Weeeeeeeing!
Kudangtang!
A shuttle bus ride away from the Rostock station, there’s a
large-scale sawmill. They processed large logs harvested from nearby forests
into usable lumber.
Hundreds of employees were each performing their assigned
tasks at the facility. They paid no attention to the deafening noise or the
gaze of outsiders who came to tour.
From their sullen expressions, Lee Jin-woo felt a strange
sense of kinship.
If you work in this place every day, you’ll end up like
them. But it doesn’t seem too strict.
Although he didn’t feel much enthusiasm from the employees,
he didn’t feel like they were being mistreated either. If they were really
being exploited, it would be hard to hide it, but there were no signs of that.
Their attire was more relaxed than he thought, with some young
employees even wearing fluorescent t-shirts under their uniforms.
Celine didn’t like it, but whether it’s because she didn’t
want to argue or not, she just ignored it.
“I think you’ve now seen enough! Everyone, come this way!”
Celine, who seemed to have no tolerance for the noise of the
place despite visiting frequently, hastily concluded the tour and led the group
outside.
After moving to a place where they could have a conversation
at a normal decibel level, she let out a small sigh and then smiled at the
group as if nothing had happened.
“It’s a bit noisy, isn’t it? But you’ll get used to it
quickly if you work here.”
“......”
Although no one responded, Celine continued the tour
mechanically without any concern.
“That building is a dormitory. If you pay between 2,300 and
2,800 Bring for meals, the working conditions are also good.”
“Well, you need to consider the working hours and overtime
pay to know that.”
“The work is at a level where you can learn quickly, so
there’s no need to worry.”
“Just because it’s easy to learn doesn’t mean the workload is
easy.”
“Once you sign a contract, a stable life is guaranteed. You
don’t have to risk your life doing a dangerous job like a Roamer. For those who
don’t have anything like you, working in a factory is the best choice, isn’t
it?”
A stable life? The question is how long is the contract
period?
Thanks to various part-time jobs and work experience, Lee
Jin-woo was confident in this aspect.
As Celine explained the vague working conditions, Lee Jin-woo
became increasingly uncomfortable.
Thunk.
“Okay, everyone, please take a seat.”
“...”
Celine pushed the resurrected participants into a container
office and began explaining the choices they could make at this point.
“Here in the Schnesvelt Kingdom, where you were reborn, there
are various factories in each city.”
“...Kingdom?”
“Oh, dear.”
Startled by Lee Jin-woo’s question, Celine paused for a
moment, but then told him to check the guidebook and continued with her
explanation.
“When choosing a factory, it’s important to choose the one
that suits your talents and abilities. Of course, the city offers the most
diverse opportunities. There are also many subcontractors, such as the
Schnesvelt branch of large companies like Providence.”
If it’s Providence...
It was a brand engraved on the energy stone necklace he got
from Gilbert.
“However, it will be impossible to aim for the capital from
the beginning.”
Celine pointed to two points on the map attached to the wall
in turn.
“Where you have been reincarnated is here, the provincial
city of Rostock. On the other hand, the capital is here, at the center of the
kingdom. It’s a distance that you can’t even cover with the one-week free pass
you received.”
“...Then what should we do?”
The sudden voice surprised Jin-woo and turned to look beside
him.
There was a young-looking woman with brown hair who had kept
her mouth shut the whole time, demanding an answer from Celine with a sharp
look in her eyes.
“Oh my, there are a lot of quick-witted people in the group
today. Can we expect something this time?”
“......”
Instead of answering, Celine muttered to herself, and the
expression on the brown-haired woman’s face froze instantly.
Smiling as if she found the reaction interesting, Celine
spoke;
“It’s simple. First, you work here and earn money. Of course,
you’ll have to wait at least three months.”
“Why?”
“You can’t teach someone who knows nothing without giving
them at least a basic living allowance, can you?”
Once you start working, you couldn’t quit as you please for
at least three months.
It was a ridiculous thing to say, but instead of arguing,
Jin-woo asked another question.
“Is there no other way?”
“Of course there is. If you’re interested, go back to the
information center and apply for an interview for another job.”
***
Buzzing...
On the way back on the shuttle bus after finishing the
factory tour.
It was lunchtime, and various street vendors started doing
business while people who had spread mats here and there began their acts of
selling.
......
Jin-woo couldn’t help but ask, after confirming that they
were all gambling stalls and various other betting boards.
“What is all of this?”
“Hmm? Oh, today is payday. It’s the time when merchants who
smell money gather and start hustling.”
Even with Jin-woo’s serious inquiry, Celine replied lightly,
as if it were nothing.
“...Half of them seem like gambling stalls.”
“Since non-citizens cannot buy lottery tickets legally, they
are probably trying to make a quick buck by gambling like that.”
“You’re not going to stop them? Some people are definitely
going to lose their entire paycheck.”
“Isn’t the way people relieve stress a matter of freedom?
Well, it seems like most young people are heading to the city center. Even if
they have to pay a 10% exchange fee, who’s going to stop them from shopping?”
“......”
The price for workers to obtain their rights as full-fledged
citizens was 300,000 bring.
It seemed like an absurd amount, but it wasn’t an impossible
amount after a few years of hard work.
However, if money was being wasted like this...
Jin-woo examined the surrounding commercial areas that were
intent on tearing away the workers’ money.
“Anyone can easily get a loan.”
“We buy valuable items at the highest price.”
“Fortune-telling! We’ll tell you your destiny.”
The provocative advertising slogans disappeared from his
sight in no time, but their afterimages helped steel his resolve.
After arriving at the information desk, Jin-woo applied for
the interview, thinking it was the final confirmation.
The interview process was simple. First, you would have a 1st
round interview with them and then your personal information would be recorded.
After that, you would be matched with a local company or organization that had
posted a job opening.
“What happens if you get hired?”
“That depends on your abilities. If you are truly an
outstanding talent, you can obtain citizenship right away. The employer will
also provide all the funds necessary for your settling in, although it is a
loan.”
“......”
“So, what abilities do you have? Professional knowledge,
exceptional talent, outstanding skills... which one do you have?”
“...I don’t have such great abilities. I just remember that I
was an electrician in my past life.”
“Um, an electrician...”
Her interest was greatly diminished as she lowered her tone
and absentmindedly searched through some documents.
Still, Celine patiently waited and said in a resigned voice,
“Well, register first. But to be honest, your skills are not advanced enough to
guarantee citizenship, so there might not be much demand for you in the city.”
“......”
“Instead, there might be good positions available in the
industrial zone. If you want more opportunities, you should look into the
capital or larger cities. Can you please call the next woman waiting outside?”
Jin-woo, who heard the clear dismissal, left the interview
room with a sinking feeling.
He didn’t have high expectations for the interview in the
first place, but being told that he was “unnecessary” was not pleasant.
Especially when he was being treated so insignificantly.
“......”
He took a Rostock map from the reception desk and sat down on
a bench to organize his thoughts.
It’s the third day since he opened his eyes in a world
completely different from Earth, called the Gaia continent. Now it was time for
him to decide how to live in this surreal reality.
Currently, the biggest problem was that he was a
1.5-generation and a non-citizen.
And in this world, at least in the Schnesvelt Kingdom,
non-citizens without abilities were not treated properly.
No, to be more objective, they were not even treated as equal
individuals.
Serial numbers identified people, not by name, and they were
forced into factories like colonial labor.
Jin-woo recalled the gambling that was taking place in front
of the factory.
If the government had any intention of fully absorbing
non-citizens into society, they would have banned such gambling and thoroughly
monitored it.
Did they say working in a factory was a stable life?
Compared to the Roamers who risked their lives, one could
argue that it was.
However, Jin-woo had a gut feeling. Whether they are Roamers
or factory workers, there was no place that would protect them in the first
place.
There was no ruler who cared about the welfare of the colonial
residents. And...
Is Gilbert the only one with that kind of thinking?
The attitude and tone of the receptionist, Celine, and even
the non-citizens showed that they regarded them as inferior.
Of course, it could not be assumed that all citizens are the
same.
However, discrimination that had been going on for
generations had deeply rooted itself in people’s subconscious.
...I don’t need to accept all of that. It’s too tiring.
Jin-woo had experienced discrimination in his past life.
Because he was an orphan, poor, and couldn’t study at a good
school.
No matter how well he worked and how sincere he was, his
background and upbringing made him an insignificant person.
However, now that he had just been reborn, they labelled me
as a 1.5 generation and refused to treat me as a citizen.
Jin-woo didn’t have grand ambitions for his new life, but he
couldn’t stand being treated like he was nothing.
So, the factory is out.
He was tired of the daily routine of handling parts and
spinning like a cog.
However, being a freelancer like Roamer appealed to him.
Here, I have a rare supernatural ability.
It was much better than working in a factory.
Now that he had made up his mind, it was time to prepare what
he needed to work as a Roamer.
The first thing that came to mind was a weapon to wield.
Something like a three-section staff made of iron would
be good.
It wouldn’t be bad if it had a good transmission rate and was
easy to carry.
Is there something like an iron mesh net?
In fact, there were many things that he needed to obtain for
his Roamer life, not just for the necessities.
From the smartphone, that Ian mentioned, to clothes to other
essentials.
As Jin-woo was making a shopping list in his head, he soon
realized that he was currently officially penniless.
I guess I have to go.
It was time to visit the back alley currency exchange that
Gilbert mentioned.
