AN: Thanks to everyone that has followed, favorited, reviewed, or even read the first chapter! Seeing such a positive reception, let's just keep on going!


I'm Jin again, no longer Jet. I flung myself out of bed and gave myself a look over and sure enough, I was Jin. I had my Marine uniform on, I had my platinum broadsword and ship, and I had a ridiculously high luck stat. As I stared at my stats, brow furrowed, I asked, "What the hell is going on…?"

However, my musing was cut short when I heard a sharp whistle pierce through the morning silence, and Ghetti's voice booming, "Up and at 'em recruits! Get to Grounds 2 in five, or you're stuck on chore duty for the rest of the week!"

I took a quick look over myself, confirming I had everything, and headed out. I could decide what to do later. Right now, I needed to get to practice!


It was another long day. From dawn to dusk, me and seven other recruits were put through the ringer, nonstop. Swinging swords, firing rifles, and pushing our bodies to the limit. Well, everyone else was pushed to their limit. With Gamer's Body though, I didn't even break a sweat. I took a quick look at my notifications to see what I got.

[You gave your all and then some today! +3 STR, VIT, and DEX!]

[Sword Master has leveled up 3 times!]

[Rifle Mastery has leveled up 3 times!]

Yeah, two days in and I've already improved this much? Easy! With a mix between my title giving me a boost and Gamer's Body doing what it does, I was gaining levels and stats way faster than I thought! Still though, even with my inherent advantages, I wasn't the strongest recruit.

I was currently in one of the mess halls with the rest of the recruits, and I turned my attention to one of my fellow victims, the rumored, "Strongest Recruit," and hit her with an Observe.

Bio

Name: Bisc

Age: 18

Sex: F

Height: 5'7"

HP: 400/400

Level: 5

Born and raised with a Marine father, Bisc was inspired by his sea stories to go out and join the Marines. The only thing more dangerous than her drive to succeed is her short temper.

Short, mango colored hair, big blue eyes, and a button nose, her beauty was corrupted by the permanent scowl on her face. She wore the standard uniform sans the cap, and had a small purple butterfly clip in her hair. Overall, she was a very pretty woman.

"Hey, give me your food."

I blinked and realized that the woman I was thinking of was right in front me, having approached me while I was lost in thought. I looked down at the only food I've been given all day, a burger patty, some mashed potatoes, and corn all on a tray, and shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

[+3 Reputation with Bisc!]

Her scowl immediately disappeared, a small smile replacing it. "Thanks." She took it and stormed off, ready to eat it somewhere excluded or something. That's what I assumed anyways, I didn't actually know where she went during dinner time.

As I said earlier, I was currently sitting in one of the base's cafeterias, at around sunset. Unlike the previous day, none of us had disappointed the instructor, so we were given the rest of the day off the relax, recuperate, and go to the nearby town. I decided to head to the cafeteria to see if any of the cooks needed help-to grind levels or stats or something-but when I volunteered, they smiled and gave me some food before pushing me away, saying that they had their own pride or something like that.

Back to Bisc though. Despite my advantages, I had to admit that she was something else. She was always the first to be at the training grounds and was the last to leave, and when I observed her yesterday, she was level 4 and her HP was 290 instead of 330. In the span of one day, she leveled up! That wasn't even accounting for her rifle skills either. She completely swept everyone else, me included! Seven bulls-eyes out of fifteen might not seem that impressive, but compared to everyone else? She was incredible!

I couldn't help but wonder how she was getting so strong. Another thought came to me: why hadn't she joined the Marines earlier?

Eh, not my problem. Now, what should I do for the rest of the day-?

[A new Quest has been added!]

Oh?

[The Mysterious Recruit!]

Objectives:

1. Find the answer to Bisc's incredible growth! (0/1)

Rewards:

1. +50 EXP, 2,000 Beri, +25 Reputation with Bisc, +1 Standard Gacha Coin

Failure:

Bisc leaves Marines, Bisc dies, Bisc hates your guts

Description:

The fiery firecracker Bisc has been growing fast! Almost… too fast. Find out what she's doing, and help her!

I-Wow. What? What the hell are these failures? She'll die? Or leave the Marines? I had to admit, that definitely caught my attention. However… I glanced towards the exit she went. Did I really want to butt my nose into somebody's business right now? I already have so much on my plate. Can I really afford wasting time on someone like her?

I looked back at the request. Under my breath, I asked, "Does this quest have a time limit?" It was a long shot, but thankfully, the Game responded.

[Only Quests that specifically show a time limit have one. If you accept this Quest, nothing would happen until you begin the storyline and follow her.]

Sweet! I accepted the Quest, a smile on my face. Then, instead of heading out to where Bisc went, I instead headed towards the library in the Marine base. I had some reading to do.


[For studiously studying for so long, you've gained +3 INT!]

Oh God my head hurts. I spent around six hours in that library, reading nothing but laws, codes, and the history of Savosweet Island. Starting from the most relevant information, I was in the West Blue. Yep, I was in the most crime-riddled of the Blues, with Capone Bege shooting for the Grand Line a few months before I arrived here. The good news was that because the pirate gangster completely destroyed the Five Gang Families that ruled the underworld here, every major power is in a rush to fill the power vacuum that Capone left behind. Meaning that the Marines have a very good chance of retaking the West Blue from the hands of criminals. Pretty good, yeah? Well, that remains to be seen.

The second most important stuff was learning everything I could about the Marines. It's code of conduct, it's laws I had to enforce, how I promoted from one rank to the next, so on and so forth. Long story short, anything that endangers civilians, innocents, or the Marines itself must be terminated, with the Marines being the priority, oddly enough. Also, laws worked really funky here too. Marines hold a LOT of power, a lot more than I thought, to be honest. The minute someone becomes a Lieutenant, their word is as good as hard evidence. Which, to be honest, is probably the main reason why so many high Marines act so scummy, or parade their ideals around like it's law, because it literally is.

Of course, getting promoted is pretty basic. Do something flashy in battle, get enough arrests, pull in some high bounties, helping the public, and you rank up. Pretty simple stuff, overall. Recommendations are also an easy way to shoot up, but I highly doubt I'd find anyone to speak for me anytime soon.

Finally, and this was the point I was most interested in, the different sections of the Marines. There are two types of Marines that everything goes under, Land and Sea. Once I become a Petty Officer, I can request to be put in specific bases or boats, and once I become a Warrant Officer, I can lead my very own ship.

Obviously, I ain't staying here forever. Savosweet Island seems cool and all, but this is One Piece! One of the largest worlds in manga! What kind of psycho would go to this world just to stay on a single island?! The minute I can, I'm hopping on a boat and sailing the oceans, which means rising the ranks as fast as possible! The easiest would be getting a recommendation, but as I said before; I doubt I'd be THAT lucky.

Still, I have a simple road plan. Become a Petty Officer to get off this island, and then become a Warrant Officer even quicker and then up a crew of my own. Simple! Maybe even steal a couple people from other crews while I'm at it, hehe. Well, more ideas for tomorrow, I suppose.

I shook my head, focusing back to reality. I just checked out of the library and decided to head back to my room. As I was heading back though, a small white coin caught my attention, laying innocently in the middle of the hall. I took a quick look around, but sure enough, I was alone. I hesitated, because really, it seemed too good to be true, but then shrugged and picked it up. The second I did, a familiar ding rang in my ears and a green screen appeared.

[How lucky! You found a Standard Gacha Coin in the wild! +1 LUK!]

I started my walk back, mind churning. Did my LUK stat affect lucky encounters? Cause if so, if I raised my LUK high enough, could I essentially create a farm of luck? Was there a limit? I tried to ponder more, but my brain was already fried from six hours of studying in the library. Instead, I simply sighed and snapped the coin.

[A new item has been placed in your inventory!]

I headed back to my room before pulling it out, just in case. I walked in, closed the door, and pulled the item out and hit it with an Observe.

[Endless Seastone Bullet Pouch] Legendary

Equipment

Attack Power: 750

A pouch of seastone bullets that never ends. Seastone bullets can pierce any defense, with the only counter being the rumored haki. Once equipped, bullets will automatically be loaded into your firearm, no reload needed. Devil fruit users take 5x damage.

This pouch can pack a punch! Even with the weakest gun, this pouch can turn it into a dangerous weapon to most Grand Line pirates! With these nigh-unbreakable bullets, cocky devil fruit users will be a thing of the past!

Oh… Oh my God. I-Holy shit. What is this luck?! Without hesitation, I threw it into my 1st Accessory Slot, and before my very eyes, a pouch of seastone bullets appeared on my waist, hooked onto my pants. I felt a wicked smile grow on my face. I just hit the FUCKING jackpot baby! I jumped into my bed, giddiness overflowing. Oh man, tomorrow was gonna be incredible!

[Would you like to go to bed? If you do, you will be fully healed-]

Without thinking, I immediately hit yes and saved to Slot 2. There was no way in hell I was getting something this good again, at least not for a long time, and I didn't want to lose it. I then double saved just in case before exiting the save screen. With this, I could easily take on whatever Bisc was facing, and even the Grand Line would be a CAKE WALK! Well, probably.

… Probably…

I felt my vision fade, and I found myself eager for the next day.


The minute I opened my eyes and saw myself in my apartment instead of my little broom closet, my giddiness plummeted. Right, I also had the One Punch Man world. Totally didn't forget about that in my excitement.

Right.

As I was sulking though, I heard a knock on my door. For a second I considered ignoring it and going back to sleep just so I could jump back into One Piece, but I already knew I wasn't gonna do it. Despite the flashy numbers, gacha rolling, and game-like screen, I was still in an actual world with actual people. I couldn't treat either world like a game, no matter how tempting it was.

So, with a small sigh, I picked myself up and trudged to the door. I opened it, and none other than my neighbor, Yui, was there. I erased my previous negative thoughts and gave her a smile. "Morning, neighbor. What's up?"

She smiled and asked, "Well, we're going to try the hero test on Saturday, right? So, I thought it'd be a good idea to go and train together! We could do patrols, jog in a nearby park, and maybe even fight a monster or two!" She pumped her fists in the air, but from the way she shook a little, I guess she wasn't too keen on that last idea yet. "We could even spar! So, what do you think?"

Was this why I wasn't coming across any monsters yesterday? Because Yui had the same idea, and wanted to do it with me? As I was thinking this, a new Quest popped up.

[A new Quest has appeared!]

[To Getting Stronger!]

Objectives:

1. Raise each of Yui's physical stats by 5 before the Hero Tryouts on Saturday

a. STR (0/5)

b. VIT (0/5)

c. DEX (0/5)

2. Kill or defeat 3 monsters before Saturday (0/3)

3. Raise your own physical stats by 5 before Hero Tryouts on Saturday

a. STR (0/5)

b. VIT (0/5)

c. DEX (0/5)

Rewards:

1. +25 Reputation with Yui, +50 EXP, +2,000 yen

2. +15 Reputation with Yui, +300 EXP, +20,000 yen, +1 Standard Gacha Coin

3. +50 EXP, +2,000 yen, +5 Bonus Stats

Failure:

User fails to complete all Objectives before Saturday 12:00:00

Description:

You've stated your desire to become a hero, and Yui wants to help you and herself! Run around the city to grow stronger, and maybe you'll find a secret or two? Who knows?!

I mentally accepted the Quest and gave Yui a smile. "Of course! When do we start?"

She beamed. "Right now!"

I gave a small chuckle. "Alright then, future hero. Lead the way."

She nodded and said, "Hold on, let me get my weapon!" She ran back into her apartment, and not even half a minute later, she came out with a long metal pipe. I raised an eyebrow and she explained, "I can't really get the weapon I want until I become a hero, so I bought this pipe as a substitute for now."

I nodded and pulled out my chakram from my inventory, but acted like I pulled it from my pocket. "Gotcha. What's your actual weapon gonna be then?" I already knew, given who she was gonna become, but I decided to double check.

"A trident," She confirmed, "About the same size as my pipe. That way, I'll have long reach and a sharp edge. Best of both worlds, I think!" She then gestured towards the stairs and asked, "So, ready to go?"

I nodded. "As I said, lead the way." She smiled, and the two of us headed off.


The first… five hours? Were pretty boring. No criminals, no monsters, nothing out of the ordinary. So we headed over to a nearby park and decided to spar. I only had my chakram, of course, while she had her pipe. My weapon was sharp, yeah, but she had a lot longer range than mine. I didn't know how this was gonna go. It was that moment that I realized I never used Observe on her, and quickly rectified that.

Bio

Name: Yui Kaiyo

Age: 18

HP: 700/700

Level: 7

Height: 5' 6"

Weight: 135 lbs.

Race: Human

Hair: Brown

Eye Color: Brown

Reputation: [30/100]

Yui Kaiyo was afraid of monsters ever since she was little. However, one day in high school, she was saved by a wandering hero from a Mysterious Being. Ever since, she's aspired to be just like him. Now, she's just days away from achieving the first step in her dream.

Alright, so level 4 Observe gave an entire bio, as well as a heftier description and her Reputation stat. Also, she's so much stronger than me! How the hell am I expected to win this?! She's stronger than Sideburns! Was she really that scared of monsters or something?

"So, ready for a spar?" Yui's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I prepared my chakram. We were about fifteen feet away from each other, both of us in a stance.

"Ready when you are!"

She pulled out a coin and declared, "The moment this hits the floor, we start. Whoever gives first, or can't move after, loses. That fair?" When I nodded, she tossed it into the air.

As the coin fell, I saw the way she held her pipe, which was only with one hand. I could totally rush in and wack it out of her hand, right? Then I'd beat the spar with zero trouble! Good plan, right?

[Good plan indeed! +1 INT!]

I dismissed the notification the moment it appeared, and when I did, I the coin hit the ground. In that moment, I rushed forward. Chakram in right hand, I gave a quick slash to the hand holding her pipe, but her reaction was quick enough to grab the pipe with both hands and block my attack. Undeterred, I clenched my left hand into a fist and threw a punch at her stomach, but she jumped back, breaking our clash.

Instead of waiting for me to get my bearings like they do in the shows, she immediately dived right at me and swung her pipe right into my gut with a meaty thwack, the sound loud enough for both of us to hear.

-20 HP!

Before she could retract her pipe though, I grabbed it with my left hand and tried to slash at her with my chakram. One step ahead of me again, she pulled the pipe towards her, making me lose both my footing and my grip on the pipe. She then smacked me in the side of the head with another thwack.

Critical Hit! -40 HP!

I growled and tried charging once more, but she had found her rhythm and I was desperately dancing to it. After taking two more 20 HP hits to the gut, I backed off for a moment. I was huffing for air, but I was surprisingly excited. I felt a smile on my face, and before I could think anymore, Yui charged me, finally launching a proper offensive.

I tried defending myself, I really did, but she was clearly someone who was actively training to becoming a hero, where I was literally placed into this world yesterday. I managed to block a few, but her hits were relentless.

-20 HP!

-15 HP!

-15 HP!

-20 HP!

[You've gained a new ability!]

Ignoring the prompt, I managed to grab her pipe once more and pushed her away, using as much strength as I could. We separated, and I took a quick look at my health.

HP: 30/200

Yeah, that made sense. I felt exhausted, a first since I came to these worlds. My vision was a little blurry, my breathing was haggard, and my limbs felt really heavy. I guess my HP relates to my stamina after all. I already had a feeling I was gonna lose, but the fact that I hadn't managed to land a single hit on her while she was tossing me around like nothing really rubbed salt on the wound.

I focused my gaze back at her, mind racing. I needed to change something up, or catch her by surprise, or something. I took a quick look at my abilities, but I didn't see anything that could help turn the tides. I looked down at my chakram and nearly threw it into the ground. It was practically useless!

A light bulb went off in my head, and I focused back on Yui, a small frown on my face as I caught my breath. What if I actually threw my weapon at her…?

After another moment of watching each other, I rushed her, and she responded in sync. However, I decided to enact my last gamble and threw my chakram at her, the blade singing through the air as it whizzed right at her. Visibly surprised, she quickly brought her pipe up to block, but by then it was too late. Even though she manage to block the flying chakram, I was already past her guard. I crashed into her-shoulder first-and knocked her off balance before grabbing her pipe. Disoriented, she could do nothing but hold on to the pipe as I repeatedly kneed her in the gut, four times in a row, before she finally managed to push me away. I shot her a quick observe.

Bio

Name: Yui Kaiyo

Age: 18

HP: 628/700

Level: 7

Oh man, this was not going well. I guess my hits, without any buffs or weapons, were directly tied to my strength, which is only 20 right now. Add in my "I Love Ladies" perk, and I deal even less damage.

[Smart! +1 INT!]

Yui, meanwhile, wasn't staying idle. She charged me once more, but before she could hit me anymore, I threw my hands up and cried, "I give!"

She paused, visibly panting but not very injured. "Really?" When I nodded, she collapsed like a puppet without strings and gave a hearty sigh. "Oh my goodness, how are you still standing?!" I blinked, caught off guard by her question. Seeing my confusion she continued, "I mean, I hit you over and over again, and you just didn't stay down! I was running on fumes for that last bit!" She laid down, a smile on her face. "You're incredible!"

[+5 Reputation with Yui!]

I gave a small laugh, "Well, I can only take so much." I sat down next to her and admitted, "You really had me on the ropes. To be honest, I think you're already good enough to pass." I begrudgingly stop up and trudged over to my discarded chakram and picked it up. "But some last minute training certainly won't hurt."

Her permanent blush darkened a little. "R-Really? You think so?"

I nodded, "I know so."

[+5 Reputation with Yui!]

"Thanks Jet," she said with a smile, "that means a lot more than you think."

Right, my name was Jet here. I shrugged, "Just saying the truth." I walked over and pulled her up. "So, wanna do some cardio?"

She giggled. "Sure!"

As she ran ahead, I took a quick look at the new ability I got.

[Bludgeoning Resistance] Level: 1

User takes 1% less damage from bludgeoning weapons.

You know, when you start feeling LESS pain the more you get beat up, that's normally a sign that something's wrong. Just saying.

Pfft, typical. I huffed in amusement before running over to Yui.


[You worked hard today! +2 STR and VIT, +1 DEX!]

There was probably something wrong, since I nearly got the same amount of stats from running around a city as I did in an actual government training facility with the Marines, but I'm not quite sure what it was.

The day had ended and Yui and I both went home, both entering our humble abodes right as the sun set past the horizon. I was sitting on my bed when I decided to check out my progress on my latest quest.

[To Getting Stronger!]

Objectives:

1. Raise each of Yui's physical stats by 5 before the Hero Tryouts on Saturday

a. STR (0/5)

b. VIT (2/5)

c. DEX (1/5)

2. Kill or defeat 3 monsters before Saturday (0/3)

3. Raise your own physical stats by 5 before Hero Tryouts on Saturday

a. STR (2/5)

b. VIT (2/5)

c. DEX (1/5)

Rewards:

1. +25 Reputation with Yui, +50 EXP, +2,000 yen

2. +15 Reputation with Yui, +300 EXP, +20,000 yen, +1 Standard Gacha Coin

3. +50 EXP, +2,000 yen, +5 Bonus Stats

Failure:

User fails to complete all Objectives before Saturday 12:00:00

Description:

You stated your desire to become a hero, and Yui wants to help you and herself! Run around the city to grow stronger, and maybe you'll find a secret or two? Who knows?!

Thankfully, we both improved today. Sadly, she improved a lot less than I did. Even sadder, we didn't come across a single monster either. I didn't know if I simply wasn't lucky enough, or we were looking in the wrong places, but the streets were surprisingly empty. Now, that wasn't to say I was hoping monsters would come out and attack people, I just wanted to finish the quest. It wasn't the end of the world or anything, but I'd be a little miffed at missing out on a coin.

I looked out the window above my bed, seeing the sun fall past the horizon. "Guess I could check out the night life…" With nothing better to do besides sleep, I decided to head out. Who knows, maybe I'll find something interesting?


X-City had some interesting spots once the night sky came out. From a mix between small food stalls, a couple less smiled upon areas, and a few odd spots for entertainment, the city was teeming with life despite the late hours.

I was wandering down a place called the Ruby Red District, a not-so-subtle name for a nearby red light district. As I walked, a few ladies tried catching my attention, a couple men too, but I managed to pass them all by. Tourists traps, karaoke bars, arcades, there was quite the variety in these streets as I walked.

It was nice, just having a stroll. Still, there was something that was bugging me. The "To Getting Stronger" quest specifically mentioned secrets in X-City. So, there was obviously a secret objective or something, right? Plus, the quest never said that I had to find them with Yui, just that there MIGHT be one or two. So, X-City was obviously hiding something. I had today and tomorrow to look for whatever these secrets could be, so I really shouldn't be wasting time. I sighed.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" I looked to my right, where I heard the voice, but no one was there. "Down here!" Looking down, I saw a little boy, who had to have been 9 at most, looking up at me. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a t-shirt and shorts combo, he looked like an average child. He had a small backpack on and a lollipop in his mouth, eyes wide and filled with curiosity.

"Oh, hey kid." I raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "Aren't you a little young to be in a red light district?" Seeing his glare, I shrugged. "Just saying. And nothing is wrong, per say, but I'm looking for something in this city."

He tilted his head and asked, "Well, what is it?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I was just told that this city has a secret or two, and that I might stumble upon them. That was it." I rubbed my chin for a moment before I asked him, "So, have you seen anything strange around this city?"

His eyes lit up. "Strange, huh?"

I nodded. "Some kind of secret, or something different than normal. That's all I was told." It looked like he just realized something, as he began rummaging in his pockets, before he pulled out a… a standard gacha coin?! "H-Hey, kid, where'd you find this?"

He looked at me, eyes calculating, and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

I hesitated. "W-Well…" Ah what the hell, why not? "I do. If you break it, you'll be given an item."

He frowned and gave the coin a look over. "Like in a video game…?"

Hehe, yeah. "Pretty much, yeah. Like a lootbox or something. So… can I have it? And you never said where you found this."

He blinked before looking back to me. "I found this next to my bed yesterday morning. I searched Y-City all day before noticing a weird energy coming from here."

…Wait a minute. Y-City? Lollipop and backpack? Brown hair and eyes? "…Hey, what's your name, kid?"

He gave a smug smile. "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

I sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'm Jet, training to become a hero. Who're you?"

"Well, my name is Dotei, but I'm more well known by my hero name, Child Emperor, A-Class, Rank 7." He gave a small bow. "Nice to meet you, Jet the hero trainee." His smugness was visible, along with his sly smile.

Yep, I knew it. Still, A-Class, huh? "Gee, thanks. Sorry for worrying about a kid in a shady place." I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "Anyways, could you hand me that coin?"

He shrugged. "I would, but…"

"But?"

"But I don't see any reason to. Why should I give it to you? How do I know you're not lying?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead, break it then. You'll get an item."

He blinked, surprised at my offer. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep. Just snap it right in half, and you'll get something."

He then shook his head. "No, I won't. At least not here." He looked around at all the passing people. "Do you know anywhere more private?"

"Well," I began, "I have my apartment. It's a few blocks away, and I don't live with anyone. We could do it there."

He sighed. "Guess that's the best I've got, huh?"

With that, we started heading back. As we did, I began to probe him for answers, "So, you mentioned strange energy coming from the city. What's that have to do with the coin?"

He shrugged and explained, "Well, nothing, really. It was more of a coincidence. At least, for now it is. I couldn't find anything that linked the two." He pulled the coin back out and said, "I had it examined back at my home, my lab, and there wasn't anything weird coming off of it, but…" He shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

I gave a hum for confirmation. "And as a hero, your whole job is about keeping things safe, huh?"

He nodded, relieved. "Right. I'm glad at least someone gets it."

We arrived at my building right as I asked, "No one listened to you?"

He sighed and elaborated, "When I asked Metal Knight to back up my findings, he said that X-City was normal, and that there wasn't anything there. Since he's already S-Class, the Hero Association believed him more than me. Plus, there's been an increase in monsters lately, so I decided to figure this out on my own."

We climbed the stairs to the second floor and I nodded. "So it's a mix of bad luck and bad timing, huh?"

He shook his hand and said, "It's iffy. Right now, things are weird at the Association."

Oh? I unlocked the door and asked, "Weird how?"

He walked in and I followed. "We can talk about all that later. For now…" He pulled the gacha coin back out. "All I have to do is break this?" When I nodded, he frowned at the coin. "Hm… Alright." He tried to break the coin, bending it, stepping on it, and even trying to cut it with a gizmo from his backpack, but it didn't budge. Confused, he looked at me. Shrugging, I took the coin from his hand and easily snapped it.

Immediately, there was a book in my hand. Immediately, I hit Observe on it.

[The Introduction Saga] Common

Drawn by the incredible Yusuke Murata and written by the amazing ONE, this manga volume entails everything that happens in the Introduction Saga of One Punch Man! And it's all in color! If read in public, only you would understand it!

I almost sighed, but caught myself. How the hell was I supposed to explain a blank book to a genius like Child Emperor? I could try-

"One Punch Man?" I froze and focused back on the hero in front of me. Sure enough, Child Emperor was skimming through the first chapter, able to see every single manga panel, having taken the book right from my hand.

What the hell?! Shouldn't it be only accessible to me?! Re-reading the description, I realized that I had misinterpreted the item. If in PUBLIC! I was in my home! Doesn't that mean that all the Saga books can be read here?! Anyone could have a glimpse into the future then!

"This is-!" I peered over Child Emperor's shoulder and saw that he was on chapter two, looking at the manga panel with the kid with a cleft chin. "This is the incident that caused Agoni to make the Hero Association! This is a story in our world! And the Association was only made two years ago, yet this says the present day is 3 years in the future!" Cue me breaking into a sweat. "This guy was the reason the Hero Association was made?!"

Well, it was nice to confirm that I was about a year before the story starts, I idly thought.

"Hey, Jet! What does this mean?!" Child Emperor was frantically flipping through the pages, eyes getting wider the further he read. "If this story actually happens next year, then we could predict what could happen next! This is incredible!" He finished skimming through the manga and turned towards me, suspicion in his eyes. "How do you know about the coin? And how come you can break it when I can't?"

I shrugged and pulled out my chakram. "I don't know, to be honest. I found one near my house the other day. I accidentally broke it, and this chakram appeared, so I figured that breaking the coins could give me things." I sighed and said, "I didn't think something as incredible as telling the future would show up, though." Inwardly though, I was panicking a LOT. I messed up already, and if I wasn't careful, I could reveal everything. Still, I think I could use this to my advantage. With that in mind, I muttered, "System, put all ten bonus points in Charisma." Hearing the ding signifying it listened to me, I loudly said, "Still, this is pretty incredible. What if the coins can give even greater items, like a free wish or something? This could be really important!" Seeing Emperor lost in thought, I said, "And it seems like I can break the coin, unlike you. So, why not give me any coins you find, and I'll report what I'm given? If it's anything as incredible as this, I can message you and we'll check it out together. Sound good?"

For a long time, he was quiet. After what felt like forever, he nodded. "I can't think of anything else. I already analyzed it back at the lab, and it didn't seem like anything important, minus the fact that it can't break." He turned to me and said, "You could be the key, or have a special trait, that lets these things break for you."

Haha, yeah… Special…

After another moment of contemplation, he said, "Alright, I can work with this. Fine, I'll accept your proposition. For now." He put his hand into his pocket and pulled out ANOTHER coin. "Here, break it."

A quick ding took my attention for a second, a small notification from the System.

[Using your charming self, you managed to convince Child Emperor! +1 CHA!]

I blinked it away and rose an eyebrow, "How many of these do you have?"

He chuckled and replied, "Sorry, but these are the only two."

I nodded and he tossed me the second coin. I immediately snapped it, and in turn was given a pink token, with a heart in the center. I hit it with an Observe.

[+10 Reputation/Affection Token] Common

Breaking this with a person in mind will raise their Reputation/Affection by 10 points. Targets will not question why they like you.

Hey, you're loved just a little more!

Hey, not bad for a common item!

"What is it?"

I looked back at Child Emperor and said, "Some kind of coin. Should I break it like the other one?" I wanted to break it and think of Tatsumaki or Fubuki or something, but I didn't want to anger the future S-Class in front of me.

He stared at the coin before nodding. "Go ahead. Now would be the best time to break it anyways, since we're both here." Giddiness swelled up inside me, and I broke the coin while thinking of Tatsumaki.

[+10 Reputation with Tatsumaki!]

Sweet!

"So? Anything?"

I turned back to Emperor and shook my head. "Nothing. I don't feel any different. Maybe it's suppose to make people fall in love?"

For a minute, he simply stared at the ground, trying to think of what the token did, but in the end he slumped his shoulders and sighed. "Maybe? But I can't think of any way to actually prove that." Before he could say anything else, there was a sharp ring from his pockets. He pulled out what looked to be a phone and said, "Crud, it's already this late! If I don't get home soon, Mom will kill me!" I almost laughed at that, but managed to hold it in. Child Emperor looked back at me and said, "Well, it was a pleasure, Jet. If anything arises, let me know. Here…" He pulled out a piece of paper and scratched his number onto it before handing it to me. "If you come across another coin or anything of the sort, give me a call and we can figure it out." He smiled and said, "If we're lucky, we might even get some more future books!"

I took the number and admitted, "Actually, I don't have a phone. I'll try and stop by your house and-"

"Oh, then you can have this spare one." He pulled out a phone identical to his and gave it to me. "Oh, and forget about the number, since I already have yours now." I walked him out, and as he left he said, "Oh, and good luck on becoming a hero!"

With a smile, I waved him goodbye. "Thanks! See you later!" I then closed my door and gave a huge sigh of relief. Well, at least that was over. Before I could do anything else though, I heard the ever familiar ding of the system.

[To Getting Stronger!]

Objectives:

1. Raise each of Yui's physical stats by 5 before the Hero Tryouts on Saturday

a. STR (0/5)

b. VIT (2/5)

c. DEX (1/5)

2. Kill or defeat 3 monsters before Saturday (0/3)

3. Raise your own physical stats by 5 before Hero Tryouts on Saturday

a. STR (2/5)

b. VIT (2/5)

c. DEX (1/5)

Hidden Objectives:

1. Meet and befriend Child Emperor! (1/1)

Rewards:

1. +25 Reputation with Yui, +50 EXP, 2,000 yen

2. +15 Reputation with Yui, +300 EXP, 20,000 yen, +1 Standard Gacha Coin

3. +50 EXP, 2,000 yen, +5 Bonus Stats

Hidden Rewards:

1. +20,000 yen, +25 Reputation with Child Emperor, +100 EXP

Failure:

User fails to complete all Objectives before Saturday 12:00:00

Description:

You stated your desire to become a hero, and Yui wants to help you and herself! Run around the city to grow stronger, and maybe you'll find a secret or two? Who knows?!

[You have gained +100 Experience! You have leveled up two times!]

Wow! So meeting Child Emperor was one of the secrets, huh? Very nice! Even better, I leveled up two more times because of that!

Looking out the window, I noticed that it was getting late, like Emperor said. So, I decided to go to bed. I laid down on the mattress, and the familiar prompt showed up once more. Without even reading it, I hit yes and let myself get taken to the save screen. Moments later, I was in the void once more, with the save prompt in front of me. I saved to the second slot, double saved, and then closed the menu, letting the darkness take me once more.

Hey, I was getting pretty good at this! Not even a minute wasted this time! With those thoughts, I was whisked away to the world of pirates once more.


Day three in One Piece. As I laid in my bed, I wondered if saving my progress was really all it was built up to be. I mean, sure, going back in time was a great thing to rectify mistakes, but I can only save when I go to bed and actually sleep. Would it be better to just not sleep? I would be using the time I was sleeping to train, explore, or do something else that was equally productive.

Then again, with the ability of me switching worlds when I sleep, it's still important. If I didn't find another way to flip between worlds, then sleeping would be the only way to jump back and forth for the foreseeable future.

I sighed and got out of bed. Despite everything, I still had training to do. I woke up right on time too, as Ghetti's whistle rang out and his booming voice demanded for all recruits to meet him at the nearest training ground. It was to be expected, but there really wasn't a rest day in the Marines, was there? At least, not for the recruits.

With those thoughts, I headed out for another day of training.


[You gave your all and then some today! +2 STR, VIT, and DEX!]

[Sword Master has leveled up 2 times!]

[Rifle Mastery has leveled up 2 times!]

It appeared that despite giving the same amount of effort as I did yesterday, I didn't get the same amount of rewards. Whether I wasn't pushing myself hard enough or the training wasn't as effective, I didn't know. Still, I shouldn't be surprised. Like all RPGs, doing the same things over and over again can only push you so far. Still, progress was progress, and I was quite proud of my stats as of now.

Status

Name: Jin Tetari

Level: 3

HP: 300/300

WP: 210/210

STR: 28

VIT: 30

DEX: 25

INT: 26

WIS: 20

CHA: 21

LUK: 46

Bonus Points: 0

Sure, it wasn't as much as Jet, but he had two whole levels compared to me in this world! This was pretty good for a mere level 3 plebeian!

Focusing back into reality, I was in the mess hall once more, sitting on a bench, food tray in front of me. Just like last time, Bisc walked over. "Hey-"

Before she even finished her sentence, I handed her my food. It wasn't that good anyways. "Here, take it."

[+3 Reputation with Bisc!]

Yeah, I figured. Her scowl disappeared, and a small grin replaced it. "Heh, thanks." I turned away, expecting her to leave, but was surprised when she continued talking. "Why are you giving me your food?" I looked back at her, and saw her face marred in confusion. "Aren't you hungry?"

I couldn't just say that I didn't need to eat, so I decided to give her a different truth. I shrugged. "No real reason. The food just wasn't that good, so you should have it." I paused before looking back at the cooks, then whispered, "Don't tell the chefs I said that. They'll kick my ass."

[+5 Reputation with Bisc!]

She snorted in amusement, a proper smile in place. "Sure, I won't say a word." With that, she turned and walked.

I kept my eyes on her until she left the building, heading the same direction as last time. The minute the door closed behind her, I got out of my seat and followed. The door led to a training ground outside, where I saw Bisc, creeping along the shadows, sneak past. Then, once she reached the edge of the training ground, and by extension the Marine base, she quickly jumped over the stone wall.

Curious, I repeated what she did, by hiding in the shadows-

[A new skill has been created!]

Well, alright. Let's take a look.

[Stealth] Level: 1

Once activated, user will be 1% harder to detect/notice. Skill will automatically turn off if user runs, speaks, or attacks.

Wait, didn't I already have this skill? Why is it different here?

[That was Sneak. This is Stealth. They're totally different.]

I… alright. Guess I won't complain. It's a pretty good skill for a world without magic, so it could definitely come in handy.

So while it doesn't cost anything to turn on and off, it limits my actions while activated. Seems like a fair trade, honestly. Still, with that in mind, I continued my trek across the courtyard, avoiding any lingering Marines and staying away from open areas. Soon enough, I was at the wall that Bisc had jumped. Taking a quick look around to determine if anyone was watching, I quickly hopped the wall.

The second I landed I took a look around, and on the other side was a forest. I heard a fellow recruit call it Millroot Forest, something about the trees having strong roots? Right as I was thinking that, I got a notification.

[You have discovered a new Location: Millroot Forest, Den of the Swarm!]

Well, wasn't that ominous? Still, I wasn't deterred. There was a small path in the dirt and underbrush, where Bisc probably went, so I decided to follow it. As I crept through though, I had Stealth up, just in case getting caught would fail my quest. I scanned the area just in case I missed anything, but I couldn't find anything else. With that, I was off.

As I walked, I couldn't help but think of Savosweet Island. When I read on things the night before, I also did a history check on the island, and it was a pretty bizarre story. The island was originally uninhabited, only used as a quick stop for passing boats. However, when Victor Savosweet crashed here, he had no choice but to scavenge together a simple hut in the center of the island. Then, by the time a boat came by to take him off, he instead decided to spend the rest of his life on the island, building and creating a bigger settlement. Soon enough, there were rumors of an island in the West Blue with a large forest and little inhabitants, and slowly but surely people settled here.

Then, about 100 years later, after the death of Victor Savosweet, his heir decided to just sell the island to the Navy and be done with it, thus replacing the small town in the center with a Marine base, and all people in that small town were moved north, where Savo, the Town of Origin, came to be. I hadn't been there yet, but apparently, the people are incredibly nice, with the town's biggest tourist point is the giant statue of Victor Savosweet, made entirely out of silver.

Still, I couldn't help but think the story was so… odd. What kind of guy sells an island that his father JUST cultivated? Sure, alright, maybe the kid didn't have a good relationship with his dad or something, but seriously? He had a pretty sweet deal!

Of course, this was all assuming that the history books that I read were 100% genuine, and they probably weren't. In my previous life, the government had propaganda everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed that the Marines had the same ideas.

My train of thought was halted when I heard the sounds of…fighting? I had walked for a little while at this point, slowly following the trail, and I finally came upon a clearing. Staying low, I saw none other than Bisc. She was in her standard Marine uniform, but her standard rifle and sword were nowhere in sight. Instead, she had a short dagger and a pistol of some kind. It reminded me of Mr. 5's gun, to be honest. However, her equipment wasn't what I was surprised about. No, what shocked me more were her opponents. I shot them a quick Observe.

Bio

Name: Honey Wasp

Age: 3

Sex: F

Height: 1'7"

HP: 50/50

Level: 2

A species of wasps that create delicious honey, these things infest whatever forest they're apart of, attacking and killing all kinds of animals until there are none left. Due to their size and numbers, a hive can easily take over an entire forest if left unattended.

So, this is what the title of the forest meant. I turned my attention back to Bisc. She was going against what looked to be… six wasps in total. Each one was either level 2 or 3, but facing all of them? I had to admit I was a little worried. Still, I didn't do anything as I watched from the shadows. Surely she knew what she was doing, right?

My question was quickly answered when she killed one wasp with a single bullet and then charged another and stabbed it through it's… chest? Causing it to fall, dead. Without pause, she quickly made work of the other 4, not even breaking a sweat, shooting and slicing them until they all fell.

Deciding now was a good time, I pulled out my platinum sword, gave a low whistle, and yelled, "Hey, that was pretty good!" Predictably, she whirled towards my direction, her pistol armed and ready. Slowly, I walked out with my hands up. "So, this is what you've been doing? No wonder you've gotten stronger!"

[+1 Reputation with Bisc!]

Despite the notification showing that she appreciated my comment, her face didn't so much as twitch as she asked, "What do you want Tetari? Why are you here?"

Right, my last name was Tetari here. "I noticed that you've been getting stronger, way more than the other recruits. I wanted to ask how you've been getting so strong in such a short notice, but you always leave before I can talk." Glancing down at the bugs, I say, "Well, I guess I have an idea now." She finally lowered her gun, so I took the opportunity to look at the bug corpses on the ground. "Speaking of, these things are huge!" I began poking one of the bodies with my sword, and seeing it twitch caused me to shiver a little. "And gross." I turned back to Bisc and asked, "You fight these things often?"

After another moment of staring me down, she finally turned away. "Yeah. On the first day of training, I saw a whole hoard near base and decided to check it out. Turns out the whole forest is filled with these things."

I gave a hum of ackowledgement. "So you've been clearing this whole place out? How's that been going?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. Every time I come here, more and more of these wasps show up."

I raised an eyebrow, "Do you know where they're coming from?" She pointed behind her, and another pathway that led deeper into the forest was shown. "Deeper in, huh?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Apparently these bugs are known to take over entire forests."

"So you decided to do it on your own, huh? I get you." Still, there was a hole in that logic. I frowned before asking, "Hey, if you were just worried about the base getting infested, why haven't you reported it to anyone yet?" The silence was deafening. She was actively not looking at me, and was whistling a small tune. I gave a small smile in amusement. "So you wanted to keep it a secret and do it yourself, huh?"

She whirled back at me and yelled, "NO! Why the hell would I do that?! That's so selfish!" The fact that she was constantly looking away made me believe otherwise.

I laughed and said, "Fine, fine. I won't spill. On one condition."

She visibly tensed up, her face suddenly red, and nodded. Immediately, she began to unbutton her vest and started taking it off-wait a minute. "Are seriously doing what I think you're doing?"

She flinched. "W-What?! Thinking that just because I'm a virgin I d-d-don't know what men w-w-want?! Y-Y-You wanna play with my body, r-right?! W-Well-"

"No, not really." She blinked, staring at me as if I was the weird one. "I just wanted to join you in killing these things. When did I-Why would you immediately think I want your body?" Silence overtook the clearing once more, my fellow Marine not looking at me.

Suddenly, it clicked, and a smile grew on my face. "You're a pervert, aren't you?"

[+5 Reputation with Bisc!]

"YOU'RE WRONG!" She yelled, arms flailing about as she tried to button her shirt back up. "I-NO! W-WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT?!" I simply kept smiling, amusement in my eyes.

[+5 Reputation with Bisc!]

Wow.

Shelving that knowledge for later, I asked, "So, wanna team up and clear the forest of these wasps?"

Still steaming, she muttered, "F-Fine by me."

I chuckled and nodded. "Alright." I turned to the path that lead deeper into the forest, and as expected, I got a notification.

[Honey Wasp Dungeon (Level 5-6 Recommended) discovered!]

[Would you like to enter?]

[Yes!] [No!]

It was a little high level for me… Still, I turned to my fellow recruit and gave a cocky smile. "So? You coming?" She wordlessly nodded, and the two of us entered.


The second we walked through, I was hit with notifications.

[You have entered your first Dungeon! Congratulations! A new item has been placed in your inventory!]

[To see a list of all the dungeons you've found, go to the "Dungeons" tab in the "Map" page!]

[You discovered a dungeon! How lucky of you! +1 LUK!]

I immediately tapped on the dungeons tab, and a whole page with an explanation appeared.

[The Dungeons of this world vary. Some can be small, some can be huge, some contain enemies, and some contain puzzles! However, there are two iron-clad rules to these places; There can only be one dungeon per island, and dungeons will NEVER disappear. Even if you 100% clear a dungeon, it will not disappear! This page will keep a tab on every Dungeon you've found, as well as a percentage to show how much you've completed! Once you enter a dungeon, you'll be given a map of the entire layout, as well as an indication as to whether you've completely cleared it from enemies, secrets, and traps.]

Huh, interesting. If I read that first part right, it would mean that I'd be able to grind on an island without having to worry about running out of enemies.

[Correct!]

Which ALSO means that these dungeons exist naturally in this world, and aren't separated into a different reality, like in the actual The Gamer story.

[Also correct!]

So, doesn't that mean that plenty of dungeons will be looted before I even have a chance to explore them?

[Not correct! Outside of Quests, dungeons can only be accessed by a Gamer! Furthermore, loot, treasure chests, and final boss items are only given to you, the Gamer. Anyone else would get generic items, such as monster parts and experience. You, however, can also gain money, items, weapons, and more from enemies and bosses!]

Wait, but I only got money from my quest in the One Punch Man world, against Sideburns? He didn't drop a single cent!

[Ah, that's simply because he was too weak to have money.]

And you just confirmed that you, whoever I'm talking to, are watching both worlds.

[…Damn it. Alright smart guy, have a point because of that. +1 INT!]

I smiled, feeling a small sense of gratification from managing to pry that from whoever was watching me. Still, moving onto more serious questions, what about a party? What happens when I form one with other people?

[The System will become visible to them, and they'll be able to see your Level, Name, Title, Health, and Willpower, and you theirs.]

Meaning that they'll inevitably ask questions if they've never seen a System before. I turned my attention to Bisc, who was looking around the darkened forest. While having her keep an eye on me and vice versa would be nice, we quite literally just met. If I roped her into a party, would she keep it secret? Would she blabber to the world?

I didn't know, and because of that, I decided against partying up with her. Maybe if she trusted me more, maybe, but for now? No way. I refuse to risk anything before I know she's 100% trustworthy.

[Wise choice. +1 WIS!]

Well, at least the Game approves. Man, I wish I pulled my rifle out of my inventory before this. I had no way of explaining the sudden appearance of my gun without revealing the truth or lying about a devil fruit. I almost sighed at my mistake, but decided that it wasn't worth it and decided to move on.

Taking a look around, the dungeon seemed pretty basic. A single, straight pathway that was relatively large, with zero branching pathways. In my mind, I thought of it like a tutorial dungeon, like the first level in a Mario game or something.

The sky, which was originally orange from the sunset, was a dark blue. The trees surrounding us seemed to be a lot larger in here than outside as well. Every couple trees or so, there would be indications of the honey wasps, like honey oozing down the trunk, or small batches of whatever wasp nests are made of. Was this an effect of the dungeon, or was this all natural?

I turned to Bisc and said, "Alright, let's go."

She nodded, and we started walking. I took a quick glance at my map of the dungeon, and thankfully, it was a simple layout. Five circular rooms in a straight line, with the last room being slightly bigger, which probably meant that it had a boss fight.

[Correct! +1 INT!]

I tightened my grip around my sword and trudged forward, Bisc right behind me. After a minute of walking through dense foliage, we discovered a clearing, with seven Honey Wasps flying about. I immediately crouched and activated Stealth, and Bisc quickly repeated what I did. I turned to her and whispered, "I'll try to get a sneak attack, but there's a high chance things will escalate. Back me up when things go south."

She nodded, and I started creeping through the underbrush on the edge of the clearing. Slowly but surely, I got close to a wasp that wasn't paying attention, with it busy nibbling on the bark of a tree. I shot it a quick Observe.

Bio

Name: Honey Wasp

Age: 5

Sex: F

Height: 2'3"

HP: 250/250

Level: 5

A species of wasps that create delicious honey, these things infest whatever forest they're apart of, attacking and killing all kinds of animals until there are none left. Due to their size and numbers, a hive can easily take over an entire forest if left unattended.

[Observe has leveled up!]

Hey, Observe leveled up! Sweet!

Dismissing the notification, I took a moment to steady my breathing. Then, in one swift slash, I bisected the head off the body. It died before it hit the ground.

[You caught the enemy unaware! Damage doubled!]

[Critical hit! Damage doubled!]

[Stealth has leveled up!]

[You have killed your first enemy! Congrats! +50 EXP!]

[Sword mastery has leveled up!]

Hearing the sound of buzzing behind me, I dismissed the pop-ups and turned around and saw 6 very angry bugs in front of me. I immediately hit all six with Observe, and saw that four of them were level 5 and two were level 6. I grimaced, but readied myself. As I stared the six of them down, a gunshot rang through the air, and one of the level 5 wasps crumpled to the ground, dead. The rest of the wasps turned to see what happened, but the moment they did, I lunged forward and stuck my sword right into the head of the closest wasp, killing it instantly. Once more, I got some notifications.

[You caught the enemy unaware! Damage doubled!]

[Critical hit! Damage doubled!]

[+25 EXP!]

Then, the fight began in full. The remain wasps split, with three focusing me and two flying to where Bisc was. The first wasp tried to run me through with it's stinger, but I stepped to the side and evaded it. The second I did, the second wasp spit some kind of goo at my head, forcing me to duck. Catching me off guard, the third wasp slammed itself into me and started biting into my shoulder.

-20 HP!

-20 HP!

-20 HP!

It managed to bite me three times before I finally pull it off. Wasp in hand, I stabbed it in it's abdomen over and over until it died, then tossed it's body to the side. I turned to the remain two wasps and scowled. God these things were gross.

The sound of gunfire took my attention and I turned to my right, where Bisc was fighting off the two higher level wasps. She managed to kill one with a shot to the head, but the bug managed to stab her hand with it's stinger, knocking the firearm out of her grasp.

Turning back to my own fight, I was surprised to see both wasps already right in my face, mandibles snapping at me. I jumped back a bit and swung my sword, but hit nothing but air. Undeterred, I then jumped back into them with my sword ready, and was able to clip one of them in the wings, grounding it. For a moment I debated between killing the grounded one or the flying one before dashing towards and decapitating the grounded wasp, ending it's life. I heard the sound of Bisc's pistol going off once more, but this time I didn't turn away from the wasp. Instead, I charged right in and stabbed it right in it's abdomen. It screeched in pain, but before it could anything more, I pulled my sword out and stabbed it again. It twitched, then stopped moving altogether.

[You cleared the room! Would you like to turn on auto loot?]

I pressed yes, and I got a swarm of notifications.

[+5 honey wasp stingers!]

[+2 honey wasp mandibles!]

[+10 honey wasp wax!]

[+75 EXP!]

[You have leveled up!]

[LUK has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

First of all, leveling up completely healed me! Pretty convenient, honestly. Second of all, a new perk! I thought the ones I got before I was reincarnated would've been all, but I guess not! Eager, I immediately checked it out.

[Lucky Findings] LUK

The chances of encountering lucky events have doubled!

Soon enough, you'll find a field of four-leaf clovers and a lucky horseshoe in it.

Simple, but still pretty good! Sure, it may not affect much in the early game, but if I continue to build my luck, wouldn't I be able to find countless incredible things just by walking around? That's pretty good!

With that said… "Put my bonus points into LUK, System." Putting the five bonus points shot my LUK all the way to 57, making me to grin. Was this the best way stat to put my points into? Probably not, to be honest. Did the idea of my stumbling across the One Piece itself due to my tremendous luck tickle me funny? Oh, definitely.

I turned to Bisc and said, "Nice moves. Wanna keep going?"

She scowled and shot back, "What, you think you're better than me? I could clear this whole forest myself if I wanted to."

With those… friendly… words, we took off once more. Before long we had reached the second clearing, and it was nearly identical to the previous room. Sure, there were ten instead of seven, and Observe told me that more than just a couple of them were level 6, but it was practically the same thing. I turned to Bisc, sword ready. "Same as last time?"

She nodded, and I gave a small chuckle before activating Stealth. Unsurprisingly, things went exactly the same as the last room. I took a wasp down with Stealth, I got the swarm's attention, Bisc started picking them off, and when the swarm split up to handle both of us, we handled our own fights with barely any trouble. Before I knew it, room two of five was cleared, and my vision was filled with alerts once more.

[Stealth has leveled up!]

[Sword Mastery leveled up!]

[+100 EXP!]

[You have leveled up!]

[+7 honey wasp stingers!]

[+4 honey wasp mandibles!]

[+15 honey wasp wax!]

[You found a Standard Gacha Coin!]

Hey, not bad! I looked at the coin in my hand and debated snapping it right now, but decided to hold off. If I got something incredible again, Bisc would no doubt see and ask what happened. I quickly put the coin in my inventory.

I turned to Bisc and opened my mouth, but she cut me off and said, "Don't even say anything. We keep going." With a nod, we went to the next clearing.

The trees were covered in more honey and combs, the ground had splotches of honey around, and there were ten wasps, the most we've seen so far. I wish I could say something different or exciting happened, but nope. We did the exact same plan. In a blink of an eye we cleared the third room, the wasps not even touching us this time. Once more, a few alerts popped up.

[Stealth has leveled up!]

[Sword Mastery leveled up!]

[+150 EXP!]

[You have leveled up!]

[+9 honey wasp stingers!]

[+6 honey wasp mandibles!]

[+18 honey wasp wax!]

Three clearings in less than an hour? That was a damn good sweep, I had to say! That being said, I decided to take a look at my stats.

Status

Name: Jin Tetari

Level: 6

HP: 450/450

WP: 360/360

STR: 43

VIT: 45

DEX: 40

INT: 43

WIS: 36

CHA: 36

LUK: 67

Bonus Points: 10

I really, REALLY wanted to add more points to my luck, but seeing my charisma and wisdom being so low, I decided to up both of those by 5 each, getting them both to 41. Luck was already way ahead anyways, so it really wasn't bad to give a little boost to the stats that I haven't been paying attention to.

Still, my charisma was shockingly low. I didn't discover a way to naturally boost it, and it was really starting to show.

I racked my brain. How does one practice being charismatic? Flirting? I turned to Bisc and called to her. "Hey, Bisc." She turned, a frown on her face. I gave what I thought would be a charming smile and said, "You know, I was surprised that you fight as good as you look. And you're REALLY good at fighting." Ugh, that did NOT sound like a compliment at all.

Her face turned red in an instant, and she turned away from me. "S-Shut up! Of course I know how to fight! Don't doubt me!"

[+20 Reputation with Bisc!]

[Wow, your first attempt at flirting and you nearly cause her to faint. Great job! +4 CHA!]

…Huh.

Deciding to move on without question, I asked, "I think we're nearing the end, are you still good to go?"

Surprisingly, she didn't give me a scathing remark. Instead, she nodded and said, "Yeah, let's go." And went ahead.

I followed her and soon enough, we found the next area. Unlike the previous clearings, this one was… different. Almost all of the trees were covered in some kind of comb, the floor was covered in honey, and there were a TON of wasps compared to the room before. Two big-and cyan for some reason-wasps, and ten smaller normal ones. Cautious, I decided to hit an Observe on the biggest.

Bio

Name: Royal Honey Wasp

Age: 10

Sex: M

Height: 4'6"

HP: 700/700

Level: 7

A retainer for the Honey Wasp Queen, these units were born and bred with the specific duty of protecting the Queen. Stronger, faster, and more perceptive than the average Honey Wasp, these wasps are a cut above the rest. Their stingers are filled with a very dangerous venom, leagues above their normal counterparts.

Before I could say anything, Bisc, next to me, speaks up. "Those are Royal Honey Wasps. They guard the queen, which means she must be close." She turns to me and asks, "Think you can handle them while I pick off the small fry?"

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you want to try at the stealth thing, huh?" I shrug and say, "Fine by me. I trust you," and turn back to the clearing.

[+15 Reputation with Bisc!]

"Y-You do?" I blink and turn back, seeing her staring at me with big eyes. "Really?"

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "Why wouldn't I? You've had my back this entire time, and you can handle yourself. Besides, I like to think we're at least acquaintances at this point, maybe friends?"

[+15 Reputation with Bisc!]

What the hell…?

She huffed and turned away with a scowl. "R-Right. Of course."

Curious, I decide to hit her with another Observe. Since it leveled up, maybe I could get more information?

Bio

Name: Bisc

Age: 18

Sex: F

Height: 5'7"

Likes: Fresh salmon and her parents.

Dislikes: Being told what to do, expensive food, and sitting still.

HP: 600/600

Level: 7

Reputation: [72/100]

Born and raised with a Marine father, Bisc was inspired by his sea stories to go out and join the Marines. The only thing more dangerous than her drive to succeed is her short temper, which was created when her overly-doting parents refused to let her become a Marine, or even leave their house, for the first fifteen years of her life. Because of her sheltered life, she has very little experience with the outside world.

Wow, her past is sad. Being locked up in your house for fifteen whole years, with no one to talk to? I'd have gone crazy, to be honest. Still, at least it explained why she seemed so standoffish at the start, and why she seems to struggle holding a conversation.

To be honest, I was more surprised that she leveled up, or more accurately, how many times she's leveled up. To think she grew almost as much as I did… Was this because of the world of One Piece itself? Or did experience work with literally everyone, and I was the only one that could actually see the results with numbers? I'll need to figure that out later…

I mentally sighed and shook my head to clear my thoughts. Focusing back on the mobs in front of us, I said, "Alright, let's do this." I saw Bisc nod, and I ran right into the center of the clearing, catching all of the wasps' attention.

Sword in hand, I immediately swung for the biggest wasp. Instead of dodging out of the way though, it… blocked my sword with it's stinger? "Seriously…?" I couldn't sit still for too long though, as the second Royal Guard crashed into me and dug it's mandibles into my side, pushing me a few feet backwards.

-50 HP!

I grunted in pain, but shrugged it off and pushed the one biting me to the ground. Right as I did though, I heard a louder than normal buzzing, which was quickly getting louder. Without thinking, I dodged to the side, avoiding the other guard wasp's stinger as it pierced into the ground. It tried to move, but it looked like it's stinger was firmly planted into the ground. My eyes lit up and I smiled, sword ready. "Chance!" Without waiting, I slashed it's wings off before stabbing the platinum sword straight through it's head.

I then whirled around to the other guard wasp, where it just managed to get off the ground as I was killing it's partner. I rushed forward and tried stabbing it, but just like it's companion, it blocked it with it's stinger. I clicked my tongue and pulled back, before shooting a quick stab at it's head. It easily dodged it and shot the same goo from earlier, at a much faster speed than I was expecting. I tried to move out of the way, but my arm got clipped by whatever it was. I took a moment to look, and it seemed like some kind of venom that the wasp shot. Was it trying to poison me or-okay this was starting to hurt now!

-10 HP!

-10 HP!

-10 HP!

-10 HP!

-10 HP!

Gah, it was some kind of acid! "Fuck that hurt!" I managed to fling the rest of the stuff off of me, but damn that stung! It was like the most painful rash ever! Pissed off, I ran towards the wasp once more, sword raised. It pointed it's stinger ahead, thinking that I was going to swing first. However, I surprised the stupid bug by instead dodging to the left, and as the wasp flew by, I clipped it in it's wings. Predictably, it fell to the ground. Not wasting anymore time, I then stabbed it three times-just to be sure-and it went limp, dead.

[+12 honey wasp stingers!]

[+9 honey wasp mandibles!]

[+23 honey wasp wax!]

[+1 cyan shell!]

[+1 Royal Mandible!]

[Sword Mastery leveled up!]

[+200 EXP!]

[You have leveled up!]

[VIT has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

[CHA has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

Yay, more levels. And a couple new perks! Still… I glanced at the corpses of the Royal Wasps, and saw them still twitch… ugh. I'm beginning to get sick of bugs…

"Took you long enough." Hearing Bisc's voice, I finally noticed that I hadn't been attacked by the smaller wasps at all. I turned around and saw my fellow Marine standing there, a single eyebrow raised, wasp bodies on the floor around her.

I blinked and asked, "No mercy, huh?"

She gave a smirk. "None." She then walked away, heading further into the forest. As she passed me, she said, "Let's kill the queen and get this over with, alright? It's getting late."

I looked up and saw the sky and moon, still in the same spot as when we entered the dungeon. "…Sure." I caught up to her and we continued our trek into the woods. As we did, I decided to look at the new perks I got for hitting 50 in Vitality and Charisma.

[Just Healthier] VIT

All debuff timers are reduced by half.

You're so healthy, your body actively looks for diseases and irregularities in your systems just to rectify them.

Very good, me likey! Alright, what's next?

[Gilded Tongue] CHA

Your words and actions receive a 1.5x Reputation/Affection modifier.

Sure, your tongue might not be completely silver yet, but your words certainly do mean more now!

I noticed that it specifically said modifier, so I assume that if I insulted someone, the reputation lost would also be boosted by the modifier. I kinda wanted to test it out on Bisc, but flirting with a bunch of dead bugs around and the faint smell of rotting honey in the air really wasn't the best move. Plus, the Marine in question was beginning to look a little worn out, which is probably why she wanted to get this done with.

Before long, we had reached the final clearing. By now, all sense of grass and tress were gone, and the surroundings were consumed by, what I assumed was, the hive. There was no bushes or places to hide, as everything was covered in hive. There, at the far end of the clearing, was the largest and reddest wasp I had ever seen, laying on the ground and looking overall very disgusting. It's abdomen was comically huge, it was… shiny? And it was almost wheezing, some kind of drool dropping out of it's mandibles. I quickly hit it with an Observe.

Bio

Name: Queen Honey Wasp

Age: 23

Sex: F

Height: 6'6"

HP: 1,100/1,100

Level: 8

The Queen of the hive. While tanky, she's normally near the back-lines, as she has very little strength on her own. Instead, when in danger, she begins laying an increased amount of eggs to create more Royal Honey Wasps to protect her.

Surrounding her were four Royal Honey Wasps, all of them poised and ready to strike us. I turned to Bisc, and she turned to me. We locked eyes and nodded, a silent understanding between us. I knew what she wanted.

So I whipped out my musket from my inventory and fired, shooting a bullet right through her head with a resounding bang.

[Critical hit! Double damage!]

[You killed the Queen Honey Wasp!]

[Rifle Mastery leveled up 2 times!]

[+400 EXP!]

[You have leveled up twice!]

[STR has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

[DEX has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

[INT has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

[WIS has hit 50! You've been granted a new perk!]

Killing the Queen instantly.

For a moment, silence reigned over the battlefield. Bisc looked at me. I looked at the Royal Guards. The Guards looked at me. I looked at Bisc.

We all blinked.

Then Bisc turned to me, grabbed me by my shirt, and began shaking me back and forth. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU USE YOUR GUN IF YOU HAD IT THIS ENTIRE TIME?!" She screamed, obvious fury in her eyes.

I couldn't tell her the real reason-that I forgot to pull it out of my inventory before I talked to her-so instead I bullshitted with zero hesitation. "I simply wanted to see you fight and find out how you got so strong." I grabbed her hand and continued, "And you surprised me. You're truly an incredible Marine, and I know you'll go far. I believe in you, my friend."

As she processed my words, her face slowly began to turn red, before steam erupted out of her. Bright red and in a daze, she let go of me and started quaking, as if I physically hurt her.

Wow, that was rude. I guess-

[+28 Reputation with Bisc! Bisc's Reputation has been maxed out! From now on, any remaining points will be added to her Affection! Go get 'em Tiger!]

[+2 Affection with Bisc!]

Uh-

[Congratulations on maxing out someone's Reputation! Here, have a reward!]

[New Title has been gained: A Maiden's First Crush!]

No, seriously, I didn't-!

[It's a given that Reputation is what someone thinks of you, right? The higher the number, the more they like you. Bisc now sees you as someone she inexplicably trusts! However, this is merely as a friend, a comrade, and an ally. Affection is to go even further beyond! The more Affection someone has for you, the more they love you! As in, lover-love! Saucy love! Explicit love! And once a person hits 100 Affection, you and them will be soulmates, destined to be together, no matter the circumstances! They will love you unconditionally!]

…Wait, doesn't that mean-?

[Indeed it does my friend!]

[A new Quest has been added!]

Oh boy.

[Lover of All Womenkind! Or Most, Anyways]

Objectives:

1. Raise-

"Hey, Game, can this wait?" I watched the Quest stop loading up, and it felt like an extra pair of eyes were on me. I whispered, "I'm kind of in the middle of a fight. I took out the Queen, but like, there's still the other four." I turned to the four cyan wasps that were still staring at the Queen's corpse, dumbfounded.

[Oh yeah, right. Okay, I'll send you the rest of this stuff after you're done.]

Thanks.

I turned to Bisc-my rifle in one hand and platinum sword in the other-and asked, "I take two, you take two?" She blinked and finally snapped out of whatever daze I accidentally put her in and nodded, a small blush still on her face.

We dashed forward, intending on ending them as fast as possible. However, the wasps continued staring at the Queen's body, even when Bisc and I began to tear into them. I shot one Royal through the head and stabbed the other, and both fell without a fight. I turned to my fellow Marine and saw that her wasps didn't fight back either. We turned to each other, surprised at how easy it was, before I shrugged. "Good work. I knew I could count you." She smiled, before catching herself and quickly turning away, hands on her face in embarrassment.

I chuckled before turning back to the System. "Alright Game," I said in a low voice, "Hit me."

[You got it!]

[You completed "The Mysterious Recruit!"]

[+50 EXP!]

[+2,000 Beri!]

[+25 Affection with Bisc!]

[+1 Standard Gacha Coin!]

Alright, sweet! What next?

[Regarding the Quest I was giving earlier, here it is!]

[Lover of All Womenkind! Or Most, Anyways]

Objectives:

1. Raise 1 lady's Affection to 100! (0/1)

2. Raise 5 lady's Affection to 100! (0/5)

3. Raise 10 lady's Affection to 100! (0/10)

4. Raise 25 lady's Affection to 100! (0/25)

5. Raise 50 lady's Affection to 100! (0/50)

6. Raise 75 lady's Affection to 100! (0/75)

7. Raise 100 lady's Affection to 100! (0/100)

Bonus Objectives:

1. Add 1 Marine to your harem! (0/1)

2. Add 5 Marines to your harem! (0/5)

3. Add 10 Marines to your harem! (0/10)

4. Add 25 Marines to your harem! (0/25)

5. Add 1 pirate to your harem! (0/1)

6. Add 5 pirates to your harem! (0/5)

7. Add 10 pirates to your harem! (0/10)

8. Add 25 pirates to your harem! (0/25)

9. Add 1 movie-exclusive character to your harem! (0/1)

10. Add 5 movie-exclusive characters to your harem! (0/5)

11. Add 1 lady from a royal family to your harem! (0/1)

12. Add 5 ladies from a royal family to your harem! (0/5)

13. Add 1 H^$ks8! to your harem! (0/1)

Rewards:

1. +1,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, +1 C-Rank Companion Crystal, +10,000 Beri

2. +5,000 EXP, +2 Standard Gacha Coins, Title [Skilled Womanizer]

3. +10,000 EXP, +3 Standard Gacha Coins, +1 B-Rank Companion Crystal, +100,000 Beri

4. +25,000 EXP, +4 Standard Gacha Coins, Title [Mass Seducer]

5. +50,000 EXP, +5 Standard Gacha Coins, +1 A-Rank Companion Crystal, +500,000 Beri

6. +75,000 EXP, +6 Standard Gacha Coins, Title [Walking Perfection]

7. +100,000 EXP, +1 Ultra Gacha Coin, +1 S-Rank Companion Crystal, Title [Perfect Man], +1,000,000 Beri

Bonus Rewards

1. +1,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, "Special" Justice Coat, +10,000 Beri

2. +5,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, "Special" Marine Jacket, +50,000 Beri

3. +10,000 EXP, +2 Standard Gacha Coins, "Special" Marine Pants, +100,000 Beri

4. +25,000 EXP, +3 Standard Gacha Coins, Perk [Marine Seducer], +250,000 Beri

5. +1,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, "Special" Rugged Boots, +20,000 Beri

6. +5,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, "Special" Rugged Undershirt, +100,000 Beri

7. +10,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coins, "Special" Rugged Socks, +200,000 Beri

8. +25,000 EXP, +2 Standard Gacha Coins, Skill [Perfect Plunder], +500,000 Beri

9. +5,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, +1 Film Reel, +100,000 Beri

10. +50,000 EXP, +3 Standard Gacha Coins, Skill [Pause], +100,000 Beri

11. +10,000 EXP, +1 Standard Gacha Coin, +1 Pretty "Gem", +500,000 Beri

12. +50,000 EXP, +3 Standard Gacha Coins, Title [Royal Seducer], +5,000,000 Beri

13. [IGNORE THIS ONE! IGNORE THIS ONE! NO REWARD FOR THIS ONE!]

First of all, WOW this quest is big. Second of all, these rewards are crazy! Companion crystals? Skills, perks, and titles?! Who knew making a harem was so profitable?! Thirdly, that final reward was DEFINITELY something interesting. No way I'm gonna ignore something, especially when I'm told to!

Alright, now let's see the perks I got for hitting 50 in my other four stats.

[Hysterical Strength] STR

Once your HP drops to 25% or below, your STR doubles! Effect is removed once HP rises above 25%.

Look, you're on your last legs anyways, so why not go crazy?!

[Better Muscles!] DEX

All movement-based Skills and Abilities require 25% less EXP to level up!

You know, you feel pretty flexible all of a sudden…

[Easier Decisions] INT

Whenever a story-altering decision appears, you will be given a set of prompts to choose from.

With this, life is much easier! No need to worry about a million different ideas when the best are already presented!

[Gut Feeling] WIS

Whenever you encounter an event, enemy, or environment that is deemed too dangerous for you, you will be given a warning and a small boost to your stats.

I've got a bad feeling about this… It's like my own body is screaming at me…

Woah, these are incredible! Alright, anything else?

[Wanna auto-loot?]

[Yes!] [No!]

Ah, right. I guess I turned it off when I asked to not be bothered. Sure, hit me!

[+30 honey wasp wax!]

[+2 cyan shells!]

[+4 Royal Mandibles!]

[+1 Royal Honey!]

[+1 Wasp Wing!]

[+1 Standard Gacha Coin!]

Alright, looks like everything finally came through. I nodded to myself, satisfied, and turned to Bisc. "Alright, let's head back." She nodded and began walking away, still not facing me. I couldn't help but notice a small sway in her hips though, and a smile crept onto my face. Guess she wasn't as upset as I thought. I followed after her, a little behind, and hit her with an Observe.

[Observe has hit MAX level!]

Bio

Name: Bisc

Title: [Marine Recruit]

Age: 18

Sex: F

Height: 5'7"

Hair: Short, Orange

Eyes: Ocean Blue

Likes: Fresh salmon and her parents.

Dislikes: Being told what to do, expensive food, and sitting still.

HP: 650/650

Level: 8

Affection: [27/100]

Your Relation: Crush

Born and raised with a Marine father, Bisc was inspired by his sea stories to go out and join the Marines. The only thing more dangerous than her drive to succeed is her short temper, which was created when her overly-doting parents refused to let her become a Marine, or even leave their house, for the first fifteen years of her life. Because of her sheltered life, she has very little experience with the outside world. After her adventure with her fellow recruit, Jin Tetari, she has developed her very first crush on him.

First of all, Observe already hit it's max level? Sweet! Second of all, I was her first crush? Wow, I felt a little bad about that, but it makes sense. I was happy that she was interested in me though. Who knows, maybe soon enough we'll get together...?

As nice as that thought was, I was jumping the gun a bit. Right now, it was nothing more than a crush. She didn't love me, not yet. If I wanted to trust her and become my lover, then I had to keep bumping that Affection, higher and higher! Oh man, and that wasn't even counting about the rest of the beauties in this world...

I blinked and shook my head. Focus Jin, there were still plenty of things that needed to be done! With that said, I pulled all three gacha coins out of my inventory. After making sure that Bisc was still not looking at me, I decided to snap all three of them, one after the other.

[You got 3 new items in your inventory!]

Without hesitation, I immediately checked all three out.

[+10 Reputation/Affection Token] Common

Breaking this with a person in mind will raise their Reputation/Affection by 10 points. Targets will not question why they like you.

Hey, you're loved just a little more!

[Crit-A-Cola] Rare

Upon consumption, user will deal 1.5x damage for 1 minute. Once the effect wears off, the user will take 1.5x damage.

This drink contains water, sugar, and… radiation?!

[C-Rank Companion Crystal] Common

Summons a C-Rank Companion from a different universe. Upon use, the crystal will be consumed and a C-Rank Companion will spawn in front of you.

WARNING: These Companions hold zero obligation to assist you in any way! If you wish for them to join you, you MUST convince them ON YOUR OWN! The Game simply spawns the Companion!

Huh. Interesting?

Crit-A-Cola was definitely an interesting thing, and I idly wondered if I could somehow recreate it, but what caught my attention the most was the C-Rank Companion Crystal. What counts as a C-Rank anyways?

[I'M GLAD YOU ASKED!]

I jumped, admittedly a little startled by the unexpected alert.

[Man, I'm so glad you got a Companion Crystal this early! I've been working on this for so long!]

[Okay, here's how it works: There are a total of 6 ranks, or tiers, of companions. C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. C-Ranks are, of course, the weakest, and SSS-Rank Companions are powerful enough to shape the world itself!]

That fills me with dread more than anything, to be honest.

[Here, I made a list as an example.]

C-Ranks = Little to No Impact

B-Ranks = Sometimes Impactful

A-Ranks = Always Impactful

S-Ranks = Equal to User

SS-Ranks = Better Than User

SSS-Ranks = Better Than Everyone

[Does this make sense?]

… Impact?

[Essentially how strong or important they are in comparison to you. An Average Joe can't exactly compete with a God, right? That's what I mean. I choose specific people, and the System places them in one of these six ranks depending on how "powerful" they are. Of course, it's more than just raw strength as well. There are a lot of factors that tie in to a Companion's rank, like someone's will power, intellect, and how they've changed their world around them. Factor all of this around the worlds your currently in, as well as you being the Main Character, and things end up like this! Makes sense?]

I think I get it? But could you give me an example?

[Hmm… Alright, I'll give you this. Here, a Bio from a C-Rank Companion that you could end up summoning.]

Bio

Name: Edward Pierce (Call of Cthulhu)

Age: 39

Sex: M

Height: 5'11"

Hair: Short, Brown

Eyes: Brown

Likes: Land, Alcohol, and Cigarettes

Dislikes: War, Death, and the Ocean

HP: 500/500

Level: 6

Reputation: [0/100]

Your Relation: Doesn't Know You

Edward Pierce was a veteran of the Great War, and a survivor of the Lost Battalion. He suffered from constant nightmares about his time in the military, as well as the ocean and the monsters within it. Once he returned to civilization, he created the Pierce Investigations Agency, a freelance investigation agency. One day, while business was slow, he was tasked with re-opening and investigating the case of Sarah Hawkins on Darkwater Island. After arriving though, he finds that not everything is what it seems, and along the way uncovers the horrid truth that Cthylla, the Daughter of Cthulhu, was on the verge awakening. After realizing that he was the key to either put her back to sleep or wake her up, Edward Pierce gives his life to keep the underwater horror asleep for another 100 years, dying an unsung hero.

Wow. Hopefully I don't get him. No offense, but One piece is literally 90% ocean. The guy would hate it here. Also, he doesn't bring anyone over with him, right? Just… him? No Cthylla or anything?

[Nope.]

Okay, so that's why he's C-Rank. Good. If I summoned him here, not only would he be more adamant to just stay on an island, but he wouldn't enjoy fighting that much, right? So that's why he's C-Rank despite being a veteran and an investigator. Plus, since being the key to saving or dooming his world made him important, he probably doesn't have that ability since it's a different world. So, C-Rank. Yeah, that makes sense.

So when you said impact, you really meant how it would impact MY story?

[Pretty much.]

Huh, cool. Thanks!

Tuning back in to the world around me, I noticed that Bisc and I had reached the beginning of the dungeon. A prompt appeared on a green screen, as usual.

[Would you like to leave the Honey Wasp Dungeon?]

[Yes!] [No!]

I hit yes, and the world around me changed. Like a stone hitting a still pond, my vision rippled, and when everything settled, Bisc and I were back in the clearing in front of the dungeon. Looking up, the moon was high in the sky, and the stars were shining. I turned to Bisc and proposed, "Let's go back and sleep. I'm exhausted."

Her shoulders dropped as she let a sigh out, all tension bleeding out of her now that we were out of the dungeon. "We were in there longer than expected too. Ugh, we'll probably have to report everything that happened too."

I smiled and asked, "Let's do that tomorrow, alright?"

She blushed before looking away. "Y-Yeah, sure. I guess."

The two of us headed back, sneaking our way back into base with zero difficulty, thankfully. Before long, we found ourselves in front of the barracks, simply enjoying each other's presence. I turned to my partner in crime with a grin and broke the silence first. "See you tomorrow?"

She gave a small smile. "Yeah. G'night Tetari."

"Call me Jin. All my friends do."

Her smile grew and she nodded. "Right! See you later Jin!" And she left, running into the female section of the barracks.

I smiled and headed back to my own room. Once I entered, I pulled up my stats.

Status

Name: Jin Tetari [Seaman Recruit]

Level: 9

HP: 600/600

WP: 600/600

STR: 56

VIT: 60

DEX: 55

INT: 58

WIS: 56

CHA: 60

LUK: 82

Bonus Points: 15

I laid down, smiling to myself. To think that I was level three this morning! With that said, Jet was falling behind. So, without anything else to do, I let sleep take me and whisk me to my other world.


AN: READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, IT'S IMPORTANT!

So, first of all, thanks for reading! Everybody seems to really like chapter 1, so I hope you all like this one too!

Second of all, I know I just said that updates would be quicker, but I have an announcement to make: I got a deal with Amazon to publish books for them! With that being said, updates will still come out, just slow. Honestly, the current rate at I'm going right now, a large chapter every couple months seems to be the future for my stories.

Third of all, I'm going to stop working on "A Knightly King," and "How Cliche" for an unknown amount of time. Both stories are going to get one last chapter before the hiatus officially begins, but as you can all guess, it's related to me publishing works for Amazon. Between working, school, making fanfics, and writing stories for Amazon, I simply don't have the time to work on stories that I'm not that interested in. Sadly, "A Knightly King," and "How Cliche" are the stories I'm deciding to put on pause.

Third of all, I know that the last few chapters of my stories have been advertising my pay-tre-on, but I don't need it anymore. If you still wish to join it, I won't stop you, but I will no longer be advertising it, nor will I be doing anything for those who do join (outside of my appreciation, of course).

Also, if you spot any grammatical errors or something, let me know! FF is NOT stable, so errors pop up when I upload to the site!

So yeah, that's it. I'm publishing for Amazon now, I'm putting a couple stories on hiatus, and updates will be slow but steady. Thanks for reading everyone, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Have good one!