1 Chapter 1
(AN: So, I decided to re-write this. Clearly people didn't like the whole Sona peerage thing, and I admit, I also didn't like it very much either. Also, I made multiple other plot choices that I didn't like, and it was far too late to go back and change them without basically re-writing, so that's what I'm doing. Also, I'm trying to make longer chapters. This one was around 12,000~ words, and I know that chapters on Webnovel are typically much shorter, but keep in mind my main platform is fanfiction net where the chapters are generally longer. I've rambled enough, onto the chapter.)
Staring at the ever-growing darkness surrounding me, I entertain the thought that my eyes are just closed. I wouldn't know any better, I don't think I even have eyelids, or eyes for that matter. It's been awhile since I've seen anything, been awhile since I've done anything. Nothing happens in this void. I can't bring myself to be upset, however. I just feel bored. It would be nice if something happened.
[Your words have been heard! Welcome to the Game, would you like to start a new save, or quit the game, fading out of existence?]
Oh. Something happened. Well, I'd prefer not to fade out of existence please.
[Great! Checking your memories reveals you're familiar with the concept of the Gamer, making the tutorial optional. Proceed?]
Sure. I don't want to miss anything.
[Wonderful! To begin with, I'll provide you with a basic rundown on what you should expect. You will be sent into a new world, completely different from your old one, with the power of the Gamer! This entails living your life out as an RPG game. You will have a level, health, stamina, etc. Host will have several tools at the start, and will be able to unlock more later on. These tools include, a status, an inventory, a settings tab, quests, and a vast library of information further explaining the Game and it's uses, which will also fill with more information as you learn. However, before we can send you on your way, you will need to undertake the character customization. Proceed?]
I don't see why not.
[Excellent! Since I'm running out of words to convey our satisfaction, I'll explain everything that the character customization contains. First, you will set your appearance. We have a reputation for amazing character creation. If you want to use your old appearance, not that you remember it, that is fine as well. We can easily recover that. Next, you will need to select a class. You know, Warrior, Mage, Rogue, etc. You will eventually be able to have multiple classes, but for now, you're stuck with whatever you pick, so choose carefully! Finally you will allocate your starting points. Got all that?]
Mentally nodding my head, confirming that I was following. The box containing the message expands into another, having an incredibly detailed character creation screen, with a life-like model off to the side. If this doesn't reaffirm that my life is now a game, then I don't know what will. I think I'd feel pretty ecstatic about that, if I was capable of doing so. Do you know why I don't feel anything, besides boredom and curiosity, Game?
[That would be due to the void, Host. The void eliminates all but the smallest of emotions, including boredom and curiosity. Not to worry though host, you will have you emotions returned to you once you enter your new world.]
I appreciate it. I do rather enjoy having emotions. Anyway, inspecting the soulless body, I begin the process of creating an appearance I like, which is rather difficult when I can't feel satisfaction, or contentment. Although, I make do with my memories and settle with an appearance I can get behind. Black, messy hair and dark green eyes, a height of 182 centimeters, handsome face and a decent amount of muscle. Yeah, I think I'll feel satisfied about this when I regain my emotions. As their was also a blank name box off to the side, I quickly came up with a new one, as I wouldn't be using my old one. After thinking it over for a bit, I input 'Sirius Black', because 1. Sirius is a pretty cool name, and 2. Black was the only thing that came to mind after that. Don't sue me JKR.
[Select your class.]
[Warrior][Mage][Rogue]
Hmm. To be honest, I don't feel like being an assassin type character. If this is my second life, I'm going to enjoy it, and who wouldn't want to brawl it out with Ogres, or sling around actual magic. So, no Rogue. Now, it's just between Warrior and Mage. The body I created is definitely more inclined for a Warrior build, and fighting with my own hands also seems appeals more to my memories. I did tend to play as a Warrior in video games. Yeah, Warrior it is.
[Select your specialization.]
[Martial Artist][Brawler][Knight][Swashbuckler][Paladin]
Immediately cross out Paladin. Yeah no. I'm not about to spend my second life as a goodie-two-shoes. Besides, they usually specialize in support, which I'm not for at all. As for a Swashbuckler, I believe they focus almost solely on speed, and evasion, which doesn't seem like a good idea in real life, to me. Better safe than sorry, so I'll be knocking that one off as well. With the Last three, Knight and Brawler seem to be ones that use weapons, and I'd rather fight rely on my actual body then equipment. With that being said, I pick Martial Artist.
[Martial Artist Class selected. Receive 5 points in STR and DEX, and 3 points in CON every level. Received skills [Novice Unarmed Combat Mastery] and [Novice Ki Control]. At level 40, you may select another class.]
[Select a Secondary Class.]
[Alchemist][Blacksmith][Enchanter][Baker][Tailor][Carpenter][Engineer][Leatherworker]
Oh, I wasn't expecting this. I recall professions normally appearing after leveling some in games. Not that I'm complaining. With that being said, I'll go ahead and choose Alchemist. From a starting standpoint, it's easily the best. I will need materials for it, but I know I'll get those from the dungeon. It's also the easiest to do, and probably the most useful as well. (AN: I was hesitant to choose this, considering it's probably the most used profession in gamer fics, but there's hardly any reasons to pick the others.)
[Alchemist secondary class selected. You will receive 5 points in INT and 4 points in WIS for every level. Secondary classes gain XP from slain mobs, but only by completing certain actions related to the class, such as successfully brewing a potion, or harvesting an ingredient. Skills [Novice Potion Brewing] and [Novice Herbology] received.]
[Name: Sirius Black]
[Age: 18]
[Title: The Gamer]
[Class: Martial Artist]
[Level: 0 (0%)]
[Race: Human]
[HP: 100/100 - SP: 100/100 - MP: 100/100]
[HPR: 10/m- SPR: 10/m - MPR: 10/m]
[STR: 10]
[CON: 10]
[DEX: 10]
[INT: 10]
[WIS: 10]
[CHA: 10]
[LCK: 10]
[Stat points: 20]
I suppose this is my status? Nodding to myself, I tap on each stat, getting a brief description for each of them. I could already figure out what each of them meant, and did, but I just had to make sure. Don't want to miss anything. Anyway, since I'm a Knight, I'll be focusing on the physical stats, as opposed to the mental ones. Thinking it over, I place 5 points in STR, CON, and DEX, as well as one in all the others, leaving me with a single point, which I place into STR.
[Stat allocation complete. Would you like to receive a random trait? If you do so, you will also receive a random flaw. These flaws can be removed later on, if you so wish to.]
I am curious what I would get. I was always an impulsive person. I don't remember the saying, but if there's no risk, there's no reward. Go for it.
[Jack of all trades trait gained]
You've dabbled in many skills. All class XP gained is increased by 100%.
[Insomniac flaw gained]
You don't sleep. At all.
Honestly, I don't mind that at all. No sleep gives me more time to grind. Maybe sacrifice a bit of my sanity for double the time in my day? Sleep will be missed, but I'd say it's far worth it. I'll give it another go.
[Arch mage trait gained]
You were an esteemed mage in your past life (Not really). Magic related skills level 100% faster.
[Sin of Greed flaw gained]
What's yours is yours, and what's not yours should be. Your very protective of your property, and have borderline kleptomaniac tendencies.
That makes me slightly regret picking Martial Artist, but it also makes me realize how bad the flaws really are. Something like that could prove very dangerous if some incredibly strong being steals from me, and then I go try and take it back like a fool. Fingers crossed it doesn't come to that. With that being said, I suppose I'm finished with everything.
[World of Highschool DxD locked in.]
[Character Customization complete. You may continue onto the Game whenever your ready.]
Highschool DxD? I don't know whether I would be feeling joy, or panic over this. Although the world is somewhat goofy, behind the facade of huge tits and oppai-dragons or whatever, is an insanely high power ceiling and some hella shady final bosses. There's people like Sirzechs, who probably had to slaughter hundreds of thousands of beings to get where he was today, or Ophis, who could probably disintegrate the entire planet. Yeah, I think I'd be feeling slightly frightful right now.
It's not like I can change it, it's already set in stone. Still, at least the girls are hot? Whatever, just get it started already.
As I come to, the first thing I feel is an onrush of emotions, like a torrent breaking through a damn. Panic, sadness, elation, satisfaction, and first and foremost. Excitement. However, it's all almost immediately muted to a level that allows for me to think clearly. In fact, I've never felt such clarity before.
[Skill, [Gamer's Mind and Body] received.]
[Gamer's Mind and Body (MAX) - Live your life out like a video game. Keep a peaceful state of mind, and blocks all forms of mental interference. Sleeping restores all Health, Stamina, and Mana.]
[Skill, [Dungeon Create] received.
[Dungeon Create (Level 1) - Create various labyrinths with soulless enemies, puzzles, and treasure within. Current Dungeons available: Zombie
[Skill, [Observe] received.]
[Observe (MAX) - Observe anything, seeing it's/their properties and/or stats. Also reveals current thoughts about the user.]
This is great. I'll be able to grind easily with this. Now, where the hell am I? Sliding my legs over the side of the bed that definitely isn't the one I remember, I inspect the room I've found myself in, finding it to look like I would imagine an average teenagers room looked like. Did I take over some poor schmuck's body or something, Game?
[Not quite host. Your body has, for lack of a better word, been running on auto-pilot. Don't worry about people figuring out somethings different about you, their memories will have you acting exactly as you normally do. As for where you are, you're in your new home, living alone because you convinced your parents to let you study abroad at a prestigious academy in Japan.]
I can take a gander on what that academy is. Well, it doesn't bother me much. It's a good cover story, and puts me closer to the plot, which I'm so going to screw with. There are so many things I want to change. Like, why were those sacred gear extractors never utilized after the Raynare arc? Seriously, they're so overpowered. I will be totally abusing that.
Now that I have my emotions back, I immediately begin concocting a plan for the future, as well as some short term goals. First off, kill Issei Hyoudou. For one, I can't stand the guy. I almost didn't watch DxD just because he was the protagonist. Glad I ended up watching it. Second, his sacred gear. I can just use the sacred gear extractor I just mentioned.
[Quest acquired. Issei Hyoudou, The Future Red Dragon Emperor isn't worthy of his role of Protagonist. Show him who the real Protagonist of this story is.]
Goal: Kill Issei Hyoudou. (0/1)
Reward: Boosted Gear, [Harem King] Perk, 10 Levels, and 1x Random Summon Crystal.
Failure: You can't fail this.
Or that works too. With that being said, even with those amazing rewards, I can't just waltze right into the home of one of the students at my new academy's home, and proceed to murder him without making any sort of plan. Hmm, are the fallen in the city yet? I'll have to go check once I get strong enough, which I doubt will take very long. Raynare and her crew were literal fodder, stepping stones for the main character's coming of power. On that note, how long do I have before school, Game?
[You're first day starts tomorrow, Monday.]
I see. Peering out my window, I see that it's around, noonish? Also considering I don't need to sleep, I should have ample time to grind in the dungeon. I doubt it's enough to approach the level of Rias and her peerage, but it will be a good start. I do wonder if I'll feel the mental and physical exhaustion of not being able to sleep.
[Due to Gamer's Body and Mind, exhaustion of both variants is neutralized. Host does need to worry about not being able to Replenish your status via resting however. It may not seem like much, but having that taken away is very dangerous.]
Thank you, Game. Before I enter the dungeon, I'd like to check out the rest of the house, and maybe the outside as well. Stretching out of bed, I exit the bedroom and begin looking around the house, which was fairly nice, all things considered. 3 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, a lounge with a kitchen attached, and 2 extra rooms that I can use however I want later on. Maybe a storage room? No, I have my inventory for that. I'll figure it out later.
Now, do I go introduce myself to my neighbors, or get started on the grind? Pfft, [Dungeon Create, Zombie].
The walls of my new home fade away, revealing that I'm now in an fairly large, carved out cube made from stone brick, with various dull structures made out of the same gray brick. All around, I also spot dozens, hundreds of zombies of various appearances, from normal- as normal as a zombie can look- to zombies that look to be ripped straight from a museum, golden armor and all. Most of the zombies all have about the same proportions, aside from a few that I assume are special enemies of sorts.
[Quest Activated - Time for the Grind. You've began your second life, but to actually enjoy it in this world, you will need power.]
Goal: Reach level 5. (0/5)
Reward: 3 Levels, 1 random skill book, and the continuation of this quest.
Failure: You can't fail this.
Thank you, Game. Swiping away the screen, I sneak up behind a zombie, a male equipped with a patients scrub, thankfully without his ass cheeks out. Even without actively sneaking, the zombie doesn't notice me as it hobbles forward at around half a meter a second. As I remember one of my new skills, I cast [Observe] on the scrub wearing zombie.
[Level 5 - Zombie]
HP: 150/150 - MP: 0
STR: 15
DEX: 5
CON: 15
INT: 0
WIS: 0
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Superior strength and defense, but half my speed. Seems easy enough. Stopping behind the zombie, I raise both my arms and push it's back as hard as I can, sending it face-first into the ground. Without wasting any time, I sit on it's back and slam my fists into the rear-side of it's head, and kill it after a few more punches.
[Level 5 Zombie Slain. 80 XP Gained]
[Skill created through certain actions - Sneak.]
[Sneak (Level 1) - Make your presence as miniscule as possible. Passively decreases your chance of being found while trying to stay hidden by 10%]
Standing up off the now dead (Deader?) zombie, I dust off my hands as it bursts into black dust, leaving behind a few stems of wheat?
[Those would be ingredients for your Secondary Class.]
I see, also, great to know I can also make skills. Stashing the wheat into my inventory, I turn around only to find that I've attracted a small crowd. The zombies seem to react to sound, albeit not the decently quiet ones, if my poor sneaking was anything to go by. Watching the crowd of zombies with varying appearances slowly limping towards me, I grin slightly. I've got work to do.
Stomping on the head of the final zombie, or of this wave at least, I release a pent up sigh and lean against the stone brick wall. It probably wasn't the best idea being up against a wall like this in a dungeon, but it's just for a few seconds. The zombies never stop coming after all. I've been killing zombies for an unspoken amount of time, but it feels like its been a half an hour, give or take. I have no real way of telling. The zombies were actually quite to take out. I've been using a simple strategy I actually got from RPGs, kiting. The zombies were far too slow to be able to catch up or hit me, so it worked quite well. They also continued to drop more ingredients, most of which I remember from Skyrim.
On another note,
[16x Level 5 Zombies slain. 1440 XP Gained.]
[Level up! Level up!]
[Quest completed. Received 3 Levels, (Rokushiki) Skill book, and Time for the Grind, Part 2 unlocked.]
[Quest Activated - Time for the Grind, Part 2. You're slowly making your way up in the world, but it's nowhere near enough.]
Goal: Reach Level 15. (9/15)
Rewards: 5 Levels, Random Rare Skill Book, 2 Chance token, and the continuation of this quest.
[For Reaching level 5, The skill [Novice Acrobatics] Has been received.]
Taking out the green-with-silver-outlines book, I immediately consume it, seeing no reason not to.
[Rokushiki (Level 1) - A special superhuman martial arts style used by the Marine. Grants the user access to a series of special techniques, unlocking more and increasing their effectiveness as the level rises.]
Techniques currently available - Geppo.
Hopping on air feels unreal. Everything up until now has been pretty tame, but literally double jumping like I'm Mario? It makes me feel ecstatic. I can only do it once right now, most likely increasing that with the level of the skill, but it's still an amazing feeling, performing my first actual supernatural action, from my perspective at least. My physical capabilities have already passed into the realm of super-human, but this is different.
Looking over towards one of the unique zombies, a disgusting and obese, but relatively less zombie-looking compared to the others, undead covered in massive boils. I'm fairly certain I recognize it, but I still cast Observe on it nonetheless.
[The Boomer - Level 15]
HP: 1100/1100 - MP: 400/400
STR: 50
DEX: 15
CON: 55
INT: 20
WIS: 15
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
About what I was expecting, except for it's mental stats, as well as it's health and mana. From my calculations, every point of CON was worth 10 health, which would put it's health at 550, not 1100.
[Certain beings have special bonuses towards their stats, such as Mini-bosses, or bosses in the dungeon's which have at least twice as much health as normal.]
I see. If I remember correctly, The Boomer has a special attack where it just vomits on the survivors in Left 4 Dead. I'd very much so appreciate a ranged attack right about now. I'm not even much about defeating it, I'd just rather not get covered in zombie-bile.
Oh well. Breaking into a sprint towards the special zombie, or Mini-boss I suppose, I leap into the air and use Geppo, jumping off solid air, before descending with my foot landing square on it's boil covered face. Please don't tell me I popped any of them. Leaning backwards out of the way of a swing of it's massive arm, I plant my hands on the ground and push off, kicking both feet into it's face again. Acrobatics + Unarmed combat together created a rather interesting combination.
Not giving it the chance to attack back (More like not throw up on me), I cover the distance between us and unleash of flurry of punches on it's massive belly, producing ripples over it's rotting skin. Seeing it bring it's head back, I immediately retreat, narrowly dodging out of the way of a stream of green bile. Mentally wiping my brow, I pat myself on the back for getting out of the way of that. Seriously disgusting stuff.
After a few seconds, it closes it's mouth, shutting off it's stream and giving me the chance to attack it once more. As it was already pretty close to dying after all my attacks, all it took was a few more randomly thrown punches and it's health finally reached 0. That wasn't so ha-
The Boomer explodes in a massive eruption of the very same bile I was just trying to avoid, blowing me back whilst also covering me in the green gall. Nimbly twisting in the air, I land safely on the ground, if a bit out of breath. Staring at the bile covering almost my whole body, I nearly throw up from the smell alone. I desperately need a shower.
[Mini-boss, The Boomer slain. 600 XP Received.]
[Level up!]
[Rokushiki Level up]x2
[For reaching level 10, the skill [Touki] has been received.]
[Touki (Level 1) - An application of the art known as Senjutsu, where the user infuses their body with life energy to enhance their physical capabilities. Passively increases STR, DEX, and CON by 10% and actively by 50% each. Costs 500 SP/m]
Where the large zombie was just standing, was an unassuming wooden chest, surrounded by even more bile. Is it worth it stepping in that? Probably. Sighing, I shake off as much as I can and wade through the disgusting vomit, and make my way towards the chest.
Using my foot to kick it open, in case of a trap-of which there were none- I poke my head over the side and grab the 2 items inside. A pair of black boots, and a single blue crystal.
[Boomer's boots (Uncommon) - Provides 30 DEF, as well as allowing the wearer to wade through particularly cumbersome substances, such as bile, as if walking normally]
[Stat Gem (INT) - Consume to permanently increase the users INT by 5.]
Hopefully I won't need the special effect of those boots. I still equip them and also consume the stat gem while I'm at it. Free stat points? Hell yeah. I hope that's not a one time thing. Anyway, I'm getting out of here. I seriously need a shower.
Shaking my wet hair as I sit down at the kitchen counter, I pull out the various ingredients I received from killing zombies. Most, if not all of them dropped at least 1 thing, but most of the time, it was something different. Wheat, Elves Ear, Garlic, Different variants of Mountain Flowers, etc.. Some things in here I could get from the local supermarket, but a large majority of them didn't weren't so convenient, unless Walmart started selling Troll Fat since I've last gone.
Now, I fully plan on delving back into the dungeon, but I'd also like to begin on alchemy. I can't sleep after all, and it's not even dark outside yet, so I'll need things to pass the time, which consists of grinding, and more grinding.
Hmm, I'll need some containers for my potions.. One trip to the local supermarket later, and the table has a few dozen glass vials off to the side. The knowledge I'd received from the Alchemist skills basically told me that I only had to insert the required materials into the potion, grinding them down if needed, and filling it with water before stirring and allowing the game to do the rest. Simple enough.
Deciding I'd start with a Minor Health Potion, one of the few I can actually make at the moment, I slide over one of the glasses and pull out one stalk of wheat, which was unfortunately one of the few ingredients that was required to be grinded down. Do I need a mortar and pestle for this?
[It's not required, but quality of ingredients does affect the quality of the potion.]
I see. Conveniently enough, the same supermarket sold exactly what I was looking for. I wasn't expecting that, but you won't see me complaining. Sitting back down at the kitchen counter for the third time, I place the gray bowl down on the cold surface and insert a stalk of wheat before crushing it with the cylinder-shaped tool.
A few minutes later, and the wheat was sufficiently crushed, littering the bottom of the bowl with it's grinded down leftovers. Grabbing one of the vials, I pour the crushed wheat into it, and slide the M&P away, since I won't be needing it for the other ingredients. Pulling out a delicate butterfly wing, I insert it along with a feather of a Felsaad Tern. How a zombie drops these items? I don't know, but this isn't the weirdest thing I've seen so far.
Finally, I carefully bring the glass over to the sink and fill it with a bit of water, before grabbing a spoon and stirring away. As I stir the strange concoction, the ingredients slowly dissolve into the water, as it changes from completely clear, to crimson red, like an opaque blood.
[Minor Health Potion created. 100XP in Alchemist Class received.]
[Secondary Class Level up!]
[Minor Health Potion - Consumable. If consumed, restores users health by 20%]
Already leveling up? I guess Jack of all trades is proving it's worth already. Also, it's only a minor potion and already restores 20%? It seems Alchemist was the correct choice. With that said, I fall into a rhythm of sorts, creating health potion after health potion. Crush, add ingredient, add water, stir, voila, Minor health potion!
This was actually somewhat soothing in a way. I could relax, zone out a bit while doing this sort of grinding, unlike dungeon delving, where I had to be somewhat cautious the whole time. Now, the most dangerous thing that could happen is getting a crushed wheat particle in my eye.
After a half an hour, and 16 Minor health potions later, I'd gotten to level 5, but also ran out of ingredients for health potions. I suppose I could make something new. With that said, I run through the process of creating another potion, using Ectoplasm, Elves ear, and crushed Red Mountain flower, ending up with a whole new potion, but colored bluish-purple this time. A Minor Mana Potion.
Same with the health potions, I descended into a sequence, crush, add ingredients, add water, stir, potion! This time, I'd managed go for forty-five minutes, and ended with 21 potions before I ran out of ingredients. Doing the same with Minor Stamina Potions, I ended up 18 of those, totaling up to 55 potions, for about an hour and a half of work. I'd say that was pretty worthwhile. I'd also managed to level Alchemist to 11, granting me the knowledge on a new set of potions, resistance towards certain elements to be more precise. Looking over the ingredients that I have, I see that I have significantly less than the ones for the first three potions, which is to be expected. I suppose I have more potion making to do.
Finishing off the relatively weak Mini-boss, 'The Hunter', I sigh in relief when it too doesn't explode into actual bile. Crouching down and flicking open the chest, I grab the two items, a cyan colored scarf, which looked more like a raggedy old cloth, and another stat gem, going towards CHA this time.
[The Hunter's Shawl (Rare) - Provides +10 DEF, as well as a +15 bonus to DEX.]
Speaking of stats, I'd ignored these notifications in favor of taking a shower earlier, but I had gotten some passive skills for reaching certain amounts in each stat.
[For reaching 50 in STR, you've received a new skill.]
[Herculean Strength (Level MAX) - You're strength is that of legends. Outside of combat, you may lift items 200% heavier than what your STR stat allows. Provides 50% extra unarmed damage.]
[For reaching 50 in DEX, you've received a new skill.]
[Superhuman Reflexes (Level MAX) - You could catch a bullet with your bare hands. Makes your reflexes almost impossibly quick.]
[For reaching 50 in CON, you've received a new skill.]
[Boundless Vitality (Level MAX) - You're life-force is very potent. Doubles HP and SP received from CON, as well as increasing effectiveness of Ki-related techniques by 20%. As a side-effect, beings sensitive to life-energy will find your presence more tolerable.]
[For reaching 50 in INT, you've received a new skill.]
[Novice Mage (Level MAX) - You are beginning on the path of the sage. Doubles MP received from INT, as well as increasing effectiveness of spells by 20%.]
[For reaching 50 in WIS, you've received a new skill.]
[Mana Generator (Level MAX) - You're mana is very potent. Cuts the time of MP regeneration in half, as well as decreasing cost of spells by 20%.]
Completely overpowered, every single one of them. The jack of all trades perk was truly proving it's worth, having gotten Alchemist to level 16, and Martial Artist to level 14 just before running into the Hunter. Said Mini-boss was actually the third one I fought, the second one being an even easier fight with 'The Smoker' which also produced an annoying effect on death, covering the area in smoke. I'd gotten a quest after killing the second Mini-boss, as well as a dark gray pendant and a LCK stat gem, which is why I'm hunting them now.
[Quest Activated. Clear the Area! Slay all the special infected.]
Goal: Defeat every Mini-boss. (3/4)
Reward: Summoning of the Area-Boss, and 1x Chance Token.
Failure: You can't fail this. (AN: Btw, failure is how the quest fails, not what he gets if he fails. The game saying he can't fail is basically saying the only way to fail is by dying prematurely.)
Scanning around the dungeon in search of the final Mini-boss, it doesn't take long for me to lock onto the form of another large zombie, one with more muscle (?) than fat this time around. While it's left arm was absolutely tiny, not even 10 centimeters long, it's right one was massive and ended in a round stump while being covered in cracks.
[The Charger - Level 15]
HP: 800/800 - MP: 400/400
STR: 90
DEX: 20
CON: 40
INT: 20
WIS: 15
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Another easy enough fight. Using Geppo, I jump multiple times on the air-something which I became able to do as Rokushiki leveled- and positioned myself a few dozen meters above the unaware special-infected before descended rapidly, slamming my foot into it's skull-like head, dealing almost three quarters of it's health in one attack.
As it rapidly slams towards the ground, I gracefully jump off it's head, landing a meter away. DEX didn't only increase my speed, but also my balance, control of my body, etc. It was very useful in the particular fighting-style I was slowly putting together. Focusing back on the fight, I sit on it's broad back and rain down punches on it's stunned form, reminiscent of my first kill.
[Mini-boss, The Charger slain. 600 XP received.]
[Quest completed. You've defeated every Mini-boss, prepare for the final boss! Well, for this area at least. Received 1x Chance Token.]
I was very close to leveling up, only a few hundred XP away. Strolling over to the chest, I click it open and grab, yet again, 2 items. This time, it was a single gauntlet and another stat crystal, CON this time.
[The Chargers Strong Arm (Uncommon) - Provides 25 DEF, and increases momentum gained when charging.]
Equipping the dark brown, almost rock like gauntlet covered in cracks, I frown as the ground shakes ever so slightly. Hopefully that's just dramatic effect, and not a showing of the bosses power. Hearing footsteps behind me, I turn around, finding an actual behemoth, of pure muscle this time. Both of it's arms are probably as large as I am, and I'm not keen on finding out what they can do.
[Quest Activated. You've almost killed every enemy in the area, all but the Area boss. Do your best!]
Goal: Kill The Tank (0/1)
Reward: 3x Levels, Random Skill Book, Next Area unlocked.
[The Tank - Level 25]
HP: 2200/2200 - MP: 400/400
STR: 150
DEX: 40
CON: 110
INT: 20
WIS: 15
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Sheesh. At least it's DEX isn't very high. Preparing to use Geppo to go for a sneak attack, I'm surprise when it smashes it's hands into the ground, gripping a large portion of the stone brick, and lobbing it in my direction. So much for surprise.
Running towards the hulking undead, getting out of the way of the large rock in the process, I sprint towards it, and leap straight towards it's face, slamming my foot into it's small head. As it slightly stumbles back, I slam both hands against each cheek, and pull back, actually managing to bring it down slightly, before it forced it's head forehead, slinging me off in the process.
Landing a few meters away, I once more jump in, using Geppo to get out of the way of it's massive arm, and land on said appendage. Suppressing my surprise at even being able to do so, I activate Touki and kick it's nose, instantly dealing a few hundred damage.
Life before, it either doesn't feel pain, or doesn't care enough as it only leans back slightly before springing back into action and swinging it's arm around, throwing me off. With my increased stats, I easily land directly in front of it, and lay a massive punch on it's stomach, before kicking out it's legs, knocking it down onto the ground. It's legs are a glaring weakness, insert leg day joke here.
As I slam my fists onto the back of it's head, I realize this may be my go to move, this is my third time doing it now after all. Repeatedly pounding it's face into the stone brick, I finish it off after a few more strikes. Standing up while deactivating Touki, I sigh in relief that it was over. I wasn't scared or anything, Gamer's mind made sure of that, it was just he probably could have ended me in a few hits if I wasn't careful. That rock he threw at the beginning might have ended me on its own if I hadn't dodged it.
[Area Boss, The Tank Slain. 2400 XP Received.]
[Level up! Level up!]
[Rokushiki Level up!]x2
[Quest Completed! You've slain The Tank, vanquishing every enemy this area has to offer. Receive 3x Levels, Skill book (Mana Smell), and Next Area of the Zombie Dungeon unlocked.]
[Quest completed. You've reached level 15, you're really doing great! Received 5x Levels, Skill book (Mantra Enchant), 2x Chance token, and the continuation of the quest.]
[Quest Activated. You're actually beginning to gain strength, maybe you'll be able to make a different in some time. Keep going!]
Goal: Reach level 30. (24/30)
Reward: 10x Levels, Random Unique Skill Book, 1x Random Summoning Crystal, and the continuation of the quest.
[For reaching level 15, the Skills [Novice Unarmed Combat] and [Novice Acrobatics] have upgraded into [Adept Unarmed Combat] and [Novice Acrobatics] respectively.]
[For reaching level 20, the Skills [Senjutsu] and [Ki Sensing] have been received.]
[For reaching 100 in STR, a skill has been received.]
[Demi-god Strength (Level MAX) - You're strength has surpassed human level. Outside of combat, you may lift items 400% heavier than what your STR stat allows. Provides a 100% increase in unarmed combat damage.]
[For reaching 100 in DEX, a skill has been received.]
[Inhuman control (Level MAX) - You have unnatural control over your body, allowing for movements that would normally severely injure you, but only end up making you feel slight discomfort.]
Talk about information overload. My brain hurts slightly, but I don't really mind reading over these juicy notifications. Dismissing the final one with a sigh of satisfaction, I find that a chest was lying where The Tank had died, with me just not noticing it with the notifications and all that.
Opening up the chest, which was much larger than the others, I peek inside, finding more items than normal as well. Inside the chest was a total of 4 items, 2 pieces of equipment, a crystal, and a white-gold coin. The crystal was just another stat crystal, for LCK this time, and the coin ended up being one of those Chance tokens I'd gotten from the quests. I'll have to check those out later. As for the equipment,
A navy blue coat covered in silver armor plating's.
[The Tanks Plating (Rare) - Grants 50 DEF, and a +25 bonus to STR.]
And a black-leather belt, with a few straps and hooks along it's sides.
[Sash of the Undead (Rare) - Passively increases HP Regeneration by 50%.]
I equip them both, and despite how it may look, the coat was actually fairly easy to move in, and it doesn't look frankly ridiculous, so it's a great item in my book. As for the belt, well it provided an amazing effect while being practical. It's like my own personal batman's toolbelt. I'll fill it with everything I'll need, even if I can just bring it out of my inventory.
As I stand back up from my kneeling position, the wall closest to me fades away, revealing another cube, but the walls, floor and ceiling were made from green bricks, rather than gray, making a stark contrast with the first Area. I can already spot some zombies over there, but it looks like some of them aren't even humanoid. I'm fairly certain I see an undead wolf. Zombie wolf? Sure.
Before I explore there however, I want to return home and see what these Chance Tokens do first. I've got, 4 tokens from all the quests and that one I found in the chest. Exiting the dungeon, I sit down at my preferred sofa in the lounge and open my inventory. Selecting the 4 shining white-gold tokens, I consume one of them. Maybe I should the coins for a rainy day or something, but I don't see a reason to do so, and I really want to see what I can get from them.
[Chance Token consumed. Cadus (Rare) received.]
Observe reveals Cadus to be a staff which deals lightning damage. I'm not sure if I want to use a weapon anytime soon, so I'll leave it in my inventory for now. With that said, I consume another 2 tokens.
[2x Chance Tokens consumed. Anbu Mask (Uncommon) and Felix Felicis (Very Rare) received.]
I'm extremely tempted to just use that second item now, and use the last Chance token. Felix Felicis is a potion which increases the targets luck, by a lot, but it also increases giddiness, confidence and a few other not good emotions, but I'm certain Gamer's Mind would just nullify that. Game, will I be able to eventually make these potions with Alchemy?
[Yes host, but you will only unlock the recipe at Master level Potion Brewing.]
I see.. Fuck it, I'm doing it. Pulling out the potion I only just got, I down the supposed 'liquid-luck' and store the vile back in my inventory. Ignoring the bitter taste, I focus on the notification I received after swallowing the silver substance.
[Felix Felicis consumed. Luck increased by +763 for 30 minutes.]
Opening up my inventory, I promptly consume the final Chance token.
[Chance token consumed. Tori Tori no Mi (Exotic) received.]
Worth it. So totally worth it. Now the question is, do I eat this? Sea stone doesn't exist here, and the water weakness doesn't affect water that moves, which is pretty much every single spell a water mage can use. None of them are going to create a completely still body of water, and even if they did I can easily escape that. The pros out way the cons by so very much, making this an easy decision as I remove the almost glowing blue and yellow fruit from my inventory.
Plugging my nose, I try my hardest to block my sense of taste, but as I take a bite out of the devil-fruit, I resist the urge to throw up from the putrid taste, but hold it in. Almost immediately after swallowing the fruit, my arms explode into neon blue and yellow flames, before fading away just as fast. What didn't fade away was the damage that did to my lounge. Great.
[Tori Tori no Mi consumed, making the host a Phoenix-human hybrid. The skills, [Blue Flames of Resurrection] and [Phoenix Transformation] have been received. Host's HP regeneration has been reduced from 1 minute to 1 second.]
Holy shit, that was so fucking worth it. I don't know why I even hesitated. Devil Fruits are truly overpowered, and the skills don't even use Mana, but Stamina instead.
[Blue Flames of Resurrection (Level 1) - Allows the user to create and control the special flame of the Phoenix. Deals (INT+Skill Level)*4 and heals the user and his allies for (INT+Skill Level)*8. Costs 400 SP.]
[Phoenix Transformation (Level 1) - Allows the user to partially or fully transform into a Phoenix. The higher the level, the more the user is able to switch between human and Phoenix. Current transformation: Arms. Costs 1000 SP/m for each level.]
Looking at the blue-yellow flame flickering over my hand, I almost begin shivering from excitement. This is so badass. I hope my clothes are flame resistant though. Speaking of, I wonder how well the zombies go up against my new flames. I suppose there's only one way to find out.
Slashing my new incredibly long, and also made-from-fire appendage towards a zombie wearing a police uniform, I verify that they don't hold up very well, having severed it's top half completely from the bottom with a swipe of my wing. Not having hands in this form will take some used to, but it's still incredibly bad ass. Oh, and I can fly now too.
Slapping my massive wings on the ground, I take to the sky and take a few moments to actually adjust myself. First time flying and all that. Looking over the dungeon while I'm almost touching the ceiling is euphoric. All the trash mobs littering the floor look so small and fragile from up here. I'm seriously in love with this fruit. As I realize something, a grin slowly stretches across my face. I am so going to show Riser what a real phoenix looks like when I meet him. Oh, how fun that will be.
Anyway, I begin as I touch down on the floor again, dismissing my wings along with my power-trip, I got 2 new skills as well. Mana Smell, and Mantra Enchant. I don't recognize either of them unfortunately, but that's what Observe is for, is it not?
[Skill book (Mana Smell) - Grants the user the skill Mana Smell, which allows the user to passively detect mana with their sense of smell. The purer the mana, the better it will smell, while normal humans will smell normal. Cannot be toggled off.]
[Skill book (Mantra Enchant) - Grants the user the skill Mantra Enchant, which stores magic on a portion of the users body in the form of characters, greatly enhancing's it's physical abilities.]
Both of those are great, the latter more so, but that's a rare skill for you. I wonder what Mantra enchant in conjunction with Touki would achieve. Well, I'll have to test that later. For now, I consume both skill books, gaining two new powerful skills. I'm getting pretty damn lucky.
Almost immediately after consuming the two books, my sense of smell is assaulted with completely new smells that I've never even experienced before. Since most of the zombies don't actually have mana, I didn't smell much at first, but after a few seconds, I began to take in the scent of the farther away zombies, which were not pleasant to say the least. Thankfully enough, the smell wasn't debilitating, just unpleasant. It will take some getting used to, but not too much.
Now, on to the main course.
[Mantra Enchant (Level 1) - Stores magic on a portion of the users body in the form of characters, greatly enhancing it's physical abilities. Infuses a particular body part, granting a 100% increase in the stat associated with the chosen part. STR for arms, DEX for legs, and CON for torso. Consumes 1000 MP/m. At later levels, multiple infusions will be possible.]
As it is now, I can only manage one enchant for a single minute before I have to turn it off, but that's still an entire minute of double one of my stats. Add that together with Touki, which runs off stamina rather than mana? I could get over 300 in STR or DEX temporarily. Pretty damn OP.
Mentally activating the spell, a pair of glowing blue circlets appear around my shins, improving my DEX by 100%. I was worried that it would look weird, but it surprisingly looks pretty nice, and matches with my phoenix flames as well. What's the point in having a lot of power if you can't look cool while using it?
Now, looking over towards the new area, I should get to grinding before the luck potion runs out.
Spoiler alert, the mobs in Area 2 didn't hold up so well against my flames. Well, they lasted a lot longer than the ones in the first area did, but they still died fairly quickly in the end. Even if they had the same level as the previous areas boss, they didn't have it's stats, which was why I was able to freely grind away until I decided on hunting the Mini-bosses.
On another note, I'd managed to get to level 30, completing the quest,
[Quest Completed. You've reached level 30. Received 10x Levels, Skill book (12 Zodiac Hymns), 1x Summoning Crystal (Edelgard), and the continuation of the quest.]
Hidden objective cleared: Complete part 1- 3 of this quest in a single day.
Reward: Plot begins sooner.
Completing that quest provided me with an information overload on it's own, not to mention all the notifications that came afterward.
[For reaching 100 in CON, you've received a new skill.]
[Exuberance (Level MAX) - Your life force is even more potent. Doubles HP and SP received from CON, as well as increases the effectiveness of Ki-related techniques by 50%]
[For reaching level 40 in the [Martial Artist] Primary class, you have unlocked the option to select a new Primary.]
The skill book I'd received contained a total of 12 different spells, but every last one of them required more mana than I even have, so I wasn't capable of using even 1 of them just yet. I'd read the description of the skill, and it's made me excited for when I have enough mana to cast them.
On another note, completing the quest had taken around an hour, but shooting up an entire 10 levels at once made it so that my XP requirement also shot up, making grinding more difficult, which is why after another hour or two, I left the dungeon and began grinding Alchemy, and my skills.
Now, here I am, in front of my mirror, inspecting the uniform now equipped on my body, and with a few hundred more potions in my inventory, as well as some much higher leveled skills. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm almost relieved that the time for school has arrived. I don't have much here to do aside from grinding and more grinding. I don't want to turn out like those protagonists who go on a single-minded quest for power, forgoing all other things in life. This is my second life, and I plan on enjoying it the fullest, doing things I couldn't in my first one, not spending all my time grinding for some power that doesn't actually seem too hard to acquire. Maybe I just got super lucky with my start, but I'll be toning down my grinding for a while. Well, at least during the day. I need some way to occupy my sleepless nights.
Anyway, nodding to my reflection in the mirror, it's time for my first day of school. First impressions are important, kinda. Not really, but I'm not going to be a douche. Fully exiting my home for the first time, I follow the directions which were implanted into my mind upon my arrival in this world, leading me to Kuoh Academy. Oh, and also the horde of teenagers wearing the same uniform as I was.
As soon as the first student spotted me, I began get strange looks, varying from glares from the boys, and wide eyes from the girls. I even spotted a few blushes. I've never actually even seen someone blush in real life. With my enhanced perception, I could hear the giggles and whispers the girls sent their friends. Should I be flattered? Yes. Am I? Yes, but I'm also pretty uncomfortable. I suppose a school which was previously all-girls would be pretty pent up. What was almost shiver inducing was them pairing me with the 'Prince of Kuoh', who I can only assume is Kiba.
Another thing to note was that they actually didn't smell bad, compared to the zombies in the dungeon. It's hard to pin a smell to it, but it's like.. water? I'm not really sure, but they just smell neutral, which is nice.
Getting closer and closer to the school, a new scent comes out of nowhere, but compared to the neutral smell of the normal humans, or the unpleasant smell of the zombies, this one smelt amazing. Like, nothing I've ever smelt before. I've got a pretty good idea on where it's coming from, but as I round the corner and spot the gate, I find the source of the smell.
[Sona Sitri, Heiress to the Sitri household.]
Age: 18
Race: Devil
Level: 97
HP: 10200/10200- SP: 10200/10200 - MP: 49200/49200
STR: 92
DEX: 97
CON: 102
INT: 492
WIS: 542
CHA: 234
LCK: 101
Thoughts towards you: Interest, Surprise.
Holy shit. She has so much fucking mana, and her stats are unreal. She has almost 5 times my WIS, and with a quick calculation, I find that she gets 10x as much HP, SP, and MP from her stats than a normal human. Unreal. If not for the fact that I'd look like a love-struck fool, I would have stopped then and there and stared at her in shock. What is her older sister like? Sirzechs?
Thankful for Gamer's mind, I continue my walk towards the gate, finding that Sona's eyes honed in on my form the moment I turned the corner. Great. She can probably sense my strength. I need a way to conceal it. I don't know if she thinks I'm some independent mage, or just a human with high magic potential, but either way, she's definitely planning something for me. Probably a way to get me in her peerage. I'll have to decline though, I'm not interested in joining a peerage, much less hers. Also, even if she is so strong, I've gotten to my level of strength in a single night. I'll surpass her soon enough.
"Good morning, Mr. Black. My name is Souna Shitori, and I am the student council president of this academy." The devil heiress introduces herself. I can respect that she's so polite, even when she can crush all the people here like bugs.
Nodding, I reply, "Good morning to you too, student council president." Bit of a mouthful.
Crossing her arms under her somewhat small chest, she continues, "As today is your first today, I'll be giving you a tour." Turning around, she begins through the gate, adding, "Follow me." Sheesh, you could explain a bit more.
Thankfully, as she leads me around the school and shows me the various important places, she also explains where and when my classes will be. I expected her to give me some sort of a paper schedule, but this is fine I guess. Thank you increased intelligence stat.
Finally, she stops in front of a door and explains, "This is the student council room. If you have any questions later on, just stop by here and one of the members will assist you. If that is all, you should be on your way."
Without waiting for my answer, she slips through the day, leaving me by myself in the hallway. Well, aside from a few curious teenagers. Sighing, I turn away and begin searching for my homeroom class, only taking a few minutes to find it. Knocking on the door, I only have to wait a few minutes for a dull man to open the door, as a look of realization crosses his face.
Inclining his head, he says "You must be the transfer student, Mr. Black. Come on in, class is about to start." Following after him through the doorway, I note that I'm taller than him. I had thought it was just the students, but my height is way above average here. Oh well.
With a rigid smile, he motions towards me and addresses the class. "Everyone, we have a new student." Turning to me, he adds "Please introduce yourself."
Nodding, I say to my new classmates, "My name is Sirius Black. As you can tell by my name, I'm not from here. Nice to meet you all." I don't plan expending much effort towards making friends here, with the normal humans at least. Everyone in my class, aside from one slightly smirking black haired devil, is a forgettable back-ground character.
[Akeno Himejima, Daughter of the Cadre.]
Age: 18
Race: Fallen-Devil hybrid
Level: 84
HP: 20900/20900 - SP: 20900/20900 - MP: 29900/29900
STR: 211
DEX: 224
CON: 209
INT: 299
WIS: 302
CHA: 315
LCK: 236
Thoughts towards you: Interest, Surprise.
The teacher I won't bother remembering the name of appoints me in the seat directly in front of Akeno. It was empty, but so were a few others, which almost makes me think it was her doing. Taking a seat while trying to ignore the whispers and stares directed my way, I have to try even harder to ignore Akeno's stare. I don't know why, but her stare feels so much more intense.
Placing my chin on my palm, I zone out as the sound of the teacher beginning whatever he was teaching.
I break out of my trance-like state from the ear-ringing sound of the bell going off, almost making me shoot out of my seat. I didn't fall asleep, but I was pretty damn near. Learning from my past mistakes, I quickly stand up and leave the classroom, dodging the horde of horny teenage girls. Is this just a hentai-world thing, or are teenage girls always this horny?
Sighing in exasperation, I make my way towards one of the places Sona showed me during our tour, a courtyard. As it was lunch, I planned on enjoying the small period of rest, and away from curious students. Finding the courtyard was easy enough, and thankfully, there weren't that many people here, just a few also looking for some peace and quiet.
Taking a seat against a tree, I take out a candy bar from my inventory and pop it in my mouth. Just because I don't require food doesn't mean I can't eat it. I'm glad I chose to come out here. It's very relaxing. Leaning back against the tree, I close my eyes and prop my head up against my knee.
Not even a minute later, I pick up on a non-human scent, but also unlike Sona's or Akeno's. It seems different races have distinct smells, like Sona-Devils, which was an almost overwhelmingly strong rose, while Akeno-Fallen was similar to rain. This smell however was like.. I really don't know.
Lazily opening an eye, I find a white haired loli staring down at me, with a weird look in her eye. Did I do something wrong?
[Koneko Toujo, The Cat Loli]
Age: 16
Race: Nekoshou-Devil Hybrid.
HP: 44500/44500 - SP: 44500/44500 - MP: 5400
Level: 64
STR: 264
DEX: 62
CON: 251
INT: 54
WIS: 47
CHA: 219
LCK: 154
Thoughts towards you: Interest, Surprise, Attraction.
Phew, I thought I pissed her off somehow. This must be from the CON perks. After what feels like an entire minute of her staring at me, I sigh and say, "Is there something you need?"
She opens her mouth, preparing to say something, before abruptly stopping. Shaking her head rapidly, she pulls out a plastic bag from her pocket and sits on the side of the tree to my left. Okay? Am I sitting in her seat or something? Either the perk has a pretty noticeable effect on her, or she just likes sitting near this tree.
Shrugging, I mask pulling out a candy bar from my inventory by sticking my hand in my pocket, and begin unwrapping it, before feeling a pair of eyes trained on me once more. Looking over to my silent 'companion', I move the candy bar from side to side, watching with mild amusement as she stays focused on it.
Wordlessly tossing the candy bar to her, she quickly catches it and slowly nibbles on it. I suppose she's like a cat in more ways then one. Looking at this incredibly adorable sight, I wonder if the extreme beauty that all the devils I've seen so far have is a result of their race, or just their high CHA stat. Probably both.
In the short amount of time since I stopped focusing on her, Koneko managed to scarf down the entire candy bar, and was already gazing expectantly towards me. Sighing, I mimic pulling out another and hand it to her, receiving a ever-so-tiny nod in return. She's going to run me dry, isn't she?
"What do you think about the new transfer student, Akeno? He's in your class, right?" Staring down at the teenager handing her bishop yet another candy bar with a sigh, Rias Gremory concealed a giggle at his exasperation.
The only other occupant in the room, a raven-haired girl held her chin in thought. "There's a lot to say about him, to be honest. He's clearly very smart, answering the few questions the teacher asked him with almost mechanical accuracy. Also, the way he walks is like that of a trained combatant. Whether that's from practicing a human martial arts style, or from being an actual warrior, I'm not sure. Also, I'm sure you noticed this as well, but he's definitely using some sort of ability. There's nothing in his pocket, but he continues to pull out multiple candy bars from nowhere. Curiously, I can't sense anything from his actions however. Would you like me to continue?"
Shaking her head, the heiress to the Gremory household replied "No, that will be enough, thank you." Furrowing her brows, Rias eventually intones, "Do you think he knows what we are? I want to.. I want to recruit him. I need to recruit him. We're running out of time.."
Rubbing the back of her shaking King, The fallen-devil hybrid muttered, "I don't know.. He didn't react strangely to my presence in class, although he did seem to curiously sniff his nose a few times. I don't smell bad, do I?" She added that last part, trying to lighten her best friends mood. Bringing up the nearing event always made Rias stress, but she was here to help her. It's what best friends are for, after all.
Smiling slightly, Rias shook her head. "No, you most certainly don't." Pausing for a few moments, she almost desperately questions, "Do you think he would join our family?"
Showing a bitter smile, Akeno answered, "I don't know, Rias. I don't know.."
Propping her head up on her fist, Sona Sitri stared down at her desk while in deep thought. The new transfer student was a surprise, to say the least. He had almost a tenth of her magic reserves, which was saying something, considering he was only a human. She also recognized his posture in some of her own peerage members, that being one of a trained warrior. Sona was almost positive that he was in some form, aware of the supernatural. Nevertheless, she wanted him in her peerage. She almost wanted to back off, allowing Rias to have him, thinking about her upcoming Rating Game, but then she remembered her own goal. She needed power to achieve it, because in the underworld, power still meant almost everything, even with old ways completely replaced.
No matter how she planned how handling him, she would need to trek carefully. He had the potential to be dangerous.
Leaving through the gate that I had entered through this morning, I ignore the fact that even now, I'm almost a head taller than a large majority of the students. Curiously, none of the devils are leaving, which is why when I smelt something other than a human, I rose a curious eyebrow. Peering over, I find an innocent looking girl with long black hair watching me. Oh, her.
[Raynare, The Devoted Fallen]
Age: 21 (AN: I don't think her age was ever actually revealed, please correct me if I'm wrong.)
Race: Fallen Angel (2 wings)
HP: 14500/14500 - SP: 14500/14500 - MP: 22100/22100
Level: 75
STR: 154
DEX: 162
CON: 145
INT: 221
WIS: 219
CHA: 273
LCK: 134
She is fairly strong, but the devils are stronger. Even I'm stronger in a few of my stats. As I turn to leave, she surprisingly walks towards me. She's coming after me, not Issei? I suppose this is what the game meant by speeding up the plot. I can see why, I have almost a quarter of her MP, while Issei has a sacred gear that she has no clues towards what it even is.
A few moments later, she nervously (Purely an act) stops in front of me, and says "Excuse me! My name is Yuuma Amano.. I was wondering if you would like to go out with me?" She looks up at me with expectant eyes (Also an act). If I didn't have meta-knowledge on the show, I might even believe her. Unfortunately, well, I do indeed have meta-knowledge.
[Quest Activated! The Fallen Angel Raynare, disguised as an innocent school girl has asked you out on a date, with a bit of shopping and murder planned! Don't let her murder you!]
Goal: Finish the date alive.
Bonus goal: Convince Raynare not to kill you while on the date.
Reward: 2400 XP, and 1x Chance token.
Bonus reward: Follower [Raynare], and 2400 XP.
Failure: Get murdered.
I already planned on agreeing before, but this just makes it all the more worthwhile. Also, follower? I can pretty much assume what that is, but how the hell am I supposed to convince her to let me live? I'll worry about that later.
"Sure, I don't see why not." Matching her fake smile with an equally fake one of my own, I continue, "How does tomorrow sound? We can meet at the fountain in the park, at say, 6 PM?"
Quickly nodding, 'Yuuma' happily replies, "Okay! I'll see you then!" Turning around, she walks in the opposite direction I begin walking in. I note that she didn't ask my name, though she definitely already knows it. Second day here, and the plot is already starting. I don't know whether to be upset, or thankful. I'll have less time to grind, but I also won't be bored out of my mind.
As I'm walking home, I'm fairly certain I spot a few familiars watching me. As a certain Nara would say, troublesome. Now the question is, do I do something about them, or just let them watch me. I'm definitely not going to stop grinding, just because they're watching me. I wouldn't even be surprised if Sona's already figured out I'm not a regular human. Fuck it. They would find out eventually anyway. I can't see either of them trying to kick me out just because I'm supernatural.
Entering my home, I change into a casual outfit, almost tempted to do it slowly, since I know Rias and Sona can see what their familiars see. Going back into the lounge, I make eye contact with the bat familiar, Rias' I believe, and enter the dungeon. If I'm going them know I know about the supernatural, I want them to know I know they know that I know about the it. (Lol)
Appearing directly in between the two areas, I walk forward and towards the other side. Checking my status to see what level I'm currently at, I remind myself that I can select a new class in the process. Do I actually want to choose a new class? I'm assuming I can't get XP for classes I don't have selected, but I'm also curious if I'll lose my stats and skills when swapped.
[You won't lose your stats and skills, Host, but skills for the classes not equipped will cost twice as much. This doesn't effect skills gained from books. Classes may only be swapped every 48 hours.]
I see. In that case, I don't see a reason not to go ahead and pick up a new class.
[Select a class]
[Warrior][Mage][Rogue]
I think I can just go ahead and rule out Warrior. My lowest stats right now are CHA and LCK, both being at 15, while the other 4 are pretty high. My best bet at getting those two stats would probably be rogue, so without much more thought, I select said class.
[Select your specialization]
[Thief][Assassin][Ninja][Gambler][Scout]
It seems I've found what I'm looking for. I should probably think about this more, but I'd really like to get my LCK stat up, and the very few stat crystals I'm getting just aren't cutting it. With that said, I choose Gambler.
[Gambler Class selected. Receive 5 points in LCK, 4 points in DEX and 2 points in CHA and INT every level. Received skills [Coin flip] and [Novice Thrown Weapon Proficiency]. At level 50, you may select another class]
It gives CHA as well? Even better. Checking my status reveals that the XP required to level dropped all the way back down to 200, double what it was when I was originally at level 1. Oh, I am so going to abuse this.
Turning towards the first trash mob I see, I lob a sphere of blue and yellow flames in it's face, killing it in one hit.
[Level up! Level up!]
Yeah. Definitely abusing this.
[Quest completed. You've reached level 50. I'm running out of adjectives, but just know you're getting places! Received 10x Levels, 1x Summoning Crystal (Fitoria), 4x Chance tokens, and the continuation of this quest.]
I love this game. It's absolutely broken, but you won't see me complaining. Only a few hours in, and my new class is already level 20. A combination of the second areas extra XP and the jack of all trades perk makes grinding very easy, and will only be easier in the future. If not for the 48 hour limit, I'd just stay in the dungeon and level a bunch of classes over and over again. I'd also received a hell of a lot of notifications during this time. (AN: bit of an Info dump ahead)
[For reaching level 5, the skill [Dice roll] has been received.]
[For reaching level 10, the skill [Lucky draw] has been received.]
[For reaching level 20, the skill [Probability Detection] has been received.]
[For reaching 50 in LCK, you've received a new skill.]
[Devils luck (Level MAX) - You almost never loose games of chance, and games involving luck skew in your favor.]
[For reaching 100 in LCK, you've received a new skill.]
[Lady luck's Favorite (Level MAX) - Items received from Chance tokens and Loot are exponentially better, while the chance of running into a random encounter increase.]
[For reaching 50 in CHA, you've received a new skill.]
[Trustworthy Face (Level MAX) - People are more likely to trust you, or ignore your actions as long as it doesn't involve them to a lesser extent.]
[For reaching 250 in DEX, you've received a new skill.]
[Strategical Retreat (Level MAX) - Once a day, if your health drops below 15%, DEX increases by 300%]
I was already planning on taking down at least one of the Mini-bosses tonight, but with this, I wonder if I can get to the third area. I'm already almost triple the level of the previous area-boss. Am I getting cocky? I don't think I am at least.
As my arms dissolve into blue-yellow flames, I take to the sky and fly over towards the other side of the second area, where I spot the Mini-bosses. It's harder to tell them apart from the normal zombies, unlike the first area, because I don't spot any familiar figures, and most of the enemies in this area aren't even humanoids. However, it wasn't long until I find the mini-bosses, another 4 this time. I also didn't recognize a single one of them from any franchise, but then again, I didn't recognize most of the zombies here anyway.
Dismissing my wings, I use Geppo to stay in the air, directly overhead one of the Mini-bosses I just spent a bit of time searching for. It took the form of an entirely skeletal stag, that was at least 4 meters tall. At this point, I don't know if this labyrinth can even keep it's title as a zombie dungeon.
[The Stag of the East - Level 75]
HP: 3000/3000 - MP: 5000/5000
STR: 150
DEX: 250
CON: 150
INT: 250
WIS: 200
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
Alright, that's not so bad. With one last jump, I stop using Geppo and activate Mantra Enchant around my arms, before rapidly descend and falling into a similar attack. I've already done it multiple times before, why not do it again?
Not even moments later, my foot crashes into the skull of the Stag, Dealing over half of it's health in one attack. Leaning backwards at an almost impossible degree, a crimson red beam of energy soars over me. Snapping back to my normal height, I hop out of the way of another with widened eyes. I definitely wasn't expecting a skeleton deer that shot lasers.
The neon-blue runic circle around my arms swiftly disappear, and reappear on my legs, swapping the bonus of STR for DEX, but at the cost of another 1000 MP. With over 500 DEX now, I blur towards the Stag, before swapping my arms for their phoenix versions. Swinging the entire length of my arm, I swat the few-meter long undead, sending it tumbling away. A little trick I learned, I can change the solidity of my arms in this state.
[Mini-boss , The Stag of the East has been defeated. 5600 XP received.]
[Level up!]
Oh. I wasn't expecting that to finish it. It was around Raynare's general level, wasn't it? That's nice to know. A few centimeters away from me, a chest rises from the ground, looking generally better than the others I've seen before. Not on the level of the area-boss's obviously, but still better than the other mini-bosses.
Kicking it open, I find a total of 3 items in there, rather than the normal 2. I wonder if this is the new standard. Anyway, grabbing the bandaged wooden handle, with a snow white antler attached to the end of it, I find my first actual weapon.
[Horn of the Eastern Stag (Rare) - Spells cast with this weapon used as a focus, deal 10% bonus damage, and cost 15% less.]
The other two items ended up being crystals, one familiar, and one not. The first was obviously a stat crystal, of the WIS variant this time, putting me at 1 point away from 100. The other crystal was very light pink, almost white and shaped like a heart.
[Small Heart Crystal (Common) - Increases the reputation/affection of whoever the user wishes by 5.]
[Small Heart Crystal discovered. Reputation/Affection tab unlocked.]
Raising an eyebrow, I curiously open the new tab.
[Welcome to the R&A tab. Here, you can see how much reputation or affection you have with a person. There are currently 2 ways to gain R/A with a person. 1, The old fashion way. Compliment someone, grant them gifts, or even pleasantly surprise someone. This also works on the opposite side of the spectrum. Insults, gifts that are disliked or hated, etc., will result in a decrease in R/A. 2, With Heart Crystals. Someone doesn't like you? Heart Crystal! Girl you want to fall hopelessly in love with you? Heart Crystal!]
Kuoh Academy - (20/100)
Sona Sitri - (10/100)
Akeno Himejima - (05/100)
Rias Gremory - (10/100)
Koneko Toujo - (35/100)
…
The list continued on for a bit, listing a few other various characters I remember the name of, more I don't, and even that supermarket I visited to get stuff for Alchemy. Looking at the small pink crystal in my hand, I store it in my inventory, deciding on using it sometime else. I don't really have anyone I want to use it on right now.
Looks like I have a new form of grinding. Farming for affection. If the game has a dating simulator add-on, why wouldn't I use it? There's plenty of incredibly hot girls here in this world. It's basically a hentai-world, honestly.
Nevertheless, I dismiss the new tab, I've got grinding to do.
(AN: So, yeah. Re-write. This chapter was slightly rushed, so if you find any mistakes or things that need changing, let me know please.)
