Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 26

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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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Chapter 26
26. Three Towers
I opened my eyes without an alarm. Through the window, the pale light of dawn was beginning to brighten in the distance.
I watched the first light break for a moment, then got to my feet.
Tumble-tumble.
The Guardian Spirit and Undines who had been sleeping on top of me rolled down onto the Sleeping Bag with a cascade of squeaks.
[Mmmnya……]
[Doroolong.]
Despite the fairly rough tumble, the Undines slept on without opening their eyes, even softly snoring. One of them was even dream-kicking at the empty air.
‘I used to find it incredibly hard to wake up early, but now my eyes just open on their own.’
Part of it was probably because I’d been going to bed earlier, but it felt like something else was at work too.
Maybe it was the ten-million-won bed that had arrived yesterday performing exactly as advertised, or perhaps the excellent location of Spirit Castle itself.
‘Or maybe these creatures have some sort of beneficial effect.’
I grabbed the Guardian Spirit that had rolled away and stretched its cheeks out.
Squish, squish.
[Ehehehe……]
As I stretched its jelly-like, puffy cheeks, it half-opened its eyes with a small smile, then immediately fell back asleep.
I left the sleeping Spirits behind and headed outside the main hall to start a light run. The area was far larger than Spirit Village, with plenty of buildings, which made for pleasant running.
Spirit Castle could be divided into four zones in total.
‘First, the Inner Castle Zone.’
The most intimate zone, surrounded by inner walls. It was the living district where the nest and main hall were located.
‘The Windmill Zone.’
More precisely, the wind turbine zone, which also contained the Water Source, herb fields, and a mine. It could be called the primary industrial district.
The castle gate was here, and so was the storage facility—it was the most carefully fortified place in the current setup.
‘The Lighthouse Zone.’
Near the lighthouse were a furnace and a smeltery.
I planned to concentrate secondary industrial buildings here—those that ran hot and rough.
‘And finally, the Spire Zone.’
It was an area that expanded as Spirit Castle grew, so currently only the Spire building stood there. I suspected various specialized structures would eventually be built in this zone.
After running around Spirit Castle roughly twenty laps while taking it all in, I began to sweat.
‘My stamina has definitely increased a lot since I awakened.’
After running another twenty laps or so, I scooped up water from the Water Source in a wooden bucket and poured it over my head.
Splash!
The clear, cool water soothed my burning body from crown to sole. Perhaps because it contained Mana, even my mood felt refreshed.
I went ahead and undressed, washing myself in the Water Source. The Spirits were asleep anyway, and I’d seen a message from Jung-jin saying she’d be editing videos all night and sleeping at dawn, so there was no one around to see me.
“Phew, that’s refreshing.”
Satisfied with my morning routine, I prepared breakfast.
The menu was simple: bread I’d bought from Boru went into the Toaster, and I cooked sausages and fried eggs alongside it. Add a fruit juice and breakfast at the Special Spirit District was ready.
I laid out the food on the enormous table attached to the kitchen and woke the Spirits.
“Wake up. It’s morning.”
[Doroolong.]
[Kooo.]
[Shnaaaarch.]
The Spirits, now huddled together in the spot where I’d been lying, were snoring in various pitches.
I watched them quietly for a moment, then whispered softly.
“Anyone who’s late gets no breakfast.”
At those words, the Spirits shot up from their spots.
[Baaap……]
[Honeeeng……]
[Uh…?]
Still half-asleep, they stumbled down off the bed. Since Spirits were so sturdy, a fall like that didn’t hurt them. If anything, it was the perfect jolt to shake off sleep.
Once I sat at the table, the Gnomes and Undines came rushing over, raising both hands eagerly and looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
“Sigh.”
I picked the Spirits up roughly and set them on the table. I’d definitely need to build some sort of steps for them.
[Giggle-giggle.]
[Tee-hee-hee!]
The Spirits found being hauled around amusing and chuckled softly before reaching for the breakfast menu.
The Gnomes nibbled away at finely cut, toasted bread. Each piece was thinly spread with strawberry jam, chocolate jam, or peanut butter, making for fun picking and choosing.
For the Undines, I’d set up a Mini Beverage Dispenser. Three dispensers filled with orange juice, grape juice, and milk were a custom breakfast buffet made just for them.
[Mmm! So refreshing!]
The Guardian Spirit poured juice into a small Soju Cup and drank happily.
As always, the Sylphs floated lazily around us, watching with delight. They were the sort of Sylphs who sustained themselves on positive emotions instead of food, treating joy itself as a snack.
‘Now, where is Agamander…’
I focused on the Spirit Detection Skill I’d obtained through the Spire. I could sense two Salamanders together inside the Lighthouse.
It seemed Salamanders had a habit of sleeping together—whenever bedtime came around, Agamander would head for the Lighthouse.
‘With so many pieces of timber piled up, they won’t go hungry in the morning.’
In truth, Spirits don’t necessarily need to eat anything. But remembering how long they’d been gaunt and malnourished in the Wasteland, I couldn’t bring myself to deprive them.
“Eat well, all of you. You’ve got work to do tomorrow.”
Roar!
The Guardian Spirit grinned brightly, as always.
* * *
With the Spire complete, I’d finished constructing every building available at Spirit Castle Level 1.
Before falling asleep yesterday, I’d expanded Spirit Castle to Level 2.
Spirit Castle Lv. 2
┼ Construction Complete
└ Main Keep Lv. 1
└ Mine Lv. 2
└ Herb Garden Lv. 2
└ Water Source Lv. 2
└ Nest Lv. 2
└ Furnace Lv. 2
└ Smelter Lv. 1
└ Storage Lv. 1
└ Lighthouse Lv. 3
└ Spire Lv. 1
└ Wind Generator Lv. 1
┼ Construction Available
└ Workshop Lv. 1
└ Storage Lv. 2
└ Mine Lv. 3
└ Water Source Lv. 3
└ Wind Generator Lv. 2
┼ Conditions for Lv. 3 Expansion (0/3)
└ 1. Workshop Lv. 1 (0/1)
└ 2. Water Source Lv. 3 (0/1)
└ 3. Village Residents (19/25)
Most of the buildings available at Level 2 were simply upgrades of existing structures. All except one.
‘The Workshop.’
This was the building that would finally make serious use of the Smelter.
‘At this pace, I could reach Level 3 quite quickly.’
Since the Lighthouse reached Level 3, the number of Spirits had been growing steadily. If I pushed a little harder, I suspected I could meet all the conditions within a day or two.
Knock, knock, knock—
Just listen to that. Another Spirit arriving—can you hear it? When I opened the Spirit Castle’s doors, two Gnomes stepped into view.
Oh! Ohhh!
Toho-gi bolted over and quickly ushered the two Gnomes inside.
Before I could even reach for supplies, Toho-gi and the Gnomes were already pulling Crackers from their own stash and feeding the newcomers.
The Gnomes quickly revived, began chattering excitedly among themselves, then fixed me with bright, shining eyes.
“We welcome your arrival at Spirit Castle, strange one.”
With this, the Gnome population of Spirit Castle had grown to eight, bringing the total number of Spirits to twenty-one. Spirit Castle had become something far larger than what the word “extended family” could contain.
Ding—
I checked my phone at the alarm and found a welcome message on the screen.
[Porter Team departing from Boru.]
The Spirit Castle Skill growth materials I’d ordered yesterday were about to arrive.
* * *
After organizing the delivered materials in storage, I opened the Skill menu once more.
Construction Available
┼ Workshop Lv. 1
└ Material: Wood (10kg/10kg)
└ Material: Mana Stone (100g/100g)
└ Material: Workbench (0/1)
└ Material: 3D Printer (1/1)
┼ Storage LV. 2
└ Material: Lock (1/1)
└ Material: Wood (10kg/10kg)
└ Material: Stone (10kg/10kg)
┼ Mine LV. 3
└ Material: Mining Cart (0/1)
└ Material: Wood (10kg/10kg)
└ Condition: Earth Spirit (5/5)
┼ Water Source LV. 3
└ Material: Purification Device (1/1)
└ Material: Pure Water (10L/10L)
└ Condition: Water Spirit (5/5)
┼ Wind Generator LV. 2
└ Material: Fan (1/1)
└ Material: Aluminum (10kg/10kg)
└ Condition: Air Spirit (5/5)
I studied the skill window and nodded with satisfaction.
“Excellent.”
What was I pleased about?
The DIY—the list of buildings I could craft myself. Several options had appeared, and that was what delighted me.
‘First, I’ll make a workbench and set up a workshop. Then I’ll assess the workshop’s capabilities and see if I can craft a mining cart myself.’
I’d given up on the purification device and fan early on, buying finished products instead. Same with the lock—I’d purchased one just in case.
“All right. Gnomes! Salamander! Assembly at the forge!”
[Ooh! Oooh!]
At my command, Toho-gi swiftly gathered all the gnomes before him.
[Ooh?]
[Oooh.]
[Ooh?]
[Oooh!]
Toho-gi conversed briefly with the seven other gnomes, then dispatched four of them toward the mine.
It was as if he’d read my mind—I was thinking that having all eight gnomes crammed into the forge at once might be excessive.
‘That’s Toho-gi for you. Truly capable.’
He couldn’t speak, which gave him a somewhat slow image, but Toho-gi was actually quite perceptive and sharp-witted.
I praised him inwardly while showing the gnomes a notebook screen—the simplest workbench blueprint I could find on the internet.
“See? We’re making a workbench just like this. Think of it as a table with drawers and shelves.”
[Ooh.]
[Oooh.]
While Agamander melted iron in the forge, the gnomes crafted a casting form based on the blueprint.
In an ordinary factory, creating a mold would be one of the most time-consuming tasks. Here, in Spirit Castle, it was nothing of the sort.
Swish-. Swish-.
With a single gesture from a gnome’s hands, the mold’s shape shifted as effortlessly as sand.
For gnomes who could command earth itself as naturally as their own bodies, following a blueprint to shape a mold was as easy as eating crackers in bed.
“Hmm. Extend this part a bit more. Up to where I’ve marked.”
I picked up the stainless steel ruler and corrected the sections where the mold and blueprint didn’t align.
[Swish!]
By the time the mold was complete, Agamander had finished melting the iron.
Molten metal flowed from the superheated forge, glowing red-hot. The gnomes caught it in the mold and quickly covered it.
After a brief wait, we opened the mold and assembled the components—slightly hardened but not yet rigid—into workbench form.
The gnomes fashioned an enormous earthen hand from the ground itself, allowing them to assemble the scorching metal without touching it directly.
“Agamander, thin out your flame over the joints and melt them slowly.”
[Swish!]
After confirming Agamander’s welding was complete, I half-hid my body at the forge entrance and called out to the Guardian Spirit who’d been watching us.
“Guardian Spirit, would you pour cold water over it generously?”
[Yes!]
The Guardian Spirit answered cheerfully, delighted to be called, and repeatedly drenched the workbench until it had cooled completely. It was the quenching process.
Moments later, as if to announce the workbench’s completion, an information window appeared.
Spirit Castle Crafted Workbench
S-Rank Installation Item
A workbench forged through the masterful collaboration of three spirits.
Items crafted at this Workbench had a significantly increased chance of gaining special effects.
This one, too, was S-Rank.
And not just any S-Rank item — one that boosted Magic Enchant probability not slightly, but dramatically. If I showed this to the Craftsmen Guild, I could easily pocket a billion won.
‘Making ingots at the smeltery won’t come close to the coin these crafted items bring in.’
What’s more, there was another building that would make creating such items even easier. The Workshop I was about to construct.
“Begin Workshop construction.”
Construction of LV. 1 Workshop commencing.
Under construction: 1,800 seconds.
The Gnomes waved gently as they watched the Workbench get sucked into the blueprint.
“Well, we’ve worked hard enough. Time for a reward, wouldn’t you say?”
[Hooray!]
[Yaaay!]
Snack time until the Workshop was complete.
* * *
Thirty minutes later.
The Workshop’s construction was finished.
LV. 1 Workshop construction completed.
Materials sourced from the Spirit Castle’s facilities were used in LV. 1 Workshop construction.
Materials with special effects were used in LV. 1 Workshop construction.
LV. 1 Workshop is being reinforced.
LV. 2 Workshop construction completed.
Another reinforcement completed.
DIY all the way.
The Workshop was built in the Lighthouse Zone, where the kiln and smeltery stood. True to its name, it was a wooden cabin with a distinctly professional air about it.
‘I’ll need to be careful — can’t have a fire breaking out.’
The moment I stepped inside, I was surprised to find the Workbenches we’d built had multiplied into three. And there was something else on the wall I’d never seen before.
“What is that?”
At first glance, it looked like a transparent Glass Tube. When I placed my hand against its surface, the glass traced my fingertips, forming images across it.
‘A Design Plan projector?’
I dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come.
A Design Plan projector would never take the form of a rounded Glass Tube. I was still pondering the Glass Tube’s true identity when—
[Oh!]
[Ooh!]
[Man, it’s been forever since we’ve seen this!]
The Spirits who’d come to inspect the newly built structure actually seemed to recognize the Glass Tube.
“You know what it is? What’s this thing?”
At my question, the Spirits giggled in unison.
[This, you see—!]
[It’s our toy!]
I could only become more bewildered.

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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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