[The Omniverse - The Astral Transit Hub]
The Ancient Guild of Portal Mages had held a monopoly on fast-travel for five thousand years. For a standard fee of fifty gold coins, a highly trained mage would open a spatial tear, instantly transporting heroes across the continent.
Today, the grand marble hall of the Portal Guild was completely empty.
Outside in the rain, hundreds of desperate, unemployed Portal Mages huddled under the awning of the newly constructed Abyssal Transit hub.
Victor Thorne walked out of his private executive portal, his impeccably tailored midnight-blue suit pristine and entirely untouched by the rain. Seraphina, his Co-CEO, walked beside him, her dark business attire sharp as she checked the logistics data on her silver clipboard.
"Our market penetration is at ninety-nine percent, Principal Thorne," Seraphina stated with a cold, competent rasp. "By offering adventurers subsidized, ultra-cheap teleportation through the Abyssal Transit app, we have successfully bankrupted the traditional Portal Guild."
An elderly, drenched Portal Mage stepped out from the crowd, his robes tattered. "Thorne! You ruined us! We spent decades mastering teleportation magic, and you priced us out of existence!"
"I didn't ruin you. I disrupted an archaic, overpriced transit model," Victor said smoothly, taking a slow sip of his black coffee. "And I am here to offer you jobs. Abyssal Transit is hiring."
The desperate mages looked up, a glimmer of hope returning to their eyes.
"We'll take it," the elderly mage pleaded. "We just need our standard guild benefits. Health insurance for mana-burn, a minimum wage, and paid time off."
Victor let out a short, cold laugh. He tapped his gold-nibbed pen against the Tycoon's Ledger.
"You misunderstand the modern tech economy," Victor adjusted his cuffs, his Tycoon's Aura humming with absolute corporate malice. "You are not my employees. You are Independent Contractors. You are participating in the Gig Economy."
The mages frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means I provide the app that connects you to the adventurers," Victor smiled a ruthless, predatory smile. "You provide the mana, you maintain the portals, and you take one hundred percent of the physical risk. Abyssal Transit takes an eighty percent commission on every fare. And because you are legally classified as independent freelancers, I am entirely exempt from paying you a minimum wage, providing health insurance, or offering severance."
The elderly mage stepped back in horror. "But... we'll be making pennies! We'll have to keep casting portals for eighteen hours a day just to afford food! We won't even have time to sleep!"
"Then I suggest you learn to sleep while casting," Victor slashed his pen across the Tycoon's Ledger, forcing the magical employment contracts into existence. "The algorithm dictates the pricing. If you refuse a fare, your account is deactivated. Welcome to the future of transportation. Swipe your cards and get to work."