That day was rainy. Heavy rain fell, and dark clouds covered the sky.
In an old house made of red brick, located in one of the cities, this house was surrounded by a garden of flowers. It was a simple house, but it was comfortable.
In the small living room of the house, an elderly couple sat on the sofa reading books, while a small child played on the floor. The elderly couple appeared to be in their seventies, with a healthy and happy appearance. The old man was tall with thick white hair. The old woman was of medium height with light brown hair. Their clothes were simple but clean and tidy. The little child was eight years old, with an innocent and happy appearance. He had short black hair, wearing pants and a white shirt. He sat on his knees, holding a small toy in his hand—a toy police car.
Suddenly, the phone rang. The old man raised his head from the book and looked at the phone ringing on the side table. He picked up the receiver and said, "Hello?"
"Hello, am I speaking to a relative of Mr. Higai Hiroku?"
"Yes, I am his father."
"I am a doctor from Sendai Hospital. I am calling you about your son and his wife."
He said in a trembling voice, "What happened to them?"
"They were injured in a car accident on the highway, and they are now in the intensive care unit."
The old man couldn't believe what he heard. His son had been in a car accident? How could that be possible?
"Is he okay?" he asked loudly.
"We don't know at the moment."
The old man answered into the phone, "Okay, I'm coming."
The old man put down the phone, and his wife, who had been listening anxiously, asked him, "What happened? What did they say?"
"Our son and his wife have been in a car accident and are in intensive care. I need to go to the hospital immediately."
The wife took a deep breath and said, "We will go with you. We will pray for their recovery."
The family quickly arranged to go to the hospital. The old man drove quickly on the highway under the dark, rainy weather. The family felt anxious and afraid, but they were determined to be a source of support for each other.
They arrived at the hospital and went directly to the intensive care unit. There, they saw their son and his wife lying on beds, receiving treatment. They were wrapped in bandages; their injuries seemed serious. Fortunately, they were receiving the necessary care from doctors and nurses.
The little child sat on a chair outside the room, as they did not allow him to enter. He began swinging his feet while appearing lost in thought, with clear worry on his face.
Suddenly, all the doctors rushed into the room, and the elderly couple was escorted out. The child waited anxiously beside his grandparents in the hallway. Shortly after, the lead doctor came out of the room with a look of sorrow and grief on his face.
"The two patients have passed away. I am sorry for your loss."
The couple and the child were shocked by this terrible news. Suddenly, deep sadness and shock overwhelmed their hearts, making them feel as if they were being tightly squeezed.
For a small child, the concept of death was strange to him, but one thing was certain. After the little child realized that he would never see his parents again, a mixture of emotions—sadness, anger, and shock—came over him. The child felt immense sorrow for the loss of his parents, felt angry, and began to cry.
Why... why did this have to happen to him?
His grandfather saw his sad face, so he approached him and hugged him tightly. "I will take care of you, Naoto."
Amidst the streaming tears, the child felt a strange feeling when his grandfather hugged him. He felt safe and comfortable by his side, but the loss of his parents still tormented him.
On the day of the funeral, the child stood by his parents' grave. Tears streamed from his eyes, and his heart was full of grief and pain. A deep feeling of loneliness and emptiness left by his parents' departure began to create a black hole in his heart.
The grandfather stood beside him, holding his hand tightly. He felt the same pain, but he was strong and steadfast, not only for himself but for his grandson—his trust from his son.
The child watched his parents' coffin descend into the grave. Tears flowed uncontrollably down his face. Even at such a young age, he realized that nothing would ever be the same. This was reality, and this was life.
Afterwards, the grandfather took custody of his grandson. Although the insurance agency said they would receive a monthly sum, the grandfather decided to save the money for his grandson for when he grew up.
While a deep feeling of gratitude filled his heart towards his grandfather, he had already decided... he wanted to be like that man.
But what could a young boy like him do? It was to have a bright future. So he decided: he would focus on his studies, and he would work as hard as he could to achieve his dreams and fulfill his grandfather's expectations.
Let his parents witness from their graves that he would strive until the very end.
Two years after the accident, it was time for Naoto to go to school. Naoto was a hardworking student who got high grades and was praised by his teachers, but he was often a victim of bullies. This continued due to his frail body. Every day he returned home covered in injuries. He had no friends because everyone isolated him. Being alone without anyone made him a target for bullying.
Even though his grandparents knew he had no friends, they were worried about his social life, but he convinced them that he didn't care about making friends because he wanted to focus on his studies. Facing isolation from his classmates and bullying, Naoto tried to hide it so as not to worry his grandparents. He often vented through hunting, as his grandfather—a retired soldier—had taught him about using weapons and many other things.
Naoto was grateful to his grandfather for everything, but Naoto loved escaping from reality. That's how he discovered the world of anime, manga, and novels. He considered it a hobby, eagerly waiting to return home to watch episodes of his favorite series—even the bloody ones—because he loved fight scenes and the mystery plots in the novels he read. What started as a hobby became an obsession and an addiction.
Despite that, he still had to face the physical pain inflicted by the bullies. That's when he decided to join the karate club, but he found bullies there too, which caused him to get beaten like a punching bag. This continued until high school.
---
After high school classes ended, some students were seen holding a boy and heading toward a dark back alley.
There were three of them. The first, who seemed to be their leader, was a strongly built person with two followers. They were brutally beating the boy to take his money, but he refused to give it up. The boy resisted until he lost consciousness. The three took the money and left, leaving the boy thrown on the ground, covered in blood.
"Heh, how easy it is to get money this way," the leader shouted with arrogant joy, while the other two laughed viciously. Then they searched for anything else they could steal from the unconscious boy.
Suddenly, they heard a mysterious echo in the dark alley. They froze in place and began looking for the source of the sound. Then a mysterious figure appeared, wearing black attire and carrying a long staff.
"What are you doing here?" asked the stranger in a strong, terrifying voice. "Don't you know that these heinous acts will not go unpunished?"
The three looked at each other in fear and trembling. They realized they had fallen into a trap.
"Please, don't do anything!" shouted the leader in fear. "We'll return the money, just leave us alone!"
The stranger laughed loudly and frighteningly. "You think you can escape the consequences of your actions? No, you won't get off that easily."
Then the stranger approached the three with steady, terrifying steps. The leader and his followers trembled in extreme fear and tried to run away, but the stranger was faster and grabbed the leader firmly, lifting him into the air.
Then the stranger began violently beating the leader with his long staff. His strikes were fast and powerful, leaving red marks on the leader's body. The leader tried to act and break free, but all his attempts failed.
While the stranger was beating the leader, the followers watched in extreme fear, unable to do anything to help. After the stranger finished beating the leader, he threw him to the ground and turned toward the other followers.
"You're next," said the stranger in a terrifying voice as he slowly approached them. "I will make you suffer just as others have suffered."
The followers began screaming and begging the stranger, but he didn't listen to them. He began beating them with the same violence and cruelty he had used on the leader. The blows came one after another, and the followers struggled to survive and break free.
After the stranger finished beating the followers, he left them covered in blood and seriously injured. Then he smiled evilly and approached the frail boy, placing his hand on the boy's head while coughing.
"Cough, cough... You seem like an ideal candidate. I don't have much time. I will grant your wish, but everything has a price."
Then he turned toward the dark alley and walked into the darkness. "I have chosen you. I hope you succeed."
Moments later, the boy who had been beaten was gradually regaining consciousness. When he saw the three people lying on the ground, he felt both satisfaction and anger—satisfaction because the three had been taught a lesson, and anger because he hadn't taken revenge with his own hands.
The boy called an ambulance for the bullies and then headed home. After entering, he heard a gentle voice: "Welcome back, Naoto. Dinner will be ready soon."
"Hello, Grandma. I'm going to take a shower."
Naoto went up the stairs to the bathroom. He went in, changed his clothes, and noticed that his injuries had healed. That's when he heard a sound.
(Ding!!! Hello, host.)
Naoto was surprised by the sound and the screen appearing before him.
(Host, please enter your name.)
Suddenly, a keyboard appeared in front of Naoto.
"My name? B-but this seems suspicious."
(Please, host, enter your name.)
"Wait, is this like what I read in novels? Well, no harm in trying."
Naoto entered the letters of his name and pressed the enter button.
(Ding!!! Confirmed.)
(Status:
Name: Naoto
Age: 15
Level 3 (0/100)
Strength: 6 (normal for your age is 15)
Endurance: 5 (normal for your age is 13)
Agility: 3 (normal for your age is 11)
Intelligence: 11
Status points: 0
Emotion points: 0
Skills | Shop | Inventory | Quests)
"What!!! That's it?"
(Does the host wish to set a beginner quest?)
"Okay, but not right now."
(It seems the host needs an explanation.)
"Yes, please."
(Alright. From today, the host will receive quests. From them, you will gain experience points. Each time your level increases, you will receive three status points that you can distribute among your stats. As for emotion points, they are points you gain from the emotions of those around you. The stronger the emotions, the higher the points. The rest is what the host already knows.)
"Okay, anyway, let's postpone this for now."
Naoto took a quick shower, came out to have dinner with his grandparents, and returned to his room. Then he called out to the system.
(Hello, host.)
"You really like to speak politely, unexpectedly. What exactly are you?"
(This information is hidden. You may find your answer if you upgrade the system.)
Confusion filled Naoto's face. "Can you explain more?"
(I have the ability to evolve if you pay using emotion points. With each evolution, a new feature unlocks.)
"Oh, that's somewhat interesting, but I don't really feel like it right now." He yawned slightly and felt sleepy. "I'll investigate more tomorrow."