Chapter 230

“Whether to have salmon rice bowl or cube steak rice bowl, that is the question.

So I ordered both.

“I’ll have Namya! Eat slowly…”

As I kept shoving food into my mouth, I finally felt the dizziness fade away.

The plump salmon belly stuck to my tongue.

The fullness from the rich fat somewhat satisfied my appetite.

But did I put too much soy sauce? The salty taste lingered on my tongue, so I added another spoonful of rice into my mouth.

My cheeks must be puffed up like a squirrel, but who cares about others’ gazes?

I could finally regain my senses after gulping down a cup of water.

“Aura doesn’t have to be handled in just one way.”

I pointed my spoon at the members of the weightlifting club one by one.

Since I was in a slightly elevated mood, it wouldn’t hurt to impart some direct teaching.

“To put it extremely, even high-ranking officials of the former Soviet Union were communists by day and capitalists by night, right? It’s somewhat like that. As long as the two propositions are not contradictory, it’s not difficult to create a new worldview.”

Was this too complex?

Well, having never properly handled Aura for my entire life, it seemed unreasonable to expect that I could manage more than one type of Aura without them mixing.

Finally, I finished my meal by putting a piece of salmon and a piece of steak in my mouth at the same time.

Regrettably, I left a lot of rice uneaten. My stomach is small, which is unfortunate.

I also answered Ban So Wol’s question.

“What else is light yet heavy? It’s debt. It makes your pocket heavy at present, but your balance is endlessly light.”

“Debt?”

“The Aura I showed you at the end allows for expending ‘calories’ within the body to exert a significantly large force in a short amount of time. Unlike matter, mana or Aura is defined in a negative sense, so if you set ‘negative calories,’ you could draw energy from the near future.”

Of course, the principle of Erisiton is much more complex and systematically regulated.

It has a structure that’s hard to imagine unless you’re a dragon, as it was born from the phenomenon itself and is capable of thought and personality.

Additionally, many attempts have been made to scientifically elucidate the power of Aura, but there is still a long way to go.

Just as simple economic models are introduced into the market economy, humans chose to philosophically deal with Aura to build a more precise inner world.

“Doubt everything. That’s how you can define something.”

Thus, I threw out a challenging thought for philosophy students to ponder.

Even after everyone had left the restaurant following dinner, Ban So Wol kept her eyes closed, lost in deep thought.

It was certain that I couldn’t possibly defeat her with physical strength without leveraging the power of erosion.

Ban So Wol was more serene and profound than most brides of a powerful country.

Was I weak, or was she strong?

How much effort must that girl have put in to get to this point?

The discomfort of not being able to see ahead is truly beyond words.

“…?”

I asked Ban So Wol, who had noticed me staring intently at her to some degree.

“How do you usually study?”

“I try to memorize what the professor says as much as possible or record it. Then, based on what the transcription assistant provides me, I review it in virtual reality.”

“Oh, there’s virtual reality. But it must be hard to rewind the same lecture twice.”

“Hard? No, it’s fun. But from next semester, I have to take 21 credits, and I’m having a bit of trouble finding people for four subjects.”

A transcription assistant?

Could this be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Shin Yeon Ho?

“I do know someone who can help So Wol Unnie. Should I ask that person?”

With that, I had paid off my debt.

But even though Ban So Wol is pretty, she seems rather boring and like an ascetic monk; I guess it would be something to see if his love would succeed going forward.

* * *

Today marked the last Q&A session with professors hosted by the Seviron Foundation.

While Emilie Mayakovsky was setting up 500mL bottles of water and snacks at each seat, Dr. Robert Fuller handed me a Chupa Chups.

He already had the same candy in his mouth—it seemed to be a substitute for cigarettes.

“Is it possible that Namya is an alien?”

“I hear that a lot.”

“Hahaha! It’s truly a shame that today is the last. I really wish you could come with us to America.”

“Thanks to your consideration, I had quite a bit of fun as well.”

“Really?”

When would I ever have a chance like this to discuss with scholars again?

Although it often turned into a talent show, it was almost never as enjoyable as when we got into fields where we could communicate.

“By the way, Namya. I’m speaking sincerely. Why do you wish to stay in Korea?”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t mean to belittle Korean culture, but I think the treatment of professionals is rather poor. Especially since many politicians in Korea come from non-academic backgrounds, it’s challenging to see the future, much like Japan did 30 years ago.”

Dr. Robert Fuller began to bluntly and sharply criticize Korea.

“Korea’s soft power is excellent on a global scale. Especially in terms of manpower, it’s at a world-class level, which is why our foundation invests generously in Korean education.”

Crunch-

Robert bit into the candy with his molars, breaking it apart.

He chewed a few times, as if eating a snack, before swallowing it down.

“However, since excellent talent does not receive support from the government, they are bound to clans, and clans utilize talented individuals solely for profit; we do not find this ecosystem particularly favorable.”

“Dr. Fuller, you speak as if you know a lot about Korea.”

“My maternal grandmother was Korean. Namya, I regret to say that the Korean government will not actively investigate the actions of Valpurgyis. Well… even if President Lee Jo Won, who is somewhat an outsider among conservatives, may think differently, there is no guarantee that even his close aides will change.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Korea was indeed the most actively opposing side to the UN military joint training in South Korea. Isn’t that strange? The ruling party in Korea adopts the opinions of the opposition party, which opposes the stationing of UN troops, and not only accepts them but actively defends them as well. Among ourselves at the foundation, we jokingly speculate that Valpurgyis may have a connection with the Korean government.”

Of course, there was no evidence. He added that last part.

I scanned Dr. Fuller from head to toe.

“What do you want? I wish you’d speak directly.”

“Namya, it’s fascinating how you appear more adult-like than actual adults. The Seviron Foundation recognizes your talent and hopes that you will formally work as a member of the foundation’s headquarters for the next 20 years.”

He handed me his business card.

It seemed to be an electronic business card; as soon as I received it, a sandglass logo appeared in the center of the thin paper, and his personal information was displayed.

“It has already been passed unanimously within our foundation. Once you sign this business card, it will automatically be approved.”

“Does that mean Director Kim Yong Sung is included?”

Although my homeroom teacher, Jacqueline Carroll, is affiliated with Seviron, she is employed by the headquarters as an Academy graduate, not as a dispatched person.

He responded with a smile.

“It’s customary not to disclose who the members are casually. If you join, I’ll gladly inform you.”

The attitude was friendly.

He flaunted the foundation’s information prowess probably to win me over. That talk about Valpurgyis was probably part of it.

Looking at it again, Dr. Robert Fuller had more characteristics of a businessman than a scholar. Indeed, appearances don’t lie.

As I continued to hold my contemplative stance, he added.

“The world doesn’t move only by money, Namya. Money is merely a secondary following. It’s the biggest factor hindering the development of Koreans. People who only look at their current salary and performance bonus find it hard to see far into the future. From that perspective, our Seviron Foundation is willing to compensate you well.”

There was truth in what he said.

When sufficient wealth comes in to cover one’s living expenses, humans set higher values and goals.

“But that’s still not enough.”

“It’s not too little. 4 billion won a year. Over 20 years, and of course, after tax. You can calculate it easily; that’s 80 billion.”

80 billion? The current value when calculated with a 5% inflation rate is approximately 49,848,841,371 won. What does he think I am, a fool?

It seems they have no idea how much Switzerland offered me.

“Forget it.”

“Namya? This is an incredible offer. It even has a clause about allowing side jobs, so it’s definitely not a small amount!”

“I understand.”

Right, he had only spoken the truth from start to finish.

Even the top-performing partner mages of the Raon Clan would struggle to exceed an after-tax income of 20 billion a year.

But the foundation’s informational capacity didn’t meet my expectations, and merely offering 500 billion while trying to break free from capitalism seems ridiculous.

The average annual income for a serf household in a prosperous nation like Kaizen is about 200 silver; if calculated in gold, it’s around 3 gold, which I remember being about 2.5 million won at the current rate.

How much did Hiasen try to offer me to sway me?

[It’s just two years, Esteria. You’re selling the future of this empire for just two years! Is that not enough?]

That amount was roughly the budget for the Kaizen imperial family for two years; doing simple math makes it 180 million gold—15 trillion won.

But thinking back, it makes me angry. He made it sound like he was referencing the whole empire, but it was just the budget allocated for the imperial family.

Anyway, I absolutely dislike being affiliated with anywhere.

I should also ask Dr. Robert Fuller to refrain from discussing this in the future, as I want to maintain a good impression of him.

“I truly appreciate your recognition of my talents, but I still want to focus on my studies without being tied to any affiliation.”

“You make it sound like you’re unsatisfied. If the amount was lacking, I could speak to the foundation’s budget department myself.”

The doctor was persistently appealing.

“Well, now, go ahead and call them right here. What I want is not a 20-year annuity condition but a lump sum of 500 billion.”

“Are you joking?”

At that moment, probably as the translation magic was wearing off, an eloquent American-accented “are you kidding me” escaped simultaneously.

No jokes here.

That amount could be wiped out with just a few casts of 7th circle magic.

Dr. Robert Fuller displayed a side reflective of an academic who cares about budget concerns.

“Doctor! Namya! We are all set!”

Emily’s shout echoed from the stage.

“You have a good employee.”

It didn’t even seem like the supervisor could lend a helping hand, just calling out advice.

I turned my steps towards the Slavic beauty.

“There’s a lot of people here today, isn’t there?”

“Since it’s the last day, the doctor wanted to accept the general public as well. Isn’t that all right with you, Namya?”

Dr. Robert Fuller’s political intentions were plainly visible.

He probably wanted to publicly announce that he had lured me to Seviron Foundation after coaxing me into joining beforehand.

There was always a reason for his frantic behavior.

“I’m fine with it. As long as there aren’t too many loud people.”

“I’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry.”

She lifted one foot and made sharp motions in the air.

Emily, who had seemed robotic at first, displayed more human characteristics after meeting a few times.

“Are you good at fighting?”

“I’m a Muay Thai champion, 6th dan.”

“Ah-ha.”

I certainly should never challenge this person.