To be or not to be salmon rice bowl or cube steak rice bowl, that is the question.
So I ordered both.
“Na-me-ya, take it slow…”
As I kept shoving food into my mouth, I finally felt the dizziness clear up.
The plump salmon belly stuck to my tongue like splat.
The fullness from the rich fat eased my appetite a bit.
But, did I put too much soy sauce? The saltiness lingered, so I shoved another spoonful of rice into my mouth.
My cheeks must look like a squirrel’s cheeks right now, but who cares about others’ gazes.
Finally, I managed to get my act together by downing a glass of water with a glug glug.
“There’s no rule that says you have to handle aura in just one way.”
I pointed at each of the weightlifting club members with the spoon in my hand.
Since I was feeling slightly uplifted, it wouldn’t be too bad to impart some wisdom directly.
“To put it extremely, even the elite of the former Soviet Union were communists by day and capitalists by night, right? It’s kind of like that. As long as the two propositions aren’t contradictory, creating a new worldview isn’t impossible.”
Was that too complicated?
Well, considering I couldn’t even handle one aura properly for my entire life, it seemed too much to expect them to control two types of aura without mixing them up.
Finally, I wrapped up my meal by popping a piece of salmon and a slice of steak in my mouth at the same time.
Unfortunately, I left a lot of rice behind. My stomach is just too small.
I also answered Ban So-wool’s question.
“Is there something light yet heavy? It’s loans. Your pocket is heavy right now, but your balance is endlessly light, right?”
“Loans?”
“The aura I showed you at the end consumes the ‘calories’ in your body to produce extreme strength in a short time. Unlike matter, mana or aura are defined in negatives, so if you set the ‘negative calories’, you can draw energy from the near future.”
Of course, Erichiton’s principle is far more complex and systematically regulated.
Born as phenomena themselves, for something to think and possess personality, it’s a structure unimaginable without a dragon’s head.
While many have tried to scientifically elucidate the power of aura, there’s still a long way to go.
Just like introducing a simple economic model to a market economy, humans chose to philosophically deal with aura to build a more precise inner world.
“Question everything. That’s the only way to define anything.”
Thus, I tossed a thought-provoking dilemma to the philosophy students.
As everyone left the dining area after dinner, Ban So-wool kept her eyes closed, still lost in deep thought.
Certainly, without tapping into the power of erosion, I couldn’t hope to defeat her with sheer strength.
Ban So-wool’s heart was more peaceful and profound than that of most brides in the kingdom.
Was I weak, or was she strong?
How much effort has she put in to get to this point?
The discomfort of not being able to see ahead must be inexpressible.
“…?”
I asked Ban So-wool, who seemed to have caught on to the fact that I was staring intently.
“How do you usually study?”
“I try to memorize what the professor says as much as possible or record it. Then, I review the class material in virtual reality based on what my scribe helper wrote for me.”
“Oh, so there’s virtual reality. But it must be tough to rewind the same class twice.”
“Tough? Nah, it’s fun. But starting next semester, I have to take 21 credits, and it’s a bit tricky since four subjects haven’t found a person yet.”
Scribe helper?
Could this be a golden opportunity for Shin Yeon-ho?
“I do know someone who can help So-wool. Should I ask that person for you?”
This way, I’d cleared all my debts.
However, even though Ban So-wool was pretty, she seemed rather boring and abstinent like a monk. Whether his love would succeed, only time would tell.
*
Today marked the last Q&A session with the professors hosted by the Sephiron Foundation.
As Emily Mayakovsky set up a 500mL bottle of water and snacks for each seat, Dr. Robert Fuller handed me a Chupa Chups lollipop.
He already had one of the same candy in his mouth—probably as a substitute for cigarettes.
“Is NoName an alien or something?”
“I get asked that a lot.”
“Hahaha! It’s such a shame today is the last day. I really wish you could come to the United States with us.”
“Thanks to your consideration, I had quite a fun time too.”
“Really?”
When would I get to discuss with such scholars again?
It often turned into a silly show, but it was incredibly enjoyable whenever we hit a topic where we understood each other.
“By the way, NoName, I’m speaking sincerely. Why do you want to stay in Korea?”
“Why?”
“I don’t mean to disparage Korean culture, but I think the treatment of professionals here is quite lacking. Especially considering how many of Korea’s politicians aren’t from academia, it feels like a hereditary politics from thirty years ago, making it hard to look towards the future.”
Dr. Robert Fuller began criticizing Korea bluntly and dryly.
“Korea’s soft power is outstanding on a global scale. Especially, its manpower competes at a world-class level, which is also why our foundation is investing generously in Korean education.”
Crunch
Robert bit down on the candy with his molars, shattering it into tiny pieces.
Like munching on a snack, he chewed for a few moments before swallowing gulp.
“However, the outstanding personnel don’t receive support from the government, so they have to be tied to cliques, and those cliques utilize the talents purely for money-making. We find this ecosystem hardly desirable.”
“You seem to know a lot about Korea, Doctor.”
“My grandmother was Korean. Now, NoName, I have some unfortunate news for you; the Korean government isn’t going to actively investigate Valpurgis’s whereabouts. Well… The president, Ijo-won, who is somewhat of an outsider within the conservative party, might think differently, but it’s uncertain if his associates will change their stance.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The one that most vehemently opposed joint training with UN forces in South Korea was Korea itself. Isn’t that strange? Not only is the ruling party in Korea accepting the opposition party’s stance against the UN forces’ presence, but they’re also actively defending it. We jokingly say among ourselves at the foundation that Valpurgis might have some connection with the Korean government.”
There’s no evidence, of course. He added that last part.
I scanned up and down at Dr. Fuller.
“What do you want? I wish you’d just say it directly.”
“NoName, it’s amazing how you seem more mature than a real adult. The Sephiron Foundation recognizes your talent and hopes you will officially join as a member of our headquarters for the coming 20 years.”
He handed me his business card.
It seemed to be an electronic business card; as soon as I took it, the hourglass logo appeared prominently on the thin paper, followed by his personal information scrolling down.
“This has already been unanimously approved internally. If you just sign this card, the approval will go through automatically.”
“Does that mean Director Kim Yong-seong is included as well?”
For now, my homeroom teacher, Jacqueline Carroll, was affiliated with Sephiron, but she was hired by the headquarters as an academy member and not dispatched.
He smiled slightly as he replied.
“It’s customary not to reveal who the members are carelessly. If you decide to join, I’ll gladly inform you.”
His attitude was friendly.
He deliberately flaunted the foundation’s information to win my favor. Bringing up Valpurgis was probably part of that strategy.
Looking back, Robert Fuller carried more traits of a businessman than a scholar. Indeed, the face doesn’t lie.
As I maintained my pondering stance, he added further.
“Money doesn’t drive the world, NoName. It’s merely a secondary follow-up. It’s the biggest element impeding Korean people’s development. People who only look at the salary and bonus they get monthly have a hard time looking towards the distant future. The Sephiron Foundation is willing to pay you ample resources to help you break free from that perspective.”
That wasn’t entirely wrong.
When enough resources for living come in, humans tend to set higher values and goals to move towards.
“But it would be an enemy.”
“Not at all. 4 billion won annually, for 20 years, of course, that’s post-tax. You’re good at math, so you can figure it out—800 billion.”
800 billion? At a 5% inflation rate, that’s about 49,848,841,371 won in present value. Where are you trying to sell drugs from?
They probably have no idea how much Switzerland has offered me.
“Forget it.”
“NoName? This is an incredible offer. It even has a clause allowing side jobs, so it’s definitely not a small amount!”
“I know.”
Right, he was right from start to finish.
Even the most successful partner wizards from Raon Clan would struggle to exceed 20 billion post-tax income annually.
But it seemed ridiculous to try to break free from capitalism with just 500 billion, given the foundation’s intelligence fell short of my expectations.
The annual income of a serf household from the wealthy Kaizen is about 200 silver; converting to gold means about 3 gold, recalling it’s around 2.5 million won in today’s currency.
How much was Hiasen willing to offer to woo me?
[It’s just two years, Estasha. Selling off the future of this empire for a mere two years! Is that not enough?]
That was roughly the budget for the Kaizen Empire’s two years, equating to about 18 trillion won.
But now that I think about it, it irritates me? He spoke as if it were the entire empire, but it was merely the budget of the royal family.
Regardless, I genuinely dislike being part of any organization.
I should tell Dr. Robert Fuller that I’d like to maintain a good impression, so I’d have to refrain from this talk moving forward.
“I truly appreciate your recognition of my talent, but I still want to focus solely on my studies without being tied to any affiliation for now.”
“That sounds unsatisfactory. If you find the amount lacking, I could personally go to the foundation’s budget office to discuss it.”
He was stubbornly hanging on.
“Well then, how about calling them right now? What I want is not a 20-year pension but a lump sum of 500 billion won.”
“Are you kidding me?”
At the end, as my translation magic’s lifespan ran out, an eloquent American pronunciation of “are you kidding me?” popped out simultaneously.
Far from joking.
Just two or three level 7 spells, and that money would vanish.
Dr. Robert Fuller’s reaction displayed the type of scholar who frets over budgets.
“Doctor! NoName! We’re all set here!”
Emily’s shout echoed from the podium.
“You have a good subordinate.”
Even if the boss couldn’t pitch in, at least don’t just advise from the sidelines.
I turned toward the tall Slavic beauty.
“Seems like there are a lot of people today?”
“Since it’s the last day, the doctor wanted to allow the general public to join. Is that okay with you, NoName?”
Dr. Robert Fuller’s political intentions were glaringly obvious.
He must have set up to lure me towards the Sephiron Foundation before publicly announcing the news of ‘capturing’ me.
There was certainly a reason for his desperate antics.
“I don’t mind. As long as there aren’t any noisy people.”
“I’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry.”
She lifted one leg and whipped the air lightly.
The Emily I first met, acting more like a robot, had shown a more human side after meeting a few times.
“Are you good at fighting?”
“I’m a 6th dan Muay Thai practitioner, you know.”
“Ah-ha.”
Definitely not someone I should ever cross!
