Chapter 1: The water of the Earth is the treasure of that world (1)

The world had become a world of hunters.

When monsters first appeared, people talked about the end of the world.

But it was, in fact, an opportunity.

Stagnant technologies advanced rapidly thanks to monster byproducts.

Humans no longer needed to dig for oil or operate nuclear power plants to obtain sufficient energy.

The ‘Doomsday Clock’ had stopped.

People were enjoying abundance, and most countries were developing at an astonishing rate.

The stock prices of companies even remotely related to ‘monsters’ soared, and it wasn’t just a bubble.

They achieved innovations that met or even exceeded expectations.

But not everyone became rich.

Ordinary people still existed.

There were still people starving to death and those who worked day in and day out just to survive.

Just because Earth’s resources had become infinite—

Didn’t mean those resources were distributed to everyone.

****

“Sigh…”

Time to go home.

After taking the subway and the bus, I finally arrived home and collapsed onto my bed.

I failed to awaken again today.

‘Sigh…’

People who awakened their abilities through the status window were able to change their lives, whether their abilities were useful or useless.

Regardless of the abilities they received, they were awakened.

They possessed physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans and had a high affinity for mana.

Once awakened, even if it was just to mine stones in a dungeon, one could earn more than a typical corporate worker.

But this fortune was not meant for me.

I went to work today, did my job, and collapsed onto my bed again.

Just then-

[Congratulations on awakening your ability. Your awakened ability is ‘Multidimensional Merchant’.]

“Huh?”

Something floated before my eyes.

“Hmm.”

I couldn’t tell if the ability before me was a hallucination or a real awakening.

“Did I… make it?”

[You can designate the dimension to connect through parallel worlds.]

[By specifying media such as games, novels, or movies, you can access the worlds that appear in them.]

“Huh?”

If this was a hallucination, it should have disappeared after the first message.

But the status window before me did not disappear.

Even when I closed and opened my eyes or looked away briefly, it remained in the same place.

“It’s a real awakening?”

I quickly got up and took a shower.

I was too tired now.

I wanted to examine this ability with a clearer mind.

‘Even doing odd jobs can make money, but—’

Multidimensional Merchant.

It didn’t seem like a good ability for fighting.

Sometimes, awakened individuals named ‘Alchemist’ could hunt monsters by throwing flasks, but such exceptions were rare.

First, I needed to analyze my ability clearly.

“Sigh…”

After showering, I examined my ability by looking around the status window.

“I can interact with other dimensions, send and receive items through a sub dimensional inventory… sub dimensional inventory?”

The moment I thought about ‘opening’ it, the inventory appeared beside me.

It wasn’t very large.

It was about the size of a large cardboard box, enough to fit an air purifier.

But the mere existence of an inventory exponentially increased the value of this ability.

Even if I gave up all other abilities and only used the inventory, I could safely transport dangerous herbs or hard-to-handle ores.

“Anyway…”

I checked my ability again.

“I can put items in the sub dimensional inventory, send them to another dimension, receive items sent from another dimension, and have limited communication…”

The ability itself wasn’t very complex, but the conditions were a bit tricky.

“Still… the limitations are quite strict.”

I couldn’t trade with just anyone in that world, only through a ‘trading post’ I set up there.

I couldn’t just randomly increase the number of ‘tradable worlds’ either.

I needed to reach a certain level of trading performance before I could contact a new world.

“I need to choose the first world carefully.”

I was lost in thought.

For now, it was difficult to determine how much I could benefit from this ability.

I couldn’t deny that it was ‘beneficial’.

But when I considered ‘how much I could risk’ for this, I was hesitant.

“Sigh…”

The most valuable items on Earth were, of course, ‘materials harvested from monsters’.

Mysterious and absolute materials beyond human science.

Such items would sell anywhere.

They were bound to sell.

‘An SF setting… it would definitely sell in a world where ‘only’ science is advanced.’

But those are precious materials.

Naturally, they are expensive for me to acquire.

I don’t know if it will sell, when it will sell.

I don’t even know if people from other dimensions can afford it.

But to take on a huge debt to buy those precious materials?

‘That’s absurd.’

Easily sellable materials.

If possible, I need to contact a world where I can sell materials I can currently use.

‘And… I don’t need to expect to get rich quick.’

I continued to check the status window.

After unlocking one ‘world’, what I needed to unlock the next world was ‘trading performance’.

Successfully trading with the first world would undoubtedly be difficult.

But I ‘must’ succeed in trading there to accumulate ‘trading performance’ to advance to the next world.

“Let’s not focus on money.”

It was ironic, but it was the right thing to do.

I should consider the first world as an investment.

I should abandon the idea of taking expensive and valuable items to get incredibly precious items from the other world.

“An item I can easily obtain, a world where they ‘must’ need it…”

It doesn’t have to be something they absolutely need.

Anyway, anything is fine as long as they send ‘something’ this way.

“Let’s see…”

Checking the status window further, I was convinced that my thoughts were correct.

‘Trading performance’ seemed to focus more on the quantity and frequency of transactions rather than the value of the items.

There might be exceptions, such as weighting transactions involving magical items, but similar weight, similar volume, and similar frequency would not be valued differently.

‘Of course.’

Even on Earth, the price of goods varies depending on location.

The price of fresh seafood eaten by deep-sea fishermen and the fresh seafood served at a restaurant cannot be the same.

But the quality of the fishermen’s seafood might be better, even if the price is ridiculously cheap.

The status window could not possibly grasp the ‘material value on Earth’.

“Let’s think…”

I need something I can easily obtain on Earth without arousing suspicion or incurring unnecessary expenses.

And in the other world, they must suffer as if they would die without ‘this item’.

‘Food?’

Simple and straightforward.

But delving deeper, it wasn’t that easy.

Rice comes to mind immediately.

But cooking rice requires water and heat.

Depending on the situation, it might not be considered a valuable item.

“Hmm.”

I searched the status window further to determine the location of the ‘trading post’.

“A place where intelligent beings that can trade are likely to be around…”

At least I didn’t have to worry about the trading post being in the middle of the ocean, shouting, ‘Is anyone here?’

But it was unlikely that my trading post would be limited to a place with ‘rice culture’.

“This isn’t easy.”

The random condition within the world also gave me a headache.

Game worlds are vast.

There was a possibility that my trading post could end up in a place where playable characters couldn’t go.

“The world… needs to be somewhat uniform.”

If I wanted a mountainous region, I needed to choose a world ‘covered entirely in mountains’.

If I wanted a forest, I needed to choose a world ‘covered entirely in forest’.

“This is difficult…”

Of course, there were foods that would be accepted without much resistance ‘as long as they eat’.

Ready-to-eat snacks, bread, or jerky.

But these are too costly.

I couldn’t just choose supplies based on that without knowing how much I would need to spend on ‘trade’.

“…Water.”

A single syllable word crossed my mind.

“Water.”

This was a resource that at least humanoid creatures would desperately crave.

“A place that needs water. A desert…”

I need to let go of my greed.

“If possible, I wanted to trade with a fantasy or SF world. But that’s dangerous.”

Their items might be incredibly valuable to me, but my items were unlikely to be valuable to them.

I need to lower my expectations.

What I need now is not to receive certain items through trade but to continue the trade itself.

“Post-apocalypse.”

A world where everything is covered in desert and dust due to war, where people risk their lives for a drop of water.

There was a world that came to mind.

“[Wasteland 2]. That’s a good choice.”

A few people can use superpowers, and sometimes over-technology appears.

But most people fight against mutant monsters, famine, drought, and raiders in the wasteland, running around for a drop of water.

“Alright…”

It doesn’t matter to me what they bring.

What matters is that they have no choice but to buy my goods.

“I’ve made my decision.”

[Starting recognition scan. Searching for similar worlds.]

I smiled faintly.

I felt mana draining.

I was convinced that I had truly become an awakened one.

After closing and opening my eyes, I could sense what was happening in a world unrelated to this one, a world beyond the dimension.

The trading post was created.

****

Western Wasteland.

The Rangers were injured and exhausted.

Death was closing in on them every moment.

But what truly endangered them was not falling bullets or the threat of raiders.

‘We’re out of water.’

In the desert, water is life.

Without it, you die immediately.

The three-day survival rule is based on ‘people who consume sufficient water daily’.

These Rangers were already consuming minimal water.

If they don’t drink that minimal amount for even a day, they die.

They will collapse and die in the desert.

‘Is this the end?’

Their leader, Lisa Martinez, sensed death.

There was no way to get water.

There was no way out of this situation.

She thought it might be more humane to shoot herself in the head now.

At least she wouldn’t have to suffer the pain of a burning throat.

‘…Hmm?’

And she suddenly raised her head at a voice coming from somewhere.

“D-did you hear that?”

Her subordinates also heard the sound and expressed their doubts.

“I heard it. What is this… there shouldn’t be anyone here!”

And when she turned her head, she faced a situation as unrealistic as the voice she heard.

In a place that should have been an empty wasteland, a concrete building stood casually.

A trading post stood before her.