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There are few men in the world who are good with money.

Even among famous merchants, not many are truly skilled in the art of finance. Most of them were born into wealth.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few nouveaux riches who are good with money. I respect those guys.

To succeed in finance from nothing, one must understand the ways of the world and know how to manipulate people’s psychology.

We call all of that, in a word, “sangjae” (business acumen).

Of all the guys I know, the one with the sharpest business acumen was ‘Garibong.’ He was one of my subordinates in my past life.

Garibong had an uncanny knack for smelling money and was excellent at execution. He was the one who first tried to distribute hallucinogens before I took over the back alleys.

I took Garibong under my wing and banned the distribution of hallucinogens. Garibong was so resourceful that he made up for the losses with other businesses in just three months.

The only pity is that he died young because he was too good at smelling money.

He didn’t die in some grand way. He just got stabbed to death while trying to make a deal with a famous thieves’ guild.

He died suddenly before I could even try to stop him.

Of course, I avenged him, but it was still a shame.

If he were still alive, we might have made a fortune together.

* * *

As soon as I returned to the training hall, I sat down in a chair and lost myself in thought.

The more I thought about it, the more I sensed Garibong’s scent at [Vanilla Sky].

They knew how to smell money, luring suckers with hallucinogens and secretly running an underground auction house.

They used hallucinogens as a front, while the real money was made through auction commissions.

‘They’re not third-rate.’

I didn’t know about the white masks, but the black mask’s energy felt quite heavy.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

The real reason I felt uneasy was something else.

‘Is the underground auction house really the end?’

The more I thought about the structure of [Vanilla Sky], the more uneasy I felt.

If my guess was right…

The underground auction house was likely just a front.

If they were as clever as Garibong, their true purpose would be something else.

The fact that they noticed I was using an illusion and even said something like “Farewell, Young Master” was clearly intentional.

It was a warning of sorts.

A warning that I was in their grasp and should be careful.

‘Interesting fellows.’

I thought Khaoto was just an ordinary back alley, but it seemed there was more to it than met the eye.

I didn’t know what the phony or the black mask were up to, but I wasn’t going to just sit back and let them play me. I had a hunch.

I glanced at the window and saw that dawn was breaking. Suddenly, I felt a wave of fatigue and drowsiness.

“Hmm?”

When I opened my eyes, I was curled up like a shrimp on a wooden bed.

“Damn. I must have dozed off.”

The sunlight was gradually filling the room, so I must have fallen asleep for a while without realizing it.

After stretching, I went to the bookshelf in a corner of the training hall and started organizing the old books.

Most of them were trash like [Basics of Seal Magic], [Interpretation of Applied Seal Magic], and [Practical Examples of Seal Magic], but there were a few useful spell books.

I organized the books I had been eyeing and started jotting down notes in my own way.

I needed to create a way for the trainees to continue learning magic even when I was away.

Sigh.

I wonder if these trainees even realize my painstaking efforts.

As I was organizing the books, the morning sunlight brightened.

I heard the trainees moving around, so I stepped outside the dormitory.

“Everyone, gather!”

“Huh? Captain? When did you get here?”

They looked like they had seen a ghost, so I shouted,

“You know what happens if you don’t come within ten seconds, right? One, two, three, four…”

“Aaaah, I’m coming!”

The trainees rushed to gather like their butts were on fire.

While everyone’s faces were stiff, some seemed genuinely happy to see me.

“Have you all been training hard?”

“Of course, Captain. We’ve been running every single day.”

Makan puffed out his chest with a confident face. I looked at the other trainees’ physiques, and it seemed he wasn’t lying. They had all improved their basic stamina considerably.

I looked at Zion and asked,

“I heard Dyke went back to the Magic Tower.”

Zion nodded.

“That’s right. But other instructors came from the Red Magic Tower instead. They all looked young. They said training will start next month.”

Palge chimed in.

“One of them is the Vice-Tower Master’s disciple. He’s quite a big shot in the Red Magic Tower.”

“So, there are no immediate obstacles. Everyone, sit down.”

As soon as the trainees sat down, I said,

“Raise your hand if you’ve created a mana circle.”

“Me!”

I instantly smacked Palge on the back of the head out of annoyance.

“Do you have to make that hand gesture, pig?”

“It’s a sign of respect!”

“Sigh.”

I shook my head and looked around. Two other trainees had raised their hands.

Ain, and Makan.

“Including Palge, that’s three. Now, raise your hand if you’re in the process of creating a mana circle.”

This time, most of the trainees raised their hands.

Everyone except Zion had either created a mana circle or was in the process of doing so.

Normally, I would have thought this was enough…

But that feeling had vanished yesterday.

There was no time to leisurely train the trainees in Samael anymore.

Bayern and Dark Soul.

The situation outside was more serious than I thought.

Khaoto had already become a haven for gangsters, and a full-scale war could break out at any moment.

I didn’t know what decision the house leaders and elders would make, but it was best not to have any expectations.

The best outcome would be the destruction of both Dark Soul and Bayern…

‘But that’s unlikely.’

There was even a chance that those Urgon guys would get involved.

We had to move before that happened.

Sitting around and hoping for the best didn’t suit my personality.

I had to raise the trainees to a certain level before things got out of hand.

I pointed at Palge and said,

“Palge. Use Fire Spear with your hand seals.”

“Suddenly?”

“Just do it.”

Swoosh!

Palge drew his usual flashy hand seals and shot a Fire Spear at a large tree.

The base of the tree was half-hollowed out.

“Watch closely.”

I immediately focused on another large tree and rotated two mana circles.

Resonating with the mana in the atmosphere, I envisioned a long spear of flames in my mind.

Remembering the days when Samael’s sorcerers used to chant “Ifrit.”

“Piercing flames, Fire Spear.”

“Gasp!”

A spear of flames manifested, twice as long as Palge’s.

Fwaaaang—!

The spear of flames left my fingertips, piercing through the first tree and completely through the tree behind it.

“…Wow!”

As the trainees’ eyes widened in amazement, I shook my head and said,

“Watch until the end.”

The heart circle rotated as if it were burning.

I grasped the atmospheric mana contained in the spear of flames and pulled it back in the opposite direction.

“W-what is that?!”

The spear of flames changed its trajectory, drawing a curve.

It completely reversed direction and started flying back towards us.

Fwaaaaaang—!

It pierced through the base of the tree it had previously pierced, scattering sparks.

“…”

3-circle magic spell guidance.

A far more intuitive shock than what I had shown Hector.

“This is a true incantation manifested through mana circles. The higher the circle, the greater the difference.”

“…”

“From now on, I’m going to teach you magic properly. Of course, you have a choice. Learn like your life depends on it, or die right now. And…”

I paused for a moment.

There was no need to hide in this remote place and train anymore.

It seemed that I had been keeping the trainees cooped up in this secluded place out of consideration for the Red Magic Tower guys…

But weren’t these the ones who would become the future of Samael?

There was no need to worry about what others thought.

Samael belonged to Samael.

“From today, we’ll train in the central training ground. Follow me, everyone.”

“B-but aren’t the Red Magic Tower people training there?”

“Shut up and follow me.”

While the trainees looked at me with uneasy eyes, I could also sense a glimmer of anticipation.

They didn’t show it, but it seemed they had a hard time staying in the shabby dormitory.

* * *

As expected, when we arrived at the central training ground, the Red Magic Tower guys were gathered there.

A group of three men and one woman were meditating in a corner. They frowned in displeasure as I entered the training ground with my subordinates.

Ignoring their gaze, I had the trainees sit in a circle in the center of the training ground.

“Everyone, close your eyes. Straighten your backs so that your tailbone and head are aligned.”

One by one, the trainees straightened their backs.

“Focus. Those who let their minds wander… you know what happens.”

What I was doing was the most efficient mana sensitivity posture that Samael’s mages learned as novices.

The correct sitting posture (zhengzuo) to best harmonize with the mana in the atmosphere.

“Relax your bodies and expand your senses. Feel the mana in the atmosphere. And imagine circulating the mana in its purest form within your heart. Do not use your mana core.”

Whirrr—

Mana fluctuations rippled around some of the trainees.

“Next is elemental conversion. Visualize and chant.”

“Blazing flames, Fireball!”

“Blazing flames, Fireball!”

Magic bloomed from Ain and Palge’s mouths simultaneously.

Makan instinctively visualized the earth element, and the ground beneath his feet began to crack.

“Those who can, chant while running!”

The gazes of the Red Magic Tower trainees grew increasingly unpleasant.

Especially that young guy named Lohan, whom I had seen before, was openly glaring at me.

The tallest man put a hand on Lohan’s shoulder and said quietly,

“Don’t mind them, Lokan.”

“But brother Doke, those guys…”

“Maintain the dignity of the Magic Tower. There’s no need to respond to every petty action. They’ll quiet down once I start training them.”

“…Yes.”

It seemed like the leader was holding him back again, but…

Upon closer inspection, the leader’s eyebrows were twitching slightly. I grinned and met his gaze, then cleared my throat.

“From now on, even those who can’t chant will run. Everyone, count off!”

“One! Two! Three! Four!”

The loud counting echoed through the training ground…

And the leader’s frown deepened.

————