Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 24

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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 24
24. Full Ownership
Standing before the altar, I ran through my hypothesis one more time.
‘When I built the Lighthouse, the description was written like a riddle too.’
It had said only: Not all who wander have lost their way.
With that in mind, I’d grasped the Lighthouse’s purpose and supplied what was lacking, and it became a beacon for the wandering.
So what about the Spire?
Spire Lv. 1
The reason a tower’s peak is tall and pointed is to touch the sky. Or perhaps, to touch someone in the sky.
According to the description, this building’s purpose is communication and connection. But something is missing—it isn’t functioning yet.
The Lighthouse matched its purpose, but it had lacked light at the time. Once I placed Salamander inside, it worked.
So what should I provide for the Spire?
‘What’s the Spire’s true purpose?’
Faith and divine protection, obviously.
From that, I’d arrived at an answer: offerings and devotion.
‘This has to be it.’
What if the Spire still doesn’t activate?
Then it would mean my sincerity wasn’t strong enough—I’d simply switch from a pig’s head to an ox head as the offering.
“Phew.”
I exhaled deeply and bowed before the altar with reverent intent.
[Hehehehe!]
Suho Ki and Undine beside me clumsily followed suit, though “bowing” was hardly the right word—they crouched down and stood back up.
[Oh.]
Toho Ki attempted to follow along, but apparently finding the ground more comfortable than expected, he simply remained sprawled on it.
I bowed with the Spirits.
Once.
Twice.
And on the third bow—
Grrrruuung—
The Spire’s door swung open.
I rose with a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.
“It actually worked?”
“Mmm. You, who lack faith.”
I turned to Jeong Jin, whose mouth hung open in astonishment, and gave him a smug smile before stepping into the Spire.
‘So what exactly does this building do?’
Relative to its height, the Spire’s interior was remarkably narrow. The space was almost empty, with no visible division between floors.
Yet despite this, there was a palpable sense of fullness—caused by the enormous Mana Stone suspended from the ceiling.
The Mana Stone lay cradled within a metal hemisphere, connected to all four walls by iron chains.
‘Is it some kind of power source?’
A Mana Stone was practically the embodiment of magical energy itself.
Its use as an energy source in this manner was so common it had long since become common knowledge.
But this Mana Stone was dormant now. That meant it couldn’t function as a proper energy source. Just as I reached this conclusion—
Vvvoooom—
The Mana Stone emitted a sound and slowly began to emit a brilliant blue light. It seemed my offering had finally reached it.
The magical power pouring from the Mana Stone instantly filled the Spire.
Then a strange sensation washed over me.
“This is…”
I could sense something beyond my body.
Like a minimap perceived not by sight but by spirit, certain “points” suddenly impressed themselves vividly upon my awareness.
I instinctively turned my gaze to verify what existed at each location.
[Oh?]
Toho Ki.
[Wow! This place is pretty!]
Suho Ki.
[Hey, wouldn’t it be fun to build a nest thing up at the very top?]
[Oh! I’m claiming my nest!]
[What are you on about? I said it first!]
[Fastest Sylph wins it!]
Many Sylphs.
Focusing my awareness further, the most distant “point” was Salamander at the Lighthouse.
‘Can I sense the spirits?’
Without looking directly, I could track the Sylphs darting about in disarray. I could also feel Toho Ki slowly moving from behind me toward the front.
Spirits perceived not by sight, but by the heart.
I could sense where the spirits were, what they were doing—without exerting myself at all. I knew exactly what to call this power.
‘It’s the Troop Movement Sense skill.’
That uncanny ability the veteran sergeant majors had, finding whoever hid anywhere. When I’d asked the secret, the answer was simple: ‘You feel their presence.’
The Spire had granted me this new capability.
‘Just as I expected—the mysterious building never disappoints.’
This was quite a satisfactory ability.
The Spirit Zone grows in size each time its level increases. I can’t go on summoning spirits by voice every time I need one.
Even now, if Toho Ki isn’t visible, I have no way to know whether he’s at the Mine, the Nest, or raiding his snack cache.
‘What should I call this power? Spirit Presence Detection? Spirit Troop Sense?’
As I pondered, something unusual caught my eye.
– Pung Ho Ki was here!
The words were carved into one of the interior pillars supporting the wall.
Pung Ho Ki must have written it secretly while trimming the construction materials earlier.
Turning my gaze slowly, I could spot Naume’s carved symbols scattered throughout.
‘So even these things get applied.’
I was thinking that little mementos were being created alongside the reinforced construction, when Jeong Jin asked.
“So what is this building supposed to do?”
“Well, this is…”
As I began to explain, a sentence suddenly came to mind.
The Spire’s description, exactly.
The tower’s peak is high and sharp because it reaches toward the sky. Or perhaps, to touch someone in the sky.
There was something I’d been thinking about regarding my skill for a while.
The existence of a Blueprint means someone left behind a design in the past.
It means someone built this structure, and whatever they carried in their heart while building it would surely be the words that come to mind in this description.
And so, I wondered about one thing.
‘Were spirits the sky to those who once lived here?’
In the distant past, did this Tower World hold a civilization that revered spirits as they would the heavens, as they would the divine?
That, I couldn’t know. But one thing was certain.
“Jin. With this one Spire, I’ve become their sky.”
Now the spirits and I were bound by a tie that could never be severed.
* * *
Jang Dae In, director of the Management Bureau, made his way to the Spirit Zone, his heart racing.
Only yesterday he’d accepted every condition Jeong Yong had demanded, and the thrill still hadn’t faded.
‘Electrifying.’
The truth was, he’d never once taken the initiative on anything before.
Through circumstance, his competence had been recognized and he’d been placed in the director’s seat of the Tower Management Bureau, but as someone who wasn’t even an Awakener, there were limits to what he could actively do.
It wasn’t a matter of the Round Table—that assembly of Rankers—being particularly obstructive. In fact, the Round Table was far more moderate and peaceful than its public image suggested. The real problem lay with his superiors.
‘The higher-ups only ever want to maintain the status quo.’
What the Awakener Management Department Minister—the one who’d placed him in this position—wanted was exactly that. Let the guilds handle innovation and success; we’ll just sit back, watch the show, and collect our pay.
The Minister hadn’t even grasped half of the vision Jeong Yong and Jang Dae In had drawn.
– Why on earth should we spend such enormous sums to keep this person under government jurisdiction?
– Take the initiative? Are you planning to run Tower World under government supervision like China?
– This man Jeong Yong needs to be controlled, not handed more and more concessions! Are you out of your mind?
It was Jang Dae In’s passionate presentation that had persuaded even the Minister. Recalling the moment he’d secured the Minister’s unconditional cooperation still sent thrilling dopamine through his brain.
That dopamine peaked the moment he arrived at the Spirit Zone with his staff.
“So much has changed since last time?”
Jang Dae In gazed with amazed eyes at the new fortification walls surrounding the Spirit Zone and the buildings that had risen.
“My skill evolved.”
“It evolved?”
Jang Dae In was greatly startled, then broke into an even broader laugh.
“Aha! Jeong Yong is truly a treasure of our nation! At this rate, won’t it evolve into a Spirit Stronghold?”
“Haha. I’d like that too.”
In the middle of his cheerful laughter, Jang Dae In noticed something different from before.
‘Hmm? Was the field always this small?’
It seemed to have shrunk by at least four times compared to his last visit. He’d replayed Jeong Yong’s broadcast footage so many times to convince the Minister that he remembered clearly.
‘Now that I mention it, the Mine’s output seems to have decreased too.’
In front of the Mine, there were no carts overflowing with Magical Stone Ore. The carts held only a couple of Magical Stone Ore and scattered waste ore.
Jang Dae In reviewed the current situation with a grave expression. But no matter how he turned it over in his mind, only one conclusion emerged.
‘Was he bluffing?’
In that instant, a cascade of scenes flickered through his vision like a revolving lantern.
The Minister pressuring him, saying he’d better be prepared to surrender everything if the plan fell through. The faces of his family at home, rabbit-like in their singular focus on him.
‘…No, no. That’s not it.’
Jang Dae In’s eyes turned toward the Spire—the small building erected over the past few days.
‘Jeong Yong’s skill is one with infinite potential, endlessly evolving.’
Which meant that this modest herb garden and meager mine would someday grow to four times, ten times their current size.
If that was true, then Jeong Yong hadn’t been bluffing with him.
‘Rather, he was helping me acquire it at a bargain price. Allowing me to buy in at rock bottom.’
Then Jeong Yong wasn’t a liar or a braggart. He was, rather, a patriot.
And through his actions, this nation, other guilds and hunters, even Jang Dae In himself—hadn’t they all been given a new opportunity?
‘A true patriot of this age! A rare beacon of patriotism in this era of gates, where selfishness runs rampant!’
Jang Dae In, who had plummeted to hell only to soar to heaven in a heartbeat, knew exactly what he needed to say to Jeong Yong—the man who had saved his life.
“Thank you.”
“Yes?”
“Truly, deeply, thank you.”
Jeong Yong’s expression flickered with confusion for a moment.
But then he smiled, impish and warm, and replied.
“There’s no need for such formality between us. We’re partners moving forward together, aren’t we?”
Jang Dae In held one fervent, desperate hope in his heart: that at the end of this path they would walk together lay not the gates of hell, but the gates of heaven.
* * *
Under Jang Dae In’s direction, the Management Bureau staff cleared out the warehouse methodically. They collected all the inventory that had been stockpiled over the past fortnight.
“Grade A Magical Stone Ore, four pieces. Grade B, thirteen pieces. Grade C, thirty-two pieces. Below that, roughly one hundred fifty pieces.”
Flip.
“Mana Liquid totals twenty-one point three liters. Recovery Herbs, fifty-two plants. Mana Herbs, twenty-one plants. Artugga Fruits, sixty-six.”
The Bureau director, having finished the tally, handed me the document folder.
“Would you mind verifying one final time?”
I’d already checked multiple times, so there was nothing left to verify. I signed cleanly in the signature box and returned the folder.
“Thank you, Director.”
“It’s we who should thank you. I do hope our partnership will continue.”
“Haha, I do too!”
With my handshake with the director as the closing gesture, the government staff wheeled their carts out of the Spirit Zone.
Two carts in total. While they might not seem like much, this quantity rivals what a small guild would gather from a single expedition.
‘Expeditions are where even teams of double-digit personnel investing millions struggle to guarantee success.’
Moreover, expeditions demand risking one’s life. It’s a pilgrimage of suffering—marching for at least days, sometimes weeks across the Wasteland in protective gear while cutting winds howl around you.
It’s no accident that veterans call expeditions a ‘long march.’ And these long marches come garnished with fine yellow sand and monsters alike.
Yet I can accomplish it all while lying down, scratching my belly.
“Sigh…”
I climbed the rampart and watched the carts recede into the distance, my emotions strangely mixed.
The specialty products of the Spirit Zone were being carted away. As I watched them go, my chest felt oddly hollow.
What could fill this emptiness?
‘What else? Money.’
I opened my banking app and checked the balance.
Alarmed by reports of developments in America and China, they’d deposited what they called an “advance payment.”
Merely counting the zeros in that sum was enough to make my chest forget the very meaning of the word emptiness.
‘This is Full Ownership.’
Today is a festival.
The Spirit Zone will host a grand celebration unprecedented in its history—and destined never to be seen again.
And I shall ensure all those spirits are fed well and kept warm.

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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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