Chapter 0: Money is the Enemy

Why can’t people only do what they love?

That was the first thought that came to me as I looked at my empty wallet.

From a young age, I had been burdened with excessive expectations simply for being the eldest son.

I had been very timid since childhood, and those expectations felt incredibly overwhelming, but driven by the single-minded desire to make those around me happy, I studied hard.

As a result, my grades were always at the top of the academy, and after graduation, I got an opportunity to work at none other than the prestigious Magic Tower.

My parents were so happy they cried tears of joy, and being still timid, I accepted the offer without a word of complaint.

At the Magic Tower, I worked myself to the bone, just enough to not die.

I came to understand why the Magic Tower, despite its fierce competition and renowned fame, had such high turnover and resignation rates.

There were more days I worked until dawn than days I left work on time.

There were more days I survived on coffee and energy potions instead of eating three proper meals a day.

My body and mind grew increasingly exhausted, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

If sacrificing myself made everyone else happy, that was enough.

So I tried.

I obeyed my fickle superiors.

I smiled at my arrogant colleagues.

I covered for my ill-mannered juniors.

The more I sacrificed myself, the more the people around me told me things.

They said they were glad I was there.

They said they were happy because I was there.

They said they felt at ease because I was there.

Their smiling faces were truly brilliant and beautiful.

As I said before, my body and mind were struggling, but that was enough.

But then… before long, one question arose.

Why aren’t I happy?

Thanks to me, everyone became happy, so why wasn’t I among them?

This is strange, isn’t it?

Why am I the only one not happy?

I tried and tried so hard.

That question, once it arose, soon dominated my entire being.

No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, it was impossible.

My entire life up until that point flashed before my eyes.

Life in that place was no different from the life I had led before.

Obeying for someone else, sacrificing, smiling for them.

I had never once lived for myself.

I had always lived to please others.

So I…

‘I’m sorry.’

It was the first act of defiance I had ever committed in my life.

I took out my letter of resignation from my pocket and held it out.

‘I quit.’

What kind of expressions did the people at the Magic Tower have at that moment?

I don’t remember very well.

But it didn’t matter.

I didn’t want to remember, either.

Because I was never happy there.

The moment my parents heard that I had submitted my resignation, they were absolutely furious.

It would be a lie to say I felt no guilt, but I never wanted to go back there.

Instead, I did what I wanted to do, and I studied things I had never been able to pursue because of others’ opinions.

I was truly happy.

So happy it was hard to put into words.

“Wow, you really came?”

But.

“How pathetic, you must have been that desperate for money?”

To sustain that life, I needed money.

I faced people I thought I would never see again, and I struggled to maintain a blank expression.

Today, I decided to return to the Magic Tower.

For my own happiness.