Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The 'Anonymous Sponsor' Who Appeared Without Warning
Among the items packed full in the 'Ancient Spirit Shop',
the first thing that caught my eye was,
immediately,
⚙ SHOP ITEM ⚙ ‘Spirit Snack’ Category, Best Seller #1!! - ★Mana Churu★ - Highly concentrated mana in liquid stick form. - A snack no spirit can resist! - Effective for luring wild spirits! - ※ Overconsumption may increase spirit's weight or slow its movements. [Sale Price: 50 Coins]
'A snack no spirit can resist...?'
The moment I read the product description, my gaze shifted to Lily, who was snorting beside me.
- Hmph, beep!
Lily was one of those spirits who especially loved to eat.
So if I gave her this, wouldn't it at least ease her sulky mood from me heading out alone with Pristine earlier?
Owned Coins: 100 Coins Fortunately, I had those 100 coins I'd gotten from completing the 'Seed Transport Quest' in that large gate I'd cleared before.
'Let's buy just one for now!'
I placed my finger on the purchase button without a second thought.
Then, with a poof, the 'Mana Churu' popped out of the shop window and landed right in my palm.
I held the Mana Churu up high to draw the spirits' attention.
"What's this!"
But the spirits just shot me puzzled looks, like 'Why's this human suddenly acting so weird?'
They showed zero interest in the Mana Churu gripped in my hand.
"......"
It clearly said 'A snack no spirit can resist'...?
'...Did I just get scammed?'
I shook my head hard while standing there in a daze.
'No way, too soon to give up.'
They might just have no idea what it tastes like yet.
Pop!-
I tore open the top of the stick, my heart pounding with tension.
And then.
Twitch!-
The spirits' wings all shot up at once.
⚙ SPIRIT REACTION ⚙ ['Lily' drools at the familiar mana scent.] ['Pristine' reacts to the familiar mana scent.] ['Lumina Spirit' loses its mind at this new scent.] The spirits, who had been floating through the air with blank faces just moments ago, now eyed it hungrily like starving cats.
- Beep...?
- Beep!! Beep beep!
⚙ SPIRIT SPEECH ⚙ ['Pristine' asks where on earth you got that.] ['Lumina Spirit' excitedly yells, asking what's in your hand.] "Hold on, guys, hold on a sec!"
I gently pushed back the Lumina Spirit that was thrusting its forehead right at me to calm it down.
Then headed over to Lily, who was peeking at me warily from a distance.
"...Lily, want some Mana Churu?"
As I approached and held it out, Lily locked eyes with me for a moment before haughtily turning her head away.
- Beep.
I could practically see right through that little head of hers: 'I won't let you off that easy!'
- Gulp...
- Guuulp...
But apparently, the temptation right in front of her was too much for Lily to bear.
Her pouty face kept swallowing saliva nonstop.
'Okay, it's working.'
Convinced that a little gentle coaxing like this would win her over,
I slowly shook the Mana Churu in front of Lily's eyes.
"I bought this just for you... You really won't have any?"
Did 'just for you' strike a chord?
I could see the corner of her mouth creeping up.
"Come on, forgive me. Sorry, okay?"
I squeezed out a stream of Mana Churu right in front of her eyes.
Then, messages started popping up wildly above Lily's head, who'd been quiet up till now.
🧠 INNER CONFLICT 🧠 ['Lily's 'Angel Self' yells at her to quit being mad already.] ['Lily's 'Devil Self' pushes back on the Angel Self, saying she needs to throw a bit more tantrum first.] "......"
Looks like she had two selves too, just like my own 'Plant Fanatic' self.
Anyway.
The victor in that internal tug-of-war was Lily's 'Angel Self'.
She scratched her head sheepishly, shuffled over to me, and took the Mana Churu.
Lick-
As she cautiously tasted the Mana Churu, a gleam flashed in Lily's eyes.
Chomp chomp chomp chomp-
Chomp chomp chomp chomp!
From there, she went into a total frenzy, tongue working overtime.
⚙ SPIRIT REACTION ⚙ ['Lily' can't keep her head straight from the intense tingling on her tongue tip.] ['Lily' feels profound emotion at the long-missed taste and aroma of concentrated mana.] It felt kinda like feeding churu to a street cat that hadn't eaten in days... some weird vibe.
Next, I bought another 'Mana Churu' from the 'Ancient Spirit Shop' and split it between Pristine and the Lumina Spirit.
⚙ SPIRIT REACTION ⚙ ['Pristine' savors a deeply nostalgic taste and sinks into memories of home.] Unlike Pristine, who closed her eyes to slowly savor it and ate with refined poise,
⚙ SPIRIT REACTION ⚙ ['Lumina Spirit' loses its mind at this first taste of intense stimulation.] ['Lumina Spirit' falls into deep shock, wondering how such a flavor could exist in this world.] ['Lumina Spirit' sheds tears, saying it could die right now with no regrets.] The Lumina Spirit put on a wild show, like a cat tasting churu for the very first time.
- Beeeeep...?
The little guy slurped it up at breakneck speed, only to stare vacantly at the empty shell once it was drained dry.
- Biiing...
Then it flopped down on the floor, legs splayed out, face like it'd lost everything in the world.
The snack I'd gotten to placate Lily had unexpectedly become the Lumina Spirit's all-time favorite.
'Hm? Hold on.'
From now on, whenever I make those sparkling Lumina flowers, if I mix some Mana Churu into the purified water...
Wouldn't they shower way more spirit blessings than before...?
Owned Coins: 0 Coins Can't test it right this second since I'd blown through all my coins, though.
Anyway.
Lily's mood seemed mostly soothed now.
About time to get to today's real goal.
'Alright then... time to go make some money!'
I grabbed the book again and headed for the auction house.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The first time I'd come to the auction house, my whole body had shaken with nerves—I could barely even swivel my eyes.
"The special auction will now begin."
This second visit was different.
I had enough composure now to casually scan the surroundings.
And in doing so, I noticed one thing.
'...Hm?'
The vibe in the auction house was totally different from my first time.
The auction had barely kicked off, yet yawns echoed from all corners.
People scrolling news articles on their phones, others with legs crossed and heads thrown back, staring off into nowhere.
A place that once choked you with thick tension...
Now brimmed only with boredom and listlessness.
Seats that used to be packed solid were now dotted with more empties than not.
"First item up: unidentified S-grade relic box."
As the auctioneer unveiled the first lot,
- Ah... what is it? Another one with a jacked-up grade?
- Unidentified relic boxes are a dime a dozen... zero interest...
- Sigh, guess I was dumb for getting my hopes up.
Dissatisfied grumbles erupted everywhere.
In that instant, the folks I'd run into at that bizarre market yesterday overlapped in my mind.
[I like items with real collector's value.] [Does this satisfy my urge to collect?] [I want something you can't find anywhere else.] They had cash to burn and top-tier gear overflowing.
But they were obsessed with that one thing: rarity you couldn't find anywhere on earth.
'Maybe...'
The people gathered here weren't just after good items.
Maybe they came to claim stuff unavailable anywhere in Korea?
That hazy hunch solidified into certainty as the auction dragged on.
"Second item: legendary weapon blueprint."
- Same old, same old, over and over.
- Legendary's a joke—if it were relic-grade, maybe.
"Third item: a skill you can use twice..."
- Sigh, should I just head home...? Total waste of time.
- Can't be helped. All the ultra-rares from recent gates are getting monopolized by the top guilds...
The auction house mood soured beyond saving.
That's when I heard rustling around me as people started packing their things.
"And finally, today's highlight item."
At the auctioneer's steady announcement, scattered gazes snapped to the podium in a flash.
- ...Highlight?
- A... highlight?
- What's so hot they slapped 'highlight' on it?
The auctioneer let the tension build in silence before slowly opening the box in hand.
A blinding light burst from within, instantly flooding the dim auction hall with brilliance.
"An item that lets you awaken an additional unique skill: the Skill Book."
The words had barely left the auctioneer's mouth.
When the auction house—thick with boredom and tedium—flipped on a dime.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Right now, Korea's mid-to-upper-tier guilds were running stable operations off their piled-up capital.
With capital came talent flocking in; talent brought more capital. Rinse and repeat.
In that virtuous cycle, those guilds' footholds only grew more ironclad by the day.
Lower-tier guilds were a different story.
No capital reserves meant they couldn't train talent or lure it in.
No talent meant no money-making, just withering away bit by bit.
Naturally, Korea's guild rankings had hardened like concrete.
Then one day.
An upset cracked the stagnant flow.
📰 Guild Announcements ['Anonymous Sponsor' has donated equipment items worth 1 billion won to 'Green Guild.'] ['Anonymous Sponsor' has donated potion items worth 1 billion won to 'Isle Shade Guild.'] ['Anonymous Sponsor' has donated equipment items worth 1 billion won to 'Unicorn Guild.'] ... ... ... The 'Anonymous Sponsor' who appeared out of nowhere, without warning.
💬 Forum Reactions — Anonymous What the heck is this...? Someone anonymously dropped 1 billion won in gear donations...? — UnicornGuildMaster I'm the Unicorn Guild Master and we just got this massive anonymous sponsorship out of nowhere... what is going on...? His sponsorship bombshell up front.
Had started spiderwebbing tiny cracks across that rock-solid concrete slab.