NOVEL WEB Chapter 4
Chapter 4: Sponsorship
Rotuo Hall.
This magnificent building where Serena had just delivered her lecture was an academic temple donated and constructed by the Leonhart Count family ten years ago. As the third-largest structure on campus, Rotuo Hall’s Gothic spire shimmered with magical radiance under the sunlight.
After leaving the lecture hall, Serena wandered alone through the holiday-emptied campus. On both sides of the central avenue paved with bluish-gray square tiles, neatly trimmed magical shrubs emitted a faint laurel scent.
“Much broader than I imagined.”
The entire campus resembled a meticulously arranged chessboard, with gardens, training grounds, research institutes, and other facilities scattered across gentle hills. The layout reminded Serena of Ivy League masterplans the team had once referenced—only with an added magical touch.
Serena’s destination was her own workplace—the towering Mage Tower at the center of campus. Within this world’s education system, “Imperial Royal University” equated to the top-tier academies, and the Mage Tower was its most prestigious division. In real-world terms, the Mage Tower was akin to a capital city’s university medical school and its affiliated hospital.
While walking, she heard deliberately softened footsteps behind her.
An assassin? Serena’s back instantly tensed—until she recognized the young mage who had come along with the carriage. He wore a deep-blue robe and kept his head respectfully lowered.
“...Are you Zoro?”
“What? No! I’m Allen!”
“Mistaken identity.”
“Allen and Zoro... well... that’s... fair...”
Serena continued walking in silence. Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Allen suddenly spoke up:
“Professor! Your walking posture is just like a model from a fashion catalog. If only I had a camera—”
“No need for flattery. Be natural.”
“Y-Yes...”
Clearly, this was a rule Serena had established in the past.
Guided by the ever-visible spire of the Mage Tower, they quickly reached their destination.
[Chief Professor: Serena Leonhart – Verification Passed]
The magically constructed security gate silently opened after scanning her iris and physical traits. Upon stepping onto the crimson carpet in the central hall, dozens of researchers immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed to Serena. Serena nodded in return and instructed Allen:
“To the office.”
“At once!”
Allen jogged over and pressed the button for the crystal elevator. The numbers on the panel raced upward, eventually stopping at the 77th floor.
[Exclusive Floor – Chief Professor]
The office, occupying half the entire floor, was suffocating in its opulence. In a space as sterile as a clean room, gold-trimmed bookshelves housed thousands of tomes. On the obsidian desk, a crystal orb, gilded fountain pen, and diamond nameplate gleamed beneath the magical lamp.
“......”
Serena sat down with impeccable posture, her gaze drawn to a document on the desk with a gold-embossed cover. Its design resembled a noble family’s gift registry.
“This is the sponsorship list for newly admitted mages this year!”
Opening the parchment, a densely packed list came into view:
│ New Mage │ Jerren │ Age 19 ││ Attribute: Elemental │ Specialty: Support │ Sponsored: 30,000/500,000 │ Evaluation Report │
In this magic-dominated world, the Mage Tower was essentially a massive research institute. It was more akin to a hybrid between MIT and Bell Labs. Mage research was extraordinarily costly—from mithril reagents to dragon blood catalysts, even daily expenses could bankrupt an average noble.
“......?”
Serena’s fingertips suddenly stopped on a name glowing with golden light. This was the result of the combined effect of her traits “Tycoon” and “Naked Eye”—names destined to bring massive returns would automatically stand out.
──「Tycoon」──
◆ Rare Trait
◆ Possesses exceptional intuition for profitable ventures
──
──「Naked Eye」──
◆ Rare Trait
◆ Visualizes latent value in objects and individuals
As her gaze landed on a familiar name, Serena’s brows furrowed involuntarily:
│ New Mage │ Flora Cuiting │ Age 17 ││ Attribute: Object │ Specialty: Destruction / Support │ Sponsored: 0/10,000,000 │ Evaluation Report │
The girl in the profile photo had short, ash-gray hair and emerald eyes that burned with cynicism. She reminded Serena of a young, untamed leopard—beautiful yet dangerous.
According to a company internal discussion she had overheard, the Cuiting family held a blood feud with the Leonharts.
But what puzzled her was that every other newcomer had received at least 10,000 Enar in startup funds—only hers was completely empty.
“Why hasn’t this girl received any funding?”
Allen’s body clearly stiffened: “Well... the other professors and investors are still... observing...”
Because of Serena. Serena nodded in understanding.
As she continued reading the evaluation report, she suddenly froze—the maximum funding listed was a staggering 10 million Enar. Where did such confidence come from? Even if issued as sponsorship, it would eventually need to be repaid with interest.
“Sponsorship...”
Serena rubbed her chin in thought. Flora Cuiting was one of the key characters responsible for Serena’s death in the original game. But more terrifying was the inescapable trait:
─「Fate of the Villain」─
◆ ???-Level Trait
◆ The entire world anticipates her death
◆ Any failed attempt to kill her only makes the enemy stronger
To break this death loop, she had to make choices the original Serena would never make.
Serena picked up the quill and checked several names—leaving the sponsor field blank on all but one.
“Allen, process these documents.”
“Right away!”
Once the office returned to silence, Serena turned toward the floor-to-ceiling window. From the height of the 77th floor, the royal city lay fully in view. Migratory birds passed through clouds like a living oil painting.
“The first step to survival is capital accumulation.”
The whisper faded into the air. Thanks to her rare traits, making money wasn’t difficult. The real challenge was how to turn that wealth into power—especially to resist the enemies who could take Serena’s life at any moment.
This body had only average talent, able to control only earth and fire elements. But combined with the unique trait “Midas Touch,” things had changed:
──「Midas Touch」──
◆ Unique-Level Trait
◆ Consumes mana to activate latent potential in a target
◆ Each use consumes mana in units of a thousand
For demonstration, Serena picked up the gilded fountain pen on her desk. With a current mana value of 1,315/3,375, it was enough to activate the ability.
As a stabbing pain surged through her temple, the pen’s attributes transformed:
──「Leonhart Fountain Pen」──
◆ Advanced Stationery / Weapon
◆ Writing Skill +15%
The discovery was exhilarating. If “Midas Touch” could be combined with elemental control, perhaps she could develop a combat system akin to “sword manipulation.” In this world, as long as one had enough money, even legendary mithril could be bought...
“Allen.”
The crystal orb responded immediately: “On my way!”
Watching the breathless young mage, Serena couldn’t help but recall graduate students back on Earth.
Pulling out a gold-embossed stationery card, Serena wrote down the titles of two beginner-level magic textbooks: Principles of Elemental Transmutation and Fundamentals of Manipulation Magic.
Allen took the reading list with a confused look but still bowed with perfect etiquette before leaving.
The moment the door closed, Serena relaxed her straight back—this noble posture ingrained into her body had already become second nature.