NOVEL NEXT Chapter 679
“These days, it seems tough for young people to find jobs, huh?”
“Oh! Director, you mentioned you interviewed new hires at QBS recently, right? How did they do?”
“In my day, I could have easily joined one of the top three broadcasting companies with my qualifications. How did it come to this, applying to a place like QBS? Tsk tsk.”
“Well, as long as we get good talent, it’s great for us, right? Haha.”
“No matter how good the talent, what’s the use? They’ll realize the reality and fly away like a bird. By the way, Manager Jang isn’t planning to fly the coop, right?”
“I’ve committed to burying my bones in this company from the day I joined. I’ll endure until I become an ortolan.”
“Ortolan? That sparrow dish? I can’t watch that; it’s too cruel. Maybe I’ll just fly away first.”
The cynical man replying was none other than the current executive director of QBS, former editor-in-chief of QBS, Ye Hak-jae.
A transformative figure who had propelled QBS from the 50th to the 30th rank among Korea’s media companies in just three years.
Thanks to him, the annual revenue reached 60 billion won, and last year’s operating profit surpassed 10 billion won.
He was someone who had practically secured the position of next vice president.
A big shot in QBS, where his subordinates didn’t even have to worry about ‘lines’.
However, overwhelming power often breeds nothing but emptiness.
“The growth of the company has completely stagnated. It’s like it’s suffering from arterial sclerosis.”
He was enraged at the reality that the company’s capabilities were not keeping up.
But reporter Jang Seong-moon couldn’t understand the director’s words.
After all, the year before, in 2053, they had thrown the biggest bonus party on record since he joined.
“We’re at a turning point right now. They say rich people can survive for three years even if they go bankrupt. All issues tend to reveal themselves three years later as they gradually fade away.”
“Aah. I feel like I learned that a long time ago in college.”
“So Manager Jang should also submit some fresh project proposals while I’m up top. We’re in the entertainment planning team, but we’re lacking ideas. Push the entertainment department head too.”
“How can I, a manager, push the department head…!”
“That’s how it’s done in foreign countries. You know my motto, right? Luck only favors those who are always prepared.”
Jang Seong-moon sighed.
Even he thought Ye Hak-jae was an incredibly broad-minded person. He was the one who recognized the scoop on NoName first in Korea, insisting on immediate coverage.
He had produced major news reports after that, all of which were masterworks birthed from his hands.
The “genius mathematician” incident, who was said to be 14 years old at the time.
NoName’s Aura Heart surgery.
Valpurgis terror restructuring exclusive reports.
The resignation of Kim Soo-young, director of the Korean Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, over error in the KGSAT problem 19.
Unfiltered criticism on the government’s indiscriminate tax investigations.
The first supportive article during NoName’s private sanctions incident.
Real-time AI reading of Aura techniques at the National Exchange Tournament, etc.
“To be honest, Director, isn’t it true that you had even more luck than preparation?”
It wasn’t denying his skills, but rather acknowledging that he had sucked all the juice out of the once-in-a-lifetime talent called “NoName.”
Jang Seong-moon felt like he was seeing someone who had bought Bitcoin at 1 dollar.
His worries continued until the dawn of that day.
Even though Director Ye had said it nicely, digging into the content felt no different from a gentle scolding.
He also reached out to his college mate, Nam Hyun-min, who had transferred to another content production company.
He wanted to inquire if he had any entertainment ideas in the works.
“Does QBS produce entertainment too? Not just Virtual Reality stuff but featuring real celebrities? Wow, you’ve grown a lot.”
“Yeah, we started last year, but we messed it up big time. Some people manage to get good results with marathons alone, but it seems it’s not as easy as it looks. For now, the higher-ups aren’t putting much pressure on us since it’s our first time, but who knows how it will turn out.”
“It’s definitely tough; this area is a red ocean. Plus, if you don’t have money, it’s even harder. The minimum budget starts at 5 billion won for eight episodes.”
“But it’s still much cheaper than dramas or movies.”
“Right. If we hit a jackpot, it’s a huge win.”
Even prominent star producers were failing consecutively.
As silence fell upon them, Jang Seong-moon recalled the last piece of advice given by Producer Ye Hak-jae.
[If someone asks about the future of entertainment, have them look up and see Na-me.]
[NoName Wizard seems to just run a small company for editing. Pursuing a calm broadcasting style in a dopamine-driven era feels out of place. If you’re going to benchmark, it would be better to look at one of the top three broadcasters or Netflix…]
[A small company? Nonsense. V-tube has 200 million subscribers, yes, 200 million. You still don’t get it? Three years ago, QBS’s sales figure was this year’s expected annual profit for NoName Entertainment. 30 billion won!]
[Huh? No way…]
It was the moment when the pride of working at one of Korea’s top 10 media companies shattered.
‘I never knew it would earn that much…’
Even excluding Janjeol because they had the over-ethernalogy magic of Human Transmutation.
NoName Entertainment was the culmination of Na-me’s broadcasting activities over the past three years and seven months.
‘Yeah, there’s no way mere fame could produce that many subscribers.’
The President of the United States is known worldwide, yet if you check their official account, they barely surpass one million subscribers.
Having been too busy with real life to check up on NoName’s latest news, Jang Seong-moon stumbled upon a notification three days ago on the fan cafe.
[Major content announcement – Working Title: The World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament]
“What’s this? The World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament?”
“I just saw that too! Wow, what the heck is this?”
“It says that participating in the official magic duel tournament hosted by the World Wizards Federation is only open to those who have never competed and haven’t been affiliated with any clans or sects for the past ten years.”
“Are they even accepting someone who dropped out after briefly participating as a child? Wow, the criteria are wider than I thought.”
“······.”
“······.”
Once again, the two friends were at a loss for words.
‘Are they gathering all the hermits of this world?’
‘Are they evaluating solely based on one aspect? The champion of the National Exchange Tournament?’
‘What kind of stories do the people who practiced one kick 10,000 times have…!’
‘What happens if they become better than the original?’
Curiosity bubbled up like bloop bloop.
They shared a common thought.
“This is going to make money, no doubt about it!”
*
Bzzz—!
As swords and claws clashed, sparks flew everywhere.
The arms guarding firmly in an X shape suddenly lost all strength.
“Whaaaah! Hah! I can’t do it. Not anymore! Hah!”
Seol Yoonseul collapsed in a heap on the training arena floor.
Beep!
I pressed the stopwatch.
[45.048]
“This time, you lasted for 45 seconds.”
“Na-me, that’s enough! Sis, I think I’m suffering from Mana Exhaustion… My stomach is churning! But more than that… it’s super hard!”
“Actually, beginners don’t easily experience mana exhaustion. You haven’t even used 10% of your aura, so don’t worry.”
“Whew! It’s just too… too hard! Ugh!”
“You need to keep up this level of intensity—”
“Wow, was this a genuinely tough workout?”
“You can burn off 500 calories in 30 minutes.”
“Wait. Even with this, it’s only half? This is tougher than running; it feels the same as running… Were you deceiving me?”
The girl suddenly looked wide-eyed.
It was directed not at me but at Cheon Saetbyeol nearby.
“Meowww! Save me, Kaeng!”
As Saetbyeol was being pulled around like a rag doll, I edited the replay scenes while watching the video.
From what I observed, Seol Yoonseul had surprisingly exceptional talent—yet shockingly unremarkable talent as well.
These two imbalances meshed together perfectly like gears, creating bizarre scratching movements.
“I wanted to fight beautifully too. Na-me, can you give me just a little tip?”
“Um… Hmm… I think you just need to practice consistently.”
“Don’t just say that; give me a real tip!”
“The best way to distribute aura evenly is to remove your nails and place thin mana-coated paper underneath—”
“I’ll practice! I’ll practice!”
Returning with her motivation fully recharged, Yoonseul was ready for her duel.
I felt pleased watching her get into a learning stance.
Boommm—!
The shameful one-minute duel, barely deemed a duel, wrapped up after five sets.
“Ouch…”
While Yoonseul was on the floor suffering from muscle pain, Saetbyeol, who had come to see the action, sat beside me.
“Saetbyeol, look at this! I got a message from Studio IDH!”
“Where’s that?”
“The production company that made Margin Voice. They also had a famous drama, ‘School Turned 180 Degrees’—did you hear of it?”
“Of course! Our class had a blast watching that! So what did they say?”
“They had some rough draft ready, so I passed that along. While I’m gathering people for the preliminaries, the PD, director, and writer will work on the project proposal.”
“That sounds quite serious.”
“But I’m trying to take as little support from the distributor as possible. They said the pitching or contract signing could take several months; even after completion, they might not want to release it if it overlaps with a previous work. So, I contacted QBS to relay my thoughts, and now we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Clam
“What are we talking about?”
Having finished recovering, Yoonseul put her wand down on the floor.
She looked a little less pained than before.
“Were you adapting to it as you went along?”
“It’s definitely… No! Not at all! I feel like I’m dying of pain!”
She was quaking in fear of what I might demand next.
“We were discussing the World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament.”
“Ooh, but will many people actually watch it? Won’t it just end with showing off the best technique once?”
“No, that’s not the purpose of the program. It’s to raise the participants’ capabilities to their fullest to select the ultimate magic technique.”
Participants in this tournament were fundamentally piles of talent, yet they were raw stones without refinement.
In that process, their most confident technique could change, or they might even showcase something transcending the original.
“But isn’t the criteria too subjective?”
“It’s not just about overcoming the opponent or efficiency of attack but rather pursuing harmony of body and spirit, skill and environment. Techniques embodying pure aesthetic beauty that transcends purpose. Techniques implementing fluidity and natural flow beyond technical perfection. Techniques that transcend the opponent’s abilities or evoke a sense of awe.”
“?”
“If all four of these conditions are met, subjectivity won’t greatly factor in. Anyone witnessing it will certainly feel that way.”
Hissss—!
I let out a sigh of exasperation.
“So I’m not expecting much from the preliminaries. How can anyone surpass those who have been properly trained from the start? It’s bound to be pathetic.”
This tournament wasn’t about picking perfect participants from the get-go.
It was a competition to shape them into perfection.
*
“Are you asking me to be a judge for the preliminaries…? What on earth is the master thinking?”
Yeondam, the monk from Shaolin Temple, received a formal invitation from Na-me.
He was asked to judge the preliminaries of the World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament.