Chapter 9: Hong Seolhwa (4)

Vrooooom!

Our Lucky Charm is changing.

After taking a sip of the Tai Yin Yang Essence.

Its size suddenly increased, bathed in a dazzling golden light.

“Wow.”

At first, the Dragon Egg only came up to about my belly button.

Now, it’s as big as from my head down to below my hips.

“The shell… it got darker too.”

It used to be a slightly faded golden colour.

It’s a really deep golden color now.

I had a strong feeling that it was about to hatch soon.

“Lucky Charm, are you finally about to come out into the world?”

I wonder if Lucky Charm even understands the concept of hatching?

Of course not… or wait—

The being before me is a dragon.

A creature that can’t be judged by human standards.

That’s why I thought—maybe it knows exactly when it should hatch.

[Kkyuuuuu… Gotta grow a bit more. Then I’ll be stronger.]

Oh!

Look at that.

Dragons really are different.

It even knows the best time to hatch for optimal strength.

Phew.

That’s a relief.

I had been secretly worrying about that.

Is this really the right way to help it hatch?

Is there another method?

What if I miss the proper hatching time? And so on.

But just now, Lucky Charm’s response wiped away all those worries.

“As expected of my precious Lucky Charm.”

Hehe.

“Ah!”

Now’s a good time to give it a proper name.

‘Lucky Charm’s sounds a little too bland.

Goldie, Bellora, Or…

Various names that might suit Lucky Charm flash through my mind.

Finally, the name came to mind.

“Dania.”

A name imbued with the feeling of “abundance and blessing.”

A blessing bestowed by a dragon.

“My precious blessing, Dania. What do you think?”

「Kkyuuung……?」

A drowsy, dreamy voice steeped in contentment.

It sounded like it was just about to fall asleep.

“Your name. I’m going to call you Dania. Is that okay?”

[Dania……? My name?]

“Yes.”

[Kkyuu…… My name! I like it. Dania, kkyuuuuung……]

With that, silence settled in.

She must have fallen asleep.

Her reaction wasn’t bad.

Yes, my little blessing.

From now on, your name is Dania!

The moment I shouted that inwardly—

「You have bestowed a name upon the one bound by the <Dragon’s Oath>.」

「Your spiritual resonance deepens.」

「The hatching speed of is accelerating.」

“Oh!”

An unexpected stroke of luck.

If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve given her a name sooner.

“Hehe. Hurry up and hatch.”

When Dania hatches, the first thing I’ll feed her is Lunadria.

A taste of paradise that blooms in the mouth.

Surely, Dania will be delighted as well.

“I hope the other crops grow successfully too.”

Currently, I’ve sown these:

• Clearwater Grass
• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Lunadria
• White Sun Herb

Which of them will survive?

Clearwater Grass absolutely has to succeed for the sake of securing drinking water.
As for Lunadria and White Sun Herb, I hope they thrive for Dania’s and my growth.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes?

Honestly, we could do without them.

“But if that’s the case, I’ll have to give up on my cooking dreams.”

In any case, the dice have been cast.

The results should be showing soon.

‘But what happened to Blossom?’

Hong Seolhwa.

She wanted Lunadria so desperately.

I gave her three blossoms.

Later, I realized even one blossom would’ve been enough to more than pay for the White Sun Herb.
But still—she’s sick.

Since she took three, I really hope it worked.

Well, if it did help, she’ll probably contact me.

[Yaaawn.]

A long, drawn-out yawn escapes.

‘Guess I should… try to get some sleep too.’

I curled up next to Dania and lay on my side.

Goodnight, Dania.

See you tomorrow.

As my consciousness faded, I drifted into deep slumber.

***

The petals of melted in Hong Seolhwa’s mouth.

“……!”

The moment it touched her tongue,

Her eyes widened like a startled rabbit.

Chef Ahn Jaeseong.

The dish he once made.

It wasn’t the same harmony of unique flavors he used to create.

But—

“It’s… so delicious.”

The pure taste of Lunadria.

To her, the natural, unadulterated flavor suited her better.

A sweet taste like honey infused with moonlight, gently spreading in her mouth.

She wanted to forget everything else—her physical condition, her worries—and focus solely on the taste.

Munch, munch.

Gulp!

“Ahh!”

As she swallowed the Lunadria—

This time, a different kind of exclamation escaped her lips.

It felt as though cool moonlight seeped into her body.

Her once feverish heart began to calm, submerged in a cool wave.

The burning yang energy that had overflowed inside her finally began to settle.

At the same time, the cold yin energy flowed through her veins, gradually spreading—wrapping her in a tranquility she had long forgotten.

Hoo!

Steam began to rise from her body.

Inside her, heat and cold clashed, like fire and ice dancing together.

The searing pain she had endured so long slowly faded, and a mist of gentle moonlight enveloped her.

The yin energy felt like a blissful embrace.

She felt as if her entire being was sinking into a starlit abyss.

“I… I’m going crazy.”

Her eyes shot open.

“Master!”

Hong Kanghyun also sensed something unusual.

Shock, awe, and excitement mingled on his face.

“It’s working…!”

“My god!”

Their faces lit up with joy.

“It’s not over yet, so… let me concentrate a little longer.”

“Yes, please do. Focus.”

Hong Kanghyun swallowed hard and clenched his fists.

It felt like discovering a lighthouse in the midst of despair.

His palms were drenched in sweat.

“Gulp.”

Meanwhile—

Hong Seolhwa placed another Lunadria leaf in her mouth.

Munch, munch.

Her expression melted into bliss.

Gulp.

She quickly swallowed.

Pluck. Munch, munch.

She picked and ate another.

With the repeated motions, the Lunadria flower’s petals were soon gone.

“Ahh!”

A powerful surge of yin energy whirled within her.

As the yin and yang clashed inside her, she was swept into a thrilling ecstasy.

The more the yin spread through her body, the sharper her senses became, as if a cool breeze grazed her very bones.

The sensation was dreamlike and distant.

She felt like she was dancing alone under the moonlight, lost in euphoria.

“Ah!”

A short gasp of wonder escaped her lips.

The flame of yang energy that had been burning her from within was now extinguished.

A cold flower bloomed within her, and a new force arose to restore her body’s balance.

In that boundary between yin and yang, she experienced a serene state of egolessness.

In that moment—

She was consumed by a rapture where destruction and rebirth coexisted in perfect harmony.

“U-Uncle…”

She rose to her feet.

Unlike before, she wasn’t breathless.

Her limbs didn’t tremble.

She had returned to the peak condition of her radiant prime.

A state she thought she would never experience again.

A memory of a midsummer night.

The body condition that had once been her glorious peak.

Drip.

Tears rolled down from her eyes.

“Huuhuhuu… Samchoon! I… I’m healed. My body is.”

“Ahh! Seolhwa… Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The two man and woman let tears stream down like children.

Tears of joy and elation.

After crying for quite some time, they finally composed themselves.

“Master, I’m sorry to ask this, but… is your body completely healed?”

A question asking whether she was fully cured.

“Hmm”

Hong Seolhwa paused to observe herself inwardly.

Then, her expression darkened slightly.

“I don’t think I’m completely healed.”

That moment of peak condition.

Her body had returned to perfection.

But as time passed, that balance began to slip again.

The yang energy grew stronger.

The yin energy weakened.

It was a barely noticeable difference—something even most superhumans wouldn’t feel.

But Hong Seolhwa was a high-tier superhuman at level 77.

She noticed it immediately.

“Still, as long as I don’t overdo it, I should be okay for at least a few months.”

There were still two more Lunadrias left.

If she consumed them all, she could live in a normal body for at least a year.

A lump rose in her throat.

She had only wished to return to a normal body even for a single day.

But now, she had been given a whole year.

It was a miracle.

“I’ll… try to track down that Lunadria and the person named Archmage Emperor.”

“No. Archmage Emperor did me a favor I can never repay. I don’t want to investigate him behind his back.”

Hong Seolhwa shook her head.

“I’ll try contacting him again. Maybe he can get more Lunadria.”

“All right. Then I’ll focus on obtaining the Tai Yin Yang Essence again.”

“Yes, please do.”

Tai Yin Yang Essence.

A legendary elixir for those suffering from inner demonic possession or mana rampage.

Difficult to concoct and even harder to find.

And to heal Hong Seolhwa, only the highest-grade Tai Yin Yang Essence would suffice.

“We’ve bought some time. It’ll be okay.”

“Yes. It’ll work out. For sure.”

A spark reignited in their eyes.

A spark of hope.

***

「Due to the influence of <……ster>……….]

A sweet voice heard in a dream.

“Yaaawn!”

He woke up with a yawn.

How many hours had he slept?

He blinked.

The luminous stone emitted bright light 24/7.

Because of that, it was hard to tell time.

Judging by how refreshed his body felt, it must’ve been a good rest.

Probably slept for a long time.

Felt like over 10 hours, maybe more.

I glanced over at my little blessing—Dania.

Still sound asleep.

Usually by this time, she’d be begging for food…

Honestly, I thought I’d be woken up by her asking for food mid-nap.

But it seemed she had fallen into an even deeper sleep than I had.

Maybe her longer sleep was a result of her growth.

“Just grow up healthy, that’s all I ask.”

I gently stroked Dania.

Warmth radiated from her.

“Auu…”

But then—

I was immediately faced with a problem.

Thirst.

I was starting to feel seriously parched.

Water.

A nice, cold glass of water would be amazing right now.

“The Clearwater Herb Herb isn’t ready yet… huh?”

I turned my head without thinking.

It was the direction where I had planted the Clearwater Herb.

There shouldn’t be anything there yet.

Even if Clearwater Herb grows quickly—

It still needs at least a few days before it sprouts leaves.

“Wait, but this is…”

I blinked.

There they were Clearwater Herb, their blue leaves swaying gently.

And they weren’t just partially grown.

They were fully mature.

Whoosh!

I whipped my head around.

Petals mixed with blue and white.

Lunadria.

That was also fully grown.

And next to it—plants with white blossoms?

“Potatoes and sweet potatoes!”

And finally—

A flower with petals of red and white intermingled.

“White Sun Herb!”

No way!

All the seeds had finished growing in just a single day.

How was that even possible?

Now that I think about it…

In a dream,

I think I heard something about an effect from <Elixir Master>…

Could it be?

“Unreal.”

The skill had a perk: .

Looks like this is what it does.

“This is insane. Seriously.”

I swallowed hard.

With this ability…

This rare domain, roughly 5,000 pyeong in size,

I could cover the entire thing in elixir herbs in no time.

“I’ll fill it all with Lunadria and White Sun Herb…”

The moment I stood up—

Growl!

A thunderous rumble echoed from my stomach.

My head spun with dizziness.

“Huh?”

The world spun in circles.

Thud!

I collapsed on my rear, weakly.

“Ah…”

As I moved my body—

A wave of insane hunger hit me like a truck.

“Water first…”

I crawled on all fours over to the Clearwater Herb.

「Clearwater Herb, LV 99」

What the hell?!

Level 99?!

Is this for real?

It went from seed to a Level 99 plant in one day.

This shouldn’t even be possible—

‘Ah. Right. This is a Dragon’s Lair.’

A Dragon’s Lair.

A magical world.

Suddenly, all this irrational nonsense started to make sense.

I had briefly forgotten that this place was a Dragon’s Lair.

Must’ve been the aftereffects of just waking up.

“If word gets out about this, people are gonna lose their minds.”

A regular herb—not even an elixir herb—reaching Level 99?

Pluck.

I picked a leaf.

I immediately tilted my head back and aimed the leaf over my mouth.

In that position, I squeezed the leaf.

Squeeze!

Drip-drip-drip!

Drops of water trickled down.

The moment the water touched my lips—

A cold sensation, like a clear stream flowing, spread from the tip of my tongue.

Even though I only took a single sip, a refreshing energy surged deep into my throat.

My throat, which had been burning like fire from thirst, suddenly felt as if it were sinking into a fog of coolness.

It was an intense feeling.

Like rain falling on dry, parched earth for the first time in ages.

“Kaah!”

An exclamation burst from me without thinking.

But that wasn’t all.

The water of the Clearwater Herb did more than just quench my thirst.

It gave the sensation that the essence of nature, infused in the water, was soaking into every part of my body.

With every spread of the water inside me, I could feel cool droplets moistening each and every cell.

My cracked lips, parched throat, and dried-out organs all felt cold and moist once more, as if a refreshing forest breeze were passing right through my body.

“This is insane. Is water even allowed to taste this good?”

There’s that famed French mineral water, Evian, made from glacial meltwater.

Praised as the best-tasting water—but I can say for sure it wouldn’t even dare stand in front of this Clearwater Herb water.

“Just one more sip…”

—Just as I was about to drink again.

Ding!

[For 30 minutes, magic recovery speed increases.]

Huh?

What’s this now?