Chapter 3: Spirit Herb (2)

‘Status Window.’

[Name]: Park Seojun

[Level]: 2LV (▲1)

[Trait]: Dragon’s Oath (EX)

[Trait Skills]

1.Spiritual Communion

– Forms a mental resonance with the contracted being.

2. Summon (Inactive)

– Current target is incubating.

………

Huh.

I really did level up.

“Is this for real?

Even though I’ve only recently become a superhuman, I’ve never heard of anyone leveling up just by eating a spirit herb.

‘Searching「SuperNet」.’

……..

-Is it possible to level up just by eating a spirit herb?

↳ No way, lol.

↳ Theoretically, maybe—if two conditions are met.

↳ Like what?

↳ First, you’d need a spirit herb that contains a massive amount of mana, way beyond your current level.

↳ Second, you’d need an extremely high mana sensitivity trait.

↳ Oh, right. Arthur Bennette from Ten Heavens supposedly leveled up early on just by eating spirit herbs. But only once—from level 1 to 2.

↳ Whoa, so it is possible to level up from just spirit herbs. If you could keep leveling that way, that’d be amazing. Could anyone do that?

↳ Maybe if you had a legendary EX-grade mana specialization trait?

↳ So basically, impossible, lol.

……..

“There is someonething.”

It wasn’t completely unheard of.

One of the strongest Superhuman, known as one Arthur Bennette of Ten haven, had experienced it.

“Does that mean I won’t level up anymore?”

Just in case, I picked another <Lunadria> and consumed it.

Once again, the ecstasy danced on my tongue.

And when the taste faded, the system message appeared.

「Your stored mana increases significantly.」

「Your Level up has increased!」

“Holy crap!”

I leveled up again.

“This is insane.”

How far could I keep leveling like this?

If I could keep raising my level, maybe I’d find a way to escape this place.

‘I can’t be trapped here forever.’

A spark of hope flickered within me—

Like spotting a distant lighthouse in an endless sea.

“Just a little more… hic.”

I was about to eat another <Lunadria> when—

I burped.

‘Come to think of it, even with the second <Lunadria>, I felt like I was going to burst.’

The satiety from <Lunadria> was intense.

Even if I wanted to eat more, I physically couldn’t.

“Don’t overdo it. Take it slow.”

If something went wrong with my body in a place without a <Treatment Center>or <Hospital>, it would be a matter of life and death.

The more rushed you feel, the slower you should go.

Once my stomach settled, I’d try eating more again.

“All that’s left is water.”

The water pooled in that spring.

Is it safe to drink?

Even touching it felt risky.

Just as I hesitated—

A voice came from the <Dragon’s Egg> again.

[Kyuu. I’m hungry. Feed me.]

The voice was noticeably stronger than before.

But seriously—how long has it been since the last feeding?

Is it because it’s still growing rapidly inside the egg?

I pulled up another <Lunadria> and placed it next to the <Dragon’s Egg> while thinking all kinds of things.

Vrrrrrrrrrm!!

Once again, the <Dragon’s Egg> and <Lunadria>the resonated.

Flash!

Blue particles flowed from the <Lunadria> into the <Dragon’s Egg>.

Ssssst…

Once again, the egg grew slightly larger.

At this rate, it might hatch soon.

[Khungg]

A joyful sound came from within the <Dragon’s Egg>.

It seemed to have finished its meal.

[Kyuu. I’m full.]

It went quiet again.

Maybe it went back to sleep.

“…Hmmm.”

I picked up the <Lunadria> placed beside the <Dragon’s Egg>.

It still had some vitality left.

But it looked a little withered, perhaps because it had been drained of even more magical energy than before.

‘At this rate, the <Lunadria> is going to be completely uprooted soon.’

I glanced at the patch where the <Lunadria> were gathered.

There were still over a hundred blossoms planted.

But at this pace, they’d all be gone in a couple of months.

‘Can’t I plant more?’

There was plenty of space for cultivation.

This place was about the size of a school sports field.

Easily around 5,000 pyeong (about 16,500 square meters).

And the soil matched the quality of the land where the <Lunadria> was currently growing.

‘All I need is to get the right farming tools and supplies.’

I stared intently at the <Lunadria> and made a decision.

“If this is worth something, I’ll sell a few roots and buy cultivation tools.”

I logged back into「SuperNet」.

“Search the marketplace.”

I searched for <Lunadria>, listed at a fixed price.

But—

“There are no items matching your search.”

“…What?”

There were no listings of <Lunadria> on the marketplace.

I went back to the community and searched again—and quickly found out why.

“So it’s rare, barely any supply, but the demand is high—so every time it gets listed, it gets bought instantly?”

I browsed through old posts to check the approximate market price of <Lunadria>.

“Even wilted ones in poor condition go for 1,000 coins?”

My eyes widened.

Coins are the currency of「SuperNet」 .

From what I know, 1 coin is worth about 10,000 won (KRW).

In other words, 1,000 coins equaled 10 million won.

“What the—this piece of grass is worth that much?”

I’d already known that loot from dungeons could easily fetch hundreds of thousands of won.

I’d heard that equipment or artifacts from high-class dungeons could go for tens or even hundreds of billions.

But this—this was just a clump of grass packed with magical energy.

And it was going for ten million won?

Some <Lunadria> were reportedly sold for 20 to 30 million won if they were in good condition.

For me, in my current situation, that was a huge sum.

“Let’s try selling this.”

The <Lunadria> partially eaten by the <Dragon’s Egg>—

I wondered how much I could get for it.

Pluck!

I tore off a piece and popped it into my mouth.

Crunch!

“Ah!”

A mysterious flavor spread across my palate the moment it entered my mouth.

The taste was still there.

‘Feels a little less intense, though.’

But even so, this seemed good enough to sell.

Now, how much should I list it for?

1,000 coins?

No, this is a special<Lunadria>, not a regular one<Lunadria>.

‘It’s larger in size. And the taste—it’s electrifying.’

Earlier, when I was enraptured by its flavor, I had searched for reviews about ‘s taste.

But then—

What the heck?

………

-Is Lunadria always this tasteless?

ᄂYeah… Things that are good for your body usually don’t taste good. Just chew it thoroughly and eat it.

ᄂUgh. I should at least smear some honey on it.

………

The assessment was completely different from what I knew about Lunadria.

I wondered if it was just my taste buds that were off.

But I don’t think that’s the case.

First of all, just by looking at the unusually large size of this <Lunadria>, its taste might be just as unusual.

‘Let’s ask about the market price.’

I had no clue, so I decided to post a question.

……….

Nickname: Archmage Emperor

Title: I’m trying to sell Lunadria, how much should I list it for?

Content: I got my hands on a pretty large Lunadria. It’s about the size of my forearm. It’s a bitwilted, but still in decent shape. I tore off a petal and tasted it — the sweetness was truly exquisite. It seems like a Lunadria in poor condition usually goes for around 1,000 coins. What would be a reasonable price for this one?

……….

Since a nickname was required to use the marketplace, I chose Archmage Emperor.

If I ever became a superhuman, what I most wanted to be was a great mage like Arthur Bennette.

Arthur, who possessed who possessed Superhuman power — able to burn the land and blow away mountains with a flick of his hand.

Supernatural power — able to burn the land and blow away mountains with a flick of his hand.

He was my role model.

Someday, if the dragon born from this grows up, maybe I too can wield that kind of power.

Or maybe, I might even surpass Arthur Bennette.

With that wish in mind, I named myself Archmage Emperor — the emperor of magic.

………

[Taste Review]: Is this some new kind of troll post?

[Anonymous (1)]: LOL, where would you even find a Lunadria the size of a forearm?

[GayaSon]: Must’ve brought it back from a dream, LOL

[Rainbow Potion]: If that’s real, it should be worth at least 5,000 coins. Or maybe consider listing it at auction. What’s the level of the Lunadria? If the level matches, I’d be interested in buying. Would you sell it to me?

[LimeHigh]: Can’t believe there’s a superhuman actually taking this seriously.

………

“5,000 coins?“

I blinked at the unexpected price.

If it really sold for 5,000 coins, that would be incredible.

I could solve most of the problems I was dealing with right now.

“A private transaction, huh.”

「SuperNet」allows direct transactions between individuals.

I was tempted to go ahead and make a deal immediately.

But then I paused.

‘What if I could sell it for even more than that?’

I navigated to the <Auctions> tab.

I’ll start the auction at 5,000 coins.

If it’s really worth that much, it should at least sell at that price.

「Would you like to list <Lunadria, Lv???> at a starting bid of 5,000 Coins? Y/N」

With my will affirmed, the half-eaten <Lunadria> in my hand was engulfed in radiant light.

Pwaash!

And then <Lunadria>, it vanished into thin air.

It seems it has been successfully listed for auction.

The die is cast.

I set the auction duration to the shortest — three hours.

I should get the result soon.

“Phew. Now… time to reconsider whether I can safely drink that water.”

The most important thing — potable water.

That was the next problem I had to solve.

***

Superhumans possess a wide variety of traits.

Among them is <Alchemy>.

And within <Alchemy>, some possess traits related to .

Kim Jeonghwan, who goes by the nickname Rainbow Potion on 「SuperNet」, had traits related to <Potion Brewing>.

“Hmm. Still no reply.”

A little while ago, someone had posted that they had a Lunadria the size of a forearm.

Honestly, it felt like bait — just some troll post trying to stir attention.

But Jeonghwan was so desperate, he wanted to believe it was real — even if it was bait.

“There’s not much time left, but I just can’t see a solution.”

He was developing a new product:

<Highly Concentrated Magic Ampule Potion>

Utilizing <Lunadria>, he was working on a mana potion tailored for high-level superhumans.

But there was a problem.

The first clinical trial was just around the corner, and yet, he still hadn’t produced any solid results.

“I need Lunadria with a high mana concentration.”

He had to show some progress during the first trial in order to secure the next round of funding from investors.

If he couldn’t attract more investment, he might not be able to continue the clinical trials.

‘If that thing’s really that big, then it must be packed with mana.’

It wasn’t a baseless assumption.

There was something most superhumans didn’t know.

Once Lunadria contains mana above a certain threshold, its taste becomes extremely sweet.

The problem?

Such Lunadria was virtually unavailable on the market.

But the superhuman who posted that listing said the Lunadria was sweet.

That gave him reason to believe it might be the real deal.

……….

[Rainbow Potion]: Archmage! I have something to tell you—could you briefly open up DMs?

……..

He tried sending a private message, but the user had DMs disabled.

Even after commenting on the post, there was no reply.

So he had no choice but to leave another message under the listing.

……….

[Rainbow Potion]: Archmage. If you felt 5,000 Coins was too low, I’m willing to add a premium.
Would you consider selling it to me?

[Hamheung Noodles]: Looks like that thing went up for auction?

A comment that made his eyes widen.

He hurriedly opened the tab.

“Whoa! It’s actually listed?”

“Lunadria, Lv???”
Current bid: 6,100 Coins
Time remaining: 2h 35m

Oh my god!

The post wasn’t a troll—it was real.

“It—it’s seriously the size of a forearm!”

Items listed on the Marketplace include photos.

It looked a bit wilted, sure.

But the size? Absolutely colossal.

Even the level was displayed as “???”.

That meant the item was over 10 levels higher than the seller’s level.

Lunadria is usually around Level 1 to 20.

If this Lunadria was Level 20, and the seller was under Level 10, it made sense for it to show as “???”.

But the odds of a sub-10-level superhuman obtaining Lunadria were almost zero.

You needed to be at least Level 40 to acquire such a rare herb.

So how high was this thing’s level, really?

“I—I have to buy this!”

He hurriedly placed a bid:

“Bid placed: 6,500 Coins”

The moment he raised the price, someone else immediately followed.

Competition was intense.

In a flash, it surpassed 7,000 Coins.

“Damn! Someone else jumped in.”

And not just one person, apparently.

Well, anyone even slightly knowledgeable about herbs would realize just how extraordinary this item was.

It was only natural people would go wild over it.

“Please… I have to win this.”

He still had enough funds.

Available coins: 50,000.

With less than 3 hours remaining, there wasn’t enough time to exchange more.

“I should’ve exchanged more coins earlier…”

Too late for regrets now.

Still, it should be fine.

Surely it won’t go over 50,000 Coins, right?

As long as it didn’t cross that threshold, he could win.

Only 2 hours and 30 minutes left.

So climb slowly. Slowly!

But…

Despite Kim Jeonghwan’s desperate hopes, the bid prices began to skyrocket with terrifying speed.