[The Abyssal Academy - The Principal's Office]
The first week of Q3 brought unprecedented peace to the continent. There were no wars. There were no holy crusades. There were no independent dungeon strikes.
Victor Thorne sat behind his mahogany desk, looking at the glowing holographic projection of the Tycoon's Ledger. The continent was completely painted in Pantheon Group gold. The Demon Realm was a compliant franchise. The Dwarven Mines were liquidated. The Elven Crystal Refinery was operating at 150% efficiency. And the Holy Capital was now a massive customer service and PR center.
"Consolidated gross net worth, Seraphina," Victor said, his midnight-blue suit perfectly pressed.
Standing by the roaring fireplace, the Dark Elf pushed her glasses up her nose, staring at her silver clipboard with a mixture of awe and fear. "Factoring in the sovereign wealth of the captured kingdoms, the SIP Mutual Fund, and the physical asset liquidations... our net worth is approximately nine hundred Trillion Gold. We own the world, Principal Thorne."
Princess Ignis grinned, her demonic tail swishing proudly. Elara stood quietly, still processing the fact that she was now the Growth Partner of a planetary monopoly.
"Good," Victor took a slow sip of his black coffee. "Now we—"
Suddenly, the roaring orange fire in the hearth snapped into a dull, lifeless gray.
The temperature in the room didn't drop; the air simply became completely sterile, smelling faintly of stale paper and copper coins. The blinding golden light of the Tycoon's Ledger flickered, dimming for the first time since Victor had arrived in this world.
"What is happening?" Ignis gasped, drawing her broadsword. "My mana... it feels restricted!"
The shadows in the center of the office coalesced into a perfectly straight, razor-sharp line. Stepping out of the spatial tear was a being made of pure, gray cosmic energy. It had no face, only a blank, smooth surface. It wore an immaculate, gray three-piece suit and carried a briefcase made of starlight.
[Warning: Astral Entity Detected. Threat Level: Universal.]
"Victor Thorne," the entity's voice was a flat, echoing monotone that vibrated in their teeth. "I am Agent Vane of the Astral Revenue Service (ARS). You have exceeded the mortal wealth cap of this designated dimension."
Elara backed away, horrified. "The ARS? The legends say they are the cosmic balancers... they erase entire timelines that hoard too much magic!"
"I don't care about magic," Agent Vane opened his starlight briefcase. "I care about the tax brackets. By monopolizing the souls and gold of this continent, you have triggered an inter-dimensional audit."
Vane pulled a gray, glowing parchment from his briefcase and dropped it onto Victor's desk.
"You are subject to the Cosmic Monopoly Tax," Vane declared, the gray aura of the room suffocating the magic of everyone inside. "You owe the Astral Revenue Service four hundred and fifty Trillion Gold. Payable immediately. If you fail to pay, we will liquidate your universe."
Ignis and Seraphina froze. Half their net worth. Gone in an instant. The universe itself was threatening them.
Victor didn't draw a weapon. He didn't even stand up. He looked at the gray parchment, then slowly pulled his gold pocket watch from his vest.
"Agent Vane," Victor's voice cut through the sterile air, cold, ruthless, and completely devoid of fear. "I don't pay taxes."