Hey guys! It is I, the phoenix, finally here with that Infinite Dendrogram and DxD crossover I promised way back when!
Anyways, this story is a little bit of a unique venture for me; as you can tell by the title, the MC of this story, Ace, becomes a teacher, and both his Game System and his Embryo revolve around that.
I should mention that this story has many parallels to another one on this site, MyriadSilver's "A System's Guide To Teaching". As such, I asked permission and adopted it, fusing it to the idea I had to create this story.
I used Shiroe from Log Horizon as the thumbnail because Ace looks nearly identical to him, and even behaves somewhat like him.
I have a few goals for this story. For one, I'd like to explore some psychological concepts, and secondly, rejuvenate my DxD juice so I can get the energy to rewrite the lost data of Multiplayer.
This story starts almost a decade before canon DxD.
I can't really think of anything else to say right now, except that there's another story dropping in a few days that I just had to publish. No spoilers though, but I will say that it is a Fate: Grand Order story.
Quick Note: The Arcs in this story are called "Lessons". There are three Lessons planned out at the moment;
1) Lesson 1: The Transmigrant Teacher
2) Lesson 2: Land of The Rising Sun
3) Lesson 3: Below Zero
The names should more or less speak of who the Arcs revolve around and the general events.
And that's about it. Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the chapter for explanations regarding the story and general blurb.
So without further ado, let's get on with the story!
[Lesson 1: The Transmigrant Teacher] Chapter 1 - A Teacher's Beginning
{Gladiator, Ace}
It was the middle of the night. The sky was completely dark and the boundless forest would have been serene if wasn't for the thunderous roars of its savage inhabitants. In this forest, primal beasts roamed supreme; their roars shook the mountains and caused the forests to rustle.
Yet another roar rang out, and the sole humanoid inhabitant of the forest, a male with dark blue hair and golden eyes, remained hidden in the safety of the forest canopy while gazing warily at the horse-sized beast walking along the forest floor.
He lessened the rate of his breathing, eliminating any excess noise from his part. He may have been stronger than the average human, but before these Monsters he may have been a newborn baby for all his Stats were worth.
A few nerve-wracking moments later, and the beast trotted away, having eaten its fill of some poor critter it had hunted down. The person in the trees let out a faintly audible sigh.
'If I needed any more confirmation that this isn't Earth, then THAT thing is definitely it.'
Even in the deepest reaches of the wild, you didn't see creatures like that strange horse-piranha thing on Earth.
As he rested his back on a tree, the man, Ace, began to think back to how he had landed in his current predicament; a short while ago he was just an ordinary high school student planning on what career to pursue and celebrating his 17th birthday. And yet there he was, playing Nightmare Mode Man vs. Wild in another World.
About a week ago, Ace woke up from a nap, only to find himself resting underneath the shade of a tree. An odd thing, considering that he took a nap on a bed, and lived at least a hundred kilometers from a natural area like the one he had woken up in.
His memory had been clearly messed with as well, because for some odd reason, he couldn't remember his last name for the life of him. Nothing else seemed to be missing, as he possessed the survival skills his father had drilled into him, but he wasn't been completely sure that everything was okay with him mentally.
He had definitely been changed physically though; he was at least half a foot taller than he used to be, his hair color had been altered, and his eyes had turned gold. He'd always seemed relatively handsome, but now he seemed to have lost any human impurities whatsoever, now having perfect skin and hair quality. He was also more muscular, though not by much considering he used to work out fairly often. His senses were sharper, but not enough to truly be superhuman. Personally, he felt like he looked pretty close to Shiroe from Log Horizon.
These changes had left him more than a little confused, and so he did the most logical thing to do in his situation; gather information about what the heck was going on.
Finding himself near a village, he approached the villagers in an attempt to obtain information, and hopefully find a way back home. He hadn't been prepared for the shock his discoveries would bring.
Apparently, the village was called the Lion village, a rather unimaginative name if you asked him, located in the outskirts of 'Bael' territory, which spanned approximately the same size as the Mediterranean Sea. A land that had been ruled by the Bael Clan for the last 3000 years. When he had first heard this, Ace had been struck speechless. He was no cartographer or historian, but he was damn sure that there was no tract of land that large ruled by a single family in this day and age.
Also, wasn't Bael the name of one of the 72 Demon Pillars? Fate: Grand Order was a hobby, and he was pretty sure Bael had been one of the Demon Pillars.
Needless to say, that was Strike one.
Another thing that struck him was their population, or rather, their physical attributes. While it was common knowledge that those that lived away from the city and thus technology were physically stronger than city folks; it was a completely different matter when toddlers could carry tree logs the width of two adults. That was Strike two.
Lastly, the fact that the villagers were non-human. A glaring difference that struck Ace much akin to a fastball. He was pretty sure human children weren't supposed to have bat wings. Strike three, you're out.
After a brief panic attack, Ace had been forced to conclude that he was no longer on Earth.
But things got even stranger, when he saw saw some villagers using literal magic to build a house.
That's right, magic. Whatever World he was in, magic was apparently commonplace. Even children were capable of using it. Correction, even children were stronger than him, and that was without magic. Ace had seen children use a 100kg rock as a ball to play with, casually tossing it around as if it weighed nothing.
He'd hightailed it as soon as he got basic information on his location. There was no way he was trusting anyone that easily in foreign territory, when they clearly weren't human and were leagues stronger than him. First of all, he HATED freeloading, being a hard worker by nature, and secondly, he didn't think there was much that he could contribute. There was also the fact that he might be singled out if it was discovered he was human and didn't know how to use magic. Last thing he wanted to do was run afoul of the magical Inquisition.
He decided to go camp out in the nearby woods, despite the dangers present, as he would take non-sentient hostiles over sentient ones any day.
A close encounter with some sort of chimera on his first night had resulted in him finding out, much to his relief, that he wasn't as helpless as he had initially thought.
The Crest on the back of his left hand was proof of it, and a reminder that he was now a Master.
Not the kind of Master you see in the Fate series, but a Master who possessed an Embryo.
Ace was a huge fan of the franchise known as Infinite Dendrogram, mostly due to how detailed the World was, how easy the Gamer System was, how intense and tactical the fights were, the unique characters, and of course, because of the sheer awesomeness of the Embryo System, a power unique to the franchise, and its cornerstone/signature.
An Embryo was a power manifested from the character, biorhythm and experiences of its Master, a condensed form of their very being, both in the physical and psychological sense. A close comparison would be the Zankaputo that basically carried the Bleach Franchise, but Embryos were even cooler and more varied than them, having an infinite number of ways to form and develop depending on their Masters. While a Zankaputo was inevitably a weapon, despite their myriad abilities, Embryos could literally be anything, from a held weapon to a fortress, or even a replacement of the Master's own body.
An Embryo could be one of five basic categories; Arms, which were weapons, Territory, which were localized AOE effects like a Reality Marble, Chariot, which were vehicles, Guardian, which were basically Minions that protected the Master, and
Castle, which took the form of a building or fortress. The Type of Embryo you got was dependent on your personality traits; hot blooded protagonist-types would get Arms, while Territory Embryos were usually possessed by those who sought control.
There were Extra Categories, his own Embryo being one of them, that were a little outside the norm, but even cooler. Type Advance Embryos were subsets of Type Chariots that added extra power to an existing vehicle, similar to Upgrade from Ben Ten, Type Gear Embryos were weapons or objects that the Master could ride inside, while Type Calculator Embryos crunched intense amounts of data to do absolutely ridiculous things such as predict the future.
What was his, you might ask?
Technical Professor, Chiron.
That was the name of Ace's Embryo, the expression of his heart, mind and soul.
It was a Type Rule Embryo, an Extra Type that revolved around imposing a specific quality or adding a certain attribute onto the user.
It took the form of a neural implant within his brain, similar to the Corona Gemma and Corona Pollentia from Worm, connecting directly to his neural system.
As it was a Low-Rank Embryo, being only in Form 1, it had only one Skill.
Great Teacher. According to the Embryo Menu's Skill Description, Chiron had the ability to 'register' certain people who possessed certain qualities as potential Students. When Ace took on such a Student, the true potential of the Skill activated. It would allow him to tell the Status and Location of his Students, no matter where they were. Additionally, training Students accumulated Archetype Points or AP, which could be used to buy random Skills from the Archetype or Job System. The list of Potential Skills that could be bought depended on the Attributes of the Students he had.
For example, if he took a budding Mage as a student, the random Skills he could purchase would gravitate more towards the magical end of the spectrum.
This told him one thing; under the right conditions, his Embryo was damn awesome despite not being a direct offense type.
Needless to say, after visiting the Village there was only one goal on Ace's mind; survival. And to do that, he would need to Evolve his Embryo and Level Up.
Each Embryo started off as a Form Zero, or a Seed. This Seed would analyze his behavior, memory and biorhythm before developing itself in a way that complemented him, upon which it would be 'born' and become a Form 1 Embryo, like his Chiron currently was.
There were a total of 7 such Embryo Forms. In Forms 1-3, an Embryo was considered Low-Rank, in Forms 4-6, an Embryo was considered High-Rank, and in Form 7, the pinnacle of Embryo Evolution, it would be known as a Superior Embryo. When an Embryo Evolved, the pool of 'Resources', which was the building block of this power, that an Embryo had access to increased, allowing it to become exponentially stronger and gain new Skills. At Forms 4-7, an Embryo would unlock its Ultimate Skill, the clearest expression of its power and Concept. Ultimate Skills usually involved the name of the Embryo, so he would keep an eye out when Chiron got that strong.
Ultimate Skills in the series were dope as hell. An Embryo called War God Ship, Baldr, had the Ultimate Skill called Unmatched God of War, Baldr, which turned the warship into a freaking mech over a hundred meters tall that could be perfectly controlled by its Master, replicating his movements without any Pacific Rim style neural lag whatsoever, and increased his HP to 100 times his base STR Stat, his END to match his base STR Stat and his AGI to half of his base STR Stat. Afterwards, his base STR was doubled. Also, he had all the weapons you would associate mechs with like missiles and stuff. These Buffs lasted an hour at least, by the way.
Needless to say, one of Baldr's battles removed an entire mountain range within minutes, and would have kept going if said battle hadn't been forcibly stopped by a third party.
Ace knew that Chiron's Ultimate Skill wouldn't be anything as flashy as that, because it wasn't an offensive Embryo but was more of a Support Type, but he knew it would be awesome regardless. He just needed to survive long enough to get his Embryo to that stage.
As was probably obvious, Leveling Up and gaining practical experience was the way to Evolve your Embryo.
Although in his case, that was easier said than done.
One might wonder what the problem was; after all, Ace was clearly in some kind of starting area, right?
Wrong.
The weakest Monsters in this 'Bael Territroy' had easily ten times his own Stats, and the ones higher on the food chain were even worse.
Rightfully fearing death, Ace had avoided getting into fights, knowing full well that he didn't have the power to survive confrontations with the people or creatures in the area.
But the fact remained that he had to get stronger, regardless of his feelings or the difficulty of such a goal.
Ace had determined that he was in some kind of anime-like World, judging by the weird hair colors and the disproportionally large racks on the women there.
He wasn't a pervert by any means, but he had been taken aback by the sheer impossibility of the body proportions he had seen.
How could their spines support that kind of weight?!
Anyways, by piecing the clues together, it became obvious that this specific World adhered to some kind of Battle Harem Genre.
Key Word: 'Battle'. While things may not be as bad as in Dragon Ball Z, which was basically hell for any Self Insert or Transmigrant who didn't become Goku, it was a well known fact that the weak usually didn't survive or had to suffer unspeakable harm in these kinds of settings.
And that was unacceptable for him. He may not have been a prideful person, but Ace refused to keel over and die to some brain-dead moron who could spam laser beams.
The problem was, once again, that there was no beginning point for him to work up from. He had been dropped in a late-game area, with nothing but his clothes and a bit of money. Thankfully, it had been converted into the currency these people used, Japanese Yen of all things, so he had been able to buy some amenities.
He'd spent the rest of the week using them up and avoiding getting hunted by the extremely powerful, but thankfully, extremely dumb super animals.
Which led to his current situation, hiding in the dead of the night.
Only one thing was on his mind; getting stronger, so he could survive in this dangerous new World he had been thrust into.
'I need to take full advantage of Chiron's Skill.' he thought to himself, pulling out a fruit and munching on it. 'I've already planned a Job Build out based on the kind of Skills I think Chiron will get when it Evolves, but I still haven't used its existing Skill properly.'
This was true. Based on Infinite Dendrogram's Job System, which his own System was clearly a version of, he would have the ability to pick 6 Low-Rank Jobs that capped at Level 50, 2 High-Rank Jobs that capped at Level 100, and any number of Superior Jobs, which had no Level Cap.
Thankfully, he had been provided with a Job List to pick his First Job from, so he had planned things out.
Based on Chiron's ability to download random Skills, it became clear to Ace that Min-Maxing was NOT the way to go.
Since he had no control over what Skills he got when using Great Teacher's Skill Gacha, he would end up getting Skills from all ends of the spectrum, making it quite wasteful for him to try and specialize in one thing.
So the path ahead was fairly obvious; he had to plan a Build that was versatile enough to let him Master everything. He needed to make a combination of Jobs that would allow him to use a vast array of both Physical and Magical Skills without suffering any penalties.
It had taken him an entire day to come up with something suitable, but Ace was pretty confident with his plan.
For his first Job, he had chosen Gladiator, a Job that allowed its user to Equip all types of Weapons and allowed them to use Skills from all ends of the Physical spectrum. He could have gone for Mage, the other cornerstone of his Build, but Ace desperately wanted to have superior physical Stats because he was tired of being weaker than even village children.
Plus, he would feel a little more confident in himself once he could crush rocks with his bare hands.
However, even though he had chosen his Job and had even gotten a nifty Skill out of it, Ace's main problem decided to rear its head once more.
He didn't have a safe way to grind Levels.
Hell, he didn't even have any weapons except for a dull sword that had shattered when it was stepped on by some kind of mutant deer on Day 3.
He was stuck, and there was no solution in sight.
'Okay, Ace, think! An Embryo is an expression of your true self. So obviously, the way to make it stronger is by doing what I want to do. I want to get strong, but that's only a goal because I want to survive! That's not my dream!'
He may have forgotten his family name, but Ace still remembered his past.
Born into a wealthy family, the son of a revolutionary businesswoman and a soldier, he'd lived a miserable life.
It may have been surprising, but having money didn't mean one had happiness. As a kid, he'd thought those words were spoken by poor people who were jealous of those who'd made fortunes, but Ace had found out the truth in those words as he grew older.
Funnily enough, it wasn't that his parents hated each other. In fact, it was the exact opposite. They loved each other, and as such, efficiently teamed up against him.
Not to say that they were abusive or malicious. They weren't drunkards, nor did they have any violent tendencies. In fact, despite being a soldier, his father was a pacifist.
In a sense, that was the real problem. He couldn't hate his parents because they made his life miserable out of love, not anger.
In simple terms, they wanted the best for him, just like any good parent. However, the way they went about it was completely wrong.
'Controlling' didn't even begin to describe them. His life had been planned out before he was even born. Every meal, every action was decided by a strict schedule designed to 'bring out the best in him'.
They even had protocols and alternate schedules for when he got sick.
Safe to say, Ace felt more like livestock than a human being. The subject of a simulation, designed to bring out the latent potential within a human being.
The closest thing to human experimentation that could be called legal.
Even his name, Ace, was less of an expression of individuality but more like a prophecy, of the person he had to become.
It was maddening, and the worst part was that his parents loved him more than anything, even if they had a rather twisted way of showing it.
He couldn't bring himself to protest their iron grip over his life, and he couldn't stand the life they had planned out for him.
He was locked in a gilded cage, and he knew it.
It was already decided what he would become when he grew older; he would take over the family business, and propel it to new heights. The Ace of [%+#~+] Industries.
What a joke.
Didn't he get a say in how he wanted to live his life?
That question had always been on his lips, but when he had seen how happy his parents were whenever he had brought home a trophy, or when his teachers proudly proclaimed how great of a student he was, he just couldn't bring himself to ask it.
But that didn't mean he would let his experiment of a life continue the way it was going. Ace's freedom was worth more to him than any amount of money or fame.
As soon as he had turned 14, he had begun planning his escape, using the same skills his parents had taught him. Luckily, almost everyone among his caretakers had sympathized with him, and helped him with his own scheme for emancipation.
After three years, he had been ready. Ready to fake his own death, change his identity, and live his life the way he saw fit.
Unfortunately for him, whatever Gods that existed seemed to decide it was Isekai time for him, and now he found himself in the magical Amazon, hiding from beasts that could make a dinosaur whimper.
But he'd had a dream of his own, separate from the whims of his parents.
To become a teacher.
Ace's goal was to become a teacher, a desire born from his own twisted upbringing. He wanted to impart his own skills onto the next generation, and prove it was possible to bring even those who seemingly lacked potential to greatness without basically turning them into ROOT-style puppets.
'That's right. I want to become a great teacher, and create greater people, legends and pioneers who would go down in history. That's why I manifested Chiron, an Embryo that makes me stronger by taking on suitable Students.'
As soon as he reaffirmed his goal, Ace was rewarded by a bunch of Messages popping up in his face.
'[System Main Quest Discovered: Become the World's Greatest Teacher.]
[Main Quest is divided into Phases. Phase 1: Take on a single Student judged as worthy by Chiron.]
[Due to Main Quest being Discovered, Auxillary Menu Options have been Unlocked. Monthly Lottery is now available. Map is now available. Shop is now available.]
[Due to Prerequisite Conditions being met, Kaleidoscope Protocol has been engaged.]'
Kaleidoscope Protocol? What the hell was that?
As if in response, a new Message popped up, but this one was written in stylized font, like a traditional letter.
'[Greetings, Ace. If you are reading this message, you have understood the purpose behind your little cross-dimensional trip. This World is a dangerous place filled with powers that boggle the mind, and a World that could desperately use a teacher far more than a warrior. Don't delude yourself; you weren't the best candidate for the the job. Countless others had the same dream and aspiration you have, some even more talented than yourself. However, the best candidate isn't always the right one, and so you were chosen for this task. You're already aware of the power granted to you; an Embryo and the Game Mechanics of the Infinite Dendrogram Multiverse, modified to suit the task at hand. This is what you will start off with. The rest of your journey, the heights you reach and the lives you shape depends on you, and you alone. You've been given a chance to live your life the way you always wanted to, an opportunity many would kill for. Don't waste it. There may be second chances, but there is never a third. It may sound harsh, but I am only trying to prepare you for what is to come. This isn't a kind World, and if you aren't careful, you won't survive. And that's the best case scenario. You now stand at the beginning of a road almost none of our other candidates have travelled before; the Path of the Teacher. Whether you will become a pioneer in your own right, or a warning example to those who may follow in your footsteps remains uncertain. Failure is not in your best interest. There is nothing more to say, except for maybe a parting gift, a few words of advice; go North. Good luck, and Goodbye.]'
The Message faded as soon as he finished reading, wiping itself from existence, but the message lingered on his mind as he leaned against the tree trunk, shocked out of his mind.
Ace looked down at his hands, which were trembling.
There may be second chances, but there is never a third.
The haunting words reverberated through his mind, because they were completely correct.
With the exception of Re: Zero, which basically turned the phrase on its head, almost every Isekai from Wise Man's Grandchild to Narnia seemed to gloss over the concept, despite it being a very real possibility.
You never heard of someone being reincarnated twice.
The threat in that Message wasn't aimed at him; it was a warning. That's what scared Ace.
Most people in his shoes wouldn't even have been affected by the Message. They would have merely ignored it and instead try to experience their generic power fantasies. But not him. Ace was able to read between the lines. To him, the Message meant three things;
A) This wasn't really important at the moment, but there was apparently someone capable of reality manipulation on an unprecedented scale, if he or she or it was able to breach dimensions so easily and do stuff only seen in fantasy.
B) He was in some kind of shonen World, and the odds of him remaining out of the limelight were close to zero. Unique people, no matter how hard they tried to run, could never escape THE PLOT, and he didn't mean to brag, but he was about as unique as one could get. Doubly so if there was someone or something out there that could detect transdimensional beings.
C) Just because he had cool new powers didn't mean the road ahead would be smooth sailing.
Ace already knew that third point though, considering that there were children out there who could bench more than him.
In the face of all this, Ace couldn't help but be scared. It was only natural as a human being from a time when conflicts rarely escalated, and bloodshed was a thing only seen only in media for the most part. He came from a World without magic, where the next big concern was over how he would make enough money to buy the new model car or next-gen gaming console.
And he immediately knew that this was going to be his biggest weakness moving forward; his mentality.
The natural residents of Worlds like the one he was in prioritized raw power and survival. They killed their enemies without mercy as it was the natural thing to do. They acted on raw impulse and performed ridiculous feats. Their psyche was on a fundamentally different wavelength compared to someone like Ace. The existence of magic only increased Ace's belief in this theory; the addition of such a force would have had a profound development on the general mental state of its inhabitants.
He wasn't like that. And that could get him killed if he wasn't careful.
Ace took a deep breath as he calmed himself down. He was scared, because even the weakest the new World had to offer were stronger than him. But he couldn't let that fear control him, otherwise he would be cowering in forests for the rest of his life until the crossfire from some World-ending battle nailed him.
The time for indecision was over. It was time to keep moving towards his destiny, no matter what it may have been.
Ace remembered what the writer of the Message had told him; go North. Now that he had the Map unlocked, it was fairly easy to see which way led North. Unfortunately, his Map was mostly blacked out since he hadn't discovered any area beyond the small patch of land he had woken up in.
Not that it mattered, since the compass function was still present.
Making sure that there were no wild beasts out and about, Ace jumped down from the tree and began trudging North, wondering what he would find.
As he kept walking, Ace decided to check out the Lottery, because it was his only hope of getting the ball rolling. If he could get some kind of weapon or even the equivalent of a Rare Candy, he would be golden. It could only be used once a month though, which was a bummer.
Silently offering a prayer to whatever Gods that were out there, he activated the Lottery. As soon as he did so, a screen appeared bearing a roulette wheel, much like the ones in casinos, complete with the standard 37 slots, red and black, 0-36, etc.
Before he got the opportunity to observe more details, however, the wheel began spinning. The numbers began to blur, and from out of nowhere, a single golden ball dropped into the roulette. Eventually the ball lost momentum and stopped in slot number 16.
'[Expert Weapon Kit Obtained]
[This Item grants a weapon of reasonable power, along with 2 Skills related to its usage.]'
Luck was on his side, apparently. Ace let out a silent cheer with a fist-pump, feeling much better than he had earlier. A good weapon and two additional Skills to go with it? Count him in!
Without wasting any time, Ace tapped on the Expert Weapon Kit, causing it to open with a flash of light.
'[Expert Weapon Kit has been opened. Crimson Dead Keepers (X2) Obtained. Anemo Drill Unlocked. Arms Breaker Unlocked.]'
Ace looked on in amazement as the Crimson Dead Keepers, crimson chains that ended in a pyramid-shaped tip, were automatically Equipped onto each of his arms, wrapping comfortably beneath his sleeves, hidden from sight.
New knowledge had also entered his mind, as he obtained the two Skills that had come along with the chains.
This was a stroke of fortune. While they were closer to mid-game weapons than anything else, the Crimson Dead Keepers were a godsend in his current situation. They possessed a pair of Skills that was so good that even Figaro, one of Infinite Dendrogram's strongest Superiors, continued to use them despite them being on the weaker side in terms of Stats among high-tier gear. Considering that Figaro's Embryo removed that problem, it wasn't really a surprise.
Just to make sure he wasn't mistaking his new weapons, Ace brought up their description window.
'[Crimson Dead Keeper: Chains forged through unknown means, strong enough to rend flesh with ease. It's said their rattle is the sound of death. No matter where the enemy may hide, there is no escape. +550 ATK.
Equip Skills:
- Auto Enemy Detect
- Range Extension]'
Definitely mid-tier weaponry, though Ace doubted the same would apply when village children could bench boulders. Regardless, they were definitely above his current weight class, which was good enough for him. Plus, they were utility weapons more than they were offensive ones.
Auto Enemy Detect was a Skill that allowed the Crimson Dead Keepers to seek out enemies within their range, even if they were invisible. It was handy, especially because it meant he couldn't get caught by surprise if someone tried to sneak up on him and attack him within physical range.
Of course, the other Skill the chains had, Range Extension, effectively allowed the chains to extend to almost 15 meters from their normal 5 meters, enhancing the viable range of its first Skill.
They were no Enkidu, but they were still pretty cool nonetheless.
Ace was interrupted from his reverie by a faint cry that rang out in the night.
He hesitated for a moment, knowing full well that it would be much safer to ignore whatever was going on.
But his empathy as a human being ultimately won out, possibly because he was more confident thanks to acquiring some good weaponry.
Plus, he was ninety percent sure this was the reason he had been told to go North by the guy who had stuck him in his current World.
However, the last bit of hesitation was removed when he recognized that the owner of the voice was a child. Even if they were obscenely strong, even more so than adult men, that didn't mean he would abandon one to the mercies of the magical beasts that roamed the forests.
'Besides' , he thought to himself with a grin as he kicked off from the tree he was on as he sped towards the source of the noise. 'I'm sick of playing things safe.'
Call him reckless, but he was tired of sitting around and planning things out. God knows he'd done enough of that in his old life.
He found the source of the problem within seconds.
According to the words floating above its head, it was a Tyrant Sabertooth. Despite its name, it wasn't the most powerful of the beasts in the forest, but that didn't mean it was weak by any means. With the ability to vibrate their fangs and turn them into HF Blade knock offs, they were deadly predators.
Said Sabertooth, which looked smaller than the norm for its species, was chasing a small, black-haired boy who couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 years old.
Ace didn't waste any time. He cast a Skill as soon as the Crimson Dead Keepers shot out from within his sleeves, glinting coldly in the light of the moon as they sailed towards their target.
"Anemo Drill!"
As they automatically homed in on the Sabertooth thanks to their Equip Skill, the pyramid-shaped heads of the Crimson Dead Keepers began to rotate rapidly, small winds kicking up until they were surrounded by a drill-like tornado of barely restrained elemental energy.
They tore into the hide of the beast as soon as they made contact, causing it to roar in pain as the wind drills penetrated into its unprotected chest cavity. Though they only made it a few centimeters past the surface of the hide, the blistering, razor-sharp winds shredded the internal organs of the beast for the second they remained active.
A Critical Hit.
As the name suggested, Anemo Drill was a Skill that imbued the heads of chain weapons with Wind Element Energy, giving them a massive boost to their penetrating power and causing them to hit harder than usual. It was fairly expensive considering he was only Level 1, and his MP was now completely depleted despite only using the Skill for a second, and at its weakest.
However, they had done their job. Ace, knowing that he didn't have the STR to overpower the Sabertooth, as wounded as it was, instead pulled himself towards the downed beast, before channeling his momentum into a single stomp that snapped its neck and finished it off.
He cringed in anticipation, expecting his legs to become mush from the force, but to his surprise, he was able to kick off of the dead beast and perform a backflip, landing neatly on his feet with only a small shock of mild pain, as the Crimson Dead Keepers retreated into his sleeves.
A small ping alerted him to the reason why.
He had Leveled up 10 times from the kill, putting him at Level 11, and his Stats had increased within that split second to the point where he was able to perform a move like that without breaking his legs, though they were still somewhat sore.
But that wasn't important. Even the euphoria of him now having a fighting chance against the World was drowned out by concern for the child he had saved, who was looking at him with wide eyes. Ace kind of expected the kid to burst into questions or commend him for how strong he was, but the shock didn't seem to have taken its leave yet.
He was about to speak up, when Chiron decided to make its presence known, its mechanical voice whispering in his head.
'Student Candidate of sufficient potential has been located. Recommended course of action; acquire Candidate as Student.'
Ace blinked, before getting down on one knee so that he was the same height as the boy, intended as a placating gesture.
"What's your name, kid?" he asked kindly, trying not to startle or scare him. He doubted such a thing would happen, because he had clearly just saved the kid's life, but one could never be certain.
"S-sairaorg." murmured the child, wiping his tears and looking him in the eye despite the experience he had just gone through. "Sairaorg Bael."
{An Excerpt From A Time That Is To Come}
The origins of Ace Sagittarius, better known as The Professor or The Technical Apex, remain steepled in mystery.
Investigations by historians from multiple races all over the World have failed to yield even a single clue as to the origins of this Legendary figure, almost as if he didn't exist before his fateful meeting with a young Sairaorg Bael.
It boggles the mind as to how an extraordinary person such as himself remained practically invisible until that point time, especially when there are eyes everywhere and entire organizations that snapped up those with even an ounce of power.
Lord Ace himself never spoke of his origins, referring to it as "a time long past" with much melancholy. This led some to believe that he was from the same time period beings like Ophis and Great Red came into existence, a time when the World was a very different place.
However, the facts didn't seem to add up. Testimony from Ophis her(?)self revealed that neither she nor Great Red knew of his existence during their youth, and while that may be attributed to The Professor's signature lack of presence, there are those who disagree.
Lady Sona Sitri, herself a student of Lord Ace, proposed the most popular theory regarding his origins to date; that Ace was in fact a being born from the Dimensional Gap in recent times, forming a Trio with Great Red and Ophis. This theory gained ground as it was reasoned that Lord Ace's lack of presence along with the fact that neither Great Red nor Ophis seemed to know of him beforehand despite their natures, hinted that while Ophis was the Infinite, and Great Red was the Dream, Lord Ace himself embodied the concept of Nothingness, or the Void.
Many people, including myself, are forced to admit that the hypothesis seems sound. The Professor's dislike of the spotlight was well known. Many have described him paradoxically as a person who can "fade into the background" yet someone with the capability to "be a physical presence in the room". He never accepted more than he needed, and made miracles with the bare minimum he had. He spoke rarely, but when he did, his words carried weight and were never wrong. Wisdom like his could only have been attained from someone like Sun Wukong or The Buddha, but as the Gods themselves were oblivious to him until he revealed himself to the World, it is believed his own nature as the Concept of Nothingness granted him the wisdom he is known to possess, much like Ophis' near-infinite power or Great Red's natural ability to gain power from the collective dreams of all living things.
However, many mysteries remain regarding one of the greatest figures in modern history. There's still so much that remains unknown that it is something historians like myself spend entire lifetimes trying to crack.
Regardless, the influence of this simple being, a legendary teacher who eclipsed figures like Drona, Merlin and even Scáthach, remains undeniable.
Without hesitation, I can confidently say that the fate of our World was shaped by his guiding hands.
And maybe that alone, is why we live in a Golden Age greater than any that came before it.
- Seiya Dantalion, The Technical Apex: A Biography, Chapter 1.
And that's a wrap, folks! Before I continue, I'd like to quickly post a little profile for Ace;
Name: Ace (Sagittarius)
Race: Entity (formerly human)
Crest: Sagittarius Constellation (Blue)
Main Job: Gladiator
Sub Job: None
Main Job Level: 11
Total Job Level: 11
HP: 1200
MP: 200
SP: 1500
STR: 50
AGI: 50
END: 50
DEX: 50
LUK: 10
Embryo: Technical Professor, Chiron
Type: Rule
Description: An Embryo that takes the form of a neural implant in Ace's brain. It has a mechanical voice and is capable of talking to him telepathically and downloading information into his neural network. It is designed around the core Concepts of 'Technical Proficiency' and 'Teacher'.
Embryo Skills:
- Great Teacher: Chiron's First Form Skill. Chiron is able to assess people and determine candidates whom Ace can take on as a Student. When he does so, he gains the ability to tell the Status and Location of his Students, as long as they're alive. Additionally, gaining and training Students yields AP, or Archetype Points. These can be used to buy new Skills at random. The Skill Gacha is influenced by the talents of his Students. It is possible that upon Evolving, there may be more uses for AP.
Embryo Stat Boost: All Stats except LUK receive a mid-level increase.
Personal Skills:
- Anemo Drill: A Skill to be used with chains or drill weapons. Imbues the head with the wind element and causes it to rotate rapidly, forming a small, localized tornado spearhead. High chance of scoring Critical Hits.
- Arms Breaker: A Skill that does no damage to enemies, but does 10 times the damage of a normal attack on a piece of Equipment. This Skill's effect works on Sacred Gears at later Levels.
And that's the gist of his Build at the moment. As you can see, it is quite special, and I can honestly say I haven't done a Build like this, one that focuses on sheer versatility, ever before.
Not to mention Chiron is a great Embryo concept. You guys will see it in action next chapter.
Do check out the Infinite Dendrogram Wiki if you have any questions regarding his weapons, the Crimson Dead Keepers, or about the Embryo System. And read the LNs too, because Dendrogram is an amazing franchise that doesn't get much love.
Anyways, slight spoiler at the end, but like in Hero Complex, I want to show you what Ace will become. It's not like I spoiled much anyway. All I revealed in that little excerpt was that Sona will also be one of his Students.
OKAY, NOW IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE STORY ITSELF!
As you guys can see, this is a completely new take on a Gamer story in general, forget DxD; an OC whose powers actively drive his ambition to become a great teacher like his Embryo's namesake, Chiron. And his first student is none other than Sairaorg Bael himself.
Also, remember what I said about the mentality aspect of this story? I touched upon it in this chapter when I talked about Ace's backstory, which is actually something that happened to a good friend of mine, except he didnt get isekaid and made his escape. In fact, his name actually equated to "Ace" in his native language.
One thing I notice with DxD SI/OC fics, and just SI/OC stories in general, is that the main characters are all sociopaths.
You're telling me that an "average" guy from Earth who never did much gets transported to another World, and the first thing he thinks of is how to derail the plot in his favor, bag his favorite waifus and grab as much power as possible?!
That doesn't sound normal at all. Especially the same MCs who kill off Issei to take his Boosted Gear for convenience. That isn't normal by any means; that's sociopathy. I don't understand how some SIs can be perfectly "normal" and do the things they do.
I know it's fanfiction, but I can't help but scratch my head over it.
As is apparent in the story, I want to deviate from that norm, and Ace will act as normally and rationally as he can. More descriptions on his mindset and psychology will also be provided in future chapters.
I'm actually going to have a lot of fun with this story, so I hope you guys do too.
That's all I wanted to say for this chapter, so goodbye and be safe, everyone!
Spatialphoenix, burning to ashes.