I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Chapter 290: Departure Of The Patriotism Train (6)

The world changed drastically, and so did the resources.

Mana became the most precious thing in this world, and the only way to obtain mana artificially was through mana powder.

So, where could one get mana?

The surest way was to live near Sejong Island and absorb the mana contained in the air.

Other than that, there were not many ways to obtain mana—

But there were.

Although no one knew before, people began to discover methods one by one.

-Mana started to dwell in minerals in Korea!

A meteorite fell into the sea.

From Sejong Island, through the East Sea, along the mountain ranges in the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, mana began to slowly scatter throughout the peninsula.

At first, no one knew.

As the world was changing with the birth of ability users, everyone was busy stabilizing the world. Moreover, only ability users could verify such things.

By chance, an ability user discovered that all kinds of resources extracted from Korea had a higher mana utilization than those from other countries, and only now in 2025 had the full-scale resource development begun.

-Hey! There’s mana in the coal from Gangwon-do!

-Call the workers! Call the ability users! Start mining the mana stones now!

In reality, they were different from the fantasy mana stones.

In hunter stories, mana stones were often depicted as a next-generation energy source, traded at astronomical prices.

But the mana stones in this world were just items that could efficiently utilize mana.

They simply contained mana, making it easier to store or infuse mana when processed.

Then.

What if we made items for ability users with these?

-Wow! Mana infuses into my sword so quickly…!

-Guns made with mana stones are easier to shoot mana bullets with than regular ones. This is a revolution.

-The semiconductors in the Taegeuk Watch utilize metal infused with mana, achieving insane performance…! It can last a week on a single charge!

Efficiency began to soar.

Using metals imported from abroad, products made with resources mined in Korea boasted far more efficient and economical capabilities than existing ones.

In extreme cases, a smartphone developed in Korea with Korean resources could perform three times better, have a battery life seven times longer, and weigh half as much as one developed in South America with South American resources.

Naturally, everything made in Korea was more efficient and effective.

Moreover, even raw materials imported from abroad would absorb mana over time when left on Korean soil, so everything became better after passing through Korea.

For instance.

In the underground military zones restricted to civilians, there were large-scale “jangdokdae” (traditional Korean fermentation jars) embedded in the ground.

If steel melted in these jars, the items made from that steel after being re-forged became stronger and more resistant to rust than regular steel.

Eventually.

As time passed, one thing became certain.

Korea was no longer a resource-poor country.

Rather, it became a country that grew stronger in terms of resources over time.

Thus, the whole world was targeting Korea.

Not only for the “human resources” from Korea.

But for all the resources coming from Korea, even the fermented soy sauce in the jars.

Made in Korea.

Everything labeled with this phrase was now related to “mana” and “abilities.”

At that moment, in the VIP compartment of the special train for transporting VIPs, the “New Mugunghwa-ho.”

“Sisters. They’re all gone.”

As soon as the woman wearing a hanbok spoke, the women in the VIP compartment all relaxed from their stiff postures.

“Sigh. Really, how did we end up in such a mess.”

“Couldn’t we just quietly go to Busan for the music show? Why perform in Kaesong, of all places?”

“Ugh, this is so annoying. We can’t just quit being idols either.”

The women, known as the idol group “Star Flowers,” looked at the compartment with somewhat gloomy faces.

“Is there really no one around? No one can hear us, right?”

“Are you worried? Or should we talk at the hotel in Kaesong?”

“Talking after we get to the hotel will be too late. Let’s just assume no one is here and talk now.”

The one who seemed to be the leader carefully took out something from the inner pocket of her hanbok jacket.

“Sister, did you bring it?”

“Of course.”

The woman carefully pulled out a box so that others couldn’t see.

“Oh, sister. What’s with the Hallasan?”

“A cigarette case? Couldn’t you bring something more convincing?”

“You little brats. Be grateful for this.”

The item looked like a cigarette case.

But as soon as the leader opened the cigarette case, the expressions of the other three women changed.

“Wow… Did you unwrap and stuff them all in? What if they get contaminated?”

“It’s better to put a few more in by removing the packaging than to put fewer in. And this isn’t a real cigarette case. It’s an imitation with plastic lining inside.”

“You should have just brought a patriotic box.”

“If we get caught with that, our idol lives are over. Besides, you were the ones who asked me to prepare this.”

The leader pointed at the round items inside the cigarette case, fuming.

“Being an idol smoking cigarettes is less serious than ‘treasonous acts.’ You know that.”

“Sister. But what we want to do is not treason but patriotism.”

“…So, I prepared it.”

The leader put the mock cigarette case back into her pocket, formed a ring with her fingers, and poked through it with her other index finger.

“I’ve loaded the patriotism needle in there.”

“…Crazy. Are you really going to do it?”

“If we don’t have this, that person won’t help us. So what else can we do?”

The other women silently nodded at the leader’s words.

“And don’t worry too much. It’s not domestic. It’s Japanese.”

“…What difference does that make?”

“Domestic ones are too thorough in their effects, strictly enforcing the intended purpose. To avoid what we want to avoid, it’s better to later claim it was Japanese.”

“Sigh, I don’t know. I’ll just trust you. ….That.”

The women smacked their lips.

“Really, is it true? Being with an S-class ‘idol’ is really like heaven?”

“It’s more than heaven.”

The leader crossed her legs and smirked.

“It’s like paradise. It will be an experience like no other.”

“Even with that?”

“Of course. Why? Do you want to try without it?”

“…Obviously.”

The women’s eyes lit up.

“Even with an E-class ‘idol,’ it’s so good that they can’t get over it. Imagine what it’s like with an S-class. You’d feel like you have the whole world. I asked because you’re my precious ones. It wasn’t easy.”

“…Hehehe.”

The women only chuckled lowly.

“After the performance in Kaesong…. In the hotel room, like a storm…. Hehehe….”

It wasn’t a laugh you’d expect from idols, but the women laughed lewdly, eagerly waiting for the train to arrive quickly.

Kim Taejo-shik entered the compartment with Yumir Jeon Yeong-hee.

The train’s structure was completely different from the Mugunghwa-ho or KTX, more like a special tourist train you’d see in old European movies.

Like those trains where little wizards bought random flavored jelly beans.

There was a long corridor to the side, with seats arranged to face each other on both sides. Yumir and I sat in the reverse direction, while Kim Taejo-shik sat in the forward direction, taking up one compartment.

And right behind us, the idol group ‘Star Flowers’ was having a conversation, or rather, conspiring.

“Tsk.”

Kim Taejo-shik smacked his lips as if he didn’t like it.

“Shall we go talk to them?”

“No. If they realize we’re listening, it’ll cause trouble. Let’s pretend we don’t know.”

No matter how quietly they spoke or how loudly the train ran on the tracks, ability users could hear whispers from the next room.

Especially if it involved secretly pricking a patriotism balloon to become a patriot.

How did we know?

Because the two people we disguised ourselves as were ‘ability users.’

Though classified as D-class and E-class, which was insufficient for hero activities, their ability was superior to any bodyguard when considering their role as idol bodyguards.

“…Probably after the performance in Kaesong, we should act separately in the hotel at night.”

Kim Taejo-shik pointed his chin backward.

“It might be uncomfortable for all three of us to be in the same room, so please understand.”

“Is that part of the mission too?”

“…It’s my personal hobby.”

Kim Taejo-shik smiled faintly with an embarrassed look.

It seemed he wanted to enjoy his hobby before heading up to Sinuiju, momentarily putting aside his role as a black agent.

“It’s not something we should ignore, but not something to report either. We should respect the idols’ privacy. As a fellow man, I support you. Be patriotic.”

“Patriotism… Well, it’s not really that. It’d be a problem if an idol suddenly got pregnant.”

“Oh my. Are you being patriotic?”

Yumir said.

“Patriotism is your specialty, brother.”

“…Hey.”

She suddenly made a strange comment beside me.

“Even if your magic power is low, your patriotism is S-class, brother.”

“…Oh?”

And Kim Taejo-shik.

“Is that true?”

He began to show immense interest in me, who previously had none.

“When a woman says that, it’s usually true.”

“It’s not S-class.”

……Interesting.

If used well, this could make the mission easier?

“It’s Special EX-class.”

“Excuse me, Hyun Cheol-su.”

Kim Taejo-shik smacked his lips with his tongue and lowered his posture.

“Shall we discuss the future and development of our nation during our journey…?”