I Became The Owner Of The Magical Spring Where Spirits Gather

6.

“What the hell is all that commotion?”

The quiet morning of the small rural village, Nabigol, was unusually bustling today.

Two trucks loaded with all kinds of construction equipment were heading toward Minseo’s house.

Standing nearby, watching with a displeased expression, was the owner of the local pub—a woman known for her fierce presence, with her seagull-shaped eyebrow tattoos, tightly permed hair, and bright pink lipstick.

“They say Mija’s grandson is moving in. Chairman Heo said so himself, so they’re fixing the place up,”

answered Kim Okbun, the owner of the village supermarket, whose soft, always-smiling face made it hard to tell whether her eyes were open or closed.

“What’s a young man doing coming to a backwater like this? And making such a racket, too,”

The pub owner clicked her tongue in annoyance.

She didn’t even need to see it to know.

Young folks like that—they’d come, stir up the place, then leave without a second thought.

“….”

Muttering under her breath about how she didn’t like it, the pub owner glared in the direction of Minseo’s house, farthest from the village center, then huffed and walked away.

“Oh dear… There she goes again,”

Kim Okbun said casually, clearly used to such scenes.

“All done! Chairman Heo was very insistent that we be extra careful. We really put our best effort into it.”

said the construction manager, beaming.

“Ah… Thank you.”

It seemed the “Chairman Heo” he referred to was Grandpa Sangcheol.

But… why chairman?

“Everything finished?”

Just then, Grandpa Sangcheol himself came by.

Despite being busy with farm work, he’d taken the time to stop by often, checking on things Minseo didn’t know much about, and personally asking Mr. Park for favors.

He’d really gone out of his way to help.

“Let’s take a look…”

With his usual hands-clasped-behind-the-back stance, he inspected the house inside and out with a critical eye.

At first, Minseo had found his strictness overwhelming, but now, it wasn’t scary anymore.

“Good work. Looks good.”

Grandpa Sangcheol’s approval made Mr. Park break into a wide smile.

After Grandpa left, Mr. Park hurried his workers to finish cleaning up.

They wrapped everything up perfectly, leaving the house neat and spotless.

“If you have any problems, don’t hesitate to call! Take care!”

After they left, Minseo stood alone, looking around the house, now bright and refreshed.

Of course, the weeds taking over the yard and the stubborn old grime in the corners were problems he would have to tackle himself.

The next day.

The cleaning truly began in earnest.

By the time Minseo finished cleaning inside the house, the sun was already dipping below the horizon.

It had been exhausting…

He even cleaned out the dust in the attic and polished the small window until it gleamed.

Opening that little attic window and looking down at the yard—

[Semi has spotted you and greets you warmly!]

In the middle of the yard, a small spring shimmered softly with a gentle glow.

Minseo waved back at Semi, and a burst of bright, joyful light popped out in response.

[Semi is incredibly happy to be with you!]

Lying down with his chin resting on his arms, looking out over his grandmother’s house, Minseo felt like he had traveled back in time.

‘The weeds are a bit of an eyesore, though.’

The unmanaged yard was a mess, but that didn’t bother him.

He was going to fix it little by little anyway.

In fact, he felt a fresh wave of motivation.

‘Alright, I’ll turn this attic into my new hideout.’

Come to think of it, after the incident, he hadn’t been able to enjoy the games and movies he once loved.

‘Since I’m retired anyway and have plenty of time, maybe I’ll turn it into a gaming and movie room.’

He let himself dream a little before standing up with a grunt—his back aching from the hard work.

After a refreshing wash, he flopped down onto the clean living room floor, groaning softly.

Though he had spent his life moving his body and considered himself physically fit, cleaning was a whole different kind of exhaustion compared to fighting monsters.

‘Cleaning is harder.’

As he stared blankly into space, hunger crept up on him.

The intense cleaning had left his stomach growling ferociously.

==========

[Subject Information]

Name: Lee Minseo

Title: Owner of the Mana Spring

Basic Info (▼ Click to expand)

Trait: Seeker of Fine Cuisine

Skills: Amateur Chef, Gourmet, Golden Hands, Ingredient Selection

Points Held: 200

Physical Info

Current State: Mana Hole Damage

Mana Hole Recovery Rate: 0.03%

==========

After making and eating some kimchi fried rice, something unexpected happened—the damaged mana hole began to recover.

Just to be sure, he made another batch and ate it—and sure enough, his recovery rate increased to 0.03%.

It rose by 0.015% each time.

‘Since it was only an E-grade dish, I earned 200 points too. I don’t know what they’re for yet, but…’

He had a feeling.

‘If I eat higher-quality food, the recovery rate might increase even more!’

Fine Cuisine Seeker.

This trait—believing that beautiful and delicious food is the source of life’s strength.

Now he understood why Semi had gifted him this trait.

After all, he was broken, both in body and in spirit.

‘Semi doesn’t just want to heal my body—he wants to heal my heart, too.’

It was a clever approach.

Delicious food. The happiness of eating.

Their power was greater than anyone might imagine.

‘Which means I can’t just eat anything.’

The convenience store lunches he had shared with the construction crew hadn’t done anything.

They didn’t taste particularly good, either.

A good meal is the best medicine. For my darling to stay healthy.

The memory of his grandmother’s note came to mind.

But right now, there wasn’t even a fridge or a proper stove in the house.

Left with no choice, he pulled out some instant ramen.

‘I’ll go to the supermarket tomorrow.’

Setting up a portable gas stove and a cheap aluminum pot on the clean veranda, he remembered—

His grandmother used to cook meals for him in the yard’s old fireplace.

Those meals tasted absolutely incredible.

Though the old cauldron was gone and the fireplace had cracked, maybe he could fix it up and use it again.

‘I bet food cooked there would taste amazing.’

A cool breeze stirred Minseo’s hair as he gazed at the cracked fireplace.

[Semi-nags that to be happy and healthy, you must eat food made from good ingredients.]

[Ramen is NOT made from good ingredients!]

“Just for today,”

Minseo pleaded with Semi, who seemed to be trembling in anger.

[Semi demands that you promise to cook with good ingredients starting tomorrow!]

“Yeah, yeah.”

While bantering with Semi, the water started to boil.

He tossed two packs of ramen noodles and seasoning in all at once.

No need to argue about “seasoning first” or “noodles first.”

He added a sprinkle of chili powder and black pepper—he preferred his ramen heavily peppered.

He liked ramen with green onions, garlic, or an egg tossed in.

Sometimes even a can of tuna.

Ramen could be endlessly creative with different ingredients, but today, he had nothing.

Soon, the spicy aroma filled the yard.

‘Smells like a real home.’

Even if it was just ramen, the house, which had felt empty and cold, now seemed to carry a little warmth.

When he stirred the noodles with his chopsticks, they were perfectly springy.

Turning off the heat, he used the pot lid as a tray and scooped up a big clump of noodles.

“Blow, blow.”

After cooling them down with a few puffs of air, he slurped the hot noodles.

Haaa—
The heat made him exhale sharply, but this was exactly what made ramen so good.

Pairing it with a piece of his mom’s homemade kimchi, it tasted better than any gourmet feast.

Just as he was about to scoop up another bite—

“What’re you doing with the door wide open?”

The front gate burst open, and a small figure stormed in.

Startled, Minseo looked up to see an elderly woman staring at him—permed hair, pink lipstick, and seagull-brow tattoos.

The sharp-tongued grandma he’d seen at the supermarket before.

“Uh…?”

“When you see an elder, you greet them properly! Don’t just stare!”

“Ah, hello, ma’am…”

“Ma’am, my foot. Call me grandma.”

“…Excuse me?”

Confused, Minseo blinked as the old lady scanned the house through the cracked-open door.

‘Of course. Look at this mess. Eating nothing but that ramen trash.’

Clicking her tongue in disapproval, she glared at him.

Under that sharp gaze, Minseo sheepishly put down his chopsticks and bowed his head.

The old woman—her name was Yeogongju—frowned deeply.

Look at him. So thin and worn-out.

Good thing she decided to check in on him.

Sighing heavily, she clicked her tongue again, sitting herself down on the veranda and peeking around the house—the overgrown yard, the messy interior.

‘There’s no way he’s been eating properly. No choice, then.’

Minseo looked at her in bewilderment.

Why did she seem so annoyed with him? They’d barely met!

“Here. Eat this. Bring the dish back to the tavern tomorrow morning.”

And with that, she stood up and hobbled away.

Limping—her steps were slow and strained.

She must have had a hard time climbing up the mountain trail to reach his house.

Had she come all this way just for him?

Still in shock, Minseo accepted the wide plate she had handed him.

A delicious, savory smell tickled his nose.

He carefully peeled back the foil to reveal a plate full of savory, golden-brown zucchini and chive pancakes.

[The trait ‘Seeker of Fine Cuisine’ activates!]

[Ingredient Selection! Analyzing ‘Zucchini Pancake’…]

[Conditions not met—analysis failed.]

‘Guess I still can’t analyze cooked dishes.’

Shrugging, Minseo picked up a piece of the pancake.

It looked crispy and delicious.

Unable to resist, he popped it into his mouth.

A rich, sweet zucchini flavor and tender batter filled his senses.

Not fancy, but the kind of food that tugged at old, comforting memories.

The freshness of the zucchini and chives, like they had just been picked from a garden, stood out.

‘A little salty, though.’

But such small flaws were easily masked by the seasoning of nostalgia.

Eating warm, homemade food from someone’s grandma’s age, in his grandmother’s house—

It made his heart ache a little.

‘It’s delicious…’

He had run away, hiding here from everything.

Yet now, eating this simple, heartfelt food, a soft, unconscious smile crept onto his lips.

It had been so long since anyone had offered him such pure kindness.

‘Maybe here, I really can… start again.’

Just as he thought that, Minseo quickly shook his head, smiling bitterly.

‘No useless thoughts. Just focus on what I can do, what I want to do, right now.’

First step: fill this space once more with life.