A Badass Nobody (1)

[Devils]

[Devils are beings that originated from the Underworld consisting of the 72 Pillars of High-Class Devil noble families, the Extra Demons and the countless armies under them.]

[Angels]

[Originating from Heaven, the Angels are powerful beings who serve the Biblical God, and have the powers to inflict pain upon Devils/demons and by extension the Fallen Angels, due to their light-based powers.]

[Fallen Angels]

[Fallen Angels are Angels that have fallen from the grace of God, due to having "impure thoughts" that divert them from the teachings of the God in the Bible. They are capable of using light-based magic due to their holy origin.]

These were the three options provided to Lin Zhi within his subconscious.

There were still a few more minutes before his 'landing' in the mission setting and if he didn't choose an option, he'd be randomly assigned one.

If it was a game, he would've just let the System choose for him. Lin Zhi doesn't even know if he could respawn and wouldn't like to test that hypothesis...

Since his reward is based on how well he acts out his 'trope', it would be best to pick the faction that allows him to play out such a trope.

No one can recognize him being a 'Badass' if he blended in too much, which meant that he should avoid the factions with the most population…

That meant that the Devils and the Angels would immediately be put into question.

However, the Devils and the Angels were the best choices, as the Fallen Angels have the lowest population.

It'd be especially easy for him to fail the "survive" section of the objective if he picked the Fallen Angels. It'd be easy to be ganged up on! The enemy wouldn't even need to decide who to attack if there were barely any to choose from!

The Devils and their 72 Pillars all have unique magic, ranging anywhere from powerful ice magic to even magic that interferes with the laws, which makes it hard to stand out since a good majority of the more powerful Devils, the 72 Pillars, could all be classified as 'Badass.'

If everyone is a Badass then no one is.

'Then that means the Angel faction is the best choice!'

It is in between the Devils and the Fallen Angels in terms of population and they're not as 'unique' as the Devils, which means that it's easy to stand out!

"I pick the Angels!" Lin Zhi said in his mind.

[Selection Confirmed.]

[Would you like to open your starter package?]

'Huh?' Lin Zhi started to shake in excitement. He thought that since the System didn't bother replying about it, it would mean that he doesn't have it!

'Of course, how can I be recognized as a Badass if I'm on the same level as the other angels?'

Wait…

'System, will I know how to use magic or the technique of the Angels? The standards of the Angels should be pretty high since they have a near-immortal lifespan, aren't I at a massive disadvantage if I come in as is?'

[You'll receive the standard Angel swordsmanship technique as well as their basic magic spells.]

'That's better than nothing.' He let out a sigh of relief. Imagine appearing in the middle of the battlefield without knowing anything other than the basic punches and kicks!

Of course, he wouldn't use these much anyway since it wouldn't help him stand out, the only way that'd happen is if they were on an exceptional level rather than basic.

He'd only use them when he's forced to.

This means that everything is based on the starter pack, whether or not he performs well is all based on this!

'Okay, open up the starter pack!'

[Starter Package]

[You have received the following:]

[Class: Justiciar (Level 1)]

[Class: Marauder (Level 1)]

[Ability: Absolute Terror Field (Level 1)]

[Pill of Temporary Enlightenment]

'A class? Like in those RPGs?'

[Definition: a set or category of things having some property or attribute in common and differentiated from others by kind, type, or quality.]

[The Host can equip multiple classes at the same time, however, their experience received is halved. The halving of experience does not apply to abilities.]

'So exactly like an RPG… What exactly are the Justiciar and the Marauder class?'

[While in previous versions, the System would give classes such as 'Saiyan', 'Jinchuuriki', 'True Ancestor', 'Heroic Spirit', it has been deemed that they are too powerful so now the starter packages provide more basic classes rather than specialized ones.]

'If I was a Saiyan then I could easily end a majority, if not all, of the beings in the world…' He grimaced. Does this mean that there were previous users of the System too?

[No, you are the sole possessor of the System in this realm.]

'What do the two classes do?' Lin Zhi returned the back to the original question.

[Justiciar]

[Theme: Enforcing Order.]

[Description: The Justiciar class is strong at setting laws and punishing lawbreakers. They can set up rules that will inflict punishments if broken, directly attack minds and souls, recognize people supernaturally, detect abnormalities, and use all kinds of weapons and explosives.]

[Level 1 (Name: Arbiter): An Arbiter has a convincing charm and considerable authority, causing people to be more likely to believe and obey them. They have outstanding combat ability that can deal with the unexpected.]

[Level 2 (Name: Sheriff): ???]

'So basically law-makers and enforcers? This fits the Angel theme pretty well…'

[Marauder]

[Theme: Stealing.]

[Description: The Marauder class is good at stealing from others. They can trick others through illusions, steal their opponents' abilities (temporarily), and steal reasoning and attacking intentions.]

[Level 1 (Name: Marauder): a Marauder has enhanced speed and nimbleness. They have an unnatural level of intuition for the location and value of treasures/items. They also have increased wrist and finger flexibility and dexterity for quicker stealing.]

[Level 2 (Name: Swindler): ???]

'This is… a fun thief class! Stealing thoughts is lowkey and effective! It doesn't fit the Angel theme but it works rather well by itself. System, what's the Pill?'

[Pill of Temporary Enlightenment]

[Rank: A+]

[Description: After consumption, all classes and abilities are upgraded by 3 levels temporarily for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the user will immediately revert to his original level, however, they will receive a 50% experience boost towards the level they upgraded to. The experience bonus is stackable with other bonuses but only up to 50%, at which it'll cap out.]

'So it's only for emergencies… Interestingly it gives an experience boost, is it because I still 'remember' what it's like to have those upgraded and new abilities that I no longer need as much experience as I originally needed to? This means that I can potentially use them in the very beginning so that my mission will be more smooth sailing…'

"System, how do I gain experience?"

[Throughout the course of a mission, you'll receive quests that when completed, provides you experience. You can also receive experience by defeating an opponent of a similar level, less experience for those significantly weaker than you and additional experience for those stronger than you.]

'RPG heh…'

[To level up a class, the following experience required is:]

[Level 2: 50 EXP]

[Level 3: 500 EXP]

[Level 4: 5,000 EXP]

[Level 5: 50,000 EXP]

[Level 6: 500,000 EXP]

[Level 7-10 (max): ????? EXP]

[Note: Due to the mission difficulty and it being your first mission, all experience received is doubled.]

'Thank God it's doubled, otherwise with how much it is… I don't even know how long it'll take. It feels like even with double experience, it'll still take a long time to reach the higher levels!'

[Each level increased is not simply a percentage increase but a qualitative change to all of the previous abilities before it along with new abilities.]

'I see… That explains why the level 1 abilities of both classes are so lackluster compared to their descriptions and why there are such drastic jumps in the experience required to level up. I assume the Absolute Terror Field follows the same jumps in power?'

[Yes.]

Then shortly after, another prompt popped up in his vision.

[Absolute Terror Field]

[Origin: Neon Genesis Evangelion]

[Description: Abbreviated as the A. T. Field, it is a nearly impenetrable force-field barrier that Angels and Evangelions can generate. Conventional weapons are effectively useless in penetrating an A.T. Field. There are numerous ways of destroying the A.T. Field, examples include overwhelming the Host with raw strength or projecting another A.T. Field against the Host. At higher levels, the Host can use the A.T. Field for more than just defense purposes, as the A.T. Field can be reconstructed into laser-like beam blasts or even the reconstruction of one's limbs.]

[Level 1 (Human): The Host can project a weak A.T. Field that is nearly invisible to the naked eye. It can withstand at most a single attack from a cold weapon and a single projectile from a firearm .]

[Level 2 (Peak Human): ???]

'A.T. Fields has always been cool, I'm glad I got it.' Lin Zhi let out a smile. It doesn't hurt to have another layer of defense on top of his armor, even if it's quite... weak.

If his memory serves him well, the A.T. Field at later stages could be just as powerful as Sacred Gears if not more so![1]

However, that meant that he would need to work hard to reach those heights.

'Do Subclasses exist as well?'

[Yes.]

'Hidden classes?'

[Yes.]

'Interesting.'

[History Interference Program Completed!]

[Mission Initiated.]

[Note: It is currently near the initial stages of the Great War, all factions are currently sending in their weaker forces to test the waters and to conserve the strength of their stronger forces. You are a nameless soldier of the 9th Army of Heaven, the weakest army. As time progresses, stronger soldiers will enter the battlefield in waves.]

Lin Zhi's vision went black.

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"Soldiers of Heaven!"

A loud booming voice rang out, knocking Lin Zhi out of his stupor as he shook his head trying to clear it up. 'Huh? I'm here already?'

It was bright like the perfect day in Spring, where it was neither too bright nor too dim, neither too hot or too cold. The pleasant wind did much to soothe his growing confusion as it calmed him down.

'This is... Heaven?' That would help explain why the area radiated so much warmth that it could even soothe the soul.

He looked around only to realize that he was surrounded by people who looked almost the same. Donned in light gold-colored armor and helmet, draped with what appears to be priest robes, the soldiers of Heaven looked exactly like what he had imagined them to look like.

Crusader-like divine beings with plated armor that covered every inch of the body, each with a sword by their side.

He brought up his hand only to realized that he was covered in the same plated armor that they were. Lin Zhi was confused, how come he didn't feel any 'weight' bearing down on him? Was it because he's also given the basic physique of an Angel?

Lin Zhi tipped his toes, his eyebrows shot upwards in surprise as he realized that he couldn't see the 'end' of the army. Soldiers stretched towards the horizon, he couldn't even see the end of it!

The mere force of will emanating from all of these soldiers combined could make anyone drop to their knees in despair.

'There has to be over a million of us, and this is only the first wave!?'

For the first time, Lin Zhi felt what it meant to be like a drop in the ocean. His eyes returned to the commander, or what he assumed to be the leader of the 9th Army. The commander appeared no more different than the others except he had four pairs of wings!

"For far too long have we tolerated these sinners. Today, we stand united under one goal: to rid the world of evil! Every single time we've encountered these despicable beings, we've eliminated them on the spot!"

"This time will be no different!"

"Some of us will live, some of us will go on as Heroes. It is inevitable in our war against evil. But no matter what, remember that we are messengers of God, we are the enforcers of His will! We will carry on the righteous glory of our Father no matter where we end up!"

"Our goal is Fort Laeves in the Underworld, the first obstacle towards ridding the world of Evil!"

"Soldiers, onward!"

At his command, each and every Angel opened up their wings as they soared downwards off the edge of Heaven into a massive portal the size of a city, covering the world in pure white before they disappeared.