Morning sunlight slipped through the small gaps in the curtains of Aki's room, painting the wooden floor with soft golden rays. The peaceful atmosphere of the morning was a sharp contrast to the chaos he had experienced only days ago. Outside, Justia was already coming alive.
The distant voices of merchants opening their shops echoed through the streets. The sound of footsteps from citizens beginning their daily routines mixed with the occasional clatter of adventurers preparing their equipment before heading out for quests.
For most people, it was just another normal day. But for Aki... Every day in this world was still something completely new.
Aki sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his tired eyes before stretching. [Aki yawning]:"Today's the day I finally assign these stat points..." He opened his system menu.
A blue screen appeared in front of him, displaying his current status.
The remaining 75 stat points he had been saving were waiting. Aki stared at the numbers carefully. Unlike before, he wasn't just randomly throwing points around anymore. He had learned his lesson. Every decision mattered. [Aki thinking]:"I need to think carefully this time."
He crossed his arms. [Aki]:"What type of build should I go with?" His eyes moved between the different stats. [Aki]:"I need to be fast enough to dodge attacks, but if I do get hit, I need to survive it." He tapped his chin. [Aki]:"But all of that won't matter if I can't fight back." A small smile appeared on his face. [Aki]:"Yeah... I should focus on becoming stronger overall."
He started assigning his points.
Aki Toshiba's Stats
[ Strength: 50 Agility: 48
Durability: 43 Vitality: 32
Magic: 27 . Stat points: 0]
Aki nodded proudly. [Aki]:"There we go. Balanced enough." He turned his attention toward Cynth. [Aki]:"How does that look?" A few seconds passed before Cynth responded. [Cynth]:"I see... quite impressive."
Aki smiled. [Cynth]:"You chose a build that focuses more on your physical combat ability rather than maximizing one of your magic abilities." Aki looked at his stats again. [Cynth]:"Considering your fighting style with the Axium Blade, that was probably the correct choice." Aki grinned. [Aki]:"Finally, a good decision from me." [Cynth]:"Don't get too proud. You still make plenty of questionable decisions."
Aki ignored that comment.
[Aki]:"Anyway, do I get any new skills this time around?" A blue notification appeared.
You have received new skills:
Spatial awareness. Allows the user to see a map of the area in a 80 metre radius with people as dots.
Air jumps. Allows the user to make three additional jumps while in the air.
Fire manipulation. Allows the user to have fire based abilities:
Fire ball. Sends out a small ball of fire.
Flame cannon. Sends out a bigger stronger more destructive ball of fire.
Heat resistance. Makes the user immune to hot and cold temperatures.
Aki's eyes widened as he read through everything. He quickly moved through each skill, studying what they could do. [Aki excited]:"For starter skills, these are actually pretty impressive." He looked at Fire Manipulation. [Aki]:"Having fire abilities will definitely be useful." Then he looked at Spatial Awareness. [Aki]:"And this one is basically like having a mini radar."
He leaned back. [Aki]:"Not bad." Cynth floated beside him. [Cynth]:"Remember, skills are only as useful as the person using them." Aki nodded. [Aki]:"Yeah, yeah. I know." He closed the menu and stood up. He opened his inventory selected his adventurer clothes and equipped them. The black cloak and white details immediately replaced his normal clothes, giving him the appearance of someone ready to explore a fantasy world. Aki looked at himself. [Aki]:"Still can't believe this is my life now."
For a brief moment, he remembered his old room. The games. The isolation. The endless days spent staring at a screen. Then he shook his head. There was no point looking back. He had something waiting for him now. A new adventure. A new world. And new people. Aki slowly headed toward the door. [Aki smiling]:"Oh well... no time to waste." He opened the door. [Aki]:"I gotta meet up with Soe."
And with that, Aki stepped outside, ready for another day in Justia.
The morning streets of Justia were already alive before Aki even reached the café. The kingdom had a different feeling compared to the quiet streets he had walked through when he first arrived. Back then, everything felt unfamiliar — every building, every person, every strange rule of this world reminding him that he was far away from everything he knew.
But today felt different. Today, he was starting to understand this place. The streets were filled with merchants preparing their stalls, adventurers carrying weapons across their backs, and citizens moving through their daily routines. The sounds of footsteps, conversations, and distant laughter blended together into a peaceful rhythm. Above them, banners decorated with the colors of Justia waved proudly in the wind. White. Yellow. Blue. The symbol of a kingdom that represented order and hope.
Aki pushed open the wooden door of the Midnight Café, instantly being welcomed by the familiar warmth inside. The smell hit him first. Freshly brewed coffee. Warm bread. Sweet pastries. It was strangely comforting. Out of all the places he had visited since arriving in this world, this café was the first place that actually felt familiar.
Aki looked around and noticed the café was much busier than yesterday. Adventurers sat in groups discussing quests, merchants talked about business, and normal citizens enjoyed their morning meals. Then his eyes found the person he was looking for. Soe was sitting near the window, casually drinking a cup of coffee. Unlike yesterday, when they had been fighting for their lives against the skeleton warrior, he looked completely relaxed. His dark brown hair was slightly messy, and his adventurer clothing showed signs that he had traveled and fought many battles before. But there was something calm about him.