5. Hope Amid Despair, the First Step Toward Eternal Life

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent.

Countless gazes turned toward Rhine all at once.

(Things are getting more and more interesting.)

Rhine laughed inwardly.

With everyone’s eyes upon him, he crossed the river and stepped onto the opposite bank.

The moment he did, pressure bore down on his body.

This pressure came from the Spirit Spring flowing deep within the flower field.

The Spirit Spring produced spiritual power.

That spiritual power was so concentrated in the surrounding area that it created an invisible pressure.

But almost immediately, faint particles of light floated up from the flowers blooming at Rhine’s feet.

The lights drifted gently around him, enveloping his entire body before eventually being absorbed into it, one by one.

(So these are Hope Spirits.)

Rhine murmured inwardly.

The Academy Elder had offered no explanation, but Rhine knew them well.

Each of those particles of light was a spirit.

Their name was Hope.

One of the oldest legends in this world concerned the Spirits of