Chapter 4
Erun pulled out a luxurious box that was put deep inside a closet.
He had been saving his remaining allowance, received gifts and the other stuff inside it during his teenage years.
Chink.
As it was heavy when he shook it, it seemed like it was very pricy as well.
“Even so, I didn’t use it lavishly at that time.”
One couldn’t say that Steelguard was an extremely wealthy territory.
But it also wasn’t a fruitless Count’s territory.
It was included in the list of the most prosperous territories within Navaro’s northern border.
To be the youngest son in such a family.
Levadan Steelguard was someone who believed in a frugal lifestyle as a virtue.
That meant he was relatively frugal as a Count.
Even so, he still used his fortune whenever needed and was still far away from being a miser.
The amount of allowance that he occasionally gave was close to a one-month living expense for common folks.
And all of his father’s acquaintances were staying in famous locations in Navaro.
The gifts they gave to the Steelguards when they occasionally visited them were valuables that were hard for common folks to even see.
‘It’s a good thing that I have some seed money to start my Dimensional Trading with.’
Erun chose the [Exchange Center] window, and the screen was changed.
The Exchange Center menu consisted of five categories.
[Purchase]
[Sell]
[Currency Exchange]
[Inquiry]
[VIP Shop]
The ‘Purchase’ and ‘Sell’ options showed the list of goods purchased and sold in the Exchange Center.
If he chose ‘Currency Exchange’, the goods he owned would be exchanged into coins.
The ‘Inquiry’ category could be used to report swindlers, etc.
The ‘VIP Shop’ was exactly as its name implied; a shop for main customers. It was a category that wouldn’t affect him much, even if it didn’t exist.
‘To be honest, it’s not only the VIP shop.’
All of the other categories were pretty much useless in Level 0 of Trading Rank.
Moreover, he received disadvantages when he did the currency exchange.
Erun brought his hand to the [Currency Exchange] icon.
The amazing thing was that the operational method still worked the same as when he used the physical Dimensional Transaction Book.
Even though he could control it only with his will and thoughts.
‘Currency Exchange!’
He touched the [Currency Exchange] icon directly like that, but the result was similar.
He didn’t know how it was possible, but thanks to the fact that he didn’t stutter and could handle the Dimensional Trading Book well.
Pop!
Something appeared from thin air.
It was called Exchange Center’s [Dimensional Scales].
Whirrrrr.
He leaned the box above the round plate, and as he poured everything within it on the plate, the needle rotated and indicated the Change Amount.
[Estimated Change Amount: 30 coins]
‘Eh? It’s more than what I’d expected!’
As he was a Trading addict in his previous life….
‘I promise this is the last time!’
‘No, let’s do it one more time.’
‘This time is the last time, for real! No matter what, the end, the end!’
With those kinds of words being repeated in his mind, he squeezed the fortunes of his territory dry.
He abused the Currency Exchange so much that later on, he could even guess the last digit of the Change Amount just by scaling it in his own mind.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that he was almost a scale in the form of a human.
‘Are my senses getting dull? I thought it’s going to be around 25 coins.’
[Items you have exchanged will be returned to the Exchange Center, so you will not be able to get them back. Will you continue? (Agree/Decline)]
‘Agree!’
Then the Change Amount was added to the amount of coins in his account.
“Was gold was valued more in these years? Well, that may be the case.”
The value of goods changed depending on the store’s condition.
The Erun in the previous life thought that he could make use of it.
‘What if you don’t have a good item to offer? You can still gain enough profit!’
Even those same goods are valued differently from world to world.
In the System, they were cheap, but in this place, they were expensive.
In this world, they were roaming about everywhere, but in the System, they were scarce.
He thought that if he only chose those kinds of items and repeated the selling and purchasing process, he could fill the drastically decreasing amount of warehouse goods and enrich the territory.
‘But, the Exchange Center wasn’t that docile to let that easily be.’
Buying items for a low price and selling them for a lot of money.
It was easy to think that, but various set-ups prevented him from aiming for future profit.
Either the amount of Transaction of a particular item was limited, or the cost tax fees were high.
The lower the Transaction rating, the more restrictions there were.
In order to raise the rating, you need to build the results, but in order to build the results, you need to raise the rating.
That kind of dilemma.
Even though he stared at the Transaction list for a whole day and did Tradings as quickly as he could, the days on which he gained profit were getting less and less. In the end, things were getting out of hand, and he could only gain ten coins from investing many coins.
“This number 14 is not bad, huh.”
Erun, who was scrolling through the sellers’ list, stuck his sight in one place.
-Heartstone : I’m selling low-grade and medium-grade mana crystals. I work in the mines during day time, so I may not be able to check on time.
Mana crystal was an item that Erun needed the most now.
Erun in the previous life could only become an average Knight. He ascended only into the ‘quite good’ standard of Knight a couple of months before his death.
But when he’s 16 years old?
To say it frankly, he was a weakling that couldn’t even dream of being a Knight.
A feeble body and a tremendous lack of mana.
Previously, he absolutely needed to put in endless effort and training. Still, afterwards, if only he could make enough money, it was possible to gain his previous physique after some time.
It was because a realization of becoming beyond 3rd rank still remained in Erun’s mind.
‘It’s night here… but I don’t know if he’s going to check or not.’
Because time zones differ from world to world, he couldn’t know if it was night there as well or not.
Even so, he tried to start a conversation.
Let’s wait for a moment.
Beep beep!
[Heartstone has accepted your conversation request.]
A conversation window was created.
As Erun spoke, his words were being translated and showed up on his partner’s conversation window.
-Erun : Hello? You said you were selling mana crystals.
-Heartstone : Yep. They’re good-quality mana crystals produced from the mine I run.
Heartstone’s nickname started to shine in red color.
‘Huh?’
It seemed like an activation sign.
As he touched it, another window appeared above the conversation.
[Nickname : Heartstone
Species: Human
Connected Location: Lower System, Earth number 376.
Trading Rank: Level 2
Personal Status: A wealthy man.
Coins Owned: 9800
Transaction Report: A mining businessman who squeezes the blood out of his slaves. He is a human who does not hide his plans and motives if it means he can gain something. Let’s be careful.]
4…
A question mark appeared on Erun’s face.
Why could he peek into Heartstone’s user status information? And what’s with this Transaction report?
He had never seen something like this, even after three years of using the Dimensional Transaction Book.
-Heartstone : The low grade is 5 coins each, and the medium grade is 20 coins at the regular price.
-Erun : How much is it usually?
-Heartstone : This is the right price. Some sellers sell them for more than this.
Peep!
An alarm rang.
[The average transaction price of the mana crystal (low grade) in the current channel is 3 coins, the average transaction price of the mana crystal (medium grade) in the current channel is 12 coins.]
[Mana crystal (low grade) stock in the current channel is high, mana crystal (medium grade) stock in the current channel is medium.]
‘What is this, again…?’
Unknown phenomenons kept happening.
He was confused, but he was still in the middle of a transaction.
It was not too late to think about it after the transaction ended.
‘If the alarm is true, then…. Heartstone, this Trader is a liar, huh.’
He said it was an affordable price, yet he almost doubled it. No robbery was more shameless than this one.
‘Moreover, the stock of the items isn’t low.’
He wasn’t particularly disappointed or angry.
A reliable Trader was like a gentle beast.
It meant there was no such a thing in reality.
-Heartstone : What do you say? It’s reasonable, right? The mana crystals in our mine are high quality and famous as well.
-Heartstone : It’s a medium grade that’s downgraded, it’s not a low grade, it’s almost a medium grade, but since it’s a little poorer quality, it becomes a low grade. You won’t regret buying it.
Is it really the fact?
Erun’s lip corners turned up.
-Erun : The price is 2-3 coins for low grade mana crystals and 12 coins for medium grade ones. You must be feeling good even though it’s a minimum quality. Right?
-Heartstone : Wh… what? This is a troublesome Dealmaker. The price I sell for is pretty low. Based on which evidence are you saying that?
-Erun : Evidence? The transaction book will tell that. The answer will come out once I report you as a scammer.
-Heartstone : Scammer? What… scammeer?
Heartstone suddenly changed.
-Heartstone : Fine! It’s true that I sell it at a high price. You should be thankful for the fact that I sell it. You lower system brat! Where else would you get mana crystals if it weren’t for me?
-Erun : You are from a lower system too. You are spitting on your own face,
-Heartstone : I… I’m… not!
He was able to know from Heartstone’s flustered reaction.
‘Does that mean the status window from earlier was true?’
-Heartstone : Ah, just report the rob… fraud all you want. It’s all up to me how much I want to sell my items. Report me all you want. It won’t work. I’m not going to buy such a warning.
He felt like ditching the transaction.
Erun’s speech became faster.
-Erun : Giving false market price information. Moreover, on purpose. Did you say something like a downgraded quality? I know people like you very well… it must be false and exaggerated information. This is also an act that is prohibited in the Transaction book.
Erun was someone who got deceived again and again by numerous Traders.
He was a bastard who aimed for a big shot using a cunning plan, a bastard who confused people with fake information, a bastard who screwed people up with his silver tongue…
As he did pushover acts for three years, his practice made it perfect for him to judge properly.
He knew how to deal with minnow swindlers whose lies could be easily seen through.
-Erun : What do you say? Do you want to get put on hold as an evil trader?
-Heartstone : Oh…
As he seemed to be speechless, his messages stopped.
-Erun : Why aren’t you saying anything? Well then, I should go and report.
-Heartstone : Oh my~ No, customer. You have such a quick-tempered personality~!
Heartstone’s way of talking returned to the way it was before.
-Heartstone : To be honest… my mine’s profit has been falling these days.
-Heartstone : The miners were going on strike asking for a higher wage. After I gave them what they asked for, it became unprofitable to sell at a reasonable price.
-Heartstone : I’m asking for your understanding. I didn’t try to trick you on purpose.
-Erun : Those slaves dared to go on strike, you said? Your lies are endless.
-Heartstone : H-how did you?
-Erun : Forget it, I’m not exchanging with you. I’m going to report about you.
-Heartstone : W-wait! Half price! I’ll specially make it half price for you so please don’t report…!
-Erun : Hmm.
If it’s half price, then the low grade would be 2.5 coins, and the medium grade 10 coins.
Cheaper than the average transaction, so it was indeed a reasonable price. But suddenly…
‘Should I keep pushing it? I think he could lower the price even more.’
Erun shook his head.
If I did that, it might be used against me somehow.
-Erun : Should’ve done it like this from the beginning. Give me two medium grades and two low grades.
-Heartstone : Yes, yes…
Heartstone made a transaction window.
[The Trade with Heartstone has started.]
A new window appeared.
It was still a hologram that represented the book.
The left page was Erun. The right page was the list of items that the other person would send.
That was how it was being divided.
[Erun]
-25 coins
[Heartstone]
-Mana crystal (low grade) : 2
-Mana crystal (medium grade) : 2
[If you press the accept button, the trade will be continued. The trade will be cancelled if the other person doesn’t accept it.]
Erun brought his hand to the right side of the page.
An image of four mana crystals that emitted subtle light was being spread in front of his eyes.
The list of items would undoubtedly be given when he made the trade, but he had to look at it directly to believe it.
[Mana crystal (low grade)
Small amount of mana stored inside. Cannot be reused]
[Mana crystal (medium grade)
Medium amount of mana stored inside. Cannot be reused]
“Not bad. Accept.”
It seemed that Heartstone accepted it as well.
[The Trade is completed.]
[Transaction results;
Deposited : 22.5 coins
Purchased : Two mana crystals (low grade), two mana crystals (medium grade).]
‘Why 22.5 coins?’
Another weird phenomenon.
It wasn’t particularly harmful. Instead, it was helpful.
Even so, it bothered him.
-Heartstone : Are you now satisfied with the transaction?
-Erun : Because you sold it at half the price, it became slightly cheaper than the average transaction price.
-Heartstone : You won’t…. report me, right?
Erun didn’t intend to punish the evil trader or make him unable to continue his fraud deed.
Dimensional Trading was a fierce field full of backstabbing and tricks.
‘Nothing will change even if I report this person.’
Furthermore, such business would last longer the more he peeled it off.
-Erun : If you promise to sell it at this price from now on.
-Heartstone : Huh? That’s a little…
At that time.
[The effect of ‘Hectic Adjustment’ has been applied.
:: Cash back – You receive 3 coins.]
A new message appeared.
Erun’s expression changed as he read the content of the message.
“Am I perhaps?”
Hectic Adjustment… he was sure he saw it somewhere.
He quickly left the chat window.
‘Psh, no way. No way.’
Even though he thought that way, it was bound for him as a human being to relieve his curiosity by checking on it.
Erun entered the [VIP Shop] category among the Exchange Center menu.
Ba dump.
His heart was beating fast.
He had high expectations as he wondered if it was true.
A new window appeared, and when he read its content.
Ba dum, ba dump-
His heart started to beat faster.
The list was as follows.
[Daily Attendance Check (Lv. Max)]
[Inventory Extension (Lv. Max)]
[Flow Tracking (Lv. Max)]
[Promotion Professional (Lv. Max)]
[Price Assistance (Lv. Max)]
[Discount Enjoyment (Lv. Max)]
[Zero Commission (Lv. Max)]
[Hectic Adjustment (Lv. Max)]
[Eye of Providence (Lv. Max)]
[Asymmetric Information (Lv. Max)]
‘Crazy…’
The top of his head was tingling and ringing as if he got struck with lightning.
His shock turned into a shudder and spread through his whole body.
Brrrrrrr!
His whole body started to tremble uncontrollably.
“I… is this possible?”