Dory woke up to the sound of a bluebottle fly buzzing near his ear and the metallic taste of dried blood in his mouth. Sunlight poked through the holes in his thatched roof, hitting his eyes like needles.
He stayed motionless on the dirt floor for a long time, watching a single shaft of light pierce through a hole in the thatch. It illuminated the dust motes dancing in the air—millions of tiny particles drifting aimlessly, much like his life in this world so far.
He had lost consciousness again after the interface appeared in front of him.
"That's true. The interface."
He slowly sat up, ready to discover what had happened yesterday, but as if on cue, the system coalesced in front of him.
[Name: Dorian]
[Titles: ...]
[System: SSS-Rank Service System]
[Current Rank: F-Rank]
[Class: Freelancer]
[Missions Completed: Nil]
[Job: None has been downloaded]
[Skills: None]
[Market: Open]
[Service Points: Nil]
[Account: Currency Not Set]
[Daily 10x: 5 Usages available]
[Daily Reviews]
Dory stared at the system for a while before coughing. He had read about this type of thing in countless webnovels back on Earth, so it wasn't exactly new to him. But he had only read about characters getting awesome combat abilities and then challenging fate or steamrolling for thousands of chapters.
"...Ah, the old days..."
Getting a system that actually complemented his skills was incredibly lucky, though it would have been better if it had appeared a year ago when he first arrived in this world. Without wasting time, he shook off the awe of the floating system and acted as if it were normal... well, as normal as things got in this world.
He selected [Freelancer] to study it further. Focusing his intent on the term, the system displayed a new message under the heading [CLASS].
[CLASS: Freelancer]
Description: [The lowest tier of the service industry. As a Freelancer, you are the world's 'Jack of All Trades' and 'Master of None.' Your survival depends on your ability to handle tasks that others are too busy, too lazy, or too noble to do. You have no fixed salary, no job security, and no dignity—only the pursuit of the next Five-Star review.]
Class Trait: [The Professional Edge]
(Level 1: Passive) – When engaged in a service contract, your focus increases by 10%. Emotional interference (fear, anger, pride) is suppressed to ensure the client's needs are met first.
Class Trait: [Arbitrage Specialist]
(Level 1: Passive) – You have the innate ability to see the gap between what a client has and what they need. This allows for the negotiation of fees that others would deem impossible.
Dory stared at the description, a dry, cracking sound escaping his throat. It was a laugh.
"No dignity and no job security," he whispered, adjusting the frame of his broken glasses. "...It's like the system took my PhD and my internship years and condensed them into a single insult. How nostalgic..."
He ignored the jab at his pride and looked at the [Job: None has been downloaded] section. In his mind, he visualized clicking it.
[Warning: Storage is empty.]
[Would you like to access the 'Market' to download your first Professional Package?]
"...Yes... show me the inventory..."
The screen flickered. The blue interface didn't just change; it expanded, the edges glowing with a soft, golden light that indicated the "SSS" nature of the system.
[MARKET: SERVICE PACKAGES]
[Shop: Packages]
[Basic Domestic Package] – Cost: 0 SP (Starter Gift)
Includes: Cleaning, Organizing, and Basic Maintenance skills.
[Courier & Delivery Package] – Cost: 50 SP
Includes: Pathfinding, Stamina Conservation, and 'Fragile Goods' handling.
[Professional Mediation & Debt Recovery] – Cost: 150 SP
Includes: 'Silver Tongue' and 'Intimidating Presence' (Negotiation focus).
Dory didn't hesitate. He was broke, beaten, and injured. He needed to start with the basics.
"Download the Domestic Package."
[Download Starting... 10%... 50%... 100%]
[Skill Gained: Environmental Heatmap (F-Rank)]
[Skill Gained: Spatial Optimization (F-Rank)]
[Skill Gained: Kinetic Efficiency (F-Rank)]
[Skill Gained: Material Restoration (F-Rank)]
[Skill Gained: Aura of Order (F-Rank)]
[Job Gained: Junior Sanitary Engineer (F-Rank)]
Dory blinked, staring at the new title.
"Junior Sanitary Engineer," he muttered, testing how it sounded.
He stood up, his ribs groaning in protest. He looked around his dismal cottage. Before he could go out and sell his services to the village, he needed to understand his new tools.
"...System, display the job description for Junior Sanitary Engineer..."
The interface shifted, shimmering with a clinical blue light.
[JOB DESCRIPTION: Junior Sanitary Engineer]
[Your goal is to fix messy areas and make them clean again. You must find and remove all dirt and trash. You are also responsible for organizing a client's space so they can work 15% faster. Using special skills, you will make old or dirty objects look brand new. Your work must be significantly better than any normal cleaner in this world.]
Determined to test it, he looked around the cottage. While the space was nearly empty, there was still plenty of grime.
[Environmental Heatmap Activated]
Immediately, his vision inverted into strange shades of blue, green, and yellow. All around the cottage, he saw different types of dirt in every corner—things he couldn't see before, like bacteria and fungi. Dory was left in awe.
"Incredible," he whispered.
As he moved, he felt a strange rhythm take over his body. His sore muscles didn't protest as much when he reached for a nearby rag.
[Kinetic Efficiency Activated]
[Spatial Optimization Initializing…]
Suddenly, faint blue lines projected across the floor, showing him the most efficient path to clear the room. He swiped the rag across a grime-stained wooden stool.
[Material Restoration Applied]
The wood's deep scratches from years of neglect seemed to smooth over, and a rich, honey-colored glow emerged from the grain as if it had just been polished by a master craftsman. The air in the immediate vicinity felt crisper, lighter.
He looked at the notification still pulsing at the corner of his vision.
[Daily 10x: 5 Usages available]
The math was simple. If he performed a task that usually paid a few copper coins, the system would force the value up ten times. But the reward wasn't just currency—it was Service Points. And Service Points meant better packages, better skills, and eventually, the power to build a real economy.
He grabbed his broken spectacles, sliding them onto his nose. One lens was missing and the other was cracked, but behind them, his eyes were cold and focused.
He had a meeting with Horg.