I Couldn’t Afford to Buy Mana, so I Started Streaming

Ruri’s memories, which she had held onto all her life, began to surface.

She thought of herself as leading a worthless life.

The ritual was about to begin as soon as she removed the blindfold.

The flames of the torch reflected ominously in the eyes of the bound girl, like black ink burning.

In the ruins caused by the earthquake, the dark wizards began their hunt for humans.

Everything with a heartbeat was dismantled by runes, unable to even scream.

The stench of blood pooled on the floor, soaking her feet.

To alleviate their guilt even slightly, humans had to be inferior beings, after all.

It had been five long years since she was born a slave to Kaimdal.

One day, salvation descended from the skies that could not fly.

A mana more brilliant than gold, built up over Kaimdal’s lifetime, plunged into the earth.

Holding onto her fading consciousness, she managed to ask one question.

[You. Who?]

The savior merely retorted sharply with tear-filled eyes.

[Is that important right now? If you’re not going to help, just get lost.]

That was Ruri’s first encounter with the witch she had cherished all her life.

*

Pusshiiing-

As the acrid smoke of residue flowed out, I slammed the door open.

CoughCough “Ugh, it’s spicy.”

I stuck out my tongue and made a phew phew sound.

Then, as if nothing had happened, I calmly took the elevator up to the surface.

“Is NoName Wizard okay? There was smoke coming from inside…!”

The officials from the magic power plant rushed over, asking about the situation.

“The output can’t keep up, and there’s an overload in the magic circle circuit formula. I think we need to revise the rune placement from the start… It won’t be easy to commercialize Dream Stone level 2 in many aspects.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s too bad…”

“Still, we didn’t leave empty-handed. It’s not the best result, but I’ve gained some ideas to improve integration levels, so I’m somewhat satisfied with the experiment. So…”

I glanced sideways at Zhuge Ban, the director of the power plant.

“Why are you all so tense?”

“Y-Yes? Hah, no! Tense, what are you talking about?”

“I’ll deposit the payment right here and now. Just wait a moment.”

Only then did the Zhuge family members relax.

After going through complicated verifications at the bank several times, I finally managed to transfer the funds.

“Thank you, NoName Wizard! The Zhuge family will never forget this grace!”

“Call me either Wizard or Great Sir, but stick to one. By the way, the room needs cleaning due to the residue… If it gets too rough, I might…”

“N-No! To make the benefactor clean, please don’t make us sound like shameless humans.”

“Alright, if that’s how you feel. Could you drop me off in Shangyang City? I’ll take a look around the rescue site for a bit longer.”

Soon, a vehicle and driver were assigned.

After all, a VIP customer spending around 170 billion was treated very differently.

I sighed as I gazed at the ever-changing scenery.

“Everyone must be having a hard winter without homes.”

“The director has set a minimum mana distribution policy for the disaster recovery period.”

“Still, it won’t be easy.”

I wondered if this 170 billion would completely return to the citizens of Shangyang; it probably wouldn’t.

‘The world runs solely on mutual interests.’

Anyway, the Zhuge family continues to need Shangyang, and Shangyang urgently needs the Zhuge family.

I just hoped this flow wouldn’t break and continue for a long time.

“Are you really getting off here? There’s no public transport or anything.”

“I can just ask my dad to come pick me up later. Take care.”

I arrived at a place several kilometers away from the ongoing rescue operations.

The cold wind rustled my hair.

Shangyang City, shrouded in ash-gray skies, was eerily quiet.

The destroyed buildings stood grotesquely, skeletal remains with shattered glass and debris littering the ground beneath my feet.

As the cold wind swirled mournfully through the desolate streets.

Click-

I opened the wand’s gem compartment and took out the hidden egg.

‘Hatching is imminent.’

I entered the half-collapsed villa and gathered as many blankets and sheets as I could.

Through Dragonia Nascentia, the genetic information optimized for the environment was injected based on Ruri’s Aura Heart.

In an environment as mana-depleted as this, the likelihood of hatching in a human form was high.

Otherwise, things would become extremely troublesome from then on.

“Please consider my situation too.”

[Spell: Heat Transfer – Convection]

I laid gems around the egg, raising the room’s temperature until beads of sweat gathered on my forehead.

[It’s hot. Let me out.]

The egg began to absorb mana, gradually increasing in size.

From now on, I was in unknown territory, so I gathered as much aura as possible and strengthened the barrier.

If the egg exploded like dynamite, it would be an unforgivable death.

Now began the time of patience.

Huaaaam. Huh?

Thirty minutes later, the gem that was spinning in place suddenly fell flat.

The supplied mana was ample, but the egg’s growth had stopped at the size of a small carrier.

I frowned.

‘It’s small…’

I wondered if I could fit inside by curling my body as much as possible.

In life, Ruri had never been this small.

Could something be wrong? I couldn’t hide my anxious feelings.

Tickety-tick-

“…!”

A crack appeared on the egg.

The shell began to become transparent, revealing a silhouette inside.

‘Phew… For now, it’s a human body.’

As I secretly waited for the moment a dragon would hatch, I was met with a bang-!

“Guahh! Spit! What the heck! Ughhh…!”

The egg indeed burst, and yellow liquid gushed out like a water cannon.

Like egg whites, the gooey substance splashed all over my face and hair.

Of course, reality didn’t have a fairytale vibe.

When I finally managed to open my eyes, a girl’s head was peeking out from the broken egg.

‘It really is Ruri. How is this possible…?’

Seeing her face drained away all my complex feelings like a receding tide.

All I wanted was to have a conversation with her as soon as possible.

As the once-firm mana barrier shrank, the egg tipped over.

Ruri flailed her limbs and emerged from the egg within five seconds.

“Ruri!”

Gurgle…

“Ruri, what’s wrong?”

Ruri seemed to be in pain, sprawled out.

I pulled the rest of her legs out of the egg and laid her on my lap.

I tilted her head back and checked her breathing and pulse.

The liquid was blocking her airway, preventing her from breathing.

“No way. I went through so much trouble to find you just to have you die here! Ruri!”

I patted her back, and used the Heimlich maneuver to apply pressure to her abdomen.

As the liquid threatened to overflow from her tongue, I pulled it out with my fingers.

Just when I thought I might have to perform CPR if she lost consciousness.

“Cough! Cough! Haaah haaah. Haaa…”

Ruri breathed.

“Geez… You scared me. Do you want to be recorded as the first dragon to suffocate…?”

I held her tightly, suppressing my heightened emotions.

Because of the liquid, her body was slippery and kept slipping out of my embrace.

‘So annoying…’

I pressed her cheeks with my palms and examined her face.

Had she aged five years? Her hair was all wet, so I couldn’t tell well.

Then Ruri stared at me with wide, dilated pupils.

What on earth should I say to a girl I ordered to die…?

With feelings of joy set aside, I fell into a heavy silence for a while.

*

‘I’ve been reborn. I had guessed I was trapped in an egg, but is this even possible…? Who is that over there?’

Ruri, who hatched from the egg, was utterly confused.

Having been determined to have a fast-approaching end to her life due to polymorph, there was no longer any way to live.

Yet, she was born from an egg, and not just that but in a somewhat grown state, even taking on a human form.

Watching over this entire situation was a young child.

“Human?”

Ruri spoke awkwardly.

“Yeah.”

Hoping even a bit that we might be kin, Ruri instantly recoiled in disgust.

Now that she knew I was human, her anger flared.

“All humans are evil… traitors…”

“Are you in your middle school phase? I guess that’s the age for it. Come here, let me help you clean up.”

Na-me found a soft material blanket to wipe away the gooey liquid on Ruri’s body.

“I’ll do it, myself.”

Ruri snatched the blanket from Na-me’s hands, defiantly.

At that moment, Na-me was in for a shock.

I decided to use a Light Transmutation Circle Inscriber to use Clean Magic.

[Transmute: Water]

[Cast: Aqua Clean]

‘Wait a minute, she’s casting too fast, way too fast…!’

Ruri bared her teeth and growled, defying all rationality she must have.

“Ah! What are you doing! You’re showing your true colors now- Gah!”

Thud-

Ruri slipped the moment she stood up, hitting her head on the ground.

There was no shame like this.

“Wipe your feet first. It’s slippery.”

“Ugh, I get it! Don’t bother, human. You think I wouldn’t know your grim intentions? I’m just ignoring it even knowing!”

“…?”

Ruri claimed that dragons were mature beings from the moment they were born.

“???”

While she was making absurd claims, Na-me was inwardly perplexed.

Ruri skillfully gained control over the magic circle to wash herself.

‘I don’t think she hit her head too hard, but her actions are definitely lacking.’

Feeling somewhat awkward, Na-me picked up a piece of the egg shell and held it out to Ruri.

“Is this edible?”

“Are you telling this body to eat trash? Do you want to die?”

“No, I’m asking if there are any important nutrients… I have no way of knowing the dragon’s biology! Why are you always getting mad at me?”

Na-me pouted and crossed her arms, turning her head away.

That expression only seemed cute to Ruri.

‘Did I treat her too harshly…? No, she’s human. If she grows up, she’ll be the same.’

Her mother, who had believed in the potential of humans, was brutally betrayed by them.

Ruri vowed never to trust humans again.

Wrapping a thin blanket around herself, she grabbed the doorknob.

“It’s cold outside.”

Na-me said curtly.

Ruri huffed and raised one side of her mouth.

“Dragons aren’t like lowly humans, affected by heat or cold. Be grateful I’m sparing you, kid.”

“… Go outside then.”

Compared to her past life, where she had been captured by a dark wizard the moment she was born, the present life seemed rather easy.

As long as she only dealt with a suspiciously fast-casting child, it would be icing on the cake, but Ruri decided to show her last mercy.

‘Past life? Or a different dimension? The mana here is too thin.’

Whiiiinnn-!

As soon as she opened the door, a swirling blizzard greeted her.

Being out there for a few more seconds could freeze her skin.

“Doesn’t this feel wrong? What are you doing? Hurry up.”

“I-I’ll go! I’m just getting ready to pull out my wings.”

Because Na-me kept urging her, Ruri slammed the door shut.

Of course, no matter how hard she tried, her wings wouldn’t be sprouting from behind her.

In minus twenty-degree weather, Ruri couldn’t bear it for five minutes and ran back into the warm villa.

Na-me, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, laughed at her.

‘Ugh, this is annoyingly triggering me…’

Getting up from the sofa, Na-me gathered the dragon egg shells.

[Cast: Ignition]

The two girls stared at the black fragments igniting one after another.

Na-me swooped behind Ruri, grabbing a padded jacket.

“Doesn’t work.”

“What do you mean, doesn’t work? Put it on; it’s cold outside.”

“Ah, it’s clothing. What about you?”

“I don’t feel cold. I’m strong, unlike you.”

“You little…”

For some unknown reason, Ruri’s dragon powers weren’t returning.

Seeing Na-me grinning made Ruri grit her teeth.

‘Wait a minute.’

Finally, Ruri began to suspect something odd.

“My name.”

Na-me stood in front of the mirror, tying up her twin tails properly again.

“Why about your name?”

“How did you know my name was Ruri?”

“You’re a black dragon. So of course, it would be Ruri.”

“That makes no sense. Say it right if you don’t want to die.”

Ruri’s instincts were screaming.

Na-me wasn’t just any ordinary child.

‘Is she a polymorphed dragon? No, the mana here is way too thin. Just what is this child’s identity?’

Na-me’s magical prowess was suspicious too.

But above all, her acting like she knew Ruri very well irritated Ruri deeply.

Even though she had been reborn just today.

The reflection of Na-me in the mirror suddenly shone with golden light.

As she tied her last hair tie, she spoke.

“It was refreshing to discover such a side of you for the first time. It was fun too.”

“Refreshing? Fun? Do you know me?”

“I thought it would be nice to build our relationship from the ground up once again… but I guess that’s just my wish, and it doesn’t seem like consideration for you.”

Na-me hesitated to look back.

It was probably because she owed an unrepayable debt to a life.

Clenching her fists tight and taking a deep breath.

[Spell: Demon King’s Horn]

Whaaaah—

Two radiant horns and a golden aura radiated from her body.

“Y-You, how did you obtain Mother’s aura…”

“Ruri, I’m sorry. That must have been so scary for you.”

“Mother?”

“It seems I’m really late, but… can you forgive me? I don’t want to lose you, dear…”

Despite her beaming smile, transparent droplets began to fall from Na-me’s eyes.

Seeing the scene, Ruri rushed into Na-me’s embrace without a moment’s hesitation.

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