Tenro Sakura sat in his dorm room. It was a modest space holding only the basics of what a student might need.
As he sat, he focused on his status once again. Particularly, his power level.
The system didn't seem to tell him much. Instead, it simply threw terms at him and wished him the best.
However, from what he could see, there were a few things he could gather.
'Power Level' was the number that determined a human's strength in all areas. This was directly correlated to one's rank'.
Once his power level was at 100, he would be able to advance from 'Copper' which was the first rank, to the second rank.
His guesses were that along the way, he could discover 'Techniques' and earn himself 'Passive Attributes' and 'Titles' through various methods.
His 'Affiliations' were most likely linked to gangs and factions throughout the world. He had none so far.
Finally, the system made it clear that once he powered up further, he would be able to access more areas of his system.
So, the question is, how do I increase my power level?
There was an easy way to test this.
First, Tenro took off his shirt and stood in front of his mirror, analysing his physique.
There it was. Skinny, and frail.
"Has this guy ever done a day of training in his life?" He said to himself in frustration.
His memories told him that he hadn't. Nothing consistent anyway.
Well, I should start with push-ups. On earth, I could perform 50 strict push-ups and repeat them again after a short rest.
He let out a sigh as he lay down and got himself into position.
Let's see how twenty feels.
...
10 pushups later, Tenro was out of breath and sore. The conditioning of his body filled him with rage.
He refused to accept this fate and swore to himself that he wouldn't leave his room or do anything else until he had performed 100.
And so, the journey of a hundred push-ups began.
---
[Power Level: 50]
An hour later, Tenro lay on his back panting for air.
He had completed the push-ups, but even after 100, his power level was still below the average. So in order to reach 50, he performed 50 more.
This left him tired, hungry, and thirsty. However, after completing the press-ups, he noticed an instant change in his body.
It was the effect of his title, 'Reincarnated One', which allowed him to increase his power level at a rate two times faster than normal.
Just from doing a simple workout, he had managed to reach the base level of an untrained student.
The base level.
Looking at his bony physique in the mirror, particularly the leg and core muscles, he cursed to himself.
"There's still so much more for me to do. Let's try squats and sit-ups."
---
[Power Level: 60]
Another hour passed.
If Tenro was drained before, then he didn't know how to describe how he currently felt.
As he soaked himself in the bath, relaxing his sore muscles, he thanked his reincarnation. If not for the mental resilience of Yohan, then Tenro would have had no chance of becoming stronger.
After his bath, he cooked himself a quick meal of instant noodles. A dish that seemed to be popular, even in Esto.
Once he was finished with his meal, he returned to the mirror and looked at himself once again.
What he saw felt... unbelievable, but the proof was right in front of him.
He was still a scrawny brat, surely weighing no more than fifty-five kilograms, and no taller than five-foot-four, but his muscles already seemed more defined.
It seemed that the system aided in bodily development, such as muscle repair, speeding up processes that would have taken days or weeks on Earth.
This excited Tenro. It meant that simply with hard work, he could achieve a body that he was proud of.
Though it will never be possible for me to be as strong as I was on earth... Will it?
Knock Knock Knock
With that thought, a knock came at the door.
Tenro's body froze, as he instantly became alert.
No one should have been knocking on his door. After all, he had no affiliations. No friends.
That could only mean one thing. It was either one of the bullies from before, or a new bully who wished to torment those they believed to be the "Old Pinky."
With silent footsteps, Tenro returned to the kitchen and drew a knife from the drawer.
I'm not the old Pinky. Whoever's stepped foot into my den will be ripped apart.
Such harsh thoughts hardly suited the pretty boy with pink hair.
As he made his way closer to the door, a knock came again, followed by a voice.
"Tenro? It's me, Harmony. Are you inside?"
Tenro froze.
Harmony?
According to his memories, Harmony was a girl whom he had once considered a friend before they had enrolled on Blackheart Academy, the most prestigious educational institution within the Black Empire.
Even back then, he had been bullied, but Harmony was one of the few people who never treated him like a human.
Yet still, she never did anything to help him.
Not to mention after enrollment into the academy, she had never said a word to him. Not even bat an eye.
Yohan found this despicable.
Still, he tucked the knife into his pants and made his way over to the door.
Once opened, a beautiful girl stood before him, eye level. Her hair was red and straight, and she wore glasses that made her look nerdy. Beneath her right eye was a cute beauty spot.
She wore the black uniform of the academy and clutched at the skirt nervously.
Her large black eyes stared at Tenro, looking down at his shirtless body before blushing, and looking back up at his face.
"T-tenro, I know you probably hate me, but something weird is happening. You have to hide!"
Tenro's brow raised.
Hide?
The word hurt his pride. Yohan would have never hidden, no matter who was after him.
"Hide from what?" He replied calmly.
Harmony seemed taken aback by the calm manner of Tenro. The boy from before would have stuttered over his words, and perhaps even wet himself.
She shook her head free from the thoughts. There was no time for that.
"It's Rishon! His ankle has somehow healed in only a few hours, and he's coming to your dorm with some of the other gang members!"
As soon as she finished the sentence, Tenro had an idea as to what was going on.
Rishon had awakened, and now he wanted revenge.