NOVEL NEXT Chapter 693
[LOL, Entertainment is already visible]
Looking at the teaser this time, are they really going to push forward with just NoName for the Heavenly Demon Tournament?
Forget emotional narratives or technical finesse, they probably think that just showing “Isn’t our Na-me cute?” will do the trick.
[Comments]
– Everywhere else, there are only praise for Na-me’s coordination but why is this one so angry? LOL
– But there’s some truth in it. Both NoName and Yeondam Seung are quiet types, so they don’t really fit with real variety shows.
– I like that though! LOL
– Fact: It works.
– Using variety as an excuse to dress Na-me up however they want!
The first teaser for the Heavenly Demon Tournament didn’t instill excitement for everyone.
It only delivered extremely limited information.
The only bright spot was Yeondam Seung’s bald head and NoName’s blooming beauty.
But all those evaluations were completely overturned in the second teaser.
[NoName Official]
[The World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament | Official 2nd Teaser]
[First Public Release]
The first teaser was merely a stepping stone to gain momentum.
The video started with participants holding their heads in disbelief.
-?
– Is something big coming?
– NoName’s cheeks are so squishy!
Thud
A single beam of light shining through the darkness.
Against everyone’s expectations, four judges appeared.
[Yeondam, Current Shaolin Elder, Winner of Heavenly Best Martial Arts Tournament 35·36, Judge of World Kungfu Tournament in China]
[NoName, Current Janjeol CEO, Youngest Undefeated Winner of the 28th National Exchange Tournament]
[Koizumi Yoshihiro, Current Katsuhata Elder, 25 Wins in S1-Class Magic Duel Tournament, Judge of All-Japan Martial Arts Tournament]
[Yulisis Murphy, Former U.S. Secretary of State, One of the 10 Strongest Battlefield Mages of the 21st Century]
-??????
– What the heck?
– Why is Murphy here, wait a minute! LOL
– Katsuhata-level elder, holy cow!
– It’s insane! LOL
– Were they hiding this to show it? LOL, wow, I admit.
– Murphy, sir, are those muscles real? Aren’t you in your 70s?
– The recruiting skills are off the charts! LOL
Debates over who the strongest battlefield mage has always been divided.
Generally, if we drench it in national pride, people would choose Yi Sun-sin; considering background and talent, Joan of Arc would be named.
Getting deeper, names like Alexander Suvorov, George S. Patton, and Erwin Rommel usually come up.
Ham Cho-rong briefly showcased the power to surpass all of them, but unfortunately, he passed away at the young age of 29.
If we completely disregard the historical context?
Then Yulisis Murphy, who cemented an impressive legacy in modern military history, would undoubtedly be the strongest.
And in the second teaser.
There was conflict during the selection process for the additional four participants in Round 1.
Yeondam and Koizumi, a sharp confrontation between Buddhism and Taoism.
Most eye-catching, above all, was…
[NoName Wizard. Participant number 73 expresses some doubts.]
Yulisis Murphy’s provocation.
And the screen fades to black.
[You’re too certain, hmmm, even Mr. Murphy makes mistakes sometimes.]
The teaser concluded with a close-up of NoName’s softly smiling lips.
[The World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament]
[May 20th Release]
The community was turned upside down that day.
-?????
– Did I just hear that wrong?
– Wow, I didn’t expect NoName to be this bold! LOL
– The one who made a mistake is you, Yulisis Murphy!
– Is there a dopamine rush or what? LOL
– Gimme that! Bring it all to me!!!
How many people in this world could boldly speak to Murphy like that?
The age difference alone is almost seven times.
Amidst this, a post on one social media caught attention.
[@koizumi_yoshihiro]
[HMG Global Business Complex | Nimbus_Seoul]
(Judges having a meal together.jpg)
Looks like the judges successfully had a meal together with Na-me after the teaser was released.
*
“Did NoName Wizard enjoy the food?”
“Yes, it was so delicious. I had no idea such flavors existed, my vision—no, my taste buds feel so opened!”
“Haha! It’s a relief to hear that the notoriously picky carnivorous wizard enjoyed the meal.”
“I can also eat vegetables… as long as they’re delicious.”
Before the first episode of the World’s Best Magic Duel Tournament aired, the judges held a gathering in the restaurant.
The tallest restaurant in Korea, Nimbus.
By chance, they ended up going to a Korean restaurant recommended by a Japanese person.
“NoName Wizard, you’ll be watching the broadcast later, right?”
“Yes, yes. I planned to watch it live with the viewers.”
“Right. Make sure you get home safely.”
“Yes. Thank you for the meal. Goodbye…”
I dejectedly sent the three off.
“Did you see the shrimp earlier? It was bigger than NoName Wizard’s head! Hahaha!”
Murphy’s booming voice grew distant.
Especially Murphy and Koizumi seemed to have headed out for drinks afterward, leaving me behind.
“Aww, how could they do that to me?”
I momentarily felt betrayed but knew I had to bravely endure it.
“Shaolin is going to be really noisy soon.”
Yeondam Seung’s surprise reveal had already been discussed internally in Shaolin.
Something that needed to come to light eventually.
It seemed the younger elders, including Yeondam Seung, were already raising issues.
Now that Jagwang Seung’s factions have been entirely ousted, it’s the perfect time to avoid accountability.
If that’s the case, I needed to think about when, where, and how to reveal it.
Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Demon Tournament turned out to be a decent airbag.
“The production team mentioned it would probably appear at the end of Episode 3.”
By then, filming for the Heavenly Demon Tournament would be completed, and Yeondam Seung would have returned to China.
“I also need to head back to Texas to prepare for the National Exchange Tournament in early June.”
Once that was over, I’d have to announce the long-delayed Dreaming Mode 1.5.
The schedule is quite tight but still manageable at this level.
In fact, proper burdens in life enrich our existence.
An excessively light life robs you of growth opportunities, while a too heavy load wears you out.
Friedrich Nietzsche also said, “What does not kill me makes me stronger.”
I thought this, but it turned out to be misjudgment.
Vroom-vroom
A call from Janjeol executives came pouring in, no, dozens of them.
“Hello?”
I already felt uneasy.
“Yes.”
Glancing up, I saw a cloudless, expansive sky spread before me.
“You know we’ve invested 100% of our margin, right? If we reclaim all of it, it should amount to about 34 trillion won. Oh, maybe 32 trillion, that’s a bit short, way too short.”
A white dove flying freely in the blue sky.
“Understood. Let’s wrap everything up by today, then. I’ll do some more research here and there. Yes, please hold on until this week.”
Click
I hung up the phone.
I calmly put my phone in my pocket and couldn’t take my eyes off the sky.
“Forget what I just said, Nietzsche grandfather.”
Life is better without challenges from start to finish.
The bird of trial flies toward me.
This trial’s name is ‘lack of funds.’
Currently, there was no cash left at Janjeol.
“Hello? Bo-reum Unni. Please cancel today’s broadcast. I’ll do it either tomorrow or the day after if I find some time. Uh, something came up. Sorry.”
I called my manager, Lee Bo-reum, again to cancel today’s broadcast.
As soon as I got home, I quickly changed my clothes.
Since I’d be working late, I chose the comfiest pajamas I could find.
“Welcome back.”
“Ruri, please turn on the capsule in my room. And…”
It suddenly reminded me that today at midnight, Erichiton was set to wake from her semi-permanent slumber.
When one part goes wrong, everything topples like dominoes.
“Okay, just tell me, Unni.”
“NoName Wizard is sealed behind the red curtain of item number 185968 Black Cube in our Private Room on the 3rd floor.”
“E-Erichiton?”
“She might be confused after waking up for the first time in a while, so please chat with her a little. Don’t harm her in any way, okay? Got it?”
“Yes…”
“You can do it, Ruri? I trust you?”
“Of course!”
I handed Ruri an important mission and stepped into the capsule.
*
[Discussion on Events]
[2054. 05. 20.]
[Shaolin Energy | ▲ 29.99% | ₩7,300]
└ Didn’t I say it would go up?
└ Are we getting a buff from Episode 1 of the Heavenly Demon Tournament?
└ What’s this rise for, masters? Didn’t the Room Leader get taken?
└ If they got taken, then the risk has been cleared, right?
└ Heavenly Demon Tournament is going to be hilarious!
└ Bring forth alcohol and women! It’s the time for heroes to rake in foreign currency!
[2054. 05. 21.]
[Shaolin Energy | ▼ 27.67% | ₩5,280]
└ Awwwwwwwwwww!!!
└ Damnhwang~~~
└ Absolute joke level! LOL
└ If people get stuck watching the Heavenly Demon Tournament, are they fools?
└ Seems so, damn it.
└ Heroes~ Vagabonds~ Let’s eat feed~
I made a profit of 1.2 trillion won after costs and commissions from short selling 2 trillion won in stocks.
If I had held out to the end, I could have raked in at least another 300 billion.
Slurp
Regrettably, I tasted something just from thinking about it.
“If I hadn’t done this, what would’ve happened?”
At that time, the risk management executive who opposed the short selling of 2 trillion won the fiercest said.
“Sorry.”
“I understand. No one would have thought that anyone would suddenly shut down the Magic Power Plant in the Middle East in this situation.”
Right now, the Middle East had cut off mana supplies for several days, creating immense cash flow problems.
Fortunately, this disaster didn’t seem to drag on.
“Whew…”
“Submit your resignation once the liquidity issues are resolved.”
“Stop talking nonsense and go work.”
“Yes?”
“First, you promised to draft a response manual. I’ll also do my best to raise funds according to your manual, so keep revising and send it to me directly as things change.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
I sent the executive out and buried my head on the desk.
“Why do humans feel sleepy even in a virtual reality?”
Spinning my blonde hair with my fingers, I ponder.
Over 40 hours of work and two nights of sleeplessness left me wasted.
I didn’t even have the strength to pull myself out of the capsule.
How long has it been since I took a Mana Potion?
“Yawn…”
Setting aside my destroyed sleeping pattern for a moment, I fell asleep in virtual reality.
“Since my physical body is in the capsule, I won’t even catch a cold…”
Whooosh
As the languid energy enveloped me.
Blink
I opened my eyes.
“Ugh? What time is it?”
The scenery outside seemed odd. Why is it sunset?
Checking the clock, it was 7 PM.
“Wait, did I just close my eyes and sleep for 12 hours?”
I rubbed my eyes and blinked.
My head throbbed, but I was definitely not drowsy anymore.
“Oh right, I was supposed to broadcast too.”
They say if a person works too much, they experience burnout.
At this moment, laziness took over my body.
So without even changing my avatar, I turned on the broadcast myself.
It didn’t take long to come up with a title.
Just be honest.
[NoName]
[Just Chatting – I Have No Money for Mana So I’m Streaming]
[Sub-title: Sorry for Being Late. Let’s Watch the Heavenly Demon Tournament Together.]
The viewers surged in an instant.
At this point, it should be time for the chat window to set on fire.
[‘Colored Pencil Eraser’] donated 10,000 won!
– What’s this? April Fool’s Day?
[‘misery’] donated 30,000 won!
– LOL, that was hilarious, I admit.
I guess I need to change the sub-title to prevent misunderstandings.
[NoName]
[Just Chatting – I Have No Money for Mana So I’m Streaming]
[Sub-title: Really No Money.]