Chapter 136
Malang: It's beautiful... I've never seen gems like these in my life...
Malang: Where did you mine them?
Malang's reaction after receiving the artificial gemstones was dramatic.
“You mean where I mined them?”
A stationery store, a toy store.
They cost a few thousand won apiece.
These days, the quality is so good that there are even places specializing in what they call fancy stones.
Head Mod*: They're not real gemstones.
Malang: Huh?
Head Mod*: They're artificially made gemstones. Literally, made by human hands, yeah.
“There was no need to hide it.”
Malang eats gemstones.
More precisely, she ate the value and preciousness contained in gemstones and extracted it as mana.
Malang: Th-this is a manufactured gemstone?
Head Mod*: Yeah, and they're not even expensive.
Malang: Whoaaaa.
Malang: I-I'll try using them first!
“If it works, great; if not, no big deal.”
So I sent them.
But no reply came even after several dozen minutes had passed.
Head Mod*: Did you eat them?
Unable to wait any longer, I contacted her first, and after a brief silence, a reply came.
Malang: It's... I can't eat them.
Head Mod*: What?
Malang: How am I supposed to eat these? ㅠㅠ
Malang: According to what you said, they're the only gemstones in the world, so it would be a waste...
Head Mod*: No, well.
Thinking about it, I could see how she might misunderstand.
Artificial gemstones of that quality didn't exist in medieval times.
“Then I'll just send some more.”
In modern times, however, they were common enough to trip over.
[10 Heart Fancy Stones] - 4p
[Diamond Imitation Gemstones] - 8p
[10 Glass Crystals, One of Each Color] -10p
Artificial gemstones were made using a variety of materials and methods.
Perhaps that was why their names were varied too.
Likewise, I randomly bought a few more kinds and sent them as well.
Malang: Whoaaaa.
I sent quite a lot, enough to make sure she wouldn't run short.
About 100.
At this point, I earned points faster than I spent them, so it was nothing.
Head Mod*: How's this? Is this enough?
About ten minutes had passed since I sent the new gemstones.
[Malang has offered 1,000 ‘Ashes of Fate’!]
Instead of a reply, an enormous quantity of leaves arrived by delivery.
*
[Title: I Have to... Use It Sparingly...]
Author: Elves Are Pretty, Cute, and Good at Everything
Ashes of Fate... It's such a waste... I have to use it sparingly...
I can't hold back anymore.
(GIF of an elf burying her face in a container of ash)
Hehehe, hweee...
[Upvotes 5981] [Downvotes 3970]
- You crazy bitch, what are you doing!!!!
- Elkiyaaaak!!!
- Ah, those precious leaves...!
- Lmaooo
- This is fucking hilarious lol
- These bastards really are cats; they can't even cooperate among themselves lol
Ashes of Fate.
To put it simply, the leaves worked well.
They rapidly restored the user's mana.
“Could it be used for war?”
I hoped it might be used like a mana-recovery potion, but it wasn't that powerful.
When consumed, it relaxed the body and slowly replenished only as much mana as had been depleted, like a passive effect.
- Ahhh, this is the best...
- (Elf emoticon saying “This is it”)
- I love you, Head Mod... Gimme smooches...!!
- Fuck, the chat smells like alcohol.
- Ah, seriously, can't we ban elves from the gallery?
ㄴ Then we couldn't see lewd elf pics.
ㄴ ? Why are you looking at lewd elf pics...
ㄴ You watch that stuff?
It was literally exclusive to elves.
They drank alcohol while burning a leaf beside them, replenishing their mana as it decreased.
However, at that point, only a small quantity had been released to the market.
Because of that, the elves had no choice but to conserve it, tears in their eyes...
[Notice: Must-Read Regarding Ashes of Fate]
Author: Head Mod*
It's me.
First of all, if you're someone who lives a wholesome life
or a dwarf who actually gets buffed by alcohol, you don't need to read this.
In fact, only the fragile elves who know nothing of patience or moderation need to read it, yeah.
(GIF of a box containing 1,000 Ashes of Fate)
I'm going to sell this in the market now, yeah.
One gyeongdan each.
I'll display it as a basic item for sale, like canned tuna and bottled water, so buy it yourselves.
I'm lifting the three-bottle-per-day limit too.
[Upvotes 9999+] [Downvotes 3021]
- Kiyaaaak!!!!
- Eyaaaak!!!!
- El!!! So!!! Sa!!!
- Head Mod, take me!!!!
- Ah, fuck, seriously, holy shit lol
- Head Mod, let's just starve the elves to death.
- Why do you even take care of things like that...
ㄴ “Because that's what Head Mod does.”
ㄴ (...! knight emoticon)
The restriction was lifted now.
The supply had effectively become unlimited.
“And more importantly, it's beneficial for me too.”
In fact, I was the one who benefited most from this incident.
Artificial gemstones cost only 1p at most apiece.
And Malang could make roughly 100 Ashes of Fate from each artificial gemstone, at minimum.
What if I put them on the market?
“The magic that turns 1p into 100 gyeongdan.”
Insane creative economy.
Of course, daily production and buyers were limited to elves, but still, where else could you find a deal like this?
- Head Mod is my benefactor...
- I'm realizing anew how amazing Head Mod is.
- If there isn't a single Head Mod stan in this world, then only then will I be someone who doesn't belong in it.
I pulled off a ridiculously favorable trade while earning good publicity and reactions.
It was practically like I'd acquired a pension I could collect from now until I died.
“This will be more than enough to provide food aid to the slums, with plenty left over.”
I could reinvest it in the poor and use it to attract more gallery members.
[Title: Inhale... Haa, Inhale... Haaaa...]
(GIF of an elf inhaling ash through her nose)
(GIF of an elf dropping a leaf into soju and downing it in one shot)
(GIF of an elf rolling leaves up, lighting them, and smoking them like cigarettes)
Hweee, hehehe...
Hek.
[Upvotes 102] [Downvotes 1023]
- The author, Elf-chan, is a genius.
- I can't believe you could use it this way!!!
- I've wasted half my life burning them normally...
- Please tell me there are side effects.
- Don't say something evil like hoping they all smoke themselves into the afterlife.
ㄴ No evil thoughts like that, upvoted.
- 137.7.32) (World Tree emoticon with its mouth open)
ㄴ 137.7.32) (World Tree emoticon staring)
ㄴ 137.7.32) (World Tree emoticon: “I don't know anymore”)
The World Tree's final comment bothered me a little, but.
“Well, I don't even know where it is anyway.”
I'd heard elves had dependency issues, but I wasn't too worried.
Besides, to stalk someone, you'd need to know their location, right?
My bunker was sturdy enough that even if someone set out to destroy it, they couldn't.
I brushed it off as nothing serious and was about to look for another gallery post when—
-Screeeech
“...Head Mod?”
Then the door opened, and Dryer entered.
“What the hell, how did you open it?”
I was sure I'd locked the door.
The Dryer I looked at in confusion was different from usual.
Dryer's breathing was a little heavier, and the clothes had slipped down, exposing a shoulder.
“I'm bored.”
“What?”
“I'm bored... I can't hold back anymore.”
Dryer soon began slowly approaching me with a suggestive smile.
*
Kellierton's only Mage Tower.
The masterpiece of the well-liked user Supreme Storm Mage and...
The top floor of the Mage Tower, which had become a free lodging facility for dragons who had squatted there without permission.
“Aaaah...”
Malang—whose real name was Rota Verhaver Lu Gerallent Pamela—marveled.
It was so beautiful she could not bring herself to look away.
The gemstones Head Mod had made from a substance that did not exist in this world.
There were so many precious stones that they spilled over, too numerous to fit in both hands.
“Beautiful, lovely.”
Pamela had already been lost in gazing at the gemstones for half a day.
Pamela was known to the world as a Gold Dragon, but the truth was different.
Back then, gold had been the most precious thing in the world.
A Gem Dragon was closer to her true identity.
“You little rascal. Stop that and come eat breakfast.”
“Eek.”
Unable to bear watching any longer, Dragon Dragon Will Die—Felicity—grabbed her by the scruff and sat her at the table.
What had been set on the table was an antique porcelain tea set.
“It's beautiful.”
Pamela picked up a cookie from the plate and took a bite.
“It tastes beautiful!”
Even the food was beautiful.
Eating was surely nothing more than an unnecessary act, which was proven by Felicity eating three meals a day for no reason.
And all of this had come from Head Mod.
“Sis, Head Mod must be beautiful too, right?”
Dragons could see people's colors.
Felicity let out a small sigh as she looked at the young dragon asking her.
What she read in it was unmistakable obsession, greed, and possessiveness.
“Yes, he was.”
Head Mod had been like a rainbow, not a single color but a harmony of every color.
She still couldn't forget the shock of that moment.
And conversely, she had seen the shocking future he could bring about.
That was why she left Pamela a warning.
“I'm telling you this just in case, but don't try to incur Head Mod's displeasure.”
“Hmm...”
Pamela cast a sidelong glance at Felicity.
The queen of dragons—naturally, her physical power and magic were stronger than any dragon's.
And yet, when she'd awakened, she had found herself beneath Head Mod's rule.
“Sis, is Head Mod really that strong?”
She had instinctively gauged Head Mod's mood, but she still had doubts.
“If we combine our strength, maybe we could have Head Mod for ourselves.”
A dragon's enemy was boredom.
There was a reason the concept of “playing” had arisen.
For the moment a dragon lost to boredom was the day it took its own life and died.
“Isn't that why you woke me up too, Sis?”
Why would someone that strong need to watch his step?
Felicity set down the tea she had been drinking and looked at Pamela.
“Pamela, do you really think I was the one who woke you?”
“Huh? Then it wasn't you?”
What woke Pamela from her deep sleep was a strange sense of incongruity.
She naturally assumed only Felicity could produce a feeling that strong.
At that moment, Felicity slowly reached out her hand.
-Tap
Then she placed her hand on Pamela's forehead and tried to show her what she had seen.
A scene that took life from everything existing in this land.
A scene that left behind a curse that could never be washed away.
Felicity's eyes turned red.
At the moment Pamela held her breath in tension.
“No, it's better if you don't know.”
“Huh?”
“It's too much for a young dragon like you to know.”
Felicity sighed and shook her head.
What could a mere 999-year-old do with knowing this?
There was no need to learn such a truth and spend the long years that remained trembling in fear.
“Could you tell me?”
“Ignorance can be a blessing.”