Hello, and welcome to the official re-write of 'DXD: One Gamer's Tale'!
There will be quite a few slice of life elements, since I personally enjoy those so much its unreal.
The cover art is how the OC shall look, and was created in Code Vein. Even if the story was anime as heck, the character creation is top notch. Also, the game-play was rather fun!
Disclaimer for the whole story: I own my OC(s) and original ideas and that's it. Any characters, plot points, visual cues and hearing aids from other works belong to their original creators and publishers and whatever. I will simply borrow them for my work, since creating fresh, new and original content is made much easier when you don't have to reinvent the wheel sixty-nine-million-six-hundred-ninety-six-thousand-nine-hundred-sixty-nine times when dealing with characters and plot details.
Chapter 1 – The Tutorial
{New Game: Start!}
{Hello, welcome to the [Gamer System v6.9]! You have been chosen after a lengthy review process based on several factors surrounding your previous life to become the next Player!}
{So...how do you wish to be named?}
"...I swear that freaking pharmacy swapped my pills with tablets of LSD. Also...nice."
Muttering that to himself as he stood in the middle of a dimly-lit void atop a floating platform of white light, a young man in his early twenties just scratched at his freshly shaven chin while reading the holographic screens floating in front of his face.
Below the screen was, helpfully, a keyboard that was awaiting his input.
"I know I read a whole lot of fanfictions about this, but man...this is trippy." he grumbled, typing his response into the screen.
{Douglas Roland? Really? You don't wish to name yourself something cooler? Like 'Steven'? Or 'Tim'?}
{Very well, then. You shall continue to be known by your former name.}
"If the only thing cool about you is your name, then you kinda suck, don't you? And besides, becoming awesome enough to overcome the blandness of my name and force people to respect me is just another challenge." he rebutted, shortly before the screen changed.
{Touché, Roland.}
{Now, to explain the [Gamer System v6.9], we must start off with the basics. As you are already aware, being a [Gamer] means your body now more closely resembles a video game character's than a normal human's. Physics will be applied differently to you, your capabilities will be shown in a quantified form called Stats, and you will be capable of wielding any number of game-like Abilities.}
{Let's begin with your [Gamer Menu].}
"[Gamer Menu]." Douglas repeated, causing a black screen with white text to appear in front of him, beside the messages that were instructing him.
-Gamer Menu-
+Status Screen
+Inventory Screen
+Skills Screen
+Gamer Crib (Locked Until Tutorial Completion)
+Options Screen
{As you can see, this is a fairly standard overlay of the different features you can access. For the sake of expediency, we will give a brief description of each of these options, before continuing the process to send you to your new life. After all, you will have a lifetime to get comfortable with this.}
{Your [Status Screen] will obviously display your personal info, as well as serve as the screen where you can view and manage your Stats.}
{Your [Inventory Screen] will allow you to view and manage any items you place in the infinite extra-dimensional space of the [Gamer].}
{Your [Skills Screen] will allow you to view and manage any Abilities you acquire along your travels, as well as give you access to several game-based [Skill Trees].}
{Your [Gamer Crib] is a house designed to be your base of operations. You can transport it all over the world by expending resources, as well as upgrade it in various ways to improve your experience.}
{Your [Options Screen] contains a list of various quality-of-life preferences that you can set to improve your comfort with the [Gamer System].}
After reading over the summary, Douglas just smiled and nodded.
"Simple enough to understand, but can I see my [Status Screen] real quick?"
As soon as he said those words, the black and white [Gamer Menu] was replaced by a navy blue screen that also contained a picture of someone...who vaguely resembled himself, but way hotter and wearing much better clothes.
They stood at around average height with medium-length golden-blond hair, blue eyes staring piercingly into his soul from behind a pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses and a lithe physique. However, their clothing looked almost like something straight out of a video game that focused on vampires and the like.
-Status Screen-
Name: Douglas Roland
Race: Gamer
Age: 23
Birthday: April 25
HP: 5/5 (+5/minute)
SP: 5/5 (+5/minute)
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 5
Endurance: 5
Vitality: 5
Energy: 5
Spirit: 5
EXP: 0
+Upgrade Stat Points
+View Armor Ratings
"Wait...no levels? What the hell?" he remarked, seeing the strange absence of a leveling mechanic.
{Ah, yes. That. Surely you're aware of Souls-Like games? This new system is loosely inspired by them.}
{As of the [v4.20 Patch], the [Gamer System] now features a mechanic where all acquired EXP, or experience points, are put into a pool from which you can spend them to increase your Stats individually, along with upgrading or gaining new Skills from [Skill Trees].}
"I see. That definitely makes 'resource management' a genuine factor..." the male commented to himself, stroking his chin again.
Sighing, he just swiped his hand at the screen, seeing if that would disperse it, which it did.
"Alright, what's next?"
{Next, we'll take a look at your [Skills Screen].}
"Okay. [Skills Screen]." Douglas acquiesced, before a bright orange screen took over where his [Status Screen] was.
-Skills Screen-
+Purchase New Skill Tree (Cost: 0 EXP)
-[Gamer Skill Tree]-
+View
Clicking on the 'View' option for the [Gamer Skill Tree], Douglas saw a new list come up with three Skills on it.
+[Gamer's Body] – Passive
-You have the body of a video game character. Your capabilities are represented by Stats and Skills. You don't get fatigued from physical exertion. For every 24 accumulated hours you are awake, you are required to sleep for a cumulative 8 hours. If you don't, you will incur harsh penalties. If you stay awake for an accumulated 72 hours without at least 8 hours of accumulated sleep, your consciousness will be forcibly shut down and you will be transported back to your [Crib] to sleep for 24 hours.
+[Gamer's Mind] – Passive
-Your mind registers reality as a video game, and thus you are immune to mind control and crippling trauma. You are also mildly protected from debilitating fear.
+[Gamer's Tongue] – Passive
-Your brain automatically translates any written or verbal modern language you come into contact with to your preferred one, allowing you to understand the general gist of what is being said. This will also work when you are speaking or writing anything for someone else to understand. However, language-specific grammar rules will sometimes be left untouched, leading to some inconsistencies.
"Fairly standard, though I am curious. [Gamer's Mind] is supposed to be the 'deus ex machina' Skill that makes it so that a [Gamer] is never negatively affected by emotions. It's supposed to force them to act in the most perfect way possible at all times." Douglas pondered, a touch of concern in his voice.
{Indeed. However, [Gamer's Mind] was nerfed in the [v1.1 Patch]. It was single-handedly responsible for ruining most of the very first playthroughs.}
"That's another thing that has me curious. If the game has gotten patched so many times, that must mean that there were numerous [Gamers] before me." Douglas spoke with an inquisitive tone, like the statement left him wanting for an explanation.
{Your curiosity is appreciated, but know that all shall be explained by the end of your [Tutorial].}
"...now I'm even more curious. But, enough on that for now, I noticed that I have the option to purchase another [Skill Tree] for free. I assume I'm doing that now?" Douglas guessed.
{Correct. However, due to it being free of cost, your first [Skill Tree] will be chosen at random via a roulette wheel. This is to keep things interesting. But rest assured that you are guaranteed to get one that is useful in combat, which is going to be playing a large part in your new life.}
"That's a little bullshit, but I guess it's fair. Let's do it!" the blond agreed, feeling a little bit of a gambling thrill tingle up his spine.
Pressing the button to purchase a new [Skill Tree], he saw a 3-foot diameter, colorful, holographic roulette wheel pop up with...just way too many potential [Skill Trees]. At a rough guess, there were probably over a hundred on there.
Underneath the wheel, a button labeled 'Spin' was blinking. Pressing it, he watched the wheel be given quite a decent spin. As it spun, it made a beeping sound whenever any of the slots passed over the selection arrow.
After a moment, however, the wheel began to slow, inching closer and closer to a cluster of choices. Douglas watched on with anticipation, wondering what his first [Skill Tree] would be.
It beeped three times.
It beeped twice.
One more beep and...
With a sharp dinging sound, a winner had been chosen.
-New [Skill Tree] Acquired!-
-[Halberdier Skill Tree]-
-Description: A wielder of the mighty halberd, a pole-arm with a variety of different weapons on one end. While a bit unwieldy, you more than make up for it in versatility. Keep your foes just far enough away for you to be safe, but well within range to devastate them. Particularly useful against mounted opponents.
{Congratulations! Because this is a [Skill Tree] that focuses on the use of a weapon, a basic version shall be provided to you!}
In front of Douglas, he watched as a six-foot long halberd, made entirely out of a dull gray material appeared in mid-air. Grabbing it with both hands, he noted that the material had the texture of rubber along with the stiffness of a hard plastic.
{Now, let's have you learn how to utilize your [Inventory Screen].}
"[Inventory]." Douglas tried abbreviating his verbal command, being pleasantly greeted with the screen changing color to a vibrant green one with a blank catalogue of item spaces organized on it.
-Inventory Screen-
+Money: 0.00 USD
+Deposit Items
Clicking on the [Deposit Items] option, Douglas watched as the screen's contents vanished, leaving behind an empty square hole that was two feet wide on each side.
Holding up his brand new halberd, he slowly inserted the long stick into the hole, before simply letting go of it and allowing the deep dark abyss to swallow up his tool.
He then resisted the urge to giggle like a child.
Once the item was deposited, the item catalogue came back up, though now one of the item slots was taken up by his new halberd.
Clicking on it, he was greeted with an overlay of information about the item.
+Basic Halberd – Rarity: Only One
-Halberd Proficiency Req.: 1
-Offense Bonus: +0
-Defense Bonus: +0
-Damage Types: [Slashing], [Piercing] or [Bludgeoning] depending on specific attack
-Special Qualities: Unbreakable, Unstealable, Usable By: Douglas Roland
+Withdraw Item
{This basic halberd has no bonuses to offense or defense, which is extremely pathetic for a weapon. However, it is unbreakable and is connected directly to your [Inventory], which means you will always have a halberd that you can access at any time. Also, it can only be used by you.}
Grinning a little now, Douglas withdrew the halberd and once again held it in his hands.
Twirling the weapon lightly, Douglas tested a few moves, seeing how it felt. To his surprise, the material was so lightweight that it felt like he was swinging a plastic broom handle around.
Something that, abashedly, he had to admit he had a fair bit of experience with.
"So? What now?" Douglas asked, beginning to feel as if getting a combat-based class would lead to some sort of dangerous situation.
{Ah, we suppose it is now time. Time for the [Practical Exam].}
Douglas's grin turned back into a frown.
"Practical...exam?"
And then there was a blinding flash of light.
Blinking gingerly, Douglas peeked through the gap between his arms that he had brought up to shield his eyes from the light that was seemingly caused by the [System].
As he did, he felt extremely shocked to find that he was no longer in some void, but was instead standing in the dead center of a dirt circle in the middle of a clearing surrounded by tall trees and jungle fauna on all sides, the clear blue sky overhead with the sun beating down on him making him keenly aware that he was now in a much hotter and more humid climate.
A strong breeze of wind brushed over him from behind, tossing his new pair of coat tails forward, which alerted him to the fact that he was now wearing clothing that apparently had coat tails.
Looking down at himself, he saw the same clothing he had seen the person in the image on his [Status Screen] wearing.
"Ah, my clothes!? What the hell!? Where the hell!? Wh...Why the hell!? Wait..." Douglas began to panic slightly as so many things seemed to be happening at once, dropping his halberd in the process. However, his face then showed something more akin to suspicion than confusion.
"Jungles don't get windy. Too many trees."
{I'm surprised you knew that. Welcome to the world of Aether, the land that shall become your prison should you fail the [Practice Exam]!}
"You don't need to sound so excited over that! Where am I!?" Douglas shouted, before hearing a sound that made his blood run cold through his veins.
It wasn't even that it was a scary sound, per se, it's just that it rang out so clearly through the air that he could tell it wasn't natural.
It was the sound of pieces of wood creaking, bending and clicking against themselves repeatedly.
Turning his head to the right, he saw a humanoid creature stepping out from the treeline.
"Gay...mur..." he heard a rattle-like voice speak out as the creature came into the sunlight.
It possessed a lanky form, its skin comprised of rotting dark gray wood. It's limbs were long and spindly, covered in knots and twists. Its fingers and toes were disproportionately long for its body, giving it a slightly grotesque image. A blood-red cloth that was tattered and covered with various bits of mud and leaves was draped over its shoulders, covering about half of its torso and trailing down its back like a cape.
And, despite being humanoid, it seemed the creature had no real facial features.
Only an expression of psychotic glee painted onto its face.
"Oh, fuck that!" Douglas cursed, picking his halberd up and charging...away from the creature. The terrifying creature predictably gave chase, running at a speed nearly identical to his own.
{You can run if you like, that is also an option. However, just to let you know what the [Practical Exam] consists of...}
{In this world, monsters like that one exist. You must survive and find the exit portal, which will take you to a new world where you shall live out your existence as a [Gamer]. However, this exit will only stay open for three days and three nights. When the early morning sun of the fourth day touches the land, it shall close, trapping you here for an eternity...or at least as long as it will take for the nigh-infinite amount of monsters to eventually kill you.}
{Ah, another little point. The monsters become stronger and more aggressive as the clock keeps ticking.}
"THIS IS ALREADY PRETTY DAMN AGGRO!"
Douglas beelined it straight into the trees, slipping past various fauna and hopping over tree roots, carrying his halberd in both hands the whole time.
He could hear the monster racing towards him, seemingly not slowed down by moving through the area which, admittedly, he had to assume it was more than used to.
Douglas could see a break in the treeline in front of him and thought he was racing into another clearing. The light from the sun was so bright, however...
"Whoa, SHIT!?" he screamed, slipping and sliding as he immediately hit the brakes, his left hand shooting out to brace itself against a nearby tree as his new golden boots came inches from going straight over a ledge that led to a sheer drop of at least a thousand feet.
Breathing heavily, Douglas looked up, his fear of the monster behind him temporarily forgotten as he suddenly realized why it was so windy in the middle of a jungle.
It's because he was currently standing on one of a dozen towering pillars of stone arranged in a geometric circle, overlooking the jungle.
And, just beyond one of the furthest towers of stone that was topped with trees like his was, he saw a tree coming out of the jungle that was much larger than the rest with what seemed to be a sprawling wooden city built along the roots and up into the side of it. At the top of the city, a ring of considerably larger and sturdier-looking buildings seemed to encircle the tree. Further up from those, there was an alcove seemingly dug into the tree where a massive...
No, let's just say stupidly massive wooden palace glared at him straight in the face.
"Gay...mur...!"
"FUCK! ME!" he screamed in a much shriller voice as he whipped around to find the monster slow down as it stalked around a tree, trapping him against the cliff with no way out.
Chapter End
A year and some change since last I published anything, yikes.
I hope everyone's been well!
This is my second attempt at rewriting 'One Gamer's Tale', though I'm going to be 86-ing a number of the elements that people took issue with in the previous stories, or at least I'll be making an honest effort in doing so. This story is going to be more like the original than 'Vivus Codex', which I'm also thinking of doing a non-Gamer rewrite of.
I hope people like this even a little bit. Life's a bit stressful, so I'd like to get back into writing again to find some relief and have some fun.
The purpose for this first chapter being so short is the same as my original story's first chapter. If I don't publish something, then I'll never nut up and actually devote myself to anything. I'll just keep writing the first chapter over and over again, changing things up repeatedly before giving up and starting over. I've literally done it 57 times, honest to God.
Just like I always have asked from you lovely (and incredibly patient) peoples, please leave a Review and let me know what you think, and maybe detail some of the things you hated in the original that you would like to see be done away with. I have a list, but there might always be something that I missed.
Thank you so much for reading! And I promise that the Author's Notes will be much shorter in all later chapters if they are even there at all.