Renji's consciousness wasn't greeted by the blare of victory trumpets or the gentle "Ara ara" of an isekai goddess.
Instead, it was greeted by a suck smell.
A stale, musty odor—a harmonious blend of wet socks left unwashed for a week, instant noodle broth cultivating a new civilization of mold, and ancient dust.
Renji opened his eyes.
Or at least, he tried to. His eyelids felt sticky, as if someone had sealed them shut with dried superglue.
"Ugh..."
A long groan escaped his throat. His voice sounded raspy, like a heavy smoker waking up from a coma.
He forced his eyes open. The view was blurry.
A low ceiling. Brown water stains formed disgusting abstract patterns right above his head. A naked lightbulb swung gently, buzzing like a dying fly.
Bzzzt... Bzzzt...
Renji blinked twice.
'This isn't my room,' he thought. 'My room is a mess, sure, but at least I have waifu posters covering the stains on the wall.'
He tried to sit up. Pain immediately shot through his entire body. His back ached, his legs cramped. The mattress beneath him—if this thin slab could be called a mattress—felt as hard as asphalt.
Renji looked down at his hands.
Skinny. Dry. Pale.
Tiny cuts littered his fingers. Thick calluses covered his palms—the mark of hard, unappreciated labor.
"Whose hands are these?"
His heart started beating a frantic rock n' roll rhythm.
He turned his head in panic. A cracked mirror leaned against the wall. In it, the reflection of a stranger stared back.
Greasy, messy black hair. Sunken eyes with dark circles so deep they could pass for gothic makeup. And an expression... well, a face that silently screamed: 'God, please take me now.'
Suddenly, his head throbbed violently.
Not a normal headache. It felt like someone was jamming a giant flash drive directly into his cerebellum.
"ARGH!"
Renji clutched his head, rolling onto the smelly tatami floor.
Alien memories flooded in without permission.
Name: Renji Sato.
Age: 24.
Job: Freelance Porter (Dungeon Pack Mule).
Economic Status: Dirt Poor.
Debt: 5 Million Yen to the Onigiri Group (Loan Sharks).
Cause of Death: Overwork + Mild heart attack in his sleep from drinking too much cheap coffee.
Renji gasped for air. The pain slowly receded, leaving a dull throb.
He lay on his back, staring at the leaky ceiling again.
"Dammit..." he cursed softly.
He knew this world. He knew the street names in this district. He knew what monsters hid behind Tokyo's concrete walls.
This was the world of Abyss Online. The insane hardcore game he had played for the last ten years until he memorized every bug, every glitch, and every treasure chest location.
And now, he was stuck in the body of a background NPC named Renji Sato.
"Why Renji?" he complained to the empty air. "Why not Sword Saint Tanaka? Or Mage Emperor Kaito? Why an F-Rank Porter with 5 million Yen in debt?!"
Renji rubbed his face roughly. Frustrated.
But as a veteran gamer who had seen the GAME OVER screen thousands of times, Renji's mental fortitude wasn't made of glass. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
Priority One: Check Status.
If this was a game world, there had to be a System.
"Status Window," he whispered.
Silence. Nothing happened.
"Menu? Profile? Open Sesame?"
Still silence. Only the sound of dripping water from the cramped bathroom next door.
Drip... Drip...
Cold sweat began to bead on Renji's temple.
'Don't tell me I'm in Realism Mode? No UI? No HP bar? That's suicide!'
Just as panic began to creep in, a crisp digital voice chimed in his head.
Ding!
The sound was beautiful, sweeter than the voice of any girlfriend—if he had one.
Blue light particles appeared in front of his face, spinning slowly before expanding into a semi-transparent holographic screen.
[Soul Synchronization: 100%]
[Welcome, Player.]
[System Detecting Anomaly...]
Renji raised an eyebrow. "Anomaly?"
[Error: Character Class Not Found.]
[Reloading...]
[Unique Trait Unlocked: THE HOARDER]
Renji froze. He read the text over and over.
In the world of Abyss Online, every Hunter had a Class. Warrior, Mage, Archer. That was the rule. There was no such thing as a "Hoarder".
He tapped the question mark (?) icon next to the text.
[THE HOARDER (Unique)]
[Description: You are a greedy empty vessel. You have no talent, but you can steal talents (Traits) from dead creatures.]
[Open Slots: 0/3]
The corner of Renji's mouth twitched.
Slowly, that twitch turned into a smile.
Then the smile widened. Wider. Until it revealed a set of slightly crooked teeth, creating an expression that was... honestly, very disturbing.
If a child saw Renji's face right now, they would run crying for their mother. That wasn't a hero's face. That was the face of a criminal who just cracked the code to the national bank vault.
"Heh..."
A small chuckle escaped his lips.
"Hehehe... HAHAHAHA!"
Renji laughed maniacally in the cramped room.
"What is this? This is cheating! This is absolutely broken! Who cares about the Warrior Class if I can steal Muscle Strength from an Ogre and Speed from an Assassin at the same time?!"
His previously dull eyes now gleamed, scanning the dingy room with a predatory gaze. He needed a test subject. He needed something to kill. Now.
But there were no dragons or goblins in this 6-tatami 1K apartment.
There was only trash. Convenience store plastic bags, empty bottles, used adult magazines...
Rustle.
Renji's ears twitched.
The sound came from the corner of the room, behind a stack of instant noodle boxes.
Renji turned his head slowly. His movement was stiff, like a broken robot.
There, a shiny brown creature with long antennae waving arrogantly was crawling casually over a piece of stale pizza.
A cockroach.
And not just any cockroach. This was a Tokyo cockroach. The size of an adult's thumb, fat, healthy, and brimming with confidence.
To a normal person, it was disgusting.
To Renji right now, the creature shone like gold.
Above the cockroach's head, a small status box floated.
[Target: Common Cockroach (Lvl. 1)]
[Potential Drop: ???]
"You..." Renji grinned, drool nearly dripping from his mouth. "You are my guinea pig."
Renji moved.
He didn't lunge immediately. He knew cockroaches had amazing air sensors. He grabbed a rolled-up copy of last week's Shonen Jump from the floor. He rolled it tight until it felt solid like a baseball bat.
He crept forward.
Steps silent. Breath held.
The cockroach stopped moving. Its antennae rotated, sensing the killing intent radiating from the skinny human behind it.
Zip!
The cockroach ran! incredible speed!
"DON'T YOU RUN, YOU WALKING EXP!" Renji shouted.
He jumped, swinging the magazine with all his might.
BAM!
Missed. Dusty tatami flew into the air.
The cockroach zig-zagged, mocking Renji, then climbed the wall toward a ventilation gap.
"Oh no, you don't..."
Renji threw the magazine. He grabbed a mosquito spray bottle from the table. Empty.
He spotted a rubber flip-flop near the door.
Renji snatched the flip-flop. His eyes locked onto the target. His gamer brain began calculating the trajectory. Target speed: 50 cm/second. Wall angle: 90 degrees. Wind: Zero.
He pulled his arm back. His skinny arm muscles tensed.
"Take this... ORPHAN SLIPPER JUTSU!"
Whoosh!
The flip-flop spun through the air, cutting through the room's dust.
SLAP!
The sound of rubber meeting chitin was crisp and satisfying.
The flip-flop stuck perfectly to the wall, pinning the unfortunate cockroach. Its tiny legs sticking out twitched for a moment, then stopped completely.
Silence.
Renji stood breathing heavily, his hand still in the throwing position. A heroic pose, if only his opponent wasn't a bug.
He walked over, picking up the fallen flip-flop.
On the wall, the cockroach carcass was flattened. A little white fluid oozed out.
But Renji didn't care about the grossness. His eyes were glued to a small, dull gray ball of light floating out of the carcass.
The ball of light was the size of a marble. Dim. Pathetic.
"Got it," Renji whispered.
He extended his index finger, touching the light.
Zzzzt.
A cold sensation flowed from his fingertip through his entire body.
Ding!
[Extraction Successful.]
[Trait Obtained: 'Cockroach Vitality' (Rank F-)]
[Effect: Slightly increases survival rate during starvation. You can survive by eating garbage.]
Renji stared at the holographic screen. His face went blank.
"...What kind of trash trait is this?"
He snorted in disappointment. But a second later, he laughed again. A quieter laugh, but full of meaning.
"Well, not bad for a start. At least I won't starve to death if my pay gets cut again."
Renji walked to the sink, splashing water on his dull face. The cold water woke him up completely.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror one more time. This time, there was no despair in those eyes. Only the cunning glint of someone who just found a way to scam God.
"Alright, Renji Sato," he muttered to himself, smirking to show off his snaggletooth.
"Let's mess this world up."