It was late afternoon on a secluded road on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
Clad in simple athletic gear, Hunter jogged forward with heavy, leaden steps. His breath came in ragged, desperate gasps.
[Ding! Gained 1 Running EXP.]
[Running Skill Level Up!]
[Congratulations Host. Received 1 Free Attribute Point. Personal Inventory increased by 1 cubic meter.]
The moment the mechanical voice chimed in his head, Hunter collapsed.
It was as if someone had cut his strings. He stumbled a few more steps, then scanned his surroundings. Finding a quiet corner off the road, he practically fell onto the ground, gasping for air.
Sitting in the dirt, he summoned the system interface visible only to him.
His stats had changed significantly.
[Host: Hunter (Hunter Sun)]
[Lifespan: 18 / 72]
[Attributes]
Intelligence: 11 (World Average: 10)
Strength: 8 (World Average: 10)
Agility: 9 (World Average: 10)
Constitution: 8 (World Average: 10)
Endurance: 7 (World Average: 10)
[Free Attribute Points: 1]
[Skill List]
Driving (Lv 2 - 472/500): The highway can no longer satisfy you.
Lockpicking (Lv 1 - 1/200): Why use a key when you can use anything else?
Cooking (Lv 1 - 62/200): Food delights the heart, but it can achieve so much more.
Reading (Lv 0 - 83/100): Wisdom comes from knowledge. Reading is the shortcut.
Mechanics (Lv 0 - 46/100): Master this, and you can fix anything.
Swimming (Lv 1 - 0/200): Keep going. You're already faster than a seahorse.
Running (Lv 1 - 0/200): Don't stop. Run for health, run for a better body.
Marksmanship (Lv 0 - 69/100): American Iaijutsu. Keeps you safe.
In just five short days, Hunter had activated a total of eight skills.
The efficiency was impressive.
Every single skill was practical. Driving, Cooking, Mechanics, and Marksmanship were survival essentials. If all else failed, he could make a living with cooking or repairs.
As for Marksmanship... well, that was non-negotiable.
This was the "Land of the Free," where gunfights were a daily weather forecast. Tens of thousands died from gun violence every year in the real world. In the Fast and Furious universe? The chaos would only be worse.
Mastering the art of "American Iaijutsu"—the quick draw—was the best insurance policy he could buy.
The other skills came from experimentation.
Reading triggered when he flipped through Hunter's stash of adult magazines. He discovered that as long as he comprehended the text and images, he gained EXP. However, the skill favored technical knowledge. Reading an entire adult magazine gave him a measly 1 EXP. Reading two introductory manuals on motorcycle repair gave him over 40 points. The difference was stark.
Lockpicking seemed niche, and Hunter wasn't planning a heist just yet. But the grind was easy: open a different lock, get a point. He'd spent the last few days loitering in hardware stores, "testing" padlocks on the shelves. Hundreds of tests later, he'd leveled it up.
Swimming and Running were accidental discoveries during his physical training. Both were excellent for boosting his base stats.
Over these five days, Hunter had cracked the code of the Proficiency System.
Lower-level skills leveled up faster. That was how he managed to push five of his eight skills to Level 1 or 2 in less than a week.
Crucially, the rewards were consistent. Whether leveling from 0 to 1, or 1 to 2, the payout was the same: 1 Free Attribute Point and +1 Cubic Meter of Inventory Space.
In total, Hunter had earned 6 Free Attribute Points. His Personal Inventory had expanded to a spacious 7 cubic meters.
He had already spent the first 5 points.
He dumped 2 points into Intelligence. In his past life, he always regretted not being smart enough to get into a top university, feeling like his life would have been different if he were just a bit sharper. Now, he had the chance to change that. The effect was immediate—fuzzy memories sharpened, and his comprehension speed while reading technical manuals skyrocketed.
The remaining 3 points were split evenly between Strength, Agility, and Constitution.
Now, staring at his latest point, Hunter didn't hesitate.
He dumped the 1 point into Endurance.
Whoosh.
A warmth spread through his limbs. His legs, which had been trembling like jelly after the 5-kilometer run, suddenly felt revitalized. The fatigue didn't vanish, but a new wellspring of energy bubbled up beneath it.
Hunter didn't push his luck, though. Having a System was great, but overtraining was still a thing.
He rested for ten minutes. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, he mentally reached into his Personal Inventory.
Clank.
His motorcycle materialized out of thin air.
Hunter hopped on, kicked the engine to life, and headed back to his apartment.