Knock knock knock.
The sudden knocking pulled Shinji out of his thoughts. He stood up quickly and walked over to open the door. As it creaked open, he was greeted by a shiny bald head that caught the sunlight like a freshly polished egg.
"Whoa!
There's actually someone here," the bald man said with a surprised look and a slightly clueless smile. "Are you the new neighbor who just moved in today? I thought I'd be the only one living here forever."
"Hello, my name is Shinji. Nice to meet you." Shinji responded naturally. He had recognized the man right away. It was Saitama, the protagonist of the Japanese anime One Punch Man.
"I'm Saitama. Nice to meet you too," he replied with a polite nod. Then his expression shifted to one of mild concern. "By the way, is something wrong with your eyes? They look kind of red."
Shinji hesitated for a split second before answering. "...It's fine. My eyes have always been like this."
"Good to hear," Saitama said casually. "Well then, feel free to come by for tea anytime." With that, he turned and headed back to his house next door.
Only after the door closed did Shinji slowly raise his hand to his eyes, his mind beginning to race. So it was true. He had actually transmigrated.
And not just anywhere, he had ended up in the world of One Punch Man.
He walked over to a mirror and examined his reflection. His appearance hadn't changed much from before. He wasn't model-level handsome, but he was definitely decent-looking, with short black hair that vaguely resembled Obito's. But what truly stood out were his eyes. Scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan stared back at him, the tomoe forming a spinning tri-bladed pinwheel.
There was no doubt. It was Obito Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan. And he had both eyes.
Just like the system had explained earlier, he hadn't just been thrown into the One Punch Man world. He had also been given a double Kamui setup.
That said, a wave of fatigue crept up on him, probably caused by the steady drain from the Mangekyo. After all, he was still in a regular human body for the time being.
Then a new question occurred to him. Without chakra, what exactly was powering the Sharingan? Surely it couldn't function just on ocular energy alone.
[Since the host's body lacks chakra, the Sharingan's usual consumption of chakra and ocular energy has been adjusted by the system to draw from mental energy and ocular power. Mental energy can be improved. Please open the system panel for more details!]
Right on cue, the system chimed in, as if it had read his thoughts and dropped the answer in his mind.
So that's how it worked...
Curious, Shinji reached out mentally to try and open the system panel. But before diving into that, he decided to test something else first, whether he could deactivate the Sharingan.
Within moments, he realized he could freely switch between Mangekyo Sharingan, three-tomoe Sharingan, and his normal eyes with just a thought. It was clear that walking around with either the three-tomoe version or just his regular black eyes would be the most practical choice for day-to-day life.
Next, Shinji focused his thoughts and summoned the system panel.
[Host: Shinji]
[Age: 20]
[Status: Human, Hero Association C-Class Hero]
[Ability: Dual Kamui]
[Physique: 10 (Average adult male level: 10)]
[Points: 0]
[Points Store (Lv1)]
As lines of text appeared in front of his eyes, the first thing that grabbed Shinji's attention was the Points count and the Points Store itself. Based on what the system had explained earlier, the method to enhance mental energy should be available somewhere in there... right?
Driven by curiosity, he mentally opened the Points Store.
[① Physique]
[② Hashirama Cells]
[③ Crimson Night Blade]
There were only three options, so he decided to begin with the first one.
[Item ① Details: Physique includes all aspects of physical attributes such as strength, speed, and mental energy. It can be exchanged without limit, and attributes can be stacked infinitely.]
[Price: 1 point (per unit)]
That cleared things up instantly. The system's way of improving mental energy was by letting him exchange points for physique stats. Pretty straightforward.
But then another question came to mind, where was he supposed to get these points? As the panel had shown, he currently had zero, which meant he couldn't redeem anything just yet.
[The host can obtain points through battles, interacting with major characters, unlocking hidden achievements, and other activities!]
That made sense. Shinji gave a small nod and moved on to check the other two items.
[Item ② Details: Hashirama Cells provide overall enhancement to the host's abilities, including self-healing. Both mental energy and ocular power, as well as physical injuries, can automatically recover. With a sufficient amount of Hashirama Cells, the user may gradually awaken Wood Release techniques.
(Note: This item is measured in micro-units and can also be exchanged and stacked infinitely)]
[Price: 10 points (per unit)]
[Item ③ Details: The Crimson Night Blade is the katana used by Obito Uchiha during the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Though not a divine weapon, it is far superior to ordinary blades.]
[Price: 10 points (per unit)]
After reading through the descriptions of all three items, Shinji mentally closed the Points Store, already beginning to plan how he'd earn his first few points.
What also stood out to Shinji was the "Status" section on the system panel. It looked like the system hadn't just dropped him next door to Saitama in the One Punch Man universe but had also assigned him the role of a C-Class Hero in the Hero Association.
Though... just a C-Class Hero?
"Well, whatever. C-Class is fine. I'll work my way up," Shinji thought with a shrug. Right now, the main goal is to gather points and grow stronger. If he kept using dual Mangekyo Kamui with his current regular human body, he'd burn out fast.
And this world wasn't forgiving. One Punch Man's power scale was ridiculous. Even with the Mangekyo Sharingan and dual Kamui, Shinji still felt the pressure of existing in such a dangerous place.
After considering things for a moment, he made a decision. First, he'd visit the Hero Association. If he ran into monsters along the way, even better, he could use them to farm points.
Being Saitama's neighbor meant he lived in Z-City's abandoned zone, also known as Ghost Town. While the Hero Association's headquarters were located in A-City, there had to be branches in other areas too. In fact, Saitama and Genos had taken their exams at the Z-City branch, which was probably situated in the central district.
Now the question is: how he got the system, the purpose of the system, and how he transmigrated into this world... Nah, too lazy to think. Besides, according to Murata, there are some crazy hot chicks here.
Without wasting more time thinking, Shinji headed out.
Downstairs, the full desolation of Ghost Town came into view. It looked like something straight out of a post-apocalyptic film. Empty buildings, cracked streets, and an eerie silence hung over everything. Not a soul around, not even a monster.
This place had been abandoned due to the overwhelming number of monster attacks, but ever since Saitama moved in, most of the threats had probably been annihilated.
At least, the ones lurking on the surface.
Even after stepping out of the ghost zone and into the residential areas, Shinji didn't see a single monster. After a long walk, with the occasional stop to ask locals for directions, he finally reached the Z-City branch of the Hero Association.
[Host has reached the Z-City Hero Association. Reward: 5 points!]
Finally, some progress. The points had come easier than expected. Shinji felt a bit of relief and satisfaction.
But just as he started to enjoy the small win, another system message echoed in his mind.
[According to Hero Association regulations, a C-Class Hero who does not perform any heroic activities within a week will be removed from the registry. The host has only 24 hours remaining. Please take note!]
Well... so much for taking it slow.