Chapter 1: The Dawn of a God
A chilly breeze grazed Ginger's skin as he lay on a thin mat inside a dilapidated hut. The air carried the damp scent of earth and mold, and the only sound was the soft rustle of leaves outside, swaying as if anticipating rain like a stalking cat. Ginger had no idea how he'd ended up here. Just moments ago, he was in his cramped Manila apartment, engrossed in a webnovel on his phone. Now, he was in a stranger's body, in a world that felt alien and unforgiving.
"What the hell?!" he blurted, clutching his head as a sharp pain stabbed through it. His body ached as if it had been pummeled by a hammer, and his clothes—a tattered shirt and jeans torn at the knees—clearly didn't belong to him. But what shocked him most was the voice that suddenly echoed in his mind.
**"Ding! The God Creation System has been activated! Welcome, Host Ginger Musang!"**
The voice was robotic yet resonant, like something out of a sci-fi blockbuster. Ginger bolted upright, scanning the room. The hut was a rickety structure of bamboo and nipa, furnished only with a splintered table, a cracked plate, and a glass of water that looked untouched for days. No one was there. The voice was inside his head.
"What was that? Who are you?!" he shouted, but the response came with unnerving clarity.
**"I am the God Creation System, a divine interface granting you the power to create anything you desire, provided you have sufficient mana. You have been chosen as the Host to thrive in this world, Lurra—a realm of magic and monsters!"**
Ginger pressed his fingers to his temples. "Hold up. This is like one of those isekai anime I watch? Are you serious?" He shook his head. In the webnovels he devoured, this was a familiar trope: an ordinary person transported to another world, gifted with a cheat-like system.
But reality was different. Ginger, a 25-year-old call center agent, had no grand ambitions beyond paying rent and saving for a new gaming PC. Now, here he was, trapped in the frail body of a teenage boy who looked like he hadn't eaten a proper meal in weeks.
**"Host, your current body belongs to Ginger, a 15-year-old farmer from Barrio Tandang. Your mana is currently at 10 units. Begin your first mission: Earn 500 pesos within three days to survive!"**
"Wait, what?!" Ginger protested. "What's this mana thing? And how am I supposed to earn money here? I don't even know this place!"
"I mean, I'm familiar with this kind of setup," he added, muttering, "but you've gotta give me the important details!"
**"Mana is the energy that powers the God Creation System. With it, you can create anything—food, weapons, even magic—as long as you have enough. Mana is earned through missions, defeating monsters, or improving your reputation in Lurra. Try your first creation now!"**
A holographic screen materialized before Ginger, floating like a tablet in midair. It displayed several options:
- **Create Item** (Minimum: 5 mana)
- **Create Skill** (Minimum: 20 mana)
- **Create Magic** (Minimum: 50 mana)
- **System Shop** (Locked)
- **Status** (Available)
Ginger tapped **Status**, and his information appeared:
Name: Ginger Musang (Ginger of Barrio Tandang)
Age: 15
Mana: 10/10
Skills: None
Items: None
Mission: Earn 500 pesos within 3 days (0/500)
Penalty for Failure: Death
"Death?!" Ginger swallowed hard. "You've got to be kidding me. What kind of system is this?"
The system didn't respond, but new text appeared: **"Try Create Item to begin. Each creation has a corresponding mana cost. Mana recharges at 5 units per day or can be increased through missions."**
Ginger sighed heavily. He had no choice. If he wanted to survive, he had to act. He tapped **Create Item**, and a list of options appeared, ranging from food to tools. With only 10 mana, his choices were limited:
- Bread (2 mana)
- Water (1 mana)
- Simple Knife (5 mana)
- Simple Clothing (3 mana)
"Food first," he muttered. He selected **Bread** and **Water**. A flash of light illuminated the hut, and a warm loaf of bread and a glass of clear water appeared on the table. Ginger's jaw dropped. "This is real!"
He grabbed the bread and took a bite. It tasted like ordinary pandesal, but to his starving body, it was a delicacy. He gulped down the water, easing the gnawing ache in his stomach. Checking his status, he saw: **Mana: 7/10**. The mana drained faster than he'd expected.
He knew he couldn't get comfortable. This world was complicated, and his situation was precarious. According to fragmented memories from this body, he was an orphan in a rural village, scraping by as a farmhand for hire.
The next morning, Ginger woke to the crowing of roosters. The hut was even shabbier in daylight—holes dotted the roof, and the floor was barely more than packed dirt. Outside, he heard voices discussing the local market. He realized he had to move. Earning 500 pesos in a place without electricity seemed daunting.
Stepping outside, he surveyed Barrio Tandang. It was a small village surrounded by fields and forests, with bamboo-and-nipa houses and people dressed in simple clothing, mostly farmers. Horse-drawn carts rumbled by, and in the distance, a bustling market brimmed with vendors selling vegetables, meat, and other goods.
"Ginger! You're finally awake!" An elderly woman approached, carrying a basket of sweet potatoes. "I thought you'd sleep forever after that fever!"
"Fever?" Ginger frowned, piecing together that this body had a backstory he didn't fully know. "Uh, I'm fine now, Nay."
"Good!" said the woman, Aling Nida, who seemed to care for the boy Ginger. "But you need to work. Your debt to Mang Temyong is piling up!"
"I know, I know," Ginger replied, though he had no clue where to start. But in his mind, he had the God Creation System. Surely, he could use it to earn money.
Then a thought struck him: if he could create anything, why not just make 500 pesos?
The system's voice interrupted. **"Items can be created from nothing, but the system requires genuine effort to complete missions. It does not accept creations as a substitute for personal action."**
Ginger sighed. "Fine. Cheating the system would make this isekai life boring anyway."
At the market, he observed the vendors selling fresh produce, fish, and basic tools. One thing stood out: no one sold anything "modern" or unique—no soap, no toys for kids. An idea sparked.
**"Ding! New mission: Create a product that showcases your potential as the God of Creation. Reward: 20 mana."**
"Jackpot!" Ginger whispered. But with only 7 mana left, he had to think carefully about a product that was both sellable and mana-efficient.
He settled on something simple yet unheard of in this village: **soap**. In his world, soap was commonplace, but here, people seemed to use ash or crude herbs for cleaning. A fragrant, effective soap could be a hit.
He tapped **Create Item**, but soap wasn't listed. "Seriously? No soap?" He shook his head. Then he noticed the **Custom Creation** option and selected it. A prompt appeared:
**"Enter the details of the desired item. Mana cost depends on complexity."**
"Simple soap, lavender-scented, effective at cleaning dirt like the ones we use on Earth," Ginger muttered, visualizing the details. The system responded:
**Item: Lavender Soap**
**Mana Cost: 6**
**Description: A fragrant soap made from natural ingredients, highly effective at cleaning with a pleasant lavender scent.**
"Perfect!" He hit **Create**, and a small box of soap bars appeared in his hands, smooth and fragrant with lavender. His mana dropped to **1/10**.
---
Ginger set up at the market, borrowing a small basket from Aling Nida to display his soap near the vegetable stalls. "Who wants to buy soap? Smells great and cleans dirt!" he called out, despite his embarrassment.
A woman with a dirt-streaked child approached. "Ginger, what's that? Soap? Where'd you get it, and how much?"
"Uh, 20 pesos each!" Ginger said, unsure if the price was right. It seemed reasonable, as a kilo of rice cost 50 pesos.
"I'll try one," the woman said, handing over a small metal coin. She washed her child's hands in a nearby bucket, and her eyes widened. "It smells amazing! And look how clean!"
Within an hour, Ginger's stall was swarmed. Mothers and women, in particular, loved the soap. By day's end, he'd sold 25 bars, earning 500 pesos and completing his mission.
**"Ding! Mission complete! Reward: 20 mana."**
His mana climbed to **21/10** (the excess saved for the next day), and a small coin pouch appeared in his pocket. Ginger grinned. "I'm not used to this, but I think I can handle it."
On his way home, however, he noticed a group of men at the market's edge. They wore crude iron armor and carried swords at their waists. One, with a scar across his cheek, locked eyes with Ginger, his smile unsettling.
"Ginger, the soap-seller," the man sneered. "Getting rich, huh? Don't forget Mang Temyong's tax."
"Tax?" Ginger swallowed. Monsters lurked outside the village, but it seemed there were monsters within, too.
The next morning, he woke to a new mission:
**"Ding! Mission: Protect your earnings from Mang Temyong's thugs. Reward: 50 mana, System Shop Unlocked."**
"What now? Protect my earnings?" Ginger muttered. He knew he had to be clever. The God Creation System was powerful, but his mana was limited. He needed a strategy.
That day, he created a *Simple Knife* (5 mana) not as a weapon but as a deterrent. With his remaining mana, he used *Custom Creation* to craft a *Protective Amulet*(10 mana), a plain stone with a faint magical glow.
When Mang Temyong's thugs approached his stall, the scarred man barked, "Ginger, your tax!"
"I've got it covered," Ginger said calmly, placing the knife on the table and subtly displaying the amulet. "And this is for my protection."
The men froze. The amulet's glow caught them off guard—in this world, magic was rare and revered. "What's that supposed to mean, Ginger?" the scarred man said, his smirk faltering with a hint of fear.
"We'll be back," he muttered, and the group retreated, wary of the amulet's implied power.
**"Ding! Mission complete! Reward: 50 mana, System Shop Unlocked!"**
"Wow, that was easier than I thought," Ginger mused. "This body's memories tell me magic is feared here. Even a simple amulet works as a scare tactic."
That night, lying in the hut, Ginger opened the **System Shop**. It offered potions, weapons, and spells—items he wouldn't need to create himself—but the prices were steep, demanding more mana than he had.
Despite his success, Ginger knew his journey was just beginning. Barrio Tandang was small, but Lurra was a vast world filled with monsters, magic, and dangers he couldn't yet fathom.
With the God Creation System, he had a chance to become a true hero—if he could survive long enough to see it.
End of chapter.