I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 22

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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 22
Episode 22
-Wail! Wail!
[Fire (EX) says he is not some god of fire!]
[Fire (EX) says he is the Fire Spirit King, and that’s something entirely different!]
“I may not fully understand, but I shall obey whatever you command, divine one!”
-Wail! Wail!
[Fire (EX) groans that he doesn’t know how many times he has to say this!]
[Fire (EX) repeats for the fourteenth time that he is not a god of fire, but the Fire Spirit King!]
“You have saved my life. I humbly beseech you to accept me as your apostle!”
The man couldn’t see Fire’s System Messages.
He was completely prostrate on the ground, bowing repeatedly, utterly convinced he was addressing a god.
From what I gathered from his rambling, it seemed he’d been about to fall to a Hidden Monster when Fire happened to save him.
Lucky timing.
Usually Fire would incinerate everything along with the monster.
It looked like he’d noticed the man was there and held back to some degree.
Still, it was fortunate he’d survived.
-Wail.
[Fire (EX) finally gives up trying to talk.]
“Ah! So you finally accept me at last?!”
If this kept up, Fire really would become a god of fire whether he liked it or not.
“I’m a spirit. Not a god of fire.”
“Who—who’s there?! Who spoke?! Another specter?!”
“Not a monster. A person. The spirit’s owner, actually.”
“Huh? A real person?”
Thank goodness.
At least he wasn’t completely unhinged.
When Fire moved to my side, the man’s suspicion dissolved entirely.
“Oh, so it really is a spirit?”
-Wail!
[Fire (EX) snaps that he’s already said this countless times!]
“Easy, easy. Calm down. He can’t understand what you’re saying anyway.”
“R-right, my apologies. I got carried away in my shock.”
At least he’d regained his composure.
What had happened was a common problem for anyone who entered the Ghost House.
He’d come in at dawn, gotten lost wandering the halls, and stumbled upon a Hidden Monster.
He would have died, but Fire had saved him.
But his purpose here was unusual.
“An enraged spirit?”
“Yes! I came because of that, not the Ultra-Small Subspace. The Association sent me a commission—to pacify an enraged High-rank Darkness Spirit.”
“Your hunter rank?”
“B-rank.”
The credentials he offered settled it conclusively.
It was a hunter-exclusive ID card that couldn’t be forged.
“I see.”
“You seem quite skilled. Would you be able to lend me a hand? It’s not difficult. Since the spirit’s rage stems from the Ghost House’s environment, we should be able to pacify it easily. I’m prepared to split the reward with you.”
“I’m sorry. I have other business to attend to.”
I didn’t elaborate further.
Our objectives were simply different.
All I needed was to obtain the Ultra-Small Subspace and leave.
I’d entered the Ghost House in secret.
Getting caught would only cause trouble.
Just as I was about to end the conversation on that note—
“Well, I suppose I can’t help it. Once pacified, the High-rank Fire Spirit Stone it drops is yours, so—”
“Didn’t you say it was a Darkness Spirit?”
“It is, but since it’s enraged, regardless of the spirit’s original attribute, subduing its rage usually yields a Fire Spirit Stone.”
That changed things.
I’d seen firsthand how powerful a Spirit Stone’s effects were.
The lower grade doubled things.
I couldn’t even imagine how much a High-rank one would amplify.
The decision came swiftly.
“Of course. My apologies for the late introduction. I’m Lee Chan-yeong. Pleased to work with you.”
“Geum Chan. Nice to meet you.”
* * *
Geum Chan—a freelance B-rank Hunter—let out a breath of relief.
To be honest, this request was more than he’d bargained for.
He had only an unusual skill that could stabilize a spirit’s psyche; everything else was utterly hopeless.
Getting lost in the Ghost House, nearly dying to a Hidden Monster—need he say more?
Even now, he was barely maintaining his sanity thanks to the protective gear.
But there was no way around it.
This mission had something he needed for trait enhancement.
That’s why he’d rushed here at dawn today—time was of the essence.
‘Never thought I’d meet someone of that caliber in a place like this. And without even protective gear, perfectly fine.’
Of course, meeting such a skilled person in this place was mildly suspicious.
Most hunters thought it obvious to buy an Ultra-Small Subspace with money rather than bother with the hassle of searching for one.
He wanted to ask, but decided to leave it alone.
Besides, his life had been saved, and Lee didn’t seem eager to explain.
As long as he wasn’t some psychopath going around murdering people. Well.
He probably wasn’t actually a psychopath, was he?
The odds of that were slim.
The guy saved his life—what psychopath does that?
“Shall we rest a moment? You look quite exhausted.”
“Not at all! I haven’t been wandering that long, so I’m still sharp! Let’s go right away! I’ll guide you!”
“Do you know the location?”
“Of course! I brought a Spirit Compass through the Association! It’s an item that only points to High-rank Spirits and above! With this, I should be able to find the location… Wait. Why is it doing this?”
The Spirit Compass, which should have pointed to a single location, spun ceaselessly.
No matter how many times he adjusted it, nothing changed.
“It was working fine when I came here.”
I understood the cause of the malfunction immediately.
‘It’s because of Fire.’
Though Fire hadn’t reached the level of a Spirit King yet.
Just as resignation began to settle in—
Fire emerged from the Spirit Shelter and gestured for us to follow.
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire (EX) says it knows where it is!]
[Fire (EX) says to just follow!]
“What is it saying?”
“It says it knows the location.”
“Pardon? It knows the location?”
“So it seems.”
There was nothing strange about it.
It could locate nearly every material imaginable, including Mana Stones and Ultra-Small Subspaces.
So finding a High-rank Darkness Spirit would be child’s play for a Spirit King.
We set off, then stopped short.
“Is something wrong?”
-Squeak?
[Fire (EX) asks why you’ve stopped.]
“I found a material worth using.”
“Are you referring to the Ultra-Small Subspace?”
“No, something else. It won’t take long.”
While Spirit Stones were valuable, I couldn’t overlook materials.
Materials took priority over the Darkness Spirit.
Especially if that material could be used to craft furniture.
It was right there.
A single flower with transparent petals swayed gently.
[Fragrant Ghost Grass]
“They said it’d be upstairs, but it was here instead.”
I’d searched for a long time without finding it.
It’s a plant that only grows in the Ghost House.
And I was looking for it precisely to craft new furniture.
……Once I obtain the Purification Stone (0/10) and Fragrant Ghost Grass (0/150), I’ll be able to craft the Fragrant Diffuser (E)

Description: A diffuser crafted by carefully blending Purification Stones and Fragrant Ghost Grass together! Simply breathing in its scent once a day permanently increases your Hunger satisfaction rate by 1.1 times!
A permanent 1.1 times boost to Hunger satisfaction — no way I’m passing this up.
Skipping this would be criminal.
I pulled out the Pickaxe of Efficiency and Fortune and went to work.
Since they were plants, they came up easily.
A single swing was all it took.
[The Pickaxe of Efficiency and Fortune’s efficiency activates!]
[The Pickaxe of Efficiency and Fortune’s fortune activates — seven times over!]
[You obtain Fragrant Ghost Grass ×7!]
“Oh! Lucky! Seven times!”
“Would you like me to help?”
“That’s all right. It’s more efficient if I do it myself.”
“Ah, yes.”
The bewilderment was painfully obvious.
I couldn’t blame them.
Any wild High-rank Spirit or stronger carries a minimum difficulty of B-rank Hunter level.
And here I was wasting no effort at all to placate such a spirit’s wrath.
‘A High-rank Spirit? I could handle a Top-tier Spirit without breaking a sweat.’
There was nothing to worry about.
All I needed to focus on was gathering the Fragrant Ghost Grass.
This seemed to be their habitat — they were everywhere nearby.
Collecting all one hundred and fifty took about ten minutes.
I checked my Purification Stone count and immediately began crafting.
[Purification Stone: (10/10)]
[Fragrant Ghost Grass: (150/150)]
[Conditions met successfully!]
[Fragrant Diffuser (E) crafting complete!]
It was far too small to call it furniture.
Maybe the size of my fist?
But its effect was undeniable.
[Fragrant Diffuser (E) installed!]
[Hunger satisfaction now fills 1.1 times faster than normal!]
[The effect lasts until the Fragrant Diffuser (E) is completely depleted.]
The only downside was one thing.
It had a limited lifespan.
Not that it mattered.
Once it runs out, I’ll just make another one.
Actually, no.
Something better will probably come along before then.
“Are you finished?”
“Yes. Let’s head out. Fire, come on.”
-Chirp! Chirp!
[Fire (EX) says there’s a wonderful smell coming from the Spirit Shelter!]
[Fire (EX) praises you for making something quite excellent this time!]
Apparently it was exactly their type.
So much so that Fire refused to leave the Spirit Shelter.
I had to lure them out with a Mana Stone before we could finally set off to find the Darkness Spirit.
We’d been walking for about ten minutes.
-Chirp! Chirp?
[Fire (EX) says they think they found something!]
[Fire (EX) asks if that’s it!]
Fire pointed ahead to a spot.
A clearing of modest size where the fog notably thinned.
And right at its center stood some kind of pitch-black form.
-Chirp!
[Fire (EX) says that’s the Darkness Spirit!]
“So that’s the Darkness Spirit? Is that right?”
“Yes, yes! That’s correct. It’s a High-rank Darkness Spirit that was reported to the Association!”
“Okay, so we just need to calm it down then.”
“I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. There’s a dedicated item for calming Darkness Spirits. If you use that….”
They were pulling something out, but it didn’t catch my eye.
Because something glimmering appeared right beneath the Darkness Spirit.
Even from a distance, the intensity was so vivid I recognized it instantly.
‘An S-rank Mana Stone!’
I’d learned that Mana Stones existed thanks to Fire.
But an S-rank Mana Stone was actually lying there?
There was no more time to think.
Before I could burst forward—
—a high-pitched squeal!
[Fire (EX) is running toward the S-rank Mana Stone on all four legs with great determination!]
Fire bolted out.
Geum Chan’s eyes flew wide as he finally noticed.
“Wait, please! You can’t get that close to a High-rank Darkness Spirit! Do you have any idea how devastating one of its attacks can be!”
Among all spirit attacks, those with dark attributes were supreme in raw destructive force.
They obliterated everything with overwhelming power.
The higher the rank, the worse it got—and at High-rank, it was absolutely catastrophic.
Especially when the spirit was enraged, its destructive potential multiplied a hundredfold.
Being hit would leave nothing of my body intact.
Normally, anyway.
The Darkness Spirit, moments ago seething with rage, saw Fire and its expression softened at once.
The fierce crimson-tinged horns mellowed as its color shifted to pure black.
Then it transformed into a dog-like form, rolled onto its back, and assumed a posture of submission.
—My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty. I was swept up in anger and committed a grave rudeness.
—Squeak, squeak.
[Fire (EX) says it’s alright.]
[Fire (EX) advises that given these circumstances, it’s understandable to be angry—find your contractor quickly.]
—It was an honor to meet you in the Human Realm. I shall take my leave now.
“…….”
And with that, the High-rank Darkness Spirit vanished.
What was even more shocking was our reaction.
“Oh, a Spirit Stone. This is why I love gathering materials.”
“…….”
Geum Chan stood motionless, his eyes simply blinking.
His mind couldn’t make sense of what had just happened.

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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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