On the streets of Tokyo, a young man with tanned skin, long messy black hair, standing 1.80m tall, intense blue eyes, a silver earring, and a muscular body with a few scars could be seen walking while grumbling to no one in particular.
"System, what do you mean I don't have anywhere to stay? You just threw me into this world without a single cent or even a home."
[The one who sent you was the Goddess. It's not like gods need to worry about housing. It was probably a miscalculation.]
"Okay, let's assume it was a miscalculation. And now?
We've got less money than a beggar, no house, and no way to get food."
[This must be a test—to measure your resilience.]
"A test, my ass."
"Let's just try to find an abandoned house to spend the night at least."
"I knew I should've waited until morning to leave the hospital."
"I lived in a hospital for years one more night wouldn't have killed me."
As I walked through the streets of Tokyo, I couldn't help but admire the city's nighttime beauty, which I had only ever seen through screens before.
Billboards lit up on tall buildings.
Neon lights flickered everywhere.
But as in every world, not every place is beautiful.
When I entered an alley, I couldn't help but notice how it carried an air of tension, coldness, and distance,.a sharp contrast with the bustling lights of the crowd.
The deeper I went, searching for somewhere to spend the night, the more suffocating the air became.
Eventually though I had no idea how long it took I found a house that looked abandoned and far enough from populated areas.
'What do you think about this house, system?' I asked, staring at its crumbling structure.
[A house completely unworthy of a warrior of the Goddess.]
'Looks good enough for me.'
As I stepped inside, I began examining the interior.
Walls peeling with mold, stains, and even holes.
The roof was partially caved in.
The air was damp and dusty, making it hard to breathe.
Each step I took made the floorboards creak so loudly it felt like no one had walked there in years.
But what really caught my attention was the total absence of furniture not a single piece remained in the house.
'A place like this almost feels like going back home,' I muttered as I lay down in the cleanest spot I could find on the floor.
'System, if anything strange happens or someone comes in, wake me immediately.'
[Understood, host.]
And with that, I fell asleep until morning.
---
The first rays of sunlight slipped through the cracks of the broken roof, illuminating the young man's face as he lay on the floor.
He opened his eyes with difficulty, his arm numb and his nose irritated by the dust. A shameless yawn escaped before he could hold it back.
"Hmmmm... it's been a long time since I've slept this well," I said while stretching and getting up from the filthy floor.
"Did anything happen while I slept, system?"
[Yes. The Goddess's second gift has arrived.]
"And what is it?" I asked, barely able to contain my curiosity.
[Look behind you.]
Turning around, I saw something that hadn't been there before a cellphone lying on the ground.
Picking it up, I frowned. "The gift that's supposed to help me get stronger... is a cellphone?" I said, perplexed.
[Turn it on and check its contents.]
Seeing the system so confident, I couldn't help but grow curious.
The moment I pressed the power button, a blinding light hit my face.
"Aaahhh!
Who gives someone a phone with maximum brightness?!" I yelled while quickly lowering it.
As I browsed through the phone, nothing stood out as particularly special. Scratching my head, I asked the system in confusion:
'Doesn't seem like there's anything special here.'
[It's the last app the group chat.]
Trusting the system, I opened the app.
{Would you like to open the manual?}
{Yes} {No}
Clicking "Yes," a message appeared on the screen:
{Welcome to the Group Chat. If you pressed this button, it means you are still alive. I'm sorry for not being able to help you on this journey and for passing the responsibility of the universe to a single individual. But I hope you will fight in my name. Below, you'll find an explanation of this chat's functionality and purpose.}
The Goddess really seems guilty about dumping this responsibility on me, I thought, a little embarrassed.
'What do you think about this, system?'
[It's like a human handing the responsibility of the world to an ant.]
'Ei! You didn't have to humiliate me too. With a personality like that, you'll never have any friends,' Haruto replied jokingly.
The system went silent, as if offended by the remark.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop joking and keep reading."
{Chat functionalities}
{Bridge between different worlds across universes}
{World travel users require the administrator's permission to move between worlds}
{Means of communication between key world members}
{Members' mission is to eliminate the Order of Collapse}
{Each invited member gains World Adaptation, allowing them to adjust to the world and use powers such as mana, chakra, ki, etc.}
{Administrator has full control over member access to the chat and may expel them at will}
{Invite members}
{Yes} {No}
'This will invite people from anime worlds too?' I asked the system, barely containing my curiosity.
[Yes. The worlds you call "anime worlds" are, in fact, real. As for why that knowledge is beyond me.]
'Thanks for the explanation, system.'
To think that everything I watched was real...
I had suspected it after ending up in Tokyo Ghoul, but I thought that might have been the only anime world that was real.
Barely able to contain my curiosity about who they might be, I clicked {Yes}.
{Goddess of the Hearth has joined the group}
{Nejire-chan has joined the group}
{Little Butterfly has joined the group}