Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Successor? No, thanks. I’d rather just heal. Episode 87

Lion broke into a grin for the first time in a while.

‘Ugh! I can’t keep my composure!’

To Lion right now, this Flame Herb was worth more than gold, more precious than saffron, more valuable than white pepper.

“Hehe hehe…….”

His expression was sinister, but his hands worked with meticulous care, placing the Flame Herb into an alchemy vial and sealing it away.

Hiss—!

With the oxygen cut off, the blazing leaves snuffed out, their color darkening to deep crimson.
Then they began to pulse with a faint, gentle glow.
The flame hadn’t been extinguished entirely—it had merely simmered down to a low burn.
This way it would keep far longer.

“Have you found a plant that pleases you?”
“No joke.”

Lion explained the Flame Herb to Elvia.

“My. What a fascinating medicinal plant. I confess I’ve never heard of it before.”
“Right?”

Lion began sweeping up every Flame Herb in the vicinity.
Strangely, as soon as he plucked one, two more would appear. The moment he gathered those two, four more came into view.
Twenty stems. Thirty stems.
By the time he’d nearly reached fifty……!

[Your Gathering talent has broken through its limits!]
[Congratulations! Through your endless curiosity about new things and your fearless execution, you have achieved tremendous progress!]
[Gathering Proficiency has reached Skilled Lv.1.]
[Henceforth, you are capable of gathering even more dangerous plants.]
[New gathering types unlocked: Ore Veins and Toxic Plants.]

“……!”

He’d done it.
Fortunately, unlike with Alchemy, there was no brilliant flash of light.
But he could feel it in his body.
His entire physiology had grown sharper, more agile for the work of gathering.
He felt optimized for more delicate tasks.
Lion clenched his fist and savored the joy of his advancement.

‘……But Toxic Plants?’

Then again, if he wanted to craft a poison antidote potion through Alchemy, he’d need to harvest Toxic Plants as well.
It was risky, but now that his Proficiency had grown, he’d manage somehow.

“Good. Good.”

Lion, in a cheerful mood, absently used his Hoe to dig up the Stone Mushroom beside him.

[You have obtained a Roasted Snow Mountain Stone Mushroom. (★)]
-How was the Stone Mushroom roasted?
—Originally it’s a mushroom that can’t be eaten, but when roasted well, it becomes chewy like meat!
—It has a slight smoky aroma with a salty, spicy flavor.

“……Huh?”

The stone mushroom had been roasted by the Hoe’s influence.
Steam was rising from it, and the aroma was quite…….

‘Char-grilled ribs!’

It smelled like charcoal smoke, but something felt oddly artificial about it.
That’s right. This was…….
‘Hot bar.’
When the Snow Mountain stone mushroom was roasted, it smelled like hot bar!

“Wow!”

It was a scent he hadn’t experienced in quite some time.
In that instant, a flood of memories from the sauna swept through Lion’s mind.
Those nights after pulling all-nighters, when he felt like he was dying, he’d sear his body with the sauna’s heat, fill his stomach with hot bar and eggs in the jjimjilbang, then collapse in the sleeping room.
Especially being in a place this cold now, his longing for the jjimjilbang suddenly surged.
For some reason, it genuinely felt warm…….

“Hm?”

Lion’s eyes widened as he felt humid, warm air on his cheeks.
This wasn’t imagination.
But it didn’t make sense.
A hot spring in this remote mountain wilderness?

‘Could it be because of the Flame Herbs?’

The Flame Herbs had been growing in larger quantities than he’d expected.

“Hehe.”

A laugh escaped from Elvia, who had been observing Lion the whole time.

“Have you noticed now?”

Elvia looked at Lion with delight, then took the lead herself.

“Follow me, if you would.”
“Could it be…….”

As if entranced, Lion followed Elvia deeper into the Snow Mountain.
And step by step, he felt it drawing closer.
That warm, moist air!

‘Insane.’

And then Lion witnessed it.

“It’s a hot spring.”
“Indeed, young master.”

He couldn’t believe it.
Hot springs didn’t necessarily fail to exist In the World.
As someone who’d visited every notable location in the game—story or not—Lion knew they were out there.
But he’d thought they didn’t exist in the Empire.

“A hot spring in a place like this…….”
“Yes, that’s right. I happened to find one. Since this is such a cold region, I thought you’d appreciate it if we came across a hot spring.”

She hadn’t expected him to gather Flame Herb for quite so long.
Elvia added her comment, but Lion paid her no mind.
All that mattered was the steaming water before him.

“This is incredible…….”

More than just nice. Far more than that.
Hadn’t he been imagining his body soaking in a sauna just moments ago?
And now, with the scent of grilled mushroom still clinging to his hands—there was no resisting the urge to slip in.
Watching him, Elvia felt quite satisfied for the first time in a while.
Throughout this entire journey, she’d been aching to see their precious young master suffer through travel fatigue, and now fortune had brought them to this perfect place.

‘Here, he can truly recover from his exhaustion.’

No matter how fine the carriage or how luxurious the clothes, one cannot ignore the weariness that travel brings.
Especially after suffering from warping sickness as well.
But now, seeing Lion so delighted, she felt even more pleased.

“Young Master, do go ahead and bathe. I’ll keep watch here.”

Elvia stepped away to give Lion privacy for his bath.

‘I can’t hold back.’

Lion approached the hot spring at once and dipped a finger into it.
The temperature was just right—delightfully warm.

“Chirp!”

Nature, equally pleased, flew ahead and plunged into the spring with a splash, paddling about happily.

“You really do look just like a bath toy the way you are.”

Like a rubber duck that children play with in the bath.
Seeing that Nature had entered without hesitation, Lion was certain it was a genuinely fine hot spring.
He set his clothes aside and slowly waded into the water.

Splash!

“Ahhhhh…….”

As he settled down, a refreshing sensation rippled from deep in his core.

[You have entered the hot spring.]
[Stamina recovers faster than normal.]

The warm water raised his body temperature, and with so many Flame Herbs nearby, even the exposed parts weren’t particularly cold.
Whenever a chill crept in, he’d splash water over himself, and it was nothing short of paradise.
What’s more, the water quality was so exceptional—better than exceptional—that his skin became silken, as if he’d added bath salts.

‘Wow, Grandfather would absolutely love this place too.’

Later, when time allowed, a family hot spring trip sounded rather appealing.
Lion leaned against a rock and savored a leisurely half-soak.
The water was so clean and clear that it brought a natural sense of ease and comfort to his mind.
After soaking for a good while, his thoughts drifted to the mushroom he’d gathered earlier—the Roasted Snow Mountain Stone Mushroom, that is.
Fortunately, it had retained its heat, stored as it was in a herb-gathering container.
Lion bit into the Roasted Snow Mountain Stone Mushroom.
Crunch!
A sweet and savory juice burst forth, mingling with the mushroom’s distinctive fibrous texture.

“Oh.”

It was as if someone had distilled the best qualities of mushroom and grilled meat into a single bite.
Rich umami with the char of charcoal fire—

‘This is something else.’

This was exactly what a proper sauna visit should feel like.
True, he found himself thinking of sikhye and roasted eggs, but the excellence of the hot spring and the austere beauty of the Snow Mountain erased any sense of want.
Lion finished the mushroom and rose from the water with unhurried grace.

[Stamina fully restored.]
[You are in perfect condition!]

The same notification that had appeared when he received Priest’s blessing flickered on.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Priest since then.’

Opportunity had been scarce, and the orphanage seemed to be one he didn’t visit often these days.
Had his secret escape been discovered, and was he being punished for it?

‘Well, we’ll cross paths again eventually.’

Thinking it was time to dress and head back after such a thorough bath, Lion was about to rise when—

Flash!

Something gleamed beneath the water.
Even during his usual gathering runs, he rarely saw anything glimmer quite this brightly.

“What is that?”

Lion cupped water in both hands and peered into it.

‘The water itself isn’t glowing.’

The water was simply clear water.
Then….
Lion bent forward and plunged his head beneath the surface of the hot spring.

[Expert’s Eye technique enhanced.]

His blurred vision snapped into focus, and the contents of the water became crystal clear.

“—!”

And he found it.
Embedded in the floor of the hot spring: a stone glimmering with inner light.

[Hot Spring Luminous Stone]
-Flowing tears that dried and hardened until they became stone.
-When carried, allows normal vision even underwater.
-If consumed through a special method, increases affinity with Mermaid-kin.
-Only the skilled may gather this Luminous Stone.
[Uses: Alchemy, Beast Taming, Cooking]
[☞Click to view the recipe.]

“Phew!”

Lion broke the surface again, lifting his head above the water.
He’d never seen a luminous stone before, but fortunately the name itself meant something to him.

‘Flowing tears.’

Tears wept by a mermaid, collected in a vial before they dried—that was the reference.
They came from mermaids already known to be extinct. Naturally, flowing tears had become so rare that their price matched their scarcity.
The Empire supposedly held no more than three of them.
But setting aside such rarity, to put it simply:
it was a high-grade crafting material.
So this luminous stone should at least be a reasonable substitute.

‘This mountain range is no joke.’

Lion recalled the explanation from moments before.

-Only the skilled may harvest luminous stones.

He’d been digging up Flame Herb in abundance and had just crossed into the proficiency threshold.
And a notification had appeared that he could now harvest ore veins.

‘When I first arrived, I was focused only on the toxic plants.’

Ore veins were typically found only in mines or quarries.
Ventures there usually meant encountering monsters, so it made sense they’d set proficiency restrictions on such activities.

……

Lion pulled Mudu’s Tools from his pack.
The artisan had assembled miscellaneous items; sure enough, everything needed for basic mining was there.
Most essential: a pickaxe.
Nails and a hammer for precisely breaking off attached stone fragments.
And even a brush for clearing away dust.

“I could give it a try right now.”

Of course, attempting this while fully submerged underwater would be difficult.
The water’s resistance would tank his efficiency, and even if he managed to extract something, it likely wouldn’t come out properly.

‘But I can’t exactly ask Nature to drain all the water here.’

Still.
That was no reason to give up.
Lion set his sights on the side face of the hot spring—
specifically, the stone surface rising above the water line.
Fragments were already protruding here and there; if he dug long enough, the shape would gradually reveal itself.

“…First, I should get dressed.”

Lion dried himself with the towel Elvia had laid out before she left on patrol, then changed into fresh clothes.
He rolled up his pant legs and pushed his sleeves to his elbows.

“All right.”

With that done, he surveyed the area around the hot spring again.

Glitter!

So it did exist after all.
A Luminous Stone jutting barely above the surface of the water!

“Ha ha ha.”

Lion lifted his pickaxe high, laughing.
Luminous Stone!
You’re coming with me to the Asteri Estate!

Crack!

A clear, ringing sound echoed through the mountain.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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