Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 19

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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 19
19. A Home of My Own
Moments later, the Main Castle was complete.
The Level 2 Main Hall has been upgraded to Level 1 Main Castle.
Where the Main Hall once stood, the newly constructed Main Castle was a castle in every sense of the word.
Built of cream-colored brick and topped with a blue-tiled roof, the modest castle had a tower rising from one corner, complete with arrow slits angled for defense.
It was ornate yet rugged, dignified yet unpretentious.
‘It’s like looking at a French château.’
A château—or castle in the style of a grand manor house—that’s what they called it.
Click—
As I opened the door and stepped inside with the spirits, an elegantly antiquated lobby greeted me first.
Though it was empty of furniture, the chandelier hanging from the ceiling alone drew an involuntary gasp of admiration.
On one side of the living room hung a photograph.
A picture taken during the picnic had been enlarged to cover nearly half of one wall.
[Oh! That’s our photo!]
Su Ho Ki giggled at the sight of it, then tilted her head in confusion.
[But why is this photo here?]
“Beats me.”
I brushed off Su Ho Ki’s question and began exploring the Main Castle. As it evolved from Main Hall to Main Castle, it hadn’t just expanded the lobby.
There were at least two rooms on each floor, and the first floor even had its own separate kitchen.
“Mm…!”
I found myself letting out that sound before I could help it—my heart had begun to flutter with genuine excitement.
How could it not?
At last, I finally had a proper ‘home.’
“I’ll use this room as a bedroom, this one as a study….”
I climbed up and down the stairs several times, debating which room would serve what purpose.
“No, wait. Wouldn’t it be better to have the bedroom on the first floor anyway? But then I’d have to give up that fantasy of climbing the stairs in pajamas.”
After deciding on the purpose of each room, I swept a collection of furniture I liked into my shopping cart on my phone.
‘Since the spirits keep sneaking into bed with me, I should go with a large king-size bed. Huh? What’s this? Ten million won for a bed? But the reviews are solid, so straight to the cart.’
Furniture itself came with a staggering price tag, and shipping it through the Wasteland of the Tower World added yet another astronomical cost.
But what did it matter? I had over 300 million won in my account. And in the Spirit District’s warehouse, there were treasures worth more than double that sleeping away!
‘This room will be a study-slash-home theater. First, I’ll get a 200-inch TV, then maybe a couch or cinema recliner chairs….’
With a proper kitchen now, I could finally cook proper meals for myself.
Until now, I’d either traveled to the Fortress to eat or bought protein bars alongside snacks for the spirits.
‘I’ll buy one large refrigerator and a kimchi fridge. Should I get an oven and dishwasher too? The air fryer and rice cooker from my old studio apartment…. No, let me replace everything while I’m at it.’
Lost in the happy confusion of shopping, I didn’t notice how the hours slipped away.
I’d never been so engrossed in shopping that I forgot to feel hungry before.
‘So this is what spending money feels like. No wonder people get so into it.’
It seemed the reason I’d found shopping tedious all those years was simply that I had no money.
Stepping back outside, I took in the full view of the Main Castle once more. The pale brick walls were bathed in the warmth of the setting sun, glowing orange against the dusk.
“Ahhh.”
I breathed in deeply the fresh air carried on the wind from the turbines, then slowly opened my eyes.
“I feel wonderful.”
To be honest, the Main Hall had felt rather like a studio apartment. It had just evolved from a one-room into a two-room.
But the Main Castle was different. It was a two-story house spacious enough for an entire family. And as the Main Castle’s level increased, it would only grow larger.
‘Even if I moved all my possessions from my old studio, I couldn’t fill two rooms.’
What did that mean?
I had succeeded.
The symbol of wealth and a successful life—’homeownership in your twenties,’ something even most silver-spoon kids only dream of—I had achieved it.
I raised my hand and offered a toast to my château.
“Bravo to my life.”
I genuinely wished I had a glass of wine to celebrate with.
* * *
South Korea was one of the few nations in the world to have successfully achieved Tower World Terraforming.
Though it was only a small portion of success, the fact remained that this alone had made South Korea one of the world’s leading Tower-climbing nations.
From that perspective, it was hardly surprising that most guilds in South Korea kept their guild houses not in Seoul, but in the Fortress.
“Welcome.”
Jung Jin crossed the threshold into the Ark Guild’s guild house, located on the fourth floor of the Fortress.
As Jung Jin made his way across the guild house, the members’ gazes naturally gravitated toward him.
“So Jung Jin knows that man in the pillar?”
“They seem to be really close.”
Jung Jin ignored the murmurs of the crowd and knocked on the innermost door of the guild house—the Guild Master’s office.
“Come in.”
“Enter.”
Jin Noa, Master of the Ark Guild, sat tilted back in his chair, feet up.
“Have a seat.”
Jung Jin settled onto the sofa and waited for Jin Noa to speak.
“You came straight from the training grounds?”
“Yes.”
“Always diligent.”
“A porter has to put in that much effort to survive on the front lines.”
Jin Noa stared at the empty air for a moment before speaking.
“Jung Yong—that’s the guy who worked as a porter here with you, isn’t it?”
“Yes. He went his own way last month after his Awakening.”
“How well do you know him?”
“We’re from the same orphanage.”
“Quite the place. Producing two talents. Are there any other Awakened from there?”
“There are quite a few criminals. Would you like me to introduce you?”
Jin Noa chuckled softly and steered the conversation in a different direction.
“I hear he has no interest in joining a guild yet.”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Think you could talk him into it?”
“I’ll try, but he’s got a remarkably stubborn streak.”
“Hmm.”
“He’s almost like a farmer, though. Doesn’t he seem poorly suited for our guild?”
The Ark Guild was a Farming Guild—they repeatedly cleared already-conquered floors and acquired Mana Stones and monster byproducts to sell.
While the Ark Guild was large for a Farming Guild, it didn’t particularly boast a high number of alchemists or mages.
“Jung Yong’s skills won’t end at that.”
“How do you mean?”
“It hasn’t even been a month since he Awakened. His skills are still growing. I suspect herbs and ore deposits are just the beginning.”
Jin Noa tapped the table thoughtfully, then gave an order.
“Go work where that friend of yours is for a while.”
“Are you asking me to scout him no matter what?”
“No, I’m not. You’re not one to talk nonsense anyway.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Just go and build some goodwill. That guy seems like he’s going to be a major player.”
“If that happens, I won’t be able to climb the tower with you.”
“That’s fine. We can manage without one porter.”
“No, that’s not what I meant—I won’t be able to collect my Life Allowance.”
…….
Jin Noa looked at Jung Jin with an expression of disbelief, then let out a snort of laughter.
“Normally in a situation like this, you’d be grinning ear to ear saying, ‘I get to hang out with my friend and still get paid,’ wouldn’t you?”
“I’ll do my best to grin ear to ear and say, ‘I get to hang out with my friend and still collect my Life Allowance.'”
“You know that? You’re the craziest one in our entire guild.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Alright, alright. Just file me a simple report every day.”
“Understood. Is that all you needed to tell me?”
“Now get out.”
“Sir.”
Jung Jin gave a crisp salute and stepped out of the office. He slipped through the guild house with his shoulders bobbing cheerfully.
* * *
He was overseeing the spirits as always, loitering about.
“Hmm?”
Something appeared in the sky.
Looking closer, it was a flying monster.
“That’s a wyvern.”
Monsters sometimes wandered through the Tower World. Most were weakened by the Eroding Wind and hunger, but they remained dangerous nonetheless.
He was about to ignore it—after all, it wouldn’t cross the boundary into the Spirit District.
Whoosh—!
Something nearby kicked off the ground and shot into the air. It was Pung Ho Ki.
Pung Ho Ki rose to a height similar to the wyvern’s and unleashed a torrent of razor-sharp wind toward it.
Crack-crack-crack-boom!
The wind blade tore through the barrier and shredded the wyvern in an instant. It died without even a cry.
I stood there, momentarily stunned. The wyvern was a B-rank monster, capable of reaching high A-rank depending on how far it had grown.
Of course, that creature had wandered the Wasteland for a long time and must have weakened, but I never expected it to die so easily.
[Ahahaha. Did you see that?]
Pung Ho Ki descended beside me, shrugging his shoulders with obvious pride in his own strength.
“That was incredible. You’re as strong as Kkul-kkul, aren’t you?”
[That one is exceptional even among salamanders. We sylphs are the strongest when it comes to combat, always!]
“Man, with you around, I don’t think I’d need any other guards.”
[Indeed! That’s exactly right!]
After praising Pung Ho Ki with measured flattery, I made a request.
“Could you bring the wyvern’s corpse back from outside the wall?”
[Huh? The corpse? Really?]
“That’s all money right there.”
Pung Ho Ki tilted his head in confusion but still lifted the corpse with wind and pulled it back over the fortress wall.
Whether out of consideration from Pung Ho Ki or not, the stench of blood and beast musk never reached my nose.
“The hide and claws are no good.”
Protective gear could be made from hides shed by Tower World monsters.
But that only worked with those that had died while still healthy and young. The wyvern before me had long since passed that point.
“Pung Ho Ki, could you find something like a stone inside this creature’s body? Throw the rest back outside.”
[Understood!]
When the Mana Stone was placed in my hand moments later, its condition was equally poor.
Lacking proper nourishment and exposed to the Eroding Wind for so long, the magical energy within was terribly murky.
‘Skill Window.’
┼ Buildable Structures
└ Spire Tower Lv. 1
└ Material: Timber (10kg/10kg)
└ Material: Stone (20kg/20kg)
└ Material: Mana Stone (0g/500g)
Even when I opened the Skill Window out of hope, it wouldn’t count this as material.
Turning the contaminated Mana Stone over in my hands with some disappointment, Su Ho Ki noticed and looked at it with interest.
[Hmm? What’s that?]
“Useless rock. Do you want it?”
[Yes! Give it to me!]
A contaminated Mana Stone wouldn’t sell to anyone anyway. I handed it over to Undine with a light heart.
* * *
The next day.
I found a Mana Stone near the Reservoir Area. No matter how I looked at it from front or back, it was the same one I’d given Undine yesterday.
Except now it was perfectly pure, completely free of contamination—a highest-grade Mana Stone.
“What is this? Why is it so clean?”
In a single day, trash had become a jewel.

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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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