I am dead.
I am definitely dead.
And now, I am in the middle of regressing to the past.
How does a dead guy know that?
I can tell by the sound ringing automatically inside my head right now.
+ Interest
[You have passed the year 2019. COVID-19 plunged the world into a pandemic situation. You also suffered for two weeks after being infected by the coronavirus.]
Back when I was sick, I was unsure if it was truly the coronavirus, but it turns out it was.
[You have passed the year 2018.]
[You have passed the year 1999. In this year, the currencies of Europe were integrated. The 1,000 Euros you possess are converted into 1,955.83 Marks.]
Oh, I can take money with me? And it even kindly exchanges it for me?
Since I obtained the Euros in Germany, it’s being converted into Deutsche Marks.
[You have passed the year 1988. This is the year the 88 Olympics were held in Seoul.]
I know that much even if you don’t tell me!
[You have passed the year 1987. This is the year democratization in Korea began in earnest. It is also the year you were injured for a month after being struck by a riot baton swung by the Baekgoldan.]
Damn, you know everything.
I really should have landed a punch on that Baekgoldan bastard back then, but there were other bastards following behind him, so…
[You have passed the year 1985. This is the year you kissed Kang Shin-hye, the first girl you dated after entering college, without permission, and got slapped and dumped.]
Fuck, do you really have to bring up my painful memories?
It was because I did exactly what a senior told me as “advice” during a drinking session that I got dumped…
[Passing the year 1974…]
So, I died, and I am regressing to the past.
My memory from when I was alive ends at something flashing while I was driving through a mountain path.
Since then, according to the voice whining beside me, I am regressing to the past.
How can I be so sure just by listening to the voice?
Knowledge is being transferred into my head naturally, so I know.
Apparently, gods from another world tried to transfer people from Earth simultaneously, causing a collision, and to prevent the collapse of the universe, they are sending me to the past.
As for why they aren’t telling me with words but letting it enter my head naturally, it’s supposedly because a human soul might be extinguished if it comes into contact with holy divinity or something…
Anyway, they said they could prevent the collapse of the universe by sending me—whose body was completely vaporized after being hit by a meteor—to the past, so I guess I have to accept it.
The claim that sending just one person like me to the past can stop the collapse of the universe sounds a bit strange, but surely a holy god wouldn’t provide false information.
To be honest, as a history buff and an alternate history novel enthusiast, I’m actually looking forward to it a little.
[You have passed the year 1962. In this year, there was a currency reform, and the Republic of Korea Hwan was converted to Republic of Korea Won at a 10-to-1 ratio. The 241.7 million Won in cash you possess is converted into 2.417 billion Hwan.]
Huh?
What is this?
[You have passed the year 1953. This is the year the June 25 Incident ended. In this year, there was a currency reform, and it was converted at a 100-to-1 ratio. The 2.417 billion Hwan in cash you possess is converted into 241.7 billion Won.]
Huh?
Uh, uh, uh? What exactly is this?
If it’s like this, then something incredible…
[You have passed the year 1948. In this year, the government of the Republic of Korea was officially established. In this year, the German Reichsmark was converted into the German Mark at a 10-to-1 ratio. The 1,955.83 German Marks you possess are converted into 19,558.3 Reichsmark.]
[You have passed the year 1945. In this year, you were liberated from under the rule of the Empire of Japan due to Japan’s defeat. Germany also saw the fall of Nazi Germany. The 214.7 billion Republic of Korea Won you have is converted into 214.7 billion Empire of Japan Yen.]
[You have passed the year 1924. In this year, the Papiermark was converted into the Reichsmark via the Rentenmark at a ratio of 1 trillion to 1. The 19,558.3 Reichsmark you have are converted into 19 quadrillion 558 trillion 300 billion Papiermark.]
Could it be? You’re not stopping here, are you?
[You have passed the year 1914. In this year, World War I broke out, and the Papiermark, a non-convertible paper currency, was issued. The 19 quadrillion 558 trillion 300 billion Papiermark you have are converted into the same amount of German Marks. The German Mark at that time was convertible for 0.358 grams of gold. The German Marks you possess are exchanged for 7,001,871,400 tons of gold.]
Aaaaargh, what is this?
[You have passed the year 1899. In this year, the Empire of Japan Yen changed from 27.22 grams at 90% purity—effectively 24.26 grams of silver—to 0.75 grams of gold per 1 Yen. The 214.7 billion Empire of Japan Yen you possess are exchanged for 5,208,622 tons of pure silver and 635,512 tons of copper included in silver coins.]
Phew, still, I’m a bit less shocked by this.
I was just too shocked a moment ago.
[You have arrived in the year 1876. You may use the gold and silver you possess as you wish. Your goal is to survive until the year 1895. For this, you have received the Immunity to All Diseases and the Freedom from Blood-sucking Creatures.]
Right, if you’re going to send a person to the past, you should give them this level of cheat codes before sending them.
And besides the abilities that voice just mentioned, there are a few more cheat codes.
For instance, strength far superior to others, a tough physical stamina that rarely gets exhausted, and the ability to not gain weight no matter how much I eat.
Oh, and also linguistic abilities.
Well, with this much, surviving until 1895 should be possible.
[I will say it once more. Your duty is to survive until the year 1895. If you die before 1895, this world may collapse. Please survive.]
Oh!
Then does that mean I am the most important person in this world?
[That is correct. You are the most important person in this world. You must survive at all costs.]
This is a sweet deal.
In other words, I don’t need to dedicate myself to the independence of Joseon, I don’t need to struggle to catch Adolf Hitler, and I don’t need to sacrifice my life to transplant Korean democracy; it just means my survival has the highest value.
So, I can just give away a little bit of the gold or silver needed for modernization to Joseon, and I can build a palace in Shanghai to indulge in debauchery, or order a super-luxurious yacht (by this era’s standards) from the United Kingdom and spend my time playing and eating while traveling between the Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.
[If you succeed in this mission, you will obtain an immortal soul and Demigod Status. Please save this world.]
At this point, it’s a bit scary.
It’s just too advantageous for me.
Usually, there’s always something hidden behind things like this…
And this kind of intuition has always hit the mark.
***