Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: Now, Shall We Release the Mana Expansion Potion to the World?
After the massive quantities of mana potions flooded the market at rock-bottom prices.
'If it drops any further from here... what am I gonna do...?'
'Looking at how fast they're selling, this might be the peak already...'
'Mana potions don't even use that many materials, and 2 million won was ridiculous to begin with.'
A few anxious alchemists started dumping their stockpiles onto the exchange in a hurry.
Thanks to that, the market price plummeted visibly.
[Basic Mana Potion]
[Price: 100,000]
And finally.
It crashed all the way down to the 100,000 won mark.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
📰 Breaking News
[Ha... ㅠㅠ Finally, my little summoner can breathe easy...]
💬 Comments
— Anonymous
Maintaining summons ate up so much mana that potion costs were completely unaffordable. Guild support? No way, summoners aren't even welcome in the first place. So I just fought with my fists... Having awakened such a cheat ability and letting it rot was soul-crushingly sad. Now it finally feels like light is shining into my life. With potions dirt cheap, top guilds are sending offers left and right. Time to make bank and take care of my parents. And to whoever it was... The hero who stepped up and tanked the potion prices—thank you so much. I'll live every day with gratitude. Truly, thank you.
— Anonymous
I feel exactly the same...
— Anonymous
Mage maining an AoE skill that chugs 80 mana per cast. Nuff said.
— Anonymous
Tank who has to maintain skills from start to finish of every raid. Shedding tears as I upvote.
📰 Breaking News
[Our guild finally gets to challenge a large-scale gate...]
— Anonymous
We're a bottom-tier guild that never even got support from that anonymous sponsor... I thought large-scale gates were something we'd never touch in our lifetime, but seeing these cheap mana potions changed my mind. All our guild members specialize in prolonged battles. Gonna stock up on mana potions and tackle a large-scale gate with a marathon strategy. Cheer us on!
Posts like these began flooding the Awakener community.
Some celebrated with "Now all that's left is the moonshot—" and showered gift icons.
Others lamented buying up stockpiles when mana potions were 200,000 won, posting "I went all-in, but how do I even unload this now?"
And amid it all.
Alchemists hiding behind anonymity tried to subtly sway public opinion.
📰 Breaking News
[My alchemist acquaintance is kinda pitiful]
💬 Comments
— Anonymous
Heard from him that 2 million for mana potions isn't all that outrageous. Materials cost a pretty penny, and the process isn't easy either. Plus labor costs, obviously. And with failure rates, sunk costs, etc., dropping to 100k is insane, he said. Watching him drown his sorrows saying alchemists have no future... it was kinda sad.
— Anonymous
Lol, do you even know what goes into mana potion materials before posting?
— OP
Never asked, so no clue.
— Anonymous
It's you, not your "acquaintance" lol
— OP
Nope.
But posting in defense of alchemists right now was pretty much suicide.
📰 Breaking News
[Lol fk those corrupt bastards are getting what's coming]
📰 Breaking News
[Alchemists, had your fun while it lasted, huh?]
📰 Breaking News
[Always thought alchemists were the worst scum]
📰 Breaking News
[Can't we just mass-report their posts? Sick of seeing them.]
Public sentiment toward alchemists only worsened every time they posted.
Spicy backlash made pro-alchemist posts vanish gradually.
📰 Breaking News
[But seriously;; who the hell decided to dump mana potions at that price en masse?]
💬 Comments
— Anonymous
Tsk tsk... call them a hero, not a madman.
— Anonymous
Bet it's the Alchemist Union or one of the top 3 guilds picking a fight lol
— Anonymous
Maybe that anonymous sponsor? Suspiciously loaded...
📰 Breaking News
[While we're at it, hope that person drops recovery potion prices too...]
💬 Comments
— Anonymous
Agreed, 10 million for recovery potions is straight-up criminal.
— Anonymous
Hoping the hero floods the market with recovery potions too.
— Anonymous
Already holding my breath.
And so, the Awakener community returned to peace once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The first project had been a resounding success.
'Honestly, 200k was already a huge slash, never thought it'd drop further.'
So today, I planned to feast and rest with the goblins who'd worked so hard.
"Good job, everyone! Rest up and eat your fill today!"
- Happy, kiruk!
- Good, kruk!
I pulled out a gas burner, grill pan, wrap veggies, soju, beer, kimchi, instant rice, and meat from my massive-capacity inventory artifact, laying them out one by one.
'Turns out it's more useful than I thought.'
I'd splurged on it for bulk potion deliveries, but it was handy for everyday stuff too.
Ding-ding-!
I lit the burner and slapped a slab of pork belly onto the sizzling-hot grill.
Then.
Sizzle—
The sound of rain pattering refreshingly pierced my ears.
'The sound of grilling meat always hits just right.'
And barbecuing like this inside a gate surrounded by nature felt like camping—peaceful, somehow.
- Slurp, kruk...
- Slurrrp, kruk...
After the agonizing wait filled with temptation and torment.
I sliced the golden-brown meat into bite-sized pieces and plated it up.
The goblins snatched the still-piping-hot pieces barehanded and shoved them straight into their mouths.
Slurp, haa—
Slurp, haa—!
Panting from the heat but stunned by the novel taste, they stared wide-eyed at each other.
Then they frantically crammed the plated meat into their maws.
"There's plenty of meat—take it slow!"
I scolded them lightly, but seeing them devour it filled me with inexplicable pride.
Next, I taught the goblins how to make wraps.
Lay lettuce on your palm, top with perfectly grilled meat, rice, ssamjang, roasted garlic, and kimchi—then pop the whole thing in!
Crunch crunch—
God... so good it brings tears to my eyes.
Who invented meat wraps, anyway?
The goblins tried mimicking me, but it wasn't easy for them, it seemed.
Their clumsy fumbling with thick fingers and lettuce felt kinda heartbreaking...
That was when.
- Peep!
In the corner of my eye, far off in a secluded spot, I spotted the Lumina Spirit diligently rolling a meat wrap, tying off the lettuce ends neatly.
Spirits being so small, they couldn't eat these giant wraps themselves—must be for someone else.
'No way... for me!?'
A wrap hand-rolled by a spirit.
Oh man, how adorable is that...!
Is this what having kids feels like...?
But the Lumina Spirit ignored my eager stare and flitted over to Hob.
She popped the wrap right into Hob's mouth.
- Thank you, kruk!
Nom nom—
Hob gave the Lumina Spirit a thumbs-up as he chowed down.
Blush—
The Lumina Spirit suddenly wriggled bashfully, her face flushing red.
'...?'
Wait, what did I just see?
You little...
Why are you blushing at Hob?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Cheers—!"
- Cheers, kruk!
- Cheers, kiruk!
Grilling and chowing down meat with the goblins, chasing it with beer-soju mixes, before I knew it, the meat was all gone.
'Already out of meat?'
Yet they stared at the empty grill, smacking their lips.
Even after grilling all that, they weren't full yet.
'I bought 20 servings of pork belly just in case...'
Just how bottomless are these stomachs?
Anyway, with the meat gone.
Time to wrap up the afterparty.
Nod—
"Everyone, listen up!"
Clink clink clink—!
I tapped the beer glass with a spoon, drawing all eyes to me.
I gave Hob and Durak a quick rundown of the next plans.
Starting tomorrow, we'd push toward the original goal: normalizing recovery potion prices.
Pause Lumina Bell cultivation, focus on Seren Rose.
After field maintenance, devote spare time to mass-producing Mana Expansion Potions, and so on.
The goblins tilted their heads, not fully getting it, but this part they understood crystal clear.
"If this project succeeds too, I'll treat you all to way tastier meat than today—till you burst!"
- Kirrruk!!!
- Kruk, krukruk!!
They erupted in cheers, clapping wildly at the promise of even better meat.
"So rest well today, and let's hustle starting tomorrow!"
- Yes, sir! Kiruk!
- Roger, kruk!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Whenever Hob worked in the flower field, the Lumina Spirit would secretly watch from afar or sidle up to chat with him.
And when they talked...
It felt like the world held just the two of them, all lovey-dovey vibes.
Was there really something between the Lumina Spirit and Hob?
That afterparty moment when she fed him a wrap and blushed...
Wasn't my imagination...?
'But what the heck are they even talking about?'
Unable to hold back my curiosity, I snuck closer to eavesdrop.
'Lumina Spirit' asks if mushrooms are plants or animals.
- Animal, kiruk!
'Lumina Spirit' asks if watermelons are fruit or vegetables.
- Fruit, kiruk!
'Lumina Spirit' asks if shrimp are fish or animals.
- Fish? Kiruk!
Like philosophers debating life's truths, the two earnestly bantered on.
I was too stunned to even laugh.
'Huh...?'
Then.
Excited from agreeing with Hob, the Lumina Spirit showered spirit blessings all over the flower field.
'That's... the Mana Expansion Potion duplication bug...?'
I'd stumbled onto a duplication glitch by accident.
Suddenly, it felt like Mana Expansion Potion stockpiles would pile up faster than filling the field with Seren Roses.
'Hmm...'
Even the low- and mid-tier guilds' pecking order seemed pretty set.
Now, shall we slowly release the Mana Expansion Potions to the world?