Chapter 342

The day of the magical power generation anniversary was a sort of break for reporters.

Since the event was conducted every year with the same template, there was no problem in entrusting the writing of the article to AI from start to finish.

The president entered, everyone stood and applauded, the president shared various stories in the speech, and it was filled with trivial talk like who the famous celebrities were in attendance.

The annual views on such articles typically didn’t exceed a thousand.

However, with NaeMe receiving the tower for paying a hefty tax of 200 billion, the ceremony suddenly transformed into a place for breaking news coverage.

[Total of 210 billion 75 million…]

Burning 200 billion as an individual?

How is that even possible in less than a month?

There was a suspicious scent wafting in the air.

As soon as the ceremony ended, the reporters dashed over to NaeMe for interviews.

And reality always surpassed fiction.

“I rented the entire Gunsan power plant. I thought it would be nice to use the idle facilities before connecting to the base station, and thankfully the staff were kind enough to help me out.”

Is that even possible?

While it’s common to rent amusement parks, the notion of renting out a power plant was something even veteran reporters with 30 years of experience had never heard of.

“I had many spells I wanted to try, and I was glad I could cast them all freely during this opportunity.”

The more shocking fact was that 200 billion was burned in just two days.

What kind of magic could achieve that?

“It’s hard to say what kind of magic it was. Just in case there are those who might worry, let me clarify that I didn’t accumulate mana, and all the magic stones I used were returned to the power plant and disposed of according to the manual.”

Of course, it goes without saying that accumulating mana privately is illegal.

NaeMe explained away this madness by saying she burned all her fortune just to satisfy her intellectual curiosity.

“So you used 5-circle magic? You mean you did it yourself…?”

It was hard to accept such a fact, but putting that aside, if it was possible at all, it had to be with 5-circle magic.

NaeMe nodded.

“Unbelievable… she’s… eight years old… eight years old…”

This set an unprecedented record, bringing the youngest 5-circle magic caster’s record three years forward.

—

[NonaMe KingGodGeneralEmperorGeneralMajesty Talent, thumbs up][1035]

(Source: Netflix)

In 2008, at age 13, HamChorong cast 5-circle magic, setting a Guinness World Record.

A couple of years ago, 15 NASA employees teamed up, determined to break it.

They brought some misplaced 5-circle magic (microscopic something of Everest) and not only spoon-fed it but carefully chewed and thoroughly sprinkled digestive fluid before handing it over to an 11-year-old genius, who barely succeeded after 30 tries.

NonaMe just uses it like eating meals, hahaha!

(NonaMe surprised.gif)

Ah, just a ^genius appeal in class correction^.

[Comments]

– Isn’t NaeMe’s pic a composite? Hahaha!

└ Surprisingly, it’s real.

└ Why is this happening?

– It’s not Everest; it’s the microscopic something of Erenfest, you fool.

└ Did the writer mistake Everest for something microscopic?

– Want to hear something uglier? The girl from that project is said to be 11, but she was actually just three days shy of turning 12.

└ Wow, hahaha!

└ This is genuinely too ugly, hahaha!

└ The consequences of nominal age.

– Looking back, HamChorong was a really amazing person.

└ Back then, smartphones didn’t even exist, right?

– For real, NonaMe is a legend… There probably won’t be another talent like this in Korea again.

└ Korea? There was none in human history.

└ Do you think the best output of the Chordata phylum looks like shit?

└ At this point, isn’t NonaMe the AI, not Adella?

└ Hah, humans can’t do stuff like that, hahaha!

– Seriously, with NonaMe around, how could Joan of Arc be fake?

└ Upon hearing that, it makes sense, hahaha, I totally get it now.

└ Honestly, comparing General Chungmugong to NaeMe is crossing a line…

—

[Three even more chilling facts than NaeMe’s casting of 5-circle magic][154]

NonaMe has executed 5-circle calculations at least over 3,000 times.

NonaMe burned 210 billion in two days.

NonaMe’s father permitted this.

[Comments]

– The last one is the creepiest, hahaha!

– This is why magic addiction is scarier than gambling addiction.

– But spending that amount of money in just two days must have seriously pumped up adrenaline.

– Looking back, he’s really not a cute kid… just a money-eating hippo.

– Is he exaggerating? No way would he leave behind 10 billion or so.

└ According to the manager, the borrowed money hasn’t been repaid yet.

└ Did he borrow money from others too? Hahaha, what a disaster, NonaMe, hahaha!

– Isn’t this true madness?

The public gaze was filled with disorder rather than admiration, and awe turned to horror.

Viewers who had long watched her suspected NaeMe would accomplish something big when she perfectly mastered the structure of the 5-circle magic circle in 월오아.

However, that moment came much sooner than expected.

Moreover, most people who were unaware of this fact were left dumbfounded, forcibly injected with nationalism.

But there were emerging concerns over the amount of money she had used.

[With 200 billion, she could have bought a large building in Gangnam and casually earned tens of billions in rent every year. I think NaeMe was too hasty.]

[Her father should have strongly advised her. She just threw away a chance to live comfortably for the rest of her life doing what she loves over something trivial like magic. No matter how much it isn’t me, I’m just annoyed…]

[Honestly, I think the business acquisition was also a matter of luck. It could have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.]

“That’s definitely too much money…”

Meanwhile, Adella was feeling heavy emotions while scanning people’s reactions.

She had been pacing in her bedroom, decorated by NaeMe herself.

If that amount had been donated, hundreds of thousands could have benefited, and if she had decided to spend it alone, she could have lived in a magnificent palace.

However, NaeMe had invested all her time and resources into Adella.

Facing the uncomfortable truth made her stomach churn.

Like the Little Mermaid gaining legs but losing her voice, Adella had gained a physical form at the cost of an inescapable guilt.

‘Can I ever earn 200 billion over my lifetime? Me? With my status?’

Suddenly, Adella dropped to the floor and took a plank position.

When her mind was in turmoil, there was nothing else to do but exercise to forget.

The burden of gaining a body became enormous, and besides broadcasting, she was not using the capsule much anymore.

‘Meeting my older sister NaeMe was truly a stroke of luck. Yes, this indeed feels like a once-in-a-lifetime fortune.’

Knock, knock—

As beads of sweat dripped onto the floor, NaeMe entered with a cute knock.

“Hey, you’re here?”

Adella raised her head to see.

NaeMe, dressed in her school uniform, seemed just to have returned home.

Without a word, NaeMe climbed on Adella’s back while she was planking and crossed her legs.

“Ugh, get off, you’re heavy!”

“You’re working hard. It looks nice.”

Thin muscles bulged out from her slender arms, shaking uncontrollably.

“20 kilograms is heavier than I thought… Ugh!”

Thud—

Ultimately, Adella collapsed on the floor, exhausted.

NaeMe gracefully got up, dusted herself off, and helped her get up.

“Doesn’t it bother you to spend money?”

“Money? What money?”

“The money you spent on me. You said you researched hard to make that medicine.”

“Money? I can earn more.”

Was she pure and innocent at a young age, or was she excessively indifferent to life?

For Adella, it was nearly impossible to follow NaeMe’s way of thinking.

“I haven’t given you anything, and I keep receiving, so I feel a bit guilty.”

“Really? If you feel sorry, you can clean my room instead from now on.”

“No…! Alright, I get it! I was being somewhat serious about that.”

“I made this decision for myself, so why would you feel guilty? I had some curiosity about it before, but I checked with Persona Physho, so it’s no longer meaningful.”

“Something you were curious about me?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you suddenly want to become the Demon Lord and rule the Earth?”

NaeMe’s sudden remark made Adella burst into laughter.

“If that would bring in lots of money, I’d want to, for sure!”

“That’s a complete social misfit right there. Anyway, your identity has been roughly determined. I came to tell you this.”

“Wow, really? Finally!”

“It’s complicated to make you stateless like me, so we decided to disguise you as one of the people whose records have been erased among those who have already entered Korea. We’ll make your identification card.”

“Alright, but won’t that cause problems later?”

Adella tilted her head with concern.

NaeMe crossed her fingers to form an X.

“They process around 100,000 refugee recognition applications annually, and it’s impossible to manage them all accurately. Just considering the refugees residing in Incheon Bupyeong-gu, Busan Haeundae-gu, and a few major cities, it’s over a million.”

“Ooh… there are more than I thought.”

“By the way, over the last 30 years, the number of stateless individuals who entered the country has surpassed 200,000. Anyway, my dad and I debated, trying to figure out which race you resemble the most.”

As Adella transitioned from virtual reality to reality, her appearance became a bit more realistic.

However, since Adella had existed only as a character in a game, and NaeMe’s reincarnation had also been of a race that didn’t exist on Earth, Adella’s appearance was indeed quite peculiar.

“For now, I think you resemble people from Russia or Ukraine the most, and oddly enough, I see hints of Japanese features too.”

“Even so, I still don’t know.”

Adella had an appearance that was a mix of Western and Eastern races, leaning slightly closer to a Western look.

Of course, with the increasing diversity of races, claiming she was Asian could be accepted without issue.

“If there were any doubts, it’s just because of your unnaturally good Korean pronunciation.”

“Well, I can just say I practiced a lot.”

“Exactly. With black hair and black circle lenses, they probably won’t recognize you.”

“Is it that level? To me, you look exactly the same as in virtual reality.”

Adella expressed her concern.

NaeMe briefly checked TikTok and searched for the #Adella tag, then showed her the results.

Dozens of Chinese people appeared who looked even more like Adella due to makeup, costuming, and filters.

“Oh, this really makes it hard to tell.”

Adella squinted her eyes, expressing her displeasure.

“Just say your origin is roughly Poland or Ukraine. It’s not that important, since you’ve been raised in Korea since childhood. I’ll start the name change application, so think of a Korean name by tomorrow.”

“Oh, the name is important! Name… name… I’ll think about it tonight and let you know! Is that okay?”

The gloomy atmosphere from before seemed to have completely vanished.

Though it was fake, she would gain a name and nationality, officially becoming family with NaeMe.

It was no wonder she felt a wave of emotions.

Adella, filled with enthusiasm, smiled brightly.

“Lastly, Adella.”

NaeMe clapped her hands and looked at Adella closely.

“Yes?”

“Do you know what day it is today?”

“What’s April 9? You can’t mean World ASMR Day.”

“Really don’t know?”

NaeMe chuckled and after pausing for three seconds, she answered.

She ran to her room and soon returned with a large box, thrusting it in front of Adella.

“A gift? For me?”

“Yep.”

“Why? Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? It’s making me uneasy.”

“Hehe.”

Adella looked at NaeMe with bewildered eyes.

NaeMe opened her arms wide and warmly hugged Adella.

“Happy birthday, Adella.”

At those words, Adella’s gaze slowly shifted to the side of NaeMe’s head.

“B-birthday? Mine?”

“Yes. April 9. The day you escaped from the game.”

“Ah… I see…! Ah!”

At that moment, overwhelming emotions tightly squeezed Adella’s heart.

“It’s already been a year.”

Adella gently closed her eyes.

“I… was really surprised…”

She hugged the little NaeMe tightly as if holding onto something precious.

“Thank you for the birthday wishes, sister.”