Chapter 11. The Weight of Money
Kim Do-yoon stared for a long time at the red request posted at the very top of the guild board.
[Emergency Subjugation Request]
[Eastern Forest Ogre]
[Reward: 100 Gold Coins]
One hundred gold coins.
Converted into real-world value, it was close to hundreds of millions of won.
His heart jumped for a moment.
But something was strange.
If the reward was that enormous, the guild should have been filled with cheers.
People should have been fighting over who would accept the request first.
But reality was the complete opposite.
The mercenaries who had been drinking and making noise gradually fell silent.
Some glanced at the request, then looked away as if they had seen nothing.
One man drained his drink in one gulp.
Another quietly walked out of the guild.
Do-yoon could not understand it.
"Why isn't anyone taking it when the reward is so high?"
Liana crossed her arms and gave a small laugh.
"Because they don't want to die."
"It's that bad?"
"A request worth a hundred gold isn't telling you how much money you'll make."
"It's telling you how dangerous it is."
Do-yoon looked at her in confusion.
Liana pointed toward the lower section of the board.
"Three silver coins."
"Yeah."
"A request even a beginner can handle."
Her finger moved a little higher.
"Twenty silver coins."
"A somewhat dangerous request."
Higher again.
"One gold coin."
"Something experienced mercenaries take."
Then she pointed to the very top.
"Starting from ten gold coins, you're betting your life."
She paused and looked at the red request.
"One hundred gold..."
"That usually means most people don't come back."
Do-yoon looked at the request again.
A moment ago, all he had seen was the number.
Now it looked different.
It did not feel like a reward anymore.
It felt like the price of a gravestone.
The two left the guild and slowly walked through the streets of the royal capital.
The night breeze was cool.
Do-yoon stopped and looked around the city.
Massive walls.
Hundreds of stone buildings.
Mana Stone streetlamps glowing blue.
Rows of red-tiled roofs.
Far away, luxurious mansions lined the hills.
Below them, shabby wooden homes were packed together.
"What's up there?"
Do-yoon pointed toward the hill.
"The noble district."
"And down there?"
"The slums."
"That's a huge difference."
Liana did not answer immediately.
After a short silence, she smiled bitterly.
"Every world is the same."
Do-yoon looked at her.
For a moment, a shadow crossed the face of the usually blunt and sharp-tongued woman.
She had probably experienced countless things while living in this city.
It was the first time Do-yoon thought about that.
"I'm hungry."
Liana spoke first.
"Let's eat something."
They entered a shabby restaurant near the guild.
The moment the door opened, the warm smell of meat filled Do-yoon's nose.
Inside, mercenaries who had finished their work for the day were drinking and shouting.
"Liana!"
The owner waved happily.
"You're alive again today."
"Still too early for me to die."
"The usual?"
"Two stews."
The owner nodded as if this happened all the time.
Do-yoon was slightly surprised.
Liana got along with people much better than he expected.
A short while later, steaming bowls of stew were placed on the table.
Large chunks of meat.
Potatoes.
Carrots.
Vegetables Do-yoon did not recognize.
Everything had been slowly cooked in a thick broth.
Do-yoon carefully took a spoonful.
It was much better than he expected.
The broth was rich from long cooking.
The meat practically melted in his mouth.
"This is good."
Liana laughed.
"Everyone says that at first."
"Why?"
"After a month, you'll get tired of it."
Do-yoon laughed too.
Then suddenly stopped.
A month.
For some reason, the words stayed with him.
He had never really imagined living in this world for a long time.
Become stronger.
Earn money.
Return to reality.
That had been all.
But without realizing it...
He was becoming used to this world too.
Then he heard people talking at the next table.
"They raised the taxes again."
"Damn it."
"Those nobles have lost their minds."
Do-yoon naturally listened.
"I heard ordinary people won't be allowed into the Eastern Forest anymore."
"Why?"
"They're making it a noble hunting ground."
"Then we won't even be able to take requests there."
"That's why everyone's pissed."
Do-yoon silently listened.
Little by little, he began to understand.
This other world was not a game.
It was a real world where people lived.
There were nobles.
Taxes.
Politics.
Power.
It was not very different from reality.
After eating, Do-yoon returned to reality through the Dimensional Gate.
The familiar semi-basement room.
Low ceiling.
Old wallpaper.
A faint fluorescent light inside the cramped room.
The smell of soybean paste soup came from the kitchen.
"Do-yoon?"
His mother.
