Sitting on a broken stone slab with as much comfort one could get, I took a lazy and tired look around the 'battlefield' that I was just engaged in. Hundreds if not thousands of corpses of the deceased zombies littered the abandoned city, the grotesque smell of rotting flesh filling my nostrils; how delightful.
Slaughtering so many Zombies was definitely… challenging, but through the use of throwing solid broken concrete mixed with steel rods and flinging Dream Arrows at them wantonly with precision - along with a few broken daggers later- I have finally obtained a satisfactory result.
[Leveled Up!]
[Dungeon enemies cleared!]
[Beginner's luck perk deactivated!]
"Stats"
Tsuki Satanachia
Level - 15 (2%)
Class - Mage (3/100) [27%]
Race - Devil
Alignment - Self
HP - 2,040 [128 per minute]
MP - 3,280 [368 per minute]
STR - 13 (4x) = 52
END - 16 (4x) = 64
DEX - 14 (4x) = 56
INT - 21 (4x) = 84
WIS - 46 (4x) = 184
CHA- 25 (4x) = 100
LCK - 7 (4x) = 28
Stat - 40
Credits - 621,400
My MP and HP have dramatically increased since I first entered the dungeon -courtesy of leveling up- I even increased my other stats through pure exercise, basically swinging around my dagger at anything that moved gave me a few extra appreciated stats.
It wasn't much and seemed insignificant compared to improving my stats using my stat points but it was a lot cheaper and steady than relying on stat points which should be only used to reach a qualitative change or in a dire situation.
My Dream Arrow also nearly reached the level cap it was given; it was something I held anticipation for as the Gamer System has refused to answer my inquiries about tiers, leaving me to reach it myself as my only option.
Though, halfway through the grind, I noticed that leveling up turned into a snail pace and through a little poking around, I found out the source of my frustrations.
To which I showed a… dignified and calm reaction.
[EXP has not reached the requirement for leveling up
16K EXP/819K EXP ]
What the hell was this?
What kind of sadistic bastard does this?
Even with my experience in demeanor, it quickly broke in Exp gauge, while it was quick and easy to level up in the beginning; as time passed, the requirement to level up would reach an absurd level.
It was something that would bring me great headaches in the future no doubt. It didn't take a genius to see that the approach the creator took to levels was to double the EXP requirement with each level up.
My lips curl into a deep frown as I sit in ponder, my level would soon reach a bottleneck and there wasn't any doubt about it. Currently, in hand the only methods to gain EXP are both quests and dungeons.
I haven't attempted to explore the second dungeon due to Beginner's Luck, I wanted to make as much use of it as possible and gain some decent loot, which I obtained.
The second -quests- was harder to do, since I can only receive them through meeting certain conditions or having the Gamer System give them to me.
Oh man, if only you had two extremely important quests that you should've checked out immediately, but were too busy slapping zombies with your dick.
… yeah she's still pissy about me calling her Tsundere.
Taking the System's words to mind, I vocally open my quest list.
[Racial Advancement Quest]
Objectives
-Gain 50 Reputation/Affection with a Satan (0/50)
-Reach Level 50 (15/50)
-Create 5 skills using Demonic Energy or Mona (1/5)
-Kill a total of 10,000 creatures (6,234/10,000)
Reward: Optional Race Evolution
Failure: Race Bonuses Reduction
Time: 6 Months
[Class Quest]
Objectives
-Obtain over 100 base INT and WIS stat (21/100) (46/100)
-Have 3 Intermediate Tier skills (0/3)
-Reach Level 10 [Completed!]
Bonus Objective
-Create or Learn 5 unique rarity skills (0/5)
Reward: Additional Class Option
Bonus Reward: Void Grimoire
Failure: Penalty lock (Class Quests will be locked for 5 years)
Time: 3 Months
…
There was a moment of silence as I rubbed my temples to soothe my ever growing headache, which should've been impossible. I literally had Gamer's Mind, and yet here I was still feeling the throbbing phantom sensation.
Finishing the Racial Advancement Quest during that time frame is a task that would need my full attention and effort, but finishing the Class Quest along with it? It was impossible.
I have no doubt I could reach level 50 before the time limit finishes, but the biggest and most detrimental requirement would have to be obtaining 100 reputation or affection with a Satan.
How was I supposed to meet one?
I mockingly laughed, more so at myself than anyone, I thought it would be easy; living a comfy life and gaining power. Of course I didn't expect anything from the idea, but I would be lying if I said I hadn't clung onto a small fragment of hope.
But nothing in life that is worth obtaining is ever easy.
[Warning! Requirements have been reached!
Boss incoming!]
It never is simple.
Getting off my ass, I entered a crudely developed fighting stance; gripping the dagger firmly downwards with a Dream Arrow ready to be fired from my left hand.
Feeling the rumbling below my feet, my left eyebrow rose as a round and circular shadow soon enveloped my entire figure and some buildings. With a raise of my head and saucer like eyes; I summoned my wings and with as much speed as I could, I pushed my body forward to avoid the descent of the blue creature.
Watching with hand-covered eyes, the massive slime lands onto the abandoned city as it pushes some of the smaller buildings, the corpses of the zombies below being absorbed.
So it can choose what to absorb?
"Observe"
Slime King
Level - 20
Class - None
Race - Slime
Alignment - Self
HP - 450
MP - 160
STR - 45
END - 40
DEX - 8
INT - 8
WIS - 5
CHA- 3
LCK - 5
My eyebrow arched further, this is it?
Besides the questionably weak stats of the slime, I also possessed far more questions that drew my attention more than its rather weak strength.
Why was it a slime boss if this was a zombie dungeon? Perhaps the Gamer System wasn't smart enough to stick with the original theme of the dungeon? It was certainly a possibility with the intelligence of the System.
Hey! For your information, your ass wouldn't be able to handle the Zombie Boss, so I sent an easier one! And you dying instantly is so boring, I rather you'd be tortured.
I can feel the love from here, no really.
Almost faster than my body is able to react, the slime sent a gel-like fist at me from its body; sliding to the left the supposedly soft gel ripped through my sleeve as it grazed across my shoulder.
My right eye twitched, who said it was easier?!
With a wave of my hand, I shot over the three Dream Arrows at the creature while the arm was retracting, much to my astonishment; the arrows only rippled against its skin.
[50% Damage neglected!]
[34 DMG Dealt!]
[34 DMG Dealt!]
[34 DMG Dealt!]
Well, that's annoying.
Despite my grumbling and annoyance, I had no time to express my grief for the situation as I jumped into the air to avoid the same pale blue hand as it shot back into its body, like some overgrown sticky hand whip.
Sending a particularly weak attack at me, I casually sliced off the gelatin-like hand of the slime with my short dagger with particular eaze. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.
[62 DMG Dealt!]
So direct attacks to the body warranted a massive damage reduction, but cutting off parts of its body didn't trigger it?
With wide eyes of surprise, the thin severed arm of the slime changed form from an imitation of a fist into a thin long pole as it pierced through my shoulder, casually changing direction mid air.
[You have suffered 693 DMG!]
[Damage Reduction leveled up! 4x]
What the hell!?
The new severed slime part acted as if it was its own entity, through gnashed teeth I narrowly dodged the new enemy with no chance to use Observe on it to confirm if it was a new adversary, or just the slime king being able to manipulated cleaved off parts of its body.
While I did dodge the piercing attack in mid air, I unfortunately had my attention focused on one enemy and not the main boss.
That's where everything took a turn.
Slamming onto my body with enough force to send my body flying and crashing into a building, my body tumbling and rolling the entire way as my body was launched into the already broken down establishment.
There were brief flares of pain along the way, to which I ignored to the best of my capability and focused on regaining my bearing.
My body stopped and collided with the wall of decading structure. A cobweb effect appeared on the cold and hard cracked wall as I arched over and coughed out blood, painting the floor bloody crimson.
I didn't think I could produce blood.
Gamer's body doesn't make you able to live without blood, you will cough up blood or have nosebleeds but there is no internal damage or anything that will last long, only chipped away HP.
[You have suffered 1,868 DMG!]
[Damage Reduction leveled up! 5x]
How nice.
Watching the slime drag its hefty body over the corpses of sliced up zombies, the small separate part of its body merging with the main one. I could only watch as said corpses began to dissolve as the Slime King's HP filled up completely.
No, it was going over it… its stats were increasing!?
Since when the fuck is this boss easy?!
In my defense, I thought the zombie would be a lot tougher since it was a bit higher level… I was mistaken, oh well.
Taking a deep breath in, I exhaled as my anger faded. Now wasn't the time to focus on such things, it wouldn't help my situation.
The fact of the matter is that the boss was stupidly powerful, severed parts could either act on their own or be controlled by it. The only reason I was alive was due to its intelligence, more specifically lack thereof.
Much like the Gamer System.
OI! Your ass is lucky that I took in the consideration that this was your first boss and didn't include its levels into its HP and MP!
I grumbled, I would rather have any other boss than one like this; even if the Slime King was weakened.
Fine, since you have no chance of winning and you dying so early on would be bad, here.
[Quest Added!]
[Dodge the tentacles]
Objectives
-Don't die
Bonus Objective
-Receive no damage
Reward: Luck Potion
Bonus Reward: Soul Subduement (Skill)
Failure: Death
Time: Infinite
A bloody smile crept up to my face, the copper taste filling my mouth as I did so. But that didn't stop my shit eating grin from appearing; my blood stained teeth showing.
"You don't want me to die"
It wasn't a question, it was a statement backed by confidence and snickering as the Gamer System refused to answer my observational claim.
Y-you… I do nice things for you and this is what I get!
Awww, is someone pouting?
My only response was a bundle of error messages along with adorable scrambled words. Ahh, I feel much better now after teasing the Gamer System.
Sitting up steadily, I watch as the slime treads its way through the abandoned city, its kaiju level body tumbling over buildings as the roar of colliding and falling debris fills my ears; three minutes huh?
Getting a running start, I freefall off of the large hole that I made with my own body, a familiar pair of bat-like wings sprouting from my back as I take to the skies.
Breathing in the polluted air, the wind pushed against my face as I felt the rushing wind maneuver around my body with eaze.
S-so you finally took my suggestion.
Pouting cute Tsundere.
...
And just like that, I once again achieved inner peace and silence.
Inwardly memorizing the three words just in case, I hum as my eyes stay glued to the monstrously sized boss; its stats tell me enough to know that it has an average level of human intelligence, which is enough reason for caution.
Raising a single hand I wait patiently as I watch the slime encroach ever closer to my location. Or at least the location below me.
Observing as the building I was previously in gets demolished at that point as it reaches its final destination; I have already summoned forth half of my mana reserves worth of Dream Arrows.
18 arrows were ready to be fired at any given moment. I even had a perfect angle, hell with the firepower in hand right now I have a chance to kill it.
But I underestimated it once and paid the price, my health was low, and its health was at its peak; the chances of things going wrong were just too high.
Also coupled with the fact that it held average human levels of intelligence, I knew for a fact it wasn't dumb enough to simply die out or hold still for 18 arrows to pierce its body.
Despite the lack of action as I held a tough front, pink phantom like arrows levitated around me.
There was also the fact that the reward, Soul Subduement, would be my only chance to learn Soul magic and get inspiration to create other techniques.
Watching my health slowly rise, relief flooded my nerves, the more time I stalled the closer I was to finishing the quest and the higher chance I had of winning with more HP.
Noticing the lack of response, the Slime King sent out 4 massive tentacles, a bit smaller than the ones that knocked me through the structures. My expression dimmed like the sky of this dimension.
Evading them to the best I could, my expression only fell further and further as I had to resort to launching the pink phantom arrows at the tentacles to destroy them.
Through gnashed teeth, I swayed my body through countless hurdles as the number of tentacle-like slime only increased. Through the corner of my eye; I spotted a solution.
Shooting out from above, I fly towards the most stable and durable building. It was clear to me that even if I did hold out long enough for the mission to end; I would run out of MP and be killed.
Hurling myself inside the building through the surprisingly present glass, I could only smile as the tentacles shoot in without direction. He can manipulate his body even if cut off, but the cleaved off body parts can't be their own entity.
It was the only comfort I had with the slime. If he could produce an army of self moving gel like what I once thought, I would be dead in seconds.
As the long blue and thick gel like tendrils probed around the building, I could only watch with progressive anxiety as the timer slowly ticked down; so close, just a bit more.
Unfortunately, God was dead and Michael seemed to be a prick.
With sudden precision and wariness, the tentacles shoot straight to my vicinity as I have no choice but to use the remaining Dream Arrows available to destroy them as I jump out another window and fly back into the skies.
As I did so, I couldn't help but be frustrated at my recklessness. Slime was intelligent, above the average human if his stats told me anything. He was probing to see if I would relax; he clearly had little patience.
Or he just finished whatever he was working on while acting as if he was probing…
Looking at the blue domain that trapped me in, I could only gape; what the actual hell was this!?
Humans who eat too much gain weight, the body's way of storing extra energy. Slimes are no different in this subject, though they gain weight a lot quicker. My advice? Get the fuck out of there.
Just my luck…
My expression turned grim, there wasn't any escape, the possibility of slicing my way out wasn't even on the table; I would be killed before I got ten feet near it.
Flinging out of the blue thick domain, I flew back as the tendrils surrounded me, the echo of the timer ticking down reverberating within my ear.
Get out of there idiot!
Flying back with higher speed, I could only watch as dozens of blue tentacles slowly reached towards my figure, their sharp ends being clear on their intent.
I swear to the almighty! If you don't get out of there Sato, I will request to isekai you again just to kill you!
I could feel overwhelming calmness sweep through me, I was calmer than I've ever been; was this what people near death felt like? Tranquility with a single ding resounding in your ears?
How… beautiful.
[Quest Completed!]
With a pleasant smile, I raised my hand, one eye reading the new skill. If the Gamer System gave it to me, then it should be enough to kill it; all I have to do is… trust her.
Gripping onto the potion I received, and with much effort and pain I gulped its contents down my throat.; the warm liquid tickling and drying my throat.
It was a pity it had to be used this way.
"Soul Subduement"
[Soul Subduement] -LVL 1/100 (0%) [Novice]
The souls of dead and or living beings can be forcefully extracted, if alive the subject will suffer depending if their soul is protected.
Cost: 1,000 MP
Damage: [WIS + 100]
Effect: Allows the user to steal the soul of the target, if killed or already dead
Rarity: Rare
Placing a single palm out against the tentacles, I let the cold sensation within my body out, the loud screeching of the Slime was enough to know the immense pain it was in.
Good.
As a silvery phantom ball began to extract itself from the monster, I gave a harsh pull as the large and soon compressed ball landed on my palm, a tingly warm sensation invading my limb at the feeling of holding a soul.
[CRIT! Double Damage!]
[Weak Soul! Double Damage!]
[1,136 DMG Dealt!]
[Boss Killed!]
What followed after was a continuous number of notifications, the gold letters emboldened by black filling my vision as I grinned. The Soul in my hand trembled as I looked at it with interest.
"Observe"
[Rare Soul]
The soul of a ferocious being, can be used in many applications.
Rarity: Rare
Frowning at the vague given details I toss it in my Inventory, I can experiment later; but for now I have another priority that needs to be handled before I leave.
Eying the corpses of the remaining zombies, a satisfied smile encroaches my face.
000
Seated in his chair, dark velvet wine in hand as Doku watched his son enter the manor during the night; his clothes riddled with dust and mud, he could only narrow his eyes at the sight.
What drew his attention wasn't the filthy state his son was in, nor was it the fact that the shy and fragile Tsuki suddenly turned into a charming young boy. No, it was the fact that demonic energy was coming from his body in waves.
The entire manor practically bathed in his energy, but how could he possibly reach such a height through a day of training? More so with considering his inexperience.
There wasn't any conceivable factor that allowed one to reach such heights with no guidance.
He would be sure to monitor him…
His son was intelligent, far so when he himself was at the tender age. Tsuki could have discovered a secret Doku's father left that even he wasn't aware of. Despite the fact he had been monitoring Tsuki every morning in the Library which told him otherwise; it was the only sensible explanation.
"Please inform Tsuki to meet me out in the training fields tomorrow morning" He casually informed a maid, his finger pressing a golden button that transferred his voice over.
Sometimes human technology was useful, they might be idiots but they were good at being lazy.
Leaning back in his chair, he ran a hand through his black wisps of hair, his mind deep in thought as he stared at the ward recording of Tsuki leaving and entering.
000
Something was wrong.
Entering my room I couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness, the feeling of being watched creeping up once more. I could only tense from the familiar situation as a dainty palm softly grasped my shoulder.
"Young master, you al-" Jumping in shock at the palm and words, my reaction causes the maid to stumble back and into a vase as it fell to the ground; the red intricate flowery patterned pottery shattering upon impact.
Softly grasping her waist and pulling her up; I allowed an apologetic smile to settle in place. It really was my fault for being too tense and paranoid.
"Sorry about that, you just caught me by surprise" Seeing the proximity between us, the young maid known as Sakura felt her face flush. They were only a few years apart, with Tsuki being fifteen and her being seventeen, and yet she could definitely call the young teen beautiful.
If only Tsuki knew her thoughts, he wouldn't be holding a smile.
Crouching down and picking up the large pieces, I extend a hand out to stop her as I watch her attempt to help.
"No need, wouldn't want you to bleed, now would we?" She hesitantly nodded as I cleaned and dumped away the broken remains of the porcelain.
Seeing her uneasy expression, a charming smile falls into place.
"How about this, you join me for a warm bath and we can call it even?" Feeling her already naturally flushed cheeks deepen in color, she could only shyly nod at her young master's request.
As we reached the large bathroom, it seemed like she was already aware of her position as she hastily began to strip me of my clothing; whether it was embarrassing haste or professional precision I didn't know.
Watching her strip herself as well, I couldn't help but draw my eyes away from the display; I might've been a twenty seven year old man in my past life, but I currently possessed the body of a teen freshly in puberty.
And with the Insatiable perk, it made it rather difficult to look away despite my attempts; having a teenager's hormones is not fun.
Sure, blame the hormones and perk.
Attempting to cover her perky breasts, a nice tilt of red splashed her cheeks as she hesitantly pried off her dainty hands; which gave me a good view of her cute strawberry tips.
Her blush could only turn atomic as she did her best to hold still for my prying eyes. It was honestly adorable and a sign that this was a first for her.
Sinking into the already prepared hot bath, a loud groan of pleasure escaped my mouth as my muscles began to relax. Tense muscles loosened and the mind began to calm down.
Feeling a shaky yet resolved palm softly dash a water filled sponge across my back, a satisfied smile crept upon my face. There was nothing better than a cute female washing your back.
Sorting through my memories, there wasn't a moment I could recall where the owner of the body before me ever truly interacted with Sakura. Besides nods and thanks of course but nothing truly significant.
"Tell me Sakura, how did you become our maid?" The sudden question caused her movement to freeze as she lightly jumped in spot; it was quite cute if I was being honest.
"U-Uh, well, from what mother told me; Our family owed the Satanachia family due to an old contract that saved my ancestor. Without any way to pay back we started serving your family from generation to generation" She slowly said as if reiterating an old fairy tale.
"You… don't hate working for us?" I raised an eyebrow, she couldn't see my expression, but with my tone it was obvious enough to see my surprise.
"Your family gave us a stable home, we get treated well, there's nothing more our family can ask for" Her earnest tone wanted me to voice out my own opinion but I clamped down.
The rest of the night settled in a tranquil and comfortable atmosphere
000
Walking down the hall of the estate first thing in the morning wasn't what I really had planned; fortunately, due to my past life I was used to sudden meetings and or gatherings so it was of no inconvenience to get dressed.
"So Father wants to talk with me over dinner?" Revealing my observation; Sakura nodded, it was to make an idle conversation more than anything else really.
"My Lord feared you would bury your head in books today, he merely wanted to speak with you and your brother early" I slowly nodded, it seemed like she didn't know much; or perhaps my affection score with her wasn't high enough?
[Affection with Sakura Suzuki]
(20/100)
If she was telling the truth; what could my father possibly be up to?
My vote is in disownment.
Ignoring the pesky voice in the back of my head, I finally arrived before the large doors; I knew once I opened them I would immediately have to put my guard up, one mishap and suspicion would be drawn.
What greeted me was my crossed arm brother, his piercing narrowed eyes trying to scrutinize me; it reminded me of those executives who always tried to find flaws with me, be they large or small.
How amusing.
Hearing the door close behind me with a loud thud; I bowed before my father.
"Pleasant morning, Father" I gave a smile to which he returned; gesturing to take a seat, I had no choice but to oblige in sitting in the uncomfortable atmosphere. Only thing more comfortable than that were the chairs, honestly; would it kill anyone here to place a plush down?
Usually; most kids my age would find the smoldering glare and uneasy pressure unbearable, but all it did was remind me of my past life's family dinners. So despite that, I continued as all was normal and sliced into the steak.
Clasping his palms, I was midway towards biting into the tender meat before I stopped to look.
"I merely thought it would be good to teach you a few family techniques; especially during these… perilous period of time." He voiced out as I raised an eyebrow, why now of all times?
Instead of pressing his statement, I merely gave a nod. There wasn't any point in complaining since I would be benefiting from this, learning more skills regarding Power of Dream is always welcomed; and some possible increase in my stats through natural training would be nice.
Doku smiled, it seemed like he was pleased with my answer, and judging by the glare of my older brother only turning sharper; it didn't take a genius to know he didn't feel quite the same.
To say the least, breakfast was awkward as I kept biting into the cooked food; past tutors making sure that my etiquette was up to date, they might have been unnecessary but they're showing their worth now.
Can't underestimate Doku quite yet; one flaw in the image of Tsuki and everything can come crumbling down.
It didn't take long for the three of us to finish; a certain tension buzzed through the air as we made our way to the fields. Luckily enough, the sun had barely begun to rise and as such a refreshing breeze drifted through the wind.
The field we stood at was nothing special, just another grassy piece of land; and yet from the demonic energy residue, I could tell there was more than meets the eye despite appearances.
Of course, there were the obvious signs.
My eyes gazed at the weapons that laid neatly on the field; from the craters and cobweb crack mark effects, it was easy to see evidence of past training.
"Here, catch."
Raising an eyebrow as I was tossed a wooden sword; I caught it from the air as I gripped onto the handle. It was a bit heavier than the dagger and unbalanced; but it would do just fine for a sparring match.
If it wasn't obvious by my brother grabbing a larger wooden sword and getting into a stance, point being directed to me. Well, that definitely doesn't scream danger and bloodlust, getting into a mediocre stance myself; my father nods approvingly.
It seemed like he didn't have to help or explain all that much.
"Today, we'll be focusing on increasing your swordsmanship skills, depending on how you do; at the end of the day, we can focus on your clan magic or go further into the art of the sword." My father explained easily enough, by the time I nodded my body was forced to jump backwards by a horizontal slash from my brother.
[Quest Added!]
[Brotherly Duel]
Objective
-Hold your ground against Neru
Bonus Objective
-Win the Duel
Reward: 50K EXP and Training with Doku
Bonus Reward: ?
Failure: EXP Reduction
Time: 1 Minute
Gritting my teeth; I was placed onto the defense as I swirled from the heavy slashes of Neru, the sword in hand causing the air to split the air with each strike.
[Skill Created!]
As my heels dug into the mud, I had no choice but to continue to tank my brother's relentless attacks. And from my brother's expression, he wasn't anywhere near his limit; he was just toying around.
Clashing against the broad said of his brother's wooden sword; Neru frowned, this was it? Increasing his pace, his anger soon followed as his power increased. Eventually, his sword was coated with Demonic Energy.
Don't you think it's time to counterattack?
'Just a bit more' Holding his cracked wooden sword from the handle and edge, he sustained the barrage of attacks. And despite his seemingly desperate situation, he was calm; frighteningly so.
[You have suffered 10 DMG]
[You have suffered 10 DMG]
Despite the fact that a small crater formed below his feet, he still held on and that was because of a single reason.
[Sword Proficiency] -LVL 2/10 (39%) [Novice]
Grants the user ever increasing skill involving all blades and swords
Effect: All blades and or of similar status; in the user's hand gains a 20% DMG increase
Rarity: Rare
While Weapon Proficiency focused on all weapons, be they sword, spear, bow, crossbow, axe, etc. they only gained a small increase. But a proficiency that focused on a single weapon increased the damage output by a terrifying amount.
As long as I was engaged in combat with any type of sword my Sword Proficiency would increase; of course the pace of it depends on the level difference between my enemy and I. At least I didn't have to engage in the offensive to increase it
Ignoring the notifications from the system; I held on, tightly gripping the blade.
'Almost there…'
000
Doku
Frowning as he observed his son; Doku couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it almost seemed as if his son seemed to be in a more aggressive stance as he pushed back the attacks with equal force. Slowly but surely, gaps were made between Neru's consistent slashs.
Almost as if he was pleased, Tsuki's eyes gleamed; taking a step forward he dashed between the attacks of Neru.
A small grin made its way to Tsuki's face as he launched a surprise attack; shocked, Neru nearly faltered as he barely defended himself, the awkwardness and suddenness causing his brother's attack to have all the more effect.
Trembling under the force from the younger Devil; Neru nearly caved from the pressure and force as their weapons grinded against one another.
Neru was shocked, his teeth gnashing even as he coated the weapon with more of his Demonic Energy; judging from his father's lack of action, he seemed to be fine with his usage of enhancing his physical prowess with his energy.
Whether because he wanted to test Tsuki or him; Neru didn't know nor did he particularly care.
Sliding off my brother's attack with the flat side of the wooden weapon; I took a chance and finally revealed my strength.
It was slow at first, but under Doku's gaze he could feel the pressure being slowly stacked against his eldest son; the speed of Tsuki's attacks increasing in pace and ferocity.
It was nothing short of amazing.
The speed at which Tsuki picked up the style of Neru was frightening; even more so when he successfully managed to counter it by sustaining his attacks and causing a gap to appear.
And yet that wasn't what was most terrifying. The expressionless void that were his son's eyes, his expression was one of callousness; his lips thinned out as he swung his wooden weapon.
The way his body moved, dancing through the air; his rampage of attacks flawlessly hitting each opening. He was a monster, not even the genius of the Gremory family had learned the art of swordsmanship to such a degree.
The most significant change was his personality; cold and void of motion with his family, nothing but a polite and expressionless devil. And yet, he cared a smile; a facade to hide the lack of real emotion.
Just how much has his son changed? Or perhaps he was always like that.
Tsuki
Frowning even as I slowly pushed his brother back; I could feel the weapon under my grasp slowly crack, a quick Observe confirmed my judgement.
I already passed the test, the single minute mark condition has been completed. So why did I continue? It wasn't pride, no. It was the thirst to gain even more power, the promising reward driving me even further.
Weighing my options, I sent a vertical heavy slash; knocking back his weapon a bit, it gave me enough time as I sent a quick kick to his chest.
Coughing at the force; Neru had no time to dodge as the nearly broken wooden sword of his brother's was launched. Before it could make contact, a light pink smoke erupted from the ground and easily blocked it.
Crumbling from the impact; I was left without a weapon as I dropped to the ground, panting. Using enough force to knock back Neru was difficult, especially as his weapon felt like slamming against steel.
The consistent and overwhelming attacks of Neru were enough to exhaust me; but in the end, it was all worth it.
[Quest Completed!]
[Brotherly Duel]
Objective
-Hold your ground against Neru (1m) [Completed!]
Bonus Objective
-Win the Duel [Completed!]
Reward: 50K EXP and Training with Doku
Bonus Reward: Demonic Energy Infusion (skill), 100K Credits, +1 Sword Proficiency, and Reputation Increase (Doku)
Failure: EXP Reduction
Time: 1 Minute
+10 reputation with Doku [60/100] because you won the match.
Well, that's just stupid
[Sword Proficiency] -LVL 5/10 (0%) [Novice]
All weapons in the user's hand gains a 50% DMG increase
Rarity: Rare
The amount of satisfaction I had as I stared at the screen should've been illegal, getting the Sword Proficiency skill while unexpected, wasn't unwelcomed. At that point in time, my goal was to increase it to the very limit.
Unfortunately, the durability of my weapon wasn't ideal.
Thank the Creator for that! Could you imagine the boredom? Watching you just tank all the hits just so you can cheat your way to the higher levels?
Mentally shrugging, the system kept nagging even as I checked out the little bonus obtained during it.
WhileSword Proficiency might have a higher damage percentage than Weapon Proficiency, the neat thing about the latter is that: One, the speed of which it levels up and Two, the fact that it's damage increase range doesn't just cover one specific type of weapon but all weapons.
[Weapon Proficiency] -LVL 12/100 (17%) [Novice]
All weapons in the user's hand gains a 12% DMG increase
Turning my gaze to my father; the man seemed to be giving a nod of pride.
"Neru, go to Training Ground Three, your brother and I will be focusing on his Dream magic, we don't want any excuse." Gritting his teeth, humiliation and shame fueling him; he gave a bow as Neru easily accepted the order.
He didn't miss the look of contempt father shot at him; nor did I miss the look of rage directed at me.
'Oh scary.'
Somehow, even in your head; you sound… bored.
Giving a mental shrug to the system's observation, I didn't really have any reason to be wary of Neru. It was only a matter of time before I surpassed him, while admittedly I didn't hold a candle to him; we both have yet to even touch our true strength.
While he had been using that… fortification that I guessed was Demonic Energy Infusion, he didn't use any other forms of magic nor his true swordsmanship skill. If he had, the outcome of the battle may have been different.
Following the rest of the day was pure combat between father and I, and I was pleasantly surprised as he revealed a few techniques. The spar he and I had certainly increased my Sword Proficiency along with a few of my minor and lower stats.
And yet, I felt like it was only the beginning of our training.
000
Walking out of the bath; naked as the day I was born, with a pristine white and drenched towel hanging from my neck, I took a chance to once again review the few Dream Magic techniques I was taught and the one I earned.
[Dream Storage] -LVL 5/100 (37%) [Novice]
Able to store items in the Dream Realm of the user; storage weight capacity depends on the level of the skill. Time doesn't flow in the user's Dream Realm unless the user wills it to.
Cost: 10 MP
Capacity: 50 Lbs
Rarity: Uncommon
[Dream Realm] -LVL 2/100 (2%) [Novice]
Allows the user to enter a separate dimension of their consciousness; time doesn't flow in the dimension. In this area, the user has full control of all events and creations.
Cost: 100 MP
Rarity: Rare
[Distorting Mist] -LVL 2/100 (9%) [Novice]
Draws in the mist from the Dream Realm and into reality; allows the user to distort the visual appearance of all items, granting them partial illusionary prowess. Also able to distort the mist itself at the cost of the expenditure of it soon after.
Cost: 100 MP (10MP per Minute)
Rarity: Rare
[Demonic Energy Infusion] -LVL 5/100 (37%) [Novice]
Infuses the object in the user's hand with their own Demonic Energy, enhancing its capabilities to a higher degree.
Cost: 1,000 MP (500MP per minute)
Rarity: Common
Effect: Increases DMG and DUR by *5
Suffice to say, I was extremely pleased with my progress and with the skills I have obtained. While admittedly Dream Storage wasn't all that useful considering I have the Gamer System's inventory; it was nice to have an excuse to be able to pull items out of thin air.
So while it's not going to be leveled up all that much; it might prove to be handy in the future.
Dream Realm was a bit more complicated; it required the user to fall into a state of unconsciousness, allowing it to drift all while using the command at the same time. Worst case scenario; the user merely falls asleep.
Of course, after a bit of alone testing after Father left me to practice alone; I had found out that I could merely use the skill command and it would succeed. While I had hoped to be able to enter it while awake, I was sure that it required a further state of mastery over the skill.
In short, in the Dream Realm it was basically a misty pink sandbox with nothing out of the usual; besides the pink sun, clouds, and rippling sea that I couldn't look into. Other than that, I was free to create and destroy anything with a wave of my hand.
It was intoxicating, having that much control over the world as if you were God. Ignoring the headache, I admitted there was a single flaw to it.
While I could manipulate time, making a year pass in the dimension while in actuality only a second passed; there wasn't any reason to. You couldn't get stronger nor practice any skills, your state of body was fixed; there was no such thing as improvement or muscle memory in there.
Once again, it probably required a higher level of it.
And then there was the highly versatile Demonic Energy Infusion, the effects nearly making me salivate. While it was a common technique, due to being commonly used by all Devils even children, this didn't mean the value of it lowered.
Not only did it multiply the durability and strength of a weapon; it could be stacked. While the cost also doubled, the effect did as well; with enough mana I could sustain it for as long as I desired.
Of course for now; that was a pipe dream.
Standing in front of my mirror; I slowly grabbed my now clean glasses from the night stand next to the mirror. Taking a good look at myself in the mirror, I gave a light frown at my physique.
Pale white smooth skin; cold to the touch and untainted by human blemishes. Flat and toned stomach that showed near no sign of progressing from its state, hardened and yet small abdomens that would increase with time and training.
Twisting my body slightly; my eyes twitched at my delicate back, looking cold and smooth to the touch, akine to a precious pearl.
Didn't I look a bit too feminine?
Drawing my gaze downwards, I gave a low sigh of relief; luckily, nothing was affected in the lower department.
Hmm~
Hearing the femanine hum of appreciation, I scoffed. I could feel her gaze running through my body, inspecting every nook and cranny of my body with great pleasure; at least someone was enjoying this.
'Enjoying the show?'
Hearing the coughs and splutters of the system; I gave a light chuckle, she can be annoying but sometimes she was too easy to tease.
Drying off my silky hair; I was soon garbed in a pair of night blue shorts that reached below my knees and a simple cotton black shirt. The fact that Devil civilization had such clothes during this era is proof of their superiority.
I was once again reminded why my decision to choose Devil or human, was indeed a good one.
Casting Observe with a quick glance around my room, I smiled. It was relieving that father never placed any seals in my room. While the skill hasn't gotten to the point where it could identify the effects of a seal; at the very least it could tell if there were any.
Fetching a soul from my inventory, I toyed with the dim gray ball. Twisting it and squishing it, to no one's surprise it quickly shattered and dissipated into the air; almost akin to fluttering silver fireflies.
Luckily enough; I had thought of robbing every zombie of their soul. Zombies in short were dead bodies hosting a soul, it's sluggish movements and intelligence caused by the fact the soul isn't compatible and because they don't have true control over the body.
Once killed, the souls were supposed to dissipate and fly up to Heaven or down to Hell; supposed to, due to the ID the souls never dissipate and merely remain dormant. As such, since they were going to waste either way, I grabbed all that I could and decided to use them for future testing.
Having thousands of souls to test on and one unique soul made my progress in Soul Magic a whole lot easier; of course I didn't dare to touch the precious soul until I held the basic understanding of souls themselves.
So far, I could only grasp the very basics of souls.
Holding out my hand, I focused on the wispy ball; shaping and twisting it using my Demonic Energy, I gave an exasperated sigh as it was crushed. My goal was too difficult to achieve in the first try, as such I didn't feel loss.
I was hoping to gain another form of attack, something similar to Dream Arrow. But of course it all went wrong; and even if I did make a technique similar to it, it'd have been limited by the finite number of souls.
Crushing the soul within my palm; my eyes were near dazed as I watched the lustrous pearly white pieces of the soul dissipate into the air.
Again, I crushed the soul. Focused on gathering the floating droplets, I failed soon after as they vanished.
Once more, the frosty and the near rubber spandex texture of it being nothing but
Once more, crushing the cold wispy ball; I ignored the numbing frostines that came from destroying a soul. Quite a surprising fact but it was mostly due to the fact these were the souls of cold and decaying zombies.
I was tempted to try and see if the soul of the slime was any different in feeling; but I rather not destroy it merely to test that out.
Third time's the charm?
Allowing my Mana to drift as I gripped tightly onto the soul; the small balls of light that were the result of the shattered soul soon began to form, almost melting into one another.
[Skill Created!]
[Soul Fusion] -LVL1/100 (0%) [Novice]
Able to fuse dissipating souls into their original form; or fuse two complete souls to form a stronger soul.
Cost: 100 MP
Rarity: Rare
Over, and over, and over; the process of slowly dumping out the souls from my inventory and all around me was rather simple. Making sure they didn't dissipate was rather difficult; unlike the Zombie dungeon, the outside world had a path for the souls to go.
Beads of sweat slowly dripped from my neck, the mental exhaustion of manipulating so many… little blobs of light nearly making me take a knee. It was like a hammer that pounded against my soul, with every pulse my body couldn't help but shake.
But I continued with resolution.
I didn't know how much time had passed, minutes? Hours perhaps? I had no idea, I ignored all remarks from the system and the drifting time in favor of controlling the dissipated pieces of the souls.
Finally using up over a hundred souls, I dropped to my knee; panting heavily as I observed my new creation with shining eyes.
[Rare Soul] (Fusion)
A soul fused by Tsuki Satanchia, carries the strength and will of over a hundred zombies.
Rarity: Rare
'Not enough'
Despite the initial toll Soul Magic has on the mind and body; both Gamer's body and Gamer's mind took care of the problem, fatigue and drowsiness vanishing without a trace. Watching my MP slowly increase back to its normal state; I began to frown.
I had thousands of souls; and if I wanted to finish before daylight I would need more Mana than I currently had. In the vast world of Dxd, there were many methods that could allow a devil to increase the reserves of their 'core'.
Which was basically their container of mana.
One for example was Mana Elixirs, a mythical concoction that could push one's body to unknown limits, it was highly sought after and was only rumored to be in the vaults of the Three Descendants and Six Houses of Lucifer.
Other than that, they had never appeared in history.
Luckily for me, I knew more than a few methods to reach the same goal; although in a finite and inferior war. Opening up the Gamer Shop, I headed towards the potions sections and easily found all MP Recovering Potions.
And here I thought you were going to be stingy with your purchases.
As long as I can form a soul durable enough for what I have in mind; the cost will be worth it, and there wasn't any point in gaining Credits if I wasn't going to spend it. One could even call this an… investment that'll be helpful in the long run.
Despite my thoughts and willingness to spend; my face cringed as I viewed the costs of Mana Recovering Potions.
[Low Mana Recovery Potion]
A small vial containing light blue liquid; properties of it allow the user to regain 10% of original MP..
Cost: 10,000
[Current: 1,721,400 Credits]
[Purchase?]
[Y/N]
Hesitating; I pressed my pale finger on the bold Y and bought a single potion. Luckily, the slime boss had given me a grand total of a million credits.
Fortunately enough, even if I did manage to overspend and buy more than needed; they would prove useful even if my HP increases by a drastic amount in the future, 10% is nothing to scoff at.
As such, purchasing dozens of the light blue potions, the night proceeded without a fuss, the sound of gulping down potions and tossing them to the side filling the air. For some odd reason, I knew it would be a sound I would soon be adjusted to.
000
Standing inside the ID, I casually scrolled through my inventory; scrolling through items, be it the decaying rotten flesh of zombies or the genitalia of the slime boss I killed.
[Basilisk Wine]
Wine made from the venom of a Basilisk, highly sought after due to its immense rarity and age, as the technique to make another has long since been lost.
Effect: Once drunken, the status [Corrosive Poison] will take effect, if not dealt with, the person will die in 24 hours
Effect: 10% for all stats to be boosted by +50
Rarity: Unique
My eyebrow rose, well this was absolutely useless unless I wanted to test my luck and see if I could get isekai twice in a row.
That's a great idea! Let's find out.
Rolling my eyes, I toss the bottle into my inventory, maybe once I learned alchemy or of some sort, I can extract the venom inside the wine. It's no Samael poison, but it's close enough for now.
I wouldn't even be considering drinking the contents of the bottle unless my luck stat increased by more than triple.
Eyeing my inventory a bit, my eyes land on the monocle sitting there in the corner. For such a powerful item the cost was absolutely nothing, but yet as I've found out sometimes those are the ones with the heftiest price.
Despite my curiosity, there wasn't any way to prove the capabilities of the monocle, so for now it'll have to sit there and wait.
Closing my inventory, I let out an annoyed sigh, it was a pity that beginner's luck had run out before the boss could arrive. Maybe I would've gained something useful besides a bottle of wine that allows me to reenact Romeo and Juliet.
Ya know; for someone who's highest stat is Wisdom, you sure as hell don't show it.
Of course, the System decided to bring that matter back up.
"I already told you, if I simply vanished from my room and they happened to check up on me; it would raise more than a few eyebrows." I explained, the sarcastic tone of the System soon filling my head.
Oh sure, you totally didn't forget you could enter the empty dungeon to decrease your exhaustion.
Coughing; I blamed the fact that I wasn't adjusted to the sudden eidetic memory. Her words held truth despite the thick sarcasm, while in the outside world the pieces of the souls would dissipate to Hell or Heaven.
In the Dungeon, they had no way to go; it was one of the few perks of the dungeon. While I wasn't sure exactly why; I learned not to question things that benefited me in the long run.
While the process took me hours upon hours -I was sure that the sun had started to rise- I had finally depleted my storage of souls and finished the product, and it only took me over two dozen Mana Recovery Potions.
[Epic Soul] (Fusion)
A soul fused by Tsuki Satanchia, carries the strength and will of over a thousand zombies.
Rarity: Epic
While there wasn't much change in description, this was the first item in my possession to have an Epic rarity. There was much change to the soul, besides the faint golden tint in the center.
Clasping the soul roughly; my suspicions were confirmed when I began to mold it, it was far more durable than common zombie souls. Frowning, I noticed it was far colder too; numbingly so.
Not only that, it was originally bigger than my head; so I had to condense it down into a smaller form.
Concentrating on the wispy ball of silver, I begin to shape and mold it; turning it thinner but longer as well. The process was a lot smoother than my first attempt with a common soul; of course this was due to the fact that my skill has reached near its level cap.
[Soul Fusion] -LVL 97/100 (92%) [Novice]
Able to fuse dissipating souls into their original form; or fuse two complete souls to form a stronger soul.
Cost: 100 MP
Rarity: Rare
There weren't any changes to the skill, be it description or cost; but by the time I reached half of the level cap I could fuse four or more souls at once. It sharply decreased the cost of time but also raised the pace at which I drank the potions.
Despite the practice I had with fusing souls; shaping the soul itself was proving to be a tad more difficult than I first thought it would be.
[Skill Created!]
[Soul Form] -LVL 1/100 (92%) [Novice]
Able to truly twist the soul and manipulate it to however the user desires; shaping the soul into a weapon or a mere decoration.
Cost: 1,000 MP
Rarity: Unique
Allowing the silver glow to envelope the surroundings; the dark and gloomy dungeon was illuminated by a bright light that became increasingly dimmer at an alarming rate. It didn't take long for said light to finally vanish and condense to what was in my hands.
Grasping the hilt; I inspected my craft, a fully translucent silver longsword, it's weight light and balanced despite its length. Cold to the touch but almost comforting, it was a bit beautiful if I was being honest.
"Observe"
[?]
A longsword crafted by the Soul Magic Novice, Tsuki Satanachia, using the souls of thousands of human turned zombies as the catalyst.
Durability: 10K/10K
DMG: WIS * INT + 400
Rarity: Epic
I smiled, pleased with the results as I wiped off the beads of sweat from my forehead; it seemed like all the exhaustion it had cost me was worth it. Although I would've preferred it if it had a name.
First of its kind, since you're the creator you can give it one.
How about… Kireina? Upon my decision, the weapon's info was changed; I guess it really was that simple. Placing the weapon in my Dream Storage, I decide to have it in a place where I can draw the weapon without raising eyebrows.
It never hurt to be prepared, especially during this era where the Great War barely ended.
How did you even come up with the thought to use the souls into a sword?
While creating a soul technique would've been preferable, I only had a finite number of souls to work with. And trying to create a technique like Soul Subduementrequired a living specimen; something I lacked.
As such, with no choice and knowing full well that the second dungeon would be many times more difficult than the first; I created a weapon that would last me some time until I become more powerful
+1 WIS for thinking ahead
Dusting off the dust that clung to my clothing; I raised my hand. It should be morning soon and I would rather not have to explain why I disappeared from my room.
"ID Destroy" Almost as if I was entrapped in a glass cage, reality shattered before me like a poor and fragile imitation of the true world. Standing upon my original spot where I first entered the dungeon, a frown settled on my face.
I was hoping the distance traveled in the dungeon would also equal the distance traveled in the real world, but apparently not. It would've been a gift all thieves and fugitives would slice their and their mother's arm for.
Well, it was also a good thing I didn't actually move from my original spot. Explaining why I could simply vanish and reappear in a different spot would be rather difficult to explain.
As if I would ever give you such a powerful ability so early on.
Of course , whatever you say.
000
It was said that during the Great War, the tears of Angels fell from the Heavens and unto his greatest creation, Earth. While this held some truth, what fell weren't their tears but their selves instead.
The population of Angels took an even deeper dive as their anger, bloodlust, and hatred of Devils fueled them. Seeing their leader take no action upon their father's death, they took matters into their own hands.
Unfortunately, it took no genius to figure out what happened. The leaders of the three races were adamant about their newfound peace, however temporary it was, and the rebellion that started was wiped out in a matter of days.
After that, the secret of the death of God has been treated as a locked secret. Something that wouldn't be disclosed under any circumstances.
But this was only one small pressing matter.
Ever since he took his father's place, he wasn't sure if he ever had a day of rest or peace. There was always conflict to smooth out, concerns with his people to settle and calm down; and population concerns to figure out.
Despite the hundreds of souls that appeared from thin air; despite their anguished cries of help, for God, for anyone. He had no choice but to ignore them with a clenched heart, hands trembling as he took steady breaths.
The new job, the new responsibility; drained him of his will and spirit.
He hoped it was only a small error, that the sudden appearance of the souls was only a small delay as they departed to Heaven. If not he could only pray that the souls of the humans met a blissful end.
He could only hope in his heart that it was but an error; a delay in the system as the souls were safely transported to Heaven. And yet, despite his prayers, he could only ignore the sense of dread and coldness for he knew that this wasn't the case.
Before his new job, his newfound leadership; he would've investigated the matter immediately, but he had little time to do such things, there were too many concerns that required his attention and time.
For now, he prayed it was but his tiredness speaking; that no human souls were lost or harmed.
Whether he knew this fact or not, Michael's actions were one of many that toppled the first domino.
000 000 000
AN
I have been trying to think of a way for Tsuki to obtain a weapon that will last him some time, and "Kireina" is what I ended up with. Don't expect the weapon to appear all that much, it could be considered one of his trump cards due to how powerful it is which is why magic will still be his main method.
Although, later on, I'm expecting him to use it a whole lot more.