Chapter 6: Why don’t need anything like a guild, do we?

After planting the seeds in five pots,
I checked on them throughout the day, whenever I had a moment.

Were they pouting about being hungry again? Was the water enough? Had I accidentally let light touch them?

With such devoted care, the seeds grew rapidly, forming buds and finally blooming into flowers.

They bloomed faster than expected, which was great…
But the seed yield was less than I’d hoped.

Since one flower had given me five seeds before, I expected about twenty-five this time.
But when I harvested, I only got fifteen.

Maybe getting five seeds from one flower before was just luck.

Oh well, it didn’t matter.
Even with fewer seeds, there was an unexpected gain.

[Lumina Bell] [★]
– A single lantern blooming in deep darkness
– Highly sensitive to light and noise, containing pure mana

Unlike the Lumina Bell I’d gathered from the gate, the ones I grew had a star next to their name.

[Plant growth bonus +40%. Quality grade increases by one level.]

This was likely due to my unique ability boosting the quality by one grade.

And there was another addition—a new effect that wasn’t there before.

[Effects]
– Promotes mana recovery
– Effective for relieving mental strain caused by mana overload
– Emits mana waves within a certain range, aiding mental stability

I wasn’t sure what “mana waves” meant exactly.

To test this new effect, I needed to make myself a bit anxious.
How could I do that?

‘Oh, that’ll work!’

A perfect idea hit me.

I logged into the plant gallery and started reading through the comments on my previous posts.

“Stop with the clickbait. Aren’t you tired of trolling? Don’t feed them. Why even post this stuff?”

…

The sharp comments felt like they were tearing my heart apart.

But then, in the darkness, the Lumina Bell’s soft glow began to pulse, brightening and dimming repeatedly.

A bluish light rippled through the room, spreading a gentle aura.

In that moment, my heart calmed as if by magic.
The negative emotions inside me melted away like snow.

‘Wow… this is incredible!’

If someone with depression or mental instability kept this flower nearby, it could have a great effect.

I’d need to include this new effect when listing it on the marketplace.
Visions of sitting on a pile of money began to form vividly in my mind.

If I made a lot of money… what would I do first?

‘I’d definitely move out of this place.’

I looked around the room, relying on the Lumina Bell’s blue glow.

Mold speckled the walls here and there.
The air was stale, thanks to the poor ventilation in this basement.

Living in a single room with the Lumina Bell, which dies in light, made me worry my eyesight was deteriorating.

It was definitely time to move.

I opened the marketplace app on my phone and started writing a listing.

[Lumina Bell: 5 flowers, limited quantity for sale. Name your price. Bulk welcome.]

– In addition to its basic mana recovery effect, keeping the flower nearby stabilizes your mind…

As soon as I posted, inquiries flooded in.

How did you keep it alive so long?
How did you cultivate it?
Did you grow it from seeds, or is there a special method?
Are there still gates where Lumina Bells can be gathered?

I was getting dizzy from the flood of questions—more inquiries than actual purchase offers.

Then, a message cut through the noise.

[I’d like to buy all of them for 10 million won.]

My foggy mind cleared instantly.
It was a jaw-dropping amount.

Just to be sure, I replied, “The cultivation method is a trade secret, so I can’t share it—”
The response came back saying they didn’t care about that and only wanted to buy.

But then…

[I’d like to trade in person.]

A creepy condition was attached.

‘This feels sketchy…’

What if I go to meet them and get whisked away somewhere, never to be seen again?

Hesitating with unease, another message arrived.

[Please come to the Firebloom Guild building.]

‘Firebloom Guild?’

It sounded familiar.

I opened the awakener community and searched for “Firebloom Guild.”

My jaw dropped at the results.
Firebloom Guild was one of the top three mega-guilds in Korea.

They wouldn’t use their guild name for a prank, so I sent a short message accepting the trade and set the listing to reserved.

There’s a distinct scent to anything profitable.

And Song Yoohwa was always the first to catch it.

The founder of Firebloom, one of Korea’s top three guilds,
Song Yoohwa sat in her office, silently reviewing reports.

‘It’s almost time for the appointment.’

Standing to meet the seller, she stretched with a crack-crack of her neck and shoulders.

Her chief secretary, working nearby, cautiously spoke up.

“Um, Guild Leader. Isn’t 10 million won for five flowers a bit excessive…?”

Yoohwa’s icy gaze landed on the secretary.

“S-Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything…”

As the secretary bowed their head, Yoohwa withdrew her gaze, sat on the edge of her desk, and crossed her legs.

“Do I look like someone who’d bring in an outsider just to buy a few flowers?”

Looking at the silent, bowing secretary with a hint of disdain, she continued.

“I’m investing in the person who grew those flowers.”

With a keen business sense since childhood, Yoohwa had instantly recognized the commercial value of the Lumina Bell, a flower from low-tier gates.

And she knew better than anyone that the person who cultivated it held immense value.

That’s why she offered a staggering 10 million won for five flowers.

Yoohwa wasn’t interested in merely trading flowers.
Her real goal was to recruit the seller into Firebloom Guild.

When rumors about the Lumina Bell began spreading among awakeners,
Yoohwa and Firebloom’s members were the first to scour low-tier gates.

They gathered a considerable number of flowers,
but none of them—not even the guild’s highest-level gatherer—could keep them alive, let alone cultivate them.

How had this person done it?

Yoohwa briefly imagined what the seller might look like.

‘Probably an elderly person or a middle-aged man.’

Men tend to get obsessed with plants as they age.
Maybe that inclination carried over into their awakening.

“Excuse me…!”

But when the seller arrived at the appointed time, they completely defied her expectations.

A small, delicate frame with slightly puffy cheeks.
Clear, large eyes like glass marbles.

A girl who looked like she was made of tightly packed cotton candy—soft and adorable.

Yoohwa’s lips curled into a slow smile.
She could already see who’d win this.

This fragile-looking girl, radiating vulnerability, couldn’t possibly have awakened a proper combat skill.
She probably struggled to even protect herself.

‘Growing flowers to make money? That says it all.’

Yoohwa was certain of her victory.

‘One word from me, and she’ll fold.’

Unaware of Yoohwa’s thoughts, the girl began excitedly explaining her flowers.

“I wasn’t going to mention this, but if you dry the petals and brew them, it’s supposed to help with mana overload or something. I haven’t tested it since I’ve never had mana overload, hehe…”

But Yoohwa wasn’t in a state to listen.

Her mind was consumed with plans to recruit this innocent, naive-looking girl into the guild,
build trust slowly, and extract the cultivation secrets.

“Oh, right! I should tell you this too. Just keeping the flower nearby emits mana waves that help with mental stability…”

Yoohwa cut her off lightly.

“I understand.”

Sitting arrogantly with her legs crossed, Yoohwa spoke confidently, getting to the point.

“No need for long talk. Join Firebloom.”

The girl’s expression shifted subtly.

Of course, she’d be stunned.
Who’d expect a recruitment offer from a guild this big?

“You probably haven’t even been to a proper gate. Join Firebloom, and we’ll guarantee gate runs and provide mid-to-high-tier equipment sets.”

This was game over, right?

—or so she thought.
The girl gave an unexpected response.

“Do I have to join the guild to buy the flowers?”

Yoohwa had expected an immediate “yes,” so what was this question…?

“…Pardon?”

Thinking the girl genuinely didn’t understand, she repeated herself more clearly.

“Are you saying I have to join the guild to buy the flowers?”

There was a hint of irritation in her question. Yoohwa, speechless, opened and closed her mouth.

Taking it as confirmation, the girl stood up without hesitation.

“Well, then I’m not selling. Goodbye.”

She bowed politely and quickly left.

Would there ever be a moment this shocking again?
Yoohwa let out a small, incredulous laugh.

This wasn’t just any guild—it was Firebloom, one of Korea’s top three prestigious guilds.

A guild awakeners were desperate to join.

And Song Yoohwa herself, the guild leader, had personally offered recruitment.

Was there really an awakener in Korea who could reject that…?