Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 66
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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 66
66. Building DIY
To understand why I suddenly started constructing buildings myself, I need to rewind time two days.
The night the Second Drawing Contest ended.
After Jeong Jin threw what he called a congratulatory gathering—though it was more like a chaotic snack party—we gathered in the home theater and watched a film together.
[Tonight’s movie pick is this one!]
The film Poonghogi chose turned out to be a racing movie, surprisingly.
“Racing? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”
I was grateful it wasn’t a horror film, but curiosity got the better of me.
[Where did it come from? Racing means speed, and speed means us Sylphs!]
[Exactly, exactly!]
[Too bad there aren’t any airship racing movies! So I compromised with this one!]
They’d never ventured beyond the Gate, yet somehow they’d learned about racing.
Vrooooom!
Every time a sleek racing car streaked across the screen, the speakers roared.
[Yee-ha!]
[This is thrilling!]
The Sylphs cheered each time.
[Ooooh…!]
[Something feels weird!]
The Undines, being made of water, rippled gently across their forms.
[Oh!]
[Ohhhhh!]
The Noum, with their characteristically slow demeanor, couldn’t tear their eyes from the fast-paced racing.
‘Racing. Racing, huh…’
I suddenly recalled the mini-cars I’d seen at the festival last month.
Along with them came a flash of the sprawling land in the Suburban Zone. The southern part was already allocated to the Spirit Forest, Herb Field, and Water Source, but everywhere else lay empty.
‘I really do need to find a use for that land.’
Then came the thought of the enormous payment that had been deposited this afternoon.
The sum was precisely 4 billion Won.
The vast hole left from buying 900 kilograms of Magic Stone was instantly filled.
My mouth nearly betrayed my delight, but I recalled the principle I’d always held as my inner pillar.
‘No. I haven’t surpassed a professional footballer’s salary yet.’
I am wealthy.
But not yet at that level. So always be humble, Jeong Ryong.
“Sigh…”
I reined in my swelling pride with extreme mental discipline.
‘Though I suppose enjoying myself a bit is acceptable.’
It was the moment the ‘Spirit Domain F1’ plan ignited in my chest.
* * *
This flex’s theme was racing.
‘What are the three fundamental elements of racing?’
First, you need a driver.
And that’s already satisfied. In my domain, there are at least a hundred souls who dream of becoming drivers.
Next, you need vehicles.
Just because it’s called Spirit Domain F1 doesn’t mean I could source genuine racing cars.
‘Go-Karts—that would work nicely.’
Go-Karts. Or racing karts.
Single-seater racing vehicles made of nothing but engine, seat, steering wheel, tires, and chassis.
Think of them as identical to the training karts from that once-national phenomenon game Ka-X Rider.
‘Even small ones can hit a hundred kilometers per hour, which is more than enough to enjoy proper racing.’
Best of all, their compact size meant that with minor modifications, the spirits could drive them too.
I scoured the internet, posted inquiries multiple times on expert forums, and eventually ordered ten Go-Karts through one supplier.
‘Fifteen million Won per unit.’
The total of over 150 million didn’t pain me in the slightest.
My account still held nearly thirty times that amount in reserve.
‘Ah, this is the thrill of it all!’
My second flex, following the Mini Viking.
I was beginning to understand the joy of spending money.
The three elements of racing.
The final piece was the racing circuit—the “Circuit.”
‘You can have cars and people, but without roads, you’ve got nothing.’
And that was precisely why I was out here with a host of Noum and sylphs, tearing up the earth of the Suburban Zone.
The Circuit site had been chosen in the northern Suburban Zone. Since the Water Source, Herb Field, and Spirit Forest were to the south, I’d deliberately selected the opposite side.
[How large are you planning to build it?]
“For now, maybe around 1.2 kilometers?”
[How long would it take to lap 1.2 kilometers?]
“I looked it up online—supposedly less than a minute, even so.”
[Ooh!]
“Right. I’m excited too.”
[…Huh?]
“That’s not what I meant! Poonghogi, translation, please!”
[Asking if you even have land to make 1.2 kilometers of track.]
Tohhogi had a fair point—the northern sector of the Spirit Domain’s fan-shaped expanse alone couldn’t accommodate a circuit exceeding one kilometer. But I had a plan for that.
“All right, everyone gather around.”
I spread out the circuit blueprint I’d sketched and shared it with Noum and the sylphs.
“First, we won’t be using asphalt for our circuit. The straightaways will be Granite, and the cornering sections will be Basalt.”
Granite was a mineral used in Roman chariot racing, and Basalt was the aggregate primarily used in asphalt production. Both were minerals I’d mapped throughout the Spirit Domain, and either would be more than sufficient to create an excellent circuit.
I’d already confirmed that both minerals lay scattered across the Spirit Domain, and with them alone, I could build a more than adequate track.
On the blueprint, I’d colored the Granite sections and Basalt sections differently.
[Doesn’t it have a lot of curves?]
“With Go-Karts, unlike F1, all vehicles have identical performance, so long straightaways just mean no overtaking happens and the race drags on.”
[Ah. I didn’t realize there was such a disadvantage.]
Of course, there was also the thinking of maximizing the available land.
If I wanted, I could easily build a circuit that looped around the entire Spirit Domain.
But once the circuit was laid down, that area couldn’t be used for anything else. No matter how much spare land the Spirit Domain had, I couldn’t afford to waste all that territory just for racing when thinking about the future.
‘I’ll keep it within this fan-shaped boundary as much as possible.’
Of course, you might wonder.
Then where would the straightaways go?
And that’s where a possibility unique to the Spirit Domain emerged.
“The straightaways go underground!”
[Oh! A course beyond imagination!]
And so the Circuit construction began.
* * *
Circuit construction continued through the next day.
New ideas kept surfacing and being suggested.
Clang-clang-clang!
The sylphs installed bleachers along the circuit’s edge. Though not enormous, they were plenty large enough for spirits waiting their turn to race to watch and laugh and chatter in delight.
In the gaps throughout the circuit, we built a podium, commentary booth, Go-Kart storage shed, and more. Meanwhile, construction on the circuit itself continued in earnest.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The earth heaved and undulated, and the path was cleared in its wake. I walked through those sections personally, noting every shortfall and possible improvement.
“Here—there’s a pebble stuck in.”
[Ooh!]
“This section needs a curb laid along the corner.”
[Oh!]
“Could we make this hill a bit gentler? I’m worried the chassis will take too much strain.”
[Ooh!]
The Marble I’d ordered days ago was due to arrive this morning, but construction of the Main Castle had fallen to the wayside.
For now, the Circuit—so close to completion—demanded all the attention.
‘This is more fun than I thought.’
Overseeing construction from start to finish. Carefully checking every detail against the blueprint. Imagining how delighted the spirits would be when it opened.
These were pleasures I’d never tasted when building structures by sheer Skill alone.
[I wish it would be finished soon!]
[My heart won’t stop racing! Even though, technically, I don’t have a heart!]
[Ooh!]
And the other spirits felt exactly the same.
They were so eager they wanted to work night shifts, forgo their leisure time—until Jeong Jin and the Undines stepped in and stopped them.
And so, on the fourth day since construction began,
I painted the finish line of the Circuit.
“With this—it’s complete!”
At last, the Circuit was complete.
[Yaaaay!]
[Wooooo!]
[Congratulations!]
[This is so exciting!]
Noum and the Sylphs who’d worked on the construction alongside me weren’t the only ones offering congratulations—the Undines and Salamanders joined in too.
After four days with every ounce of the Spirit Domain’s attention fixed on this project, it was finally finished.
“Phew.”
I exhaled and looked around the Circuit we’d built.
A white and black roadway, tight curves winding everywhere.
Straight sections running underground, invisible to the eye but stretching out clean and clear.
I could almost hear the roar of vehicles racing across it already, the sound seeming to brush past my ears.
Ding!
“Huh?”
That wasn’t the sound of cars.
Startled by the unexpected chime, I turned to see a notification window floating before me.
You have successfully constructed a building with your own hands for the first time.
As a reward, you receive 5 Coins.
As a reward, one Zone within the Spirit Special Zone will grow stronger.
This was a reward for the DIY building.
‘A Zone grows stronger?’
I’d seen buildings and skills grow and evolve many times before, but never a Zone. The Spirit Domain seemed to trigger zone-level events with unusual frequency—like the Suburban Zone that had appeared not long ago.
‘Well, that’s the kind of scale you need for territory management.’
One way or another, a free Zone growth was a Zone growth. I was standing there looking toward the Main Castle, wondering which Zone would be chosen, when—
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
One Zone began to shake.
It was a Zone you could see clearly even from beyond the castle walls.
“Oh, no. Please don’t—”
The one Zone you couldn’t possibly miss no matter where you stood in the Spirit Domain.
And truly the most unwelcome choice.
“Really? You’re really the one growing?”
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The Snowy Mountain looming inside the castle walls began to expand.
Snowy Mountain Zone is growing.
Here’s a trivia question for you.
What happens when you subject a snow-covered mountain to massive tremors?
Craaaash!
That’s right. An avalanche.
An avalanche had erupted in the Spirit Domain.
* * *
The avalanche pouring down from the enlarged Snowy Mountain surged over the castle walls and came rushing toward us.
[Aaahhh!]
[Run away!]
The Undines panicked, flailing their arms in every direction.
[Take my hand!]
[Yay!]
The Sylphs grabbed the hands of the slower spirits and flew skyward. But there weren’t enough Sylphs for everyone—not all of them could be saved.
[A-aahhh….]
The Undines who hadn’t been rescued looked up at their friends in despair. The spirits who couldn’t reach them squeezed their eyes shut, turning their heads away in sorrow.
Craaaash!
Their outstretched hands reaching uselessly for help, the Undines were swallowed whole by the avalanche.
Tumble-tumble-tumble.
The Undines swept up in the avalanche rolled end over end until they came to a soft stop against my shoe.
Covered head to toe in white snow, the Undines lay sprawled out with their tongues hanging from their mouths.
[I’m… done for….]
[Me too….]
I picked up the Undines and brushed the snow from their eyes. None of them appeared to be hurt.
Yes, an avalanche had occurred.
The smallest avalanche in the world.
‘The Snowy Mountain only reached ten meters even at its tallest.’
It had risen nearly twice as high as before, but even so, there was no danger of a catastrophic avalanche.
[Ah! We’re alive!]
[Me too, me too!]
The spirits bounded to their feet with their arms raised high, grinning widely as I brushed the snow from them. I revived all the spirits and gazed up at the Snowy Mountain.
The Snowy Mountain hadn’t merely doubled in height. Its width had expanded more than twice over—perhaps nearly four times larger.
‘It’s actually broken through the castle wall and extended beyond it.’
The Snowy Mountain, which had been positioned inside the wall on the northern side of the Main Castle, now stretched several paces out beyond the fortification.
We’d taken a step from our own private snowy hill into a genuine mountain.
‘It’s fortunate the skill’s design kept the castle wall from crumbling.’
The way the wall cut across the Snowy Mountain reminded me vaguely of my old military days.
The buildings on the mountain remained intact.
Aside from minor shifts—the hot spring near the summit had descended to the middle slope, and the sledding course had moved beyond the wall into the Suburban Zone—everything else was unchanged.
The Snowy Mountain Zone has grown.
As a reward for expanding the zone, you have been awarded 5 Coins.
Combined with the Coins I’d earned moments before, I’d accumulated 10 Coins in an instant. An unexpectedly rich windfall.
‘So zones grow when you build structures directly. I should try this more often if the opportunity arises.’
Now that I’d witnessed this surprise event, it was time to return to the main objective.
“Shall we finally go upgrade the Main Castle?”
Construction Available
┼ Main Castle Level 4
└ Material: Marble (50kg/50kg)
└ Material: Chandelier (1/1)
└ Material: Territory Crest (1/1)
The marble I’d ordered arrived.
The Chandelier and Territory Crest I’d crafted myself.
With these materials in hand, the upgrade was as good as done.
‘Once the Main Castle is built, I’ll be evolving to level 5.’
It was time to see what new Additional Construction Options would become available at level 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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