Chapter Two: The Proof of a Real Man

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“What… is this?” He tried to grip what he held in his hand more firmly—a cluster of three blue gems entwined together, each one carved into the likeness of a burly man, their muscular chests rendered in striking detail. An odd, invigorating sensation surged through Xie Jing, making the object feel a little too hot to hold.

A line of violet text introduced the item’s origin.

“Proof of a True Man!”

“Description: (Wearable) Basic Mastery LV+5, Indomitable Will LV+5!
Whether it’s the sweat on your body or the scent of it, both are the marks of a true man!”

Ah, it reeked of a certain... flamboyant spirit.

Why did I get something like this?!

As a former player of the dungeon-crawling game DNF, Xie Jing instantly recognized the item. Back in the era when Sword Saints had to manually cast their buffs, this was the strongest magic stone for them. With it, you were the MVP; without it, you were just another average fighter.

“Well, I’ll wear it anyway,” he muttered after a moment’s hesitation. Gritting his teeth, he resolved to put it to use. After all, appearances could be deceiving; a thing shouldn’t be judged solely by its looks! Xie Jing considered the matter—he didn’t really know what Basic Mastery or Indomitable Will did, but they both sounded useful.

He could choose the style and size for wearing it, so Xie Jing selected the smallest option—just the size of his fingertip—and tied the Proof of a True Man to his ankle with a black string.

Wearing it on his hand or chest would be far too conspicuous.

Once he’d finished equipping the last item, another message appeared on his interface.

“Special Newcomer Privilege: Identity services activated. Your identity in this world has been arranged. We look forward to your next experience!”

No sooner had he finished reading than a shrill ringing startled him. He turned to see a white handheld phone on the table vibrating insistently.

Fumbling, he picked it up and pressed something at random. A clear, angry voice erupted from the speaker.

“Yuta, did you forget what you promised me yesterday?”

(・◇・)?

What promise?

Xie Jing was utterly bewildered. As a transmigrant, he hadn’t inherited any memories from his predecessor, so he had no idea what was being referred to.

There was a brief pause on the line, then the voice rose three octaves in indignation.

“Yuta—! Staying silent won’t help. I’m already at your house. Prepare to meet your doom!”

He could easily imagine the young woman on the other end, grinding her teeth in frustration.

A tremendous noise echoed from downstairs, followed by the rhythmic clack of shoes on the staircase. Before Xie Jing could process what was happening, the door burst open and a beautiful young woman in a crisp uniform stood before him.

“Fujii Yuta! What on earth are you doing?!”

“Uh…”

Who are you? How did you get in here? And why is your uniform so… well, never mind.

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Flustered, Xie Jing took a few steps back, unable to answer the familiar stranger. He could only drop his head and mumble incoherently.

Akane Kamidera glared at her childhood friend, her ponytail swishing as she marched up to him. She seized Xie Jing’s hand, her voice sharp with anger: “Did you forget what I told you yesterday? How many times have you been late now? I had to beg the TPC supervisor just to keep you from being kicked out of the Victory Team!”

TPC?

The name rang a bell, but Xie Jing couldn’t quite recall where he’d heard it before.

He looked up at Akane Kamidera and saw that she was cute and lively, her single ponytail and white uniform accentuating her beauty. On her chest was a special insignia—a silver badge with black trim, the letters ‘TPC’ written in blue across its face, each corner filled with black.

Familiar—far too familiar!

Wasn’t this the Earth Peace Union from Ultraman Tiga? They had an operations team called GUTS—and Xie Jing could even recall a few of the team members.

Had he really transmigrated into the world of Ultraman Tiga?

Suddenly, he remembered the system quest he’d seen earlier—it said he was to become an Ultraman…

“…!”

Damn!

Akane Kamidera noticed his odd expression, her anger fading into concern.

“Yuta, are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine…” Xie Jing coughed a few times, then replied, “Kamidera… Akane…”

He’d just noticed her name written beneath the TPC insignia.

“What did you call me?” Akane Kamidera glared at him, apparently offended by his use of her full name.

“Uh…” Xie Jing looked awkward. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to address her.

“Oh, never mind.” Akane Kamidera sighed, then tugged his hand. “Hurry up and get changed! You’re coming with me to report to the Victory Team!”

“Right, right.” Now that he was certain he was in the world of Ultraman Tiga, he figured a trip to the TPC couldn’t hurt.

Though he still had no idea what he was supposed to do there…

After changing into his formal uniform, he found a Honda sedan waiting downstairs. Akane Kamidera slid into the driver’s seat with practiced ease, yanked the handbrake, floored the gas, and roared off down the road.

On the drive, Xie Jing learned a lot from chatting with Akane.

First, the Giant of Light had not yet appeared. In other words, Daigo had not yet become Tiga, and the story’s first episode hadn’t begun. This made his mission to become an Ultraman a little easier.

Second, his own identity: a new recruit on the Victory Team, a genius aircraft designer, a martial arts prodigy, and a bit of a loner.

And, most notably, he’d managed to be late all three times he’d reported to the Victory Team—each time because he’d overslept at home!

Xie Jing couldn’t help but admire Akane Kamidera’s persistence. With a teammate like him, it was a wonder she hadn’t kicked him out yet.

There was also the beautiful Akane Kamidera herself. She seemed to be his childhood friend—the girl in that photograph. They weren’t a couple, but the relationship seemed pretty close.

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Xie Jing was secretly delighted.

Imagine that—starting out with a wife! What bliss.

Thus, he smoothly transitioned from addressing her as Kamidera Akane to simply Akane.

After about an hour’s drive, crossing several strict checkpoints, a colossal pyramid-shaped structure came into view, towering over the lake on the Boso Peninsula.

This was the Far East Headquarters of the TPC—the central command. In peacetime, it appeared as a pyramid, but when monsters attacked, it served as the launch base for their fighter jets.

The view was all too familiar. As a child, seeing the TPC headquarters slowly rise from the water on TV had always filled him with excitement; he’d dreamed of visiting it one day.

As he grew older, that excitement turned into a gentle mockery of his own childishness. He learned what tokusatsu really was, and his fervor for Ultraman faded away.

But now, seeing the actual TPC base before him—its massive structure glowing with mysterious light—the dreams of his childhood had become reality, and he couldn’t help but feel that same excitement stir within him.

They passed through an underwater tunnel and the car slowly entered a parking lot.

After getting out, Akane Kamidera dragged him to apologize to an older man, and then he finally met Director Zei of the Victory Team.

In Ultraman Tiga, besides the Victory Team and a handful of other characters, the base itself required thousands, even tens of thousands, of personnel to operate. Of the few people Xie Jing had just met, none had ever appeared in the show.

“You’re on your own from here! I’m not playing babysitter anymore!” Akane Kamidera tossed her ponytail and walked off in a huff.

Standing alone in the spacious hall, Xie Jing found himself a little dazed.

He’d made it into the TPC? And into the Victory Team?

Was his system the “Everything Is For My Master, Only The Best For You” system?

But there was still a problem. Xie Jing quietly consulted his system.

“System, Daigo could become a giant because he carried the ancient warrior’s genes. But I don’t have those! How will I become an Ultraman?”

A flicker of garbled text flashed across the system interface, then a line of text appeared.

“The system will automatically absorb energy and transform the host’s body.”

“Oh, I see!” Xie Jing nodded, satisfied. Sure enough, this system handled everything from start to finish.

He closed the system interface and heard a roar from outside.

A yellow, triangular aircraft launched from the base, soaring into the blue sky.

Xie Jing was now certain—he had truly crossed into the world of Ultraman Tiga.

But…

There was still one problem…

Where was the Victory Team?