Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 5

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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 5
Chapter 5. The Ultimate Art of Business
“Ha ha ha! Thank you so much!”
“Thank you, teacher!”
Two mages had come to negotiate this time. From what I heard, they’d pooled their money and decided to split one item between them.
“That’s the power of teamwork!”
“You greedy pig! This time we won!”
The mages shouted words I couldn’t fully parse, transferred the funds, and left grinning ear to ear. In my hand lay a business card they’d left behind.
‘Why do mages love business cards so much?’
I didn’t even bother looking at it and tossed the card into the trash. What mattered to me now wasn’t the card—it was the notification glowing on my phone.
[Collection Complete: 141,503,500 Won]
The two Mana Stones had sold for nearly 150 million won.
‘I haven’t handled money on this scale since I was saving up for a deposit on my first place.’
One hundred and fifty million for two lumps of rock.
At this point, I couldn’t tell whether Awakeners had completely lost their economic sense or if Mana Stones’ value had gone absolutely insane.
Probably both.
After all, when Awakeners invest in skills, the money just multiplies—it’s how they’re wired.
[Huh?]
[All done?]
Suddenly, something poked its head out from under my hood. Noum and Undine.
I’d brought them along as bodyguards for the direct transaction.
Of course, I hadn’t told them anything complicated—just said we were going to get something delicious.
“Yeah, all wrapped up. Let’s go grab some food.”
[Yay!]
[Awesome!]
[But this place is huge!]
Undine’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the Arcade curiously.
Boru was a unique structure found only in the Korean Tower World, absent from those in other countries.
A five-story stone building constructed around the Tower’s entrance and Gate, it was built using an S-rank Hunter called Dae Young-ju’s skill.
Protected from the effects of the Gale Wind, it had become the base of operations for countless Guilds and Hunter teams.
‘I think the name originally meant “fortress at the front lines of Tower climbing,” back in the day.’
But these days, it wasn’t quite such a solemn place anymore.
The shopping district on the first floor of Boru, the Arcade, was crowded with countless shops and streams of tourists.
“Oh, look! Hunters coming through!”
“Can we get their autographs?”
“Let’s ask for a photo!”
A group of what looked like tourists happened to pass nearby.
And in my hood, I had two tourists of my own.
[There are so many humans!]
[Wow!]
Noum and Undine peeked out from under my hood’s edges, their voices full of wonder as they took in the sights around them.
“Be careful they don’t see you.”
Spirits outside the Spirit Special Zone normally stayed invisible to humans. But that changed when they were near me.
I suspected that because I was the skill’s owner, my body itself functioned as a small Spirit Special Zone.
I quickened my pace toward the meeting place. It was where I’d arranged to meet Jeong Jin.
‘Jang Nyeon Tteokbokki.’
A tteokbokki restaurant with a concept of fine dining in private rooms rather than loud communal eating.
You might wonder who’d pay extra to eat tteokbokki in a private room, but Awakeners were people whose economic sense had completely imploded.
Especially A-rank Awakeners, whose salaries started at a billion won annually.
“You made it? Perfect timing.”
As I entered the room, Jeong Jin was already sitting there.
Jeong Jin and I had both been stationed in Boru for the past five years, so we often shared meals like this.
And Jang Nyeon Tteokbokki was our favorite—a place that satisfied both our palates.
“You brought the spirits with you?”
“Yeah. On-the-job training.”
Jeong Jin looked unusually pleased about something.
I set the two spirits down on the table and introduced them.
“This is Undine, a water spirit who just moved in. And this is my friend Jeong Jin.”
[Oh, h-hello…!]
It was unexpected when Undine hid behind my hand and turned shy. She’d been so friendly with me from the start—I hadn’t realized she had a timid side.
“Very cute.”
Jeong Jin’s lips kept twitching despite his best efforts to control them, breaking into an unbecoming grin more than once. On the table lay the food he’d ordered in advance.
[Whoa! What is this?]
[Ooh?]
Noum and Undine showed keen interest in the pot of tteokbokki and fried food.
Perhaps creatures like these had never laid eyes on such properly prepared fare before.
“Want to eat?”
[Eat? Yes! I want to eat!]
[Ooh! Ooooh!]
The spirits gazed up at me with gleaming eyes.
I’d thought about using this as an excuse to pile on more tasks, but today I decided to show mercy.
“Okay. I’ll portion some out for you.”
I set individual bowls in front of Noum and Undine and divided the food among them.
For Noum, rice cakes in red sauce; for Undine, the broth from the tteokbokki.
[Huh? Uh…? Uh???]
Noum, clearly experiencing spice for the first time, tilted his head endlessly in confusion while continuing to nibble at the rice cakes bit by bit.
[Huff! Something’s wrong with my mouth! Huff!]
Undine, fearless as ever, had been slurping the broth directly and now stuck out her tongue, which had turned bright red.
“That’s what ‘spicy’ means.”
[Spicy? So this is what hot means!]
Undine breathed heavily and gasped for air, yet continued drinking the tteokbokki broth.
[It’s spicy! But it tastes good! But it’s spicy!]
I watched as Undine’s body gradually turned red while I brought a piece of fried food to my own mouth.
“Haha. Look at her turning red.”
Jeong Jin laughed with delight, snapping photos of the spirits one after another.
In fact, one reason I’d brought the spirits along was Jeong Jin. I’d noticed last time how much he adored them.
Moving friendship and all that? Well, not exactly, if I’m being honest.
“Jin. Would it be okay if I asked your Guild to analyze this?”
I handed over a bottle of mineral water.
“Huh? What is this?”
“Water from the well Undine dug. It seems to have some mana mixed into it.”
“It certainly does.”
“There might be other components too, so I’d like to have it studied at the research lab.”
“You want to use our Guild’s research lab?”
“You’re A-rank, so you can easily request something like that.”
“Well, I suppose…”
Jeong Jin hesitated, trailing off mid-sentence.
[Hmm?]
Just then, Undine lifted her head and looked up at Jeong Jin. At the mention of her name, she’d grown curious about what they were discussing.
The moment he saw that face, Jeong Jin’s expression softened visibly.
“Sure, fine. I’ll take it.”
Watching the bottle disappear into Jeong Jin’s bag, I clenched my fist internally.
Bringing the spirits along had been worth it for this alone.
“Undine. Want some juice?”
[Oh! I do!]
Of course, I didn’t forget to reward the spirit for completing the task.
* * *
Construction Complete: Nest Lv. 1
As Spirit Village reached level 2, a new structure became available—the Nest—and it was now finished.
From the name alone, I’d wondered if it was a place to keep birds and collect their eggs, but the completed Nest turned out to be something entirely different.
A circular pavilion roughly a meter tall.
The interior of the structure, riddled with holes in every direction, was covered with small pillows and blankets.
‘It’s like a home for the spirits.’
Since spirits were creatures of nature, it seemed they called their dwelling a Nest.
Nest Lv. 1
Spirits can rest here.
Spirits who rest here have their labor efficiency increased by 10% for two hours.
It was a building that provided not just sleep but a rest bonus as well.
In other words, a building that masqueraded as worker welfare while actually fattening my wallet. I was very pleased with it.
┼ Construction Available List
└ Furnace LV. 1
└ Material: Wood (2kg/2kg)
└ Material: Stone (2kg/2kg)
└ Condition: Fire Spirit (0/1)
The Furnace, the final structure needed to advance to the next level of Spirit Village, remained unbuilt—not for lack of will, but because I had no Fire Spirit.
‘Maybe Noum will scavenge one up, the way he did with Undine.’
Speaking of which, that very Undine was currently playing in the Herb Garden.
Though “playing” wasn’t quite accurate—she was also watering the herbs and tending to them with care.
Thanks to her efforts, fresh green shoots were already pushing up through the Herb Garden soil.
‘At this rate, I might be able to harvest every four days or so.’
Herbs fully grown in four days? Preposterous, you might say.
Then what about Gale Wind consuming a cart in thirty minutes? That’s reasonable?
Besides, I’d used my recent earnings to buy a new cart.
One crafted from wood that grew rarely in the Tower World’s Wasteland—a cart immune to Gale Wind.
‘It cost fifty million won.’
You heard right.
A single cart matching the price of a luxury sedan—that was the power of the Gale Wind Immunity effect.
Viewed rationally, it was a sound investment, yet each time I saw that cart, my stomach twisted with the sting of expense.
‘The outflow’s been massive.’
Managing a Spirit Special Zone brought hefty profits, but the costs were equally brutal.
So what’s a business graduate to do in times like these? Simple: slash fixed expenses.
In other words, cut labor costs.
[Oh.]
Right on cue, Noum came back with another Mana Stone.
“Good work.”
I held out a Chocolate Cracker—half the size of the ones I’d given before.
[Oh…?]
“Village finances are tight. Times like these, we all need to tighten our belts.”
Noum’s eyes flicked to my wrist.
The X Shaq Watch I’d splurged on not long ago—a luxury piece.
“What.”
[Oh.]
“Well, look. What do you want from me?”
[Oh…!]
Noum’s eyes narrowed to slits. But I wasn’t backing down either.
An intense, unwavering stare-down.
Spirit Village’s first labor negotiation—would it collapse before it began?
“…Heh.”
I chuckled softly and unwrapped the Chocolate Cracker. What emerged was smaller than before, but far more premium.
“I was joking. This one costs twice as much. Try it. You’ll love it.”
[Oh?]
At that, Noum’s eyes lit up and took the snack. After one bite, clearly pleased, he even made a delighted sound.
[Ooh…!]
Cutting labor costs when expenses are high—that’s amateur management. In times like these, you need to motivate your workers even more fiercely.
‘The strategy being this.’
Pay a worker doing one million won’s worth of work a million-five, and they feel indebted.
Pay a worker doing one-point-five million won’s worth of work two million, and they feel indebted.
That was the ultimate art of managing labor.

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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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