Chapter 2: A Lesson Learned
Gasp!
Kyosuke shot up in bed, rubbing his still-drowsy head. I got careless, he thought. I didn't realize there was a third one.
After sitting in a daze for a moment, he remembered something and slid out of bed. As he washed his face, he muttered a single word in his mind.
"System."
Instantly, a translucent blue virtual interface appeared before his eyes.
Kyosuke calmly skipped past the "Character Info," "Class Info," and "Attributes" sections, opening the menu at the very bottom labeled "Dungeons."
In a flash, a much larger virtual screen popped up. This interface was divided into eight ranks: Six Paths, God, S, A, B, C, D, and E.
He ignored the other sections and opened the E-Rank tab. Inside, dozens of titled options were available for selection, each with its own cover image.
He focused his thoughts on one titled "Transport Goods," and a description immediately appeared.
Dungeon: Transport Goods
Description: In a silent jungle, a lone individual drags a heavy cargo cart through a vast and dangerous land.
Completion Conditions: Successfully kill the attacking rogue ninja OR deliver the cargo to its destination.
Attempts Remaining: 2/3
He had unlocked this dungeon right after he was "transmigrated" here.
That's right—Kyosuke wasn't from this world. He was originally an ordinary person from a modern city who had arrived here by accident. His full name was now Uchiha Kyosuke, a member of the Uchiha clan with unremarkable talent.
When he first arrived, Kyosuke had been ecstatic. After all, he had been a huge fan of this world in his past life, and the chance to experience it firsthand was a dream come true.
Soon, however, he discovered that this body's natural abilities were painfully average. Aside from the Sharingan, which had awakened unexpectedly due to the merging of two souls, he had no other noteworthy talents.
Ninjutsu? He was basically clueless.
Taijutsu? Limited by his young age, it was practically negligible.
Genjutsu… what was that?
As a result, his predecessor had not had an easy life within the Uchiha clan.
The clan's upper echelons were already beginning to feel the sting of ostracism from the rest of the village. This, combined with the clan's inherent pride and exclusivity, only made the situation worse. Yet, instead of trying to improve relations, they had only doubled down on their arrogance. They believed the root of their problem was a lack of top-tier power within the clan.
Otherwise, how could the Uchiha, a name that struck fear across the land during the Warring States Period, be reduced to being outcasts?
To that end, they began a fanatical pursuit of power, and their dealings with outsiders grew colder and more ruthless, as if that alone could restore their lost dignity.
Kyosuke could only scoff at their foolishness.
Setting aside the clan's troubles, he focused on his special ability.
After careful study, he realized that each of the titled boxes was a dungeon. The difficulty and rewards of each dungeon corresponded to its rank. Each dungeon could only be attempted three times; failure meant it would be permanently locked.
Furthermore, each dungeon had specific requirements. For the "Transport Goods" dungeon, for instance, he couldn't lose the cargo, or the attempt would be considered a failure.
Of course, dying inside a dungeon didn't affect him in the real world. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here now, lost in thought.
In addition to the dungeons, his ability also displayed his physical body in a data-based format. "Level," "Attributes," and "Skills" could all be understood through clear numerical data. To improve these abilities, something called "Experience Points" was essential.
From what he could tell, clearing dungeons only awarded items related to that specific dungeon; it didn't grant any experience points. As a result, even after having the system for several days, his personal level was still stuck at 1.
As Kyosuke was pondering all of this, his door was suddenly and violently thrown open.
Bang!
The fragile wooden doors trembled on their hinges. A few more hits like that and they would surely be saying goodbye.
There was only one person in the clan who would treat him so crudely: his older cousin, Uchiha Hiroshi.
Kyosuke's parents had died during the Second Shinobi World War, and he had been adopted by his uncle. He had grown up alongside his cousin, but to say their relationship was like fire and water would be an understatement. For reasons unknown, Hiroshi had always looked down on him, taking every opportunity to bully him.
Kyosuke seriously suspected that his predecessor's mediocrity was largely due to his cousin's "contributions."
But he wasn't going to let himself be pushed around anymore.
Although clan rules strictly forbade fighting amongst themselves without reason, who would be too harsh on a five-year-old child?
Just as Kyosuke was preparing to give his predecessor's tormentor a taste of his own medicine, a notification sounded in his mind, freezing him in place.
"Oh? Getting an attitude now, are we? You dare to glare at me?" Uchiha Hiroshi was surprised by his cousin's sudden backbone, but then he saw him freeze on the spot.
Assuming his cousin had finally remembered the fear he was supposed to feel, Hiroshi nodded in satisfaction. He opened his mouth to say something, but a fist suddenly filled his vision, and then everything went black.
Strange… Kyosuke stood over Hiroshi's unconscious body. He hadn't heard the mission completion notification and scratched his head in confusion.
He had lashed out so suddenly not only because he genuinely wanted to teach Hiroshi a lesson, but also because of the message that had appeared in his mind.
Mission Triggered: Teach him a lesson.
Description: Defeat Uchiha Hiroshi and make a name for yourself within the clan.
Reward: 10 Experience Points.
Having been agonizing over how to get experience points, he was overjoyed when the mission prompt appeared, which was why he had paused for a moment. But now, the situation was perplexing.
After thinking it over carefully, he finally guessed the reason. The mission description said the goal was to "make a name for himself within the clan." A private beating like this wouldn't count.
"This mission came at the perfect time," Kyosuke muttered with a slight smile. He grabbed his cousin's body and began to drag him laboriously out of the room.
"Damn, this body is too weak," Kyosuke grumbled to himself. After channeling some chakra, he felt the burden lighten considerably.
And so, he slung Hiroshi over his shoulder and swaggered out into the clan's streets.
He ignored the bewildered stares from the other clan members, simply shaking his head and continuing toward the council hall.
Finally, after a ten-minute walk, he arrived outside the hall's entrance.
Thump!
He tossed the still-unconscious Hiroshi to the ground, just as the large doors swung open.
"Hmph? What is the meaning of this?" a commanding voice boomed from right behind Kyosuke.