Chapter 61

Laila’s method was very effective.
Keith looked quite annoyed, and Enoch was furious—but I really liked it.

“You two act like she’s made of glass, but I think she’s a lion cub.”

“…She looks like a lion?”

My hair had gotten frizzier lately, sure. But lion-like? I’d heard I looked like a scrawny baby deer—not a lion.

By the way, the one who first said that was a 12-year-old Enoch Haynes. He had a talent for saying exactly what would irritate me.
Laila looked at me with a slightly baffled expression.

“You’re the kind that survives by being thrown off a cliff. You need real-life experience to build your instincts. You’ve got too much stuff in your head—it blocks your senses. Power like magic or spirit-calling is useless if you can’t feel it. You can’t see it with your eyes, so words won’t help.”

“Yeah. I get that now.”

“And you’re a fast learner. Once you’re trained right, you’ll grow quickly.”

Laila said it kindly.
I looked down, feeling a little embarrassed.
I’d been told I was stupid all my life—so being called smart felt strange… but not unpleasant.

Keith cut in.

“I was never taught to push patients off cliffs, unlike some people. I happen to be sane.”

“But my method worked, didn’t it? Look—she made a contract with a high-level spirit on the first try.”

Thanks to Laila’s help, I succeeded in forming contracts with three high-level spirits.
I chanted the spells, said their names—
and with a rush of blood draining from my body, they responded.
Names I’d whispered to myself hundreds, thousands of times… they finally answered.
It was overwhelming.

Water spirit: Siquele.
Fire spirit: Phoenix.
Wind spirit: Jin.
All of them were high-ranking spirits.

“And now you’re not even limping anymore.”

“That’s because I treated her well.”

“Did I say otherwise?”

Laila smugly smirked and won that round. Keith’s lips twitched in annoyance.

Laila had taken over my body to show me something simple:

“It doesn’t hurt when you move.”

She helped me feel what it was like to walk freely, to tense my muscles, to let magic flow through me with my blood.

She said I couldn’t do anything if I stayed a cripple—but I was just thankful.

“So, what is that spirit exactly?”

“I’ve never seen it before either.”

“It’s not strong enough to be a great spirit…”

Keith and Enoch crouched around the little firebird.
The bird chirped softly, then snuggled shyly into my sleeve.

After making contracts with the other spirits, I realized the truth—
This firebird wasn’t summoned by Jang Hyunji.

It was my spirit.

“Bee, come here. Good girl.”

Beep beep!
The firebird rubbed its beak affectionately against me.
So cute.
Keith rolled his eyes.

“Look at you changing your attitude the moment you found out it’s yours.”

“I already feel bad, don’t tease me.”

“Still, you named it ‘Bee’? That’s… really basic.”

“…It’s simple and pretty…”

It chirps “Beep beep,” so I named her Bee. I admit it wasn’t creative—but no other names came to mind. Bee seemed to like it, so I figured it was fine.

Enoch added:

“At least you didn’t name it ‘Beepbeep.’”

“…Enoch, were you trying to support me with that?”

“…”

“I don’t mind this side of you.”

Enoch looked genuinely confused.
I hadn’t expected anything, so I just laughed.
Enoch frowned and changed the subject—clearly embarrassed.

“What about you, Laila?”

“Failed to contract with the great spirit.”

Laila pouted.

“I kind of expected it. Those spirits have egos. Just because their previous master is gone doesn’t mean they’ll come running to someone new. Honestly, I don’t want them either—they’re too arrogant. And the special ‘trigger’ that let Jang Hyunji steal their hearts? We can’t use that again.”

The bonds Jang Hyunji stole from me…
They couldn’t be reclaimed.
Laila tried to act like it didn’t bother her—but it clearly did.
Great spirits could’ve helped her a lot.

“Also, since I made contracts with Nelson and Ted, my spirit affinity’s dropped. I can only summon two top-level spirits at once now.”

“Most people would be amazed to summon even one, you crazy woman…”

“That guy can handle two, too.”

Enoch said with a bitter smile.

“But the problem is—that’s all I have, while it’s just one of her many skills.”

“Don’t let it get you down. We’re just born different.”

It was a frustrating comment—but true.
Laila had been born with so much.
Sure, she worked hard, but she also lived like the heroine of a story.
The gap between us was so big, I didn’t even feel jealous. Just overwhelmed.

“Power is only useful if you use it. Otherwise, it’s just a pretty decoration.”

She looked at me.

Her eyes—like a wild, untamed beast—sent a chill down my spine.

And soon, that fear became real.

Laila decided that simple treasure-collecting missions could be left to Keith and Enoch.
So, lucky me—she took charge of my training herself.

After about a month, I started seeing her as a full-blown demon.

Laila was a very strict teacher.

“First, we need to turn this body into something useful.”

In other words, she tortured me.

There’s no better word for it.

More than once, I nearly begged her to just kill me.
But she looked like she would, so I never dared to say it.

Before sunrise, she kicked me out of bed.
Sometimes literally kicked me.

If I didn’t scream myself awake, she’d dump ice water on me.
Soaked and shivering, I’d have to run outside.
It was always better to just get up when she called.

We didn’t do anything extraordinary.
She just trained my body.
She mixed in magic and spirit attacks between exercises.
She tripped me, jabbed at me, attacked without warning.
I couldn’t dodge.
I just got stabbed, fell, and kept rolling.
It was hell for me—but probably child’s play for her.

I’d never run for even a full minute before.
I had a weak heart, frequent dizziness, high fevers, and constant illnesses.
Even now, my body was technically healthy—but I hadn’t had time to enjoy it.
Still… those were just excuses.

I ran until my lungs burned. And when I couldn’t run—I walked.

I begged her to go easy on me.
Told her I’d never exercised, let alone trained.
She didn’t listen.

If Keith or Enoch tried to interfere, she’d threaten to quit right away.

“I don’t hang out with people who ask others to risk their lives and then give up when things get hard.”

And honestly, I didn’t plan to lean on them either.

If I gave up just because I was in pain—then I’d never accomplish anything.

I didn’t deserve Keith, Marie, Enoch… or even Laila.

Compared to those five months of agony, this was manageable.
Even the constant nausea became something I got used to.

I had always hated my own weakness.
I envied and admired people who were strong in magic, spirit skills, or swordsmanship.
But deep down, I may have been making excuses for myself.