Chapter 1: The Last Sketch Before Giving Up
Rain drummed steadily against the small windowpane of Haruki Saito's room. Outside, the gray skies stretched endlessly, and the streets of the quiet neighborhood in Tokyo glistened under the constant drizzle. Inside, the faint smell of ink and paper mingled with the faint warmth from a flickering desk lamp.
Haruki sat slouched on a worn wooden chair, eyes fixed on the blank page in front of him. His hand trembled slightly as it held the pen, poised to draw, but the creative spark seemed stubbornly absent tonight. The once comforting silence of his room now felt suffocating, filled with the ghosts of dreams long deferred.
"Maybe this is it," he thought. "Maybe it's time to stop."
At twenty-one, Haruki was a college dropout who had poured his soul into becoming a mangaka. But after countless rejections, his art sat forgotten, gathering dust in sketchbooks and files. His family was gone—parents and younger sister lost in a car accident three years ago. Since then, the house felt less like home and more like a tomb of memories.
On the desk lay a thin envelope, its edges bent from being opened and closed so many times. The latest rejection letter from a prestigious manga publisher rested on top. His heart tightened as he reread the polite but firm words. "Your submission shows promise, but unfortunately, it does not fit our current lineup."
Haruki rubbed his temples, the weight of failure pressing down on him. His bank account was almost empty, the fridge nearly barren. His art tablet—a gift from his sister on his last birthday—felt more like a relic than a tool for creation.
His phone buzzed lightly, and he glanced at the screen. A message from an old friend inviting him out for a drink. He hesitated. Could he afford to waste time? Could he afford to waste hope?
His fingers drifted to the edge of the tablet. "Maybe it's better to quit now. Find a stable job, pay off debts, and try to move on."
The room was silent except for the rain, until suddenly, a sharp mechanical voice echoed softly, startling him.
•|[Manga System Host Detected]|•
•|[Connecting to Multiverse Creative Network...]|•
Haruki froze. His eyes darted around as if someone else was there. The voice repeated, now clearer and more insistent.
•|[Host: Haruki Saito]|•
•|[System Activated]|•
He blinked in disbelief, gripping the pen tightly. "What the…? Is this some kind of prank?"
•|[Welcome, Host. You have been chosen by the Manga System—a conduit to realms beyond your own.]|•
•|[You can publish your manga to other worlds and receive rewards based on popularity.]|•
•|[Use this system wisely. Your success transcends dimensions.]|•
Haruki's mind raced. Could this be real? Or just a hallucination from stress and sleep deprivation?
Curiosity mixed with a flicker of hope as he instinctively tapped the 'System' button that had suddenly appeared on his tablet screen. A translucent menu floated before his eyes, displaying various options: Upload, Market Stats, Skills, Quests.
•|[First Task: Upload one manga one-shot to test the system.]|•
•|[Reward: Realm Coins + Skill Points]|•
He hesitated only a moment before selecting an old short manga story he'd drawn but never submitted. The file uploaded swiftly, disappearing from his local storage.
Minutes passed with a strange silence, the rain still tapping a steady rhythm outside. Haruki felt no different, but then—
•|Ding!|•
•|[Your manga 'Starlit Dreams' has sold 4,712 copies in the realm of Gravaxia.]|•
•|[You earned 94,240 Realm Coins.]|•
•|[Skill Acquired: Drawing Speed +5%]|•
Haruki's jaw dropped. He stared at the message, disbelief flooding his chest. "No way… that many? And Gravaxia? What even is that?"
He clicked on the 'Market Stats' tab. A digital map of a fantasy world appeared, glowing softly. He could see his manga's popularity rising among various species—elves, dwarves, and other magical beings he'd only read about in fantasy novels.
"Is this real?" he whispered.
The system pinged again.
•|[Host Level Up: 1 → 2]|•
•|[Skill Points Available: 3]|•
•|[Use skill points to improve abilities.]|•
Haruki leaned back, his mind swirling with questions and excitement. For the first time in years, his dream felt within reach—not just on Earth, but across worlds.
The phone buzzed again. This time, he ignored it, his fingers already navigating the skill menu, curious what abilities this strange system could offer.
Maybe giving up wasn't the answer.
Maybe this was just the beginning.
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To be continued...
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Thank you for reading!
||[A/N: Hello, author here. I'm a novice writer and this is my first work. I hope you'll support me. I might make mistakes, so please don't get mad. Enjoy! :)]||~~°