Soobin sat on the edge of his new bed, staring blankly at his hands.
The initial, intoxicating rush of transmigrating into a fantasy world had completely evaporated, leaving behind a crushing, hollow disappointment.
No spirit core. No powers.
He was trapped in a world ruled by guilds, monsters, and magic, and he was effectively a spectator. Honestly, he was more devastated about being locked out of the power system than the fact that he had been kidnapped from his original universe.
"Why this body?" he muttered, frustration seeping into his quiet voice. "Why me?"
The weight of his powerlessness pressed down on his chest. For a moment, a flare of hot anger bubbled up, but he forced it down with a heavy sigh, running a hand through his messy black hair.
"There's nothing I can do about it," he whispered, willing himself to regain his composure. "I can't change this body's limitations. I need to think ahead. There has to be a way to survive this."
He closed his eyes, digging through his memories of Echoes of the Spiritbound. He needed an edge. A forgotten detail. A hidden piece of lore that only a reader would know.
Suddenly, a specific scene jolted him upright.
'Wait... the ring!'
He remembered it vividly. In the early chapters of the novel, the original protagonist had been wandering through a dense forest during a training arc. He had stumbled upon a strange, half-buried artifact in the moss—a shimmering ring, resting right beside a stunning, pristine sword with a light-blue blade and a white rim.
When the protagonist had reached out to touch the ring, sparks of violent energy had danced across his skin, and a translucent red screen had flashed before his eyes:
[ERROR! Spirit Core Resistance Detected.] [Legacy Artifact Malfunction.]
The protagonist had been confused. A second later, the ring had crumbled into worthless dust. He had taken the blue sword instead, hoping it was a powerful weapon. But despite its incredible design, the sword had been entirely useless. It was "locked." The protagonist couldn't imbue it with a single drop of spirit energy, eventually abandoning it to gather dust in his inventory.
Soobin's heart began to hammer against his ribs.
The artifact had malfunctioned due to Spirit Core Resistance. It had rejected the protagonist because he had a core.
'What if...' Soobin's eyes widened as the pieces clicked together. 'What if that ring was meant for someone without one?'
The thought ignited a massive flicker of hope. If that ring was still out there, untouched, it could be the exact cheat code he needed.
With newfound determination, Soobin grabbed his phone from the nightstand. It wasn't a traditional glass rectangle; it was a sleek, futuristic wrist-device. As he tapped it, vibrant holographic displays projected into the air, allowing him to flick through apps with a wave of his hand.
"Damn, this is so cool," he murmured, quickly mapping a route to the city's outskirts.
He needed to get moving.
He headed downstairs, the luminescent plants lining the hallway casting a soft, ethereal glow over the polished floors. He found Yuna in the living room, sitting on the plush sofa. The beautiful blonde-haired woman was typing away on a sleek laptop with a floating holographic monitor.
It still felt deeply strange to him. He had all the original owner's memories, but calling this random, elegant woman "mother" felt foreign on his tongue. Still, given how his real mother had treated him, he would choose this woman over her any day of the week.
"Umm... Mom?" he asked, trying to mask the urgent anticipation in his voice with a casual tone. "Can I borrow some money?"
Yuna turned, her expression softening slightly. "Soobin? You already have plenty in your digi-wallet, honey. Did you spend it all? Do you need me to transfer more?"
"Ah... right." Soobin quickly glanced at his wrist-device, pulling up his banking app.
He almost choked. The balance staring back at him was staggering—more than enough to buy whatever he wanted for months. 'This is so different from my old life,' he thought, remembering the days he'd skipped meals just to make rent. Here, he had endless resources at his fingertips.
"No, no, there's no need," Soobin hurried to correct himself. He offered a polite, deep bow. "Thank you so much."
Yuna blinked, her fingers pausing on her keyboard. She looked at him with a mix of confusion and deep concern. "Why are you being so formal, my baby? You were behaving strangely this morning, too. Are you in some kind of trouble? Please tell me. Mom can handle it."
Soobin froze, realizing his old habits were bleeding through. He quickly forced a more easygoing, natural smile.
"No, Mom, it's nothing," he said, softening his tone. "And... thank you for asking."
A flicker of genuine sadness crossed his eyes. It was the first time in a very long time he had felt warmth like that from a parent. "I have to run an errand. I'll be back late! Bye!"
He hurried out the door before she could press him further, leaving Yuna staring after him, her brow furrowed in worry.
Stepping out onto the street, Soobin took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the emotional baggage of his past. He had a mission.
The Seoul of this world was a staggering blend of tradition and hyper-advanced technology. The streets were alive with energy. Vehicles without wheels floated gracefully just above the asphalt, gliding effortlessly on invisible currents of spirit energy. Sleek, glass-heavy skyscrapers stood side-by-side with intricate, traditional architecture. Above it all, massive holographic billboards hovered in the sky, their vibrant advertisements shifting seamlessly.
Soobin navigated the bustling streets entirely by memory, making his way toward his father's guild: The Fairy of Flames.
It was a prominent, mid-sized guild. While it didn't have the combat prestige of the top-tier mega-guilds, it was an absolute powerhouse in the refining industry. They specialized in taking corrupted shadow nuclei—harvested from dead monsters—and purifying them into usable spirit energy.
As he approached, the grandeur of the guild building took his breath away.
Pushing through the heavy glass doors, he was greeted by the crisp scent of air conditioning and the distant, sounds of training swords from the sparring halls.
He walked up to the sleek front desk.
"Oh, hey! Soobin!"
The receptionist, Jane, popped a bubble of pink gum and leaned over the counter, her sharp eyes bright with curiosity. She had worked at the guild for years and knew the original Soobin well. "What brings you here today? It's been a while. Want me to page the Guild Master for you?"
"Hi, Jane. Nah, no need to bother my dad," Soobin replied, leaning against the counter and trying to sound casual. "I just came to borrow something."
"What is it? Name it. Anything for the boss's son," she smiled warmly.
"I was wondering if I could borrow a solid training sword for a while. I just need it for some... practice."
Jane raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, clearly surprised, but she nodded and tapped her screen. "Sure thing. Just sign this digital form, and I'll have someone bring one up."
Moments later, a guild worker arrived carrying a standard, polished steel training blade. It wasn't magical, but it gleamed sharply under the fluorescent lobby lights. It had decent weight to it.
"Here you go," Jane said, sliding it across the counter. "Remember to be careful with it. If you want, I can have some of the rookie heroes spot you in the sparring room?"
"No, no, it's okay," Soobin hurriedly refused, slinging the sword's strap over his shoulder. "I just want to try some stuff alone. I'll return it by tomorrow. Thanks, Jane!"
"Alright. No rush!"
After finishing the sign-out protocol, Soobin turned and headed for the exit. His mind was already racing back to the ring. 'If it really is what I think it is... it could change everything.' And even if the ring failed, he would at least know where the blue sword was. A weapon that beautiful had to be worth something to a collector. There was no harm in trying.
Behind the desk, Jane watched Soobin's retreating back push through the glass doors.
Her smile slowly faded into a look of quiet, lingering sadness. She knew him well. She knew how smart and talented he was. But it broke her heart to see him asking for a sword, knowing full well that without a spirit core, no amount of practice would ever make him a hero.
With the heavy training sword resting comfortably at his side, Soobin stepped back into the vibrant, neon-lit streets. It was time to find out if his cheat code actually existed.