Yu Eunha: Is She a New God?
Yu Eunha was a sudden new star. A star that popped up out of nowhere, with no prior info or hype.
Unlike Isara, who'd been the talk of the town since she was five, familiar to everyone.
Before claiming her 3-level mage certification at age seven, hardly anyone even knew who Yu Eunha was.
That was why the announcement for [Yu Eunha's Training Live Stream] was sweeping major communities.
Yu Eunha's spar was one-sided. No, overwhelming was more accurate.
The boy using lightning magic tried his best to keep up, but dodging or blocking her attacks seemed hopeless.
The 7-year-old Yu Eunha captured on camera was fighting at a level rivaling pro matches.
"I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to broadcast this. She's even stronger than what she showed in the match…."
Hajieun felt her hands trembling as she watched the viewer count climb.
'Bringing that cake was the best decision of my life.'
Honestly, she'd thought getting an interview later would be lucky enough.
She never imagined she'd get to film something like this.
'Oh god, what do I do? I'm so grateful, but is it really okay for me to be filming something this huge?'
Just editing and uploading this live stream could rack up a million—no, ten million views easy.
And entrusting it to someone whose streams barely hit a thousand?
Hajieun vowed to herself.
'I gotta work my ass off. Make sure Eunha-nim wants to stick with me forever….'
As she reaffirmed her loyalty to Eunha, the silver-haired boy on the brink of death grumbled.
"Miss, this is really too much, isn't it?"
"Spar's over. Get out on your own."
Yu Eunha, who had been watching the boy half-buried in the ground, walked over.
White steam was billowing from her body.
"Whoa…. D-Done already?"
"Yeah, it's over."
As the approaching Yu Eunha exhaled deeply, the steam from her body stopped.
"Feels refreshing to move around after so long."
"I see…. Whoa, I was shocked at how intense the spar was."
"Just a simple daily training. Didn't even use magic."
"Ah, r-right…."
'Then this isn't even her full power?'
Hajieun's nape prickled coldly for a moment.
Yu Eunha, who had been sitting happily in a chair at the table, suddenly paused.
"By the way, isn't there a sweet smell coming from somewhere…?"
"Ah…."
Hajieun's eyes darted in panic.
She had baked another cake for her, that was true.
Even better than last time's strawberry cake—a homemade fruit cake.
"……."
But her heavenly Eunha-nim, who gave her this chance, might be sensitive about the "Sugar Princess" nickname.
"Ah, Eunha-nim?"
"Yeah?"
"Y-Your spar was amazing today. Even without using Stella Maris, your 3-level…."
"Yeah, if I used that, the sparring partner might die. But seriously, isn't there a sweet smell? It's definitely there."
Hajieun gently closed her eyes at the sight of Eunha looking around.
'We're screwed.'
She could guess the chat's state without looking.
It had to be chaos.
'Why react like that on a stream with nearly twenty thousand viewers….'
As Hajieun's face went pale, Yu Eunha tilted her head.
"What's wrong? You sick?"
"N-No, it's not that…. Um."
Hajieun stammered before finally pulling out the cake.
"Actually…. I baked another one. Cake."
A massive cake topped with sugar-glazed fruits.
To Eunha, who'd been cutting back on sweets for weeks, it was violently tempting.
Eunha's body froze as she unpacked it.
"Ah."
She instinctively realized it.
This was something beyond human endurance—an incomprehensible disaster, like a natural calamity.
And just like that, everything fell apart.
*
"Aah, I'm an idiot. I'm such an idiot."
I rolled on the floor, berating myself.
On TV, the 9 PM news was wrapping up.
"Aaaah!!!"
With the anchor's final words, my image of devouring the cake in a daze aired on the TV broadcast.
"Just hold out a little longer, that's all I had to do…."
As I writhed in agony, Monica cackled.
"Ahahahaha! Kiddo, haha. Yeah, cake's hard to resist. Sis gets it~"
"Aaaah!"
Alexandr, who'd been watching pitifully from beside me, shook his head.
"So, miss's nickname is officially Sugar Tyrant now?"
Monica shook her head at his words.
"Nah, turns out people liked her efforts and said not to use that one."
"R-Really!? What are they calling me then!?"
Monica's eyes narrowed at my question.
"Black Sugar Demon King."
"Uh…. Black sugar? Black tongue? No? Black eyes?"
I hesitated, not grasping the meaning at first.
Then I realized "black sugar" was slang, not Hanja, and slammed my head down.
"Black Sugar Demon King. Still sugar in the end…."
"Haha, figured it out? Thought you wouldn't~ Your community savvy's improving, kiddo."
"I'm doomed…."
As I flopped face-down sobbing, Alexandr squatted in front of me.
"Anyway, it's not princess. Kinda scary demon king vibe. That's good, right?"
"……."
I glared, and he added,
"Miss. Better than Black Sugar Princess by a hundredfold, yeah?"
"…Yeah, true."
If it'd been that lame, I'd have bitten my tongue and died.
Streets full of "Black Sugar Princess, sign please!" voices.
Arena announcers yelling, "Everyone's Black Sugar Princess! Yu Eunha enters!"
Horrifying just imagining it.
"So wrap it up already. What can ya do."
I sighed at Alexandr's words.
"Yeah, obsessing over this ain't mature."
Monica tilted her head at me.
"You've been super obsessed alrea—mmph!"
Alexandr clamped Monica's mouth with his hand.
"Miss! You really gotta visit the Foundation sometime soon. Something the Byeolbada City council needs to decide."
"Me decide?"
Alexandr released Monica's mouth and continued.
"The growing wraiths are getting suspicious, and ramping up ether refinery output seems to have caught some abyssal groups' attention. Got a migration request."
"?"
I furrowed my brow.
"Something happen?"
"Yeah, while you've been training magic outside and competing, we've been swamped here."
I nodded at Alexandr.
"Then I'll head to the Foundation."
I reorganized my schedule.
"Hit the Foundation, climb the Abyss to floor 10, then start Foundation League prep. That work?"
"Perfect."
"Mm, got some ad gigs in between, but big picture fits."
"Ad gigs?"
Monica and I stared blankly, and she said wait before fetching a massive stack of documents from the study.
"? What's all this?"
The papers Monica set down were covered in unintelligible text.
[Haeseong Foods Co. – Candysoft Ad Deal]
[Sugar Powder Donut Franchise Ad Deal]
[PN Sugar – Refined Allulose Ad Deal]
[….]
Dozens more snack, ice cream, cake, donut dessert ads followed.
"All these companies want the Black Sugar Demon King for ads."
"Uh…."
"Don't have to shoot right away, but wrap 'em before Foundation League."
I tilted my head at Monica.
"What're you talking about? I don't wanna do ads."
"Huh?"
Monica clapped and said,
"Oh~ Forgot to tell ya?"
Wagging her finger, Monica explained.
"Mages under the Korean Magic Tower Union gotta do at least one public activity a year. Easiest and most lucrative is ads."
I blinked.
"But I'm independent."
"Ah…?"
"Not under the Korean Magic Tower Union."
Monica stood blankly before slowly nodding.
"Right? Not affiliated with a tower, don't use Union training grounds, don't use their ether, not from their academies…."
"Never even joined that Union or whatever."
Monica stared into space.
"Huh? Yeah? Our kiddo's totally independent…?"
"Yeah, they never did shit for me. Not even when reporters attacked."
Monica, struck like she'd been hit, grinned mischievously.
"Really? Then if our kiddo doesn't wanna, we won't! I'll handle the Union."
That was how the Korean Magic Tower Union's first-ever content certification arrived.
*
A few days later.
Lee Haryeong, president of the Korean Magic Tower Union, spat out her coffee at the content certification from Monica.
Pffft—