Chapter 1 - Van Hellix

[Notes:' - Thoughts.

" - Dialogue.

-------------------"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry... It's really not your fault. I just... couldn't ignore my true feelings anymore... I've actually fallen in love with Magus..." She confessed, tears streaming down her face in torrents as she stood before me.This girl was one of our party's companions. I had saved her from a deadly trap in our adventures, and since then, she had grown increasingly attached to me. I'll admit, the feeling was mutual to some extent—she was cute, kind, and caring, and never concerned with appearances.Unexpectedly, she declared herself my romantic partner, and I, taken aback yet flattered, decided to go along with it.Now, the reason for her tears was a budding romance she had developed for my friend, known in this world as Magus. They had been seeing each other secretly, well, them and the rest of my friend's harem, not spilling the beans until after we beat the demon lord as a party.But as for me..."I see. Well, there's nothing to be done about it, then. I wish you happiness," I said, maintaining my composure.Deep down, I knew what was up. But she made me feel happier than I ever was in this world, so I decided to shut up about it.Yeah, I know. I'm lame.My name is Van Hellix.Cool name, right? Well, it's my isekai name. The priests who summoned us gave us these names. It's not the one I was given at birth back in our original world, which is far less impressive.Max and I—better known as Magus Veil in now—were transported to another world.We're Brothers. Not related by blood, but close enough that it hardly makes a difference. I know him inside and out, and he knows me just as well. I couldn't ask for a better friend.Upon our arrival, we were tasked by the king of this land to defeat the demon lord—the cliché-est goal there is in a setting like this, to be sure.The fact that the isekai I've always read about and enjoyed watching had just happened to us got me super livid and flipped out.Aside from concerns about our families, of course.We didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. It was hard, and honestly, still is... But, it is what it is.With nothing on our plates but this demon lord, we just had to move forward.But the truly exciting discovery was the existence of a status window, along with skills, leveling, and talents in this new world.Apparently, the reason we got the task was due to that. Seeing your own skills and abilities in the form of numbers and stats is something only we had, in addition to the skills related to subduing the Demon Lord.When we realized what this meant, we were really hyped. It was the best day of our lives...Well, at least it was the best day of his life."DUDE... I'M GONNA BE THE STRONGEST MAGE EVER!!" He screamed, his face alight with excitement as he began detailing his skillset.It was more than just impressive for sure; he had a slew of buffs and a solid foundation for magic. Initially, we both received passive skills and gradually acquired active ones as we progressed in our quest. While I was the only one to receive an active skill immediately, I'd say his starter passives were slightly more overpowered though...Passive Skill: Goddess's ApostleDescription: As the Goddess's chosen one, you have an affinity for all elements!Passive Skill: Goddess's AuraDescription: Monsters and Demons have a chance to cower in your presence.Passive Skill: Goddess's DiscipleDescription: Every spell and incantation can be mastered in less time than usual.Passive Skill: Goddess's ProdigyDescription: This blessing enables you to level up 100 times faster than the norm. Additionally, any companions who journey alongside you will benefit too, experiencing a 50x increase in their leveling speed.Passive Skill: Blessing of The GoddessDescription: As a being touched with divinity, every demonic entity's abilities shall be matched to your strength. That includes the Demon Lord. This makes you the Hero of this world! May you prevail in your journey.He loved magicians in MMOs and being overpowered (who doesn't) so I was genuinely happy for him. Such good skills... And these were just the starter ones. He was going to be one of those OP anime protagonists, so I was also hyped up for him.Reading about those skills, it was clear why two random teens, barely over 18 at the time; are tasked with something like that.Apparently, the Demon Lord was so strong, not even the entire kingdom's armies combined could take her on, even if she fought alone, so as he read his skillset, I couldn't help but be happy for him."ISN'T THAT AWESOME, DUDE...!?" He yelled after he explained them to me.I was happy for him, of course...But that wasn't everything he had."Huh..? There's more..." he muttered, expanding his skill window. His eyes widened in disbelief, and a wicked grin spread across his face—a grin so unnaturally wide that I would've thought it impossible until I witnessed it myself. He began to read aloud his 'other' skills, voice filled with eerie excitement:Passive: Godly AttractionDescription: You are instantly more interesting to girls of your species than any other male in your surroundings or from afar."What the fuck...?" Van murmured.Passive: Godly CharmDescription: You will charm any girl of your species simply by existing. More charming than any male nearby.Passive: Godly SeductionDescription: If you go after a girl of your species, she will 100% relent and give in to ALL of your advances.Passive: Godly InnocenceDescription: Whenever you're sad or shy, any girl of your species' maternal instinct takes over, and she will immediately want to pamper you with a domineering, bold presence. This extends to sexual activities as well, so prepare..."You really had to include that last part???" I asked, incredulously.Passive: Godly SubmissionDescription: Any girl of your species will want to submit herself to you at the SLIGHTEST show of assertiveness, aggression, anger, or persuasion from your end.Passive: Godly PerformanceDescription: Any girl of your species will enjoy herself the most when having sex/engaging in sexual/intimate activities with you than any other male, regardless of your technique.Mind control.That word faintly echoed in the back of my head as I heard him say the rest of his passive skills. One of the most unethical powers to have that would pretty much take any poor girl's mind away from her. In reality, these were terrifying skills that no one should have.But on that day; we were just two teens who discovered fantasy and reality were the same. The notion of these skills being terrible was there, but both of us ignored that, for the most part, at least back then.All we could clearly see is the wish-fulfillment-type media we consumed back at our original world, filled with the protagonists that get all the women, all the powers, and live a blissful life... And that he is going to become one of these types."BRO, I'M GONNA HAVE A HUGE HAREM LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He bellowed, his eyes nearly popping out of their places from joy. I think he cried from happiness that day.I wasn't too worried, since he was a good person... Well, actually, I wasn't worried because I didn't have the capacity at the time, really. Forget about transmigrating to a fantasy world out of the blue, I was also hyped myself, thinking that I'd also get similar abilities, considering the constant bad luck with girls back at our world. That was one of the many things we shared, so..."HOLY SHIT..!!! YOU CAN HAVE AN ACTUAL HAREM AND BE THE OVERPOWERED MAIN CHARACTER..!!! THIS IS 100% LIKE AN ANIME!!! WAIT, SINCE WE'RE BOTH SUMMONED, MAYBE THE GODDESS WILL DO THE SAME TO ME!!!?" I screamed excitedly alongside him in anticipation as I opened my status window...... Only to find out that the Goddess had a different approach when it came to distributing my skills:Active Skill: Hard SwingDescription: Wow, an active skill right off the bat. How lucky for you. You can swing stuff with your hands really hard."Uh... What?" Van said, his eyes narrowing, double checking the active skill, making sure he read it right.Passive Skill: Hard SwingDescription: You can swing stuff really hard without using the active skill."THEN WHY EVEN GIVE ME AN ACTIVE SKILL!!?" Van screamed, startling Magus."D-dude...? You okay...?" he muttered, stating the obvious. We've known each other for so long, he could sense it... Oh, he could definitely tell just how utterly GARBAGE the skills I was looking at were. But instead of laughing, he held back, his worlds-apart potential making the gap between us painfully clear. Yet, out of respect or pity, he refrained.Passive Skill: DurabilityArmour and weapons can't break or grow dull when you use or wear them. Every dent or fracture will repair itself when you are out of combat, and the weapon/armors you don adjust their prowess and toughness based on your Resistance and Strength stats."She doesn't even bother writing 'Description' anymore..." I murmured in frustration, glancing over to the next skill, the hope in my eyes dwindling. UntrustedYou appear untrustworthy to anyone of your species and most other species due to the disgusting nature of your soul."SHE'S NOT EVEN TRYING ANYMORE, AND THAT'S A DEBUFF!!!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!"[A debuff is essentially a skill that hinders you, rather than assisting you.]Indeed, so far those skills feel like they were given to me out of frustration. It's like an annoyed kid, forced by their mom to feed the family cat (me), tossing just enough dried cat food into my plastic bowl to keep me quiet. Meanwhile, the family dog, Magus, is pampered with seared steak, seated at the table with its own ceramic plate, while I'm left outside, staring at them enjoying their meal from the rain.It may sound cliche, but I truly did feel like a mob character... Although, the final skill kind of stood out:Dark SoulYour soul is tainted, rotten to the core - you are destined to roam the mortal land forever, as even your soul is too filthy for the Goddess to touch with her divine grace. You cannot receive the blessings and effects of the actual Hero that was summoned alongside you. Additionally, when you die, your body and items dissipate and are sent to the nearest safe spot you've visited. Please serve as a meat shield for the one who's actually important.But that tone... that attitude... that phrasing. That... That BITCH really has it out for me."That one has a cool name, but now she's openly mocking me... And this description?! 'YOU CAN LEVEL UP TO 1,000 OR WHATEVER THE MAX LEVEL IS IN A FEW MONTHS, AND I'M JUST AN IMMORTAL PUNCHING BAG?!'" I howled to the heavens, realizing there were no more skills to read. This was it. I didn't get the other Goddess-related skills. Guess she decided only one of us needed them to kill the demon lord. Figures.Later on, he convinced me to tell him the hand I was dealt by that Goddess. After reluctantly telling him, he howled too:"Hey, Goddess, what the hell? Give him some awesome skills too!!" He let out as he looked to the sky."It's okay, dude... We'll get more skills as we level up, right? Maybe I'm just a late bloomer, haha..." I muttered, trying not to let my frustration show as I buried my face into the wooden table. We sat there, waiting to be sorted by the Royal Knights, alongside a handpicked group of talented individuals chosen by the queen and king to decide how we'd be trained."Still... That's just brutal. She's obviously biased... haha. But, your Dark Soul skill is actually more OP than everything I have! Doesn't that make you immortal?" He tried to reassure me, albeit awkwardly as he rubbed my back, trying to absorb some of the pain and humiliation."Man, you realize you could have an actual harem as an overpowered mage, right?! The fuck are you talking about?!" I couldn't help but shout at him.He just chuckled, a bit awkwardly, "Ah... Haha..."He didn't have a comeback.