Chapter 754: One-Man Show (6)
The situation was that the odds for option 1, predicting Lennok would cause trouble at Rebatenon, overwhelmingly crushed option 2, which predicted nothing would happen.
It was absurd enough that they were gambling on Lennok, but the results were even more baffling.
The explosively increasing comments below the post merely proved that they weren’t manipulated.
The comments flooding in were, without exception, a sight to behold.
└What’s wrong with the guys who chose option 2…? Do they just not have eyes?
└Anyone can see he’s going to kill someone. Do you know how many superhumans that butcher bastard has dealt with so far?
From comments naturally disparaging Lennok’s character.
└No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason for him to go to Rebatenon just to kill someone. It’s more reasonable to view this as a business approach.
└I agree with this side too. He’s not a thoughtlessly crazy wizard if he’s establishing a magic tower. If anything, he’s a very clever kind of crazy.
Conversely, there were comments that understood the situation quite calmly and offered sensible opinions.
└He’s just been butchering trash, so now he’s getting interested in other things. As a fellow serial killer, I totally get it.
└Adamant Thunder probably doesn’t want to be understood by a bastard like you.
└Wow, even chunks of meat are talking these days.
└Wow, that’s a genuinely chilling reply…
There were both lunatics who bet purely on their preferences and logic, and those who meticulously calculated the odds.
└Are these odds even real? This is definitely an underdog bet lmao
└Adamant Thunder really is a crazy bastard. The odds for a ridiculous gamble like this are f***ing insane lmao
└Thanks, favorite!
“……”
The number of newly updated comments below was several times greater than those discussing the odds and choices.
The deep web post, which was counting real-time views and traffic, was lagging.
An enormous number of members were clinging to this post, commenting in real-time.
All of this buzz was due to the single bolt of lightning Lennok had dropped at the end.
└What happened at the end? The favorite won, right?
└To drop a lightning bolt in the middle of Rebatenon university… Grand Wizards really do think differently.
└Articles already say there were no casualties. The underdog won.
└Don’t be ridiculous. He used lightning magic involving weather manipulation, and nobody died? Do you believe those articles?
└Anyone can see it’s public opinion manipulation… There are still naive fools left on the deep web who’d believe that.
Thunder Calling, which had been used to stop the rampaging spirit body from the Necromancy Department.
They were engaged in a fierce debate over whether that should be considered a valid variable in this gamble.
[It’s the broker’s fault for opening a gamble with only two trash options like this in the first place. All participation fees should be refunded.] +883
└You’re the underdog bettor, aren’t you?
└No refunds, absolutely not. The favorite won, why aren’t you giving me my money? Pay up.
└If this gamble is canceled, I’m sending the broker’s ID code to Jenny’s bar.
└lol
They weren’t just continuously commenting; they were opening new posts in real-time to continue their arguments.
[I’ll tell you why Adamant Thunder dropped the lightning bolt at the end……. reason.] +3534
[Analysis of Van’s behavioral patterns based on his known track record over the past 3 years (experienced in reading 20 psychological analysis webtoons)] +11244
[??? : I told you I’m not crazy?] +5213
[??? : Serves you right. Who told you to go around killing people indiscriminately? (This post was written from a hell IP)] +3233
The board was filled with posts where it was unclear whether they wanted to debate, fight, or simply troll.
Beyond the discussion boards for this incident, other deep web communities were also buzzing solely about this topic.
Lennok looked at the deep web for a moment longer, then felt a headache coming on and closed the screen.
[It’s audacious to gamble on Master. Shall I just blow up the betting site?]
Davi said confidently from within Lennok’s arms.
[These organisms’ wallets, oblivious to this topic. I’ll teach them a lesson.]
“……No, it’s fine. Things would just get unnecessarily bigger if you did that.”
There didn’t seem to be any particular reason to intervene when idiots who believed in Lennok’s infamy made foolish choices and lost money.
It was absurd, but there was no real reason to get involved in what happened on the deep web.
More than that, Lennok began to contemplate the plummeting image of Adamant Thunder in real-time.
“I thought my reputation couldn’t sink any lower… I was mistaken.”
Below the floor, there’s always a basement.
Rumors without legs travel a thousand li, and baseless whispers are bound to swell endlessly.
He’d left it alone, not caring, but now it was beyond annoying; every one of his actions was thoroughly mired in infamy.
Even Lennok began to seriously consider if he should make efforts to improve his image, starting now.
“Since I’ve already established a magic tower, maybe I should try to improve my image through something like sponsorships?”
[That’s an impure idea, Master.]
“……”
[And wouldn’t doing something like that right now just create more unnecessary misunderstandings?]
“Hmm…”
Lennok pondered, then gently tugged on both of Davi’s ears.
“From now on, no deep web access for a week.”
[Why?!]
Davi’s answer, which suspiciously showed proficiency in managing community opinions and reputations.
Regardless of the circumstances that suggested where this cybernetic spirit usually idled, the solution the spirit proposed wasn’t wrong.
Here, it would be best to let the fervor die down naturally, then intervene at an appropriate time.
Lennok reached that conclusion and began to consider what he should do and what he could do with this new agreement.
“While it started as a way to create an alibi for Evan and Van, the agreement with Rebatenon itself offers significant benefits to both sides.”
The fundamental reason Lennok’s magic tower had become such a hot topic and attracted so much public attention.
It wasn’t just because another educational institution for nurturing wizards had appeared in the city.
Mass-produced artifacts and mana-infused items that could only be distributed through affiliated magic towers.
It was because this was the only legitimate channel to handle the market for magic tower-produced items, which had previously been treated as illegal.
“As long as the magic university is allied with various research institutions, I should be able to distribute items without directly contacting multiple organizations.”
Using Jenny’s connections, it would also be possible to sell items imported under the magic tower’s authority through various channels and expand the market.
And the alliance with Rebatenon University of Magic had a high probability of being a good opportunity to supplement the necessary personnel and authority for that.
Even wizards and freelancers with experience in magic tower operations, including Tatiana, had not raised any objections to this matter.
“The problem is that the actual work ultimately falls to me…”
Superficially, the magic tower was granting authority to Rebatenon and procuring necessary personnel.
But looking deeper, Lennok was effectively holding the initiative for both sides under his identities as Evan and Van.
And that fact, and its repercussions, quickly spread even to Rebatenon University of Magic, where Evan was employed.
“Therefore, the mana core control methods of the research institutions you’ll generally aspire to have recently shifted towards sacrificing consumption for higher efficiency…”
Lennok, who had been explaining for a while using a remote screen pen on the blackboard, soon stopped speaking and turned his gaze.
Elemental Studies Lecture Hall.
A special lecture he occasionally gave in his identity as Evan Vylun, assisting Professor Bailla.
As always, at the very front of this massive lecture hall, hundreds of undergraduates filled every seat.
They looked distinctly older than the undergraduates.
Several other people, dressed in clothes ill-suited for the place, sat observing him with curious expressions.
Suits as if they had just come from a business trip, or flamboyant outfits that didn’t fit a school setting.
There was even a dress suitable for an immediate ball, and a knight wearing armor that was entirely inappropriate for the time and place.
Lennok sighed softly, looked at them, and asked.
“Excuse me, but could I know how long you intend to stay in this lecture hall?”
“Oh my.”
A young woman in a dress fanned herself, covering her mouth as she laughed.
“Why, of course, we plan to stay here until the professor’s lecture today concludes. Why do you ask?”
“Other students aren’t able to concentrate on the lecture, are they?”
Lennok said, looking around.
Indeed, no small number of the undergraduates in the lecture hall were busy glancing at the people sitting in the very front.
It wasn’t merely because their appearance and attire were unusual, but because the presence they exuded was distracting.
And the reason they deliberately sat in the lecture hall and sent their presence towards Evan was simple.
“If you have something to say, please make an appointment and visit the lab separately. What is this behavior?”
“Ah, that’s truly regrettable.”
The woman smiled gently and slowly folded her fan.
“However, we formally inquired with the university, secured an auditing opportunity, and obtained proper authorization to be seated here.”
“……”
Chilling silence. But the woman, with a peculiar smile, obediently rose from her seat.
“…is what I’d like to say, but we came here today simply to show our faces to the professor. We’ll cooperate readily.”
“Is this the attitude of someone who came to see me?”
The moment Lennok said that and slightly frowned, Davi, who was perched on his shoulder, unleashed her mana as if she’d been waiting.
Crackle!!
Davi’s combat ability, using lightning-based common magic in Lennok’s stead, was enough to easily overwhelm most average wizards.
A momentary look of surprise flickered across the faces of those who witnessed the spirit’s output, but surprisingly, they didn’t show much agitation.
“Oh, so that’s the spirit Professor is said to command. It’s much cuter than I expected, isn’t it?”
Instead, they merely scrutinized Davi, perched on his shoulder, with interested gazes.
Those standing around the woman also showed no signs of tension, simply observing the spirit intently.
“But we didn’t come to see the professor today because of your past achievements or merits.”
“What do you mean?”
“While you previously promised to join, we also need to confirm what kind of person the professor is.”
The woman, who had been smiling at Davi, slowly shifted her gaze and spoke.
“We’re not doubting your abilities, but whether minimal cooperation is possible is a much more crucial factor for us than you might think.”
“…Join?”
Lennok absently retorted, then immediately realized the meaning of her words.
Because there was only one organization he had promised to join under his identity as Assistant Professor Evan Vylun.
“The Central Council Technology Advisory Committee. Do you remember?”
The woman smiled, seemingly amused by Lennok’s reaction.
“Immediately after the professor officially allied with the magic tower, final approval came down from the Senate. From now on, all research and business conducted under the name of Evan Vylun will receive the full support and investment of the Vulcan City Government’s Central Council.”
The woman said, looking around the silent lecture hall.
“Originally, I intended to speak with you calmly after the lecture, but it wouldn’t be polite to detain such a busy person for too long, would it?”
“……”
“We’ll find a better opportunity to speak again later.”
The Central Council Technology Advisory Committee, which he had received an invitation to join after submitting his first thesis some time ago.
It was also the organization that Rebatenon University of Magic Dean, Saiolus Garteanon, was a member of.
And currently, it was the group of technologists that held the most powerful authority over all magic engineering-related technologies in Vulcan.
It was the only way to deeply penetrate the Central Council’s Senate as Evan, and a means to prove his achievements and receive investment.
The Advisory Committee, which he had reserved as part of his plan to approach the Central Council at the time, had now belatedly come to find Evan.
“We’ve concluded the most important matter, so if there are any further announcements, we’ll convey them through Saiolus then.”
With those words, the woman turned and walked away without a shred of hesitation.
Her attitude was literally as if conveying this fact alone meant she had done everything she needed to do.
Lennok, watching the woman leave the lecture hall, put down his pen and spoke coldly.
“If you merely intended to inform me, there would be no reason to choose such a method.”
“……”
“Or perhaps you wanted to specifically show off the Advisory Committee’s uniqueness in front of me?”
“No, not exactly that, but…”
The woman gave a chilling smile.
“I was curious if you knew that your anti-gravity thesis didn’t bring benefits to everyone.”
“……”
“Behind new technologies and transformations capable of changing the world, there are always victims. It’s only natural that if someone gains, someone else loses.”
The woman, who had smiled widely while looking around the now quiet lecture hall, slowly turned and walked away.
“This isn’t a story to tell in front of children, is it? Let’s just wrap up today with simply showing our faces. This is my consideration.”
Click!!
The woman’s figure vanished instantly, not waiting for a reply.
Lennok inwardly shook his head as he stared at the spot where the woman had disappeared.
The Central Council Technology Advisory Committee.
The researchers and scholars belonging to the committee were likely prominent figures with their own specialized fields and high positions.
Considering that, it wasn’t strange that there were those within the committee who didn’t welcome Evan’s thesis.
Perhaps she wanted to talk about the benefits and repercussions brought by the technology and theories Lennok had published.
But still, it wasn’t something worth unceremoniously coming to notify him about in this manner.
Lennok thought so, finished the remainder of his lecture, and turned his steps towards his lab.
“Ah, Professor. You’ve arrived.”
Around the corridor, dozens of faculty members were seen groaning as they moved something.
They were laboriously loading boxes and similar items, wrapped in packaging, onto carts and transporting them.
“The packages sent from outside have piled up so much that it’s becoming difficult to store them inside the research building.”
A faculty member, sweating profusely as he removed his gloves, spoke with a look of dismay.
“Until now, we’ve been storing them in unused warehouses or lecture halls, but now there’s not enough space for that either.”
“I see.”
“Um, if it’s not too much trouble… could I ask if you’ve thought of a separate storage method?”
So, they’ve been storing gifts and catalogs sent to them, but even within this vast Rebatenon academic building, there’s no suitable place to store the deluge of packages anymore?
They can’t just toss them anywhere in the academic building like trash, so the administration must find it troublesome to deal with.
Lennok pondered for a moment, then spoke.
“In the basement of the Central Library, there’s an unused study and a secret space. For now, let’s move all incoming packages there.”
“Huh? There’s such a space in the Central Library?”
“I’ve been in and out a few times while working with the Dean.”
“…Oh, I see.”
The truth was he found out about it while rescuing the Dean who had been kidnapped by the Ghost God Palace, but anyway, giving this excuse wouldn’t invite questioning.
The Dean, too, would likely overlook Lennok’s free use of the library’s basement open space, considering the agreement.
When Lennok briefly sketched the location, the staff members, tilting their heads in confusion, began transporting the packages again.
“Our professor draws rather obscurely.”
“Honestly, isn’t he just bad at drawing…?”
“Hush, keep quiet.”
“……”
Lennok, pretending not to hear, opened the locked lab door and stepped inside.
All kinds of official documents and letters were already piled up like mountains in the lab.
The mailbox was overflowing with all sorts of crumpled documents and letters, their original shapes unrecognizable.
The three computers on the lab desk, having increased in number, ran ceaselessly, organizing and responding to the flood of emails and contacts.
The heat generated by the three computers running non-stop gave the illusion that the lab’s temperature was rising, even though it was cooling down due to the approaching change of season.
Lennok leaned back on the sofa and muttered.
“There’s more to do than I thought…”
It was good that Lennok held the initiative for both the magic tower and the university’s businesses, but that also meant a mountain of work he had to handle himself.
Even if the specific processes were entrusted to Jenny and Tatiana, the decisions themselves still had to be made by Lennok.
For Lennok, who had never dabbled in business before, it was an incredibly exhausting task.
He even suspected that the Central Council entrusting the magic tower to Lennok was a deliberate move to prevent him from doing anything reckless due to the overwhelming workload.
Davi climbed onto Lennok’s head and gently stroked his forehead with her five tails.
[I think I can create an algorithm to efficiently sort through the catalogs of collaborating businesses in about a week. Let’s just hang in there a little longer!]
“Right. So that’s why you’ve been so diligently extracting data…”
Lennok, staring blankly at the tail stroking his face, grabbed Davi’s tail with one hand.
[Heh.]
“Now that I think about it, there hasn’t been any news about your tails lately. You haven’t secretly hidden another new tail, have you?”
Quite some time had passed since the Ghost God Palace incident, after which Davi gained her fifth tail, significantly boosting her Hierarchy and cybernetic abilities.
Since then, Davi had also been continuously using her abilities, so it wouldn’t be strange to see signs of it now.
But Davi grumbled, as if dissatisfied with Lennok’s words.
[I’m not a strange organism like Master who just suddenly gets stronger, thinking ‘Oh, I should grow now~’!]
“…Right. So that’s how you usually see me, huh?”
[Master, ensure the spirit’s growth and training time!]
While holding Davi’s front paws, who was rolling around and protesting, and making her do stretching exercises, his phone rang.
Lennok checked the caller, saw Jenny’s name displayed, and immediately answered the call.
“What is it?”
[Van, you have a visitor.]
He had told her to refuse such calls for a while, but Lennok didn’t bother to repeat himself to Jenny.
If Jenny had still contacted Lennok despite knowing that, it meant a significant enough person had come to visit.
“Deadrise? Or someone from Machina?”
[Neither.]
While Lennok speculated about who might visit him at this time and posed the question, Jenny replied with a slightly perplexed tone.
[Someone from Sinclair Magic Tower is here. Do you remember?]
“…Sinclair Magic Tower?”
The moment Lennok paused at the familiar name of that magic tower.
Jenny lowered her voice and whispered.
[They say it’s Aris Richellen’s master.]
“……”
[They say they have something to tell you. What do you want to do?]
Lennok, who had been silent, slowly picked up his phone and grabbed his coat.
“I’ll go right now.”