I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 16

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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 16
Episode 16
Before the F-grade Gate that appeared in the kitchen of Sung Gil-i’s Snack Shop.
Where few Hunters gathered and Association staff could afford to be leisurely, an unexpected commotion erupted.
All because of a man who appeared wearing a black mask.
At first, no one paid particular attention.
A black mask was common enough attire in the world of Awakened.
There were plenty of unusual people among Hunters, after all.
But the voice that came through changed everything.
“Kehehehehe! What delicious morsels crawling about!”
“……?!”
And the Gate Reinforcement Stone he produced along with those words.
Only then did they realize.
That this was the Black Masked Serial Killer who’d been murdering people in low-grade Gates lately.
An Association staff member rushed forward to block his path.
“Too late! You fools! Kehehehehe!”
But he’d already slipped into the Gate.
It wasn’t too late.
The thought of following him in and catching him vanished the moment they reached the sealed entrance.
Nothing they tried could force their way through.
They didn’t have any items prepared for such emergencies.
There was nothing for it but to wait for reinforcements.
And that wasn’t all.
[Someone’s skill ‘Designation (C)’ has been activated.]
[All except one designated person are forcibly expelled!]
[Designated: Lee Chan-young]
“Wait, I was just—urgh! What? Suddenly, what happened? Why did I exit the Gate?”
“We were making good progress, what’s going on? Association staff, what is this?!”
“Damn it.”
All but one had been expelled.
This made it abundantly clear.
It was the Black Masked Serial Killer’s typical method.
He’d enter a low-grade Gate, seal it so no one else could follow, and then kill the remaining person as agonizingly as possible.
The Association staff’s faces went pale.
Not because of the incident report they’d have to file if someone died in their district.
‘Our benefactor is going to die!’
‘And this assignment was such a dream since he started handling low-grade Gates!’
This was no time for such thoughts.
They had to call for reinforcements immediately—it was their only chance of getting him out alive.
As they rushed to summon backup, desperate to break through somehow—
“Huh?”
They froze in place.
Because the Gate Clear phenomenon—Disappearance—had already begun.
The Hunters who’d recognized the Black Masked Serial Killer shared the same reaction.
They knew him well—the one rampaging lately.
They knew how tenacious he was.
But the Gate had been cleared?
Everyone stood in stunned silence.
A man emerged, brushing dust from his clothes.
“Sure, finishing it in one shot is convenient, but why is there so much dust? It won’t come off. Maybe I should send these to the laundry. Is there any way I can avoid getting all dirty?”
“…….”
“…….”
“Well, if not, there’s nothing to be done. Maybe I should carry an umbrella with me.”
He continued muttering to himself in a somewhat odd manner.
After a moment, he glanced around and hurriedly stuffed something red he’d been holding back into his pocket.
“Ahem. My apologies for all the trouble. Well then, I’ll be going!”
“What about the bounty?”
“The bounty?! I’ll receive it with my E-grade Gate Entry Promotion! I’m busy right now!”
The man vanished in an instant.
No one could begin to guess what had just happened.
A few Association staff members who had regained consciousness entered the Gate.
They needed to retrieve the Black Masked Serial Killer’s body and figure out what had actually happened.
But the situation they found at the Gate had only grown more complicated.
Where a sprawling forest should have been, a vast plain now stretched out instead.
All that remained was—
……
A crater, deep and jagged as if a meteorite had fallen.
* * *
“You’ve got a guardian angel looking out for you. C-grade Gate rewards plus a bounty?”
It was the perfect windfall—killing two birds with one stone.
Add in the Gates I’d clear today and things were going to be very lucrative.
“Here, you’ve earned it. An A-grade Mana Stone.”
-Squeal! Squeal!
[Fire (EX) declares that the contractor is the best and gives a thumbs up!]
[Fire (EX) eagerly devours the upper-grade Mana Stone (A)!]
An A-grade Mana Stone satisfied 50,000 hunger.
With what I had now, I’d easily reach level 10 by tomorrow and still have plenty left over.
Thanks to this unexpected blessing, things looked promising.
Even after buying a Spirit Stone, I’d have plenty of money remaining.
But wait—before heading to the next Gate!
“Let me just check what furniture I can craft.”
-Squeal!
[Fire (EX) says to take your time and check carefully!]
It was best to craft everything possible while I had the chance.
Nothing new had appeared.
But a new effect had emerged instead.
……Upon acquiring Flaming Stone Tree (0/50), Strong Stone (0/40), Soft Cotton Wool (0/50), and Blazing Cotton (0/20), I can craft a Soft Sofa (E+).
Warm Bed (E), Set Effect +1
Description: A sofa crafted by expertly combining Flaming Stone Tree, Strong Stone, Soft Cotton Wool, and Blazing Cotton! The Set Effect increases rest efficiency by 1.2 times, and full recovery time is reduced to 22 hours!
“A Set Effect!”
-As the Soft Sofa’s description shows, the efficiency increases and affects the complete recovery ability, so I recommend crafting with the Set Effect in mind.
It turned out all the materials were available in F-grade Gates.
I searched for nearby Gates using the Hunter app.
I must have visited a lot of Gates already.
There was only one F-grade Gate nearby.
Worried it might be cleared, I rushed over as fast as I could.
* * *
The information posts said Soft Cotton Wool was hard to come by.
Searching through just one Gate made that perfectly clear.
“Only five pieces came out.”
That was the result of thoroughly ransacking the entire F-grade Gate.
Since the materials varied, without the Spirit’s Eye I would’ve been wandering around for hours.
The quantity was disappointing, but there was no reason to worry.
I had an S+-grade Pickaxe after all!
[The Efficiency and Fortune Pickaxe’s Efficiency activates!]
[The Efficiency and Fortune Pickaxe’s Fortune activates at 5 times multiplier!]
[You obtain Soft Cotton Wool × 5!]
“Ah! So satisfying!”
Strong Stone was no different.
I never knew material gathering could be this easy.
I couldn’t even estimate how much that single S+-grade Pickaxe cut down my workload.
If someone asked whether I’d given up on obtaining Mana Stones, the answer is no.
Of course not.
I’d left that entirely to Fire.
There was no need for me to give orders.
I just had to let her loose.
With the reins off, Fire took care of the monsters on her own.
[Fire (EX) revels in freedom!]
[Fire (EX) wonders if she can eat the monsters and tries grilling one to find out!]
[Fire (EX) recoils at the disgusting taste and just incinerates it instead!]
“Why are you eating that?”
Of course, I’d adjusted the power beforehand.
With so many Hunters around, I couldn’t risk a major blast.
Setting the forest on fire was absolutely out of the question.
By the time I’d made the rounds through a few Gates, I’d collected all the materials I needed.
Off to a safe spot to craft!
[Flaming Stone Tree: (50/50)]
[Strong Stone: (40/40)]
[Soft Cotton Wool: (50/50)]
[Blazing Cotton: (20/20)]
[Conditions met successfully!]
[Soft Sofa (E+) crafting complete!]
A gorgeous two-seater sofa in deep red claimed its place.
I set it up right beside the bed.
Perfect fit.
It almost felt like I’d just moved in.
There was one minor problem, though.
“The Spirit Shelter’s getting cramped.”
-Chirp-chirp!
[Fire (EX) is pestering you to expand the space faster!]
“I’ll expand it soon enough.”
There was no rush.
I just needed to furnish the place a bit more, then get back to gathering materials.
The Set Effect turned out even better than I’d expected.
Normally the cooldown would still be active, but the Set Effect allowed complete restoration.
I used it right away on the exhausted Fire.
[All of Fire’s (EX) abilities recover!]
-Chirp-chirp!
[Fire (EX) says it’s been resurrected!]
The rest efficiency improved too.
After heading inside to rest, Fire’s stamina was fully recovered in less than an hour.
I’d need to prioritize the Set Effect going forward.
The effects were absolutely incredible.
Before I knew it, evening had rolled around.
The Association only operated until seven.
Plus I still had byproducts to sell.
“I need to apply for the E-grade Gate Entry Promotion and collect the bounty.”
-Chirp-chirp! Chirp?!
[Fire (EX) is asking when you’re going to eat!]
[Fire (EX) complains that eating only Mana Stones has left it skin and bones!]
“But I gave you plenty of Mana Stones.”
We’d consumed thousands of them.
We hunted monsters while Fire ate them.
And it still says it’s hungry?
“Are you actually full though?”
-Chirp?
[Fire (EX) asks what that means!]
“Once we get home, we’ll grab some Chinese food. I haven’t had it in a while.”
-Chirp?
[Fire (EX) asks what Chinese food is!]
“You’ll find out once you try it. Let’s go!”
Since it was getting late, I caught a taxi.
I barely made it to the Association Headquarters in time!
The E-grade Gate Entry Promotion and bounty collection went smoothly.
It was thanks to the Association employee I’d met at my first Gate.
“Oh! Lee Chan-young! Over here!”
“Ah, that Association employee from back then.”
“Ha, I kept forgetting your face, but seeing your name reminded me! I’ll help you right away. Oh, and the E-grade Gate Entry Promotion too!”
Once the Association employee stepped in, it was done in a flash.
“Since it’s E-grade, there’s no separate promotion review, and the Black Masked Serial Killer’s been making headlines lately, so the bounty is thirty million won. You don’t need to worry about the body.”
“30 million won?!”
I’d assumed we were looking at a few million at most.
So the Black Masked Serial Killer really was a celebrity murderer, huh?
Once I factor in today’s byproducts, I’ll be able to move out of my studio apartment soon.
‘And send more money to my family too.’
A happy day indeed.
Thanks to her efficient handling, I’d wrapped everything up in less than five minutes.
I’d have time to swing by Namdaemun and back.
“Thank you so much for your hard work……. Hm?”
“Is something the matter?”
“No, it’s nothing. I felt someone’s gaze for a moment. Must’ve been my imagination. Safe travels!”
In the space where I’d vanished,
Jin A-rin tilted her head.
“What the…? That person’s potential came back as C-grade?”
Though shrouded in shadow, she’d seen it clearly enough.
The power with which he read her—however incompletely.
But that wasn’t all.
He’d swept through dozens of F-grade Gates single-handedly.
And now, the Black Masked Serial Killer.
A vicious criminal who’d earned a C-grade Hunter ranking.
He’d sent such a person down in a single strike.
Along with a C-grade Gate, no less.
‘According to Association staff, all that remained of the Gate was an enormous crater.’
Honestly, when she’d first encountered him, she’d thought she’d simply found useful talent—someone to become the hands and feet of her plans.
Someone to execute the strategies she devised.
But the results he’d achieved defied all reason.
Enough to render countless Rankers mere commoners by comparison.
Someone came to mind.
That figure dominating the Tower of Trials with overwhelming force.
She’d need to revise her plans.
He was extraordinary talent.
How could she possibly let such talent slip away over paltry terms?
‘I need to prepare thoroughly.’
She’d have to move quickly, before anyone else took notice.
A beautiful flower bearing honey—of course countless insects would swarm to it.

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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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