Rise of Franz

Chapter 1: New Beginning

Winter in D city, with a few scattered raindrops gently falling on the shoulders of passersby, suddenly makes one feel lonely amidst the bustling streets. Modernization has brought economic progress, but it has also made people gradually become indifferent and cold. Some individuals lock themselves away in the virtual world, hoping to find something more beautiful and to feel more balanced with others in the virtual community. In a dormitory at D University, a young man is hunched over his laptop, muttering to himself:

“Take that! Rasengan!”

Duane is a third-year engineering student at D University. He is not handsome, his family is not wealthy, and he is not exceptional in his studies. His assets consist only of a few hundred dollars in his ATM card, a legendary Nokia 1202, and an old, used laptop. He entered the university gates full of aspirations and dreams. But after three years, he suddenly realizes a harsh truth: he is powerless. Or rather, he’s just unable to achieve what he desires. His family’s financial situation forces him to struggle with part-time jobs to pay the ever-increasing tuition fees and cover personal living expenses.

Consequently, his academic performance has declined, and he can't keep up with his peers. Frustrated, Duane immerses himself in the virtual gaming world, particularly in a game he likes called 'Naruto Great War.' In real life, Duane is nobody, but in the game, he is a master. In the virtual world, he feels superior to others, no longer affected by harsh remarks or insecurities about himself. He always dreams of having the power like the shinobi (ninja) in the SP manga by PAUL, constantly fantasizing about being at the top of the world.

Today is no different; Duane is once again engrossed in his game. Outside, the wind begins to blow, and dark clouds gather, signaling an approaching storm. He doesn't care—whatever the weather is, it doesn’t affect him. At most, it’s just a few clothes still hanging outside on the balcony, but he ignores them—he’s playing! If they get wet, they'll dry in the sun later. Right now, he's in the middle of a battle! He can't quit now.

Tap tap...tap tap, the rain starts to fall, hitting the window frame and splattering into hundreds of tiny droplets. Everything is quiet, with only the soft sound of rain tapping on the window. All seems still, unusually quiet, as if something bad is about to happen.

In the dorm room, Duane suddenly shouts:

“I’m about to win! Damn it! The connection dropped. Oh no, I’m doomed.”

Boom! A dark purple lightning bolt strikes the dormitory directly, causing the electrical circuits to flicker on and off.

Zap! Zap! Ouch!

A powerful electric shock suddenly surges from the old laptop to Duane’s body. He lets out one final agonized scream and then collapses. His last thought was: "I'm still a virgin."

“Ouch! My head hurts, where am I? Is this the afterlife?”

As he opens his eyes, Duane feels dizzy. Where is this? It’s so unfamiliar, not his eight-bed dorm room anymore, but a bedroom with ancient architecture—simple yet elegant, giving a sense of comfort. This isn’t hell; it’s heaven.

“The young master has woken up!”

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and a figure darts to the bed, embracing him and crying out: "Boohoo, young master, you scared me to death! Please don’t frighten me like that again; my weak heart can’t take it."

“Get off! I don’t like men, damn it, you’re crushing my balls!”

Duane lets out a pained scream and faints again.

In fact, Duane didn’t pass out because of the 'ball-crushing,' but because a chaotic flood of memories suddenly overwhelmed his brain, causing him to lose consciousness. Upon waking up again, he understood that he had traversed space to another world, a place called the Violet Blue Planet. This planet had only two vast continents known as the Lion Continent and the Devil Continent. The place where he now lived was the Ala Empire, located on the Lion Continent. It is said that the Lion Continent was created by the gods for humans to live on and to fight against the demons from the Devil Continent. Every thousand years, the demons from the Devil Continent invade the Lion Continent through a spatial gateway, an event known as the 'Demon Tide.' On the other hand, the people on the Lion Continent are not like those on Earth; they practice cultivation to enhance their powers. What they cultivate are magic and battle energy, but that’s a topic for later.

As for Duane’s current identity, he is now Franz Bonaparte, the son of the patriarch of the Bonaparte family—a major clan in the Ala Empire. However, this Franz was born unlucky. His mother died early due to childbirth complications, and he grew up with blocked meridians, preventing him from cultivating battle energy or magic. Living in an ancient clan like the Bonaparte, Franz was treated as worthless and endured much disdain. If not for his father being the clan leader, Franz would have been expelled from the family long ago. But his misfortune doesn’t end there; within every clan, there are always internal struggles for power. No means are spared. And a 'waste' like Franz became an easy target for attacks. From Franz's memories, Duane understood the pain this young boy had to endure. Yesterday, the eldest son of the Grand Elder, Desmond, broke three of Franz’s ribs, leaving him half-dead. Fortunately, Emon—the one who 'crushed Duane’s balls'—called for help just in time to save Franz. But fate had it that Franz couldn’t withstand the torment, and his soul left his body, allowing Duane’s soul to cross over. As for Desmond, being the family’s 'seed,' under the influence of the Grand Elder, the matter was brushed aside with a simple resolution.

Tick…tick…tick…

System initializing: 10%...30%...50%...80%...100%. Ninja System initialization complete.

Confirming host. Host confirmed.

Location identified: Violet Blue Planet, Lion Continent, Ala Empire, Muchen Capital.

Automatic host scan:

Name: Franz Bonaparte

HP: 80/100

Chakra: 0/100

Stamina: 40/100 (Status: Weakened)

Level: 0

Experience: 0/100 exp

Skills: None

Equipment: None

Silver: 0

Confirmation complete. The Ninja System greets you.

While deep in thought, a stiff, mechanical voice suddenly echoed continuously in Duane’s head.

Looking around in panic, Duane asked nervously. The mechanical voice replied again:

I am the Ninja System.

Duane felt dizzy:

“Didn’t you just say that? What I meant was, where did you come from, and why are you inside my body?”

“Data is missing, unable to respond.”

The mechanical voice made Duane freeze again.

“Then why am I here? Wasn’t I dead?”

“Data is missing, unable to respond.”

“Can I return to Earth?”

“Data is missing, unable to respond.”

...

For half a day, Duane couldn’t extract any useful information from the Ninja System. Exhausted, he asked:

“Can I see you?”

“The host only needs to think, and the system will automatically bring you into the mental space. Additionally, the host can communicate with the system directly through thoughts.”

Unlike previous responses, the system answered clearly. Duane quickly closed his eyes and focused his thoughts. Instantly, the space around him became blurred. A flash of light occurred, and the surroundings changed once more. It was as if Duane was floating in the universe, surrounded by colorful nebulae drifting by.

“Welcome to the Ninja System’s space, host.”

The mechanical voice echoed again. In the void, four large scrolls suddenly appeared, each with a different inscription: Equipment, Ninjutsu, Pet Store, and Missions. Only the Equipment and Ninjutsu columns were glowing.

Currently, the host can only access two functions of the system: Ninjutsu and Equipment. Items purchased in the system are exchanged using silver.

Duane quickly asked:

“So how do I get silver?”

“The host can earn silver by exchanging an item of equivalent value or by completing system missions, which will reward the host with experience points and a certain amount of silver. The host can also gain experience by defeating energy-based creatures.”

Of course, Duane thought to himself. This is just like leveling up in a game by defeating monsters, except in this world, if you die, you don’t get a second chance. The system continued:

“Does the host wish to open the newbie gift pack?”

A newbie gift pack? Overjoyed, Lam Quoc Trung quickly said:

“Yes, open the newbie gift pack.”

“Newbie gift pack opened successfully. The host has received:”

“One copy of the Shadow Clone Jutsu skill, 10 Kunai (daggers), 10 Shuriken (throwing stars), 3 bottles of basic healing potion, 3 bottles of basic chakra recovery potion, 3 bottles of basic stamina recovery potion, 1 set of basic Leaf Armor, 1 Shinobi bag with 32 slots. Items received successfully.”

Not bad at all, Duane thought. With this Franz guy’s body, unable to cultivate battle energy or magic, the Ninja System was nothing short of a lifeline for him. Who cares if he can’t cultivate? He’ll just kill monsters and level up! It doesn’t matter.

“Open the Ninjutsu store,” Duane commanded, eager to see how many ninjutsu skills the system had and whether they matched those in the manga he had read.

“Ninjutsu store opened,” the system activated, and the mechanical voice continued.

“The Ninjutsu store is divided into three sections: Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai (bloodline limits), and Blood Essence. The host can exchange items here using silver. The host currently has 0 silver, so transactions cannot be completed.”

Looking at the 3D holographic screen in front of him, divided into sections containing various ninjutsu, bloodline limits, and blood essence, all appeared dim. However, Duane could see familiar ninjutsu names like Substitution Jutsu, Fireball Jutsu, and Wall Jutsu…

For a shinobi, ninjutsu plays a crucial role in determining their strength. However, Kekkei Genkai are even more powerful. According to the manga, Kekkei Genkai are abilities passed down through specific clans. Most clans develop special techniques related to their Kekkei Genkai, which cannot be taught or copied by others because they require certain genetic traits. When Kekkei Genkai functions through the eyes, it is called dojutsu. In the manga, Duane’s favorite was the Sharingan, a powerful Kekkei Genkai, so he immediately searched for it but couldn’t find it. Desperate, he asked the system:

“Why can’t I find the Sharingan?”

“Because the Sharingan is a highly complex Kekkei Genkai with various levels and abilities, it is divided into separate categories, each with a different silver value. For the basic one-tomoe Sharingan, the host needs 1,500 silver points (additional silver will be required to upgrade to the two-tomoe and three-tomoe states). The Mangekyo Sharingan is 50,000 silver points, and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan is 500,000 silver points.”

The system’s cold, steely voice left Duane stunned. Damn it, when will I ever have 500,000 silver points?