Flies in the Ivory Tower
The mage in the lab who had been staring blankly at Seiren the whole time she was greeting people suddenly seemed to make up his mind and spoke to her.
“Hello. I'm Kim Yu-hyun.”
“Ah, hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Would it be okay if I explain my experiment to the viewers here?”
He said it was for the viewers, but his gleaming eyes were fixed solely on Seiren.
“What the hell is this asshole.”
More idiots than usual today. Well, no. It's about time the flies started buzzing around.
The villain had stirred up shit everywhere more than expected. Thanks to that, Seiren's fame had skyrocketed, but it also meant more morons sniffing around. Especially...
I'd put up a notice banning pervy camgirl-style donations, but these shitheads were still pulling their crap. Gotta nip this in the bud early. Banned them all and issued refunds.
“Ah, fuck, seriously.”
Couldn't hold back and swore. Wasn't loud, but it picked up on the audio.
Chat moderation was getting tough. Needed a manager soon... This was the sixth live today. Managers usually get picked from long-term viewers, so it was too early. What could I do? Even if it pissed me off, I'd handle it myself.
While I was busy filming and managing chat, Seiren was listening to the researcher's explanation. The researcher was sparkling like a kid, introducing his work.
“The purpose of this experiment is from when I was a kid—”
“Mm, yeah.”
“Through this circulator, the mana particle arrangement—”
“Yeah.”
“Ultimately, making triple-element fusion magic more accessible—”
“Yeah.”
“Is my research topic boring...?”
“Yeah. Huh? Ah, no! It's interesting!”
“Kuhk, no. I'll step back now.”
“Ah, wait! Ahh...”
The guy, hurt by Seiren's soulless “yeah”s, clutched his research materials like a heartbroken girl and left.
Thud—
“Hmm.”
Seiren scratched her cheek looking at the closed door, then clapped her hands!
“Looks like the agent had something urgent!”
“No, what did I do?!”
“Eek.”
As Seiren flinched under the viewers' fierce backlash, another researcher stepped up. He too had been mesmerized by Seiren's looks from the start, staring at the door like he saw Kim Yu-hyun's ghost, then nodding resolutely.
“Seiren. I'm Park Sang-hyun. I challenge you.”
“Pardon? Challenge?”
“My research topic will interest you, Seiren.”
Five minutes later.
“Does this circuit need to be here?”
“Ah, um...”
“You call it a hybrid magic circle, but it's just stacking different ones. And not even harmoniously. Honestly, it's pretty bad.”
“Ah.”
“Mm, not fun.”
“Kuhk.”
The cocky challenger left the lab much like the first one. Was that door-staring a vision of his future?
Meanwhile, the viewers' reactions were totally different this time.
The core purpose of the content: fun. Viewers were getting vicarious thrills from Seiren “beating” the Magic Tower's top elites.
“Hmm. What I'm curious about isn't this research, though.”
She didn't seem particularly entertained. She'd come to this lab because of a paper from the library, but instead of the author, others had stepped up with their own stuff.
Seiren tilted her head.
“Is the author of this paper not here?”
As her gaze landed on them, the remaining researchers shrank back, turning away and slinking off. The beautiful genius girl's attention seemed burdensome, but Seiren strode over, shoving the book at them.
“Do you know? The author of this paper.”
“Heek, please back off a bit.”
“C-can't breathe.”
They trembled, pointing out the paper's author—someone who'd been silently in the corner, forgotten. As Seiren looked her way, the woman edged toward the door and—bam!—bolted.
Or tried to. Seiren was faster.
“Where you going!”
“Eek.”
“Hi there?”
“L-let go.”
“Nope!”
Hehe. Seiren grinned like a lion spotting a rabbit.
2
“How does the mana force collapse using optical resonance here?”
“...Using the inherent vibration frequency of mana particles based on light wavelengths...”
“How'd you come up with constraining the photon field?”
“When mana particles optical-resonate, heat and darkness energy emerge... Darkness energy has beta affinity antagonism to light magic and light energy, so... if we could just control it circularly, it'd help a ton... yeah.”
“Wow! That's amazing!”
Seiren bounced and clapped. The researcher scratched his head sheepishly, glancing my way now and then—the cam seemed to bother her. I turned off the cam briefly and asked if it was too much; she said it was fine.
But...
“Chat's a mess...”
Kim Sebin, the researcher next to Seiren, was on the heavier side. Lots of idiots who learned manners from communities, spewing unspeakable shit—banned them all.
Seiren loved Kim Sebin's research; even mid-stream, she was showing just the back of her head. Been like that a while, and chat was starting to call it dull.
Decision time.
“Back on in an hour.”
It was five now. Theoretical mages' presentation at six, so end stream and restart then.
“What about this? And this?”
“O-one at a time, please...”
Seiren was lost in magic exploration... I'd rest. Where? Asked Lee Kang-hyun the guide, but he was gone.
“Ah, went for food.”
He'd told me meal time earlier; I said eat first since I was filming Seiren. Had to take her too, so nearby rest spot.
11th floor layout had a big terrace—headed there. Found a sunny-blocked corner, flopped on the bench.
“Nice weather.”
Gazing at the clear sky, thoughts wandered. Chat manager, Seiren's identity issue, where'd Hero Raiser's devs vanish to, Bukaksan Gate's dimensional magic circle... Could others cross too? Nah.
And so on.
“Ugh, headache.”
Focus on finishing the Tower shoot—shaking off distractions, when:
“What's Seiren's real deal?”
“Not academy grad for sure? Checked with other classes?”
“Current class up to ten above ours. Used all connections, no one knows her.”
“Could be higher class.”
“That'd make her at least forty.”
“No way rumors wouldn't spread if she looked like that. Definitely not academy.”
“Argh, who is she? How's an elite like that not academy?”
“What if you find out.”
“Just curious.”
I peeked up. The rejected researchers... and the guide entering the terrace. Eavesdropping since Seiren came up.
“Seriously blown away, though. Smart as hell. Spotted a flaw I didn't know instantly.”
“Cat person? Ask if she has one.”
“Why?”
“If not, I'll take the spot. Meow~”
“Ugh.”
Laid back down. Figures. After seeing lowlifes in chat, I'd worried pointlessly.
“...Ugh. Read a book or something.”
Paranoia kicking in. They kept chatting about Seiren after. Pretty, who is she—standard stuff. Grateful they liked her.
But.
“Hope they leave soon.”
Starving. Getting up mid-convo would look suspicious, waited them out, but no end in sight. Suck it up and go? Then the vibe shifted.
“That Kim Sebin bitch was thrilled.”
“Must feel good~ Pretty girl sparkling at her.”
“Bet she's basking in superiority.”
“Our honey's smart, at least.”
“Gotta be, with that face. God's fair~”
“Mages talking God now.”
“Just a saying.”
“Mm.”
Coworker gossip. Couldn't move now. Lay still, but it escalated.
“Her gut's even greasier than the other day.”
“Belly flab goals.”
“Don't. You'd lose a body fight.”
“True.”
Uncomfortable to hear. Made the space feel toxic.
“Wanna kill her every time I see her. For real.”
Our guide was the worst. Why so harsh? Reason soon dropped.
“Kukuku. Why? Too much on your crush?”
“Fuck off. Shit. Know how embarrassed I was? Stuttering, can't even do it right... Orc'd be better.”
“Means you liked her that much~”
“Shut up.”
“Childish.”
Got the picture. Whatever, hate's possible, but mocking sincerity like that felt gross.
“Can't take more.”
Awkward later or not, time to bail. Ears rotting. As I rose—
“Say that again.”
Familiar voice.
“Hic-sob.”
And a sobbing one. Peeked out: Seiren gripping crying Kim Sebin's wrist, facing them down.
“Uh... Seiren? How here.”
“Looking for oppa. Couldn't find you. But say it again.”
“...What?”
“Those filthy words you just said.”
Seiren seemed a bit mad.
“What'd you call my friend?”
Wait, since when friends?