I Became an Almighty All-Master with EX-Rank Spirits - Chapter 7

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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 7
7
‘Useful talent is hard to come by these days.’
Jin Arin closed the file of those who had undergone the aptitude assessment and let the thought settle.
Most were F-rank, with the highest barely reaching D-rank.
She’d encountered one C-rank today.
But.
‘They’re not quite suited for the Ain Group’s guild.’
The reason she’d gone to the trouble of joining the Association’s Talent Management Department and taking the team lead position was simple.
To find talent.
The Ain Group led everyone in financial resources, but there was one thing—just one—that it lacked.
Awakeners.
Mana Stones and Monster Byproducts grew more valuable by the day.
But Awakeners didn’t limit themselves to demonstrating their abilities in Gates and the Trial Tower.
They were exercising influence across every other field as well, and their reach was becoming absurd.
The gap was widening between companies with strong Awakeners and those without—visibly so.
The higher one’s position, the more pronounced it became.
Understanding this better than anyone, she’d leveraged her father’s connections to link with the Commissioner, and that was how she’d landed this seat.
She’d thought finding talent would be simple if she operated from within the Association.
‘I never imagined it would go this badly.’
She needed results—and fast—to gain recognition within the group.
As the youngest, her starting line was far behind her older siblings; she couldn’t afford to fall further behind.
Time was of the essence, yet talent seemed nowhere to be found.
“Sigh. Where is even one decent prospect? The Trial Tower’s top ranker hasn’t shown a trace.”
“Team lead, would you like to go on patrol? They say a D-rank Gate has appeared in that building under construction.”
“Let’s go now.”
A D-rank Gate would have someone worth watching.
She’d start with them.
No point aiming for a home run from the beginning.
The building under construction where the D-rank Gate had spawned—she arrived to find herself stunned.
The D-rank Gate that should have been there was gone.
Entirely cleared.
“It’s cleared?”
“Huh? Why is it already cleared?”
“That’s what I’m wondering.”
Cleared, without question.
There was only one possible answer.
‘Someone cleared it first?’
A D-rank Gate, no less.
Even veteran Hunters and high-ranking Awakeners couldn’t clear one in mere minutes.
While her employee was delighted the troublesome work was resolved, she felt something spark inside her.
The sensation of having discovered the talent she’d been searching for.
* * *
My body felt heavy as lead, yet a satisfied smile played at my lips.
Thanks to the sum flooding into my account.
‘20.6 million won!’
It felt like a dream.
There was a time when scraping together even tens of thousands felt like plucking stars from the sky.
Yet here I was, barely Awakened, and I’d just earned twenty million won.
Even after living expenses, there was plenty left over.
So this is what an Awakener truly is.
Gates especially were a goldmine.
No restrictions whatsoever.
In a single day, I’d already achieved half my goal of entering an E-rank Gate.
At this rate, clearing an E-rank Gate was only a matter of time.
There was one concern, though.
“Clone, isn’t this likely to attract attention?”
—Please direct system-related questions to me, Human. That said, if I may add my observation: you did sweep through an F-rank Gate entirely solo, which will surely draw notice. And you’ve now quietly handled a D-rank Gate as well.
“It’s strange I haven’t been caught. I did it alone. The Association will get word of it soon enough.”
They know I cleared a D-rank Gate?
Becoming a famous star would happen in an instant.
It was a price worth paying to raise Fire.
I wasn’t planning to hide away for the rest of my life anyway.
“I’ll finish the Trial Tower, then I absolutely have to visit at least one Gate.”
-Squee! Squee!
[Fire (EX) flashes her eyes sharply, telling you to do it only sometimes!]
[Fire (EX) pouts her lips, saying it’s hard on her too.]
Click — even using the link multiple times in a day seemed to exhaust her.
The skill was so vast and powerful, after all.
“Got it. Since it’s my first time, I overdid it today. I’ll hold back from now on.”
-Squee!
[Fire (EX) nods her head, looking satisfied.]
“In exchange, you don’t get to eat much of the good stuff, right?”
-Squee?
[Fire (EX) glares, as if to say what kind of nonsense that is.]
This little thing was trying to pick out only the best for herself.
“That’s only fair. South Korea is a capitalist society, which means you get only what you earn. If you still want it, that’s how it has to be. Can’t do much about it.”
At my words, Fire went into shock.
As if she hadn’t expected this at all, she froze for a moment, then desperately grabbed at my pants leg.
-Squee! Squee!
[Fire (EX) says it was a joke!]
[Fire (EX) says she’ll do whatever you tell her to!]
“Really?”
-Squee!
[Fire (EX) asks you to take good care of her food instead!]
“Of course I will.”
I figured I’d gotten the hang of managing Fire.
I’d made plenty of money, and I wasn’t going into the Tower today anyway.
So what was I going to do?
“Party!”
-Squee!
[Fire (EX) shouts “Jackpot!”]
After all that hard work, we deserved to enjoy ourselves.
You can’t work hard tomorrow on an empty stomach.
I ordered one signature chicken from each major chicken brand.
As I was handling the housework and taking a shower, the doorbell rang right on cue.
Chicken boxes were piled high on the old dining table.
There were so many that they didn’t all fit on the small table, so I set some on the floor below.
Happiness isn’t found far away.
“This is what true happiness is! Ha ha!”
-Squee? Squee!
[Fire (EX) asks if this is chicken.]
[Fire (EX) says it smells incredibly delicious!]
“Beef is good too, but chicken is no joke either. Here!”
Fire grabbed a chicken leg and bit right into it.
Her jaw moved slowly as her eyes gradually widened.
-Squee! Squee!
[Fire (EX) says it’s seriously delicious!]
[Fire (EX) says she wants nothing but this for a while!]
“Chicken really is something special. No wonder it’s soul food.”
I took a bite myself.
Absolutely kills it.
Crispy coating on the outside, tender juicy meat on the inside.
One bite and all the fatigue from the day melted away.
-Squee! Squee!
[Fire (EX) asks for Spirit Stones quickly!]
[Fire (EX) says it tastes even better that way!]
“Oh, that’s right. Here.”
The Spirit Stone looked identical to the Mana Stone.
Only the color and the pattern carved into it were different.
I popped a piece of chicken and a Spirit Stone into my mouth together.
Crunching through the bone, Fire’s expression turned even more blissful than when I’d eaten the braised pork feet and beef.
An ecstasy as if a god had descended into possession.
“Eating them together makes it taste better?”
-Chirp! Chirp!
[Fire (EX-rank) says it’s obviously more delicious!]
[Fire (EX-rank) says the fire flavor from the Spirit Stone is especially incredible!]
Better than Mana Stones, Fire claims.
“Savor it while you eat—who knows when we’ll get another one.”
After confirming Fire had finished one Spirit Stone, I opened the system window.
Since Fire had consumed one, one should be filled now.
[Lowest-grade Fire Spirit Stone (1/10)]
“There we go.”
Now it’s just a matter of waiting.
Meanwhile, I worked through the chicken myself.
Half a bird per Spirit Stone—that’s the ratio we were clearing at.
At this pace, I wouldn’t eat a single whole chicken.
By the time I’d finished concentrating on my portion, I’d barely managed to clear one bird.
Fire ate all the rest.
I’d ordered over ten and thought some would be left, but Fire cleaned them out completely.
‘For a spirit, this one’s got an appetite like nothing else. Unbelievable.’
Still, Fire was earning its keep.
As I tapped my swollen belly, Fire finished off all ten of the Lowest-grade Fire Spirit Stones.
I was about to give Fire the remaining ones, but decided to check the newly unlocked skill first.
[Lowest-grade Fire Spirit Stone (C-rank) : (10/10)]
[Condition achieved!]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Meteor (EX-rank)’!]

Description: Enormous meteorites rain down upon the surrounding area.
❰Fire (EX-rank) Lv. 5❱
❰Possessed Skills: Hellfire (EX-rank), Meteor (EX-rank)❱
❰Hunger: (1,400/16,000)❱
……New skill unlocks at Lv. 10
……Lee Chanyoung unlocks a new skill at Hunger 16,000
“Meteor? The same Meteor I’m thinking of?”
-As stated in the description. Do you perhaps not know how to read, human?
“I’m just surprised—didn’t expect Meteor to be the real deal.”
Since the first skill was extraordinary, I’d assumed the second would be similarly powerful.
But what appeared was even better than I’d imagined.
I’m genuinely looking forward to entering that tower tomorrow.
The joy didn’t last long, though.
When I checked the Hunger count, I let out a sigh.
“The Spirit Stones I consumed for the condition didn’t count toward Hunger? Clone, explain.”
-That’s correct. They were skill acquisition conditions, after all, human.
“For crying out loud, you’re being nitpicky. Cut me some slack here.”
Why does this system have to be so stingy?
At least I still had two Spirit Stones left.
I consumed one.
❰Hunger: (11,400/16,000)❱
“Ten thousand at once?!”
And on top of that.
[Lowest-grade Fire Spirit Stone (C-rank) has been consumed!]
[Hunger increases 1.2 times more than usual!]
[Hunger reduction is 1.3 times lower than usual!]
[Effect lasts for 24 hours!]
Now I understood why Spirit Stones were so expensive and prized.
The Hunger gain alone was massive, and there was a buff too!
I stopped myself from eating another one.
-Chirp?!
[Fire (EX-rank) asks what you think you’re doing!]
[Fire (EX) glares at you with sharp intensity.]
“Because of the buff. We’ll eat the rest of the Spirit Stones next time, yeah?”
Reluctantly, Fire complied with my plea and didn’t eat.
The spirit understood.
Buffs had to be used at peak efficiency—that was the law.
“But eat as many Mana Stones as you want!”
Only then did the crumpled expression brighten.
Fire dove toward the towering heap of Mana Stones.
It was good that the spirit enjoyed it, though I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.
“Just how much can you eat, anyway?”
Nine whole chickens consumed, plus Spirit Stones and Mana Stones on top of that.
Surely even a spirit could feel full.
Was it because Fire was a spirit king?
All I could do was marvel at it.
* * *
The next morning, before dawn.
The moment I shook off sleep and rose, I headed straight for one place.
[Will you enter the Trial Tower, Floor 3?]
[Yes/No]
“Yes.”
The Trial Tower.
The Trial Tower had small rules of its own.
The type of trial changed every three floors.
From the tutorial through Floor 2, it had been monsters; from Floor 3 onward, a maze.
Mazes continued through Floor 5, then changed format from Floor 6 onward.
[You have arrived at the Trial Tower, Floor 3.]
[Navigate through the traps and reach your destination.]
[Destination: 0/1]
As darkness receded, a towering maze of interlocking walls came into view, dizzying in its complexity.
Finding the path here was merely the basic requirement.
The real challenge was the traps scattered throughout the maze.
-Shortcuts will not work. You must navigate through the traps and advance directly to your destination.
“The walls won’t break?”
-They can be broken, but given the distance to the destination, I would not recommend attempting it.
“So they can be broken?”
That meant.
‘Hellfire might not work, but Meteor should.’
Time was still flowing.
“Let’s go! Fire!”
-Chirp!
[Fire (EX) asks for a Mana Stone once we’re done!]
“Understood, now hurry!”
The instant Fire climbed atop my head and stretched out its hand.
The blue sky transformed into pitch black.
It was not fire.
Looking closer, there were glimmering stars against the dark backdrop.
A slice of cosmic space had been transplanted into the sky.
And there, something massive revealed itself.
A burning stone.
It was simple in nature, but size changed everything.
Especially when it was large enough to cover the entire third floor.
The meteorite fell at tremendous speed.
[Fire (EX)’s possessed skill, ‘Meteor (EX)’, activates.]
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-CRASH!!!!
It utterly obliterated Floor 3.
When the dust settled, all that remained was a crater, deep and wide.
There was no time to marvel.
I rushed toward the destination.
With Floor 3 now a barren wasteland, the destination was clearly visible.
[You have cleared the Trial Tower, Floor 3!]
[Destination: 1/1]
[All traps on Floor 3 of the Trial Tower have been eliminated!]
[New Record achieved!]
[Trial Tower Floor 3 World Ranking 1st place has been updated!]
[Clear Time: 31 seconds]
[Successfully cleared Trial Tower Floor 3 with overwhelming dominance!]
[Lowest-grade Mana Stone (F-rank) × 142 obtained!]
[Low-grade Mana Stone (E-rank) × 98 obtained!]
[Mid-low-grade Mana Stone (D-rank) × 11 obtained!]
[Mid-grade Mana Stone (C-rank) × 2 obtained!]
The end.
People say the Trial Tower is brutally difficult, even if you have infinite lives.
‘But it’s so easy?’
Difficult?
Where in this world could there be a better free ride than this?
My mood’s been perfect since dawn.

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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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