Chapter 24

Chapter 24. The Numbers of Reality

The scenery before Do-yoon shook violently.

He had just emerged from the entrance to the Tower of Suffering.

Do-yoon felt a sensation he had gradually grown accustomed to. The weight of his body disappeared, and the space around him seemed to fold like a thin sheet of paper.

His vision turned black before becoming bright again.

When Do-yoon opened his eyes, he saw a familiar ceiling.

He was back in reality.

His old semi-basement room.

He was lying on his own bed.

"...I'm back."

Do-yoon slowly sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

Nothing had changed in the small room.

The desk whose surface had worn away after years of use.

The chair that creaked whenever he moved.

The old clock hanging on the wall.

Even the damp wallpaper and narrow window were exactly as he remembered them.

But Do-yoon had changed.

Only a few weeks ago, this room had felt like a prison.

Poverty.

Anxiety.

School life that seemed to have no end.

The overwhelming fear that washed over him whenever he thought about his future.

He could not rest comfortably even while lying down. Whenever he closed his eyes, he worried about tomorrow. Whenever he opened them, he had to face a reality in which nothing had changed.

But things were different now.

This room could no longer imprison him.

Beyond the Dimensional Gate was the mansion he had purchased. Liana, who fought alongside him, and Luna, who had become his first companion, were there too.

Mana Stones, potions, mysterious fruits whose true nature remained unknown, and the Tower of Suffering were all waiting for him.

A faint smile appeared on Do-yoon's lips.

"And I'm only getting started."

He immediately picked up his phone.

There was something he had wanted to check as soon as he returned to reality.

He opened his securities firm's application and entered his account password.

After the login screen disappeared, the numbers in his investment account appeared.

[Initial Investment: 30,000,000 won]

[Current Market Value: 38,600,000 won]

Do-yoon's eyes widened.

"What?"

He checked again to make sure he had not misread the screen.

The numbers remained unchanged.

Only a few days had passed since he began investing.

Yet the value of his holdings had already increased by 8.6 million won.

Do-yoon could not take his eyes off the screen for a long time.

8.6 million won.

In the past, he would have struggled to earn that much even if he worked part-time without a break for six months.

After deducting living expenses, transportation costs, and food, it would have taken him years to save that amount.

And now, that money had appeared as numbers on a screen in just a few days.

Disbelief came before happiness.

Just then, his phone rang.

The name on the screen was Han Myeong-jae.

Do-yoon immediately answered.

"Hello."

Han Myeong-jae's amused voice came through the phone.

"Have you seen it?"

"Yes, I have."

"Hahahaha!"

Han Myeong-jae laughed heartily, apparently pleased by Do-yoon's reaction.

"Didn't I tell you?"

"You did say it would go up."

"But you didn't expect this much, did you?"

Do-yoon answered honestly.

"No. I didn't expect it to increase this much in just a few days."

"This is only the beginning."

Han Myeong-jae's voice became a little more serious.

Do-yoon silently waited for him to continue.

"The market always provides opportunities."

"..."

"But most people fail to seize them."

"Why is that?"

"Fear."

It was a short answer.

"Some people are so afraid of losing money that they can't bring themselves to do anything."

Han Myeong-jae paused briefly before continuing.

"Others miss opportunities because they don't have enough ambition."

"..."

"And then there are those whose greed is so great that they lose everything."

Do-yoon repeated those words in his mind.

Greed.

Desire.

The fruits.

Greed and Pride.

The real-world financial market Han Myeong-jae was talking about seemed strangely connected to the power guiding him beyond the Dimensional Gate.

Without desire, a person could gain nothing.

But if that desire consumed them, they could lose everything.

"Are you planning to continue investing?"

Do-yoon did not hesitate at Han Myeong-jae's question.

"Yes."

"Good."

There was satisfaction in his voice.

"Then let's make the next investment together. We'll discuss the details when we meet."

The call ended.

Do-yoon looked at his investment account again.

In reality...

And in the other world...

Money was important.

He needed it to survive and to give himself better choices. If he wanted to grow stronger and protect others, he ultimately needed resources.

Do-yoon closed the application and opened his desk drawer.

A small cloth pouch was hidden deep inside.

When he opened it, a gold coin appeared.

A gold coin from the other world.

It was larger and heavier than the coins used in reality. The kingdom's crest and unfamiliar writing were intricately engraved on its surface, and it shone with a vivid golden light beneath the sunlight streaming through the window.

Do-yoon slowly rolled it between his fingers.

"If I sell this..."

He recalled the information he had researched in advance.

The gold coin weighed approximately thirty-seven grams.

He did not know how many impurities it contained, but if most of it was close to pure gold, it would have considerable value in reality.

Even applying the current market price of gold in a simple calculation, a single coin could be worth several million won.

If he accumulated dozens of gold coins in the other world, they would be worth an enormous amount of money in reality.

Do-yoon's heartbeat quickened slightly.

But he soon shook his head.

"Not yet."

Converting gold coins into cash was different from selling potions.

He might have to explain where they came from. If identical ancient gold coins repeatedly appeared on the market, someone might begin to suspect something unusual.

It was also possible that someone would discover differences between their metallic composition and manufacturing methods and those used in reality.

Acting out of greed without proper preparation would be far too dangerous.

Do-yoon placed the coin back inside the cloth pouch.

Han Myeong-jae was right.

Just because an opportunity existed did not mean he should immediately reach for it.

He needed to learn how to use his power first.

At that moment, his bedroom door opened.

"Do-yoon?"

It was his mother.

Do-yoon closed the drawer and immediately stood.

"Mom."

She looked tired, as though she had just returned from work. The exhaustion was obvious on her face, but when she saw Do-yoon, she smiled at him first, just as she always did.

"You're home early today."

"Yeah."

"Have you eaten?"

Do-yoon hesitated briefly before answering.

"Not yet."

"That's good. I made some soup."

Hearing those words made Do-yoon's chest tighten.

His mother had always been like this, ever since he was little.

No matter how exhausted she was, she never showed it.

Even when she was sick, she smiled in front of him.

On days when money was short, she would give him her portion of food, claiming that she was not hungry.

And even though she did not know exactly what he was going through at school, she had always been on his side.

Do-yoon followed his mother and sat at the small dining table.

A steaming pot of kimchi stew.

An omelet that was not particularly thick but had been carefully rolled.

Bean sprouts seasoned with salt and sesame oil.

It was a perfectly ordinary meal.

Yet it looked far more delicious than the lavish food he had seen nobles eating in the other world.

Do-yoon took a spoonful of rice and stew.

The familiar flavor spread through his mouth.

"It's delicious."

His mother laughed in confusion.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Nothing."

"I made it exactly the same way I always do."

Do-yoon said nothing.

Instead, he made a promise to himself.

No matter what.

I'll make sure she's happy.

He would get her out of this mold-covered semi-basement.

He would never let her worry about medical expenses because of money again.

He would make sure she never had to give up something she wanted to do simply because they could not afford it.

She had spent her entire life enduring hardships for his sake.

Now he wanted to give her a comfortable life in return.

At that moment, the symbol engraved on the back of his hand flashed very briefly.

[Pride Has Confirmed Your Goal.]

Do-yoon looked down at his hand, still holding his spoon.

Another message followed.

[You Have Found Something You Wish to Protect.]

Do-yoon slowly clenched his fist.

He still did not know exactly how Pride was changing him.

But at least this particular feeling had not been created by the fruit.

It was a goal he had chosen for himself.

The next morning, Do-yoon headed to school as usual.

As soon as he entered the school grounds, several students noticed him and began whispering.

"Isn't that Kim Do-yoon?"

"Yeah."

"Hasn't he been acting a little strange lately?"

"I think there's something different about his eyes."

Do-yoon heard everything, but he did not care.

In the past, even a single careless remark would have made his body tense.

He would have constantly checked his surroundings, wondering whether someone was insulting him or planning to bully him again.

But things were different now.

He had fought monsters in the other world.

He had been surrounded by swarms of Mine Rats and stabbed spiders as large as human heads to death with his dagger. In the Tower of Suffering, he had faced skeletons and passed through a place where death was a very real possibility.

After experiencing all of that...

The stares and whispers inside a classroom no longer frightened him.

That was when a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Hey."

Do-yoon stopped and turned around.

Park Jeong-woo was standing there.

He was one of the students who used to bully Do-yoon alongside Park Tae-seong.

In the past, simply seeing his face had been enough to make Do-yoon tense up.

But now, his heartbeat did not quicken in the slightest.

Jeong-woo approached with a crooked smile.

"Making some money these days?"

Do-yoon silently looked at him.

Jeong-woo grinned unpleasantly.

"I heard you've been investing in stocks."

Do-yoon's gaze changed slightly.

He had never told anyone at school that he was investing in stocks.

"Wondering where I heard about it?"

Jeong-woo stepped closer with a smug expression.

"..."

"Be careful."

Do-yoon calmly asked,

"About what?"

Jeong-woo pretended to be concerned, but there was obvious mockery in his voice.

"Losing your money."

"I hear plenty of people get a little money, start acting like they're somebody, and lose everything in an instant."

Do-yoon let out a small laugh without realizing it.

Jeong-woo's expression hardened.

The old Do-yoon would never have reacted this way.

Whenever someone insulted him, he lowered his head. Even when people laughed at him, he would walk away without saying anything.

But now, he looked completely unafraid of Jeong-woo.

"Something funny?"

"No."

Do-yoon answered lightly.

"Thanks for worrying about me."

"What?"

"We're going to be late for class."

With that, Do-yoon walked straight past him.

He heard Jeong-woo mutter a curse behind his back.

But he felt nothing.

He was not angry.

Nor did he feel the urge to turn around and throw a punch.

Those people had no idea how far he could go.

Someday...

One day, without a doubt...

He would climb so high that people like Park Jeong-woo and Park Tae-seong would not even be worth comparing themselves to him.

Do-yoon did not look back.

After class, Do-yoon sat alone on a bench near one side of the school field.

Normally, he would have gone straight home, but today he wanted to spend a little more time studying investment-related materials.

Just as he was about to take out his phone, it vibrated.

An unsaved number appeared on the screen.

Do-yoon hesitated briefly before answering.

"Hello."

A calm male voice came through the phone.

"Am I speaking with Mr. Kim Do-yoon?"

"Yes."

"I'm calling from your bank's Customer Management Department."

Do-yoon narrowed his eyes.

"We've recently detected several large transactions involving accounts under your name."

Do-yoon said nothing.

One hundred million won had been deposited as payment for the potions.

Part of that money had then been transferred into his investment account.

It was only natural that a bank would find transactions of that size unusual when they involved a student's account.

"We need to briefly verify the purpose of these transactions and the source of the funds."

"Can't we do that over the phone?"

"Some documents need to be checked, so you'll have to visit us in person."

Do-yoon remained silent for a moment.

He had thought that having more money would give him freedom.

And that was not entirely wrong.

But he had failed to consider that the more money he possessed, the more people would start paying attention to him.

Banks.

Taxes.

Sources of funds.

Reality had its own set of rules, different from those of the other world.

These were not problems he could solve by forcing his way through or defeating a monster.

"When should I come in?"

"I'll let you know the available dates."

After arranging a suitable appointment, Do-yoon ended the call.

He looked at his reflection on the darkened phone screen.

There was still a great deal he needed to prepare for in reality.

Earning money was only the beginning.

He needed a way to explain where it came from, handle the taxes, and conduct his transactions without hiding them while still protecting the secret of the Dimensional Gate.

Just then, another notification appeared on his phone.

Ding!

Do-yoon checked the screen.

This time, it was not from an application in reality.

It was a notification from the Blackroot Guild, connected to the Dimensional Gate.

[Blackroot Guild Request Notification]

Red text appeared beneath it.

[Urgent Information Related to the Tower of Suffering Has Been Discovered.]

[Immediate Return Recommended.]

Do-yoon's eyes sharpened.

In reality, the bank had begun tracking his money.

In the other world, something new was happening in connection with the Tower of Suffering.

Both worlds were moving toward him at the same time.

Do-yoon tightened his grip on his phone.

At that very moment...

Far away...

On the third floor of the Tower of Suffering...

Someone slowly opened his eyes in a darkness that no light could reach.

A red glow spread across the old stone walls.

A symbol resembling flickering flames was engraved on the back of his hand.

The Fruit of Wrath.

The man in the darkness looked down at the mark on his hand and laughed quietly.

He had already sensed that a new Chosen One had begun moving at the lower levels of the Tower of Suffering.

He slowly raised his head.

His red eyes flashed in the darkness.

"Kim Do-yoon."

He spoke the name naturally, as though he had known it for a very long time.

"We'll be meeting soon."

A low laugh echoed for a long time through the depths of the Tower of Suffering.