I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 5

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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 5
Episode 5
Spending fifty thousand won on a Worn Jewelry Box?
The thought had faded from my mind long ago.
It made sense.
Mana Stones were standard loot.
Once I’d sold the Golden Centipede Hide, a satisfying stack of cash weighed in my palm.
“Three million won! Kahahaha! Forget the pork feet and chicken—today we’re having beef!”
-Chirp? Chirp?
[Fire (EX) asks what beef is.]
“It’s delicious in a way chicken and pork feet could never match!”
-Chirp!!
[Fire (EX) squeals in delight.]
This money deserved better than delivery food.
I headed for Majang-dong.
Time to fill an empty stomach properly.
But first, I sent a million won to my parents.
Two million would cover everything I needed.
They were the ones pressed for cash anyway.
The moment the transfer went through, my phone rang.
“Chan-young! Where did this money come from?”
My mother.
She sounded genuinely shocked—she was used to asking me for money, not the other way around.
She knew my circumstances well enough.
I’d been bouncing between part-time jobs just to scrape by.
I started to tell her I’d Awakened, then caught myself.
I didn’t want to worry her.
I’d explain it slowly later.
“I got hired at a small company, and I just received my first paycheck.”
“Oh honey, keep it for yourself—you’ve had it rough.”
“I want to spend my first paycheck on family. Don’t worry—now that I’m working a proper job with steady income, things will be easier. You and Father have it harder.”
Besides, there were enough younger siblings to look after without adding more children.
“All right. Thank you. We’ll use it well.”
“Is everything okay at home?”
“Nothing special, just that they’ve gotten bigger and don’t listen anymore.”
I thought of my younger siblings hitting their teenage years.
Even after raising kids through adolescence, she still didn’t seem used to it.
“And Father? He’s in good health?”
“Of course. Full of energy. But when are you coming home? It’s been three years already—I’m starting to forget my oldest son’s face. Come down for a visit.”
“I will. I’ll come when I get some time off.”
Thankfully, there was nothing wrong at home.
We chatted about this and that, and the call ended naturally.
Not because I’d wanted to hang up.
“That’s mine! Why is this pig touching it? It’s filthy now!”
“Says the guy who doesn’t even wash his hands after using the bathroom!”
“S-seriously, go wash your hands!”
Classic us.
Never a peaceful day in our house.
“Take care of yourself!”
“You too, Mom.”
And that was that.
By the time we’d finished our rambling conversation, I’d already arrived in Majang-dong.
For today, at least, I was a man of wealth.
Determined to fill my belly with meat, I ordered generously.
“Five servings of the beef assortment, please.”
The table filled in an instant.
The heat came from charcoal, not gas.
Pure comfort, that was.
As the grill heated, I carefully laid the meat on the surface.
Sizzle.
“Damn, the sound alone is killing me.”
The taste was even better.
It melted away on my tongue.
How long had it been since I tasted beef like this?
This isn’t food.
It’s art.
-Squeak!
[Fire (EX) is asking for some too!]
“Fine, fine. You can have some. Here.”
-Uh, squeak! Squeak!
[Fire (EX)’s eyes are gleaming brightly.]
[Fire (EX) is entranced by the allure of the beef.]
His eyes widened in recognition.
The little one had figured it out.
There was something tastier than chicken feet.
Overwhelmingly so.
Judging by the speed and quantity it was consuming, five servings wasn’t nearly enough.
Since eating didn’t really satisfy its Hunger that much anyway, I didn’t need to feed it—but if it liked it, then it should eat.
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire (EX) says this is absolutely delicious!]
[Fire (EX) desperately wants more!]
“Got it. I’ll order more. But you have to stay inside and eat here, okay?”
-Squeak!
[Fire (EX) nods in agreement.]
“Excuse me! Eight more orders of the mixed platter!”
Thanks to that, it listened well.
I was starting to figure out how to handle it.
‘I heard that different Spirits like different things.’
Fire—this one’s obsessed with eating.
Its appetite’s interesting too.
It ate beef along with a Mana Stone.
Like it was wrapping up a side dish.
The beef must have tasted really good to it; it ate a valuable C-Grade Mana Stone together with it.
As it chewed slowly and savored it, its face seemed to glow.
‘So eating a C-Grade Mana Stone fills its Hunger by that much?’
Higher grades were worth the cost, clearly.
❰Hunger : (1,340/4,000)❱
‘It went up by a thousand?’
Let me map this out.
“F-Grade is 10, E-Grade is 20, D-Grade is 100, C-Grade is 1,000! Right? And higher Mana Stones give even more?”
-That is correct. The higher the Grade, the more Hunger it satisfies.
So that’s confirmed.
More of everything’s good, sure, but I need to feed it higher-Grade Mana Stones.
That way it grows faster, and it’ll be satisfied too.
Level 5 won’t take long at this rate.
-Squeak! Squeak!
[Fire (EX) is demanding more!]
[Fire (EX) says the momentum must not be broken!]
“You want more beef? It’s grilled right there. You can just grab it yourself—wait, where did it all go?”
I’d barely eaten a few bites.
But in the blink of an eye, all the grilled beef had vanished.
Fire’s mouth was glistening with beef fat.
While I was checking the status window, it had wolfed down all eight servings.
I’ve never seen such a little pig!
“No way. Stop eating. I need to eat too. Even if I tell you to eat, you can’t just eat it all yourself.”
Smack!
“Ow! That hurts! Why’d you hit me?!”
I couldn’t let this slide.
I didn’t care that people around me were giving me strange looks.
I had to protect the beef at all costs.
* * *
To get straight to the point.
“Yeah, eat plenty.”
-Chirp~.
[Fire (EX) smiles brightly.]
“Ugh.”
I’d lost.
Threatened not to help if I didn’t give in—what choice did I have?
I’d given in.
Yeah, that’s certain.
I definitely gave in.
Damn it!
And so the next day came.
It seemed leveling up wouldn’t be easy after all.
[Hunger has reached 4,000!]
[Fire (EX)’s Level has increased by 1!]
❰Fire (EX) Lv. 4❱
❰Skills Possessed : Hellfire (EX)❱
❰Hunger : (0/8,000)❱
……New skill unlocks at Level 5
……New skill for Lee Chan-young unlocks upon reaching 8,000 Hunger
“……Doubled again.”
Level 5 anytime soon? Fat chance.
Even the Mana Stones I’d gotten from clearing the Worn Jewelry Box’s trials weren’t enough to reach 8,000.
There was nothing left to consider.
“I’ll have to enter a Gate.”
I couldn’t just walk in unprepared.
First I had to prove I was an Awakened and get a Gate Access Pass issued.
Before that, I needed to check my new skill.
[You have successfully reached 4,000 Hunger!]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Veil of Darkness (C)’!]
<Veil of Darkness (C)>
Description : A spirit of darkness thoroughly conceals your power. No one can easily see through it.
It’s not stealth.
As a passive skill, I can turn it on and off anytime, and it blurs my very existence.
Even if someone notices me, they won’t immediately sense the full extent of my strength.
“Oh! That’s useful.”
I decided to test the ability later and head straight to the Tower of Trials.
It was a chance to gather Mana Stones and materials—only a fool wouldn’t go.
The second floor was identical.
Defeating monsters.
Just with Hop Goblins instead of regular Goblins.
It didn’t matter.
One shot was all I needed.
[Fire (EX)’s skill ‘Hellfire (EX)’ activates!]
Boom-boom-boom-bang!
Whoosh-crackle!
[Tower of Trials, Floor 2 cleared!]
[Hop Goblins : 1,000/10]
[Hop Goblin Shaman : 1/1]
[Entire Hop Goblin settlement on Tower of Trials Floor 2 annihilated!]
[New record achieved!]
[Tower of Trials Floor 2 world ranking updated to 1st place!]
[Clear time : 1 second]
[Tower of Trials Floor 2 overwhelmingly cleared!]
[Hop Goblin Claw × 33 obtained!]
[Hop Goblin Hide × 45 obtained!]
[Hop Goblin Heart × 11 obtained!]
[Hop Goblin Shaman’s Staff × 1 obtained!]
[Lowest-grade Mana Stone (F) × 65 acquired!]
[You have obtained 41 Lower-Grade Mana Stones (E)!]
[You have obtained 6 Lower-Middle-Grade Mana Stones (D)!]
The number had decreased, but the grade had risen.
This would be perfect for making a trip to the Gate.
I’d already gathered every bit of information available online.
“Let’s go.”
-Squeak!
[Fire (EX) is asking when you’ll give her something delicious to eat.]
“Once we’re done with the good stuff, you’ll get yours. Deal?”
-Squeak.
[Fire (EX) nods and extends her tiny fist.]
Her small fist bumped against mine.
If I was going to raise this pig, I’d need to earn serious money in the Gates.
* * *
I arrived at the Association Headquarters.
Even before stepping through the doors, the sheer scale of the exterior left me speechless.
“This place is enormous.”
The building stood forty stories high.
Eight levels underground, and the square footage was something else entirely.
Each floor could have swallowed multiple sports fields without breaking a sweat.
Awakened individuals outfitted in all manner of gear filled the lobby.
Hunters, Climbers—everyone was here.
Every Awakened in South Korea seemed to have gathered in this place.
Seeing it in person felt entirely different from watching videos online.
But sightseeing could wait. Time to head in.
I was planning to hit multiple Gates today.
One Gate wasn’t going to be enough for this pig to level up.
-Squeak?
[Fire (EX) asks what you just said.]
“What? I didn’t say anything.”
-……Squeak.
[Fire (EX) narrows her eyes and stares at you suspiciously.]
I brushed off her skepticism lightly.
Then I stepped into the Association Headquarters building.
With the information I’d already absorbed, I didn’t need to figure things out step by step.
“What brings you here today?”
“I’ve just awakened and I need to get an Awakened ID and a Gate Access Pass.”
“Please take a number at the Awakening Assessment counter over there, and wait for your number to be called. Once they call you, just tell them you’ve Awakened and they’ll take care of the rest.”
The staff on duty handled everything automatically.
No need to have worried.
My number was called within a few minutes—apparently there weren’t that many new Awakenings coming through.
Things proceeded smoothly.
Exactly as I’d been told.
I presented my ID and registered my Awakening.
The staffer explained various precautions and went over the curriculum for new Awakened individuals.
None of that applied to me.
Just as things were wrapping up, I noticed something different from what I’d read.
“Can I go now?”
“Ah, one moment please. We need to measure your Potential. Could you roll up your sleeve for me?”
“Pardon? There wasn’t anything like that before, was there?”
It used to end after just confirming an Awakening.
There was nothing else after that.
That’s definitely what I’d understood.
“You’ve seen the world rankings, haven’t you? Someone hit first place in the Tutorial, Floor 1, and Floor 2—all in seconds?”
“Ah, so this is because of that person?”
“Yes. Please understand. Management decided to add Potential measurements because of that individual. There’s no need to worry too much. We’re not trying to learn about your characteristics or talents—we’re only measuring Potential itself.”
I carefully rolled up my sleeve.
I had no intention of standing out.
The last thing I needed was the hassle.
Once word got out, there’d be no end to the attention and complications.
And it was dangerous, too.
But I had some confidence in the skill I’d obtained today.
It went exactly as expected.
On the potential measurement device.
[C]
An ordinary grade appeared.
Because I had the Veil of Darkness, I could tell.
It came out this way thanks to the skill.
“You’re quite fortunate. With C-grade potential, you’ll be able to get by comfortably wherever you go.”
“Ha, thank you. That’s all, then?”
“Yes. From today onward, you have access to Gates, though only lower-grade ones. To raise the grade of Gates you can enter, you’ll need to complete the assigned objectives. I trust you understand.”
“I do. Thank you for everything!”
He grabbed his Awakened ID and Gate Access Pass and hurried away.
There was nothing more to do here.
All that was left was to enter a Gate.
Where I had vanished.
“Entering a Gate right after Awakening does seem risky. I wonder if he’ll be alright. Why didn’t he take the standard curriculum…….”
“Wait—could we check that person’s potential readings?”
It seemed like an absurd request.
Potential measurements were supposed to be destroyed immediately after recording, kept confidential.
I wondered who would even ask such a thing.
“Oh—Team Leader A-rin?”
“Ha, lovely to see you.”
It was Jin A-rin, the Team Leader of the Talent Management Division.
Even for a team leader, this was overstepping authority.
It should have been refused outright, but if that renowned conglomerate stood behind her, everything changed.
The youngest daughter of the Ain Group—wielding formidable wealth across both South Korea and the entire world.
The open secret was that she owed her position as team leader to her connections with the director.
There was no one here who could resist her.
She reached toward the measurement device.
“Pardon me for a moment. C-grade, then?”
“Ordinary, perhaps, but it’s a grade that lets you live quite comfortably.”
“That’s impressive, but doesn’t something feel off about it?”
“Pardon? Off how?”
“Hmm, I thought I saw something.”
Jin A-rin replayed what had just happened in her mind.
Obscured by an incomprehensible darkness, but unmistakably—something extraordinary had been visible.
The greatest potential she’d ever witnessed.
‘I must have been mistaken.’
The measurement device had never been wrong before.
It was certain she’d misread it—sleep deprivation catching up with her.
Still, there was something else demanding her attention.
An emerging talent taking South Korea by storm—a one-second prodigy.
The existence called Lee Chan-young was soon erased from her mind.
Her thoughts filled instead with this newly rising star.

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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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