Chapter II - Demons In My Backyard

The Kuzunoha Detective Agency, I didn't think it's office would be this small. The building was the size of regular housing, half the width of my apartment block. "Welcome to my home outside of home." Kyouko led me in through the wooden door, it was a very cozy place I'll admit.

"Is this your agency's main building?" I asked, "Nope, It's an old building from when my great grandfather used to do this as a private investigator." She reminisced with a smile, "I was checking the place out for any of my ancestor's stuff when I was suddenly transported here."

I sat on the guest couch, it was a small place, but I could see some stairs leading up. Were there guest rooms? The office was right next to the reception table.

"Just like that? Did you remember anything that might have caused it?" I asked her, it's not every day your building just gets teleported. She shrugged as she leaned against the wall, "No idea, one moment I was sitting on that couch and the next moment I saw European style buildings outside."

I frowned, first the whole world gets turned into this mess, then buildings get randomly teleported? It's like I'm in an H.G Wells book or something.

"I've been gathering information before I found you," She started, pulling out some documents from under the desk. "Oh?" I raised an eyebrow, I forgot she was the number one detective in Japan.

"First of all, the entire world's gone to hell." She pulled out a picture, a satellite picture of England. "Where did you get this?" I took the picture and gazed over the details, most of the landscape was still the same, a lot of height differences though.

London has turned into a giant mountain, it's name was crossed out and replaced with 'Mount Olympus'.

"I have a… special ability." She was hesitant, "You have one too, right? You're a psychic."

I nodded slowly, "How do you know?"

She focused for a moment before I saw a flickering at her side, a shimmering apparition appeared but it was very blurry. "It's called a persona, only some people have them in the entire world, sort of like you psychics. Can you see it?"

Andromalius Lv. 23

[Kyouko Kuzunoha's Persona]

I frowned, "Not really, it's like looking at an unfocused picture, there's some red and black, I'm assuming that's its color?"

She nodded and focused again, "My persona is pretty special, while most others fight, mine is specialized for information gathering. It's similar to that of a satellite, but it doesn't have to be in space to work."

My jaw was agape, that's amazing! "So that's how you became number one detective." She laughed, "Don't underestimate my brain, kid. This persona's just a bonus."

Kyouko grabbed a blank piece of paper from the desk and swiped it through her persona, she shook it a little before presenting it to me.

Hansel Malkuth

Age: 17

Sex: Male

Hobbies: Playing games, stealing, reading books.

Secret: Sells drugs to feed his 'family', is a psychic.

Favorite Thing: His sister, apples.

I paled, "Oh. It's pretty accurate."

She chuckled and took the paper from me, "Don't sweat it kid, I'm not gonna judge you for selling drugs."

"This ability works as soon as i spot someone, but I can also print that information on paper." She added.

So it's like my [Observe] ability. Wait, can she sense the system as well?

No she cannot, Sir. Most entities in this multiverse are not capable of sensing the Game's presence as they are below it in the Cosmic Hierarchy. You can still inform other people about it however.

'Oh, that's good to know.'

I stood up from the couch and walked towards the table, "So, got any info on what's happening around here? Why aren't there any people around?"

Kyouko dismissed her persona and went through her bag, pulling out a few books. "I think you'll wanna read these in your spare time, you can stay in the guest room upstairs. I'll explain all I know tomorrow, it's been a long day and I need some shut eye." She explained and yawned, "Sorry about this, I just can't function without some sleep, and using my persona takes a lot of energy too."

I shrugged and took the books, "Thanks for letting me stay, that's already more than enough."

+10 REP with Kyouko Kuzunoha! [10/100]

"Alright, if it's fine with you I'm gonna take a shower." She stepped away and went to a room in the back.

I went upstairs and found a single guest room, guess she's sleeping in her office? I went inside the room and it was pretty much what I expected. It's lightly dusty, but the floor and bed's in good condition. It looked like what you'd see in an old English tavern.

I put down the books on the nightstand, I kept all of my other stuff in my inventory so I travelled lightly.

Slipping out of my clothes, I kept my undershirt on and my boxers. I slipped under the bedcovers and sighed, it was a lot more comfortable than my apartment's bed.

Taking a book from the pile I inspected the cover.

Pseudomonarchia Daemonum

...What kind of books did she just give me?

Pulling out another book I sighed as it was also strange.

Goetia - The Lesser Key of Solomon

I checked through the other books and surprisingly, some of them were pretty normal.

Norse Gods and Giants

The Book of Yokai

Angels & Demons

Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes

The Art of War Magic

The last one had weird vibrations, like it was trying to tell me something. Actually, wasn't this an Elder Scrolls skillbook? It had that kind of look to it. I opened the book and, yup, a prompt appeared.

Consume Skill Book?

[Yes] [No]

Uh, this is gonna burn the book or something right? Don't know how I'll explain that to her.

Sir, if you read the entirety of the book, it will still give you the bonus. You can even skim read it, as long as you have a general gist of its contents.

'Oh, that's doable. I read quickly anyway.' As I sort out the books, I realized I'm not getting much sleep tonight. Hopefully Ms. Detective has coffee.

'Why don't you start explaining the System to me, Demi? I can multitask.' I said as I opened The Art of War Magic.

Very well, Sir. What would you like me to explain first?

'How about the stats system? I'm familiar with their general game terms but what do they do exactly?'

This version of the system utilizes the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat system from the Fallout franchise. Its stats start at 1 and are maxed at 99. 1 is abysmal, 10 is peak human, 20 is enhanced human, and above are multiplied. To give perspective, most true Gods are at 70-99.

'How about Lucifer? His stats were about 30 at average. He's supposed to rival God right?'

That was his avatar, Sir. I'm quite sure his true form is far stronger.

'Ah.' I shuddered as I flipped a page, the Lucifer I met was already giving me bad vibes, couldn't imagine how facing a real god would be.

It should be noted that any stat above 50 is far beyond normal human understanding, already scraping the boundaries of omnipotence.

Oh, that made sense. Originally I thought that 50 would be 5 times stronger than 10, but from what you're saying it seems the stats scale upwards at a steep angle.

Yes. The higher you go the more exponential the gains become.

Now onto the stats themselves.

Strength measures physical capability and unarmed / melee damage. It also slightly affects stamina along with Endurance.

Perception measures perceptual acuity and the quality of your eyesight. It measures how far your vision is and your natural danger sense as well.

Endurance measures both physical and magical resistances, along with the general health of one's body. It also calculates DR (Damage Resistance) and HP Regen.

I stopped, 'Not the max HP itself?'

No, HP improves at a fixed rate every level depending on racial bonuses. For humans, it is 10 HP every level.

I sighed, that's something to think about. As a human, I was always going to be lacking HP.

No worries Sir, you can always improve your DR, and because of your perk [Divine Kingdom], there is a chance you will get some perks that improve your natural survivability.

'Yeah, I guess you're right. Please continue.'

Charisma measures your natural appeal to all things. It slightly affects your looks and how you behave around other people, but only subconsciously.

Intelligence measures your mental acuity and capability for magic, or in your case, psychic abilities. This also slightly affects how you gain experience through the world. For example, if you have an intelligence over 6, then you will gain experience from reading books and discovering new locations.

Agility measures your natural dexterity and precision, as well as proficiency with ranged attacks. Higher Agility gives you a natural evasion bonus and better reflexes.

Luck is a… fickle subject. In truth, I cannot say how it truly affects the world around you. I can only tell that it slightly increases critical hit rate and better loot chance.

'Interesting, how about the new stuff that I can access now that the System's updated?'

Well, there are basic game settings, you can choose to have a HUD, change notification sounds, UI skins, etc.

I opened the settings and wow, it really was extensive. Well, the first thing I needed was to make that minimap always show up. Next, a compass, and an enemy radar which was connected to my psychic sense. A health and mana bar that only showed up when needed.

An objective marker? Sure thing, that'll make things a lot easier when I'm doing quests. There were also other options such as limb conditions and quick menu, but I'll use those when I need them.

I put my 'Spells' into the quick menu though, since it says that spells and weapons assigned there are 25% faster to use.

[Quick Menu] (Max 5)

[Pyrokinesis]

The art of manipulating heat, either controlling existing ones or generating them yourself.

[Telepathy]

The most basic psychic skill, allows the user to read other's minds and emotions, and even communicate through long distances.

[Telekinesis]

The second most basic psychic skill, and the one that costs the least. This can range from throwing objects or forming your own psychic objects.

[Psychic Sense] (Active Ver.)

Send out a psychic wave that shows the exact location of entities within a limited range. Mentally acute beings may detect this wave.

I had Pyrokinesis but not other forms of elemental manipulation because they were locked behind a skill tree, one I didn't know how to progress through.

Ah, I was about to explain that, Sir. To unlock parts of the Skill Tree, you must accept what is known as an Upgrade Quest, these are challenges that vary depending on the branch that you are upgrading.

Oh shit, seriously? 'Can I take one now? I wanna get this [Precognition] skill.'

Yep, Precognition, one of the most underrated skills a psychic can have. I can see the appeal of unlocking the other elements, or even going for the big guns such as reality warping, but I needed some way of evading damage.

Upgrade Quest accepted!

Upgrade Quest - [Precognition]

Evade 50 melee attacks [0/50]

Evade 50 ranged attacks [0/50]

Attacks must be from actual enemies.

I knew this wouldn't be easy. I sighed as I closed the book that I was reading, it was an interesting read.

Perk Gained - [Novice Destruction]

You are a beginner in the arts of destruction magic, you are more in tune with the elements and manipulating them becomes easier.

+25% Elemental Damage

-25% Elemental Spell Cost

That's neat, so that means I can get new perks from reading skill books. I also gotta try something else…

Focusing a psychic field, I wrap it around my body, about a couple of centimetres above my skin. A barrier around my body to protect myself from damage, I'd have to try making something for my mind as well…

[Ironflesh]

+10% (x2) Damage Resistance

Consumes 5 MP/second

[Lesser Omni Ward]

Blocks Magical and Physical Attacks

300 HP (x2)

Cost: 50-200 MP (Depends on size)

Max size: 6x6 ft.

Lasts until broken or dismissed

A transparent glass-like barrier appeared in front of me. It was small, just a 1x1 ft. barrier but it cost me 50 MP. Experimentally, I threw a pencil at it with my telekinesis.

[587/600]

I grinned in satisfaction, that pencil throw had the power of a small pistol round. The ward was gonna be great for defense, though I'm guessing it would quickly drain my MP if I relied on it too much.

Next, a mental barrier.

I focused on wrapping a metaphysical barrier in my mind. I wasn't used to this, but I did try messing with my mindscape before, it didn't really work before though.

[Mental Defenses] (Weak)

Protects from low level telepathy and illusions, won't protect from suggestions and self-induced emotions.

It'll do for now… I sigh, wasn't the mind supposed to be the strongest part of a psychic? Why was I born as one anyway, and why the hell was I picked to be a Gamer?

Sir, should I continue the explanation?

'Oh, right. Please continue, Demi.'

Very well then, since version 1.6. A new Market module was released alongside an update for the existing Game Shop.

The Game Shop is where you can buy skills, perks, and items at a predetermined rate, these will never run out and can be bought using local currency as well as credits.

The Omniversal Exchange Market is run by System Administrators and is an actual physical place inside a pocket dimension. Here, you can buy and sell merchandise from different gamers. Although, if you don't feel like socializing, you can just use the Auction House feature to buy your goods, though I recommend going to the Market itself to haggle for cheaper prices.

That's… A lot to take in, so this Game Shop is where I bought that [Multilingual] perk, and this Market is an actual place filled with other gamers? Can I go there?

Yes you can, but it cannot be accessed when you are in combat, or in any sort of dire situation.

Makes sense, don't want people running away from their problems. I wasn't really tired so I couldn't sleep, I put away the books in my Inventory and stretched.

I don't have any credits to buy anything, nor do I have anything to sell… So I'll try the Market later.

Stepping downstairs, I was surprised to see the detective lounging on the couch, wearing her casual clothes.

"Couldn't sleep huh?" Kyouko greeted me as I walked down the stairs, "Yeah, kinda hard to."

"Then I guess I can show you my intel now." She stood up and went over to the desk, pulling out a pretty large folder.

She pulled out a bunch of pictures of many weird creatures, some humanoid, some looking similar to the ones I fought with Charon.

"As you know, the world has changed. But not only that, it's been overrun by demons." She started, I tilted my head in confusion, "Demons?"

"Not your traditional biblical demons, more like mythological creatures and legends. They're all called demons, heck, I've seen some angels out there too."

I pinched my forehead, "Not how I imagined my Saturday would be."

She chuckled, "Same here. I've heard about these demons before, you see a lot of shit as a detective. But the whole world being transformed like this? Nothing I could have ever imagined."

I pointed out the map she gave me earlier, "And this? This is England, right? But why is London called Mount Olympus?"

The detective's lips pursed, "Gods and Demons, legends seeping into the real world, reality is twisting like a knotted braid. Other parts of the world must be affected as well, but I doubt we can exit England as it is right now."

I shuffled through the files as she spoke, "We're lucky there aren't many hostile demons around these parts, mostly fairies and earth spirits as far as I can tell."

I nodded. Fairies and… Jirae, they were classified as 'Attacks on provocation', so these Demons were like animals then? Some are naturally hostile, some aren't

"But going north of here is an abandoned power plant, there lies a lot of negative energy. I'm sure you'll find a lot of hostile demons there."

I paused as I saw the map again, "Mount Olympus… does this mean the big boss is Zeus? Are all the other Greek gods here?"

Kyouko nodded, "I'm 90% sure. Also, I'm sure the reason why we haven't seen anyone else is because… They've turned into demons as well."

"What? How can that happen?"

She opened her bag and pulled out a small purple crystal, "This." She turned it around and an eerie glow appeared, it had vibrations similar to that of a person. "Is Magnetite. It exists almost everywhere in small particles, but some chunks can be found along the Earth's crust as well. It also grows in people's bodies."

"And what does this Magnetite do?" I took the crystal from her and inspected it, the vibrations it gave off made me slightly dizzy.

"It's like a conduit for demons to manifest in this world, stronger demons require more Magnetite. And since it exists in humans as well…"

"They turn into demons." I gulped.

Kyouko shrugged, "Only a small minority have turned, I have readings of human presence somewhere near this town. The surviving humans must have hid away somewhere, or even worse, enslaved by demons."

"We gotta save them then, Celine might be with them. Where are they?"

She had an apprehensive look on her face, "I'm not sure, but I can give you a projected area of where they might be."

Sir, if you add her to your party then she can be classified as a [Ranged Support] companion, her information will be added to your minimap.

Wonderful! 'Add Kyouko Kuzunoha to party.'

Kyouko Kuzunoha joined your party as Ally!

A wealth of information appeared on my minimap, with location names, nearby movement fields, and a satellite projection of Peterborough.

"What did you do? I feel my… Persona being linked towards you."

I smirked, "Mental link, now you just need to point out the location on the map."

After a bit of arguing, Kyouko finally let me out of the office. She was certain I was walking into a death trap, and to be honest I was too. But I'd be damned if I was gonna let my sister get… defiled by demons.

Trait Gained - [Siscon]

You are unnaturally obsessed with sister-type characters, this can be a boon or a curse, depending on the kind of situation you end up in.

"..."

Apologies, Sir. The system has an interesting sense of humor.

"It certainly does." I leaned against a brick building, I was close to the target area now. It was an abandoned building complex located a few kilometres east from the Tower of Babel. Kyouko was back at the office, since she needs to be stationary to use her Persona, which had an effective range of 15 km.

I stepped past a few old buildings, all of them devoid of life. Interesting thing about this place, it was already abandoned even before the world changed.

Rumors of it being haunted, among other things.

I'll be honest, I'm a bit scared of ghosts. Not because I find them actually scary, I just don't like going against things that I can't attack.

But Kyouko said most of the demons are vulnerable to at least one element, some are immune to others as well.

It's just like Pokemon, I guess. Find their weaknesses and exploit them, or just use sheer brute force.

"You're nearing the complex, I've detected several life signatures in the large hall, some stronger than the others."

The detective's voice echoed through my head, she was communicating through our mental link. Her ability when connected to my head functioned like a router, expanding her range to a large area around my body.

Several dots appeared on my minimap, all of them were gray as I didn't know which were hostile. 'You said some had stronger signatures? They might be demons.'

"Most probably, but there is always the possibility of my intel being off. Be careful, Hansel."

'I will.'

[PSI Field] (Active)

A distorted field made of psychic energy, it obscures your presence and blurs your image from others.

Alright, time to put all my years of stealing experience to the test.

More unclean ones were brought in today, there were so many of them when The Advent occurred. It is a surprise that God did not bring about his judgement sooner towards these heathens.

He was given strict orders to subjugate the scattered heathens within this small town, most of the others were already brought into the Tower. Though this area was part of Olympus Mons, the Hellenes would not dare fight against the might of the true God.

"Sister Gabriel!" an angel called from near the command console, "The Ophanim has detected an unusual presence."

"What is it? What do you mean by unusual presence?"

The angel gulped, "It is an unclean one, but they are connected to an otherworldly presence. Their movements are also masked, we cannot pinpoint their exact location."

Gabriel clicked her tongue and shouted, "Everyone! Spread out and find the intruder! You," She pointed to the reporting angel, "Tell the Ophanim to pinpoint their location." The angel nodded and went to do his job.

This intruder was either scouting or is trying to rescue the other heathens. Either way, they've made a mistake going here alone.