I made the Nibelung Family my enemy.
Because fuck them.
But it wasn’t just emotion that pushed me into that decision. I had the means to handle it—and that’s why I pulled the trigger.
I also reported the matter to the faculty.
“What the hell?! Professor Dante! You made that move without a single word of consultation?!”
Shaman, the burly Head of the Assassination Department, roared. His jowls rippled like a pair of royal melons.
“Ahahaha! Yes, that’s exactly what a golden rat should do!”
Ezekiel, the Mage Department Head and royal-certified shield-rack, looked absolutely delighted by my judgment.
“Do you have a personal foundation for this decision—reasoning, responsibility, and all that?”
Vulkan, the Head of the Warrior Department—who lived by honor and chivalry—posed the question.
“Yes,” I replied.
Then I laid out three reasons why it was valid to treat the Nibelung Family as hostile.
First: Hiaka Academy was entering an unprecedented boom and was hypersensitive to “spooning”—groups trying to piggyback off its success. If we let Nibelung plant their spoon in the pot, it would set a precedent, and soon everyone would be doing it.
As a cartel, Nibelung was among the biggest fish in Hiaka. But outside the cartel? There were plenty of groups just as large. To them, the Academy’s opening of its doors to the Empire was a ripe fruit.
So we couldn’t allow a precedent to form.
“Second: this situation actually gives us a chance to tighten up internally.”
Hiaka Academy was in the middle of a transitional period. It was charging headfirst into the Empire-wide reform event with nothing but ad-hoc administration.
But if we anticipated fixed points of crisis and structured our flow accordingly, we'd start to see an actual system emerge.
This wasn’t just about protecting ourselves from Nibelung. It meant more.
The Kreutz Incident happened because of slack administration and a non-existent system.
And third—
“If this imperial venture catches the royal family's attention, we’ll be in a position to request greater support. There’s precedent from the Xikos Count House and the Marquisate of Hibri.”
That came from one of the [Side Stories] in Betting Table.
Every finger may hurt when bitten, but the one with a ring matters most.
The royal family had been cutting back their support out of disappointment with our unproductive institution. But depending on how Gray’s Assassination Daily feature performed, their attitude could change.
You always send the smart kid to college—even if it breaks your back.
“Reasonable,” said Vulkan, nodding.
“You’re guilt-tripping me, aren’t you? Trying to get me to sway the royals?” Ezekiel asked, and I quickly looked away.
Let the ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) grown-ups handle grown-up problems.
“......”
The last remaining figure was the jowl-fisted Shaman.
Arms crossed like twin tree trunks, he stared at me and finally asked in a low voice:
“But Professor Dante. That all depends on Gray’s issue selling well, doesn’t it?”
I opened my mouth to argue... but shut it again.
I wanted to say he was oversimplifying it—that just because humans and chimps share 99% DNA doesn’t mean they’re the same—but I couldn’t come up with a single tactful way to phrase it.
Because he was right.
Just as the real-world “Big Mac Index” measures a country’s purchasing power...
...the “issue sales” of Assassination Daily were the most credible metric of an assassin’s popularity and visibility on the continent.
After all, a single issue cost 999 Hika—nearly 100,000 won. No one buys that without serious interest.
If sales spike, if Gray’s visibility is officially validated—then my plans have real legs.
Adults like numbers.
And the royal family is the biggest adult of them all.
“...Yes,” I admitted quietly.
“It all depends on the sales numbers.”
***
Dante’s assistant, Ran, placed a cogwheel on her head.
She had been going somewhere every day under Dante’s orders—and today was no exception.
Behind the wheel, Ran drove with extreme caution. So cautious that when an arrogant wild turkey blocked the road, she came to a full stop.
“......”
“......”
The wild turkey initiated a staring contest from the middle of the road. “Gobble...” It was practically saying: Come at me, then.
Ran waited 25 minutes and 57 seconds without even honking.
And in the end, she won.
“Gobble—!!”
You’ll pay for this...!! the loser’s final squawk.
Score one for Ultra Cautious Driving.
Eventually, Ran’s car reached the restricted-access cemetery. She parked the vehicle and removed the cogwheel from her head.
Turning her head, she saw it—a massive, pitch-black sphere.
“......”
She walked up Star-Gazer Hill. When she finally stood before it, she placed a Symbol⧉ atop her head and closed her eyes.
Even now, the stars in the sky hadn’t fully grasped what that thing truly was.
Maybe it was because the System⧉ was lazy. Or maybe it knew but couldn’t act on it. Running a whole world is tough, after all. Seriously—how many games have good developers managing them?
What was certain was this: inside that black sphere, something that should have died by the force of the world itself was still alive.
And it moved in human form.
And someday, it would bring chaos to the world.
Ran opened her eyes.
Still no results. Today again. She stared blankly with her dark, empty eyes.
“...?”
Up high—something strange caught her gaze.
Something was shooting out in seven directions from the sky above.
Ran mentally calculated the range and angle of the flying entities. The continent had seven countries: the Empire, Hiaka, Kreutz, and others.
Those objects were flying toward those exact locations.
Which meant one of them was headed for Hiaka.
What were they?
Ran closed her eyes and thought. Most likely, they were manifestations of a will to destroy the world. They would come periodically, bringing despair.
So what were they exactly?
Jinxxytte had recently caused havoc after slipping into Hiaka Academy—but this wasn’t Jinxxytte.
At that size, it was probably...
Vomittekka. Or Trappycche.
She then re-centered herself.
Ran was an observer. She didn’t care whether the world burned or not. Honestly, she didn’t even know what she was supposed to care about.
Still, since she had come this far to assist Dante, she could at least report this.
That something dangerous was coming. For humanity. For Hiaka. And for you...
“......”
That concluded her thought process.
Ran removed the Symbol⧉ from her head and decided to return to her parked car.
Just then, she recalled Dante’s strict instruction:
"If you're ever alone and separated from me, always wear either the ‘Excalibur Headband’ or the ‘Cross-Band Patch Model’ on your head.”
Lately, she’d been wearing the Excalibur headband 24/7... but she had forgotten today because she was driving.
She’d fix that now. What to wear?
Today’s date was even, so she chose the Cross-Band Patch Model.
It was shaped like two overlapping bandages—like something you’d stick on a wounded anime character. A slightly exaggerated, cartoonish design.
She placed it on her head.
Immediately—
THWAK—
Ran’s head exploded.
Her body slumped sideways.
***
Today was the official D-Day for the sales numbers.
Anyone who was even mildly interested in this situation had their eyes glued to the homepage, refreshing like mad.
They checked [Assassin Town].
< Sales numbers drop today 😱😱😱 >
< Please let them be good!! 🙏 >
< Fuck, my future depends on this... 😵 >
< Please 100K please 100K please 100K 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 >
< KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! 😫😫😫 >
< MIYOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNN!!!! 😭😭😭 >
< [BET] Sales prediction pool open — Current participants: 525 🎲 >
< Gray’s issue EXPLODED!!! (proof inside) 💥💥💥 >
< [Verified] Bought 10 copies to give to my dad’s company 😭 >
< What’s up with the Assassination Daily filming schedule? 🎥 >
An explosion of interest.
But I wasn’t wasting time checking reactions.
I already told Gray not to check either.
...Just one peek.
———
< Sales numbers drop today 😱😱😱 >
1 hour 42 minutes left ⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳
———
Only two hours left?
The Dormant Dragon cadets were probably sweating bullets.
I, as a former grad student, was used to this kind of waiting.
But even assassins, if they’re young and sensitive, would be on the edge of panic right now.
...Just one more.
———
< Gray’s issue exploded!!! (proof inside) >
Hello? I’m Spine Fairy. Cheapest back surgery at 300,000 Hika. Here’s how it goes: first you slice the back open, hook the skin with two forceps, then use a hammer and chisel to drive a cursed spike the size of your finger into the spinal cord...
———
I straightened my slouched posture.
Earned 300,000 Hika.
———
< What’s up with the Assassination Daily filming schedule? >
Says today is [Filming: Dormant Dragon Cadets]?
Are they doing another shoot in Zone 0?
———
What?
...Is this bastard a bait fairy?
I checked urgently. But it wasn’t bait.
The official schedule actually said so.
Trashy: Yes, Professor! The team just departed! It’s an emergency shoot—I only just confirmed it! Trashy: It’s for the making-of footage!Making-of?
What the hell is that? Trashy: It’s footage documenting the production process of the monthly pictorial!Ah.
So, like a game dev getting filmed as they crunch code. Trashy: To be exact, it’s the “reaction video” that goes at the end of the making-of!Ah—so, like filming the dev’s face when the game becomes a hit. Trashy: Anyway, word around here is that the sales are quite high! That’s probably why this emergency shoot was added. I think they’re planning to interview Gray again and capture reactions to the sales reveal—both hers and the rest of the cadets at Hiaka!Oh. I clenched my fist.
“Quite high,” huh?
Did we break 100K?
I didn’t ask that, though. Trashy was on a different team—he wouldn’t know.
Still, it was damn good news.
I couldn’t help but admire them inwardly.
Assassination Daily, you devils.
You really are pros at making money.
Even I’m curious now.
The whole world was watching Gray.
What image had she conveyed to the public?
A thug from the countryside who studied on her own and somehow reached professional level—witty, well-spoken, a bit silly, cursing out of nowhere, then crying when someone dissed Hiaka’s professors.
That chaotic, catlike energy bursting through the screen—that was the image of Gray in the monthly issue.
And yet, every expression, every movement, every trembling fingertip screamed one truth:
She had to succeed. At all costs.
So what kind of expression would she wear, now that “high sales” were confirmed?
If you didn’t care, you didn’t care.
But if you’d ever cared, even once—then you’d go looking for it.
“We don’t know the exact numbers yet, so it’s too early to say.”
Words that shouldn’t be spoken aloud.
But whatever the figures turned out to be, one thing was clear: the outcome was positive.
And my expectations had ballooned.
I rushed straight to the Dormant Dragon Cadets’ hall.