Chapter 1: A New Beginning

Daisuke Shirogane had never expected his life to end the way it did. For the majority of his days, he had been an ordinary man—average job, average income, average life. Nothing about his existence stood out, and honestly, he hadn't minded that much. His job at the office was boring, his relationships shallow, and his aspirations limited to the confines of day-to-day survival. Every day felt like a repeat of the last, and he had long since stopped hoping for anything more.

That all changed on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon.

Daisuke had just finished a dull conference call with a client he barely remembered. His fingers tapped idly on his keyboard, contemplating whether to check his email inbox or simply zone out for the next few minutes. The feeling of weariness, the overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction, clung to him like an old coat he could never shake off.

Then it happened. The world seemed to tilt, and a sudden crash from above made his chair screech loudly. His eyes widened in shock as the ceiling above cracked and splintered, sending a cascade of dust and debris raining down. Before he could comprehend what was happening, a large metal beam fell right onto him, crushing him under its weight.

The last thing he saw before darkness consumed him was the look of surprise on his own face.

Daisuke awoke with a start, his body jerking upright as he gasped for air. His heart raced in his chest, and a cold sweat coated his skin. But as he looked around, he realized something wasn't right. Gone were the familiar walls of his office. In their place, there was a dense forest, its towering trees swaying gently in the breeze. The air smelled earthy and fresh, unlike the recycled air of his old office. He could hear the distant chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves, but most disorienting of all, he was lying on the ground, covered in dirt, and he felt… different.

Looking down, Daisuke's hands trembled as he examined them. His skin appeared smoother, younger even. The palms of his hands were calloused as if from years of hard labor, but the strength and vitality in his fingers were unmistakable. His body was smaller, more slender, and the aches and pains that had plagued him in his past life were gone. He felt light, almost weightless. And when he tried to push himself up, he realized with a start that his muscles weren't stiff or weak—they were strong, like he hadn't spent years living in a sedentary office chair.

"What the hell…?" he muttered, trying to process the situation.

Suddenly, a strange voice echoed in his head, as if it was speaking directly into his mind. The voice was neither human nor mechanical, but something in-between—both warm and distant.

"Welcome, Daisuke Shirogane, to your second chance at life. You have been reincarnated into a new world, and with it, the opportunity to rewrite your fate. This world is full of magic, monsters, and countless adventures. You have been granted a system that will guide you on your path. Use it wisely."

The words reverberated through his thoughts, leaving him speechless. Reincarnated? A system? Adventure? Magic?

He didn't know how to react. Was this some sort of joke? A dream? Was he hallucinating from the trauma of being crushed? But everything around him felt too real—the dampness of the forest floor, the crisp air filling his lungs. He could even hear his own heartbeat thumping in his chest.

Then, just as his mind was spiraling into confusion, a glowing blue screen appeared before his eyes, materializing out of thin air. It looked like a translucent panel with strange, unfamiliar symbols floating within it. Below the symbols were words written in bold letters:

[System Activation Complete]

Name: Daisuke Shirogane

Race: Human

Class: None

Level: 1

Stats:

Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Mana: 0 Endurance: 10

Skills:

None

Quest: Survive and Adapt

Objective: Learn about this world and your abilities.

The screen flickered and vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Daisuke speechless once again. His thoughts were racing. The words "System Activation Complete" haunted him. It felt like he was living in one of those novels he used to read for fun, where the protagonist is thrust into a new world with strange powers. But he never thought such things would happen to him. He was just an average office worker.

His gaze shifted upward, and he noticed a strange symbol hovering above his head—something that looked like a starburst pattern. It pulsed with a soft light, and when Daisuke focused on it, a menu appeared in front of him.

[Main Menu]

Inventory Character Status Skills Quest Log Shop

A faint sense of realization began to dawn on him: this wasn't just some weird dream. He had actually been reincarnated into another world, and he had received some kind of powerful system that granted him abilities beyond his wildest imagination. But what was he supposed to do with it? He hadn't exactly been a hero in his past life, so why was he here now?

"What the hell do I do now?" Daisuke muttered to himself, staring at the glowing menu.

"You must now make your first decision," the voice in his head spoke again, as if it were anticipating his thoughts.

Before he could respond, the blue screen flickered, and another prompt appeared:

[Quest Update]

Quest: Survive and Adapt

Objective: Find food and shelter. Explore the area. Interact with the locals to learn about the world.

"Well, this is going to be an interesting second life," Daisuke sighed, a mixture of confusion and excitement coursing through him. For the first time in a long while, he felt something he hadn't experienced in years: hope.

The world stretched out before him—full of possibilities, dangers, and mysteries waiting to be uncovered. He didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in his life, Daisuke had a chance to shape it.