Chapter 5: Spirit Herb (4)

[The transaction between individuals has been completed.]

A bright light gathered in front of Kim Jeonghwan’s eyes.

The <Lunadria> he had just traded for was transferred.

“Ahh.”

As soon as he held it in his hand, an exclamation escaped his lips.

He instinctively knew. This was the real deal.

‘I can do this.’

Kim Jeonghwan immediately began experimenting.

The parts that had been stalled started to unravel smoothly.

At the stage where mana fusion had been difficult, using this allowed him to effortlessly move to the next step.

‘It works. This really works.’

Kim Jeonghwan lost track of time, immersing himself in crafting <Highly Concentrated Magic Ampule Potion>.

And some time later.

“Uhehehe!”

A childlike cry burst from Kim Jeonghwan’s mouth.

“Success… I did it…!”

At the edge of a cliff.

It was the moment of coming back to life.

“Thank you… Thank you so much…”

<Archmage Emperor> who bestowed great grace on himself.

He resolved to send the first completed <Highly Concentrated Magic Ampule Potion> as a token of gratitude, he had done him a great favor, as soon as the first batch of was finished.

***

[You have received 48,000 Coins.]

[You have received [A] Superior Mana Potion x70.]

I scratched my head, looking at the coins and mana potions transferred to me.

Just a moment ago.

…..

[Archmage Emperor]: The price… I’ll take just 5,000 Coins.

…..

I had intended to accept only the 5,000 Coins that Mr. Kim had initially mentioned.

…..

[Rainbow Potion]: That price is absurd! As I said before, I’ll match it to 55,000 Coins.

…..

Mr. Kim was resolute.

No matter how many times I tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t budge, saying how could someone be so shameless.

Yeah, that’s the kind of person he is.

…..

[Rainbow Potion]: The thing is, I only have 48,000 Coins right now. Could I request the trade once I’ve prepared the remaining amount?

…..

I’m not sure if he’s short on money.

Or maybe he couldn’t exchange the coins.

He mentioned that running the orphanage was tough, so it could be the former, or maybe both.

…..

[Archmage Emperor]: Hmm. How about this? I’ll take the remaining 7,000 Coins in mana potions.

……

This was a clever move.

By buying the mana potions Mr. Kim made, it would essentially return some money to him.

“Ugh, even accepting these coins feels burdensome.”

48,000 Coins is 480 million won in Korean currency.

It seems like he pulled it from investment funds.

That makes accepting it even more uncomfortable.

‘With this money, he could have put out some urgent fires at the orphanage.’

I don’t know the details, but I can guess why running the orphanage costs so much.

‘He said the building taxes were high.’

I overheard him mention it by chance in the past.

That’s likely why he’s facing financial difficulties.

“Alright.”

Since it’s come to this.

I’ll use these 48,000 Coins wisely.

I need to grow faster.

‘Once I get out of here, I’ll buy him a building right away.’

That way, I’ll feel at ease, and it’ll be a joyful thing for Mr. Kim and the kids at the orphanage.

“Okay. Another reason to grow quickly.”

So.

No more dawdling. I need to buy the things I mentioned earlier right away.

I now have a whopping 98,000 Coins.

An enormous amount of capital that an ordinary Level 2 superhuman couldn’t even dream of.

With this, I can get the best quality for all the items I planned to buy.

‘Connect to SuperNet.’

Now, it’s time for some fun shopping.

***

While Seojun was engrossed in his shopping spree.

「SuperNet」was once again in an uproar.

It was because of the <Lundaria> that Seojun had sold at the auction.

……….

Nickname: Bangbaedong Gourmet

Title: Why does this taste like this?

Content: Earlier, I was the one who bought the <Lundaria> for 55,555 coins when it became an issue here. I remembered the seller saying it was sweet, so I tried nibbling on a petal. And the taste? It’s insane! For a moment, I thought I was in paradise.

[Kolon]: Huh? Isn’t Lunadria supposed to have a slightly astringent taste?

[Pamep]: Wait, was the sweet thing actually true? I thought they were just saying that.

[BangbaedongGourmet]: My taste buds are pretty picky, but this is genuinely delicious. I bought it because it was unique, but I didn’t expect it to be this good. It’s worth every single one of those 55,000 coins.

[Appetizer]: Wow, what does it taste like? I’m curious.

[Espy]: Haha, I can’t hold back anymore. I need to go ask where they got it from.

…..

The buyer said it was so delicious that burning 55,000 coins on it didn’t feel like a waste at all.

That comment was like pouring oil on the already blazing issue of the Lunadria sold for 55,555 coins.

……

[Anonymous(1)]: I think I know why it’s sweet. It’s insider info, but when Lunadria’s mana content exceeds a certain threshold, it becomes incredibly sweet from that moment on. For it to be described like that, it must contain an insane amount of mana.

[Bangbaedong Gourmet]: Oh, you’re right. Honestly, after eating a few petals, I could physically feel my mana increasing. If I ate the whole thing, it’d probably rival some top-tier elixirs.

[Epokuta]: Whoa, I had my doubts, but it’s really on the level of an elixir, huh?

[Serae]: Wait, who is this <Archmage Emperor>? Where the heck did they get something like that? No matter how you look at it, it has to be from the upper floors of the Abyss Tower, right?

[Anonymous(1)]: Same thought here. To contain that much mana, it’s gotta be from the high floors of the Abyss Tower. Their nickname is different, so they’re probably not one of the Ten Heavens, but they seem to be at least on that level. Likely a reclusive master.

[Serae]: That’s wild. A Ten heavens ranker on par with the has emerged from hiding?

…..

It started to become accepted as fact that the <Lundaria> sold by Seojun came from the upper floors of the <Abyss Tower>.

The Abyss Tower.

What kind of place was it?

A dungeon so mythical that its very existence felt like a legend.

A place where countless superhumans ventured in, only to vanish silently before even grasping the tower’s depths.

In this place, where time and space themselves are warped, common sense doesn’t apply.

It’s considered an unknown dungeon, with its highest floor deemed unconquerable, now and forever.

Because of this, the <Archmage Emperor> began to be regarded as a reclusive master capable of tackling the upper floors of the Abyss Tower, on par with the Ten heavens.

***

I finished my shopping.

• [A] Steel Shovel
• [A] Silver Hoe
• [A] Magic Plow
• [A] Seed Planter
• [A] Qingming Grass Seeds x300
• [A] Lightweight Harvesting Sickle
• [A] Silver Gathering Scissors
• [A] Magic Lantern
• [A] Mysterious Leather Gathering Gloves
• [A] Moss Collection Tweezers
• [A] Essence Collector

These are the farming and gathering tools I purchased.

All of them are high-end A-grade items.

This is what you call flexing.

And then…

• [S] Rachel’s Basic Mana Cultivation Method

The next thing I bought was none other than an S-rank basic mana cultivation method.

This mana cultivation method allows for stable mana practice in the early stages.

Its advantage is that it naturally blends with other mana cultivation methods you might learn later.

And how much did this mana cultivation method cost?

A whopping 50,000 coins.

The same amount as the price of one <Lundaria>.

Unless you’re born with a silver spoon or part of a prestigious clan, starting out like this would be tough.

[You have acquired [S] Rachel’s Basic Mana Cultivation Method.]

I immediately learned the mana cultivation method and began practicing.

Wooong!

With deep breaths, I could feel the flow of mana.

At first, the energy was faint, but it gradually became clearer within my body.

“Oh!”

As I started to awaken mana with my breathing, I could feel it flowing to my fingertips and toes.

I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation in my mind.

The mana spread through my body like warm, soft light, rippling like waves.

It felt like lifting an old curtain, giving me a refreshing sensation.

Wooong!

The mana circulating in my body gathered in my dantian.

I could feel a glowing orb forming.

In this process, I gradually gained control over the mana flow, confident that I could manipulate the energy freely, like directing waves.

When I finished the cultivation, my palms felt warm, and the mana flowing through my body naturally returned to my dantian.

It felt like the comforting return to a haven after a long journey.

[The mana has stabilized.]

[All remaining mana from <Lunadria> has been absorbed.]

[Your level has increased.]

“Another level-up?”

In an instant, I reached Level 4.

Is leveling up supposed to be this easy?

…..

I quickly checked the 「SuperNet」.

-How long does it usually take to go from Level 1 to Level 10?

ᄂ It depends on the person’s talent or environment, so it’s case by case. On average, it takes about 1-2 years, right?

ᄂ That long?

ᄂ Yup. Leveling up even once a month is tough.

ᄂ That’s intense…

ᄂ That’s nothing. It gets even tougher after Level 10, lol.

…..

There was a post with someone asking about it.

Normally, it takes at least 3-4 months to reach Level 4 after awakening, sometimes even over half a year.

“But I did it in a single day. Is this right?”

Just to be sure, I posted a question anonymously.

…..

Nickname: Anonymous

Title: Awakened today and reached Level 4 in one day.

Content: I feel like my case is pretty rare. Are there any other cases like this?

[Parmap]: ? LOL, had a few drinks?

[Bulldog]: Woof woof. Keep the nonsense in the doghouse!

[Gayason]: If this is true, the OP’s gonna surpass <10,000> in the future, lol. Even <10,000> didn’t level up that fast, haha.

…..

“Huh.”

It’s certain now.

I’m an outlier.

But why?

Is it because I was born with exceptional talent?

“Doesn’t feel like it.”

I glanced at the <Lunadria> and then at <Dragon Egg>.

My EX-rank trait.

And the special spirit herb grown in the <Dragoon Lair>.

These two things combined must have led to this outcome.

“Haha.”

The corners of my mouth curled upward.

At this rate, I’m starting to feel confident that I could one day surpassArthur Bennette and become a grand Archmage.

“By the time I leave the lair, I think I’ll get there.”

If I grow to my full potential here and step out into the world, the world will witness a new sky.

That sky is me.

A Great Archmage, an Archmage who served a Dragon!

While I was lost in my rosy dreams, intoxicated by the possibilities…

A thought pierced my ears.

「Kyuu… I’m hungry…」

It was the <Dragon’s Egg>, just waking up.

“Oh! Right, my little lucky charm. Let’s get you some food.”

I grabbed the mana potion I got from Mr. Kim earlier and rushed to the <Dragon Egg>.

Drip, drip, drip.

I carefully poured the mana potion over the <Dragon Egg>.

Woooom!

The <Dragon Egg> and the mana potion’s liquid began to glow.

And then…

[Kyuuuung. So tasty…]

A happy sound came from the <Dragon Egg>.

“Glad it suits your taste.”

I was a bit worried it might not like the mana potion.

But it’s reacting pretty well.

This means I can keep getting mana potions from Mr. Kim in the future.

Speaking of which, I wonder if Mr. Kim’s situation worked out okay?

I want to ask how things went, but knowing his personality, he’d probably contact me first if it was resolved. I’ll just wait patiently for now.

[Kyuuuuuung…]

The egg’s voice is getting drowsy.

It absorbed the entire bottle of mana potion and seems full now.

“Seeing it grow in real-time makes feeding it so rewarding.”

It’s gotten slightly bigger.

And the color of the egg seems a bit richer too.

Our little bundle of luck keeps growing and growing.

“I guess we should give it a name. What would be good?”

Calling it “kid” all the time feels too cold.

“Lucky Charm Sprout?”

While pondering what to do, I decided to ask the little Lucky Charm directly when it wakes up next.

“Alright, then.”

I picked up the farming and gathering tools I had bought earlier.

“First, the Clearwater Herb.”

Securing drinking water comes first.

If <Water> were an item that could be traded, I could buy it from the <Exchange>.

But since it’s not, it’s quite inconvenient.

Fortunately, <Lundaria> seems to contain some moisture, so there’s no dehydration yet, but we can’t keep going like this for long.

Fortunately, although it seems that moisture was included in the <Lunadria>, it hadn’t reached the point of deterioration, but in this state, it can’t last long.

“Clearwater Herb grows extremely fast, luckily.”

It is known that after a few days, you can observe seedlings that contain moisture.

So, if the germination succeeds, you’ll be able to get immediate firewood.

Using reinforced soil, silver gravel, magic tongs, and seed germination boosters, I planted 300 < Clearwater Herb seeds> within ten minutes.

Good.

Now, all that’s left is watering.

All I need to do is wait.

‘Let’s check it beforehand, just in case.’

I took out the farming tools.

Stagnant water and moss in a well.

Are those things resources with names like <Lundaria>?

[Wearing [A] Mysterious Gathering Leather Gloves.]

[Using [A] Moss Collection Tweezers.]

[Using [A] Essence Gathering Tool.]

I checked the moss and essence with the gathering tools.

And the result:

[Public Healing Oil]

[Thousand-Year Stone Mushroom]

“…!”

My eyes widened in shock.

Something completely unexpected came up.