tweet, tweet...tweet, tweet...tweet, tweet...
swish...swoosh...swish...swoosh
I opened my eyes, and the very first thing I noticed was a complete, and suprising lack of pain. The world-ending, bone-shattering agony that had ripped through my fat body hours ago was gone, replaced by a sensation almost alien to me that I barely knew how to react to it.
I felt... light.
I didn't feel the usual heavy, sluggish pull of my own body weight pressing me down into the mattress. My lungs expanded with a smooth, effortless motion, drawing in air that suddenly smelled incredibly distinct. I could smell the faint, citrus scent of the floor cleaner I had used yesterday, the ozone metallic scent of the distant traffic, and the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked bread from a bakery at least three blocks away.
I blinked, staring at the ceiling. The peeling wallpaper wasn't as blurry anymore. I could see the individual layers of the paper, the microscopic cracks in the plaster. From down the hall, I could perfectly hear the rhythmic tick-tick-tick of my neighbor's cheap alarm clock and the soft hum of their refrigerator compressor kicking on.
"What..." I breathed. My voice didn't sound like a wheezing croak. It was deep, resonant, and entirely steady.
I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position. I didn't groan. My spine didn't sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies. The movement was so fluid, so effortless, that I accidentally launched myself halfway off the bed.
As I caught my balance, I felt a sudden draft. My faded grey t-shirt, the one that usually clung to my stomach like a second skin, was hanging off my frame like a deflated parachute. It slipped entirely off my left shoulder, pooling around my collarbone.
I stood up. The worn sweatpants I had put on after my shower immediately plummeted to my ankles.
"Whoa!" I yelped, grabbing the waistband and hauling them back up.
I looked down.
My brain completely short-circuited. SYSTEM SHUT DOWN..ERROR..ERROR. I stopped breathing. The world started spinning.
The soft, squishy mound of fatty tissue that had been my constant, miserable companion for the last five years since I was reborn. Completely, utterly, unbelievably erased.
In its place was a torso that looked like it had been chiseled out of marble by a master who was mildly obsessed with professional athletes. My skin was taut, practically glowing with health. Deep, perfectly defined abdominal muscles—an actual, literal eight-pack—rippled above a sharp, pronounced V-line that dipped below the waistband of my oversized pants. My chest was broad, muscular, and completely firm.
"No way," I whispered, my voice trembling. "There is absolutely no way."
I dropped my pants, practically kicking them across the room, and sprinted for the tiny bathroom. My bare feet barely made a sound on the floor boards as I rushed inside.
I gripped the edges of the small sink and stared into the mirror.
The kid who had looked back at me yesterday—the soft-featured, double-chinned, exhausted otaku—was gone. Whatever happened last night, whatever correction my system had done to me, literally corrected everything about me.
My jawline was sharp enough to cut glass. My neck was thick and defined, supporting a posture that was completely straight, making me look at least three inches taller. I WAS THREE INCHES TALLER!!!!! My skin had cleared entirely, losing its sickly, indoor pallor and taking on a healthy, vibrant tone. Even my eyes looked different—sharper, brighter, practically shinning with energy.
I looked exactly like Yuuya Tenjou after his system transformation. I was handsome. I don't mean "average" or "decent." I was a walking, breathing, indisputable heartthrob. If I walked into Kuoh Academy looking like this, I would make Kiba jealous, i'm sure!
"I am beautiful," I said aloud, touching my face in absolute disbelief. "The system actually did it. The absolute mad lad actually did it."
A sudden thought hit me like a lightning bolt. If my physical body had synchronized with my sub-dimensional soul... what about the rest of it?
"System!" I commanded.
PING!
The beautiful, translucent blue holographic interface sprang to life in the middle of my bathroom.
[STATUS]
[Name: Ard Voldigoad]
[Level: 1: 5/100%]
[Strength: 8]
[Speed: 6]
[Stamina: 8]
[Endurance: 8]
[Vitality: 8]
[MP: 6/6]
[Wallet Balance: 210,600 Yen]
[Online Grocery: ONLINE]
"Yes!" I cheered, pumping my fist. "The lock is gone! Whatever happened last night bridged the gap!"
I held out my right hand, a massive, stupid grin spreading across my face.
"All-Purpose Farming Tool! Come to me!"
A flash of divine, golden light illuminated the cramped bathroom. I felt the familiar, comforting weight of the wooden handle settle perfectly into my palm. The magical axe gleamed in the white light, vibrating with a warm, ambient energy.
I had my body. I had my magic. I had my tool.
Earth no longer seemed so impossible to deal with anymore!
First things first: I needed clothes that didn't make me look like I was wearing a circus tent. My entire wardrobe was utterly useless. But as I dug through the deepest, dustiest corners of my closet, I found an old cardboard box labeled 'Dad's Stuff'.
My father had been a deadbeat who abandoned his kid to loan sharks, but before he let himself go, he had been a pretty athletic guy. I pulled out a pair of dark, fitted denim jeans and a simple, tight black V-neck t-shirt.
I slipped them on. They fit perfectly. The black fabric stretched comfortably over my newly broadened chest and biceps, and the jeans hugged my legs without restricting my movement. I threw on my clean steel-toed boots from the AEON store. I looked like a completely different human being.
"Alright," I told my reflection, resting the Farming Tool on my shoulder. "Now then, let's make this place livable again."
I needed to fix up my apartment. Yesterday's cleaning frenzy had removed the trash, but the place was still falling apart. The wallpaper was peeling, the floorboards squeaked, and the cabinet hinges were rusted.
"Hammer form," I whispered. The tool morphed.
I spent the next thirty minutes buzzing around the apartment like a worker bee going out for pollen. I discovered that the APFT's magical buffs worked flawlessly on Earth. When I tapped a loose floorboard with the hammer a faint pulse of magic seamlessly fused the wood together, eliminating the squeak entirely. I changed it to a trowel and scraped the peeling wallpaper; the tool magically smoothed the plaster underneath to a pristine, painted-like finish.
By the time I was done, the tiny studio didn't look like a slum anymore. It looked like a modern, highly maintained bachelor pad.
"Incredible," I laughed, tossing the tool into my newly accessible spatial inventory—a feature I had unlocked by simply willing the tool away. "Now, let's take this body out for a spin!"
I left the apartment and hit the streets. The morning air was crisp and cold but I liked the way it felt flowing through my nose into my lungs and out my mouth. I decided to take a light jog to the local park to test my Speed stat of 6 and my Stamina of 8.
I started with a light trot. It felt like I was floating. There was no heavy impact on my knees, no immediate burning in my lungs.
"Let's push it," I muttered.
I leaned forward and kicked off.
FWOOSH!
The sudden acceleration nearly snapped my neck. The scenery around me instantly smeared into a streaky blur. The wind roared in my ears, whipping my hair back violently.I was a human missile ! A Speed stat of 6 in the sub-dimension might have been sluggish compared to a mutant wolf, but on Earth? Against standard gravity and physics? I was easily pushing Olympic sprinting speeds without even breaking a sweat.This is amazing !!!
I panicked as a crosswalk approached rapidly. I planted my boots, bracing for a horrific tumble.
SCREEEECH!
The rubber soles of my boots dragged across the pavement, leaving brief, faint skid marks as I slowed down and came to a dead stop right at the edge of the curb, completely uninjured.
A businessman standing nearby dropped his briefcase, staring at me with his mouth hanging open.
"Morning!" I chirped smoothly, offering a charming smile before casually walking into the park.
My heart was hammering, but not from exhaustion. It was sheer, unadulterated exhilaration. My stats were abysmally low for an adventurer, but against the people of an ordinary world excluding the fact that it's filled with supernatural beings everywhere you may look, I was at the peak of what could be called human!
As I walked down the walk path, staring up at the vibrant greens of the trees, I heard a sharp grunt of frustration.
Near a set of stone stairs, a young woman in a professional suit was wrestling with a massive, overstuffed cardboard box on a heavy metal dolly. The wheels were caught on the bottom step, and she was straining with all her might to pull it up, her face flushed red and sweat running down her cheeks.
"Excuse me," I said, stepping up beside her. "Do you need a hand with that?"
She looked up, annoyed—until her eyes landed on my face. She physically blinked, her cheeks instantly turning a deeper shade of crimson. "O-Oh! Um. Yes, please. The elevator is broken, and these are the new catalog prints for my firm. It's incredibly heavy."
"No problem. Let me."
'Hehe, I made her blush. This is awesome !'
I reached down, bypassing the dolly entirely, and slid my hands under the massive cardboard box. I expected for there to be some weight. And even prepared myself for it by getting ready to lift with my back.
I lifted it.
It felt like a box of tissues. There was absolutely no weight. My Strength of 8 made me feel like I was lifting up a teddy bear, but you know...Made of cardboard. I didn't even grunt. I just hoisted it up, balanced it on one shoulder, and casually walked up the long flight of stone stairs.
"Wh-What?!" the woman gasped, scrambling up the stairs after me with the empty dolly. "How did you... that's over eighty pounds!"
"I eat a lot of meat!" I grinned, setting the box gently at the top of the landing.
"Thank you!" she said, her eyes wide, practically scanning my muscular frame through the black t-shirt. "I... I'm Ayumi. Can I... can I buy you a coffee to say thanks?"
"I appreciate it, Ayumi, but I actually have my own place to open up today," I smiled gently, feeling a bizarre surge of confidence I had never possessed in my entire life. "Have a great day!"
I jogged off, leaving her staring after me.
I felt invincible. I felt alive. But playtime was over. It was time to deal with the second half of my Earth problem.
Café Sunrise was located on a decent corner lot in a busy commercial district, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. The logo outside was faded, the windows were caked in a thick layer of grime, and the wooden sign hanging above the door was splintered and depressing.
I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. The air was stale, smelling faintly of old grease and despair, basically it smelt like year old ketchup dried up on the floor. The tables were wobbly, the vinyl booths were cracked, and the counter was sticky.
"Not for long," I declared.
I pulled up the online store.
[Wallet Balance: 210,600 Yen].
I needed to make money to pay off the Yakuza-lite loan sharks by Friday. The sub-dimensional funds were great, but running a successful business required a sustainable income. Plus, I owed it to the memory of this place. Before my parents lost their minds to gambling, this cafe used to make people happy...It made me happy.
I summoned the All-Purpose Farming Tool.
"Let's get to work. Broom form."
For the next three hours, the cafe became a blur of magical renovation. The broom form of the tool didn't simply sweep dust, it erased dirt, leaving the floors gleaming like they had just been polished. I shifted it to a sponge and wiped the windows; the grime dissolved instantly, letting bright, warm sunlight flood the dining room.
I looked at the cracked, wobbly tables. They were beyond repair.
"System," I muttered. "Online Grocery. Hardware section."
I bought a dozen stacks of cheap, untreated pine lumber for 15,000 Yen. I dragged them into the center of the cafe and shifted the tool into its Saw and Hammer forms.
Using my Basic Woodworking skill which went up to level 5 from all the times I used it, I went into a trance. My 8 Stamina meant I never tired, and my 8 Strength meant moving the wood was effortless. I cut, chiseled, sanded and hammered. The magical buff of the tool refined the cheap pine, pulling out the rich, natural grain and automatically sealing it with a smooth, glossy finish.
Within two hours, I had crafted six gorgeous, sturdy, farmhouse-style wooden tables and twenty-four matching chairs. They looked rustic, expensive, and incredibly inviting. I threw out the old garbage furniture and arranged my masterpieces across the dining floor.
PING.
[Fusing Otherworldly Craftsmanship with Modern Materials.]
[Innovation Stat Increased.]
I ignored the notification, too focused on the next phase. The kitchen.
The walk-in fridge was a biohazard. I threw every single rotting ingredient into heavy trash bags and hauled them to the dumpster out back. I scrubbed the grill with the tool until the stainless steel gleamed like a mirror.
"Now," I said, tying a pristine white apron around my waist. "We need a menu. Simple. Affordable. But executed flawlessly."
I opened the Online Grocery. The system's food was inherently better than Earth food. The Wagyu beef was divine, the vegetables were packed with vital nutrients, and the spices were incredibly potent.
I spent 30,000 Yen on premium ingredients: top-tier ground beef, fresh onions, organic eggs, flawless tomatoes, heavy cream, and a massive sack of high-grade rice.
"I'm going to make Hamburger Steak," I decided. "The ultimate Japanese comfort food. And Omurice."
I cracked open the front and side windows of the cafe to let the fresh air in. I fired up the massive commercial grill.
I didn't have a cooking skill, but I was someone who loved cooking for as long as I could remember from both my life times. The only thing I ever dreamed of being was a world class chef. Fortunately my idiot parents always left their utensils, plates and other kitchen items in the back, and with a little bit of cleaning and sharpening the knives, pans, pots, cups and plates were all back to premium condition. So I started by dicing onions at the speed of a professional cook, the blade moving in a silvery blur. I mixed the ground Wagyu with the onions, breadcrumbs, and spices, feeling the perfect consistency through my senses.
I slapped the thick meat patties onto the searing hot grill.
SSSSSS
The sound was heavenly. Almost instantly, a thick, rich, impossibly savory cloud of smoke rose from the grill. It smelled of caramelized onions, rendering Wagyu fat, and a deeply complex blend of spices. The aroma flowered all throughout the kitchen and the draft from the open windows caught it, carrying the scent directly out onto the busy sidewalk.
Outside, a group of high school girls walking past suddenly stopped dead in their tracks, their noses twitching.
"Oh my god," one of them gasped, grabbing her friend's arm. "What is that smell?"
A businessman in a suit halted mid-stride, his stomach letting out a loud, audible rumble. "Has... has this cafe always been here?" he muttered, staring at the gleaming windows and the rustic, inviting tables inside.
I flipped the patties, adding a splash of red wine to deglaze the pan, creating a thick, bubbling demi-glace sauce.
The bell above the front door chimed.
"Excuse me," the businessman called out, stepping inside tentatively, his eyes wide as he took in the spotless interior. "Are you open?"
I looked up from the grill, flashing a bright, confident smile.
"Welcome to Café Sunrise! Take a seat anywhere. The Hamburger Steak special will be ready in three minutes."
It was like opening floodgates. Within ten minutes, every single one of my newly crafted wooden tables was full. My trick worked perfectly, scent-forward marking is what it's called. When used by a chef—particularly one struggling to attract customers through reputation alone—this approach to drawing people in using the smell of cooking is known as scent-forward marketing or simply using aromatic cues.
It's a popular technique almost always used but not many realise it, think when you smell your mothers cooking, it's delicious and immediately makes it you think i'm hungry. I want to eat!
I moved through the kitchen like a seasoned chef. Speed 6 and Stamina 8 meant I could cook six orders simultaneously without breaking a sweat or losing focus. I plated the thick, juicy Wagyu hamburger steaks, pouring the rich, dark demi-glace over the top, serving it alongside a steaming mound of perfectly fluffy white rice and a crisp side salad.
I carried the plates out myself, balancing four on my arms with perfect stability.
The moment the first customer took a bite, the entire cafe went silent.
The businessman dropped his fork. His eyes rolled back slightly.
"This..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "This is impossible. The meat... it melts. The sauce... it's so deep. This is 5-star hotel quality! How much is this?!"
"Eight hundred Yen," I replied smoothly.
The cafe erupted.
"Eight hundred?! You could charge three thousand for this!"
"Mister, this is the best thing I've ever eaten!"
"Hey, bring me two more orders! I'm taking this home to my wife!"
I spent the next six hours serving customers, cooking and pouring drinks. And as I cooked, as I served, as I cleaned, word of mouth spread like wildfire down the block. A line actually formed outside my door. People were marveling at the beautiful wooden furniture, the spotless environment, and the incredibly handsome guy running the show.
Near the end of the lunch rush, an older man in a tailored suit carefully wiped his mouth with a napkin, staring at his empty plate of Omurice with a look of profound respect.
"Young man," he called out to me as I wiped down an adjacent table. "I consider myself a culinary aficionado. I've eaten at the finest establishments in this town. Your demi-glace... your execution... it's masterful. Honestly, this completely blows the food at Shunkatei out of the water."
I paused, the rag stilling on the wood.
Shunkatei? The name echoed in my head. Why did that sound so incredibly familiar? I searched my otaku memory banks. Wait. Wasn't Shunkatei the prestigious western-style restaurant from... Food Wars?
A chill ran down my spine. If Shokugeki No Soma was part of this world too, then I would only dread what other worlds were apart of this one.
"Thank you, sir," I bowed politely, hiding my internal freak-out. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."
By the time the sun began to set, painting the sky in a gentle orange and dark blues, the ingredient stock I had bought from the system was completely depleted. I had fed over two hundred people.
I flipped the sign on the door to 'CLOSED', locked the deadbolt, and collapsed into one of my wooden chairs, letting out a massive, booming laugh.
I pulled up my system interface.
[Wallet Balance: 360,600 Yen]
I had made over three hundred thousand Yen in a single day. The Yakuza debt for Friday was officially a joke. I had the money. I had a thriving business.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
[STATUS]
[Name: Ard Voldigoad]
[Level 1: 70/100%]
"Seventy percent?!" I shouted, nearly falling out of the chair.
I stared at the screen. How? Ten days of brutal survival in the sub-dimension had only gotten me 5%. How did one day of cooking and carpentry give me 65%?
And then it clicked.
Innovation wasn't just about building a cabin from logs in a forest where logs were meant to be cabins. Innovation was all about creating, to come up with an idea and act on it. To innovate is to build, to innovate is to cook. I had brought woodworking a skill that incorporated the techniques of wood based craftsmanship from all over the globe in in this world and the other to a modern resturaunt cafe. I had used otherworldly Wagyu beef and system-perfected spices to elevate standard Earth recipes. I was blending the rules of two entirely different universes.
"I officially broke the game," I grinned wildly in the empty, darkening cafe.
Outside, the weather shifted slowly. The sky crackled, and a heavy, torrential downpour began to batter the windows of the cafe, the rain washing down the glass in thick sheets. The neon signs of the city flickered to life, reflecting in the puddles on the street.
I was exhausted. I'm gload through, that I could carry on through the day, but my mental energy was totally spent. I stood up, taking off my apron, and walked toward the front glass door to pull the security grate down.
As I reached for the handle, my eyes glanced through the rain-streaked glass, looking across the street.
My breath hitched. My hand froze on the lock.
Sitting on a public bench, directly across from the cafe, completely exposed to the torrential downpour, was a girl.
Even through the heavy rain and the dim streetlights, she was the most radiantly beautiful person I had ever seen. Her skin was impossibly pale, almost luminescent against the dark backdrop of the storm. Long, straight silver white hair was plastered to her face and shoulders by the rain.
But it was what she was wearing that made my Danger Sense—which had suddenly, violently roared to life, prickling the hairs on the back of my neck—scream.
She wasn't wearing a raincoat. She was wearing an intricate, gothic purple dress, heavily accented with literal, shining steel plate armor over her shoulders, gauntlets, and boots.
She sat completely motionless on the bench, her head bowed, her hands resting in her lap, letting the freezing rain batter her armored form. She didn't shiver. She didn't seek shelter.
She just sat there silent...Beautiful
Hi everyone, if you're enjoying this story so far and hope to read more faster, then for every 10 power stones I recieve I will post 2 chapters in a single day. So every 10 power stones is a day where i'll post twice ! Thanks for your support !!!