I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 31
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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 31
31
“Is this even possible for a human to achieve?”
Jin Arin couldn’t believe it, no matter how many times she looked.
What was the 12th floor?
It was an evolved version of finding the objective across all floors of a Monster Wave.
Nothing else was particularly difficult.
Jewels or monsters—it mattered little.
The real problem was the toxic gas.
Even if you could endure it, the moment you entered the sustained poison cloud, your mind grew clouded.
Equipping items that blocked the toxic gas didn’t make it easy either.
Due to the nature of items like gas masks, your vision was actually hampered, which cost more time.
So what in the world was this impossible record?
She wasn’t the only one shocked.
The Director reviewed the record and gasped as well.
“Team Leader Jin Arin, we absolutely have to recruit this person. You know what I mean?”
“Yes. Of course. I’ll do my best to bring them in.”
Don’t stress about it. Take it slow. I’m putting this in your hands. I have high hopes.
At last, with meaningful success finally within reach, a smile bloomed on her lips unbidden.
All that remained was to treat them well.
Forgetting even the hangover from the drink she’d had yesterday, she headed to the department with light steps to handle the work.
But she wasn’t the only one taking notice of Lee Chan-yeong.
Geum Chae-a, having received the report, smiled brightly.
“Everything’s been confirmed. They have quite a large family, don’t they? Though I wonder if obtaining personal information like this is even legal.”
“When talent is on the line, what’s the difference between legal and illegal? First contact is what matters. You already know that.”
Each individual Awakener is precious in this era.
In such a world, we can’t afford the misfortune of losing valuable talent simply because of something as trivial as legality.
“What approach shall we take? Should we try to sway the family?”
“No. Ordinary methods won’t work. We need to approach slowly. Failure isn’t an option. I’ll go personally, so don’t do anything. First, we need to break the ice.”
“Understood.”
Slowly, like Jin Arin.
But certainly.
She was utterly confident.
In the future, the world would divide into those connected to Lee Chan-yeong and those who weren’t.
* * *
Having experienced an EX-grade Fire skill, he knew how absurd it truly was.
Nothing like the skill of a Spirit that would manifest at first awakening.
Though he understood this better than anyone, the Blessing of the Divine still defied all logic.
Healing, purification, even sustained duration.
There wasn’t a single drawback to speak of.
As long as the Blessing of the Divine existed, he would likely never have reason to die.
“You worked hard. With Water’s help, this floor was a breeze to clear. Much obliged.”
-Whine… whine….
[Water (EX) says to stop praising it already.]
[Water (EX) says it’s embarrassed because you keep praising it.]
Forget the comparison to a Chihuahua.
More like a cross between a Chihuahua and a Retriever.
If only it wouldn’t whimper, it’d be perfect.
-Sniffle.
[Water (EX) says tears are flowing because the contractor treats it so well.]
“…Don’t cry.”
That seemed unlikely.
When the Water Spirit King itself appears, mere whimpering as a penalty is honestly getting off cheap.
With this, the toxic gas worry—the greatest concern—was completely resolved.
Tomorrow, all he had to do was ascend at ease.
He’d finished everything for today in the Tower of Trials.
There was nothing left to do in the Tower of Trials.
“There’s plenty to do on the other side now.”
He needed to learn potion-making.
More precisely, Alchemy.
You might think money could solve it, but judging by Fire’s Hunger growing with each level, this wasn’t something money could fix.
Still, I wasn’t keen on going cap in hand to the Awakener Association.
If it came down to it, I could always try negotiating a trade later.
Even Awakeners with Alchemy-exclusive Traits struggle with this, I’ve heard.
No way to know if it’ll work out.
Might as well give it a shot.
Alchemy was the least of my worries right now—there were too many things demanding my attention.
‘I need to check the new skill, gather materials for the Mana Stone enhancement table, unlock Fire’s skill, too.’
What worried me most was Fire’s skill unlock condition.
Last time it required twenty-five S-grade Mana Stones.
I had no idea how many this time around.
The numbers kept climbing.
No rush—I’d take it step by step.
But first.
-Squeak!
[Fire (EX-grade) says you’ve worked hard and demands Mana Stones as payment!]
Fire had cleared the Tower of Trials beautifully, so a reward was in order.
We’d already reached the twelfth floor, so high-grade Mana Stones were plentiful.
I tossed over two S-grade Mana Stones without hesitation.
-Squeak!
[Fire (EX-grade) snatches the Mana Stones in a flash!]
I was about to give something to Water, who’d done the most to clear this floor, but held back.
“Right, you don’t eat Mana Stones, do you?”
-……Squeak. Squeak?
[Water (EX-grade) looks dejected.]
[Water (EX-grade) asks if there’s anything to drink.]
“Something to drink? Maybe a beverage would work. What about food?”
-Squeak.
[Water (EX-grade) says food is unnecessary.]
Food clearly just wasn’t compatible with her nature.
I’d ordered Chinese takeout yesterday, so I had plenty of drinks on hand.
-Blech, squeak.
[Water (EX-grade) spits out the beverage she drank entirely.]
[Water (EX-grade) asks for the same water she drank at the beginning.]
[Water (EX-grade) says it tastes terrible because of too much artificial flavoring.]
“Ah, I see.”
Water was nothing like Fire.
Fire had initially been reluctant, but quickly became hooked on the appeal of good food.
Water, by contrast, had barely eaten anything and was already spitting it back up.
I felt oddly guilty.
She’d trusted me and come along, and here I was, unable to even give her a proper reward.
Mana Stones were plentiful for now, so I’d hold off on that and focus on Potions instead.
At this rate she’d start crying again.
“What did you usually eat in the Spirit Realm?”
-Squeak!
[Water (EX-grade) says she drank Elixir that comes from the water regions!]
“……Right, I need to get Potions fast.”
Something Fire could enjoy on the side, too.
Elixir?
From what I’d heard, it cost trillions of won.
It was a mysterious brew that cured all ailments and even dramatically extended lifespan.
No matter how strong I became, obtaining something like that right now was impossible.
I had so much to do, but the first priority was checking my own new skill.
[Hunger has reached 40,000,000!]
[You obtain the skill ‘Resource Detection (C-)’!]
[A similar skill exists!]
[Skills ‘Resource Detection (C-)’ and ‘Spirit Stone Detection (C+)’ merge and strengthen into ‘Material Radar (B)’!]
<Material Radar (B)>
Description: You can check any material at all times and view simple detailed information as well.
“Hmm, slightly disappointing, though.”
It was convenient to obtain materials more easily.
But with Fire and the Spirit’s eyes at my disposal, it felt somewhat unnecessary.
‘Still, being able to view detailed information will come in handy.’
It’ll be especially useful when I need alchemy materials I’m not familiar with.
“I wish an alchemy skill had come up instead. Too bad.”
I’d have to buy potions or commission someone to make them for me.
Look on the bright side.
It wouldn’t make sense for an alchemy-related skill to drop here anyway.
Do you know how rare that is?
The difficulty lies only in the training process and acquisition.
Once you master it, you can outclass most Awakeners.
“It’s a shame I can’t make a Mana Stone reinforcement table.”
I had to prioritize what was urgent.
With nothing else to drink, I couldn’t leave things as they were.
Given her temperament, she’d keep crying otherwise.
Truth be told, she’s scarier when she cries than when she’s angry.
Buying potions was too expensive, so I’d gather all the materials and commission someone to make them.
The fresher the potion, the better.
I could find out how to do it by checking the Awakener community.
The community was still buzzing about my story today, but I brushed it aside lightly.
I clicked through potion information across numerous categories.
When I checked the labor cost section, the information appeared quickly.
Quite straightforwardly, in fact.
“So I just need to go to Namdaemun? Wait, Jin Hee Trading Company?”
They’d make potions if you brought materials and only charged labor costs.
The price was half of half the normal rate!
The locations where I could find the necessary materials were all listed there too.
I decided to visit casually at first.
“I’ll start with Lowest-grade Potions.”
The materials were apparently found in F-grade and E-grade Gates.
I should have gathered some earlier if I’d known it would come to this.
Who would have thought I’d end up making potions like this.
I’d better gather them earnestly from now on.
“Off to the Gates again today!”
-Squeak! Squeak?
[Fire asks if it can stop by the market after going to the Gate today.]
“Again? Aren’t you tired of it?”
-Squeak?
[Fire asks why you’d get tired of something you’ve only done a few times!]
-Squeak?
[Water asks what a market is.]
“You’ll find out when we get there. Let’s go!”
Fire went to the Spirit’s Rest.
I put Water, who was trying to hang from my neck, into my pouch instead.
It seemed to prefer being around my neck, but I couldn’t help it.
I didn’t want to draw too much attention from people.
A water spirit this rare was bound to cause a stir.
I searched for nearby Gates through the Hunter app.
Since any Gate would do, I headed to the closest one.
Then I immediately activated Material Radar.
[Lee Chan-yeong’s skill, ‘Material Radar (B)’ is activated.]
My vision darkened for a moment, then gradually returned to normal, but it was different from usual.
My field of view transformed like a video game, with enhanced brightness.
A hologram unfolded, displaying the surrounding materials in a simple manner.
[Deep Harmony Flower]
It showed them like this.
The descriptions appeared alongside the skill and traits, but I didn’t need to pay attention to those.
I’d already learned from the community which materials I needed.
All I had to do was go to the locations I’d confirmed through the Spirit’s eyes and Material Radar, then dig them up with the Efficiency and Luck Pickaxe and I’d be done.
Then.
[The Efficiency and Luck Pickaxe’s efficiency activates!]
[The Efficiency and Luck Pickaxe’s luck activates at 5x multiplier!]
[Deep Harmony Flower ×5 obtained!]
[Nature’s Blessing activates, multiplying Strong Stone by 3!]
[Deep Harmony Flower ×15 obtained!]
A single swing yields fifteen flowers — a wonderfully welcome result.
I keep at it, repeating the process over and over.
The Material Radar ensures I miss nothing.
After working through several Gates, I’ve gathered materials in abundance.
I’d already notified the Manager of Jin Hee Trading Company, so I only need to head there now.
My inventory stuffed to bursting, I make straight for Namdaemun.
Upon arrival, I spot the familiar Manager standing beside a woman with an unsettling air about her.
Her hair is unkempt and wild; she’s pulled a gray hoodie deep over her head.
“Ah, you’ve arrived. This is the Alchemist I mentioned — she specializes in crafting Potions.”
“Thank you, Manager.”
“Think nothing of it. It’s standard for our regulars.”
While I’m here, I settle the by-products and move straight to business.
The Alchemist looks pressed for time herself.
“How many do you need?”
“As many as you can manage.”
“The labor cost per Lowest-grade Potion is 250,000 won — you should factor that in. You’ll also need to source the materials yourself. Once you’ve gathered a sufficient amount, we can discuss terms. If it’s a large order, I can offer a discount.”
“I’ve already gathered everything before coming.”
At my words, the Alchemist’s expression shifts to a smile.
No need for her to make the trip twice — a convenient arrangement.
“Excellent. Show me what you have.”
“Give me a moment. Here it is.”
“How much did you — wait, how long did you…?!”
As materials cascade from my inventory, the Alchemist goes perfectly still.
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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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