Chapter 1125 – #267_A Casual Magic Academy Slice Of Life (4)
#1119
1.
The world is vast, and the online world, with its inherent nature, feels even more expansive than the real world. Social media is filled with beauties of all nationalities.
With a combination of natural genetics, photography skills that have reached the pinnacle of art, and filters made possible by advanced technology, one can find beauties that are truly breathtaking.
Among them, there are those who receive particular attention. Those who could easily make a living solely based on their looks, if brought into reality, would roughly equate to the average witch.
In other words, standing on a podium in front of numerous witches means enduring the fervent gazes of a heavenly beauty army and the pressure that comes with it.
Even though he was accustomed to the beauty of witches, Siwoo, who could never have imagined such a thing during his slave days, completed the task with composure.
“With that, I conclude the interim report on the gate restoration project.”
After explaining the basic knowledge, he provided all the information supporting the feasibility of the project.
The numerous simulations conducted with the help of self-made models and researchers astonished many in the audience.
“They ran simulations of that quality…? In just one month?”
“The researchers in the basic studies department are only twenty-five.”
“How did they even do that?”
There was a minor incident where the Gehenna witches, who boasted a relaxed work environment that rivaled that of French civil servants, were shocked by the rumored killer workload of the basic studies department.
However…
It was a clear report that even the most stubborn witches and those who still disliked Siwoo had to acknowledge.
He reported that the construction would be completed within a month if started a week later. He also reported that the construction would be carried out independently by the Hesed Academy. All that remained was the Q&A session.
This was usually the time for questions that weren’t resolved by the presentation alone, or for sharp criticisms from experts.
“……”
“……”
The witches gathered in the front row were all silent. It wasn’t that they were embarrassed to ask tough questions in front of an authority figure for fear of being humiliated. It was purely because Siwoo’s explanation was so perfect that no further explanation was needed.
“I have a question.”
Then, someone raised their hand. The person who drew everyone’s attention was the one Siwoo was most wary of, despite his calm demeanor during the presentation.
A brilliant achievement reaching the 24th rank. A figure who wouldn’t be out of place with the title of the greatest witch in the current absence of Keter. The head of the Truth and True Name Academic Society, Blanche Herelim.
“What was your motivation for participating in this project?”
Duke Herelim’s question was not academic in nature. However, it wasn’t the kind of question that Siwoo could understand the intention behind by thinking, ‘Ah, she was aiming for this!’
However, he thought that putting on a clumsy pretense and spouting platitudes would be a bad move.
“I would like to say that it is solely for the peace and stability of Gehenna, and that I have no personal ambition. But I cannot deny that it is also to showcase the competence and potential of the Hesed Academy.”
Therefore, he mixed in a bit of playfulness to induce laughter from the audience with his relaxed demeanor. This was all thanks to his mother-in-law’s speech coaching.
“However, I am confident that the complete restoration of the gate will not only save resources that were continuously wasted on repairs, but also contribute to the security of Gehenna.”
The invisible power struggle between Shin Siwoo and Duke Herelim (though it was more that Duke Herelim unilaterally disliked Shin Siwoo) was a well-known fact.
“I understand.”
Contrary to the public’s curiosity about how she would react, Duke Herelim silently nodded.
Siwoo, who had been racking his brain, anticipating the next sharp criticism, was rather taken aback. Everyone was looking at them with expressions that seemed to say, ‘What? Weren’t they on bad terms?’ How could Siwoo not be surprised?
Could one maintain neutrality while having a public lover? Even if he was a count, was it right for someone who hadn’t been around for long to take on a core role in Gehenna’s security?
There were many difficult questions that could have been raised, but weren’t. Questions that only someone with the social standing and power of Duke Herelim could have raised.
“Huh? What is this… the picture…”
“Was there some kind of behind-the-scenes deal between the Hesed Academy and the Academic Society?”
In Gehenna’s witch society, even small actions carry a lot of meaning.
In other words, the fact that Duke Herelim asked a meaningless question and agreed to a brief answer could be interpreted as follows:
The Truth and True Name Academic Society acknowledged the Hesed Academy’s gate repair. Duke Herelim herself guaranteed the Hesed Academy’s lack of legitimacy, which could have been questioned in the future.
Everyone, including Siwoo, was taken aback by the unexpected situation, but Siwoo dropped the second bomb as planned.
“I haven’t mentioned it before, but I would like to talk about the Hesed Academy’s second project.”
It was the moment when the homunculus hunting rights were first revealed to Gehenna.
2.
It’s not hard to understand how homunculi are treated. They are unique raid mobs that drop valuable items.
However, after obtaining the floodgates, Shin Siwoo had completely blocked the regeneration of homunculi.
While the witches who had almost been burned by the great fire were accepting it for now, complaints were already spreading like mold in various places.
In the midst of this, the announced ‘hunting rights’ were truly an innovation that would quell the discontent.
To summarize Shin Siwoo’s presentation:
“Until now, we have had to invest a lot of time and effort to hunt homunculi. Homunculi, which could appear anytime, anywhere, were a nuisance and a source of negative experiences.”
“However, hunting rights drastically reduce the effort involved in tracking. Using hunting rights allows you to immediately hunt homunculi that are hibernating within a 10km radius.”
“You can also know the danger level of the prey in advance, that is, how many eyes the homunculus has. If you are well-prepared according to the difficulty, the danger of hunting will also be greatly reduced.”
“However, it takes time to analyze the floodgate data and predict the hibernation sites and strength of the homunculi. Also, a considerable budget is required to craft the artifacts needed to create ‘hunting rights’.”
“Therefore, the Hesed Academy will charge a small additional fee based on the appraisal grade of the loot, separate from the sale of hunting rights.”
Why didn’t the Gehenna witches, except for the exiles, particularly focus on hunting homunculi?
It was because homunculi were elusive and unpredictable, and they didn’t always drop items. Even if one went through the trouble of hunting them, there were plenty of mobs that only dropped ‘cores’.
However, the story changes with the introduction of hunting rights.
The most annoying part is skipped, and the sweet fruit can be obtained more stably. In other words, it became possible to hunt homunculi and check their relics as if spinning a gacha.
The Hesed Academy was taking on that burden in exchange for a fee, so there was no reason for the Gehenna witches to be dissatisfied.
“In cooperation with the Geminai Magic Tool Manufacturing Company, the Hesed Academy will provide more than 10,000 hunting rights annually.”
Siwoo continued to introduce the future business model with his dazzling rhetoric.
“The most basic hunting rights are divided into general hunting rights, which allow you to hunt homunculi with less than 5 eyes, and rare hunting rights, which allow you to hunt homunculi with less than 10 eyes.”
“Also, at higher levels, there are advanced hunting rights that allow you to hunt homunculi with 10 or more eyes, legendary hunting rights that allow you to hunt homunculi with 15 or more eyes, and mythical hunting rights that allow you to hunt homunculi with 20 or more eyes.”
First, the hunting rights were subdivided according to the number of eyes of the homunculus.
General – Rare – Advanced – Legendary – Mythical.
“If you purchase a ‘pack’ consisting of general and rare hunting rights and complete the hunt, you will be given priority to purchase advanced hunting rights. As you can see, various packs are available.”
Hunting rights were made into packs.
Roughly like this:
〈Starter Pack〉
Composition: 10 general hunting rights, priority purchase of advanced hunting rights, Hesed credit accumulation
〈Premium Pack〉
Composition: 9 general hunting rights + 1 rare hunting right, priority purchase of advanced hunting rights, additional 5% Hesed credit accumulation
“Also, all hunting right purchase history and hunting achievements will be converted into ‘Hesed Credits’. Hesed Credits can also be obtained in exchange for transferring ownership of unwanted relics to the Hesed Academy.”
“The Hesed Credits collected in this way can be exchanged for artifacts or legendary hunting rights. In addition, legendary and mythical hunting rights can only be exchanged through Hesed Credits.”
He also created a point system to encourage steady demand.
“Hesed Academy members can purchase all hunting rights at a discounted price. Additional discounts and promotions will also be provided to partner academies.”
He also created partnership promotions.
The majority of the rewards are ‘duds’, and the most common type of homunculus, the small fry, are sold as ‘general’.
The ‘rare’ ones, which will have the most popular demand, are also included in the premium pack.
In the first place, it’s not like ‘general’ and ‘rare’ are always duds, so there wouldn’t be much dissatisfaction.
The ‘advanced’ ones, which most people would covet, can only be purchased after buying the starter and premium packs.
The dissatisfaction that would arise from this is adjusted with the Hesed point system, and heavy hunters are attracted with Hesed points as bait, creating competition.
Of course, it wasn’t just for the money. It was also a way to eradicate the small-fry homunculi that he couldn’t handle alone.
That’s why the K-BM was introduced.
It was a familiar picture that would make any Korean shudder with disgust, but how could there be such a thing in Gehenna?
Everyone was staring at the presentation with blank expressions.
“Please apply for pre-order reservations through the Hesed Academy Hall.”
That’s right.
Siwoo had quite enjoyed Korean online games in the past.
Genn-cha