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[TIOP] Chapter : 1
🕑 Added 2025-02-02 20:33:18 +0000 UTC"Where am I?"
"Aren't I supposed to be at home playing games? What the hell is this place?" Jack sat up from the bed, instinctively checking his body. There didn’t seem to be any signs of injury, but something felt off. His body was weak, almost devoid of strength.
Earlier, Jack had been at home, playing a cheap video game he had just discovered. While letting the game run on auto mode, he noticed that a new episode of One Piece had been released. Excited, he quickly clicked on the video. Then... nothing.
Before fully regaining his senses, a rush of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind.
"Wait, is this... transmigration? Isn’t this happening a bit too suddenly?" Jack muttered, his unfocused eyes revealing his confusion and disbelief.
Yet the truth was undeniable. He had somehow traveled to the world of One Piece.
Piecing together the memories of this new body, Jack realized his current identity: an orphan. His parents had died when he was very young, and he had only survived thanks to the kindness of the villagers who helped him.
A few days ago, a group of pirates arrived in the village. They took control, demanding protection fees from the villagers and threatening to kill anyone who refused to pay.
The original owner of this body had no money to meet their demands. As a result, he was brutally beaten and robbed of his meager savings. Left to die alone in this cabin, his life came to a tragic end—only for Jack, whose soul had been sent to inhabit his body.
Just as Jack pieced together what had happened, a synthesized mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
"System successfully bound.
Main mission triggered.
Please check the details yourself."
The appearance of the system was so abrupt that it caught Jack completely off guard. His vision blurred momentarily, and then he noticed several icons fixed in the lower-left corner of his sight. No matter where he looked, the icons remained in place—just like the starting interface of the cheap video game he had been playing before all this began!
'Status!' Jack thought silently.
As expected, a transparent interface appeared before him:
Name: Jack
Race: Human
Level: 1
Age: 18
Life: 30/100
Energy: 0
Strength: 3
Speed: 2
Skills: None
Exp: 0/100
Combat Power: 1
Overall Rating: A weak, poor, and hungry human boy. Calling you weaker than scum would be a generous compliment.
Jack felt an immediate urge to punch something. Had he just been mocked by the system? What the hell did "Combat Power: 1" even mean? He didn’t know the average stats for a normal adult man, but it was clear his were embarrassingly bad.
Suppressing his frustration, he closed the character interface and opened the second icon: Inventory.
The inventory interface was composed of neatly arranged grids. Except for the first slot, which held a small gift box-shaped icon, all the other slots were completely empty.
"Oh~ A newbie gift package? Really?" Jack muttered in mild surprise as his eyes landed on the icon.
Upon opening the package, a synthesized mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
"Congratulations! You've received the novice package: 1,000 berries, 100 diamonds, and a shop coupon worth 100."
In an instant, the gift box in the first slot vanished. In its place appeared two pieces of equipment and a vibrant red scroll marked with the number 100. Simultaneously, the counter at the bottom of the inventory shifted from 0 to 1,000—clearly indicating his newly acquired berries. Though useful, its exact purpose remained a mystery for now.
"Novice sword? Simple clothes? That’s it?" Jack grumbled as he examined the basic gear in his inventory. "Where’s the dragon-slaying sword? The god-tier equipment to destroy worlds? You're seriously giving me this and calling it a reward?" He couldn’t help but feel swindled by the system, staring at the modest items with a sense of betrayal.
When Jack equipped the novice weapon, a kendo stick materialized in his hand—right there in reality.
"Seriously? It’s just a plain kendo stick? Not even a single specialty?" Jack muttered as he inspected the weapon, tapping it lightly. Sure enough, it was nothing more than an ordinary kendo stick.
"Whatever. Let’s check out the shop. That’s the only thing left to get excited about," he grumbled under his breath. Using the coupon, he redeemed 100 diamonds before finally selecting the last icon.
The shop interface opened, and sure enough, it looked like something straight out of a cheap web game. The virtual shelves were packed with all sorts of items—Devil Fruits, skill books, experience books, and even god-tier equipment. However, the price tags left Jack utterly dumbfounded.
A dizzying string of zeros dangled after each price. Without careful counting, it was impossible to figure out just how expensive everything was.
"Alright, let’s see what these 100 diamonds can actually buy," Jack said, clicking on the price list with a mix of hope and skepticism.
The first item listed, starting from the cheapest, was: "Food – Chicken Leg: Restores a small amount of physical strength, 10 diamonds."
Jack barely glanced at the following food items and quickly moved on. After all, he had no idea how to earn more diamonds yet, so spending them on food felt wasteful.
Next, his attention was caught by: "Beginner Skill Book for Strength training, 100 diamonds."
It appeared to be the only skill book within his price range that could enhance his strength.
Without a second thought, Jack purchased the skill book and used it immediately.
There were no dramatic effects—no dazzling lights, no earth-shaking changes. Instead, he simply felt a subtle warmth spread through his body. And then knowledge of trainings that needed to be done to increase my strength entered my mind. Just basic exercises and routines that he knew he could easily incorporate into his daily routine.
Curious, he reopened the character interface. This time, the first icon on the skill tree was illuminated.
Basic Strength Training (Level 1, 0/1000)
Passive Effect: Slightly enhances your physique and enables your body to grow stronger through consistent training.
In terms of attributes, Jack noticed a small improvement. Both strength and agility had increased slightly, and his maximum life had risen to 120. However, his combat power, which had been a dismal 1, had only climbed to 3. He was still far from even the so-called 'weakest scum' standard, and the system's unflattering review remained unchanged.
"Right, wasn’t there a mission? I almost forgot about that!" Jack recalled the earlier prompt about triggering the main mission and realized he hadn’t checked the details yet.
"Open mission!" he commanded in his mind. Immediately, a transparent mission box appeared before him.
Main Mission (Unfinished)
Objective: Reach Level 5.
Reward: Unknown.
"Level up? How am I supposed to do that right now?" Jack muttered, feeling a twinge of frustration. "Forget it. Let’s figure out food first. With only 30 life points left, I won’t last much longer!"
Shaking his head, he stepped out of the wooden cabin.
"What kind of fuckery is this? This is such a pain in the ass!" Jack grumbled to himself, leaning against the doorway, his mind swirling with equal parts curiosity and exasperation.
As Jack wandered into the center of the village, he happened to catch sight of a group of pirates leaving the only restaurant in town, their boisterous laughter echoing through the quiet streets. Behind them stood the restaurant owner, his face etched with a mix of helplessness and a forced smile.
It wasn’t hard to guess what had happened—the pirates not only refused to pay for their meal but had likely driven away other customers, hurting the restaurant’s business in the process.
"It looks like I’ve got more than just survival to worry about. These pirates need to be dealt with, or I’ll never have any peace here," Jack muttered, ducking into the shadows to observe the departing pirates. His head throbbed at the thought of the trouble ahead.
"Wait a second!" A sudden realization hit him. Jack remembered the 1,000 monetary reward from the novice gift pack he had opened earlier. Could he actually withdraw that money now?
Curious, he attempted to retrieve it from his inventory. To his surprise, a stack of banknotes materialized in his hand. Examining them closely, he realized it was Berries, the currency from the One Piece world.
With the berries now in hand, Jack decided to tackle his immediate concern—food. He made his way to the restaurant to finally satisfy his hunger. The cost of a meal was modest, and he quickly calculated that the 1,000 Berries he had would be enough to sustain him for at least half a month.
"The first priority is solving the Exp issue. Leveling up is the cornerstone of establishing myself in this world!" Jack muttered to himself as he left the restaurant, heading back to the cabin while pondering his next steps.
"Since this system works like a game, let’s see if killing something earns exp!" With a mix of curiosity and determination, Jack decided to test his theory. He turned back, purchased a live fish, and returned to the cabin. Without hesitation, he killed the fish—and to his amazement, he earned 1 exp point.
"I can actually gain exp from this!" Jack exclaimed, momentarily pleased. But that satisfaction evaporated the moment he glanced at the requirements: 100 experience points just to reach the next level. His excitement turned into a toothache-inducing frustration.
"Ugh, whatever. At least gaining experience is possible," Jack sighed, trying to stay optimistic. "I don’t have enough money to keep buying fish for leveling up, but I can fish for free. That way, I’ll gain experience and fill my stomach at the same time."
Resolving himself to this plan, Jack spent the following days focused on fishing. Initially, he intended to eat the fish he caught, but after attempting to cook his first meal the next day, he quickly abandoned that idea entirely.
Eventually, Jack struck a deal with the restaurant owner: for every fish he caught, he would sell it to the restaurant—but only after killing it himself. While the owner negotiated a lower price for the fish, Jack didn’t mind. After all, he had no intention of sticking to this routine for long.
In the meantime, Jack discovered something interesting. By exercising, he could increase the proficiency of his Basic Strength Training skill. With this in mind, he added exercise to his daily routine alongside fishing.
Fortunately, the cabin where Jack lived was in a secluded part of the village, near the seashore, which kept him out of sight and off the radar of the pirates.
A few days later, Jack visited the restaurant again. After killing the fish in the basket and warming up his body, the system’s long-awaited notification chimed.
"Congratulations, host! You have leveled up. You've gained five attribute points and one skill point!"
Just as the announcement filled him with a sense of accomplishment, the restaurant owner approached him with a friendly grin.
"Jack, today’s batch isn’t quite enough!" The owner teased as he handed over the berries for the fish.
"I have some things to take care of today, so I’ll be heading home early," Jack said with a faint smile as he pocketed the berries.
Once he returned to the wooden cabin, Jack let out a long sigh of relief. Without wasting a moment, he opened the system interface, eager to see his progress.
After several days of dedicated training, his stats had improved slightly. His strength had risen to 5 points, and speed was now at 4 points. His health had also increased, reaching 130 points. The proficiency in Basic Strength Training had climbed to 102/1000.
With the recent level-up, Jack’s character was now at Level 2, but the experience required for the next upgrade had jumped to a daunting 300 points.
The system had also rewarded him with five free attribute points, which could be allocated to Life, Energy, Strength, or Speed as he saw fit. Jack spent some time deliberating but couldn’t decide how to distribute them, so he decided to save them for later.
As for the single skill point he earned, the choice was easy. With only one skill available, he immediately invested it in Basic Strength Training without hesitation.
After Jack used his skill point, the proficiency of Basic Strength Training surged by 1,000 points, pushing it to Level 2 (1102/5000). The upgrade came with significant benefits: his strength and speed both increased by 10 points, while his health rose by an additional 100 points. His updated attributes now read: Health 230, Strength 15, Speed 14. Most notably, his combat power leaped to 25—finally elevating him beyond the pitiful "scum" tier.
Clenching his fists, Jack could feel the newfound strength coursing through his body. He threw a casual punch into the air, surprised to hear a faint whoosh as the wind followed his fist. The sensation thrilled him. Testing his growing strength and speed, he darted around the room, each movement more fluid and powerful than before. The urge to put his newfound abilities to the test gnawed at him—he was ready to find a worthy opponent.
But just as Jack was preparing to step out and give his strength a trial, a loud BANG shattered the tranquility.
The wooden door of Jack’s humble cabin was kicked open with force, swinging on its hinges as splinters flew.
