I Guess I've Grown A Bit

What was the name again?

'In Another World With My Smartphone?' I recalled.

I recalled reading a Light Novel about a guy who got struck by a natural phenomenon—probably lightning, or something—due to God's mistake.

As a result, he got reincarnated into another world and he was able to take his Smartphone with him.

That wasn't all though.

Apparently, he got all sorts of buffs and cheat abilities. I believe he also had access to all the Elemental Attributes in that world.

Still, the selling point of the whole novel was his Smart phone.

The most amazing thing about it was that he could use stuff like the Internet, GPS, and probably even stream some decent movies or something.

This guy was so broken that he was able to live very comfortably in his new world. Built a Harem of some charming ladies, and had the craziest adventures.

Such severely biased treatment, just because one bolt of lightning struck his body and accidentally killed him.

Tch!

'If that's how it is, where's my lightning?'

****************

After recording my daily log for my third day, I rose from my comfortable bed and started my routine.

"Let's begin the exercise…" I murmured, taking off my clothes and flexing my nonexistent muscles.

Yep, it was time for my morning workout session!

When did I start working out?… let's just say it was a new habit I planned on sticking to.

Of course, I wasn't just doing it just for kicks. There were benefits attached to training my body every morning—and I didn't mean the health benefits or the appeal of being ripped.

—Stats!

Yes, there were generally three ways to increase Stats.

One was to Level Up. Doing so would grant Stat Points.

The second was completing Quests. Stat Points came as rewards for successful quests.

Last but not least, was the most common of all—followed by everyone including the common folk.

—Diligent training!

"Push-ups first!" I lay on the ground and assumed the proper stance.

Steadying myself, I made sure my centrifugal force was balanced. Thankfully I had enough room in the tent to accomplish this.

My eyes were aglow with determination, and I was certain my goals for the day would be fulfilled easily.

'Okay… let us begin!'

[Twenty Seconds Later]

"No… no more…" I collapsed on the floor, already at my limit.

I panted heavily, and every single muscle in my body was racked with excruciating pain.

"Haa… haa…" I whimpered pitifully.

My body writhed on the floor as I tried to overcome my exhaustion.

'I still have more to do… I can't get stuck here!'

Once again filled with determination, I ignored the pains coursing through my body and started another round.

[Ten Seconds Later]

"Urhhh… no more. This will kill me. Seriously…"

[Your Strength Stat Has Increased by 1]

[Your Vitality Stat Has Increased by 1]

'Haa… about time!'

These two Stats got raised by constant exercise. The others also required some specific training to increase them.

I had been exercising faithfully for two days, and I only got a total of six Stat Points.

"Worth it, my ass! Isn't this a waste of time?" Though I said them, I didn't fully believe those words

There was a reason I was naturally raising my Stats like this rather than simply spending Stat Points to buff myself.

I was certain that buffing myself would ensure that I didn't get so exhausted or worn out after working out. However, that also meant I would need to spend more time exercising.

The only reason my Stats were even going up so easily was because I had low ones.

The higher it went, the harder it was to increase it.

'That's why this is the perfect time to increase my abilities…' I thought grudgingly.

Wiping the sweat from my body using a towel I took out of my Inventory, I huffed and puffed, readying myself for another round.

"Okay, Sam… let's do this one more time!"

[Half An Hour Later]

"System Window."

My voice sounded dead, drained of all its energy, and I was on the floor—completely wasted. I felt like dying, but that was simply an illusion given by my body to remind me of my limits.

A painful illusion.

[SYSTEM WINDOW]

Name: Samuel Peterson

Level: 5

Age: 17 Years

Gender: Male

Current Condition: Exhausted. Excited.

Status Infliction: Exhaustion. Pain.

Title: Hero {See Additional Titles}

~{QUEST DETAILS}~

[FEATURES]

~ Stats~

~Skills [Unlocked]~

~Inventory [Unlocked]~

~Character List~

~Shop [Unlocked]~

~Arcana Value [Unrestricted]~

<You have not met the requirements to unlock some Features>

{More Features will be added subsequently}

[END OF INFORMATION]

"Damn straight!" Of course, I'd be deadbeat tired.

Exercising for long hours without break… only a madman would resort to that.

The only reason I had been able to last so long was the Auto-Recover function I had earned as a 'Hero' feature.

Basically this feature helped me automatically recover lost energy after a certain amount of time. Healing was also improved as well.

However most impressively, I never aged.

These were all countermeasures provided by the System to ensure that the Hero would be an optimal vessel for defeating the enemy.

And so, after getting deadbeat tired, I would recover, then push myself again.

Rinse. Repeat. A cycle of excruciating pain daily. At least the rewards were worth it.

Doing this for thirty minutes every day was my morning ritual. It was so I could raise my Stats as much as possible.

At night, I also read several books to increase my Intelligence.

Despite my initial intention of taking things easy, I had ended up pushing myself quite hard ever since coming to this world.

'If I don't want to die, then this is necessary…'

"Stats Window," I murmured, watching as the contents on the System's screen changed.

[Stats]

Level: 5

Exp: 0.0

Class: None (Classless)

Karmic Value: 2,300

[Basic Ability]

HP: 15/15

MP: 5/5

Strength: 9

Agility: 4

Vitality: 11

Intelligence: 20

<Stat Points: 35>

{Complete Quests and slay enemies to obtain Stat Points and EXP. Doing so will increase your Level and also grant you Stat Points}

[END OF INFORMATION]

A grin formed on my face as I stared at my Stats. Despite the fact that I had managed not to spend any Stat Points, my abilities had increased considerably.

My HP and MP naturally increased with Level Ups, and the ways to raise their Cap were quite tricky, unlike normal exercises.

For Agility, I would need to start running or jogging, but that could wait until things in the town stabilized.

My Strength and Vitality had also risen a great deal these past two days. I knew I was going to reach the limit soon, but… till then, I needed to keep exerting myself to gain as many natural Stats as I could.

Basic workout sessions could not increase my Stats indefinitely after all.

Combat training. Magic training. Expeditions. All these and many more could increase my Stats exponentially.

I would have to gain experience through many more things later on, but for now… this was the safest approach to get stronger.

My Intelligence Stat was by far the most impressive, and that was simply because I had been consuming a great deal of knowledge ever since I arrived in this world.

My research was mostly centered on subjects pertaining to the T.W.T.S.S. Novel, but I also branched out to notable facts and information manuals that would assist me in this new world.

Due to being an avid fan of the Novel, I had the soft copy on my Tablet, so I had been catching up on the story's progression.

As expected, the first round was only vaguely mentioned. Besides, since I was taking a different path from the MC,so a lot of the information stated there was unreliable and useless to me.

Still, additional knowledge wouldn't hurt.

My Tablet also had a folder that contained my notes on the Novel—including a list of all the Spells, classified according to category, such as Runes, Artifacts, Classes, Skills, etc. that were mentioned throughout the story.

Going through them would take some time, but it was worth it as it would result in an increase to my intelligence and overall knowledge about this world.

Also as a result of the increase in my cognitive skills, retaining such details were much easier.

If I could memorize all the important details, it would be extremely helpful.

"Well, It's considerable progress. Let's check out the next item on the list."

Stats were good for generally gauging the ability of an individual, but in this world, they weren't everything. More was needed.

"Skill Window."

[Skills]

<1> Five Seconds Rule

<2> Rune crafting

<3> Freedom Of Expression

<4> With Great Responsibility There Must Also Come Great Power

<5> Insight

"I never imagined I would already have five Skills…" A smile formed on my face as I observed each of them.

[Skill Details]

<Five Seconds Rule>

Allows the user to see five seconds into the future.

{Current Rate: 3 MP per use.}

<Rune crafting>

Helps the user to craft runes faster and more accurately. A ten to fifty percent increase in power is also added, depending on the quality of the Rune crafted.

{Current Rate: 5 MP per use}

<Freedom Of Expression>

You will never lose composure when in the presence of another. Words will never fail you, and every individual action shall be performed flawlessly.

{Current Rate: 0 MP per use (Constant)}

<With Great Responsibility There Must Also Come Great Power>

You are able to obtain, store, and utilize one Skill from any of your subordinates.

{Current Limit: 3 Total Skills}

{Current Rate: Varies}

<Insight>

Increases observation and sensory sharpness. The user can see better in the dark, and has a good grasp of his surroundings

{Current Rate: 0 MP per use (Constant)}

[End Of Information]

That was about it.

These were my cards. My arsenal so to speak. While they were not exactly the greatest, especially when it came to fighting, I couldn't ask for a better starter pack.

Besides, these were all rewards of all my hard work and genuine efforts.

The fact that they weren't given to me as cheats, on a platter of gold—unlike that character who had access to so many abilities from the start—gave me a sense of satisfaction.

While it was regrettable that I wasn't Overpowered or entirely special, I couldn't bring myself to hate my current state.

"It's not so bad, after all…" I mused happily.