Help[1]
Narrator
It was just another ordinary day in the life of Kari, an 18-year-old Japanese boy who spent his time the same way he always did: playing games and watching anime. It was his way of escaping reality.
Everyone has their own path, but what led him here was the accident that had taken his entire family away when he was only 14.
The pain of the loss was deep, and without any support system — family or friends — Kari found himself sinking into an immense loneliness.
When even the more distant relatives drifted away, and the authorities took their time to intervene, he was left to his own devices.
He inherited his family's wealth, but without a home of his own, he had to make do with the bare minimum and ended up living in cyber cafés to save money.
Always shy and reserved, the trauma pushed him even deeper into isolation, to the point where he abandoned even his last name and stopped communicating with the world.
He tried. He tried to find work, tried to rebuild himself. But as a minor with no experience, nobody would give him a chance. The doors simply never opened.
Without friends — not even online — he had no motivation for anything. Not for studying, not for working, not even for dreaming. The truth was, ever since the accident, Kari had been slowly rotting away in a silent personal hell.
And it all ended on a random night. Sadness, weakness, and malnutrition finally caught up with him. His body gave out, his vision blurred, and a sharp pain spread through him.
Kari died the same way he had lived: not caring.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely white space, with golden horizons stretching as far as the eye could see.
A woman with a divine appearance approached, smiling gently.
"You poor thing..." she said, looking at him with tender eyes.
"Out of everyone who has passed through here, your case is one of the saddest. Life wasn't kind to you, was it?"
Unsure of what to do, Kari tried to say something. Maybe because of all the anime and games he had consumed, he had a faint idea of what was happening.
"I..."
"Relax," the woman said, cutting him off kindly.
"You have died. This is the afterlife. My name is Hilen, the Goddess of Reincarnation.
I am responsible for guiding souls to their new destinies. I can see your memories... and in your case, I was truly moved."
Kari just stared at her silently.
"As a small gift, I'll let you choose where you want to be reborn," she smiled warmly.
"And I'll even give you a little boost."
Deep down, Kari wanted to ask many things: "Where is my family?" "Can I see them again?"
But, thinking logically, he figured they must have already reincarnated long ago.
Focusing on the moment, he thought of all the anime he had watched, all the games he had played... and tried to form a sentence, still a little clumsy.
"... Girl... Adult... Warrior... RPG... Like..."
The goddess smiled sweetly, narrowing her eyes. She tapped her staff on the ground, and a golden light exploded around them.
"So be it."
And then, everything turned white.
Kari
"Wow..."
That was the only thing that came out of my mouth when I opened my eyes.
The world looked blurry, and I felt something strange on my head.
Touching it lightly, I realized I was wearing a helmet. It fully covered my head, only a two holes existed in front of my eyes. Judging by the heat and weight on my body, I was also wearing armor.
Convenient.
I noticed I was lying on soft grass.
My fingers sank slightly into the earth.
Next to me, a simple iron sword gleamed under the sun — or rather, the two suns hanging in the sky, one much smaller than the other.
Before I could think about anything else, a floating window popped up in front of my eyes.
[Welcome, Kari.]
[I am the System created by Goddess Hilen. I am present in all living beings in this world, but you will be able to manipulate me as if in an RPG.]
"Could you explain that better?"
[Here, everyone can learn skills and improve their attributes.
But for most, it happens unconsciously — they simply "feel" themselves getting stronger.
They also allocate their attribute points that way. As they can't control it, depending on their need at the moment or thoughts, they do it subconsciously.]
[You, however, can see and control your growth directly.]
"I see... so attributes like Strength, Vitality, that kind of thing?"
[Something like that.
In this world, the attributes are: Constitution (strength, endurance, magic defense), Vitality (regeneration and poison resistance), Dexterity (speed and weapon proficiency), and Magic (aptitude for sorcery and mana).]
"But... if they can't control their growth, are there any strong warriors or mages?"
[Sometimes, due to obsession or natural talent, a few specializes.
But it's rare. Most end up with balanced attributes.]
"Hmm... Alright, I think I get it. Show me my status!"
The window changed.
[Name: Kari
Level: 1 / Exp: 0/100
Gender: Female
Attributes: Constitution 31 / Vitality 1 / Dexterity 1 / Magic 1
Skills: As Above As Below(Unique), Knowledge(Unique), Tower of Babel(Unique)]
...
I stared at that screen in silence.
"No way..."
I closed the window.
"System, close."
The window vanished.
"System, open."
It reappeared.
But the content hadn't changed.
"SYSTEM, HELP!"
[Confused? Need assistance?]
"WHY AM I A WOMAN?!"
I screamed, patting my own body to confirm. The armor got in the way.
As I looked to it, I could see it was really ambiguously shaped: there was no way to know what was the gender of the knight wearing it.
[I cannot answer that. It was the Goddess's choice.]
"No... I... What did I even say to her...? This is all my fault for not having social skills..."
I fell backward onto the grass and lay there, staring at the sky for a long time.
"System... explain my skills, please..."
[Gladly.]
[First: all your current skills are unique. Only you possess them.]
[As Above As Below (Unique): Extends your body's properties to your equipment. If your body is hard as steel, so are your glasses, for example. The reverse can also occur if you wish]
[Knowledge (Unique): Allows you to analyze the status and skills of others.
The more familiar you are with an enemy, the less damage you take and the more damage you deal to them.
With allies, you can partially copy attributes while near them.
To completely copy your allies' attributes, you need to have a deep understanding of that being. When that happens, they also get access to your attributes while near you.]
[Tower of Babel (Unique): Grants +30 bonus Constitution points at the start.
You can also automatically understand the Common Language from this world. Everything you say, even if another language, will automatically reach the ears of others as the Common Language.
Your body will never appear monstrous — it will simply look well-trained, regardless of your true strength.
Each notable feat, personal goal completed or first victory against a new type of enemy grants +5 Constitution. Abilities that directly affects your soul or bypasses defenses are not as effective against you.
You are incapable of levelling other attributes that are not Constitution.]
[Any questions?]
"Hmm.. I guess. What are the status of the average person?"
[1 point in each attribute.]
"...So I'm thirty-one times stronger and tougher than a normal human?"
[Correct.]
"Give me an example."
[Strength: You can lift up to 3 tons.
Physical Impact: Your punches hit like a car crash.
Durability: Normal human punches do no damage. You can withstand crushing force.
Vulnerability: Heavy weapons can still hurt you, but much less.]
"Whoa..."
I thought for a moment, looking at the sword beside me.
I then picked up the sword, gazed out into the endless landscape, and sighed.
"Well... even if I'm a woman... it could be worse."
I let the melancholy wash over me as I started walking toward the unknown.
"When life gives you lemons..."
[1] " <- symbolizes speech
' <- means the character is thinking OR it insinuates something
when there is none, it means actions are ocurring.