Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Forgotten Alchemist's Equivalent Exchange Scales
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The Supreme Court Chief Justice's long-cherished dream was a fair and equitable judicial system.
But there was no way to maintain it until humanity's extinction, so he entrusted the role of judge to higher-dimensional beings—and ultimately vanished because of it.
"A fair and equitable judicial system can't be achieved through any method."
Those who enact the laws are human.
Those who enforce them are human.
Those who are judged by them are human.
Humans are inherently imperfect beings, so no matter what method is used, gaps are bound to appear.
'If the lawmakers have gaps, unjust laws emerge. If the enforcers do, false accusations arise. If those being judged do, scams exploiting legal loopholes occur.'
First, he made a wish on the Scales of Good and Evil.
'May all humanity receive fair and equal judgment under the law, equally and fairly.'
The scales' will was conveyed.
『No time limit set.』
『With your current good deeds, this wish can be maintained for a maximum of 14 years, 6 months, 12 days, 13 hours, 31 minutes, 27 seconds.』
『Shall the wish be granted?』
He shook his head, and the scales' will disconnected.
"If chaos returns after just 14 years, it's better not to try."
At least until Earth is destroyed.
No, until humanity is destroyed.
'That's why the Chief Justice didn't use a direct method to fulfill his wish.'
With my good deeds, only 14 years at best— for him, there was no answer but higher-dimensional beings.
"The Scales of Good and Evil won't work."
He tried indirectly, seeking the location or information of an entity that could grant such a wish, but it failed due to insufficient good deeds.
"In the end, I have no choice but to use this."
He set aside the Scales of Good and Evil for a moment, and a new set of scales took its place.
"Forgotten Alchemist's Equivalent Exchange Scales."
Equivalent exchange is an economic term referring to the trade of goods of equal value, or goods for currency.
"It's also the alchemical law that to obtain something, one must pay an equivalent price."
Without further ado, he tried using it directly. As he gripped the scales, a system message appeared in his mind.
[Welcome to the use of the Alchemical Scales.]
[Please select an input option.]
[1. Cost]
[2. Reward]
He selected reward.
[What reward do you desire?]
[Reward: ]
He entered the reward into the message. Rewards could be input with thought alone, and it worked like a keyboard—pausing or editing midway was possible.
[Reward: Information on the Forgotten Alchemist's Equivalent Exchange Scales]
[Reward input complete.]
[Scanning items you can pay as equivalent value for this reward. Scanning may take up to 30 seconds.]
A few seconds later, a new message appeared.
[Scan complete]
[Selected three equivalent payment methods you can provide for this reward.]
[Please select a payment method from the following three options.]
[1. Loss of taste for 3 months]
[2. Inability to sit on a chair for 3 months]
[3. 300 million won]
No need to agonize.
'I'll pay with option 3.'
At that instant, information flooded his mind.
"...So that's how it works."
He pulled out 「Notebook in My Head」 and jotted down the emerging knowledge.
[Forgotten Alchemist's Equivalent Exchange Scales]
[Scales created by the Forgotten Alchemist. Allows exchange of cost for reward via equivalent exchange.]
[When gripped, the scales' ego kindly guides usage—fear not.]
[Two methods: Input reward first, or input cost first.]
As he wrote, Sarang's voice rang out.
『Mr. Yi Seung-hoon, 300 million won has vanished from one of your anonymous accounts. Not withdrawn or errored—it's as if it never existed.』
The payment of the cost was inevitable.
It felt that way.
[Input reward first: Confirms costs you can pay.]
[Costs follow these formats:]
[1. Physical cost you can pay.]
[2. Conceptual cost you can perform.]
[3. Material cost you can pay.]
[Costs can be temporary disappearance, permanent disappearance, reversible change, irreversible change, etc.]
[Input cost first: Offers three matching rewards.]
[Rewards follow these formats:]
[1. Material reward.]
[2. Conceptual reward.]
[3. Random reward.]
[Rewards may include things not existing in your dimension or harmful to you—choose carefully.]
In conclusion, it was scales that matched costs to rewards, or rewards to costs.
"Let's try inputting cost first."
This time, he inputted a cost. Among his body, concepts, and materials, he chose body.
[Cost: Loss of taste for 3 days.]
Three reward formats appeared.
[1. 240,000 won in cash]
[2. Ability to undergo full health check including endoscopy without fasting (3-day limited)]
[3. One box (12 pieces) of Buldak Ramen-flavored Choco Pies]
He chose 3.
"It really appeared."
A box on the desk, blending red and black. On the surface, a chicken shouting 「Super spicy and delicious! Buldak! Kkokkio!」 spewed fire from its mouth, topped with 「Finally released! Buldak Ramen & Choco Pie collab!」
"A product from another dimension, I suppose?"
He tried one, but having paid with three days' loss of taste, he felt nothing.
"Would you like to try one?"
"Huh? What's this?"
"Wow, that's amazing!"
He went to the park and handed them out to people.
Perhaps due to the novelty of the collab product, everyone showed interest.
"Ugh! So spicy!"
"Wow! This isn't just Buldak—it's nuclear Buldak level!?"
"Spicier than nuclear Buldak!? The spicy cream sticks to your tongue and won't go away!"
The reward was solid. Now that he understood usage, it was time to achieve the desired result.
'Conventional methods won't work. In the end, I can only follow the Chief Justice's path.'
Costs seemed to follow absolute standards.
Even with vast good deeds, the Scales of Good and Evil only granted temporary limits—so equivalent exchange would be the same.
'Still, let's try.'
He tested it out.
[Reward: A world where humanity receives fair and equal judgment under the law until extinction]
[Please select a payment method from the following three options.]
[1. No payable physical cost owned for this reward.]
[2. No payable conceptual cost owned for this reward.]
[3. No payable material cost owned for this reward.]
[Transaction canceled.]
The transaction canceled automatically.
Without capacity to pay, even inputting a reward yielded no deal.
"Perfect judicial justice is impossible, as expected."
Lowering the timeframe or standards for fairness and equality might work, but that's just the current judiciary—meaningless.
'Lower the bar. Why do we rage at our broken judicial system?'
The reason was simple.
It was exactly what the private judicial relief agency's judges had said.
"Because the wicked aren't properly judged, and the good can't enjoy their rightful privileges."
Wicked who deserve punishment strut around freely.
Living wickedly makes them richer, healthier, and happier than ordinary folk.
"Conversely, the good often don't."
Helping someone leads to a head injury, vegetative state, agonizing life.
Devote to the nation, get injured, discarded like a used rag.
Make kimbap for others, give it free—sued for food poisoning, pay massive settlements.
"We desire reward for virtue, punishment for vice."
Perfect judicial justice is impossible.
But that much... isn't it possible?
[Reward: A world where reward for virtue and punishment for vice is achieved]
As before, he lacked capacity to pay.
[Reward: A world where reward for virtue and punishment for vice is partially achieved]
Same result.
[Reward: Information on methods I can use to partially apply reward for virtue and punishment for vice to the world]
Success at last.
[Please select a payment method from the following three options.]
[1. Loss of liver, pancreas, cerebellum, diencephalon, spinal cord]
[2. All accumulated good deeds]
[3. Permanent deprivation of property rights; cannot possess property henceforth]
"Good options appeared."
He chose 2. Something massive vanished within him, leaving a brief void that soon faded.
"Good deeds can be accumulated again."
If not? Experiencing hell might be interesting.
'Oh.'
Information flooded his mind. Soon, he learned an amusing fact.
"Offering ten drops of 「Enhancement Potion」 as cost to the 「Forgotten Alchemist's Equivalent Exchange Scales」 yields one drop of 「Special Enhancement Potion」?"
Being from the same Forgotten Alchemist series, it hid this Easter egg.
He pulled out enhancement potion and tried immediately. Offering ten drops—a month's worth—as cost, a single drop of golden liquid formed in the vial.
"And sprinkle this on the 「Scales of Good and Evil」."
As the golden liquid touched the scales, radiant light burst forth.
『I am the scales that govern the good and evil of the world.』
He couldn't see. Amid the blinding light, the Scales of Good and Evil's will conveyed.
『Punishment for the wicked.』
『Salvation for the good.』
The light faded slowly. As it did, the scales' final will transmitted.
『1 per hour.』
『The wicked's happiness shall vanish.』
『1 per hour.』
『Luck seized from the wicked shall transfer to the good.』
When the light fully vanished, so did the Scales of Good and Evil.
"Success."
So, it steals the wicked's luck and gives it to the good?
1 per hour: 24 per day, 8,760 wicked per year become unlucky.
Conversely, 8,760 good become happy yearly.
"Not perfect, but as long as no one destroys the Scales of Good and Evil, it continues."
The next day, he saw intriguing news online.
[US serial killer exposed by ridiculous mistake.]
[Drunkenly stumbles into police station, confesses all crimes thinking it's a dream?]
Whether true or coincidence, who knows.
[Firefighter in vegetative state for 3 years miraculously regains neural activity, walks again.]
[Photo of smiling firefighter in rehab.]
The world is vast, full of wonders.
But he wanted to believe these stemmed from the specially enhanced Scales of Good and Evil.
[Fugitive jeonse scam king dies of acute appendicitis on plane.]
[Donation king Mr. Lee, scammed and bankrupted by relatives, wins lottery jackpot: "I'll donate again—the world is still warm."]
That way, he could imagine 8,760 good souls smiling happily each year.