Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: What's This Skinny Fish-Like Thing?
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An old two-story building sat in the middle of a rundown residential neighborhood.
Peeling paint revealed rough cement beneath, and the creaky window frames spoke of years gone by.
This was the Sprout Guild headquarters.
"It used to be a nursery building."
"Our guild master was actually the director there, and she started the Sprout Guild because she wanted to take responsibility for us until we became adults."
After hearing that story from Chae-eun, one of the Sprout Guild members and an ice mage...
Every time I visited the guild, it left a heavy feeling in my heart.
The so-called training room was barely big enough to stretch out in.
The dorm where several pubescent kids lived together didn't even have personal space—narrow bunk beds were their only bit of privacy.
On rainy days, water leaked from the ceiling,
and the wallpaper was damp and peeling in spots, with mold growing here and there.
No matter how I looked at it, the current Sprout Guild building was way too shabby for kids to live in.
So I...
"We'll go with this one!"
To test if it really would give me that dopamine rush,
I used the gate support reward from the Full Moon Guild to snag a small building on the outskirts of Seoul and made a massive donation to the Sprout Guild.
"Chrog unnie! Is this really our guild building? For real?"
"Guild master! Look at this! We can even run around in the hallway!"
"Hey, kids, no running—you'll get hurt..."
Just as I expected.
Seeing the kids bouncing around with joy, a thrilling wave of dopamine surged up from deep in my dantian.
'Found it.'
My dopamine...!
"Whoa! There's a room here too, and here too!"
"You like it that much?"
"Of course, unnie...!"
Honestly, this was way more thrilling than pulling aggro on the community forums to get attention.
No. It was on a whole different level.
"I'll live my whole life bowing to whichever side you're on. I'm so happy, I could die!"
Yeah, yeah. Be even happier.
Get as happy as you can so my dopamine can explode...!
"This is my room!"
"Then this one's mine!"
"No way! I claimed this one first!"
Look at those blissful faces, totally oblivious to how they're being used for my dopamine fix...
'Heh heh heh...'
Unlike the kids bursting with energy, Choi Han-ul just stood there in a daze, muttering something to himself.
"This is... too much for us..."
He seemed to think receiving an entire building was overly generous by his standards.
The dopamine that had been bubbling up to the top of my head fizzled out weakly.
Unable to stand it, I spoke up first.
"I've learned a lot from this incident."
"...Yes?"
"People need mana supplies this badly, and I've been hogging it all to myself..."
Choi Han-ul bowed his head without a word.
"From now on, I'll put a lot more out on the market. At much lower prices too. That means you'll have a ton more work, Han-ul."
I kept going.
"This is partly an apology for the shield I put up, but it's also a bribe for all the hard work you'll be doing!"
'Come on, say it's good.'
"Be honest. You like it, right?"
'Just say it's good!'
As I shot him a half-threatening glare in my mind,
Choi Han-ul, who had been listening quietly, suddenly raised a hand to cover his eyes.
"Sniff..."
"Huh? Are you crying?"
This was completely unexpected.
"Our kids are at that sensitive age, dreaming of their own rooms but never complaining once..."
"Ugh, the building's so old that they all get colds in winter, and it breaks my heart every time..."
With every word, his emotions welled up, tears leaking from between his fingers.
My hands flailed awkwardly, unsure whether to comfort him or not.
"I know it's too much... but I can't refuse when the kids are this happy..."
"Whoa! Guild master's crying!"
"Guild master's crying! Liar liar pants on fire!"
"Seeing guild master cry makes me cry too... Waaah..."
In the end, Choi Han-ul shed a round of tears with the kids, then quickly composed himself and bowed deeply to me.
"From now on, I'll serve you well. Whenever danger arises, I'll be your shield, and if blood needs to be spilled, I'll do it in your place. Truly... thank you so much."
"Um, sorry, but there won't be any blood on your hands."
"Guild master's resolve is too intense!"
"Chrog unnie must feel burdened!"
The kids' laughter filled the new Sprout Guild headquarters with warm, bright air.
After pouring out his emotions, Choi Han-ul was suddenly more excited than the kids, darting around the building.
"This can be the training room. Oh, this for our dining area? Wow! Three bathrooms! Kids, you'll have to clean diligently, got it?"
I took in the sight of Choi Han-ul showing his true feelings for the first time and the kids laughing happily.
Who knew donating one building would give me such a dopamine high.
'Alright. Who's next on the victim list...'
Now I had one more reason to make a ton of money.
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'I can't keep living in my semi-basement after giving the Sprout Guild a whole building.'
Before heading home,
I stopped by the Awakener Management Agency to check my contribution points.
The chaotic atmosphere, heavily armed awakeners, and tense air were the same as before.
Except for one thing: posters warning about the dangers of "artificial Lumina flowers" plastered all over the walls.
I took a number and sat down to wait.
Then, the staff member who had guided me to the appraisal room before spotted me and made a surprised face, quickly calling someone.
"Um... Healer-nim."
The approaching staffer gave an awkward smile and cautiously met my eyes.
"Sorry, but could you wait just a moment?"
"Sure? Why?"
"Well... you see..."
As the staffer trailed off,
the elevator door at the end of the lobby opened quietly.
A middle-aged woman in a sharp suit stepped out slowly, and the surrounding staff straightened up at once.
Without glancing around, she walked straight to me and greeted me politely.
"Hello. I'm Kim Myung-hee, Director of the Awakener Management Bureau."
She added right away,
"Could you spare some time? I'd like to escort you to my office personally."
Overwhelmed by her presence, I could only nod.
The director's office was on the top floor of the building.
Neatly arranged items, perfectly aligned.
A massive glass window offered a stunning view of downtown Seoul.
"First, allow me to apologize."
The moment we entered, the director bowed deeply before me.
"Disregarding your warning that day was a grave misjudgment. It resulted in failing to prevent numerous casualties."
Her tone was formal, but her voice carried a sense of responsibility.
She gestured, and the door opened again.
A familiar face entered cautiously—the staffer from public affairs who had smirked faintly when I asked him to sound the disaster alert.
He walked up to me and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Healer-nim... I deeply regret not handling it more flexibly that day."
I waved my hands in surprise.
"No, no! I asked for something unreasonable back then."
"I'm sorry... Truly sorry..."
"It's fine! Really, it's okay!"
I forced a smile,
but inside, a bitter feeling stirred.
Forget the alert—even a single line from an official national knight would have kept the damage from getting this bad.
...It'd be a lie to say I didn't resent that.
But the staffer had just followed protocol.
I couldn't blame him.
With a gesture, the director dismissed him, then looked at me calmly.
"Has that eased your mind a bit?"
"Oh, I wasn't mad to begin with. Really, it's fine."
A faint smile appeared on her previously stiff face.
"You came to the bureau for a reason, so no need for the first-floor hassle. Tell me directly."
"Well... I heard that if your contribution points are high enough, you qualify for awakener housing..."
I was about to ask how many points I'd accumulated when
the director said something completely unexpected.
"Healer-nim, you are exempt from the contribution points system."
"...Pardon?"
I blurted out in shock.
...Did I do something wrong?
"We deemed this merit impossible to quantify in points, so the state has decided to provide you with all supported resources unconditionally."
Her next words left my mind blank.
'All resources... unconditionally...?'
Unaware of my turmoil,
the director casually placed her hand on the terminal beside her desk.
"You mentioned awakener housing earlier."
A hologram device activated,
and translucent panels began floating in the air.
She pointed to one and explained.
"This is the apartment currently housing Korea's top rankers."
It was a luxury high-rise, just as she said.
Enormous, easily thousands per ping even conservatively,
complete with a full gym, pool, and rooftop garden.
"Next are residences for other major contributors to the nation."
More practical options followed.
Large villas, cozy townhouses, duplexes near the city center.
And finally... a standalone house nestled in the woods on the city outskirts.
"Wow...!"
My eyes locked onto the last one, naturally.
"Just tell me which one you want, and I'll handle the procedures immediately."
Without hesitation, I pointed at the standalone house.
"I want this one!"
The director paused, then asked,
"...Not the apartment, but the detached house?"
"Yes!"
"Healer-nim."
Trouble crossed her face.
"Please don't feel burdened. These are benefits awakeners deserve. Especially you."
For some reason, she seemed to want me to pick the apartment.
- Currently housing multiple top Korean rankers.
But I could already picture the headaches from living in a building full of rankers.
No way was I going there.
More than that, I just loved the last house the most.
A quiet forest, a sunny yard,
a little greenhouse next to the vegetable garden.
No better spot for growing plants.
"I want this house."
"...You're refreshingly frugal, unlike most people these days. Very well."
"We'll complete all procedures by tomorrow so you can move in."
My long-held dream of owning a home was coming true.
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While the move was being processed,
I decided to ramp up preparations for the cafe inside the gate.
I'd sold mana potions at auction and used the leftover cash to buy tables and chairs, carrying them one by one into the gate.
That's when I spotted something small and round near the gate entrance.
"Huh? What's this?"
A few pretty acorns were neatly lined up by the entrance, like someone had placed them there on purpose.
"Did they roll off a tree?"
Tilting my head, I cleared the acorns and set the tables and chairs in prime spots.
Then I went out, grabbed a large coffee machine, and came back in.
"...Huh?"
But this time, instead of acorns, five pinecones were neatly arranged by the entrance...!
There must be some squirrel-like animal living in here.
Like a cat bringing dead mice as gifts.
Definitely a wild animal showing gratitude for purifying the trees!
"Oh right—I almost forgot that thing again. Gotta go grab it quick—!"
I pretended to leave awkwardly and hid in the nearby bushes.
A moment later,
a tiny creature placed a four-leaf clover gently at the gate entrance, glanced around, and tried to flee.
I crept up stealthily...
"Gotcha, you little rascal!"
And snatched it!
- Piiiii!
But the moment I grabbed it, this trembling, tearful thing...
didn't look like any wild animal.
"...What? What's this skinny fish-like thing?"
Could it be... a spirit?