The Tutorial Level of Part-Time Jobs
"If it's not fully furnished, I'll have to work a part-time job for the first month to buy a TV first! Or wait, should I buy a refrigerator first?"
The person in question was still completely unbothered by the battle raging around him.
"...What on earth is wrong with you?" Mari muttered, staring in disbelief.
"Ah! My dexterity is maxed out, and I have an additional eighty percent evasion rate modifier!"
So, under normal circumstances, he simply couldn't be hit!
"Isn't that a total cheat, even for a game?"
"But I'm max level! I even cleared the Ultra Hard Quests, so of course I have unique items of that caliber!"
"Anyway, do you think a refrigerator or a TV should come first?"
Even so, to remain this serene while being subjected to such a frantic barrage of attacks was nothing short of mind-boggling!
"Aaargh! This is so annoying! Why are you worrying about that right now?!"
Naturally, Akemi, who was unleashing the assault, seemed incredibly vexed. She was pouring everything she had into her attacks, but she couldn't land a single blow. On top of that, wasn't he treating her as if she barely even existed?
What on earth is this?!
An entirely unimaginable type of awakened ability user had appeared.
I'll land at least one hit, no matter what!
Her pride wounded, Akemi heightened her focus. Whoosh!
"She got even faster!"
It was now at a speed Mari's eyes couldn't track. She could only infer that Akemi had accelerated beyond human sight because the space around Yunjae seemed to warp and shimmer.
"Oh, by the way! Do you think they have bedding?"
Even amidst this, Yunjae seemed completely unconcerned.
"Now is not the time to be thinking about that!" Mari yelled.
"Ah! I didn't mean it like that, but sleep is a crucial element of life!"
"You don't even sleep!"
"Still, I think rolling around inside a blanket for the first time in a while would feel so nice!"
Because he was chatting so casually, as if discussing everyday life, it only served to fuel Akemi's burning spite. I will hit you!
"But is it really okay to keep doing this?"
Watching the endless parade of MISS prompts floating above his head, Mari began to worry that something was bound to go wrong eventually. She spoke up in a concerned voice.
"Ah, it's fine! I'm more worried about the bedding. If I choose wrong, it'll look so tacky."
The absolute epitome of introverted anxiety was far more concerned about buying something tasteless!
Grrr!
Here was Akemi, fully unleashing her abilities and pushing past the physical limits of human speed to attack him!
"I can't take this anymore!"
How could she not land a single hit?
"I'm ending this!"
Having reached the absolute limit of her patience, she snapped.
Pushing her body to its absolute limits—to the point where she might actually injure Slender Forearms rather than just test him—Akemi's body began to radiate a violet glow. Flash!
"Whoa!"
The unfathomable speed of her movements began to generate a violent wind pressure, causing Mari to stumble backward.
"Yunjae!"
"Even if I wanted to let you hit me, I physically can't! I'm so sorry!"
Only then did Yunjae speak directly to Akemi for the first time.
"We'll see about that!"
Whoosh!
Moving in a sharp zigzag, Akemi aimed for a single, decisive blow. I'm putting everything on the line! She never imagined she would risk her life for something that didn't even pay, but failing to land even a single strike was a devastating blow to her pride.
An opening!
In truth, he had been full of openings the entire time, but in that split second, she felt she saw a crack in the mysterious force enveloping Yunjae's body.
"Haaah!"
Letting out a fierce battle cry, Akemi delivered a side kick with all her might toward that spot! Thud!
It happened in that very instant.
"Ah! Oh dear!"
For the first time, it seemed Yunjae had actually been hit.
"Yunjae!"
Startled by the unexpectedly heavy impact, Mari cried out his name.
"Ah, I'm perfectly fine, Mari!"
Regardless of the impact, Yunjae replied with a bright, cheerful face.
"...Huh?"
What on earth did that mean? Mari was momentarily thrown into confusion, but then it clicked.
"Wait, don't tell me... that was only one damage?"
"Ah! I have a two hundred and thirty percent physical defense modifier, so..."
What kind of monster was this? She had poured her absolute soul into that attack, and it only dealt one damage?
"T-That's impossible!"
Akemi was equally dumbfounded. Her ultimate, full-power strike had only dealt a single point of damage!
"But this is getting a bit troublesome. With you buzzing around me like this, I can't decide whether to go with a Scandinavian style or a Provence aesthetic."
Grab.
As if he couldn't let her distract him from his crucial decision-making any longer, Yunjae reached out and caught Akemi mid-teleportation.
"Ah! Wh-What?!"
Utterly shocked, Akemi instantly teleported away. Whoosh!
But—Grab.
"H-How?!"
He was still holding her arm, as if he had known exactly where she would reappear.
"Ah! This isn't sexual harassment or anything! It's just that you were being so distracting!"
"Ugh! How?! Why?!"
"Please promise me you won't be so distracting so I can focus! Bedding is practically the crown jewel of interior design, you know!"
He was completely unbothered, as if her attacks had been nothing more than a minor nuisance. The sheer absurdity of it made Akemi's knees buckle.
"This makes no sense! I squeezed out every drop of my power!"
She had pushed herself past her absolute limits. As the physical exhaustion combined with the devastating psychological shock, Akemi stumbled and collapsed toward Yunjae. Thud!
"Ah!"
But instead of catching her, Yunjae instinctively dodged, letting her fall. Mari, who had been watching the scene in a daze, yelled in exasperation.
"Why would you dodge that, you dummy?!"
Yunjae replied with a deeply flustered expression.
"Ah! The system registered it as a physical attack, so I did it automatically!"
"Ugh... mm..."
Having exhausted all her strength and suffered a massive mental shock, Akemi, who had fainted, finally began to regain consciousness.
"Look who's finally awake."
"A gun?"
The very first thing Akemi saw upon opening her eyes was Mari pointing a pistol right at her!
"Ah!"
Whoosh!
The moment her senses returned, Akemi instinctively teleported away. A slightly flustered Mari quickly readjusted her aim.
"Why did you attack us?"
Mari had naturally mistaken her for an enemy due to the sudden assault—even though Akemi had only managed to land a single hit, which hadn't even dealt any real damage.
"It was just a test," Akemi replied with an incredibly dejected expression.
Mari tilted her head, lowering her gun slightly. "A test?"
"Anyway, that gun won't do anything to me, so you can put it away."
Since Akemi clearly had no intention of fighting, Mari lowered her weapon with a bitter smile. It was true; trying to shoot someone with teleportation abilities was utterly pointless.
"Fine. But why the sudden attack? Give me an explanation," Mari demanded.
Akemi lightly touched the band-aid on her forehead and replied, "I'm with the Blast Guild. I was ordered to test Slender Forearms and recruit him."
"Blast?"
Though officially known as the strongest guild in Asia, the Blast Guild was practically the strongest in the entire world. "How did Blast find out..."
"Demian told us. He said we absolutely had to find Slender Forearms."
That was why Akemi had tracked him down and initiated the attack as a test. "But wow, Slender Forearms is insanely strong."
To think that she, one of the top ability users in the Blast Guild, couldn't do a single thing to him!
"And his forearms are so pale and slender!"
Seeing the girl go from depressed to blushing, Mari stared at her with a thoroughly unimpressed look.
"What is wrong with you? That is a completely useless detail!"
At that, Akemi stared intently at Mari's own forearms.
"But Slender Forearms really does have beautiful arms."
"Did you just compare me to him?"
"He truly lives up to his name! No wonder he proudly displays it over his head!"
This girl is definitely weird.
They said most awakened ability users were a bit unhinged, but she was undoubtedly just as eccentric as Yunjae.
"Anyway, where is Slender Forearms?"
Since he was the only reason she was here, Akemi asked. Mari let out a deep sigh.
"He went out to look for a part-time job."
"Eee~? A part-time job?"
Even though Yunjae hadn't shown any proper offensive skills, he had easily dodged all of Akemi's attacks and even grabbed her mid-teleport. For an awakened user of that caliber to be looking for a part-time job!
"Why? For what reason?!"
To Akemi's bewildered question, Mari could only sigh again.
"Tell me about it..."
A convenience store.
Immediately after securing their new home, Yunjae had stepped outside and stopped in front of a nearby convenience store.
"I'd love to work as a waiter if possible, but with my current social skills, that might be too much of a stretch."
Being the absolute epitome of introverted anxiety and extremely shy around strangers, he figured it was too early for table service.
"Yes, a convenience store is definitely the tutorial level of part-time jobs!"
He would use this to build up to waiting tables! And then, he would find an office romance!
"But first, I need to lower my standards!"
Holding onto this incredibly innocent goal, the seventy-something-year-old game character took a deep breath and stepped inside the convenience store. Chime.
"Welcome—huh?"
The convenience store owner, Myeonghan, was about to greet him when he froze upon seeing the floating name "Slender Forearms" and the status window above Yunjae's head. What on earth is that? It was a bizarre sight that would leave anyone utterly bewildered!
"I-I'm... here to apply for the part-time job!"
Yunjae spoke up timidly, hiding his forearms behind his back. Seeing this, Myeonghan's face lit up with delight.
"You really want to work here?"
Despite the boy's bizarre appearance, this convenience store was located near a portal zone, meaning absolutely no one wanted to work here. Yet, Myeonghan couldn't afford to close it down. Because of its proximity to the portal, it was heavily frequented by hunters. This allowed him to sell not only standard convenience store items but also ammunition and various supplements, all while receiving government subsidies. It was an incredibly lucrative spot!
What a stroke of luck!
In truth, Myeonghan had been desperate to hire a part-timer so he could focus on other ventures.
"Ah, yes! If you'd be willing to hire someone as lacking as me!"
Unaware of Myeonghan's inner thoughts, Yunjae eagerly promoted himself. His only desire was to never go on another godforsaken hunt again and to do literally anything else.
...What's his deal?
Having no way of knowing Yunjae's circumstances, Myeonghan found it highly suspicious.
I don't know what's going on, but this kid is a total pushover!
Still, it didn't seem like the boy had any hidden motives. Although the floating "Slender Forearms" title and status window made him look like a game character, his extremely timid nature and inability to make eye contact made it clear he would be easy to exploit.
"Well, I suppose I could make an exception and hire you," Myeonghan said, instantly shifting to a condescending tone.
Despite this, Yunjae bowed gratefully. "Ah, thank you so much!"
Jackpot! Myeonghan rejoiced inwardly, even more thrilled than Yunjae.
"But you see..."
"Yes...?"
"Do you have any experience? This is actually a highly specialized field. We call it a total service industry."
"Ah! No, I don't!"
Completely failing to realize that Myeonghan was dropping his honorifics and setting a trap, Yunjae shook his head with a worried expression. Having spent fifty-seven years trapped alone in a game, his extreme social anxiety made him deeply concerned about whether he could handle customer service.
"So, I'll need you to go through a three-month probationary period where you'll only receive seventy percent of the standard wage. Only then can I trust you with the job."
This was his real motive. The kid looked like a naive newborn chick who knew nothing of the world, meaning he could easily exploit him for cheap labor!
"How much would I be making then?" Yunjae asked blankly.
"The current minimum wage is ten thousand won. So, seventy percent would be about seven thousand won an hour."
"Fifty-seven years have passed, and the minimum wage is still only ten thousand won! Reality truly is harsh."
With the cheapest rent starting at a twenty million won deposit and one million won a month, the minimum wage was still so low. Thinking about how difficult it was to make a living in this world, Yunjae shook his head in dismay.
"Well, if you don't like it, you can leave," Myeonghan said, playing hard to get while inwardly screaming, Please say yes!
"No! I'll do it!"
In truth, Yunjae didn't care much about money. He simply wanted to try something new, and since he didn't have to worry about rent for at least the next fifteen months, even that small amount would be more than enough to get by.
"After all, I only need enough to live day-by-day for the next twenty years!"
This was the wisdom of a seventy-something-year-old! Firmly believing that he, at seventy-seven years old, didn't have much time left to live, Yunjae spoke with absolute conviction. Myeonghan simply nodded, not caring about the strange remark as long as he got his worker.
"So, when do you want to start?"
The ultimate pushover had fallen right into his trap! He had offered a ridiculously low wage, and the kid had accepted it without a second thought! A guy like this would definitely stay quiet even if Myeonghan withheld his pay later on. Watching Myeonghan grin, Yunjae asked with an excited face,
"Would it be alright if I started today?"
"Oh, today? Sure, then come back later!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Watching Yunjae bow politely at a perfect ninety-degree angle, Myeonghan chuckled to himself, celebrating the acquisition of his new slave labor.
"What time should I come back?"
"I'm putting you on the night shift, so come at eight tonight. You'll work from eight in the evening to eight in the morning!"
"Understood!"
Because of the nearby portal, the night shift was naturally dangerous. There weren't many customers at night, but the store had to remain open since hunters would often stop by early in the morning before entering the portal. Myeonghan had assigned him the night shift specifically to dump the dangerous hours on him, but his new hire didn't seem to mind at all.
"Oh, by the way, would it be possible to get paid daily?"
"What? Are you planning to quit after a day or two? I can't allow that!"
"Ah! No, it's not that! I just urgently need some cash right now to buy bedding."
Looking at Yunjae's sparkling, earnest eyes, Myeonghan gave a haughty nod.