READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 1
“I thought my life was pretty decent.”
As soon as I opened my eyes, I realized I was possessed by someone else.
No life-threatening situations popped up, no annoying quests on my screen, and thankfully, there were no forced actions from any status windows.
All I had was the flimsy title of a possessor.
Life in this other world without duties or missions. Isn’t that pretty sweet?
‘But that’s about to change.’
I adjusted my monocle slightly.
While sipping on a blended coffee, I read a freshly printed newspaper.
The headline read:
[Another Monster Invasion at the Front Lines. When will there be peace?]
Monsters.
My eyes zeroed in on that word.
For someone living in this world, “monster” isn’t exactly an unfamiliar term.
Those freaks pop up at the front lines at every opportunity.
Humanity’s ancient foes.
The people here had defined “monsters” that way.
However, for me as a possessor, the word took me back to a game I played in the past.
‘Monster invasion, huh… this place really is Eoin’s world.’
Age of Invasion.
The so-called Age of Conquest.
A defense game where you tackle incoming monsters at the front lines using buildings, heroes, and units.
The headline in the newspaper brought back memories of Eoin in my mind.
The name of the empire, the flow at the front lines, even the invading monsters.
Everything matched the set-up of Eoin.
Sure enough.
As I contemplated the heavy situation, a rectangular blue window appeared before me.
No need to explain; it was a status window.
The thing that hadn’t reacted even once in the last few months popped up now, almost as if saying, “Let’s get this party started.”
[Objective: Save the World.]
The words on the status window were short and simple.
But the implications were anything but light.
I sighed and folded the newspaper.
‘So, it wants me to get busy now. I guess I’ve been living too comfortably as a possessor.’
I folded the newspaper twice and set it on the edge of the desk.
I put my monocle back in its case and slipped on the brown coat that had been draped over the chair.
‘Fortunately, I haven’t been completely idle all this time.’
My gaze shifted to the watch encircling my wrist.
Five months had already passed since I first opened my eyes.
I had prepared, at least to some extent, for what was to come.
‘Whatever the monsters are up to, I won’t let them ruin this comfortable life.’
With that thought, I opened the door and stepped outside.
The world needed me.
@
I descended the stairs and opened the door to the first floor.
With a creak, the typical pub scenery appeared beyond the door.
The strong aroma of coffee.
The smell of tobacco reminiscent of a Cuban double.
And the spicy scent of alcohol wafting up from the oak barrels.
All of it rushed in with the sunlight.
Someone behind the counter spotted me and opened their mouth.
“You finally up?”
I turned my gaze toward the sound.
A middle-aged man with a smooth, bald head stood alone.
He was the owner of the inn and pub where I had been staying, ‘The Crooked Fish.’
It had been a few months since I last saw him.
He never told me his name, so I always referred to him as “the master.”
“Good morning, Master.”
“Morning? It’s already lunch.”
“Really? I lost track of time with the nights and days being switched around. How about breakfast?”
“I told you, it’s lunch.”
I sat down at the counter.
The master, who had been flipping TV channels, rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
“You seem to have deep pockets, so of course, I’ll treat you. What will it be?”
“Let’s see… one tuna sandwich and a lime casino. That’ll do.”
“We’re running low on tuna, you know? Almost sold out what I prepped.”
“Doesn’t matter. Scrape those barrels clean if you have to.”
While resting my chin on my hand, I killed time watching TV.
As the broadcast switched from commercials to the news, the master set a plate in front of me.
“Grilled tuna beef sandwich. Lime casino will be ready shortly.”
“I never ordered grilled beef though?”
The master focused on shaking things up instead of answering.
Must be his way of providing service without openly saying it.
I took a big bite out of the tuna sandwich.
“I still can’t figure out why this tuna sandwich is so popular.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what’s so tasty about tuna soaked in oil?”
“Don’t you eat it often? Your family does too.”
“Who said I don’t? If you’re making me do it, I tried it just for kicks, but now it’s so popular it’s getting a bit scary.”
The master shrugged and set down a glass for me. It was also the lime casino I ordered.
-Gulp!
“If it sells well, that’s a good thing. Did you register the patent?”
“Of course, I did that ages ago. Oh, speaking of which, take this.”
The master suddenly placed a bundle of cash in front of me.
“What’s this?”
“What do you think? It’s the money from the tuna sandwich sales. You gave me the idea, so why should I keep all that cash to myself?”
I checked the bundle as the master explained.
100 notes of 50,000 cro each, totaling 5 million cro.
Just so you know, the currency here, cro, is basically 1:1 compared to won.
So the money the master handed me was worth around 5 million won.
Not exactly pocket change, that.
But I casually returned the bundle back to the master.
“Keep it for your expenses, Master.”
“What? Did you count it? That’s 5 million cro! That’s definitely not small money!”
“I don’t really need it. I already have enough to live on my own.”
I said this calmly while sipping the remaining casino drink.
The master muttered, “What a curious guy…” before taking the money back.
“Now that I think about it, you really are strange. Last time, you gave a big tip to that little newspaper boy.”
“The newsboy? He’s just trying to help his parents out by running around in the morning.”
I recalled that boy who tap-tapped the pub’s door.
The newsboy in a newsboy cap.
He was earning 8000 cro an hour selling newspapers.
I felt a twinge of sympathy for that kid.
So I signed up for a year’s subscription along with a tip.
Thanks to that, the boy diligently stopped by the pub every morning to tuck a newspaper under the door before leaving.
In his own way, the boy had returned kindness.
Because of that, I enjoyed the luxury of reading warm newspapers in comfort, like a noble.
“True, but normal folks don’t just sprinkle money around just because they pity someone, you know?”
“Sprinkling? It was just 1 million cro.”
“Hey, the tuna sandwich you ate was 3000 cro a piece. If you have that kind of money, at least give a decent tip.”
“Consider it payment for the bundle earlier.”
I chuckled lightly and set down my empty glass.
Then I asked, “By the way, Master. Any news on that request I made earlier?”
“News? Oh, you mean about finding that girl?”
“Yes. It’s been a while, so I thought it might be time for some updates.”
“Well said. I almost forgot, but it came to mind just now.”
The master took out a piece of paper from the shelf and handed it to me.
“Here. I received this a week ago. I was going to give it to you, but you didn’t come down from the second floor.”
“Sorry about that. I was busy making other things. By the way, did you check the details? Was there anything strange?”
“Hmm, nothing that stood out… Oh, wait! There’s one thing. The girl you’re looking for? Turns out she’s not an adult; she’s a child.”
“A child?”
I tilted my head as I checked the document.
A girl with silver hair and blue eyes was displayed in the left profile section.
[Name: Lacrina]
[Age: 15]
[Currently residing at Moonwell Orphanage]
“So? Is that the girl you were looking for?”
“…Yes, that’s her. The age is a bit off, but…”
I stared at the photo for a while.
Before long, I felt certain.
She was one of the main characters that decorated the cover of the game.
A master of both sword and magic.
The absolute requisitioning swordsman, Lacrina.
‘Monsters invade after several months, the status screen activates, and I even find the person I was looking for… This timing is a bit too coincidental.’
It felt like the time that had been frozen was finally starting to tick again.
I pondered briefly while looking at the profile.
The Moonwell Orphanage where she currently resided wasn’t too far away. Maybe a 30-minute drive.
‘There’s no need to put it off.’
Resolute, I stood up from my seat.
“Thanks for the meal, Master.”
“So, are you going to that orphanage?”
“I want to meet someone I’ve been looking for.”
I pulled out several bundles of money from my pocket and placed them on the counter.
The master stared wide-eyed at the piles I had set down.
“What’s with this sudden turn? Why are you giving me money?”
“It’s a payment for information. Just accept it as a gesture of goodwill.”
Feeling lazy about explaining more, I kept my response brief before opening the pub door and stepping outside.
Left behind was nothing but silence.
The master, now alone, examined the bundles of money I had left behind.
One, two, three… A total of 30 million cro.
“What the heck… what on earth is up with that guy’s money?”
The master stared blankly at the spot where I had disappeared.
Was it just me, or did it seem like there was a scent of money lingering where I’d been?
@
My mindset was straightforward.
Since a character of high merit appeared, I’d do whatever it takes to bring her along. That was that.
‘Eventually, Lacrina will enter the academy. So her leaving the orphanage is a given. All I need to do is step in and offer to support her.’
There are various ways to buy someone’s goodwill.
Spending time to show sincerity.
Gaining trust to earn their favor.
By now, you must have picked up on it; the important part comes down to one thing.
Earning the other person’s heart.
That’s the only thing that matters.
So I simply bought it with money.
After all, isn’t it all about buying someone’s heart?
“I hear there’s a girl named Lacrina here?”
“Huh? Oh, yes…”
The orphanage was being run by a nun.
Standing before the elderly nun, who had lived simply her entire life, I took out the bundle of cash from my pocket.
“Let’s get straight to the point. I want to take that girl with me. In return, I’ll donate 50 million cro to the orphanage.”
I said this as I pulled out ten bundles of cash.
Stacking them on the desk and sliding them toward the nun.
“Just so you know, this is cash, not a check. What do you think? Is this enough?”
In a calm tone, I asked.
My expression was utterly serene.
However, the nun sitting across from me felt as if she had suddenly become a slave trader.
Where on earth did such a huge amount of money even come from?
“Wait! There’s no need to just pull out money right away—”
“Not enough? Should I add another 10 million cro?”
“…Huh?”
I pulled out more bills and stacked them on the pile.
Now, that made it a total of 60 million cro.
“Is that enough now?”
“Just a moment! Please—”
“Another 10 million?”
“No! That’s not it—”
“20 million?”
“Ma’am, please let me—”
“Okay, let’s go for a neat 100 million.”
I pulled out more bundles of cash.
Building the stack like it was Jenga, I pushed it toward the nun.
“That totals 100 million cro now.”
“……”
“Is it still not enough? Should I just throw in another 100 million?”
“Stop! Stop!”
The elderly nun waved her hands frantically, screaming at me.
Finally, I ceased my cash-stacking game.
Now we could finally have a conversation.
The nun, looking tired, adjusted the wrinkles around her eyes.
“…You don’t really need to donate. We respect the children’s opinions here. If the children are okay with it, you can take them whenever you wish.”
“Hmm. I see.”
I nodded while listening to her explanation.
At least I intended to stop playing around with money.
Finally, the nun felt a bit relieved.
Having lived a modest life all her life, the sight of cash piling up in real-time wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
“Sister, could you please convey my good intention to Lacrina?”
“Huh? Well… I guess I could…”
“Thanks. In that case, allow me to offer you the 100 million cro as a token of goodwill.”
“…Could you not take it back?”
There’s no way greed like this would be good on the path to altruism.
It felt like my actions could be mistaken for those of a slave trader.
With that in mind, the nun’s gaze started to darken, but I just shook my head firmly.
“I’m sorry, but it would be more bothersome to put all twenty bundles back in my pocket.”
“……Alright.”
“Just keep it. As I said earlier, use it for the orphanage’s operation costs. And make sure you treat yourself too, Sister.”
“Okay…”
With a weary expression, the nun agreed.
No matter the reasoning, having a surplus for operational costs was a good thing.
Though it was an excessive amount… good is good, right?
@
The conversation came to a brief halt.
The nun first went to find Lacrina to relay what I had said.
“Lacrina, someone wants to take you with him.”
“…Me? Who is it?”
“Well…”
The nun recalled who I was.
Unfortunately, all she could think of was the piles of cash.
“Um… he’s someone who has a lot of money.”
“Really? Ah… okay…”
“He’s actually super duper rich.”
“Really? Uh… that’s a relief?”
“Right?”
The old nun beamed at Lacrina.
Lacrina felt a twinge of suspicion, thinking she might be getting sold off.