Chapter 14:Money and Talent Pour In

 Chapter 14: The First Talent (1)

After buying the gift, I really felt like I’d made the right choice.

This could actually be useful.

The biggest problem, in fact, was how to convince my family that I was going to become a full-time investor.

I briefly considered just keeping it hidden and living quietly, but no matter how much I thought about it, that wasn’t an option. I couldn’t keep making lame excuses every time they asked, “How long are you going to stay unemployed like this?” or “Aren’t you preparing for a job?”

Declaring my ambition.

This was a step I absolutely had to go through.

However, no parent would be happy to hear that their child wasn’t even joining a brokerage firm but planned to make a living trading stocks from home. So I needed at least some preparation to persuade them. First, I would give them the gift I just bought and win them over a little.

Second was preparing exactly what I would say in that moment.

What words I would use, and how I would say them.

That would decide whether I succeeded in persuading them or not.

“Hmm, so basically…”

It seemed I needed someone to consult with.

My circle of friends really is narrow.

Muttering such pointless thoughts, I left the house.

How long had I been walking?

In the distance, I could see my destination—the chicken shop. The moment I spotted a child lingering in front of it, a pleasant sound rang out.

[*Ding!*]

A welcome quest.

**[Quest Activated!]**

**[Chicken Is Always and Everywhere the Truth?!]**

[A hungry child is clutching their empty stomach right in front of you. They want chicken, but they only have 500 won in their hand! Yet even so, they’re thinking of their younger siblings who are probably starving at home today rather than their own hunger. Gift chicken to the child who can’t easily walk away because they’re thinking of their siblings!]

[Remaining Time: 20 minutes]

[Success Reward: Random Card, Good Deed Points]

[Quest Failure Penalty: Get hit by a bicycle]

Today’s was easier than usual.

*Step, step.*

I quickly walked over and stood in front of the child.

“Hey, kid.”

“…Yes?”

“Want some chicken?”

“…”

The child couldn’t answer the question from a stranger and just fidgeted with their hands.

“I think I’ve seen you around before. Right?”

“Yes…”

“Then you’re a neighborhood friend. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, yes. Hellooo.”

The way they bowed so deeply with their whole body was incredibly cute.

“Aigoo, great manners and such a good kid. This uncle’s friend owns this chicken shop. Just wait a second.”

After clearing a few quests, I came to realize one thing.

Good deeds aren’t always just for the other person.

Paradoxically, they’re also clearly for yourself.

Whether it’s pitying the other person, or feeling superior, or various other reasons—people give to others based on all kinds of motivations.

Still, one thing was certain.

It’s definitely better than hitting, fighting, or tearing others down.

So, if I was going to make money anyway, it felt far better to earn it this way—by treating people and doing good—than by stepping on them. With that in mind, I confidently pushed open the closed door of the chicken shop.

“Yo, came to do some serious ‘money bullying’ today!”

“You’re spouting nonsense again. Lately you seem a bit crazy. You okay?”

“…There’s a kid here, dude.”

“Oops. Hey little one, hi?”

“Ah, hello.”

My friend Lee Shin-woo, who turned to look, asked with his eyes:

*What’s going on?*

“Just pack about three chickens for takeout.”

Then I leaned in closer and whispered low so the child couldn’t hear.

They were probably already embarrassed enough.

“I saw them lingering outside. I’ll pay generously in advance, including today and for the future, so please keep an eye out for them.”

“Whoa… What’s gotten into you?”

“What do you mean ‘what’s gotten into me’?”

“…You finally became a decent human after making some money, huh.”

“Shut up and hurry.”

“Got it. Wait just a minute.”

Not long after, three chickens—fried, seasoned, and soy garlic—were fully prepared and ready to go.

The problem, though—

The frying time took longer than expected.

Damn it.

Ignoring the quest update notification that popped up, I first handed the chicken to the child.

“Um… I don’t have money…”

“It’s a gift.”

“Huh…?”

“Sometimes days like this come for kids who greet people politely and are kind. Gift days. So if you’re hungry, come back and ask for chicken anytime. It’s fine.”

“Ah…”

The child hesitated for a long time, then clenched their small fist tightly and bowed their head. Even kids have pride, right? But because they were thinking of their siblings, they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.

“Thank… you.”

“You little rascal.”

After patting their head, I stepped out of the chicken shop, and a cool breeze hit my face.

“Nice weather today, right, kid?”

The child looked up.

The sky looked especially beautiful today.

So did the chicken in their hands.

“Yeah… It’s really awesome.”

“Huh? Pfft haha. Yeah, it’s seriously awesomeee—!”

Right before I finished speaking,

A bicycle came rushing in and slammed into Ryu Seong.

*Bang!*

His vision spun away.

**[Penalty: Getting hit by a bicycle.]**

**[Please try to be more punctual from now on!]**

Rolling across the ground, he thought:

*This is all that bastard Lee Shin-woo's fault for frying the chicken too damn late.*

*

The kid riding the bicycle bowed his head deeply.

“I-I’m really sorry…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not badly hurt or anything, so you can just go.”

He really wasn’t seriously injured.

He had only reflexively rolled on the ground because the collision was so sudden. After sending the kid off, he brushed the dirt off his clothes. Beside him stood the other child, frozen stiff with a panicked expression.

“Hm? You’re still here?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

“Yeah, you can go too. Oh—and make sure you come back next time, okay?”

“Really… is that okay?”

“Of course. If you don’t come, I’ll get mad for real.”

“…Thank you.”

After bowing once more to say goodbye, the child slowly walked away. It was a shame the quest had failed, but he figured these things happen sometimes.

Oh well.

[*Ding!*]

But apparently, that wasn’t the end of it.

**[Quest Activated!]**

**[Chain Reaction Caused by Quest Failure?]**

[The little kid, while dragging the bicycle, collided with an adult man. The man was fine, but the kid fell and scraped his knee. He pretended nothing was wrong and walked away, but right now he’s probably limping. Find the limping kid and treat his wound!]

[Remaining Time: 60 minutes]

[Success Reward: Random Card, Good Deed Points]

[Quest Failure Penalty: Get hit by a soccer ball]

The quest title was incredibly fitting.

A chain reaction born from failure.

“Huh, he got hurt?”

Ryu Seong hurriedly ran in the direction the kid had disappeared.

Far off in the distance.

There was the limping little figure.

“Hey, kid!”

“Y-Yes…?”

“You’re hurt.”

“Ah, n-no, I’m fine.”

“Fine, my ass. Come on, let’s go get it treated.”

He sat the kid on the bicycle seat and carefully pushed it along.

“I’m really okay…”

“I’m the one who’s not okay.”

Fortunately, there was an orthopedic clinic nearby.

The treatment was quick.

It only took a simple disinfection.

“Thank you…”

“Yeah, go carefully.”

“Yes sir!”

By the time the kid was completely out of sight, a hologram popped up announcing quest completion.

**[Quest Cleared!]**

[Settling…]

[Settlement complete.]

[Lowest-grade Random Card will be awarded.]

[You have acquired 1 Good Deed Point.]

Regardless of the reward, it had been a genuinely heartwarming experience in a long time.

Kids really are tough.

Both of the ones he met today were like that.

Smart, too.

Thinking back on it made him smile involuntarily. Anyway, he just hoped both of them would grow up well. Putting those thoughts aside, he headed back to the chicken shop.

Lowest-grade card, huh.

He decided to claim the card reward before even arriving.

The odds of it being trash were high anyway.

Better to get these things over with quickly—it’s easier on the mind.

The card spun round and round.

He reached out and randomly tapped one.

A color he had never seen before seeped into the space between his brows.

**[You have selected the lowest-grade ‘Talent’.]**

**[As a reward, you have acquired ‘Comic Artist’s Creativity (Consumable)’]**

**[You can check it by recalling the talent.]**

He rubbed his eyes for a second and checked again.

…Huh?

No matter how many times he looked, the reward was definitely a ‘Talent’. Even though it was consumable and felt somewhat vague, receiving a talent as a reward was a first, so he felt a strange, subtle emotion.

This is… good, right?

For now, he decided to check the details.

When he recalled the talent, the description appeared.

**[Comic Artist’s Creativity (Consumable)]**

[Exhibits unique creativity for 6 hours. If you complete one piece of work within that time, it ends there. Even if you don’t finish the work, the effect ends when the time is up, and the talent disappears completely.]

[Would you like to use it?]

[Yes / No]

It didn’t seem particularly impressive. If it had been a comic artist’s outstanding skill level or dexterous handwork, maybe—but creativity? He couldn’t quite picture how useful that would be. At best, maybe a few ideas would pop into his head, that’s all.

“Hmm.”

Above all, since his actual drawing skill was lacking, he doubted whether creativity alone would be of any use. He had learned to draw before, but only at the level of a typical hobbyist.

For now, he pressed ‘No’.

He couldn’t use it right away anyway, so he figured he’d try it later when he got home and remembered. Leaving behind the slight sense of regret, he opened the door and stepped inside. Lee Shin-woo glanced over while frying chicken.

“Why’d you take so long?”

“Ah, something came up.”

“Did the kid get home okay?”

“Yeah, he did. And here—take this.”

Ryu Seong handed over 200,000 won in cash from his wallet.

“What’s this?”

“I told you earlier. Take care of that kid whenever he comes by.”

“Whoa, seriously unexpected from you.”

“Ahem.”

“Give me 100,000. I’ll cover half.”

“Huh?”

“Dude, I’ll pitch in half too, so just give me 100,000.”

“Ooooh.”

“Seriously. Can’t really complain when someone’s doing a good deed. Sigh.”

“Kekeke.”

Since there were no other customers, their conversation flowed naturally. Then, out of nowhere, the topic he had been most worried about lately popped up.

“…I’m thinking of doing it. What do you think?”

“Doing what?”

“Full-time investor.”

“For real? Like, as an actual job?”

“Yeah. While messing with crypto lately, I got interested. So I looked into future industries and companies, studied by watching YouTube, and honestly… I think it could work as a career. No—honestly, it’s fun. It’s been a really long time since something caught my interest like this.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Shin-woo, who had been thinking it over, nodded.

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“The problem is whether my parents will oppose it.”

At that, his friend let out a small laugh.

“You’ve always been like that, though.”

“Like what?”

“When you were little you said you wanted to be a prosecutor or something. Your parents were totally fine with it back then too. And then not even a year later you went nuts saying you wanted to do music, and they cheered you on for that as well.”

“Ahem, yeah, they did.”

“And then you quit music after a few months.”

“Ughhh.”

“After that, what was it—a webtoon artist?”

“Haha… ha…”

“You went to an academy for a few months back then too, right? And then quit?”

“…”

Listening to it all, he had nothing to say in response.

“Has your parents ever opposed you any of those times?”

“…No, they never did.”

“So why would this time be any different?”

“Ah…”

Just as his worries seemed about to vanish in an instant—

“Of course, if they see stocks as gambling, then yeah, it’ll be tough.”

“…Ahem. That’s the problem, isn’t it.”

“Try explaining it to them properly.”

“Actually, I already ordered some gifts in advance.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. They’re supposed to arrive next week… I’ll give them the gifts and try to talk it over nicely.”

At those words, Lee Shin-woo, who had been thinking, offered one piece of advice.

“While you’re at it, it’d be good to show them your current investment status too. Pick companies that pretty much everyone knows. That way they won’t think it’s gambling. Go in the direction of proving it’s sound, healthy investing.”

“Oho, that’s a good idea?”

“I’m pretty smart, you know. Do your best. Who knows—maybe this really is something that suits your aptitude.”

“You bastard, just watch.”

“Watch my ass. Don’t come crying to me when you lose money.”

“Hehehe.”

*That’s not gonna happen, you punk.*

*

After finishing the consultation, he returned home and continued studying the stock market.

Trying to do stocks naturally led him to study companies. Studying companies led him to learn about related businesses and overall market conditions. As the branches spreading in every direction began to converge, he started to see the trunk. And by following that trunk, he realized that they all ultimately belonged to the enormous root called “the flow of the era.”

“Autonomous driving, electric vehicles, hydrogen cars, cloud computing, Internet of Things, AI, quantum computers, the metaverse…”

He came to truly feel that the world was in a transitional period where the Fourth Industrial Revolution was about to dominate.

It’s insane, seriously.

At the same time, a conviction formed: if he invested in the American companies leading this trend, at the very least he wouldn’t lose money. Among American companies, he narrowed it down to a few dozen after much deliberation, then cut that list in half again.

Too many.

He studied more and narrowed the list again.

Again. And again.

After repeating the process several times, four companies remained.

“Companies that pretty much everyone knows.”

Just like Lee Shin-woo said—if he showed that he was investing in these kinds of companies, it would be much easier to persuade them.

Alright, let’s go with these.

He opened the brokerage app he had prepared in advance.

10:35 PM.

The U.S. market was already open, so he immediately bought shares in those companies. Since he planned to gradually increase his capital over time, he decided not to overdo it.

5 million won each.

A modest—but far from trivial—investment of 20 million won in total was executed.

“Damn, my hands are actually shaking a bit.”

Once the investment actually started, his heart was pounding quite a lot.

Excitement? Maybe that’s the word.

He found himself blankly staring at the chart movements, feeling elated one moment and anxious the next.

“Ooh, is it going up? Is it going up?!”

“Ugh… is it dropping…?”

Only belatedly did he notice his own behavior.

“Ha…!”

He hurriedly shook his head to snap out of it and regain his senses.

This is crazy.

For the first time, he sort of understood why people called stocks gambling.

This won’t do.

As long as real information existed, he was aiming for investing—not gambling.

“Ahem.”

He immediately closed the brokerage app.

Once he barely suppressed his curiosity, the card reward he had received earlier came to mind.

Talent.

He strongly recalled it, and a hologram appeared.

**[Comic Artist’s Creativity (Consumable)]**

[Exhibits unique creativity for 6 hours. If you complete one piece of work within that time, it ends there. Even if you don’t finish the work, the effect ends when the time is up, and the talent disappears completely.]

[Would you like to use it?]

[Yes / No]

Even looking at it again, it felt like an ambiguous talent.

“Tch.”

It wasn’t outstanding drawing skill—just creativity. What the hell was he supposed to do with this? Thinking “let’s just use it now and be done with it,” he pressed ‘Yes.’

**[Comic Artist’s Creativity surges forth.]**

But then.

Something unbelievable happened.

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