Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Turns Out, She's an Incredible Lucky Charm
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Inside the ruined gate.
Amid the rotten vines and withered plants, the first thing that caught my eye was the lake, blackened with rot.
"It must have been really beautiful once..."
The arrangement of the trees encircling the lake, the gently curving terrain.
Even the angle where shade and light intertwined.
Every element blended in perfect harmony, exuding a serene atmosphere.
If someone opened a café by the lake, I had a feeling it would become an instant hotspot for life shots among the Awakeners.
"Alright. Let's purify the lake first."
The moment I reached out toward the lake.
A sudden anxiety flashed through me: Would my Purify skill even work here...?
The skill description only said it "treats specific conditions like curses, poison, paralysis, etc."
"Still, gotta give it a shot..."
I'd already poured 80 million won into this gate...
It'd hurt like hell if it failed...
But the skill's called Purify, so I'll just trust it and go for it...!
I spread my clenched hand wide and extended it over the lake again.
As I focused my mind, light bloomed from my fingertips and slowly spread across the water's surface.
Splash—
At the same time, the water rippled like it was boiling.
The murky foreign substances began sinking slowly.
Even with just a tiny bit of mana for the Purify skill, a noticeable change appeared.
I cautiously knelt and peered into the lake.
"Huh? What's that?"
Then, deep inside the lake.
Something like a small fish slipped by.
"A fish in the lake? No way that's possible."
I couldn't believe it, so I looked closer, but aside from floating debris, nothing was there.
It didn't make sense for any life to survive in water boiling with toxins and lacking oxygen.
Guess I mistook the sinking debris for a fish.
"Fish... Yeah, once it's purified, I could raise some rare fish here."
Plus, someday I'd have to enter gates whether I wanted to or not.
If I'm going anyway, might as well catch some rare fish.
"For that, the water needs to be crystal clear, right?"
I gathered all the mana in my body and poured it straight into the lake.
A massive light enveloped the entire lake.
The blackened surface rippled, and the oil and pollutants visibly vanished.
Layer by layer.
Once the black contamination was gone, the lake turned into crystal-clear water that let you see straight to the bottom.
"Huuu..."
My mana was completely drained, bringing on a sudden dizzy spell.
I flopped onto the ground and caught my breath slowly.
"Hoo, gotta... make some mana potions quick... huu..."
I'd felt it before, but...
Using mana until it bottoms out...
Really isn't something a person should do.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "'Another spirit came to save me!'
The little being swam with all its might toward the clear, pure green energy.
But the closer it got to the surface, the stronger the uneasy feeling grew.
"'Wait. This isn't spirit energy...?'
The moment it stopped swimming and looked up at the surface.
Its eyes met those of the human peering into the lake.
- A fish in there? No way.
The little being froze stiff.
Bubbles burst from the water.
"'Eek... Human...!'
It instantly curled up and darted into a crevice between rocks.
The green light it had hoped in turned to terror.
"'Humans are scary... Can't get close...'
Truth be told, the little being was originally a curious spirit who loved humans.
It would guide fishermen to spots teeming with fish, secretly lead lost children back to safety.
It even sneaked among people splashing in the water, giggling along with their splashes.
But at some point, humans started dumping trash everywhere on her green homeland and abandoning it.
Even her beloved lake got ruined.
Humans, once loved for no reason...
Started feeling like monsters.
The spirit hid in her dearest lake to avoid them.
Thus, the gate lost its natural purification and began to corrupt.
"'They hadn't come for a while... Why now...'
Scary...
Have to run...
They'll torment me, my home again...
The spirit, huddled trembling in the rock crevice, suddenly blinked in surprise.
Huh? What's this?
Breathing... doesn't feel suffocating like before.
Looking around dazedly, the heavy pollutants that had weighed her down were gone like a lie.
"'How is this possible?'
Could it be the human who looked at me from the surface...?
"'No way. Impossible.'
They only ever make it dirtier.
She shook her head fiercely, but the spark of hope in her eyes wouldn't fade.
The spirit slowly swam up near the surface.
Thankfully, the human peering into the lake was gone.
After ages, she poked her face above water and froze, mouth agape.
"'...The trash is all gone?'
An unbelievable miracle was happening in her homeland.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Word spread quickly among Awakeners: A "permanent mana expansion potion" had hit the auction house.
📰 Breaking News [Permanent expansion...? Not just temporary?] [My connection's a top guild master—says it's fact, not rumor.] [Alchemist-made? Or clear reward?] [No one knows yet.] VIP auctions kept things secret by unspoken rule.
But they couldn't contain the shock of a single potion boosting stats permanently.
💬 Comments — Anonymous [Bet Full Moon Guild snagged it lol] — Anonymous [Nah, Bloom Guild. Moneybags like them wouldn't miss it. Guaranteed.] — Anonymous ↳ Reply [Maybe not a big guild—some regular businessman? Rare stuff like that, just slap a premium and sell.] Debate raged: Did top-ranked Full Moon Guild win the potion?
Or Bloom Guild, packed with chaebols and crypto rich?
— Anonymous [But guys, key point: 'No one knows how much it increases'] Once word spread the mana gain was unknown, the winner—wherever they were—got branded a sucker.
Then.
A single post flipped the narrative entirely.
⭐ Top Comment — FullMoonInsider [Yeah, Full Moon bought that potion. Boosted mana by about 100.]
> Can't say who drank it—top secret.
> Believe it or not, up to you, but don't drag our guild or Bloom into this.
> As a Full Moon member, it's fucking embarrassing.]
Awakeners lost it reading the post.
The initial mana on awakening was a fixed "exactly 100."
If true, one potion doubled permanent mana.
— Anonymous [Wtf 100 mil for double mana? Insane profit... Level-ups are trash compared ㅠㅠ] — Anonymous [You Full Moon? How do I join??] — Anonymous [How tf does one potion give +100 raw mana...] — Anonymous [Gotta be worth 5-10 bil min? Full Moon hit jackpot.] — AuctionLoser [Fml... Shoulda bid one more time... Fml...] — Anonymous ↳ Reply [You were in the auction?] ↳ Reply [Lmao missed it? Relic-tier item, won't see again.] Screams from auction losers.
Praise for Full Moon's gamble.
Speculation on the seller.
After the post outing Full Moon, the Awakener community burned nonstop.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ As soon as I recovered a bit, I headed straight home.
Skipping a shower, I dove into blooming the Lumina Bells.
- Pip...
- Piiip...
Slither—
The Lumina Spirit flew over from where it was helping pollinate the flowers, looking up at me with expectant eyes.
"Good job. Thanks for the help."
I handed it five of the 50 purified water bottles from Ha Do-yeon.
"You're a natural at cleaning trash, huh? Did an amazing job."
- Piiik...!?
Maybe thrilled by the purified water and praise.
The spirit circled the Lumina flowers, humming some bizarre tune.
- Pip pipiru sat—♬
- Pipi pik piru pi—♬
Sparkling lights scattered from its wings, and messages popped up among the flowers.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Lumina Bell blessed by the spirit sings excitedly.] [Lumina Bell blessed by the spirit sings along.] [Lumina Bell blessed by the spirit dances joyfully.] What the heck is this spirit's blessing that's got the plants going wild...
Gulp gulp—
Piiiik—!
The Lumina Spirit chugged the purified water like an uncle downing soju after hard labor, sprawled on the flowerpot.
A smug, world-conquering smile lit its face.
I stared in disbelief, then got back to blooming the Lumina flowers.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Before long, all the planted seeds had bloomed fully.
"Set aside ten for the necromancer..."
I harvested the remaining thirty-five.
The seeds from the flowers went into my pocket to replant in the gate.
"Alright then!"
All potion ingredients ready.
Time to whip 'em up quick and efficient!
I lined up the uncapped potion bottles and poured in one purified water each.
Then carefully mixed in the flower nectar extracted in the mortar.
By the time my wrists ached.
Thirty-five mana potions complete.
"Hm...?"
Among the finished bottles, a few held a faint glow.
Not as strong as the one sold at auction, but tiny galaxies swirled in the blue liquid.
"'Could these expand mana too?'
Well... Down one and see!
My mana wasn't fully recovered, perfect for testing.
I picked a glowing mana potion from the normals.
And tossed it in without hesitation.
Sweet like cough syrup coated my tongue, ending bitter as the thin liquid slid down my throat.
Right then.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Mana permanently +1] A new message appeared before my eyes.
"...Huh?"
Mana increased? And it wasn't even from a spirit-born flower?
I chugged a regular mana potion next.
No message this time.
Suddenly, I recalled the Lumina Bells humming as the spirit sprinkled lights.
No way.
That spirit's blessing...
Eyes wide, I stared at the Lumina Spirit, drunk on purified water, limbs splayed starfish-style.
- Kuuul, piii...
- Kuooooul, pi...
This troublemaker who caused chaos daily...
Turns out, she was an incredible lucky charm?