I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 19

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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 19
19
Inside an E-Rank Gate thick with forest.
A massive meteorite plummeted down into it.
[Fire (EX)’s skill, Meteor (EX), activates.]
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-crash!!
Nothing survived the collision’s overwhelming force.
Only a deep, sprawling crater and rising system messages remained.
[You have eliminated 5,000 Blood Wolves!]
[Blood Wolf: 5,000/5,000]
[You obtain Blood Wolf Fang × 219!]
[You obtain Blood Wolf Hide × 235!]
[You obtain Blood Wolf Eye × 81!]
[You acquire Lowest-Grade Mana Stone (F) × 169!]
[You acquire Low-Grade Mana Stone (E) × 95!]
[You acquire Mid-Low-Grade Mana Stone (D) × 11!]
[The gate will dissolve in 4 hours!]
[If you do not leave before it dissolves, you will perish with it!]
Meteor’s excellent in every way, but using it means getting showered with tremendous dust each time.
There were times it got in my eyes, which was more than a little inconvenient.
Even carrying an umbrella made no difference.
For now, there’s nothing to be done about it.
I can’t simply stop entering gates just because it’s uncomfortable.
When the opportunity comes, I’ll have to find a definitive solution.
I brushed the dust from my body and stepped out of the gate.
“That person is the benefactor from the F-Rank Gate that Manager Kim mentioned?”
“Yeah, they even caught that masked murderer, so they got famous. You saw—became a Hunter not long ago, and they’re already entering E-Rank Gates.”
“But from E-Rank onwards the difficulty jumps dramatically, so clearing it…. Oh? Hunter?”
The Hunter Association staff member in mid-conversation froze solid at the sight of me.
Less than a minute had passed since I entered the gate, yet here I was coming out.
The thought that I’d emerged without clearing it didn’t last long.
The gate was undergoing Gate Dissolution.
“You cleared it? No way, that’s insane!”
“Wow! At this rate, that person really is the one setting new records in the Tower….”
“Thanks for your work.”
By now, such reactions had become routine.
Before I could draw more attention from the people around me, I quickly left the area.
‘Will I get exposed?’
It would be stranger if I didn’t at this point.
I’d cleared both an F-Rank and E-Rank Gate in quick succession.
Moreover, if anyone dug deeper into me, there was the cleared high-ranking gates and the materials I’d procured from Gwanak Mountain.
It wouldn’t take long for them to realize I was the one setting records in the Tower.
‘I’d better start preparing for that.’
It was a bit nerve-wracking, but honestly, it felt good.
If I played my cards right through dealing, I could rake in tons of Mana Stones.
‘And make good money too!’
-Chirp! Chirp?! Chirp!
[Fire (EX) asks why you keep laughing like a pervert!]
[Fire (EX) tells you to stop laughing and hurry home!]
[Fire (EX) says they’re exhausted from using their skill too much today!]
The spirit draped limply across the Spirit Shelter.
Even using full recovery on top of the Spirit Shelter’s healing effect left them in that state.
Clearing twenty E-Rank Gates was apparently too much even for the normally energetic Fire.
But thanks to that, I managed to finish by five in the afternoon, before evening proper.
[E-Rank Gate: (20/20)]
[Condition met!]
[Research is now available!]
I’d check the details once I got home.
Fire was exhausted, and so was I.
E-Rank Gates weren’t particularly abundant.
E-Rank Gates with no people at all were even worse.
Even with Shadow Permeation as a movement skill, I had to travel so much anyway.
—Chirp! Chirp!
[Fire (EX) asks if you couldn’t buy a Tteok-Twi-Soon set at the market before heading home!]
“Want to eat again? It must have been pretty delicious.”
I’d stopped by the market because Fire had eaten all the Energy Bars and snacks I’d brought along.
I grabbed Tteok-Twi-Soon to grab a quick meal, and it turned out to be quite tasty.
Since he wants to eat it, I should buy some.
It’s not that expensive anyway.
“But first! Namdaemun!”
—Chirp? Chirp!
[Fire (EX) insists that he’s incredibly hungry!]
[Fire (EX) asks how he’s supposed to have energy if he doesn’t eat!]
“There’s food there too, so don’t worry.”
—Chirp!
[Fire (EX) says to hurry up and go!]
When I retire someday, I absolutely need to take a culinary tour.
What kind of spirit cares more about human food than Mana Stones.
Since I’d used up all my Shadow Permeation casts, I took the bus instead.
“Young man, you’re back?”
“Ha, yes. Good to see you.”
“What’s the best thing here—”
“Wait a moment.”
“Hey now, we got here first—isn’t this a bit much?”
“Regular customers go first. If you don’t like it, leave.”
After coming here for nearly a week, I’d somehow become a regular.
I sold all the byproducts I’d gotten from the Tower of Trials, and used the money to buy Spirit Stones.
Since I’d earned quite a bit, I got a high-grade Low-Grade Fire Spirit Stone.
“It’s thirty million won since it’s low-grade.”
“…That’s three times as much.”
“I knocked off a million because you’re a regular. Try another shop. They’d add another ten million on top at minimum here.”
I checked other shops, and it was true.
Some places charged fifty million won.
Money just melted away.
More than half my earnings vanished in an instant.
So the total was now 95,080,000 won.
I thought I’d finally reach a hundred million today.
‘Still, I should be able to move from the studio apartment to a villa soon.’
Fire’s growth would accelerate too.
For the price, the effects were definitely real.
[You have consumed a Low-Grade Fire Spirit Stone (B)!]
[Hunger increases by 2.1 times compared to normal!]
[Decreasing Hunger is reduced by 2.5 times compared to normal!]
[This effect lasts for 72 hours!]
‘The duration is more than double—three days!’
The satiation was a hundred thousand points.
—Chirp!!
[Fire (EX) says this is incredibly delicious!]
Fire was completely satisfied too.
He cried out even more amazed than when he ate an S-Rank Mana Stone.
Right, as long as you’re happy.
—Chirp!
[Fire (EX) says let’s go buy Tteok-Twi-Soon now!]
Even after what had happened to Namdaemun, food vendors were still there.
I bought three hundred thousand won worth of Tteok-Twi-Soon from the most famous place and headed home.
A quick wash, and the first bite of Tteokbokki while it’s still warm!
“Mmm! This chewy, spicy taste of carbohydrate bliss!”
The real star is the sauce.
Rich and flavorful with just the right kick of spice, it keeps calling for more.
Dip it in some Fried Items and Sundae, and there’s no better combination.
-Whimper…….
[Fire declares that the combination of Tteok-Twi-Soon is pure ecstasy, and gives a thumbs up.]
I filled my own stomach, then surrendered the rest entirely to Fire.
Instantly, it vacuumed everything down like a black hole.
By now, the sight was familiar.
In the meantime, I checked the Research that had opened up.
Unlike the Spirit Shelter, no Status Window appeared.
A Research tab had spawned just below the Furniture section.
If I isolated just the Research:
❰Research : Stage 1❱
……Acquire Burning Stone Tree (0/200), Blazing Cotton (0/50), Lowest-Grade Mana Stone (F) (0/1,000) to permanently reduce Hunger by 1.1x (two other research options available)
Currently, there were only two research options available—Stage 1.
Once I completed one stage of research, I’d unlock the next stage.
Looking closely, I could even see roughly how much Fire could research in total.
At minimum, thousands upon thousands of possibilities.
One stood out among them.
“You can manufacture Spirit Stones?!”
So this was what Clone had been talking about.
It wouldn’t take long.
In a few years, I’d be self-sufficient in Spirit Stones.
For now, since the feature had just unlocked, only two options were available.
Reducing the permanent Hunger drain, and increasing the Hunger ratio from consuming Mana Stones.
“I can start right away……. Huh?”
The moment I checked what materials were needed, I froze.
I thought materials were only used for Furniture.
Mana Stones were just for filling Hunger.
But something strange was staring at me from the screen.
It wanted both materials and Mana Stones simultaneously.
And an obscene amount at that.
“Are you messing with me? Why is there so much I need to gather?!”
-I am not jesting, Human. Please, compose yourself.
“No, Clone. Think about it. I’m already swamped just keeping up with Hunger, and gathering materials for Furniture is killing me, and now you’re telling me Research combines both of those?”
-Such is life, Human.
“Ugh.”
No wonder Fire was a Legendary Spirit King.
The requirements were staggering.
Still, Fire was pulling its weight.
I had to do my part—who else would?
‘If this one Spirit King demands this much, what will the next one be like?’
Ah, forget it.
I decided I’d worry about that when it happened.
It hadn’t even appeared yet, so why borrow trouble?
I needed to focus on what I had to do now.
With the materials and Mana Stones I had, I could complete one Research project.
I launched it immediately.
[Burning Stone Tree : (200/200)]
[Blazing Cotton : (50/50)]
[Lowest-Grade Mana Stone (F) : (1,000/1,000)]
[Conditions met successfully!]
[Research beginning: Permanently Reduce Hunger by 1.1x!]
[00 : 59 : 59]
I’d need to gather more Burning Stone Trees.
I’d stockpiled nearly seven hundred, but between using them here and there, only about three hundred remained.
There were so many places that needed them, honestly.
“And it takes time, too.”
While the research counted down, I decided to look into information about Space Expansion Stones.
“Can’t you just tell me about it?”
-I stated I would only explain the basic system, Human.
“Fine, fine.”
It meant I had to figure everything else out myself.
There was an ocean of information available through the Awakened Community, so I had no major cause for concern.
Just annoying, that’s all.
There were three materials in total.
A Strong Stone, a Miniature Subspace, and one hundred Mana Stones of D-Rank or higher.
Simpler than expected.
The Strong Stone and Mana Stones wouldn’t be difficult to obtain.
“The problem is the Miniature Subspace.”
This was the biggest headache.
The core material in a Space Expansion Stone.
There were places where it appeared, like Gwanak Mountain.
No particular corporation controlled it.
The government only managed it; entry was free.
I could obtain it if I really wanted to.
The problem was it was damnably difficult.
The location was a mountain near Gangnam Station.
It was different from an ordinary mountain.
It was an unusual case, much like Gwanak Mountain.
Spirit-Form Monsters appeared there, and anyone who ventured in without proper Mental Power Skills or items would usually come out half-mad.
People died there fairly often.
Yet people went anyway, because Miniature Subspaces appeared frequently there.
Other locations existed, but nowhere else produced them as reliably.
Because of that, it was usually safer to just buy one, even at thirty million won.
“Add in the blacksmith’s fee and that’s another five million down the drain. What am I buying with that?”
I had no choice but to go hunting for it myself.
I possessed a body blessed with Heart of Steel and Spirit’s Blessing.
Somehow it would work out.
I’d looked into other methods as well.
Apparently you could find them in gates too.
But that was the thing—
“A-Rank?”
And they only appeared in specific gates at that.
Impossible.
Even with the Fire Spirit King at full strength, this was too much.
The number of such gates was limited too.
Everything else was the same story.
Most options were simply impossible at my current level.
That left only one answer.
I had no choice but to go to what people called the Phantom’s House.
Since there was nothing else to investigate, I was cleaning up after Fire’s meal and resting when it happened.
[00 : 00 : 00]
[The research on reducing permanent Hunger decline by 1.1 times has been completed!]
[Permanent Hunger decline is now reduced by 1.1 times!]
“Done. Let me see what we’ve got.”
The application seemed to have worked properly.
With the Circulation Air Purifier as well, the Hunger I lost would decrease far more substantially.
Two more research projects had opened up too.
‘No point anyway.’
I lacked the materials.
I gave up immediately.
That was enough for today.
My eyelids were growing heavy.
I’d wandered around diligently today; I had every right to be tired.
And my stomach was full besides.
I entered the Spirit Shelter and fell asleep right away.

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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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