For as long as I can remember, I wanted to have my own isekai and become number one in terms of strength.
Whether in anime or manga, I've always been fascinated by the idea of the main character being transported to a fantasy world and becoming the most powerful magician or something similar.
The dream of being a powerhouse that everyone respects because of their strength.
I never really experienced anything like respect for me. Of course, my life wasn't bad. I studied, I got relatively good grades. I'm not some tragic figure either. I wasn't bullied at school, nor did I have low self-esteem.
I was an ordinary guy with an ordinary, unremarkable personal life.
In my free time, as you might guess, I watched anime and read manga. I wasn't the most popular guy in school, but I had a few friends.
I loved isekai heroes with Batman-like personalities who could destroy a dragon with a single punch. I always dreamed of being that kind of Gida Chad.
Of course, I didn't fully believe that such a thing as isekai existed, nor that I would experience it.
But first, let me tell you how it all began. It was basically a normal day at school. A few people confessed their love to the school beauty. The popular guys were hanging out in groups, and I was spending my breaks in the library reading the original Witcher saga.
After classes, I returned home. My parents weren't home because they were working. After a quick shower, I played a bit of The Last of Us Part 1 and went to bed around 11 a.m. My eyes were closing on their own.
I was hoping to get some sleep because the weekend was approaching and I wanted to get up early so I wouldn't waste it.
Unfortunately, I never woke up in my body again.
[New system owner located. Welcome to the world of Morgaveth.]
A cold, robotic voice woke me from my sleep.
"What the hell is going on?" I muttered indistinctly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
What surprised me at that moment, however, was that my hands seemed smaller for the 17-year-old teenager I was.
"What the?"
When I opened my eyes, I saw I was standing on a busy street. Carts pulled by strange animals resembling sables and large wolves slowly rolled up and down the road, and people in strange medieval clothing walked past me. The people's attire resembled that of a Renaissance fair, mostly robes and aprons. A few passersby glanced at me sideways with disdain.
"Where am I? How did I end up here?"
I asked the typical questions of an isekai opening MC perfectly. It was obvious I'd entered another world. I don't even know why I asked those strange questions.
"That guy's dressed badly, Mom!" The boy laughed, pointing at me. There was no malice in his mirth; he was simply too young to know better.
The boy's mother shushed him and continued on without stopping, eyeing me suspiciously.
Opening my eyes wide, I took a closer look at the crowd around me. Now that I was paying more attention, I realized that many of the people in the crowd didn't look human. They had fur and animal ears, and one of them, approaching me, had his muzzle completely covered by a wolf's snout!
The wolf-faced man glared at me.
"Got a problem, buddy?" he growled. I assumed it was indeed a growl, like someone opening a mouth full of sharp teeth.
I realized I'd been staring at the werewolf with my mouth open in surprise, and he quickly shook his head "no."
The werewolf snorted and continued forward.
When I looked down, I saw my reflection in the puddle. I looked like a 14-year-old boy. Unlike my world, where I had brown hair and green eyes, here I had black hair and blue eyes. The typical appearance of an isekai hero.
I pursed my lips in displeasure. The only downside to MC isekai is that everyone looks practically the same. I didn't like the look.
"Uh... open up, system." I said hesitantly, unsure if this was an isekai with a system like the one in the game.
[Hello, host.] The system said in a robotic voice, and the typical stats window appeared before me. [How can I help you?]
"Show me my main stats." I ordered, leaning against the wall of a random building, feeling excited.
[Of course,] the system replied.
The next moment, my main stats were displayed.
Name: None (host)
Species: Human
Level: 1
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 5
Defense: 5
Mana: 5
So, that's what my stats looked like. I'm currently in a big city. This is probably not a place for someone as weak as me. Putting my current strength aside, I started asking the system about style.
"System, can I change my appearance?"
[Of course, but you can't do that without having a name. It's worth noting that the host can only change their physical appearance once at level 1. You can change your appearance at will after reaching level 100.]
"I see... Hmmm... So I have to give myself a name first."
I instinctively wanted to give my name from my previous life, but eventually I came up with a better idea.
"Enter Kyo Manticore for the name," I said to the system.
[Of course. The name Kyo Manticore has been saved in the system.]
I wasn't Japanese in my previous life, but I thought it would be cool to call myself that.
[Important note: the host has 10 free points to contribute to their stats.] The system informed me.
I thought for a long time about how to organize my points into my stats.
I thought about it for about half an hour before I finally allocated my free points.
[The host organized the points. Here's what it looks like:]
Name: Kyo Manticore (host)
Species: Human
Level: 1
Strength: 7
Agility: 9
Dexterity: 7
Defense: 6
Mana: 6
I decided to put most of my points into agility because in the future I want to be a fast fighter who hits my opponent before they even realize they've been hit.
After creating my stats, I decided to change my appearance. The system presented me with the character creation window. It might take a long time before I could reach level 100 to permanently have the privilege of changing my appearance, but oh well. I didn't want to look like a typical isekai MC.
So, hidden in an alley so no one would stare as I changed my appearance, I created my new look.
Now I was a skinny 14-year-old, unable to change my age; the system told me it was the age of majority in Morgaveth. In any case, I now had sharp, coal-black eyes and green hair.
I was dressed in tattered black clothes. Unfortunately, the system didn't offer any other outfits.
"Okay, now that we've got that out of the way..." I said, emerging from the dark alley with my new look. "System, where is the nearest adventurers' guild?"
[Unfortunately, I don't have that information.]
"What?"
[I'm here to help the host learn, develop strength, or translate the language and writing of each nation in Morgaveth. The host must acquire this knowledge on his own.]
"So it won't be that easy, huh..."
With nothing else to do, I shrugged and went in search of the adventurers' guild.