Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 21

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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 21
21. The Baby Salamander
Spirit Castle buzzed with excitement at the arrival of the newcomer.
[So small!]
[Adorable!]
Su Ho Ki and Undine petted the Salamander without restraint. The little creature hugged their tickling fingers with all four legs, chittering with delight.
I watched the baby Salamander for a moment, then glanced at the pig-form Salamander that Sylphe had brought for me.
[Snort.]
The portly creature looked at me with clear displeasure, as if asking what I was staring at.
So this is what it becomes when it grows up. I’d never seen such a dramatic transformation.
“My apologies. So you weren’t just fat—you were old too. I had no idea. From now on, I’ll call you the Ancient Salamander.”
[SNORT!]
As the pig-form Salamander glowered at me, the baby chittered and laughed with pure joy.
The little one waddled over and tapped its tiny snout against the elder’s broad nose. The pig-form Salamander glanced back at me, then carefully bumped snouts in return.
This must be how Salamanders greet each other.
“This is seriously too cute!”
Jeong Jin’s eyes went wide as hearts as he frantically snapped photographs of the baby Salamander.
While everyone else delighted in the sight, my mind was elsewhere.
‘Can this little thing actually work?’
The baby Salamander was truly small. I doubted it could produce any real flames.
Did I really plan to put this infant to work?
Of course I did. This is Spirit Castle, not Spirit City. We haven’t enacted child labor laws here yet.
‘With two Salamanders, we can build the Furnace and the Smeltery.’
I opened my skill window and checked the construction list.
┼ Buildable Structures
└ Furnace LV. 2
└ Material: Charcoal (10kg/10kg)
└ Material: Copper (2kg/2kg)
└ Condition: Spirit of Fire (2/2)
└ Smeltery LV. 1
└ Material: Safety Helmet (2/2)
└ Condition: Furnace LV. 2 (0/1)
└ Condition: Spirit of Fire (2/2)
└ Condition: Spirit of Earth (2/2)
The Copper for the Furnace had been mined by Gnome long ago and stored in the warehouse, and I’d purchased the Charcoal from a large shop in Boru.
‘Let’s do this.’
I didn’t hesitate. I placed the blueprint. First, the Furnace.
Beginning construction of LV. 2 Furnace.
Construction time: 10 minutes.
From the warehouse, various building materials flew through the sky toward the blueprint’s location.
[Huh?]
[Wow!]
The baby Salamander watched the sky with wonder, while the other spirits buzzed with excitement at the prospect of another building expansion.
The pig-form Salamander glanced at me with obvious reluctance, then slowly lumbered toward the Furnace with the baby riding on its back.
The Furnace was a massive stone basin stacked high with wooden logs.
It had secondary functions—dispelling cold and providing rest for the Salamanders—but its defining feature was its resemblance to a campfire.
‘Now that it’s leveled up to 2, it looks completely different.’
Unlike the natural appearance of before, the Furnace in the blueprint looked distinctly more rugged.
It resembled what people typically imagine when they think of an “iron furnace.” The difference was that this one had four legs and was far larger.
Soon enough, the Furnace neared completion. All that remained was the final step—the flames of both Salamanders.
[Snort.]
After ten minutes of plodding slowly across the ground, the Salamander finally reached my side.
The look in its eyes seemed to ask, ‘This is the last one, right? After this, you’ll stop bothering me?’
Perhaps showing good behavior for its newfound sibling, it approached the task willingly. The sight of it taking initiative was rather touching.
“Not a chance. As soon as the materials are ready, we’re expanding the Lighthouse too.”
[Huff.]
That brief, sharp sound almost sounded like spitting, but surely that was just my imagination.
The Furnace was packed with charcoal. Following my instructions, the pig-form and baby Salamander breathed fire together.
Whoooosh—!
Crackle—!
Salamander’s flames were as weak as expected, but the conditions were met nonetheless.
LV. 2 Furnace construction has been completed.
The charcoal caught fire, and the furnace expansion proceeded successfully.
Furnace LV. 2
The minimum temperature of the Spirit Special Zone increases.
When a Fire Spirit rests near the Furnace, temperature and light strengthen by 20% for 3 hours.
Both in size and form, and in effect as well, it was significantly strengthened compared to level one. And that wasn’t all.
‘There’s still the Smeltery left.’
The Smeltery had limited construction sites. It could only be built adjacent to the Furnace.
Until now, this was the first time a building had placement restrictions aside from building evolution.
‘These two structures must be creating some kind of synergy together.’
There had to be a reason why the Smeltery had to be built right next to the Furnace.
* * *
The Smeltery was built quickly.
LV. 1 Smeltery construction has been completed.
With that notification, the entrance to the smelting chamber clicked open, and Salamander wriggled out with a satisfied whimper.
Salamander exchanged another snout greeting with Salamander, as if to say it had worked hard.
Watching this, I offered a comment.
“Lose some weight.”
[Screee!]
What was needed to complete the Smeltery was a single Salamander.
The reason Salamander was used instead of Salamander was that Salamander was too fat to fit into the smelting chamber.
‘Looks like Salamander will have to handle the Smeltery work until another one arrives.’
Salamander’s fire was somewhat weak, but fortunately that wasn’t a concern. The heat used in the Smeltery came not from the Salamander itself, but from the Furnace connected behind it.
The charcoal burning in the Furnace supplied heat to the smelting chamber, and the Salamander’s role was to control that heat so the metal melted uniformly.
‘I don’t have much use for the Smeltery yet.’
The Mine yields various metals besides Mana Ore—cast iron, copper, and countless others whose names I don’t even know.
But I didn’t yet feel the need to refine those metals into ingots at the Smeltery.
Still, I was certain there would come a day when I’d use this place. My skill wouldn’t have pushed me to build a useless structure.
‘Who knows? Maybe gold or silver will turn up eventually.’
I indulged in a happy daydream about making gold bars, but was quickly forced to confront a practical problem.
‘But who’s going to make the ingots?’
The Salamander melts the metal.
But who handles the tedious work of pouring the molten metal into molds and cooling it? Surely not me?
I was lost in very serious thought when it happened.
[Oh?]
[Ooh!]
The Gnomes were playing with small Safety Helmets hung on one wall, placing them on their heads.
When the Smeltery was built as a structure, the Safety Helmets needed for it had been miniaturized for the spirits and hung on the wall.
Watching this, I understood who the workers at this place would be.
‘The Gnomes might be switching from miners to blacksmiths soon.’
I emerged satisfied and checked my skill window.
┼ Available Construction List
└ Lighthouse LV. 2
└ Materials: Mana Stone (100g/100g)
└ Materials: Fresnel Lens (0/1)
└ Conditions: Fire Spirit (1/1)
└ Spire LV. 1
└ Materials: Timber (10kg/10kg)
└ Materials: Stone (20kg/20kg)
└ Materials: Mana Stone (500g/500g)
Two buildings remained.
They were the ones I looked forward to most.
* * *
The next day.
I set out for Boru with the spirits, this time carrying them openly in my pocket rather than hiding them under a hood.
[The pocket is too cramped!]
Of course, Pung Ho Ki escaped from the pocket the moment we arrived at Boru and immediately began flying around me.
[I want to go somewhere I can see better!]
Su Ho Ki, meanwhile, stubbornly crawled up my body and settled on my head.
[Oh.]
Only To Ho Ki poked his head demurely from my pocket, peering around at his surroundings.
‘Good boy, obedient little one. I’ll buy you some chocolate at the convenience store.’
As I cut across the arcade of Boru alongside the spirits, I noticed people’s gazes beginning to converge on us.
“Did you see that person? There’s something strange on their head?”
“Is it a doll? Wait, it’s moving.”
“Ah! Isn’t that—isn’t that a baby spirit?”
“If so, is that person a Spirit Master?”
Most people with enough knowledge to find Boru were civilians deeply interested in Hunter society. In no time at all, the spirits and I had become the focal point of attention.
I scanned those gazes for any hint of hostility, but most were simply curious.
‘The Awareness Improvement Project. Definitely working.’
Of course, some parents warned their children to keep their distance, saying the spirits were dangerous—but that level of caution was actually welcome.
We wouldn’t have wanted the children approaching recklessly and touching the spirits anyway.
“Um, would it be all right if I took a picture?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
After one brave woman’s photo request, the crowd began to flow in earnest.
“Say, are these really not dangerous?”
Someone asked me, and I shrugged, turning my gaze toward Pung Ho Ki. Pung Ho Ki, meeting my eyes, opened his mouth.
[Of course they’re not dangerous!]
“Oh my goodness!”
[Why are you so startled? Is this your first time hearing a spirit talk?]
“Wow, wow… how amazing.”
The moment Pung Ho Ki spoke, the crowd’s interest shifted fully to the spirits.
“They’re so cute.”
“Even cuter than in the videos.”
[Oh!]
[Um, h-hello…!]
Su Ho Ki, tense with nerves, was gripping my hair like a handlebar. I could feel from atop my head how badly he wanted to hide, how much he was fidgeting.
[Ehehe….]
Yet even so, his joy could not be concealed.
The spirits’ first debut in Boru went off remarkably well.
“Sell us more Mana Ore!”
Someone’s booming cry set off a burst of laughter.
“Welcome, Spirit Master. Our Iron Blood Guild would like to—”
“I’m afraid scouting offers won’t work.”
Scouts who hadn’t picked up on the hint approached, then retreated—it was quite the enjoyable debut stage.
An hour later.
I had stepped off the stage and was sitting in a room on the second floor of Boru.
“Welcome.”
Before me, Jang Dae In, the head of the Top Management Bureau, held in his hands the contract he had spent days preparing.
‘Well, let’s see how much of this pleases me.’
I had absolutely no intention of selling myself cheap.

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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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