Chapter 34: I got a weapon with the dog ability

I led my regular customers to the VIP room I’d set up in a secluded part of the gate.

“It’s pretty dark in here, huh?”

“The gate’s huge… I didn’t know a place like this existed…”

Facing the customers looking around in wonder, I spoke in a low, serious tone.

“Everything that happens here, and every conversation we have, is strictly confidential. Can you all keep a secret?”

Sensing the gravity in my humorless voice, the agency staff nodded with tense expressions.

I placed three Awakening Ginsengs on my palm and held them out for them to examine closely.

Confusion flashed across their faces.

“Ginseng…?”

“Thanks to my unique ability, I can see hidden information about plants.”

Then I explained the identity of the ginsengs on my palm.

“And these are ginsengs that forcibly unlock awakening potential.”

“What!? Forcibly unlock awakening potential!?”

“No way… An item like that really exists!?”

The shocked staff crowded closer, scrutinizing the ginsengs.

But to them, it looked like ordinary ginseng, so they seemed skeptical.

“…Come on, you’re joking, right, owner?”

“We’re really desperate. You can’t tease us like this…”

Well, that’s understandable.

There had never been an item that could forcibly awaken non-awakeners.

And the ginseng on my palm looked far too ordinary.

Then—

The youngest staff member, who’d been silently listening, quietly reached out and picked up a ginseng.

“I’m just gonna believe you.”

She popped it into her mouth.

“You’re not the type to play pranks like this, owner.”

As she roughly chewed the bitter ginseng, I could sense the frustration of living as a non-awakener.

Crunch, crunch—

Gulp.

The moment the youngest swallowed, the other staff watched her without breathing.

“…”

In the quiet stillness—

The youngest stared blankly into space for a while before finally speaking.

“Sisters… I… I awakened…”

“What? Really? You actually awakened?”

With a pale face, she fumbled through the system window in front of her.

“It’s a defense-based warrior type… The more I face things head-on without running, the stronger my passive ability gets… I-I’m a growth-type awakener!!”

The customers went wild.

They cheered, hugged each other, and let out emotional screams.

“Shh…! Quiet, please…!”

“A tank… and a growth-type at that…”

“Hamin, your life’s set now…”

I handed the remaining two ginsengs to the still emotional customers.

They exchanged glances before cautiously speaking.

“Um… owner, if you put these on the auction house, they’d easily fetch billions…”

At that, the youngest’s joyful face turned to fear.

“We don’t have that kind of money… We’ll pay for Hamin’s somehow, even if we have to take out loans.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have enough to afford all three…”

I smiled gently at them.

“I’m not selling these for money. I’m investing in your potential.”

I knew full well.

How much impact these ginsengs could have.

If I put them on the auction house, they’d draw global attention instantly, and non-awakeners would scramble for them.

‘But—’

If I could earn the ‘loyalty’ and ‘lifelong trust’ of customers who cherish my café—

Wasn’t that investment worth it?

‘If they all awaken and get rich, my profits will double…’

If I could make them core customers for ‘discreet deals,’ I could sell things like mana expansion potions without any risk.

Hehe.

Hehehe…

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Of course, the customers, oblivious to my inner thoughts, looked at me with tearful, moved eyes.

“You saw potential in us…?”

“We’re just… first-floor workers used to being called failures…”

Sniffle, sniffle.

Their eyes reddened, on the verge of tears.

“So don’t worry and eat them already.”

Reassuring them with confidence, they picked up the ginsengs with trembling hands.

Chew, chew—

Gulp.

At the same time, tears streamed down their faces as they stared into space.

“I-I actually awakened…”

“This day really came… sob…”

The youngest quietly approached her seniors, patting their backs.

“Thank you, owner…”

“I had no future, just wanting to die every day, but for the first time, I’m excited for tomorrow… Thank you, owner…”

Even through tears and sniffles, they didn’t forget to thank me.

After a while, calming their emotions, they started planning excitedly.

“Now that we’ve awakened… should we try gate raiding to test our skills?”

“Sunbae-nim! I know all the strategies for nearby low-tier gates! Where should we start?”

‘Oho…’

I see.

Working in the gate management department, they might know more about gate strategies than active awakeners.

And with their ‘non-awakener’ longing, their desire for gates must be unmatched…

I was excited for their future too.

“When you clear a gate and get rewards, stop by the café. I’ve got something else you’ll like…”

“Really!?”

“There’s more stuff like this?”

“Sunbae-nims! Let’s go raid now!! I can’t wait!”

With that, I secured my first customers for ongoing ‘discreet deals.’

The rumor that three non-awakeners from the gate management agency’s first floor awakened simultaneously sent shockwaves through the awakener community.

The prevailing belief had been that ‘those who don’t awaken stay non-awakeners forever,’ so this event was a massive shock.

And that news—

Reached Jung Chan-ho, the chairman of ‘Taesung,’ once one of Korea’s top conglomerates.

‘Then, maybe… my daughter…’

As gates appeared, modern medicine advanced dramatically, and healers’ skills saved countless lives.

But nothing could cure his daughter’s illness.

His last hope was one fact: his daughter was still a non-awakener.

It was widely known that awakening eradicated all lingering diseases.

“You must be struggling so much, my daughter…”

Stroking his bedridden daughter’s hair, he felt a glimmer of hope after long despair.

The chairman immediately sought out the agency staff to uncover the ‘non-awakener awakening method.’

“There’s definitely a way for non-awakeners to awaken, right?”

But they shook their heads firmly, refusing to share any information.

In the end, he knelt before them.

The pride of being a ‘chairman’ meant nothing in front of his dying daughter.

“My little girl… doesn’t have much time left… You all know, don’t you? Awakening cures even chronic illnesses…”

His voice trembled desperately.

“Please, I beg you. Save my poor daughter… Help her… I’ll pay any amount…”

The staff sighed deeply at his plea.

But they had only one thing to say.

“There is a way for non-awakeners to awaken… but we can’t tell you how. We’re really sorry.”

“…I see.”

The chairman stood quietly.

Only one option remained: tracking their movements himself.

Using his wealth and influence, he followed the staff’s actions.

He found one common thread among their varied schedules.

Around lunchtime, they visited a café inside a gate.

To save his young daughter, the chairman headed there without hesitation.

But, as if punishing his reckless actions—

[Closed for today]

The gate where the café was located was firmly shut.

At the agency, an emergency meeting was underway.

“Until now, gates could be cleared with enough healers.”

“But the massive gate that appeared in downtown Busan is reportedly impossible to clear, even with healers.”

“Why?”

“Well… the number of potions you can bring inside is limited.”

“What? Now they’re restricting potion counts?”

With news of new and variant gates increasing daily, the director rubbed his forehead, sighing deeply.

“It’s a massive gate, so there aren’t enough healers to support all the personnel.”

“And with DOT damage draining healers’ mana so quickly, the limited potions aren’t enough…”

Staring blankly at the documents, the director finally spoke.

“What’s the current progress?”

“They haven’t even reached the boss room…”

It was fortunate the gate was still new, with time before it went berserk.

But at this rate, Busan’s citizens would face massive damage soon.

“Director, what about increasing the number of healers?”

“No. We can’t find more healers, and in a massive gate, insufficient damage dealers mean party wipes.”

“You know our national healers’ skill levels…”

At that moment, a small girl’s face flashed in the director’s mind.

During the artificial Lumina Bell incident, that healer had shown overwhelming skill compared to others.

If she joined this massive gate-clearing party…

Maybe they could tackle the variant gate.

“No choice. We’ll have to ask her for help.”

“…You mean that healer?”

Instead of answering, the director pulled out his phone.

“Wow, our director’s connections are amazing!”

He clicked his tongue at his subordinate’s flattery.

But holding that girl’s personal number gave him a subtle sense of pride.

Ring— Ring— Ring—

Click.

After three rings, the call cut off.

The director’s confident face filled with dismay.

He tried again, but after three rings—click—same result.

“Director, did she… block you?”

“What…? No way…”

The director stared at his phone in disbelief.

‘No way… Did I actually get blocked…?’

[Out of service area]

Every time I entered the forest, my phone lost signal, making me increasingly sure this place was cut off from the world.

I worried about missing important calls while here…

‘As if anyone important would call me.’

Shaking my head at the thought, I ventured deeper into the forest.

There, at the spot where we first met, was the cat, sitting like a statue.

Boredly looking around, it spotted me, raised its tail straight, and stretched its body.

“What? Were you waiting for me all this time?”

“No way! This is just my spot!”

Liar.

Its obvious lie made me chuckle as I passed by.

Just then, it darted off, frantically clawing at a large tree—scratch, scratch.

And, as expected, Harnella flowers bloomed beneath it.

“Huh? Harnella flowers!”

It proudly watched me gather the flowers, then ran off to claw another tree.

I’d gather the flowers, and it’d run to another tree…

Thanks to it, I collected Harnella flowers to my heart’s content.

“Did you… spend all day yesterday looking for these?”

“Pant, pant… I was just sharpening my claws on trees I passed by… pant…”

The cat’s nose was red as it panted.

Unable to resist its cuteness, I roughly ruffled its head.

“So cute! So smart! You’re the best, my cat!”

Purr— Purrrr—

Purrrrrr—

It sounded like a motorcycle engine.

Stroking its soft fur, I realized the weapon hadn’t reacted despite exploring the entire forest.

‘Guess there are no more rare gatherables around here.’

Then I’d focus on weapon growth today.

I sat down, closed my eyes, and tuned into the sounds of nature.

“Suddenly doing weird human stuff.”

The cat, circling me, flopped down with a thud.

A warm, soft sensation pressed against my back.

“You shouldn’t leave your back exposed in the forest.”

“Pfft, protecting me? Thanks.”

The warmth at my back.

The cool breeze.

I could stay like this all day.

‘Alright, let’s get started.’

As I prepared to dive into meditation—

A strange brightness made me crack open my eyes.

[You’ve received the blessing of the ‘Forest Guardian’]

[The blessing of the ‘Forest Guardian’ greatly enhances ‘Meditation’ efficiency]

[The blessing of the ‘Forest Guardian’ increases spirit affinity]

Unfamiliar message windows filled my vision.

‘Guardian? Spirits?’

Before the confusion settled, I saw the weapon’s growth gauge skyrocketing.

[Next Stage: Stage 2 – Bloom (Progress 83%)]

“Hey, cat, meditating with you makes the gauge fill up crazy fast!”

“Zzz… Meow…”

I hurriedly closed my eyes and focused again.

Soon, the brightness returned, and another message appeared.

[Your weapon’s growth stage has increased]

[Breath of Groa]

• An ancient spirit staff imbued with life, healing, and the flow of cycles.

[Rank: Legendary (Growth-type)]

[Growth Stage] Stage 2 – Bloom (0%)

Checking the stats, I was speechless.

‘This is insane…’

It’s just… completely broken, isn’t it…?