Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: I Hope Only Happy Things Fill the Future Too
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I'd never held more than 100 million won in my hands before, let alone blown 80 million all at once.
'My hands are still shaking.'
Even long after the auction ended, my fingertips trembled uncontrollably.
'Still... this was a necessary investment.'
After cultivating thirty Lumina Bell flowers, I'd gathered a decent number of seeds.
I was thrilled that mass cultivation was just around the corner... but I'd been worrying about where exactly to plant all these seeds.
My current semi-basement studio was already out of space for more pots.
And even if I moved to a bigger place, I'd eventually run into the same problem.
In that sense, those 80 million won were the 'minimum investment' for mass-producing Lumina Bells.
And there was one more thing.
There was another reason I'd poured so much money into a gate everyone else ignored.
"One side for a full Lumina field, and the other for a café."
The gate's location was just too perfect.
This gate sat right in the heart of Seoul, surrounded by major guild headquarters and Awakener-exclusive facilities.
It was prime real estate, plain and simple.
At first, I'd planned to mass-produce Lumina Bells inside the gate and buy up nearby shops separately.
'Why bother?'
Why go through the hassle of separate shops when I could turn the gate itself into commercial space?
'If it was developed into a tourist spot before, the natural scenery must be insanely beautiful.'
Revive nature with Purify and turn it into a scenic café!
'A café inside a gate? Sounds fun.'
Of course, the café would just be bait.
Secret deals would go down with loyal regulars on the side.
- New rare flower shipment today... care to check it out...?
- Of course... I came to the café for the latest rare blooms in the first place...
I could already vividly imagine the conversations with my regulars.
Carrying that excitement and anticipation,
I stepped into the gate.
The sight that unfolded before me immediately plunged my inflated expectations into deep despair.
"...They really turned this into a tourist spot?"
The gate's interior was overflowing with trash—plastic bags, cans, bottles, flyers, fishing hooks—piled up past ankle height.
Torn tents, busted speakers, gas burners, and other large debris asserted their presence everywhere.
"The hologram at the auction didn't look this bad...?"
The auction hologram must have only shown the least damaged section inside the gate.
Even so, no one else had bid on it besides me.
"......"
I stood frozen for a long while, staring at the ruined landscape, then reprioritized.
'Reviving nature with Purify isn't the issue here.'
The most urgent task was clearing out all this trash first.
I immediately unpacked trash bags and started picking up the mess one piece at a time.
Cans into the can bag, plastics into the plastic bag, bottles in one spot, boxes folded and stacked, fishing line rolled up...
It felt like over five hours of picking, but the trash heap covering the gate showed no end in sight.
"...This might be too much for me alone."
But I had nothing to worry about.
I had two reliable workers at my disposal.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Men, before us lies a horde of trash enemies! Our goal today is total annihilation. Battle stations—ready?!"
- Pip!
As soon as I finished, the ice spirit Pristine snapped a crisp salute, one hand shooting up.
'...Where'd she learn that?'
Without a single complaint, she dove right into trash cleanup.
Unlike Pristine, who sparkled with enthusiasm as she battled the trash,
the Lumina Spirit looked utterly dead-eyed, like rotten fish.
- Pi...
Her face openly screamed disgust at the trash.
She was probably thinking something like, 'I was raised like a princess—why me...?'
- Pip!
Pristine's fierce glare pierced the Lumina Spirit, who was poking trash with her foot, wings drooping.
'She's gonna get scolded again.'
Worried for her, I hurried over before Pristine could chew her out and whispered,
"...Help clean, and I'll give you two bottles of purified water."
- Pii...?
Her limp wings perked right up!
Riding the momentum, I boosted her morale further.
"Clean more than Pristine, and three extra bottles... best deal ever... one-time offer..."
- Pip... pii...
The Lumina Spirit counted on her tiny fingers, then snapped to attention and grabbed a trash bag.
Her wilted eyes now burned with determination.
- Piiip!
With a shout, she charged into the trash pile.
"...Works like a charm."
Chuckling at the sight, I bent down and resumed sorting the trash before me.
We three worked diligently at the cleanup when...
"Healer, hello. I brought the purified water you asked for."
My first guest arrived inside the gate.
It was the necromancer Ha Do-yeon, arms full of purified water bottles.
"Welcome, Necromancer!"
I carefully took the bottles from her and broached the topic.
"Um... sorry for buying on credit. I'll bloom the flowers ASAP and bring them right over..."
Purification required tons of mana potions, so I'd ordered a bunch from Ha Do-yeon. But there was a catch.
All thirty Lumina Bells I'd grown were pre-reserved for the Sprout Guild.
I had zero flowers to give her right now.
'I'm so sorry... what do I do?'
Credit wasn't in my trading playbook.
But circumstances left me no choice this time.
"We agreed on five flowers, but I'll add interest—make it ten!"
"Pfft, interest? No rush—don't stress."
Ha Do-yeon waved it off with a smile, scanned the trash-filled gate, and continued cautiously,
"This the gate you won at auction...?"
"Ahaha... yep."
Her worried gaze swept the trash piles until she spotted something and gasped.
"...Gasp! Spirits...!"
"Ah, my workers. Cute, right?"
"What!? You have spirits as laborers??"
Frozen for a moment, Ha Do-yeon slowly nodded.
"No wonder I sweat and feel drained around you... mystery solved."
"Huh? Drained?"
"Oh, nothing!"
She gestured at the trash to change the subject.
"Anyway, you are planning to clear all this, right?"
Then she raised her skull staff, flashing a confident grin my way.
"Trading purified water for Lumina flowers felt like you were losing out, so I've been uneasy. Now I can pay back the favor."
With that, a dark red magic circle bloomed around her.
Sinister incantations echoed as three death spirits materialized atop it.
A wraith clad in black armor.
A skull giant draped in a red cape.
And that grotesque thing from the boss room that tormented me...
Ha Do-yeon pointed at the trash with elongated fingers and muttered low.
The spirits thundered forward—thud, thud—and began clearing trash at astonishing speed.
"My spirits will handle every bit here, so you and the spirits just relax."
Seeing that once-terrifying boss reduced to a meek trash-picker brought a strange feeling.
- Piiik...!
Suddenly, sharp frost crystals swirled viciously around Pristine.
She'd pegged the new spirits as threats.
But realizing they were harmless cleaners, she dropped her guard and approached slowly.
Curiosity lit her eyes as she inspected them up close.
- Grooo...
- Groo, grooo...
The spirits trembled awkwardly at the tiny spirit before them, unable to hide their fluster.
"Ahahaha!"
Ha Do-yeon burst out laughing, clapping wildly.
"Too funny... never seen them scared of anything before..."
Even amid this, the Lumina Spirit slaved away alone in the distance, hell-bent on outdoing Pristine.
Taking it all in,
I felt a slow warmth spread in my heart.
Ha Do-yeon pitching in barefoot to help me.
The spirits blitzing trash at breakneck speed.
Pristine giggling atop one.
The Lumina Spirit, who hated trash for purified water, working tirelessly.
"......"
It felt like just yesterday I'd wished a meteor would end me painlessly in my sleep...
Now, happy moments were seeping into my life, bit by bit.
'I hope only happy things fill the future...'
After a quiet prayer, I headed toward the Lumina Spirit, still toiling silently.
I couldn't slack off while making her work.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Several hours passed like that.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the gate's trash was spotless.
"Healer, I'll head out now."
Ha Do-yeon, having recalled her spirits, bowed slightly.
"Invite me once purification's done. Dying to see the transformation."
"Of course! You'll be first on the list!"
"Really? Yay..."
I escorted the beaming Ha Do-yeon, hands clasped in joy, to the gate entrance.
Then drew a deep breath and launched into full purification.
I couldn't make mana potions yet without Lumina flowers, but...
Today, I'd go until my mana bottomed out.
Alright then...
Start with the lake?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the deepest part of the polluted lake.
Amid the contaminants blanketing it, a tiny, feeble being eked out faint breaths.
'Dark... scary... hurts so much...'
Sporadic air bubbles burst intermittently—they'd soon cease entirely.
'I want to live... someone, please save me...'
If not...
Fine to die...
Just once more, glimpse my homeland brimming with green...
As the tiny being lost consciousness, yearning inwardly,
the pollutants crushing her for so long began to lift.
Simultaneously, a ray of light filtered through from the surface.
With blurry vision, she peered upward.
Above the surface, a pure, warm green glow gazed down gently.
'What...? A spirit here to save me...?'
The huddled being gathered her fading breaths and rose.
In her eyes, long-forgotten hope timidly bloomed.