002

[Status]

[Name: Shinka Kusaka]

[Species: Human]

[Nicknames: None]

[Health: 50/50]

[Mana: 1/1]

[Attack: Low (Human)]

[Defense: Low (Human)]

[Speed: Low (Human)]

[Skills: Mathematician Lv.8, Rationality Lv.7, Speed Reading Lv.9, Accelerated Thinking Lv.2, Sleep Resistance Lv.6, Language Mastery Lv.8]

After all the nighttime studying he did, Shinka elevated several of his skills, and upon arriving at school in the morning, some others were created, which he mastered quite well.

"I've become smarter, that's undeniable," thought Shinka as he walked through the halls of his school.

"Hey, Shinka!" shouted a boy of about the same age as Shinka, accompanied by another.

"Tomo, Hiro, what are you doing here?" Shinka asked calmly.

"Nothing, we just saw you leaving the classroom without talking to anyone. You didn't even let us know to have breakfast together!" said Tomo.

"Are you okay, buddy?"

Shinka blinked a couple of times at his friend Hiro's question.

"Is it about your sister?" Hiro asked.

Shinka could only sigh helplessly.

"Maybe. I don't know, things have been a bit complicated," said Shinka as he looked up at the sky.

"You don't have to keep talking. And don't worry too much about your sister; you'll be able to go to Kuoh City during these holidays to visit her!" Tomo tried to cheer up his friend.

'Hmm...' Shinka didn't say a word, just nodded at his friend's words.

RIIING

"It's time to go back to class," said Hiro, and the three friends began to walk back to the classroom.

As they walked, Tomo and Hiro chatted among themselves, while Shinka remained lost in his thoughts.

"I'll soon go to Kuoh City to visit my sister. I haven't spoken to her in a whole year," Shinka approached his classroom and simply sat at his usual desk, closing his eyes as he continued his thought process.

[Meditation Lv.1 Acquired.]

A message from the system made him smile discreetly.

...

Now Shinka walked out of his school.

"I didn't have much chance yesterday to try to understand the system, or rather, if I did, I didn't take advantage of it at the time, but now it's different."

Shinka glanced at his status window as he walked carefully, paying attention to the path and the popup window in front of him.

[Double Concentration Lv.1 Acquired.]

"The system has many things in it, but only the essentials. What you'd be used to seeing if you searched in an RPG system of some old game. The most interesting certainly are the skill sections and the mana section."

"It's pretty clear that I can use mana, meaning magic, but I should be able to learn the basics first to become a prodigy or at least figure out how to increase my mana pool."

"If mana is like the basic energy of the world, it means that single point I possess is what most people have. It also makes it clear that magic exists, but I wouldn't know if it's just for me, or something that could be accessible to the entire population that meets some basic requirements..."

"Also, the existence of the system, am I the only person with one, or are there more? It doesn't seem like everyone has a system. The possibility that only I have the system is as optimistic as not being the only one with one. Anyway, there's no way to corroborate the information."

"And I'm eager to test the system's operation on things beyond mental ones."

Shinka stopped in front of an empty lot. There were some trees and rocks scattered around the area. It was also a place away from most pedestrians. A perfect place to commit a crime!

Or discreetly try something...

Shinka gently placed his backpack on the ground and rolled up his sleeves. He began with some warm-up exercises to prepare his body, like jumping in place, arm and leg movements, and light stretches to avoid injuries.

Then, he walked calmly toward one of the trees.

With determination, he gained momentum and jumped, grabbing onto a thick branch with both hands. The effort was evident on his face, showing dedication in his attempt to strengthen himself.

"Phew!" Shinka groaned with a little pain.

He pushed himself up and down, mainly using the strength of his arms to lift his own weight.

[Training Lv.1 Obtained.]

[Strength Lv.1 Obtained.]

As he continued, his breathing became heavier.

"Bingo"

After completing a considerable number of push-ups, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. His determined expression showed that he wasn't done yet.

Shinka moved towards some rocks scattered around the area. Carefully, he selected one of medium size and lifted it with both hands.

He performed a series of lifting exercises, alternating between lifting it and holding it in position for a few seconds to work on his endurance.

Then, he dedicated himself to running in circles around the area. He gradually increased his speed, using the open space to increase his endurance and speed.

As he progressed, his breathing became more intense, but he maintained a steady pace.

...

The sun began to disappear on the horizon, and sitting under a tree was a young boy of about 14 or 15, resting, really sweaty and somewhat bruised.

The boy looked attentively at an invisible message for anyone who wasn't him.

[Due to the "Strength" skill, it has been upgraded to Lv.5. Your "Attack" is now raised to Medium.]

[Attack: Medium (Human)]

"..." Shinka just stayed silent, observing the improvement in his abilities.

"I can easily become one of the most powerful beings on the entire planet Earth. If another person has a system, I need to take advantage of mine's capabilities. Even if it means abusing it."

With some pain, he got up, avoiding complaining.

[Pain Resistance Lv.1 Obtained.]

If Shinka had understood the system's use correctly, it allowed him to achieve perfection in every aspect of the human being. It was based on the continuous repetition of activities. To improve strength, you need to exercise; to improve your speed, you need to run.

The ambiguity might lie in defense. Shinka had speculated that maybe just by doing normal exercise, due to the pain of the workout, defense would increase on its own, without needing to receive blows, although probably the most efficient way to improve would be that.

"I should improve my endurance and speed by running home," he whispered, grabbed his backpack, and in an instant, started running towards his home.