Chapter 2: Spirit Herb (1)

“Ugh.”

I was both surprised and flustered.

What I had expected was to form a contract with an adult dragon.

But an egg?

「Would you like to proceed with the Dragon’s Oath for this egg?」

While I was deliberating, the <System Message> flashed prominently again.

“Phew.”

It was time to make a decision.

“Whatever. What’s wrong with it being a dragon egg?”

Pass on this?

I might never get another chance like this in my lifetime.

“There’s a saying that holding onto something too precious can turn it to crap.”

I immediately made up my mind.

I would proceed with the <Dragon’s Oath>.

「The user has agreed to proceed with the <Dragon’s Oath .」

Flash!

Whoosh!

A single strand of pure white thread emerged from the dragon egg.

The same happened from my heart.

The two threads rushed toward each other, like the N and S poles of a magnet.

Soon, they intertwined.

「The Thread of Fate has been connected.」

「The Dragon’s Oath has been successfully completed.」

With the <system message> appearing before my eyes, my status window changed.

……….

[Name]: Park Seojun

[Trait Skills]

1. Spiritual Communication (EX)

-Establishes a mental connection with the contracted entity.

2. Summon (EX) – Inactive

-The target is currently in the process of hatching.

………

Two skills had appeared under my trait skills.

Summoning was, of course, unavailable since it was still an egg.

But what was Spiritual Communion?

“Can I actually talk with this thing?”

I chuckled at the absurd thought.

But at that moment—

[I’m hungry…]

“…!”

I jumped back in shock.

What, what was that?

Did the egg just speak?

「Kyu… I’m hungry…」

It was the voice of a young girl, maybe four or five years old.

The first thing I heard was her whining about being hungry.

“W-Wait a second. I get that you’re hungry, but… how am I supposed to feed you?”

The voice was growing weaker.

Was something bad going to happen if this continued?

“This is driving me crazy.”

I wanted to feed it, but how?

Logically, how does an egg even eat…?

No, wait.

This was a dragon egg, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t something to judge by human common sense.

For now, the egg was saying it was hungry.

I needed to find something for it to eat.

But looking around, there was nothing suitable.

“Let’s check what’s beyond the passages.”

I ran toward the several passages carved into the wall earlier, hoping to find a clue to resolve this situation.

But—

Thud!

I was met with an invisible wall blocking my path once again.

「This passage cannot be used due to insufficient level.」

A level restriction? I’d believe this place was a dungeon at this point.

Wait, if it’s a dragon’s lair, isn’t it technically a dungeon?

Anyway, I checked the other passages.

「This passage cannot be used due to insufficient level.」

「This passage cannot be used due to insufficient level.」

「This passage cannot be used due to insufficient level.」

「This passage…」

There wasn’t a single place I could go.

Good grief!

This was a problem in itself.

The egg was hungry, but that was secondary—I was starving and felt like I might die of hunger.

“Should I eat that or something?”

On one side of the cave wall, a small spring bubbled up, pooling with water, and the rocks around it were covered in moss.

Not only moss but also a bunch of nameless flowers were growing around it.

“Is this water safe to drink?”

I approached the small spring and saw that the water was crystal clear, almost transparent.

It looked potable at first glance, but you’re not supposed to eat or drink things in a dungeon carelessly.

Even I, who was a non-superhuman until recently, knew that much common sense.

[Kyu… I’m hungry…]

At that moment, the egg’s voice echoed again.

What the heck am I supposed to do with this?

In the end, I logged into「SuperNet」.

Is there ever a case where an egg asks for food?

I searched with the keywords egg, Rice, but all I got were useless posts.

After a moment of thought, I changed the search keywords.

Beast Egg, Food.

A dragon is kind of a mythical beast, right?

Since some superhumans deal with mythical beasts, maybe there’d be some relevant information.

……….

Title: Tips for Feeding a Mythical Beast Egg

My hunch paid off.

There was actually relevant information!

Content: For those with the Summoner trait. When you first get a mythical beast egg, some of you might worry because it’s slow to hatch, right?

That’s because mythical beast eggs need energy to hatch.

Their main energy source is mana. Usually, you’d learn a Mana Cultivation Technique to… (omitted)… or pouring a Mana Potion into it is also a good method.

……….

Mana, huh?

Maybe this little guy needs mana too.

“Hey, buddy, when you say you’re hungry, do you mean you need mana?”

I asked the egg again.

[Kyuu… Mana… Yes…]

Oh, it really is mana.

Why didn’t you just say so earlier?

But there’s a problem.

It seems like you’re supposed to transfer mana using a <Mana Cultivation Technique.>

The issue is, I haven’t learned any <Mana Cultivation Technique.>

‘The only way to get one now is through the <Marketplace> on 「SuperNet」.’

「SuperNet」has a Marketplace system.

It’s a platform for superhumans to trade items with each other.

The only way to get an F-Rank Mana Cultivation Technique or a Mana Potion is through the Marketplace.

‘But I don’t have any money.’

This is a problem.

There’s nothing here I can sell either.

‘Should I try selling those nameless flowers?’

I headed toward the spot next to the small spring where the flowers were growing.

‘Since they’re flowers growing inside a lair, maybe they’ll be recognized as items.’

Narrowing my eyes, I carefully plucked one of the flowers from the outermost edge.

The nameless flower had petals that were half blue and half white.

‘They say when you acquire something that’s recognized as an item, a system window pops up in your vision.’

That’s one of the common knowledge points among superhumans.

Anything treated as an item in a dungeon will display its information when held by a superhuman.

「Lunadria」

「Lv???」

“Whoa!”

It really is an item.

But why is the level showing as ????

That means it’s far above my level.

Well, I am only level 1, so that makes sense.

‘Search for Lunadria.’

I looked up Lunadria on「SuperNet」.

A bunch of related posts popped up.

………..

Title: Spiritual Herbs Found in Dungeons (3)

Content: Following parts 1 and 2, the spirit herb I’m introducing this time is called . This spirit herb originates from the evening primrose, which holds the energy of the moon. It can usually only be found in places rich with magical energy.

…(omitted)… Because it contains a large amount of mana, it’s a highly popular spirit herb that sells for a hefty price. It’s not easy to find, but if you ever come across , don’t just pass it by—make sure to harvest it.

……….

“Oh!”

Setting aside the fact that I don’t know what level it is.

I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of awe at the fact that this flower is a spirit herb brimming with mana.

“Wow. There are so many Lunadrias scattered around here, and they say it’s hard to find?”

At a glance, there were easily over a hundred of them.

And their size seemed even larger than the typical Lunadrias.

The text said they were about the size of a handspan, but the one I’m holding now is as big as my forearm.

“…”

At that moment, I heard the voice of the egg again.

Sparked by its voice, I realized something and my eyes lit up.

“Wait a second. If it needs magical energy… couldn’t I just bring this flower to it?”

I immediately put my idea into action.

I propped the Lunadria next to the egg.

After a short while,

Wooong!!

The Lunadria and the Dragon Egg began to resonate.

Paah!

Blue particles started to flow out from the Lunadria, shimmering as they were absorbed into the .

Wooong!

The <Dragon Egg> began to glow blue and tremble faintly.

Kyuuung

A faint, happy cry could be heard from within.

The <Dragon Egg> absorbed the mana from the Lunadria for quite some time.

[Kyui… full… now.]

With those words, the mana stopped flowing from the Lunadria.

It seemed to have feasted to its heart’s content.

“Wow, it actually worked.”

I let out a soft exclamation of amazement as my half-baked idea turned out to be correct.

“Does it look a bit bigger now?”

It wasn’t just my imagination.

I’ve always had a keen eye for details.

It seems the egg grows larger as it absorbs more mana.

Good.

Grow quickly and hatch soon.

“This one can be replanted, right?”

The Lunadria was slightly wilted but still felt alive.

I replanted the Lunadria back in its original spot.

“…..”

Then, on a whim, I reached out and plucked a single petal.

“Could I eat this too?”

Now that I’d relaxed a bit, I was starting to feel intense hunger.

The aftermath of fasting all day in despair before coming here was hitting me hard now.

“SuperNet search.”

Just to be safe, I searched again.

……….

Post Title: Is Lunadria edible?

Content: I was lucky enough to get a Lunadria earlier, and I’m curious about how to consume it.

ᄂWow, nice find! Where’d you get it?

ᄂSo jealous. Lunadria’s hard to come by these days. You can just eat it as is. Raw is the most effective.

ᄂ(OP) Any side effects?

ᄂIf having your mana skyrocket counts as a side effect, then maybe that’s it.

……….

“Looks like there’s no problem.”

I cautiously put the petal in my mouth. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much in terms of taste.

I just hoped it wouldn’t taste bad.

But then.

“…!”

The moment I took a bite, an unexpected, mystical flavor enveloped my tongue.

The initial taste was sweet and refreshing.

A pure sweetness, like honey infused with moonlight.

“Crazy.”

I let out an inner cry of awe and started chewing the petal faster.

The more I chewed, the deeper the flavor became.

Along with the fruit-like freshness, a soft, juicy texture like white peaches wrapped around my tongue.

It was a harmonious blend of sweetness and tanginess.

Then, a light citrusy aroma spread through my mouth, faintly sparkling like starlight, leaving a mystical aftertaste.

“How can a petal taste like this?”

I shivered with a thrill, my body trembling.

A pleasantly soft and sweet aftertaste lingered on my tongue, giving me the sensation of waking from a fantastical dream.

“Wow!”

This is insane.

It was only natural that pure admiration burst from my mouth as I swallowed the rest of the petal.

Pop!

My hand, almost unconsciously, plucked another petal.

Crunch!

The petal of melted once again in my mouth.

Unable to control myself, I greedily devoured every single petal of the flower Lunadria.

As each petal, one by one, melted away, the mystical fragrance and sweet taste spread more intensely through my mouth.

The moment I consumed the final petal, a warm energy coursed through my entire body, enveloping me softly like moonlight.

That taste was not just a sensation.

It was as if the entire universe danced in my mouth, stars bursting on the tip of my tongue, and even the air was dyed with a sweet fragrance.

When I closed my eyes, a sense of freedom and tranquility, as if I were soaring through an endless sky, welled up from deep within my heart.

“This must be paradise.”

As I basked in that sensation, feeling a languid bliss, system messages appeared one after another before my eyes.

「Your mana capacity has significantly increased.」

「Your level has increased.」

Level-up messages popped up in succession.

“…What?”

I only ate one herb, and my level increased?