1 System Activate!
"Watch out!"
A voice cried out towards a little girl who was innocently crossing the road. A young boy in a high school uniform lunges towards the girl as a speeding truck hurls at the crossroad.
Suddenly a loud crash was heard, with sounds of tires skidding along the paved road reek the streets. The young girl was dumbfounded, frozen in the moment as she tried to comprehend what had happened.
"OH MY GOD!" A woman cried as she saw the body of a young boy lying along the streets with blood splattered along the paved road. Crowds of people rush to the scene of the commotion to find the street littered with shrapnel and blood.
Hajime Kazuma, a 17-year-old student from Akiyama High School, lay on the street in pain. His ribs are broken, bones are shattered and limbs are dislocated, all he wants is the pain to go away.
Was this the end? This was his only thought at that moment as he stared at the girl with a mix of agony and satisfaction. The girl barely tasted the meaning of life. It was ironic as Hajime barely knew it too, he wished for more time in this world. His life barely began, but so was the girl's.
Hajime forced a smile as the roar of the sirens from the ambulance was heard. His life may be short but he can smile as he sees the mother of the girl embrace her, maybe his death was not for nothing. Hajime lived alone for most of his life, his parents were never there for him. It's refreshing to see a warming scene.
Hajime slowly turns his head to the sky as his memories flash through his mind. Tears emerge as all of the regrets leak through his heart.
He is truly pathetic.
Single till the end, Friends who barely knew him, and worst of all pathetic. The only word he can describe himself.
If only he had more time. If only this never happened, if only he had been stronger and less scared of taking risks. Maybe if there's a chance to live he can change.
A life with no regrets, a second chance of life…
He started to black out by the second, his body felt extremely numb and was ready to shut down. Then the next thing Hajime knew was darkness. He couldn't move his body nor see a single thing, he felt like he was falling into the abyss. Hajime felt like the light started to suck him into it, Hajime didn't try to resist as his body was fully paralysed.
'Not not like this… Not like this…'
*Ding*
[Host found....scanning....]
'What?'
[System rebooting....15%.....34%....61%...84%.....100%.... ready...]
Hajime was confused at this strange occurrence, it was something like a translucent board that suddenly appeared in front of him.
"W-What is this…" Hajime was in awe, focused on the translucent board, and saw the text written on it:
[Hajine Kazuma]
Occupation: Student
Level: 1
Attack: 1
Defence: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Luck: 1
Skills:
[Survival Instinct] has been acquired: You have unlocked a sixth sense to detect imminent threats to your and other life.
[Determination] has been acquired: You are now resilient to an abnormal degree, you have an abnormal resistance to physical and mental stress.
[Inventory box] has been acquired: allow you to transport items into a dimensional warehouse.
[Second Chance] has been acquired: The system will now revert you to life and will bring you back to your starting point… so do you agree?
"Huh?"
This was like a message from video games which Hajime frequently plays. Inventory? Survival instincts? Inventory box? Determination? Just what is this? Then suddenly there was the last one.
Second chance…
Hajime was confused and excited at the same time, was this the afterlife? But he has not even achieved his goals, Hajime was still determined to achieve his goals. He has yet to experience love and make friends, he doesn't want his life to end in vain.
But a second chance was a second chance. Hajime will grab the opportunity as he is determined to change.
Hajime looked at the text once more and thought.
'I accept!'
Everything suddenly turned white, and then Hajime could feel his body moving. The pain was gone and his limbs were restored. Hajime was alive once again.
He then opened his eyes to find himself inside his room, with a familiar feeling.
Hajime quickly went up from his bed and looked at his surroundings, then he checked his body to confirm if it was a dream. But everything was real, this was reality.
'This was not a dream.'
Hajime felt the smooth texture of the blankets, the warmth from the sunlight and the softness of the bed.
'This was reality.'
Hajime was stunned for a moment before he quickly went to his closet and saw a mirror.
What was shown was a 17-year-old boy with black hair and a lean body.
"It's me… I'm still the same." Hajime mumbled to himself, he touched his face and hair repeatedly.
He was confused and happy at the same time.
"Was this a miracle?"
He questioned his reality, and whether he was still dreaming. But everything was too real, to be a dream.
Hajime decided that he was sent back.
'Why?'
Hajime was not complaining about it, but he was curious. Was this an act of god?
Then a message suddenly popped up in his view, startling Hajime in the process.
'This again…'
This translucent screen was just like the previous one he saw and was filled with words and letters.
[Welcome to the System.]
[I am here to help you achieve your goals, please read the instructions carefully before proceeding.]
"Wait! What? This is not a joke, is it?"
Hajime was sceptical, as the translucent screen disappeared.
"Hello? Is anybody here?"
He looked around his room but no one was there.
'How is this possible? Is it the system that brought me back to life?'
This was the only logical answer that he could think of, and he was certain that it was true.
'System?'
As if the system was answering Hajime's question, another set of messages was popping up.
[missions available]
Hajime clicked on the message and the next one showed him a list of missions.
'What are these missions?'
Hajime read each of the descriptions.
[Mission 1: Get 10,000 yen in a day: 5000 points]
[Mission 2: Make a friend: 2000 points]
[Mission 3: Join a club: 2000 points]
'What?'
Hajime was shocked to find missions about him. This was not what he expected, Hajime thought it was a game but this was not what he had in mind.
He was curious about the system's ability, and he wanted to know more. He scrolled across the screen only to find an option which said, [Show me more].
After that message was shown, Hajime was astonished by the sight.
'What the heck is this?!'
What was shown was a list of abilities and skills. They are all sorted in some sort of tech tree from a video game. There were many categories from crafting to support. It was like a dream come true for Hajime, but something was off.
He looked closer and realised the cost of the skills and abilities.
'300,000 yen!?'
300,000 yen. That is almost 10 years of saving money.
'What about the others?'
Hajime scrolled down only to see the same thing, most of the skills and abilities are extremely expensive and Hajime could not afford it. But luckily some skill cost [Skill points].
Skill points were gained by completing missions and challenges, or simply doing good deeds. So the system explained. Hajime could gain the skills by collecting the required number of points, which was a good thing as well.
Hajime continued to explore the system and found a surprising thing.
'Is this the inventory box?'
What was shown was a small box with the text 'inventory' on top.
'What's inside?'
Hajime clicked on the button only for his jaw to drop.
'This is my house's key, my ID and...a wallet?
The items were floating in the air as Hajime quickly picked them up, he then inspected the wallet to find 100,000 yen!
'Wow, it's real...'
He couldn't believe it, but this was real.
He was now holding 100,000 yen worth of cash in his hand, this was the biggest sum of money that he had ever held.
Hajime was speechless, but quickly returned to reality. He was shocked and confused.
'Did the system do this?'
He thought the only possibility that he could think of was the system. But something was strange. How was the system able to do this?
'Wait, what time is it?'
Hajime remembered that today was the school entrance ceremony, he quickly checked the clock and saw the time.
"Oh crap!"
It was already 7:00 a.m., and school started at 8:00 a.m. He had half an hour to get ready, if he didn't make it in time he would be late.
'Damn, I have to get ready or else I will be late.'
Hajime rushed to the bathroom to wash up and prepare for school. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. He was done in 10 minutes, Hajime was fast.
He returned to his room and got ready for school, he put on his uniform and fixed his hair.
'Let's hope that everything goes well.'
After a quick inspection, he left the apartment and went on his way to Akiyama High School.
