Kenzo Hasegawa had always considered himself an ordinary guy.
He had a job, a small apartment, and an unhealthy obsession with manga.
That evening, he was on his way home with the latest volume of his favorite series tucked safely under one arm. He was already thinking about getting home, taking a shower, ordering some food, and disappearing into his room for the rest of the night.
Then he heard a scream.
A little boy had wandered into the road.
And coming straight toward him was a truck.
Kenzo didn't think.
He dropped his manga and rushed forward.
He managed to shove the boy out of the truck's path.
A second later, everything went black.
Eight hours later...
Kenzo slowly opened his eyes.
"Ugh... my head."
He tried to sit up, but a sharp wave of dizziness immediately forced him back down.
For several seconds, he simply lay there, staring into the darkness.
Where am I?
He slowly pushed himself upright and rubbed his forehead.
Memories came rushing back.
The truck.
The little boy.
The impact.
His eyes widened.
"Wait... I remember getting hit by a truck."
He looked around.
"This isn't a hospital."
The place looked nothing like anywhere he had ever seen before.
He appeared to be lying inside some kind of underground passage. The stone walls were cold and damp, with moisture glistening across their uneven surfaces. The air was heavy and stale, making every breath feel unpleasant.
There was almost no light.
The only source came from a small flame floating strangely in the air nearby.
Kenzo stared at it.
"...What the hell?"
Then he suddenly felt something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He looked down.
Silence.
"..."
"..."
"Oh, fuck."
He was completely naked.
Kenzo immediately covered himself with both hands and looked around frantically.
"Please tell me I'm alone."
He checked behind him.
Nothing.
He checked the passage ahead.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank God."
He looked down again.
"Still... why am I naked?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait a second."
He slowly scratched his head.
"Didn't I die?"
He remembered the impact clearly. There was no way he should have survived that.
"So where am I?"
He glanced around again.
"Is this... the afterlife?"
He immediately shook his head.
"No. This doesn't look anything like heaven."
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Then... did I get transmigrated?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Ding!
A mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his head.
[Congratulations! You have activated the Level Up System.]
Kenzo froze.
[You can view your status by saying the word "Status."]
"...What?"
Kenzo looked around.
Nobody.
"Did I just hear a voice?"
He slowly turned in a circle.
Nothing.
His expression became increasingly confused.
Then he remembered something.
"The system..."
A slow smile appeared on his face.
"No way."
He had read enough manga and novels to recognize exactly what was happening.
"Is this the famous system that every isekai protagonist gets?"
Kenzo took a deep breath.
"Status."
The moment he said the word, a translucent screen appeared in front of him.
His eyes widened.
[Name: Kenzo Hasegawa]
[Race: Human (Evolution Possible)]
[Age: 25 (Lifespan: 80 Years)]
[Titles: None]
[Level: 1]
[Stats]
[Strength: 9]
[Agility: 8]
[Stamina: 9]
[Vitality: 8]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Willpower: 8]
[Perception: 9]
[Dexterity: 8]
[Magic Points: 10]
[Undistributed Stat Points: 0]
[Health Points: 80]
[Attack Power: 90]
[Defense: 90]
[Mana: 100]
[Attack & Movement Speed: 80]
[Derived Stats]
[Health Points = Vitality × 10]
[Attack Power = Strength × 10]
[Defense = Stamina × 10]
[Mana = Magic Points × 10]
[Attack & Movement Speed = Agility × 10]
[Skills]
[Active Skills: None]
[Passive Skills]
[Mana Recovery]
[Recovers 10% of maximum MP every hour.]
[Health Recovery]
[Recovers 10% of maximum HP every hour.]
[Sleep]
[Restores the body to its peak condition after 8 hours of sleep.]
[Cheat Skill]
[Experience Multiplier]
[Gain twice the normal amount of experience from defeating monsters.]
[Equipment]
[Rusty Sword]
[Inventory]
[Trousers ×1]
[Shirt ×1]
Kenzo stared at the screen.
He read it once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
His mouth slowly opened.
"...I actually got a system."
A grin spread across his face.
Despite the strange environment, the fact that he had apparently died, and the fact that he was currently standing completely naked in some mysterious underground dungeon...
Kenzo couldn't help but feel excited.
He had been given a system.
A real one.
And according to the status screen, he had even received a cheat skill.
"Experience Multiplier..."
His eyes gleamed.
"Gain twice the normal amount of EXP?"
Kenzo clenched his fists.
This was no longer his old life.
This was the beginning of a completely new one.
But there was one thing he didn't know yet.
The dungeon he had been dropped into was not an ordinary dungeon.
It was one of the most dangerous places in the world.
And Kenzo was standing inside it...
At Level 1.