Just kidding, honestly, I don’t know. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.”
“Well, this is good. I’ll teach you this time, and you can decide for yourself. Yes, I’ll teach you shamanism. What? How can a magician like me know shamanism? Haha!”
“You fool, a necromancer is a magician who deals with death and souls. How could someone who deals with souls not know shamanism? It’s no wonder that the old hag from the Green Tower wants you so badly.”
“I’ll show you. The Necromancer’s shamanism: ‘Curse’.”
“Seeing is better than hearing, and doing is better than seeing. I read this phrase in a book yesterday. So, how does it feel to experience it firsthand?”
“Ugh…”
With dark circles down to her chin, bloodshot eyes, and lips as dry as a desert, Merhem was utterly exhausted from the curse. She trudged along on the treadmill, barely able to move, and anyone who didn’t know better would have called an ambulance immediately.
“Huff, does this… really… work?”
“Yeah, it’s effective. There’s no better way to strengthen the soul.”
“Damn… You better… huff… be right about that… huff.”
“I swear on my name, Merry.”
I suffered through it too, so I know it works.
The Necromancer’s shamanism: ‘Curse.’
At the time, I was shocked to learn that a curse could be shamanism. It’s one of the foundational fields for necromancers, along with summoning.
So does that mean all necromancers learn both magic and shamanism? I wondered if that was even possible.
In the end, my question was answered.
A typical necromancer’s curse is ‘magic.’
The curse the old man taught me was a very special curse, imbued with his enlightenment.
To strike at the soul, you must stake your own soul. This was the old man’s curse, strengthened by the principle of ‘equivalent exchange’ that shamanism holds.
Currently, Merhem is bearing the full weight of this curse.
“There are two ways to strengthen the soul: experience and overcoming adversity.”
“Huff… Huff…”
“They say travel broadens the mind, right? In this context, ‘mind’ refers to the soul. New experiences expand the soul’s capacity.”
“Ex…perience.”
“Overcoming is exactly what it sounds like—overcoming pain, crises, or challenges gives a person depth. A shaman would say the soul becomes more resilient. What you’re doing now is this overcoming process.”
“Over…coming.”
“There’s also a shortcut called ‘contracting,’ but don’t even think about it. Nothing is more troublesome than getting involved with an ‘otherworldly being.’ Five minutes left. Hang in there.”
Merhem kept moving forward, drenched in cold sweat.
It was as if her steps were saying that her desire to grow stronger for her freedom was no mere whim.
And after five minutes.
As soon as I said, “Time’s up!” her legs gave out, and she collapsed.
I caught her before she hit the ground and laid her on the mat prepared for the next phase of training.
“You know the drill by now. Keep your mind sharp.”
“Huff, huff.”
Merhem nodded, breathing heavily. As a dark mass gathered on my right shoulder, the curse was cast once again.
“Ha… Huff… Aah…”
Merhem’s pupils dilated, and a blush spread across her face.
This was due to the curse I cast, ‘The Temptation of the Nightmare.’
It’s a curse that shows extreme pleasure, driving the target into a state of confusion.
It’s like going from a hot bath straight into a cold one. The sweetness of the pleasure, after just escaping despair, would be even more intoxicating.
But she must not succumb.
“You’re doing great. Stay focused, and find your name. What’s your name? Who are you?”
“Huff, huff.”
“Your name is another face of your soul. As long as you hold onto your name, your soul will stay centered. What’s your name?”
“Sh…ay… Al… Merhem.”
“I can’t hear you. Again. Don’t close your eyes, again!”
I kept speaking to Merhem, who was struggling to keep her eyes open.
I know how hard it is. I went through it too.
This training that swings between extreme despair and pleasure—her soul must feel like it’s being wrung out like a wet towel. But I swear by the name of the Demon King, there’s no faster, more effective way to strengthen the soul than this.
So hang in there. If you want to become stronger.
Just a little longer…
I kept asking her name for 3 minutes and 21 seconds. When I confirmed that she lasted 10 seconds longer than yesterday, I immediately dispelled the curse.
At the same time, I heard a deep sigh of relief as Merhem collapsed to the ground.
I also collapsed onto the floor.
“Wow, this is no joke.”
Adjusting the curse so it doesn’t consume you is incredibly difficult. It feels like I’ve been walking a tightrope for hours.
“No wonder the old man’s face looked so gaunt.”
This is training that can’t be attempted with an ordinary level of mental strength.
“But the old man wasn’t exaggerating.”
He always said you learn by teaching and insisted I try it when I got my own disciple.
“He was right.”
I smiled and closed my eyes.
In that moment.
A whirlpool of darkness was swirling around me.
“Druid.”
It was a word Merhem had never even imagined.
When Park Ki-hyuk suddenly barged into her house and declared, “You’re a druid!” she thought he was crazy.
Was he in his right mind? He wanted her to give up all the magic she had learned and suddenly start studying shamanism?
Shamanism and magic are completely different fields.
To a layperson, they might seem similar, but anyone with even a little knowledge of the two would know how absurd the idea was.
Of course, she should have refused. She actually tried to refuse.
But at the moment of decision, Merhem’s instincts sounded an alarm.
That’s right. What he’s saying is right.
You’re not just a magician who manipulates mere sand.
Her mind was saying no, but her instincts fiercely pushed her to follow Park Ki-hyuk.
It was a strange experience, the first time she had ever felt such a powerful pull from her instincts, and so, pretending to be crazy, Merhem agreed.
And then began the hellish training.
“Damn bastard. Crazy lunatic. You’re insane.”
She thought she would start with the theory when it came to shamanism, but he immediately cursed her.
What was it he said? Something about “It’s better to experience it once than hear about it a hundred times.”
Then he plunged her into despair. And as if that wasn’t enough, the moment she barely survived, he threw her into a pit of pleasure.
And the sounds that came out of her mouth…
“…Ugh! Just die! Die!!”
The more she thought about it, the more ashamed and mortified she felt.
Are emotions a toy to be played with? How dare he!
She later searched for this type of training and found nothing like it.
She contemplated quitting multiple times, feeling this was a violation of human rights, but she endured.
Because the results were incredible.
So incredible, they made her curse.
In just three days, she awakened to seeing the world through the eyes of her soul, and within a week, she was able to create water out of thin air.
Merhem did some research on shamans while looking into training methods.
She found that opening the eyes of the soul, the basic skill of a shaman, takes at least a month even for those with exceptional talent. Adding attributes takes more than half a year.
But Park Ki-hyuk had accomplished all this in just a week.
If this achievement were made public in the shamanism community, it wouldn’t just cause a stir—it would be revolutionary.
But despite these remarkable results, Merhem had another reason for her perseverance.
One day, after another grueling curse session, she had fallen into a brief sleep and woke up to see it.
Park Ki-hyuk, utterly exhausted.
His face drained of color, he lay collapsed as if dead. His huge body was pitifully curled up, looking so wretched that she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
Since that day, Merhem’s complaints disappeared.
Seeing him working so hard for her sake, she couldn’t bring herself to whine and act spoiled.
And so, after a month and a half of relentless training, Merhem was finally taking her first steps as a ‘Druid.’
Ki-rik?!
The moment the goblin, entangled in vines, shrieked in surprise, Merhem’s kick shot out.
Her body, imbued with the shamanistic spell ‘Bear’s Fury,’ possessed power that no lower creature like a goblin could withstand.
Thwack!
Its neck snapped off cleanly.
Immediately, Merhem clapped her hands together.
In her right hand was ‘Falcon’s Wingbeat,’ and in her left, ‘Desert’s Echo.’
As these two spells combined, she whispered,
“Sandstorm.”
Whoooosh-!
The sandstorm whipped through the forest, obliterating everything in its path.
Trees, rocks, the forest itself—
And, of course, the goblins.
“That’s a druid?”
“Not bad, right?”
“…‘Not bad’ doesn’t even cover it.”
Han Jun-woo watched in shock as Merhem decimated the area.
Honestly, even I was surprised, so it must look completely different to him.
“She’s got talent, for sure.”
In her first real battle after fully developing her cycle system through soul strengthening, Merhem was soaring.
Like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, it was as if she was saying this is the right fit for her.
Merhem was now blooming brilliantly.
“Still, there are some rough edges.”
“Where?”
“Take a look. You’ll see it too.”
Han Jun-woo stared intently at Merhem.
“Her movements are awkward.”
“Correct.”
He caught on right away. I knew this kid was no ordinary guy.
“We spent weeks strengthening her soul. But as her soul grew beyond expectations, her body’s balance was thrown off. It’s a side effect of her extraordinary talent.”
“So this awkwardness is…”
“It’s the result of the imbalance between her soul and her body, which is the vessel for that soul.”
“The solution is to strengthen her body, then?”
“That’s step one.”
The first step is to strengthen her body, the vessel for her soul, and the second step is to solidify the bond between soul and body through various experiences.
Once she gets there, it’s a success.
After that? She’ll have to figure it out on her own.
I’m not her mom or dad, after all. How long am I supposed to look after her? While I can give her advice, the rest is up to her.
Honestly, I’m not too worried.
‘With that kind of talent, she’ll figure it out easily.’
Shamanistic spells like ‘Bear’s Fury’ and ‘Wolf’s Howling’ for body strengthening, and the elemental transformation spells like ‘Falcon’s Wingbeat’ and ‘Desert’s Echo.’
Even her ability to combine these different spells into connected spells is impressive.
She’s showing all of this in her first real battle today.
Not only is she using all the shamanistic spells she learned from me, but she’s also applying them creatively. With that kind of talent, she’ll easily find her own path.
‘Honestly, I’m the one who should be worried.’
As surprising as Merhem’s unexpected growth was, I also achieved more than I expected.
In other words, my own balance between soul and vessel was shaken.
‘It’s a good thing the Giant’s Body is a sturdy vessel; otherwise, this wouldn’t have ended with just some shaking.’
There’s so much packed into this vessel that even a slight tremor can cause a massive aftershock. It looks like I’ll have to start physical training again, something I’d been taking lightly for a while.
As various thoughts passed through my mind, the battle was reaching its end.
There were fewer than three goblins left standing.
Once those were dealt with, today’s gate would be clear. I was just about to start thinking about what to eat when—
“…”
Han Jun-woo, who had been watching Merhem intently, moved his lips slightly. It was clear he wanted to say something but was hesitating.
The kid’s adorable. I had a pretty good idea of what it was, but I decided to play dumb and ask him first.
“Got something to say?”
“…I want to.”
“Hmm?”
“I want to… If I learn from you, can I grow like that too?”
Okay.
Let’s see what you’re made of.
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