Maybe I really am a Villian

Chapter 76: Spirits

Asher and his team were together in the forest, looking at spirits when Noah said, "I have never seen a spirit before anywhere, but there are so many of them here. Why is that?"

Noah then looked at Asher for an answer.

After hearing Noah’s question, Asher looked towards the different spirits that were moving through the forest. They had different shapes, and they were also changing their forms from time to time, so they probably didn’t have a definite shape and could change into any shape they desired.

Asher kept looking at the spirits for a moment and then said, "I don’t know."

As soon as Asher said this, Noah looked at him with a strange expression and said, "Then why were you thinking so hard while looking at them?"

Asher looked at Noah with a confused expression and said calmly, "When did I ever say that I knew that? I was just observing them. Do I look like a theory expert student to you?"

Noah looked at Asher and, with a hopeless expression, said, "Sorry, my fault for thinking that you would know this."

Asher did not say anything else to Noah and then looked at Aria for an answer.

Adam and Noah also looked towards her. As a theory expert, there was no way she wouldn’t know that.

Aria noticed the three of them looking at her then she explained in a calm tone, "Spirits are naturally attracted towards places that have a high concentration of spiritual energy. This forest happens to be one of those places."

Noah nodded after hearing her explanation.

"So that’s why there are so many spirits here."

Aria nodded.

"In normal places spiritual energy is spread out, so it is difficult to see spirits. But in places like this forest where spiritual energy is much denser, spirits naturally gather here."

Noah looked around the forest again.

There were spirits everywhere. Some were floating between the trees while some were moving around aimlessly. There were even a few spirits looking towards their group from a distance.

Adam then asked, "Then why do they keep changing their shapes?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Aria looked at one of the nearby spirits before answering.

"Most spirits don’t have a fixed form. Their appearance can change depending on many things, so changing shapes is normal for them."

The spirit she was looking at suddenly changed from a bird-like shape into a small wolf-like creature.

Noah looked at it and nodded,"I see."

Asher then asked, "High spirit density is present in many places, but that doesn’t really mean that there will be spirits there. Like our Academy, there is a high density of mana, but there are not any spirits there. Spirits also seem to not like interacting with other beings, and this place also seems to be rarely used. They also don’t like to communicate with other living beings. This place is resided in by elves who are close to nature, and spirits like to stay near them."

After hearing Asher’s words, Aria nodded.

"That’s also one of the reasons."

Noah looked surprised.

"So there are multiple reasons?"

Aria nodded again.

"Spirits prefer places where they won’t be disturbed. Most intelligent races don’t pay attention to spirits, while some actively try to capture or control them. Because of that, many spirits avoid places with large populations."

She then looked around the forest.

"The elves are different. They respect spirits and rarely interfere with them. Because of that, spirits don’t mind staying near elven territories."

Adam nodded in understanding.

"So for spirits this place is both comfortable and safe."

"More or less," Aria replied.

Then Asher asked, "What are spirits actually?"

Before Aria could answer, Aelar who was standing near them spoke.

"Spirits are simply mana that has awakened its own consciousness."

The group looked towards him.

Noah looked confused."That’s it?"

Aelar nodded."That’s it."

Noah looked at the countless spirits moving around the forest.

"So all of these are just mana?"

Aelar shook his head.

"Not exactly. They are mana that gained consciousness."

He pointed towards a nearby spirit.

"Mana exists everywhere in the world. Under certain conditions mana can slowly develop its own consciousness. Once that happens it becomes a spirit."

The group listened quietly.

Adam then asked, "Then how are spirits born?"

Aelar answered calmly.

"Most spirits are born naturally. Places with dense mana and rich natural energy increase the chances of spirits being born."

Noah looked at one of the spirits floating nearby and asked "Then can spirits die?"

Aelar answered calmly "They can."

Aelar continued."If their consciousness is destroyed or they lose too much mana they will disappear."

Noah nodded before asking another question.

"So some spirits can live for a very long time?"

"Yes."

The group looked at the surrounding spirits again.

Some of them might have existed for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Then Asher asked, "How do spirits evolve to higher ranks?"

Aelar answered,"They evolve as they gain more consciousness and will over time."

The group listened quietly.

Aelar continued,"When a spirit is first born its consciousness is very weak. Most low-rank spirits mainly act on instinct."

He pointed towards a nearby spirit.

"As time passes they slowly become more aware of themselves and the world around them. Their consciousness grows and so does their will."

Noah then asked,"So they become smarter?"

Aelar nodded."You can say that."

"The more consciousness a spirit gains, the stronger its will becomes. The stronger its will becomes, the more mana it can control.And that allows it to evolve."

Adam then asked,"So spirits evolve by absorbing mana?"

Aelar shook his head.Not exactly.Mana is important, but it is not the main factor."

"If mana alone was enough then every spirit living in this forest would eventually become a high-ranking spirit."

The group looked around.

There were countless spirits in the forest, but most of them were clearly low-ranking.

Aelar continued,

"Consciousness and will are what determine a spirit’s growth. Mana is simply the foundation."

Asher thought about it for a moment before asking,"Then does that mean spirits with stronger desires evolve faster?"

Aelar nodded."In many cases yes.A spirit that actively learns, explores, and experiences new things will usually grow faster than one that does nothing."

Noah pointed towards a spirit sitting on a tree branch and asked "So if that spirit spends hundreds of years doing nothing it will barely grow?,Most likely."

After hearing that Asher looked at the surrounding spirits again.

Then he said,

"So in simple terms.The more conscious a spirit becomes, the higher its rank."

Aelar nodded."That is correct.A higher-ranked spirit is simply a spirit with a more developed consciousness and a stronger will."

The group became thoughtful after hearing that.

After all, if spirits evolved by gaining consciousness and will, then their growth path was surprisingly different and also same in some way to that of most living beings.

After hearing Aelar’s explanation, Asher looked towards the surrounding spirits.

Then he started walking towards a nearby spirit.

The others noticed this and followed him.

The spirit looked like a small ball of light floating near a tree.

Asher slowly approached it.The spirit noticed him.

For a moment it stayed there.

Then it immediately fled.

It disappeared into the forest in an instant.

The group stopped.

Noah looked at where it had disappeared and said "It ran away."

Asher nodded.

Then they approached another spirit.

The result was the same.

The spirit immediately fled.

Every spirit they approached ran away before they could get close.

Noah looked at the fleeing spirit.

"Do they dislike us?"

Then Aelar said, "No, some are just cautious. Try approaching others."

After that, the group tried approaching many spirits, but all of them fled the moment they saw them approaching. Meanwhile, other groups were already interacting with many spirits, and they didn’t seem to be fleeing from them—only from Asher’s group.

Asher looked at Aelar and said, "What is the meaning of this? Why are they only avoiding us while everyone else can easily interact with them?"

Aelar remained silent for a moment, his gaze following one of the fleeing spirits until it vanished into the distance.

"That..." he muttered, narrowing his eyes, "is not normal."

The others exchanged uneasy glances. Up until now, they had assumed the spirits were merely timid, but the pattern had become impossible to ignore.

Adam then said, "Maybe we should try interacting with them alone, not as a group."

He then looked at Asher and continued, "Maybe a certain someone is the problem."

Everyone agreed to Adam’s suggestion and spread out across the area, each person approaching a spirit on their own.

One by one, they made contact.

The spirits greeted them cautiously at first, but none of them fled.

But then it was Asher’s turn, and as soon as he approached a spirit, it would immediately flee from him as if he were a plague.

Then Asher looked towards his teammates