Chicken and beer after a hard day's work melted away every bit of fatigue.
There was a reason people called it a perfect combination.
Crispy batter wrapped around tender, juicy meat.
And whenever the richness started becoming too much, one sip of beer packed with refreshing carbonation!
"Ahhh! Incredible!"
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says he wants to drink some cold beer too!]
[Fire(EX) says that since he is a Spirit King, he'll be fine even in his current state!]
"Try it, then."
Judging by my reaction, he must have assumed this was delicious too.
I opened a fresh can and handed it to him.
The instant he poured it into his mouth, Fire's face scrunched up completely.
He spat the rest straight into the sink.
-Waaah?!
[Fire(EX) asks why you would drink garbage like this!]
"Hey. Don't call it garbage. It tastes great."
My annoyance at him calling it garbage lasted only a moment.
If he had ended up liking alcohol too, my wallet might genuinely have been emptied.
Thank goodness.
I drank the newly opened beer myself.
After filling my stomach to satisfaction, the next day arrived.
The moment I woke up, I started with what I had put off yesterday.
I had planned to leave only enough materials for crafting furniture and use the rest to expand the Spirit Shelter as much as possible.
[Burning Stonewood: (70/70)]
[You have successfully fulfilled the condition!]
[Fire(EX)'s Spirit Shelter has expanded by +1 pyeong!]
……Floor Area can be increased by 1 pyeong after acquiring Burning Stonewood (592/100) and Space Expansion Stone (0/1)
Once the Spirit Shelter reached ten pyeong, an additional material requirement appeared.
"I have to go gather something again. What the hell is a Space Expansion Stone?"
-It is a stone that expands space. It can expand an area without requiring any other materials.
When I looked it up, buying one cost at least thirty million won.
Obtaining one myself was a somewhat better option, but even that required gathering several different materials and commissioning a forge to craft it.
"Nothing is ever easy."
Reaching ten pyeong had also unlocked three more things.
There was no urgent need to expand further, so I decided to focus on adding furniture instead.
At the moment, the Spirit Shelter contained nothing but the Buff Water Purifier and the Warm Bed.
Ten pyeong was already fairly spacious, so I could expand it further after furnishing the place.
In the meantime, I could gather the Space Expansion Stone materials little by little.
"What furniture should we make this time?"
-Waaah?
[Fire(EX) asks whether there is any furniture that makes delicious food!]
He meant something like the Buff Water Purifier.
There were thirteen pieces of furniture I could currently craft.
I looked through them, but there was nothing like what Fire wanted.
"Looks like we can't make anything like that yet."
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) asks what you can make, then!]
Chairs, desks, sofas, and so on.
They were all furniture related to resting.
I could take care of those slowly when I had time.
As I continued looking, one item caught my eye.
……A Circulating Air Purifier(D-) can be crafted after acquiring Burning Stonewood (0/100), Strong Stone (0/50), and Purification Stone (0/200)
<Circulating Air Purifier(D-)>
Description: A Circulating Air Purifier crafted by properly combining Burning Stonewood, Strong Stone, and Purification Stone! It perfectly purifies the surrounding area, improving one's mood and slightly reducing Hunger depletion.
"This is it."
Being a Spirit did not mean Fire stayed awake twenty-four hours a day.
If anything, because he ate so much and slept so much, his Hunger kept decreasing during the hours he was not eating.
This Circulating Air Purifier should help with that.
He already ate an absurd amount.
At the very least, I needed to reduce how quickly his Hunger dropped.
All I needed was Strong Stone.
Finding where to obtain it was not difficult either.
"Every F-Rank Gate has some? Jackpot."
I was also just about to fulfill the requirement for entering E-Rank Gates.
I should manage it either today or tomorrow.
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says that doesn't sound bad either!]
[Fire(EX) asks when you're going to make food!]
[Fire(EX) complains that his stomach is stuck to his back!]
Where had all the chicken he ate yesterday gone?
No, before that, hadn't he said Spirits did not need ordinary meals?
He was supposed to be a Spirit King.
Why couldn't he just eat Mana Stones?
Why was he so obsessed with human food?
Sigh. Whatever.
He liked it, so I could hardly refuse.
Today's meal was pasta.
All I had to do was boil the noodles, pour in some olive oil, then mix everything with tomato sauce.
Eighteen servings of pasta disappeared in an instant.
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) gives you a thumbs-up and says this is quite delicious!]
Apparently satisfied at last, a broad smile spread across his face.
He ran around the studio apartment in excitement.
Only after I tossed him some Mana Stones did he finally settle down.
Meanwhile, I ate the portion of pasta I had set aside and checked the information about the 6th Floor I would be entering today.
I had cleared the 5th Floor yesterday, so the type of trial had changed again.
If it had been something simple like escaping a maze or defeating monsters, I would not have cared.
'But the 6th Floor isn't something you can clear with firepower alone.'
Clone gave me a simple explanation.
-Starting from the 6th Floor, you leave the mazes behind and begin underground. You must break through an area filled with monsters and deal with three objectives in total. The objectives appear in random locations each time, making the search process difficult. You must also fight monsters along the way.
"So that's why raw firepower isn't enough."
-With the skills you currently possess, even finding the objectives will probably be difficult.
You were summoned into an enclosed area, monsters constantly interfered, and you had objectives you needed to locate.
An ordinary Awakened would be horrified just hearing about it.
Why was something this difficult only the 6th Floor?
Preparing for it alone would take a tremendous amount of time.
Even with proper preparations, success was not guaranteed.
As the difficulty rose with each floor, people would repeatedly hesitate over whether they should even attempt the next one.
Of course, I was an exception.
"Wouldn't one Meteor solve everything? Finding the objectives might take a little effort, though."
-Yes. I think so as well. You will probably spend most of your time locating them.
"All right, then."
Even so, I would still be faster than everyone else.
After gathering the basic information, it was time to acquire my new skill!
"Spirit Stones and the Buff Water Purifier really are incredible. I've already reached 200,000 Hunger."
There was one minor problem.
The Mana Stones.
I had definitely checked yesterday before going to sleep.
There had been plenty.
Of course there had been plenty. I had gathered a huge amount.
I thought that meant I could finally live with a little breathing room.
"Where did they all go?"
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) gives you a thumbs-up and says they all went neatly into his stomach!]
[Fire(EX) asks when you're going to give him more high-ranked Mana Stones!]
I can become rich someday, right?
I tried to soothe my complicated feelings by checking the skill I had obtained—
[Hunger has reached 200,000!]
[Fire(EX)'s Level increases by 1!]
❰Fire(EX) Lv. 9❱
❰Possessed Skills: Hellfire(EX), Meteor(EX)❱
❰Hunger: (0/500,000)❱
……A new skill will be unlocked upon reaching Lv. 10
……Lee Chanyoung will unlock a new skill upon reaching 500,000 Hunger
"Damn it!"
The amount of Hunger I needed to fill was becoming increasingly ridiculous.
Last time it had jumped by more than three times, and this time it had increased by a little over two times.
Haah.
Raising this pig was seriously difficult.
-Waaah?!
[Fire(EX) asks whether you just insulted him!]
[Fire(EX) says his ears suddenly feel itchy!]
I was allowed to curse a little.
He was absurdly perceptive about things like this.
I tossed him some more Mana Stones and checked my skill.
[Successfully reached 200,000 Hunger.]
[Skill, 'Far-Reaching Vision(C-),' acquired!]
[A similar skill has been detected!]
[Skill, 'Nature's Eyes(C),' and 'Far-Reaching Vision(C-),' combine and are enhanced into 'Spirit Eyes(B-)'!]
<Spirit Eyes(B-)>
Description: You can possess the vision of all Spirits within your eyes.
"Oh! Now that's what I'm talking about! This makes raising you worthwhile!"
All the Mana Stones and Spirit Stones I had invested finally felt meaningful.
With this, the 6th Floor Clone had called difficult?
'I can crush it in an instant.'
There was no reason to hesitate.
I had finished my pasta too.
"Let's go right now, Fire!"
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) asks you to wait just a moment!]
The huge pile of Mana Stones disappeared into Fire's mouth in the blink of an eye.
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says he's finished eating, so let's hurry up and get it over with!]
He certainly ate fast.
He seemed to be in a good mood too, so we immediately entered.
[Would you like to enter the 6th Floor of the Trial Tower?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes."
My vision turned black.
Even after it quickly returned from the center, my surroundings remained dark.
There were no torches at all.
That was because I was underground.
More precisely, inside a tunnel.
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) asks what this cramped place is supposed to be!]
[Fire(EX) says it smells horrible too!]
"Where else? The Trial Tower. I'm starting to see now."
Perhaps thanks to Spirit Eyes, my surroundings quickly became as bright as midday.
Now that I could see every detail, the tunnel looked unbelievably crude.
There were signs everywhere that it had been dug without any care.
Rough logs had been cut and haphazardly placed as supports along the uneven walls, while the passage itself was so narrow that even a single person would struggle to squeeze through.
No wonder Clone had said this floor was difficult.
Getting out of this cramped tunnel was only the beginning.
And even that was going to be a pain.
Monsters were already swarming toward me.
Kobolds.
I had to break through them and make my way upward.
[You have arrived at the 6th Floor of the Trial Tower.]
[Find all 3 objectives and return safely.]
[Objectives: 0/3]
The System did not tell me where they were.
It did not even tell me where to go.
I had to figure out everything myself.
It was the pinnacle of unhelpfulness.
Normally, people would wander around for a long time.
Normally.
But I only needed one skill.
[Fire(EX)'s possessed skill, 'Meteor(EX),' activates.]
I did not even need to hear the Kobolds cry out.
An enormous meteor—
KABOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
—crushed the entire underground tunnel system.
It avoided only the spot where I was standing.
All I had to do was climb out.
The 6th Floor had been completely cleared out.
Now I only needed to find the objectives.
The moment I activated Spirit Eyes, my field of vision soared upward.
I immediately felt how much wider its range was compared to Nature's Eyes.
The quality of my vision had improved as well.
Nature's Eyes had merely told me that something was there.
'Now I can see exactly what it is. Even its shape.'
Everything had already been cleared away.
All that remained was to collect the objectives.
Exactly five minutes later—
[You have cleared the 6th Floor of the Trial Tower!]
[Objectives: 3/3]
[Kobold: 6,000/6,000]
[Kobold Vice-Captain: 10/10]
[Kobold Captain: 1/1]
[You have completely annihilated the entire Kobold Tunnel on the 6th Floor of the Trial Tower!]
[A new record has been achieved!]
[The Trial Tower 6th Floor World Ranking has been updated to Rank 1!]
[Clear Time: 5 minutes 12 seconds]
[You have succeeded in overwhelmingly clearing the 6th Floor of the Trial Tower!]
[Kobold Fang × 333 has been awarded!]
[Kobold Hide × 445 has been awarded!]
[Kobold Skull × 211 has been awarded!]
[Kobold Vice-Captain's Shabby Charm × 5 has been awarded!]
[Kobold Captain's Small Jewel × 1 has been awarded!]
[Lowest-Rank Mana Stone(F) × 636 acquired!]
[Low-Rank Mana Stone(E) × 411 acquired!]
[Lower-Intermediate-Rank Mana Stone(D) × 253 acquired!]
[Intermediate-Rank Mana Stone(C) × 132 acquired!]
[Upper-Intermediate-Rank Mana Stone(B) × 110 acquired!]
[High-Rank Mana Stone(A) × 4 acquired!]
"Easy."
I could clear everything through the 8th Floor the same way.
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) pesters you for a high-ranked Mana Stone, saying he worked hard!]
An A-Rank Mana Stone disappeared into Fire's mouth.
I still had to visit a Gate afterward, so one Mana Stone was nothing.
I had only exerted myself for five minutes, so I was still full of energy.
Using the Hunter-exclusive app, I headed toward a nearby Gate.