Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Barbarian Warrior During Volunteer Work (8)
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...Did my ears hear that wrong?
"How much...?"
"2500%. I think we've just barely filled half now."
"......"
"Stock trading, huh. It's surprisingly tough. People who do this for a living are something else."
"...Wait, hold on."
"???"
"...You're doing stocks on your smartphone right now?"
"Yeah?"
"Without even looking at charts or anything?"
"What's that?"
"......"
...What the hell is this guy?
'Is he insane?'
It wasn't just cursing—he really seemed crazy.
No...! He barely grasps the concept of stocks, isn't even using a computer, just staring at a smartphone app to trade?
'And he turned it into 2500% gains?'
Am I supposed to believe that?
Yuseong was utterly dumbfounded, wondering if this guy was running a scam.
"......"
With Aram's confirmation, Yuseong asked again.
"...How?"
The latest AI trailed off, admitting even she couldn't understand. Yuseong felt utterly deflated.
'What the fuck... Where do they even make guys like this?'
Valian found stocks more baffling the more he learned about them.
Aram and the others kept spouting complex jargon about "information" and such. Every time, Valian's head felt like it might explode—hell, steam was practically rising from it.
Cold sweat evaporated nonstop, forming actual vapor.
He was utterly lost, his intellect no match for even grasping the basics.
Then Valian stumbled on this post.
"...I see!"
What a straightforward explanation!
Valian immediately put it into practice.
"Buy ones that feel like they'll rise, huh."
So he bought stocks that gave him a 'positive vibe.'
"......It's rising."
The stock shot up +25%.
Then, when a 'negative vibe' hit—like it might drop—
"Time to sell."
Not long after selling, it plunged -140%.
Valian maximized his instincts, relying purely on 'gut feelings.'
Buy if it felt like rising, sell if it felt like falling.
Repeat, repeat, repeat—and money started piling up for real.
Valian couldn't help grinning at the results.
"I get it! So this is stocks!"
It was that simple...!
"Gotta thank the poster."
Valian laboriously tapped out a reply to his stock guru on the smartphone.
"...Why the insults?"
Valian tilted his head, baffled why his gratitude earned him curses.
But then—
"...Is he nuts?"
"He's crazy."
"Total nutjob."
"......"
"...Why am I getting cursed at?"
After sharing his stock enlightenment, his comrades—who echoed the poster's insults—left Valian scratching his head in confusion.
Why was he the one getting flak?
.........
【Sometimes, a rare barbarian is born with innate talent.】
Io gazed warmly at him, like a mother sharing an old tale.
【Barbarian kids call it 'Odin's Blessing' or 'Son of Thor.' But that's wrong.】
Ragnarok had utterly annihilated those two gods.
Io's face soured briefly at the memory, then she continued, certain no more war god blessings remained.
【I saw this in some virtual media: 'atavism.' Traits skipping generations, right? Barbarians awaken one ability that way sometimes. That's Valian's gift.】
The giants.
God's foes, mighty warriors.
Among races born from their spilled blood and flesh, barbarians inherited the purest strain. So it wasn't odd for one to be born with a giant's power.
The 'danger sense' that made giants warriors rivaling gods.
The gods named it thus:
【Super Sense. That's what we called it.】
The goddess concluded her ancient lore.
She seemed nostalgic, invoking a long-missed name.
To her—
"Lame-ass name, though?"
【.......】
"Gods really suck at naming... Eh, guess when you're that old, everything smells musty."
【.......】
Io didn't get it but knew it wasn't nice, clenching a cute little fist.
Receiving Io's 'massage'(?), Yuseong stared blankly.
"No wonder his instincts are insane."
"So it is a skill."
"Kinda wild how he dodges danger like it's nothing."
The cat punk, snobby bitch, and cult chick eyed Valian in turn, amazed.
Valian scowled at the rare-animal stares—they didn't sit well.
"I'm not an animal."
"We know. Rarer than that."
"......"
"Handy skill, though. Next time I wanna buy stocks, I'll just ask you~!"
Mirni teased playfully, but Yuseong couldn't dismiss it as a joke.
'...That's a busted ability. Depending on use, he could print infinite money.'
Predicting stocks was impressive, but it wasn't limited to that.
He could preempt IPOs. Maybe even predict real estate or elections.
In Midgard, it'd only shine in battle—a niche skill. But modern society?
Trillions would chase that power...!
"......Shit, could flip the chaebol rankings."
If Valian were smarter, greedier, that power might've threatened modern society for real.
"...Dunno if his dumbassery is a blessing or curse."
Yuseong laughed hollowly at Valian's skyrocketing balance.
Not shocked at losing the bet—just dumbfounded.
"No more worrying about donations, right?"
"Hm...?"
"Come on. With that skill, donations or whatever? No sweat. Money just multiplies anyway."
"......What're you saying?"
"What do you mean? Exactly what I said?"
"???"
"...?"
Mirni and Valian's conversation didn't mesh.
Something was off-kilter.
Sylvia, sensing trouble, asked:
"Valian, do you... think stocks are just some game?"
"Huh? Isn't it?"
"......Then what do you think this amount shown here is?"
"Fake game currency? Useless outside the game?"
"......"
"That's what I thought all along. Is there more to it?"
"......You really didn't know?"
"I have no clue what you're on about."
"Holy shit...!"
Sylvia felt her chest tighten to bursting.
No way...!! How could anyone mistake this for a game!?
"You have a bank account, don't you? Then you know what money is!"
"Bank account? What's that scrap of paper even for?"
".........What?"
A joke? Barbarian humor?
Spewing lame jokes so deadpan!?
Mirni's eyes screamed every curse under the sun, but Valian stayed stone-serious.
"Money only counts when it's in your hand. What use are digital numbers?"
"......Th-then why'd you even do the stock bet?"
"Huh? Luke called it a bet, so I played along. Problem?"
"......"
Conversation stalled dead.
They gaped in stunned silence, minds blown.
...What fresh idiocy is this?
He was always thick, but how could someone be this simple and stubborn?
'...So this moron doesn't count it as money unless it's physical cash?'
'Even for a barbarian... Does he not know checks?'
"I know checks. Still skeptical, though."
"Huh?"
"Can you really cash those for real money? I don't buy it. Something without physical form having value... Can't wrap my head around it."
"......"
"Tears if you just grab it wrong. What value's in that...?"
"...Bills are paper too?"
"Those are art. Intricate designs, historical figures. Plenty of value there."
"......"
As said before, barbarians are stubborn as hell.
Once fixated, they never budge.
And...
'How do I even get through to this guy?'
How do you reason with an idiot stubborn about money itself?
"Why do these fuckers all have some kinda fucked-up mental disorder?"
"......"
No denying it—not if you're human.