Hong Seolhwa (4)
Our lucky egg was changing.
After gulping down a sip of the Taeumyangjeong, its size suddenly swelled along with a brilliant golden light.
“Whoa.”
The dragon egg that once reached only from my head to my navel now stretched from my head down past my hips.
“The shell… it’s gotten darker too.”
What had been a slightly faded gold was now a deep, rich golden hue.
A strong intuition told me it would hatch soon.
“Lucky, are you about to come out into the world?”
Would the egg even understand the concept of hatching?
Of course it wouldn’t… or so I thought.
The being before me was a dragon.
An existence that couldn’t be judged by human standards.
So maybe it already knew when it would hatch.
『Kkyu-ung… Dania still needs to grow a little more. That way she’ll get stronger.』
Oh!
Look at that.
Dragons really are different.
It even knew the optimal time to hatch in peak condition.
Phew.
That was a relief.
I’d been quietly worried about it.
Was it really okay to hatch the egg like this?
Was there another way?
What if I missed the hatching window?
But the egg’s answer just now swept all those concerns away.
“That’s our Lucky for you.”
Heh heh.
“Ah!”
This was the perfect moment to give it a name.
“Lucky” felt too impersonal.
Names like Goldie, Velora, and Or… flashed through my mind.
The one that finally stuck was…
“Dania.”
A name that carried the feeling of abundance and blessings.
Something that could express the blessings a dragon would bring.
“Lucky, how about Dania?”
『Kkyu-ung…?』
Its voice was drowsy, heavy with satisfaction.
It sounded like it was about to fall asleep.
“That’s going to be your name. I’m going to call you Dania. Is that okay?”
『Dania…? My name?』
“Yeah.”
『Kkyu… My name! Dania likes it. Dania, kkyu-ung…』
With those words, silence fell.
It had fallen asleep.
The reaction hadn’t been bad.
Alright, Lucky.
From now on, your name is Dania!
You have given a name to the being bound by the Oath of the Dragon.
Spiritual resonance has deepened.
Dania’s hatching speed has accelerated.
“Oh!”
An unexpected stroke of good fortune.
I should have named it sooner.
“Heh heh. Hatch soon, won’t you?”
The moment Dania hatched, I’d have to feed it Lunadria first.
That taste of paradise spreading through the mouth.
Dania would surely love it.
“I hope the other crops succeed too.”
The seeds I’d sown so far:
Cheongmyeong Water Grass, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Lunadria, and Baekyang Herb.
Which of them would survive?
Cheongmyeong Water Grass had to succeed.
For securing drinking water.
As for Lunadria and Baekyang Herb, I desperately hoped they’d succeed for both my and Dania’s growth.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes?
Honestly, I could live without them.
“Though that would mean giving up on my cooking dreams.”
Anyway, the die had been cast.
The results would come soon enough.
‘I wonder how Hong Seolhwa is doing.’
She had wanted the Lunadria so badly that I gave her three flowers.
Later I realized even one would have been more than enough to pay for the Baekyang Herb, but…
She was sick, after all.
I hoped the three flowers would have an effect.
Well, if they did, Hong Seolhwa would probably contact me separately.
Ha-aam!
A long yawn escaped me.
‘Then I should…’
Maybe get some sleep too?
I lay down beside Dania, curling up on my side.
Sleep well, Dania.
See you tomorrow.
My consciousness grew hazy as I sank into deep slumber.
The petals of the Lunadria melted inside Hong Seolhwa’s mouth.
“……!”
The moment she took a bite, her eyes widened like a rabbit’s.
Chef An Jaeseong’s dishes.
They weren’t like those, where different flavors harmonized.
But…
‘It’s… so delicious.’
The pure taste of Lunadria.
To her, the natural flavor suited her palate even more.
The moonlight-like sweetness spreading fragrantly through her mouth.
For a moment, she wanted to forget her physical condition and focus entirely on her sense of taste.
Chew chew.
Gulp!
‘Aah!’
After swallowing the Lunadria, a different kind of exclamation burst out.
It felt as if cool moonlight had entered her body.
Her once-burning heart slowly submerged into a cold current.
The overflowing yang energy that had tormented her began to subside.
At the same time, cold yin energy flowed through her veins, wrapping her entire body in a calm stillness she had almost forgotten.
Whoosh!
Steam rose from her body.
Heat and cold clashed inside her, creating a sensation like fire and ice dancing together.
The searing pain she had endured gradually faded, replaced by a cool, gentle mist of moonlight embracing her.
This yin energy felt like an ecstatic hug.
She felt as though her body was sinking into an abyss filled with starlight.
‘I-insane.’
Her eyes snapped open.
“Master!”
Hong Ganghyeon also sensed something was amiss.
Shock, astonishment, and excitement mixed on his face.
“It’s… working.”
“Good heavens!”
Joy flooded both their faces.
“It’s not over yet, so… I’ll focus a little more.”
“Yes. You should. Focus.”
Hong Ganghyeon swallowed dryly and clenched his fists.
It felt like spotting a lighthouse in the middle of despair.
Sweat beaded on his palms.
“Gulp.”
Meanwhile, Hong Seolhwa placed another Lunadria petal in her mouth.
Chew chew.
Her expression softened languidly.
Gulp.
She swallowed quickly.
Pluck, chew chew.
She picked another and ate it.
Before long, all the Lunadria petals were gone.
‘Aah!’
A massive surge of yin energy swirled inside her body.
She was immersed in a thrilling pleasure born from the clash of yang and yin energies.
The more yin energy spread through her, the sharper her senses became.
She felt a cool breeze brushing through her very bones.
The sensation was dreamy and distant.
It was like falling into an ecstasy of dancing alone under moonlight.
“Ah!”
A short gasp escaped her lips.
The flames of yang energy that had burned inside her had now died down.
She could feel a new energy, like cold petals blooming within her, trying to restore balance to her body.
In that boundary between yin and yang, she experienced a quiet trance.
In that moment, she felt both destruction and regeneration simultaneously, sinking into an ecstasy where everything mingled.
“U-uncle.”
She stood up.
Unlike before, her breathing wasn’t labored.
Her hands and feet weren’t trembling.
It was the condition of her brilliant prime.
The peak physical state she thought she would never see again.
A summer night’s memory.
The glory of the past.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Huuuueeng. Uncle! I… I’m better. My body is.”
“Aah! Seolhwa. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The two of them wept like children.
Tears of joy and ecstasy.
After crying for a long while, they composed themselves.
“Master, I’m sorry to ask this, but… has your body… completely recovered?”
The question of whether she was fully cured.
“Hmm…”
Hong Seolhwa briefly examined her internal state.
Then her expression darkened slightly.
“It doesn’t seem completely healed.”
At its peak moment, her body had returned to perfect condition.
But as time passed, the balance had shifted slightly again.
The yang energy had grown stronger.
The yin energy had weakened.
It was a minute difference that ordinary superhumans couldn’t detect.
But Hong Seolhwa was a high-ranking superhuman at Level 77.
She could perceive the difference immediately.
“Still, as long as I don’t overdo it, I should be fine for at least a few months.”
There were still two more Lunadria flowers left.
If she consumed them all, she could live with a normal body for at least a year.
Her eyes welled up again.
She had only hoped to return to a normal body even for a single day.
Now she had been given a year.
It was a miracle.
“I’ll… look into this Lunadria and the person called Madoje.”
“No. I’ve received an irrepayable favor from Madoje. I don’t want to investigate behind his back.”
Hong Seolhwa shook her head.
“I’ll try contacting him again. To see if I can get more Lunadria.”
“Yes. In that case, I’ll focus on obtaining more Taeumyangjeong.”
“Please do.”
Taeumyangjeong.
It was a supreme elixir for those suffering from qi deviation or mana overload.
It was difficult to obtain because it was hard to formulate.
To heal Hong Seolhwa’s body, the highest-grade Taeumyangjeong was needed.
“We’ve bought some time. It’ll work out.”
“Yes. It will. It has to.”
A spark of hope had returned to their eyes.
『……the influence of <······ster>……』
A sweet voice echoed in her dream.
“Huaaam!”
I woke up with a yawn.
How many hours had I slept?
I blinked.
The glowing stones poured out bright light 24 hours a day.
Time was impossible to gauge.
Hmm…
My body felt refreshed, so I must have slept deeply.
Probably for quite a while.
It felt like I’d slept more than ten hours.
I glanced at Lucky—Dania.
She was still fast asleep.
By now she would usually be asking for food.
Honestly, I’d even worried she might wake me up in the middle of the night demanding a meal.
But she seemed to have fallen into an even deeper sleep than me.
Now that her size had increased, her sleep had lengthened too.
“Just grow up healthy.”
I gently stroked Dania.
A warm sensation spread through my hand.
“Agh.”
But then a problem arose.
Thirst began to creep in.
Water.
A cold glass of water would be perfect right now.
‘The Cheongmyeong Water Grass isn’t ready yet… huh?’
I turned my head without thinking.
Toward where I’d planted the Cheongmyeong Water Grass.
There should have been nothing there.
No matter how fast Cheongmyeong Water Grass grew, it needed at least a few days to sprout leaves.
“B-but this is…”
I blinked.
Blue leaves of fully grown Cheongmyeong Water Grass swayed before me.
They weren’t just slightly grown.
They were completely mature.
Whoosh!
I turned my head again.
Petals half blue and half white.
Lunadria.
It too had fully matured.
And the white flowers blooming beside them?
‘Potatoes and sweet potatoes!’
Finally, flowers with white and red petals mixed together.
‘Baekyang Herb!’
Good heavens!
Every single seed had completed its growth in just one day.
How was this possible?
‘Come to think of it…’
In my dream, I thought I heard something about the influence of Elixir Master.
Could it be?
Because of that skill?
“This is huge.”
The Elixir Master skill had an effect called Greatly Reduced Elixir Cultivation Time.
This must be its doing.
“Insane. Seriously.”
I swallowed hard.
With this ability, I could cover the entire five-thousand-pyeong lair space with spiritual herbs in an instant.
“I’ll plant everything with Lunadria and Baekyang Herb…”
The moment I stood up—
Grumble!
A loud sound rumbled from my stomach.
Dizziness hit my head.
‘Huh?’
The world spun.
Thud!
I collapsed onto my rear.
“Ah…”
When I moved, an overwhelming hunger crashed over me.
‘Water first…’
I crawled on all fours toward the Cheongmyeong Water Grass.
Cheongmyeong Water Grass, Lv99
Insane!
Level 99?
How was that even possible?
In just one day, a seed had become a Level 99 crop.
This shouldn’t exist in this world…
‘Ah. Right. This is a Dragon’s Lair.’
Dragon’s Lair.
Those were magical words.
This irrational, nonsensical event suddenly made perfect sense.
How could I forget, even for a moment, that this was a Dragon’s Lair?
It must be the aftereffect of just waking up.
‘If this gets out, it’ll cause an uproar.’
A regular plant, not even a spiritual herb, at Level 99?
Pluck.
I picked one leaf.
I tilted my head back and held the leaf above my mouth.
Then I squeezed it.
Squish!
Drip drip drip!
Water droplets fell.
The moment the water touched my tongue, a cool sensation like a clear stream spread from the tip.
Even one sip sent a refreshing energy deep into my throat.
The burning thirst in my parched throat felt like it was sinking into a cool mist.
It was like the first rain falling on long-dried earth.
‘Kyah!’
An involuntary exclamation escaped me.
But that wasn’t all.
The water from the Cheongmyeong Water Grass did more than just quench thirst.
It gave the sensation that the essence of nature contained within the water was permeating my entire body.
Every time the water spread through me, it felt like cold droplets were moistening each individual cell.
My cracked lips and throat, along with my dry insides, felt cool and damp.
A refreshing forest breeze seemed to pass through my body.
“Insane. How can water taste this good?”
Evian, the French mineral water made from lake water melted from glaciers, was said to have the best taste.
I could guarantee that even that water couldn’t compare to this Cheongmyeong Water Grass water.
‘One more sip.’
Just as I was about to drink—
Mana recovery rate increased for 30 minutes.
Huh?
What was this now?