On a beautiful and bright morning, Naoto woke up from a deep sleep and opened his eyes to the sunlight filtering through his bedroom window. He sighed happily.
"Was that a dream? What a beautiful dream—I hope it comes true."
"Good morning, Host."
Naoto said in shock,
"What!! Or if it wasn't a dream… well, never mind, I'll get out of bed."
Naoto quickly went down the stairs. When he reached the kitchen, he found his family already gathered around the table. They exchanged greetings and morning smiles, and the atmosphere was full of love and understanding. His grandmother was preparing a delicious breakfast.
After having breakfast together, Naoto left the house heading to school.
He walked steadily through the crowded streets, feeling the breeze gently touch his face. He enjoyed watching the passersby and the shops opening their doors to start a new day. He loved walking and listening to the birds singing in nearby trees.
"Host, aren't you going to accept your beginner mission?"
"Hah, you really bother me. Alright, let's see what you have."
Beginner mission activated successfully.
Difficulty: (1/5) E
Mission Description:
Your body is too weak and must be strengthened before starting missions.
Requirements:
Run 250 meters (0/250)
Do 10 push-ups (0/10)
Do 10 squats (0/10)
Do 10 sit-ups (0/10)
Reward:
10 experience points
2 status points
Beginner's pack
Since this is a beginner mission, there is no time limit or penalty.
"What is this? Do you think I'm Saitama? These look like exercises!"
"This mission is suitable for the Host right now."
"Well, these things will wait until the weekend."
The mission is not time-restricted, so it's up to the Host.
Naoto continued on his way and finally reached the school. He went to his classroom, took his seat, and classes began.
It was lunchtime. Naoto was sitting in his seat, holding his phone, browsing new novels on his favorite website.
"Oh, this one is good."
"Host, why are you alone?"
"Why did you appear?! What if someone sees you?"
Naoto said cautiously and anxiously.
"Don't worry. No one except the Host can see or hear me. I can speak through his mind."
"Well, that's a relief."
But the Host didn't answer my question.
"Well, there's not much to say. Because of my high grades, others started to isolate me, making me a target for bullying."
"But has the Host tried to make friends?"
"I don't know. It's been eight years since I locked myself away and began watching anime and reading novels."
"Does that mean the Host would be happy to travel to those worlds?"
"Worlds?? What do you mean? That's impossible."
"No, it's possible. What you call novels and anime are actually parallel universes."
"Can you travel between these universes?"
"The Host can find out by developing the system."
"You're useless."
Suddenly, three boys appeared, laughing and having fun. One of them spotted Naoto sitting on a chair.
"—Leader, it's that boy who took our money!"
Naoto turned to see the source of the voice and saw the three boys who had beaten him unconscious.
(Ding!! The Host gained 2 surprise points.)
"Oh, so that's how it works."
"Hey, you! Come here!"
(Ding!! The Host gained +1 hatred point.)
Naoto stood up without argument and approached the leader with eyes full of hatred.
"What's up, Akihiro?"
"Oh, didn't your rotten parents teach you to respect your elders?"
Akihiro slapped Naoto, who couldn't dodge it, causing him to fall to the floor.
The entire class turned to the sound of the slap to see Naoto lying on the ground.
(The Host gained 36 attention points.)
(The Host gained +17 sympathy points.)
"Leader, better stop. What if that strange man finds out?"
One follower tried to stop Akihiro from hitting Naoto, fearing the unknown man.
"Calm down. I'm sure that person has nothing to do with this trash. If he did, he would have come a long time ago, right Naoto?"
Akihiro said with a mischievous smile.
"See you after school."
Akihiro hinted at leaving and attracted attention.
Naoto got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He clenched his fist and hit the wall in anger.
"I'm tired of this. I'm always the victim of bullying. If only I could hit back…"
(Ding!! The beginner mission is still active.)
"That's right, I can still rely on the system. Only twenty-five minutes left of lunch break."
Naoto quickly left the bathroom and went downstairs to the area behind the school where most students don't go during lunch.
Naoto arrived, panting.
"System, show me the mission."
(Ding!! Mission started.)
Difficulty: (1/5) E
Mission Description:
Your body is too weak and must be strengthened before starting missions.
Requirements:
Run 250 meters (50/250)
Do 10 push-ups (0/10)
Do 10 squats (0/10)
Do 10 sit-ups (0/10)
Reward:
10 experience points
2 status points
Beginner's pack
"System, where did the fifty meters come from?"
The Host ran from the bathroom to this place, which is about fifty meters from the top floor.
"That's a useful way. Okay, let's start."
Naoto set a distance of 250 meters and began running with all his strength, despite his frail body. He finished before the time limit—astonishingly—in twenty minutes. Then he stood and started doing squats until exhausted.
What motivated him was not wanting to be scorned by others. He was annoyed by everything, and his only drive was his grandparents.
After finishing squats, Naoto was very tired but did not give up. He decided to use the remaining time to do sit-ups and arm exercises. He knew he wouldn't get the reward if he didn't complete the mission.
After five minutes, Naoto felt he could not go on any longer. His strength was gradually fading.
(Ding!! Beginner mission completed.)
Reward delivery in progress.
The Host received:
10 experience points
2 status points
Beginner's pack
"Do you want to open it? Yes / No"
"Yes, open it."
(Ding!! Congratulations to the Host for receiving:)
Double experience card
Low-level martial arts book
Street fighting art
Key
"At least I managed to finish it on time."
(Congratulations to the Host on completing the first part of the beginner's mission.)
"What, there's more than one part?"
"Yes, Host. The requirements increase with each challenge. The system encourages the Host to work hard."
"Well, except for the key, everything else is relatively good. Now open status."
Status
Name: Hijai Naoto
Age: 15 years
Level: 3 (10/100)
Strength: 7 (normal for age 15)
Endurance: 5 (normal for age 13)
Agility: 4 (normal for age 11)
Intelligence: 11
Status points: 0
Emotion points: 56
Skills, Shop, Inventory, Quests
"Add one point to Strength and one point to Agility."
Status
Name: Hijai Naoto
Age: 15 years
Level: 3 (10/100)
Strength: 7 (normal for age 15)
Endurance: 5 (normal for age 13)
Agility: 4 (normal for age 11)
Intelligence: 11
Status points: 0
Emotion points: 56
Skills, Shop, Inventory, Quests
"Well, I don't feel much difference. Now open inventory."
The system opened the inventory. Naoto looked at the only two items inside and took out the low-level martial arts book.
"Should I read this book?"
"Do you want to spend 15 emotion points to learn the skill?"
"Yes, spend them."
The skill Street Fighting [Level 1/17] was successfully learned, increasing Agility and Endurance by one point.
Techniques from the book started to register in Naoto's mind — every move and possible method of fighting. When finished, Naoto felt exhausted.
"Can skills increase stats?"
"Yes, and stats increase as your level rises. This is just a low-level book, so the increase is slight. When the Host becomes stronger, they will gain higher-level techniques."
"Then how do I level up the skill? Should I practice it?"
"Not necessarily."
The system showed Naoto the skills screen.
"As long as you have enough points…"
"Well, time to return to class."
When Naoto returned to class, he felt proud and confident. He might not be able to defeat Akihiro yet, but he already had enough strength to at least hit back.