Chapter 189

[It’s certain. It was a unique magic provided to Wearsoft as an external commission. I remember it was given the fantastic and alluring name “Ring of Ashtail.” But what is the reason for showing this to me…?]

[Professor Volkoff, please take a good look. This person is not an NPC but a player. Could it be that you actually handed over a 5-circle unique magic to GPL (Open Source License)?]

[That’s not the case, but… are you saying that Wearsoft leaked my unique magic to this person?]

[It’s unclear whether there was some kind of deal with the company or if this was an unilateral act of castojacking. However, what we must do is hold them accountable. Could you please just sign here? We will take care of the rest.]

Unique magic of the mid-circle and above was equivalent to a magician’s identity.

The more complex the spell, the more the circuitry and runes incorporated into the magic circle reflected the caster’s habits.

Especially someone like a former military mage was a valuable strategic asset for a nation, and in modern times where wars frequently erupted, it had become painfully obvious that revealing unique magic would bring nothing good.

The UK-based ASI manufacturer “Ophelia.”

Having been unilaterally terminated by Wearsoft and with their flagship products potentially leaking to an individual, the company was in dire straits.

If it escalated into a corporate lawsuit, it would easily take ten years to reach a Supreme Court ruling. It was clear that this side would go bankrupt first.

Thus, the legal team at Ophelia decided to shift their target to No Name and determined to retrieve “Adella” using all means and methods.

They continued reviewing her play footage, waiting for an opportunity to pin blame, and managed to capture indications that she stole and used someone else’s unique magic.

They immediately entrusted the case to a law firm in South Korea, and everything proceeded smoothly, including preparations for the lawsuit.

How many days had it been since they were scolded by the executives for asking how long they were supposed to wait, only to come home and find the family fast asleep?

“How dare you openly ignore our company? The results will show whether you’re the incompetent ones or we are.”

Let anyone, be it Wearsoft or No Name, come at them. The fully prepared Ophelia legal team smiled confidently.

That was before a call came from the South Korean law firm, demanding ten times the fee already paid.

“What do you mean by that! Suddenly ten times now!”

“Thus, to receive civil damages in a situation where criminal punishment is impossible, responsibility must be held to the supervisor of the minor, not to the individual. This is a completely different case from what you initially described.”

“Why is criminal punishment impossible? It’s clear that our technology has been leaked!”

The reason they put forth was absurdly simple.

[Article 9 of the South Korean Penal Code (Criminal Minors): Acts by persons under the age of 12 shall not be punished.]

The demand for ten times the absurd amount was close to an implicit pressure to cancel it.

“Did you perhaps miss the news yesterday…? We do not take on cases with a high likelihood of loss even if it’s part of a simple issue generation. If you do not make a decision by today, we will refund the entire retainer fee back to your account.”

Because the notion of a 7-year-old conducting castojacking or a wizard condoning or soliciting a crime did not hold any water.

Given the performance-oriented nature of South Korean law firms, they had already evaluated the possibility of winning this case as zero.

“Seven years old? What does that even mean? Who’s seven years old?”

The legal team was still dumbfounded, unable to understand the situation.

Through the phone, a bustling sound was heard, and a middle-aged woman’s voice replaced the confused young man’s.

“Hey, put me on the line immediately. Do you really want to treat that poor seven-year-old like that? Whether you want to pay ten times or a hundred times the retainer fee, our law firm will not take on this case. I hope you don’t contact us again! Look at your audacity, who are you to even think that way?”

Clang—

The phone hung up abruptly.

‘Poor? Who? No Name? Why?’

The gaze shifted to the news screen.

Fresh news from yesterday.

On that day, the world of Ophelia’s legal team crumbled.

* * *

The introduction to the video that Name had shown was indeed ordinary.

-Oh so cute haha

-The weather looks really hot

-I love crepes too!!!

└ Wow, I found a common point with No Name!

-Thank you, she’s got a great character too

-No Name… a girl who possesses intelligence, gaming skills, and character… But I, Ham Pil-kyu, the 32nd descendant of the Gangneung clan, couldn’t possess that

└ LOL

└ Who exactly is Ham Pil-kyu? LOL

└ 14 years old and bold enough to just say it LOL

-I’m serious, I want to engage No Name with my son

└ How old is your son?

└ 14 months

└ 14 months, not even 14 years old, have you lost your mind? LOL

However, as the video progressed, they had no choice but to express their astonishment.

[Wishing that there would no longer be unfortunate victims around the world, I offer my heartfelt condolences, even from far away.]

[Despite the uncertainties and difficulties, I respect the dedication to moving forward toward a better future.]

[I hope the upcoming days will be happier than the time that has passed. For both you and me.]

Unless one had heard it in person, the words flowing from a fourteen-year-old’s mouth were hard to believe.

Those who had not fully grasped Name’s genius suddenly understood.

This child was something different.

Thinking that way, the voice of a child no longer bothered them.

Focusing on the serious and thoughtful message contained within, any aspect regarding the voice felt secondary.

-Finally home!

-Are you revealing your face?

-Please be a pretty girl, please be a pretty girl, please be a pretty girl, please be a pretty girl

-Please be super pretty!!!! I would stake all the luck of my life on this!!!

-D cup! D cup! D cup! D cup! D cup!

-Nong Name wish! Nong Name wish!

However, some people felt something strange or an odd sense of discord from the moment they saw No Name’s room.

-Oh?

-???

-Wow, it’s No Name’s room!

-I’ve seen this somewhere before?

-Isn’t this from VTube? That math!

-?

-That background when proving the hard problem, right?

-Hold on, why is this from there…?

-Isn’t that virtual reality? Wasn’t this supposed to be real?

The beginning of the vlog showed speeding cars, trucks, and buses.

The green signs that are commonly seen in the heart of Seoul.

Even the green leaves fluttering in the wind.

No matter how sophisticated virtual reality became, it was nothing compared to the real world.

The scenery that had continued throughout the video had suddenly shifted to No Name’s room.

Then, as if casually, the appearance of a girl with black hair flowing in the wind made the audience in the stadium go silent.

Why?

Why was an avatar that was clearly supposed to be in virtual reality existing in reality as well?

It wasn’t a hologram, nor was it a composite.

Her every gesture was so realistic that there was no room for other excuses.

A traffic jam erupted in the synapses of the public’s brains. Echoes of honking sounded from all around.

What broke through all of that was Name’s next remark.

“Hello. I’m No Name from the second grade of Seviron Academy. Nice to meet you.”

The Name in the video greeted warmly.

A brief silence.

Did she foresee the audience’s reaction?

If Name’s statement was a bomb, then the viewers’ chat was the shrapnel after the explosion.

-What is happening? What is happening? What is happening? What is happening?

-Who the hell are you!!!

-What… Why is the same person present in reality…?

-This must be a dream

-Eight years old? No, why eight years old?

-Is this live?

-If even the caster looks confused, this doesn’t seem to be a prank.

-Don’t joke around, it’s obviously composited… wait…?

-????????????

-If it’s Seviron Academy, isn’t that in Gangnam District?

-Not 14 years old… but eight years old…?

-D cup No Name, what’s up?

-So there was a younger sibling, right? It has to be true. Please let it be true…? Huh?

-LOL No Name, you’re taking it too far with the jokes LOL

The change in emotions was immediate.

The viewers who were eager to deny it started to become engulfed in confusion one by one. Among them, voices demanding the truth from Name began to emerge.

-Hold on… Is this real…?

-What’s going on? This feels off, what’s happening? This feels off, what’s happening? This feels off, what’s happening?

-What on earth am I looking at?

-Please tell me this is a prank, this doesn’t make sense.

-Is that really No Name?

-She’s too small, right? A student in the elementary division means she’s speaking about an elementary school student, right?

-She’s even younger than my youngest sibling!

-She’s even younger than my son?

└ OMG

-Is the video still not over? Hurry and ask No Name!

-Caster, what are you doing just standing there!

Name’s voice filled the stadium once more, dismissing the controversy.

“Ha ha… how can I wait until tomorrow? It feels as if one day is like three years. Anyway, I want to share my story of how I’ve lived, and it’s not that grand or lengthy, so I kindly ask you to listen for just a moment. And I hope that once all my story ends, you’ll grant me a small wish to win the finals tomorrow.”

While the video sent by Name continued to play on the main screen, the side screen beside it showed the face of the child who was modestly standing in the center of the stadium.

The microphone held firmly in both hands was lowered below her waist.

The expression on Name’s face reflected neither joy nor sorrow, and it was not expressionless either.

Her eyebrows curved gently, and her tightly pressed lips conveyed loneliness and wretchedness.

“My mother, Ms. Sulah, was kidnapped by the terrorist organization Valpurgis seven years ago and gave birth to me. Shortly after, the two of us got caught up in the Valpurgis suppression operation. You may find this a bit absurd. You might be wondering what I’m talking about, right?”

There was no answer to Name’s words.

Silence. Not even a sound was heard.

“To put it simply… I made this video to declare that I am a survivor of the Valpurgis incident.”

In this vast stadium where not even a small whisper was permitted,

The audience held their breath and maintained silence.

“My mother passed away six years ago,”

To dig up the peculiar past where they had been trapped in different capsules at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other,

“I was trapped in a capsule for seven years since birth.”

It took quite a bit of courage.

So much that Name’s interlocked hands began to tremble slightly.

When she closed her eyes to recall, the scenery that must have felt like a nightmare filled her vision.