Spirit Controller

Alan's worries were entirely unnecessary; the person sitting next to him proved through his actions that he was a complete novice outside the circle of mystics.

Kraun asked with excitement, "Witcher, is that a transcendent profession that eliminates evil creatures? How do you fight? Do you think there's any possibility for me to become a Witcher?"

With those three questions asked, Alan finally set his heart at ease.

That roasted lamb leg is mine for sure!

Geralt was somewhat stunned. In his spiritual perception, the other party was already capable of manifesting spiritual attributes, and that sunny sensation was clear proof of it.

Ordinary people, and even junior mystics who weren't particularly gifted in spiritual perception, wouldn't be able to detect such attribute manifestation.

Having already stepped into the circle of mystics, why was he still ignorant of such common knowledge?

Could he be a wild mystic who stumbled into the transcendent path by sheer coincidence?

The Witcher compared the characteristics of various transcendent professions and concluded that he was likely a Warlock who had awakened by accident.

A Warlock, huh!

A long, weary sigh echoed in the depths of Geralt's heart.

These chosen ones weren't all powerful; some were unreasonably strong, while others were reduced to performing magic tricks in circuses.

"Your roasted lamb legs," Abel said, walking over with a large platter containing two golden-brown roasted legs.

"Thanks, Abel."

The waiter set the food down and turned to leave.

"Come on," Kraun was just about to invite everyone to share, when he saw Alan's dagger flashing, and one lamb leg was carved up in no time.

"Big brother, I'm digging in," the boy picked up his fork, speared some lamb, and moved to put it in his mouth.

"Don't be in such a hurry to eat. Answer my question first: how do Witchers fight, and how can I become a transcendent?"

He interrupted Alan's eating, leaving Alan to gaze longingly at his teacher.

"Let me answer you. There are only a few types of transcendent professions: the Knight who has completed the sublimation of their life essence, the Witcher who has undergone mutation, the Spirit Controller who binds an Evil Spirit within their body, the Exorcist Priest of various churches, and the Warlock who has awakened their bloodline."

"Our way of fighting as Witchers relies mainly on swordsmanship and Signs. We possess physical capabilities far beyond the limits of ordinary people, and we can also release Signs that utilize spiritual power. As for you, you are already a mystic, you just don't know it yet. In my spiritual perception, your spiritual attribute manifests the characteristics of sunlight; you should be an awakened Warlock."

"If this change didn't happen on your fourteenth birthday, then some other stimulus, intense enough to endanger your life, must have released the power buried deep within your bloodline. Warlocks can harness natural magic to unleash spells like lightning, fire, ice, poison, and gales."

"You should find a teacher to learn how to constrain this power. When one first becomes a Warlock, a new awakener doesn't know how to control their power, which can cause great trouble in their daily life. I could try to introduce you to a beautiful lady to be your teacher, would you like that?"

Kraun shook his head. After listening to the Witcher's explanation, he understood that he wasn't a self-awakened Warlock, but someone who had bound an Evil Spirit within his body.

As for the sunny spiritual manifestation the Witcher mentioned, it was likely just the passive effect of the Golden Light Incantation skill.

After all, the core intent of the Golden Light Incantation meditation was to transform the body into a sun, radiating brilliant light to illuminate the world.

This was just a beautiful misunderstanding.

"I don't feel like I have any special abilities at all right now."

"Is that so?"

Geralt replied in a low voice.

Perhaps this new friend's ability wasn't enough to support the casting of a powerful spell; he might need to head to a circus to make a living.

"How do Spirit Controllers fight? They bind Evil Spirits—don't they have any side effects?"

"Everything has a price. All the gifts that fate bestows have already been marked with a price in the dark."

"Like the Witchers, Spirit Controllers are the second type of combat machine created by the Warlock Association in recent years to cope with the daily, severe threat of evil creatures."

"Humans consume special potions created by Alchemists to induce an Evil Spirit to possess their bodies."

"If these people complete their trials without being devoured by evil thoughts, they achieve the goal of symbiosis with the Evil Spirit. In this way, they can naturally use the power of the Evil Spirit. After all, the Evil Spirit has become their other half."

"The price, however, is having to endure the lifestyle habits of their other half. The life force of living beings and the various intense negative emotions of humans are the favorite rations of Evil Spirits. If you want your power to increase further, you must strengthen the Evil Spirit."

"Every day of a Spirit Controller's life is a struggle against the evil thoughts of their other half."

"Many Spirit Controllers eventually lose control and go insane, becoming Evil Spirits themselves. One-quarter of the paranormal incidents handled by various churches and transcendent agencies are caused by Spirit Controllers losing control."

Geralt stopped his explanation, adding silently in his heart:

And a large portion of the other mystic losses of control are Witchers.

A sense of inexplicable sorrow permeated the air. Suddenly, neither of them had the heart to continue talking. In the noisy tavern, the guests at this table fell into a collective silence, leaving only the sound of the boy chewing his food.

"I will come back tomorrow night to complete the trade with the Gisai. I can spare four stalks of Black Sage for you."

Perhaps what the Witcher said was common knowledge, but Kraun, who hovered outside the circle, still felt he had gained a great deal. Selling four herbs was also a gesture of goodwill.

Judging by what his new friend said, they would stay in Zack Town for a few more days, searching for the Evil Spirit that had likely already turned into a time hourglass within his own body.

Kraun decided to wait a few more days before asking them if there were other techniques to enhance a Spirit Controller's abilities.

"Can you spare that many?"

Geralt sat up straight, his yellowish-brown eyes like deep pools of water. "That would be too embarrassing."

How do you figure you aren't embarrassed at all? Kraun shook his head and picked up his knife and fork.

If he were any slower, he wouldn't even get a few ounces of meat off the bone.

The skin was charred too much, yet the inside remained undercooked; the fire for the roast had been too high, and the scent of the thyme hadn't yet permeated the meat.

As the lamb touched his tongue, Kraun immediately noticed the many shortcomings of the roasted leg of lamb.

Perhaps I should try roasting some lamb skewers or a leg of lamb myself, maybe throw in a few kidneys; otherwise, my cooking skill is going to waste. Eating plain rice and stew every day is getting a bit tiresome.

After he was wined and dined, Kraun bid farewell to the demon hunter and his apprentice.

Walking along the road, the crescent moon hung overhead, casting a silvery glow across the ground.

Upon returning home, he was surprised to find that even without turning on the lights, he could see everything in the room clearly, aided only by the few slivers of moonlight filtering through the door.

A Spirit Controller is bound to suffer negative side effects from binding an Evil Spirit within their body, so why do I not feel a single trace of the Evil Spirit's lingering consciousness?

He pondered for a while, but couldn't come up with any explanation.

Entering the potion-making room, he lit every oil lamp in the house and arranged them around the workbench, the clean, white light casting his faint shadow.

Tonight, I'm going to pull an all-nighter and turn all my spare herbs into finished products!