Marketplace Epiphany
"Plang, can't you pull the carriage too?"
"No way. You don't even know how to pull one."
"Can't you just sit in the driver's seat and hold the reins? Plang could totally do that!"
"Nope... But I'll let you sit next to me instead. Watch your big sis this time and learn. You can pull it next time we come back. Sound good?"
"Mm... Yeah! Okay!"
These three women leading the way ahead of me—minus myself, of course—reminded me of that one time they'd gone out shopping for household goods without me. Tier, who used to get dragged around by Plang every which way back then, had clearly adapted to her spoiled antics by now. The way she pushed back against Plang's whining and cajoling made them look like one harmonious family, and I couldn't help but smile.
Daphne, walking right beside them with a gentle grin, seemed to feel the same, confirming it wasn't just my imagination.
She seemed a bit smarter before... but it's more like she's growing up again, properly this time.
Plang used to just send vague pings of emotion into my head, but now here she was, quietly nodding along to Tier's patient explanations and persuasion. I'd worried she might regress to her old personality, but the scene before me was straight out of a textbook on a child maturing—innocent, growing.
I let go of those worries for a moment, basking in the cheerful atmosphere as we walked. Shopping wasn't my thing unless it was for something I needed, so the unfamiliar bustle of this fantasy world's marketplace started filtering into my view.
A lizardman with an iguana-like head haggling fiercely over fruits at a stall, trying to beat down the price from the vendor. While he was distracted, a ferret beastkin eyeing his wallet for a chance to swipe it. And all around, guards and assorted hyenas keeping the scene in view, waiting for the crime to go down right there...
The vendor, who'd be short on living expenses if he couldn't sell those fruits today. The pickpocket, who wouldn't eat if he failed. No weekends here—just endless days of raw survival grit hitting me directly. My mind started to blur, drifting.
Having taught Park Jisu about yang energy before, I'd picked up the basics myself. Now, lost in vague contemplation while they watched me curiously, it felt like my mind was splitting in two.
Is this... enlightenment?
Stats had always been my go-to for boosting power, and physical growth was getting tougher now anyway. But this proved mental breakthroughs were way easier—like faint truths from the harsh grind of life brushing my thoughts.
Teaching those below you, learning from them too—it's not just empty words. That sweet mental high washed over me briefly. I exhaled slowly, keeping a straight face.
Just to check, I pulled up my stat window.
A satisfied grin tugged at my jaw. Peeking into the Fire Realm meant points for stats were absurdly burdensome now—practically meaningless to even discuss.
That's why I'd wrecked a few heroines in the murim world, racked up achievements, even forged ties with the empire...
I should look into mental cultivation too... Makes sense. I've trained my body as far as it goes, but never thought about mental or mana training.
Murim folks honed deep breathing for mana, but I'd dismissed it as useless for awakeners' recovery or capacity. Still, pure mental discipline—like a monk—didn't sound bad. I nodded to myself.
Not full-on deep breathing, but meditation now and then. Enlightenment could hit anytime, like now...
While I pondered solo, the watched crime wrapped up with a guard slicing off the kid's arm. Blood sprayed, adventurers cackled—the savagery made me sigh and shake my head, picking up my pace.
My cuties didn't bat an eye, chattering on as isekai locals treating it like no big deal. No pitying the brat and drawing stares—good call. My lip curled up.
"Tier, doesn't that bother you at all?"
They'd slowed for me mid-chat, so I sidled up to Tier. She gave a wry smile before speaking slowly.
"What can you do? Kid took the risk knowing he was weak..."
"No pity?"
"Huh?"
Her eyes went wide, head tilting like I'd asked about some alien emotion.
"Not pity—more like immature to me."
"Immature?"
"Yeah. Starting with pickpocketing in an open market? Minus points. Not checking sightlines? Minus. Sloppy technique getting caught by the lizardman? Big problem."
Daphne nodded quietly—Plang just glanced around blankly—so this was the world's common sense.
Tech was backward and barbaric, sure, but better than our world's half-assed weakling protection and fake equality. I nodded.
Our world'll probably shift this way soon enough.
Feeling oddly optimistic, I ruffled Tier's hair and kept walking. That's when a massive building—bigger than standard market shops—loomed welcomingly.
"This the place?"
"Yeah. We sold the carriage from our village back when we first came to the city with Daphne. They said this is the biggest carriage district."
"Yes, we got a good price since it was from our village. Let us gear up early too."
I'd assumed their starter gear was just six-star character perks at first, but hearing details made me whistle softly. The shop looked different now—like a benefactor to my girls in tough times.
Clink.
Griham's money pouch—heavier than a thug's threats—whispered manly prestige to me. Shoulders squared.
"Anyway, let's head in. Good price means the merchant remembers us, and with this guild master badge I borrowed aggressively... no one's ripping us off."
I jingled the fat pouch in one hand, the guild plate in the other, chin-jerking. Tier and Daphne beamed, nodding. I flung open the antique wooden door.
+++
Ding-a-ling.
"Welcome!"
Buying a carriage here marked you as more than a day-laborer—self-employed merchants, drivers with steady gigs, folks indulging in luxuries now and then. In a world where scraping by was tough enough, feeding and maintaining beasts (humanoid or otherwise) was no joke.
So the staff's lightning-quick, polished greetings threw me off—way too upscale.
Feels just like a foreign luxury car dealership.
I'd figured it'd be like buying a vehicle, but after SF-world starships, I'd slacked on this primitive cart-buying. Their sparkling eyes left me stunned.
Well, we don't look ordinary. Adventure gear screams money—high-end stuff.
Getting the vibe, I nodded calmly to their bows and spoke.