Chapter 11: If something comes, something goes.

All fifteen seeds
were nurtured with Heal whenever I had the chance, from sprouting to bud formation.

As a result, their grade increased, and a new feature was added.

[Lumina Bell] [★★]
– A single lantern blooming in deep darkness
– Contains high-purity mana
– A mana barrier forms on its surface, making it unresponsive to light and noise

Taking the flowers outside, they sparkled under sunlight without wilting or dying.
The fatal weakness of dying in light had vanished.

‘Upgrading these is kinda fun, huh?’

Clearing my throat, I placed ten shimmering Lumina Bells under the light before Choi Hanul.

“Chorok-ssi, these are…”
“Lumina Bells.”

Drawn to them, Choi Hanul leaned in close.
He gently touched the petals and sniffed them,
then let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve run countless low-tier gates for these, but the seeds were all dried up, so I couldn’t find any… This is my first time seeing them in person. They’re amazing…”

After a long pause, he cautiously asked,
“But, Chorok-ssi, where did you get so many?”
“I grew them myself.”
“You… grew Lumina Bells yourself?”

When I nodded, his eyes widened in shock.

“They say it’s hard enough to keep these alive, but you cultivated them? That’s… truly incredible…!”

His gaze sparkled with even more admiration than before—almost overwhelmingly so.

Still, I appreciated that he didn’t try to recruit me into his guild or pry into my cultivation methods.
I really hoped our negotiation would go well.

Phew.
After a short breath, I spoke carefully.

“I got a lot of seeds this time, so I’m thinking of starting bulk sales…”

I glanced at him to gauge his reaction.

“Since the flowers are so rare, I thought it might be risky for an individual to sell them in large quantities.”
“You’re right. There could be dangerous variables.”

Choi Hanul nodded, agreeing with me.

“So, I was wondering if I could sell them under Sprout Guild’s name?”
“What!? Our guild’s name?”

I quickly added,
“If we do that, it’ll draw a lot of attention, good or bad, so I’m willing to give you up to 30% commission—”
“No, no!”

Before I could finish, Choi Hanul waved his hands vigorously, rejecting the offer.

As I feared, borrowing a guild’s name might’ve been too much to ask.

But his next words stopped my sinking expression.

“We don’t need any commission! Our guild may be small, but if we can help you, Chorok-ssi, that’s more than enough. Just tell us what you need!”

I hadn’t expected such a warm acceptance.

Hearing that helping me was enough made my heart ache in a good way.

Choi Hanul was an even better person than I’d thought—so much so that I felt guilty for considering him a rival.

‘From now on, I’ll quietly ignore Sprout Guild’s posts…’

Anyway!
The first step toward sitting on a pile of money was complete!

Now, what to do with the profits from bulk sales?

‘I’ll open a shop in Seoul.’

For some reason, Seoul has far more mid-to-high-tier gates than other regions.
Naturally, major guilds settled there, followed by related shops and facilities.

I planned to head to Seoul, the land of opportunity, and buy a small storefront.

Selling under Sprout Guild’s name was fine for now, but I couldn’t hide behind a guild forever.

I’d start with a small shop
and gradually expand.

What if I served Lumina petal tea to customers? Would it be good promotion?
And if I found another rare flower to sell, my profits could double.

‘It’d be amazing if I could sell ice flowers too…’

But how do I meet the conditions to sprout that seed…?

That’s when it hit me.

I remembered a kid in Sprout Guild who could manipulate small ice chunks.

Gasp! Unable to contain my excitement, I blurted out,
“Hanul-ssi, is there an ice-type mage in your guild?”
“Oh, yes! Chae-eun, the palest and shortest kid, is a frost mage.”
“Could I meet her for a moment?”
“Of course! No problem.”

Choi Hanul shouted, “Chae-eun-ah!” and the training room door swung open, revealing a cute girl peeking out.

“…Yes?”

The moment I saw her, my instincts kicked in.

If her frost skills combined with my Blessing skill, which enhances others’ abilities,
we could likely meet the conditions to sprout the spirit seed.

Rumors that Sprout Guild was selling Lumina Bells in bulk spread like wildfire.

[SproutGuild] [(Sold Out) Top-Quality Lumina Bells, 10 Flowers for Sale]
[SproutGuild] [(Pre-Order) 30 Flowers Available in One Week]

Ten flowers, followed by an announced thirty.

With Lumina Bells vanished from low-tier gates, such quantities were impossible without cultivation.

“Sprout Guild must have a horticulture awakener.”
“Is the seller who listed five flowers a Sprout member?”
“Sprout’s value is about to skyrocket.”

The once-obscure Sprout Guild was now a frequent topic among awakeners.

And someone was watching this with a heavy heart.

“Haaa…”

Song Yoohwa, Firebloom Guild’s master, sighed deeply.

Unlike those speculating about a horticulture awakener in Sprout, she was the only one who knew the true seller’s identity.

‘That should’ve been us…’

If we’d sold them, how much would our guild’s value have risen?
The stock price boost goes without saying…

‘I shouldn’t have…’

I should’ve approached her politely from the start.
Not acted arrogantly, but with respect.

If I could turn back time, I’d do it all differently.
The more she thought, the more pathetic she felt.

As she sighed heavily,
the door burst open.

Her sister and guildmate, Song Yoorang, walked in.

“Why’d you call me?”

…Is that how you greet your sister after so long?

Yoohwa’s temper flared, but now wasn’t the time to nitpick Yoorang’s attitude.

“Hey, sis, need anything? Your weapon’s looking rusty—want me to grab one from the vault?”

Yoorang eyed her sister suspiciously.

Yoohwa, who usually called her “hey” or “you,” was suddenly sweet-talking with “sis.”
That meant she had a favor to ask—always.
And offering a new weapon?
This wasn’t a small request.

‘Only one thing comes to mind.’

Yoorang could guess what it was.

News of her gate run with the healer Chorok must’ve reached Yoohwa’s ears.
She clearly planned to use Yoorang’s connection to recruit Chorok.

“Get to the point. Don’t waste time.”
“Brat…”

Yoohwa nearly snapped but swallowed her anger, forcing a smile.

“Haha, well, you know that gate outbreak near our building recently…”

As Yoohwa continued, Yoorang’s suspicions were confirmed.

But something felt off.

‘She’s got piles of money to dig up dirt on healers. Why ask me for this?’

She could know Chorok’s address and contact info.
Why not go recruit her directly?

For someone as prideful as Yoohwa to ask her sister for help?

Unable to hold back, Yoorang asked,
“With your personality, you’ve probably bought her address and number already. Why not just go recruit her yourself?”

But Yoohwa awkwardly avoided her gaze, staying silent.

‘…What’s with her?’

Is there some unspoken issue?

‘Not my problem.’

Standing abruptly, Yoorang declared her refusal.

“I’m out. She doesn’t fit our guild.”
“What? Fit or not fit, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Yoorang recalled a recent gate scene.
A nature spirit, infamous for hating humans, clinging to Chorok like glue—a shocking sight.

Chorok, loved by nature spirits, and Firebloom, obsessed with money.
No matter how she thought about it, they didn’t match.

“Whatever, I’m leaving.”
“Hey! Where are you going? Why doesn’t she fit our guild?! Hey!”

Bang!

The office door slammed shut,
leaving Yoohwa’s emotions in a tangle.

Her last hope had been coldly rebuffed.

‘Haa… Should I just go find her?’

No, absolutely not.

She was already disliked enough; showing up uninvited could ruin everything.

What excuse could she use to meet again?

“Oh! Right!”

A brilliant idea flashed through her mind.

“A gift…! Yes, she gave me a gift!”

Her gaze landed on the sunniest windowsill,
where a wilted flower stood quietly.

She’d kept it, even after its life ended, hoping to show Chorok she treasured her gift if they ever met again.

“Right! If I received something, I should give something back!”

Giving herself a reason, Yoohwa strode out of the office and down the corridor.

Her destination: Firebloom’s heart,
the vault filled with priceless treasures.

‘This time, I won’t miss my chance.’

For the first time in ages, her face, long shadowed by darkness, lit up.