I Couldn’t Afford to Buy Mana, so I Started Streaming

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The border area of Mexico is a prime location for factories.

Thanks to relatively low labor costs and access to the U.S. market.

With the North American Free Trade Agreement, products made in Mexico can be exported to the U.S. without customs duties, and Mexico’s domestic market is nothing to scoff at either.

However, there’s one significant issue: the security situation is truly abysmal.

At the auto parts factory Ma-Seon in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, a suffocating silence hung in the air.

An empty parking lot, an unattended entrance, and an overwhelmingly desolate feeling permeated the environment.

A chubby site manager in an orange vest approached, out of breath, and said, “As you can see, this is the situation.”

“It’s awfully quiet.”

They say female workers have been kidnapped one after another over the past few days.

“All employees are refusing to come to work. Once you’re on the cartel’s radar, you can hardly survive,” he continued.

“What about the police?”

“The local police have moved, but when have they ever been of any help? They only ever seem to be chasing bribes.”

No proper solutions were in sight.

The walls of the factory were covered in graffiti, boasting their power with scrawls of ‘Los Calchona’.

It was a silent warning that this place was their territory.

“Are they a notorious cartel?”

“Los Calchona? They’re a group that answers to the Sinaloa cartel. In truth, nobody really knows for sure. People like us try to stay out of their affairs as much as possible. As long as we don’t get involved in drugs, we generally won’t have a problem with them.”

Mexico has become one of the most polarized countries in modern times.

We create an infrastructure and security comparable to that of the U.S. in wealthier urban areas.

Yet, it has undoubtedly entered the ranks of developed nations, surpassing the GDP of South Korea by more than twice.

However, this was largely a result of excluding regions controlled by cartels.

With the government losing interest, the drug cartels have begun to operate even more recklessly.

Some cartels dominate through fear, while others win over the populace with free medical aid.

In fact, it’s rare to find a cartel that does only one or the other.

Providing aid in public while chopping up bodies in secret is a common sight.

It’s essentially a 21st-century warlord era.

They are constantly mobilizing their own armies to wage their own wars.

No one in the U.S. knows exactly how power dynamics are shifting within.

After all, they probably can’t afford to care with the real wars happening in the Middle East.

“I understand. For the factory, I’ll consider installing defense measures or enhancing security, so please try to reassure the remaining employees.”

“I’ll do my best within limits. Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

“Recently, there have been rumors that the cartel is blocking access to Dreaming Mode from specific VP addresses.”

“Do tell.”

“Our employees occasionally used Dreaming Mode when doing shift work at the factory. Lately, however, we’ve had frequent connectivity issues. The Janjeol claims it’s a problem with the power plant or the telecoms… some of us wonder if the cartel has messed with the power plant.”

“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll look into that separately.”

After finishing up at the factory, I headed straight to the Mexican embassy.

Given my status as a High Wizard, I had to strike a few tedious agreements to ensure my safety in a foreign land.

“NoName Wizard, do you plan to explore the area further?”

The head of the GDBA security team approached, narrowing the distance.

Oh right, I almost forgot about the bodyguards.

“I think it’s fine to disband the security team early.”

* * *

“Why is the plan so expensive?”

I grumbled as I exited the embassy.

Mexico has a few magic power plants that have been taken over by the cartels.

Renting satellites to prepare for localized mana blockades costs a pretty penny.

It almost feels like I’m losing out if I don’t use a 5th Circle magic spell at least once a day.

Clink—

I was fiddling with a bracelet made of high purity magic stones while strolling through the village path that glowed with a crimson sunset.

‘Not too many people around.’

No matter how resilient humans are, they tend to kneel before the grand power of nature.

The weather in Mexico in July drove all the weak humans indoors.

Degu—

Other than kids who can’t be tamed by nature.

Suddenly, a soccer ball rolled toward me.

“This way! Pass, pass!”

The little kids were enjoying a game of soccer in the plaza in front of the cathedral.

No matter how dangerous the area might be, one eventually grows accustomed to it with time.

Honestly, there aren’t many places in the world more geopolitically dangerous than Korea.

I tossed the ball back and stopped by a nearby convenience store to buy some ice cream.

Then I returned to the cathedral, found a decent bench, and watched the kids play futsal.

Lick, lick—

“How peaceful.”

Merchants began to clean up their stalls, and vehicles on the main road honked wildly.

The citizens were living peacefully in their daily lives.

I didn’t pay any mind to whether the cartel ruled over Ciudad Juárez or not.

It’s simply part of the larger flow of history that humans cannot control.

‘But blocking Dreaming Mode is crossing the line.’

I finally cultivated a beginner-friendly hunting ground, only for the established players to show up, wreak havoc, and take control.

The cartel, which substitutes even the minimum healthcare services that people should enjoy for their own profit, could not be ignored.

‘If they are blocking VP addresses, it complicates matters.’

Reports about this had come in long before the factory manager mentioned it.

[Conflicts are escalating as certain individuals’ VP addresses are blocked due to wars between cartels.]

[The blockade has expanded to the Dreaming Mode VP addresses of major facilities, including hospitals and commercial establishments, causing disruptions to civilian services.]

[Additionally, reports say that the cartel is using this to extort kickbacks from civilians.]

Slurp—

As I licked the vanilla ice cream dripping down my hand, I started hatching plans.

“Hey, you! What are you doing over there? You a tourist?”

A boy, apparently the leader of the futsal gang, approached while clutching the soccer ball under his arm.

“It’s dangerous to stay out late here. If you’re a tourist, go to where the crowds are. Can’t you see the streetlights are on?”

“How did you know I’d understand Spanish and spoke so confidently?”

“Wooow! You can speak Spanish? That’s awesome!”

Other kids gathered out of curiosity.

“Who are you? Do you know him?”

“I don’t know. It’s my first time seeing him today.”

“Chinese? But Chinese folks usually have small eyes.”

“I don’t really know. Just tell me, where’s the most dangerous area around here?”

“The most dangerous area?”

“Yeah. Where gunfights break out in broad daylight, knives come out, and deadly magic runs rampant.”

“Uh, I don’t know. What’s that… scary…”

“None?”

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

Back in my past life, I could have named more than ten such areas.

Including places where demons appeared, that number would hit a hundred.

Still, the modern world seems much better in that regard.

“Juárez isn’t that dangerous. It’s just a story made up by Americans. Sure, there are plenty of junkies in the streets, but it’s all your bias.”

“My bias? Is that so…”

“You’re funny! It’s a little disappointing, haha!”

“Huh? What’s that on your waist? No way, is it a wand?”

The kids reached instinctively for my waist.

Swish—

I grabbed the kid’s wrist mid-air.

“Gah!”

“Yup, it’s a wand. Just so you know, it’s an A-grade wand, so you can’t just touch it. It has lethal power.”

“What kind of power…!”

“Whoa, can you even overpower a little girl? Go kill yourself, Miguel!”

“No way! This guy is super strong! Seriously!”

There wasn’t anything useful to glean from the kids.

At least they didn’t recognize me as NoName as long as I kept my hair down.

Maybe it was even more so because it was night.

I decided it was time to leave the place.

“Why are you following me?”

The kids trailed behind like a Pied Piper.

“If you go that way, it’s dangerous.”

“But you just said it’s not dangerous.”

“Well, I meant… you asked if there were gunfights and knife fights in the daytime. But there are still plenty of scary people who rob others.”

“Sounds great! If they rob people, they must have loads of cash, right?”

“I told you, right? This one ran away from home, and I think his mind ran away too.”

“I can hear all of you, kids.”

“Um, shouldn’t we head back? I feel like we’ve come too far…”

“It’s fine. I’ve come here many times at night to buy gelato.”

As we moved away from the commercial area, the atmosphere grew colder.

The air was thick with the musty smell of marijuana.

There were a sparse number of streetlights, and under most of them, people were slumped over high.

Frightened, the kids began to turn back, fleeing toward the cathedral.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going? If you go further, you’ll reach the cartel’s area.”

“Then why aren’t you going? Are you two having a courage contest?”

“…”

Out of the eight, six ran away, leaving just two behind.

“Ha, funny you guys. What’s your name? Boss, you first.”

“Matteo.”

“And you? Oh, was it Miguel?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“How old are you all?”

“Thirteen. This one is the same age as me.”

“I see. I’m eleven.”

“Eleven? Not eight?”

The kids looked a bit shocked.

Being still treated like I’m eight years old made me feel a bit pitiful.

“Well, since we’re here, let me tell you a few more things. I’m from South Korea.”

“Not a local then?”

“Why would I be local?”

“You speak Spanish too well… Wait, what about your parents? Why are you all alone?”

“My dad is doing well at our house in Korea.”

“…”

“I don’t even know where to start with the questions. Miguel, it looks like he really is a bit off. Let’s just take him back.”

“Yeah, I’ve been saying that since earlier.”

“Why? I wanted to go further. Scared?”

“I’m telling you it’s really dangerous! And lower your voice. There are family shelters around here.”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

“…!”

A group pounded on the iron gate.

It felt like they were trying to make sure we could hear.

“Sorry for the noise! We’ll be right back!”

The boys shouted toward a dim glowing cigarette end.

As I pondered whether we should indeed head back.

“Those kids’ voices… Did you think this was a joke? Are you that foolish? Come here!”

“Hehe, you’re dead if you don’t have cash, you little punks.”

I shrugged off the boys’ hands and snatched the breadstick.

“It’s too dark to see. Should I turn on the light?”

“NO! Stop! Please don’t do anything…!”

[Spell: Light]

Whoooooooom—

I held up the breadstick high.

“Ugh!”

“Turn off the light, you damn brat!”

In panic, those covered in tattoos from head to toe shielded their eyes.

Amidst the light, the enraged youth rushed forward.

I charged back, causing them to halt in surprise.

“Is it possible for an overheated and hungry person to get a meal? It’s still Mexico after all… Would they treat me like they do in Sweden?”

In Mexico, where even enemies were willing to share a meal, let’s see if the kindness holds up.