Healing After Sweeping Spirits with an Almighty Skill - Chapter 8

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 8
8. The Second Gnome
I scooped up Salamander, who was dozing against the fireplace with the subtlety of a stone, and hauled her up to the top of the Lighthouse.
[Shhhhh—]
Salamander’s face twisted into an expression of profound annoyance, as if demanding to know what fresh indignity I was subjecting her to. But this time I had no intention of putting her to work.
“You’re going to sit still anyway, so sit still here.”
I placed Salamander inside the lantern chamber and closed the lens. Beside her, I’d stacked a generous pile of wooden pellets for her to nibble on as treats.
Then something extraordinary happened.
—Whoooosh.
A scarlet beam of light shot through the lens, blazing outward. The brilliant shaft stretched beyond the Spirit Village’s boundaries, reaching far into the distance.
Somewhere out there in the Wasteland, lost spirits were surely wandering in search of shelter, and this light was calling to them.
……
I found myself thinking back to the day I’d first met Gnome and Undine—how thin and frail they’d been, as though they might collapse at any moment.
And then, unbidden, I pictured them now: plump and healthy, flashing bright smiles whenever they ate their snacks.
“I hope they make it safely.”
“I hope so too.”
We stood watching for a long time as the lens slowly rotated, illuminating the expanse beyond the Wasteland.
* * *
When I came down from the Lighthouse, Jung Jin handed me a sheet of paper.
“Here’s the water composition analysis you requested a few days ago.”
“Already? Being an A-rank Awakener really does come with perks.”
It was the analysis report on the Water Source that I’d asked the Guild’s research lab to examine days earlier.
“Let me see.”
Hydrogen approximately eleven percent, oxygen approximately eighty-eight percent. Trace amounts of calcium and magnesium. Sodium, potassium, silica. And…
“Mana.”
Sure enough, the water from the Water Source contained Mana mixed throughout.
There were other compounds the research lab couldn’t easily isolate, but Mana was ultimately what mattered most.
“Think we could sell it as Mana Water, like we do Mana Ore?”
“That depends on our spirit friend’s ability.”
I found Undine.
She was standing near the Water Source and the Well, gazing up at the Lighthouse.
[Wow! Look at that!]
Undine giggled, pointing at the Salamander Lighthouse.
“Can you feel something?”
[Yes! I feel warmth! That warmth is definitely going to draw the other spirits here!]
Right. It certainly will.
‘Well, that’s one thing settled. But we’ve got our own work to do.’
“Undine, do you think you could separate just the Mana-infused water from this well water?”
[Huh? Mana?]
“I mean…”
I concentrated Mana into the palm of my hand for a moment.
Every Awakener knows how to manipulate Mana. It’s how we use Skills or enhance our bodies.
“Hngh—!”
But Mana kept scattering in a few weak sparks, refusing to coalesce properly. As I was grunting with frustration, another hand suddenly appeared beside mine.
“This is Mana.”
A rainbow-hued radiance pooled across Jung Jin’s palm.
I clicked my tongue and lowered my hand, and Jung Jin murmured softly to himself.
“I should get some formal training later.”
Right. It did seem like something I’d need to do.
Since I’d already Awakened, there was no downside to learning combat techniques as well.
[Mmm.]
Undine had her finger in her mouth, studying Jung Jin’s Mana. Then she lowered her gaze to the water in the well.
“Want to give it a try?”
[Yep!]
I drew a bucket of water from the well and set it down in front of Undine. Beside it, I placed a small cup.
Would Undine actually be able to separate the Mana from the water? And if she could, how would she do it?
I thought it might be useful later, so I pulled out my phone and hit record.
And then something completely unexpected occurred.
[Heee-yah!]
Splash!
Undine threw herself straight into the well bucket.
“Huh?”
Startled, I peered into the bucket and found Undine swimming frantically inside it.
I’d thought she was just playing a moment before work, but then something far more astonishing happened.
Whoooosh!
With her head just poking above the rim of the bucket, Undine spat out a stream of water she’d been holding in both cheeks—like a living fountain.
Pssshhh.
Undine’s filter… no, Undine’s strainer… well, whatever.
In any case, the water she’d collected separately in a cup was unmistakably thick with Mana.
…….
But I had no choice but to quietly stop filming on my phone.
This was, how should I put it.
‘I hope this doesn’t violate any health codes.’
Before worrying about whether anyone would buy this, the real question was whether selling it in the first place was even legal—that’s the sort of feeling I got.
With that concern gnawing at me, I turned to look at Jung Jin.
“It’s actually a good thing.”
…….
I decided to pretend I hadn’t seen the expression that crossed Jung Jin’s face.
What exactly was his problem anyway? Was the Guild giving him that much stress?
Undine swam a few more strokes before hauling herself out of the bucket.
All done!
Then she looked at me with bright, hopeful eyes that begged for praise. I hesitated a moment, then opened my mouth.
“You did great! Here, have a Cider!”
Yay!
Undine clutched the Cider to herself in delight.
Right. What fault could I possibly find with her? She’d simply done her very best within the limits of what she knew, just to help me out.
‘And honestly, it’s not like I wasn’t going to sell this anyway.’
Water Undine spat out? So what? Should I throw it away?
You mages out there, you’ve all got pent-up frustration. You’d drink sewage water if it meant getting stronger.
‘Wonder what price this’ll fetch.’
I got excited and carefully poured the Mana Water from the cup into an empty Water Bottle.
“You’re selling that right away?”
“No. I want to wait and see how things develop first. We’ve already decided what to sell next anyway.”
“What are you selling?”
“Medicinal herbs.”
I was already looking forward to seeing just how popular the medicinal herbs from the Spirit Village would be with the alchemists.
* * *
The Tower Management Bureau on the second floor of the Tower.
Bureau Chief Jang Dae In stared at a monitor with stress etched across his features.
For days now, it had shown nothing but the image of a cloud pillar.
“Chief. We’ve received a reply from the foreign Tower World Management Department.”
Only then did Jang Dae In tear his eyes away from the monitor.
A few days ago, he’d discovered the cloud pillar and sent out inquiries asking whether similar anomalies had occurred in other Tower Worlds.
“They say there are no problems whatsoever in foreign countries.”
“…Really?”
Faced with the unfavorable news, Jang Dae In couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh.
“Other nations’ Tower Worlds have no problems, and the Guilds all insist they weren’t conducting Skill experiments. So then, what is that thing?”
“Should I go and confirm it myself, sir?”
“Confirm it yourself? You’re a civil servant, not a Hunter.”
Jang Dae In tapped the table for a moment, then spoke.
“Contact the Round Table. Ask if they’d be willing to conduct an investigation given that this anomaly has occurred.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
After issuing the directive to his subordinate, Bureau Chief Jang Dae In turned his eyes back to the monitor.
A white cloud pillar stood alone and towering in a landscape swept by yellow gusts of wind.
The Wasteland.
It was always this goddamned Wasteland that caused trouble.
‘That useless heap of dirt.’
No, that wasn’t the right way to put it.
‘That radioactive lump of earth that’s simultaneously an enormous help and slowly poisoning us to death.’
Yes. That was the more accurate description.
The materials you can obtain by climbing the Tower are limited. Mana Stones and monster hides, bones—that’s essentially all.
Mana Stones have become an energy source humanity cannot do without. For this reason, many Guilds and Awakeners repeatedly clear the lower and middle floors, farming Mana Stones.
The problem lies in the consumables—weapons and potions—worn out in the process.
Weapons forged from ores found on Earth don’t bite into monsters effectively. Potions that alchemists craft with skills likewise don’t use Earth materials.
‘And every material needed for those is scattered across the Wasteland.’
A place where venturing out naked means death within a day.
Even now, countless Guilds and Awakeners roam that land like prospectors in a gold rush, searching mines and caves. Some even wage combat over discovered sites, trying to seize or claim them as their own.
Naturally, there’s no way to investigate deaths occurring beyond the Wasteland. Without evidence, they’re consistently processed as missing persons.
Yet the government doesn’t discourage Wasteland exploration. Rather, it’s covering up criminal suspicions and actively encouraging expeditions.
‘Because we have to win this damned Tower Climbing Race.’
Ten years ago, Gates opened in the capitals of countries worldwide. Each Gate connects to a different Tower, and only Awakeners can climb them.
With the emergence of Towers came Awakeners, and with the Towers came Mana Stones—a next-generation energy source.
Much like the space race during the Cold War, how many floors of the Tower a nation had climbed became a matter of national pride.
And each nation’s government was certain of one thing: just as America planted its flag on the moon first and led the new era, whichever nation completed the Tower Climb first would lead the next age.
‘And to do that, conquering the Wasteland is absolutely necessary.’
Or rather, conquest isn’t even necessary.
If we could just obtain materials from the Wasteland reliably. If we could manage that much, South Korea could vault straight to the top tier of the Tower Climbing Race.
‘And yet, when we’re already short-handed, an anomaly like this appears.’
Director Jang Dae In exhaled a long sigh while staring at the photograph. That column of cloud in the image vexed him deeply.
* * *
As Jung Jin returned to the Tower and the sun began to dip low,
[Oh! Ohhh!]
Gnome came rushing over, gasping, with something on its back. Remarkably, it was another Gnome.
“New labor!”
[Oh?]
“Ah, no—new village resident!”
Gnome regarded me briefly with a narrowed gaze, then laid the Gnome from its back down before me.
I stuffed a Chocolate Cracker into the emaciated Gnome’s mouth.
Munch-munch.
As I fed it more crackers, the Gnome rapidly began to recover.
Shortly after, the second Gnome was completely healthy again.
[Oh.]
[Ohhh.]
[Oh?]
[Oh. Ohhh.]
[Ohh!]
Gnome wasn’t my specialty, so I couldn’t quite follow, but it seemed they were asking and answering questions about this place. When the conversation ended, the new Gnome looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
I found myself curious about what could have been said to produce such a look. Had it heard something about me being a Chocolate Cracker dispenser?
The two Gnomes looked nearly identical, but telling them apart proved easier than expected.
There were sprouts grown on their bodies and subtly different features, and above all, they differed slightly in size.
‘Did it grow staying here?’
The first Gnome was larger than the new one by about a finger’s joint.
Whether it had always been bigger or had grown through the power of Chocolate Crackers was unclear.
But one thing was certain.
[Ohhh!]
[Oh, oh!]
Watching the Gnomes greet each other with pure joy, I laughed wickedly.
‘Krkrkr… Grow healthier! Become more livable! Get plumper! Because you fattening up means I fatten up too!’
A 200% mining output was now within reach.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————