This is my Fanfiction. Meaning that it will be made with my own flavors, wants, and ideas in mind. If you take issue with any of these as you read, feel free to tell me about it by leaving a comment. If you enjoy the story, I have no qualms with you letting me know. (Being appreciated always feels good~)
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
*The System's voice*
The System
Izuku understood. Put simply, he was quirkless. It's not wholly uncommon. It happens. But that didn't mean that it wasn't the most agonizing thing he would ever hear from another's lips. It didn't help that he who broke the news to little Izuku did so without pause, as if he was just another pebble on the street to be kicked about; lacking in any notable features; unimportant. Doctors could be like that, Izuku came to find out. But he didn't mind too much. They were on the nicer side of things. While they were unsympathetic and uncaring to his situation, they did not ridicule, abuse, whether physically or verbally, or take pleasure in ruining the life of a young child whose wholesome innocence would've touched many others in another life. But in this sorry existence, his life was to be tainted. He was marked. A truly useless person in this world brimming with the unordinary. That was what he'd always be, he thought. Then came the light.
Midoriya Izuku had never given up on his idea of being a hero, no matter how hopeless of an endeavor he realized it to be. There was just far too much he had put in to end up getting nothing out. Yes, he understood the chance was slim, but the odds had always been a mountainous wall he'd had to climb, even making it this far was something to be proud of, he thought. But he hungered for more. He so desperately wanted to be someone, now! He wanted a quirk. He knew that he couldn't have one and told himself that he'd find a way to be a hero regardless. But man, that didn't stop his heart from palpitating wildly at the thought of being able to heft tons of rubble into the air with ease, shoot electricity from his fingertips, vanquishing heinous villains with the power he alone held within him. It was just so sad that it couldn't be.
Izuku had turned 13 not too long ago, in which his day had been surprisingly enjoyable. He'd spent time with his mother, day-dreamed yet again about the powers he would one day wield, enjoyed a healthy serving of katsudon, all pain free. But July 15th had come and gone like any other day, and Izuku would soon find himself back in his second year of middle school, enduring the same abuse he's had to experience ever since he was 4 years old.
Katsuki grinned as he looked to Izuku with hungry eyes. The little shit was crying now. He hadn't even hit him that hard! If he's already like this ...Yes, this is a good day indeed. He knew Izuku wouldn't fight back. Well, it wouldn't matter even if he did. But, he's too much of a pussy, Katsuki thought, causing his grin to widen just slightly. "You're fucking pathetic. After all this time you still act as if you're going to be a hero, yet you're crying from one little punch! What a Quirkless little bitch. Who told you that you had the right to be anything but the piss stain I shot on the toilet?!" Katsuki reeled back his fist once more and his eyes glinted when he felt a satisfying impact from the explosion that wracked Izuku's cheek. Man, does it feel good.
Izuku arrived home covered in bruises, scuff marks, tears, and spots of speckled dried blood. 'Why?!' It no longer made him feel the same level of pain, but pain it still was. The real hurt came from having to lie to his mom, which became increasingly challenging as Kacchan's violent attacks were more common, and more destructive. If only he hadn't been born a failure, everyone would like him, or at least wouldn't hate him. After pondering those thoughts, that night, like many others, Izuku cried himself to sleep in silent sobs.
*Hello Midoriya Izuku, I am The System. I will be your guide as you level up, face dangerous monsters, and ascend beyond your current self. Would you like to take the tutorial?*
Izuku awoke with a jolt and stared wordlessly, mouth dry as he swallowed his saliva, disbelief clearly plastered on his face. "What?" When he asked his question, "The System" as it called itself, repeated its initial message in full. 'What is going on? I... Don't understand.' "Yes?"
*Congratulations, Izuku, you have just taken your first step in achieving greatness*
Izuku was beside himself. He simply couldn't fathom this sudden change. 'Is this for real? I have a quirk?!' The System guided Izuku through a fairly short tutorial, explaining to him the bare bones ins and outs of what he would be dealing with. To be quite honest, it sounded just like the RPGs he'd played before when he'd had nothing better to do, but with its differences of course. He wasn't sure if this was a dream, a prank, or what have you, but in the case that it wasn't, he was going to use this "System" to do everything in his power to become strong. To become a hero.
*I am The System and you, The Player. You will start at level 1 and may level up as much as you desire. You have stats that will increase with each level you gain. Every level you will garner 5 stat points that you may allocate at your discretion. Every tenth level you will be assigned 10 points instead of the usual 5. You will be given the option to choose 2 classes, or if you would choose only one, that class will level up 50% faster forever. Every 5 levels you gain you will receive one skill point to use on any skill discovered in your skill tree, thereby unlocking it and its capabilities. But be warned, any decisions are final. To access more information, use your mind to view the desired tab by thinking of doing so. Thank you, and have a nice game*
After listening to the explanation given by The System, he decided to try for himself what it had told him to do. He looked at the screen occupying his vision. It was a translucent light blue rectangle with a bright, yet unharmful glow radiating out from its center. All words were written in fine black text. On the left-hand side of the screen there were a small number of tabs in order from top to bottom reading:
Character Sheet, Stats, Skills, Inventory, Quests, Journal.
Standard RPG stuff, it seemed. Now that he understood how it worked, at least somewhat, he thought of making it disappear. It did. Immediately, the screen was gone from his vision and he could see his room once again. Now he tried bringing it back up by doing the reverse. Just like he hoped it would, it worked. 'This is amazing! But before I get ahead of myself, I gotta tell mom that I need the day off.'
Once that was over with, which required nothing more than a pleading face and a promise to make up any missed work, Izuku quickly made his way back to his room, plopping down at the edge of his bed. With the thought, 'System', the blue screen appeared once again. 'Now let's see. I suppose we'll go in order and look what we're working with here.' He set his eyes on the Character Sheet, and immediately repeated the words in his mind.
Izuku Midoriya:
Level 1
Class(es): None
HP: 70
STAM: 80
MP: 130
Health Regen Per Minute: 7
Stamina Regen Per Minute: 30
Mana Regen Per Minute: 42
Melee ATK: 14
Ranged ATK: 20
Magic ATK: 28
Critical Strike Chance: 2.5%
Strength: 7
Endurance: 8
Agility: 8
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 13
Willpower: 14
Charisma: 9
Luck: 10
EXP to next level: 1000
Once again, pretty standard. Izuku was sad to see that his physical stats were so low, but it was to be expected. After all, one didn't become Hercules by writing in a notebook vigorously. Next, he decided to look at everything individually to really know what was what. Of course, he had a general idea, but it never hurt to make sure.
HP-Hit Points: The measure of your life force. If your hit points drop to 0, you will die.
STAM-Stamina: Used in any strenuous physical task such as sprinting, jumping, or throwing a punch.
MP-Mana Points: Used in casting magic spells of any variant.
Knowing that his hit points were so low was slightly disconcerting, especially seeing as there didn't seem to be any respawning happening. He would have to make sure to invest a fair number of points in whatever stat governed this, to be sure.
Melee Attack (ATK): Your base melee damage.
Ranged Attack (ATK): Your base ranged damage.
Magic Attack (ATK): Your base magic damage.
Critical Strike Chance: The chance to land a hit that deals double damage.
'This sort of made sense. Did this mean that no matter what you used to do the job you'd only do this much damage? Or was it added on to the weapon or skill of choice? And what about crits? Could magic attacks still crit? And is there a way to get crits more consistently regardless of only having a 2.5% chance? Well, I guess I'll find out sooner or later, whatever the case may be.'
Strength: +2 to melee damage per level, +1 HP regen per minute per level; Overall strength increase, allowing user to heft heavier weapons, carry more, ect…
Endurance: +10 points to health; can take more punishment.
Agility: +10 points to stamina per level; Allows the user to run faster, swim harder, attack faster, jump higher, etc…
Dexterity: +3 Stamina per minute per level, +2 to ranged damage per level; more precise movement.
Intelligence: +10 points to Mana per level; increases base intellect.
Willpower: +3 to mana regeneration per minute per level, +2 to magic damage per level; increases strength of mind.
Charisma: You are more appealing to look at; affects how much people like you.
Luck: +.25% Critical Strike Chance per level; Governs your ability to come out on top of a losing situation, no matter how small...or big.
'Everything made a lot more sense now after reading that! I was wondering how all this would fit together, and to be honest, this part is pretty strange to me though. At least in terms of how an RPG would normally operate.'
EXP (experience points) really needed no explanation, so it was on to the next tab. 'Stats.'
Strength: 7 (+)
Endurance: 8 (+)
Agility: 8 (+)
Dexterity: 10 (+)
Intelligence: 13 (+)
Willpower: 14 (+)
Charisma: 9 (+)
Luck: 10 (+)
Unused Stat Points: 0
Yes, this would be where new stat points gained from leveling would be allocated. Expected, but still, doesn't hurt to check. Next.
'Skills.'
*Before you may view your skill tree, please choose a Class(es)*
'If I remember correctly, there are no take backs; my decision will be final.' Izuku's heart began to race as he scrolled down the list. 'There had to be dozens of classes if not hundreds! This will take some time to think about, a lot of time. I'll save this for when I'm done seeing the rest of what there is to see.'
'Inventory.'
Slots in use: 0/50
On the screen, there was a large 10x5 grid occupying the space. '50 slots?! Is this impacted by how much I can carry, or is it some weird "pocket in space" type deal? Is there a way to increase the number of slots available? Can I put anything in here? Just thinking about it makes me so darn excited!' That was all the inventory screen had to offer. Simple, but if it's as Izuku thought, Oh so wonderful. 'Next up on the list...Quests.'
Quests: New Beginnings- To start on your path to greatness you must go through many hardships, defeat powerful foes, conquer vast lands, force others to bow before your might! To begin, select this quest as your Active Quest and focus on the "Start" icon.
'Oh, so I have a quest? I honestly didn't expect this. I figured there'd be some prerequisite that I'd have to complete before I got any quests. How is this going to work, though? Quests in video games is one thing, but this is real life. Well, anyways, Before I give this any further thought, it would be wise to have a means to defend myself. That is to say, a class. I'll deal with that in a little bit. Journal.'
Journal: Page 1/INF.
'A journal with infinite pages?! Oh yes! I have to try this out right now! It's All Might!'
Journal Page 1/INF: It's All Might!
'It works! Just by thinking of what I want to say it rights it down in perfect text right before my eyes! This is a dream come true!' After erasing "It's All Might", Izuku experimented by thinking up a couple paragraphs about what he learned had learned so far about The System and its many intricacies. With that done, it was time to pick his class, or...Classes? But first, he was starving!
After enjoying a rather late breakfast of eggs over rice, it was time to make a very important decision. A decision that will lead the rest of his life. 'No pressure, right?' Izuku breathed a heavy sigh full of resignation and got to work. 'System. Skills.'
*Before you may view your skill tree, please choose a Class(es)*
He began to go through the list with a fierce concentration, making sure to read into every subtle detail he could decipher. There were many classes he had expected to be there;
Fighter, Paladin, Assassin, Rogue, Spell sword, Battlemage, Pyromancer, ect…
It was headache inducing just how many classes there were to choose from, but after many hours of exploration and deliberation he finally managed to narrow it down to just a few.
Aeromancer- Harnesses the power of air and lightning to smite their foes; laying waste to all who stand before them.
This was a really cool class, Izuku thought. The power to shoot lightning, make wind slashes appear from nothing, even fly by forming a cloud of air beneath his feet? It was one to consider for sure.
Monk- Channels the energy within their body to form a powerful offense and defense, utilizing a vast array of techniques to skillfully forge a path to victory.
This one seemed almost a no-brainer to Izuku. Almost all of the physical classes given as options relied on the use of weaponry to use their skills. Which he figured would be more than a little problematic when at U.A, well, if he was to make it in. He could of course, just put them into his inventory and whatnot, but when it came to sparring or improving his skills, it would be counterproductive to kill his training partner. Not to mention, most of these didn't have guaranteed physical enhancement abilities like Monk seemed to employ.
Void Mage- harnesses the power of Void to completely and utterly demolish their foes, their surroundings, and the souls of those who would do them wrong.
Normally, this is something Izuku would see as too destructive to be viable to a hero. But, when he thought deeper about it, it made sense. He could destroy rubble that had citizens in its grasp, use overwhelming force to permanently put powerful villains out of commission for good if it came to that, and maybe he could even cause a ticking bomb to cease to exist? The more he thought about it, the more it appealed to him. Besides, to his knowledge, there was nobody living in the world today that had any sort of "void" powers. There were other interesting mage type classes that were something to consider, but their descriptions were too vague to gamble the rest of his life on, or their uses to obscure in the field of hero-work, with this, he made his choice.
*Are you sure you would like to choose Monk as your class?*
'Yes.' While being a mage with the power to zap things and like previously stated, fly, would be really nice, he needed to think practically about his future. Survival is valued above all else and being able to disable a villain rather than killing him would be a high priority if he was to be a hero. Not to mention, channeling energy into his body to protect himself from a punch with the force of a freight train? Well, maybe not that extreme, but a boy could hope! Anyways, he had already chosen it; there was no going back now.
*congratulations Monk, would you like to choose another class?*
In the end, he chose Void Mage. The potentially endless potential this class held in store was just too much to pass up. And who knows if it's just purely destructive? The word Void by itself already sounds quite mysterious. There could be hidden capabilities hidden within that could be tactically priceless. There was no way to know, but even if this wasn't the case, the Void Mage class by itself would already be immensely powerful.
*Congratulations Void Mage Monk… for your convenience, The System has chosen to shorten "Void Mage Monk" to- "Void Monk." Thank you and enjoy*
'Void Monk eh? I like the sound of that! Now let's see what exactly we're going to be working with.' At the bottom middle of the screen, there were two icons labeled Void Mage and Monk respectively. He decided he'd go with the simpler one first. 'Monk.'
Skill: Piercing Strike
Level 1/10
0% to next level
-Channel your energy into your fist or foot to deliver a blow that pierces through to one's soul.
Damage: 30+(14) Melee ATK
Cost: 20 STAM.
Izuku didn't know how much health a normal person had, so it was hard to gauge how good of a move this really was, but from what he saw, he liked it! Although, it didn't seem to have a defensive use, so he supposed that was to come with a later skill.
Branching off of this skill were two more skills, one on either side, and from them he could see two more branching from each of the skills. He could tell there was more after that, but it was hidden to him; veiled in a dense blackness that Izuku could see he was not meant to be able to view currently. That done, he tried to view the skills he assumed would be purchasable once he obtained a skill point. But when he tried looking at them, they were greyed out. 'I guess I won't be able to view them until I either level up Piercing Strike or obtain my first skill point. Ah well, something to look forward to if nothing else. Now, let's see about the Void Mage class.'
Skill: Void Flame
Level 1/10
0% to next level
-Conjure a black flame on your enemy that will do all in its power to devour the soul of your foe.
Damage: 20+(28) Magic ATK+3 Burn Damage per second for 5 seconds.
Cost: 25 MP.
'This...is conflicting. While yes, it is powerful, this could really hurt people. If I'm to use it, I need to be careful. Still though, an amazingly powerful skill, I think.' Just as the Monk skill tree, it had two branching skills with skills branching from them as well, along with the same un-pierceable veil. With that done, Izuku decided he'd like to test his skills, and he figured the best way to do that would be his first quest.
'Quests. This was it. Izuku didn't know what would happen when he started the quest, but he figured he'd better prepare himself just in case. With that, he flexed his muscles and opened his mouth. New Beginnings...Start!'
I had a lot of fun writing this first chapter. And yes, while it may be generic in some ways, I really tried to make it an interesting read. Coming up with a whole system of leveling, deciding on a path in terms of classes, what to give Izuku as he starts his journey, none of it was easy. Well, it's not like I was dying, but coming up with ideas is rather hard. The BNHA LitRPG section, if you could call it that, is rather small. I love LitRPG, so I figured I'd try my hand at this too. I apologize if Izuku seems OOC, but I tell ya, it's hard to write characters! Anywho, chapters will be whenever. I do not have a set schedule and making one I will not do. I don't want to get burned out or write garbage chapters from obligation. But if you really want a time frame, I'd say at least one chapter a month, most likely more. But don't get your hopes up too much. Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!
-Seductive Sausage
PS: Thank you to those who pointed out my difficult to read system approach. It has been fixed. Expect chapter two soon!