I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 13

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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 13
13
I forced myself to calm down.
In moments like these, I had to keep my wits about me.
This kind of concentration was most likely near the entrance.
I swept the area quickly with Eye of Nature.
The deeper I looked in.
“There’s so much more!”
It was packed.
And the quality was remarkably high.
“I never imagined I’d find treasure like this in Han River Park.”
-You’re quite fortunate. Normally something like this would have appeared alongside a Gate and become a pilgrimage site long ago. Still, do exercise caution. Locations such as this tend to harbor higher-Grade monsters.
“Thanks for the tip. Now I know why the Pickaxe appeared.”
It was no accident that the Pickaxe was an SSS-Grade item.
It had predicted the future itself.
But I wasn’t ready to celebrate yet.
I crept to the cave entrance and poked just my head out to scan the surroundings thoroughly.
If anyone else learned about a find like this, it would become a hassle.
I waited to see if anyone might pass by.
But there was no one. Only silence.
‘No reason for anyone to come this way when the path’s completely blocked off.’
Nothing to worry about for now.
“Squeeeeak!”
“Yeah, thanks. I wish I had something to give you.”
I had nothing much to offer.
Only Mana Stones and materials.
A rabbit though—giving it something like that felt a bit odd.
-Squeak squeak, chirrup.
[Fire is asking if it’s okay to eat this.]
“Hey, of course you can.”
There was no way I’d repay kindness with cruelty.
After thinking it over, the best option came to mind.
“Give me your blessing.”
Apparently it was beneath the dignity of the King of Fire Spirits to bestow a blessing on a mere rabbit.
After some deliberation, Fire relented upon hearing about my abundant supply of Mana Stones, and grudgingly breathed a blessing into the creature.
The rabbit hopped joyfully away.
I was glad it was pleased.
With the blessing of the King of Fire Spirits, it would certainly thrive on its own.
Would it come back later with seeds in its mouth like a grateful magpie?
Enough.
I pushed the pointless thoughts aside.
“Let’s get going!”
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire is cheering you on to dig up plenty!]
[Fire says it will cheer hard from the Spirit Rest Area!]
I tilted my head.
Spirit Rest Area?
“Why am I the only one going? You should come too. We don’t know what might show up.”
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire laments that it seems to have chosen the wrong contractor!]
“So you’re not going to eat?”
-Squeak!
[Fire says it was joking and takes the lead!]
All that talking when you’re going anyway.
I went inside.
Mining could wait.
First, I decided to scout the surroundings.
Even with Eye of Nature, I couldn’t see the entire interior.
That meant the scale was considerable.
My guess had been right.
The only path through the cave stretched downward without end.
Even using the Eye of Nature, there were no other routes in this vicinity.
The bottom wasn’t visible either.
There was nothing to do but descend further.
Despite descending for what felt like an eternity, no end appeared.
“How long have we been going down?”
-It’s been thirty minutes now.
“That long already?”
It felt like barely ten minutes to me.
Just how deep does this place go?
I’d never heard of a resource farming site that reached this far underground.
Clone seemed startled too, repeatedly urging caution.
After descending another five minutes or so, an enormous cavern opened before us.
Nothing remarkable about it.
A vast circular chamber, materials visible everywhere.
No other paths leading out.
“……It’s quiet.”
Too quiet.
-That’s strange. There should definitely be monsters here.
All the way down, Mana Stones and various materials had been scattered everywhere.
The absence of them was what seemed wrong.
The mystery didn’t last long.
[Annihilate the Giant Earth Venom Ant nest.]
[Giant Earth Venom Ant nest: 0/1]
-Now I understand why there weren’t any. This is the nest of a C-Rank monster—the Giant Earth Venom Ants.
“What do those things do?”
-They’re monsters with the trait of luring creatures deeper into their nest with alluring Mana Stones and materials, then devouring them once they reach the main chamber.
“So this place is…?”
-Yes. The heart of the Giant Earth Venom Ant colony. You’ve fallen into their trap.
There was no time to ask more questions.
The presence of Giant Earth Venom Ants emanated from all directions.
They were closing in at incredible speed.
A few days ago, I would have panicked badly.
After all, they were C-Rank monsters.
The highest Rank I’d faced before was D-Rank.
With each rank increase, the difficulty doubled.
On top of that, I was perfectly trapped.
Hesitating would mean certain death.
But a steely resolve restored my rationality.
Most importantly, being trapped was one thing—the situation wasn’t necessarily fatal yet.
“Fire, I need you to control your power carefully so the Mana Stones and materials don’t get destroyed.”
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire raises both hands high and cries out in agreement!]
Timing it perfectly with their approach.
[Fire’s possessed skill, ‘Hellfire’, activates.]
“Shrieeeek!”
“Shrieeeek!”
Whoooosh!
Hellfire descended upon the chamber.
Because I’d weakened the output, more than half survived.
Still, they couldn’t move properly after the intense blast.
I finished those off myself.
A single stomp was enough to shatter them to pieces.
But it wasn’t over yet.
‘Four from the east, six from the west, five from the north, five from the south.’
They swarmed ceaselessly.
More came behind them, but I had a rough sense of their approach.
Stupidly, they advanced in single file.
I adjusted the angle of Meteor—the skill that strikes downward from above—to aim forward instead.
Directing it as much as possible toward areas without Mana Stones or materials. Meteor.
[Fire’s possessed skill, ‘Meteor’, activates.]
Boom-boom-bang!
[Fire’s possessed skill, ‘Meteor’, activates.]
Boom-boom-bang!
…….
…….
Worn out, then a complete recovery in a warm bed.
Back to Meteor again!
After about thirty minutes of repetition, that overwhelming presence had vanished without a trace.
Still, complacency was dangerous.
I stayed on high alert until the system message came through, telling me it was truly finished.
[You have annihilated the Giant Earth Venom Ant Nest!]
[Giant Earth Venom Ant Nest: 1/1]
[Giant Earth Venom Ant Carapace × 413 obtained!]
[Giant Earth Venom Ant Fang × 255 obtained!]
[Giant Earth Venom Ant Sturdy Body × 156 obtained!]
[Giant Earth Venom Ant Leader Antenna × 11 obtained!]
[You have successfully disarmed the Giant Earth Venom Ants’ traps!]
[You can now collect all the Mana Stones and materials gathered by the Giant Earth Venom Ants!]
[The Gate will disappear in 48 hours!]
[If you do not exit before it vanishes, you will vanish with it!]
That marks the end of this ordeal.
“Now the happiness begins!”
-Squeak!
[Fire cheers loudly at the fact that it can eat all of this!]
Since I’d fought while controlling my strength and thinking carefully, the damage was minimal.
Time-wise, forty-eight hours was plenty.
It meant I didn’t have to finish today and could take it slow.
I’d scrape up every last crumb.
Fire had done all the work, so I didn’t need to rest.
Time to start right away!
I pulled out the Efficiency and Luck Pickaxe.
Its ability didn’t work only on minerals.
I swung it down at a Burning Stone Tree.
Crack!
[The Efficiency and Luck Pickaxe’s efficiency activates!]
[The Efficiency and Luck Pickaxe’s luck activates at triple power!]
[Burning Stone Tree × 3 obtained!]
One piece turning into three—pure magic!
Though it’s rare, sometimes six pieces come out all at once!
The efficiency is incredible.
There was no need to use a smaller Meteor.
One swing brought down the Burning Stone Trees, Mana Stones, and Purification Stones alike, each crumbling effortlessly.
Mining had never been this fun.
-Squeak?
[Fire asks, ‘Want some help?’]
Since when does this one volunteer?
But there was no need for Fire to step in this time.
It would be nice to have the help, but it couldn’t match this pickaxe’s efficiency and luck.
“You’re good. You worked hard, so go rest in the Spirit Rest Area.”
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire demands higher-Grade Mana Stones!]
[Fire asks if any Spirit Stones have appeared!]
What a sudden change in attitude.
I almost landed a punch, but since Fire had done well today, I held back.
“I’ll give you Spirit Stones if I find any.”
Come to think of it, today would be the last Spirit Stone.
Even the lowest-Grade ones gave decent buffs, so I’d need to buy one on my way home today.
For now, though, I’d focus on mining.
Even with so much material, the pickaxe was good enough that the work progressed at a brisk pace.
Exactly eight hours later.
The cavern that had been crammed with Mana Stones and materials was now completely empty.
On the flip side, my Inventory was bursting at the seams.
I thought I’d die from exhaustion.
Even with good stamina and decent equipment, there was just so much to harvest.
“I figured once I became an Awakened One, I could delegate work to others. Turns out I’m working harder than ever.”
Still, I was satisfied having collected everything.
Chirp?
[Fire asks whether you managed to get any Spirit Stones.]
“Didn’t get a single one.”
I’d expected that mining so much, surely one would turn up.
With this abundance, I thought at least one wouldn’t fail to appear.
‘So it really didn’t come out.’
I’d have to stop by Namdaemun and buy one.
Besides, it was time to process the byproducts I’d collected.
I led Fire out of the cavern, her lips pouting over the Fire Spirit Stone that never appeared.
The stale underground air gave way to the crisp breeze rolling off the Han River.
“Ahh! I feel alive again!”
After a brief rest, I headed straight to Namdaemun before sealing the Gate.
I sold all the byproducts and purchased a Spirit Stone.
When it was all said and done, I had 37.25 million won left.
If I sold the Mana Stones, I’d easily clear 100 million.
‘Maybe later.’
My ultimate goal was the money, but I hadn’t even cracked eight figures yet.
Look on the bright side.
I’d gained plenty today.
And then I arrived home.
The place was in better shape than yesterday, so I started checking what I’d obtained.
Burning Stone Tree × 702
Purification Stone × 504
Various Mana Stones to boot.
Thanks to the Pickaxe, today’s haul was substantial.
I got straight to crafting.
Starting with the water purifier.
[Burning Stone Tree: (45/45)]
[Purification Stone: (20/20)]
[Requirements satisfied!]
[Buff Water Purifier (E+) has been successfully crafted!]
<Buff Water Purifier (E+)>
Description: A water purifier crafted by blending Burning Stone Trees and Purification Stones in perfect proportion! Water purified to flawless clarity carries a very subtle recovery property, and inserting a Mana Stone grants a Buff.
I installed it beside my bed.
Its appearance was that of an ordinary water cooler dispenser.
But its effects defied imagination.
I placed an F-Grade Mana Stone inside, and Fire drank from it.
[You have consumed Mana Stone-infused water (F+)!]
[Hunger satiation increased by 1.05 times the normal amount!]
[Hunger reduction decreased by 1.05 times the normal amount!]
[Effect maintains for 6 hours!]
And then I added a Spirit Stone on top of that!
[You have consumed a minimum-tier Fire Spirit Stone (C-)!]
[Hunger satiation increased by 1.2 times the normal amount!]
[Hunger reduction decreased by 1.3 times the normal amount!]
[Effect maintains for 24 hours!]
The buffs took effect.
It seemed the higher the Grade of the Mana Stone inserted, the stronger the effect became.
By tomorrow, I could easily reach 200,000.
There were more furnishings I could craft, more square footage I could expand.
I’d check on all that slowly tomorrow.
“Let’s eat first! What do you feel like?”
Chirp!
[Fire says he couldn’t eat the chicken and wants to have some!]
“Okay! Let’s go get chicken!”
I should fill my empty stomach first.

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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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