Shinobinekoden: A Ninja Catgirl’s Tale

   'So, my class will be Magic Powered Ninja. Yes, the letter from the Goddess of Felines really told the truth. It's a class that suits me perfectly from what I gather from its name. But this name... well, I think it could have been a bit cooler, like Shadow of Magic or Blessed Shinobi... Anyway, I don't think I should continue to analyze the gift horse's teeth. The fact that I'll be able to be a real ninja in reality, and not just in video games, is fantastic, something I could never have hoped for, especially after the car accident.'

   Lucy has been drawn to the path of a shinobi since she was a little girl, but living in a modern world, she had no choice but to dream of such a life. This passion was probably born from the numerous action movies she watched in her childhood with her father, in which the appearance of a ninja was like divine intervention because he could solve any problem with his reality-defying skills.

   Due to this passion, Lucy started attending karate classes at the age of 9 since in her small town, there was nothing closer to ninja arts. While these classes were initially seen by Lucy's parents as a source of entertainment and a way to develop her body harmoniously, due to Lucy's natural talent for karate, they immediately changed their opinion and started encouraging her to participate in competitions. Although the prizes in karate competitions weren't very big, a good result could provide a fairly prosperous future. For example, a karate practitioner who has won numerous awards can become a successful karate instructor, and considering that Lucy had every chance of becoming a great beauty when she grows up, with a little luck, she could enter the world of cinema and become an action movie actress. Plus, Lucy never showed much enthusiasm for other things, with her academic results always being mediocre. So a career in karate would be the best option to secure Lucy's future.

   Lucy enthusiastically accepted this, and within a few years, when she was fourteen, she even won the silver medal at the national Karate championship, being defeated in the final by a girl who was two years older than her, thus being superior in terms of physical strength.

   Unfortunately, all her plans were shattered one day when she was returning home from a karate competition, accompanied by her parents when a young drug-addicted driver crashed his car into theirs. Her parents, who were sitting in the front seats, died on the spot, and she hasn't been whole since that day.

   After leaving the hospital, Lucy was taken into custody by her father's sister because she was the only relative living in the same city. Since Lucy received a considerable sum from her parents' life insurance, this money was supposed to last her until after she finished college. Unfortunately, the money was managed by her aunt, who had just gone through a divorce a few months ago and entered a so-called self-discovery period, during which she didn't work at all and lived off Lucy's money.

  The first two years after the accident were very difficult for Lucy, as she was in a constant battle with the depression caused by the loss of her parents, and the fact that the driver who caused the accident managed to escape unpunished kept her awake every night.

   From what she found out, he was the son of a wealthy politician who had many connections with the police leadership. Thus, the investigation lasted almost a year, much longer than it should have, during which the politician sent his son abroad to be admitted to a hospital for people with mental problems. Presenting documents showing that his son had mental issues since childhood, along with the statement from the clinic where his son was currently interned, stating that he requires permanent treatment and specialized supervision, the father of the killer driver managed to save him from prison.

   Lucy couldn't accept this. Tearfully, she begged her aunt to do something for the process to be resumed again, but her aunt refused, arguing that there were forces behind the driver's father that they couldn't compete with, and the only result they would achieve is spending all the money on lawyers.

   'There is no justice in this world. We have all been lied to. Who has always decided what is right and what is wrong? Those who hold power, those who govern over people. If their interests are not threatened, a correct verdict can be given in the end, just to make ordinary people feel protected or to make them feel good that they have taken revenge. Yes, justice is just a notion invented by humans to mask their desire for revenge. But revenge is not something that the weak or the morally intact can dream of when the opponent is part of those in power... And even if the guilty party were to go to prison, my parents won't come back to life, and my leg won't grow back. The imprisonment of the guilty would only serve as an example to others of what can happen if they break the rules.

   So what would be the point? In the end, it would be pointless. Yes, everything is a lie. But I can't do anything about it. I have to continue living. Someone has to carry on the memory of my parents...' This was Lucy's conclusion when she realized that she wouldn't have any chance of triumph. Yes, life is not an action movie where you can take justice into your own hands like a ninja who slashed down all those who wronged him.

   In the end, Lucy had no choice but to continue surviving, burying her disappointments deep within her soul. She tried to focus as much as possible on her studies to ensure that her future would do her parents proud, and she even started attending a few karate classes from time to time, although there was no longer any chance of excelling. But could all of this make Lucy forget?

   No, that was impossible. Every time she saw pity in the eyes of her schoolmates, every time she saw that training partners from the karate club looked at her as a disappointment, she remembered that no matter how hard she tried, things would never go back to normal.

   This is how Lucy spent her last two years on Earth. The only thing that truly helped her relax was escaping into the virtual world of an online game called The Shadow Chronicles, where she could play the role of a true ninja and behave just like before the accident, leaving behind the disappointments caused by reality.

   And now, after being brought into another world, where she can start from scratch without any handicaps, and after being given the chance to become a true ninja, Lucy can finally feel that all the misfortunes she went through can be left behind.

  'Yes, this is a great opportunity. I can finally have a fresh start. This world will probably have its difficulties too, but luckily, here I have a chance to truly become powerful. If someone does me wrong, here I have the chance to create justice with my own hands. No, even better than that. A ninja is not sent to participate in the war; they are sent ahead to prevent the start of the war. Yes, true justice is done before injustice begins...'

   But Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the system's intervention, which finished calculating Lucy's status and presented it to her eyes.

   [Status]

   Name: Lucy Everlynn
   Race: Catkin
   Classes: Magic Powered Ninja
   Level: 1

   Parameters
   Health: 100/100
   Mana: 150/150
   Stamina: 70/70

   Attributes
   Strength: 10
   Defense: 5
   Vitality: 8
   Agility: 20
   Dexterity: 20
   Magic: 20
   Intelligence: 12
   Luck: 10

   Skills: No skills have been identified.

   [The host has the chance to choose two skills of maximum level S from a list generated by the system or to create her own skills]

   'Hmm, everything looks good, well, I think... I believe that once I level up, I'll see to what extent attributes will influence parameters. As for skills, the system's proposed list is truly great, but all skills higher than grade A are impossible to use with the amount of mana I have. But I don't want to miss the opportunity to obtain two maximum-level skills. The best solution would be to create two grade S skills that can help me right from the first day and whose effects will become stronger as I level up.'

   Lucy sat on a rock by the stream and began thinking about what skills to create while analyzing her tail, which she couldn't pay enough attention to before the system's intervention. 'So soft... No Lucy, now you have work to do. So what does a true ninja absolutely need? I think the most important thing is to always have the necessary weapons at their disposal. They need an inexhaustible source of shurikens, kunai, and explosive papers. Yes, it would be best if my first skill allowed me to access a kind of virtual store where I can buy all the things a ninja needs, a store whose currency, for example, is obtained by killing beasts, like in a video game. Yes, it's perfect. But is such a thing possible? How should I proceed to create it?' Fortunately, as soon as Lucy decided on her first skill, the system sent her a notification that it had been created.

   [Ninja Shop (S): a unique skill that allows the host to purchase any desired product as long as it is related to the life of a ninja. The host will be able to use the points received from killing other creatures to buy from the store.]

   'Huh, it was easier than I thought. Yes, it's just perfect! Let's see how I can access the shop. Maybe I don't have to shout the skill's name out loud. Not only would it be a bit ridiculous, but for a ninja, it would be a real problem. Imagine a ninja being unable to use their skills unless they shout their names. The whole point of hiding in the shadows would be in vain...' Fortunately, as before, the system could perfectly read Lucy's intentions, and accessing the skill happened automatically. 'The shop looks truly great. It's even better than I hoped for. Look, you can find almost anything, not just ninja weapons. We have products like ninja cake, ninja orange juice, or ninja shower gel. Well, I hope the food is edible... It would be a shame if it were poisonous or explosive.'

   After analyzing the products in the shop for a while, Lucy decided to leave that for later when she had at least a few points. 'It's like walking through a mall just to look at the shop windows... It's hard to be poor.'

   But Lucy didn't dwell on self-pity for long and started thinking about her second skill. 'It would be great if I had an ability that would help me better analyze the external environment, for example, to be able to see the amount of mana other beings have or even their level. No, that's too little. It should also help me deduce in advance what attack the opponent will use by analyzing the mana within their body. Yes, something like magical eyes. Furthermore, it would be really cool if they had additional abilities, like the ability to put someone in an illusion or intimidate the opponent. Come on, system! Read my mind and help me create the perfect eyes, eyes that will help me see the whole truth of this world!'

   [Received... analyzing...]

   'I didn't expect to receive an answer...'

   But Lucy's self-imposed slightly ridiculous situation didn't last long, and the second skill appeared before her:

   [Nekohoshime (S): the "Cat Star Eye" will grant the host a series of abilities that will increase in number and power as the number of stars in the eyes grows. The current number of stars in each eye is three, totaling six. The number of stars will increase by two with every 10 levels obtained. The abilities will be automatically generated based on the host's desires at the time of increasing the number of stars. Activating the skill will consume 10 mana points per minute as long as only latent abilities are used. Offensive abilities will have additional consumption. The current abilities are clarity of perception, double visual field, double visual range, level identification, mana flow identification, and ability to stun someone for up to 2 seconds.]

   'Yes, the system didn't disappoint me. These ocular abilities, besides being very cool, will truly be useful to me right now in order to identify the dangers in this completely foreign world to me. Yes, I think I'm ready now. Let's get to work.'