Chapter 20: Turns out it was a huge fortune

Inside the ruined gate,
among decayed vines and withered plants, the blackened lake caught my eye first.

‘It must’ve been stunning before…’

The arrangement of trees encircling the lake, the gently curving terrain,
the interplay of shade and light—everything harmonized, exuding a serene charm.

If I opened a café by this lake, it’d surely become a viral photo spot among awakeners.

‘Alright, let’s purify the lake first.’

As I extended my hand over the water,
a flicker of doubt crossed my mind: Will my Cleanse skill even work here?

The skill description only mentioned curing “curses, poison, paralysis, and specific conditions.”

“But it’s worth a shot…”

I’d sunk 80 million won into this gate.
Failure would sting, but…

It’s called Cleanse, so I’ll just trust it and go for it!

I unclenched my fist and reached out again.

Focusing, I felt light bloom from my fingertips, spreading slowly across the surface.

Splash—

The water rippled as if boiling.
Murky contaminants began sinking.

Even with minimal mana, the change was striking.

Kneeling cautiously, I peered into the lake.

“Huh? What’s that?”

Deep inside, a small, fish-like shape darted by.

“Fish in here? No way.”

I looked closer, but saw only floating debris.

It made no sense for life to survive in this toxic, oxygen-deprived water.

Must’ve mistaken sinking debris for a fish.

“Fish… yeah, once it’s purified, I could raise rare ones here.”

Since I’d inevitably return to gates someday,
might as well catch some exotic fish while I’m at it.

“But the water needs to be crystal clear.”

Focusing again, I drew up all my mana and poured it into the lake.

A massive glow enveloped the water.

The blackened surface shimmered, and oil and pollutants visibly faded.

Layer by layer,
until the lake sparkled, transparent to its depths.

“Phew…”

Exhausted, dizziness hit as my mana hit zero.

I collapsed onto the ground, catching my breath.

“Gotta… make more mana potions… soon…”

I’ve always felt it, but…
draining my mana completely is brutal.

—

‘Another spirit came to save me!’

The small being swam desperately toward the pure green glow.

But as it neared the surface, something felt off.

‘Wait. This isn’t a spirit’s aura…?’

Pausing, it looked up and locked eyes with a human peering into the lake.

– Fish? No way.

The being froze, bubbles escaping.

‘Eek… a human…!’

It curled up and darted into a crevice between rocks.

The hopeful green light now felt like terror.

‘Humans are scary… I can’t get close…’

Once, the being—a curious lake spirit—adored humans.

It guided fishermen to abundant spots,
led lost children to safety,
and splashed playfully among swimmers, giggling.

But at some point, humans began trashing its verdant homeland,
leaving its beloved lake a mess.

The humans it once loved…
started feeling like monsters.

The spirit hid in its lake,
and the gate, losing its natural purification, grew tainted.

‘They stopped coming for so long… why now?’

Scary…
I need to escape…
They’ll hurt me, my home…

Trembling in its hiding spot, the spirit blinked in surprise.

Huh? What?
Breathing… it’s not as hard anymore.

Dazed, it noticed the oppressive pollutants were gone.

‘How did this happen?’

Could it be… the human looking at me?

‘No, impossible.’

They only ever ruin this place.

Shaking its head, the spirit couldn’t douse the faint hope in its eyes.

Cautiously, it swam closer to the surface.

The human was gone.

Poking its head above water for the first time in ages,
it froze, mouth agape.

‘…The trash is gone?’

A miracle had unfolded in its homeland.

—

Among awakeners, rumors of a “mana-expanding potion” at the auction spread like wildfire.

[It permanently expands mana? Not temporary?]
[My friend’s a top guild master—says it’s legit.]
[Alchemist-made? Or a clear reward?]
[No one knows yet.]

VIP auctions had an unspoken rule of secrecy,
but a potion that boosted stats permanently was too shocking to contain.

[Bet Manwol nabbed it lol.]
[No way, it’s Gaehwa. Those rich snobs wouldn’t miss it.]
[Could be a regular tycoon. Rare items like that can be flipped for a premium.]

Debates raged over whether Manwol, the #1 guild,
or Gaehwa, packed with tycoons and crypto bros, won it.

[Guys, the key is “we don’t know how much it boosts.”]

When word spread that the mana increase was unquantified,
the buyer—whoever they were—was labeled a “sucker.”

Then, a single post flipped the narrative.

—

[Manwol bought it, confirmed. Boosts mana by about 100.]

Can’t say who used it—top secret.
Believe it or not, up to you, but don’t drag Gaehwa into this.
As a Manwol member, it’s pissing me off.

—

The community exploded.

Initial mana at awakening is fixed at 100.
If true, the potion doubled someone’s mana permanently.

[1 billion for that is a steal… Leveling’s so freaking hard 😭]
[You in Manwol? What’s their recruitment like??]
[How does a potion boost raw stats by 100…]
[That’s gotta be worth 5-10 billion. Manwol hit the jackpot.]
[Damn… should’ve bid one more time… damn damn…]
└ You were at the auction?
└ Idiot lol, missing that? It’s relic-tier, probably never showing up again.

—

Regrets from bidders, speculation about the seller—
the community burned for days after the Manwol post.

—

I returned home as soon as I recovered,
skipping a shower to dive into growing Lumina Bells.

-Pii…
-Piik…

The Lumina spirit fluttered over, eyeing me expectantly as I cast Heal on the flowers.

“Good job. Thanks for helping.”

From the 50 bottles of purified water Doyeon gave me, I handed five to the spirit.

“You’ve got a knack for cleaning. You did awesome.”

-Piik…!?

Thrilled by the water and praise,
it twirled above the flowers, humming a bizarre tune.

-Pii pippilu piit—♪
-Pipii pik pippilu—♪

Glittering light scattered from its wings, triggering a flood of messages.

[Lumina Bell, blessed by the spirit, sings joyfully.]
[Lumina Bell, blessed by the spirit, joins the song.]
[Lumina Bell, blessed by the spirit, dances merrily.]

What is this spirit’s blessing that makes plants go wild?

Gulp gulp—
Piik—!

Like an old man downing soju after a hard day, the spirit chugged purified water atop a pot, grinning smugly.

I stared, dumbfounded, then resumed my work.

—

Soon, every planted seed had bloomed fully.

“Set aside ten for Necromancer-nim…”

I harvested the remaining thirty-five flowers.

The fallen seeds went into my pocket for replanting at the gate.

“Alright, let’s do this!”

With all ingredients ready,
time to whip up potions fast.

I lined up uncapped potion bottles, pouring a bottle of purified water into each.

Carefully, I mixed in the flower sap extracted with a mortar.

My wrists ached by the time
thirty-five mana potions were done.

“Hm…?”

Among them, a few glowed faintly.

Not as intense as the auctioned potion, but tiny galaxies swirled in the blue liquid.

‘Could these boost mana too?’

Only one way to find out.

Since my mana hadn’t fully recovered, I could test it myself.

I picked a glowing potion and downed it without hesitation.

A sweet, syrupy taste coated my tongue, leaving a bitter aftertaste as it slid down.

Then—

[Mana permanently increased by +1.]

A new message appeared.

“…Huh?”

It wasn’t even from the spirit-born flower, yet it boosted mana?

I chugged a regular potion.
Nothing.

The image of the Lumina spirit humming and scattering light over the flowers flashed in my mind.

No way.
Its blessing…

Eyes wide, I stared at the spirit, sprawled out drunk on purified water.

-Kuuul, piii…
-Kuuuul, pii…

That troublemaker…
was a walking jackpot?