The Beginning

Chapter 1: The Beginning

It all started when a boy named Kenji Roku was in quarantine. His classmate, an idiot, had contracted the deadly virus called Verona. However, Kenji still went to school because he wanted to maintain perfect attendance. As a result, Kenji became bedridden. But he didn't mind being at home because he enjoyed reading his favorite novel called "Sifres." One day, while Kenji was out getting groceries and reading his novel, he was hit by truck-kun. "So, this is how it feels to die while reading a novel. What a miserable death, but I expected nothing less for myself," Kenji said sadly. I have never achieved anything in my life. I am burdened with an enormous debt of 70 million yen. I am extremely unpopular and ugly. Well, I guess it all ends here.

Kenji slowly opened his eyes and was dumbfounded. Am I alive or is this a dream? No, this can't be a dream. He recognized the horrible smell of a dead corpse, but he couldn't see anything. The room was cold, dark, and wet. I need to escape before I die for real, but how? DING DONG LONG BONG!! Huh, what was that? Kenji heard a robotic voice say, "System activated." "What is a system? Do I have it?" Kenji asked. "Yes, you do. The system is called the Parallel World System, and I am its guide. You can think of the system as a game. The more renowned you are, the more Reputation Points (RP) you'll earn. You can also earn RP by completing missions, which can be used to buy things from the system store. Since you don't have any RP at the moment, I'll grant you one item from the list below, but only if you give me a name. You have 10 seconds left before the deal expires," the guide explained. "Did I go crazy?" Kenji wondered. "You did not go crazy, Master, but you have to give me a name or the deal will expire in 10 seconds. 1... 2... 3... 4... Okay, I'll give you a name. How about Alexis?" Kenji replied. "That's quite a pretty name. I love it. Now you have to choose your gift, but next time you'll need to pay. The options are night goggles, a loudspeaker, or a saw blade. You have only one hour to use the item. Since you mentioned it's dark and you can't find the door or window, I suggest choosing the night goggles," the guide suggested. "Here you go, Master. Your one hour starts now," the guide said. "Thanks, I guess. Let's put them on. Wow, I can finally see the room. It looks like a torture chamber. It's really scary, and why does my voice sound like a toddler? Why are my hands so tiny? How will I ever escape this place as a toddler? On the plus side, this body is quite handsome. It has golden hair that even pure gold can't compare to. The eyes are like shining red rubies, and the skin is silky smooth and as white as snow. I love the fact that I have a swirly tattoo on my neck. Master, I am sorry to interrupt, but you only have 40 minutes left," the guide informed. "Oh yeah, I totally got mesmerized by my new body. Alexis, can you help me escape?" Kenji asked. "Well, if you look around, you may find a key," Alexis suggested. "Is it that easy? I guess I'd better start looking for the key," Kenji said. Looking around the room, he noticed there wasn't much in it. There was a half-broken bed with mold on it and several dead corpses with swords in their hands. "Don't tell me I'm in a Saw movie," Kenji remarked. "No, Master, but you're close to the right answer. You read about it somewhere. It's in the novel you were reading, 'Sifres.' BINGO! So does that mean I have transmigrated into 'Sifres'?" Kenji realized. "Yes, yes, my Master is so smart. But I couldn't finish the novel. All I know is that the emperor had two sons named Sonhu and Goro. The story hinted at a third child, but it was never confirmed, and then the kingdom got destroyed by a mysterious creature. But now I have to find a way out. Maybe you'll find it in someone," Alexis suggested. "You mean in a person?" Kenji asked. "Maybe," Alexis replied. "I have to cut open all the men in this room and find the key. Where should I start? Maybe with the five people in armor since there's a big X on them," Kenji decided.

Let's begin. The room smells horrible, like vomit but ten times worse, and it feels like touching wet bread. It makes me feel dizzy, and my hands are trembling with fear. The key is probably by the liver. If I cut there, I might find it. After 39 minutes, I finally found the key. The system's melding of your night vision goggles will expire in 1 minute. I need to hurry to the door, but then I heard grunts coming from the bodies, and they were calling for help. That can't be possible. I was cutting into them for 39 minutes. I must be hearing things. I need to run faster. Damn these tiny legs. I run so slowly, but I can almost taste my freedom. *pant* Finally free from that ghastly room. System melding mission 1 complete. Generating reward. Your reputation has grown. You have gained 100 reputation points. This is the system store. What? I'm going to be so weak in this world. In 'Sifres,' people can use magic. The only thing I can do is conjure things from the earth. "No worries, Master. I've buffed every single item to be comparable to magic. For example, if you had a gun and shot it at someone, they wouldn't be able to dodge it. They can only block it with 3rd-grade magic," Alexis explained. "I'm not going to be weak after all! Hahaha. How much does the gun cost?" Kenji asked. "The gun costs 10,000 RP," Alexis replied. "What? I'll never have a gun," Kenji sighed. "Master, there's no need to cry. You'll become renowned in no time. I believe in you," Alexis encouraged. "Thank you, Alexis. I needed that. I have to find a place to sleep in this big city. Maybe I'll sleep on that bench. It's my favorite color," Kenji said. "Red is your favorite color, Master?" Alexis asked. "Yes, may I ask why?" Kenji replied. "I don't really remember why. I don't remember much of my past life, but I feel a connection to the color red," Kenji explained. "Oh well. Master, it's time for you to rest. Your body is only five years old, after all," Alexis suggested. "My legs do feel like noodles, and my eyes feel

heavy. I'll go to sleep on that red bench. It's larger than I thought. It's so cold. Alexis, how many RP for a blanket?" Kenji asked. "A large blanket costs 50 RP, and a small blanket costs 25 RP. Which one would you like?" Alexis replied. "What? It's so expensive. I'll take the small one," Kenji decided. "Okie dokie. Here you go, Master. System melding. You currently have 75 RP," Alexis informed. "I want a refund. This blanket only covers half of my body," Kenji complained. "Well, why do you think it's half the price of the large blanket?" Alexis teased. "Ugh, I'm going to sleep. The second mission starts now."

Once again, I woke up in a different room, but this time it was different. I didn't wake up in a cold and rundown room. Instead, it was a luxurious room with a marble floor. The bed was made of gold, and everything smelled new. I was comfortable in my bed when a system notification popped up. "This is the house of the Bouchons, and you are a guest ro os ti smees," it said. "Huh? That sentence doesn't make sense. Well, at least I know I'm a guest and not kidnapped. So I went back to sleep. After a while, I was woken up by a person. She was wearing a black dress, a white apron, and a hairband or cap of some sort. She softly told me that I needed to wake up and change clothes. But I don't have any clothes. 'Our grace has provided you with some,' she said, 'and he is waiting to meet you while having breakfast.' Thank you very much. That is really generous," I replied. And when she left, I changed into my new clothes. They were really fancy. I had many choices, and I chose a black suit with a blue blouse and a black tie. After that, I was escorted to what I presumed was the main dining hall. What I saw made my room look like child's play. It had a large table, and the floor was so clean I could see my own reflection in it. I saw an older man and a woman sitting at the table. The man looked to be in his 40s and was wearing a furry coat, nothing too fancy. But the woman was in a gorgeous red dress adorned with lots of jewelry. I would guess she is in her mid-20s. "Greetings, young man," the old man said loudly. I quickly bowed down. "You may be wondering who we are," the woman said in a gentle but stern voice. "We are the Bouchons. I am Ms. Yung, and my husband is Richer. We have decided to take care of you until you turn 16, and then you can live by yourself if you want to." "Thank you very much, Ms. and Mr. Bouchon," I replied. "Just call us mother and father. Now go and meet the other kids," Ms. Yung instructed. Then I was escorted to the garden, which was beautiful and smelled amazing. This body has a really sensitive nose. After a 5-minute walk, I saw three kids, two boys, and one girl. But the two boys were bullying the girl.

I quickly needed to do something before they harmed the girl. "System store, open. What do we have here? A grenade? A gun? A saw? They are all too expensive. A hologram? Why is it only 75 RP? That seems suspicious. Well, Master, it's only 75 RP because it can only project something for two seconds," the guide explained. "Haha, maybe that will help. Alright, give me the hologram, please.

"Why is this giant fireball coming towards us?" the kids yelled in a hysterical voice. "If I catch you bothering that girl again, you better believe there will be consequences," I declared firmly, emphasizing the seriousness of their actions.

Are you alright, little girl?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine, but they do this to me on a daily basis. Anyways, thank you for helping me," she replied. "Oh, and why is that?" I asked. "I have zero power," she explained. "Oh, is that so? Well, I also have low power. So shall we be friends? My name is Kenji, and yours?" I introduced myself. "My name is Shinofu-chan," she replied. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Shinofu-chan," I said. "System notification: You only have zero RP left," the guide announced. "It's not the moment, you know." "It's always the moment, Master. Am I seeing you ship? We're only five years old. Come on. Just saying, you never know. It always starts when they're young," the guide teased. "Who cares anyway? I'm not going to listen to you. Kenji, do you really want to be my friend?" Shinofu asked. "Yes, why wouldn't I? Everyone I was friends with went crazy," I replied. "Well, I won't go crazy because I'm already crazy. Haha, you're so funny. Well, I really hope that doesn't happen to you," Shinofu said. "Who were those boys anyway?" I asked. "They are the sons of Mr. and Ms. Bouchon. They will grow up to have a power level over 25,000. That's why I'm scared of them," Shinofu explained. "Well, you shouldn't be scared because I will protect you," I assured her. "Umm, are you serious?" she asked. "Yes, I am. Thank you very much, Kenji," she said gratefully. "No problem. Let's go have dinner," I suggested. After years of bonding, Kenji and Shinofu would turn 16 in a few months.

"Mom, Dad, and me, can we go outside?" I asked excitedly. "Not yet. You will almost turn 16, and then you can leave the palace. But why aren't we allowed to go outside?" Ms. Yung explained, "We don't want your mind to be impure." "And why is that?" I inquired. "Well, you will compete in a tournament, and they will test your mind. If it's impure, you are not allowed to go and participate in the tournament. I mean, the Morgan tournament," she clarified. "Yes, that tournament. You need to be in top form," Mr. Richer added. "Okay, I will. Well, go call Shinofu to get ready. I have a big surprise for you guys. We're going to the capital, but you are not allowed to go farther than one meter from me," Ms. Yung instructed. "Thank you, Mother. I will go call Shinofu," I said. "shishi, I have great news. Do not call me 'shishi,' and what is the great news?" she replied. "Don't be so stingy. Mother will let us go to the capital with her, but only for an hour. So get ready fast," I

explained. "But you know, it takes me one hour to get ready. I need to be fabulous, glamorous to go to the capital," Shinofu complained. "Ah, just hurry up," I urged. "Yeah, yeah, I'll tell Mom I'm coming within an hour. But will the two boys come too?" Shinofu asked. "I don't think so. They are already 18, and they can go to the capital whenever they want. So yeah, I don't think they will come with us," I replied. "Yes, that's a relief. I already told you not to be scared of them. You need to stand up for yourself," kenji said. "It's easier said than done, Kenji," shinofu replied.