I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 15

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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 15
Episode 15
Awakener Community.
For the past few days, the daily post rankings had been flooded with the same topic.
Tales of a rising newcomer and their Water Rocket technique.
That they’d collapse without clearing many floors.
That this low-level run was just a fluke.
Many people genuinely expected as much.
Though the Tower of Trials didn’t kill, it was merciless beyond measure.
Each floor climbed doubled the difficulty.
Even with the government and guilds stepping in directly, most failed to break even the top-100 barrier.
Once a day visits—I’d figured the limit was three floors.
[Tower of Trials, Floor 4 World Ranking 1st Achieved!]
[1st Place: 12 seconds]
[Tower of Trials, Floor 5 World Ranking 1st Achieved!]
[1st Place: 11 seconds]
[Tower of Trials, Floor 6 World Ranking 1st Achieved!]
[1st Place: 5 minutes 12 seconds]
World ranking first place, achieved without a single day missed.
The term Water Rocket vanished from every ranking post.
Instead, nothing but admiration and endless questions about who it was.
Even quiet nations began to take notice one by one.
The whole world moved in silence.
* * *
“This is it.”
Seong Gil’s Snack Shop.
The location of an F-grade Gate the Hunter app had identified.
Association staff were visible, confirming it was the right place.
And Hunters too.
Since today’s target was a material called Strong Stone, the presence of Hunters didn’t bother me.
Getting Mana Stones and byproducts at the same time was obviously desirable.
‘But there has to be something left over.’
After clearing several F-grade Gates, there were hardly any left in the vicinity.
Finding even this F-grade Gate had been lucky.
Gates were the best resource to farm, but now there weren’t any Gates left to farm.
I’d need to rank up to E-grade soon.
“We’ll need to verify your Awakener ID and Gate access permit first.”
“Here you go.”
“You’re going in alone—are you certain about that?”
“Of course. As you can see, I have plenty of clear experience.”
“Ah, I thought so—you’re that Hunter. Understood. Safe travels.”
“You know who I am?”
“How could we not? You cleared dozens of F-grade Gates in just a few hours. You’re already famous among us Association staff.”
I’d suspected the word would spread.
‘Already? News travels fast.’
Then again, not knowing would’ve been stranger.
Association staff were stationed at every Gate.
If one person spoke about it, that would be fast enough—multiply that by several, and it was inevitable.
“Thanks to you, our workload has lightened considerably these days. You’re our Association’s benefactor.”
“Haha, no. Thank you for your efforts.”
But the Hunters had the exact opposite reaction from the Association staff.
“What kind of lunatic is clearing out all the F-grade Gates?”
“Because of that guy, climbing the Tower of Trials was already hard, and now it’s even harder.”
“I’m trying to make a living as a Hunter, but because of him, I can’t earn anything.”
F-grade Gates were a lifeline for low-ranking Characteristic Users and beginners.
With manageable difficulty, steady income of Mana Stones and byproducts, plus the chance to raise your abilities a notch, it was the foundation of Hunter earnings.
And now those F-grade Gates were drying up.
Of course they’d be angry.
The one saving grace was that the Hunters didn’t seem to have figured out that I was the one doing it.
I kept my head down, making sure my face couldn’t be seen.
“Pardon me, coming through.”
“Move aside. People passing. I’m so sorry—I was just preparing.”
“Not at all. I wish you luck.”
Without waiting for further conversation, he ducked quickly into the Gate.
It was identical to the first Gate.
A forest dense with undergrowth.
The moment he stepped inside, the scent of grass drifted pleasantly into his nostrils.
The metallic stench of blood and animal musk that followed were another matter.
-Squeak!
[Fire says someone’s nearby!]
Goblin corpses lay scattered in all directions.
Sliced, shattered, pierced by arrows—goblins dead in every conceivable way.
It made sense.
[Defeat 1,000 goblins.]
[Goblins: 542/1,000]
“There are others besides us. It’s obvious.”
-Squeak? Squeak!
[Fire asks if you won’t be getting Mana Stones today.]
[Fire hollers that the Mana Stones you’ve obtained will be completely consumed by tonight!]
“That won’t happen. I gathered plenty yesterday—I can reach Level 10 without a problem.”
He stopped Fire from launching Hellfire.
He had no idea how many Hunters were scattered throughout, but a large-scale attack was absolutely out of the question.
He wasn’t about to make the news as a murderous Hunter lunatic.
‘I should catch a Water Rocket later, though.’
He’d think about that later—for now, if he didn’t calm Fire down, the spirit would go after goblins alone.
So he tossed Fire another A-grade Mana Stone.
“I’ll make sure you don’t go hungry. Just follow quietly. Otherwise, not even F-grade Mana Stones for you.”
-Squeak!
[Fire praises you, saying only a contractor could be so reliable!]
He ventured deeper into the forest.
F-grade Gates weren’t scattered everywhere.
They appeared near rivers.
Specifically, in places with considerable depth.
Finding a river with depth proved effortless.
Using Spirit’s Eye, he could locate an appropriate river nearby.
No people around. Perfect.
After confirming there were no goblins either, he surveyed the area.
The stone didn’t need to be in the river itself—it would be nearby.
An ordinary rock to look at, but large and sturdy enough that you’d recognize it instantly.
“Found it.”
Now he understood why he could tell at a glance.
Beyond its sheer size, solidity radiated from it even to the naked eye.
Most of all—
[Strong Stone]
The system confirmed it.
He immediately drew out the Pickaxe of Efficiency and Fortune.
With ordinary tools, materials like this were impossible to obtain.
Bang!
In the presence of an S+ grade item, such difficulty became meaningless.
In a single strike, two Strong Stones flew free and tumbled into his inventory.
[The Pickaxe of Efficiency and Fortune’s Efficiency activates!]
[The Pickaxe of Efficiency and Fortune’s Fortune doubles!]
[You obtain Strong Stone × 2!]
The pattern repeated with every stone he found.
The count was considerably higher than he’d anticipated.
Combined with the other Gates he’d clear today, he’d have more than enough to craft the Circulation Air Purifier, with plenty left over.
‘Clearing a Gate isn’t the end of it. Next time, I’ll mine the materials from that one too.’
As he worked steadily, Fire hovered above his head.
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire enthusiastically cheers you on, clutching two lowest-grade Mana Stones!]
Cheering was the bare minimum.
He was pulling his weight as a bodyguard too.
And whenever a goblin appeared that threatened to slow down the material gathering?
Whoosh!
Boom!
A quick flick of Hellfire reduced it to ash.
When it came to meeting other people, I went alone.
“You’re mining Strong Stones?”
“Ah, yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just—I’ve never seen anyone actually mine Strong Stones before. Even though they’re materials from F-grade Gates, mining them is such a grind that most people just buy them instead.”
“Money, right? Ha.”
The mention of money made understanding flash across their face immediately.
Strong Stones were cheap compared to other materials.
I had enough money to buy them outright.
‘But there’s a pig back home eating me out of house and home, so I don’t have much choice.’
If I could mine them myself, I’d save a bit of coin.
I went at it hard for about an hour.
Strong Stone × 51
“That’ll do.”
I’d hit my target.
I set the pickaxe aside and got straight to crafting.
I threw every material into the Strong Stones—all of them.
Watching the hard-won materials vanish stung a little.
The higher rank meant it ate through resources like nothing else.
Click. All at once.
[Burning Stone Tree : (100/100)]
[Strong Stone : (50/50)]
[Purification Stone : (200/200)]
[Conditions met successfully!]
[Circulation Air Purifier (D-) has been crafted!]
A sturdy gray circular Circulation Air Purifier materialized before me.
I placed it across from the bed.
The exact spot didn’t matter.
In a sealed space like the Spirit Shelter, it would cycle the air through the whole place on its own.
The effect was immediate.
[The Circulation Air Purifier (D-) perfectly purifies the Spirit Shelter!]
[Hunger decreases at twice the slower rate!]
[The Circulation Air Purifier (D-) maintains this effect continuously while operating!]
“Oh, twice as slow?”
—Chirp! Chirp!
[Fire (EX) is thrilled that the Spirit Shelter has become so pleasant!]
[Fire (EX) gives you a thumbs up, saying this one’s pretty good!]
I stepped inside and breathed in, and suddenly I understood why Fire loved it so much.
The quality of the air was completely different.
It was like I’d grown an extra set of lungs.
All those materials had been worth it.
That settled it.
‘From now on, I sleep in the Spirit Shelter. No exceptions.’
Though I wouldn’t be able to just sleep whenever I wanted.
Fire was far too particular about that.
Which meant I needed to stock up on high-grade Mana Stones to sweeten the deal.
“Where am I supposed to find high-grade Mana Stones that don’t drop anywhere?”
There were so many places that needed Mana Stones.
My next level would be ten, and that already worried me.
What if Fire needed something other than the most basic fire-attribute Spirit Stone?
If the grade went up even one rank, we were talking thousands—
Tens of thousands.
My back would literally break from the weight of it.
For now, I’d just keep mining whatever Strong Stones were left.
All I could do right now was push forward.
And goblins to boot.
By the time no more monsters or Strong Stones appeared, I was ready to move on.
“Time to head to the next gate—”
[Someone uses a C-grade Gate Enhancement Stone on the gate!]
[The F-grade gate becomes a C-grade gate!]
[All monsters respawn!]
[Defeated monsters are reset!]
[Someone’s skill, ‘Designation (C)’, activates!]
[All but one Designated Person are forced to exit!]
[Designated Person: Yi Chan-yeong]
[Annihilate 5 Orc Rider groups.]
[Orc groups: 0/5]
“Huh? What? An Enhancement Stone?”
-It’s a special item that can strengthen a gate. Someone used one on this F-grade gate.
“Ah, right. I’ve heard of those. I heard they’re hard to come by.”
And because of that skill, I’m the only one left.
Whoever did this—
“Are they kind? I was actually short on Mana Stones, and they’re thoughtfully sending out all the other Hunters.”
-Chirp! Chirp!
[Fire asks if it can just sweep everything away!]
[Fire cheers about a Mana Stone party!]
I didn’t even need to look at what these Orc Riders were.
One shot would do it.
“Let’s go, Fire!”
-Chirp!
[Fire stretches out its hand wide!]
[Fire’s skill, ‘Meteor (EX)’, activates!]
The gate dimmed into darkness.
A colossal meteor plummeted down into it.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-CRASH!!
[5 Orc Rider groups annihilated!]
[Orc groups: 5/5]
[Ugly Orc’s Mask × 343 obtained!]
[Orc’s Tough Tendon × 555 obtained!]
[Orc’s Tough Leather × 138 obtained!]
[Giant Wolf’s Fang × 321 obtained!]
[Giant Wolf’s Claw × 221 obtained!]
[Giant Wolf’s Skull × 137 obtained!]
[Lowest-grade Mana Stone (F) × 636 acquired!]
[Low-grade Mana Stone (E) × 411 acquired!]
[Mid-low-grade Mana Stone (D) × 213 acquired!]
[Mid-grade Mana Stone (C) × 112 acquired!]
[Mid-high-grade Mana Stone (B) × 50 acquired!]
[High-grade Mana Stone (A) × 3 acquired!]
[The gate will vanish in 12 hours!]
[If you don’t exit before it disappears, you’ll vanish with it!]
It was so sweet I was practically getting diabetes.
I wouldn’t need to worry about Mana Stones until Level 11.
Coming to the gate in person to farm materials was definitely the right call.
And this kind of fortune showing up too!
Today’s luck is simply magnificent.

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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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