[‘Cat Love is the Best’ has donated 10,000 won!]
– If we win this round, how about 100,000 per kill? Let’s go!
[100,000 per kill? Hold on, High School Lover, can you handle it if I get over 20 kills? I might have to unleash my hidden weapon!]
– Big spender has arrived ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
– Suspiciously suspicious furry lover ㄷㄷ
– Chosen by the golden cat!
– Not even a high schooler, but a High School Lover, LOL!
– Is this person for real, a chaebol? They’re throwing money around all the time.
└ It’s NoName’s manager.
└ They briefly appeared on UFC and gave off a really chaebol vibe.
Three girls gathered together, and all they ended up doing was eating spicy rice cakes and chicken while watching an internet broadcast.
“Even chaebols order chicken, huh?”
“I feel like I’ve heard that a million times in my life.”
Anyway, besides internet broadcasting, there wasn’t much overlap in our interests.
Adella wasn’t interested in cosmetics, Lee Bo-reum hated traveling, and I was clueless about music, movies, and dramas.
“Wow, they really are rich. Don’t your parents say anything about spending that much money?”
Adella asked bluntly while gnawing on a chicken leg.
“I get an allowance separately!”
Lee Bo-reum was petting Adella’s tail resting on her lap.
It seemed she had succeeded in monopolizing Adella’s tail through some kind of transaction.
“An allowance? Then what’s this?”
“Aah, this is my stock dividend. My dad checks my card spending rigorously, but dividends go directly into my personal account, so it’s okay. Hnnng, by the way, the smell of pine is so nice, Della! I want to turn it into a perfume for my room!”
“Kyaaaaah!”
When Lee Bo-reum put Adella’s tail against her upper lip, Adella fluffed up her fur.
I suddenly got curious and asked, “It doesn’t taste like anything, right?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t taste like anything.”
“Tasting auras isn’t easy. You need to surround all your taste buds with aura. Even if you do, most of the time you’ll just taste bitterness.”
“Yeah, it’s such a pity. But I’ll be happy enjoying the pine scent.”
“My tail isn’t public property, you know! You’re all being too much! Hey, Lee Bo-reum! Don’t bite the tail with your capsaicin-covered mouth!”
Adella retrieved her tail again.
Maybe she was tired of shouting every time; she finally turned off her external manifestation.
I really don’t understand why she reacts so sensitively over something that isn’t even her body.
Understanding a cat’s delicate heart is hard anyway.
“Na-me, is the tteokbokki not spicy? Can you eat it?”
“Yeah. If it’s too spicy, I use aura to neutralize it while eating.”
“Do you really have to make it that hard for yourself…?”
“It’s not that I can’t eat spicy food, I just don’t like it.”
“Oh, I see? Our team leader is impressive!”
While I picked at the flesh on my wings, the gluttonous two girls demolished the tteokbokki in no time.
Meanwhile, the streamer with the mission actually achieved 20 kills but ended up losing all the money due to the team’s defeat.
Lee Bo-reum cackled and typed mercilessly in the chat.
“But isn’t your hobby a bit weird?”
“Compared to kids throwing a drug party in an officetel, this is a very wholesome hobby!”
“Eh? That kind of comparison is unfair! Who says that? Your friends?”
“Oh, I don’t know, they’re all cut off now. My dad doesn’t care what I do as long as I don’t cause trouble. In fact, he probably encourages me to watch internet broadcasts more!”
“What’s chaebol life like? Can you share a bit? I’m super curious!”
Adella rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling.
No wonder she likes money.
Lee Bo-reum casually replied.
“Not much… It’s nothing special. Those I know study hard and go abroad to the US, and those who like to have fun usually go on omakase tours or watch fashion shows. Occasionally, they eat out with celebrities or dabble in drugs when they’re bored.”
“Why does it always come back to drugs!”
“The friends who live properly all went to the academy, so I don’t know any of this nowadays.”
“It’s really extreme.”
“Having a lot of money tends to create extremes. Everyone lives as they wish. But actually, isn’t Na-me the real chaebol? 200 billion won, right?”
“I’ve spent it all on them.”
“Ah… right, you did. So sorry! It’s all my fault! It’s wrong for me to have been born in this world!”
Adella pounded her chest in frustration.
With such a strong reaction, of course, it’s fun to tease her.
Wrapping up small talk, it was time to get down to business.
“Lee Bo-reum, about the money I lent you back then-”
“Ahaha it’s okay, it’s okay! You don’t have to pay it back! Just being able to meet the noble Adella in real life makes that money nothing!”
“Don’t just call me ‘noble’ for show; I hope you treat me well!”
“Huh, which high school is our Della attending? Should I transfer there too?”
“If you come, you’ll die!”
“Both of you, just be quiet!”
I clapped loudly to calm the chaotic girls.
It’s hard to get a word in edgewise.
“Actually, there’s another reason we gathered today. I thought Lee Bo-reum would be particularly interested.”
“Oh? Our team leader is up to something again! I’m on board!”
“Can you hear me out first?”
I placed my phone on the floor and switched to hologram mode.
“Adella, please close the curtains.”
“Sure!”
In the darkened living room, a soft blue light emerged in a reverse pyramid structure.
I kept enlarging the pale blue dot with my fingers.
The spherical earth appeared at the center, and I spread it out with both hands to show a 2D world map.
“A map? Planning to go on a world trip?”
At Adella’s remark, I shook my head.
“No, do you know how many large foundations are in the US? Based on having over 100 high wizards?”
“I don’t know.”
“There are more than 50. Exactly 53.”
Red pins appeared, marking the locations of each foundation’s headquarters.
“China has 20, Japan has 9, but Korea only has 4.”
Representatively, Raon Clan belongs to one of the four major clans in Korea.
Surprisingly, Cheongcheon Namgung was a medium-sized clan with about 30 members, far from being one of the top four clans.
“I’ve been thinking about why I keep getting harassed by those around me. Do I really have to leave Korea for all these issues to be resolved?”
Lately, I felt a clear malice directed toward me in the recent tax investigation.
Despite the Board of Audit diligently digging through the National Tax Service, that would only result in a warning.
If even a small mistake appears in the Bio-Akashic’s accounting books, public opinion would surely swing against me.
These days, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that I was walking on thin ice.
“But I concluded that it’d be the same anywhere in the world. They might act nice at first but eventually exploit me again. Adella, you’re no exception. If your identity gets exposed right now, what do you think would happen?”
“W-well? I’ve never thought about that!”
“If you’re lucky, it’ll be the National Intelligence Service, and if you’re unlucky, you’ll be kidnapped abroad. This isn’t your usual magic.”
“Indeed… it’s magic that everyone in the world would envy. I’ve never heard of anything like this.”
Lee Bo-reum also nodded seriously in agreement.
Simply getting stronger as an individual doesn’t hold much meaning.
If I recall my past life, even when a thousand criminals went all out both day and night, I could barely survive.
In a high-power fantasy world where individual differences are far more pronounced, what about here?
Mana is sparse, which means that if the supply from the Magic Power Plant is cut off, we’ll have to fight with very limited aura.
“Do you know why soccer players pass the ball? Because people can’t run faster than the ball. Similarly, it’s much stronger with two rather than one, and three is even better than that.”
The noble who commanded those 10,000 soldiers was truly an insignificant piglet.
But like a king protected by numerous chess pieces, his safety measures were so solid that breaking through them took ages.
In the end, power is necessary.
It’s not for wielding it but for protecting myself.
I’m fed up with the image of being used by the imperial family like a hero party, only to be betrayed.
Having died twice, I should at least learn something from it.
“I’m going to create a clan.”
“A clan?”
No matter where you go in this world, accumulating a large amount of mana as an individual is strictly prohibited by law.
This is because giving mana to anyone poses a risk of state overthrow.
The only exception is a clan.
Does that mean a clan doesn’t have the power to overthrow a nation? No.
It’s just that their influence is so significant that they can’t be messily interfered with.
“Na-me, but forming a clan isn’t easy. It takes a lot of money.”
“I know. Most Korean clans are backed by large enterprises. Unlike the U.S. or China, we don’t have many tycoons, so I’m asking you, Lee Bo-reum. Samyeon Group doesn’t sponsor any clans yet.”
Most global corporations sponsor one or several clans to ensure safety or discover new innovative technologies.
However, a company like Samyeon holds a somewhat special position, making it an exception.
They are a B2B company that installs infrastructures like magic power base stations in Korea.
As the government protects them, they don’t need clan assistance and have already secured a dominant position. If new technology emerges, they can just buy it outright.
That said, suggesting to sponsor small clans for marketing wouldn’t even make financial sense.
“It doesn’t have to be Samyeon. Sponsorship depends solely on my skills. I just mentioned it to you since you’re from a chaebol family.”
Lee Bo-reum fell deep in thought.
I knew her position within her family.
Her father treated her like a half-abandoned child.
It would be strange for her to suddenly participate in management now.
The choice was entirely up to her.
“And there are other conditions. First of all, to establish a clan, one must become a high wizard.”
Lee Bo-reum’s level of knowledge was unexpectedly high.
I guess being a chaebol has its perks.
“Yeah, that’s correct. And what were the conditions for becoming a high wizard?”
“You need to create an A-Class Unique Magic.”
Lee Bo-reum said as she counted on her fingers.
“Anything else?”
“The Korea Magic Corporation’s tax must exceed 1 billion won.”
“Okay, and…?”
“Lastly, you need recommendations from five or more high wizard candidates recognized by the state… or maybe six?”
“Five is correct.”
The first condition is the most important, while the rest are merely patriotic tests.
“Oh!”
Lee Bo-reum clapped her hands, looking as though she had realized something.
“Na-me, you already…!”
“Yeah. I’ve already created Adela, an A-Class Unique Magic.”
After Emika returned to Japan, the sales that had dropped again skyrocketed.
Even with numerous variations, people still prefer the original.
“And what’s 1 billion won? I paid 200 billion!”
Just thinking about it still feels unfair, but what can I do but follow the law?
“Then what about the recommendations?”
“My dad, and Principal Gu On-yu from Sephiron Academy. I just need three more.”
By establishing a clan, we’ll strengthen our foothold in Korea.
Though it may take a long time, if this clan grows to a global scale in the future,
Valpurgis will be completely erased from this world map.
