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Game of DxD: Redux
Chapter 3
Issei slept blissfully, resting peacefully after such a long day of grinding. Nothing could possibly disturb him now.
...Specifically, his parents.
"Ise, wake up! I know you're not asleep! Your dad's got a surprise for you, and we need you to come down now!" His mother yelled while banging on the door.
You see, Issei had been pretending to be asleep for 20 minutes already. The boy himself wasn't too thrilled about going out anywhere, and that also meant that he'd have to miss out on training.
Sighing in resignation, Issei got up and grunted, "Alright! I'm up! Enough already!"
All he heard was his mother's huff before he groggily headed to the bathroom. Issei leaned on the sink, still not completely awake. He grabbed the toothpaste, squeezed some on his toothbrush, and began his daily routine of freshening up.
Once done, he walked down to the first floor. His father was there, all dressed up and ready to go. His mother was the same.
Issei raised an eyebrow, "Are you two going out on a date or something?"
His father looked at him strangely. "No, we're going to Kyoto, Ise. I thought your mom told you that?" He only received a confused look from his son, before turning to the woman of the household.
Hyoudou Miki made an, "oh" and facepalmed. "Ah, I forgot to tell him. Sorry dear~" She played it off with a wink, making her husband sigh.
"Wait, why are we going to Kyoto? Grandma doesn't even live there." Issei pointed out, putting them back on track.
"Check this out." His dad handed Issei a pamphlet. "There's a small festival organized there, with the tickets having a 20% discount for families, which works at most of the shops there. That's why we're going, for around 3 to 4 days. Plus, it's been a while since we've gone out as a family together, right?"
Issei nodded slowly. The last time he hung out with his parents was two months ago. "Well, it's only for a few days, so I guess it's fine. I'll go change." He said, remembering that he was still in pyjamas.
In the backseat of the car, Issei removed his earphones and hid them away. 20 minutes had passed, and the boy remembered the events from yesterday, which he didn't resolve back then.
After the Boss fight, Issei was left too exhausted to fight more. Thus, he had decided to end the day. Now, though, he needed to check his rewards.
Firstly, there were the two Bronze Loot Chests to open. From what Issei knows, those two were loot chests of the lowest tier.
'...Wait, how do I use them?'
|Check your Inventory, Partner.|
Issei did as told, and there they were. He tapped one of them, and a new screen popped up.
+9 Status Points
+8 VIT
+5 AGI
+8,000 ¥
Issei grinned, happy for the new points, then opened the other.
+1 Status Point
+7 STR
+4 SNS
+13,000 ¥
He nodded, satisfied with the results. They were bronze, not gold or platinum, so low numbers were expected. Still, at an early level like his, even low numbers were a welcome gift.
'Now then…' He moved onto the other rewards.
From what he remembered, he'd unlocked several new features of the System, including the Gacha System and System Credit.
He opened the menu and selected the Gacha System tab. What appeared was a large question mark in a golden box, with a smaller green button on the side with the number 3 on it.
Issei guessed that he had 3 chances to spin it, and whatever the wheel landed on would be his reward(s). He pressed it, and the big question mark began spinning until it became a blur. Several seconds later, the wheel stopped and it displayed… a speedo.
+Speedo
Speedo
Item Class: Common
Item Type: Miscellaneous
•It's a speedo. An average speedo.
Issei resisted the urge to flail his arms and scream in frustration. The number of chances to spin went down from 3 to 2. If he wasted the other two, then he was hopeless. Plus, he didn't even know when he could get more spins.
So, he spun for the second time, and the result appeared.
+21 Status Points
A grin crept its way onto Issei's face. His Status Points were stacking, and a sudden increase in power was always welcomed.
'One chance left… please be something amazing!' He thought as he pressed the button one last time. The wheel spun until it slowed down, and then came the result.
+Honed Steel Chokutō
Honed Steel Chokutō
Item Class: Uncommon
Item Type: Weapon
+70 ATK
•A strong, well-made steel chokutō. Only the finest blacksmiths can recognise the beauty of this piece.
•Due to its excellent condition, the durability has increased.
Issei almost punched the air in excitement. His crude iron sword, while it did help him a lot, was starting to get rusty, and it would scare the shit out of his parents if he just randomly asked for a real sword.
He dismissed the screens and looked for other features to explore. In the menu, the tab 'Perks' caught his interest.
Tenacity – Stage 1
•A fascinating trait of humanity is their tenacity and unyielding will.
•When max HP reaches 30%:
+30% physical damage resistance
Human Race – Stage 1
•Humans may not be very powerful, but their skills gained throughout their lifetime are an entirely different thing.
+20% EXP gains for all skills
Sekiryuutei – Stage 1
•As the host of the Welsh Dragon, your power will grow tremendously, and people will fear you.
+200% damage received if hit by a Dragon Slaying element/attack
+30% EXP gains for all dragon-related skills
'This is amazing!'
In MMORPGs, there were very few items that increased EXP gain. In fact, they were almost all unique or legendary items that could only be obtained through immense hard work and skill. Hell, an item that would give you +20% EXP gain is considered extremely rare – something that could never be found anywhere else.
For Issei to gain such a thing, it dazzled him.
The boy wanted to check his Status, but before he could do so, he felt the car stop.
"Alright!" his father said as everyone exited the car, "We're here. Ise, take the blue backpack, I'll take the other one." It was just 10 AM, and Issei took note of the many people running around, probably doing the final touches of the festival.
The streets were clean and it gave the boy a sense of freshness he hadn't felt in a long time.
He shouldered the backpack and followed his father, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something that piqued his interest.
It was a little girl, wearing a white kimono. The upper half and the sleeves were white, but the lower half was completely red. The girl herself had golden hair and eyes, a definitely uncommon combination.
When her eyes landed on him, they widened slightly. The strange little girl then did something weird. She leaned forward and sniffed the air, before nodding to herself excitedly, turned back, and ran off somewhere.
'The hell? That was weird.'
|Partner, something doesn't feel right.|
Issei's body tensed at Ddraig's claim. 'What do you mean?'
|I don't sense any immediate threats, but it feels like we're being watched. Be wary. I didn't teach you how to suppress your magical signature, yet. I'll do what I can to do it for you, for now.|
That didn't help Issei relax at all.
Time passed, and the sun had set. Issei and his family had rented two rooms in an affordable hotel. The boy helped his parents unpack, and so did he. By the time it was around 8 PM, they all agreed to go and enjoy the first day of the festival.
"Wait, we didn't eat lunch. I'm hungry," Issei commented before his parents could head out.
His father nodded, "We'll take fast food for today. The discount will cover us. Anything you want to eat in particular today, son?"
Issei hummed, "I want beef ramen. It's been a while, anyway," he responded.
The parents thought it was a good idea too. And so, they all went to fill up their stomachs.
A while later, Issei exited the restaurant, his parents behind him and his stomach satisfied. The food was excellent here, and they saved a bit of money thanks to the discount.
That day, Issei wore a simple outfit consisting of black jeans, a white t-shirt, and black sneakers. The outfit suited him, thanks to his body becoming buffer and more balanced than ever.
"Where do you want to go next?" he asked his parents. Now that he feels well-fed, Issei wants to visit other shops and stops in Kyoto before they go back to Kuoh.
"Let's go check out this shop! And that! And that one too!" His mother kept pointing at different shops as she walked with her husband, linking arms. Issei sighed as he followed after them, knowing that this will be a long and tiring journey.
Walking, Issei checked his Status menu. His stats have risen up and so did his unassigned Status Points. He currently has 48, to be exact, and he already thought about how to spend them.
Before he did so, Issei checked out the System Credits tab. The boy was unaware whether the new feature would alter his Status or not.
A screen popped up, displaying a gigantic 0 and a long list under it, consisting of armours, weapons, potions, etc.
"Wait…" He paused, "Is this… the System Shop?"
|Yeah. In here, you need System Credits to buy things from the Shop. You can get System Credits through Loot Boxes, Quests, etc. Starter items can be bought with either real money or System Credits.| The dragon explained.
Issei nodded to himself. It seemed reasonable enough since he doesn't have any System Credits.
He closed the tab and opened his Status. He had 48 free status points. Issei dumped 28 on VIT, seeing it instantly rise to higher limits. With 20 left, Issei used 6 for AGI and another 6 for STR. The last 8 was split between INT and SNS.
Status
Hyoudou Issei
Race: Human
Job: None
Title: None
Level: 12 (4,030/12,500 EXP)
HP: 1,400/1,400
MP: 315/315
STR: 37, +7
AGI: 38, +5
VIT: 62
INT: 22
SNS: 22
Remaining Points: 0
Money: 75,940 ¥
Sacred Gear: Boosted Gear
Issei dismissed his Status screen, satisfied. "So, mom, what next–" The boy suddenly froze as he realized that his parents were gone.
In fact, there was no one there; the entire street had gone from mildly bustling to completely deserted. To top it all off, the sky had suddenly turned purple.
|Partner! It's a barrier! Someone supernatural is right here!|
Ddraig's words made Issei instantly summon the Boosted Gear and his new weapon, the chokutō. Its tsuka was black and blue, and the blade itself was incredibly sharp. It didn't feel too heavy or too light.
To Issei, it fit perfectly.
|Boost!|
Your Level has doubled
In an instant, several figures jumped from the bushes nearby. They were about 6, surrounding him. Each of them wore white kimonos with red accents. All of them held spears, and all of them wore differently designed masks. However, the thing they all had in common was… were those fox ears?! AND TAILS?!
"By the Order of Lady Yasaka, ruler of Kyoto, drop your weapons and surrender!" One of them shouted, pointing their spear at him.
'Maybe they've got the wrong guy. I should tell them that.'
"Hey, you guys might have the wro– OH SHIT!" He shouted as he hastily dodged a projectile that came out from a magic circle. Looking at said projectile, it was a large icicle.
"Target does not wish to surrender! Engage! Formation Nine!" One of them shouted, and under their command, the group changed their formation and stances.
One of them flew straight to Issei with an obvious intent to do serious harm.
|Boost!|
Your Level has doubled
Issei dodged to the right and swung his chokutō. His enemy stabbed the spear on the ground and used it to spin to bash Issei with a kick. He blocked with his Boosted Gear, but he did recoil back.
His instincts flared from behind him as another one of the group slashed their spear at him. Issei quickly tried his best to block each stab and swing with his own, but a few of them got to him.
-197 HP!
Issei jumped backwards as his instincts once again warned him of an attack incoming from his left.
'Ddraig! Any advice you'd like to give me?!' He shouted in his mind as he ducked under a stab and shattered three icicles coming at him with his weapon.
|They're all Yōkai, meaning that they all know Senjutsu.|
|Boost!|
Your Level has doubled
He blocked a powerful jab from the right and then countered by slashing, pushing the attacker away.
'And?! What does that mean?!'
|Don't get too close to them. They can fuck up your Ki.|
The boy felt exhaustion and fear seep into him as he realized that this was his first actual battle. If he were to get tired, he couldn't simply exit and take a break like how he did in a dungeon.
They seemed to want to continue by advancing forward, but he halted.
"Wait a sec! Time out! Why the hell are you even attacking me?!" He shouted in obvious frustration, with the intent to buy as much time as possible for him to recover.
One of them spoke from under their mask, and Issei took a second to recognise that they're all women, with the exception of two being males. "You kidnapped Lady Kunou! For your crimes, you shall be sentenced to death should you not hand her over! If you do, then Yasaka-sama would consider letting you live!" She shouted at him, jabbing her spear.
Issei was baffled by what he heard. "Wha–?! I didn't kidnap anyone! I don't even know who Kunou is!"
His enemies seemed to have a silent communication amongst each other as small magic circles flared up next to their ears.
"His Ki doesn't suggest that he's lying. Do we let him go?" one of them whispered, and Issei realized that he could hear them clearly, somehow.
"No. Lady Yasaka told us that the kidnapper had a draconic scent. That's this boy." Whispered another.
"Then, let's take him for questioning." They all seemed to agree on that as they all nodded.
Issei was about to enter an instant dungeon in an attempt to escape. However, he saw one of them conjure a magic circle, letting out some strange gas.
|...! Partner, that's a sleeping gas! Don't inhale it…!|
Ddraig's warning fell on deaf ears, as Issei's nose had already accidentally breathed it in.
"S-Shit!"
The last thing he saw was his enemies circling him before everything became dark.
"...–ke up." He heard a sound. His vision was blurry and unclear, his head felt like it was spinning and his balance was all over the place.
Issei's senses very slowly returned as he felt something tug on his arms and legs. The boy blinked a few times, and his sight became clear enough to see the person standing in front of him.
It was a woman. Brown hair, golden eyes, and the same fox ears and tails those other people had.
'Wait… Ddraig? Can you hear me?'
|Loud and clear, Partner.|
"Hey." The lady in front of him snatched back his attention. "Answer the questions properly. Who are you? Who sent you? And, why did you kidnap Lady Kunou?" She asked rapidly, her voice cold and threatening.
"I don't know what you're talking about… I came here to enjoy the festival, for fuck's sake." He replied hoarsely, as frustration, fear, and anger leaked from his wavering tone.
The woman looked unaffected. "...Do not lie. You have a draconic scent. The kidnapper was said to have one, and none of our residents has such a scent. Not to mention, you trespassed Kyoto's grounds. That alone is a criminal offence."
She then proceeded to pull out some sort of device that seemed like a very long stick.
"I'll repeat myself. Answer the questions honestly." She warned, before striking down with her weapon.
In another room, a dazzling, unimaginably attractive woman sat, sipping on rich green tea. Her silky, smooth hair kept in a ponytail with a uniquely designed hairpin, consisting of multiple smaller ones. Her dress was a golden kimono, with black sleeves decorated with golden skulls.
In her left hand was a photo of her and a little girl, playing with the sand on the ground.
A knock at the door roused her from her melancholy examination. "Enter."
A woman entered, another fox Yōkai. "Yasaka-sama, we have captured the suspect. His name is Hyoudou Issei, and although he claims to be oblivious of the current situation, he does indeed have a draconic scent emitting from him." She reported.
Yasaka raised an eyebrow. "You've sent him into an interrogation room, correct?"
"Indeed, Yasaka-sama. However, the interrogator, Hyashiki Fujiwara, states that his Ki does not suggest that he is lying." The woman said calmly.
Yasaka stood up instantly. "Take me to him. If Fujiwara herself is possibly being deceived, then I must be the judge." Yasaka stated as she quickly followed behind one of her many servants to the interrogation rooms. Hyashiki Fujiwara was an interrogator and executioner that was very skilled in identifying different Ki signatures and Ki manipulation in general, thus Yasaka's wariness.
After a while of getting hit again and again, Issei actually did gain something from all the beating, and it was a new skill.
Bite Back – Lvl. 1
•With each strike the Player receives:
+0.1% chance that 1% of the damage inflicted upon the Player is reflected to the attacker
+0.1% chance that 1% of the damage inflicted upon the Player is completely ignored
It was a fairly weak skill right now, but could be very useful in the future. Reflecting the opponent's inflicted damage was something that not many people can do, at least not on a large scale.
To him, it was definitely worth the beating.
The boy's enhanced hearing picked up footsteps approaching rapidly, and the woman hitting him stopped. Directing his gaze to the cell door, Issei saw a tall, voluptuous woman staring down at him.
She sniffed the boy from her place, and her eyes widened. "This…! He isn't the suspect! This boy is…! Release him, quickly! Get him out of those shackles!" She yelled instantly, and the interrogator and the servant both freed him from the metal bindings.
Yasaka approached him and touched his forehead, and in an instant, all wounds present on his body healed.
|...! Partner! That's Yasaka, the Nine-Tailed Kitsune of the Yōkai!| Yelled Ddraig in surprise, his voice booming inside Issei's head.
'...Observe.'
Name: Yasaka
Race: Kitsune
HP: ?
MP: ?
Issei's blood ran cold quickly as he realised that this Yasaka person was way too powerful for him, to the point where he couldn't even use Observe on her.
Unexpectedly, she bowed. A perfect 90º bow that had Issei stunned.
"I'm sure you're confused and scared, Hyoudou Issei. If you want your answers, please follow me." She said before turning around, walking away.
'...I don't have much of an option, do I?'
|Try to oppose her and you'll be eradicated faster than you can say, "tits".|
He sighed and followed the woman, but the uneasiness in his heart didn't settle down at all.
Issei walked behind Yasaka through the long, luxurious hallways. The boy had to force himself to not stare at her impressive rack, as he was certain that she'd just know if he looked.
"How much of the supernatural are you aware of, Hyoudou-san?" she suddenly asked, not looking back. Issei was rather grateful for her initiating a conversation. They hadn't uttered a single word between each other along the way, which made things a bit awkward for him.
"Um, basic knowledge of the Three Factions. Why do you ask?" He answered.
"Then, I take it you were not aware of us, Yōkai?" She asked in an even tone.
"Well, I was never told about Yōkai, but I did get a random thought about how they might exist, here and there," he answered honestly. While neither Ddraig nor the System had told him of Yokai, he'd suspected that they could be real.
"Hm." She hummed. "Did you also know that entering Kyoto without permission from me is a legal offence? If the person in question is a supernatural being, that is."
Issei gulped. 'Shit. Am I going to undergo some sort of torture? I didn't know that…'
She smirked slyly, watching him pale. "Don't worry, however. From what it seems, you're fairly new to the supernatural, and you didn't trespass into Kyoto, you came legally. Thus, I'll let this one slide."
|Ah, I almost forgot. Yokai really like to prank and trick others. Most of it is harmless, though.|
"We're here." She said aloud, her servants opening a door to a room for them. Issei really tried not to gape at the luxurious decor, but damn.
"Please, sit." He did as told, and shortly after, a servant came in with a tray of green tea, before excusing herself.
"Hyoudou Issei," she began, "I'm sure you're confused about the current situation, and thus I'll explain it all here. First and foremost, allow me to apologize once again for the actions of my servants and soldiers. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive us." She stood up, inclining her head, and Issei didn't dare to miss the jiggle of her heavenly tits as they hung down.
Issei awkwardly chuckled. "Well, you were honest about it, and you healed me already, so you're forgiven. Honestly, it seems inappropriate for Kyoto's leader to bow to someone like me…"
Yasaka sat down again, a small smile on her face.
"Now that that's out of the way, let us discuss the elephant in the room." She started, her tone now serious. "I'll explain the current situation, any questions can be asked after. Kunou, my only daughter, has been kidnapped. Of course, this man somehow found a way to cut off all divining magic in the area for a short while, and thus I was not notified in time. After some investigation, we found that he had used runes, which were rare, very rare around here. Not only that, but our guards reported him having a draconic scent, hence why my soldiers attacked you."
She continued. "Now, my daughter is the only thing that matters to me, however, I cannot leave this place. I can only leave Kyoto for a little while, probably about two or three weeks if we stretch it because I keep the flow of Ki in Kyoto stable. Many residents in Yokai Kyoto utilize Senjutsu and Touki; because of that, one person needs to keep it all in check, which is me."
She sighed as she drank more tea. "That is why, I beg of your assistance, Sekiryuutei-dono. My daughter… I promised her long-deceased father to protect her to the best of my abilities. She is my child, our child. Please." She bowed once again, stunning Issei into silence.
Ping!
A new Quest has appeared.
•Yasaka, the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, begged for your assistance to save her daughter, Kunou.
Main Objectives:
•Find the kidnapper.
•Rescue Kunou.
Bonus Objectives:
•Gather information from the kidnapper.
•Do not gather any assistance.
Rewards: +300,000 ¥, +58,000 EXP, +1 Bronze Loot Box, +500 System Credits.
Failure: Death of Kunou, potential death of Player.
Difficulty: Medium-Hard.
Time: 72:00:00, 3 days.
Do you accept this Quest? – Y/N
"I will help you," he said, causing the Quest to be accepted, "Even if we're not allies, you are a mother who wants back her daughter. If I were in your shoes, I would do the same thing. However," he wasn't done, "I would like to request two things. Would you please listen to them?"
Yasaka nodded, "Of course, within reason. Please list them."
"The first is that I would like a magic tutor until I leave Kyoto. My second request is that I want someone to teach me how to create talismans." Issei stated his demands, to which Yasaka took a thoughtful expression for a second before nodding.
"These should be very easy to accomplish. How long will you be in Kyoto for?" she asked.
"Around 3 or 4 more days. After that, all study material will be sent to… a place where we will mutually agree on."
It would prove to be a horrible mistake to give out the location of his home to people who he didn't know.
"Also… may I ask for a small favour?" He asked, his tone seemingly unsure and indecisive.
She raised an eyebrow, holding back an amused smile. It'd be a boon if powerful people owed you a favour or two, especially if it was the Sekiryuutei.
"Ask away."
Issei breathed out, "Please keep this under wraps… my involvement, I mean. If you do so, then I will owe you one favour... of equal value." He said, though the last part of the sentence annoyed Yasaka a bit.
People, especially ones who are desperate, would often beg for a favour they promised to return, but then end up not being able to do so. Thus, they become indebted until they can repay that debt.
Issei, however, was smart enough to mention that he'd only return the favour if it is of equal value. Meaning that if she asks for assistance in battle, he would most likely refuse, because keeping a secret, one that isn't even top priority, wasn't equivalent to asking the Sekiryuutei for aid.
This meant that she couldn't exploit his favour, which slightly irritated her.
"That is fine." She sighed, mentally shrugging. "It is alright. I can keep this under wraps until you expose your identity to the world. Is that fine?"
He nodded, "Yes, that's good. Are we done here, by the way?" He asked, tiredness evident in his voice.
It seems that his recent battle had cost him most of his stamina, not to mention that she didn't replenish any of it.
"Yes, it's over. You may leave now. My servant will escort you. Tomorrow, make sure to come near the Akamichi ramen restaurant to come here again. A maid of mine will accompany you to here." The moment she finished that sentence, a servant entered the room, bowed to Yasaka, before bowing to Issei.
"Hyoudou Issei-dono. This way, if you will." She gestured with her hand, and Issei followed.
He kept walking behind her, and nothing was being said between the two, which made things awkward for him.
Again.
"Umm… what is your name, by the way?" He started, trying to initiate small talk.
"Nakamura Chouko, Hyoudou Issei-dono." She replied clinically, her face in a perfectly stoic expression.
It unnerved him a little, actually.
"Y'know, you can use "san", at least. It must be a mouthful saying the entire name with the honorific, right?" He tried to reason, but it was fruitless.
"That would be deemed as inappropriate, Hyoudou Issei-dono. A lowly servant like me could never casually call you by your name." She said, her face still perfectly stony.
Understanding that this topic is useless to discuss, Issei chose to divert it to another. "If you don't mind, may I ask what Senjutsu is?" He asked, remembering Ddraig talking about it in his recent battle.
She replied quickly. "Senjutsu is the natural force that exists in nature. It is what is commonly known as Ki, Chi, Yin and Yang, and much more. However, Ki can corrupt someone's mind. If too much negative energy is absorbed from the world, all the harmful and destructive emotions and thoughts of humanity start leaking into our thought process, completely destroying our sense of morality and mercy. Thus, no one uses it, at least without heavy supervision. That is also why it has been banned in the Underworld, with the exception of a few individuals."
'...Wow. That shit's really dangerous. I know that I'm not going near that.'
"However," she continued, "People use Touki as an alternative. While Senjutsu is bringing in natural energy from the outside, Touki is utilizing natural energy from the inside. It is similar to magic, actually, and much safer." She added, before finally going back to silence.
'I might look into it when we head back. Wait, does that mean I can use Touki as a secondary MP bar? Huh, food for thought.'
He then noticed how long he had been walking for. Surely, the castle or mansion that he was in couldn't be this gigantic, right?
Just as he was about to ask when would they arrive at the exit, he spotted it right ahead. It was a large double door, made of gold of all things.
"That is the door to the exit of the palace, Hyoudou Issei-dono. I wish you great luck and health in your future." She bowed, and as Issei exited the place, a magic circle lit up. He closed his eyes and prepared for an attack, only to find himself right in front of his hotel. He relaxed and entered, gone up the floor where his room was, entered, and flopped on the comfy bed.
He took out his phone and called his parents to check on them.
Ring…
Ring…
"Ah, Ise. What's up?" His father answered, and Issei was surprised by the lack of horror or shock in his dad's voice.
"I was just… calling to check up on you." He said slowly, trying to process how they didn't notice how he was missing for several hours.
"Is that so? Well, we're doing fine. We left to go on a short date when you said that you'll go back to the hotel. You're in the room, right?"
"Yeah… I'm in the room. Well, have fun you two. Bye. Love you."
"Love you too, son."
As soon as he hung up, Issei threw the phone next to him in an exhausted manner.
|Partner, just to let you know, it is easy for supernatural beings to manipulate the minds of humans. They use a spell to edit the most recent memories, and in this case, the Yōkai probably made it so that your parents believe that you just said that you wanted to go back to the hotel.| Ddraig explained, causing Issei to relax.
"Hah~! Man, I'm tired. I'll go to sleep. Goodnight, Ddraig." He said, turning on the air conditioner and pulling the covers.
|Goodnight, Partner. Tomorrow will be a hectic day.|
Reviews & responses:
Guest said: Holy shit, if he maxes out the boosted gear, he can boost 100 times! Imagine his already ridiculously high base stats at that point and then he boosts! He could one punch the earth and move so fast he could time travel lol! I love god-like mc, keep up the great work!
Response: ...Not one punch the Earth, but he'd be hella powerful, yeah. You'll have to wait a long time for that to actually happen in the story, though.
Gravity Force said: can issei became devil ? please not İ like to see issei powerful as maous or gods and dont left the story
Response: Bro, spoilers.
OmegaDelta said: Wonder what game elements you will add to this story from other games and if you do how will the progress? Keep up the good work.
Response: Many game elements will be added (and some from other stories). The System will play a huge part in the plot, and you'll see the progress for yourself.
Tyrant Overlord Killidia said: Hmm... Interesting. I wonder who will be in the harem... I'm honestly hoping for Kiyome Abe to be added. She is a Beast Tamer girl who fell in love with Issei after he broke her engagement.
Response: I don't have anything against her, but I don't like her. Also, I'm limiting the harem to around 6-7 girls. Maybe 8 by a stretch, but no more.
ItsDante said: My nigga better wise up fast to these hoes tho. With ddraig at his Corner it's all good and shit but you really need not him a simp. He too good for that
Response: Spitting straight facts.
Greekfan FT said: Props to your Beta Reader for this chapter! No grammatical errors in my POV, so that's a pleasant surprise!
Doesn't being sealed affect Ddraig's level? Even if it is over 30.000, I think it's low for a thousands years old entity. Especially considering that he was one of the top 10 strongest beings in the universe.
Last, but quick question. How long till cannon? I'm asking because it will certainly put a perspective on Issei's growth.
Response: The seal affects Ddraig, but only a small portion. You could say that it barely reduced his power by 600-700 levels.
OechsnerC said: Really awesome update. Cool that you got a Beta. Wonder if he will have a base. Can't remember if he had one in other story. Looking forward to your next update.
Response: Maybe yes, maybe not ;) Spoilers~~
Dargon32 said: Great chapter! I love how you have Ddraig actually teaching Issei something which I honestly found weird in the original series, like seriously Ddraig is one of the oldest and as such wisest DxD characters especially with all the hosts he has had and all Issei does is sacrifice body parts for a minor boost and get occasional advice.
Response: Spitting straight facts.
NSG: Eh, I dunno about oldest or wisest. That's very debatable.
AzureDomino said: can I make a recommendation. I'm ok with Issei hiding his identity, but please make sure he gets caught atleast after this quest. Hiding his identity ruins any form of interaction he could have just because a damn quest told him too.
Response: Well… he has already been revealed… even if it's just by one person.
Sekiryutei Issei Hyoudou said: I like where this is going. And thank you so much for not doing that shitty fanon thing of Rias being a manipulative bitch.
Response: Thank my guy NSG, not me.
NSG: You're goddamn welcome. That bit of fanon can go die in a fire.
Jehu said: I hope you can curb issei's grown so he's too broken too fast. Best I've seen is from spatial Phoenix's dxd multiplayer. Good luck
Response: Well said. I too like OP MCs, but ones who are powerful for a reason, and not the type of OP that's utterly broken. As in, OP, yes, but they still have limits.
NSG: Even then, limits are made to be broken, should they be arbitrary.
Dragon Bone Z said: Question is the Solo Leveling influence only manifest in the whole Gamer system? Nothing else? Nothing like say, I don't know, world ending beings called Monarchs and Rulers? Honestly, I thought you might give Issei Antares as a host.
Response: No. There will be many other elements of Solo Leveling. In fact, this story heavily depends on the Solo Leveling manhwa (and novel). I can't say more than that, though. Spoilers~
ClownDeMedia said: Bro, people saying that Issei's death was planned, is just a convenient idea for bashing and similar types of stories. One, if she killed Fallen Angels that didn't cause any open problems, then that could cause a war. Two, although it seems that it was planned for him to die, it was most likely a precaution for Rias (and probably other devils with similar experiences). Kiba was at deaths door when he was reincarnated, and Koneko also had a can of worms for her reincarnation. Every single one of Rias' member came from a bad experience or problem.
Response: This was my theory(ies) before NSG changed my mind. For Kiba, what the hell was Rias doing in Europe? Europe is commonly known as Church grounds, on top of that, it was in the middle of a forest. There's no possible way that Rias could be wandering in Europe, in the middle of a forest, specifically near the Church where the experiment happened, and then somehow coincidentally meet Kiba. Too good to be true. Maybe then it was luck, right?
NSG: Yeah. Definitely just luck. And even if it was intentional, so what? Are you saying that Rias had a hand in the Holy Sword Experimentation? At whatever young age she was at the time? Ridiculous.
So then, what about Akeno? Back then, Cleria Belial was the governor of Kuoh, and even then, there was a Church base (that old church). It's almost impossible for Rias, again, to wander to Akeno coincidentally.
NSG: Nothing is impossible.
As for Koneko, that one was actually unplanned. However, what truly troubles me is Rias's overly lazy and prideful attitude (changed for the better later on, but still). She has the daughter of Baraqiel, user of Sword Birth and Blades Blacksmith, and a fucking Nekoshou of all people, and she never bothered training them to their full potential.
NSG: She's a teenaged schoolgirl who is living in a time of relative peace, and who also has to deal with school work and Devil contracts. She can be forgiven for putting training as a lower priority.
She just… waited for her knight in shining armour to save her. As for the arrogant attitude, proof of that is in season 2, when she refused to contact Sirzechs just because, "it's my territory."
NSG: Yes, that was dumb, but after the incident with Riser, which she only got out of thanks to Sirzechs she wanted to prove that she could in fact protect her territory on her own and not constantly keep running to her brother for help. The fact that it was Kokabiel kinda undermined that.
Anyway, thank you everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll be happy to announce that this fic is officially being co-written with NorthSouthGorem.
If you're wondering about Sekiryuutei of Hope, it'll be going through a revision. First 4 chapters were too rushed, and it wasn't beta'd.
See you next chapter!