I didn't think a cheap folding notebook could hold so much of my life.
But when you're rebuilding from nothing, every scrap matters.
And today, I wrote three words at the top of the page:
"Build. Maintain. Reinvent."
That was the theme for the next chapter of my life.
Not survival.
Creation.
I'd stabilized.
Routine: check.
Shelter: check.
Food: barely, but check.
But I couldn't stay still.
If I wanted to climb, I needed more than work and workouts.
I needed to create something with my hands.
Something tangible.
Something that wouldn't vanish when a shift ended or a wall crumbled.
So I gave myself a challenge:
Build a full-body workout bench.
No store-bought equipment.
Only scrap.
Only what I could find, carry, and assemble.
And if I couldn't?
I'd fail.
And learn why.
[System Quest: "Create With Your Own Hands"]
Objective: Construct a functional piece of training equipment using no money.
Bonus: Improve its structure over time.
Reward:
• Passive Skill – "Creative Construction"
• Strength +1 | Intelligence +1
• System Affinity +1%
I smiled.
No sword. No armor.
Just bolts, boards, and sweat.
Let's build.
I spent the day combing through alleyways, backyards, and construction trash bins.
Not stealing. Just salvaging.
There's a rule in the underworld of the broke:
If it's left by the curb for two days and no one takes it, it's yours.
Here's what I found:
• Two wooden planks, sturdy and dry
• One broken office chair with a metal frame
• A discarded futon (thin, but usable as padding)
• Half a bag of rusty bolts
• Bent hinges
• Plastic crates
• An old belt
Carrying it all back took three trips.
But I didn't care.
Every piece was potential.
In my cramped room, I laid everything on the floor.
It wasn't much.
But neither was I.
And I was becoming something anyway.
I borrowed a hammer from a co-worker. Bought a screwdriver set for 300 yen from a junk store. Spent four hours after my shift drilling, aligning, binding.
Sweat ran into my eyes.
My fingers bled where I stripped skin twisting old bolts with bare hands.
The room smelled like rust, oil, and effort.
I didn't stop.
Not even once.
By 1:14 AM…
I had a bench.
It wobbled.
It creaked.
But it held my weight.
I stared at it in silence.
Then laughed.
Not because it was perfect.
But because I made it.
With nothing.
[Quest Complete: Create With Your Own Hands]
[Reward Granted]
• Passive Skill: "Creative Construction Lv. 1"
• Strength +1 | Intelligence +1
• System Affinity Increased to 2.3%
• Bonus Trait Progress: Grit 40% → 49%
[Skill Gained: Practical Engineering Lv. 1]
• Effect: Minor understanding of physical structures. Slight boost when crafting physical tools or fixing objects.
I didn't expect that last one.
But it made sense.
The system wasn't magic.
It was recognition.
A mirror that saw my effort and gave it shape.
For the next week, I used the bench every day.
Push-ups, incline dips, sit-ups, crowbar lifts.
Every workout felt more personal.
I wasn't just training on the bench.
I was training with it.
Because I'd built it.
And it reminded me of something I hadn't had in years:
Ownership.
At the construction site, the foreman caught me sketching during lunch break.
"You drawing anime girls?"
I looked up. "No. Just a structural idea for a weight plate using cinder blocks."
"…You're weird."
He walked off, muttering something about "crazy strong kids."
I didn't explain.
Didn't need to.
Because every rough sketch became another upgrade.
Within two weeks, I'd:
• Strengthened the frame with rebar.
• Strapped the futon padding tighter using the belt.
• Hung water jugs from ropes for resistance training.
It looked like trash.
But it functioned better than 90% of home gyms I'd seen online.
[Skill Upgrade: Creative Construction Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Improvised Gear Durability +15%]
[Training Efficiency +5% when using self-made equipment]
One night, as I wiped sweat from my face and looked around my room, I noticed something strange.
It didn't feel small anymore.
It felt… full.
Not of stuff.
Of purpose.
The bench.
The books.
The schedule on the wall.
My old crowbar leaning against the corner, worn but waiting.
Even the silence felt warmer.
The next system message didn't come through sound.
It came as a quiet ripple across my interface.
A new branch unlocked on the Self-Mastery Tree.
[Craftsmanship: 0.00% Unlocked]
"To change the world, you must first change the tools you wield."
The line felt poetic.
But it was more than that.
It was a warning.
You can't wait for the world to give you weapons.
You have to build your own.
From that point forward, I changed how I saw everything.
Old cardboard? Insulation.
Plastic bottle caps? Grips.
Broken umbrellas? Lightweight training poles.
Torn jeans? Rope for binding.
Everything had potential.
And every day I used what I created…
I grew stronger—not just in body, but in belief.
[Status Update]
Ryou – Age 23 | Level: 3
Titles: Broken Soul / Scrap Warrior / Student of the Streets / Creator of One
System Mode: Stability (ACTIVE)
Stats:
• Strength: 10
• Agility: 9
• Endurance: 10
• Intelligence: 9
• Perception: 5
• Charisma: 4
• Luck: 2
Trait Progress: Grit – 49%
Subpath Progress – Craftsmanship: 0.5%
Skills:
• Mental Fortitude Lv. 3
• Improvised Combat Lv. 2
• Body Awareness Lv. 2
• Breathing Control Lv. 2
• Self-Taught Lv. 2
• Study Rhythm Lv. 1
• Creative Construction Lv. 2
• Practical Engineering Lv. 1
• Kinetic Reading Lv. 1
• Self-Driven [Trait]
I still worked.
Still studied.
Still trained.
But now I added one more ritual:
Build something.
Every week.
From nothing.
It didn't matter what. A grip, a handle, a rack, a shelf.
Create. Use. Improve.
It became a way of life.
One day, maybe I'll have real tools.
A workshop.
A room that doesn't leak when it rains.
But until then?
I'll shape the world one broken piece at a time.
End of Chapter 8