Chapter 10 Arc 2 The Ring of Andrea

Chapter 10

Arc 2

The Ring of Andrea

Five hours later, Koro perches high on a tree branch, staring at his missing fingers. Sophie pushes through the bushes below.

“Koro! Come on, get down from there already. Ugh—can you at least talk to me?”

Koro studies his hand for a long moment, then looks down at her. He leaps to the ground and walks over. “What do you want, sharp ears?”

Sophie rolls her eyes. “Ugh, I just want you to talk to me. And… I want you to come back to the guild.”

Koro shrugs. “Geez, I wasn’t gonna leave forever. Just needed a day or two to process everything alone. But you and your big butt are ruining it.”

Sophie glares up at him. “Koro, this has nothing to do with my ass.”

Koro grins. “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to say it.”

Sophie slaps him hard across the face. Koro stumbles and falls. “Owww—what the fuck?!”

She grabs his collar and leans in. “That was for snapping at me earlier.”

Koro meets her eyes. “S… sorry.”

Sophie softens. “Good. So—are you back to normal now, or what?”

Koro exhales. “Yeah… still mad inside, but it’s weaker now. Oh—can you come closer? And turn around. I think you’ve got something on your back.”

Sophie hesitates. “Ummm… okay.”

She turns. Koro steps behind her—then SLAP.

He smacks her butt. Sophie stumbles forward. “UGRRRR—WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!”

Koro flashes a dumb grin. “Well, you hit me first, so I figured I’d slap you back.”

Sophie spins around, fuming. “Okay, but why my ass, dammit? Now it stings!”

Koro’s grin widens. “I wanted to feel the recoil. I’m never washing this hand, by the way.”

Sophie stands up straight. “Alright—that’s it. I’m gonna kill you and drag your corpse back to the guild.”

She unleashes a barrage of fire arrows. Koro screams and bolts toward the guildhall.

Thirty minutes later, Alice carefully pulls a fire arrow from Koro’s shoulder. “Oww.”

His tone stays casual as she removes more. Once the last one’s out, Alice heals him fully. “There—all better.”

Koro smiles. “Yep. You’re my angel, Alice.”

Maya glances at Sophie. “So you really got ambushed by Soul Shock S-ranks?”

Sophie nods. “Yeah, I already told you. Pink-haired guy with a huge gold sword, and a dark elf with a staff. They took the Ring of Andrea.”

Maya looks down, troubled. “One of the ten legendary weapons of power… in Soul Shock’s hands. The thought alone terrifies me. And after the argument between the guild master and Koro… I guess we can’t fight back.”

Koro stands. “It’s getting late. Sophie—meet me in the east Sierra forest tomorrow. I’ve got something I want to tell you.”

He walks out. Sophie watches his back, curious. She turns to Maya. “Hey… what do you think he wants to talk about?”

Maya shrugs. “Beats me.”

The next morning at 8:30 a.m., Koro wakes on his couch. The living room is spacious but still mostly empty—no furniture yet. He showers, washes his face, fixes his hair, slips into fresh adventurer clothes, grabs his gio sword, and heads to the east side of the village.

Sophie’s already there, leaning against a tree. “Damn—you’re early. Why so eager?”

She straightens. “So why’d you call me out here? Let’s get straight to the point.”

Koro exhales. “I… I want you to help me with my problem.”

Sophie raises an eyebrow. “Well? What’s the problem?”

“You already know. I hate water. It feels disturbing—almost alien to me.”

Sophie gives him a strange look. “Huh? Seriously, dude? It’s just aqua. Stop being a baby—a little water won’t kill you.”

Koro rubs his temple. “Hey… I need you to help me master water magic. That’s what I wanted to ask. I have to beat Kazuya and reach S-rank. I can’t do that if I haven’t mastered every element.”

Sophie crosses her arms. “Yeah… I think I can do that. As long as you let me fight that dark elf without stepping in, it’s a deal.”

Koro nods.

Four hours later, Sophie holds Koro’s head underwater as he thrashes. “AHHHHH! AWWWWWW!!!”

“Stop squirming,” she says firmly. “You have to feel the flow and motion of the water to truly understand hydro magic.”

Koro stills. Sophie lets go. Submerged, he hears a single, echoing voice—desperate, pleading. “(Koro)… (Koro)… be with me, my child. Don’t run from me. Meeting me is fate. It’s tied to your soul… your DNA. Combining our essences is inevitable.”

Koro bursts up, spitting water. Sophie watches. “So… how was it?”

Koro wipes his face. “Interesting. A bit uncanny… but not bad.”

He keeps the voice secret.

Elsewhere, Kazuya swings his sword. A projectile evaporates the entire river. He frowns at the Ring of Andrea on his finger. “Hmmm… this thing’s harder to use than I thought.”

Kahlani looks surprised. “You evaporated a river and you still can’t channel its spiritual energy?”

Kazuya sits. “It’s not like regular magic. I’ve been treating it like a magical artifact when it’s spiritual. Maybe I need mental strength instead of raw output.”

Kahlani nods thoughtfully. “That could work. But you can’t feed it anger or hatred. Trust me—I know emotion-based power. The old texts say spirit energy and cursed vitality are two sides of the same coin. Both are born from mind and emotion. Cursed vitality thrives on negativity; spirit energy on positivity. Normal humans can’t wield either on command. You need divine birthright, a spiritual artifact… or, for curses, sacrifice and dark magic.”

Kazuya grins. “Huh… fascinating. So I turn battle lust into something positive. I think I can manage that. I’ll just smile while spilling my enemies’ blood.”

He laughs wildly. “Oh yeah—I’m glad we took this ring. I can already feel myself getting stronger. THIS IS TURNING ME ON!!”

Kahlani smirks. “You’re such a textbook psychopath.”

Kazuya closes his eyes, channeling positivity. Excitement and thrill flood him. Bright blue energy surges. His golden sword ignites with a vibrating blue aura.

He leaps sixty feet into the air, fires a spirit projectile—and slices an entire mountain in half.

He lands, exhilarated. “I could get used to this. It’s easier than magic. Just channel emotion and unleash impact.”

Kahlani’s eyes gleam. “Mmmm… you’re finally tapping into the metaphysical.”

Kazuya laughs again. “I’m so happy right now—it’s euphoric. I can sense souls around me. Some tortured, wishing for life again. Others dreadful. This ring makes me spiritually clairvoyant. I never knew sensing souls could feel this… pleasurable.”

The next evening at 10:30 p.m., Koro walks slowly through a shallow pool, channeling mana into his feet as cores instead of his stomach. Sophie watches closely.

“Come on—just like that. One foot after the other. Now do a handstand. Channel everything from your feet into your hands.”

Koro gives her a look. “Seriously? That sounds stupid.”

“I promise it’ll work. Water magic is about flow. You have to feel it.”

Koro balances into a handstand, then slowly walks on his palms around the pool.

Later, Sophie drags him to the river. He tries to escape—she slams him in. He flails.

“Okay—hold still. Stay afloat. No flailing. Calm your mind. Think positive thoughts.”

Koro settles, floating upward. The voice returns—stronger now. “Accept me… accept me…”

He keeps his eyes closed. The sensation feels primal, otherworldly—like something vast and unknowable reaching across dimensions. A Lovecraftian pull he shouldn’t touch.

Koro surges out of the water and lands on shore, breathing hard. He’s grasped the flow of water—how to channel mana throughout his body like a hydro system.

Sophie sits beside him. “Now the next step: create a hydro bubble and maintain it. Think you can handle it, color eyes?”

Koro nods. He focuses, hands out. A small bubble forms… then grows—rapidly.

Sophie reacts fast. “Whoa—control it before it explodes, idiot! Water magic is about balance and efficiency. Stay focused—match its size.”

Koro grits his teeth, reins it in. The bubble stabilizes—then fires outward as a pressurized hydro blast, carving 956 feet of forest in a violent explosion.

Sophie laughs. “Ahh—that was insane, Isaiah. You’re crazy. Geez, I never knew you had such a strong hidden affinity for water magic. And it grew this fast in just two days? You really are something else.”

Koro stares, surprised. “I… I don’t know what that was. It felt like magic… but something else was tied to it.”

Sophie tilts her head. “Huh? What do you mean? I didn’t sense anything but magic coming from you.”

Koro shrugs. “Yeah… maybe I’m just paranoid. Come on—let’s head back to the guild.”

He glances at his missing fingers. Since submerging fully in the river, they feel… slightly longer. Not obvious, but enough to spark suspicion.

He turns to Sophie. “Hey… next week, I want to track down Kazuya and Kahlani. Then return the Ring of Andrea to the capital.”

Sophie stares at him like he’s lost it. “Koro—what? Didn’t you hear the guild master? We’re not supposed to interfere with Soul Shock.”

Koro meets her eyes. “I’m serious. I need to settle the score. Look—I don’t care what Telrais said. I want to do it for Legend Cry’s pride… but honestly? Mostly for myself. I have unfinished business. You can stay behind if you want, but next week I’m hunting them down.”

Sophie studies his glowing purple eyes—his resolve is unmistakable. “Well… you’re determined. And cocky. Taking them both would kill you for sure. So I guess I have to babysit you and make sure you don’t die. How will you even find them? And what happens when the guild master finds out we’re leaving?”

Koro gives a small smile. “Ohhh—so you’re coming? Good. Soul Shock’s guild is in the capital. We’ll start there and investigate. As for Telrais—we don’t tell him. He doesn’t need to know. Oh—and besides water training… there’s a new technique I’ve been working on. My trump card against Kazuya. I’ve been refining it since the windmill. Didn’t use it last time because it wasn’t ready. Now it is.”

Sophie smirks. “Okay then. We leave for the capital in one week. But this week? We train every single day until we’re ready.”

Koro nods. They head back toward the village—toward his house.