From Delivery Guy to the Richest Man: Infinite Luck System

02. The Price of Reality

Ken didn’t answer. The voice in his head seemed stuck at one point, Lizzy standing there, different, distant, and no longer his.

Seeing him still staring at Lizzy, the man stepped closer, looking him up and down without trying to hide his disgust.

“Listen carefully,” he said softly, but every word was clear. “Do you know who I am?”

The man gave a faint smile.

“You shouldn’t. Someone like you wouldn’t know. But if I say just one word to this building’s management… you wouldn’t even be allowed into the lobby, let alone come up here.”

The man stepped closer again, grabbed the collar of Ken’s jacket, shook him lightly, and said, “I can make someone like you have no place left in this city. So don’t act tough. Especially don’t bother my girl.”

Ken still didn’t react. Not because he was calm, but because everything felt too fast, leaving him no space to breathe.

“Liz,” his voice finally came out, hoarse. “Are you serious?”

Lizzy didn’t answer. She looked at Ken for a few seconds, then let out a breath as if tired.

“Ken… you’ve never changed. I’m tired of waiting for you to ‘succeed someday.’ The reality is you’re still in the same place.”

Ken looked at her with pain, but Liz continued without hesitation, “I don’t want to live a hard life anymore. I don’t want to think every day about what to eat tomorrow.”

Her gaze dropped to Ken’s jacket.

“And clearly… I don’t want to have a boyfriend whose job is just being a courier.”

The man beside her smiled in satisfaction.

“Hear that?”

Lizzy crossed her arms, as if supported, no longer hiding her true nature.

“You’re kind, Ken,” she said, but without warmth. “But that’s not enough. In the real world, it has no value.”

Ken stared at her in disbelief. The girl who had always been so innocent and sweet could act like this for money. He didn’t want to believe it, but what he saw and heard was real.

“…So all of this…” his voice was low, almost inaudible, “is just because of that?”

Lizzy looked at him without blinking, not answering, but that was enough to give Ken his answer.

The man chuckled, then reached into his wallet. Several bills were taken out and flicked toward Ken.

The money fell to the floor, scattered near his feet.

“Extra tip,” he said lightly. “For memories.”

Ken stared blankly at the money, neither angry nor ashamed. It all suddenly didn’t feel real.

“Take it. At least it’ll help you not eat instant noodles all the time,” Lizzy added. 

There was no excessive mocking tone, but what made it more painful was that it came from someone he had given so much to.

A few seconds passed, and Ken’s body moved slowly. He crouched, his hand picking up one bill, then he stood again.

Ken looked at Lizzy one last time, hoping maybe there would be a miracle that all of this was just a dream, but there wasn’t.

All he saw was a face that had already become unfamiliar.

Ken turned around, his steps moving away down the corridor. Behind him, Lizzy’s voice was heard softly, just enough to reach his ears.

“Good thing I realized quickly and chose you…”

Ken’s steps paused for a split second before continuing again. His hand inside his pocket clenched, the money he took feeling like it was burning.

He didn’t remember exactly when he left the building.

What he knew was, a few minutes later he was already on his motorcycle, the engine running, and the city’s night streets passing by in front of his eyes.

His mind was empty. Occasionally, Liz’s voice still crossed his thoughts, then disappeared again.

Ken took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

At the next intersection, a black car suddenly stopped across in front of him.

Ken reflexively braked.

“Hey—”

The car door opened, two people got out and blocked him without much talk.

“Get down,” one of them said in a rough, harsh tone.

Ken didn’t move immediately. The second person stepped closer, his hand immediately grabbing the collar of Ken’s jacket and pulling him down from the motorcycle.

“I said get down.”

Ken staggered, nearly falling.

“What—”

Before he could finish speaking, a hard shove dragged him to the side of the road, into a darker area beside a building where no one was around.

The first punch landed on his stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs instantly. Ken bent over, coughing dryly.

The second punch followed to his face, making his vision shake. Ken tried to stand, but his knees wobbled.

Someone grabbed the collar of his jacket and warned, “Listen carefully. You’re just a poor delivery guy from the countryside. You need to know who you can mess with and who you can’t.”

“One more time you interfere… it’ll be a different story. This time, it’s just a friendly reminder.”

Another kick slammed into his ribs, making Ken fall onto the cold, rough ground.

Pain came in waves, but strangely, not as strong as he imagined. Or maybe he was already too numb.

“That’s enough,” the other one said, signaling his partner to leave.

Their footsteps moved away. Soon, the sound of an engine started and drove off, the car disappeared.

Ken lay on the ground, his breathing heavy and irregular. A few seconds… or minutes… he didn’t kno. His hand moved slowly, trying to support his body.

Pain was everywhere.

He finally sat up, leaning against the wall with his head lowered. He gave a faint, sorrowful smile, but the pain at the corner of his lips made it look very ugly.

At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Ken didn’t take it immediately.

The vibration stopped, then started again. With slow movements, he finally took out his phone.

Supervisor

Ken stared at it for a few seconds, then swiped to answer.