Chapter 11
Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: If There's Receiving, There Must Be Giving
-----------------------------------------------------------------
All fifteen seeds.
I kept feeding them Heal whenever I had a chance, right up until they sprouted and formed buds.
And then their grade rose, and new functions were added.
🌸 Lumina Bell 🌸 ★★ - A single lantern blooming in the thick darkness - Contains highly pure mana - A mana barrier forms on the surface, making it insensitive to light and noise I took the flowers outside, and even under sunlight, they just sparkled without wilting or dying.
The fatal weakness of dying upon exposure to light was gone.
'Huh, leveling these up is kinda fun.'
I cleared my throat once and pulled out ten sparkling Lumina Bells, glowing under the room's light, right in front of Choi Han-ul.
"Miss Chrog, this is..."
"Lumina Bells."
Choi Han-ul leaned in close to the flowers, as if drawn by some irresistible force.
He gently touched the petals with careful fingers and sniffed them delicately.
Then he let out a deep sigh.
"I ran low-grade gates endlessly for these, but the seeds were all dried up... I couldn't find any. First time seeing the real thing. It's amazing..."
After a long pause, he carefully asked me,
"But Miss Chrog, where did you get so many of these?"
"I grew them myself."
"Pardon? You grew Lumina Bells yourself?"
I nodded, and Choi Han-ul's eyes went wide with shock.
"They're said to be hard even to keep alive, but you managed to cultivate them? That's... truly incredible!"
The way he looked at me was even brighter and more sparkling than before.
A little... overwhelmingly so...
Still, I really appreciated his attitude—no sudden guild recruitment push, no prying questions about how I grew them.
I just hoped the negotiations would go well.
Whew.
After a short breath, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"I got a lot of seeds this time, so I'm thinking of starting bulk sales..."
I glanced at him slyly.
"These flowers are so rare that it feels a bit risky for an individual to do bulk sales, you know?"
"Right? There could be dangerous variables."
Choi Han-ul nodded in agreement.
"So, could I borrow the Sprout Guild's name for the sales?"
"Pardon!? Our guild's name?"
I quickly added,
"If we do that, you'd get a ton of attention—good or bad—so I'd give you up to a 30% commission to account for it..."
"No, no!"
Before I could finish, Choi Han-ul waved both hands vigorously in refusal.
Maybe borrowing just the name was asking too much.
But his next words stopped my drooping lips.
"We don't need any commission at all! Even though we're a small guild, if we can help you, Miss Chrog, that's more than enough. Just say the word!"
I hadn't expected such ready agreement.
And hearing that helping me would be enough made my chest ache a little.
Choi Han-ul seemed like a much better person than I'd thought.
To the point where I felt bad for seeing him as a rival all this time.
'From now on, I'll quietly scroll past whatever the Sprout Guild Master posts...'
Anyway!
First goal achieved: sitting on a pile of money!
Now, what to do with the profits from bulk sales.
'Open a shop in Seoul.'
For some reason, Seoul had way more mid-to-high-grade gates than other areas.
Naturally, major guilds centered there, and related shops and facilities followed suit.
I wanted to head to the land of opportunity, Seoul, and buy a small storefront.
Borrowing the Sprout Guild's name for bulk sales was fine, but I couldn't hide behind a guild forever.
Start small at first.
Then gradually expand.
I wondered how customers would react to tea brewed from Lumina petals. Might make for good advertising?
And if I discovered more rare flowers to sell, profits would double!
'It'd be great if I could sell ice flowers too...'
But how to meet the condition of needing them to sprout...
That's when it hit me.
I suddenly remembered a Sprout Guild member—a kid who handled little ice chunks.
Gasp—I couldn't hide my excitement and blurted it out.
"Mr. Han-ul, do you have any ice-element mages in your guild?"
"Ah, yes! Chae-eun—she's the shortest and fairest among the kids, an ice mage."
"Could I see her for a bit?"
"Of course! Anytime."
Choi Han-ul called out loudly, "Chae-eun!" The training room door flew open, and a cute girl peeked out.
"...Yes?"
The moment I saw her, my instincts reacted strongly.
If her 'ice skill' combined with my 'Bless' that enhances others' abilities...
It could fully meet the conditions to sprout the spirit seed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The rumor that 'Sprout Guild' was doing bulk sales of 'Lumina Bells' spread like wildfire.
📰 Sprout Guild Post [(Reservation Complete) Selling 10 Top-Quality Lumina Bells.] 📰 Sprout Guild Post [(Reservation Complete) Selling 30 in One Week.] After the 10, now 30 more were announced.
With Lumina Bells vanishing from low-grade gates, that quantity was impossible without cultivation.
'Sprout Guild must have an awakened gardener,' 'The seller who listed 5 on the exchange is from Sprout Guild?' 'Guild value is about to skyrocket.'
Sprout Guild, once invisible, was now a hot topic among awakeners.
And someone watched this with despair.
"Haaaah..."
Bloom Guild Master Song Yu-hwa sighed as if the ground would cave in.
Unlike those speculating about a gardener, she knew the real seller.
'That spot should've been mine...'
If we'd sold them, how much would our guild value rise? Stock price, no doubt...
'I shouldn't have...'
I should've approached politely from the start.
Not acted arrogantly, kept my manners.
If I could turn back time, I'd do it all differently.
The more she thought, the more pathetic she felt.
As she sighed deeply,
Bang—the door burst open.
Her blood sister and guild member, Song Yu-rang, strode in.
"Why'd you call?"
...Is that how you greet your sister after so long?
Song Yu-hwa's temper flared, but now wasn't the time to nitpick.
"Hey, little sis, need anything? Your weapon looked rusty—grab one from the warehouse?"
Yu-rang eyed her sister suspiciously.
Her sister, who usually called her 'hey' or 'you,' sweetly saying 'little sis' meant she wanted something—100% sure.
Offering a weapon? Definitely not minor.
'Only one thing it could be.'
She could guess.
The news of raiding a gate with healer Chrog had reached her ears.
And using their raid bond to recruit Chrog via her.
That woman threw money like water for healers.
"Get to the point. No beating around the bush."
"So rude..."
Song Yu-hwa barely swallowed her anger and forced a smile.
"Haha, well... There was a rampaging gate near the building recently..."
As she continued, Yu-rang confirmed her guess.
But something felt off.
'Why ask me when she's drowning in cash and chases healers? She can just poach them.'
She knew the address, contact info.
Go directly or call—done.
Especially with her pride—asking her sister?
Yu-rang finally snapped,
"With your personality, you've already bought the address and number. Just go recruit her yourself."
But Song Yu-hwa awkwardly avoided her gaze, saying nothing.
'...What's with her?'
Some unspeakable circumstance?
'Not my problem anyway.'
Yu-rang stood abruptly, declaring no involvement.
"Anyway, I'm out. She doesn't fit our guild."
"What? Who says she fits or not?"
Yu-rang recalled the gate scene.
Nature spirits, infamous for hating humans, clinging sweetly to Chrog...
Chrog, beloved by nature spirits, and Bloom Guild, chasing only money.
They didn't match at all.
"Whatever. I'm going."
"Hey! Where? Why doesn't she fit?!"
Bang.
The door slammed shut.
Song Yu-hwa's mind tangled in knots.
Her last hope, dashed colder than expected.
'Ha... Just barge in?'
No, absolutely not.
She shook her head.
Already disliked—showing up would ruin it forever.
Then... an excuse to meet again.
What could it be...
"Ah! Right!"
A spark lit in her mind.
"A gift...! Yeah, I got a gift then!"
Her gaze flew to the sunniest windowsill in the office.
There, a wilted flower quietly kept its place.
In case that girl returned, to show she still cherished the gift—even now, long dead.
"Right! If there's receiving, there must be giving back, right?"
With that self-given excuse, Song Yu-hwa strode out without hesitation, crossing the hall.
Destination: Bloom Guild's heart.
The warehouse of priceless treasures.
'This time, I won't miss the chance.'
For the first time in ages, her face in the shadows brightened.