Songs in the Void

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

{Congratulations! Today is your fifteenth Birthday! In order to Congratulate you, The System has prepared a gift. Would you like to open your birthday gift? Yes/No}

"Well, this is new…" Tatsuo grumbled discontentedly. "I've had this thing since the day I was born in this world. And this is the first time it's ever acknowledged my damn birthday."

While continuing to vent his dissatisfaction about the system, Tatsuo reached up and tapped the "Yes" button. Though, he was completely aware he could probably have selected "Yes" mentally, there was just something about pressing the button with his own hands that appealed to him at the moment.

{Opening Birthday Gift, please wait…}

{Birthday Gift, Open}

{You Have Received:

-[Inventory] Feature, Unlocked.

-[Shop] Feature, Unlocked.

-[Dimensional Chat] Feature, Unlocked.

-[Universal Energy Veins – SSS+] Received, Item placed in inventory. Please check it later.}

{Once again, the System congratulates you on turning fifteen. Please explore the new features at your convenience.}

At the same time, in the penthouse's master bedroom, Sumire opened her eyes silently.

"So, it's finally beginning." Sumire muttered to herself. "I'm truly looking forward to your growth, my son."

Meanwhile, back in Tatsuo's bedroom…

"So, there was more to this [System] than I thought, huh?" Tatsuo muttered to himself while continuing to read the message stating what he had received. "Oh, I even got an SSS+ item. [Universal Energy Veins]. Yeah, I guess that will come in handy down the line. But why now? is my fifteenth birthday special, or something?"

Deciding not to worry about something to which he had no answer, Tatsuo mentally dismissed the message. Then, he opened the system interface. When he did, the usual black screen with purple and silver borders appeared in front of him. However, instead of showing his [Status] immediately, a window with four tabs opened in front of him.

{[Status] [Inventory] [Shop] [Dimensional Chat]}

"Well, I guess I'll check my [Status] first." Tatsuo murmured as he mentally selected status.

{[Status]

[Personal Information]

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo

Age: 15

Race: Human/???

Title: ???

Coins: 476,586

[Physical Attributes]

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: E+

Strength: E+

Agility: E+

Dexterity: E+

Endurance: E+

Intelligence: E+

Perception: D

Energy: N/A

Charm: B+

[Skills]

Language: E+

Pianist: D-

Singing: E+

Vale Tudo: E

Weapon Mastery: E+

Dagger Master: D-

Firearms Mastery: E+

Cooking: F+

First Aid: E-

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]}

"Well, other than my age, nothing has changed." Tatsuo said after reading his [Status]. "Then, let's check out the other stuff."

With that, Tatsuo closed the [Status] tab. Then, he opened the [Inventory]. And when he did, an inventory window like you would see in an MMORPG opened in front of him. On top of that, a message explaining its use was overlayed on top of it.

{Note: The [Inventory] Is a personal storage space. Items from the system [Shop], those received as rewards, and even items from your daily life can be stored inside.

Consumable items of a similar nature and rank can be stacked up to a total of 99 in a single space. However, weapons, armor, and accessories will take their own space, regardless of their similarity with other items.

To store an item in the [Inventory], please touch the desired item and imagine sending it into the [Inventory]. To remove an item form the [Inventory], you may either select it if the [Inventory] window is open. However, if the [Inventory] window is closed, you may remove it by thinking about it. Though the concentration needed will increase.

Currently, there are 10 [Inventory] slots. The amount can be increased by increasing your [Energy Stat]. Every increase in rank will provide an addition 10 slots.}

"It really is like an MMO…" Tatsuo muttered. "Well, other than the fact that it can expand as my [energy Stat] rises. But since it still says N/A, I guess I don't need to worry about that for now. Anyway, let's check out the [Universal Energy Veins]. Hopefully, that will unlock my [Energy Stat]."

Dismissing the tutorial message, Tatsuo could now see his [Inventory] in full. In the first slot, there was an image resembling the human circulatory system. However, the other nine slots were blank.

"You know what, let's get familiar with using it, first." Tatsuo muttered.

Then, before clicking the gift from the [System], Tatsuo rolled to the side of his bed, where a night stand was positioned, and grabbed his daggers. Then, he imagined sending them into the inventory. In the next instant, his daggers disappeared from his hand.

Once the daggers disappeared, Tatsuo turned his attention back to the [System] interface.

{[Inventory]

-[Universal Energy Veins – SSS+]

-[Bladed Knuckle Duster – E]

-[Bladed Knuckle Duster – E]}

Just as Tatsuo expected, a thumbnails of his weapons appeared in the second and third slots of his [Inventory] window. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the [System] evaluated items when they were inserted into the [Inventory], as well. However, when he saw the rank his knuckle dusters received, he could not help but frown.

"Only E?" Tatsuo asked in a discontent tone. "Those blacksmiths at DOATECH told me those things were the best. At the peak of humanities abilities. *Sigh* I guess they're better at forging killers than the weapons they wield. Anyway, let's make sure I can get stuff out just as easily as I put them in."

Then, to test bringing items out of his [Inventory], he mentally selected one of the slots containing his weapons.

As soon as he made the mental command, one of the knuckle dusters were equipped onto his right hand, his fingers already inserted into the holes. Curling his fingers, Tatsuo enjoyed the feeling of his weapon in his hand. Then, he sent it back into the [Inventory]. After that, he closed the [System] interface.

Once the interface was closed, Tatsuo closed his eyes. Then he imagined taking his weapons out of the [Inventory]. Then, after a few seconds, both his weapons were equipped.

"Too slow." Tatsuo said with a frown. "I'm gonna have to work on this. If I'm gonna use the [Inventory] to store my weapons, it has to be instant when I wanna equip them. Still, this makes me feel like Mai-Nee. I wonder if she has some kind of system, too."

Little did Tatsuo know, Mai had nothing of the sort. Instead, that was just part of her skill set. Not only could she store an endless number of weapons, but she also had the ability to change clothes with little more than a wave of her hand. There were other inexplicable skills in her skillset, as well. Such as pyrokinesis. But it would be a while before he ever got to see them.

Returning his weapons to his [Inventory], Tatsuo decided he would train retrieving his weapons from the [Inventory] later. But now, his curiosity about the [Universal Energy Veins] was getting the better of him. So, he once again opened the [System] interface and selected the [Inventory] tab. Then, as soon as the tab opened, he selected the first [Inventory] slot.

{[Universal Energy Veins – SSS+]

-Upon use, the user receives perfect compatibility with all forms of energy in the omniverse.

-Every world uses a different form of energy. Even if they go by the same name, there will inevitably be slight differences. Although these slight differences may not pose much of an issue, if the form of energy differs by too much, the user's techniques will fail, without question. Thus, the need for the [Universal Energy Veins].

-Note: Upon using this item, the user's body will be internally reconstructed. Please be wary of discomfort.

Would you like to implant the [Universal Energy Veins]? Yes/No}

"Discomfort my ass." Tatsuo said with a sneer after reading the [Universal Energy Veins'] description. "I read enough light novels, web novels, and fan fics in my past life to know this is gonna hurt like a bitch."

Despite knowing he was in for a world of pain, Tatsuo decided to go through with the implant. So, he pulled his pillow from below his head. Then, he bit onto it tightly before selecting "Yes."

To Tatsuo's surprise, after choosing to implant the [Universal Energy Veins], he did not experience any excruciating pain as a new circulatory system was created in his body. Instead, he felt a mild itching feeling from inside his body. The worst part about it, however, was the fact that no matter how hard he tried, he could not scratch the itch he was feeling.

The feeling of itchiness Tatsuo felt lasted for around half an hour. However, once that feeling was done, he felt… No different at all.

"What the hell?" Tatsuo asked while patting himself all over after spitting out the pillow. "Shouldn't I feel… I don't' know… lighter? Like there is something new inside of me? But I don't' feel any different at all. What's going on?"

After not finding or feeling anything different with his body, Tatsuo once again opened his [Status]. But nothing had changed at all from the last time he check. He was even starting to doubt that he had implanted the [Universal Energy Veins.

So, he selected the [Inventory] tab. But the first slot was now empty, meaning that he had, indeed, implanted the energy veins. But that only left him more confused by the lack of a new feeling.

"I guess the energy veins only gave me the affinity for all forms of energy." Tatsuo muttered after taking some time to think. "But the description never said it would give me any of that energy. *Sigh* Then how am I supposed to get magic or mana or ki or qi or whatever else there is out there?"

Once again deciding that he wouldn't think about something that he had no answer to at the moment, Tatsuo finally shifted his attention back to the [System] interface. More specifically, the [Shop] tab.

{[Shop]

[Weapons] [Armor] [Accessories] [Crafting Materials] [Skills] [Abilities] [Misc.]}

"Now, that's what I'm talking about." Tatsuo said excitedly as he looked over the sub tabs in the [Shop] tab. Alright, let's see what I can get. I finally have a use for the coins I've been collecting every day for the last fifteen years."

With that, Tatsuo started checking through all the sub tabs. However, as time went by, his excited expression started turning into a frown.

"There is only E+ rank equipment and lower… Why?" Tatsuo asked in a discontent tone.

To Tatsuo's surprise, a window popped up answering his question.

{In order to not slow the user's growth, only items at or below the user's rank are available for purchase. However, this rule does not apply to [Crafting Materials], [Skills], [Abilities], and [Misc.]. But the user is warned that without the prerequisite level of strength, items in these categories may be unusable.}

Reading the explanation, Tatsuo could not help but deflate. Despite his drop in mood, he understood why things had to be this way. If he was able to wield an overpowered weapon and armor, his strength would be because of his equipment, not because of his own hard work.

So, Tatsuo decided to disregard the first four sub tabs for now. That included the [Crafting Materials] sub tab, as he currently had no crafting skills to speak of. So, all the items available would be useless, anyway. Instead, he looked through the remaining tabs for anything useful. And it did not take long for him to find the things he was looking for.

First he looked at the [Skills] sub tab. In this tab, there were a number of skills. And none of them required energy at the beginning. However, once the ranks of the skills were high enough, energy was necessary to progress. For example…

{Hacking – D]

-The ability to gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer.

-With only the use of one's brain, the fluid movements of one's fingers, and the ability to perceive the proper method of entry, no information can be hidden from you.

-Prerequisites:

Dexterity: E+

Intelligence: E+

Perception: D

Cost: 4,000 Coins}

And then there was a higher level of the skill that require energy to use.

{[Hacking - C]

-The ability to gain unauthorized access to data in a low-level magical system or computer.

-With only the use of one's brain, the fluid movements of one's fingers, the ability to perceive the proper method of entry, and a bit of energy usage, no information can be hidden from you.

Prerequisites:

Dexterity: E+

Intelligence: D

Perception: C

Energy: D+

Cost: 8,667 Coins}

"Luckily, I can be a god-like hacker in this world without energy." Tatsuo muttered as he purchased [Hacking – D] from the [Shop]. "Now, let's see what else I can use."

Like that, Tatsuo went through the [Skills], [Abilities], and [Misc.] tabs buying anything he thought would be useful. A few hours later, these were the purchases he decided on.

{[Skills]

[Stealth – D-]

-The ability to obscure one's presence.

-Remain unseen and undiscovered by those with E+ rank perception or lower.

-Prerequisites:

Agility: E+

Dexterity: E+

Perception: D

Cost: 2,500 Coins

[Blacksmithing – E+]

-The ability to craft and repair metal objects by hand.

-Using the proper materials, non-magical weapons, armors, and tools can be created or repaired.

-Prerequisites:

Strength: E+

Dexterity: E+

Cost: 1,700 Coins

[Leatherworking – E+]

-The ability to craft and repair equipment made from the hides of beasts.

-Using the proper materials, non-magical armor pieces can be crafted or repaired.

Prerequisites:

Dexterity: E+

Cost: 1,500 Coins

[Tailoring – E+]

-The ability to craft and repair equipment made from cloth materials.

-Using the proper materials, non-magical garments can be crafted or repaired.

-Prerequisites:

Dexterity: E+

Cost: 1,500 Coins}

Tatsuo also bought a pair of Walther PDP Match 5 9mm pistols, twenty-five loaded magazines, holsters for the 2 pistols, enough nano Kevlar material to craft armor for himself, much like Batman's, and enough other material to put it together. In total, he spent 12,000 Coins.

By the time Tatsuo was done with his little shopping spree, all ten slots of Tatsuo's [Inventory] were full, some tools had been stored in his closet, three hours had passed, and he had 450,680 Coins remaining.

In the end, his [Status] looked like this:

{[Status]

[Personal Information]

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo

Age: 15

Race: Human/???

Title: ???

Coins: 450,680

[Physical Attributes]

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: E+

Strength: E+

Agility: E+

Dexterity: E+

Endurance: E+

Intelligence: E+

Perception: D

Energy: N/A

Charm: B+

[Skills]

Language: E+

Pianist: D-

Singing: E+

Vale Tudo: E

Weapon Mastery: E+

Dagger Master: D-

Firearms Mastery: E+

Cooking: F+

First Aid: E-

Hacking: D

Stealth: D-

Blacksmithing: E+

Leatherworking: E+

Tailoring: E+

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.]}

"Alright, I think that's enough for tonight." Tatsuo muttered as he was feeling rather sleepy. He had been rudely awakened from his sleep nearly four hours ago, after all. "I'd better get some sleep. At least I don't' have to go to school tomorrow, though. On the other hand, I know Mom is gonna burst in here pretty early in the morning to wish me happy… birthday…"

With that, Tatsuo fell back to sleep, leaving the investigation of the [Dimensional Chat] for tomorrow.