-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says he is not some kind of God of Fire!]
[Fire(EX) says he is the King of Fire Spirits, which is completely different!]
“I do not understand your words, but whatever they may be, I shall obey the will of the God!”
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) grows frustrated, saying he has no idea how many times he has to repeat himself!]
[Fire(EX) says for the fourteenth time that he is not the God of Fire, but the King of Fire Spirits!]
“You saved my life. Therefore, I humbly beg you to accept me as your Apostle!”
Apparently, the man could not see Fire’s System messages.
He had completely mistaken Fire for a god and was even prostrating himself before him.
From what I could gather from his words, Fire must have saved him by chance while fighting the Hidden Monster.
The man was lucky.
Normally, Fire would have burned everything in the area together with the Hidden Monster.
He had probably noticed the man and adjusted his power accordingly.
It was fortunate that he had survived, but—
-Waaah.
[Fire(EX) eventually gives up on explaining.]
“Ohhh! Have you finally acknowledged me?!”
At this rate, Fire really was going to become a God of Fire.
“He’s a Spirit. Not a God of Fire.”
“W-Who’s there?! Who said that?! Another Specter?!”
“I’m not a monster. I’m a person. I’m that Spirit’s Contractor.”
“Huh? A real person?”
Thank goodness.
Apparently, he had not actually gone insane.
Once Fire came over to my side, the man’s suspicions vanished completely.
“Ah, so he really is a Spirit?”
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) snaps that he has already told you countless times!]
“Whoa, calm down. He can’t understand what you’re saying anyway.”
“A-Ahem. My apologies. I was so startled that I got carried away.”
Now that he had calmed down, I asked what had happened.
His story was the sort of thing that commonly happened to people who entered the Haunted House.
He had entered early this morning, gotten lost while wandering around, and then encountered the Hidden Monster.
He had nearly died before Fire saved him.
His reason for coming here, however, was not common at all.
“An Enraged Spirit?”
“Yes! I did not come here because of Microscopic Subspace. I came for that. The Association commissioned me to calm an enraged High-Rank Dark Spirit.”
“What’s your Hunter rank?”
“B-Rank.”
The ID he presented confirmed it beyond doubt.
It was an official Hunter ID that could not be forged.
“I see.”
“You seem quite capable. Would you be willing to help me? It is not particularly difficult. The Dark Spirit became enraged because of the Haunted House’s environment, so calming it should be relatively simple. I also intend to split the reward.”
“I’m sorry. I have something else I need to do.”
I did not say anything more.
Our objectives were different anyway.
All I needed to do was gather Microscopic Subspace and leave.
I had secretly entered the Haunted House.
Nothing good would come from being discovered.
I was about to end the conversation there when—
“I understand. That is unfortunate. I was planning to give you the High-Rank Fire Spirit Stone it spits out once it calms down…”
“Didn’t you say it was a Dark Spirit?”
“It is enraged, after all. Regardless of attribute, when a Spirit’s rage is resolved, they usually leave behind a Fire Spirit Stone.”
That changed everything.
I had already witnessed firsthand how exceptional the effects of Spirit Stones were.
A Low-Rank one had more than doubled the effects.
I could not even imagine how powerful a High-Rank one would be.
My decision was immediate.
“Then I’ll help. I’m late introducing myself. I’m Lee Chanyoung. I look forward to working with you.”
“My name is Geum Chan.”
Geum Chan, a freelance B-Rank Hunter, let out a sigh of relief.
To be honest, the commission was beyond his capabilities.
He possessed an unusual skill that could stabilize a Spirit’s emotions, but aside from that, he was thoroughly mediocre.
The fact that he had gotten lost in the Haunted House and nearly died to a Hidden Monster said everything.
Even now, he was only barely maintaining his sanity thanks to his protective equipment.
Still, he had no choice.
This commission offered something he needed to strengthen his Trait.
Because of the time limit, he had hurried here early this morning.
‘I never expected to meet someone this capable here. He isn’t even wearing protective equipment, yet he looks completely fine.’
Of course, seeing someone that capable in a place like this was slightly suspicious.
Most people simply bought Microscopic Subspace because gathering it themselves was bothersome and inconvenient.
He wanted to ask about it, but decided to keep the question to himself.
The man had saved his life, and he did not seem interested in explaining himself.
As long as he was not some psychopath who went around murdering people, it was fine.
Hmm.
He really was not a psychopath, right?
The chances were probably low.
A psychopath would not have saved his life.
“Would you like to rest before we go? You look rather exhausted.”
“No! I haven’t been wandering for that long, so I’m still full of energy! Let’s go immediately! I’ll guide you!”
“Do you know where it is?”
“Of course! I brought a Spirit Compass from the Association! It is an Item that points toward Spirits of High Rank or above! With this, we can find its location no matter where it is… Huh? What’s wrong with this thing?”
The Spirit Compass, which should have pointed in a single direction, spun endlessly.
No matter how many times Geum Chan tried to fix it, nothing changed.
“It was definitely working properly when I came here.”
I immediately knew why it had malfunctioned.
‘It’s because of Fire.’
Apparently, the Item could not handle a Spirit King.
For a moment, I wondered whether we would have to give up.
Then Fire emerged from the Spirit Shelter and gestured for us to follow him.
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says he knows where it is!]
[Fire(EX) says to simply follow him!]
“What is he saying?”
“He says he knows where it is.”
“Pardon? He knows the location?”
“Apparently.”
There was nothing strange about it.
Fire could find almost any material, including Mana Stones and Microscopic Subspace.
Finding a High-Rank Dark Spirit should be child’s play for a Spirit King.
We began following him.
Then I suddenly stopped.
“Is something wrong?”
-Waaah?
[Fire(EX) asks why you stopped.]
“I found a useful material.”
“By material, do you mean Microscopic Subspace?”
“No. Something else. This will only take a moment.”
Spirit Stones were important, but I could not afford to ignore materials either.
And if that material happened to be something I needed for new furniture, it took even greater priority.
It was right in front of me.
A flower with translucent petals gently swayed in the air.
[Delicious-Smelling Ghost Grass]
“So this is where it was. I heard it appeared farther inside.”
I had searched for it for quite a while without finding any.
It was a plant that only grew inside the Haunted House.
Naturally, the reason I wanted it was to craft another piece of furniture.
……A Delicious Diffuser(E) can be crafted after acquiring Purification Stone (0/10) and Delicious-Smelling Ghost Grass (0/150)
<Delicious Diffuser(E)>
Description: A diffuser crafted by properly combining Purification Stone and Delicious-Smelling Ghost Grass! Simply smelling its fragrance once per day increases Hunger gained by 1.1 times!
It permanently increased the amount of Hunger gained by 1.1 times!
Not making this would practically be a crime!
I pulled out the Pickaxe of Efficiency and Luck and harvested the grass.
Since it was only a plant, gathering it was easy.
All I had to do was swing.
[Pickaxe of Efficiency and Luck’s Efficiency activates!]
[Pickaxe of Efficiency and Luck’s Luck activates at 7×!]
[Delicious-Smelling Ghost Grass × 7 acquired!]
“Oh! Lucky! Seven times!”
“Would you like some help?”
“It’s fine. It’s more efficient if I gather it myself.”
“Ah, yes.”
His bewilderment was obvious.
Wild Spirits of High Rank or above posed at least B-Rank difficulty.
Yet here I was wasting energy gathering plants while on the way to calm one down.
‘A High-Rank Spirit? Even a Highest-Rank Spirit might not be enough to cause us trouble.’
There was no reason for me to care.
All I needed to focus on was gathering Delicious-Smelling Ghost Grass.
Apparently, this was one of its habitats, because there was plenty growing nearby.
It took only ten minutes to collect all one hundred fifty.
After confirming I had enough Purification Stones, I immediately crafted it.
[Purification Stone: (10/10)]
[Delicious-Smelling Ghost Grass: (150/150)]
[You have successfully fulfilled the condition!]
[Delicious Diffuser(E) has been successfully crafted!]
It was quite small for something categorized as furniture.
About the size of my fist.
But its effect was undeniable.
[Delicious Diffuser(E) has been installed!]
[Hunger fills 1.1 times faster than usual!]
[The effect remains active until Delicious Diffuser(E) is completely consumed.]
There was only one disappointing part.
It had a limited lifespan.
That did not matter.
Once it ran out, I could simply make another.
No.
Before then, I would probably unlock something even better.
“Are you finished?”
“Yes. Let’s keep going. Fire, lead the way.”
-Waaah! Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says something delicious smells inside the Spirit Shelter!]
[Fire(EX) praises you for making something quite good this time too!]
Apparently, it suited his tastes perfectly.
Because of that, he refused to leave the Spirit Shelter.
Only after I tempted him with Mana Stones did he finally come out and resume searching for the Dark Spirit.
Roughly ten minutes later—
-Waaah! Waaah?
[Fire(EX) says he thinks he found it!]
[Fire(EX) asks whether that is the one!]
Fire pointed toward one location.
It was a moderately wide clearing with unusually little fog.
At its center stood a pitch-black figure.
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) says that is the Dark Spirit!]
“He says that’s the Dark Spirit. Is it?”
“Y-Yes! That’s it. It’s the High-Rank Dark Spirit the Association reported!”
“Okay. Then all we have to do is calm it down.”
“You will not be able to simply calm it normally. There is a special Item designed specifically for calming Dark Spirits. If you use that…”
Geum Chan began pulling something out, but I did not even look at it.
Something glittering beneath the Dark Spirit had caught my attention.
Even from this distance, its color was so deep that I recognized it immediately.
‘An S-Rank Mana Stone!’
Thanks to Fire, I had learned there was a Mana Stone there.
But I had not expected it to be an S-Rank Mana Stone!
There was no reason to think any further.
Before I could rush forward—
-Waaah!
[Fire(EX) runs toward the S-Rank Mana Stone on all fours!]
Fire bolted ahead.
Only then did Geum Chan notice him, and his eyes widened.
“W-Wait! You cannot approach a High-Rank Dark Spirit that casually! Do you have any idea how powerful a Dark Spirit’s attack is?!”
Among Spirits, the Dark attribute was supreme when it came to delivering a single devastating blow.
Its overwhelming destructive power could obliterate almost anything.
The higher the Spirit’s rank, the more terrifying that power became.
At High Rank, it was already extraordinary.
And while enraged, that power became dozens of times stronger.
The moment Fire took a direct hit, there should have been nothing left of him.
Yes.
Normally.
The Dark Spirit, which had been overflowing with rage, spotted Fire.
Its expression instantly softened.
The deep dark-crimson color and horn-like projections born from its anger disappeared as it calmed, its body turning completely black.
Then it transformed into the shape of a dog, rolled onto its back, and exposed its belly in submission.
-I apologize, Your Majesty. I became consumed by anger and committed a grave discourtesy.
-Waaah, waaah.
[Fire(EX) says it is fine.]
[Fire(EX) says anyone could become angry in an environment like this and advises the Spirit to hurry and find a Contractor.]
-It was an honor to meet you in the Human Realm. Then I shall take my leave.
“…….”
The High-Rank Dark Spirit disappeared just like that.
What was even more astonishing was our reaction.
“Oh, a Spirit Stone. Ahhh, this is why gathering materials is so rewarding.”
“…….”
Geum Chan, who had been staring blankly at the entire scene, could only blink.
His mind simply could not comprehend what had just happened.