The Jobless Swordsman and the Credit Card Mage

Minjae sat cross-legged on the dusty floor of his room, a small pile of fantasy-looking items in front of him. His basement portal shimmered softly behind him like a loyal dog waiting for a walk. In front of him was a stack of enchanted weapons, a box of glowing ores, and what he strongly suspected was a bag of premium-grade monster poop labeled "Fertilizer of the Mountain King."

He poked it with a chopstick. "Yeah. Definitely not going on eBay."

He pulled out his notebook—an actual, dog-eared, real-world Korean spiral notebook—and flipped to a fresh page.

PLAN TO TURN OTHERWORLD STUFF INTO CASH (WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE A PSYCHO)

1. Fake antique store?

2. Online sales under "artisan prop creator" name

3. Get things appraised? LOL, NO.

4. Black market? …Okay calm down, Minjae.

He scratched his head. The last time he brought a small mana crystal into the pawn shop down the street, the ahjussi behind the counter blinked so hard he knocked over a fan.

Minjae grinned at the memory. "I should've filmed it."

The portal hummed behind him, low and steady, like a refrigerator filled with secrets. For most people, it would've been terrifying. For him, it was basically background noise now—like a really aggressive AC unit that sometimes spat out goblin bones.

Still, he wasn't stupid. This wasn't some VR game. Everything over there had weight. Had danger. And more importantly, had value.

He stood and walked over to his workbench. Spread across it were carefully dismantled pieces of what looked like medieval tech—crossbows with mechanisms smoother than any historical replica, strange metal plates that reacted to heat like smart fabric, and those glassy orb-things that glowed whenever he lied near them. He labeled those: "Lie Detector Orbs. Possibly Useless. Definitely Cool."

Minjae wasn't a blacksmith. Or a wizard. Or a rogue. But he was something far more dangerous.

A guy with internet access, too much free time, and a working portal.

He checked his camera setup. Three angles. Lighting was good. Backdrop: tastefully cluttered, like a YouTuber who cared. He held up a carved dagger that had a swirling blue gem in the handle.

"Yo guys," he said into the lens, switching to his YouTuber voice. "Found this handmade dagger from a 'local artisan.' Pretty rad, huh? Glows in the dark, super light, probably made from meteorite or something. Only one of its kind."

He paused, holding up a finger.

"Disclaimer: not legally a weapon. Don't stab anything. Especially cops. I'm serious."

He edited out the part where the gem pulsed like a beating heart when he held it near his chest. No need to get flagged.

Once that was done, he switched back to his other life.

---

Otherworld – West of Velvaris, near the Crater Hills

Minjae emerged from the portal with his hoodie still smelling faintly of ramen. The air here always felt heavier—richer, somehow. The sky was bluer. The trees looked like they had opinions.

He liked it.

"Back again, basement boy?"

Minjae turned. A figure slouched on a nearby rock—half-asleep, half-starved, all attitude. He was young, probably nineteen, with a beat-up cloak and a chipped sword stuck into the dirt beside him. His name was Garen, a self-proclaimed 'jobless swordsman,' which in this world basically meant 'unemployed guy with muscles.'

Minjae liked him. He didn't ask questions.

"Any luck finding work?" Minjae asked, stepping closer.

Garen yawned. "Some lady asked if I wanted to dig up worms for her chickens."

"And?"

"I said yes. Then she gave me a shovel bigger than me. I ran."

"Respect."

Garen tilted his head. "So what're you doing back? More magical trinkets to shove in your magical bag?"

Minjae had made the mistake of showing off his modern-day backpack once. Garen had stared at it like it was a holy relic. He still hadn't gotten over the concept of zippers.

"I'm working on a new hustle," Minjae said, pulling out his notepad. "Ever heard of credit cards?"

"No. Is that a kind of blade?"

Minjae snorted. "In a way, yeah."

Garen stood, stretching. "Well, while you plan your next genius scam, the village nearby is freaking out. Something about a 'glass beast' roaming the hills. I was going to check it out."

Minjae perked up. "Glass beast? Like, made of glass?"

"Or maybe it just likes windows. Nobody knows."

This world was weird.

Minjae thought for a moment. "You mind if I tag along?"

Garen grinned. "You bring your credit card weapon?"

Minjae tapped his temple. "I bring my brain."

---

Two Hours Later – Crater Hills

The hills were not made of craters. False advertising.

But they were littered with jagged stones and glowing moss, which made Minjae's sneakers squeak like a dying duck. Garen strode confidently ahead, sword resting lazily on his shoulder.

Then they saw it.

Tall. Four-legged. Semi-transparent. It looked like a deer sculpted from stained glass, only it moved like water and shimmered like an oil slick.

"Okay that's… cooler than I expected," Minjae whispered.

Garen squinted. "It's licking a tree."

Sure enough, the creature was nuzzling a pine tree, its glass-like body refracting the light in waves.

Minjae quickly pulled out his phone.

"Stop that," Garen hissed. "It'll hear you."

"It doesn't have ears," Minjae whispered. "Also, this footage is gonna get me a million views."

But the moment he said that, the creature turned. Its head twisted unnaturally, like glass cracking in reverse. Its eyes—if they could be called that—burned with swirling silver light.

"Oh. Great," Garen muttered. "You made it angry."

Minjae pocketed the phone. "You're the swordsman."

"I'm jobless!"

"Then get a job right now!"

The creature charged.

Garen dodged to the left, drawing his chipped blade with a dramatic yell that probably did nothing except scare a squirrel. Minjae ducked behind a rock and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out a potion labeled "Essence of Speed (Maybe)" and chugged it.

It tasted like soap.

Suddenly, time felt slower. Not dramatically, but enough to let him move without tripping over his own excitement.

He bolted from cover and waved his arms.

"HEY, CRYSTAL BAMBI! OVER HERE!"

The creature shifted direction and charged again, hooves digging into the glowing soil. As it neared, Minjae pulled out the one thing he knew might confuse it: a laser pointer.

He clicked it.

The red dot danced across the grass.

The creature froze. Head tilted.

It stared at the dot.

Minjae moved it.

The creature followed.

Minjae moved it faster.

The creature chased it.

Garen blinked from behind a tree. "You're toying with a magical apex predator… with a laser pointer?"

"Don't judge my methods!" Minjae called, grinning wildly. "This is science!"

Eventually, the creature tired, slowed, and wandered off into the trees, possibly in existential crisis.

Garen walked over, wiping his forehead. "Remind me to never question your dumb ideas again."

Minjae leaned back against a rock, panting. "I will. Twice a day."

---

Later – Back in the Basement

Minjae dumped a glowing shard from the creature into his sorting box.

He added a label: "Glass Beast Shard – DO NOT TOUCH – May cause dizziness."

He sat back, staring at the ceiling.

Two lives. One basement. One idiot with a laser pointer.

And somehow, it was all working.

For now.