Forced Liquidation
Mark Two was heading to the Hunter Association, and around the time Mark One and Ibella were filming those thoroughly humiliating videos.
After sending all the summoned undead out and watching the bait in the community burn to ashes, leaving nothing, Ha Yuna was lying on the moldy bed sheet in the corner of the room, rolling around.
“Ah… I’m so bored. I’m too bored. Is there no interesting thing happening?”
Staring at the ceiling that looked like a continent map drawn with mold, I tried to relieve my extreme boredom, but it was impossible.
And summoning another undead here would make it even worse, since I was the master and the king.
I thought it would be a disaster if I slept with undead in the bed... or not?
Thinking about it, Alkerniman had his own space by opening a gate, right?
A great idea came to mind, so I jumped up from the bed.
“Wow, this is scary now? Why am I so smart?”
After self-praising myself for being smart today, I immediately summoned a new undead.
“Come out quickly! The strongest archmage!!”
A magic circle made of an enormous amount of pitch-black mana, far beyond anything before, spread from the floor to the walls.
And soon, a mage wearing a hat only half my height appeared from the center of the magic circle with tremendous pitch-black light.
He opened his mouth as soon as he saw me, just like the other undead.
“It’s been a long time, Master. More than that, according to Mark One, you’re really cute...”
“Stop there, and make a few gates here.”
I pointed to the wall of the one-room apartment and continued the command.
“Our undead numbers are not a joke, right? Of course, for those without intelligence, we can send them back to my pocket dimension, but
You, Mark One, and that pervert alchemist old man undead are better in your own personal spaces rather than in my pocket dimension, right? Wouldn't that be better?”
“The words are excellent. I, Mordane, cannot help but admire Master’s wisdom and that smart intelligence.”
“Hah, no, this isn't it, hmm. Why can't everyone grovel like this?”
After living seriously and prudently for 210 years, I became so young again in my early 20s, to the point where even if I look like a middle schooler, people believe it.
My thought process or emotions? It seems they also became young.
Every time I get compliments, my mood becomes uncontrollably happy, and my body starts to twist on its own, which was quite a lot.
“No, it's not that bad...”
Anyway.
After thinking for a bit, I shouted in the most dignified voice.
“Stop the flattery, can you do it or not? Just say if you can.”
“I’ll check first.”
Mordane immediately checked the state of my one-room apartment, the flow of mana, and whether the building could withstand when opening the gate, one by one carefully.
And with a strange expression, he approached me and said cautiously.
“To cut to the chase... the building is too trashy. Alkerniman managed to install the gate in the safest location by understanding the structure well, but...”
“However?”
“Here, one, no, the moment Master installs another summoning magic circle, the entire building will collapse. It’s already unstable.”
“... Really?”
The building collapsing... I almost became a Munchkin Necromancer pancake.
“Then what should I do?”
I asked while slightly trembling.
Mordane said as if it was obvious.
“You should move your residence. This place is not a space that even the empire's trash can use, but the most expensive place in this Earth where Master’s reputation and body are worthy.”
“Really? Just moving is enough?”
“Well, it depends on the state of the building a bit... but it should be fine.
This place can't withstand even the fine mana fluctuations of the gate because the building's construction method and materials are too poor.”
“Hmm... Indeed, there have been several news about poor construction in South Korea.”
It seemed like poor construction was rampant even before I left for the other world... Even after 10 years, with the world of great upheaval coming, it hasn’t changed much.
After thinking for a bit, I approached the gate where Alkerniman was.
With 3,000 billion won, I could buy a one-room apartment with a view of the Han River by taking out 500 billion in advance, and invest the remaining 2,500 billion in stocks without any major problem.
After planning everything, the moment I was about to call Alkerniman.
“Kuaaaaaak!! No!!!”
“Uwaaaak!! What... what is it?”
The moment I put my body into the gate, a scream of world-ending level echoed.
I was startled and quickly ran to the center of the research lab where Alkerniman was.
And.
“What? What is it? Why? What's going on, geezer?”
“M-Master....”
“You crazy, you old alchemist who lost his mind... What did you do!!”
I found the main body and monitor of the old computer melting and bubbling due to acid solution.
Before situation assessment, I quickly used cold attribute magic to freeze the computer solid,
Wiping sweat, I turned my head and looked at Alkerniman sitting dejectedly in defeat.
“Al... no, Alkerniman, explain quickly. What kind of nonsense did you do that the computer is bubbling?”
“T-That is...”
“...?”
The response of the geezer is strange.
Normally, no matter how much foolery, he wouldn't lose that arrogance and confidence and momentum.
But now, he was trembling like a major criminal facing execution, trying desperately to avoid my gaze.
Seeing that, a very ominous thought came to mind, so I asked calmly.
“You... don't tell me, stocks... went bankrupt?”
“H-Huh!! No... th-that, it didn't go bankrupt... that is...”
“Explain properly quickly, I've summoned Mordane too? If you don't want to get hit by the ceiling, tell the truth.”
Alkermiman, feeling the danger to his life from my murderous threat, hit his head on the floor and shouted.
“M-Master, I'm really sorry. I, I wanted to return your trust as Master by making money as fast as magic... First, I searched for information.
And at first, I started with small amounts. I saw a thread in the community saying 'definite tip'.”
“... So.”
“But after I got hit, I found out the writer was an insider, calling himself a chart magician.
I should have been suspicious of him, but Master always said, ‘Great knowledge stimulates human pride.’
I ate that pride and fell.”
“Haa... No, then, the chart magician, so?”
When I asked, he couldn't lift his head and continued explaining.
“He led me to a paid Telegram channel. The first month was free, so I checked it out.
Several 'real' profit screenshots, and names of famous investors attached.
The channel was named 'Today's Hanbang' and recommended high-leverage trades every day.
‘Long 10x, 5x tomorrow’ like that. At first, 100,000 won, 500,000 won,
Starting with small amounts, but the win rate somehow matched well.
From then on, my emotions went numb. ‘Ah, this is the hand of God.’”
In Alkerniman's voice, faint hope and regret alternated.
“Master also knows well that confidence increases when you succeed. So I gradually increased my investment scale.
100 million, 1 billion, 100 billion... But the channel became more and more aggressive.
‘Prime altcoin big hit’, ‘Ignore short selling and go’, ‘50x leverage with derivatives possible’
I was eventually pulled by that sweet voice and finally made an account for foreign derivatives and moved funds there.”
“Damn, I don't know what you're saying, but anyway, what happened?”
I asked while catching my breath.
Alkermiman took a deep breath.
“... Yep, it turns out the channel was actually a pump and dump organization.
The coins and stocks they recommended were mass bought internally, then used to lure the public to raise prices,
And at the top, dump all at once.
At first, a few times I was lucky and made money, but eventually, I got caught in the opposite timing and the leveraged position was liquidated due to shock.
And when the large option that the chart magician told me about matured and liquidity dried up, I couldn't respond to the margin call in time.”
“Idiot, what... No, continue.”
Alkermiman's fingers started to tremble like a leaf in the wind.
“And... I forgot ‘risk management’. Diversified investment? Stop loss?
I thought those were in the drawer of my research lab cabinet. At some point, a ‘automatic liquidation’ alert popped up from the brokerage, and the screen flashed red numbers.
My accounts were forcibly liquidated one after another, and the only remaining account balance was 0. 3,000 billion disappeared in an instant....”
“Woo... Okay, I didn't understand any of it, but good. Then why didn't I know until I lost all 3,000 billion?”
“It was because I wanted to be recognized by Master. So I used more leverage.
Alkermiman boasted with a name like ‘Thousand-year fund’, and because I was trying to keep the promise with Master, I got emotionally entangled.
Anyway, what I want to say is I'm really sorry.”
“……”
When he finished his last words, the room fell into a brief silence.
I turned my head without any reaction and looked at the computer frozen solid.
And asked in a very slow, emotionless voice.
“The words were grand, but the conclusion is that our funds are 0 won, right?”
Alkermiman shrank his shoulders and said.
“I’m sorry.”
“Get down.”
“Yes.”
Since it was annoying, I was about to leave the mental education to Mordane and end it.
But I couldn't think of anything to soothe the bubbling stomach.
So I did it myself.
“Lift your butt.”
“I have beautifully raised my butt here!”
“Good.”
I created a giant cudgel with pitch-black mana, and without any hesitation, swung it towards Alkerniman’s butt.
Kwaaang!!