Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Uninvited Guest (3)
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Lick.
The instant it touched the tip of my tongue, goosebumps raced across my entire body.
'...What is this?'
This wasn't the taste of the wyvern mana hearts I knew. The cloying, artificial sweetness—like cheap candy—had vanished completely.
Instead, a clear, refreshing sweetness, as if it were a drake's heart itself, enveloped my entire tongue with silky smoothness.
The aftertaste was clean, too. A lingering hint of sweetness remained in my mouth, but none of the usual magical residue clung to it.
Crunch!
I couldn't hold back and bit into the mana heart. The shattered pieces melted in my mouth like snowflakes, deepening the rich flavor even further.
What the hell had all those mana hearts I'd eaten before been? It felt like I was a primitive human discovering fire for the first time.
'Mana hearts are... supposed to taste even better when cooked?!'
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
"Haa..."
After melting and devouring every last piece, a notification window appeared.
You have consumed a Baby Dragon Heart Fragment.
The duration of debuff 'Frail Wyrmling' has been shortened by 4 hours.
"...Huh."
Just one damaged wyvern mana heart. Normally, it would shave off maybe 10 minutes at best, 20 if I was lucky.
But this alchemically enhanced mana heart had cut it by a full 4 hours. Not only the taste, but the effect itself had been maximized.
What if she processed a perfect mana heart? Or even refined a drake's heart directly?
I could feast like a god and reach adult dragon status in no time.
Just imagining it made saliva pool in my mouth.
I slowly lifted my head to look at Yeon Geum-hee. She was still fidgeting with her lips, waiting for my answer.
"W-What do you think, Divine One...! Is my ability... usable?"
"You pass."
"Ooooh...! Divine One! Th-Thank you!!"
And just like that, the girl—who'd seemed like an unwelcome intruder—transformed into my personal chef.
"Then, the scale...!"
"No, that won't do."
"Pardon?"
How much was a single scale worth? I wasn't about to hand one over just for cooking a wyvern heart.
"I can't just give them away or I'd run out. There need to be standards."
"St-Standards, you say...?"
"One scale per 1,000 mana hearts processed. But perfect ones count for five times that, and drake hearts twenty-five times over."
In other words, eight drake hearts processed for one scale. If she handled all my mana hearts, I might end up with around ten scales.
"Ooooh! Thank you! I-I'll never forget this grace for the rest of my life!"
"One thing first."
"What is it?"
Yeon Geum-hee slammed her forehead to the floor in prostration.
"What's that Golden Elixir for?"
"Y-Yes...! This Golden Elixir can be used for anything! Bombs, cancer cures, awakening ability blooms— it can substitute for any alchemical catalyst! Th-Though it'd be a waste for those uses. Heh, heh... If I made an 'awakening agent' with this...!"
She trailed off into her own world again, mumbling to herself mid-explanation.
Anyway, from what I gathered, it was like the Philosopher's Stone—a universal miracle substance.
Then I'd add one more condition.
"In that case, one more rule. Get my permission before using that elixir."
For my safety and the innocent people.
If she publicized a liquid made from my scales somewhere, I could become a target. And using my scales to harm others or do evil? Absolutely not.
"Y-Yes! No objections there. I'll always ask first!"
Good. This was a solid contract.
"Th-Then, Divine One! Can I process a drake heart right now? I'll use every technique I have to create the ultimate product!"
Her proposal made me swallow involuntarily.
The wyvern mana heart had been upgraded to drake-heart level. So what would a real drake heart taste like? Divine nectar? Ambrosia?
"...Alright. Hold on."
I dashed to the room with my lair. Grabbed a few drake hearts. And don't forget the scales for payment.
Ziplock bag and drake hearts in hand, I returned to the living room.
"Here, these."
I set down the drake hearts, but her eyes locked onto the ziplock bag in my hand, not them.
"D-Divine One... those nail clippings you've collected... why...?"
Her voice trembled faintly. What kind of obvious question was that?
"Huh? For ingredients."
My casual reply sent her pupils shaking like an earthquake. She alternated glances between the bag's contents and me, muttering to herself.
"Ingredients...? Not just scales? Nails too—everything that falls from your body is material? Does that mean... your entire body is one massive Philosopher's Stone...!"
Her mumbling accelerated, and a strange gleam sparked in her eyes.
Yeon Geum-hee stopped muttering and slowly raised her head.
"D-Divine One, then... perhaps..."
She opened her mouth cautiously, laced with mad hope.
"Sweat... saliva... or even urine, if possible... could you spare some...?!"
"What?"
My brain short-circuited for a second. Had I heard that right?
Ignoring my reaction, Yeon Geum-hee crawled toward me across the floor. Her eyes burned with greed now.
"They're just waste anyway! Everything from your body is humanity's treasure! Pl-Please! Just a little for research...! It's not even for real use—it's free!"
She wailed desperately, reaching out as if to grab my pant leg.
Pervert! A real pervert had appeared!
"Eek?!"
I recoiled in shock, but she persisted, crawling relentlessly.
Right then.
Swish.
Moving like the wind, Miss So-jeong stood behind Yeon Geum-hee. She gripped the girl's nape precisely and hoisted her up effortlessly.
"Gah!"
Yeon Geum-hee dangled in midair, flailing.
"Know your limits, Awakener Yeon Geum-hee."
"Ugh... but the research...! Humanity's future...!"
She protested with grunts, but helpless in Miss So-jeong's grasp, she could do nothing.
"Miss So-jeong."
I called her softly, and she turned to me at once, as if she'd been waiting.
"Throw her out."
"Understood."
Without hesitation, she dragged Yeon Geum-hee toward the front door.
"W-Wait! Divine One! Please! Just a bit more talk...! Aaaack!"
Her screams faded down the hallway. Moments later, a click—the front door closing.
"Phew..."
I was about to sigh in relief at the silence.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong-ding-dong-!
The intercom went berserk. The screen showed a close-up of Yeon Geum-hee, tears streaming, clinging to the door.
"D-Divine One! Please! Donate some bodily fluids, and I can cure cancer worldwide! For humanity, show mercy...!"
"......"
What would the neighbors think if they heard that madness?
I sighed deeply and picked up the intercom handset.
"Yeon Geum-hee."
"Y-Yes! Divine One!"
"From now on, business through the Management Bureau. And don't drop by anytime."
"B-But Divine One! This concerns humanity's fate...!"
I cut her off firmly.
"Get any louder, and the mana heart processing deal is off."
Silence fell instantly on the other end.
"S-Sorry! Divine One! I'll leave right now!"
With frantic apologies, the screen showed her bowing 90 degrees before bolting down the stairs.
I set down the handset, and peace returned to the house. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the sofa.
"What a world full of weirdos..."
It felt like a storm had swept through. Miss So-jeong spoke calmly.
"Sorry for the unpleasant experience."
"No, it's not your fault."
She fell silent briefly, then shifted her gaze to the living room table. I followed suit.
Traces of Yeon Geum-hee remained: the mysterious powder-drawn transmutation circle, cups of reagents, a glass with mana heart impurities.
'When am I gonna clean that up...'
Fatigue washed over me. I just wanted to crawl into my lair and sleep.
A few days passed.
Since then, Yeon Geum-hee stopped visiting directly and switched to chats.
I'd considered handing her off entirely to Miss So-jeong, but treating a 14-year-old researcher—for humanity's sake—like that felt too harsh.
Anyway, every morning, a small box appeared at our door.
Inside: mana hearts, meticulously cooked by Yeon Geum-hee, sorted by type.
Her mind was a bit off, but her skills were trustworthy. The 'Augmented Lava Drake Heart' I was eating now proved it.
Not just purified—it added ingredients to boost both efficacy and taste.
Before, they were just sweet, hot gem candies. Now? Different.
Hard candy at first, but roll it on the tongue for ten seconds and it melted like cotton candy—unique texture.
Sweet as concentrated fruit syrup, but never cloying. Plus exotic scents from medicinal herbs acting as spices.
You have consumed a Baby Dragon Heart Fragment.
The duration of debuff 'Frail Wyrmling' has been shortened by 14 days.
Minus the pervert part, she was perfect. Admiring the chef's skill, I popped the remaining heart chunk into my mouth.
Crunch!
It shattered with a crisp sound, but something felt off from somewhere.
'...Did I imagine it?'
Felt like I'd crunched wrong, a familiar yet vague sensation—a tooth anomaly I couldn't pinpoint.
I ran my tongue over my teeth. Molars, canines, incisors...
Then, on one upper front tooth, something that shouldn't happen did.