Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 17
Episode 17. Skills Can Evolve?!
Jang Dae-in left Spirit Village after promising to return with a contract proposal that would satisfy both parties.
As he departed, that final glance sweeping across Spirit Village burned with an intensity of desire impossible to miss.
“Mm. Good, good. It worked perfectly.”
I surveyed the medicinal herb fields stretching to the boundary of Spirit Village. If I’m being honest, I would’ve drooled at such a sight myself.
There was clearly a reason the Guild Master of Yeon-geum-seong had been so eager to scout me, even dropping his formal speech.
When did the herb field grow this vast? Did I level up three times while I wasn’t looking?
Hardly.
I spoke to To Ho-gi.
“Come on, let’s pull it all up again.”
[Oink.]
To Ho-gi fixed me with a look—eyes narrow, as if to say *When did you plant it, and now you want it all uprooted?*
This vast field was something I’d had To Ho-gi and the gnomes arrange; they’d made bare earth look like cultivated farmland and replanted every medicinal herb I’d harvested so far across it.
The result? It looked easily four times wider than my original herb field.
In other words, I’d dramatically inflated my own value with minimal labor. Brilliant self-promotion, if you ask me.
[Oink…!]
To Ho-gi, however, seemed to disagree.
“You think I’m training you like some dog, don’t you? This isn’t that at all, okay?”
[Oink.]
“When my value goes up, does it only benefit me? This is all so we can all do better together.”
[Oink.]
Even at my defense, To Ho-gi’s eyes narrowed further.
Well, to be fair, To Ho-gi and the gnomes had done most of the work, so I decided to be generous.
“Finish restoring it all before tonight, and you each get five Choco Crackers.”
[Oink!]
[Oink, oink, oink!]
To Ho-gi and the gnomes bolted straight for the herb field without a word of protest.
As a side note, the cart of Mana Stones in front of the Mine is fake too. Only the top layer is covered with Mana Stones; the rest is packed with ordinary rocks.
“Jeong Jin.”
Jeong Jin, who’d played cameraman throughout the broadcast, asked with a peculiar look in his eyes.
“Isn’t this fraud?”
A familiar look. The look right before he’d launch into an unstoppable barrage of nagging.
But the innocent version of me who used to panic at that look and give him an opening for counterargument no longer existed.
“Come on, fraud? It’s just legal bluffing. No different from writing a dramatic self-introduction at a job interview.”
“A self-introduction isn’t supposed to fabricate facts that don’t exist.”
“Then it’s like wearing shoe lifts or getting filler for a blind date. Same thing.”
“W-well….”
“And I didn’t fabricate anything either. Did I ever claim these were my products? I simply arranged the mise-en-scène a bit.”
Mm….
I left the paragon of proper living to wrestle with his doubts and turned my attention to checking my Skill.
┼ LV. ? Expansion Condition (3/3)
└ Residents’ Happiness Level (50/50)
└ Residents’ Enthusiastic Support (1/1)
└ Spirit Awareness Improvement First Stage (1/1)
As I’d anticipated, the “Spirit Awareness Improvement First Stage” entry was already complete. Given that it had unfolded according to plan, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
‘The Happiness Level maxed out?’
This, however, caught me off guard.
Apparently, the spirits had found internet communication quite delightful.
‘Hmm. Doing periodic broadcasts to show the spirits’ lives wouldn’t be a bad idea either.’
With that thought, I proceeded with the Skill evolution.
The conditions are fulfilled. Your Skill will evolve.
Please select the path your Skill will take.
1. Spirit Fortress
2. Spirit Forest
3. Spirit Hill
4. Land Spirit Village
“Skill evolution choices?”
An entirely unexpected set of options had appeared.
I knew Skills could evolve—I’d known that much. But I’d never imagined my own Skill would.
‘So that’s why the Skill is called Spirit Special District instead of Spirit Village?’
As I pondered this, a new description appeared before my eyes—detailed information for each option.
1. Spirit Fortress
A small but sturdy bastion of yours.
2. Spirit Forest
A place where medicinal herbs and trees grow abundantly.
3. Spirit Hill
Where you can meet spirits of new attributes.
4. Land Spirit Village
A settlement specialized in earth-type spirits.
All four options had their own unique distinctions.
If Spirit Fortress felt like “focused seclusion”—choosing quality over quantity—then Spirit Hill felt like the opposite: “open expansion.”
As for Spirit Forest, with both medicinal herbs and trees growing there, I could already smell the money wafting off it.
‘If these are trees that can endure harsh winds, each one would fetch tens of millions of won.’
As for Land Spirit Village, I suspected it would develop in a direction similar to what we have now, but specialized for the gnomes.
“Hmm, hmm.”
A new choice laid out before me. The delightful agony of decision began.
* * *
Afternoon.
We ate lunch on the open ground in front of the Wind Turbine.
“I notice it every time, but this place really is something.”
Jeong Jin held his coffee and muttered while gazing around.
Grass sprouting from the earth, a well with water rising from it, the enormous windmill, even the Lighthouse.
“It is. Where else in Tower World would you find a place like this?”
Since the Main Building lacked a proper dining space, we’d come outside and spread out a mat.
Eating lunch under the windmill felt like we were on a picnic at a resort.
Of course, if it were just Jeong Jin and me, the Main Building would have more than enough room, but our meals always had others joining us.
[Oh…!]
[Oh, oh oh!]
The gnomes experiencing Bread Loaf for the first time ate it eagerly, their eyes sparkling, without even adding jam or ham.
“See, this part here is the best part.”
I tore off the crust of the bread and handed it to the gnomes. They happily accepted it.
“Hmm….”
Jeong Jin narrowed his eyes and gave me a sidelong glance but said nothing.
[What’s that you’re drinking?]
It was because Su Ho-gi had just noticed Jeong Jin’s Coffee.
“Oh? Ah, this… this isn’t something you can drink.”
[Whine.]
Su Ho-gi’s face fell instantly. Jeong Jin hesitated, then squeezed his eyes shut and held out his Coffee cup.
[Eee-hehe! Glug!]
Undine took a sip of the Coffee and bounced up to her own height on the spot.
[Pbbbt!]
Then, with tears streaming down her face, she wiped her tongue with her palm.
[So hot!]
“I told you so.”
Jeong Jin’s face filled with apology as he handed Undine and the others a Cider he’d prepared for them. Su Ho-gi took it and gulped it down, tears still welling up in her eyes.
[Ahhh!]
[Hee-ha!]
The Sylphs zipped around the sky joyfully, watching over us. These Sylphs felt full just from seeing us getting along so well.
“But why didn’t you bring Salamander along?”
“That one prefers to be alone.”
“Still, it’s mealtime with everyone together.”
Jeong Jin seemed genuinely disappointed by Salamander’s absence. Since I’d need her shortly anyway, I asked Poong Ho-gi.
“Poong Ho-gi. Go fetch Salamander for me.”
[Yes, boss! Come on, everyone!]
[Piggy exercise time!]
The Sylphs rushed toward the Lighthouse and returned in an instant with Salamander in tow.
[Shhaaaak!]
Salamander grumbled irritably as if she’d rather be anywhere else. I cradled her in my arms to soothe her and picked up my phone.
“Come on, let’s take a picture together!”
Another reason for this picnic.
I wanted to capture the landscape in photographs and video before Skill evolution changed everything.
If possible, with these twelve people here—the founding contributors of the Spirit Special District.
“What’s gotten into you? Since when do you suggest taking photos first?”
Jeong Jin threw himself into it, shifting angles with various buildings as backdrops, snapping group shot after group shot.
Our photograph parade continued until Salamander, unable to bear it any longer, fussed and kicked free from my arms.
‘This should be enough.’
It would serve well as a memory, or as a way to return to our beginnings.
“Now for another announcement!”
I drew everyone’s attention back once more.
“Starting this afternoon, we’re going to hold the Spirit Special District’s first vote.”
The Sylphs reacted most loudly to the word vote.
[A vote! Surely you’re choosing a village chief!]
[Then surely one of us Sylphs will be elected!]
[Mom! When I grow up, I want to be a Spirit Master!]
They’d barked up entirely the wrong tree, but even if it were a village chief vote, there was no chance a Sylph would win. They’d each vote for themselves, obviously.
“Huh?”
I suddenly noticed Jeong Jin tucking his hair behind his ear, posing prettily. I asked with the bewilderment of someone watching a mudskipper flail across wet ground.
“What are you doing?”
“Of course I have to look my best in front of the candidates. That’s basic election protocol, isn’t it?”
I sighed and shook my head slowly.
* * *

From beneath the fluttering placards, Su Ho-gi emerged from the small voting booth.
His waddling gait clashed with an expression of surprising composure—and at the same time, a face full of pride at having cast his vote for this land.
[Eung…!]
Was this what it felt like to become an adult?
Su Ho-gi, gazing back at the placards with slightly sentimental eyes, waddled onward with fresh dignity toward his post in the medicinal herb garden.
Jeong Jin captured every moment with his phone camera, not missing a single frame. Reviewing the footage with satisfaction, he turned to me.
“Isn’t that disadvantageous for you?”
“What is?”
“If all the Nomes vote for the Land Spirit Village, that’s already close to forty percent of the vote.”
The village currently has nine votes besides mine. Four from the Nomes, three from Undine, and two from the Sylphs.
Salamander’s vote was left out because he’d obviously abstain, and Jeong Jin’s was left out because he’s just a resident here.
“True. But the Land Spirit Village won’t be elected.”
“Why?”
“Because my votes count as five.”
…….
Jeong Jin stared at me for a moment in disbelief.
“Wow, I didn’t think of that. So you’re just throwing democracy itself out the window now?”
“The Spirit Special District’s system is democracy and capitalism at once.”
Have you ever been to a shareholder meeting?
When I exercise maybe ten votes on a resolution, the company chairman exercises one hundred million.
‘You get power in proportion to what you own. That’s capitalism.’
So my vote counts as five.
The Spirit Special District’s first vote would register a voting rate of a full 140 percent.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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