I woke up in the middle of a vast forest. I was only eight years old, and beside me lay nothing but a long sword with a red hilt and a strange chest floating in the air.
"Oh God… where am I now?!"
My heart raced. Did I… transmigrate? Are you kidding me?!
But there was no use complaining. What happened had already happened. If I didn't think fast, I'd die.
Wait… is this an island?
I had never seen the sea before. I'd never even been to the beach.
A crazy thought crossed my mind: Can I become strong like shounen heroes… just by screaming?
So I took a deep breath and shouted with all my strength:
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
For a brief moment, I felt incredible—completely free. I only hoped this wasn't a dream.
I decided to explore the island carefully. But before I could move, my eyes returned to the floating chest. Next to it, the sword gleamed in the sunlight. I tried to lift it… but it was far too heavy for me.
"Are you kidding me?! A chest that floats and a sword I can't even lift… don't tell me this is some kind of magical world!"
I sighed, smiling to myself. "Amazing."
I kept walking until exhaustion hit me. Too scared to fish, I decided to eat some herbs I found. Every time I tried to touch the chest, it dodged me like it had a mind of its own.
Then, by chance, I discovered a beautiful pearl. I picked it up, my eyes wide.
Damn… I'm rich!
Laughing happily, I skipped along—until I tripped on a rock. The pearl slipped from my hands and fell right into the floating chest!
The pearl vanished. The chest opened. Suddenly, a glowing blue screen appeared in front of me:
> [Congratulations! You have exchanged your first valuable item. The Exchange Chest System has been unlocked. You can trade valuable items for skill points, random skills, or rare items.]
Another message followed:
> [The pearl has been exchanged for: 10 bottles of water, 5 hamburgers, and 2 kilos of meat.]
[Items have been stored in Inventory. Warning: Once removed from Inventory, items cannot be placed back.]
I froze. Is this system… real? Sure, the pearl was worth more than some food, but… I'm starving.
I opened the storage, pulled out the food, and sat on the beach with a burger in hand.
"This… is awesome!"
From that day, I started simple training: punches, push-ups, running. Day after day, a month passed. My body had grown tougher, stronger—even though I was still just a kid.
Then, one day, a new message appeared:
> [Congratulations! You have begun learning "Basic Punch Attack."]
[Basic Punch Attack: Just a punch.]
A status screen unfolded before my eyes:
Status
Name: …
Age: 8 years, 3 months
Skills: Basic Punch Attack (Level 0)
Items: Sharp Sword, 25 kg Meat, 10 kg Rice, 100 Bottles of Water, Some Medicine
My jaw dropped. Oh my God! Is this… my control panel?
But… why don't I have a name?
A prompt flashed:
> [Please name yourself.]
I thought for a moment, then said: "Alright… I'll call myself Luke."
> [Ding! Status updated.]
Status
Name: Luke
I grinned. "So… what now? Sing? Dance? No… of course, I'll keep training!"