Chapter 12:  AI is Easy to Contract (2)

‘Even now, it was a brilliant idea.’

I chuckled while looking at the magician guild member’s ID card.

It was a wooden plate, no bigger than a business card.

‘To join the guild using borrowed spirits, who would have thought of that?’

Temporary contract.

A temporary intermediary, unrelated to the spirit contract itself.

This was the key to getting me into the magician guild.

‘Temporary contract holders are super subordinates who can use the spirit’s power even without their own magic.’

By using a temporary contract, I obtained spirit magic.

That is, I joined the guild by contracting with an Aytarion spirit!

The idea for this came to me rather simply.

Let’s rewind the time a bit.

Last night.

“My art didn’t catch your eye, huh? It happens.”

After realizing that the Aytarion spirits were oddly afraid of the clack of my paintings,

I decided to speak to them cheerfully.

“Don’t worry! I was thinking of pulling an all-nighter tonight anyway.”

…Gwack?

“Why are you so surprised? It’s a competition, right? I have to go that far.

I wasn’t trying to torment you at all.

Quite the opposite, actually.

‘The opponent who hates AI-generated works?’

It’s the best.

It’s like my aesthetic sense in the arts is being healed.

Keep hating it more!

Call me trash!

“Oh, it only takes 10 seconds to draw one picture, so there’s no need to be bothered. You know what 10 seconds is, right?”

You probably don’t know.

I doubt these guys use clocks.

But you can see the speed of clacking, can’t you?

“1, 2, 3, 4… 10. Another one’s done.”

Gwwwaaaak?!

I tossed the newly completed picture in front of them.

The spirits shrieked in panic and ran to the corner.

“This picture will make the room really cramped if you try to dry it. It’ll be filled with paintings everywhere.”

Gwack?!

“Now, what about this one? Is it okay?”

Gyarararaaaak-?!

As I filled the space with canvases, the spirits cried out as though begging for their lives.

It was thrilling, truly the best.

I never knew being despised could feel so good.

‘But I guess I should throw them a lifeline now.’

I wasn’t actually trying to torture them.

I turned my eyes away, pretending to be hurt.

It wasn’t hard since I really felt hurt.

“I see. If you don’t want to model, there is a way to finish quickly…”

Gwwaaak!!

Bubbles! Bubbles!!

Tell me that method immediately!

The desperate plea was so obvious.

What a cooperative attitude. I liked it a lot.

I smiled widely and proposed a mutually beneficial deal.

“Contract with me and become a magic spirit!”

…Gwack?

And so.

The next morning,

The situation brought us to visit the magician guild.

“Welcome to the guild. Chloe A. Turing.”

“Can I now enter the library?”

“Yes. You may freely browse on the first floor, but removal is prohibited. Be aware that punishment will follow if caught.”

“Got it.”

I nodded without hesitation.

I knew well what the punishment was.

‘I’ve seen it in the original work.’

The magical library of Aytars.

A treasure trove of magical books for guild members.

And.

‘It’s where the protagonist from the original learned magic in the early stages.’

As I wandered through the library, I briefly became nostalgic.

I compared the interior to the original description in my memories.

‘I’ve really made it here.’

This was all thanks to the spirits being so oddly terrified of my paintings.

Now, I was transferring things into my bag, feeling the spirits inside it shiver as I gently stroked the bag.

Gwwaawaawaa….

It was like a kitten being licked by a tiger.

A tragically trembling mode.

‘Seems like they’re a bit hurt, huh.’

I shuddered, feeling the cold air seep into my loose clothes.

I slumped my shoulders, feeling down.

To be honest, I was partly at fault, so I couldn’t help it.

But you know what?

The word “partner” in English originally meant a guild member.

Guild.

A cooperative community of merchants and artists.

That’s what they used to call their members, “partners.”

So, I too am a proper partner.

Who’s partner?

Aytarion’s, the fellow artist guild member.

‘Partners help each other, right, great wizard elder!’

“Can you at least help me with the intermediary part?

She’s my granddaughter’s only friend.”

I tried to soothe the emotional pain I had gotten from the distance between me and the spirits through reading.

I opened a basic magic book on my desk.

“Hmm, let’s bring in the crooked language.”

Of course, even if I kept it open for a hundred years, I wouldn’t be able to read it.

A university textbook in Korean is like an alien language when you first open it.

And studying a magic book with an 8-year-old’s vocabulary?

At this point, isn’t it a bit of narcissism for a childish fantasy?

‘Who cares?’

The talent called youth.

Its value lies in its potential for the future.

I fixed the page and glared at it.

Beep beep bop. Clack, respond.

‘Can you see this page? Scan it as it is.’

[Got it! I’ll copy it right now! Click! 📸]

The clacking’s drawing generation function.

I2I (Image-to-Image) sketch.

If I tweak this a bit, it’s not much different from a copier.

It’s a function that replicates exactly what’s visible.

I envy its memory capabilities, honestly.

‘Library restrictions? Then I’ll just copy it and take it~.’

[Awesome! It’s so sneaky, I’m impressed! 😉]

Did you get mad, you hateful intellectual jerk?

But you can’t do anything about it, can you?

‘Still, this is more ethical than an AI commission.’

Scanning and copying in the library is legal.

Since it’s non-commercial copying and for private educational use, there’s nothing wrong with it.

What?

Why am I reading a basic magic book when I’m possessing the protagonist of a hidden piece?

Shouldn’t I be going after the main relic in the original?

What kind of foolish talk is that?

‘This is the hidden piece.’

The magician guild of Aytars.

The hidden piece that hadn’t been seen in the bookshelves.

‘The magic book of Nexor, the Dragonborn.’

The protagonist of the story, with the DNA of the bloodline aristocrat, Starhama.

This is the first-class relic he carries until the end of the story.

In the original, it was a relic that was almost secretly smuggled out of the ruins and chased by the library’s guardian spirit!

That’s what I came here to copy today.

Oh, why?

What’s wrong?

Just give the protagonist the original, right?

‘If I copy the content and bind it as a book, the hidden piece becomes a copy, don’t you think?’

It’s not a pirate copy.

It’s the sharing and spreading of knowledge.

The protagonist of the reincarnation story is satisfied with the fake? How ethical!

‘Ah, I almost forgot the most important thing.’

I almost forgot the key point.

Quietly filled with anticipation, I whispered softly.

“…Clack? Can you do ‘that’ for me just once?”

[Got it! ‘That’ thing, right? Leave it to me!]

I looked into the air.

Or rather, I looked into my constellation.

🔓 Confirmed the resolution of the original-based scenario.

✨ Scenario rewards have been obtained.

[Obtained: Magic Book of Nexor, the Dragonborn (Legendary)]

[Effect: Increases Magic Control and Detection Abilities]

[Current Understanding Rate: 61%]

This is it.

Yeah, this is how it should be!

‘This is how a web novel should be!’

Finally, I felt like I was really in the novel.

I smiled widely as I flipped through the pages.

But, you know?

This is an original web novel, right?

‘Then obviously, there should be a status window!’

Of course, the reality is that the status window doesn’t mean anything, but who cares?
It’s fun to at least feel it.

‘This is definitely… an artifact that helps with magic control and detection, right?’

It’s good for both magic and swordsmanship training.

The swordsmanship of Runtraval uses magic.

‘Didn’t the protagonist get this and immediately gain sword energy?’

I think the magic activation speed also increased by more than double.

It’s something worth carrying until the end.

But.

There was one phrase in the clacking status window that caught my eye.

‘What’s this nonsense about a 61% understanding rate?’

Ah, it increased already.

Now it says the understanding rate is 72%.

At that moment, another status window appeared.

🔗 Confirmed the temporary contract with the weak spirit.

🔗 The function of [Magic Book of Nexor] is now available.

⏳ Translation complete.

✨ Acquiring the magic translated.

[Acquired: Basic Spirit Magic [Fire Element] (Rare)]

[Acquired: Basic Spirit Magic [Water Element] (Rare)]
·
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—

‘Spirit Magic?’

Wow! You know spirit magic!

It’s really powerful.

Sorry. Actually, I don’t really know either.

Spirits didn’t appear much in the original, so that’s why.

“Ugh.”

Naturally, I wasn’t really flustered.

A sigh, maybe, but not a shock.

‘Clacky, here you are again, writing a generative novel.’

Again?

Is this the 31651st season of the [Dark Wizard Extermination] quest?

‘Do you really look like you have the intelligence to understand 83% of the specialized textbooks I’m reading for the first time in my seat?’

[Not at all! But it’s fine. I’ll remember it for you instead!]

I’ll believe it when I see it.

If half of the disasters you’ve caused up until now had actually happened, I might believe it for about a second.

“Ellain-nim.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think would happen if the Demon King of Philanthropy gains the power of the spirits?”

The Fleurdin Cultivation Palace.

The palace where the young royals are raised.

Having barely figured out the whereabouts of one or two other spirit kings, Ellain furrowed her brow at the princess’s question.

“Are you talking about a spirit king-level question? Or something lower?”

“Something lower. Below the Great Spirit level.”

“There won’t be much impact in terms of power growth.”

Ellain stated firmly.

“Pouring a few cups of water won’t make the sea any bigger. The evolution of the soul only depends on the quality of experience.”

“So, you mean there won’t be much harm.”

“Right. Unless the Demon King of Philanthropy isn’t human.”

The Demon King of Philanthropy is human.

It was a very absurd joke.

And it wasn’t funny at all.

“Human… like the first emperor?”

“He didn’t steal power from the spirits. Your ancestor would be saddened.”

The founding emperor of Fleurdin.

Half of his physical body was a spirit.

A contract partner and lifelong companion.

He inherited the power of the spirit he had loved.

“Besides, even that emperor wasn’t exactly a common case.”

Half of a human’s body turning into a spirit.

If that were common, it would be shocking in the opposite direction.

“If it’s a human, the moment they gain the power of the spirits, their latent ability… their talent grows rapidly.”

“Rapid growth? How so?”

Is she actually interested in the history of her ancestors?

Ellain smiled at the rare innocence of her contract partner and evaluated her ancestor.

“The limits of growth increase. A common farmer could become the strongest human being one day.”

Of course, the first emperor’s talent played a part.

But it was still a bit curious.

‘If a human could grow that much with just the power of one spirit…’

How much could a human’s talent grow if they accepted the power of more spirits?

Ellain smiled faintly.

‘Am I getting a bit tired? Thinking of such ridiculous possibilities.’

Accepting the power of various spirits?

That’s impossible, even for a human who, like the first emperor, changed their body into a spirit.

Spirits cannot mix with other spirits.

Just like there are no such things as a “fire and water fusion spirit” in the world.

Even demons are the same.

They just devour human souls to nourish their own.

‘If there was a way for a human to maintain their body while accepting the power of the spirits, maybe… but I don’t know.’

Such a thing, even Ellain, a spirit king, had never heard of.

It was an interesting, but ultimately useless, intellectual pastime.

Ellain shook her head and focused back on the investigation.

‘Ah, finally done.’

The constant flow of status window pop-ups.

The frivolous popup sound stopped after about a minute.

·
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[Acquired: Basic Spirit Magic [Wind Element] (Rare)]

[Acquired: Basic Spirit Magic [Earth Element] (Rare)]

✨ Copying complete.

🌿 Acquired 4 types of spirit magic.

⭐ Wizard level increased by 4.

⭐ Maximum level increased by 28.

***

‘Oh?’

A level-up message?

I like this one.

Right. If you find a hidden piece in a web novel, you should level up, right?

Clacky has some good sense.

‘If the original hadn’t been a novel without levels.’

[That’s right! So I added the level display to the status window to make it easier to understand!]

Yeah, I didn’t believe you.

You’re just going to randomly add things that weren’t there, right?

[No! But I can help analyze it with the ‘Magic Book of Nexor’! 😆]

The copier is talking back?

Just shut up and keep copying.

Anyway, that’s how it went.

While I copied the book at full speed, the librarian’s mouth hung open in shock, and I dedicated myself fully to copying the hidden piece.