Chapter 3

"This was a fucking terrible idea." I snarled as tears escaped my eyes as I shuddered in agony at the pain as I bound up my leg in the remains of that pant leg as I had run out of potions not even a quarter of the way to fucking Camp Halfblood.

Yeah, it turns out in the books that having the monster/god Argus delivering kids to and from camp wasn't just some little plot point. The whole fucking countryside of New York state was crawling with monsters and I got mauled by a damned werebear from the fucking Norse supernatural as apparently me being an aware human and Brianna being unclaimed made her fair game to all monsters.

"I'm sorry for slowing you down." Brianna said weakly as she was the reason I got mauled by the damn bipedal massive bear as she thought herself so clever when she decided to leap from a tree on top of the bear to stab it, but swiftly found out that her little strength wasn't enough to get through thick fur and flesh of the bear hence how I got hurt as I had to match the frothing mad werebear in straight combat rather than grind it down and fight it from more of a distance.

"Just... Be quiet." I said harshly and she winced although I felt a pang of guilt as a tear escaped her eyes, my pain kept me from saying anything as I mentally pulled up my map as I blinked away notifications about my level up from killing the werebear as well as the update to my [Weapons Master] job.

"We are about another hour and a half hike from Camp Halfblood... In theory, we should be safer as we approach but I know they also keep the forest surrounding their camp stocked with weaker monsters so the occupants can hunt them for training." I said as I staggered back up to my feet from where I was leaning against a tree.

Brianna silently nodded and I was right as not even ten minutes later I saw a trio of red dots rushing towards us from the surrounding forest. But seeing the low-level Hellhounds I just told Brianna to stay right behind me and as the leading Hellhound rushed at us I simply shot it in the head with a crossbow bolt infused with my martial intent making it instantly explode into golden dust.

And then as one more leaped directly at me I spun around grabbing Brianna to throw her under and past the leaping Hellhound as I slashed down on the Hellhound that came out of my own shadow that was looking to directly attack Brianna with my axe that also covered in Martial Intent. The axe bit deeply into the monster's neck and lodged itself just past its spine making me let go of it, as I rolled out of the way of the final leaping Hellhound.

The last Hellhound was then dealt with via the javelin as I had by far superior reach and other than its weird shadow travel abilities Hellhounds didn't have any other particular ability or were any stronger than a bigger Great Dane so their whole danger was easily mitigated by simply moving faster to the side sharply so they couldn't get me pinned or anything.

After I retrieved my weapons and loot I then continued leading Brianna toward the safety of Camp Halfblood but a couple of minutes later Brianna spoke. "Why are these monsters so attracted to us... And why aren't there more of you helping kids like me get there?" She asked and that was a sign of her being a child of Athena as that was a fucking great question...

But the answer was cold and terrible. "Because for now, you aren't worth anything. When you get there and learn who and what you are you will understand how now you still will have no value having not tapped into your gifts but even then, if you even do what happens then?" I said shaking my head. "Even when you come into your gifts you still won't be valuable to more powerful people until you yourself have proven to be powerful and at that point, you don't need such protection," I said grimacing as the whole demi-god situation with their uncaring gods were just that unfair.

I think a large reason most demi-gods were abandoned in the mortal world was how they never showed 'promise' or prominently displayed their divine parent's domains and thus were left to die, though I sure as hell wasn't going to say that aloud as for all I knew Athena was still watching under some disguise as she had picked up on me catching her familiars.

Athena had dozens if not a couple hundred kids supposedly in her cabin alone... And she was supposed to be a virgin goddess. How many kids could Aphrodite have had that never made it to camp?

"How do I get stronger then?" Brianna asked quietly as the sounds of our feet crunching the roads gravel broke the sounds of the forest that surrounded us.

I shrugged as I had zero clue the strengths a child of Athena could draw upon in this world that had DXD as well so I answered perfunctorily. "Learn magic, get good with weapons, and do what you have to so you don't become flesh stuck between the teeth of a monster." I finished the conversation coldly as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as another larger red dot rushed towards us from the woods.

I quickly used [observe] on the monster that paused as it landed from on a branch of the forest edges large trees and noticed how it had paused at seeing me escorting the demi-god it obviously caught the scent of.

[Poorly tamed Harpy level 23] My observe read so knowing this was supposed to be one of the Harpies that stood guard and cleaned up after the campers I shouted out. "I am on a quest to Camp Halfblood go back to the forest or I shall send you back to Tartarus."

The Harpy screamed like a pissed-off large tropical bird and I grimaced as even though she was a 'monstergirl' she was no beauty of any kind. Her face was tight and angular, with her chest being flat and the rest of her form being very skinny and lastly her wings and lower body that had scaled legs were covered in filth.

"A human with no magic has no right to order me around!" She hissed flapping her wings in obvious aggression but before she could actually get into the air I made my loaded crossbow appear in my hands and with only a second needed to aim I pulled the trigger and she screamed as the bolt went straight through the top edge of her right wing and that wing locked up making her fall out of the air and onto the edge of the road.

"I offered you a chance." I whispered as I walked over as she stood back up. With the dust from her landing covering her form and the lame wing, I hit with the arrow twitching spastically she snarled at the pain that was obviously coming from its wound but my expression was stone cold as I saw the monster before as nothing but something that wanted to kill me and my charge.

"You bastard I am going to eat you slowly!" She screamed and then sprinted at me with her long-clawed hands poised to scratch my eyes out from the way her hands were held up at my face.

But her fate was sealed when the enchanted revolver was pulled out and with a loud cracking noise with the smell of gunpowder filling the air, her almost human form and durability proved to be her downfall as unlike the Jersey Devil with extremely dense fur and muscle, she was thin and light so she could fly.

Hence my mortal lead round punched right through her skull and blew out a hole out the back of her head and before she could fall to the ground she burst into golden dust with several large harpy feathers being left behind as loot and a small book that made me blink in surprise. As none of the other monsters I killed dropped skill books...

Or I would it was a skill book as otherwise if its literally a copy of the Odyssey I was going to throw a fit. Looking at the book I saw it was embossed with pictures of feathers and using [Observe] on it I read its description and had my eyebrow twitching.

[Phantasmal Wings Rank 1 Unlearnable.]

[Allows the manifestation of wings made out of mana with each rank up of skill to evolve wings into stronger variants. Rank 1 is equal to chicken wings allowing users short bursts of flight. Incompatible with Weapon Master Rank 1, User must either reach rank 5 in which the user can augment the body further, or switch to [Unarmed Master] which specializes in body modification and augmentation, and lose all progress in [Weapon Master].

I frowned at the realization that I couldn't use the skill but that reminder of how the skill would literally manifest fucking chicken wings at the first level... Yeah, my enthusiasm was greatly dampened.

"Come on Brianna." I said in a better mood as I read the details of my [Weapon Master Rank 1] Job which read as. [Enhances ease of usage, duration of effect, and fuel of weaponry of all types whether it be swords, guns, or all types of vehicles by ten percent and increases with each rank. Completing major quests or slaying significant monsters or beings will award the user one job token with each level of Job doubling the number of Job tokens needed for further rank up. The job may only be changed at no demerit at Lvl 5 with the user keeping all skills and abilities gained from class even in the new class.]

'Wait... So if I were to hold hands with a ship girl from Azur Lane or any of those personified weapon girls from those Gatcha games does that mean she would be boosted due to her being at their core a weapon of some kind?' I thought wryly and then giggled making Brianna look at me like I was even crazier than her day had been when I got a ding about my Wisdom improving confirming my question.

Thankfully that harpy was the last monster to attack us as I had the glorious experience of smacking face fucking first into an invisible barrier in the middle of the road making me fall on my ass and just stare up at the cloudy sky above me as I mentally prayed. 'Why have you put me here... Just to suffer.'

"Uhm Jake, are you alright?" Brianna asked and in reply I threw a hand full of small rocks at her and then the rocks loudly clattered as they hit the barrier making me snort.

"Yeah there's a barrier in front... So I can't lead you any further." I said frowning before sighing and then I took out a shotgun and put it on the ground. "Here at least take and keep this in case you do run into a monster, it's fully loaded so you can get some good shots in." I said with Brianna passing through the barrier again and taking the gun but she didn't leave as she stared at the ground beneath my feet.

"Can't I just come with you." She muttered and I groaned as I didn't account for the girl getting attached or anything especially when I was kinda being a dick.

But before I could say anything I saw a large green dot on my map approach and with a harsh clattering of hooves I saw the man, the myth, and the legend Chiron, the centaur armed with a large bow as he approached us.

"Hail Chiron trainer of heroes!" I spoke loudly and Brianna whirled around with me lunging forward from behind her and I had to slap the shotgun down as it went off with an ear-cracking booming noise with the road in front of Chiron getting pelted with the lead shot as Brianna panicked at the larger 'monster'.

Chiron wryly looked at the two of us as I took the gun from the contrite girl before he spoke with his voice being a deep clear timber that drew our ears. "Hail adventurer. Are you here for something in particular as the wards only allow demi-gods and other registered people within the camps grounds." Chiron spoke and I nodded.

"Yes, I have been given a job to begin escorting children of the Olympians to Camp Halfblood. Hence little Brianna here is here." I said and Chiron took in Brianna I could see how he saw her stormy grey eyes and knew instantly that she was a child of Athena.

"I see... I have not been made aware of such a quest was to be given out." Chiron spoke as I gently pushed Brianna towards the man.

But at his words, I shrugged. "I was given the quest from a lady named Arianna with her footing the bill. If you or her parent is willing to pay more for how I saved her life I will welcome it. But that was my contract nonetheless, and with you here I relinquish Brianna into your custody as I will be returning to NYC as I have found other demi-gods needing guidance here." I explained and violent lightning cracked through the sky making all three of us flinch.

[User has completed Act One of the Quest, The lost boys and girls of the Owl.- Please return to Arianna for physical mission rewards.- System reward, 1 Job Token]

With my mission officially completed I turned around and was about to set off to walk back to the bus stop that would take me back to NYC as I considered if I could fit an electric four-wheeler or something in my inventory as the two-hour hike to and from the bus stop was too damned long and dangerous.

"Wait!" Chiron called out and I stopped and I held in the reflex to use [Observe] on him as I knew he being a Titan would certainly feel me basically scrying him. "Zeus has sent a message that you are to be allowed to directly bring children into camp and now for each retrieved child you shall be paid fifty Drachma's so take this token with you that will allow you to bypass the wards." Chiron said frowning as he tossed me a wooden plaque embossed with the empire state building that was seemingly surrounded by a dozen thrones that symbolized the Olympians I guessed.

I wanted to ask questions like 'Why the hell was Zeus trusting me with a key to the wards' but I remembered something very clearly. Camp Halfblood was under a microscope by all the Olympians to say nothing of the other minor gods so if I did do something that would offend them I would instantly be caught and probably cursed to a terrible fate.

So I just eyed it for a second and nodded slowly as I put it in my inventory while Brianna finally approached Chiron still looking sheepish about how she almost shot him full of buckshot.

"Alright, Brianna you be good and remember. Get strong." I said turning around and waving my hand above my head as a goodbye as I made my way down the road.

-

Three hours later after I got back to the Continental and managed to sell some of the harpy feathers for some of the Continental coins, I got cleaned up in some new clothes before I went back to the library to go see Arianna.

"Huh wow, you are a real go-getter huh." The almost violet-haired beauty spoke as she was looking at a tablet and my eye twitched as I realized it was a live satellite feed streaming Camp Halfblood and its surroundings so I had no fucking doubt she probably watched my every move while taking Brianna there and that's probably why my quest said if I failed in a bad way beyond my performance that Arianna would kill me.

Because if she saw me abandon Brianna for monster chow with that live stream, she would definitely kill me herself. And I had no doubt that with her intelligence as a child of Athena that she was allowing me to make these mental connections, so I would know not to do so even if things go bad. Otherwise, I would have a powerful demigod connected with the mercenary center of the East Coast of America out for my blood.

"There was some challenges but the mission was complete." I said blandly and she snorted.

"A baron vampire, a werebear, a pack of hellhounds, and a harpy... Yeah Zeus wasn't happy seeing a kid getting the express treatment straight to camp. Probably the only reason you are standing here and that a named stronger monster didn't jump you was that Athena was hovering over King Blowhard so he couldn't give you a 'real challenge'." She said with disgust clear in her voice but she took a deep breath as she calmed herself and took on a more business face as she smiled welcoming and bent over so I could see her cleavage showing that although she was a daughter of Athena she was still half fallen angel and thus seeped in sin.

"So... Anyway you got a kid and one that is my half-sister to boot, so go ahead and pick out a couple of books if you want. Just not one of the heritage books!" She said strongly making me freeze and she smiled wryly as she continued to explain. "Those books are touched by divinity and not only do you have to do quests for the Continental to even touch them to learn. But the very books have a piece of divinity or magic used to bind it and only allow the readers to learn from it after completing a mental trial of some sort."

I nodded in understanding then I paused as she would probably have some kind of idea of what I could learn. "Do you have like any suggestions for magical martial arts books or likewise large magical crafting recipes or something along those lines?" I asked and Arianna raised and elegant eyebrow as she eyed me for a moment before she hummed in thought.

"What kind of martial arts are you looking for?" She asked after a moment and I quickly answered about how I was suited to using Martial Arts that focused on the use of weaponry. "I see... I recommend Arthur's knight training manual, the Ten Thousand Blade art, or I suppose the Giants Blade technique." She said finally and I cringed at those last two names.

"The first one is more of a whole fighting style and training method that a family or clan could use to build themselves up in the supernatural world as King Arthur's great knights were all monsters at Ultimate class with most of them having a Sacred Gear to help remove their limits as humans but either way the martial art carried them to the Ultimate class of power after years of training in it." Arianna said with some respect to the martial art before she continued to speak.

"The Ten Thousand Blade art has you make magical, chi, or even Touki-based strands that will allow you to remotely control a bunch of weapons by attaching those strands to the said weapon but only certain people have the necessary parallel thinking able to handle that technique so I don't recommend it despite its technically infinite potential." She continued before taking a drink before finishing off with the last technique.

"The Giants Blade technique is actually super simple actually." She said wryly as she picked up a letter opener that was on her desk and then the blade was coated in white light with the blade seemingly expanding in size and I realized it looked like a final fantasy weapon when it was in its more powerful state when the character uses a limit break or something.

I pondered for a moment and honestly, the three options were very good except for the multi-weapon control technique as it sounded to spell-like and might fuck with my system so I decided to go for the Giants Blade technique as that would help make my weapons stronger and honestly the whole Arthur martial arts thing sounded to be a bit too rigid for my Job system at the moment.

"I will take the Giants Blade." I said and she smiled then with a flick of her fingers a book flew down from the thirtieth floor and I wryly smiled as I realized asking her was by far the best option as this library was a space expanded mess and was entirely too damned big for me to hunt down for something specific.

"Here you go, Jake." She said sliding the book in front of me and I put it into my inventory before I pondered on my thoughts before I spoke.

"Do you have a book on like enchantments and the making of enchanted objects to augment the user or an area?" I asked and she exhaled before she smiled and shrugged.

"You got quite the appetite kid... Yeah, I have dozens of such books, from Eastern Charm and Ofuda makers from the Shinto lands. to the Chinese Heavenly Dynasty's Taoist arts, to the Greeks version of charms and enchanted items, to the Golden Dawn, school of magic's style of enchanted items, to Native American and African tribal rituals to enchant stuff and so much more." She listed off and then said. "Do you have anything to want to say to narrow down the options?" She offered and I agreed, saying how I wanted something that could fit in the sense that I could wear the enchanted object to augment myself or use a static object to enhance an area under my control.

"Hmm... In that case I suggest the Golden Dawn's teachings as its a mix of Devil Imagination-Based magic as well as Human magic using the soul as a conduit for numerical magic as well as some other disciplines so its pretty beginner friendly." She said after a long moment of thought and then she frowned as she rapped her fingers on her table before sighing.

"Look Jake.' She said frowning. "Giving you the grimoire for the entire curriculum of what a student learns at the Golden Dawn is huge... Just below a heritage book from a faction leader that the Continental bled to get big in fact." She said obviously not looking happy about giving me the book before I spoke.

"The next three kids I bring to Camp Halfblood will be free on your end then." I said and she raised an eyebrow so I explained. "Zeus also gave me a quest and bounty to bring in kids so although I am very happy to get the books I am willing to take a loss for the next three kids I bring in, to get that book." I said as this book may be the way for me to actually get into the meat and overpowered part of the Gamer power in its ridiculous crafting abilities.

Arianna stared into my eyes for a silent minute with only the sounds of soft discussion in the background and the occasional sound of someone moving the large and heavy books before she closed her eyes and then she reached beside her in a cupboard and my face twitched as she brought out a fucking massive book that was several thousand pages thick and bound in what looked to scaled leather.

"This is a copy of my own grimoire from when I was a student at the Golden Dawn school of magic with my own added spells and findings and I even studied briefly under Felix Faust himself... This book is worth one million Continental coins or ten S rank missions." She said coldly and I just wanted to ask 'Can I get the non-Half Blood Prince' style grimoire' But for one, she was half Fallen Angel and half God so that could piss her... Plus Harry Potter wasn't even a thing in this universe.

"If you wont accept that's fine," I said showing some respect to her lives work in the book and my words made her sigh before she pushed the book towards me.

"Ten children... Ten children of Athena at that. I don't particularly care for the other kids as they have talents that can help them in combat immediately once they start getting their powers but all the intelligence in the world doesn't do you shit when you are a little eight-year-old girl who is getting mauled by a hellhound and you cant shoot laser beams out your eyes or use some other kind of divine innate magic." She said with disgust in her tone and as she said that she massaged her wrist that was covered in her long dress that hugged her voluptuous figure.

"Now swear on Gaia, that you will fulfill my mission and I will give you the book with my blessing." She said and I wondered why she didn't ask me to swear on the Styx or something.

"Why not the Styx?" I asked and she snorted.

"Styx is a weak goddess and sure she can and will happily torture a mortal who breaks a contract made in her name but someone can just become more powerful and go slap Styx silly and that contract becomes void... Try slapping one of the most powerful gods out there and see how that goes for you." She said smiling so I just nodded and swore on Gaia that I would do what I could to take ten children of Athena to Camp Half-Blood.

Didn't make promises about time or anything like that. Just that I would get ten children of Athena to the camp as safely as I could reasonably manage.

Taking the book into hand I blinked and my face froze as I realized this Grimoire was not a simple thing as it didn't require me to have all the stats needed to unlock all sections of the book and instead I could piecemeal learn certain things when my stats reached the right level.

[Ascendant Grimoire of the Golden Dawn. Rank A+]

[Contains the sum of all knowledge and magic taught within the school of the Golden Dawn and the personal learnings of Arianna the Fallen angel hybrid. Due to it being an artifact of well sorted knowledge user may acquire multiple skills from the grimoire without destroying it in its consumption but user must still reach stat requirements to learn skills within.]

[Skills available to learn.]

[Golemancy for children so they can make their own toys! Artifact crafting for teenagers that won't blow off their hands! Flash Step.-] The list went on for a couple more lines with a couple of dozen skills I could get from it and I nodded as I respectfully held the book against my chest as I scanned over the hundreds if not thousands of skills, spells, recipes for potions, magical artifacts and so many other things I could use later on in life.

"Thank you for this teacher," I said bowing my head to her as this book literally was the path to a complete magical education without needing to spend years learning it at one of the best magical institutions in the world.

"Eww!" Arianna hissed making me blink in surprise but she smiled leaning down to expose her cleavage as she curled her finger toward me. "Don't call me teacher as that makes me sound old... Just call me big sister or I will ignore you." She said coquettishly making my face twitch at her shamelessness.

"Fine mommy." I deadpanned and I cursed my stupid mouth as she blushed and giggled pervertedly making me want to slap myself across the head as I recalled how she was a fucking fallen angel.