Ch.25Salary Thief (3)

“Ugh… I’m dying…”

The Magic Tower is vast.

Extremely vast, in fact.

It’s called a tower, but it’s so expansive that it might as well be considered a massive city composed of multiple floors.

‘I should never have come to the Blood Tower…’

Noble children born in the Magical Kingdom or those with abundant talent enter the Magic Academy to develop their basic abilities. After graduating, they aim to enter one of the towers according to their aptitude.

While there are many other paths, many consider entering a tower to be both an honor and a life goal. So if you’ve made it into a tower, it’s fair to say you’ve succeeded in life.

However… whether you’re happy in that tower is another story entirely.

Generally, there are the Average Mages who are essentially new recruits.

Then there are the Lower Mages and Middle Mages who are practically slaves to the High Mages.

Average Mages actually have it easier, as they’re comparable to clueless undergraduates in university terms.

But Lower Mages were different.

It was their job to manage the Average Mages, while they themselves were constantly pushed around by the Senior Mages (equivalent to professors) and Middle Mages (associate professors).

Lower Mages were essentially graduate students or assistant professors.

Naturally, their suffering was beyond words.

A man with a half-dead expression emerged from his room, trudging along before banging his head against the wall.

‘I want to bash my head against this wall and die…’

As he repeatedly knocked his head against the wall in frustration, he suddenly noticed a delicious aroma tickling his nose.

Sniff, sniff.

“…What’s that?”

There’s no way such a delicious smell could be coming from here.

This place was so poor that everyone had to buy their own food to eat.

The Crimson Blood Magic Tower was such a terrible place that if it weren’t for his passion for Blood Magic, he would never have stayed.

‘Actually… I still want to leave…’

Once you became a Lower Mage, transferring to another tower wasn’t an easy choice.

You couldn’t leave freely, yet staying here was nothing but torment.

He spent every day regretting his decision to come here.

Every single day was filled with regret, wanting to pack up and leave this tower that provided absolutely nothing in terms of support.

The cafeteria that supposedly existed long ago had already closed due to lack of funds, and people had to buy food from external vendors instead.

It was maddening that the food supply, essential for the tower residents’ survival, came from external businesses rather than internal sources.

In this world where commercial laws were thrown to the dogs, high demand, monopoly, and business collusion became a perfect storm for the powerless Blood Tower.

Who would have imagined?

The vendors colluded to raise all food prices.

Despite complaints about the skyrocketing food costs, the vendors couldn’t care less.

What? You don’t like it? Then don’t eat and starve to death.

The Blood Mages were powerless.

And so it had been for over 100 years.

The vendors continued their brazen business practices across generations.

Eating here was too expensive to afford.

Yet going outside the tower to a restaurant just for a meal wasn’t an easy decision either.

Blood Tower mages had to choose between two options:

Either travel at least an hour round trip to eat, or pay money to eat at the expensive vendors inside the tower.

If you came from a wealthy family, it didn’t matter much, but for the poor mages in a tower that couldn’t even pay proper wages, they had no choice but to go out and buy food elsewhere, tears in their eyes.

Occasionally there were odd cases of people traveling long distances to buy ingredients in bulk to cook for themselves, or the truly insane who ordered delivery from outside…

But these were exceptions, not the norm for ordinary people.

Living in the tower meant you had to eat, but you didn’t want to eat tasteless food or travel far.

So they had to bite the bullet and spend their hard-earned money at the vendors…

But now…!

‘I’ve lived here for five years… and I’ve never smelled anything this delicious before…!’

Lower Mage Riley followed the scent as if in a trance.

The source of the smell wasn’t far away.

That was to be expected.

If it had been far away, he wouldn’t have been able to smell such a delicious aroma.

“What the…?”

Upon arrival, Riley swallowed hard as he stared blankly at the unbelievable sight before him.

– Blood Tower Cafeteria

“Huh…?”

The cafeteria… is open…?

‘How is this possible…?’

Riley muttered to himself with an expression of shock.

Everyone said the Blood Tower didn’t have money to open a cafeteria.

So what was this scene before his eyes…?

“Inside…”

“Ah, welcome.”

“?!”

As he peered inside, an unfamiliar woman greeted him while wiping a table.

He wasn’t seeing things.

He wasn’t imagining the smell.

The legendary cafeteria that once existed in the Blood Tower…

The Blood Tower Cafeteria… had reopened.

As if in a trance, Riley sat down at the woman’s guidance and pulled out his MagicPad.

The Blood Tower… was changing.

* * *

[Holy shit the cafeteria is open!!!]

(photo of the open cafeteria.jpg)

(photo of an elaborate and fancy meal on a tray.jpg)

(photo of a completely empty tray, not a grain of rice left.jpg)

This entire meal is FREE

What the hell have I been eating all this time…?

Comments:

– What the fuck? I heard the last time it was open was 129 years ago?

ㄴ How could a cafeteria have been closed for 129 years…? Is that even possible?

ㄴㄴ For the Blood Tower, it is

ㄴㄴㄴ You must be new here…

– Is it really open? Wait, it looks even better than what the seniors told us about??

ㄴ Of course it’s better, it’s been ages you idiot

– Wow fuck that sausage and vegetable stir-fry looks insane!! Going there right now!!!!!

ㄴ You know good food, respect

ㄴ Sausage stir-fry is the best lollol

– Is it really open? Not photoshopped???

ㄴ If someone put this much effort into photoshopping, just believe it lollol

ㄴㄴ It’s really open… This is insane… I’m literally crying…

[Congratulatory Prayer for the Blood Tower Cafeteria Opening]

(photo of Midir with a confident expression.jpg)

I worship you. “GOAT”

Comments:

– Damn it, it’s Midir again! I was about to get back to my research… but then I saw Midir… Now I must worship… Even though I know worshipping will make me forget my research… I worship. That is, that is the mission of one who beholds Midir! Surprise worship……… ON.

ㄴ I worship you… GOAT…

ㄴ Simply… “God”

ㄴ Lol upvoted lol

– (audio file)

ㄴ Why is this guy so good at this lol

ㄴ Oh my godlol

ㄴ You crazy bastard LMFAO

ㄴ Oh shit LMFAO

– But why are we suddenly kissing ass? What’s the connection between the cafeteria opening and the Tower Master?

ㄴ Go to the Red Tower

ㄴ Shut up and read, newbie

ㄴ Of course we worship when something good happens to the Blood Tower, idiot

ㄴ https://xxx.xxxx.xxxx

The forum was in chaos.

It had been 129 years since the cafeteria closed, citing insufficient funds to provide free meals.

Despite the passage of so much time—long enough for most of the Blood Magic researchers to have turned to dust with no one left to honor their souls—the cafeteria had remained closed.

Blood Mages naturally forgot about its existence.

They only worried about how to get through each day.

But now, free meals had suddenly resumed, solving all their problems at once.

And this happened about a month after Midir Tepes became the Blood Tower Master.

Naturally, the Blood Mages who had been struggling with living expenses couldn’t help but be moved.

In the midst of this, a post appeared on the Blood Tower forum.

[The Blood Tower Cafeteria exists thanks to Midir’s grace.] – Grand Elder Dmitri (Administrator)

A verified post from the administrator himself.

What was written there was simple:

[The Blood Tower Cafeteria exists thanks to Midir’s grace.]

(photo of a bank account showing Blood Tower support funds.jpg)

The Tower Master has graciously agreed to use all this money for the welfare of Blood Mages and improvements to the Blood Tower.

It’s time for lunch prayer.

(photo of Midir.jpg)

I worship you.

Tower Master.

It was nothing but a money flex.

Yet the impact was beyond imagination.

Until now, Midir had been worshipped somewhat jokingly and occasionally criticized, but his perception…

– Holy shit LMFAO LMAO

– Is that all our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money? Is it really our money?

– Mom, I want to be like the Blood Tower Master when I grow up! Mom, I want to be like the Blood Tower Master when I grow up! Mom, I want to be like the Blood Tower Master when I grow up! Mom, I want to be like the Blood Tower Master when I grow up! Mom, I want to be like the Blood Tower Master when I grow up!

ㄴ SILENCE!! Can we not worship quietly?!

– I worship you…

– Damn it, Midir Tepes! Are you saying you’re the strongest in financial power too?!

Suddenly skyrocketed through the roof.

And then,

[Oh shit]

[What’s wrong with the server]

The Blood Tower forum server crashed.