Chapter 2
"If given the opportunity, would you reincarnate into the popular Webnovel 'The Strongest Fist'?"
He had stared at it for almost a minute. And with each passing moment, shock filled his being as the longer he stared at it, the more he could confirm this was no hallucination.
Despite never involving himself in such communities or those with similar interests, Booker would be damned if he wasn't a veteran novel reader.
Even those novels in foreign languages regardless of genre were those he knew well.
He couldn't count the amount of novels he's read with this exact setup. A questionnaire with odd questions turning all your answers into reality, he was no stranger to such things.
Naturally, he had imagined himself in such situations, but to have it happening right in front of him, he couldn't believe it.
All the times he's closed and then opened his eyes in hopes of seeing a system appear before him, the times he's gone to sleep with expectations of waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling, all only to be left with utter disappointment and embarrassment.
So despite still daydreaming about it from time to time, he's grown past it and decided to stick to reality.
Yet when he was least expecting it, it happened, to the novel he'd most want to go to at that.
"The Strongest Fist" in his opinion, was the best novel to be in for someone like him who didn't want the involvement of magic or weapons. It was a novel similar to that of "Baki" or more so "Lookism", with a bunch of high schoolers who's appearances and attitudes didn't fit the bill all at each others necks involving a ranking, gangs, drugs, etc. No magic, no hot weapons, no god that couldn't mind his business, just fists, raw steel fists paired along with an odd energy that allowed for a slight boost in strength, and at times weaponries like knives, nunchucks, spears, etc.
Booker felt it was pretty much perfect for someone who wanted a blend of savage and civil.
And here was his chance. Despite shaking he still managed to guide his mouse towards the yes button, bringing him to a new window which overtook the screen entirely.
He found himself on a new page full of questions regarding his decision.
"If given the opportunity, would you become a new character entirely or integrate as an existing character?"
"If given the opportunity, would you desire involvement in the plot or to be left alone entirely?"
"If given the opportunity, would you like to awaken in time for the story, or would you like to awaken before or after?"
Booker went through all of these questions, pulling out all his knowledge in writing as he left no questions with his answers.
He sped through all of them almost as if he was afraid if he didn't finish within a certain time, the opportunity would be lost, so he didn't hesitate as he already knew his answers, after all, he placed himself in this situation thousands of times.
It wasn't until the last few questions that he paused, they were structured differently, and required more thought.
"Would you like a cheat?"
Of course his answer was yes, but unlike the previous yes or no questions, this one had an entire box under it as if asking for an in-depth answer.
It had taken him a moment, after all, this was too vague.
Was he allowed any cheat? Could he choose any amount? Did there need to be a limit to it's capabilities?
His mind was storming with questions before he forced himself calm, he needed to be calm and think it through.
Despite his greatest wish being to transmigrate or reincarnate into a world not his own, it wasn't that simple.
Regardless of the power level of that world, Booker had always told himself that he wouldn't go or would outright kill himself if he couldn't stand on top of said world or worlds.
After all, why would he want to experience it if he couldn't be the absolute best, he'd rather just keep living his own life or go on to the afterlife.
This was such a case, of course he wanted a cheat, he wouldn't go without it, but what cheat was the question.
His already shitty memory absolutely failing him as the only cheats he could think of were ones far too overpowered for even the most dangerous novels, and all the comments he read of readers sharing what they thought were intricate and perfect cheats all leaving his mind.
He had no clue how long he sat there for, zoned out as the faded whispers of his friends along with the teacher's could be heard in the background. He hadn't even wondered why was it that all this time he wasn't interrupted, especially now that he was so zoned out, he had no time to think about such useless things.
He let out a soft chuckle as a realization had come to him. He was overthinking it. When had he not been known to do what he wanted? If his answer had a loophole, one that meant his death or downfall, then so what?
With such thoughts, his shaking stopped, and the calm expression he typically donned had returned as he calmly typed in his answer.
Yujiro Hanma template, of course it was quite the lengthy answer as he specified his answer to the best of his ability. For example, he alongside it wanted an unbelievable talent for learning, especially regarding combat, and that he didn't want the guy's appearance except for his monstrous build, but of course he didn't want as much mass, just slightly less.
Such divulgence was pretty much useless as the very next question had asked him of his adult appearance. Something which brought a smile to his face as he wasted no time exaggerating a godly appearance, allowing his side more keen towards Chinese novels to take over. He wrote what he felt was the best appearance he could conjure as well as one that granted him certain benefits in the story and towards certain characters.
The questionnaire was quite extensive, even going on to ask him of his desired background as the last question.
There being no submit or continue button as the second he pressed enter on the last question, everything went black.
Well, the screen went black, only for a few seconds before it returned back to his previous window, the pop-up he was previously trying to close also no longer being there as he felt a feeling akin to being brought back to reality, he felt his peripheral vision return, the previously faded voices were back to normal, and the slightly heating headache and feeling of annoyance brought on by being within 100 feet of a school also returned.
He looked around a bit in confusion before focusing back on his screen.
Everything was normal, everything was as it should be. He lost his calm once more as his mind raced.
He couldn't help but question himself, was he daydreaming? He couldn't be, as someone who rarely even recalled bits and pieces of his dreams, how could he possibly have such a realistic daydream? Or was the ad simply just that, an ad?
Although such a thought filled him with disappointment, it made sense, the novel had been trending wildly as of late so it wasn't surprising to see an ad for it.
And when he thought about it more, it was actually the perfect ad to have, for readers like him, who hadn't dreamt about being in such a situation? So to develop an ad for it was a great idea, it guaranteed interactions.
But such thoughts weren't enough to put his ideas away, he felt split, although there were good reasons for it being a normal occurrence, there were also some things that raised a few questions.
Why was the ad so persistent at the beginning?
Why could he barely hear what was going on around him? Why was his vision outside his screen so faded? And now that he thought about it, why had no one disrupted him? He looked at the clock realizing almost half an hour had passed since class started, half an hour of which he spent 50% percent of zoned out, 48% of typing, and 2% of talking to his friends. Yet neither of his friends wondered what he was up to, nor his teacher who was quite strict and demanded attention chastising him.
He felt it was uncharacteristic of Tate who loved talking his ear off and Leo who definitely would've wanted a reaction regarding his graduation story.
Of course, there were logical answers for a majority of these questions, but they were ones that Booker wasn't very willing to accept.
He spent the rest of class like this, brooding in disappointment and slight disbelief, he felt as if the greatest chance he had just slipped right through his hands.
Not once had he stopped to think about friends, family, or even his beloved cat, truth be told, he didn't care.
He'd leave it all in a heartbeat if he got the chance.
"Quick! Snap a photo, this sexy side of him is rare. We could probably sell these photos to his fan club for big bucks." Tate jokingly said to Leo as they began packing their bags getting ready to leave while he stared at Booker who had his chin resting on his folded hands and had one leg over the other.
Leo chuckled at Tate's words before responding."He looks like a villain contemplating on why his great scheme was foiled by the hero."
Tate let out a deep sigh as he patted Booker's shoulder. "Don't stress it bud, plot armor's a bitch honestly."
Booker let out a light chuckle as his expression returned calm as he stood, grabbing his bag that hadn't even been touched since he had placed it behind his chair.
Leo letting out a loud yawn and stretch as he spoke. "Hey Boogie, you think I could get a ride home? My bike broke down and that bastard mechanic across the street is actually charging me $150 to fix it and get some new parts."
"I don't fucking blame him, finding a bike that could hold you was a miracle in and of itself, now you want new parts? Good luck."
"Hah he's right, that poor bike. But yeah I'll give you a ride, just sit light this time, my mom still complains about the dent in her seat."
Leo just sulked as they walked through the halls. Was there supposed to be something he could do about his build? He was born this way, it's not like he was fat, he was just big boned.
Leo and Booker bid farewell to Tate as they headed over to the parking lot, driving off as Leo immediately grabbed the aux bumping music of all sorts as they hit the road.
All of which Booker wasn't all there for, he couldn't just forget what had just happened. Even now, his chest felt as if a black hole had made its way there at the thought that everything was his mistake.
The faint screams and tugs of Leo at this moment reminding him of how he could barely hear anything in the classroom earlier.
Wait… Screams?
"BOOK MOVE!!"
It all felt like a movie, as if he took a back seat and allowed for something else to take control of him. As he came to, he looked to his right at Leo who was yelling at the top of his lungs, instructing him to move as he stared out his window.
"Huh." He looked to his left as he could swear he now knew the feeling of his soul leaving his body as he tensed and his eyes widened.
How many times had he left curse words to those who stood still at the sight of an approaching vehicle? Of course it was okay to be in shock, but did you not want to live? Why the hell would you just stand there?
But now he completely understood their actions, he couldn't even process a thought in this situation.
Just a few meters away, perhaps even closer, a large white truck was approaching his direction as its speed didn't even allow for thoughts of resistance or hopes of survival.
BANG!
At this moment, it seemed as if his shitty memory syndrome was cured as quite literally, his life flashed before his eyes. All the moments he had long forgotten, moments he didn't even recognize, all played right before him, it was quick, but he saw everything, until everything went black, everything this time.