A memory...
Well, more than a memory, it was more like a fragment. For a moment, he recalled a past event involving that girl.
I suppose you could guess it wasn't a pleasant memory.
"Anyway, that was with the previous owner of this body. This life belongs to me now." With a smile, he pressed his hands against the floor and relaxed, staring at the ceiling.
A freezing breeze slipped through the half-open window as Kaito Lee enjoyed this refreshing sensation—until he felt all his hairs stand on end from the cold.
"Why doesn't this guy have any clothes? I feel like I'm going to die of hypothermia like this." After all, he was only wearing a towel around his waist.
On the other hand, he'd love to use the blanket he woke up with, but...
"Ugh..." He watched in horror as that viscous liquid reached the futon and sheets, clinging to them like spilled soda on fabric.
"So, is this the only option...?" He glanced at the Tangzhuang in front of the pile of items he'd obtained. It seemed he had no other choice.
"I don't like this... Feels like I'm doing cosplay or something..." Struggling to stand, he grabbed the jacket.
The Tangzhuang he now wore was simple—dark blue in color with beautiful golden buttons.
Luckily, it would help somewhat, but the problem wasn't that. The issue was that he only had clothes for his upper body. His "little guy" would freeze at this rate.
What if it fell off? Like those people who lose fingers to frostbite?
He couldn't let that happen. So, after staring at the pile of items for a moment, he remembered a simple function of the shop.
"System, can I sell this stone?" Holding the stone he got from the gacha, he wanted to test how the Market worked exactly.
—
[Ordinary Stone]
Value: 1
—
So, it worked. As long as the item was his, it would function like this? Should he try it with the magazines? After all, he doubted he'd have any use for them. Even if he loved the female body, he wasn't *that* perverted.
"And this magazine?" Holding up one of the magazines from the floor, he stared into the void, waiting for the machine's response.
—
[+18 Magazine]
Value: 1
—
It worked. Good. He could kill two birds with one stone if this kept up.
"System, I want to sell all the magazines on the floor right now." If the system could understand the command and handle everything at once, it'd save him a lot of effort. He felt like an old man every time he bent over—his back hurt like never before.
[Analyzing]
—
[Assorted Magazines (x128)]
Value: 142
—
"(Oh, the value varies? No doubt this guy had quite the collection...)" With a surprised look, he observed the total before another screen appeared.
—
[Do you wish to sell: Assorted Magazines (x128)?]
(Y/N)
—
After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and moved his finger toward 'Y.'
"Sorry, buddy... I took over your body, and now I'm selling your collection..." His finger trembled involuntarily as he forced a smile. It seemed his body resisted with all its might, refusing to get closer to the 'Y' option.
"Thank you for this opportunity... I won't waste it." With some effort, he pressed the option, a single tear rolling down his left eye.
The last trace of the previous Kaito Lee vanished forever.
"That was tough." The power of a man's passion... Truly terrifying. He couldn't help but sigh.
"System, open the Market." With a tired voice, he spoke, staring into nothingness as he waited for the command to execute.
In the blink of an eye, a screen appeared before him.
"So this is the Market, huh?" The interface was simple—squares displaying various items with their prices underneath.
"But this..." A cold sweat ran down his neck as he saw the prices.
Death Note, Excalibur, Stands, Upgrade Cards. Scrolling down, he found increasingly insane—and expensive—items. You could say there was literally *everything*. He kept scrolling until he got tired. The exorbitant prices were about to blow his mind.
"Even a phone with an interdimensional group chat... Like in those novels?" Wouldn't that be like having two systems in one?
But the price...
"999,999,999 points? Are they insane? I barely got 100 from selling magazines. Where am I supposed to get over a million?"
This was, by far, the most expensive item he'd found so far—and he'd seen some crazy things.
But enough research. He came here for one obvious reason: he needed clothes. Nothing fancy or extraordinary—just something to avoid dying of hypothermia.
"Let's see... There should be something decent that isn't too expensive..."
In the top-left corner of the interface, he spotted an option with three lines—exactly what he needed. As soon as he thought about it, half the screen was covered by a new window.
Search, filters, FAQs... FAQs? He'd leave that for another day. Focusing on his needs, the search bar began filling itself automatically while the filters set a maximum price of 100 points.
"Alright... Let's take a look." Resting his chin on his hand, he carefully observed the screen as he scrolled with the other, trying not to miss anything.
—
[Black Wushu Pants - 60 points]
Loose yet durable, woven with high-resistance silk, allowing unrestricted acrobatic movement (Adjustable)
—
"Jackpot!" Simple pants—that was all he needed right now. No need to worry about anything else.
"But... adjustable? What does that mean?"
Either way, he brushed it off. Two-star pants for less than 100 points? It felt like a steal.
"Hehe, looking a little more won't hurt anyone, right...?"
[A few minutes later]
"Mhh, this feels much better." After some browsing, he finally felt at ease.
The room had been cleared of all those magazines without him lifting a finger. Plus! He gained something in return—a new physique, comfortable clothes, and even some leftover points to buy a bedsheet!
"Though the futon..." He glanced at the stubborn stain still on the futon and sheets. It wasn't a pleasant sight.
"Doesn't matter. I would've converted it into points anyway. It looks old." For now, all he wanted was to rest, let his body recover, and get moving!
"(The System won't take long to give me a mission, right?)" He had to be ready for whatever cruel task this System would throw at him.
After everything that happened, fully trusting the System was hard. What if he wasn't careful? He could even end up with an item that killed him if used wrong!
"(Though the System would probably warn me. It doesn't want me dead, so I guess that's enough.)"
Finally lying on the floor, he stared at the ceiling illuminated by a single lamp. It lit up the entire apartment, though that wasn't saying much—the place wasn't very big.
"My eyes feel heavy." A sign to rest. With nothing else to do at this hour, he closed his eyes, lying on the floor with the blanket over him.
"(Tomorrow, I'll check the Stats window...)"
And everything turned black.
[The next morning]
"Nom nom..."
It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, kids like you...
"AHHH, SANS!" Bolting upright, Kaito clutched the blanket he'd bought from the System—a thick, soft pink one covered in floral patterns.
With a panicked expression, he looked around, sweat dripping down his face. It seemed he'd had a horrible nightmare.
"That son of a bitch..." Remembering a certain skeletal figure, rage surged through him as he recalled a stupid detail.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. Peering out the window, he saw the sun was already rising. Time to get up and start the day!
"First, I need to test this body." Stretching his shoulders, he felt his joints move smoothly—like they were brand new. It was an incredible sensation.
After all that suffering and rest, his body felt in great shape despite the short recovery time. He didn't fully understand why, but it didn't seem like something to worry about.
"Up we go!" In one leap, he stood up effortlessly. The strength in his legs, back, and torso was absurd. He thought moves like that only happened in movies!
"Oho~ Interesting. There's still so much to discover. I should go somewh—" As he took a step, his body suddenly felt disconnected.
Planting a foot forward just in time, he avoided face-planting, though nervousness crept through him.
"(What just happened?)"
[Ting]
[The host has exhausted their energy during the Adaptation process and recovery. Currently, their body is like a nearly depleted battery.]
"A battery? I can't just... start living normally?"
[It is recommended to consume calories as soon as possible to avoid fainting.]
"Alright, I'm going... But first, I need shoes, at least." Grumbling, he walked carefully around the apartment, searching for a pair of shoes—though he found nothing, even after clearing the place.
"Oh, bingo!" Crouching by the TV stand, he grabbed a pair of simple black shoes tucked behind it.
Taking a closer look, he doubted they'd fit. His feet were definitely a few sizes bigger now...
"Do I have to go barefoot? I'll burn my soles on the hot asphalt..." With no other options and no points left, he was out of luck.
"OH! Wait." Spotting the phone on the side of the stand, he picked it up.
"If these are transfer images, they're probably for me... But no wallet?" His eyes darted back to the stand, but there was nothing there—no corners or floor hiding anything.
"How am I supposed to pay without a card?"
He turned on the phone and opened the banking app. The device was surprisingly empty—no games, nothing interesting. Maybe because of its age?
It was strange, considering this body was only 17, but he didn't dwell on it. He logged into the banking app to see if he could pay directly with the phone.
"Convenient..." The app went straight to the main page, displaying his total balance. Luckily, it didn't ask for a PIN—that would've been trouble.
"The total is..."
1,032,000 won.
Now, was that a lot or a little? He had no idea. He wasn't familiar with the currency of a country he barely knew.
"But it should be enough for a meal, right?" His eyes caught the QR payment option in the corner.
QR payment—saved again. He'd deal with the card issue later. Right now, he needed to leave ASAP.
His stomach growled fiercely, so with the phone in his pocket, he hurried out. He'd worry about the rest later...
He opened the door calmly, checking the hallway for people before heading toward the stairs.
At the same time, the door across from his creaked open slowly, almost mirroring his movement.
Seeing no one else around, he stepped out.
A short woman in a hoodie tried to slip out quickly, her face pointed at the floor.
"Hieekk!!"
"Ah, sorry! I was in the way. You okay?"
Turning and offering his hand, Kaito got a look at her face.
Dark circles stood out under her eyes, her hair was messy, and her sweater looked slightly dirty. She only wore black shorts, leaving most of her legs exposed.
"(Koreans really are busy. She doesn't even have time to sleep.)"
"(Kinda reminds me of me, actually.)"
Before he could say anything else, the girl on the floor quickly stood without taking his hand, hiding her face under her hood as she stared at the ground.
"I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered before rushing off, bumping into him again in her haste—though she barely moved him an inch. In fact, she nearly fell again from the rebound.
"Uh, you okay...?" He watched her retreat down the stairs, lowering his hand and shaking his head.
"No one ever lets me finish talking..."
———
Hey guys, I just remembered that I haven't posted the protagonist's appearance, my bad.
I'll leave their appearance below.
[Appearance]