Spiritual Herbs (2)
Status window.
- Forms a mental resonance with contracted beings.
- Target is currently hatching.
Huh.
My level really went up by one.
"Is this even possible?"
I'd only been a superhuman for a short time, but I'd never heard of leveling up just by eating a spiritual herb.
Superhuman Net search.
- Can you level up just by eating spiritual herbs?
Second, a trait with extremely high mana affinity.
"So it does exist."
Not entirely unheard of.
One of the strongest superhumans, dubbed one of the Ten Supremes, had experienced it.
"Will my levels stop rising now?"
Just in case, I harvested another Lunadria and ate it.
Once again, that ecstatic flavor danced across my tongue.
As I savored the last bite, the system message appeared.
Your mana capacity has greatly increased.
Your level has risen.
Insane!
It went up again.
"Whoa, this is wild."
How far could I take this?
If I could keep leveling indefinitely, there might be a way out of here.
I can't be trapped here forever.
Hope sparked within me.
It felt like spotting a faint lighthouse beacon in the endless ocean.
"Keep... urp."
I considered eating another Lunadria.
But a burp escaped.
Ever since that second one, my stomach felt like it was about to burst.
The satiety from Lunadria was insane.
I wanted more, but physically, there was no room left.
"No forcing it. Take it slow."
In a situation where I couldn't visit a clinic or hospital, any health issue would be a direct threat to survival.
The more urgent the heart, the slower the pace.
Once my stomach settled, I'd eat more.
"If only I had drinking water sorted."
That water pooled in the spring.
Was it safe to drink?
Even dipping a hand in felt risky.
As I hesitated,
a voice echoed from the Dragon's Egg again.
"Kyuu~ I'm hungry. Feed me~"
A much stronger voice than before.
But how much time had passed? Hungry again already?
Maybe it was growing rapidly inside the egg.
Lost in thought, I uprooted a Lunadria root and placed it beside the Dragon's Egg.
Woooong!!
Once more, the Dragon's Egg and Lunadria resonated.
Paat!
Blue particles flowed from the Lunadria into the Dragon's Egg.
Sss.
The egg grew slightly larger again.
At this rate, it'd hatch soon.
"Kyuuung~"
A happy cry emanated from the Dragon's Egg.
Seemed like it finished eating.
"Kyuu. Full."
It went quiet again.
Probably off to sleep.
"Hmm."
I picked up the leftover Lunadria beside the egg.
Still vibrant with life.
But it looked a bit wilted, having lost a lot of mana.
At this rate, the Lunadria won't last long.
I glanced at the cluster of Lunadria.
Over a hundred remained.
But at this pace, it'd run out in a couple months.
Can't I plant more?
There was plenty of space for farming.
This area was the size of a school field.
Easily 5,000 pyeong of uniform, fertile soil matching where the Lunadria grew.
If only I could get farming tools.
I stared at the Lunadria and made a decision.
"If I sell a few roots for good money, I can buy cultivation gear."
I logged back into Superhuman Net.
Marketplace search.
I searched for fixed-price Lunadria listings.
But...
No matching listings found.
"What?"
No Lunadria on the marketplace.
A quick community search revealed why.
"So rare that supply is scarce, but demand is high—they sell out instantly?"
Digging through old posts, I gauged the market price.
"Even wilted low-quality ones sell for 1,000 coins?"
My eyes widened.
Coins were Superhuman Net's currency.
1 coin ≈ 10,000 won.
So 1,000 coins was 10 million won.
"Holy crap, this little weed is worth that much?"
I knew dungeon loot often fetched millions easily.
High-class gear or artifacts from top dungeons could hit tens or hundreds of billions.
But this? Just a mana-rich weed.
Still, 10 million won.
Decent ones went for 20-30 million typically.
A fortune in my current straits.
"Time to sell this."
The leftover Lunadria the egg didn't finish.
How much would it fetch?
Pluck!
I tore off a piece and tasted it.
Crunch!
"Ah!"
Mysterious flavors burst in my mouth.
Still delicious.
A bit less intense, maybe.
But surely sellable.
So, what price to list?
1,000 coins?
No.
This was special Lunadria from here.
Bigger size. Mind-blowing taste.
Earlier, high on the flavor, I'd searched Superhuman Net about Lunadria taste.
But...
Totally different from what I knew.
Was my taste buds off?
Nah.
This place's Lunadria was huge from the start—likely superior in flavor too.
Let's ask the market.
Not sure on price, so I posted a question.
Had to pick a nickname for trading, so I went with Madoje.
Always dreamed of being a grand archmage like Arthur Bennett.
One gesture incinerates lands, shatters mountains—transcendent power.
My role model.
Once the dragon from this egg grows, maybe I'd wield similar might.
Or surpass him entirely.
With that hope, I named myself Madoje—Emperor of Magic.
"5,000 coins?"
I blinked at the unexpected sum.
That was a jackpot.
Could solve most of my shortages.
"Private trade, huh."
Superhuman Net allowed direct deals.
Tempted to jump on it.
But wait.
What if it sells for even more?
I switched to the auction tab.
Start at 5,000 coins.
If it hit that, it'd sell there anyway.
Y.
With my will, the half-eaten Lunadria in my hand glowed brightly.
Paat!
It vanished into thin air.
Auction registered.
The die was cast.
Set the shortest timer: 3 hours.
Results soon.
"Phew. Now, rethink that water."
Drinking water—next critical issue.
Superhumans possess diverse traits.
Among them, Alchemy.
And within alchemy, some had potion-making traits.
Kim Jeonghwan, using the handle RainbowPotion on Superhuman Net, was one such alchemist.
"Hmm. No reply."
That recent post claiming a forearm-thick Lunadria.
Probably bait or fake.
But Kim Jeonghwan desperately wanted to believe it was real.
"Time's running out, and no answers."
His new project: High-Concentration Mana Ampoule Potion.
Using Lunadria for elite superhuman mana potions.
But trouble.
First clinical trial loomed, yet no solid results.
Need Lunadria packed with mana.
Must show results to secure next funding round.
No more investment, no more trials.
If that size is real, mana content should be huge.
Not baseless faith.
Superhumans overlooked a fact:
Lunadria with high mana tasted incredibly sweet.
Problem: Such specimens rarely hit the market.
But the poster called it sweet.
High chance it was legit.
DM blocked. No reply to comments.
Left another on the post.
Someone dropped a bombshell comment.
Rushed to auction tab.
"Whoa! It's really listed!"
⏰ Time Remaining: 2h 35m
My god!
Not bait—it was real.
"F-Forearm thick for real?"
Auction items showed photos.
A bit wilted, but that size was unprecedented.
Level showed as ???.
Meant 10+ levels above the seller.
Lunadria usually Lv1-20.
If it was Lv20 and seller under Lv10, possible.
But sub-Lv10 getting Lunadria? Near impossible.
Needed Lv40+ typically.
So how high was this?
Buy it. Now.
He bid hastily.
6,500 Coins
Someone followed immediately.
Fierce competition.
Blasted past 7,000 coins in seconds.
"Damn! More bidders."
Not one, but several.
Anyone herb-savvy knew how absurd this was.
Of course they'd frenzy.
"Please... let me win."
Ammo plentiful: 50,000 coins liquid.
Less than 3 hours left—tough to convert more in time.
Should've prepped more coins.
Late regret.
Still fine.
Would it exceed 50k?
As long as not, he'd snag it.
Under 2.5 hours left.
Climb slow. Slow!
But.
Against Kim Jeonghwan's hopes, bids skyrocketed as time ticked.