I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 89

89.

“I’m here….”

A woman from the village pushed a large kettle towards Kang Hae-in.

Kim Su-hyeok stepped forward and said,

“Now, please tell us. Do you know anything about the Fire Spirit Master? Anything is fine. Rumors you’ve heard, their appearance, where they are, anything.”

“I heard they look like a hideous monster. Very tall.”

“…Hmm.”

“They say the world will be destroyed because of them! I don’t… know anything else. Please, just give me some water.”

“…Alright.”

Kim Su-hyeok sighed deeply and nodded towards the weeping woman, and Kang Hae-in cast a spell with a weary expression.

Surprisingly, the kettle filled with water. The woman repeatedly thanked them, then struggled to carry the kettle away.

Behind her, people formed a long line, each holding their own containers.

“Hey, am I a faucet? It feels like I’m the only one doing all the work.”

“What can we do? You’re the only one with that ability.”

“Magic isn’t infinite. It gathers water from the surroundings, but there’s hardly any water here. So, it’s consuming much more of my mana than usual.”

“Oh, really?”

Kim Su-hyeok quickly handed Kang Hae-in his mana potion.

Kang Hae-in accepted it, looking bewildered.

“Hey, do you think I’m out of mana potions?”

Even so, she didn’t refuse and drank the potion.

“There’s no other way. Everyone freaks out even at the mention of the Fire Spirit Master. At least they ramble on about something when we give them water.”

“Sigh, if only there was any useful information among them.”

“Let’s listen a little longer, cheer up. You have a lot to do in this gate [a type of dungeon or challenge area].”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s see if we can die trying. Next!”

This time, it was an old man with snow-white hair.

He held out a small cup and began to speak even before Kim Su-hyeok could ask.

“This village used to worship the Fire Spirit! The Fire Spirit Master was like a priest! Everyone valued him.”

Kim Su-hyeok and Kang Hae-in’s eyes lit up. They had a feeling they might finally hear a proper story.

“Then why did it turn out like this?”

“Aigo [an expression of dismay or frustration], I’m thirsty. So thirsty.”

The old man suddenly patted his chest as he spoke. Kang Hae-in quickly filled the cup with water.

The old man gulped down the water in the cup.

“How could ignorant people like us know? It started when a black cloud formed in the sky. Thunder and lightning struck, earthquakes occurred, and volcanoes erupted. We thought the world was finally ending.”

“And then?”

“Then suddenly, fireballs poured from the sky and burned the entire mountain. More than half the village burned down at that time. Since then, it’s been strangely dry, and this hot weather has continued for 40 years. So, we’re sick and tired of fire.”

“So, you started to hate the Fire Spirit Master?”

The old man’s tone became more serious when the story of the ‘Fire Spirit Master’ came up.

“It’s not so much hate as fear.”

“Do you think the Fire Spirit Master did it?”

“No. The Fire Spirit Master has been from this village for generations. But if someone reveals that they are the Fire Spirit Master, they are always found dead the next day. Burned black.”

“Such a… thing.”

Kim Su-hyeok and Kang Hae-in exchanged glances at the unexpected story.

“There have been dozens of Fire Spirit Masters who have died already. We’d rather have a Spirit Master come out and solve this Ignis problem. But no one can step forward because they don’t know when they’ll die.”

“Are there any characteristics of the Fire Spirit Master? How do they appear?”

Kang Hae-in filled the old man’s glass with water first.

As the cool-looking water sloshed, people’s desperate gazes gathered.

“I heard that when a Spirit Master dies, another person naturally becomes the Spirit Master. But no one knows who it is until they reveal themselves.”

This was as Yoo Ji-an said. But if this continues, aren’t we back to square one?

Still, it seems certain that they are in this village. How do we get them to reveal themselves?

“I’ve told you everything I know. Could I have another glass of water? By the way, are you a Water Spirit Master?”

“No. I’m a mage.”

Kang Hae-in hesitated slightly before answering.

“A mage, people here fear mages too. Anyway, you seem to be from the capital; please convey this situation well.”

After the old man left, Kim Su-hyeok tilted his head.

“Will there be any more information coming out?”

“Well, this seems to be the best we can get.”

Kang Hae-in said, looking at the remaining people. Then they cried out with desperate eyes.

“Water, water! I’ll say anything! The Fire Spirit Master was good at handling fire!”

“They survived in fire pits, and also….”

Kang Hae-in sighed as he watched them shout out whatever came to mind.

Then, she went to a nearby well and slightly waved her staff. The well filled with water.

“Waaaah!” With a shout, people flocked to the well.

“Let’s go back after this much. What are the kids doing?”

“Just a moment, I’ll send a chat.”

Kim Su-hyeok called Seo-ah’s team through the team chat.

– Where are you? I’m trying to join you now. Should I go to the plaza?

– No, wait a moment.

Then, an immediate reply came from Yoon Ah-jung.

– Where are you? What’s wrong?

– Something’s up….

While Yoon Ah-jung was having trouble speaking, Yoo Ji-an, who was fighting alone in the volcano, suddenly chimed in.

– Did you get a mission?

– A mission, what do you mean?

Kim Su-hyeok replied, but this time Seo-ah answered.

– We got it. We’re in the lord’s castle now.

– Good, well done. Now come to the volcano.

– What, aren’t we supposed to find the Spirit Master?

– That’s right, but something urgent has come up. [Ignis] is about to go berserk again. We need to put out the urgent fire first.

After the team chat ended, Kim Su-hyeok scratched his head.

“Is this okay?”

“I don’t know, let’s go for now. Even Yoo Ji-an will have a hard time handling Ignis alone.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Kim Su-hyeok and Kang Hae-in moved quickly. There was no need to think about the direction.

The active volcano over there was spewing fire even more fiercely than before, showing off its presence.

***

The lord knelt down and pleaded towards Seo-ah, who was wearing a dress.

“Please save our territory! I beg you!”

It seemed they thought of Seo-ah, who was wearing a dress, as their master.

He seemed to regard Seo-ah’s group as troubleshooters dispatched from the capital. And the system window was still floating in front of Seo-ah.

[Main Mission: Save the village from the ‘Enraged Ignis’. There are two ways.]

[1. Subdue the Fire Spirit King Ignis.]

[2. Unleash the Fire Spirit King Ignis.]

And this window was not only visible to Seo-ah. Seo-ah glanced at Song Jin-ho and Yoon Ah-jung once each, then sighed softly and replied to the lord.

It was something they had to do anyway.

“I understand, I will do my best.”

It was something they had to do anyway to clear the gate, even if the lord didn’t ask.

“Unbelievable! Thank you!”

[Mission Accepted! Time Remaining Until Completion: 24:00:00]

The lord rejoiced, even wiping away tears.

“I’ll treat you to a meal before you leave.”

“No, we’re busy, so we’ll leave as is.”

“Ah, I see! Then I wish you good luck!”

As soon as they said they would leave, the lord coolly sent them away. After the lord disappeared, Yoon Ah-jung, Song Jin-ho, and Park Seo-ah whispered to each other.

“Miss, doesn’t it feel like a game right now?”

“That’s right, the lord was like an NPC [Non-Player Character, a character controlled by the game].”

“Anyway, 24 hours. It’s long if it’s long, and short if it’s short… Anyway, we have to go quickly.”

As Song Jin-ho and Yoon Ah-jung were about to leave, Seo-ah urgently called them.

“Wait a moment!”

“Why, Miss?”

Yoon Ah-jung smiled and looked back at Seo-ah, and Seo-ah blushed and opened her mouth.

“I need to change my clothes before I go. No one will see me in the volcano anyway.”

“Oh, what a shame. It was pretty.”

Ignoring Yoon Ah-jung’s playful words, Seo-ah went to the corner of the reception room.

While Song Jin-ho waited outside, Seo-ah quickly changed her clothes with Ah-jung’s help. It was the casual outfit that Seo-ah had originally worn, which was good for activity.

After changing her clothes, the three hurried out of the lord’s castle and ran towards the volcano.