Chapter 14. The First Goal
Sixty silver coins were neatly arranged across the bed.
The faint blue light from the Mana Stone lamp passed over the coins and made their unfamiliar symbols shine.
Do-yoon sat in front of them and counted one by one.
He had already checked several times.
But his hands would not stop.
"One, two, three..."
Even after placing down the final coin...
The number remained the same.
Sixty.
In his palm, they were merely cold, heavy pieces of metal.
But the moment he thought about their value...
His head grew hot.
Around thirty million won in real-world money.
Not even one full day.
It had taken only a few hours to bring things from reality into the other world and sell them at the black market.
Only a few days ago, Do-yoon compared prices before buying even a single triangle kimbap at a convenience store.
He chose the cheapest item to save even a thousand won.
If there was something he wanted, he often put it back after thinking about how hard his mother worked.
Yet now...
Nearly thirty million won in value sat in front of him.
And it did not end there.
He could repeat the same method.
This time, he had brought only a small amount as an experiment.
If he increased the number and variety of goods...
His profit could multiply several times.
Do-yoon laughed in disbelief.
"Life really is unpredictable."
Liana, sitting beside him, picked up one silver coin.
She rolled it between her fingers and looked at him.
"Stop staring."
"Why?"
"You look like a country bumpkin."
"What?"
"Like someone touching money for the first time."
Do-yoon stared at her for a moment.
Then answered honestly,
"That's because I am."
Liana opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
After thinking about it...
He was right.
This was the first time Do-yoon had ever possessed this much money.
They stared at each other for a moment.
Then both laughed.
When the laughter faded, a question came to Do-yoon.
"Liana."
"What?"
"What's the most expensive thing in the royal capital?"
Liana placed the silver coin back on the bed and thought.
"Depends on the person."
"Roughly."
"Land."
She raised one finger.
"Mines."
A second.
"Large quantities of Mana Stones."
A third.
Then she paused.
"And information."
Do-yoon focused on the last word.
Information.
Even in reality, people who made money obtained information before others.
Stocks.
Real estate.
Business.
Investment.
It all came down to who received accurate information faster.
The other world was no different.
If you knew where a mine would be discovered...
Which monsters had appeared...
Which noble needed certain supplies...
You could make enormous profits.
Without information, even rare goods could be sold for too little.
Or you could simply be scammed.
Liana watched his expression.
"Why are you suddenly asking?"
Do-yoon looked at the silver coins.
"Because I want to become rich."
Unexpectedly, Liana did not mock him.
She simply nodded.
"Good goal."
"What about you?"
"Me?"
Liana looked toward the ceiling.
Do-yoon expected her to say money.
Or a good weapon.
Instead, she said something unexpected.
"I want to become a noble."
Do-yoon's eyes widened.
"A noble?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Liana answered seriously.
"So people stop asking me to lend them money."
Do-yoon burst out laughing.
"That's your reason for wanting to become a noble?"
"That's an extremely important reason."
She looked completely serious.
That only made it funnier.
But even while laughing, Do-yoon understood part of what she meant.
Liana had experienced poverty.
She had probably been looked down on because she had no money.
Borrowed.
Asked for help.
Lowered her head to people.
The noble status she wanted was not simply luxury.
It was power.
Power that meant she would never need to lower her head to anyone again.
In that sense...
She was not very different from Do-yoon.
The next morning, Do-yoon arrived at school earlier than usual.
There was no special reason.
He simply could not sleep.
Whenever he closed his eyes, the sixty silver coins and the number thirty million won appeared.
He imagined leaving the semi-basement.
Moving into a better home.
His mother quitting her exhausting job.
When people gained money, two things changed.
Confidence.
And imagination.
You could suddenly imagine futures you had never dared think about when you were poor.
Not long after Do-yoon sat down...
The classroom door opened.
Park Tae-seong entered.
The atmosphere subtly changed.
In the past, several students would have immediately approached him.
"Tae-seong, you're here?"
"Did you play last night?"
"What are we doing today?"
People always gathered around him.
Receiving Tae-seong's favor made school life easier.
Becoming someone he disliked could turn you into a target, just like Do-yoon.
But now...
Things were different.
No one greeted him first.
Some students quickly looked away when their eyes met his.
Others stared at their books as though they could not even see him.
Park Tae-seong's face stiffened.
He looked around the classroom.
One by one...
He checked the faces of people avoiding him.
It seemed difficult for him to accept that those who had always followed him were starting to move away.
Do-yoon watched quietly.
People gathered when you had power.
The moment that power cracked...
They left faster than anyone.
Park Tae-seong's popularity had never been friendship.
It had been built on his parents' money and influence.
And the violence he controlled inside the school.
Now that those things were weakening...
The relationships built around them were collapsing too.
Then Tae-seong's eyes met Do-yoon's.
His jaw tightened.
Do-yoon could clearly see him grinding his teeth.
But Tae-seong did not approach.
He did not deliberately bump shoulders.
He did not insult him.
He simply stared for a long moment...
Then walked to his own seat.
Do-yoon watched his back.
Tae-seong was changing too.
The problem...
Was that his change had nothing to do with reflection or regret.
Do-yoon could still feel hatred.
Suppressed wrath.
At lunch, Han Seo-yeon approached Do-yoon's seat.
"Hey."
"What?"
"I have a question."
Do-yoon closed his book.
"What?"
Seo-yeon pretended to make sure no one was listening.
Then lowered her voice.
"Did you win the lottery?"
Do-yoon laughed in disbelief.
"Where did that come from?"
"You've looked way too happy lately."
"My face?"
"Yeah."
"You used to walk around looking like the world had already ended."
"Now you look like someone with a secret good thing going on."
Do-yoon could not immediately answer.
He could not tell her that he had obtained silver worth nearly thirty million won.
He certainly could not explain the other world, the Dimensional Gate, or potions.
"Just..."
"Just what?"
Do-yoon thought for a moment.
Then chose an answer that was honest without revealing everything.
"My life got a little more interesting."
Seo-yeon did not tease him further.
She simply looked at him for a moment.
Then smiled.
"That's a good thing."
It was a short sentence.
But somehow...
It stayed with him.
Until recently...
Life had been something Do-yoon endured.
At school, he endured bullying.
At home, he worried about his exhausted mother.
There was nothing about that life he could call interesting.
But now...
He was curious about tomorrow.
What could he obtain in the other world?
How strong could he become?
How much could he change his own life and his mother's?
After school, Do-yoon went to a bank instead of going straight home.
He needed to solve a practical problem.
He sat in the waiting area and watched people move between counters.
The silver coins clearly had real value as metal.
But he could not use currency from another world directly in reality.
He could test the silver purity and sell them as precious metal.
But repeatedly selling identical foreign coins in large quantities would invite questions about their origin.
If a private individual repeatedly sold tens of millions of won worth of silver...
There could be tax problems.
Police investigations.
And the coins themselves contained symbols and writing that did not exist anywhere in reality.
If he made a mistake...
He could expose the Dimensional Gate and the other world before he even received the money.
Do-yoon thought for a long time.
This was difficult to solve safely by himself.
Then one person's face came to mind.
Han Myeong-jae.
Chairman of a major medical foundation.
A businessman with enormous capital and influence.
He already knew about the potion.
He also suspected that Do-yoon was no ordinary student.
Most importantly...
He had the connections and methods to turn unusual goods into legitimate money.
After leaving the bank, Do-yoon contacted Han Myeong-jae.
That evening, Do-yoon entered a luxury restaurant he had never visited before.
A massive chandelier glowed beneath the high ceiling.
Employees in formal uniforms moved silently.
Each table was spaced far apart.
Soft classical music filled the room.
Do-yoon felt slightly uncomfortable in his school uniform and worn sneakers.
A staff member guided him to a private room.
Han Myeong-jae was already sitting inside.
"You're here."
"Yes."
Han Myeong-jae slowly examined Do-yoon.
A faint smile appeared.
"Your face looks better."
Do-yoon did not respond.
Han Myeong-jae put down his wineglass.
"Because of the potion?"
Do-yoon was not surprised.
A man like Han Myeong-jae would notice.
Even Han Seo-yeon and his classmates had noticed the difference.
There was no reason someone experienced in observing and judging people would miss it.
Do-yoon sat down.
"Why did you ask to see me?"
Han Myeong-jae watched him for a moment.
Then his smile vanished.
"I'll be honest."
The softness disappeared from his voice.
"There is a reason I'm helping you."
Do-yoon waited silently.
"You saved my granddaughter."
"I'm sincerely grateful for that."
For a moment, Han Myeong-jae's eyes softened.
Then they returned to the cold eyes of a businessman.
"But I am also a businessman."
Do-yoon immediately understood.
This was the real conversation.
"The potion."
"Exactly."
Han Myeong-jae did not deny it.
"I understand how valuable the item you brought is."
"If it works on patients who cannot be treated through modern medicine..."
"Then it is not simply medicine."
"It is a product capable of changing the world."
Do-yoon did not smile.
Neither did Han Myeong-jae.
Their eyes met across the table.
At that moment...
Do-yoon understood clearly.
Han Myeong-jae did not see him only as a pitiful student.
Do-yoon was his granddaughter's savior.
But he was also being evaluated as a potential business partner holding unimaginable value.
Not a friend.
Not a guardian.
A negotiating partner.
Someone whose power could be used in exchange for another's.
Han Myeong-jae lightly tapped the table.
"I have a proposal."
"Go ahead."
"You bring the goods."
Do-yoon listened silently.
"I will safely analyze them and find appropriate buyers."
"I'll handle the taxes and legal problems."
"And in return, we split the profits?"
"Exactly."
Han Myeong-jae nodded.
"If you start selling strange goods alone, it won't be long before problems appear."
"People will ask about the source."
"Some may try to steal the goods."
"But if the transactions go through my foundation and companies, we can block much of that risk."
Grain's warning returned.
The smell of money attracts the smell of blood.
Working with Han Myeong-jae could reduce the danger.
But it also meant slowly giving him more access to Do-yoon's secrets.
And once such a relationship began...
Breaking it would not be easy.
A dangerous proposal.
But also...
An enormous opportunity.
Do-yoon lifted his glass of water and took a sip.
The cold water went down his throat as he organized his thoughts.
Then the back of his hand faintly heated.
Pride was reacting.
Bigger.
Higher.
More.
He did not hear actual words.
But the fruit's desire seemed to seep into his thoughts.
Do-yoon looked out the window.
Countless buildings and car lights filled the city.
Somewhere among them was the old semi-basement where he and his mother lived.
Only days ago...
Do-yoon had lived at the very bottom of the world.
No money.
No power.
No one to help him.
Now...
He had the Dimensional Gate.
He could bring things into reality that did not exist there.
And a businessman capable of converting them into real-world money was sitting in front of him.
Do-yoon looked back at Han Myeong-jae.
"Let me hear the conditions first."
A faint smile appeared on Han Myeong-jae's lips.
Do-yoon no longer shrank back.
He could not simply accept help.
He needed to obtain the conditions he wanted.
Do-yoon was the one bringing the goods.
No matter how much power Han Myeong-jae possessed...
If he could not cross the Dimensional Gate himself, the balance of power was not completely one-sided.
At that moment...
Do-yoon decided on his first goal.
Not simply making a lot of money.
Getting himself and his mother out of the semi-basement.
Building a foundation where they could survive without depending on anyone's kindness.
And climbing high enough that no one could ever look down on him simply because he was poor.
That was Kim Do-yoon's first goal.
The life of the boy from the semi-basement...
Had finally begun changing direction.
And at the center of that change...
Was the Dimensional Gate connecting two worlds.
