My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[The Synonym]

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[The Legendary Aura Farming System]

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…

My day was going as usual, just following my daily routine while hoping to win the lottery one day—even though I never bought lottery tickets.

Sleep, shit, eat, go to school, eat, go back home, eat, homework, shit, eat again, and then sleep.

Truly, one of the days of all time… Or at least it was… until I saw him—or rather, it—on my way home.

"The hell?"

I met it just a block away from my house, right after I turned a corner. Since I was listening to music and was a bit lost in my own world, I didn't quite notice it at first.

But when my eyes went up, I saw it.

A truck… No, not only a truck… A driverless truck. One that was parked in the middle of the sidewalk with its front pointed directly at me, funnily enough, like it had been waiting for me.

At first, I thought nothing of it. A truck in the middle of the sidewalk? Weird, sure, but maybe it was just the truck of some idiot who didn't care about blocking the way to other people and parked it there.

-Beep, beep!-

However, the moment it beeped at me, I stopped walking.

'How the hell did it do that?'

It was as I asked myself that question that I realized something.

Right after it beeped at me, everything in my surroundings seemed to have silenced completely.

There was no chirping of birds, no sound of people walking or talking, and no sounds of faraway cars speeding towards work… It was like the entire city had become desolate from one moment to another. Like an apocalypse.

The people I swore I had seen around, or even on the other side of the street, all had disappeared as well.

I was alone.

No.

It was now me… and the truck.

—BROOM!—

The bad feeling I had only intensified when its engine roared into life in a threatening tone, like it was saying, "I've been expecting you...". Making cold sweat roll down my back like a waterfall.

It was as if something within me knew… I wouldn't be making it back home today.

-Gulp-

As the realization settled in, we locked eyes—well, I locked eyes with its headlights.

Both of us stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. My forehead prickled with sweat as I narrowed my gaze.

"..."

It was like a standoff from a Wild West duel. Except in this case, I wasn't a cowboy, and my opponent could squash me flat the moment it decided to charge.

For a moment, I considered all this to be part of my imagination, maybe a sign that I had schizophrenia or something, and tried moving away from its path. After all, it was an inanimate object. If I moved out of the way, it wouldn't hit me.

But the moment I tried moving, the fucker simply adjusted its direction and kept blocking my way, like saying, "Where do you think you're going?".

"Hmph…"

Once I finally realized that this guy wasn't going to give up on me, I snorted and smiled in resignation 'So, this is how it ends, huh?'

It seemed like this was the end of my story, overrun by a fucking supernatural truck that seemed to have picked me over anyone else to fuck with.

As the absurdity of the situation sank in, my mind started to wander. What were the chances this was one of those scenarios? The ones where you die and wake up in another world?

Maybe after this passed, I'd be getting reincarnated as some badass hero destined to defeat the Demon King. Or maybe I'd just get dumped into a random fictional universe.

Or, well, maybe I'd just die, plain and simple.

I had no idea what came next. But one thing was clear:

"I ain't goin' down without a fight, no sir," I muttered, determination flashing in my eyes.

So, I stepped forward, facing the death-made truck without fear.

Maybe these ol 'fists of mine would do nothing but dent its stupid bumper—Maybe not even that—but if there was a thing I knew for sure, it was that I wasn't going down without a fight.

That was the right thing to do—the honorable way to go out.

-Crack, crack!-

So, cracking my neck left and right, I rolled my shoulder and prepared for the fight that'd decide my destiny.

-Bam!-

And so, I kicked the ground, ready to begin with this last danc—

-Slip-

Sadly, as I was charging toward the truck like a hero in an action movie, I suddenly slipped on something.

"Eh?"

Then, as my world turned upside down, I felt my head hit the floor, hearing some kind of crunch not long after.

-Thud!-

-Crack!-

And just like that, it was over.

I lay there, blood pooling around me, my vision swimming around, confused.

My neck? Probably snapped like a twig.

And as my life slipped away, I saw it. The true cause of my demise.

A banana peel.

…

In the distance, the truck's engine roared again, and then, slowly, it turned around and began rolling away, almost like saying, "My work here is done."

'...W-what the fuck?'

But before I could process the fucking absurdity of my end, something new appeared in my vision.

[Due to the lame and pathetic cause of your death, you've been granted the Aura Farming System. May you have lots and lots of Aura in your next life.]

Man, shut the hell u—

…

°

°

°

|Years later, somewhere else…|

…

As I finished recalling the memories of my previous life, I couldn't stop myself from facepalming. Really? That's how I died?

My name was Takahashi Fukumoto, and just a few seconds ago, the floodgates of my past life's memories opened wide.

Why now? No idea. I didn't hit my head, and there was no dramatic moment of revelation. I was just pouring some All Might's Puffs into my breakfast bowl, and bam!—a vivid replay of my death by some random banana peel in the middle of the road, along with the memories of an alternate self.

There was, however, one other revelation that completely overshadowed the rest:

"This world… is from an anime?"

My local ass was utterly baffled by this discovery. I'd lived a completely normal life in this world, unaware that this Earth—or My Hero Academia World, as it was called back there—was supposed to be a fictional creation.

Which kind of annoyed me a bit now.

It was like someone had called Earth in my previous world as… I don't know, Harvard World.

It kinda crammed the world into a single organization.

My foreign ass, on the other hand, was equally stunned.

I had reincarnated into a fictional universe? Did that mean the multiverse was real?

I sat frozen, staring at my breakfast. A storm of emotions churned inside me:

Shock at discovering my new reality.

Sorrow over leaving behind an entire life.

Envy toward the broccoli-haired protagonist for hogging the spotlight in my world.

And, strangely enough, excitement at knowing a bit about what the future might hold now that I possess all this knowledge.

After processing all of that, I eventually let out a single, profound response:

"Damn, that's crazy."

Satisfied with my deep reflection, I picked up my spoon again and resumed eating. After all, you can't have an existential crisis on an empty stomach, right?

<Beep!>

<Host's memory recovery detected.>

<Initiating system…>

And of course this was here… The infamous Golden Finger, or whatever younglings called it these days.

Normally, I'd be over the moon about having a system, but its name killed any enthusiasm I might have had.

<Aura Farming System initiated.>

'The hell is that?' I couldn't help but think.

Still, what kind of manners would I have if I didn't at least greet it?

"Sup." I nodded at the floating text.

<Greetings, Host.>

"So, uh… you're a system, huh?"

<That is indubitably correct.>

"That's crazy…"

After a short silence, I scratched my cheek awkwardly. This moment was way less exciting than I had imagined.

"So… uh, what do you do?"

<Thanks for asking, dear Host. Due to the abysmal amount of Aura you lost at the moment of your death, I was assigned to you to restore balance to your Auratic universal value.>

What kind of word was Auratic?

<Thus, my primary objective is to enhance your ability to farm Aura, allowing you to accumulate as much as possible during your lifetime in this world.>

<To facilitate this, I will provide various functions that will aid you… Here's your status page, for example.>

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: 50

▸ Defense: 100

▸ Aura Projection: 0

─────────────
Total Aura: 0
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Skills: None

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

I blinked, a bit confused by what I was seeing. "...So, uh… What am I looking at?"

<These are your current stats, determined after a full-body scan. You will be able to increase them by harnessing Aura and distributing it accordingly. The Strength stat enhances the force behind your movements, while the Defense stat reinforces your body against incoming attacks.>

My eyes widened slightly. "Damn, so it's literally like an invisible Aura cloak around me?"

<Indubitably. Although with certain skills, you may eventually make it visible.>

I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. It sounded really good.

But then, my eyes landed on the third stat, making me frown slightly before voicing my confusion.

"What about this 'Aura Projection' stat?"

<Ah, yes, unlike the other two, Aura Projection represents the amount of Aura you can harness externally. Think of it like mana in a fantasy setting—you'll use it for things beyond raw physical enhancement, like magic… Of course, within the constraints of what your Aura can do.>

My smile turned into a full-on grin, it was obvious by now that I was pretty excited about what I was hearing.

<Like previously stated, you'll be able to pour the aura you gain eventually into your stats to increase them. However, as an energy source over which you have absolute control, you'll be able to take away or move the aura between your stats depending on what you feel is better, meaning your stats won't be rigid.>

Now that gave me a lot of ideas. This thing was amazing, wasn't it?

"Haha, you had a stupid name, so I figured you'd be a pretty lame system, but I gotta admit, you are kinda cool."

<I can leave if you want>

I nearly fell off my chair at that. "C-come on, I was joking, man!"

This system sure didn't have a sense of humor, huh?

"Ahem!"

After clearing my throat and regaining my composure, I asked another question that surged as I stared at the status page.

"...Hey, this might sound stupid, but how do I actually gain Aura?"

<[-10 Aura]>

"Oh, come on!"

<That was a joke, Host>

My smile twitched.

I was wrong, it seems this system is quite the comedian.

I kinda wanna punch it.

<Aura is gained by performing awe-inspiring actions in front of others. These actions must elevate the perception others have of you. The greater the shock value and the more spectators present, the more Aura you will gain>

"So I have to act cool to get stronger?" I winced at the thought. The idea of posing like some edgy badass just to power up made me cringe. I had no problem with getting stronger, but being cool? That wasn't exactly my strong suit.

<Do not worry, Host. Over time, I will issue various missions that will grant you skills and unconsciously refine your actions. Eventually, you will farm Aura naturally—without even realizing you are doing so>

I made a prayer gesture. "Lord hears you, system."

-Ding!-

However, a cheerful sound snapped me out of my devoted pose, making me raise an eyebrow as I turned back to the system.

<Now then, let's start with your first mission!>

"Uh, what?"

…

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
[Change that horrible appearance of yours and make yourself presentable for your next day of school!]

Conditions for completion:

▸Learn proper hygiene and skincare techniques.

▸Style your hair appropriately.

▸Present your improved self to your classmates.

▸Maintain this lifestyle for at least one week.

Reward: +100 Aura | Gain the skill [Clean]

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"…Damn." I grimaced at the mission panel. "Isn't splashing some water on my face in the morning enough?"

<Looking good is the first step to making an impression!>

"Alright, alright…" I sighed, leaning back in my chair, looking as enthusiastic as I was when I found out school existed. "I guess I don't have a choice."

For a few moments, I sat in silence, letting it all sink in.

Until—

"But first, I'm gonna go rub one off."

There was no better way to destress, after a—

<[-10 Aura! This time for real.]>

"Oh, come on! There's no one here!"

<I'm here.>

"...Damn it."

…

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-To be Continued…-

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(A/N: Here's the first chapter. Originally, this was a setup for another idea I had where the protagonist had to perform various actions in order to stack up boosts. Like eating a bread gave you a 5x in strength, and so on, but I realized it'd be too chaotic and hard to administer, as well as to reach a good power level with just that, so I ended up changing to the idea you have now.)

 

[Lorsïthrorung]

You had me at aura farming.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJaoTmAt51M

 

[Unoriginal_Nick]

"Tch, this guy isn't half bad... He might just be able to beat Michael Jackson in the next Aura Farming Tournament."