NOVEL NEXT Chapter 196
Chapter: 196. Economy? Currency? I Don’t Know, Dude (1)
When I returned to the room, Al’sel was gone.
Feeling a bit disappointed that I couldn’t quickly share what I’d discovered, I tried to lounge on the sofa.
Fortunately, Al’sel returned to the room soon.
“You came back earlier than expected.”
“It’s my line.”
“Really? I thought you were out there fighting, yelling ‘Bring the captain out! Right!’ while blasting away a whole district.”
_*Ba-dum-tss!_
Of course, this guy sent me out due to the trouble I might face.
Well, whatever.
If I hadn’t been thinking about it, I might have just gone to the enemy base to relieve my stress after dealing with them.
So, with a confident expression, I launched into my speech.
“I think I know what’s going on with the Magic Train.”
Was my comment that shocking?
_*Thud!_
With a dense, gooey sound…
Something was seriously wrong. Al’sel’s voice rang out, and when I turned my head, I saw a syrup bottle rolling on the floor and Al’sel looking wide-eyed.
“Why, is there any reason to be surprised?”
“Eh, yes. There is. Did you meet some great sage claiming to know everything?”
“I just ran into some typical thugs.
But meeting thugs doesn’t seem that ordinary either. Anyway…”
“Then, let’s hear it.”
At my prompt, Al’sel quickly grabbed some coffee and sat down in front of me.
“Do I need to clear the syrup?”
“It’s already cleaned up.”
Surprised by that, I turned to see the place where the syrup had spilled was as spotless as ever.
“That kind of cleanup is done automatically if you pay with currency. Don’t be too surprised.”
Ah, right. This wasn’t a regular space.
I’d momentarily mistaken it for my world because it was so similar.
It is surprising that such services are dealt with through currency.
But that’s not the main issue.
So how should I phrase it?
“About the current situation of the Magic Train. To put it bluntly, isn’t the deactivation of the training center and the concentration of wealth happening?”
A specific group monopolizes the training center’s wealth, while the lower class loses their means to earn currency.
In a normal society, whether living in the mountains or being homeless, there would be ways to survive, but here it’s as if everything relies on currency, like some game.
Outside, only the endless otherworld waiting, which is basically a death sentence.
I don’t know if running out of currency would mean being expelled from the Magic Train or just losing their residence, but regardless, forcing the residents out is denying the meaning of being a haven or a training ground for soldiers.
Just look at those thugs crowding around. They’re so weak.
Even if there are thousands of them, they couldn’t even eat Jeju Island.
Satisfied with my thoughts, I gulped down the coffee in front of me.
Unlike the coffee I had earlier, this one was a lighter blend with a sweet syrup flavor.
As I savored the taste, I anticipated Al’sel’s surprise, but…
_”…Is that all?”_
Al’sel gazed at me blankly without much reaction.
Uh. This was not what I expected…
There are several underlying issues. Instead of getting stronger, they might focus on turf wars. A structure exploiting others could emerge.
But was there really a need to mention such details? You’re smart, after all.
“In essence, it means a strong few control a weak many.”
As I stammered through my explanation, Al’sel intertwined his fingers with a lukewarm gaze and finally spoke.
“Some of that is correct… But, well. Since you’re Haram, should I say it’s impressive you figured out at least this much?”
Is that a compliment or an insult?
“So, what exactly is the problem you’re mentioning?”
“It’s too broad, making it hard to articulate. First, the currency system that allows such issues to arise is problematic. The randomly changed test system is a problem too. To put it simply, the entire system is flawed.”
“Do you really think that’s valid? I could say, ‘everything’s a problem.'”
“Well, that’s true. I too expressed myself a bit too drastically to convey that what you mentioned is part of the bigger picture. How about this?”
_Grin.
Al’sel donned that mask again, sporting a sly smile as he spoke.
“The residents are reluctant to grow. Since the Magic Train is such a solid fortress, they ignore those far-off false existences, giving up on growth, and instead focus on protecting the values they hold.”
A sinister atmosphere began to envelop the room, which Al’sel exudes when he works on others.
“They’ve soaked in peace, hoarding wealth among themselves. They even end up slaughtering newcomers based on their own standards. Ha. Even among us, only about 10-20% generally fail in that test. After all, we’re a haven.”
An oddly fitting laugh slipped out from something so utterly mismatched.
But even 10% feels like a significant number.
Let’s not dwell on that. These octopus guys aren’t just a singular instance of strange behavior.
“But, Haram. Doesn’t this seem familiar to you?”
_”Are you hearing voices all of a sudden?”_
“Soldiers languishing in peace, unwilling to grow…”
_*Kiki-ki-ki!_
A long, sharp laugh dominated the room.
“Isn’t it a compression of the complaints you had back on Earth?”
_Sure, it’s not entirely the same, but at least it’s worth a simulated exercise._
Al’sel’s words flitted through my mind.
The ones soaked in peace.
Those who hold power.
Corrupt heads above.
Factions.
Thinking about that, I recalled the current state of the Magic Train.
‘The current prices here are ridiculous. To cover a day’s living expenses, I’ll need to hunt around a hundred monsters in training.’
‘This price doesn’t even include food costs. To prevent such situations, there was a system to adjust prices according to the currency supply, but it seems like they twisted it instead.’
‘In short, there was a system that adjusted costs based on resident income, but due to treating trade as income, a specific group lies to make it seem like they have more overall income by giving currency to lower tiers.’
‘Also, as you’ve seen, those lacking ability repeatedly catch stronger individuals, thus the amount of currency in circulation increases drastically, diminishing the earnings possible through training.’
‘So, it turned into a structure dependent on those with significant income, even if they’re not quite as loaded as they sound. Those up top don’t like sharing their money, so they intervened in the test system, drastically reducing incoming numbers.’
I rambled on, but honestly, I couldn’t quite remember.
Was it inflation? Deflation? Whatever it was…
“Unho, do you get it?”
“About somewhat?”
Why can’t I understand that Unho also comprehends?
Hmm. Am I really that dumb?
I’ve rarely doubted my intelligence in life, yet here I am, about to become a fool that only drools!
Lost in self-pity while swaying blindly without bothering Unho,
“The calculations are complete.”
From where Al’sel sat, fiddling with a pen, came the awaited response.
“If the coordinates Unho mentioned are correct, we should pass that way in about 30 days. However, we must go through the Deep Otherworld at least once.”
The Deep Otherworld, where the reality tensors Al’sel mentioned don’t apply…
In a month.
That doesn’t make me feel like we can change things here.
To put it bluntly, if as Al’sel said, the amassed currency is the issue, we could just go ahead and knock out whoever holds it…
But that would instantly expel many who rely on it, right? It wouldn’t simply adjust the amounts in a moment.
And it’s not a fundamental solution either.
Even if we ousted them, the entities beneath would do the exact same thing again. What have they learned after all?
We can’t just stay here and manage everything forever.
Would Al’sel do it though?
I subtly glanced at him, but he just shook his head as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
_Sigh.
I feel like I might be overthinking it.
It felt like I pondered an entire year’s worth in just 10 minutes, and with a headache building, I spoke up.
“Whether we succeed or fail in changing things, we’re leaving in a month, right?”
“Yes, that’s absolutely in line with what I initially promised.”
Then what… should I offer to cooperate?
Such things are all part of experience, and as Al’sel mentioned, it could serve as training too.
Not to mention, it’s kinda boring.
While I could sleep for the first day or two, if I’m expected to do that for a whole month, I’d snap.
There are no smartphones, gaming devices, or computers here.
So, for the sake of killing time,
“Have you thought of a method?”
I mentioned my willingness to cooperate.
“I do have several ideas, but as you know, I am one to plan thoroughly before taking action.”
I don’t know… You often seem to toss your plans aside and rampage instead.
I wonder if you just enjoy making plans.
_*Whatever, plans aside. It’s because we’re short on information. Whether we go for a terror strike or smash heads, we need to know who we’re dealing with, right?_
That’s a fair point, but…
“You were involved in making this big guy, right? Surely you have some admin privileges?”
Like a GM or something.
“Well, I do but it’s not grandiose. I only have enough access, like before, to enter areas off-limits. Only those deeply involved can access complete data.”
That means altering the system is tough too…
“So among those who possess such core permissions, do you know anyone…?”
Before I even finished, I realized I spoke too soon. The color of Al’sel’s skin shifted to a violet hue.
“They’re already all dead, Haram.”
Yup.
Hearing that made me turn away.
We sat in awkward silence for about 30 seconds.
“Uh, um. That’s not what I meant to say. Shouldn’t we go get information first?”
“Huh? Ah! Sure, I’m good with that. But how?”
Al’sel mustered his courage, attempting a mood shift that didn’t suit him, which prompted me to respond playfully.
“I’m pretty sure you’d like this method.”
As Al’sel said that, he moved towards the door.
I also stood up from the sofa to follow him and waited for what would come next.
“After all, we only have 30 days, right? So…”
_*Click!_
The doorknob turned.
“We’ll smash a group and yank the information straight from their heads!”
Al’sel chuckled.
“What a fantastic plan, not like you at all.”
I flashed a bright smile in response.
In tandem, I summoned my hammer, swinging my arm to loosen up.