6 A Players Awakening
Three days later …
Izuku woke up in a cold sweat as he gasped for air looking around at his new surroundings. Sunlight bled into the room casting a golden hue as the sun was slowly setting over the horizon.
The sounds of people and street cars could be heard outside the window of the room.
As Izuku continuously looked around trying to figure out where he was he noticed medical supplies at his side. Seeing the supplies Izuku now knew he was in a hospital. Although multiple questions were cluttering his mind no answers could be found. As he looked around the bright white room that shone a golden hue he saw his body.
Looking at his body, he saw that he was wearing a light blue hospital gown. However, there was something else he noticed as he scanned his body, to his surprise and astonishment there was not a scar or wound to be found.
He was perplexed at this sudden realization as he started to pounder. He asked out loud "What happened?" His words weren't answered fading into the silence of the room.
Izuku soon heard a knock as the room door was opened and in came a middle-aged man with a shaved head and a young woman with long black curly hair. Izuku looked at them as he suspected they were his doctor and nurse.
"H-hi," Izuku said sheepishly as he waved at the duo, getting a small chuckle from the doctor along with a giggle from the nurse.
"Greetings, Midoriya Izuku. I'm your doctor. I must say, you gave everyone quite a scare at what you did three days ago" The doctor said as he looked at the sheets. And in his surprise Izuku exclaims.
"I'VE BEEN ASLEEP FOR THREE DAYS?!?
Izuku's voice quavered across the room as he spoke. "S-sorry… but three days… is my frie-". Izuku abruptly stopped, his mouth clamping shut as he remembered Bakugo's harsh words as they reverberated through his mind.
'Believe that your useless ass will be born with a quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof!'
"Is my classmate alright?" Izuku asked with a hint of disinterest as he glanced between the nurse and doctor, studying their expressions as they examined his medical documents.
"Ah yes, your friend is alright as of now; he didn't have serious injuries like yourself, but he was checked on. You two are very lucky to have been saved by All Might. Lucky indeed." The doctor said as he put down Izuku's papers and handed them over to the nurse.
"He's not my friend... And saved by All Might? That bastard came late I could have died, I thought I died!" Izuku muttered in a low voice, his gaze shifting between the doctor and the nurse.
The doctor raised his brows in confusion as he looked at Izuku and uttered, "What was that?" "N-nothing although is my mom alright?" Izuku asked with an expression of worry on his face.
The doctor said kindly, "Yes don't worry, your mother is doing just fine. She wanted to stay longer, in the hopes that you'd wake up, but unfortunately, she had to go to work, as she had already stayed with you throughout these three days and didn't want to risk getting fired. She left you a change of clothes in case you were feeling good enough to go outside for a while. She loves you dearly, young man would you like to call her? I can ask the nurse to get the medical phone for you." The doctor said as he was about to ask the nurse to bring the hospital phone for Izuku.
"O-oh… No, I-it's alright, thank you," Izuku breathed out, gripping the bedsheets tightly as he asked, "How much longer will I be staying here?"
The doctor smiled reassuringly at Izuku as he said, "Just a few more days, and then we can send you back into the world with the assurance that you are good to go. You were incredibly injured - almost all your bones were either broken or fractured, and your body was covered in burns, cuts, and bruises. Not to mention the large hole through your chest and the immense amount of blood loss. It's nothing short of a miracle that you managed to survive long enough to get here."
"Thank you," Izuku said with an affirmative nod, at the doctor and nurse as they smiled and left the room. Once the door shut, Izuku glanced up and was met with the familiar blue message.
[Message]
[You have unread mail]
'So they couldn't see it?!' Izuku asked in disbelief, gazing at the popup window that was hovering above him. His mind raced with questions. 'What is this? Is this a quirk? Why do I have this?' Yet there were no answers in sight. Izuku looked once more at his body, lifting up his gown; there were no bandages, no burn marks… not even his old scars. "What the hell happened to me?" he said to himself, before peeking between his fingers at the box above him. He then reached up cautiously, but his hand went right through the screen. "Guess it's not a touchscreen," he muttered.
"Open mailbox," Izuku uttered as the screen quickly changed.
[Message]
[Welcome Player]
[Daily Quest is now available]
"Daily Quest? What's that? Izuku asked as he uttered "Open Daily Quest!"
[Notice]
[This system is here to facilitate the player's development throughout their journey.]
[The host's rewards have arrived.]
Izuku stared at the two information windows before him, confusion written all over his face. "What does this even mean?" "And what's with this host?" he murmured, his mind drifting back to the window he saw during the attack. "Could this be my quirk?" he wondered.
"Courage of the Weak," Izuku mutters although he was broken out of his thoughts as a new popup window opened, and the others disappeared.
[Message]
[Daily Quest: Preparations to become powerful]
Push-up, 100 times: incomplete (0/100)
Sit-up, 100 times: incomplete (0/100)
Squats, 100 times: incomplete (0/100)
Running, 10 km: incomplete (0/10)
*Warning: incomplete of Daily Quest will result in appropriate levels of punishment.
There was a clock at the bottom of the message as Izuku read through the 'Quest'.
"T-this has to be a joke, right?" Izuku questioned, his gaze flicking around the hospital as the sun prepared to set. "Someone hospitalized, let alone me… This has to be some joke. I don't have the strength or energy to deal with this right now."With a sigh, Izuku flopped back into bed, rolling over to his side. "I'll look into it later after I've had some rest."
The sun slowly descended below the horizon as Izuku slept, yet he remained oblivious to the clock on the bottom of the quest board as it shifted from green to yellow, and finally red. As the clock turned red, a new message appeared before his face; Izuku squinted, startled by the sudden blaring red light. "What's going on?" he uttered, as the sound of an artificial female voice rung out.
[Notice]
[Having failed to accomplish the daily quest, the host is now proceeding to the 'penalty zone' for a predetermined period.]
The ground started to tremble as Izuku jumped upright in a state of shock and surprise. His heart raced as he frantically tried to make sense of the situation unfolding before him. "What the hell is going on?!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with a mix of terror and bewilderment. Suddenly, darkness descended and Izuku soon found himself standing in the middle of a desert with the sun's gentle yellow light radiating before him, casting long shadows across the dunes.
"A DESERT!?" Izuku yelled in shock, his voice reverberating through the desolate landscape as he frantically clawed at the sand beneath his feet. "No way... this has to be a dream, right?" "Right?!" Izuku's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as he heard the sand shifting and falling behind him. His body went cold as he spun in fear and was met with the sight of a giant centipede. The colossal creature towered above him, its numerous legs skittering across the sand with an unsettling rhythm. Its segmented body glistened under the sun's rays, giving it an otherworldly appearance. "W-w-w-what the fuck!?" Izuku stammered in shock as looked at the creature in terror.
[Quest Directions]
[Penalty Quest: Survive.]
[Goal: Survive until the time runs out.
Time required: 4 hours
Time Remaining: 3 h 59 min 57 sec]
"Y-you're k-kidding, right…?" Izuku scrambled to his feet as he started to run.
As he ran the scorching heat of the sun continuously beamed upon him as he ran across the vast desert. His every footstep became heavier as the sand dragged and sunk his feet deeper into the sand as if the desert itself was conspiring against him. His body ached and felt sour from the continuous running. His head dripped with sweat as his eyes started to strain and his vision started to blur. Although he kept pushing never stopped running as the time of the quest continued to count down.
[Time Remaining: 2 h 43 min 38 sec]
However, it was not just one centipede that pursued Izuku; soon, others emerged from the depths of the sand, joining in the chase. Their elongated bodies slithered through the grains with an eerie gracefulness, their sharp pincers poised to strike. Izuku's heart raced as he evaded their relentless pursuit, zigzagging through the unforgiving terrain in a desperate bid for survival, knowing that one wrong move could mean certain death.
2 hours 43 minutes and 16 seconds later...
Soon, Izuku's desperate dash came to an abrupt halt as he collapsed onto the unforgiving ground, his body sinking into the coarse sand beneath him. As the relentless advance of the centipedes closed in on him, their countless legs scuttling ominously, Izuku felt the overwhelming exhaustion and dehydration take hold of him. His throat felt parched and his vision began to blur, the relentless sun beating down upon him further draining the already depleted energy from his body. With each passing moment, his limbs grew increasingly numb and weak, leaving him utterly helpless in the face of imminent danger. Lying there defenseless, Izuku could only watch in terror as one of the centipedes, its grotesque mouth dripping with anticipation, slowly inched closer and poised itself to devour him.
[Notice]
[Host has completed the penalty quest. You will now be transported back to your previous location]
The artificial voice of the woman resounded throughout as the desert disappeared and shifted back into the hospital room, where Izuku was staying.
Izuku faceplants onto the hard floor, scrambling to his hands and knees as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked up, just in time to catch the message before it changed.
[Message]
[The Player's rewards for completing the penalty quest have arrived.]
[Would the host like to accept?]
"Penalty quest?" Izuku muttered weakly, just before passing out, just as a nurse walked in. All she saw was the sand, blanketing Izuku's body and clinging to his clothes, which were torn and dirtied with dirt and pebbles. His body lay motionless on the cold floor, his breathing labored.
"What happened here?!" The nurse exclaimed as she checked on Izuku's unconscious body. "Someone help! Please!" She cried out desperately into the hallway.
The following morning, Izuku woke in a panic, his heart pounding and threatening to burst from his chest as he felt a cold sweat on his forehead as the memories of the previous near-death experience he had endured during the penalty quest assigned to him by the mysterious system came flooding back to him. The sun had yet to rise, and the dim yellow light of the hospital hallway illuminated the otherwise dark and silent corridor. Soon the artificial female voice resounded through the room as multiple popup windows emerged in front of Izuku their bright blue light adding some light to the dim room.
[Message]
[The Player's rewards for completing the penalty quest have arrived.]
[Would the host like to accept?]
Izuku took a deep breath as he looked around the room, his gaze eventually settling on a mini desk to his side which had a glass of water placed on it. He assumed that the water had been left by one of the nurses. Without hesitation, he grabbed the glass and quickly gulped down the contents in one go, his voice echoing in the room as he said "Accept!".
Soon the multiple windows disappeared as a new one emerged.
[Quest Rewards]
Reward 1: +3 status points
Reward 2: Random Loot Box
As Izuku read through the rewards the system provided him, he had a few questions as he asked himself. 'What were Status Points? How were they used? And what was a Random Loot Box?'
As curiosity intrigued Izuku he decided to delve deeper into the system as he asked aloud "What are Status Points" As those words resounded the artificial voice of a woman resounded once more.
[Status points are points which are used to enhance the player's Strength, Vitality, Agility, Intelligence, and Sense attributes.]
As Izuku heard this, a smirk spread across his face as he exclaimed, 'Ah, so these status points are akin to the ones in games! With this, I should be able to level the playing field against those with Quirks!' Excitement coursed through Izuku's veins at this realization, though he kept it in check, as he further thought, 'I'll have to use these points wisely and to my advantage.'
"Now as for the Random Loot Box, what is it?" Izuku asked aloud as the female voice responded.
[The Random Loot Box is a reward provided to the Player upon completion of certain quests, containing a random item that will be useful for the Player throughout their day.]
Izuku's curiosity about the random loot box reward only continued to grow as the female voice read the description. The idea of receiving a random item that could potentially be useful throughout his day intrigued him, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel wary about what could be inside.
"The potential benefit of randomly receiving an item that could potentially help me throughout the day is very intriguing; however, the nature of randomness means that there is no guarantee of receiving a particularly useful item. Although the system claims to provide me with a random item that will be beneficial, it fails to clarify the value of the item I will receive. For all I know, I could get something incredibly valuable and beneficial, or something less valuable or even redundant. Randomization is determined by chance, so there is no way of knowing what I will get, even if it is said to be helpful. I'll just hold off on opening this item for now." Izuku thought as he considered the potential reward from the items.
As Izuku thought over the multitude of Information he gained from the system he was interrupted as another all too familiar window popped up in front of him.
[Message]
[Daily Quest: Preparations to become powerful]
Push-up, 100 times: incomplete (0/100)
Sit-up, 100 times: incomplete (0/100)
Squats, 100 times: incomplete (0/100)
Running, 10 km: incomplete (0/10)
*Warning: incomplete of Daily Quest will result in appropriate levels of punishment.
Izuku shuddered at the thought of facing the Penalty Quest once more. "Given my current condition, I doubt I'd make it out alive if I failed," he said with a sigh, before positioning his frail body on the ground and attempting a push-up. "There's only one way I'm getting out of that I'll have to complete these objectives no matter what!" Izuku declared, his eyes burning with determination.
Three days later...
Two nurses were talking near a window as they enjoyed their break, one sipping her coffee slowly. "So did you see the boy they brought in from the sludge villain incident?" The other nurse nodded. "Yeah, he's been running every day since he woke up," she said, her gaze following Izuku as he sprinted past them. The first nurse frowned, her brows knitting together in concern. "Is that okay for him to do? He's already been through so much." The other nurse smiled, her face softening. "If it's light exercise and he doesn't overdo it, it's okay."
As Izuku ran around the perimeter of the hospital, he eventually came to a stop, propping himself up on his knees and breathing heavily. He had a slight smirk on his face, despite the sweat dripping down his head and the exhaustion he felt from his run.
[Notice]
[Daily Quest: Preparations to become powerful]
Push-up, 100 times: complete (100/100)
Sit-up, 100 times: complete (100/100)
Squats, 100 times: complete (100/100)
Running, 10 km: complete (10/10)
'No one else can see the messages or windows… that's good, keeps this hidden. This will undoubtedly prove beneficial so others don't find out about this as I'm sure this isn't a quirk but something more. I'll have to learn more as I look more into this system.' Izuku thought as he looked at his surroundings seeing that others didn't notice the popup windows that floated in front of him.
[Quest Rewards]
[Choose your reward]
[The Player may choose one of the provided rewards below.]
Reward 1: Status Recovery
Reward 2: +3 Status Points
Reward 3: +1 Random Box
[Would the host like to accept?]
Looking at the window above him Izuku said, "Accept status Recovery" as he stood up straight as golden light particles danced along his body surrounding him like Magic. As a result, Izuku's fatigue was healed, and he could breathe normally again. He no longer felt tired, as if the exhaustion had never occurred.
"Magic that heals your fatigue after exercise… it almost feels like cheating", he thought to himself with a smirk on his face, as he sat down on a nearby bench with a sigh.
Throughout the past few days, Izuku learned more about the system, as he now knew he was able to summon and store items within it through the inventory function, although Izuku was still unsure of the limitations associated with this ability. As well as possessing the ability to view his Player Status which displays his stats, as well as other information that he is yet to fully comprehend.
Izuku held out his hand as the box appeared in it. He could increase any one of the character stats at will. As long as he had stat points.
[Status]
Name: Midoriya Izuku Level: 1
Job: None Fatigue:0
Title: None
HP: 100/100
MP:22/22
Strength:16 Vitality:10
Agility:10 Intelligence:11
Sense:10
Remaining points :3
Skills
[Passive]
? (unknown) Max
Muscularity LV. 1
Sprint Lv.1
"I become stronger as I enhance my stats... naturally, leveling up should have a similar effect, just as that of a game. However, it seems that the exercise that I do from the Daily Quest also increases my stats as well. I wonder what else this system has in store?" Izuku thought carefully before pulling up his Skills sheet and Inventory sheets as he leaned back into the bench staring at the boxes. "This is exciting."
As he made his way back to his room, Izuku grabbed the clothes his mother had left for him and quickly got dressed. He couldn't help but wonder why they still hadn't allowed him to check out yet, but he pushed the thought aside, knowing he had more important matters to attend to; namely, he had to test out something related to the item he had obtained from one of the two Random Loot Boxes he gained. One as a reward for surviving the Penalty Quest and the other he chose as a reward from one of his Daily Quest completions.
As Izuku went down to the receptionist desk of the hospital, wearing a black hoodie, a pair of brown sweatpants, and black shoes, he yawned while rubbing his hair as he asked the middle-aged lady that sat there, "Can I take a leave for today?"
"That's fine, but where will you be heading to?" The receptionist asks without bothering to look up.
"I have to go see a classmate," Izuku lied smoothly. "I need to get my schoolwork done." The receptionist nodded in response, gesturing towards a paper and pen on the end of the desk. "Go ahead and sign out, then you're free to go," The receptionist said. Izuku quickly went and signed as he made his way to a subway near the hospital. He stopped at the entrance, staring down the stairs before pulling out a golden key from his inventory. "It's about time I see what this does," he murmured.
The random box he obtained from the Daily Quest completion gave him this key and told him where to go.
[Item: Dungeon Key]
Item class: E
Type: Key
[A key that allows the Player to create an instant dungeon. You may use this at the 3rd entrance of Endeavor station.]
"A key to open an instant dungeon… yeah, this definitely feels like a game", Izuku swallowed softly. "Guess I should give it a try… this thing might not be a quirk but I'm far behind in training. I'll need to catch up.", Izuku muttered to himself as people walked around him, ignoring him like they usually did. He held the key out in his hand and breathed out. "No more running away, no more being weak. I'll show them all that I can climb the ladder of this world and sit at the top!"
As the key illuminated the area, the crackling of electricity filled the air around him. At the bottom of the steps, a mysterious blue light bled through, creating a portal that looked as if it had been plucked from the stars. Its pulsing light seemed to carry an otherworldly energy, beckoning Izuku to step through its shimmering surface. The air around the portal was charged with an intense, electric energy that made Izuku's hair stand on end. He could feel the power of the portal calling to him, urging him to step through its threshold. With a deep breath, Izuku steadily made his way down the stairs, his emerald eyes glowing with determination. He stepped through the entrance, ready to face whatever awaited him on the other side.
[Notice]
[The Player has entered the instant Dungeon.]
