Second Chance

I blinked my eyes open and shut. I took a deep breath, and I moved my feet for no particular reason.

No matter what I did, it didn't hurt at all.

It was strange.

Just a moment ago, my entire body had been in pain, as if it were literally shattering, yet suddenly I was fine as if nothing had happened.

"Ah."

My voice was weird too.

It wasn't the cracked, unpleasant voice I was used to, but the slightly thin voice of a boy.

It was the same voice I had when I first opened my eyes in this body.

I still couldn't wrap my head around what on earth was going on.

Looking away from the ceiling to survey my surroundings, I saw a familiar landscape I thought I had long forgotten.

It was the shabby hut where I had first opened my eyes, the place where I had been indebted for several years.

I clenched my fist.

My thin, bony fingers looked quite pitiful.

Still, they looked better than the hands I had been looking at just a moment ago.

At least my nails weren't cracked and lifted, and my burnt skin wasn't peeling off.

Before that, I needed to figure out what on earth the things I had seen just a moment ago were.

Surely, there was no way I had returned to the past.

If that was the case, then...

"Was it a dream...?"

Perhaps I had just had a dream that was strangely vivid and terribly realistic.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come to any other conclusion.

I let out a dry laugh because it was so absurd.

It seemed my brain had cooked up a plausible nightmare because it couldn't accept the reality of suddenly possessing this boy.

I decided to consider it that way.

The days of chewing and swallowing grass roots and muddy water, the days of being shoved under a rotting floorboard and being called a worm. The flames that burned the dawn sky.

...And Jeok Hwari, who wasn't even allowed to fall while pierced by all sorts of weapons.

I decided to think of it all as a dream.

Because if it wasn't, it wouldn't make any sense.

Still, I said it playfully, just in case.

"I offer it."

Then, the air distorted, and a scale appeared.

"......"

It was an old scale, one I was so familiar with that I was sick of it, yet had grown attached to.

That scale, which I could see but not touch.

That power, which I had used to the fullest until the moment before I died, ever since I realized I possessed it.

Equivalent Exchange, that ability was still with me.

I thought it was absurd, but everything around me was proving that this was reality.

If it wasn't a dream, did I really return to the past?

Did I get a second chance?

The moment I was overwhelmed by that fact, a question followed.

Why did I return?

Not Hwari, why me?

I really couldn't understand this.

If someone had to regress, it should have been her, so why on earth did I regress?

It was her fate that I asked to be changed, not mine.

While I was in confusion, a piece of paper appeared before my eyes.

Like the scale, it was a paper I couldn't touch, but one that was clearly visible to me.

'Repay the debt you owe to Jeok Hwari.'

That was what was written on the paper.

Repay what, exactly?

Before I could even ask, a thought filled my head.

She exists.

It's not a delusion.

She's still alive.

She didn't die to protect a worthless person like me.

She wasn't sold to me by her family.

She didn't offer meaningless devotion to a family that wouldn't look back at her.

She didn't commit crimes because of me.

She didn't lie about coming back after shoving me under the rotting floorboard.

Nothing has happened yet.

"Ha, ha-ha."

Thinking that, laughter came out on its own.

I wanted to laugh like a madman, until I fell over clutching my stomach.

However, for some reason, my throat tightened, and I couldn't laugh properly.

Still, I laughed.

Because I was so glad that all those things hadn't happened.

Only after sobbing for a long time could I finally calm my laughter.

Only then could I think calmly.

Why did I return instead of her?

Perhaps.

It might be because, even if she were given a second chance, she wouldn't be able to change her own fate.

Or maybe, even if she were given a second chance, she would foolishly walk the same path, saying this time would be different.

Since I had said I would sacrifice my entire future for her, perhaps Equivalent Exchange had given me another chance to devote myself entirely to her this time.

That thought occurred to me.

In other words, the reason I returned is...

"...Yeah, if I want to save her, I have to change it with my own hands."

It must mean that only I can save her.

I looked at the paper again.

Repay the debt you owe to Jeok Hwari.

If that is the debt given to me, I will gladly repay it.

If it is to change her fate, I will gladly pay any price.

I will do anything for her.

To do that, I needed money.

I needed money so that she wouldn't become miserable.

I had the power to put a price on anything in the world and buy or sell it.

Even if Equivalent Exchange demanded an absurd price when I tried to save her, I needed enough money to pay it lightly.

"I'll just earn it."

Once I said it out loud, everything seemed clear.

Let's pile up a mountain of gold for her.

Let's buy houses, people, and authority. Let's acquire everything. So that whatever she wishes for, I can grant it without difficulty.

No matter what it takes, let's earn money.

"I'll gladly earn it."

The corners of my mouth curled up.

I still didn't know why my heart was swelling. However, I wondered if I even needed to put a name to it.

The most important thing to a merchant wasn't the name of an emotion, but the purpose of the transaction.

"This time for sure..."

So that you won't become miserable.

I clenched my small fist.

It was a boy's hand—thin, pathetic, and one that had never held anything.

That was more than enough.

Because I know.

How to rake in the money.

If there was one thing I was confident in, it was earning money.

That was the only strength I, Gong Si-hyun, possessed.

I checked what I currently had.

About a dozen coins, one stained jade pendant, and the old, tattered clothes I was wearing were all that I could call mine.

To others, it was a starting capital slightly better than a beggar's, but for me, this was enough.

No one is born a great merchant from the start.

Even those born with a silver spoon in their mouths learn business from small change.

Considering that, I could already be called a great merchant.

I knew how to roll small change into big money, and how to roll that as well.

Of course, most of it was done with my ability, but isn't using what you have properly a talent in itself?

I took out the jade pendant with a string, which was carefully kept inside my jacket.

It was an item I had possessed from the moment I became this body.

Even if it wasn't enough to be offered to the imperial family, it was worth a decent amount.

It was certain that there was some story behind it. If not, the original owner of this body might have stolen it from somewhere.

If it were now, I might be able to find out what that story was, but well.

I didn't care where the original owner got the item.

"I offer this jade pendant."

I decided to use it to take the first step toward saving her.

"In the upcoming market nearby, I will buy the location of the item that is valued the lowest compared to its original worth. However, the information I acquire is limited to items that can be bought with the money I have."

It's been a long time since I gave such specific instructions.

I didn't need to do this in the past.

I didn't need to attach conditions like a penny-pincher; I could just pay a large sum in advance and let Equivalent Exchange proceed with the transaction.

But not now.

I didn't have much money to spend right now, so I had to set strict constraints.

If I didn't, I might end up blowing this jade pendant away.

Equivalent Exchange was neither kind nor a power that created something from nothing.

It was a power that, limited to things that could be solved with money, skipped the intermediate process and brought the result forward.

Basically, it only accepted prepayments, and it didn't even carry out the transaction according to the price paid.

If it was insufficient, the transaction would fail as it was, and if the paid value was overflowing, it wouldn't give change.

If I had set the constraints loosely, it might have told me the location of an item worth ten silver ingots at some distant noble auction house.

Of course, that would be valuable information, but what good would it do to know? I wouldn't even be able to step across the threshold of that auction house right now.

As soon as I declared the offering, the jade pendant in my hand scattered into dust.

At the same time, clear information was input into my head.

When and where to go, and what to buy.

The item revealed was an old short sword.

I was disappointed for a moment, but soon I laughed when I saw the pattern engraved on the scabbard.

If it's the mark of a ruined noble family, Equivalent Exchange will probably value it quite highly.

There might be collectors who would pay more, but I didn't have the leisure to go around looking for them.

"...Is it today?"

I have to go buy it quickly before someone else takes it.

Coincidentally, the still-dim dawn sky was welcoming me.

I hurried my steps to make sure this dawn sky wouldn't be the last scenery she sees.

"Wait for me."

I stepped into the darkness.

She couldn't hear me yet.

No, she probably didn't even know me.

But it didn't matter.

Because I remembered her.

—

A cracked porcelain bowl, a sickle with a broken handle, a rusted hairpin, a pouch with burst seams.

And among them, an old short sword lying in its scabbard.

To the naked eye, it didn't look much different from the junk lying around it.

The hilt was dirty, and there were scratches here and there on the scabbard.

I could see clearly how it would be without even drawing the blade.

Since it wouldn't have been properly maintained, the blade would have dulled or rusted.

Still, the engraving on the scabbard was clear.

That pattern, which looked like a scratch, was something that nouveau riches would later scour the world for, trying to claim they were actually descended from a noble family.

The sight of them stubbornly insisting they were nobles with just a single short sword.

I laughed at those nouveau riches back then, but the fact that this ridiculous thing was now my starting capital was truly a blessing in disguise.

Since this scabbard was scheduled to be traded for several dozen gold coins later.

Right now... it would be treated at a price a bit lower than that.

But the value of a noble's name didn't just disappear.

"If you're not buying, get lost, kid."

The old merchant glanced at me and waved his hand, as if he knew I was trying to steal something.

I guess he didn't even see me as a customer.

Well, looking at my appearance, that was understandable.

I was a kid in old clothes, with a frail physique, looking no different from a beggar at first glance.

Regardless, I asked the old man.

"How much is this?"

When I pointed to the short sword, the old merchant finally treated me like a customer.

His attitude was still indifferent, though.

"That's not something for you to carry."

"I asked how much."

"It's a sword. It's not a toy for kids."

"Yes, I can see that. So, how much is it?"

Then the old man looked at me as if I were annoying, and looked at me with quite nostalgic eyes.

The eyes of someone trying to rip off a sucker.

Before I regressed, I was the one ripping off suckers, not the one being ripped off.

Being on the receiving end was quite unpleasant.

It was also a bit new to be looked at like that by a pathetic merchant.

"Twenty coins."

The man said.

I didn't even pick up the short sword and looked at him.

"Don't try to rip me off with that nonsense."

Then the old man's eyebrows twitched.

"What?"

"The blade is rusted, the scabbard is scratched and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠damaged, and the hilt is loose and about to fall off—are you going to sell it for that price? If you threw it on the side of the road, even a scrap dealer wouldn't pick it up."

"What does a brat like you know...!"

"I'm trying to buy it for you, are you going to kick away the opportunity that rolled in because you can't overcome your greed?"

I glanced at the broken sickle and the rusted hairpin.

"How many things on this mat do you think will actually sell?"

The old man, who had been angry just a moment ago, shut his mouth tight as if he ran out of things to say the more he listened to me.

I took the coins out of my pocket.

Twelve coins.

It was all I could spare for the short sword right now.

Because I had to keep about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠three coins.

"Twelve coins."

"I said twenty."

"Oh, is that so? Then, goodbye."

I tried to put the coins back.

"Wait."

The old merchant asked me urgently.

"Why are you trying to buy that?"

I didn't answer. Because there was no reason to answer.

The moment I answered, he would find a reason to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raise the price.

The stupidest thing in the merchant world was revealing why you wanted an item.

Because it was no different from bowing down and submitting.

I just placed the twelve coins on the mat.

Clink.

"Will you sell it?"

"......Fifteen."

"Twelve."

"You're a ruthless brat."

"Twelve coins is a generous offer. You know it, no one else is going to pay money for this."

The old man glared at me for a while.

He probably found it quite unpleasant that the brat he looked down on had taken the initiative.

I understood. Even I would have frowned if someone I looked down on gained momentum.

But, do you do business based on feelings?

"Take it."

The old man clicked his tongue and swept up the coins.

When I picked up the short sword to check its condition, as expected, there wasn't a single part of it that was intact.

Still, well, as long as the pattern was fine.

"I don't know what you're planning to do with that piece of junk, but if you go around acting like it's a real sword, you're going to get hurt badly."

The old merchant said bluntly.

I didn't bother to respond and left the spot.

He was someone I would never see again.

Now, I was going to find someone who had the eye to recognize this.

Of course, I could earn big money by rolling money on my own. I had enough ability for that.

But when you have nothing, you have to gladly accept the help of others.

There was no need to do something cumbersome and annoying when there was a fast path.

Although it was a bit early, it seemed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the time had come to join a merchant group.

As it happened, there was a merchant group nearby that would open its doors to me.

No, should I say a merchant group I could make open its doors?

I rolled the short sword in my hand and started walking.