A sharp light pierced the darkness like a sword thrusting through the belly of the universe itself.
The last thing Arthur Wu remembered was choking on instant noodles. One moment he was mindlessly eating a half-price cup of noodles in his cramped apartment, living the typical lonely, twenty-something lifestyle, and the next... well, now he was here.
Here was... not his apartment.
Arthur blinked several times. His head was fuzzy. His body felt... weird. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The air smelled of pine trees, wet earth, and faintly like something... unusual.
He opened his eyes, only to be blinded by a bright, neon blue screen hovering in front of him. Like some kind of cheesy RPG game, but real. The system's message flashed in bold letters:
WELCOME, REINCARNATEE!
CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING REBORN WITH THE INFINITE LEVELING SYSTEM.
PLEASE PREPARE FOR YOUR ADVENTURE IN THIS NEW WORLD.
Arthur stared at it. His jaw slackened. "What? What do you mean reincarnate? Is this some weird dream or a game? I was just eating noodles!"
The blue screen didn't respond.
"Reincarnated?" Arthur grumbled, pushing himself up from the dusty ground. "Is this some kind of anime thing? No, wait, I'm not dead, am I? I still taste the noodles in my mouth—ugh, what was that flavor? Did they mess with the seasoning again?" He spat, wiping his mouth. "This is disgusting."
Ignoring the odd taste of mystery noodles, Arthur took in his surroundings.
He was lying in what seemed like an abandoned clearing in a forest. Tall trees surrounded him in a perfect circle, casting eerie shadows with their thick branches. The sky above was strangely vibrant, like it was filtered through a cheap Instagram filter. Blue? No, more like teal. Or perhaps cyan?
Before he could get too deep into questioning the color of the sky, a glowing golden orb appeared in front of him. It floated lazily in the air, glowing with an almost mocking light.
SYSTEM STATUS:
Level: 1
XP: 0
Health: 100%
Mana: 50%
Strength: 1 (lmao)
Agility: 1 (lmao)
Intelligence: 10 (Well, that's fair)
Charm: 0 (don't even try)
NEW FEATURE UNLOCKED: Infinite Leveling System! Level up infinitely to become the strongest!
"Okay, okay," Arthur said, rubbing his eyes like he was trying to erase a terrible dream. "This is ridiculous. First, I die from noodles—no, that doesn't make sense. Second, I wake up in some random fantasy forest with a floating game screen. Great. And third—hold on—lmao? Is the system mocking me right now? What the heck is this?"
The golden orb emitted a gentle laugh. "You will learn, young one. In time. Your journey begins now."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Arthur muttered, still in disbelief. "But why is my Strength one? Why is everything one? Why is my charm zero? Is that supposed to be a dig at me? Am I not charming enough for this world? Is this what happens when you die from bad noodles?"
SYSTEM TIP:
When your Charm is zero, no one will want to talk to you. Your journey will be much lonelier. Improve your charm by interacting with others or, you know, grooming yourself.
Arthur looked at the screen with an exaggerated stare. "Oh, wow. I guess I don't even get to be a cool reincarnate with a mysterious past. I get the 'loser reincarnated with no charm' package. Fantastic."
Before he could continue complaining, the forest around him seemed to move. The trees rustled as if a breeze had suddenly picked up. But that didn't make sense; there was no wind. In fact, everything was eerily still—until a wild boar the size of a small truck came crashing through the underbrush, roaring like an angry mob boss.
Arthur froze. The boar charged toward him, eyes gleaming with hunger. A mere moment ago, he was in his messy apartment, and now, he had to face this... this thing?
"System! Help!" Arthur shouted. "What am I supposed to do?!"
The screen blinked.
WARNING: Hostile creature detected.
ACTION REQUIRED: FIGHT OR FLIGHT.
"FIGHT?!" Arthur shouted. "I can't even fight with a paper towel, let alone a monster-sized boar! This is bull!"
The boar's massive hooves pounded the ground, each step shaking the earth. Arthur was frozen in place, staring at the monstrous creature. His Strength was 1, his Agility was 1, and his Charm... well, that didn't matter right now, right?
"Okay, okay, think, Arthur!" he muttered to himself. "You're reincarnated into a world of magic and leveling, right? There has to be some magic or power I can use!"
He quickly flicked his eyes around, looking for something, anything that could help. His heart was pounding in his chest. But the only thing he could focus on was that boar, now almost a mere five feet away.
Suddenly, the screen flashed again.
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: Panic Attack (Level 1)
Skill Description: When in dire situations, the user gains a temporary burst of speed to flee from danger. This ability only works when the user has no other option.
Warning: Only activates when you are about to die. Don't count on it too much.
"Panic attack?!" Arthur shouted, eyes widening. "Wait, wait, I can run?!"
Just as the boar lunged at him, Arthur's legs suddenly kicked into overdrive, moving at lightning speed. He bolted forward, racing like his life depended on it—because it did.
He darted to the side, barely avoiding the boar's tusks as it missed him by mere inches. He could hear the beast grunting in confusion behind him, but Arthur was too busy using his brand-new Panic Attack skill to care.
"Holy crap, this is fast! Is this what it's like to have the speed of a professional athlete?!" Arthur cheered inwardly as his body zipped between the trees. "If only I could keep this up!"
But just as quickly as it had started, the Panic Attack skill fizzled out, leaving Arthur panting and stumbling in the middle of the forest. He barely had time to catch his breath before the boar was back at it again, charging for a second round.
"Not again!" Arthur shouted, scrambling to his feet. "I'm going to die again, aren't I?"
Suddenly, the screen flashed once more.
SYSTEM: CONGRATULATIONS.
You have leveled up!
XP Gained: 100
Arthur blinked. He leveled up? For what? Running away from a giant boar?
"Okay, this is ridiculous," Arthur groaned, brushing dirt off himself as he stood. "First day as a reincarnated hero, and I'm already running for my life like a coward. What kind of hero am I?!"
As the boar came charging toward him once again, Arthur's eyes went wide. This time, he wasn't running anymore. He was done. He didn't care if his Strength was one, or if his Charm was zero—he wasn't going to get run over by a boar!
With newfound determination (and a slight sense of insanity), Arthur crouched and picked up a rock. He held it up, staring at it like it was the most powerful weapon in the world.
"You want some?!" he shouted. "Come get it, you oversized ham!"