Pathfinder

#The Prologue

"I want to sell this."

The owner of Thornwood General Store, Pollen, had been observing the girl since she entered the shop.

Since his shop was not small and was bordered to the south by the Mirde, to the north by the Kaltsburg, and to the west by the Barallan Empire, there were a significant number of travelers passing through each day.

With so many travelers passing by, even stray dogs on the road might draw more attention than a random customer, but despite that, Pollen found the girl intriguing.

Running a general store meant encountering dozens, if not hundreds, of travelers every day. That is, he was quite accustomed to observing people. Nonetheless, this girl was different even in his eyes. She was unmistakably Asian and also quite young, probably not yet even fifteen.

Even though the city had swarms of travelers, Asians were still a rare sight. This was not so surprising because it had only been a few decades since the Eastern continent had opened up to the Western world.

"Excuse me?"

The Asian girl spoke to Pollen with a nervous tone. While Pollen was lost in thought about her appearance, the little girl moved her hands with anxiety to retrieve the item on the counter.

Only then did he slowly bring his attention back to the counter and respond.

"What is this item used for?"

With a neck no thicker than a twig and a transparent orange body, the item was unlike anything he had seen before. It wasn't a gem or glass, yet it was transparent and very light.

Also, it had a small rectangular object attached to the top, making it difficult to determine its purpose. Could it be an ornament?

"It's called a lighter."

The girl said as she took the lighter from Pollen's hands and pressed a button on one of its sides. Then, a sound could be heard as a flame emerged from a tiny hole.

Pollen's eyes widened at the sight. He had assumed the girl was just some uncommon Asian traveler, but she possessed a magical item.

Even though he could just use flint to make a fire, the magical item would still be worth a considerable sum. If this item was of Eastern origin, it could fetch an even higher price.

'She must be a wealthy traveler.'

Magical items sell for at least some amount of gold rather than copper or silver. Moreover, the fact that she had come to a general store instead of a magic shop indicated her ignorance of the Western continent's economy.

Pollen pushed aside his indifference and examined the lighter with great interest. However, instead of observing how the lighter functioned, his mind was occupied with a more important concern.

'How much should I ask for this?'

As he pondered where the girl had obtained this item from and whether she had stolen it or not, Pollen shifted his attention to her attire. It was the first time he had seen such clothing and bags made from unfamiliar materials.

Although he had encountered Asian customers before, this girl's outfit was distinctly different.

Her shoes, with their unique design, indicated that she had come down from the mountains. Yet, her bag and clothing appeared brand new, without any signs of wear.

The girl’s complexion suggested that she was a little tired, though.

“Well, it’s practically a flint.”

While it couldn’t compare to a mere flint in terms of simplicity, fanciness, and utility, Pollen tried to lowball her with the price.

Despite his implication that he would haggle with her over the lighter’s price, the girl was looking at Pollen with an indifferent expression. With the girl being so naive, Pollen called a price higher than he had thought.

"Fifty copper."

Magical items cost at least one gold. Considering the rarity of this product, a fair price would be around three gold. Pollen knew this because he had haggled prices hundreds of times.

However, despite this, there was no hint of emotion on Pollen's face. If she is not skilled in bargaining, it's only natural for her to incur losses. That's how merchants make a living, after all. That was Pollen's belief.

The girl's expression froze, wondering if the price Pollen had quoted was too low.

"Can't you offer a better price than that?"

"Miss, this is no different from a flint. It usually goes for ten copper, and I'm giving you five times as much."

Pollen, who had originally meant to ask for twenty copper, claimed as if he was being unfairly accused. To someone unfamiliar with the situation, he must have seemed quite generous.

Obviously, the girl, who was a stranger, accepted his words without much hesitation.

Pollen managed to fool her quite easily because he was quite an experienced merchant, and the girl had come from a world where the price of goods was standardized.

In that world, if an item was marked for 2,000 won, it was bought at that price. People who argued and demanded to pay just 500 won in front of the merchant were not considered to be bargaining; they were simply intimidating the merchant.

Besides, she knew less about the market price than Pollen, and she had only bought things rather than sold things so far, so she was in a position to accept most of what he said.

Moreover, selling something usually did not yield as much money as the actual cost of buying the item. Also, since it was second-hand, this was even more so the case. How much more could that lighter cost than fifty copper?

"Alright."

"Good. You made the right choice."

Although he was taken aback at how easily she had accepted it, Pollen smiled broadly as if nothing had happened. That smile was genuine because he had gained nearly two gold, ninety-nine silver, and fifty copper.

Handing the lighter to Pollen and receiving a fifty copper coin, the girl opened her bag and took out a cooking pot, a sleeping bag, an insulated bottle, and a portable stove.

The counter was spacious enough for a whole pig to lie down, so there was plenty of space. She didn't plan to sell all those items, but the lighter turned out to sell for less than she had thought.

She wasn't sure how much a room at the inn would cost, but even so, according to the fantasy novel she had read before, fifty copper was a small amount. Even though the currency units of the book and the real world might differ, she decided it would be wise to have as much money in hand as possible.

"Everything's for sale."

"Miss, aren't these travel essentials? Are you giving up on your journey?"

Pollen was genuinely surprised. The girl's appearance and demeanor had given him the impression of a traveler. He couldn't discern the specific purposes of the sleeping bag and portable stove, but judging by their appearance, they seemed like travel essentials.

Selling all of this gear would imply she was giving up on her journey. He had knocked down the price so low because she looked like someone he would never see again.

However, if she brought a security guard later, he would be in trouble. Well, even if something like that did happen, he could just lie and say that he hadn’t haggled anyway.

"N-No, I have a plan, so let me explain. This is a sleeping bag. You spread it out like this and sleep inside. These are called earplugs. They're noise-canceling tools. This is an insulated bottle. It keeps the temperature of the liquid inside from changing for a long time. And this is a three-legged burner stove that can be used instead of a campfire."

Pollen's eyes widened in amazement. Those were all extraordinary items. Although the sleeping bag was somewhat common, the rest were high-end items judging by how they looked, unlike anything he had seen before.

He quickly calculated. It seemed she would stay in this city for a while, so he decided not to haggle too much over the items. After all, he wasn't a swindler.

Still, he had to negotiate things properly so that the price difference between the lighter and the rest wouldn't be too great.

"This sleeping bag is really top-notch. Well, considering it's a used item, I'll give you twelve silver. It seems like it’s still in good condition, so that’s why I'm offering this much. And these earplugs—aren’t these just tools? Still, the material is unique, and there are several of them, so eight silver. As for the insulated bottle, I've never seen such an item before. Well, is it really necessary to keep things at a certain temperature? I'll give you five silver for that. This three-legged burner stove—it seems like it can easily be replaced by a campfire."

"But it's useful in places like caves where there's no wood to light a fire."

She added, thinking about how useful it had been the past few days.

Pollen, who had initially intended to haggle aggressively on that item because it seemed the most expensive, quickly cleared his throat regretting his boldness, and named a price.

"How about thirty silver? Is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Finally, when she arrived at the amount she had hoped for, her expression brightened. Even if she had sold all her camping equipment, she had enough toiletries and food in her bag to last until she could open the next gate in two days. And since she was in a city, she could wait for the gate to open while staying at an inn.

While she was lost in thought, Pollen was busy with calculations.

He scribbled numbers on a piece of paper, adding them together and folding his fingers as he went. People here were unusually bad at math, so unusual that one might suspect that their brains were wired differently.

“It’s fifty-five silver. If you give me twelve silver for the sleeping bag, eight silver for the earplugs, and add the insulated bottle, it’s twenty-five silver. The burner is thirty silver, so it all adds up to fifty-five silver.”

Pollen glanced at her briefly, then focused on his calculations again. He looked completely doubtful. Only after his calculation was complete and he arrived at the same number as what she had said did he finally show a surprised expression.

"You're really quick at adding numbers."

Pollen handed her a fifty-silver coin and a five-silver coin while she calmly said her thanks.

Watching her carefully tuck the coins deep into her backpack, Pollen asked curiously, unable to wait any longer. His face was filled with genuine curiosity.

"But where are you from? I've seen a lot of Asians doing this job, but I've never seen someone like you."

The girl raised her head and looked at him. Soon she began to talk, but her response was not what he had been waiting for.

"Thank you."

She replied without any intention of continuing the conversation.

Pollen, who had been eagerly waiting for her answer, sighed in disappointment.

As she exited the general store, a stream of memories from the eventful last twenty days flowed through Garam's mind, casting a wry smile on her face.

Chapter One

"Don’t you remember Hyoyeon? She studied abroad and got a job at a foreign company. How long are you going to stay working part-time? Don’t you think it’s time you look for a proper job?"

The memories of that day, the day when everything had begun, started with her mother's annoying scolding.

As Garam entered the front door, her mother began to grill her as if she had just been waiting for Garam to come back home from work.

Even though she had heard similar things several times before, Garam couldn't bear the irritation that day, probably because she had encountered difficult customers at her part-time job and was physically and mentally exhausted.

If it had been a normal day, Garam might have casually replied that she was looking for a job and then gone into her room, but she didn't do that this time. With her mother's scolding, which felt like an accusation, she could only feel annoyed and angry. She couldn't hold back her anger anymore.

"Mom, aren't you the one who's always lazing around at home?"

In a momentary outburst, Garam and her mother, Miyeon, both froze. The first to regain composure was Miyeon.

Miyeon doubted her ears for a moment. Then, with a sense of betrayal, she turned to glare at Garam. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"How dare you say that to me...?"

Garam quickly regretted how harsh she had been, but her anger exploded again at Miyeon's words.

"'How dare you?' 'How dare you say that to me?' What do you think you are to me? Am I your slave? Wasn't it enough that I worked as hard as you wanted me to in high school? What else should I have done? What more do you want from me?"

Her last words were almost a plea. After she shouted in frustration, silence fell between the two. Garam stared at Miyeon while Miyeon returned the gaze, staying still.

The silence was broken by Garam's father, who had come home from work. Upon entering and sensing the unusual atmosphere in the living room, he hesitated but quickly realized that the two were having a fight.

"What more do I want? You said that well. What kind of big expectations did I have for you? I provided you with everything, from high school to college. Haven't I been trying my best for you? Others your age always say they want to support their parents so that they can live comfortably and luxuriously. Is that all you can say right now? After all my efforts to provide you with everything you needed, am I not even allowed to ask you to secure a proper job?”

It was Miyeon who hit the nail on the head once again. It was true that she had sent Garam to college and struggled to pay the tuition for four years.

And above all, Garam's father empathized with those words more than anyone. However, in Garam's eyes, her parents seemed to be ganging up on her, interrogating her.

"Do you think today is the same as when you guys were young? Didn't you talk about your school days as good memories? Back then, even if you went to school and played the guitar on the grass in broad daylight without studying much, a big corporation would have hired you. You say you always worked so hard for me, but in fact, the effort I've put in so far must be several times what Dad did to get his first job. And if you're going to try to compare me to people who studied abroad and got a job, then why don't you send me abroad, too?"

Garam shouted those last words like a sledgehammer.

Miyeon had nothing to say. She knew better than anyone how hard her daughter had worked. She knew how tough the current situation was.

Garam had always been a good and diligent daughter, and Miyeon had always believed that her daughter would eventually find her place.

Miyeon quickly regretted having said such harsh words to her daughter, but all that was because she felt sorry that her daughter, who had a lot of potential, was just working some part-time job.

She knew that what she was doing to her daughter was wrong, but so far, a stick had always been more effective than a carrot, so she wielded her stick again like a habit.

While Miyeon stood there in bewilderment not knowing what to say, Garam opened the door to her room and entered it, delivering her final words.

"Tomorrow is my birthday. You forgot, right?"

Absolutely not. Neither had Miyeon nor Garam's father, who had suddenly gotten caught up in their fight, forgotten that it was her birthday. Actually, her father had come home early that day just to discuss her birthday party.

Garam walked into her room without saying anything more, leaving the two alone. All that her parents could do was sigh as they watched the door close.

Inside the room, Garam buried her face in the pillow. She wished tears would come out to make her feel better, but she wasn't one to cry easily, so no tears came.

She knew her parents had done nothing wrong. Yet, she wanted to blame someone. She wanted to blame her parents, even though it wouldn't change anything. She wanted to feel better, even if just a little bit.

Her parents had done their best. She knew that for a fact. She also knew that her mother didn't really think of her negatively. However, every time she heard those words, she felt like she was getting smaller and smaller.

'I just want to disappear from this world. No, I want to go anywhere without any worries. I want to go to a place like in the fantasy novel I read yesterday.'