Hopeless?

" We are twice armed if we fight with faith. " - Plato

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" Agh, for fuck's sake " I released a pained groan as I held my lower stomach, staring at the end of the alleyway. I saw civilians passing by, completely oblivious to the fight that had just taken place here. I turned my attention back to my surroundings. Twenty guys lay on the ground, battered and bruised, with only one standing tall – my friend and someone I could call a true brother, Fukushi.

He was a boy of the same age as me, his long hair flowing behind him each time the wind struck us, and his eyes shining with a strange blaze that could make anyone want to fight with all their heart. His words also held a different kind of feeling to them, as if you were meant to be there, to be there for whatever he fights for and against. And yet here he is, following me like a lost puppy.

He turned back to me with his same old goofy grin on his face. "You good, Musashi?" He walked up to me, extending his hand out. "You took quite a beating when they knew who you were. I still can't believe you beat eighteen guys. Jeez, they were so strong."

Staring at Fukushi, I couldn't help but chuckle as I reached out and grabbed his hand. "You know I see pain differently." I smiled as I wrapped my arm around his neck. "Ever since I was born, I was different."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." He laughed as he leaned his hand slightly forward, turning his head towards me. "Anyways, what school are you planning on going to?"

Hearing him, I stopped walking for a few seconds. 'It was getting close to that time now, huh?' I turned back at him, showing a smile as blood dripped down my nose. "I heard Furin has some pretty strong fighters."

Fukushi, hearing me, tilted his back onto my arm as he stared into the sky. "Why that place?" He pondered as he turned his head back towards me. "They're not the same as they used to be. I doubt there will be any strong fighters, Mush."

"I told you to stop calling me Mush!" I sent out a soft punch towards his gut, causing him to keel over as a joke. "Don't keel over like that, it's not realistic." He stared back up at me before tilting his head. " I don't get how you're so good at fighting with how you act. " I held my hand out towards him. " Either way, I'm glad we became friends, Fuku. "

He grabbed my hand, causing me to pull him up. "Haha, to think we've been friends since birth." He looked into the sky as his eyes started to swell. "I should've never punched you."

"Why are you crying?" I stared at him, shocked as I've never seen Fukushi cry so randomly out of the blue. 'He reminds me of my old self, the one before I was reborn.'

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MC's past:

I can't believe I'm about to get in another fight again. How bad is my luck? This is my sixth time today, and I'm already out of breath from that last fight. If I don't beat them in a short amount of time, I might lose due to my lack of stamina. To think this is the only way they can beat me.

Walking through the streets of Tokyo, I could only sigh. People work day and night and then proceed to enjoy some relaxation. But here I am, fighting all day and night, with my only rest being at school – if you can even count that as rest. Sighing, I turned the corner, only to see a truck come flying in my direction.

What is this cliche? I tried to rush towards the side, but the truck just instantly changed angle. It was too close, way too close for me to dodge. Raising my arms in front of me, I prepared for impact. I was not going to lose.

The world had gone pitch black, and I heard the successions of taps come from ahead of me. Revealing a man of rather short stature, but I would not make fun of him for that, for his muscles showed he was well-trained in fighting. They weren't showy, but you could see he was well-built.

"Alrighty, so you are my first one for today." He hopped off his chair as he walked towards me, a small smile on his face. "Name? Age? Gender?"

"Uhhh, It's Miyamoto Musashi. I'm seventeen and I have a dick between my legs." I grinned at him, causing him to slightly chuckle before jotting everything down. "So what's this all about?"

He stared up at me from his small notebook. "Reincarnation, I guess. Never really bothered with it." This caused me to raise my eyebrows. "I was forced to do it for today, thankfully you're the only one expected today."

Hearing him, I simply nodded as I turned to stare at my surroundings. It was an old abandoned building, with all the cracks that had formed in the concrete. "Jeez, couldn't you remodel this place?" I turned back towards him, causing him to only shrug his shoulders.

"What would be the point?" This caused me to nod. Indeed, what would be the point? "Anyways, let us get to your spins. You get three each."

Hearing him, I nodded. It was similar to those reincarnation tropes I heard from the nerds in my class. "How many wheels?" Causing him to raise three fingers. "Do they have anything special to them?"

This caused him to nod. "Indeed, since you're going to a world based on fighting." He raised one finger. "Your first will be on fighting techniques, the second will be your perks such as being able to see your surroundings, and the third and final is all about your body and mind."

Hearing him, I simply nodded. I walked up to my first wheel before turning back to the god. "So do I just grab and pull down?" This caused me to receive a nod from him as I pulled down.

I turned back and took a deep breath before pulling as hard as I could. The wheel spun rapidly before slowly reaching a near stop on one martial art. "Sayokan? What the fuck is that?"

The man behind me chuckled as I spoke. "A decent martial art, it will help build the other two that come after. This is because you will learn all angles of attack and how to move your body like a snake. You would be untouchable, for everything you spin on this wheel makes you its master."

I listened to his words, and from the sound of it, it was a decent art of fighting. But I just had to hope I got some good ones from these next two spins. I pulled the wheel down again, and this time it took far longer, as the ticks got longer with each second. However, it eventually landed on a new martial art called

' Dambe. '

The information suddenly flooded my mind, causing me to collapse onto my knees, a chuckle leaving the mouth of the man who stood next to me. "The primary weapon is the strong-side fist. The strong-side fist, known as the 'spear,' is wrapped in a piece of cloth covered by tightly knotted cord."

Hearing the explanation, I nodded. So it was that type of fighting. A grin formed further on my face. "The other defensive hand, called the 'shield,' is held with the open palm facing toward the opponent. Said hand can be used to grab or hold as required."

That was understandable, and I could see why it would become useful later on in the future. It should allow me to block incoming attacks and dish out some of my own. "The lead leg is often wrapped in a chain, and the chain-wrapped leg is then used for both offense and defense. The unwrapped back leg can also be used to kick."

Hearing the voice tell me about the chain-wrapped leg was surprising. This was really going to get my blood pumping when I finally use these techniques in a real fight. If I wrap my legs in chains, I'm most likely going to aim for breaking their legs. It will have to be a game-ender, that's for sure.

Approaching the wheel once more, I breathed in before spinning it. This time it only clicked twice before landing on the art. The one it had landed on was something I was far more used to –

' Krav Maga. '

Hearing clapping from behind me, I looked towards the man. "I thought it would be a nice little gift for you." I couldn't help but nod. It had been something I was used to since I was a child, as my father, who was a former soldier, trained me in it. Even if it had resulted in me getting knocked out each time, they were truly fun times as me and my father both enjoyed it when we fought each other, even if I had been on the losing end each time.

"Now then, should we move on to the next wheel?" He pointed to a new wheel that had randomly just plopped onto the ground, this time the things on it had changed.

I walked towards the wheel before pulling it down, causing it to roll past abilities of all kinds, some that I had heard of before and others that were completely unknown to my brain. It took some time, but it was worth the wait.

' Full Battlefield Awareness. '

Well, that was a pretty easy one to understand. This means I should have a far easier time fighting in crowds of people now that I just got this one. I couldn't help but smile at that. It has happened far too many times that I fought five or more people while I was a single person.

Oh, how fun those times had been, no matter how challenging it was. Each time I came out on top, it felt like I truly accomplished something in my life that had been purely defined by fighting.

Turning my attention back towards the wheel, I spun it again, the clicking of the wheel reverberating through the room. This time it clicked fourteen times, causing me to chuckle. I don't even know why I had been counting each time it clicked, maybe to stave away the boredom spinning these wheels would bring or something else entirely.

' Auto Reflex .'

Turning towards the one that brought me here, I couldn't help but grin when I saw his shocked face, meaning this ability was strong. Overpowered even, and if what the name suggests is true, then that means my body should automatically try to dodge whatever is thrown towards it. Sure, the being might try to lower the effect so I can still get hit. Either way, this ability was a powerful one for sure.

To automatically dodge something without having to put my mind to it would allow me to easily think about countering rather than dodging. And if I were to hit, oh, how exciting that would be. To find someone that could bypass a god-given ability would make me ecstatic.

Although I doubt someone would be able to land a punch on me with the martial arts and now this ability. Shaking my head, I decided to spin for a third time, my hand slamming the wheel down to make it reach its maximum speed. The turning this time ended rather quickly, taking only five seconds even if the clicks were more.

The clicks reached around seventeen before it stopped, landing on an ability that needed little to no explanation.

' Everything is Usable. '

"Well, that's pretty self-explanatory." I stared at it dumbfounded, but if what it said was true, then that meant I'd be able to use everything in a fight. Will it give me the knowledge of how to use it during that specific scenario, or would it give me every scenario so I can use it in the future?

That was something I would have to find out in the near future, a future that was not too far off now. As there was only one wheel left for me to spin, the wheel of physical and mental traits.

Walking towards the area where the next wheel would pop into, I waited for a few seconds, turning towards the dwarf who was giving me a small smile as he pressed a button. This caused the scene to change, and a rather large wheel to appear. One that contained all traits that could possibly describe the characteristics of a person.

Grabbing one of the pins, I pulled it, causing the wheel to make rather large clacks compared to all the clicks I had been used to previously. It finally slowed down before landing on an ability called,

' Increased Strength and Defense .'

This one was easily understood. It wasn't strong, but it wasn't weak either. In my opinion, it had a perfect blend, as it means I would definitely hit stronger than most. Spinning the wheel once again, it clicked for a few more seconds before landing on another ability.

' Shared Pain Tolerance. ' 

Now, this one was definitely not a good one. Turning towards the stout man, I raised a questioning eyebrow, to which he simply shrugged. "You'll share the pain with whoever you fight. Every time you beat him down, you'll feel that pain. This, however, only works for you. All the pain you feel and your opponent feels is transferred to you."

Hearing him definitely did not lower my worries but rather increased it. After all, this was a horrid perk for my body. I hated pain, but now I'm going to feel double. That was going to hurt. Releasing a sigh, I grabbed the pin again before pulling it down, causing it to only clack once. Having it stop on an ability that did not lower my worries but rather increased it.

' Lunacy. '

Turning towards the dwarf, I saw a crooked grin that was plastered against his face. "What's with that look?"

"Nothing, it was just unexpected to see this perk. It's an old friend of mine." The dwarf replied as the smile remained on his face. "But I'm guessing you're going to need an explanation, so I'll do a brief one."

"The name is given, it's called lunacy. Not because you're going to be a literal lunatic, but rather because that is what other people will see you as when you fight. It makes it so that whatever pain gets inflicted upon you, it makes you stronger and fuels you to continue to fight. The only way to make you stop is by knocking you out or the worst outcome, you getting killed."

He spoke with such reminiscence in his eyes. It was as if he used to have this ability, but this would play greatly in my favor if I was feeling my opponent's pain as well. Won't this double the power of Lunacy as instead of feeling only my pain, I'll feel another? This was starting to get good.

"Anyways, now that's done. I'll have to send you off." The dwarf spoke as he pushed me forward into a void. "It was good meeting you, Musashi."

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Miyamoto Musashi POV:

Entering my apartment after having already seen my friend Fukushi off to his own place, it was empty. The kitchen had barely been stocked, and to think I've been living here since my family left for Tokyo. 'I still can't believe I ended up in that fucking manga.'

Walking to my bedroom, I stared at the futon that lay on the ground, surrounded by nothing but empty cardboard boxes. "Jeez, I really need to move them soon." Scratching the back of my head, I walked towards the bathroom.

Grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste, I started cleaning my teeth as I stared in the mirror. My black hair flowed around as I moved my head around to try and reach every part of my teeth. My jaw was sharp, and my eyes were blank. I couldn't lie, but I found my current self far hotter than I was previously. Spitting out the paste, I washed my mouth and face before leaving back for my bedroom.

Living like this was a drag. It was all about fighting, with Fukushi annoying me every now and then. With his long dual-colored hair, the good-looking idiot. I don't even know why he doesn't have a girlfriend yet. He was good-looking enough to find one if he tried. Shit, he doesn't even need to. Girls still come up asking for his number, and yet he always denies them. The idiot. Laying down in my bed, I closed my eyes and smiled.

' I'm glad I was picked to come here. '

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Alright my first ever story on this app, Let see how I do. Most likely gonna be a weekly update so I don't get burnt out as fast.