WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Arsène
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Convenience Store Clerk the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 17: What Are Spirit Stones Used For?
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“Good evening! The True Progenitor has arrived!”
The door flew open, and the store manager walked in.
She must have slept well. Her face looked refreshed.
Her smooth skin glowing, she strode into the store.
“You've worked hard, my loyal servant! Was today difficult?”
Admiring all those figurines before bed must have helped a lot.
Maybe she'd fallen asleep dreaming of bringing a limited-edition figurine home.
“The True Progenitor's domain is peaceful once again!”
She looked around the clean store and nodded in satisfaction.
“You look happy today.”
“Hehe. I received some very good energy.”
“Good energy?”
“Indeed! Perhaps it was because I did my pulls while looking at that limited-edition Asteria figurine... Ta-da!”
She thrust her smartphone screen in front of me.
Asteria's alternate version gleamed on the screen, maxed out with duplicates and equipped with a fully refined weapon.
“So you finally maxed out the character with duplicates and fully refined the weapon.”
“Hahaha! Indeed! I used my remaining currency after returning home, and wouldn't you know it? I got a copy on a single pull! So I spent more money and fully refined the weapon too!”
It was the alternate version of Asteria of the Firmament released for the fourth anniversary.
The original Asteria of the Firmament had a blue-themed mechanical angel design.
She was one of the few angel-themed characters in Stella Echo.
The scene where she descended from the sky with a spear in hand and a halo above her head had won her countless fans.
And this new release was a demonic version of that Asteria.
‘Asteria of Hellfire.’
This version carried a scythe instead of a spear, with strikingly dark circles under the eyes.
The character was the complete opposite of the original Asteria. That, along with the whole “fallen angel” theme, had both existing fans and new players going wild.
The developers were clearly giving this character special treatment, so everyone expected a top-tier unit. I'd heard you should pull at least one copy and the signature weapon, or go as far as two duplicate upgrades.
“Are you planning to destroy the world?”
“Hehe. With an Asteria raised by the True Progenitor, it would be possible.”
“How much did you spend?”
“Prepare to be amazed! I finished all the remaining duplicate upgrades and weapon refinements with just three truckloads!”
“Oh.”
I was a little jealous.
In anime-style gacha games like this, a “truckload” generally meant the most expensive currency bundle in the shop.
It varied a little by game, but it usually cost 119,000 won.
Spending that entire truckload would get you roughly fifty pulls.
In other words, the three truckloads the store manager had bought amounted to only about 150 pulls.
It usually took around eighty pulls to reach pity. And even then, there was the 50/50 pity system, which gave you only a fifty percent chance of getting the rate-up character.
With 150 pulls, you'd barely manage to get one copy and the signature weapon. If you were unlucky and lost the 50/50, a single copy might be all you got.
‘It'd be easy to blow everything and get next to nothing.’
“You got all that in just 150 pulls? Without getting anything off-banner?”
“I'm telling you, I did! Even the True Progenitor doubted her own eyes! Asteria descended with every ten-pull. You have no idea how thrilling it was!”
The store manager puffed out her chest proudly, her nostrils flaring.
Looking closer, I could see she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upward.
At times like this, it was best to give a humblebrag the reaction it deserved.
These little moments were part of what made games like this fun.
You humblebragged to your fellow players, and they humblebragged right back.
Wasn't bonding over that part of the appeal?
“It's a shame I had already hit pity every single time to get two duplicate upgrades and the signature weapon. I could have saved even more.”
I remembered how she'd looked on the verge of death when I arrived at work that morning.
Gacha really could make this much difference to how someone felt.
Or how a True Progenitor felt, rather.
“The store should have a cheerful atmosphere today.”
“Of course! The True Progenitor is in an excellent mood! I could forgive a whole crowd of problem customers. My loyal servant, go on home. In my generosity, I shall relieve you ten minutes early!”
Apparently too happy to contain herself, the store manager hopped behind the counter and pushed me out.
Whatever the reason, having the owner in a good mood certainly made life easier for the part-timer.
“Then you won't be drinking my blood today?”
“Hmm. Judging by your condition, I believe tomorrow will do. The True Progenitor is a master who carefully monitors even her loyal servant's health!”
What a shame.
I could have earned 100,000 won.
“Oh, Store Manager. Can I ask you something before I leave?”
“What is it? If you require the True Progenitor's wisdom, you may borrow as much as you wish.”
“A customer gave me this as a tip today.”
I took out the S-rank Spirit Stone of Life I'd received as a reward for applying the World Tree powder and placed it on the counter.
Pale green light flashed.
“I don't really have anywhere to sell it, so I was wondering what I could use it for...”
“E-eeeek!”
I hadn't even finished speaking.
The store manager shrieked like a cat on a hot griddle and clung to the cigarette display some distance away.
Covering her nose and mouth with her hands, she frowned and shouted.
“Where did you get such a hideous object?!”
“...Is it really that bad?”
“Of course! To the True Progenitor, it looks like a lump of filth! Urgh!”
I'd heard that the World Tree's power was a terrible matchup for vampires.
Were spirit stones the same?
“You're scared of more things than I thought. You shouldn't be so picky, Store Manager. Even if you don't like something...”
“Y-you wouldn't like it if a cockroach suddenly appeared in your home, would you?!”
“...”
Hmm.
I couldn't argue with that.
If Mr. Roach showed up in my home?
I'd leave that very day and refuse to go back inside.
This one was definitely my fault.
“I'm sorry.”
I hurriedly stuffed the spirit stone back into my pocket.
“I didn't think you'd react this strongly, considering you're the strongest vampire.”
“E-even the True Progenitor has troublesome opponents.”
Had she liked being called the strongest?
She seemed to calm down a little as she climbed off the cigarette display.
“I was thinking of giving this spirit stone to the World Tree branch I planted. Would that be okay?”
At first, I'd considered asking the gallery.
But the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that asking there would expose my identity, so I'd dropped the idea.
A convenience store part-timer who'd received an S-rank spirit stone would be far too easy to identify.
Advertising that I owned an item whose value could only be determined at auction seemed much too dangerous.
So I'd decided to ask the store manager first, since she was an expert on this world.
She was practically the only person(?) I could rely on in this unfamiliar world.
If she said I couldn't use it, I was also considering selling the spirit stone through her.
I might not know how, but surely the store manager could manage it. She'd opened a convenience store here and seemed incredibly powerful.
“Are you determined to establish a World Tree in the True Progenitor's domain?”
“...Would that be a problem? I suppose if it gets too powerful, its presence will become noticeable...”
I'd expected the store manager to shout that I couldn't, but she paused and rolled her eyes in thought.
“...Now that I think about it, there's no reason not to put it into the World Tree branch, is there?”
“Huh? So it's okay?”
“Well, adding one spirit stone couldn't possibly turn it into a real World Tree. All it will do is strengthen the World Tree's power a little. Don't worry too much.”
That sounded like a pretty minor effect.
“Don't be so concerned. It's a worthwhile choice. The True Progenitor guarantees it. Besides, you couldn't sell that at auction anyway.”
“I couldn't? Why not?”
“There are very few beings who would buy a spirit stone of that grade. Rather than waiting for demand to appear, you'd be better off using it on the World Tree branch.”
Supply and demand, huh?
That basic principle of economics left me with nothing to say.
“Then what's good about making the World Tree's power stronger?”
The store manager started to answer, then closed her mouth.
“I shall leave you the pleasure of discovering that yourself. Where's the fun if I tell you everything? As I said before, gacha only truly means something when you do the pulls yourself.”
At times like this, she really did feel like a dependable store manager.
“Thank you. You've helped me make up my mind.”
“Besides, if the World Tree's power grows too strong, it will interfere with the True Progenitor's figurine viewing...”
“That's your real reason, isn't it?”
“Ahem! N-no? It's merely an added benefit...”
And I'd been just about to feel touched.
“If it really becomes a problem later, I'll move it then.”
“Hehe. I knew I could count on my loyal servant. Oh, you do know that the day after tomorrow is your day off, don't you?”
One day a week when I didn't have to come to the convenience store.
A whole day off.
“I know. But will that be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I'm off, who'll cover the day shift?”
“Oh, don't worry about that. I have ways.”
“All right. I'll head home, then. Oh, and I handed over the cursed necklace without any problems.”
“You handed over the necklace? Did you meet that old man?”
“Old man...? Oh, the lich customer?”
“Yes! He didn't say anything strange to you, did he?”
“He told me to contact him if I ever needed eternal life.”
“Absolutely do not. That company is a sweatshop.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
She smiled at my immediate reply.
“That's my loyal servant! Well done today. Go home and get plenty of rest!”
Before I knew it, the store manager was turning Asteria of Hellfire this way and that, smiling in satisfaction.
* * *
Refreshing air greeted me the moment I opened the door.
It felt like walking into an arboretum with the air conditioning on full blast.
The room felt fresh, and the breeze was cool.
“Wow... This is nice.”
I tossed off my outerwear and headed straight for the corner of the room.
The World Tree branch sat in its little flowerpot.
The same branch the store manager had hated for giving off an irritating energy was neatly placed beside the figurine.
Despite saying she disliked it, she hadn't moved it far away. That seemed to say a lot about her personality.
She grumbled on the outside, but underneath, she was surprisingly caring.
‘She's the type to quietly pay attention to these things.’
I looked at the World Tree branch, which gave off the pleasant, woody scent of phytoncides.
Even I, who couldn't sense anything, could tell that a strange energy was rising from it.
Just looking at it seemed to clear my mind.
“The store manager said to give it this.”
I took the S-rank Spirit Stone of Life out of my pocket.
It shone with a dazzling pale green light as I carefully placed it on the soil, right beside the World Tree branch.
“With regular plant food, you take off the cap and stick the bottle into the soil. Should I crush this one first?”
I was just wondering whether to fetch a hammer.
Hummm.
The World Tree branch planted in the pot began to resonate faintly.
Then the spirit stone's pale green light rose like mist and began flowing into the branch's leaves and stem.
“Oh...”
It was an amazing sight.
The spirit stone, which had been a solid gem, melted into liquid... no, into light. It seeped through the soil and roots into the branch.
It took less than a minute for the stone to disappear.
Fwaah!
A dazzling light flared from the World Tree branch as it finished absorbing the spirit stone.
The brief glare faded.
“It's growing.”
The bare branch, which had been about the size of a chopstick, grew visibly thicker and shot upward.
New twigs stretched out, and fresh, pale green leaves popped up at their tips.
“Wow...”
The World Tree branch had grown to the size of a small shrub. It was now just a liiittle too big to call a branch, but still too small to call a tree.
I could feel the air growing cleaner.
All I'd done was breathe in.
“Whew.”
Energy welled up inside me.
“This is amazing.”
My head cleared, and I could feel vitality flowing through my body.
It certainly seemed worth the money.
At this rate, it might not be long before it took the shape of a real tree.
I gently stroked a leaf on the World Tree branch, which was now thicker than before.
It swayed softly, scattering a faint light.
“Grow big and strong so I can sell you later.”
I had a feeling I'd sleep very well tonight.
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