Prologue

A blond youth looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The youth was only 15 years old, yet the calluses on his hands and the muscles on his body were unnaturally developped. Lean and shredded, it was obvious that he had undergone genetic modifications and used mana regents to increase his physical strength. On his back, an exo-skeleton shielding his vertebrae could be seen, and there were bodily modifications all over his body, mainly circuits allowing him to spread mana throughout his body.

It was a common sight for soldiers to look like that, but seeing so many modifications on a teenager was unprecedented. Obviously, most of them had been done illegally, since there were laws preventing this.

The youth's room was pretty spacious. Posters of the latest flying cars filled the walls, and there were a couple of electric daggers hanging on a desk. The bed was tidy and clean, but the grounds was messy. Weights filled the floor, and there was a huge punching bag hanging in the middle of the room, obviously worn out from excessive use.

In his wardrobe, there were many shirts made of modified C-grade linen, a pretty expensive brand of clothes in the region, as well as a uniform. The crest made it clear that the youth belonged to the prestigious [Warrior Academy], where soldiers were being trained. It was said that whoever graduated from the Warrior Academy would have a bright future, either as a [Hunter] (those who entered gates to harvest materials and eliminate otherworldly beings), as a [Mercenary] or as a [Soldier] for C-Corp, who controlled the entirety of NT (Night Town).

If such an academy was popular, the entry requirements were very tough too. You would need to reach the [Rank 2 Warrior Realm] to attend it, which was nearly impossible without talent and an abundance of resources.

The youth seemed in a daze, and shouted: "Fuck...Only 3 points of EXP?"

Fortunately, these screams were isolated. Anyway, it was not like the youth's parents were home.

The youth was called Greem.

Two years ago, Greem could not even be considered a prospect student for the Warrior Academy. However, a transformation overnight caused him to become extremely hard-working. Many secrets surrounded him. One of them was his otherwordly knowledge of Cyberpunk 2310, and the fact that a gaming system assisted him on a daily basis.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Greem could see what was commonly known as his [Status Window]. However, unlike the stats usually displayed by the basic modules used in the military or merc companies, Greem's status window was much more detailed and possessed particularities unique to him.

[Name - Greem Southport | Rank 2 Warrior (2 263 / 3 200 EXP)

Attributes:

Strength - 26 | Agility - 32 | Vitality - 21 (+5) | Intellect - 16 | Mana - 30 (+3)

Cyber Equipment: Grade III Exo-Skeleton (+5 Vit), Grade II Mana Circuits (+3 Mana)

Perks: ø

Passive Skills: Dual Wielding (Rank II), Throwing Dagger (Rank II), Stealth (Rank II), Tracking (Rank II), Theft (Rank I), Swordsmanship (Rank I)

Active Skills: Focus (Rank I), Dagger Aura (Rank I)]

Greem's secret was simple and unbelievable. However, he knew he would be dissected if it ever reached C-Corp's omnipresent ears.

Greem did not come from this world.

Greem came from Earth, and used to be an amateur player of Cyberpunk 2310, a post-apocalyptic game where humans were pushed to their limits, creating immense underground shelters like Night Town. On the surface, countless monsters had conquered the world after the mana apocalypse. Underground, the monsters just possessed different forms.

They might not be magical beasts, but C-Corp agents repressed the citizens and forced labour on them, or even made experiments on them. There was also a clear hierarchy based on wealth mainly. Those from the lower districts would find it hard to escape the filth and depravity that was omnipresent in there, while those in the inner circle of Night Town would find it hard not to succeed in life, even if they wanted to, having access to all kinds of restricted knowledge and elixirs.

Unfortunately, Greem was not born as a [Platinium Citizen], known as the nobles, or a [Golden Citizen]. He was just a [Silver Rank Citizen] from the lower districts, part of some lower middle-class who could not afford to leave the filth. Still, he was the only son of a cute couple. His father worked in mechanical engineering, and dealt with cyber equipment construction in a company called [Jark Unlimited Company]. While it was not anything worthy of mentionning, it supported the family and brought enough income to afford the silver rank citizenship.

Greem's mother was a bit less successful in life, and she worked in a recycling factory.

If Greem was normal, she would not have to work with trash all day long, but Greem was not attending any school. He was attending one of the most prestigious academy in Night Town, one that was looked up to by nobles.

After two years of living in District 77, Greem had almost forgotten on his life back on Earth, fully adapting to this cruel, yet strangely satisfying world. He had come to love his family, and could not tell whether they were artificial intelligent NPCs, or humans more trustworthy and more loving than his own family back on Earth.

The logout button was still disabled.

Death was still permanent.

But it was not as if he had done nothing in two years' worth of time.

He had reached the 2nd Warrior Realm, and he was considered as a genius in the Warrior Academy, despite the discrimination and scorn he received there. He endured it all. He would surpass them all. He would become the strongest in Night Town.