Ch.204199 – Tax Notice

“So what I’m trying to say is that you need to eliminate random elements as much as possible to secure an advantageous position. It’s about gradually shifting from the ‘coin toss game’ I mentioned earlier to a ‘Baskin-Robbins game.’ Sia, what are the probabilistic elements in League?”

“The enemy jungler’s position?”

“Exactly. Of course, the enemy jungler has limited places they should be. But it’s still not certain, right? So you define those candidate locations and draw imaginary dotted lines around them. If the enemy jungler is outside this area, it means the real-time disadvantage is greater than the advantage you’d gain through ganking.”

“But… but?”

“When they’re inside that area, you need to walk a tightrope carefully, and when they’re outside, you play decisively to exclude them. Oh, and when areas overlap? After 14 minutes, you simply observe the main team’s movements. During the laning phase, you closely watch other lanes—our top and mid laners—to judge the psychology of enemy laners, whether they’re aggressive or intimidated—”

The narrow space between tables had somehow transformed into a battlefield from the game.

NoName was darting around energetically on her short legs, passionately delivering her gaming lecture.

The chocolate-covered tanghulu had served as excellent bribes for asking about victory strategies in the Fallen War.

“It’s really easy, right? You don’t even need to check constantly, just glance occasionally when things are uncertain.”

“I… I didn’t understand any of that!”

“Hey! We can barely even look at the minimap properly!”

“Do you really need to go that far just to play a game?”

This was clearly a realm they couldn’t follow even if she explained it.

NoName blinked her cat-like eyes and shrugged as if to say, “Why can’t they understand this?”

“NoName, are you telling me you watch our top and mid lanes in real-time while doing your own laning? Is that how you always warned us about ganks?”

Minjun asked in astonishment. NoName had always known the enemy jungler’s position suspiciously well.

“This is straight-up maphacking! Isn’t that cheating? Give us back our championship trophy right now!”

“Even pros don’t go that far. Who has time to watch other people’s lanes anyway?”

The streamers who had faced her as opponents protested vehemently.

“Oh, about damage calculations? That’s too easy. I mostly go by feel, but when it’s really ambiguous, I can roughly calculate using a geometric series with a ratio of 1.25.”

When she started introducing mathematics into gaming, people collapsed in disbelief.

Even after the brief gaming lecture ended, streamers continued to crowd around NoName’s table.

Eventually, NoName implemented a direct visitation service, ensuring she appeared on each streamer’s broadcast at least once.

“Please do an Asteria impression, NoName!”

“What? Asteria…?”

NoName twisted her body awkwardly and opened her small lips. She seemed quite embarrassed.

“Asel, Riba.”

“Not that one! Something longer!”

“Do I really have to?”

The streamers nodded twenty, thirty times.

“This is Selena’s revenge…!”

NoName stood crookedly with a deeply furrowed brow, raising her finger.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

“Do the ultimate too! The ultimate!”

“Rat… Ra Asteria Shuhata Filum… Is that enough now?”

The previously charismatic Asteria was gone, replaced by a childish, lisping voice.

“Completely satisfied!”

At the enthusiastic response, including double thumbs-up, the blush on NoName’s cheeks returned to its normal color.

-LMAOOOOO this is too good hahaha

-From now on Asteria is 8 years old!

-So adorable lolololol

-Thank you for your service

-You made her leave already by asking for weird stuff!

-lol the streamer’s about to get a nosebleed

At the next stop, streamers brought tablets and presented them to her.

“What’s this?”

“A reaction speed test! Want to compete with us?”

The man who demonstrated first touched the screen as soon as it turned green.

[193ms]

“That’s how you do it.”

NoName nodded.

There wasn’t the slightest movement in the double eyelids deeply etched above her eyes.

Her first attempt was 150 milliseconds. Second attempt, 138 milliseconds.

-Wow that’s insanely fast lololol

-She’s crazy good

-That’s pro level for real

-I can’t get below 300ms because I’m getting old

As she became more determined, NoName briefly requested a time-out.

She pressed her index and middle fingers together, channeling aura at their tips.

A faint light rippled around them.

She slowly moved her two fingers to her tightly closed eyes, carefully placing them there.

When she opened her eyes again, her previously pitch-black pupils were blazing with golden light.

“You… you! How did you do that? Your eyes have aura…!”

“Tablet.”

“Here!”

NoName focused her sharply honed senses entirely on the tablet.

By converting red and blue into negative and positive, the whole world turned black.

[Ready: Click when the background turns green.]

In the world of ’emptiness,’ all five senses integrate into one.

Existence and non-existence, or 0 and 1. This was defined differently by each person.

A virtual nervous system made of aura connected sensory organs to motor organs.

In this dichotomous world, all unnecessary information was filtered out, and only information needed for accomplishing the goal stimulated the nervous system.

[Click: Please click.]

[First attempt: 53ms]

[Second attempt: 65ms]

[Third attempt: 49ms]

[Fourth attempt: 47ms]

[Fifth attempt: 46ms]

[52ms: Your reaction speed is in the top 0.05%!]

“This can’t be right. Is there lag in the tablet?”

NoName shared the results with a slightly dissatisfied expression.

-How… how did she do that?

-Is this record even possible without cheating?

-Did she use aura enhancement? damn

-Using aura enhancement on your eyes doesn’t change reaction speed, idiot

-It would just make your eyeballs harder lol

“Wow, that’s amazing! How did you do it? Teach me your secret!”

“You want to know? You can learn it on VTube.”

“What should I search for?”

“I don’t know the exact title, but if you search for synaptic cleft or neurotransmitter, there’s a video made by an Indian engineering college that should come up first. The one with the really wide eyes.”

“Neuro… Wow, thanks so much! Thanks for telling me, bye-bye!”

After NoName left, the streamers searched for the video she mentioned with their viewers.

“Is this it?”

“I think so…”

-lol this guy’s eyes are huge

-Is he a frog? lol

-Oh no, is that word coming?

-Indian videos never disappoint

[Topic # 10.3 – Neuroaurology: advanced design methodology for CNS (English)]

“Is this right? His eyes are really big… Let’s watch it anyway.”

[Hello everyone? Today we will talk about-]

The distinctive Indian accent and hard-to-understand English poured out.

* * *

The alleyway, which I thought would be dark after sunset, was actually brighter than at dusk.

The night view created by bright street lamps and colorful neon signs looked like a scene straight out of a cyberpunk movie.

This world was both different from and similar to the one I knew, but ultimately it was still a world where people lived.

One difference was that in this multicultural South Korea, people’s fashion was much more diverse.

“Are you okay? Not tired?”

Boreum came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder.

“Where have you been all this time? I didn’t see you on our floor.”

She swayed my body from side to side, apparently bored with just standing still.

“Ahaha, well! I was meeting Yogurt for a bit…”

“Wow, you’re my manager but you went to see another streamer? I’m a little hurt.”

“Come on! Are you upset? How should I make it up to you?”

“What are you talking about? I’m not upset at all.”

“Hehehe.”

Today’s schedule was definitely not easy.

My muscles were tense all over, probably from pushing myself too hard at the end.

“Then massage my shoulders.”

“Sure! Happy to!”

I hadn’t originally planned to stay this long at the after-party.

A half-empty soju bottle in an ice bucket, and several people who seemed slightly tipsy.

Since this was a gathering meant for drinking, it seemed appropriate for a child like me to exit.

My hands were empty, so I habitually turned on my phone.

The first thing that caught my eye was a message from Adella, urging me to return to virtual reality soon for her birthday party before it got too late.

[Adella: When are you coming!!! I’m going to die at this rate!!!!!!]

[NoName: I’ll be there soon.]

The group chat was still active, along with various spam messages.

As I scrolled down, I stopped at one particular message.

An unread message.

From “Korea Magic Corporation.” To “NoName.”

It’s about time to pay. Didn’t today’s usage come with it?

[Korea Magic Corporation has sent NoName a bill. Please pay within the payment deadline.

Purpose: Unauthorized emergency lower circle(3) -hallucination- magic creation

Amount: 13,849,293 won

Payment deadline: 2051/09/31

For inquiries about the bill, please contact the billing company. +See more]

“What? Ten million won?”

“Oh! You startled me! What’s wrong?”

I can’t believe this. I used 3rd circle magic, so why am I being charged for 5th circle costs?

[Detailed bill for 3rd circle formation ‘Muscimol-Ibotenic Acid Synthesis’ and 1 undisclosed visible magic(6) usage]

The base formation wasn’t the problem.

The issue was with the visible magic.

It shouldn’t have used much mana, so what’s going on?

Visible magic is essentially subordinate to the main magic formation, using almost no mana.

I finally found one line after reading through the boring mana tax law all the way to the last supplementary provision.

[Article 248 (Exception surcharge for undisclosed visible magic): Magic that is not disclosed under Article 24(3) or magic prohibited by Presidential Decree under Article 26 of the same Act shall not be subject to mana proportional tax but shall be deemed as independent magic and Article 14(2) shall apply. <Amended Dec. 24, 2024, Dec. 31, 2025, Dec. 28, 2027, Dec. 29, 2044>]

What’s Article 14(2)?

These complicated provisions are too difficult to understand.

Is it the provision that defines the minimum unit of mana usage?

Isn’t that only used for 1st circle magic?

It’s a provision created because you can’t pay just 1 or 2 won in taxes when you interrupt or incompletely cast a spell that normally costs only a few thousand won to use.

This was to prevent magic misuse, as the communication cost with the base station was much higher.

But if applied as independent magic, my innate magic “Medusa” is 6th circle. The minimum standard is 1%.

That’s how the amount exceeds 10 million won.

“How is this even a thing?”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“It’s not a huge deal but… it’s so annoying! Aren’t they just highway robbers?”

Somehow I was unusually happy today.

Maybe there’s a law of total happiness in this world, because annoying incidents always seem to happen at times like this.

“What? Taxes? Eek, why is it so much?”

“I know, right?”

I was expecting at most a million won, but the unit was completely different.

It wasn’t a question of whether I could pay or not.

This felt like paying 100,000 won for a tasteless chicken skewer at a rest stop.

“Come on, cheer up. It’s supposed to be a good day, NoName.”

“…”

“Should I pay it for you?”

“No, it’s not like I don’t have money…”

I looked up at Boreum for a moment.

Come to think of it, isn’t she from a chaebol family?

“Will you really pay it for me?”

“Yes! I may not have pride, but I do have money!”

A black card emerged from Boreum’s pink wallet.

“Annual fee: 3 million won.”

“Really? The annual fee?”

“I can do at least this much for our NoName’s birthday present.”

“I feel a bit guilty accepting it for free.”

“So you’re not refusing?”

“I don’t want to pay that with my own money.”

I thought carefully about what I could do for Boreum.

What could a chaebol possibly need? Still, it wouldn’t be right to do nothing in return.

Lee Boreum, Samyeon Group, manager, cat worship…

Cat?

“Then should I introduce you to Adella later? It’s a bit late today, so next time when we have time.”

“Ahem…! R-r-r-really? For real?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll just give you this black card! I mean, I’m not saying you should actually take it! Anyway… thank you so much, our adorable NoName!”

Today, I sold my pet cat for ten million won.

“To be able to see Lady Adella up close…!”

I didn’t feel much guilt.

“I wonder what her tail tastes like!”

Actually, on second thought, maybe I do feel a little…