*Ding. The gamer system has been fully activated.
"Would you like to go through a tutorial?"
Staring at the holographic screen in a daze, Kazuma forgets to reply to Saeko, who is on the other side of the phone.
After calling him a few more times, she disconnected the call in disappointment and left the dormitory for training.
Meanwhile, Kazuma, who was experiencing another shock of his life, just clicked yes on the holographic screen before him, in reflex like a habit of reading a message whenever a notification arrives on a mobile phone, leaving a few ladies in the surroundings in wonder as what is he pointing his finger towards.
But, then, he saw the vehicles stop all of a sudden, the people around him also froze at their spots, including Kazuma himself with one of his hands pointing at something in front of him while the other one is still on the phone near his ear, except for his eyes that are darting left and right.
"I can't move… Huh? The vehicles and even these people… Did the time itself stop?"
While he was having these kinds of thoughts filled with confusion, the message on the holographic screen changed and new words appeared.
"You are going to transport to training grounds in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"
*Blackout*
Kazuma's vision became dark as the countdown ended, and as his vision recovered, he found himself in a white empty devoid of material things except for the seat he was sitting in, earlier.
Before he started to get worried about the strange place he was suddenly teleported, the screen popped up once again before him.
*Ding. Welcome to the Training grounds, user 001*
*Let's get started*
*Tutorial 1: Training grounds*
Info: Training grounds is a place that exists in the null dimension, where time doesn't exist. At present, only the host has the access to this location.
How to use: Speak "Enter Training grounds" and then, think of the image of this dimension to stop the time in the material world, and teleport.
Effects: Here, you can use your imagination and create anything from the material world to make use of it. However, it must be a real thing that is a part of your memory.
Note: You cannot bring the created item to the material world but you can bring the material world items (non-living things) to the training grounds.
"Anything?" As soon as he read the description, the first thing that came to mind is an *R* rated stuff, and his face flushed in excitement, "maybe, I really died and this is how the afterlife actually looks like?
Or maybe, I'm now in a hospital with a brain injury while someone injected some untested drugs… or else, why am I seeing this nonsensical crap that one would normally see in manga…"
While Kazuma is in denial of accepting the reality before him, the system sent another message on the screen, starting the tutorial process.
*Ding! Name anything that you wish to create, and imagine the outline or a picture from memory.
"Just like a game tutorial, huh. Ok, fine. Hmm, what should I create? Let's go with basic stuff."
After thinking for a while, rummaging through his memories, Kazuma spoke loud and clear, "Create a laptop."
*Ding! Scanning your memories.
Then, he imagined an expensive laptop from his memory that he wished to buy in his past life, but couldn't due to the fact that its price was more than a hundred thousand dollars.
Before even a second passed, a heavy and thick laptop appeared on the floor with a simple letter Z on its metallic back.
*Ding. Completed*
*The next tutorial is going to start in five minutes*
"Wow" Kazuma let out a whistle and picked it up with a smile that seemed to be stuck on his face with glue for a whole minute as he was admiring its specs. "7.2ghz clock speed… 192GB ram… 64TB SSD… Aero MT920 Graphics… and the only laptop with Zygot Core Z21 processor from 2025… Wow, can't believe I'm holding this... Ah, how I really wish to own this…"
Looking like a 12-year-old kid who found the lingerie section of a Sears catalog, he opened the laptop and played with it for a few minutes before his smile wiped off and replace with a frown, realizing there was no internet, and other than built-in applications, everything else is empty.
"Ah, Dammit… I forgot there's no internet available. Without it, this one is as good as any other laptop.
Hmm, wait a second.
If I can create a laptop with software just by remembering it from my memory where I have only seen it on the internet, then, can I replay the movie, which has yet to release at this point of time?"
Thinking about the possibilities, Kazuma immediately spoke, "Create the movie file, Swords and Wolves, Age of Fenrir."
After speaking out the name of the blockbuster movie that will release five years from the current timeline, he waited for the system to install the file but unfortunately, the system quickly poured water on his hopes that were burning like a fire.
*Ding. Your free chances to create reached nil. Use the credits to buy another chance*
"Eh?" Kazuma stared at the message with a surprise that shattered his illusion of creating many things before it disappeared and was replaced with a new message.
*Tutorial 2: Character menu*
Info: It contains information about the user's details.
How to use: Speak, the "Open Character menu" to check your statistics.
*Open the Character menu, and register your Profession and alias to activate Quests*
"Registering my alias? Quests? The more I see it, the more it resembles like a game," mumbled Kazuma before shrugging his shoulders, "anyway, let's just see what my stats look like…"
"Open Character menu"
The words on the screen once again wiped out to let the new info appear on it, but only this time, it was enlarged to as big as him, and just as he expected, the stats appeared like a character in a game, however with slight changes.
Personal Info:
Name: Ryu Kazuma
Alias: N/A
Date of Birth: July 4th, 1997
Age: 18 years, 7 months, 3 days.
Profession: N/A
Access time to the Training grounds: N/A
Comment: Register your alias and the job.
***
Stats:
Level: 12 (Need 186 exp to next level)
HP: 600
MP: 75
Power (max bench press): 34 kg
Speed (per km): 6 minutes 14 seconds.
Appearance: 8.7
Height: 186 cm (6'1")
Weight: 77.8 kg
BMI: 22.5
Skills: None
Comment: BMI is within range but you have to either lose some weight or bulk up your muscles.
***
Attributes:
Strength: 1.7
Agility: 2.6
Vitality: 2.4
Intelligence: 3.0
Luck: 5
Free Attributes points: 0
Comment: Your attributes are better than 93.5% of living humans on earth.
***
"I'm only at level-12?" Kazuma was taken aback at first, feeling his level is low when compared to the average person at the bus stop, but then, nodded in agreement after reading each stat since he knew he never went to the gym. It didn't make him any happy that he was in the top 8% of the world either as it would only imply that there are more than 500 million people that have better stats than him.
Then, as he reached the bottom of the screen, Kazuma started to check the stats and attributes back and forth until he found the link between them.
"I see. Each point of Strength is equal to 20 kg. Each point of agility is equal to 1 meter/sec. Each point of Vitality is equal to 250 HP, and each point of intelligence is equal to 25 MP.
I wonder how I would get free attribute points though…"
Suddenly, as his sight landed on the first comment, Kazuma mumbled, "registering, huh…"
Thinking to enter the name, he tried to click on Alias to edit it, and just like he expected, as soon as he touched it, another holographic screen appeared on top of it like how one would find usually it in computers.
Clicking on a blank space, a keyboard opened, and Kazuma entered the stage name that he planned to use in his past life. It is actually a shortened form of his baptismal name, Raphael.
*Alias "Raph" has been registered*
Then, he proceeds to click on Profession only to widen his eyes to see six options appeared to choose next, instead of a keyboard.
*Architecture, Business, Sports, Fashion, Entertainment, Food, Information Technology, Politics*
"Now, I understand where this is going…" Kazuma started at one option intensively before clicking on Entertainment.
The options disappeared and then, new options appeared.
*Music, Movie/Video, Television*
Without thinking much, he directly clicked on Music.
*Singer, Rapper, Dancer, Idol, Songwriter-Music Producer, Manager*
It was at that moment that Kazuma went into a slight dilemma as his eyes darted left to right, weighing out both options.
"I get to pick only one job here. Hmm, what to choose… Idol or Songwriter…"
Thinking for a long time, he made his decision triggering the sound of a notification bell in his head followed by the disappearance of the character menu on the screen, which was replaced by new messages.
*Ding. You chose Songwriter-Music Producer as your profession*
*New stats have been added to the Character*
*Ding. You completed the registration*
*Ding. Quest system has been activated*
*Ding. You receive a Quest.
Description: Finish all the tutorials.
Rewards: Beginner package
*The next tutorial will start in 5 minutes*
"If I'm correct, this training ground is the place where I can train while stopping the time on Earth." Making a determined face, he clenched his fists, "I'm not sure whether this is a dream or I'm just facing an illusion in the afterlife or maybe I was given a second chance by the god or maybe something else is going on…
But, I'm sure of one thing. With this ability, I get the chance to do all the things I failed to achieve in my life."