Chapter 16
Sorcery was a discipline that required a lot of money.
If one invested little, it cost very little, but if one invested a lot, it cost infinitely much.
For example, simple love charms, safe childbirth prayers, or magic related to fortune-seeking beliefs didn't cost much money. In the case of Jewung, a Korean fortune-bringing and disaster prevention magic, it could be performed with just straw and three coins, and talismans could be made with just paper, brush, and ink. Moreover, the most popular magic among people was carrying a rabbit's foot, so simple talismans or magic for everyday use could be used very cheaply and easily.
However, when it came to sorcery with noticeable effects beyond these simple magics, it became a different story.
Lightning-struck jujube trees, old dolls, blood and entrails of recently slaughtered animals, spring flowers blooming in winter, twisted mummies...
The level of materials suddenly jumped.
Materials that could be obtained for free or for pocket change became difficult to find even after scouring the entire country, and became items that required spending tens of thousands to millions of won. Even for talismans to have noticeable effects, they needed to use cinnabar and specially prepared yellow paper, with material costs often exceeding millions of won.
Magical rituals?
There was no need to even mention it.
All sorts of expensive materials were lavishly used to reduce risks.
Even this was considered modest.
In the case of grand magical rituals, national budgets had to be invested.
Building altars, using materials more expensive than gold of the same weight like a sailor, and requiring the help of numerous people. The Feng Shan ceremony performed on Mount Tai required such enormous costs that even the vast China had to be determined to do it, and in the case of the Dangun offering ceremony, even South Korea, called an economic powerhouse, had to accumulate budget for several years to perform it.
The Wicker Man ceremony performed in Ireland was said to be relatively less expensive, but it had the drawback of being less effective.
Therefore, magic always required money.
And a lot of it.
A whole lot.
That was why I chose to be a mercenary.
The profession of sorcerer had a strong commoner-friendly image, making it easy to blend into local communities. If one wanted, they could get a job anywhere, and even major corporations would bow down to recruit them. Moreover, Jinseong was skilled in divination, making him a talent coveted by the rich. After World War III broke out, he had received several offers to become a live-in sorcerer for wealthy families.
But despite this, he chose to be a mercenary because of money, materials, and information about new magic.
Money.
Materials.
New magic.
There was one common point that tied these three things together.
Money.
Materials were obviously chunks of money, and new magic was often sleeping in ruins or ancient books. Naturally, exploring and excavating ruins cost money, and preserving and deciphering ancient books also cost money. And even if one acquired new magic, there were materials needed to use it, so of course, that required money too.
It was also ironic.
Despite using magic that didn't cost much money, he needed more money than anyone else.
But new magic required new materials, and unfamiliar magic required unfamiliar materials, so it was unavoidable.
Moreover, in the world during World War III where infrastructure was somehow maintained, the prices of these materials had skyrocketed.
That was why Jinseong had to be a mercenary.
There were many advantages.
Traveling around the world made it easier to come across materials that would be unobtainable or require a large sum of money if stuck in one region, and there were frequent opportunities to meet hermits living in hiding or retired eccentrics living quietly to obtain information about magic, which was truly good for raising one's level.
There was also the reason that sorcerers were especially highly regarded.
Mercenaries only went to dangerous places where all sorts of superstitions ran rampant and where one could die in an instant of carelessness, so they took courage just from having a sorcerer among them. To them, a sorcerer was a living totem, a living talisman, and a lucky mascot protecting their lives. And if one had skills on top of that? One could make a fortune.
Therefore, Jinseong could earn amounts that were counted among the highest even among mercenaries.
Although he later became an object of avoidance.
It would have been good if I had regressed to an adult, not a minor.
The reason Jinseong was doing this troublesome work despite having a job where he could earn such large sums was because joining a mercenary company, or in other words, a PMC (private military company), was only possible for adults.
Guaranteed identity.
Age of adulthood or above.
Although there were differences between companies, these two were common requirements.
No matter how good one's skills were, they were rejected if one couldn't prove their identity, and if one wasn't of adult age, they were definitely rejected. This was due to the Child Rights Convention created after World War II, and if a PMC accepted a minor in violation of this, they would immediately face severe penalties. The mildest penalty was a huge fine and suspension of qualifications for years. In severe cases, the company could even be blown up, so PMCs never accepted child soldiers under any circumstances.
However, lamenting youth is a complaint of the well-fed. There are ways to obtain money other than being a mercenary, so it is right to pursue those.
Therefore, Jinseong chose an easy method.
Rather than getting a job at a major corporation, working for the government, reaching out to his family, or asking for help from the Patriotic Association or Patriotic Group.
A much faster, more efficient, and most familiar method!
「 Daemo Capital 」
「 Sambon Money 」
Jinseong moved towards the building.
Thud.
Thud.
Light and narrow footsteps resounded as if riding a hobby horse.
"Wealth is something that can be held in hand yet be nothing, all this is the guidance of the stars."
Stars sparkled in the sky, and streetlights sparkled on the ground.
Gold was also something that sparkled, so three things were emitting light.
"It's an auspicious day, an auspicious day."
The number 3 was frequently used even in mythology. It signified a mystery, and was also a number signifying balance. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were also 3, the minimum number to form a group was also 3, and heaven, earth, and humans made up the world, which was also 3. In Greek and Roman mythology, Zeus of the sky, Poseidon of the sea, and Hades of the underworld formed the balance of the world, which was also 3.
"Look, hasn't fortune already come?"
Jinseong smiled as he saw a man coming out of the building.
"The scattered oocyte grows and multiplies to form a group, how is this not a wonderful thing?"
Hypertrophied muscles.
A smile blooming all over his face.
Small lumps near the jawline.
This man with such a peculiar appearance approached Jinseong, tightly hugging an unremarkable cat as if it were a treasure, and shouted:
"Sorcerer, you've come! I'll guide you!"
It was time to reap the harvest.
Jinseong followed the man who didn't know what to do with himself out of joy at receiving the sorcerer, and entered the building.
The interior of the building was clean and sophisticated unlike its exterior appearance, seemingly deliberately chosen to give trust to customers coming to borrow money, given the nature of the loan company. However, they must not have been able to change the elevator, which was an old-fashioned type with worn-out windows.
"Here, this is where I work. How is it?"
Jinseong smiled at the man who started boasting as soon as they arrived at Daemo Capital on the second floor.
"Very good. Truly, truly good."
White wallpaper and marble floors.
European-style paintings whose meaning was incomprehensible.
Moreover, when guided to the president's office by the man, it was even more of a sight.
The president's office, with wood-patterned wallpaper and marble floors, was full of antique-style furniture, but the problem was that it strongly felt like an imitation of antiques rather than real antiques. At first glance it looked European, but upon closer inspection, it felt like someone who didn't really know about Europe had imitated it with a lot of pretension.
In addition, there were expensive-looking items with no sense of unity and a European-style paintings hanging, just like outside.
Nouveau riche.
It looked like a textbook example of a nouveau riche.
Jinseong didn't like this appearance, but now it was different.
"Kh-he. I see the appearance of a splendid Japanese rich man."
There were types even among the nouveau riche.
Although they might all look equally vulgar to truly rich people, surprisingly, there were differences in the way nouveau riche appeared by country.
Korean nouveau riche like Lee Yanghoon showed themselves as detached from the world and power-oriented. They preferred expensive and seemingly dignified things while flaunting their style, and at the same time moved as if advertising how great they were. Therefore, they tended to prefer Oriental paintings that looked impressive or art pieces that exuded intimidation or awe just by looking at them.
American nouveau riche enjoyed emphasizing their tendency to value history and tradition and their new generation aspects. At first glance, it was easy to be mistaken because you’d only see expensive latest yachts, cruises, sports cars, mansions, and skyscrapers, but Americans always had a complex about 'history' and made all sorts of efforts to compensate for it, knowingly or unknowingly.
Chinese nouveau riche had a strong tendency towards gold supremacy. At first glance, one might think they wouldn't have such a strong tendency given their strong pride in their long history, but that wasn't the case. This was because apart from their strong pride in history, they wanted to stand out.
Since ancient times, the people of the Central Plains were more suited to being merchants than anyone else in the world, and they enjoyed looking special by boasting their wealth through all sorts of luxuries. Unfortunately, the mindset befitting great merchants and the high-level luxury to match it were cut off with the Cultural Revolution in modern times, and only gold supremacy remained for today's Chinese nouveau riche. Because of this, when looking at Chinese nouveau riche, one could truly feel what the expression 'plastered with money' meant.
And Japanese nouveau riche looked just like the scene before Jinseong's eyes.
Their appearance that reflected their desire for Westernization while valuing history and tradition so much, and longing for Europe more than anyone else. Yet, due to lack of understanding, they only imitated clumsily.
"As expected of a Japanese loan company, it's decorated splendidly. Very splendidly."
There was no better place to plunder than this.
Jinseong said this while looking at one spot.
"Hehe, I'm glad you like it. If only the boss were here, I could have introduced you. It's really a shame."
Where Jinseong's gaze fell was behind the man who was scratching his head as if regretful.
It was a middle-aged man collapsed like a bloody pulp in the boss’ chair that looked like it was drawn in a picture.
"But since no one's here, it'll be convenient to look around. Hehe, please look around as much as you like."
Strangely, the middle-aged man who had become a bloody pulp was repeating a process of his muscles contracting and relaxing as if having a spasm, and was staring into space while continuously letting out thin, painful-sounding breaths. The man's pupils staring into space kept changing shape, repeatedly contracting and expanding as if seeing something.
"Ah, and um... This is a secret, but since you've come here, Sorcerer, we can’t have you leave empty-handed, can we?"
Saying this, the man went to a corner of the president's office and brought a large bundle.
"I don't know if you'll like this... I prepared some chocolate. It's been stuck in a corner and is about to expire..."
Thud.
The bulky-looking bundle was placed on the floor with a heavy sound.
The bundle was full of shiny things.
Inedible, but sweeter than chocolate, and without an expiration date.
Very shiny things.