How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 103

114. How to Quietly Get Stronger (4)

Anyway, let’s figure out how to use what we’ve got for now.

“…Should I just take this as it is?”

The problem is the weight.

The amount mined is significant.

Considering we’re in the mountains, just moving this would be a struggle.

Using my ability might work somehow, but I can’t honestly say it’s a wise move.

“I need to process it a bit.”

Although the amount mined is large, over 70% of it is actually impurities.

If I want to use the ore properly, I’ll have to melt it all down and separate it, just like iron.

‘Fortunately, it’s not as complicated as iron. Should I do it here?’

I can filter out spirit stones to some extent.

Let’s just extract what we can here for now.

There’s no need to move all the impurities.

I immediately began preparing to remove the impurities.

“Gnomes, make a place with earth. Salamanders, keep pouring flames on that ore. I showed you the blacksmiths’ workshop before, right?”

The two spirits nodded and began to exert their power.

I’m going to make a makeshift furnace here.

I’m trying to imitate a blacksmith in my own way.

‘Just imitating, though.’

It’s only possible because the goal is to extract spirit stones.

If I were to melt iron here, it would definitely turn into scrap iron.

The gnome hollowed out the ground like a bowl, and the salamander’s massive flames soared.

The spirit’s fire will not weaken even without firewood.

Rather, the more I concentrate, the higher the temperature rises.

The firepower alone is amazing.

The ore swallowed in flames can be seen turning red.

It’s starting to melt properly.

I continue to stoke the flames with Sylph’s wind.

And then.

“Hmph!”

I activate my gravity control ability and forcefully press down on what’s being heated in the flames.

High temperature and high pressure—I’m using my powers to similarly reproduce the necessary processes as much as possible.

It’s not precise, but at least it somewhat fulfills the necessary work sequence.

‘Good! It’s being crushed properly!’

Next, I have the gnome create a passage to discharge the melted ore.

Iron doesn’t melt at this temperature.

What melts here is spirit stone; what doesn’t melt is iron.

‘Normally, spirit stones don’t melt easily in fire either, but if you add shock and mana, their properties change.’

The basic knowledge of melting spirit stones.

Of course, the source is the original work [the novel the protagonist read in his previous life].

Fortunately, the principle seems to be working smoothly.

After carefully separating the melted spirit stone and letting it flow out separately,

I waited for it to cool down slowly.

I’m hungry anyway, so I’ll wait while eating.

After waiting long enough,

I used space transition to pull the filtered spirit stone ore out.

It’s not completely cool yet, so it’s still warm.

“It seems to be separated to some extent.”

The volume has been reduced enough. The purity has also increased.

The remaining ore is now about knee-high.

I can fit this much into my subspace, so the goal has been achieved.

If I leave it to the technicians later, the size will be reduced even further to one-third.

The purity of the spirit stone has increased, so I can now sense its unique energy.

“Not bad?”

Judging by eye, the current purity of the ore is about 70 percent.

Even so, if it smells this much, I’ll definitely be able to get a better-feeling support item than before once it’s processed.

‘Or, if handled well, it could become a catalyst for summoning high-grade spirits.’

Of course, summoning a high-grade spirit isn’t always a good thing, so that’s an option only when there’s no other use.

Still, getting something means the possibilities are widening, so I don’t feel too bad.

“Hehehehehehe…”

Just as I was feeling pleased,

I sensed another strange presence and was slightly puzzled.

“A spirit…?”

I could see something wriggling behind the spirit stone ore.

At first, I thought it was a black earthworm.

It’s definitely not a monster.

My gut is telling me.

That’s a spirit.

‘I unintentionally pulled out a spirit…’.

It’s not strange.

Spirit stones are the best material recommended for summoning spirits.

Even low-purity spirit stones can easily summon ordinary spirits.

Of course, if there’s a lot of it, it’s not surprising that a spirit would naturally crawl out due to the spiritual power.

“So what are you? This is my spirit stone, you know? Why are you drooling on it?”

I processed it, and I mined it.

The rights to this belong to me, nameless spirit.

I could chase it away, but I don’t want to be that harsh.

It’s not like it’ll wear out if you lick it a little.

However, I’m quite curious about what was caught, so I grabbed the tail of the guy hiding behind the spirit stone and pulled it out.

Come out, you punk.

-Shyaaaaaaaaaak!

The spirit, which looks like a black cat, reveals itself and gets angry.

‘Hmm… what is this guy?’

It’s difficult to easily identify the attribute by its appearance, so I carefully watched this guy.

Then, the nameless spirit playfully emitted power towards me.

As if in return for touching it a moment ago.

Something like a black curtain surged from below and struck my stomach, knocking me back.

“Keuh!”

The damage isn’t great, but it was almost a surprise attack, so I had to take it head-on.

While lying on the floor, I pondered the identity of what I had just seen.

‘Is this attribute shadow?’

Certainly, the shadow on the floor moved and attacked me.

This is quite unexpected.

I didn’t expect a guy with such a unique attribute, not an elemental one, to crawl out.

Perhaps it was terribly bored.

‘…What should I do with this kitty?’

I pondered.

It wasn’t formally summoned, so the order is a bit twisted, but if I play my cards right, a contract isn’t impossible.

Besides, it’s a waste to send it back as it is.

‘Okay, let’s try to coax it.’

It’s easy to appease it.

I know the basics of spirit攻略 [capture/strategy guide].

I’m a spirit master in theory only!

Yes! Only in theory!

I rummaged through my pockets and took out a spirit stone bracelet that had expired and dropped one on the floor.

It was too good to throw away, so I was going to use it as an additive to other materials, but it worked out well.

Even if the effect is weakened, the energy remains.

A spirit would like it.

“Here, let’s have a snack~.”

To be exact, spirits don’t eat.

I gave the shadow spirit a spirit stone, feeling like I was feeding a stray cat.

“The best way to relieve feelings is bribery.”

No one dislikes a little gift.

Especially if it’s the other party’s favorite item.

That world’s truth is no exception for spirits.

I watched the guy stare intently at the spirit stone placed on the floor.

Carefully.

The shadow spirit looked back and forth between me and the spirit stone ore warily, then began to absorb it as if gobbling it up.

Then, perhaps because it felt better, the previous irritable feeling disappeared somewhat.

Giving good things is a good person.

Simple logic.

“Hey~ you little nameless friend over there? You don’t have a contractor, do you?”

I’m asking to be wary of possible traps.

‘It doesn’t seem like it, but I need to be careful.’

There are such cases.

A method of releasing a spirit as if it hasn’t been contracted, then catching you off guard and aiming for the back.

Also known as spirit master hunting.

It is said that many novice spirit masters fall victim to it.

The possibility is slim, but confirmation is essential.

I carefully explored the spirit’s energy path.

Good. There’s nothing else connected.

“If not, why don’t you contract with me on this occasion?”

The spirit didn’t react for a while, then looked back and forth between me and the spirit stone ore.

A human who has that.

It must be tempting to ignore.

Is it like the feeling of seeing someone driving an expensive car?

“If you contract now, you get one more spirit stone!”

…Even I think it sounds materialistic.

‘Well, I don’t think the contract itself will be difficult. This should be enough to catch it.’

I think this guy’s grade is probably low.

High-ranking spirits don’t come out easily with this method.

When I reached out my hand, the guy soon came to me and licked my palm.

The spirit’s unique spiritual power comes into contact, and the contract is immediately made.

Yes, just make contact and pay the spiritual power appropriate for the contract.

However.

“…Ugh?!”

At that moment, I was startled by an unexpected sense of incongruity.

“Wait?! You?”

-Nyaa~

“It’s not Nyaa~! Keuh! You’re doing this on purpose!”

Right now, I was barely holding on so as not to lose my mind from the feeling that mana was rapidly being converted into spiritual power and sucked out.

‘It feels like my mana is about to run out.’

My mana reserves are considerable.

The reason I managed to hold out even in a battle with an Aura Master-level enemy was thanks to a war of attrition using mana.

I felt like my mana was about to run out right now.

This is unusual.

In other words, this guy is converting all my mana into spiritual power and taking it away.

That’s right. This bastard…

“…You don’t mean to tell me, you’re a high-grade spirit?”

I misread it.

It’s not low-grade.

Even the mid-grade Undine doesn’t take mana this recklessly.

Then it must be at least high-grade.

‘Was I the one who got caught?’

Because it’s a spirit beyond my current capabilities, I can’t handle the mana.

As it was, the shadow spirit sucked up most of my spiritual power, meowed once, and disappeared.

At that time, a name came to mind as if it were heard in my ear.

“Fluorite?”

Maybe that’s the name of this spirit.

Then the contract must have been made.

Perhaps the reason it suddenly left was because it thought I would collapse from mana exhaustion if it stayed.

From the moment of the contract, that guy has to maintain the summoning with my spiritual power.

Maybe acting like a cat is also an act.

If it’s a high-grade spirit, it should have much more intelligence.

I stared blankly at the place where the spirit cat had disappeared for a while.

‘…Perhaps spirits are even more carefree than me?’

I inadvertently had such a thought.

There are many kinds of people.

There must be eccentrics among spirits.

‘Anyway, it’s a good thing.’

Certainly, it’s an unexpected gain for me.

Originally, I shouldn’t even dream of evolving or summoning a high-grade spirit at my current level, but…

‘Suddenly picking up a wandering high-grade spirit.’

Wasn’t there such a case in the setting?

If luck follows, sometimes a spirit beyond one’s capabilities will contract out of whim.

There was also an episode in the original work where a top-tier spirit stalked a low-level spirit master.

Above all, even if a spirit has intelligence, its fundamental way of thinking is different from that of humans.

It would only make your head hurt to try to understand the spirit’s way of thinking with a materialistic human mindset.

Anyway, the contract has been made, so let’s think positively.

‘By the way, is something going to happen?’

I’ll have to cherish the back of my head for the time being [be wary of potential problems].

Unexpected gains sometimes scare people.

In this world, it’s also called a flag [a foreshadowing of future events].

‘Let’s go back for now.’

I hid the sufficiently cooled ore in my subspace and went down the mountain.

* * *

The spirit stone ore that I brought was immediately entrusted to the technicians.

“S, surely that’s spirit stone ore?”

“How long has it been since I’ve seen this!”

“It’s been almost 10 years for me.”

They admired and immediately started processing it.

It seems to take quite a while, but it doesn’t matter. I have no complaints as long as they make good stuff.

As a reward for processing the ore, I decided to give them 20% of the ore instead of money, which was a sufficient price.

All that’s left is to wait.

After that, life flowed by in perfect peace, without any complaints or difficulties.

‘Well… there’s no reason to feel a sense of crisis.’

No matter how much I think about it, there’s no reason for me to be in danger.

At least for the next few months, I don’t think I’ll be involved in any major incidents.