Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Piled Up Like a Mountain
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Yu So-jeong's voice trembled ever so slightly. Through the rearview mirror, her eyes were wider than usual.
"No, I was just curious. Han No-eul said she'd buy all the mana hearts for me."
The atmosphere had grown awkward, so I mumbled while staring out the window for no reason.
"I just thought joining a guild might mean I could get even more mana hearts."
Yu So-jeong fell silent. One second, two seconds, three seconds.
"Well... in the short term, that might be true, but—no, more precisely—"
Her words tumbled out like a flustered freshman giving a presentation to a surprise professor question.
The awkward silence passed briefly, and then Yu So-jeong continued as if she'd prepared her response.
"...In the long term, there's no supply source as stable as the Management Bureau. They operate on national budget, and unlike guilds that prioritize private gain, the bureau serves a more public purpose."
Her words sounded polished, but they weren't all that convincing. After all, the nation moved for its own national interests, and it was common knowledge that government budgets were running dry.
In a world where even civil servants' salaries are delayed, guilds have to be more stable than the state.
What I was curious about wasn't this long, bureau-justifying excuse.
"Not the bureau—what about you, Miss So-jeong?"
"......"
No easy answer came. Only the hum of the engine and the faint rattle of the car filled the air.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"As an employee of the Management Bureau, I'm tasked with supporting you, Miss Lee Da-yoon. Even if you join a guild, some bureau support will continue. Therefore—"
I cut off Yu So-jeong's lengthy response again.
"Come on~ not that. What do you think?"
The car stopped at a traffic light. Yu So-jeong glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
"...I'd be pretty sad."
Her reply came in a quieter voice than usual. Of course, a dragon's hearing didn't miss a thing.
So, my response was set.
"Then I won't go."
"Pardon?"
"If you'd be sad, I'd be sad too. Let's just keep things as they are."
I wouldn't wither away without mana hearts, and eating a few wyvern hearts every day like now was plenty.
And so, the car headed toward home as usual. Quietly, peacefully.
The next day, after waking up and eating the breakfast Yu So-jeong prepared, I was playing games like always.
[78-Year-Old Han Sang-deok (Blitzcrank)]: Dude, just join us already, fuck
[Fucking Strong Dragon (Shyvana)]: Real men only top
[78-Year-Old Han Sang-deok (Blitzcrank)]: Then why go top if you're just gonna feed?
"Seriously, how am I supposed to win when ganks aren't coming?"
Games really are a sickness—other players' words and actions made zero sense.
[Fucking Strong Dragon (Shyvana)]: GG you guys, I'm just pushing top
[Fucking Strong Dragon (Shyvana)]: Handle 4v5 yourselves
[78-Year-Old Han Sang-deok (Blitzcrank)]: You little shit
In the end, the game ended in defeat after 22 minutes. I clicked my tongue watching the nexus explode.
"Ugh, games just aren't clicking today."
Times like this, it was better to browse the gallery or watch anime to give my brain a rest. Maybe finish season 2 of Twinkle Twinkle☆Princess Heart!
I was heading to the living room with that in mind when the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong~!
"Who is it?"
I shouted loud enough to reach the front door, but the reply came from the living room instead.
"It seems what you've been waiting for has arrived."
"...What I've been waiting for?"
A chill ran down my spine at her words. If it was something I'd been waiting for... no way?
A few days ago, I'd ordered the transformation magic wand from early season 2: 'Heart Shining Staff EXTRA'.
No way she found out?
If she learned I'd bought girly anime merch, I'd be treated like a total kid. She didn't know my real age, but still, being babied like that...
Just imagining it is horrifying!
I had to claim it before Yu So-jeong checked.
Thud thud thud! I dashed to the front door.
Click.
Opening the door revealed a man in delivery uniform with three large boxes on a cart.
"Delivery."
But that face... looked familiar.
Oh! The moving company guy!
He'd worn sunglasses then and now, but the visible lower face was identical.
"You're from the bureau!"
"No. I'm a delivery man."
He cut me off, set the boxes down, and vanished into the elevator like he was fleeing.
"What the...?"
Anyway, it wasn't my magic wand. I sighed in relief and eyed the boxes. What could be inside?
As I inspected them, Yu So-jeong walked over.
"Why don't you open them yourself?"
Drawing closer at her suggestion, a sweet, delicious aroma wafted out.
No way—snacks?!
Cutter knife! Where did I put the cutter knife? Gotta open these fast!
Wait, do I even need a cutter?
I popped off the thimble from my wing claw's tip and sliced the box tape clean with my wing.
"Gasp...!"
The boxes overflowed with countless mana hearts. All damaged wyvern mana hearts, but this quantity changed everything. Enough to eat my fill for a week.
"All this...?"
Before I could calm my shock, Yu So-jeong spoke.
"Check the other boxes too."
With bated breath, I opened the second. It brimmed with intact wyvern mana hearts.
"Heeek?"
The final box. Hands shaking, I opened it to reveal gleaming drake hearts.
"Whooooaaa...!"
An exclamation burst out uncontrollably. This sight was paradise. Never dreamed I'd see every kind of mana heart piled like this!
"Miss So-jeong, is all this mine...?"
"Yes. Prepared by the bureau for you, Miss Lee Da-yoon."
Overjoyed, I tried hoisting a box. Time to stash these treasures by my lair.
"Hng...!"
But it didn't budge.
"Heek...?"
This body's weakened strength was to blame—no matter how hard I tried, the box stayed put.
"I'll move them for you."
Yu So-jeong lifted them effortlessly. Carrying all three at once, she headed to the lair room without breaking a sweat.
"Whoa..."
She arranged them perfectly beside my lair—exactly where I wanted.
"Thanks!"
I thanked her quickly and whipped out my phone. This historic moment had to be preserved. Wallpaper material for life.
Click! Click!
After snapping photos, I leaped onto the box pile.
"Heehee! I'm rich, rich!"
Mana heart rich! No snack worries for a while. Thrilled, I bounced on the boxes, flapping my wings wildly.
Felt like I could fly to the heavens...
No—actually flapping in midair.
That's when it happened.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang again. I flinched instinctively.
This time it's gotta be the real magic wand!
I flailed down to the floor and raced to the door.
Opening it, Seong Ji-yoon stood there with a bulging basket.
"Miss Lee Da-yoon, how have you been?"
And a sweet scent drifted from the basket too!
"Seong Ji-yoon! You came?"
She smiled softly at my welcome.
"Yes, I brought what I promised."
As she entered and headed to the living room, she caught sight of the lair room down the hall and widened her eyes.
"Someone beat me here."
"Ah! That's from the bureau. Amazing, right?!"
I puffed out my chest proudly, pointing at the stack. Seong Ji-yoon checked the boxes and looked troubled.
"Such a huge amount. Sorry mine's so modest."
She set her basket down for me to see.
"Eek?!"
Inside: all intact drake hearts. Their collective shimmer rivaled the bureau's three boxes combined.
"All the mana hearts I have. The quantity may be small, but I assure you the quality is top-tier."
I glanced back and forth. Quantity there, quality here...
"Still, looks like the bureau couldn't get the best stuff."
"The bureau prioritizes stable supply over bulk hoarding."
I overheard their chat, but it didn't matter to me.
After all, I could confidently say I was richer—materially and spiritually—than anyone in the world!
"Heehee...!"
Gazing alternately at both treasures, I flashed the happiest smile imaginable.
A small building on the outskirts of Seoul. Its basement had lights blazing nonstop for days.
Ventilation fans rattled, and pouring flask solution into a beaker unleashed a glow.
"Heh... hehahaha... Th-this can't be real...!"
In the girl's hand: a beaker of self-luminous liquid. The lab bench was scattered with golden-hued liquids of varying shades.
"W-with this, I can do anything! I-I'm a god! I can become a god! Hehe, hehehehek—cough, hack, hahaha!"
She coughed from getting choked up but couldn't stop laughing. She'd just made the discovery of a lifetime that every researcher dreamed of.
"G-gotta find them. The original owner—who? Find the owner and...!"
Grabbing one ampoule, she dragged her sleep-deprived, unsteady body up the stairs. Barely recovering from near-falls, she exited the building.
The empty basement. On one corner of the lab bench lay a half-melted golden scale.