[Do you want to understand the meaning of life?]
[Do you want to know what is correct?]
[YES or NO]
No, no, no!!!
...
Rurikawa Natsuyu opened his eyes and found himself lying on black soil, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds where crows flew past. He clutched his forehead, feeling a bit of a literal pain in the ass.
"I remember I chose NO."
Rurikawa Natsuyu—a University of Tokyo student in his previous life—had reincarnated into this Omnibus World as the young master of a minor noble family in the Far East. He had grown up from age zero, living a life free of food or clothing worries.
Tonight, Natsuyu had simply felt a bit "emo" late at night when a voice suddenly appeared in his mind, questioning him about the meaning of life.
This was the classic trope of the afterlife. Natsuyu had no desire to go to the afterlife to risk his life!
As it turned out, after selecting NO, Natsuyu immediately fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, he had already arrived here.
"Since it's a forced kidnapping anyway, why even give a choice?"
Natsuyu was, after all, someone who had experienced reincarnation. He quickly accepted reality and began to survey his surroundings.
First of all, there was no afterlife watch.
The landing point was a boundless wilderness where black soil formed the horizon. Tall oak trees were scattered about, their green leaves lush, though a few tips showed a withered yellow.
A Doorway about three meters high stood behind him. It was made of wood, the frame entwined with Flower Vines, and a sophisticated golden gear clock was embedded at the top. The time scale displayed [8:15].
Brilliant colors swirled within the center of the Doorway like a distorted kaleidoscope; looking at it for too long made one feel dizzy and nauseous.
Natsuyu shook his head, looking away from the strange gate to stare at the unconscious woman beside him.
She was likely Natsuyu's teammate. She had brownish-gold short hair and was wearing a white house-shirt and safety pants, revealing fair and tender beautiful legs. It was an extremely cool summer outfit. As she slept, her hands were folded over her lower abdomen, her posture adorable.
Especially those "thunder-peaks"—looking at them from the front or side, they were actually better developed than Rurikawa Natsuyu's unfamiliar sister, Tsubaki.
"I feel like I've seen this sister before... Kushida Kikyo?"
Natsuyu recognized her as someone from his own middle school—the famous Class Bomber and the Fallen Angel Who Destroys Secrets. She was the one who, by her own power, caused an entire class to stop attending school collectively.
It was because of Kushida Kikyo that Natsuyu had realized he was in an Omnibus World.
Afterward, Natsuyu had performed high-intensity internet searches and discovered that not only was there the Rurikawa family, but also Kōdo Ikusei (Classroom of the Elite), Sobu High (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU), The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria (The Girl Who Bore the Flame Ring), and so on.
"I didn't expect to have no interaction with 'that woman' in middle school, only to become teammates now. It's just that 'that woman's' aptitude isn't very good; who knows when she'll wake up."
Natsuyu stood in for the non-existent veteran guide to offer a critique:
You are the one with the worst aptitude among this batch of newcomers.
Also, why was there no "Big Light Ball" to guide them?
Afterlife, you're not even on Shenyang Street! Where are you hiding!
Natsuyu realized this wasn't the afterlife. Without a guide, he could only focus on observing the surroundings while waiting for Kikyo by his side to wake up.
Suddenly, Natsuyu noticed a yellow exclamation mark in the corner of his vision.
Has my cheat arrived?!
Natsuyu's eyes widened slightly, a look of joy surfacing.
It was true that reincarnation came with cheats; he hadn't had one for the past ten-plus years simply because it hadn't arrived yet!
When Natsuyu focused on the yellow exclamation mark, it immediately expanded in his field of vision, turning into a very familiar Inventory.
On the left were the character attributes:
[Natsuyu: Level 0 (Experience 0/10)]
[Physique: 0.9 (Healthy adolescent youth)]
[Soul: 1.3 (Relatively high level of mental fortitude)]
[Charm: 1.3 (Hostile to All Living Beings)]
[(Average attribute for an adult in peak condition is 1)]
On the right was the item column, or rather, the Backpack.
[Equipment: None]
[Backpack Slots: None]
Natsuyu stared in surprise at the familiar System Panel.
Minecraft?!
[Ding!]
[Congratulations on achieving the Achievement "Open Inventory." Please shout the incantation "I opened the Inventory!" to claim your reward: Resource Acquisition, Experience 10.]
The moment Natsuyu saw the Achievement, a stream of information flowed automatically into his mind:
"Resource Acquisition" allowed him to gather various resources through bare hands or by using tools.
Natsuyu looked at his hands.
This, this, this... had he traveled into a game, or had he gained game rules?
Could he punch blocks with his bare hands from now on?
"The incantation..."
Natsuyu glanced at the sleeping Kikyo, cleared his throat, and whispered:
"I opened the Inventory."
No reaction.
Natsuyu took a deep breath.
Did he really have to shout it out loud and do something so cringeworthy just to get the reward?
Fine, fine, we're doing the awkward thing, then.
Natsuyu's skin was thick enough, but he still cared about his image; he didn't want to have a breakdown in front of others.
He felt that if this system was designed by some being, that being definitely had a twisted sense of humor.
However, in this mysterious place, he had to acquire supernatural abilities to feel at peace.
Fortunately, the "Fallen Angel Who Destroys Secrets" had not yet revived.
Feeling lucky, Natsuyu shouted:
"I opened the Inventory!"
[You have received the reward: Resource Acquisition, Experience 10.]
Natsuyu didn't feel anything special, like the warm current flowing through the body described in novels or the appearance of visions when gaining an ability.
But deep down, Natsuyu instinctively believed that he could rely on his hands to obtain all the resources under heaven.
[You have unlocked the "Basic Achievement Tree."]
[Basic Achievement Tree:]
[Open Inventory —— Getting Wood —— ?]
[You can unlock hidden achievement trees through exploration and discovery.]
Natsuyu felt a sense of familiarity.
Isn't this just the Minecraft achievement tree?
Could this place really be Minecraft?
[Your level has increased! You have gained a free attribute; please assign the point.]
Natsuyu looked at the left side of the System Panel.
[Natsuyu: Level 1 (Experience 0/15)]
[Free Attribute Points: 0.1]
Completing the first Achievement "Open Inventory" rewarded him with 10 Experience points, which was just enough for Natsuyu to rise from Level 0 to Level 1.
It was just that giving only 0.1 attributes per level felt a bit stingy.
But considering that a healthy adult's three-dimensional attributes were only 1 point, the value of this 0.1 was still quite high.
Looking at the three attributes, Natsuyu thought for a moment.
Physique.
It covered multiple attributes like strength, constitution, and agility in normal games. It was the foundation of foundations; its importance went without saying.
Soul.
The following comment was "mental fortitude," which might relate to resistance against illusions or mental attacks.
Charm.
The comment "Hostile to All Living Beings" revealed the most information.
This unknown world contained other living beings.
And if Charm was high enough, he could make these hostile creatures become neutral, preventing them from attacking Natsuyu actively.
If his Charm reached the standard, he might even turn them into friendly creatures to provide assistance.
But for now, Natsuyu believed Physique was the most important.
With a good body—not to mention combat—simply preventing sickness in the wilderness was the most worthwhile investment.
Therefore, Deep Blue, add the point!