"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
The clock on my old dashboard flashed 9:10 AM. I was ten minutes late for my shift. Since my boss had a heart made of cold anthracite, every minute of delay meant another bite taken out of my measly paycheck.
I am Sushi, nineteen years old. My absolute rule in life: "Time is money... and money is everything."
I slammed my foot on the accelerator. The streets were nearly empty when suddenly—she appeared. A girl, standing dead center in the road like a statue, staring blankly at her phone.
"Are you kidding me?! Is this the time to be crossing the street?!"
In a split second, my survival instincts kicked in. I jerked the steering wheel with a finesse that would make Formula 1 drivers weep. The tires shrieked against the asphalt as I bypassed her by mere millimeters.
"Yes! I'm a genius!" I roared in triumph, adrenaline surging through my veins.
But the celebration was short-lived. As soon as the car straightened out, I was staring directly at the massive rear end of a stalled delivery truck. This time, there was no room for maneuvers.
BOOM!
That was the last thing I heard. I didn't feel pain. Instead, I felt only one thing: 'Oh my... the car is totaled. Repairing this is going to cost me a fortune!'
Somewhere... without Wi-Fi.
I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. But these weren't ordinary birds; they sounded like they were performing a bizarre operatic melody.
"Ugh... my head..."
I tried to stand up, but a sudden, sharp chill enveloped my entire body. I looked down, then looked around, then looked down again.
"Where... where are my clothes?!"
I was in the middle of a vast green meadow, as naked as the day I was born. Not a single sock to my name. No truck, no girl, and not even a phone to call for help. In the distance stood a massive city, fortified by high stone walls and pointed towers—straight out of a fantasy anime. It looked like the legendary city of Axel, but... more expensive.
"Was I robbed while unconscious? Or was I transported to another world?"
I sat on the grass in a beggar's crouch, face buried in my hands from sheer embarrassment and rage.
"If this is an Isekai, where's the Sacred Relic? Where's the Cheat Skill? Where's the King who showers me with gold to save his kingdom?"
I squinted greedily toward the distant city.
"I don't care who built those walls, and I don't care about any Demon King. I've lost my car, my clothes, and my dignity. Magic world... get ready. I'm getting back every cent I lost—with interest!"
At that moment, a transparent screen flickered before Sushi's eyes:
[Ultimate Frugality System: Activating...]
[Quest 1: Enter the city without being arrested for public indecency!]
[Reward: A piece of used cloth.]
Sushi: "Even the System is a cheapskate?! Looks like I've finally met my match!"