Money is Rolling In
Money is Rolling In
As Max headed to the first floor with his thickened seed money tucked away, the bartender was waiting for him.
At a gesture to sit, Max took a seat, and the bartender let out a sigh before lighting a cigarette.
"You have the refreshed face of someone who's earned as much as they wanted."
"Thanks to you, the feeling of hopelessness has faded a bit. I was desperate for cash."
"Do you... need something to drink?"
"I'm good. I drank plenty of water downstairs."
Declining the drink, Max popped the last lollipop he had brought from home into his mouth.
It was his favorite melon flavor.
"It's obvious you have no intention of becoming a headliner."
"That's right."
"Then I'm sorry to say this. If you come back next time, I can't accept you as a fighter."
It meant he was welcome as a spectator, but stepping into the ring himself was forbidden.
It seemed the capital blow was significant enough that the bartender had to pay out of his own pocket.
'It couldn't have been just the money I received... maybe some crazy bastards who bet on the underdog hit the jackpot.'
Max accepted it gracefully.
He liked the approach of ending things with words rather than doing something unnecessary.
"I have colleagues waiting for me, so I'll be going now."
Max stepped out of the shop, bluffing just loud enough to be heard.
He kept his nerves sharp as he headed toward the station.
Whether the bluff worked or it was just the aftermath of the match, no one targeted the bag stuffed with bills.
'I'm tired.'
Leaving District 50 and returning to his studio apartment, Max set up a stock brokerage account.
Then, he fell into a deep sleep.
..
..
'From now on, it truly begins.'
Waking up in the morning, he deposited all his money into the stock account, minus a small amount for food.
He checked the news while waiting for the market to open.
'To think I'd set foot in the stock market again.'
Before his regression, there was a time I thought my ability was 'the power to make any stock I buy drop.'
Truly a magnificent authority, wasn't it? The moment I pressed the buy button, companies would stagger as unexpected negative news broke out.
There was the minor issue of my already thin wallet dying a glorious death, but it was an opportunity to deeply feel the beauty of honest labor as my balance emptied.
My self-reflection had been so effective that I vowed never to touch stocks again.
'Vow rescinded! A Regressor is different!'
The pain from back then would now serve as fertilizer for the seeds to sprout.
The charts from before I quit stocks entirely were etched in my mind.
'I remember them... but the problem is the period is short.'
Since I had left the stock market after losing everything on day trading, the charts I remembered didn't even span a week.
Because I hadn't spared them a glance after quitting, I didn't know the long-term trends either.
Therefore, the next few days would be the turning point.
'Not a single failure will be tolerated.'
Every moment I didn't know the charts, I spent on exercise and meditation.
Meals were kept as healthy and cheap as possible.
[Blue Water - Exclusive drinking water supply rights for the management district revoked... Citizen group boycott spreads as water pollution cover-up allegations surface]
News I had seen before began to catch my eye.
This was the period when the stock price of Blue Water, which Max had purchased in the past, plummeted to the floor for the first time.
The stock discussion boards were instantly filled with wails.
▷ If you just give me back my principal, I'll never come near here again... please....
ㄴ It's just a rumor anyway, so the price will recover lol. Lower your average and wait.
ㄴ Really? What's your average price? ㅠㅠ
ㄴ Are you seriously telling me to buy this piece of junk right now?
Even the appearance of devils mocking those in mourning.
It was a hellscape that was all too familiar.
'Just as I remembered.'
Max moved quickly, gripping his computer and phone.
There were a hellish amount of corporations in Heize. Dozens of pieces of good and bad news poured out every day.
[Titan Crane - Secures exclusive waste disposal rights for District 50... Emerges as a key player in the Scrap Forest redevelopment project]
[Used parts trading platform 'Mechanic Soul' hits record-breaking boom... Transaction volume reaches all-time high]
[Bolt Core - Obtains patent for waste battery recycling technology... Vector Mobility proposes collaboration]
[Miyabi Logic - Develops anti-backtracking engine... Secures anonymity in transactions]
'I've caught the flow.'
In a short span of time, Max's capital grew insanely.
After spending a few days at home, his account held an amount of money he had never possessed in his life.
Even so, it was still insufficient to buy what he wanted.
'Just a little more.'
There were a few pieces of good news left that he remembered vividly.
Max didn't leave his computer chair for several days.
"Done! It's finally over!"
On the day he saw the end of the positive news he remembered and finished tidying up his stock account.
When he stood up and looked at the clock, the hour hand was pointing at 7 PM.
[This stop is District 38.]
Max rubbed his gritty eyes as he stepped off the subway.
He wanted to be extravagant and go to a bathhouse to soak his body in hot water, but relaxation tastes better after finishing what needs to be done with a light heart.
'If I have money left over, maybe I'll set up a mercenary office. Move out of the studio, too.'
He walked through District 38, making plans.
He pulled out a lollipop and popped it in. Apple flavor.
'This place is flashy no matter when I see it.'
True to its name, Neon Street, the unique lights were brilliant.
The air, which smelled of disinfectant, was also a characteristic feature, and the security was better than in District 50.
Even if it was mostly for show, a police station did exist.
He passed by the shops flashing in various colors and headed toward his destination.
Upon arrival, he looked up.
[Mermaid's Song]
The location he had sold out when entering the District 50 Oil and Blood Fight Club.
It was the only bookstore in District 38.
'No matter how I look at it, it sounds like the name of a bar or a karaoke room.'
He thought that every time he saw the sign.
What kind of sentiment was behind naming a bookstore Mermaid's Song?
Tinkle! Tinkle!
As he opened the door with the bell attached, a middle-aged man in a green apron welcomed him.
Electronic devices and pens were tucked into the apron.
"Welcome."
Max gave a light nod to the man who greeted him.
'Joshua.'
Whether it was his real name or not, he was the man closest to the saying of living on credit alone.
He was a man who would never divulge a client's information, even if the henchmen of a major corporation or a noble family came and threatened him with weapons or torture.
'Should I look for the books first?'
What Max was looking for was something that only top-tier members of Genesis Bio could purchase.
It wasn't something they would just give you just because you had money.
Asking Flora, who was in his contacts, would be one way, but it would become a nuisance if word of this reached his father's ears.
'It's not like Flora and I are on good terms, either.'
Literally, he just knew her number, and they were step-siblings only on paper.
He couldn't make such a shameless request to Flora to buy the item for him.
That was why he needed a reliable broker like Joshua.
If you paid the commission, you could obtain it without leaving a record.
'This one, this one... and it was this one.'
Max walked through the bookshelves and pulled out specific books.
He stacked them in order and pushed them toward the counter.
"Do you have a membership card?"
"No. Please make one for me."
"You just need to write your name and phone number here."
Joshua held out a piece of blank paper the size of a palm.
Max wrote his personal information on the paper and, at the bottom, wrote Genesis Bio Solution No. 1 and No. 2.
Special enhancement ampoules that concentrated the technological power of a giant corporation.
Solution No. 1 and No. 2 were called Prime Exclusive models, and to use an old-fashioned expression, they were items that wouldn't be out of place if called 'elixirs.'
Even though repeated administration was meaningless, the effects were so good that among the billionaires with overflowing money, there were those who couldn't forget the first dose and received them regularly.
"The registration fee will be about this much. Is that alright?"
"...I'll pay now."
His jaw almost dropped at the price, which included the commission.
Still, it was at a level that could be handled with the money in his account. The effort of clinging to the computer had been worth it.
"You can come back with your membership card after 19:00 tomorrow. If the bookstore is closed, please visit through the back door."
"Understood."
Taking the card, Max left Mermaid's Song and stared at his now-shrunken account.
Compared to when he first regressed, it was an unbelievable amount of wealth, but it was still lacking when considering the future.
'I wanted to set up a mercenary office in a good district.'
Because the unit price and the quality of missions were different.
Furthermore, just being talked about by people with influence created a difference in reputation.
"Hmm."
If it really didn't work out, giving up on a deposit and setting up an office with monthly rent would be an option.
Paying rent would be nerve-wracking, but the higher the district, the more it was worth it.
'I don't know. I'll have to think about it more.'
Since he had taken a step forward, he decided to indulge in a small luxury.
He moved his feet toward a bathhouse in District 38.
'No matter which path I take, it'll be better than the past.'
Max drew a hopeful future again today.
"Ahhh~ that's refreshing."
Max, who had been in the hot tub for a long time, came out after finishing his bath.
He finished his healing session by eating eggs that cost 3,000 Credits for two, then opened his locker.
As he put on his clothes, the smartphone that had been under his pants was blinking.
'There's nowhere that would contact me right now?'
He had even cleanly blocked advertisements, so what could it be?
Even looking back at the past, there was no contact he should have received at this time. Could there be a problem with the broker?
"..."
Just in case, he checked his phone.
A message had arrived from a person he truly hadn't expected.
[Flora Crimsonhowl: Are you busy?]