I used to think reincarnation was cool.
But after fourteen years of living as a kid who couldn't do anything except stare at the Tower of Babel from a distance, I realized that if this was a novel, I definitely wasn't the main character.
My name's Kaizer now. Not a bad name, but not special either. Kind of like me, not bad, but far from special.
And maybe that's why I'm spending this afternoon the same way I always do: sitting on the roof of the wooden shack I call home, legs dangling in the air, staring at that massive tower with empty eyes.
The Tower of Babel. Symbol of adventure, magic, and power. Gateway to an underground world full of monsters and treasure.
The place where adventurers become legends.
And me?
I can only look at it from here, like a kid staring at a candy store through the window without a single coin in his pocket.
Funny, right?
I smile bitterly. No one's watching, so it doesn't matter if I look pathetic.
Fourteen years. That's how long it's been since I realized I'd reincarnated into the world of Danmachi. That's how long I've known that out there, there are powerful Familias, beautiful Goddesses, Ais Wallenstein who's cold but graceful, and Ryuu Lion who's calm but deadly.
And for all that time, I haven't been able to do anything but watch from afar, because there's one thing that makes me different and completely useless at the same time.
I lift my hand, staring at my palm covered in calluses. Calluses from washing dishes at the tavern, from hauling sacks at the market, from a life that has nothing to do with adventure.
My fingers tap against my thigh in an irregular rhythm, a habit I've picked up when I'm bored or frustrated.
And right now, I'm frustrated because of the small transparent box floating in the corner of my vision.
[System Synchronization: 99.7%]
I let out a long sigh and lean back against the rotting wooden tiles. The evening breeze sweeps through my slightly long hair. I haven't had time to cut it yet, or more accurately, I don't have money to pay a barber.
Just another trivial detail in a life full of trivial details.
System. That word should sound exciting, like something given to chosen people, protagonists, special people. But for me, this system's just a reminder of how much of a loser I am.
I grab a loose tile next to me and throw it down carelessly. A loud crash echoes as it shatters on the ground.
No one cares. No one complains.
Because here, everyone's too busy with their own problems to worry about some kid throwing tiles off a roof.
And why am I frustrated?
Because this system has never helped me. Never opened a menu, never gave me magic skills or a legendary sword. Just that little box, just that text, just a number that goes up one percent every few months.
From 0% to almost 100%, and all I could do was watch like an idiot waiting for a download with internet as slow as a damn snail.
I laugh quietly, but the sound falls flat even to my own ears.
"What's the point of a system if it works like dial-up in the middle of nowhere?"
No one answers.
Of course not.
I'm alone. I'm always alone.
And no, I'm not an orphan, at least not completely. My mom died when I was seven. My dad? Who knows. Maybe he was an adventurer who died in the dungeon, or maybe he just ran off.
No one told me, and I never asked, because from that point on I had to focus on one thing: surviving.
Odd jobs. Collecting leftover food from the market. Sometimes stealing, just a little, only when I was really hungry. I'm not proud of it, but I also can't pretend I could've survived on people's goodwill alone.
Orario's harsh, and I'm just a regular teenager with an adult's soul trapped in the body of a fourteen-year-old kid with no power whatsoever.
Yeah, I remember my old life. Vaguely, like a dream that's starting to fade. I remember sitting in front of a computer screen, reading light novels, watching anime, hoping that someday I could enter that world.
And now I'm here, but not as a hero, not as a genius, not even as an important side character.
I'm just a poor kid with a useless system.
I close my eyes, feeling the warmth of the afternoon sun on my face while listening to the sounds of the market starting to die down. Orario's getting ready for nightfall, and like always, I'll spend the night alone in my little shack.
[System Synchronization: 99.9%]
I open my eyes. Squinting, making sure I'm not seeing things.
The number changed.
My heart beats faster. This is the first time it's changed in the past month.
"Seriously?"
I sit up straight, almost losing my balance on the slanted roof. My hand grips the edge of a tile as I stare at that transparent box intently, as if staring at it longer will make it move faster.
But like always, nothing happens.
I wait. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. One minute.
Just when I'm about to give up...
[System Synchronization: 100%]
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
I stare at the transparent box like an idiot who just won the lottery but has no idea what to do with the money.
Intimacy Energy: 0 / 100
Skill: [Locked]
Silence.
No heavenly trumpets, no explosion of light, no angels descending from the sky carrying a complete user manual with an FAQ. Just the evening breeze blowing gently and the transparent box floating in the corner of my vision with information that explains absolutely nothing.
I wait. Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. My eyes don't blink because I'm scared of missing something important.
But nothing happens, and finally I can't take it anymore.
"Hello?" I whisper quietly. My voice sounds ridiculous even to my own ears. I scratch my head uncertainly before trying the most obvious thing. "Status."
No response.
"Menu?"
Silence.
I grit my teeth.
"System, open."
The evening wind answers with a soft breeze, and some small birds fly off from the neighboring roof. The transparent box just stays there, as if mocking me with its passive existence.
I bite my lower lip, feeling stupid but also too frustrated to stop now. If I already look like a crazy person, I might as well exhaust all possibilities before giving up.
I stand up on top of the shack roof, spreading my arms like some shounen protagonist about to unleash their ultimate move, then yell, "System! I summon you! Come forth!"
The result is just more birds flying away in alarm and my face burning even though no one's watching.
Thank god I'm on the roof. If anyone saw that, they'd probably think I was possessed or drunk. Or both.
I sit back down, my body feeling heavier. The wooden tile beneath me creaks softly, but I don't care. I'm too busy staring at that box with a flat look full of disappointment while trying to understand what's actually happening.
[Intimacy Energy: 0 / 100]
[Skill: Locked]
"Intimacy," I mutter quietly, tasting the word on my tongue.
Strange. Ambiguous. Unclear.
What does intimacy mean here? Do I have to date someone? Is this some kind of dating simulator disguised as a power system?
I shake my head quickly. Impossible. That sounds too absurd even for isekai standards.
If it's not that, then what?
I try to touch the transparent box with my finger, but my hand just passes through like touching air. No texture, no reaction. Just a visual I can see but can't touch.
I pull my hand back and clench my fist in frustration. I stare at my own clenched fist before slamming it down on the tile next to me.
Pain spreads through my knuckles, but at least it's real. More real than this damn system.
Over a decade. That's how long I've been waiting for this system to finish synchronizing. Now that it's finally done, all I get is a menu that won't open, a locked skill, and an energy bar with a vague name that starts at zero.
"Great," I say sarcastically to the empty air. "Over a decade of waiting just to get a system that doesn't even give me a tutorial."
I lie down on my back on the roof, staring at the sky that's starting to turn orange. The clouds move slowly, indifferent to my little drama.
That's when I realize that maybe I was hoping for too much. Maybe I read too many light novels in my old life. Too used to protagonists who get cheat systems, can immediately see their status, get powerful skills, and within a few chapters are already defeating high-level monsters.
But this isn't that kind of story, and I'm not that kind of protagonist.
I'm just Kaizer, a fourteen-year-old kid with a hazy past and an unclear future.
Still, something's bothering me. This system exists. That's a fact. I can see it, which means it's not a hallucination or fantasy. It's real in its own way, and if it's real, there must be a way to use it.
I just don't know how yet.
I close my eyes and try to think clearly.
Alright. Forget expectations. Forget all the isekai stories I've ever read. Focus on what's in front of me.
[Intimacy Energy: 0 / 100]
Zero means I need to fill it.
The question is how?
"Intimacy..." I whisper again, this time quieter and more thoughtful. The word has many meanings. Closeness. Emotional connection. Human bonds.
Do I have to make friends with people?
But I don't have friends. Never had them, even before Mom died. Orario isn't a friendly place for kids without protection. You learn to keep your distance and not get too close to anyone, because people close to you can leave at any time. They could die in the dungeon, or just disappear.
I shake my head and push away those dark thoughts.
Focus.
Maybe intimacy here doesn't have to be romantic. Maybe it's broader than that. Friendship, trust, or emotional bonds in any form.
But how do I know when I've gained it? Will there be a notification? Will the number go up by itself?
I glance at the box again.
No change. Of course not. I haven't done anything yet.
I let out a long sigh and feel a strange weight in my chest. This feels like a joke. A system that gives me a goal without telling me how to achieve it, like being given a map with my eyes covered.
But at least now I have a purpose. All this time I've just been surviving, watching the Tower of Babel from afar, dreaming of becoming an adventurer without knowing how to start.
Now there's something I can try, even though I don't know what it is yet.
I get up slowly and push myself into a sitting position. The sun's almost completely set, and Orario's starting to be lit by magical crystal lamps along the main streets. From here the city looks beautiful, like a glittering jewel.
But I know the truth.
That beauty only exists on the surface, on the main roads and adventurer districts. In places like mine, on the outskirts, there's no magic. Just muddy ground, wooden shacks, and people too tired to dream, too tired even to live.
I climb down from the roof carefully. First foot stepping on the rickety wooden ladder. The third plank creaks softly. I already know which ones are safe and which aren't.
My shack doesn't have much. A thin straw mattress, one blanket, a small table with one chair, and a wooden box containing a few shabby clothes.
That's it. But it's all mine.
I light a small candle on the table with practiced movements. The match I'm using is almost spent. Its weak light makes shadows dance on the wooden walls.
I sit in the worn chair and stare at the transparent box still floating in the corner of my vision.
[Intimacy Energy: 0 / 100]
"Alright," I whisper to myself. My hand clenches on the table. "If you won't tell me how, I'll figure it out myself."
I don't know where to start, but I have time. The only valuable thing I own. For the first time in over a decade, I feel like something's changing.
The finish line I've been waiting for all this time turned out to be just the starting line, and I've only just begun to run.
I stare at the flickering candle flame. My fingers tap on the table in a slow rhythm while my mind starts planning the first step.
Tomorrow, I'll try something.
Whatever it is.