Kael wiped his hands on his jeans after finishing the last bite of the horned goat skewer.
He took the copper bag in his hand.
Hmm, my watch had been converted into this world's currency through Dimensional Exchange. But will this world's currency be converted into my world's money? I should test it out.
Kael looked around. There were a lot of people here.
What Kael needed now was privacy.
He turned, quietly slipping into a narrow alley between two buildings. It was the kind of spot used for storage—discarded crates, broken baskets, and barrels lined one wall. A faint, sour smell of dampness and rotting wood clung to the stones, but no one was there.
Perfect.
He knelt beside a barrel, pulled out the cloth pouch, and opened it.
Inside, ninety-five copper coins clinked softly. He took one out, held it between his thumb and index finger.
"Hmm. So now let's see what happens"
"Exchange!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then—
『Exchange requires equivalent value. Offer something of worth.』
Kael frowned. "That again?"
So the rule worked both ways. You couldn't just toss low-grade currency into the system and expect a payout. A single copper wasn't worth enough. Not surprising—back home, a dollar barely bought a candy bar.
He tried again. This time, two coins.
"Exchange."
Again, silence.
『Item rejected. Insufficient worth for exchange.』
"Tch." So, a single copper wasn't enough. He tried five. Still nothing.
Finally, he dumped the entire pouch—ninety-five coppers—into his palm.
"Exchange!"
This time, the air shimmered faintly. The coins vanished—
And instead of it, he got a few paper bills and a couple of coins.
He stared.
It was U.S. currency. Crumpled but clean. Three dollar bills and some change—quarters, nickels, a dime.
He counted quickly.
Nine dollars and fifty cents.
"Seriously? That's it?"
He'd just traded almost a hundred coppers—enough for several meals here—for the kind of change that wouldn't even get him a decent lunch back home.
『Exchange complete.』
Kael sat back against the wall and stared at the cash in his hand. He turned it over, ran his thumb across the faded green ink. It was real. Not a facsimile. He could use this to buy a burger, or pay for a subway ride, or—
Nine dollars and fifty cents.
He narrowed his eyes, did the math.
So... ten copper coins equaled roughly one U.S. dollar.
Which meant a silver coin, the kind he'd bribed the guard with, was worth a hundred coppers—or ten bucks.
Which wasn't terrible. Not amazing, but not bad either.
He dug into his memories. The skewers had cost five copper each. With a silver, he could've eaten for days. But in his own world?
That same silver wouldn't even cover lunch.
The implications hit him like a cold wave.
"I'm in an economy where I'm rich here, but poor back home."
He gave a dry chuckle.
This world has a working economy, supply and demand, value structures. The exchange obeys rules. Strict ones.
And Kael had access to something even better than an international bank.
"Dimensional Exchange" wasn't just about getting rich quick—it was a gateway to economic manipulation. Arbitrage.
What if he found something here worth more in his world?
Could he buy trinkets at the dollar store, then exchange them here for gold or rare magic stones?
No. The system had rules.
"Equivalent value," he repeated aloud. "It needs something with worth."
That meant a bunch of cheap plastic toys wouldn't cut it. Not unless they had perceived value in this world—something rare, hard to replicate, or advanced beyond their current tech level.
Maybe a solar-powered flashlight?
A medical kit?
Even a pack of waterproof matches might fetch more than its cost back home, especially if this world lacked those innovations.
He stood up, stuffing the $9.50 into his back pocket.
The system was fair.
It didn't gift him wealth. It rewarded smart trades.
That meant the people who got rich off it—like his grandfather—must have spent years learning exactly what items could cross the threshold between the worlds and retain or increase in value.
Kael looked down at the now-empty pouch in his hands.
If he wanted to walk that same path, he'd have to be careful.
Next time, he'd bring something with real value.
Maybe his old phone?
If it still had charge, even basic smartphone features might count as "advanced tech" here. Or hell—maybe even the apps could impress someone. He didn't know how far this world's magic went, but he hadn't seen a single screen since he arrived.
That was something.
Kael took a deep breath and looked up at the slice of blue sky framed between the buildings.
One thing was certain: he couldn't stay small.
Not if he wanted to survive here. Not if he wanted to build what his grandfather had—an empire built from the spoils of two worlds.
But first—
He needed to find a place to sleep.
He opened the pouch, activated Exchange again, and traded the $9.50 back into ninety-five coppers. The familiar weight returned to his hand.
He tied the pouch shut, tucked it into his jacket, and stepped back onto the street. He began to look for an inn or tavern nearby so that he could stay there.
.....
Exchange rate:
10 coppers = 1 dollar
1 silver (100 coppers) = 10 dollars
1 gold (100 silver) = 1,000 dollars