(Disclaimer: Everyone in this story is over 18, regardless of gender. If that doesn't work, then add more years.)
(I'll try to make the story as reasonable as I can, and not too stupid.)
(The male lead's soul crossed over, and he was born in this world. Now his memories have awakened. I'm new at this, so if I don't write well and you don't like it, just go read something you do like.)
His consciousness was like an anchor sunk in the deep sea, suddenly yanked upward by an invisible force, tearing through the cold, viscous darkness. Toudou Shizuka's eyes snapped open. The last scene he'd seen still lingered on his retinas—the fake neon lights outside his office window at three in the morning, the screen packed with error-ridden code, and the dull thud of his heart suddenly stopping, a sound only he could hear.
There was no smell of disinfectant, nor the sulfurous stench of heaven or hell. Instead, his nose caught the faint, clean scent of wooden furniture and quilts warmed by the sun. He turned his stiff neck, gazing at the simple ceiling light, then let his eyes drift over the walls covered in pale beige wallpaper, finally settling on a hard card bearing a gold-embossed school crest on the desk.
"Koudo Ikusei High School... Letter of Acceptance..." His throat was dry. The voice that emerged had the clear timbre characteristic of a teenage boy, yet it was utterly unfamiliar. He pushed himself upright, his bare feet touching the cool floor, and walked over to the desk to pick up the card. It felt thick, with sharp edges. As his gaze fell on the name "Toudou Shizuka," a strange sense of detachment welled up inside him. The name of the overworked wage slave who'd drowned in a sea of code in his previous life had long since grown hazy. All that remained was the imprint of an exhausted soul, one that had finally been crushed, now engraved deep in this body called Toudou Shizuka. Memories of the seventeen years Toudou Shizuka had lived flowed naturally into his barren sea of consciousness, filling in the blanks. His parents were ordinary office workers, kind and loving but with no influential connections. He himself was a typical, hardworking, ordinary top student, with no dazzling talent—only the diligence he'd shown day after day. In the end, his solid accumulation of knowledge had earned him a place at this elite school, rumored to be capable of changing people's destinies.
The instant his fingertips touched the gold-embossed school crest on the acceptance letter, an abrupt change occurred!
Without warning, a cold, emotionless electronic voice, precise as a drill, bored straight into the depths of his mind:
[Strong will to survive detected. Environment of 'extreme competition'... Compatibility assessment: 99.7%... Involution Core System... Binding activated...]
Toudou Shizuka shuddered, nearly dropping the acceptance letter from his hand. Everything before his eyes flickered and warped violently, like a television with a bad signal. The desk, the walls, the sunlight outside... Every material object briefly lost its shape, turning into a stream of shifting, chaotic data. Pale blue bands of light made up of countless zeroes and ones raced through his vision, interweaving and recombining with a faint hum that was almost inaudible.
The bizarre phenomenon lasted only a second or two. When his vision returned to normal, Toudou Shizuka was startled to find himself no longer in his familiar bedroom, but floating in an endless, profound darkness. Beneath his feet was a smooth, mirrorlike black plane that reflected the starry sky above. Directly ahead, a gigantic three-dimensional interface hovered silently, radiating a soft blue-white glow.
The interface was simple and futuristic.
At the very top was a line of clear text: [Involution Core System V1.0].
On the lower left was a three-dimensional model identical to him, composed of countless tiny points of light and slowly rotating. Beside it was the label [Host: Toudou Shizuka].
Below the model were several simple categories:
[Simulation Points]: 0 (Initial value, cold gray text)
[Skills Mastered]: Beginner C (Mediocre): C Rank (You're already pretty good at copy-pasting)
[Talent Shop]: Locked (A gray lock icon)
[Virtual Training Ground]: Awaiting activation (A glowing icon resembling a vortex)
The right side took up most of the interface. It looked like a database waiting to be filled, and was titled [Target Scan and Analysis Zone].
The cold electronic voice rang out again, echoing directly in his mind, clear and unmistakable:
[This system is designed to assist the Host in achieving ultimate evolution in a highly competitive environment. Core function: scan and analyze the 'skills' mastered by target individuals, then generate corresponding virtual training scenarios. The Host must complete the learning objectives in the training ground to truly master the skill. Mastery occurs instantly (in real-world time); in reality, the Host has completed a sufficient number of practice sessions in the training ground, where time flows at a vastly different rate.] [Skill rankings (human range): S (human pinnacle), A (top master), B (expert), C (proficient), D (beginner). Scanning can display a target's entire skill tree.] [For every skill successfully mastered, the Host will receive a corresponding number of 'Simulation Points' according to its rank (S rank: 100 points, A rank: 50 points, B rank: 20 points, C rank: 5 points, D rank: 1 point). Simulation Points can be used to: 1. Unlock/purchase talents in the Talent Shop (talents cannot be simulated; they can only be purchased); 2. Purchase special training aids; 3. Expand system functions.] [Warning: Talents are core traits an individual is born with or acquires through extreme mutations. They cannot be obtained through simulated learning. The system only applies to the category of 'skills'.] [Newbie guide complete. Enjoy your involution.]
As the final byte faded away, the enormous system interface quickly dimmed and shrank like a receding tide, eventually becoming a barely perceptible pale blue dot that disappeared into the upper-right corner of Toudou Shizuka's vision, like a floating icon he could call up at any time. The bedroom came back into focus, solid and real. Sunlight streamed warmly through the window onto the desk, where the acceptance letter from Koudo Ikusei High School lay undisturbed, as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a hallucination brought on by stress.
Toudou Shizuka slowly let out a long breath. His heart hammered in his chest, and a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his back. He looked down at his slightly trembling hands, the hands of the boy Toudou Shizuka, then clenched them tightly. The faint sting of his fingertips digging into his palms felt utterly real.
It wasn't a dream.
The soul that had died at his desk, surrounded by code, had been reborn in this elite school filled with exceptional students and governed by the principle of Survival of the Fittest, bringing with it a system called "Involution." Would the resentment of having been worked to death in his previous life become a weapon for working others to death in this one? A shiver, mingled with an indescribable sense of absurdity and excitement, crept up his spine.
A week later, early morning.
The air on the bus to Koudo Ikusei High School was tinged with the slight dryness of early summer. Students in brand-new uniforms filled the carriage, chatting quietly, excited or nervous about the new school year. Toudou Shizuka chose a relatively spacious spot near the back door and sat down, his shoulder bag on his lap. He lowered his head slightly, his smooth black bangs half concealing his eyes, trying to look no different from the ordinary new students around him—quiet, introverted, and easy to overlook, a well-behaved student.
Only he knew that the pale blue dot in his field of vision was silently unfolding as he focused his thoughts. The giant system interface appeared again. This time, the [Target Scan and Analysis Zone] on the right displayed a dynamic 3-D model of the crowded interior of the bus!
The model showed the carriage from above, its layout clearly rendered, with dozens of pale green icons representing passengers moving around inside. Toudou Shizuka focused his thoughts on one of them: a tall, burly boy standing in the middle of the carriage, with a buzz cut and a defiant look.
[Scanning Target: Ryuen Kakeru] [Expanding skill tree...] Fighting Style (All-Round Combat): B Rank (Proficient in street brawling and basic grappling; vicious style) Intimidation and Oppressive Aura Usage: B Rank (Skilled at intimidating opponents with his presence) Basic Physical Fitness Enhancement: C Rank (Greater stamina and burst strength than the average person) Insight (Perception of Malice and Weaknesses): C Rank (Sharp instincts) Group Violence Leadership: C Rank (Has the beginnings of an ability to lead a small group in pressuring others)
B-rank Fighting Style? Toudou Shizuka's thoughts stirred. It certainly fit Ryuen's fighting ability in the original story. Among ordinary students, he was a top-tier fighter, though still far from the human pinnacle. Without moving his gaze noticeably, he shifted his attention to another target: a brown-haired girl standing near the front door, with a curvy figure and a sweet smile like melting honey. She was chatting easily with several boys and girls from different classes, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly.
[Scanning Target: Kushida Kikyo] [Expanding skill tree...] Social Affinity (Broad): A Rank (Can quickly establish good relationships with the vast majority of people) Expression Management and Emotional Camouflage: A Rank (Perfect control of facial expressions; hides her true emotions) Topic Guidance and Listening Skills: A Rank (Skilled at getting others to speak freely and gathering information) Short-Term Memory (Names, Appearance, Preferences): B Rank (Clear memory of information about people she has met) Basic Information Gathering and Organization: C Rank (Consciously screens and records information) Crisis Response (Social Situations): C Rank (Can handle sudden social awkwardness fairly well)
Before you continue