Is It Weird to Refine Spirits in Dungeons? Chapter 8

Holocure Spirit Refiner

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 8: Treasured Gems

“Sui~?” Suisei tilted her head cutely.

“Okay, then how about this?” 

“Sui!” She hopped a few times happily.

“Glad we could come to an agreement.” 

“Kawaii!” The spirit posed with a cutesy wink.

As always, summoning a new spirit meant that I had to form a contract with her. Suisei, or Sui-chan as I called her sometimes, had a very forthright character, and knew what she wanted. It was quite difficult to convince her to lower her standards to meet mine, but by offering to increase my efforts in other parts, I got her to accept my conditions.

Her starting upkeep was a measly amount of spirit energy, though that would go up with her growing strength. Taking her out with me into a dungeon required me to slay forty enemies each time, which was similar to Mumei, though much lower. In exchange, the other conditions were much stricter; I had to use her at least once a week, unlock two of her abilities within the next two weeks, and get her a game console where she could play Tetris.

That last one was a spur of the moment idea that came to mind when I was trying to recall what she might like besides music-related stuff. I was lucky it paid off. 

There was also another one I tacked on when I realized how eager she was, and that was to take her into a dungeon as soon as I could.

“So…” I glanced at the door.

“Kyou!” Suisei stressed the word for ‘today’, her insistence coming across strongly with the way she chopped down with her axe.

“Alright, alright, fine…” I really wanted to sleep more though.

Rather than go into my hand like the other spirits, she hopped onto my shoulder and directed me to walk. I didn’t hesitate to do so, though I glanced back at the damage her summoning had caused to the ritual platform; the small crater in its center would probably need Shiraken’s help to fix, and I wouldn’t be able to do any summonings until it was.

I took a moment to grab a can of energy drink from the kitchen, something I had prepared beforehand, but was only using now. The powerful sweetness raised my energy a little, though the real effect would only come later. 

It was a chilly night outside, but I barely paid it any attention in favor of the box where the grimoire was. This time, Sui-chan entered the page, then transferred over to my hand when I touched her page. 

“Let’s start with a Training Dungeon first, okay?”

Agreement! Sui-chan didn’t mind, though she reminded me that it didn’t count towards what I promised her.

She wasn’t the only new addition to this dungeon experience; as it turned out, the ritual was doubly successful, granting me not just a new spirit, but a new weapon to go along with it. The Psycho Axe, a ranged weapon that would spiral out from me, dealing damage to all enemies it hit. Compared to Sui-chan’s normal attack, which was locked to melee range, this would help me deal with enemies closing in from behind.

Though I might have to be careful if I’m around other people in case it hits them too, or at least until I can modify it to deal no damage to teammates like I did for the Holo Bomb. 

Within the Training Dungeon, I got to witness the power of the two weapons. While leveling them up only increased their damage, attack speed, and size, I couldn’t deny that it felt pretty awesome seeing the two golden axes rip and tear the attacking spirits to shreds, one flying around like a deadly boomerang, the other cleaving through multiple opponents with a single strike. 

The awakened version of Sui-chan’s axe was a guaranteed critical strike, with extra damage as well, and while I couldn’t see the numbers, the effect was observable with how much more easily it felled the enemies. 

However, the enemies eventually grew too strong and numerous, and I reappeared back in front of the house. As expected, Suisei’s worth only truly shone when she had her abilities to back her up.

Encouragement. Sui-chan popped out and flashed me a thumbs up before going back in.

I quickly used some of the gathered spirit energy to unlock Suisei’s Stellar ability. Named after one of her trademark songs, this ability proc’ed with every critical strike, a flash of starlight inflicting the same damage to all enemies with a short range. With her awakened weapon dealing criticals every time…

“Let’s go with a safe one again,” I suggested.

Acceptance. She didn’t mind what I chose as long as we went into a dungeon.

Now that the energy drink was really kicking in, I looked through the list of options with a more discerning eye. After some consideration, I ended up picking another free & easy Minecraft one, and appeared in a wooden hut with a bed. 

Opening the door to peek out, I squinted at the morning light as I looked around for the dungeon. The entrance turned out to be directly behind the hut itself, hidden between two large trees. I made sure to touch the bed to ensure my respawn point before entering the dark place. Fortunately, there was a torch I could grab to light my way.

Its tight corridors made the Psycho Axe difficult to use, but I relied on the Asacocos in such cases; their penetrating shots made them perfectly suited for places like this. 

Glee! My spirit appeared to be enjoying it very much.

Zombies, skeletons, spiders, even the swarm of silverfishes, they all fell before Sui-chan’s growing power, and she consumed their spirit shards to feed that growth. That wasn’t the only benefit from exploring this dungeon, as we found various chests around the place, and the treasure within them was quite valuable indeed.

“What do you think?” I asked the spirit, while she was out during a brief break. 

Suisei scrutinized me thoughtfully, then shrugged. “Sei.”

“Really? I don’t look good in this?” I rapped my knuckles on the diamond armor I was wearing.

She hummed, as though to say ‘maybe a little’.

It was slightly damaged when I found it, but it added a strong layer of protection to my body, which was helpful in this dangerous place. I was going to bring it back with me to the house, and make use of it in other dives.

There has to be a spirit with blacksmith skills that can repair physical equipment too, I thought, rubbing my hand over the dent in the side. Anyway… I hope I can get the other parts to complete a full set.

“Sui, Stellar!” Sui-chan poked me with her axe.

It looked like break time was over.

As we continued to explore the dungeon, I began to understand more about the character of Suisei the spirit. Proactive, determined, and determined to be dazzling in whatever action she takes. 

Plus a hidden psychopath side that enjoys chopping enemies a bit too much, I silently observed as she added her power to the axe strikes, something the other spirits didn’t usually do. Maybe using The Butcher’s Cleaver might not have been such a great idea.

It was too late to do anything about it by now though. I was stuck with this cute little Suicopath.

“Sui, Kawaii!” She popped out to remind me, then pointed at one of the possible directions to take.

“Yes, you are. So you want to go there then? Let’s go.”

It was in yet another room that I finally found the items that I really wanted the most; a chest held several tools like an iron pickaxe and a golden axe, and next to it was a patterned wooden block with a three-by-three grid square on its top. 

Destruction? 

“No!” I yelped. “That’s an important item.”

Dismissal. Sui-chan lost interest when I said ‘item’.

The block in question was Minecraft’s Crafting Table, the thing with which a player could make all sorts of tools. I had a few random blocks of wood in my inventory, and I quickly tested to see if it worked just like it did in the game.

When those blocks turned into sticks, I couldn’t help cheering.

That magical block and the tools went into my inventory, and I prepared to head back up to the surface, when Sui-chan poked me once more. 

“Sei,” She said sternly.

“But I’m nearly full,” I objected.

She tapped me on the head with her axe, making me flinch even if it didn’t hurt. “Sui mo!”

Huh? She wants something? Don’t tell me… “Alright, alright. We’ll go a bit deeper.”

The spirit nodded, pleased that I gave in.

The stone walls took on a dirtier look as we continued even deeper, and the monsters increased in number. Then I heard it, the creepy sound that made me shiver despite the background music of this world. Following my sense of hearing, I found an iron door at the end of a corridor, and hit the nearby button to open it.

Waiting within was a rectangular frame made out of dark purplish stone, the gap within filled with a rippling purple film. 

A Nether Gate… I’m kind of tempted, but… 

Demand! Suisei called to me to look off to the side, where the other source of light in the room was.

“Well, of course you want that…” 

In a trough of stone, glowing lava casted a dangerous orange light.

If I was going to get a bucket of lava, of course it would be the Minecraft world. Considering that I picked up a bucket earlier, this is definitely an opportunity not to be missed. I took the required item out from my inventory, and approached the dangerous liquid. I guess I just interact with it like this?

The moment I touched the bucket to the lava, the section of the trough within it just flowed into the smaller metal container, leaving the remainder to flow down into the vacated portion. I carefully backed away, fighting the urge to release the handle as the heat of the bucket’s contents reached my hand. I quickly slotted it away into my inventory, and breathed a great sigh of relief.

It would really suck if I had accidentally spilled it and set myself on fire. Even if I would revive, burning to death was not an experience I had any intention of undergoing.

Satisfied~ Sui-chan was much more relaxed now that she had gotten what she was after.

“Alright,” I muttered, “Let’s go back.”

Agreement! 

The way back was filled with enemies as expected, but with Sui-chan at full power now and the energy enhancing me instead, they were barely even a stumbling block. They were still a source of spirit shards for further growth, so I made sure to nab whatever I could.

It was night time when we emerged back out into the open, and I did one last check of my inventory, rearranging them and taking certain items out to hold in my hand, before finally activating the return.

Despite Sui-chan’s impatience, my caution proved to be right. Just like before, returning to the house negated my inventory, which dumped its contents out around me. The heavy stuff which I placed on the bottom appeared on the ground first, and the lighter stuff on top of it. Some of it didn’t come out in a stable position, and ended up falling to the ground in a noisy clatter.

And in my hands were the dangerous stuff, like the bucket of lava and the sharp tools.

It would MASSIVELY suck if the bucket just dropped with the rest of the stuff, and burned them all to ashes. 

The sun was already up in the sky, and I could see Sappy watering the plants in the garden, though that task was currently on pause as my presence took precedence.

“Hello, sire,” The spirit greeted, “A late night expedition? Please make sure to take care of your health.”

“Thanks for the concern, Sappy.”

“Also,” The green blob backed away slightly, its eyes fixed on the metal bucket I was carrying. “Please be careful while you’re handling that…”

“No need to tell me that…” I carefully picked my way through the items covering the ground around me. “I’ll clean these up later. For now, I need to put this away.”

“Understood, sire.”

I managed to reach the ritual room and store the lava bucket away safely, making sure to caution the other spirits about not carelessly interacting with it. After that, I went to use the gathered spirit energy to power up Suisei. It left me just a bit short of energy to unlock her second ability, but that could be easily corrected.

There was still a distinctive crater in the middle of the room, not to mention a coating of dust around the place. Those couldn’t be easily corrected, and I just spent most of my stock.

Fuuuuuuck~ I forgot I needed to keep some for Shiraken to get this fixed, or else I can’t do any more rituals. Grumbling to myself, I went to tidy up the rest of the items I had brought back from Minecraft.

Perhaps it was due to my lack of sleep and dungeon excursion, but I only recalled that I had an alternative when I was almost done.

Among the items I had found were a few green crystals. Emeralds, which were used to trade with the villagers and traders in the game. With the exchange function I unlocked after clearing the Depths of Terror Dungeon, I could gain some spirit energy by trading them away.

Long story short, they provided enough energy for me to engage Shiraken’s services. The spirit popped up almost right away when I used its summoning tag to call for it.

“The damage to your ritual room? It’ll take a bit of work, but I’ll have it fixed and ready for you to perform more rituals! Don’t worry about the dust,” Its safety helmet tipped back as it looked up at me, “I’ll clean it all up for you too!”

“Great. You don’t mind if I…?” The energy drink’s effect was wearing off, and I swayed slightly on my feet.

“I can collect the payment directly from the grimoire, sir,” Shiraken admitted honestly, “You need not be concerned about me trying to claim more than what I’m owed. Spirit contracts are sacrosanct, after all.”

“Alright. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Friend okay?” A concerned Foob asked me as I staggered out of the room.

“I’ll be fine… I just need some more sleep.” The yawn I let out emphasized my words.

I managed to survive the shower, and barely dried myself off properly before throwing my body into the bed. Sleep claimed me almost immediately, and I had a weird dream about going through a dungeon that was like a school corridor, being stalked by a brunette in a school uniform. 

Not nearly a nightmare, but disconcerting nonetheless.

But the sleep did wonders for me, and I woke up the next day feeling much better, having slept for more than twelve hours.

When I checked the ritual room, it looked just as it did before, with no sign of it having been damaged in the first place. The dust was all gone too, which was a very welcome bonus.

“A clean eating environment allows for pleasantness~” Simmer remarked as it served me a nourishing stew. 

“Noted.” I took a spoonful of the food and put it in my mouth. “This is delicious!”

“Glad you like it~”

I spent the rest of the day playing and interacting with the spirits, watching as they got along with each other. Sui-chan enjoyed singing, and the others would stop and listen to her whenever she did. Her tendency to try and hit them with her axe on the other hand… wasn’t as well received. 

It was amusing to watch though, but I made sure to stop her from going too far with it. Even if she retaliated by threatening me with her weapon.

I realized that Sui-chan had a weakness to being called cute, and that was enough to get her to let up a little. 

However, she still had that side of her that made me realize she needed an outlet. 

So I had to factor that into my plans for the future, of which I had a lot.

I needed to grind, to save up spirit energy, to pay the spirits for more upgrades to the house. A pool for Gura, spirit energy collectors to reduce the load on me, among others. Then there were the things that I wanted just to make my life easier. A quick check with Shopee showed that I was only a little bit away from affording that minor purchase, so I popped into the Training Dungeon again, using Gura this time.

“Here you go, customer! A spirit-compatible game console, complete with a TV screen to connect to, and several games to go along with it!”

“Thanks, Shopee.”

“Do let me know if there’s anything else I can get for you!”

I wasted no time in unpacking the items, and setting them up while my spirits observed with interest. As expected, Foob and Sui-chan realized the purpose first, when they saw the game cartridge cases, and began running around me with eagerness. Everything was pretty much plug and play, from the screen to the console, to the controllers that the spirits could interact with.

When I saw the screen light up with the opening menu, it felt pretty damn awesome. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being in front of a piece of electronics meant for leisure.

“Here you go, Sui-chan,” I slotted in the cartridge for Tetris. “Want to play too, Foob?”

“Sui!”

“Kon!”

There was a blank patch in front of the controllers that the spirits could interact with, which connected to the game itself. A tiny virtual version of the controller would appear in their hands as they stood above that part, and they had no problems playing like that.

I knew that this version of Suisei was a spirit that resembled the actual character, but imitation or not, her Tetris skills were far better than the rest of us.

No matter who challenged her, or how many times, her win streak was unbroken.

As expected of Sui-chan.

Afterword: This felt like a good point to stop. My muse ran out near the end of this, and while I already have an idea of what to do for the next part, I couldn’t think of a way to segue into it, so the next chapter will just begin at that point.