I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 2

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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 2
Episode 2
A real spirit.
The fire spirit I’d only ever seen in videos!
And not just any spirit—one that came with the title of king!
Something extraordinary had emerged, thanks to the trait grade.
The only disappointment was this:
‘They said rare spirits appear with high trait grades, but the attribute seems ordinary.’
Still, the disappointment didn’t linger.
This was my first spirit, summoned on the day of my Awakening.
Something special would come later, no doubt.
I reached out my hand toward the fire spirit king who would walk beside me.
“Yeah. I’m glad too. I’m Lee Chan-yeong—the one you’ve contracted with. So… you understand what I’m saying, right?”
-Eeee!
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) says you needn’t worry—he understands you perfectly!]
The small head bobbed in agreement.
“Good, so you understand. That’s a relief.”
The more I looked, the more astounded I became.
A spirit shaped like a human being.
It didn’t even fly.
“I was under the impression most spirits don’t take a form like this.”
-That varies. This time, we’ve given him a human form as a special courtesy.
“Is that so? Fascinating.”
The coloring matched each attribute.
Red, befitting fire.
But the form wasn’t what mattered.
The real shock was the title floating next to the fire spirit king.
“This is insane. I’m not seeing things, am I? A spirit king?”
-Your perception is perfectly sound; no need to worry. You’re simply overwhelmed by the enormity of it.
“Right, thanks. But can a spirit king even appear? Even if my trait grade is off the charts, is that actually possible? Usually, no matter how high the trait is, the grade has a fixed ceiling, doesn’t it?”
The voice responded at once.
-Lowest -> Low -> Mid -> High -> Highest. Spirit grades come in five tiers. Normally, the higher your trait, the better the grade you receive—but only one of these five. However, your case is exceptional.
A being that cannot be bound by contract.
And yet one has manifested before me.
-Eeee!
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) says thank you for the food!]
“No big deal.”
The spam and tuna had been worth it.
My thumbs-up was short-lived.
The fire spirit king crossed his arms and shook his head.
-Eeee! Eeee! Eeee!
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) says the taste left much to be desired!]
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) complains that processed food is far too overwhelming!]
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) requests mana stones from now on, nothing else!]
So the spirit king was picky about food.
Even the lowest-tier spirits insisted on mana stones alone—imagine how fastidious this one must be.
“Seriously?”
I nearly took a blow to the back of the head before I’d even properly met him.
I gritted my teeth and barely held myself back.
Spirits are efficient, but difficult to manage—or so I’d heard.
He greeted me with enthusiasm, then immediately complained about the meal.
“So you grow by consuming mana stones? That’s your main diet?”
-Eeee! Eeee! Eeee!
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) says that is correct!]
[The Fire Spirit King (EX) also says he enjoys regular food, mind you!]
“The expensive stuff, too, I imagine.”
Whether for my own sake or for raising this creature, entering the Tower seemed essential.
True, mana stones could be bought on the open market if you had the money.
They were distributed widely among the general public under the strict oversight of the Association.
Yes—if you had the money.
Even F-grade mana stones go for tens of thousands of won.
A job seeker would never have that kind of money.
Living hand to mouth as it is.
If I need them, better to find them in the Tower of Trials.
I have a Spirit King—why waste money buying them outside?
I’ll gather them myself.
Not that I’m in short supply.
[Please bestow a name upon the Fire Spirit King (EX)!]
[Affinity will increase further!]
“A name, then.”
I didn’t deliberate long.
“Fire is ‘Fire.'”
[The Fire Spirit’s (EX) name has been set to ‘Fire’!]
[Affinity increases!]
[It will follow you more faithfully!]
Crude as the name was, it seemed to be to Fire’s liking.
That’s all that matters—if you’re happy with it.
I was about to enter the tower when I checked the guide first.
A Tutorial guide? I could learn that through the Clone.
Nothing earth-shattering about it.
“So—you can revive even if you die, and you can leave the Tutorial whenever you want, right?”
-Yes. That is correct, Human.
It’s why all Awakened enter the tower without exception.
Death itself—the thing most to be feared—has been removed.
Then there’s no reason not to go in.
-Whimper?
[Fire (EX) asks why you’re not entering and wasting time!]
“One moment. Let me just confirm this. The monsters here are only five Goblins.”
Defeat five Goblins and the Tutorial is complete.
But before I entered, I found something else.
There was a hidden strategy for the Tutorial.
“So if I kill all the Goblins at their designated location and then venture beyond, there’s a Goblin settlement. Clearing that counts as a hidden strategy completion, which means more rewards and a ranking.”
-That is correct.
Even as a Spirit King, I’m still low-level.
I’ll keep that in mind for now.
If my skill is overpowering enough, I’ll attempt it.
My skill being EX-grade meant the odds were quite high.
I gripped a frying pan.
Fire might not be able to unleash full power.
It’s best to have some minimum contingency prepared.
A frying pan in the Tower of Trials?
Looks unremarkable, but it’s one of the fundamental strategies.
For ordinary people, blunt weapons proved more effective than bladed ones.
Entering the Tower of Trials was simple.
“Tower of Trials, start Tutorial.”
[Are you entering the Tower of Trials Tutorial?]
[Yes/No]
You could enter just by speaking the words anywhere.
All preparations were complete.
No reason to hesitate.
“Yes.”
The bright world turned pitch black.
* * *
Light poured in from the center, brightening gradually and methodically.
As my vision cleared, I saw surroundings utterly transformed.
I had been in that cramped five-square-meter one-room apartment.
“Wow! So that’s how it works.”
Now I stood in the very center of a vast forest clearing.
Instantaneous translocation.
Something I’d only ever seen on the internet—and now I was living it.
When I first saw it, I thought it was some kind of teleportation trick.
But it was real.
Looking around, lush greenery spread out in every direction.
And right in front of me—monsters I’d already heard about.
“Kee-eek!”
“Kee-eek!”
Goblins.
Five of them, just as described.
Green skin, and all they wore was a filthy loincloth covering their essentials.
Their weapons were equally pitiful.
Rusted short swords and shattered shields.
My face twisted involuntarily.
Their appearance matched what I’d heard.
Revulsion hit me the moment I laid eyes on them.
Still, this was manageable.
I was adjusting to it when a system message flashed into view.
[You have arrived at the Tower of Trials Tutorial.]
[The Tower of Trials Tutorial will begin in 5 minutes!]
[00 : 04 : 54]
[Defeat 5 Goblins.]
[Goblins : 0/5]
Since it was a tutorial, they gave you time to adjust.
Starting from the next floor, combat would begin the moment you stepped in—no mercy.
Five goblins should be easy enough to handle as long as you actually tried, or so I’d been told.
But I was a job seeker.
The only exercise I’d ever done was weightlifting.
‘Should’ve brought armor. People say wrapping books around yourself works fine.’
I was about to turn back when I felt movement at my shoulder.
—Eep!
[Fire (EX) is eagerly asserting his presence!]
“Oh, I’ve got you too? Right, right—you were here. I was so nervous about entering the Tower the first time, I forgot.”
Fire had made the trip safely.
Just as he’d been in the one-room apartment.
Which somehow made me more anxious.
‘I wonder if I can pull this off.’
Even the highest-grade spirits couldn’t unleash their full power at first, or so I’d heard.
For fire, the best it could manage was setting a monster’s body ablaze or hurling fireballs.
The output was pathetic.
‘If it doesn’t work, I’ll handle it myself. No big deal.’
Hearing him say “eep” like that, he was completely helpless.
I couldn’t expect too much.
Besides, I was more than enough for a tutorial on my own.
“Think you can do this?”
—Eep! Eep!
[Fire (EX) pounds his own chest!]
[Fire (EX) says he’ll sweep them all away—just make sure to feed him well!]
“Looks like your words flow pretty smoothly. All right, I’ll feed you until you burst.”
Yeah, I probably wouldn’t be making any money for a while.
Even if I found mana stones, they’d go straight into this little glutton’s mouth.
Goblin by-products weren’t worth much anyway.
‘Think of it as an investment.’
You have to see the forest, not just the trees.
Fire drifted up from my shoulder to the top of my head.
Apparently that was better for casting skills.
He’d keep his balance on his own even if I moved violently, he’d said.
No problem in combat then.
[00 : 00 : 07]
The countdown was getting close.
I settled into an awkward stance.
Momentum matters most at the start.
‘First strike, certain victory.’
I was getting ready to charge forward when the world around me shifted.
The ordinary sky began staining itself a deep, blood-red.
Even the air, which had carried the fresh scent of living nature, turned scorching hot.
I looked up, wondering what was happening—and my mouth fell slowly open.
The bright blue sky.
“What is this?!”
It had turned crimson.
As if the very depths of hell were opening above us.
And that inferno came crashing down with perfect timing.
[Fire’s possessed skill, ‘Hellfire’ (EX rank), is activating.]
[00 : 00 : 00]
Boom-boom-boom-boom-crash!
Whoooosh—screeeee!
The deafening roar stripped my ears of their function.
It didn’t matter.
My eyes had already taken in the raw, unvarnished result.
The entire Tutorial floor—which had been a vast, verdant forest—was burned to ash.
The goblins suffered the same fate.
Not even a trace of them remained.
The fire was so intense that even the weapons vanished into the inferno.
Only the roar of flames that seemed ready to devour the world remained—a Tutorial consumed by endless fire.
Faced with such overwhelming devastation, I lowered the frying pan I’d been about to swing.
A system message materialized, as if to snap me back to reality.
[You have cleared the Tower of Trials Tutorial!]
[Goblin: 1,000/5]
[Goblin Chief: 1/1]
[You have annihilated the entire Goblin settlement of the Tower of Trials Tutorial!]
[New record achieved!]
[Tower of Trials Tutorial world ranking updated to rank 1!]
[Clear time: 1 second]
[You have succeeded in clearing the Tower of Trials Tutorial with overwhelming dominance!]
[Goblin’s Claw × 33 awarded!]
[Goblin’s Hide × 45 awarded!]
[Goblin’s Heart × 11 awarded!]
[Goblin Chief’s Club × 1 awarded!]
[Lowest-grade mana stone (F) × 105 acquired!]
[Low-grade mana stone (E) × 2 acquired!]
I turned to look at Fire, who had settled back onto my shoulder.
The little spirit wiped its nose and shrugged its shoulders smugly.
“So you really are the king of spirits, huh?”
-Chirp!
[Fire says: why would you even ask such an obvious thing?]
Back in my one-room apartment.
I pulled all the mana stones out of the inventory I’d gained through my Awakening.
-Chirp?
[Fire tilts its head curiously.]
[Fire asks: what is this?]
“What else? Eat as much as you want!”
-Chirp!
[Fire lets out a cry of joy.]
The spirit rushed at the mana stones at once, crunching through them whole and swallowing them down.
They must taste good.
Fire’s expression grew blissful.
I couldn’t let the little one have all the good things.
I checked my bank account.
Fifty thousand won.
It was money I’d have to pinch and scrape by on, but—
“Let’s get some braised pork feet!”
With my Awakening and this incredible spirit to boot, I had every reason to celebrate.
I hadn’t eaten properly in days, so I needed to fill my stomach.
At the thought of pig’s feet, an involuntary smile crossed my face.
* * *
The Awakener Community.
A place that encompassed all information about the Tower of Trials and the Gates.
Today, as always, it was filled with ordinary posts.
Chatter, strategies, items, byproducts, and so on.
Then, without warning, a bombshell dropped on that quiet stream.
[Tower of Trials, Tutorial World Ranking: 1st Place Achieved!]
[1st Place: 1 second]
Once a tower is cleared, re-entry is possible.
But achieving a ranking is not.
The time increases proportionally with each floor ascended.
All stats and skills reset to what they were on the first floor.
Yet under these rules, first place was achieved in 1 second.
There was only one thing this could mean.
The emergence of an extraordinary prodigy.
The entire world burned with fervent speculation.

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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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