**Chapter 1: Starting at Hyotei with Max-Level Kendo Skills!**
April.
Spring blossoms in full bloom.
Tokyo, Hyotei Academy.
Cherry blossom petals flutter across the campus, and the tree branches are adorned with light green leaves, brimming with vitality.
It's the first day of school.
Boys and girls in uniforms laugh and play, while some newcomers—either naive or nervous—observe their surroundings.
Ishikawa is one of them.
3:00 PM.
Club activity time.
Inside the Hyotei tennis club, a handsome young man in a freshman uniform stares blankly at everything before him.
"Did I… just transmigrate?"
Ishikawa is stunned!
Just moments ago, he was sitting in front of his computer, randomizing a character's attributes and traits.
After painstakingly customizing the character's appearance and clicking the "confirm" button, everything went black. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself here.
Now, he's standing in a spacious arena. The surrounding seats resemble those of a large-scale sports stadium from his previous life.
In fact, after processing some of the information in his mind, Ishikawa realizes this is indeed a special competition venue.
More specifically, it's the Hyotei tennis club!
That's right—the Hyotei Academy from the anime *The Prince of Tennis*, known for its immense wealth and resources!
And he? He's a freshman who just joined the tennis club.
"I can't believe that game was real," Ishikawa thinks, his emotions mixed.
Turns out, before transmigrating, he had randomly downloaded a *Prince of Tennis* role-playing game.
At the start of the game, players could customize their character's appearance, name, background, and randomly draw abilities.
Ishikawa spent nearly two hours completing all the steps. As a character in the *Prince of Tennis* world, his appearance naturally couldn't be mediocre.
As for his background, he had randomly drawn a special trait: a genius who lost his parents at a young age but managed to enroll in Hyotei Middle School thanks to his talent and his late father's connections.
"If that game was real…"
Thinking of the game, Ishikawa's mind stirs.
A virtual status panel appears before him.
**[Name: Ishikawa Shin]**
**[Age: 12]**
**[Identity: Hyotei Academy, First-Year Middle School Student]**
**[Main Profession: Tennis Lv. 0 (0/10)]**
**[Sub-Profession: Go Lv. 6]**
**[Attributes: Speed 1, Power 1, Stamina 1, Technique 1, Mental 3. Total: 7]**
**[Skills: None]**
**[Abilities: None]**
**[Remaining Sub-Profession Points: 0]**
**[Remaining Skill Points: 0]**
**[Items: None]**
**[Evaluation: A rookie who knows nothing about tennis but possesses extraordinary talent.]**
"Only 7 points?"
Frowning at his stats, Ishikawa feels a pang of disappointment.
Anyone familiar with *The Prince of Tennis* knows that 7 attribute points wouldn't even be enough to return a serve from a third-rate player in the later stages.
But then, he notices the system's note:
**[The standard attribute value for a 15-year-old male is 1 in each category! Attribute values are specific to tennis performance!]**
"Standard values, huh?"
Ishikawa nods thoughtfully.
If that's the case, it makes sense. And judging from the descriptions, this system is indeed tailored specifically for tennis.
Still, a total of 7 attribute points is far too low.
Based on the current timeline, he'd struggle to even make it to the regional tournaments, let alone the metropolitan championships.
**[Ding!]**
Suddenly, a system notification chimes in his mind.
**[A system error has been detected, causing an anomaly in the player's server. A compensation package has been issued. Please check your inventory!]**
"Huh?"
Ishikawa's spirits lift.
He quickly opens his status panel and, sure enough, spots a red exclamation mark above his character's avatar.
Clicking on it reveals an item labeled **[Compensation Package]**.
Without hesitation, Ishikawa opens it.
**[Ding!]**
**[Congratulations! You have obtained the item: Sub-Profession · Kendo (Max)!]**
**[Sub-Profession · Kendo (Max): Upon use, grants the player a max-level sub-profession in Kendo.]**
Without delay, Ishikawa uses the item.
**Boom!**
In an instant, an indescribable power surges through his body. Ishikawa feels as though he's soaking in a hot spring, his entire being warm and brimming with energy!
At the same time, a flood of knowledge about kendo pours into his mind, instantly assimilated and mastered!
In the blink of an eye, Ishikawa transforms from someone who knew nothing about kendo into a top-tier kendo master!
**Whoosh!**
When he opens his eyes again, a sharp glint flashes within them. His once gentle demeanor now exudes a sharp, almost intimidating aura.
But just as quickly, he reins it in, returning to his previous unassuming appearance—perhaps even more ordinary than before.
Simultaneously, Ishikawa notices that his attribute panel has changed. His total attributes have increased by 3 points!
**[Attributes: Speed 1, Power 2, Stamina 1, Technique 3, Mental 3. Total: 10]**
Why?
Ishikawa immediately searches for the reason behind the change.
Soon, his attention lands on the descriptions of his sub-professions.
**[Go: Sub-Profession. Every 3 levels increases Mental by 1.
Additional Effect 1: Each level enhances partial brain development.
Additional Effect 2: Unknown (unlocks at max level).
Current Level: Lv. 6]**
**[Kendo: Sub-Profession. Level 3 increases Power by 1. Level 6 increases Technique by 1. Level 9 increases Technique by 1.
Additional Effect 1: Increases swing speed by 50%.
Additional Effect 2: Increases the power of slashing-type tennis techniques by 50%.
Current Level: Lv. 9 (Max)]**
"So… the way to grow stronger is to increase the number and level of my sub-professions?"
"Wait."
"There must be other methods."
Ishikawa's mind races as he quickly scans the system for information about character progression. Soon, he finds details about leveling up his main profession.
**[Players can gain experience by completing tasks and matches to level up their main profession.]**
**[Current version cap: Main Profession Level 100.]**
"In other words…"
Staring at the system interface, Ishikawa pauses. "This really is a leveling-based tennis game?"
"So…"
"Hyotei is both my starting point and… the beginner's zone?"
In a flash of insight, Ishikawa looks around at the members of the Hyotei tennis club. Suddenly, he notices numbers floating above their heads, indicating their levels!
If he treats this situation like a single-player or online game, everything suddenly makes sense!
(End of chapter)