Bab 1: Where am I?
The piercing ringing of an alarm clock resounded throughout the cramped walls of a small apartment, unsurprisingly waking up the passed-out owner as a result. It went flying not even a second later, colliding with the ground and breaking down into springs and bolts. The groggy young man's hand moved onto his head, ruffling his bed hair as his brain fog slowly cleared up.
"I don't remember buying this annoying clock…" He muttered in confusion, massaging his temples in hopes of dredging up some helpful answers as he sat up to observe his surroundings.
He looked at the broken clock, then swiveled his head around to take in the entire room. The furniture, the clothes sprawled here and there, the unfamiliar yet oddly familiar books, stationaries, the recognizable figurines of characters he never could buy due to exorbitant shipping prices, though, dated versions if he idly noted…and other such old merchandise he had only seen through a PC screen…
It was a perfectly normal, albeit, geeky room, but it was not his. And doubly so, judging from the Japanese letters engraved on every piece of paper he could land his eyes on. He may have been considered a weeb, but he wouldn't have wasted money on a bunch of unreadable material.
Except maybe for a few Touhou print works he had haphazardly bought…such as Wild and Horned Hermit, Forbidden Scrollery, Silent Sinner in Blue, cage in lunatic runagate, and Bohemian Archive in Japanese red…fine, he had the full collection, but those were a must-have for any fan!
Which brought him back to the matter. None of his most treasured collections was anywhere to be found within his field of vision, evidently proving that he was in a foreign environment but not giving him any clue as to where or why…
"Well, I would say I'm in Japan but then I'd be presented with another question…how the hell did I end up on the other side of the world overnight…" He palmed his forehead and sighed.
Either he was suffering from a severe case of selective amnesia or this was a particularly ridiculous type of situation that he would rather not think about.
He got up and walked in front of the full-body mirror standing in the corner of the room. Lo and behold, a pale baby-faced teenage visage stared back at him instead of his usual tanned and sharp one. He was also shorter and skinnier than ever...the horror. All his gains were gone...all of it.
Gods damn this...transmigration, Isekai, or whatever the term is appropriate. He didn't know whether to call a doctor or call out status...but decided anyway to go with the latter. It wasn't like it would hurt and it was the fastest way to clarify things. Or possibly one of many if that didn't work...
"I can't believe I'm doing this...but desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess..." The young man chuckled wryly.
"Oh well, status!" He declared grandly. And his eyes went wide as his breathing gradually got faster and faster.
——————————————————
𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: Shinji
Title: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿
𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 1 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝘃:(00.00%)
——————————————————
𝗛𝗣: 1𝟬𝟬/1𝟬𝟬(5/min)
𝗠𝗣: 𝟭𝟬𝟬/100(1/min)
——————————————————
𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆:<(+1)>
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵:<+1()>
Dexterity:<(+𝟭)>
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:<(+𝟭)>
𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺:<(+𝟭)>
𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸:<(+𝟭)>
——————————————————
Status 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁: 𝟬
——————————————————
The teenager blinked rapidly in stupefaction. Although the sun was shining brightly through the window, illuminating everything within his field of vision, it couldn't have been mistaken.
A holographic, bright blue box, a recognizable object of endless wet dreams had popped into existence right in front of his face, unaffected by the blinding golden rays.
And his immediate reaction... was to reach out for it. He watched in awe as his hand phased through the floating box, making it ripple.
He only snapped out of it once he eyed the status board, noticing the name; Shinji. That wasn't his name. He knew that for sure. But his earlier ramblings of selective amnesia were proven right as he failed to conjure up his 'real' name no matter how much he tried.
But honestly speaking, he wasn't too attached to his old one, and a new life warranted a brand new name, so adopting it felt more than appropriate.
"Although...why am I as weak as a newborn?!" The newly named Shinji cried out, vexed and contemplating intensely on how to justify his meagre statmeagerrue, he had no sample to compare with at the moment, and starter stats tended to be under the double digits...but to be at the complete bottom... was an outrage! Not to toot his own horn or anything, but he was a multi-talented athlete and a self-proclaimed intellectual, goddammit! Even if not the physical side due to possessing a younger body, then at least the mental side should have transferred over...
So there was only one logical explanation here. Surely, it's just the game resetting everything for...whatever reason. Because c'mon, he didn't even have any stat points to distribute. And every RPG game has that.
Anywho, machinations on how to increase those numbers were already brewing in his mind. He'd leave that up for later though. Currently, he wanted to know the full scope of his ability.
Including the little things, such as whether a voice command was necessary to interact with the system or not. He issued a mental command to close the status panel and open up his skill list.
[+1 WIS]
He made a weird face. What's wise about not wanting to seem like a lunatic? He didn't get it, but not that he minded, free points were always welcome. Shinji shrugged, observing the box that replaced his status.
[————]
[Gamer's mind(Passive) - LV MAX - Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.]
[Gamer's body(Passive) - LV MAX - Allows the user to live life as a game character]
[————]
That was about what he expected. The classic overpowered set of skills all new gamers received to help them more easily trample over common sense. And it also somewhat explained his...rather subdued reactions so far, even if he was the calm type to begin with.
But the newly awakened gamer wasn't satisfied yet. He tried a series of other commands too; pause, save, properties, mods, map, menu, and inventory. Unfortunately, none of them worked aside from the last three. Of course, Shinji wasn't bummed out, those three features were more than enough.
More interestingly though, there lay a lone suspicious letter inside his inventory titled 'You'. Needless to say, he tentatively removed it with all the grace of disarming a bomb.
Fortunately, his caution was proven unnecessary as it was only a normal letter detailing everything he needed to get by in this new life, like his identity and immediate circumstances.
It stated that he was apparently an orphan living in the city of Okaya in the Nagano prefecture whose parents had died in a car accident recently, adopted by a distant relative to act as his legal guardian while living off of the inheritance left to his name. A mere 15 years old boy who after losing his parents understandably went into depression and retreated to his room.
The old Shinji had skipped school for over a week with permission from his guardian. He barely did anything besides eating cheap food and gaming all day. The unhealthy lifestyle coupled with a fragile psychological state had caught up to him rather quickly. And that's when the new Shinji took over.
"Poor kid." He sighed.
Regardless, Shinji was grateful for the opportunity his death presented him.
But now that he had figured out the cause of his loopy memory, he was forced to come to face with reality as it was. He was alone in this unknown world, not knowing what could go down at any moment. After all, he couldn't have been gifted the gamer— a power bestowed upon him most likely by Gaia—for nothing, right?
That's why Shinji wanted to know more. He wanted to know where exactly he had ended up. If this was simply a parallel earth that he could cruise through....or a dangerous world through and through. He couldn't just sit idly and do nothing until danger came knocking on his door to gently place a clue on his lap.
If a threat was thrown his way later on, and he couldn't defend himself despite having the means to, that would be his biggest regret. He absolutely did not want to pay a price he couldn't afford to for his lack of initiative.
"Never again." He stated coldly, surprising himself. Echoes of the past were flashing in his eyes, which he determined to be the remnants of this body's last owner finally steeling his resolve, even if in death.
"Heh, I agree with that buddy." Shinji scoffed before stopping, his face scrunching up in cringe. "Shit, I might be schizophrenic."
A chain of notifications popped up on cue, slightly startling Shinji with its horrible timing as he broke out of his misery. He just shook his head playfully, curiously surveying the new text displayed.
[——————]
[New quest!]
[Where am I?!]
[Objective - Find out where you are. ]
[Reward: Level up, Skill book ×1]
[Failure: Keep fearing the unknown]
[Accept? Y/N]
[——————]
[New quest!]
[Only the strong get to choose]
[Objective: Reach level 25 within a week.
[Reward: New title, +5 levels, +10 Free skill points
[Failure: Suffer the consequences of weakness]
[Accept? Y/N]
[——————]
Shinji smiled, accepting the quests without much fanfare. He was already planning on doing those things, so he didnt have to be told twice. Especially with a very welcome addition of quest rewards on top.
The grind had officially begun, he jumped up with a grin.
...
...
...
Putting aside all the baggage that came with the standard other world experience, particularly the emotional ones with the help of gamer's mind, and free from the constraint of a past to dictate his future actions, all that remained was a bubbling sense of adventure and excitement.
It was a man's romance, one could say. To detach from everything that bound you down and embark on a perilous journey of uncertainty.
Shinji was back in bed, browsing through dozens of ads for gyms and dojos in the area on his computer. To a gamer like him, when asked how to level up quickly, his answer would obviously be defeating monsters and completing quests. But where would he find monsters?
That answer lay as skull icons with recommended levels on his map.
Whereas the original gamer could open up instant dungeons to grind endlessly, he had to travel to one of the dungeons already existing in the real world.
Oh, he wished he could do the same, but it was not meant to be, for he had attempted an embarrassing amount of times to no avail.
He facepalmed at his shenanigans a minute ago. He should have expected it wouldn't be THAT easy, to be honest. But he was getting off track here.
The nearest dungeon from him, which was also 10 whole kilometers away, had a level requirement of 20. Quite a far cry from his measly level 1 self, he had to reluctantly admit. Yeah, no way he was getting anywhere near that until he was severely over the level recommendation. He had no idea what awaited him inside there.
Which brought him back to what he was doing. He glanced at the level indicator on his status.
𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 1 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗹𝘃:(00.45%)
It turns out that doing any appropriate activities related to his attributes also slowly accumulated EXP alongside providing an increase in said attribute like his wisdom earlier.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵:<+(2)>
That activity was some simple pushups this body couldn't perform very well. But that was where a strong point of the gamer system came in. He didnt have to know what he was doing most of the time and it would still work.
It was still more effective to join a gym and some dojos to learn skills along with increasing his stats though. Basic physical conditioning would probably be enough for his vitality and strength, but he wasn't sure about dexterity, hence the dojos. He was also hoping that defeating opponents in sparring matches would be a viable way to earn EXP for now.
Shinji didnt have to scroll far to find some ads that met his needs, choosing to subscribe immediately so he could check them out right away without going through much paperwork at the front desk.
He turned off the computer, standing up to freshen up in the bathroom. Rummaging through his cloth pile, he also threw on a pair of sweats and running shoes to set out. He also skipped breakfast because he wasn't really hungry, basically cutting his routine in half. Not like it mattered, gamer's body probably made hunger a non-issue, Shinji assumed.
But he did take a little something in his inventory still.
[Waffle x5]
Not much but it would do.
Shinji left the house, making his way to the dojo first. The gym could wait since it was open 24/7.
...
...
...
"This is the practice area. The bathroom and changing room are down to the left and the lockers, as you can see, are right by the entrance."
Shinji listened on as the martial arts instructor rattled on about the essentials he needed to know to settle in.
"I know you're eager to learn from the look in your eye, but don't get too impatient, we're almost done. Now grab one of those from the rack and we'll get you started with the others soon. I just need to go talk with someone and I'll be right back with you!" He pointed behind him and strode on.
Shinji turned around to a stand of wooden swords. This was a kendo dojo, after all. He took his time inspecting the swords one by one when a notification box popped up.
[Gained skill: (Observe)]
[Observe(Active/Passive) - Lvl: 1 - Allows the user to see information of a target]
"Oh?" Shinji mumbled, using the new skill on the sword he was observing.
[Wooden sword]
[An ordinary handmade wooden sword. It is a bit sturdier than the rest.]
He practice swung to get a feel for it. It did seem heavier than the others.
[Skill gained: (Blunt weapon mastery)]
[Blunt weapon mastery(Passive) - Lvl 1 - Allows the user to freely wield blunt weapons.]
[– +10% Damage with blunt weapons]
[– +10% attack speed when wielding blunt weapons]
Neat. Although, how would he get the sword-related skill if this wooden one counted as a blunt weapon? It's not like he was getting to train with a real sword soon in this place. Unless, of course, he bought one himself. Shinji made a mental note in case he ended up needing to.
"Alright, come over recruit!" He heard the previous instructor shouting and looked up to see him waving in his direction.
Adjusting his training uniform, Shinji made a beeline behind the other members.
"Okay, class, We're going to be your instructors and we're going to be teaching you all the basics for the next month. That includes how to hold a sword and how to move around while holding a sword. It may sound simple, but trust me when I say that it's not." He gestured to his colleagues before pointing an accusing finger at them all.
Shinji decided to use observe on them and as he expected, the flashier man outdid the rest with the highest level in the room.
[Ken Sasaki]
[Lvl 18]
[HP: 100% MP: N/A]
[A strong kendo instructor at the 6th Dan rank]
[Observe has leveled up!]
And as he promised, the man drilled them with all the ethics, principles, do's and don't's surrounding Kendo before moving onto the practical aspect.
Shinji stood in line with a combination of young adults and teenagers, men and women. They swung their swords with the main instructor occasionally correcting their mistakes. He was barely halfway in after completing a full set of exercises when he got what he hoped for.
[Skill gained:(Sword mastery)]
[Skill gained: (Kendo footwork)]
[Sword mastery(Passive) - Lvl 1 - Allows the user to freely wield a sword]
[+10% damage with swords]
[+5% attack speed when wielding a sword]
[Kendo footwork(Passive/Active) - Lvl 1 - Basic footwork. You cannot do kendo without this.]
[Effects:
1. Passively increases movement speed by 5%.
2. Actively increases movement speed by 50%]
The acquisition of these skills halted his movements, but he resumed once he saw the instructor eyeing him in his peripheral. Shinji noticed how much more fluid his movement became with the appropriate skills. He didn't even mess up once because the techniques were now ingrained as a skill permanently, which meant he would never deteriorate.
[Sword mastery has levelled up!]
[+1 Vitality!]
[+1 dexterity!]
But he wasn't the only one appreciating his newfound talent as the instructor who was watching him lit up. Eyes blazing, he rushed towards the focused gamer. A genius! He determined as he observed the young boy of barely 15 years of age grasping the basics in a matter of minutes. He would have thought the scrawny teen was experienced if not for his below-average physicality and personal admittance to never having worked out.
"Shinji, was it? Would you like to have a little spar with some of the older students?!" The enthusiastic man suddenly addressed the hard-working teen, making him halt his swinging to look at the older man with a sheen of sweat running down his forehead.
"Oh? Sure, I don't mind?" Shinji wiped the sweat with his offhand as he replied casually.
"Great! Come with me!" The instructor walked off in a hurry. He could tell a person with this aptitude wouldn't be satisfied with being forced to learn the things he had already gotten down easily. Even the geniuses who learned everything in days would receive some preferential treatment like advanced sparring that would normally be implemented within a few weeks.
Not to mention minutes! This was crazy good news for the dojo!
Shinji shrugged at his fellow students who looked on in confusion as he followed the man to a different hall.
The next room looked dissimilar in that it had fewer instructors standing around and more students sparring in groups of two with some protective gear on.
"Takeda! I see you don't have a sparring partner right now. Come over here!"
A nerdy-looking kid was startled and fumbled over anxiously. Shinji inquisitively cast an observe on him.
[Takeda Shinken]
[Lv 5]
[HP: 100% MP: N/A]
[A bullying victim who took up martial arts to fight back. He has social anxiety and struggles to make friends.]
[Observe has leveled up!]
Shinji used it again and got a pleasant surprise in the form of a new line of text. But he chose to focus on the approaching kid.
"What....what happened, sir?" Takeda spat out nervously.
"This guy is going to be your partner. Have fun!" The man laughed and patted Shinji suggestively.
He shrugged again and walked forward leisurely.
"Hi, I'm Shinji. I've never sparred before so go easy on me."
Takeda...smiled awkwardly. "And I'm Takeda. To...to be honest with you, I've also only recently been here. I moved up....around a week ago. That...that makes us the least experienced people here."
Shinji ignored Takeda's speech impairment and chuckled. "Be careful then."
"That's enough bantering. Shinji, give me that and take this." The instructor grabbed the wooden sword from his hands and placed a bamboo one on them.
Shinji looked at it puzzled. Shouldn't this have given him the blunt weapon skill instead of the other more sword-like sword?
Eh, whatever, he didn't care as long as he still got the skills eventually. Shinji fell into a stance in response to Takeda's movements.
"Ready?" The glasses-wearing Takeda asked.
"Ready."
"Then...then you can make the opening move for your first time." Takeda kindly proposed.
"I'll take you up on that," Shinji smirked and dashed onwards.
[Kendo footwork activated!]
[Dexterity: 2—>3]
His bamboo sword struck Takeda's left, held back by his meager strength but still striking true due to the higher dexterity.
Unfortunately, the strike was slower than Takeda's parry, which was also not perfect with him straining to not let the sword be swept aside.
Shinji retreated rapidly before diving back in with a flurry of strikes, exchanging blows with a rising tempo. He mostly kept striking Takeda's right side, making sure that it was logical by their positioning. He wanted to make Takeda key his guard down, waiting for a crucial moment.
The sword-wielding gamer narrowed his eyes as he spotted a brief gap in Takeda's grip and stance. He sped up to catch his opponent open while he still could and prepared a feint to take him down.
Takeda who was just trying to catch a breath from the onslaught readjusted his form hastily, but he wasn't able to make it in time as he was forced to block the incoming blow. His eyes widened as the perceived path changed course and headed for his left rib.
He has a bad habit of leaving his left side open when sparring in Kendo. That's the latest information observe had given him. Shinji mercilessly struck Takeda with all his might, watching as his HP plummeted and a stream of notifications emerged out of his victory.
[Takeda Shinken]
[HP: 61℅]
[Opponent defeated!]
[Level up!]
[+1 Strength!]
[+1 Dexterity!]
[+1 Vitality!]
[+1 Wisdom!]
[Skill gained:(Power strike)]
[Power strike(Active) - Lv1 - Allows the user to strike a target with a powerful blow]
[+15% Crit rate]
[+50% damage]
[Mana cost: 2 ]
Shinji gloated, helping Takeda up to his feet.
"Ugh..." The injured boy started. "You're faster than I anticipated."
"It's nothing much, just beginner's luck." He deflected humbly.
"Haha...I guess so. But I...I don't think I can go on though. I'm sorry, you...you have to find someone else to spar with." Takeda apologized sincerely with a sheepish smile.
Shinji nodded. "Thank you for teaching me the ropes."
"Hahaha, Shinji my boy! That was an excellent display of swordsmanship and most importantly sportsmanship! It looks like you will fit right in with the advanced class! Feel free to ask anyone for a spar!" Instructor Ken appeared to congratulate him.
Shinji simply nodded again, preferring to stay silent.
Ken Sasaki caught on and spoke, "Go on then, I won't bother you anymore." He waved him off and left shortly.
...
...
...
"Take this!"
"Ouch!"
"Hah!"
"No more!"
The many sounds of battle attracted Shinji's attention. He observed the students present, both with his skill and the naked eye.
A mental leaderboard was already forming within his mind, ranking them from easiest and hardest to beat with Takeda as a reference. If each win provided as many benefits as he did, then it wasn't even going to take 3 days to complete the second quest.
But he was in a bit of a hurry because Kendo wasn't the only dojo he had applied to. Not even remotely. He had nothing but free time for the next week after all! And with the gamer's body nullifying his need for much rest, what would he do if not train to his absolute limits?!
Shinji found renewed passion in his new life. There was so much to live for! And being able to see visible progress in every endeavor solidified that revelation even further. He was going to keep going till he physically couldn't and then break that limit too.
But he had something more urgent to deal with on hand presently.
He licked his lips as he eyed his prey for the next hour and a half of the session. The deadly affliction that contaminated all gamers had begun to spread within his sense of self already. The disease that made them see characters of non-interest as walking, living and breathing bags of experience to exploit the hell out of.
Whether he would continue down that path of no return or come to his senses later down the road was completely unknown.
Oddly, the students that were sparring seriously ceased in tandem. A cold chill traveled the length of each and every single one of their spines.
What was that?!
.....
...
....
Hiiii, this is an experiment that I'll keep up for at least 50 chapters and 50k words before deciding if I want to keep writing it.
I might also do crossovers eventually so I'd appreciate suggestions that fit in with the whole martial arts and youkai theme!
Bye bye!
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
IloveALTgirls
IloveALTgirls Rekindle my passion.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone