"What did you just say?" the old man asked, slightly surprised.
Ken let out a sigh.
"Do you accept bank transfers?"
He had no interest in the book. Honestly, the title GOD OF FREELANCE sounded utterly ridiculous to him. He just wanted to make a symbolic gesture—like the final nail in the coffin of his life.
After this purchase, he would be officially broke. Not a single coin left. No roof over his head. Just a homeless man wandering the streets.
The old man, who had stood frozen for a moment, suddenly broke into a surprisingly radiant smile for someone his age. He rose slowly to his feet.
Then, as he began to walk away, he called out:
—"He accepts all forms of payment."
He?
Ken raised an eyebrow.
Why was this old man referring to himself in the third person?
Even worse—he was leaving without even taking the money, the book still in Ken's hand.
Ken wanted to say something, but… he was too tired. Too drained to react. He simply watched the man disappear… until he melted into the shadows.
He didn't even take the payment… That's not stealing, right?
Night had already fallen. Ken was still sitting on the bench, his suitcase beside him, a book resting on his lap…
…his growling stomach the only company he had.
Whatever. Let's see what kind of scam this old man was trying to sell me.
He opened the book absentmindedly.
It was a novel. A short one, judging by the number of pages.
Ten minutes… Thirty minutes… An hour went by.
Ken, who had started out indifferent, was now completely hooked.
The story was fairly cliché:
A man, born into an immensely wealthy family, runs the family business into the ground through sheer incompetence.
His life spirals into ruin.
Why is this story grabbing me so much…?
Ken found himself oddly relating to the main character…
He kept reading, fully immersed—until his eyes suddenly widened.
What the hell is this?!
The story had just taken a bizarre turn.
Just as the protagonist hit rock bottom, a glowing blue interface appeared before him.
On it, the words:
"Choose your personal skill, Aspiring God of FREELANCE."
For a fan of web novels or webtoons, this might have seemed ordinary.
But for Ken—who had never read that kind of story before—it was simply incomprehensible.
Still, he kept reading… until the book surprised him again.
"Ha…"
Ken let out a bitter chuckle.
"I really got scammed."
There was now a strange passage in the book:
[Dear reader, if you were in the hero's place, what would you choose? Say it—from wherever you are.]
The next five pages were filled with skill names.
–Head Chef
–Master Pianist"
–Financial Expert"
…
"What the hell is this nonsense?!"
Ken sighed deeply and flipped through the pages quickly, trying to get back to the story.
But it was impossible.
Every page was overrun by that endless skill list.
A choice had to be made.
"Tch… Since we're doing this… might as well play along."
He scanned the list.
"Hmm… If I had to pick a skill… hmm…"
"Ant Tamer? Is that even a real thing?"
(A/N: Of course not… Right? …Right?)
"CQC? Hmm… That sounds familiar… Wait, let me check on Joogle."
He pulled out his phone and opened his search engine…
…only to freeze.
His eyes widened.
His breath caught in his throat.
He had received a banking notification instead.
[Your account has been debited 900 yen.
New balance: 100¥.]
Time of transaction: 8:32 PM.
Exactly two minutes after the old man had left.
He replayed the scene in his mind.
At no point had they made a transfer.
And yet… the money was gone.
A chill ran down his spine.
Then he remembered the old man's parting words.
"He accepts all forms of payment."
What the hell…
"This day is unreal… This has to be a dream, right?"
A small, nervous smile crept onto his face.
"More like a nightmare…"
He glanced one last time at his phone.
"Why isn't the recipient's name even showing? A bug...? Whatever."
He turned his attention back to the book, refocusing.
"Alright… since I've come this far, might as well play along to the end."
This time, he went through the list more seriously.
"Hmm… CQC… Ah! I remember now!"
He quickly tapped on his phone.
CQC (Close Quarters Combat) is a close-range fighting system designed for real-life efficiency, commonly used by military and special forces.
"Wow…"
He suddenly remembered a Korean movie he loved.
"What was it called again? Oh right… Beneficial Evil."
The MC's fight scenes had been insane.
He also remembered Nora—his younger sister, the one who had inherited everything in his place. She was obsessed with the lead actor.
"She was more in love with the actor than the actual character…"
A bitter smile crossed his face.
...Let's not go there.
He took a deep breath.
Then, aloud, he declared:
"If I could pull off those moves in real life, that'd be pretty cool. I'll go with… 'Expert in CQC.'"
---
Meanwhile, inside a black van…
"Dude, don't you think we're lucky tonight?"
The man in the passenger seat spoke to his partner behind the wheel.
"What are you talking about?"
"I thought we'd be going home empty-handed… but looks like the heavens smiled on us."
"Are you stupid? We're still screwed."
"Look to your left."
The driver slowed down.
On a bench sat a man, alone in the dark.
They exchanged matching crescent-moon grins.
"Remind me to go to church after this job."
---
Back to Ken
The moment he voiced his choice, his vision blurred.
His exhaustion became overwhelming.
Then, he heard a robotic voice:
[Permanent privilege 'Expert in CQC' granted.
Free trial period ended.]
"What the he—"
He blacked out.
At that exact moment, the black van crept slowly toward the area…