I didn't go back to my apartment.
That place… wasn't home anymore.Just a coffin where a part of me died.Where betrayal stained the walls and silence screamed louder than any words.
So I stayed in the junkyard.
Not because it was safe.But because no one came looking for me here.And for the first time in years, I needed the silence.
Day 5.
My muscles ached like hell.Even with stat boosts and system recovery buffs, pain didn't just vanish.Turns out leveling up doesn't give you a get-out-of-soreness-free card.
I still had to stretch every limb before I could even lift the crowbar again.
[Daily Quest: Rise and Grind – Day 5/7]• Wake up before 6 AM ✔• Train 2 hours ✔• Eat a nutritious meal ✘• Meditate 30 minutes ✔Penalty for Missing Objective: +2 Fatigue TomorrowReward upon completion: Passive Skill "Discipline"
I stared at the screen and sighed.
"Nutritious meal, huh?"
I checked my pockets.1,350 yen left. All coins.That wouldn't even get me a proper breakfast set at a cheap diner.
I found an old vending machine near the junkyard entrance and got the best I could.
Canned corn soup and a melon bread.
It wasn't nutritious. But it was calories.
As I sipped the lukewarm soup, sitting on a crate, I opened my Status Screen.
Ryou – Age: 23Level: 2Title: Broken Soul / Scrap WarriorStats:• Strength: 6• Agility: 5• Endurance: 6• Intelligence: 5• Perception: 4• Charisma: 2• Luck: 2Skill Tree:• Mental Fortitude Lv. 2• Smash Lv. 2• Improvised Combat Lv. 1• Breathing Control Lv. 1Available Points: 5
I hovered over "Strength."
One more point and I'd be able to lift that metal sheet I struggled with yesterday. But maybe I needed more agility too. My footwork during those shadow drills felt slow. Or maybe Perception—I missed a punch I could've dodged if I'd just noticed a fraction earlier.
But then…
I stopped.
I remembered something.
I've always rushed.
Rushed into working nonstop.
Rushed into loving Yuki without asking why she stayed.
Rushed into trying to be "enough."
And where did that get me?
Nowhere.
I closed the screen.
I wouldn't use the points yet.Not until I understood what I needed.Not until I was ready.
Later that morning, I trained.
Not for XP. Not for a quest.
Just because I had to.
Crowbar swings.Push-ups.Shuffles between scrap piles.Breathing drills until the world blurred.
Every second, I could feel myself sharpening.The system didn't make me strong. It gave me the tools.But I still had to bleed for it.
And I was okay with that.
Because for the first time in years… I knew where I was going.
[New Passive Skill Acquired: "Body Awareness Lv. 1"]• Minor increase to balance, posture, and form.• Reduces energy waste by 10% during movement.Condition Unlocked: "Rhythm Training" – Optional XP Gain
"Nice," I muttered, panting on the ground.
I wiped the sweat from my eyes and looked at the sky. Still grey. Still overcast.
Like it was stuck, just like me.
But maybe… maybe the sun would break through soon.
That afternoon, I returned to the city.
Not to find anyone.Not to go back.
But to test something.
[New Quest: Face What You Left Behind]Objective: Return to your old apartment. Reclaim what is yours.Optional: See her again.Reward: +2 Charisma | +2 Mental Fortitude | +1 Passive Skill Slot
I hesitated.
I didn't want to see her.
Even now, her face haunted me. Her voice, her laugh, the little notes she used to leave in my lunch bag.
But I didn't come this far to run forever.
I walked.
The apartment looked the same.
Old, cracked paint. Creaking stairs. Smelled like cigarettes and mold.
I unlocked the door.
She wasn't there.
Only silence.
Only the echo of a life that didn't belong to me anymore.
The room was exactly as I left it.
Half my things were gone. She must've moved out.
The couch was still there.The one they—
I turned away.
Opened the closet.
Grabbed my old duffel bag. Some clothes. An old photo of my parents. My cracked laptop. My sketchbook from high school.
And—
An envelope.
My name.Her handwriting.
My hands trembled.
I opened it.
"I'm sorry."
"You were always kind. Too kind. But I needed more. I wanted more. And you were stuck."
"Maybe the world was unfair to you. Maybe I was too. But I couldn't wait forever."
"You didn't fight for me. You didn't fight for us."
"I hope you find something worth fighting for someday."
I read it twice.
Then set it on fire.
No tears.
No screams.
Just a whisper.
"…I have."
[Quest Complete: Face What You Left Behind]
[Reward Gained: +2 Charisma | +2 Mental Fortitude | +1 Passive Skill Slot]
As I stepped out of the building, I felt lighter.
The chains were still there—but looser.
Like the weight of her… of all of it… was starting to slide off.
I had nothing again.
But this time?
I chose it.
And from here on out, I was going to build everything on my own.
End of Chapter 4