"Next is… the inventory?" Minamiya Homura opened the backpack tab, his face showing no surprise. "As expected… completely empty."
The 20-slot backpack interface gave him pause. "Could this function as a portable storage space? Like a personal item vault or dimensional pocket?"
"Let's give it a try." Glancing around the room, Homura looked for something small to test.
"Guess you'll do." His eyes settled on the chair by his desk. Focusing his mind on it, he willed silently, Store.
Nothing happened.
"…Did I do it wrong?" Homura awkwardly scratched his cheek, then decided to try a more direct method.
He walked over, placed his hand firmly on the chair, and thought again, Store.
Pop—the chair vanished.
His face remained calm, but the slight clench of his fist gave away the excitement he was holding back.
"So… I need to make direct contact to store things, huh…" Homura thought aloud. He glanced at the inventory again, focusing on the newly stored chair, and mentally "clicked" on it.
Pop—the chair reappeared in his hand.
"Whoa… this is something you don't see every day," Homura murmured, trying to digest the sight of a full-sized chair materializing in his grip.
"What's next…?" He browsed through the system tabs. The 'Shop' function was still grayed out—unavailable for now.
"Just like the system settings… locked," Homura muttered, scratching his head. "I wonder if I'll ever unlock that. Maybe later?"
That left two remaining tabs: 'Pets' and 'Quests'… or at least, that's what they should've been.
"'Should be,' huh… why do I feel something changed?" he muttered, noticing the Quest Log flashing subtly. Curiously, he clicked on it.
Sure enough—the tab was split into two sections: Quest Log and System Log.
[Ultimate Quest]: Become a Master of the ACGN World
Description: The system has detected the player's resolve. Embark on your journey toward your dream!
Objective: Become a key figure in the world of ACGN (Anime, Comics, Games, Novels).
Reward: System function unlocks (evaluated by progress).
[Main Quests]: None
[Side Quests]: None
"…Wow. My personal ambition actually triggered an ultimate quest." Homura chuckled softly, before switching to the System Log. A slight frown appeared.
[System Log]:
Contact with Unknown Energy
System Transformation Initiated
System Log Generated
Unknown Energy Absorbed
System Undergoing Unidentified Evolution
Quantum Leap System Update in Progress
System Version Upgrade: V0.8 → V99
System Detached from Imaginary Space
Player Bound: Minamiya Homura
System Evaluation: Current world unsuitable for player development
Initiating Multiverse Transfer…
Player Minamiya Homura exposed to unknown energy radiation
New Talent Generated: ???
Multiverse Transfer Successful
Player Minamiya Homura successfully merged with parallel counterpart
"…What the hell…?"
Homura stared at the screen, stunned. His mind spun trying to process what he'd just read.
"What… is this, some kind of divine-level event…?" he whispered.
Who could stay calm after learning something like this had happened to them personally?
Taking a slow breath, Homura forced himself to calm down and analyze the log more carefully.
"So this… this is why I ended up here in this world?" he murmured, clenching his fist tightly.
But what exactly was this "Unknown Energy"? Could it be something like temporal or dimensional energy? Or maybe some fundamental force of the universe?
"That must be it… only a force of that magnitude could cause a game system to mutate like this—and drag me across worlds," he concluded, nodding slowly.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, Homura continued thinking.
The log said "Player exposed to unknown energy radiation"—so was that energy absorbed by the system… or by me?
"Probably both…" Homura muttered. "The system's linked to me, after all. It makes sense that I'd be affected by whatever it absorbed."
But there was also the line: "New Talent Generated: ???"
"What's that supposed to be…?" He frowned. "Some hidden ability I haven't unlocked yet? Or something I've yet to discover?"
No matter how much he pondered, no answer came.
"Ugh, no use overthinking right now." He sighed. "I feel fine, no weird side effects… and the system's clearly functional. But even if I can power up… this isn't a fantasy world. I still have to learn things the normal way."
Homura shook his head, remembering the mundane nature of this reality—an ordinary modern world, where supernatural powers or secret magic societies didn't exist.
"Well… except for this 'Tai Chi' skill. That does seem strangely mystical," he chuckled wryly. Even the system couldn't make sense of how out of place that felt.
Feeling a little better after the joke, he stood and opened the Quest Tab again, reviewing his new 'ultimate' objective—to become a master in the ACGN field.
"Looks like my future's set… otaku culture success route." He grinned, flipping to his Skill Tab.
Skills:
Programming LV6 – Expected; years of experience.
Cooking LV4 – Must've picked that up from all the time spent experimenting in kitchens here.
Piano LV3 / Guitar LV3 / Manga Art LV2 / Writing LV2 / Music Composition LV2 / Choreography LV1 – A mixed bag of hobbies?
Tai Chi LV1 / Investigation LV0 – …The odd ones out.
Skill Points: 20 remaining.
"Right… skill points. I should assign them."
His goal required proficiency in creative fields, so—naturally—he focused on Manga Art and Writing.
With that decision made, he invested points accordingly.
Manga Art LV2 → LV9 (Max Level Locked; requires unknown condition)
Writing LV2 → LV9 (Max Level Locked; requires unknown condition)
New Skill Unlocked: Deduction LV0
Skill Points Remaining: 6
"…Huh?"
Homura stared blankly.
"In the game… you could freely max these out. Why can't I do that now? Is it because this is real life?"
He focused, and sure enough—his mind brimmed with new knowledge, as if hours of training had been compressed into seconds.
"Seems like the points worked… but fully maxing out a skill needs something extra. Like… a breakthrough? Experience? Who knows."
His gaze shifted back to the screen.
"Wait a minute… Deduction? When did I learn that?"
Suddenly realization dawned.
"…Is it because I've been overanalyzing everything today?" Homura mused. "Guess this world grants new skills based on real actions or thoughts…"
If so—that made sense. A skill system based on life itself, not mere game mechanics.
"That's… pretty humanized. Kinda neat, actually," Homura chuckled, feeling genuinely impressed for the first time.
A small smile formed as he decided to test his boosted skills. He stood, glancing around for paper and pen—but just as he moved—
Thud. Thud-thud!
Sounds came from the ceiling.
"Yeah, yeah! I hear you! I'll start cooking in a minute!" Homura responded instinctively.
He froze.
"…Wow. That reaction was way too natural. Like I've done this… hundreds—no, thousands of times," he thought.
His gaze rose to the ceiling.
"Just who is living up there…?"