Survival sounds simple.
Eat. Sleep. Work.
But when you've got less than 500 yen in your pocket, no address, no diploma, and a world that doesn't even remember your name—
It becomes a war.
And I wasn't fighting with money.I was fighting with pain. With hunger. With the kind of loneliness that clings to your skin like filth.
But I had one thing most people didn't.
A System.
And it wasn't here to hand me riches.
It was here to make sure I earned them.
[Daily Quest: Rise and Grind – Day 6/7]• Wake up before 6 AM ✔• Train 2 hours ✔• Eat a nutritious meal ✘• Meditate 30 minutes ✔Warning: 2x Fatigue Applied Tomorrow
I ignored the warning.
I'd already grown used to the ache in my bones, the grumbling in my stomach.Pain didn't scare me anymore.
Irrelevance did.
It was time to find a job.
Not just any job.
I needed one that would accept someone like me.
No ID. No home address. No school record. Just a guy with calloused hands and an iron stare.
So I cleaned up.
Showered at a public bathhouse using leftover coins.Scrubbed myself raw until my skin stopped smelling like rust and regret.
Dressed in the cleanest shirt I had.
Tied my hair back.
Looked at myself in the cracked mirror above the sink.
Still not good-looking.Still a bit hollow in the eyes.
But there was something there now.
Conviction.
I applied at a construction site.
Nothing official—just labor work. One of those under-the-table places that didn't care where you came from, only if you could carry concrete and not complain.
The foreman looked me up and down.
"You look like you've been starving."
"I have," I said bluntly.
"You any good with tools?"
"No. But I'll learn."
He stared at me for a while.
"…Alright. You work one day. I don't like how you breathe, I don't pay you. Deal?"
"Deal."
I lifted bricks for twelve hours.
No system shortcuts.
No XP. No quests.
Just pure, mindless, body-breaking work.
The kind that reminded you why people quit.
But I didn't quit.
Not this time.
When the day was over, my hands were red and raw. My shoulders screamed. My legs buckled under me when I sat.
But the foreman tossed me an envelope.
"8,000 yen. Be here tomorrow at 5."
I nodded. Couldn't even speak.
He grunted and walked away.
[System Notice: Willpower Check – Passed]
[Hidden Trait Progress: Grit 28% → 40%]
[Mental Fortitude Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
[Passive Perk Unlocked: "Muscle Memory Lv. 1" – Gain skill proficiency 15% faster in repetitive physical tasks.]
I smiled through the pain.
Every moment of suffering was fuel now.
Even this could be turned into strength.
That night, I bought a bowl of gyudon.
Real food. Hot. Salty. With actual meat.
It was a feast.
And as I sat alone at a corner table in a greasy 24-hour diner, I savored every bite like it was the last meal of my life.
No phone.
No one waiting for me.
Just my system.
And myself.
[System Quest Unlocked: Build Your Foundation]
Objective:• Work and earn a living for 7 consecutive days.• Save at least 20,000 yen.• Build a daily routine: Wake – Train – Work – Reflect – Rest.Reward:• New System Function: "Stability Mode"• +2 to all physical stats• +1 Passive Skill Slot• Unlock: Sleep Recovery Buffs
The screen faded.
I didn't know what "Stability Mode" was.
But I liked the sound of it.
Stability.
Something I hadn't had since I was 14.
The next morning, I woke up before sunrise.
Body still sore.Heart still healing.
But when I stood, the pain felt… earned.
Like a badge.
I trained under the overpass before work.
Shadowboxing.
Crowbar drills.Breathing control.
Each move sharper. Each form tighter.
People stared.
Didn't care.
Because I saw something different in the mirror now.
Not a loser.Not a broken man.
But someone becoming.
[Improvised Combat Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Skill Gained: "Kinetic Reading Lv. 1" – Read enemy posture and intent slightly faster in close range.]
At the site, I worked without speaking.
Lifted more than anyone. Didn't complain once.
By the third day, one of the older guys clapped me on the back.
"You work like you've got something to prove."
"I do."
He didn't ask what.
Smart man.
By Day 6, the system screen appeared mid-swing of a hammer.
[Progress: 6/7 Days Completed][Current Savings: 19,450 yen]
Almost there.
One more day.
One more step.
And then… the next phase begins.
That night, I stood on the rooftop of an abandoned building I'd been sleeping in.
The city lights blinked below.The stars shimmered above.
And I whispered:
"I'm still nothing to this world."
"But soon…"
"I'll be everything I need."
End of Chapter 5