'I see. Let's hear the rules then.' Jun said.
'First of all, when you travel, an anchor is established in the spacetime of the DxD world so that you can actually return since the Grimoire can only help you travel in the Nasuverse and not beyond it, which means the anchor is essential for you to find your way back.'
'This means you will return to the exact time and place from which you left the DxD world in the first place.' Ahsaka explained.
'Got it, that mostly works in my favor anyway.' Jun said.
'Second rule, once you chose a certain timeline to enter in the Nasuverse, you can no longer move backwards in that particular timeline only forward. Even if you leave and return, you will either end exactly at the place and time you left or sometime later.' Ahsaka continued.
'So one I chose a time and place to arrive in, I can't move backwards with the Akashic Gate but I can still move forward?' Jun inquired.
'Not within the timeline you chose but you can still move to an earlier time in other timelines but, as before, once you arrive in a new timeline, you can no longer move backwards within it.' Ahsaka clarified.
'In other words, I can hop between timelines but only hop forward within them.' Jun said.
'Precisely.' Ahsaka responded.
'Hmm . . . I can work with that.'' Jun thought to himself. 'I have a few ideas already.' He began planning.
'Better to hear about the rest of the functions first though.' Jun decided
'Please continue.' He said to Ahsaka.
'The Akashic Converter is arguably the most helpful function when it comes to making you stronger. It can collect, items, materials and even energy and make them into something useful to you like abilities or just new items for you to use like mystic codes or noble phantasms.' She said.
'That is definitely going to be very useful but I have a few questions on what exactly can it collect.' Jun commented.
'Pretty much anything but there are restrictions. If you want to convert the essence of a being for example, there are a few prerequisites.' Ahsaka explained.
'Such as?' Jun asked.
'Killing a being is the easiest way to collect their essence but it will be incomplete and damaged so you won't get everything. Obtaining the agreement of the user to take something will allow you to take that thing and it alone.'
'The latter however, required the user to have the ability to fully control what they wish to give you or it won't work since resistance is the natural response and they will not be able to avoid it without that full control.' Ahsaka continued.
Hearing all of this, Jun got an extremely nice idea as he evilly smirked.
'Say Ahsaka . . . What would it take for me to steal a sacred gear user such conditions?' He inquired.
'Death does not harm a sacred gear since it just gets passed on to another through the Heaven's System of this world. As such, killing someone is a viable way to steal a sacred gear.' Ahsaka replied.
'Any other way?' Jun asked.
'Two more. If the user of the sacred gear has a sufficient amount of control over it, they can willingly let you take it as well.' Ahsaka added.
'What about the last one?' Jun inquired.
'In the case a scared gear's holder has yet to awaken it, so long as they are unable to actively resist, you can steal it without going through much trouble. If they have awakened it however, that will no longer be possible.' Ahsaka explained.
'Hehehehe! I'm sure there are at least two target with powerful unawakened sacred gears in Kuh right now . . . Don't mind if take advantage . . . Hehehehe.' Jun creepily laughed to himself internally.
'Okay Ahsaka. Only one left.' Jun said.
'The Akashic Throne works like your own personal Throne of Heroes from the Nasuverse but is currently empty.' Ahsaka said.
'My personal Throne of Heroes!?' Jun was even more excited about it than being able to steal sacred gears.
'My unlimited reservoir of FATE waifus!' He thought but then he finally registered the cruel word that was "empty".
'How can I fill it?' He asked with previously unseen intensity.
This however, did not at all destabilize the ever stoic Ahsaka who dutifully responded with her monotone voice.
'There are two ways to do this. The first is to convert an already existing being into a Servant, that will reside in the Akashic Throne and can be summoned at will.'
'You can also convert someone after their death in which case you will need to construct a vessel for their soul before you can summon them.'
'In the first case, your servant's vessel, in other words, their physical body, will be altered to bestow them with a Servant class that can enhance their powers. This process can also be triggered intentionally to alter a Servant that already has a class to change it.'
'The act of constructing or modifying a vessel requires huge amounts of magical energy though, which you will need to provide yourself, the Throne can store magical energy so this can be done even if the amount needed exceed your maximum capacity.' Ahsaka explained.
'And the second?' Jun asked.
'The second involves the enlisting of actual Heroic Spirits from the Nasuverse. The Akashic Throne is connected to the actual Throne of Heroes so, with a proper relic to use as a catalyst, you can draw these heroes into your own Throne so that you can summon them later.'
'You still need to create a vessel however and that requires magical energy. There is a way to avoid all the hassle though and that is to find an already existing Servant and establish a contract with it.'
'So if I go into the Nasuverse at the time of the Holy Grail Wars and convince a Servant to contract with me, I can skip all of those steps.' Jun thought.
'Anything else I should know?" Jun asked.
'Yes.' Ahsaka replied.
'Whenever a Servant is outside the Akashic Throne, they will rely on you for their sustenance which limits both their power and the number of Servants you can keep materialized.' She warned.
'Is there a way around this?' Jun inquired.
'Normally? No. But, if you get your hands on a Holy Grail and use the Akashic Converter, I can fix it.' Ahsaka replied.
'I see, I will keep it in mind." Jun said.
'There is one more thing. For each of your summoned Servants, you get three Command Seals that regenerate at a rate of one every 24 hours.' Ahsaka added.
'Good to know.' Jun commented.
'Alright . . . First things first, I should sneak out during the day and look around for Issei and Saji to "collect" their sacred gears, I should also begin training myself immediately.' He began laying out his plans for the future in his mind.
'Ahsaka. Have any suggestions on what I should learn first from the Akashic Records?" Jun asked.
As always, Ahsaka dutifully replied.
'Without a Magic Crest, you are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to learning magecraft and using it. The more high level the spell, the greater the problem so you should start from the basics.'
'Such as?' Jun inquired.
'Search for the foundations of Magecraft in the Records and start studying but, since it will take some time for that to yield benefits in terms of power for self defense, I suggest learning some martial arts as well, the Records contain many superior ones lost to history.' She added.
'After you have awakened your Magic Circuits and learn to generate magical energy, there will be other viable options. You have an innate advantage over the modern magi of the Nasuverse which I'll explain once you get a basic grasp of magecraft.' Ahsaka concluded.
'Ah, what would I do without you. Thanks!' Jun said before doing exactly as Ahsaka suggested.
Once again, she seemed mysteriously pleased at the compliment but it was only a feeling of Jun's with no actual signs of it being the case.
'Weird . . .' He thought to himself before giving up on trying to figure it out and getting to work searching the Akashic Records.
In the end, other then the basics of magecraft, he settled on three other things.
Kalaripayattu, an ancient Indian martial art. Without bearing upon strength and talent, it is the ancestor of all martial arts founded on the basis of rational thought. Defensively oriented.
Although existing as an actual martial art, the version in the Records was far more "mythical" for the lack of a better word and its characteristic of "not bearing upon strength and talent" suited the current Jun that was a powerless mortal without access to formidable strength.
Next up was Pankration, not the olympic event but the mythical martial art created by the greek god Apollo. it was the world's first and oldest mixed martial art, combining boxing and wrestling techniques. Chiron used it in Fate/Apocrypha which left quite the impression in Jun's mind.
Finally there was a set of breathing methods with no actual name, developed in ancient times. A method of attaining the ideal Breathing and Walking method mentioned in both magecraft and martial arts, it allows one to reach superhuman levels once enough proficiency is acquired.
At a sufficient level, one can even reproduce mysteries at a level greater than a modern magus of the Nasuverse with their own body acting as one natural Magic Circuit.
His work cut out for him, Jun went to sleep before morning came.
When he sensed Ahsaka silently judging him, or something like that he said . . .
'What? I have the body of child, I need my sleep to properly function.' After which she stopped, accepting Jun's reasoning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!
The link is: https://www.p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/lusoba without the extra dots of course.
You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.
There's also my other novel Archon of DanMachi, do check it out!
I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.