Author's Note: OK, so….chapter thirteen. Unlucky for some.
Not Issei though. Not this chapter anyway.
Just to give you all a heads-up, I'll be taking a break from writing to let my Beta and I pump out more chapters without having to worry about schedules and time-crunches. Are you all pissed at the idea? Very likely. Is it needed in spite of that? Yes…yes, it is absolutely needed.
So then…aside from my Asylum chapters, I shall see you all in Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion Chapter 33 on the 10th of July. Later! Read and Review, people!
Check my Profile for my writing schedule. Before you PM me or ask me in a review! Seriously, you have to go to my profile to send a PM in the first place and the schedule's right there at the top. You literally can't miss it!
Beta'd by BigCC
Read, review and check out my other stories.
Disclaimer: I do not own DXD.
"Let's go!" - Regular Speech
'Oppai!' - Thoughts
[BOOST!] - Sacred Gear/Ddraig Speech
Chapter 13: Challenge of the Welsh Dragon
Issei's Bedroom, Hyōdō Residence
"I'm exhausted….!" Issei groaned as he lay back on his bed. Having gotten back and eaten dinner with his parents, he was now relaxing in his room. His body was battered and bruised (figuratively speaking anyway, [Gamer's Body] left him looking healthy as ever) from his life-and-death struggle with Armârôs the Lesser just a few hours previously.
'Heh…I almost died. Again.' The Sekiryūtei mused darkly. 'How many times does that make since that 'Purifier Outcast' almost murdered my parents and me?'
There had been quite a few times, almost all at the hands of the Ratmen save his recent encounter with Armârôs. The fact that the ratmen were still alive and active who knows where was both a worry and an annoyance, considering that Snikch had apparently developed a hard-on for seeing him murdered. Every time he stepped out of his house, he had to deal with groups of Gutter Runners and other Ratman assassins trying to ambush him.
Luckily, they didn't come near Kuō Academy, his home, or when he was in any public place, but Issei could feel the little bastards glaring at him from concealment.
A dark part of his mind was sincerely looking forward to the day he separated Snikch's head from his shoulders, and the rest of him was slowly starting to agree.
That actually worried him a bit. The amount of bloodlust he was starting to feel toward that rat bastard couldn't be mentally healthy.
One thing he was very glad about was that the blow that he had managed to deal against the Fallen Angel he had fought was a fatal one. On his way back home he had covertly searched the [Gamer's Gear] for its definition of a 'fatal wound' and had come up with 'a wound that neither the target's natural regeneration, nor regular healing magic, can heal before all HP is lost.'
The one fly in the ointment had been the addendum to that part: 'This is, of course, excluding the use of healing potions, artefacts or Sacred Gears.'
As Issei hadn't gotten a notification taking back that lump-sum of EXP he'd gotten for dealing aforementioned wound to Armârôs the Lesser, it was safe to say that she hadn't access to any of the above and was either dying or already dead. The fact he felt relief for this was also worrying, as he hadn't had that kind of outlook before he'd gotten his hands on his Sacred Gears.
Speaking of…
"[Gamer's Gear]!" he muttered.
[Game On!]
He'd gotten his hands on five out of six Sacred Gear Points possible during his fight against Armârôs the Lesser. The reason he hadn't gotten a clean sweep was because she had managed to flee the scene before he could deal the coup de grâce, he guessed. If nothing else, he should invest those points in his [Gamer's Gear] before he went to bed properly.
As Issei had decided the last time he had looked at his [Gamer's Gear Evolution Screen], he immediately bought [Sapphire Blade] for 3 SGP. He blinked with surprise as a pop-up appeared in front of him immediately afterwards.
[Attention!]
You do not possess the appropriate Skill to use this new ability of the [Gamer's Gear]. Do you wish to learn such a skill for ¥2000?
Y|N
"Wait, it can do that?" Issei asked aloud in surprise. "As if I'd say no!"
Punching the 'Y' key, the screen vanished to be replaced with another one.
You have successfully learned [Gauntlet-Sword Mastery]!
[Gauntlet-Sword Mastery] (Passive) [LV1, 00.00]
The Gauntlet-Sword is originally known as the Indian weapon called the Patta. Most commonly wielded during the 17th and 18th centuries, the name is a basic description of their appearance: a gauntlet with a sword emerging from the end. The length of the blades varied between ten and forty-four inches and were oftentimes recycled from European swords, often broadswords and rapiers, but homemade blades were just as common. The Patta was at its most dangerous when used in combination with a second weapon.
- Allows the user to carry and wield a Patta or similar weapon with familiarity.
- Grants +1 to Slashing Damage dealt with Patta or similar weapon, with an additional +1 Slashing Damage if dual-wielding a pair of Patta.
- Owing to the various designs of the Patta, changing the length of the blade equipped can allow it to also be affected by skills such as [Short Sword Mastery] or [Longsword Mastery] in addition to this skill.
- As the Patta is 'worn' by the user as opposed to 'held' like most traditional sword types, hand-to-hand skills can affect the damage dealt, such as [Hand-to-Hand Combat Mastery].
"Huh…cool." Issei mused aloud as he read the description. He hadn't expected to get a brand new skill like this all of a sudden, but he wasn't going to turn down the idea.
Seeing that the next series of upgrades were also 3 SGP apiece, Issei decided to leave that for one day and turn his attention to the new sword he had built into his gauntlet.
"[Sapphire Blade]!" he muttered.
[Azure Edge!]
In an instant, a two-inch wide blade, with a tapered point, shot up from the back of his hand and extended in front of his fist. It was…underwhelming in how short it was. At best it was ten inches long.
Seeing a white circle at the base of the blade, Issei tapped it once and another screen popped up.
[Sapphire Blade Evolution and Growth Management]
Thank you for choosing to evolve the [Gamer's Gear] to include the [Sapphire Blade] to be a part of its abilities. You are the first Gamer to choose this option and thus you are to receive a reward: you are permitted to grow the length of the blade to whatever your preferred length might be for free, just this once. Please state your preferred length aloud, in inches, to do so.
Taking out his [Bloodmetal Gladius] and eyeing the length of its blade, Issei guesstimated that it was about 25 to 26 inches long. As the blade (for whatever reason) extended from where the wrist was on the [Gamer's Gear], that was a good three inches or so of it that could be deducted from its reach. That being the case, he'd have to add that number to the blade length he wanted.
"Twenty-eight inches." Issei said aloud after returning the gladius to his inventory.
SHNK!
In an instant, the blade extended from its previous ten inches to the length that Issei had requested. It looked damned cool, what with the fact that the blade was marbled with various shades of blue, with a couple of white pieces thrown in for effect. Overall, it was very nice.
After that, Issei ran through the basic tutorial on how the blade worked. It was interesting in how it worked, almost like a totally separate Sacred Gear to the [Gamer's Gear]. At the moment, the profile of the blade was…less than stellar.
[Brittle and Weak Sapphire Blade]
LV0
EXP: 0%
Durability: 20/20
Slashing Damage: ½ S
Piercing Damage: ½ S
Bludgeoning damage: ¼ S
Abilities: [Self-Forging], [Weak Durability Regeneration], [Ability Generation]
It wasn't just less than stellar, it was goddamn awful. Yes, the part where all of the Slashing and Piercing damage from the sword was exactly half of what his STR stat was would be bad enough on its own, but the absolutely lousy Durability was bad too. Combined, it made using the weapon more than slightly problematic.
Fortunately, the first two skills it possessed, [Self-Forging] and [Weak Durability Regeneration], helped to mitigate that weakness a bit. The first allowed it to level up like he could, which meant that eventually it would get stronger, while the second regenerated Durability…very slowly, at a rate of 1 DP per five minutes. That one would level up as the [Sapphire Blade] itself did…or so Issei hoped.
The third ability that the blade had allowed it to 100% generate a new skill at Level 5 and every five levels after that, with a 5% chance of getting a new skill with every level the blade gained as well. That meant that if the roulette landed on that 5% every time, Issei could have a sword with a hundred more skills.
Of course, the likelihood of that actually happening was slim to none, as Issei was pragmatic about the fact that his LUK stat was seriously screwed up to the point that not even the [Gamer's Gear] was able to quantify it as a number.
The first thing Issei looked for once he had finished absorbing all of that was a way to possibly upgrade the sword's Durability from its pathetic and paltry twenty points. He found good and bad news. On the good side, he could do it, but on the bad side, he was limited in what he could purchase based on the level of his [Sapphire Blade]. At its current level of zero, he could purchase, for five-hundred Yen, a +30 Durability upgrade…and that was it.
He wasn't about to say no to even so meagre an upgrade as this, so purchase it he did. Now that it had fifty Durability Points, it would, hopefully, be less likely to shatter when he needed it. That reminded him, if a Sacred Gear was destroyed, would it regenerate? Something to ask the Devils the next time he saw them.
Dismissing both the [Sapphire Blade] and the [Gamer's Gear] along with it, Issei headed off to have a nice relaxing bath before he turned in. After the day he'd just had, he deserved it.
Later
Issei's Dreamscape
"Whoa!" Issei yelped as he was once more surrounded by fire.
[Yo, partner.] Ddraig rumbled as he loomed over Issei. [Been a while.]
"D-Ddraig? How…oh, dreamscape visit, right?" the boy calmed down as he assessed the situation.
[Yup. I would have talked with you on the actual day that you became level 15, but you taking the Rare Candies messed the system up a bit, somehow.] The Welsh Dragon said as he tapped one enormous talon on the flame-covered ground. [It took this long for the stupid error to resolve itself. Anyway, I was watching as you fought that insane little crow, Armârôs. You got very lucky.]
"Yeah, I did…embarrassingly so." Issei admitted with a sigh.
[Part of that is because you have been underusing the [Boosted Gear], you know.] The dragon looked down at him reprovingly. [At higher levels, it shouldn't make you physically weak after the [Reset] command is issued.]
"Wait, how-?"
[You may be the main wielder of the [Gamer's Gear], but I have discovered that I can summon it by myself as well.] Ddraig explained, demonstrating as his right foreleg became blue. [I can also see what the future forms of all the skills I have and can grant you look like. In the case of the [Boost!] skill, you should be able to use it without worrying about the [Weakness] condition setting in when it is at Level 10.]
"Huh…that's useful to know." Issei nodded. "I've kinda been keeping my usage of the [Boosted Gear] down because the local devils seem to be able to track me down whenever I go and raid a dungeon. The last thing I want is to expose ALL of my secrets to them."
The massive dragon blinked. [That is actually a far better and more forward-thinking reason than I would have given you credit for, Partner, and a fair point. Still, you do realise that you could just buy a magic concealing trinket using the [Gamer's Store]?] The Welsh Dragon pointed out with one scaly eyebrow raised pointedly.
Issei opened his mouth, shut it and stared into space for a moment before hitting his forehead with the heel of one hand. "Dammit! Now I know how Gremory-sempai felt at the shrine a while back! Talk about feeling stupid!"
Ddraig chortled. [You really are entertaining to watch, partner. You can also buy something called a [Base Core] there, which would let you build a base wherever you want. I agree with your thoughts regarding those warrens that the ratmen used; too infested with Warpstone to risk trying to turn into a proper lair. No self-respecting dragon would call a place so tainted home.]
This time, Issei felt his overreaching stupidity warranted an all-out facepalm, much to Ddraig's amusement.
He really needed to take a long, hard look at the [Gamer's Store] and see exactly what it offered beyond spellbooks, if only to avoid feeling like such a dim-witted heel again.
Once he got over that, he opened the [Gamer's Store] and searched for the two items that Ddraig had pointed out. When searching for something to conceal him from the devils, Issei made sure to include specifying that it had to block not only magical and spiritual tracking, but also chi and something called Tōki that he'd found referenced in a few items he'd skimmed.
"Hmmm…no…no…ah-ha!" Issei smirked triumphantly. "Here we go! The [Aegis of Isis], a cloak, although it calls it a mantle, designed to ensure that any and all methods of magical, spiritual and martial tracking are rebuffed from the wearer and that conceals the signs of the former emitting from the wearer….huh…it says 'ineffective to equip for anyone over Level 50…so I'll have to find something better once my level gets that high then. Sold."
The [Base Core] was very expensive…as in it would take every single Yen that Issei had left after purchasing the [Aegis] to buy it, but it would be so, so worth it to complete the quest from Ddraig. Plus, money wasn't exactly much of a worry for him now that he could just find and raid a dungeon whenever he needed some cash.
As he bought it, Ddraig nodded approvingly. [Make sure you choose where to site it well, Partner. I don't suppose there are any mountains or anything nearby, are there?]
"I…yes, there is, although they're more like hills with pretentions." The Sekiryūtei answered with a blink. "It's just about half an hour away if I walk, so I could go tomorrow if you want? It's a weekend, after all."
[I'll take what I can get.] Ddraig rumbled. [It would be most appreciated if you could do so, partner. Also…]
"Yes?" Issei blinked.
[I have another quest for you, one that you must accept.] The Welsh Dragon stated firmly.
[Quest Alert!]
Challenge of the Welsh Dragon: Ddraig wishes for you to both further master the [Boosted Gear] and to learn better hand-to-hand combat skills. Complete his objectives and receive rewards!
Quest Objective 1: Raise the [Boost!] Skill to Level 10.
Quest Objective 2: Raise [Hand-to Hand Combat Mastery] to Level 10.
Bonus Objective: Clear an entire dungeon while only using the [Boosted Gear] and your fists!
Quest Failure: If you die before completing them.
Quest Objective 1 Reward: ¥10,000, +4000 EXP, +5 AP
Quest Objective 2 Reward: ¥10,000, +4000 EXP, +5 AP, [Hand-to-Hand Talent] Skill Book.
Bonus Quest Objective Reward: [Fist of Fury] skill, [Ten-Kick Combo] Skill, [Iron Fist] skill, Title: [Fist and Man as One]
This Quest cannot be declined, and is thus auto-accepted.
"…can I ask why?" Issei asked as he finished reading the new quest.
[All of my wielders have been skilled at barehanded combat, even those who specialised in the sword like Mordred Pendragon did.] The dragon said gravely. [While you have advanced leaps and bounds with your skills with a blade, there are spells and abilities that can cut off extradimensional space pockets such as your inventory. Being able to fight with just your fists is a necessity if such a thing occurs.]
"Fair enough." Issei nodded. "Well the end result of working towards the reward is just as good as the actual rewards, so I would've accepted it anyway."
[Better safe than sorry. Some of my past wielders were stubborn assholes about the choice in weaponry bit.] Ddraig grumbled. [Seriously, I had to kick their dream selves around this dreamscape a couple of dozen times in order to get them to stop being idiots about it. Bloody weapon snobs.]
"S-sounds tough…" Issei said, sweatdropping at the sight of a huge dragon pouting.
[Ahem. Yes, well…] the Welsh Dragon coughed as he caught himself. [It was irritating; especially those who refused to relent even after seeing the memory of one of my wielders, who was an excellent swordsman, get killed when he was separated from his blade because he couldn't fight without it worth a damn.]
Issei had to sweatdrop again at that. To him, it seemed like a perfectly reasonable pair of lessons to learn. One, if you were dependent on a weapon, do not be separated from it no matter what, and two, always learn how to fight without a weapon so you are not entirely dependent on possessing a weapon. Some of those sempai of his must have been really stubborn idiots to not take the hint after seeing that memory.
[Looks like time's up again.] Ddraig said as the flames started to die out and darkness encroached again. [Keep up the good work, partner. We'll need everything we can get to beat the White One.]
The Next Day
Streets of Kuō Town
Dressed in casual clothes, Issei walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. He had to admit, the weather was perfect for a walk to the outskirts of Kuō and he did like the sun on his face. It was pleasant to feel as he considered the mission that he was on today: choosing where to site his base.
Aside from the modestly large hill that held the Shinto shrine that was apparently Himejima Akeno's home, there were a good dozen or so near it to choose from, and given his choices, Issei would much rather keep it as far away from a known devil hangout to minimize the chances of them swooping in to investigate at the slightest hint of unusual magical readings.
With that in mind, he was heading towards the hill that was furthest away from the Himejima Shrine. It was modestly steep to climb and he would doubtless get a good workout climbing it…but with his stats, it would be fairly easy.
Name: Hyōdō Issei
Class: The Gamer
Level: 17| Next Level: 56% EXP
Title: Oppai Baka
HP: 850/850
MP: 675/675
STR: 145
STA: 141
DEX: 151
INT: 46
WIS: 46
LUK: ?
CHA: 88
LD: 10
He was actually rather proud of how far he had come since he had started. His stats back then had been utterly awful by comparison. Well, his physical stats were still the best out of the lot of them thanks to his [Awakened Sekiryūtei] Special Status. He'd done his best with his mental ones, but they were only just a little bit better than his newly-acquired LD stat.
Issei had also learned the [Ryūken] skill that he'd acquired from defeating Armârôs. It was modestly awesome.
[Ryūken] (Instant) [LV1, 00.00]
The Dragon Fist is a technique that only those who possess either draconic heritage or a dragon-type Sacred Gear, as it requires draconic energy to be used. Once the basic Dragon Fist is mastered, the user can move on to learn both derivative skills from the Dragon Fist and a more powerful version of the Dragon Fist.
- Requires EITHER possession of a Dragon-type Sacred Gear OR possession of the Special Status [Draconic Heritage] to use.
- Costs 100 MP to use.
- Once activated, the user will cock back a hand (usually the one with a dragon-type Sacred Gear in it. If no dragon-type Sacred Gear is present, then the default is the user's dominant hand) and energy will gather, forming into a dragon's head. This takes twenty seconds.
- Once charging is complete, the user will unleash it at one enemy with a straight punch.
- The dragon's head will fly towards the enemy. Roaring as it does so. Its current range is five meters.
- Once it strikes its target, it will inflict damage equal to WIS*INT+10.
It was expensive as hell to use, but once he had found a way to raise his MP, it should be fine to use. As it was, Issei would have to use it as a trump card to finish off his enemies.
"Hyōdō?" a surprised voice said from the side, and Issei automatically turned to see who it was.
"Geh! Murayama…"
"What was with that 'Geh!', huh?!" the girl huffed. Murayama had her brown hair down from its usual twintails and she was wearing denim shorts, strap sandals and a rather cute-looking t-shirt-blouse combination.
"Huh…" Issei examined her with a critical eye before giving her a lecherous grin and a thumbs-up. "Nice look! Nine out of ten!"
"Pervert!" Murayama flushed bright red at his words. As she was distracted, Issei eyed her floating title.
Murayama Keiko LV16
[Kuō Academy Girls Kendo Team Vice-Captain]
Aside from the devils and himself, Murayama had the highest level of any student or teacher at Kuō Academy. Even Katase, the Girls Kendo Team Captain, was only Level 15.
"Hey, Murayama." Issei said.
"Tch. What?" the girl eyed him as if she wished she had her shinai with her.
"Why aren't you the Captain of the Girl's Kendo Team? I can tell that you're stronger than Katase." He said bluntly.
"Wha-!?" the flush on her face, which had practically faded, redoubled in its intensity. "What the heck do you know about kendo to tell that?!"
"When you both hit me after I peep on you, you hit before Katase, you hit harder than Katase and you are more accurate than Katase." Issei said immediately. He somehow knew that to be true but how he didn't know.
Eyeing him doubtfully, Murayama nevertheless sighed. "Urgh, fine. She's the Captain because she's a better leader than I am. I can beat her in a match eight times outa' ten, but when it comes to inspiring others and boosting their confidence, I'm not the best. Katase is far better than me at it. End of story."
"Really? I think you're not seeing yourself properly." Issei said in surprise. He'd seen how well the girl had marshalled the girls of the Kendo Club to attack while Katase stood and spluttered at him and his friends after they were caught peeping on them. "I think you'd do better than Katase. Honest."
"Haaah?" Murayama looked at him, startled and surprised, her mouth slightly agape in shock.
"Well, I have thing to do and places to go, so see you on Monday, Murayama-chan." He tossed that out there as he sauntered off. It was a couple of meters before he heard the sound of the girl being shaken out of her shock.
"Don't call me with '-chan' at the end of my name, dammit!"
Later
Atop a hill, Outskirts of Kuō Town
"Haa…haa…whew." Issei panted as he leaned against one of the small outcropping of trees at the top of the hill. That had been a bit more tiring than he'd expected, mostly thanks to the team of Gutter Runners that had ambushed him halfway up the hill.
He'd tried his hand at going at it barehanded and it was a lot harder than he'd thought it would be, so he'd equipped his [Aegis of Isis] and then used both the [Boosted Gear] and [Gamer's Gear] to level the playing field.
[Aegis of Isis]
A pure white mantle emblazoned with the ankh symbol of Isis in gold. Isis was a goddess of magic in Ancient Egypt, connected to the Goddess Heku, who embodied magic to the Ancient Egyptians. Isis' symbol, the ankh, acts as a form of apotropaic magic, warding off the magic from enemies in order to prevent them from detecting the wearer, as well as giving a minor form of protection from offensive spells.
- Has no effect if worn by someone over Level 50.
- Grants the Wearer the skills [High-Level Scrying Concealment], [High-Level Spiritual Detection Concealment], [High-Level Chi Detection Concealment], [High-Level Tōki Concealment] and [Low-Level Magic Resistance] while worn.
He was so glad that he's splurged on the [Aegis of Isis] rather than a couple of the weaker options…even if it and the [Base Core] had drained him of all his cash. Still, he'd gotten a good pot of Yen from the Gutter Runners and selling their equipment, so he wasn't completely broke anymore.
"OK, so…where to place it?" Issei mused as he headed into the middle of the small grove of trees. Just setting it up anywhere seemed…stupid, really. He'd looked at the instructions before setting out and to activate the [Base Core] was laughably simple; just put it down, empty your MP into it and voila, one hidden underground base ready for use.
Still, it would be better if he had some idea of what would happen if he placed it in any given location. Were some spots better than others? Worse? He had no way of telling.
"Screw it." Issei huffed as he took the [Base Core] from his inventory. It was an orb about the size of a basketball, coloured blue, with a large white spot on one side that made it look like a giant eyeball. Looking around, Issei placed it atop a largish rock near the base of a tree and then placed his hand atop it.
[Base Core Setup]
Do you wish to infuse the [Base Core] with all of your MP?
[Warning]
Once the process is started, it cannot be stopped!
Y|N
Hitting 'Y' with his free hand, Issei groaned as all of his MP was sucked out of him through his hand. Removing it from the [Base Core], he pulled out his very last MP Potion and chugged it down. Hmm…had the stuff always tasted like blueberry muffins?
[DING!]
Hearing an incredibly obnoxious sound that made him wince, Issei looked around, vaguely expecting to see a Windows '95 PC making that noise for some reason. Then he spotted the pop-up.
[Congratulations!]
Your [Base Core] has absorbed all of your MP and is able to make a hidden base in the hill beneath you! Please select the layout that you wish your base to have.
There were twenty possible choices, with the one at the top resembling the layout of the base you saw in XCOM. While that would be nice, Issei having always had something of a liking for that game, it always presupposed that the enemy either couldn't find the base or that there were sufficient numbers of people to fight off any attackers. At the moment, Issei was all on his own, so he had to give that one a hard pass.
The one he ended up choosing was a setup the created an almost dungeon-like environment, several layers of underground labyrinths to protect an inner sanctum. There would be no direct access into the base; instead, he could teleport in and out, Anyone other than him, or any other person on the approved list, who tried to enter via magical means would find themselves landing at the start of the topmost level of the labyrinth and have the choice of either retreating from there or trying to pass through the labyrinth and get their asses kicked.
And, of course, if he was away from it, he would be notified of anyone trying to break into his base.
Unfortunately, just his meagre six-hundred-plus-change-MP would only barely be enough to build a small core room, teleporters and one layer of the labyrinth, to say nothing of stocking it with monsters and traps. That was something of a shame, but the base would draw in any ambient magic and add it to the [Base Core] and its reservoir, allowing the base to slowly grow and expand. He could also sacrifice his own MP at regular intervals to speed up the process, but he could only do that once a week without risking overloading the core.
Hitting the final button, Issei blinked as he was surrounded in blue for a moment before he was surrounded by bare wooden walls and standing on tatami.
"I'm…in a six-mat room?!" he muttered in disbelief. A six-mat room was the smallest room-size that could still be considered a habitable dwelling, in Japan anyway. Floating in the centre was the Base Core, looking once again like a giant eye.
Sourly, Issei deduced that his MP must have been really at the absolute lowest minimum to create a base. Otherwise he would probably have something more like an actual base than the cheapest room-size in Japan.
Without a prompt, a screen appeared in front of him, displaying the stats for his base.
Base Name: (NONE)
Base Level: 1
Reservoir Status: 0/10,000,000 MP
MP Gathering Rate: 50 MP/Half Hour
Base Upgrades: [Gaia's Blessing]
Inner Sanctum Size: Six-Mat Room.
First Floor Size: 3570 Meters Squared.
First Floor Type: Maze.
First Floor Defensibility: Practically non-existent.
First Floor Traps: None.
First Floor Monsters: None.
So it was worse…OK, a LOT worse than he had expected. There was that upgrade that he didn't remember buying or being offered, but first things first…
Tapping the 'Base Name' tab, he entered a new name into it. Keeping it just to [Lair of the Sekiryūtei] was more than enough to fulfil the quest…he hoped.
[Quest Complete!]
Here be the Dragon's Den…: You have founded the beginnings of what could be a very nice base to suit your status as the Sekiryūtei. It is, quite frankly, trash-tier right now, but it is said that great things come from small beginnings.
Quest Completion Reward: +3000 EXP, ¥10,000, Special Status: [Blessing of the Dragon Emperor], +5 AP.
"You can stop quoting Uncharted at me, dammit." Issei grumbled as he swiped away the screen. "Sic Parvis Magna indeed."
Settling down, Issei decided to see what his new Special Status did. He was very curious.
[Blessing of the Dragon Emperor] (Passive)
You have been blessed by the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig the Welsh Dragon. Known for his immense power and might, he has been sealed up in the [Boosted Gear] for thousands of years since the Great War of the Three Biblical Factions. One of the best known facts of Ddraig is that his flames were the most powerful and fierce among any Dragon that has existed in the mortal realm, utterly consuming any who stood in his way, from devils to gods, the great and terrible [Blazing Inferno of Scorching Flames]. Although sealed by Ddraig himself, his blessing still grants you an incredibly strong affinity for Fire-type magic, as well as a resistance against fire of any sort, whether it be mundane or magical.
- +20% Effect to all [Fire] Magic spells.
- Grants a permanent +15% Resistance to any and all damage taken from fire of any sort, magical, mundane or chi.
"Whew…man, I guess that there's a lot I don't know about Ddraig." The Sekiryūtei whistled, impressed. "I have to say, [Blazing Inferno of Scorching Flames] is a pretty badass name."
A warm feeling in his left arm made Issei look down and see that the [Boosted Gear] had manifested all on its own and that the gem on the back of his hand was glowing bright green. Then the gauntlet vanished again.
Evidently Ddraig approved of Issei praising his strongest attack.
"Uh-huh…so that just happened." The boy said with a shake of his head. Then he manifested the [Gamer's Gear] on his right arm. "Time to test out this [Dungeon Locator] of mine…"
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Next Chapter: Asia, Tragic Exiled Nun
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