Chapter 251
Chapter 251
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 250
Chapter Title: Economic Freedom
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"No, wait, what the hell."
I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
"Aren't you adapting way too fast...?"
It hadn't been long since she, once human, got used to her cat body, and here she was not just web surfing but doing an internet broadcast? It was mind-blowing.
And with such a short broadcasting career, she wasn't even doing pre-recorded stuff—she was going live, pulling in over a thousand viewers?
'Come to think of it, I did internet broadcasts too.'
My goal was obviously revenue. But what were the results?
'A total flop.'
It was right around when I was starting to gain some recognition as an actor, and with the no-spend gacha myth issue, the channel had plenty of potential. But that was it. The revenue I made from broadcasting was negligible.
The core issue was a lack of content.
Internet broadcasting isn't a walk in the park. To grow a channel, you need content that draws people in and keeps them hooked. Mine? Just reading books aloud. How could it possibly take off?
Yet Harmony was already gaining traction with just an hour a day.
'Back in the day, I'd have racked my brain over how to monetize a talent like this.'
Of course, not anymore.
The revenue I pull in now is so massive that calling an internet broadcaster "just" one would be an understatement. I'm serializing on over a thousand accounts on Oryong Net, with hundreds of songs registered on Dragon Star, aren't I?
And that's not all.
I'm just taking a break... As a cosmic mercenary right now, one mission nets me hundreds of billions. With my combat power incomparable to the past, even the difficulty would be a breeze.
"Eh, it's fun for her, so let her be."
I'll just remind her not to slip up on stream. She's smart enough to handle it herself.
Pop!
I set the PC to auto-hunt and boot up the internet. With Cheda turned into Harmony, I need a new smart pet.
'This time, something packed with features.'
The Cheda I got as a gift was a cutting-edge model fresh out back then, but years later, things have changed.
Plus, Cheda was a standard model anyone could buy.
'I've got money to burn and no telling what I might need, so... military-grade it is. Electronics? Always go military.'
Military smart pets are off-limits to civilians, but my top-tier mercenary license opens all doors.
Heck, as a Transcendent Premium, I even get VVIP service.
"Let's see..."
I head to the custom section, starting with a Magic Store capable of ultimate magic, then add reaction armor from the battleship class and the Steel Realm's retractable Lightning Heart.
Not to mention a top-grade A.I., the latest Astral Network connection terminal, extra-large inventory and spell storage, and 81 compound barriers.
Once I piled on all the features:
"5.3 tons and 51 billion?"
Insane price, but I'm not the old me.
"Five Mythic cards, huh."
[Purchase complete.]
"Heh."
Satisfied, I close the window and turn on the display. It's tuned to a news channel.
[The Cosmic Peace Force has liberated Terium Planet. That's their eleventh success already. Terium suffered massive losses with only 2.1 billion survivors, but...]
[Terium Planet's President Chard has sent thanks to the 34th Earth, along with...]
"Oh yeah, that exists."
The Cosmic Peace Force.
A force raised by the 34th Earth to aid civilizations swept up in monster outbreaks. A volunteer group made up of retired veterans and active mercenaries.
The Mercenary Bureau's Director Cheonhyeonil asked if I'd join, but with my focus on money over fame or power, it fizzled out.
Makes sense. With all the spending and stocks to buy, who has time for volunteering?
But now.
A thought crosses my mind.
"Should I... join?"
My heart feels unbelievably generous. The deprivation that drove me to nonstop labor has been lifted.
[Immigration requests to the 34th Earth have surged 4,500% from last year. In a humanitarian move, the Korean government is building a massive refugee zone on Mars Delta District...]
I mull it over while half-listening to the news.
I'm a major shareholder in Nemesis Soft with 15.3%.
Even if updates consume those shares as resources, they recover over time, so no need to scramble for more.
'No, actually, no need to even worry about recovery. I've got points to spare.'
Facts are facts. The All Master update needed 3.45 million points, but the 15.3% shares from Oryong-i generated 5.71 million.
Unless they drop some massive nonsense update, but in this state, what update tops Emperor-class All Master?
Even if Nemesis pulls some brain-dead update, [She] won't implement it.
'...I see.'
Then it hits me.
I've achieved... 'financial freedom.'
"..."
Looking back, the moment I received those 3,659,760 Nemesis shares from Oryong-i at Mercury Center, I no longer needed to work.
No more 24/7 grinds, no days off, every single day.
Just two or three hours a day. Translating the endless stream of writing and music from Ardania into reality yields more revenue than I could spend.
Managing Dragon Star and Oryong Net gifted by Oryong-i was a headache, but calmly reflecting now, it was foolish.
Why handle it myself? Hire people!
"Talk about a world of difference."
I stand by the glass wall. Down hundreds of meters, amid the city sprawl, I spot a convenience store.
By 34th Earth standards... just a few years ago, that's where I worked part-time for cash.
[No. 2 Kang Boram. Overtaking No. 3 Demonbane for the top spot in entertainment real estate tycoons... And the long-awaited No. 1 is... Drumroll!]
[It's the Emperor! Han Jaeyeon!]
[Han Jaeyeon's real estate is worth a whopping 311.4 billion! The building housing his agency Dragon Star won the Korean Architectural Culture Award Presidential Prize five years ago—it's a top-grade supertall skyscraper!]
[Did you know? Han Jaeyeon received this building as a gift! The gifter... or gift-dragon? Anyway, the cosmic superstar Five Dragons! Their beautiful, tragic romance story with Han Jaeyeon is...]
Click!
I shut off the news, now droning on about entertainment.
"Hmm..."
I sink into the top-grade sofa layered with all sorts of magic. Not for healing injuries or fatigue recovery—just pure rest.
"Nice."
I smile lightly.
So peaceful, so leisurely.
* * *
[The Great Universe.]
A certain 'being' on the podium declares.
[Will perish.]
Serious stuff, but no one panics. He says it every meeting.
The issue is...
[43% probability.]
Unlike usual, a different number follows today.
The room buzzes at the definitive statement.
"What... did you say?"
-...?
[Eh? 4%? Why the spike from 0.8%? We even held countermeasures meetings back then...]
[It's 40%, not 4%!]
-...!? ......? ...!?
"What nonsense is this? Why so sudden!?"
The conference room holds hundreds of beings. Races galore: humans, elves, dwarves, plus Transcendents like Candlerfolk, Prayanans, dragons.
Most are Transcendents or equivalent.
A long-horned dragon-kin raises a hand.
[Headmaster! You're joking, right?]
[No.]
[Even so, this sudden? No major bad events in the past year. Monster outbreaks are mostly contained...]
As she says, monster outbreaks have stabilized. Random monster spawns wrecked countless unprepared civilizations, but survivors built defenses.
Many in the 3 Civilizations use dimensional barriers to block spawns in habitats or funnel them via dimensional inducers for takedowns.
Monsters caused insane damage, but now their [drops] are gaining value. Time will see civilizations boom beyond past peaks!
-But perish...?
"Perish..."
Unbelievable, yet no one mocks him.
He's the headmaster of Ouroboros, the universe's top academic institution, and the sole 11th-class practitioner: Mystery.
Shrouded in black aura, race unknown, he speaks calmly.
[First monster spawns and locations. Victims' numbers and Spirit Rank distributions. Transcendent-grade spawn times and their soul spectra. And above all... the Netherworld Hell Furnace activation graph confirms it.]
Massive data floats up; the Transcendents stare entranced.
Their level lets them grasp it fast.
"No way... They've been plundering Karma all this time? Possible?"
[Even if possible, on this scale? Even the mighty Hell Furnace just burns it to energy. Taking it raw?]
"Impossible. Karma's essence is causality. Stealing another's history and outcome as your own? That means claiming their death too?"
-Wait, no. So the Transcendent-grade monsters pouring out now...
Extreme excitement makes some odd races flash lights, their roars deafening the room.
-Killing more people lets them plunder more Karma for higher monsters? Wait, these calculations...
[If a Transcendent dies to a monster, even higher ones are possible.]
"That's... impossible... No way. For real?"
-Emperor-class...
The mood darkens; Merlin in the corner rubs his forehead.
'Ah... screwed. Need Dark Star to blow up, but universe ending? Formulas and systems done, just expand service—what now.'
Pop!
"Hm?"
Deep in thought, Merlin stiffens. He's no longer in the meeting but by a quietly burning campfire.
Only one could pull this.
"...Mystery."
[Call me Headmaster, Professor Merlin?]
As always, polite smile from Mystery. Well, 'smile'—black aura hides his face.
"What's this about? Out of nowhere."
[Sorry. Not for public ears.]
Merlin tenses.
'This monster-like guy... Can't pin down his identity.'
Cosmic genius, great mage, yet Mystery remains unknown even to him. Who wouldn't? Only Magic God Flame Dragon Cain truly knows the universe's only 11th-class mage.
"If it's not for public, just skip it."
[Can't. Great Universe is doomed, as I said.]
"...So?"
[So, for starters.]
The headmaster of Ouroboros, the universe's top mage, Mystery says.
[Shall we make Dark Star a hit?]
The moment Merlin gains a sponsor.