My Atomic System

Chapter 4: Secret Combat Force

The nurse approached a ward.

As if anxious to meet her patient, she checked her attire a few times before she entered the ward.

Huh?

Where's Mr Haruto?

The nurse stared at the empty bed. She wanted to believe he was in the bathroom but there was not a single sound of water.

Suddenly, her eyes rounded up into circles.

What if?...

“Mr Haruto!!”

The nurse dropped the tray in her hand.

She quickly pressed the emergency button on the wall.

“Patient 05, ward 10 has left the hospital!!!” The nurse cried out in alarm.

***

Sal attracted multiple gazes and toured the streets of Tokyo.

“Is he mad?”

“I think so”

“You don't see this in Tokyo all the time”

Sal totally ignored their whispers. He didn't have a hard time sneaking out of the hospital. All in the name of going out to check something, he left. Though he did know if they'd come for him or NOT.

This really doesn't get old. It even looks more beautiful from below here.

Sal stared at the tall buildings.

Currently, he was still wearing the sick gown he wore from the hospital. A tattered givenchy bag and to top it all, he was bare footed. But all that didn't seem to matter to him.

Sal smiled as he looked at the towering buildings, on which he found japanese inscriptions.

This is beautiful

Sal was almost drawn to tears.

Occasional aromas aroused his nose too. Smell of ramen, minced meat.

“Buy your veges!!!!! It costs only 100 yen!!!” A man screamed out with emphasis on each loud words.

Che, So loud.

You'd be killed if you screamed like that back on my world.

He couldn't ignore the vehicles too. He wanted in the transport means too but he had no currency. He wondered what currency they spent here. And the occasional loud horns?.

This place is so lively.

He was trying to locate Haruto's abode while relying on information he had gotten from his memories.

I need to find Lily.

But first I need to take care of his family.

After some time, he arrived at a house.

Isn't this too extravagant?

Sal scanned the towering building.

Oh!

Realization suddenly hit him. It was on rent, meaning they only occupied one room here.

Sal truly admired Haruto, he was doing a lot. He made 100,000 yen per month working as a delivery man at a restaurant. He paid his rent of 70,000 yen and tried his best to manage the 30,000 for feeding which didn't exclude his brother and grandpa.

Housing in Tokyo is really expensive.

Sal concluded.

He suddenly heard hushed voices,

“Isn't that Haruto?”

“Poor boy, he's gotten into an accident again to take care of his family”

“I really pity…”

Though silent enough for a normal human with enhanced hearing to miss, Sal could hear the crystal clear like they were talking into his ears. He didn't actually know the reason for his enhanced senses.

Is this another bonus from transmigration?.

Sal shook off the thought.

Sal sighed and used the stairs. Totally ignoring the gossips of the other tenants.

He soon located his room.

He grabbed his bag and checked for the keys inside.

He located it and inserted it into the lock.

With a click, the door unlocked.

He sighed ruefully.

If I'm coming in here, I need to accept my new personality.

I'll miss my former me.

With a mixed emotion of grief, uncertainty, helplessness and annoyance.

Sal muttered.

“Henceforth, I'm Haruto”.

He pushed the door. A loud creak rang through.

Haruto peeped before he went in.

The moment he came in, the smell of fragrance hit him.

It relaxed his pent up nerves.

It's actually better than that place—the hospital.

There were three sofas in a one-side open square formation. And a large screen his brain called a television. Behind the formation was where his brain called a dining table. To the left and divided was a kitchen/ hallway that led to the bedroom. The hallway was first on the left and followed, the kitchen.

Haruto placed his bag on the bare floor and took his seat.

He let out a long sigh and rubbed his head.

I really wonder how lily's doing right now.

I need to think of a way to get back to my world.

Whatever transmigrated me is probably an entity with a supernatural background.

If so….

Am I not supposed to be reincarnated as a god or something?

Instead, I died again and broke my head.

Haruto angrily stared at the blue screen in front of him.

[ You have new messages ]

He sighed and rested his back on the sofa.

According to what I can gather from Haruto's memories. This looks something like a video game.

Haruto did play a lot of games. Call of Duty? Pub g? Blood strike?

Haruto frowned a little more.

[ You have new messages ]

He took one last look at the screen.

He then reluctantly reached out for it. A realization struck him in response.

Huh?,

I can't touch it?

Haruto stared at the screen in confusion.

Then how do I navigate it then?

He tried swiping it.

He blinked.

He blew little air at it.

And even tried using words.

Nothing's working!!

Haruto looked at the screen with hatred.

There's not even a user manual.

Screw it…

Haruto stood up.

I'll figure it out.

Suddenly, with a loud creak that made Haruto flinch from shock, the door flung open.

“Big bro!!”

A young guy ran into the arms of Haruto. He recognized him. His black hair, tall frame— though Haruto was taller, normal eyes and liveliness. That was Haruto's little brother, Gensei Touma.

Frozen, Haruto hugged back reluctantly.

How could he—I abandon such a nice little bro?

Haruto remembered Lily, he smiled and hugged more tightly.

“Big bro…” Touma munched amidst a soft groan.

“What?” asked Haruto as he hugged even tighter.

“You're squeezing me” he groaned again.

“Oh! Sorry” Haruto anxiously let go.

“It's fine” Touma forced out a smile.

His expression suddenly turned gloomy.

“I heard what happened...”

“...Grandpa has disappeared mysteriously”

“I'll miss him. ” an awkward silence hung in the heavy air for a moment before the young man looked up at him.

"He's still alive right?"

Haruto nodded slightly.

“Granpa’s a strong man. I'm sure he's fine somewhere” replied Harutol. He rubbed his face and sat on the sofa.

“How'd you survive?” He asked with a look of confusion, clearly wanting answers.

“Even I don't know, one moment I was being stabbed by giant rods in the train and the next, I was in the hospital, totally fine” explained Sal.

The lad stared at him for a while as if scanning for the truth. Then finally, he nodded.

“I promise, I'll find him” Haruto assured.

“I know you've got my back big bro. I need to get back to school” He replied.

“What? Why?” Asked Haruto.

“I took permission to come see you during school periods and now I have to be back or I'll miss next lectures” he explained.

“Oh! Okay” Haruto smiled and hugged one last time as he watched him open the door.

“Oh! Hey wait, remember when we used to play games”

“Yes” Touma turned to look back.

“Are you going back into games?” he asked.

“No, just remind me of how we check a mailbox in games where we use words to navigate,” Haruto smiled.

Touma shrugged.

“Open the mailbox? You can use anything as long as it relates to messages like in starship commander. Are you sure you're not going into games again?”

Touma squinted his eyes suspiciously.

“Open the mailbox?” Haruto said almost spontaneously.

Suddenly the screen before him changed.

Ting!

[ You have taken the first step towards awakening ]

[ Daily quests have arrived, do you wish to check them? ]

Haruto smiled in ecstasy.

“Thank you so much!!!” Haruto smiled, unleashing his cavity to air's corrosion.

Isn't he weird? Our grandpa just died.

Touma shrugged it off. He paused at the door again.

“I just hope we find grandpa, mum and dad already left us. If grandpa does too…”

The story was complicated for the both of them, they had watched their mun killed brutally by some strange demon. Their dad, who happened to be at home that day was accused of it and bundled up to jail. They had not seen him since then. That was how they were stuck with their grandpa. Haruto and Touma couldn't forget how their dad screamed his innocence, but, no one listened.

“We'll find him, I promise,” Haruto nodded at him.

Touma nodded and left.

Haruto turned his full focus on the screen.

It's supposed to give me powers?

Doesn't that mean I did reincarnate as a god?.

After he read first message, Haruto check the second. The screen changed.

[ Daily Quests

Push ups: 0/100

Sit ups: 0/100

Squats: 0/100

Inclined Push ups: 0/100

Leaps: 0/100.

Jog laps: 0/10 km

Run laps: 0/10 km

Swim: 0/10km

Obtain drops of pure liquid hydrogen: 0/10 drops.

Obtain Coral reefs: 0/5

Note: Failure to complete these Quests before 24 hours will attract a penalty.

]

For a moment, Haruto stared at it blankly.

“What a joke”

Haruto scoffed.

“10km of swimming?! And where the heck am I supposed to get coral reefs and liquid hydrogen? Do I look like a marine biologist? Who designed this madness?”

“How would I become a god with the menial workouts and get to Lily?”

“Penalty? Penalty my foot!”

“It sure is a joke, my head really is broken”

Haruto sighed.

He helped himself to the bathroom, cleaned him self up and changed into some of Haruto's clothes.

“I should get some Ramen”

Haruto stood up, aimed at the door. He didn't carry his belongings. He had gotten home after all.

A question did hang in the air.

What is going on actually?.