Chapter 8: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu

Leo's eyes fluttered open to a sight both strange and familiar. It was his own room, the launchpad for his interdimensional teleportation. Aside from some new memories and his tattered clothes, he was the same as before his adventurous foray into the One-Punch Man world.

"Alright then!" Leo licked his lips, peeling off his clothes in a single, fluid motion. He launched himself onto the bed, fingers flying across the air to activate the system interface. "So, system, what treasures did I snag from that mission?"

[Congratulations on completing your first mission! The client was immensely pleased with your performance and has awarded you a handsome reward.]

"Oh yeah!" Leo grinned, anticipation bubbling over. He couldn't wait to see what goodies he'd brought back from the OPM world.

[However, before we proceed… could you please take a deep breath and settle down? There are a few crucial details I must explain to ensure complete transparency.]

Leo's excitement plummeted like a lead weight at that message. His gut thrummed with the unwelcome premonition of bad news.

[The reward from the OPM world amounted to 60,000 DP (Dimensional Points). However, to facilitate my own upgrades and remove your debuff, I have deducted 50,000 DP.]

"Hold up..." Realization dawned on Leo. He bolted towards the mirror, scrutinizing his scalp with a grimace. Relief washed over him as he spotted a soft fuzz of hair replacing the previously desolate landscape. Gone was the nightmarish vision of a receding hairline; he wasn't bald anymore!

"Dude, you're a lifesaver! 50,000 DP is nothing compared to keeping my hair."

Sure, the bald look might be trendy in the US, but Leo wasn't ready to embrace it. Hell, he was just a nineteen-year-old who'd barely crossed the threshold into adulthood!

"So, what do I have left?" he asked, his voice tinged with newfound curiosity.

[Here's a breakdown of your remaining rewards:

Status Bar (Unlocked) Pocket Dimension – 2 meters squared (Unlocked) Basic Item: Clover Charm (The Legend of Zelda series) 10x Random Gacha Summon Ability (Extremely Rare): One-Punch Man Rank Lv. 1 10,000 DP]

---

[Status]

Name: Leonidas (Ryu) Stellafarius

Race: Human (General)

Energies: -

Skills & Abilities:

Passive: -

Active: (Simulation Lv. 4), (One-Punch Man Lv. 1)

Items:

(Desert Eagle), (Straight Sword)

---

[Race:

Races can be categorized into several types:

General: A race that does not utilize any form of energy.

Mythic: A race that uses energy.

Transcendent: A race possessing authority or multiple authorities.

Outsider: Beings to whom the laws of worlds may not apply.]

[Energies:

The Host requires energy to utilize certain skills or abilities. For example, if the Host has a magical ability, they can use it within the world from which the magic was obtained. However, to use that same magic ability and skill in another world, the Host must have the necessary magical energy within their body.]

[Skills & Abilities:

Skills and abilities can be any that the Host receives from another world through the system. Unfortunately, the system cannot rank them as there could be millions of skills and abilities. However, the level of mastery over a skill or ability can be measured. The higher the Host's skill level, the more proficient they are.]

[Items:

Items are tangible objects that the Host receives through the system. Each item can be ranked based on its area of effect:

Basic: Limited use or target.

Advanced: Large area of effect or significant utility.

Unruler: Anything capable of altering the law itself.]

[Ability: One Punch Man Lv. 1 (Gifted by the OPM world)

You will become One Punch Man with strength proportional to the level.

Duration: 5 seconds.

Cooldown: 1 month from the time of activation.

Demerit: Ultimate hair loss for the duration.]

[Clover Charm (The Legend of Zelda series)

An item from the Zelda series that enhances your luck for a limited time.

Duration: 20 seconds.

Uses: 1]

Leo digested the system's explanations, impressed by its streamlined approach. The Status feature was a welcome addition, and the early acquisition of a Pocket Dimension was a pleasant surprise. No more "borrowing" – ahem, transporting – items across borders for him.

His race being general was expected since he couldn't use any energy like magic or chakra. To give an example from "Naruto," any civilian could fall into the General category, whereas a ninja with Chakra would be Mythic. Hogoromo would be Transcendent, whereas his mother, as an invader, would be categorized as an Outsider. Outer Gods and Parasites also fall into the Outsider category.

Ranking skills and abilities seemed pointless, considering the vast array he could potentially acquire from countless fictional realms. Their effectiveness ultimately depended on the user. The key was to level them up for optimal mastery.

His usage was pretty effective with the Simulation ability he was born with, but the One Punch Man ability was incredibly powerful! I mean, you could instantly destroy almost anything and anyone! Even though the duration was short, he could increase it by leveling it up. However, due to the demerit, Leo decided to use it only as a last resort.

Despite grasping most of the information, a few things remained unclear.

"Hold on," Leo interjected, "the Status bar only reflects abilities granted by you, right? But Simulation is listed there, even though it's always been with me."

[Not quite. You can acquire skills and abilities from various worlds, and I'll register them accordingly. In Simulation's case, when I bonded with your body, it was already present. However, the coding suggests it's foreign, implying you obtained it from someone or something else.]

Leo reeled in shock. Did that imply someone in his own world possessed the power to bestow such supernatural abilities?

"Well, that's a mystery for another time," Leo decided, shifting gears. "Now, about this Clover Charm... it's not even from the OPM world, is it?"

Despite the foreign object clutched in his hand, Leo felt strangely intuitive about its use. His gut instinct, honed by years of abysmal luck, proved correct.

[Well, considering your historically pathetic luck, especially with gambling – and yes, that includes women – I had to scour my database and barter with several worlds just to snag a measly luck-boost item.]

Leo had nothing else to say to that. His luck was notoriously poor, not just with women, but in gambling too. While he was a skilled investor and made a lot of money, when it came to pure gambling, he was a certified loser.

"Thanks, sweetheart, for thinking so far ahead," Leo thanked his system. He used to read so many fanfics about manipulative systems that he had a pretty bad image of these cliché constructs. However, his own system was different. It had its shortcomings, but it genuinely tried to give advice and made efforts to make Leo stronger.

[The sentiment is appreciated, but let's move on to the gacha. Since you're familiar with the term, I won't waste time on explanations. In the Multiverse Gacha, you typically get ten pulls per completed world. Alternatively, you can try your luck with a single pull for 1,000 DP or ten pulls for 10,000 DP.]

"But wouldn't-"

[Before you ask, no. Scouring for specific items is a time-consuming energy drain. It could even attract the unwanted attention of Outer Gods. Not a risk I'm willing to take.]

Leo grimaced. Fair enough.

"Alright, enough questions. Time for my first world pull!" He practically bounced back onto his bed, the Clover Charm a tingling pendant around his neck. A surge of optimism washed over him – a fleeting feeling, he knew, but enough. He opened the Multiverse Gacha interface, muttered a silent prayer, and slammed his fist down on the pull button.

Holographic images materialized before him, each depicting a mysterious item. A shiver danced down Leo's spine.

[You have gained the following:

Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu (Fate Series)

Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu

Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu

Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu

Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu

Item: Health Potion

Item: Health Potion

Item: Basic Sword

Item: Pokeball

Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu]

"…"

[Seriously, host, just who wronged you in a past life? What cosmic sin did you commit to deserve this kind of luck, even with a luck-boost item?]

The system's voice dripped with a mixture of exasperation and morbid amusement. Leo could only stare, jaw agape, at the ten items before him. A single, tearful laugh escaped his lips.

Leo gaped at the screen, his jaw slack as a nun's nightgown. Spicy Mapo Tofu? Six helpings of the stuff? It was like pulling the most cursed Craft Essence in FGO six times in a row! This was why he loathed gacha games – the sting of terrible drop rates worse than a habanero enema. "Can you convert these... culinary abominations into points?" he choked out, his voice thick with disgust.

[Yes, but-]

"Do it. Everything except the health potions," Leo interrupted, his eyes glazed over with gacha-induced despair.

[You have been refunded 800 DPs for 8 items.]

He sucked in a shaky breath and slammed his finger down on the pull button again.

[Hold on, reconsider! DP can be used to level skills you can't on your own, or for various other things later.]

"Later? Now's the time to gamble everything while the magic necklace is still juiced with good luck!" Leo argued, his voice bordering on manic. He wouldn't get anything decent once the Clover Charm's power fizzled out.

With that, he dove headfirst back into the gacha abyss, milking every ounce of remaining fortune.

[You have gained the following:

Item: Lucky Cat Maneki-neko Weapon: Spork (Spoon + Fork) Ability: Parseltongue (Harry Potter) Item: Fake Mustache Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu Item: Extremely Spicy Mapo Tofu Item: Senzu Bean [Rare] (Dragon Ball) Skill: Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Item: Dildo Skill: Flash Steps [Rare] (Bleach and other media)]

Flash Steps! A coveted ability that granted the user near-instantaneous movement – a staple in countless anime, from Bleach to UQ Holder. It might sound basic, but for Leo, it could be a game-changer. The Senzu Bean, on the other hand, was a legendary life-saver, capable of reviving someone on the brink of death. Talk about a game-changer!

The rest of the pull? Well, let's just say a Lucky Cat Maneki-neko and a Spork weren't exactly what he'd envisioned. But who cares about those when you have Flash Steps and a Senzu Bean? With a ruthless efficiency, he converted the remaining items into DP except for Lucky Cat. He had them but who knows, this one may enhance his luck for next time.

[You have been refunded 700 DPs for 7 items.]

"Alright, bedtime," Leo declared, a hint of giddiness in his voice. He was eager to test Flash Steps, but exhaustion gnawed at him. There was nothing quite like the comfort of your own bed after a day of interdimensional travel and gacha-induced mayhem.

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About the system, I took a different approach and tried to keep the system easier to understand. I would have created a lot of wars if I had ranked abilities and skills since he would be gaining them from all the anime universe. There is also no leveling system since I want to write a proper story instead of a cardboard character aimlessly killing monster for EXP.

Also, I am open for suggestion so comment down your advice and vote with PS. BONUS is also coming!