Author's Note: Alright I read the reviews and a few people mentioned that the SI was stupid. That's the point of the fic. He doesn't like free handouts. He's prideful, kind of like Vali. He has flaws, like any normal person. A perfect SI is stupid. It's fun to read but gets boring real quick. For example, I really enjoyed reading 'The Game Must Go On', but after a while, it got boring. The SI pulls some random trump card/bullshit and wins the day. He's political, smart, an inventor, best parts of Ajuka and Zekram Bael combined and his only flaw is lust. There's no struggle, no consequences, no nothing. Not hating, and it's genuinely a good fanfic, but it's just my opinion. It's the problem with the many isekai that get released. My SI wants to die in a glaze of glory that he earned, carving his name into the legends of this world. He's prideful of the power he has earned. He's kind of like Crom Cruach/Vali in that regard.

Gamer of a Dream

Arc 1: Origins

Chapter 1

Bleak Circumstances

Devils mature faster than humans do, so when I reached the age of four, I was forced into manual labor. The complex in which I was born consisted of the mines and the fields. Each person was assigned a different job alternating every month. The working conditions were terrible, harsh working hours, minimal food, cruel punishment, aggression from the guards and oppression of the slaves.

My mother, Emmel, was hopeful and bright even in these horrible conditions. She always helped me complete my Quota of work when we had the same schedule. My father had died working in the fields and no one had even batted an eye. It was the way of life here. I loathed it. The acceptance. The cruelty of the guards. I would change it, and give them a taste of their own medicine while I was at it.

The complex itself was located on the island of Agreas. The slaves worked from day to night to mine some purple-crystal or growing harvest. It was cruel because Devils were naturally nocturnal in nature. Forcing us to work during the day had no benefit, our efficiency was much lower. It was just sadism. The low-class devils weren't allowed education to obviously keep them dumb so they couldn't rebel. The minimalist living conditions ensured we couldn't physically overpower them. The entire complex was warded so none could escape.

But there was an advantage to the magical wards. The security was lax as no one had ever managed to escape the complex. The guards barely patrolled instead choosing to indulge in their sloth and laze around while we shed tears of blood so the high-classes could get their luxury. They didn't expect one of the slaves to know magic, something that they couldn't even comprehend was the lower-class knowing magic. It was natural as they were devils. Arrogance, greed and sloth was in their blood. So while they lazed, I dreamt.

[The Power of a Dream]

Skill obtained.

[Warding]

Warding is one of the most ancient magicka in the wide world. Used by devils, angels and gods alike, warding is the art of weaving passive defensive mechanisms meant to safeguard or contain. The Dantalion Clan, a Clan under the Serpent of Enzy, Leviathan, are famed for their near impenetrable wards. Show them that they are not the only ones adept at this art form.

I would not recommend trying this skill on the wards around your block. Instead I recommend you to build your own wards and learn to disable them, so as to gain some experience before trying.

That made logical sense. So I waited for nightfall and completed my quota of harvesting the fields. My mother was assigned to the mines today so I had to do my quota alone. That was fine. The [Unnatural Build] perk helped me a lot. I didn't tire even after a complete day's worth of work. I didn't need nutrition and my body would grow proportionate to the work I did, so all the manual labor I did naturally increased my muscle strength. When night came around, me and my mother were thrown into our cells. She fretted over me for a while but I could tell she was extremely tired as she fell asleep almost instantly.

The wards around the cell blocked the prisoners from leaving but not from seeing outside. There were no guards, they were also likely asleep or partying, whichever the two. It didn't matter as I got to work.

I willed my magic. It listened. I willed it to create a ward that blocked all physical interactions. I observed a thin green thread-like structure appear out of my fingers and illuminated the corner of my room and slowly began weaving into a green wall. I concentrated even further and activated my [Unnatural Build] and hyper-focused my intent when I saw the green wall flicker out of existence. My perk had done nothing. Breaking me out of my stupor, Alice provided me with helpful advice.

A good first attempt. Warding is one of the more complex branches of magic. Even with your ability to will magic into existence, it will take time to develop this skill. What you did wrong was hyper-focusing. You concentrated too much on your intent and forgot about the details. In warding, details matter. Every little flaw has to be covered for a ward to be impenetrable. Every detail you forget adds a crack into the ward structure. Will is important too. Your will to defend will superimpose with the conditions set by the creator, in this case, you. The more powerful the will, the stronger the ward, the more brunt it can bear. You have to learn to balance and micro-manage at the same time to be a successful wardmaster. That comes with time and practice.

That makes sense. So I have to learn to weave a ward then I can learn to break them.

Exactly. Keep trying and I have no doubt you'll eventually succeed. I also recommend picking a non-dubious intent. The term physical interaction is very broad and can even include collision of air particles on the ward, which in that case will make a vacuum, making for a far more complex ward. Wording your intent is also important, I recommend you start with a basic silencing ward instead and proceed from there after.

Alright then. I willed my magic once more and focused on my intent to silence. Sound requires a medium to propagate. This medium can be solid, liquid or a gas. Sound travels due to vibration of particles, in the form of longitudinal waves of compression and rarefaction. Elasticity of a medium was important. Less elasticity equates to a quieter sound. So I willed my magic to create a ward to reduce the elasticity of air in a cube. Magic began to weave intricate patterns that glowed in the form of a cube and settled. I placed my hands inside the cube and clapped. I compared the results to a clap of the same intensity outside the cube. It was quieter. It wasn't soundless, but it was noticeably lighter. My first ward was a partial success.

Excellently executed. Rather than developing a silencing ward, you developed a sound-dampening ward. Gradual steps to a goal will help a lot more than jumping straight ahead, especially in a delicate art like warding. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Warding also requires an intricate knowledge of reality. Not science, magic fundamentally breaks all laws of science, but for a first attempt, using science as a basis is acceptable.

I felt a surge of excitement as I got ready to better my ward in all creative ways I could think of. I felt a rush of adrenaline in my veins that felt oh so sweet. This was only the beginning, yet I felt a rush bigger than any other in my previous life. This is what I live for and I'll be damned if I have to bow to those fat pigs of jail guards ever again.

I stared into the reflection in the pool of water used to irrigate the fields. Jet-black hair, aquamarine eyes stared right back at me impassively. I was in deep thought. I spent all night learning to craft wards. I even managed to create a near perfect silencing ward. It had an upper-limit but that would improve as I improved my skills. But even as a wardmaster, it wouldn't be enough to escape. Agares was an island. A floating island to be specific. Even if me and my mother escaped, there would be nowhere to run to and we'd eventually be caught. Even with devil wings, I had seen the automatic sentry posts that covered the corners of the vast complex, ready to shoot down would-be escapists in a matter of seconds. What I needed to do was to incite a rebellion among the low-class devils. By teaching them magic. But before that I needed to be competent in a vast array of magic.

I thought about the most dangerous magicka in the DxD verse. The Dragonfire, especially those of Ddraig, were famed for their ability to burn even Divinity to cinders. The storms wrought by Typhon had sent the entire Greek pantheon scrambling back. But these were too destructive for me to practise safely and more importantly undetected. I thought more and more when a thought struck me. Who was more dangerous, a devil who could level your house or a devil who could learn your deepest secrets in an instant. So I dreamt, and my magic responded.

[The Power of a Dream]

Skill obtained.

[The Mind Arts]

One of the more esoteric forms of magic, the Mind is a magic of its own. The Mind Arts are a branch of magic that come with the power to manipulate the conscious and subconscious of living individuals. These include a vast array of sub-skills with mind-reading, hypnotism, puppeteering and so many more. Use these magicks with caution as many a practitioner has been driven mad by their excessive desire to manipulate, eventually turning to an unfeeling husk of his former self.

The Mind Arts are not magics to be trifled with, without precautions. While your [Unnatural Build] perk protects you from the worst effects, I still recommend you develop this skill with consequences in mind. The worst thing that could happen is that you may lose the ability to feel an emotion. It will undoubtedly help you on your path and I will guide you through it but caution is still advisable. Devils are also resistant to mind magic, so I recommend using them on low class devils before you escalate and read the minds of the guards. Do not put too much mana into your magic lest you turn your target into a broken doll.

Got it. Don't be excessive unless I want to become a vegetable or turn someone else into a vegetable. My hands worked almost mechanically as I started plowing the fields. Cracks of whips filled the background as I tuned it out. There was nothing I could do about it. Looking around there was a vast expanse of plain that stretched hundreds of acres wide. Paddy was being grown in the dozens. It would have made for a beautiful image had it not been tainted by the regular flogging of the slaves that worked here. I had managed to avoid it because I made myself a trait.

[The Power of a Dream]

Trait Obtained.

[Diminished Presence]

You can will yourself to near invisibility. Not in the sense of sight, but people are just more likely to ignore you when using this trait. This trait also helps naturally suppress one's magical presence and aura signature.

Magical presence and Aura signature are two different things. Magical presence is active only when using magic whereas Aura signature is active in all living beings at all times. Senjutsu and other nature-manipulating techniques derive power from aura or ki or whatever term was used. Using this trait was almost as easy as breathing and according to Alice, it was due to my natural affinities.

Indeed. Every devil no matter class is born with certain elements or branches of magic that they are naturally attuned towards. These mean that any branch of magic in their natural affinities can be performed with ease. Some affinities are inheritable, like the Phenex clan and their affinities of fire and wind. You have an affinity for Dark Matter, Lightning and Illusion magic. This doesn't mean that you cannot perform contrary elemental magic though as evidenced by Serafall Leviathan blowing up a mountain with fire magic even though her affinities lied on a contrary element of ice. It just means you find it as easy as breathing.

Also Alice what's the difference between a perk, a trait and a skill?

A difficult query to answer. Skills are simply active actions that can be performed, from magic to cooking. In a normal Gamer System it would be gauged by the level-up system. We, however, felt this was doing injustice to the skills as the Gamer used to get the skill, mindlessly repeating certain actions to grind them and maximize their potential. Reality does not work like that. You have to truly understand the mechanics behind a skill to make it work. Practicing different sub-skills under a skill also expands your knowledge but this system does not allow for hard-numbers on skills as they are, often time, very subjective.

Traits on the other-hand define a person's character. They are linked to an individual's growth. I will not explain further as you can first hand see the ramification of traits as time goes on.

Perks are only the two reality-breaking mechanics given at the start of the Gamer's life. They could be obtained, maybe? Even I am unsure as this part of the code is inaccessible to me. There is no quest system in this Gamer System. Usually, they used to be distributed as rewards for Legendary Quests, but here I am unsure.

So who made this gamer system? Why are parts of the code inaccessible to you?

I do not know why or who created me. I have simply existed much like Ophis and Great Red, who were born of masses of power, shaped into their respective concepts. As for the second question, they will be accessible after certain conditions are met. What the conditions are, even I do not know. But what I do know is that there are pathways to unlock those parts of the code.

Interesting. Can you tell me how the skill [The Power of a Dream] skill actually works?

Hmmm, It gives you unlimited potential, in layman terms. Think of it in terms of the One Punch Man universe. One Punch Man got so strong because he managed to break past the limiter and removed the level-cap so to speak. You have no level-cap, no limiter, which is why there is no level-system in this gamer. Do you think a normal devil can learn Warding? The answer is no. Only someone born into the Dantalion Clan or born with the affinity for that branch can learn Warding magic. Theoretically you could get the powers of every Pillar out there. Although if you wanted to get, say, the Phenex Trait, you would have to biologically modify your current body, to get it indirectly. Every power is obtainable and trainable for you. You could train your body to the point where you could punch Great Red out of existence, as even he cannot use the [The Power of a Dream] to its full potential, evident by his death by the hands of Regalzeva. Great Red was born from 'Illusions' of the Dream, a mere shadow of the true potential but you are the Dream. The Dream cannot die. For that to happen all living beings across the multiverse would need to die, which is nearly impossible. However there is no word such as 'Impossible' in your dictionary. I assure you that none of the paths chosen have this skill except this and one other. The other paths would stop at super-devil tier or higher to high god tier but never above that.

So could I become powerful enough to destroy the multiverse?

No. you exist with the multiverse as a symbiotic relation. Each world destroyed would weaken you, inevitably leading you to killing yourself. But all magics of all universes are available for you to learn.

As I mindlessly continued my work, I continued to think. Any magic huh? A smirk graced my face. If the game wouldn't give an inventory, I'd just have to make one. So, I dreamt.

[The Power of a Dream]

Skill obtained.

[Spatial Magic]

The magic that allows one to manipulate the fabric of space around them. One of the two fundamental components that make our universe, this magic can range from creating an inventory to the ability to make dimensions.

Creating an inventory is not hard. If Xenovia, an exorcist terrible at magic, could make one to store Durandal, it should be easy for you to make one too. The true mastery of this skill is being able to make sub-spaces and dimensions. However, do not try it here as your magical presence would flare up dramatically. Try it in the cell at night. For now train your Mind Arts

Thanking Alice for the advice, I'd probably be lost if not. I quickly got back to work and started making my way to the massive well in the middle of the fields. There were always people there, so I could lightly test the Mind Arts ability.

The Well, as it was unoriginally called, was truly massive, spanning a diameter of over two kilometers filled to the brim with water. I reached out and grabbed a bucket when I noticed a curious set of eyes on me. I turned and saw a pair of sea green eyes locking onto my aquamarine ones. She was female and the same height as me. I could tell she was probably as old as me, surprisingly. She had the most lustrous of golden blonde hair and an impassive expression on her face, though I could make out a hint of curiosity.

Seizing my chance, I lightly probed her mind with my magic. An echo of 'Someo...my age...' reverberates in my mind. It felt odd, in the sense of someone distantly calling you yet nobody was around. It felt oddly comforting. Still I could make out her general intent was that she was curious as I was probably the same age as her. I noticed that we had been staring into each other for a remarkably long time and spoke up.

"So…What's your name?" Let it be known that I was not the best conversation starter. My social skills were nearly zero so it did not surprise me.

She blushed lightly when she realized that she was staring, a hue of pink tainting her alabaster cheeks, before she snarked, "Aren't you supposed to give your name first before asking for someone else's."

"I apologize. My name is Sol Black. May I have the pleasure of enquiring the fair name of the maiden of whom I find company in?" I asked in a poor imitation of pureblood devil while grabbing her hand, kissing it lightly as I fell onto my knees.

Her eyes widened as she scoffed lightly, "Better, peasant and no, you may not know my name." As she said those words she giggled lightly before turning into full blown laughter. Her melodious laughter felt like the tolling of even bells that I had heard near a church in my old life. I was immediately entranced. I didn't believe in love at first sight but I felt the charisma she exuded even at the tender age of four.

She finally calmed down and introduced herself, "My name is Nora Abaddon. You're funny. I like you." Mocking the aristocracy was commonplace and the only reason we were able to get by was because there were no guards nearby. The smile on her face was worth it. Rarely had I seen someone smile in this place, only my mother when she met me. The light gleam in her eye, the dazzling bright smile on her face made me think that even in a place of misery, hope can still exist. This was a dream worth preserving.

But that name made me curious. I mentally asked Alice for more information on the Abaddon clan as the only noteworthy thing I could remember was Kuisha Abaddon and her power of hole.

Certainly. The Abaddon Clan originates from the original Abaddon, who was an Archangel of God of the Bible. She was regarded as the Angel of the Bottomless Pit. This mirrors her power, Hole. They are distortions in the space-time continuum that manifest and pull magical energy, physical objects and people alike into a separate realm akin to the Dimensional Gap but also fundamentally different. It is called Sheol, I believe. What lies inside, even I do not know. She was also called the Destroyer, as anything that falls into his power is torn apart by voidal energy and entropy. Abaddon was one of the few devils that did not participate in the Great War. She was initially swept in by the charisma of Lucifer, the Original Devil, but when he made a declaration of world domination and planned to war with the Angel Faction, she was disillusioned and withdrew her support of his cause. I do not know the exact details but she was betrayed by a close servant of hers and killed because of her non-cooperation but managed to take down Rofocale Lucifuge, Lucifer's right-hand man, with her. I do not know what exactly happened to her descendants, but clearly it was far from pleasant considering she is in this hell-hole.

"How'd you get stuck in this place?" I blurted before I could process what I had asked. It was probably an extremely personal question and I had just asked without tact.

I observed her reaction and it was a stark contrast from her previous behavior. She had turned completely blank. It felt as though I was staring at a mannequin. Her eyes lost the sparkle they had held beforehand. Her hair shimmered less. Her dainty hands curled into a fist and she seemed to be lost in her memories.

"I'm sorry, it was rude of me to ask that. I was born here, so I wanted to ask if you knew what the outside world was like?" I questioned plainly. I wasn't exactly the social type, most people found me crazy. I hadn't really made any friends in my previous life, even in the Academy as many had come to serve their country and I was simply there to get that rush. I was reckless, bat-shit crazy even, performing dangerous aerial stunts for that adrenaline.

Her eyes quickly moistened and dried in under a few seconds that you could have easily missed seeing it. She then answered hesitantly, "It's alright. We lived a happy life, you know. Me and my mother, I mean. We got betrayed by a person who we thought was a good friend. Then the bastard came. I remember only white hair and crimson eyes, full of cruelty. A fitting picture for the Right Hand of The Devil. He was powerful, easily more powerful than my mother but she held her ground. She was winning through pure skill but then he noticed her one weakness. Me. My mother sacrificed herself to protect me from an attack and was grievously injured. He mocked her for her weakness but my mother had one trick up her sleeve. She used forbidden magic to kill him but died in the process. I couldn't breathe. I remember her dying visage, I couldn't flee when she told me to. She sacrificed herself for nothing." She let out a broken laugh and began sobbing uncontrollably, falling to her knees, staining her legs with wet mud.

With a flex of my magic, I raised a silencing ward and without a word hugged her. I might not be the most expressive with words, but feelings were my thing. Sometimes words are unnecessary to convey emotions. Only by truly feeling can they be expressed. I heard her irregular breathing and heart palpitations and ran a comforting hand on her back. Eventually she calmed down as our heartbeats synced together. I felt a weird connection to her. Like I could sense her dreams, or something. It wasn't something that could be portrayed in words or pictures but something I could feel. I then heard Alice's mental voice in my head.

That is because you can. Dreams give you Power. The stronger the will to achieve your goal, the more powerful you get. Whether it be from allies or from foes, the stronger their will, the powerful you are. That isn't to say you can't get powerful on your own but the more powerful foes you face the more your power will adjust itself to try and equalize the gap. You are Dreams, do not forget that. Everything about this gamer system is subjective, a matter of perspective, if you will. You will experience the actual nature of this Gamer system against the first 'Boss'.

"Thank you," she said quietly. I stared into her beautiful green eyes. They looked more at ease now. Eyes were the windows to the soul and I was a pretty decent cold reader. I preferred to observe rather than to talk. I was a shitty orator but I made up for it with my observational skills. I could tell my embrace had made her feel better, if only a little.

"No need to mention," I shrugged. We fell into this comfortable silence. Just existing, I suppose. It was comforting. Having no thought, no pressure, no expectations was nice. I may be an adrenaline junkie but that didn't mean I didn't enjoy a few moments of peace.

"Want some help with your work?" I asked abruptly while staring into those deep sea green eyes. She shook her head in denial but I could tell by the gaunt in her back and the swelling of her hand, that she needed that help.

"I'm helping you finish your harvesting quota whether you wish it or not," I declared with finality. She wanted to protest in denial but wilted at my form glare.

"Alright, don't blame me when you get extra tired from doing double the work," She mumbled with a slight blush. She was honestly too cute to work. The slight tilt of her head, the golden shine of her blonde hair and the sparkle of her eyes was just too much for my heart to bear. I really wanted to hug her but refrained from making too much noise or drawing too much attention as my ward had fallen apart. Grabbing her hand, I dragged her way to finish our harvesting quota's together.

A few hours down the line and our work was done. I enjoyed Nora's company more than I expected. She was fun, out-going, snarky and confident. She was every natural-born leader that I was not. I had decided to bring her into my escape plan as a partner. I held no illusion that I could never convince all the prisoners to riot even if I tried my damned best. I just didn't have that charisma. I was a recluse by nature but Nora was the opposite. I had no doubt that she could convince the people to riot if we worked together. But that would be years down the line. I don't know how long but if the first "arc" of this game is so long then I have no idea how long I would take to escape. Thankfully, being unable to age as a devil is a nice bonus.

As I entered by cell, my 'mother', Emmel, rushed towards me and gave me a hug. Her lustrous silver hair was stained with dirt and grime as they spread themselves onto my shoulders. She pulled back and I could see concern well up in her expressive sapphire eyes. Her mouth parted as she spoke.

"They didn't overwork you, did they?" She asked, as concern laced her voice.

I shook my head and replied, "I kept my head down, so no one bothered with me."

A few moments of exchanging pleasantries and other small talk, I decided to ask my "mother" about Nora. I did see her as my mother, she was way too nice to see otherwise but I also considered my parents from my previous world as parents too. It was odd but also kind of nice.

"So, I met this girl at work today…" I trailed off. As soon as my mother heard those words, her lips curled into a sly smirk.

"Oh my, a crush already, at your age? Then again, we are devils. But still, can you wait a few more years my darling boy," Emmel said coyly with a twinkle in her eye.

My face turned beet red but I refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing me flustered so retorted back acidly, "Very funny. But no, I was just curious as she was about my age."

"No need to be so defensive Sol. But what's her name anyways?" Emmel asked with curiosity, obvious in her tone.

"Her name was Nora Abaddon." I replied absently.

"Abaddon was a noble clan I think. I really do not know much about the world outside as I spent the majority of my time in this prison," Emmel's tone was bitter and definitely spiteful.

Her tone piqued my interest. I had already decided to bring my mother in on the escape plan. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.

"What if we can escape," I asked with a hopeful tone.

"Then I'll take it in a heartbeat. A child your age should grow up with a nice childhood not in a dreary place like this prison. But that's just a pipe dream." Emmel snorted, her usual cheerful attitude melted after spending years in this prison.

"What if we can escape? I know of a way." I countered her in a heartbeat.

Emmel let out a small laugh and smile at my childish confidence and humored me for the time being.

"How would you accomplish that?" Emmel asked with amusement. Her head tilted slightly in an expression that feigned curiosity. I took her challenge head on.

"With this." I answered confidently. A snap of my fingers generated a small flame between them. Emmel's eyes widened in surprise and I saw a small glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Magic."

[Pyromancy]

From the smallest flame, a wildfire can be started consuming the world in an inferno. Your potential allows you to maybe, one day, match flames Ddraig, the Heavenly Dragon of Domination, able to burn away divinity. Or maybe even Great Red whose flames burn the very fabrics of reality paving the way for his ideals, his dreams, creating a new reality from its ashes. Only one way to find out.

Author's Note:

That's a wrap. I hope you liked this chapter. Took some time. There will be a timeskip next chapter so the first doesn't take like 15 chapters of wasted effort. This chapter was to introduce the gamer system and next to expand on that instruction. Then we get to the fun part. I haven't actually corrected this chap. Too tired and I plan on sleeping next. So what evs.

Anyways please REVIEW! They help out the most.