Chapter 41 – Using Your Soul
Kyle listened to the golem's explanation.
"Spirit Spring Ore is filled with Ether that can be digested by humans. This makes it very popular and valuable. It is found deep in hills and mountains in wildernesses where there is at least one Ferocious Beast present."
'Oh shit! That means there could be Spirit Spring Ore in our territory!' Kyle thought.
"Spirit Spring Ore rarely grows below the surface due to other minerals absorbing the Ether. Where there is Spirit Spring Ore, there most likely are not many other minerals present, except for non-ethereal ores like Iron or Copper."
"Spirit Spring Ore has a weak hold on its Ether, and anything that absorbs Ether can very quickly absorb almost all of its Ether. Because of that, mining it with modern mining tools is impossible. The mechanism that transforms Ether into physical power will absorb the Ether and make the ore valueless."
'Ah, that explains why it went dark! My hammer absorbed all of its Ether!'
"The best method of extracting a chunk of Spirit Spring Ore is with a primitive pickaxe made of iron. On the other hand, actually mining and properly refining the ore requires the use of a miner who can manipulate Ether with their Soul."
Kyle frowned. 'How do I use that? I mean, I know that the Soul essentially allows my Ether to interact with the surroundings and infuse tools with Ether, but how does that actually work? I've never done that.'
"A miner who can use their Soul adeptly needs to touch the Spirit Spring Ore with their hands and slowly shape it into crystal balls that can be swallowed whole. Making the crystal balls too big requires chewing, and when the ball is broken with the teeth, the majority of its Ether will disperse."
"The shining core of the Spirit Spring Crystal has about 50% of the entire chunk's Ether and can be overwhelming if consumed. Humans should not consume the core unless they are, at least, in the Second Realm."
"However, the core can be used for a variety of purposes, like rituals, Spells, or creating tools."