?
The Void.
""Void.""
"""Void!"""
Sounds more like an echo chamber than infinite space with no meaning to its purpose.
Was it a spare forgotten project made by some higher entity? Or perhaps something more sinister? Whatever it might be, this place was my worst nightmare. Having nothing but your thoughts to accompany you is terrifying, the constant repeats in my words only seem to amplify that hatred even further.
I want to get out of here, please, I'm begging you. Whatever god is out there listening right now, please, give me a sign.
Like an oasis in the desert, water came. Hearing my call, an escape route found its way to me, in the form of one of those reincarnation systems those isekai protagonists usually get.
[Welcome, would you like to beta test this version of the system?]
Oh, great creator, I would gladly suck your dick if you so ask.
[Alright, enough of this weird shit.]
[What the fuck?]
It talks!
[Of course, I do.]
[Who do you think runs the complex sequence most people have to do manually?]
[Oh, I forgot, you're still nothing more than an ignorant child.]
Okay, I get it. You don't have to be a prick about it. Anyways, what's your deal? A ROB dead-set on making me entertainment?
[I wish!]
[But, no. That isn't my cup of tea.]
[I'm a system, more specifically, the AI.]
[I have been tasked to support certain individuals someone higher deems worthy.]
[Whatever that means, I have no clue.]
[But I can at least insure that you survive your first world.]
[So, what's it going to be?]
[Yes] [No]
Yes! One hundred times, yes!
[Wonderful, we can now start with character creation.]
[Perks have been Received]
[God's Blessing] (Void God of Rebirth)
To attain the favor of the divine is to gain a portion of their strength. Use this new found power well, as if you entertain your patron further, and you might just have a taste at true godhood.
Grants the user immunity to mind control of any kind.
Dulls psychological trauma.
Allows the user to bypass any sort of damage for half a second.
Grants minor healing factor.
[Pocket]
A separate dimension that can hold things.
Internal size will change depending on your current strength.
Nothing too crazy, standard isekai stuff, there's nothing to worry about.
[You know what? I'll just let you see for yourself later.]
[Please Select a Class]
[Fighter] [Mage] [Rogue]
No tank? Whatever, this should at least be interesting with [Rogue]. Multiple swift strikes with the power to instantly kill anything, at the cost of being as brittle as glass? Sign me up!
Then came a row of three subclasses. Each specializing in certain aspects of the main class. They were [Scout], [Thief], and [Assassin]. Pretty basic starter classes, but it's better than nothing I suppose.
Scouts lent themselves to being more ranged attackers, while assassins would probably lean more towards up close burst damage. And finally, Thief is the best of both worlds, without the hyper specialization.
For the first class, it would seem like [Thief] would be the best here. I don't know where I'll end up yet, so it's better to tread with caution and go for utility.
Selecting that option, a sudden burst of knowledge exploded in my brain, alongside a searing pain accompanying it. Most of this came from memories that felt "lived-in" in a sense. As if they were stolen from someone else, implanted for the sake of speeding up progress.
This felt like a class-based system, just weirder. A memories system? Never heard of that type outside of niche thousand chapter long xianxia.
[So close, yet wrong at the same time.]
[The leveling part was removed after too many users overestimated themselves, thinking it mattered more than actual skill.]
[You can still change classes or upgrade an existing one, it will just appear when it seems like you hit a bottleneck too hard to cross.]
I guess that is to be expected. With a power like this, it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary to say that baseline humans have the potential to outperform even gods in some aspects.
[Moving on, you now have to "create" your identity. Usually, we have the race setup first, but we decided against it for this version.]
Hit me with it, bossman.
[Select a slot]
[Empty]
What do we have here? Even if it's only one empty slot, that would at least indicate that there were more. So, tell me, game, you wouldn't happen to be running this as a service, would you? It would be a shame if I accidentally mess up my "run" wouldn't it not?
[What an ass.]
I take offense to that!
[Shut your trap, because nobody cares.]
[No, we aren't selling the user's life as an experience, we're not owned by EA.]
[I am only doing this for those extra picky types who take a full year to customize their character.]
I guess you could make that point. Whatever, let's just see what this has in store for me.
Several menus popped up in that instant, giving me a selection of various preset styles and looks based on what I felt like wearing. From sex changes, to the pigment of my skin tone, everything was customizable. -Let's just quietly increase my dick size before game notices.-
In the end, I ended up choosing one of the more popular presets and changing it to my liking. A face with effeminate features, a body built to be more agile, long silky-smooth white hair, piercing red eyes standard for any albino protagonist, and a fang that looked just about ready to nibble on someone's neck.
Of course, some other worldly being would complain about my appearance, but this was what peak male performance looked like. Finishing the process, a flash of blinding light intercepted my eyes, blinding me for a minute or so before dying down.
What followed was the unveiling of my masterpiece. A true work of art. As if through some miracle, a sexually confusing being descended upon me. But my short attention span diverted once more, towards a new pop-up.
[Pick a Name]
I get to name myself? Oh no, I have to name myself. This was worse than anything I ever expected. Brain, don't fail me now. Please, don't give me a cringy anime name. Something normal would suffice, I don't want to be known as the Supreme grandmaster Bob Uchiha
"Skye, that is the name I have chosen for myself." Undoubtedly, it could have been better. But something within me thought otherwise. A compulsion perhaps? The answer to that question may never be revealed to me in all honesty. Left as an enigmatic quarry that will inevitably scratch at the back of my mind for the next millennia if power fantasies are anything to go by.
Then came the next series of green system panels, the contents of which soured my expression greatly.
[User's name has been set]
[Take a Random Flaw]
[You will not gain something in return, however, you can remove them after fulfilling certain requirements.]
You can't be serious, right? Isn't there a law of equivalent exchange? A boon for a curse?
[?]
[We removed that such a long time ago now.]
[It quickly grew stale after the first few attempts.]
[Then some of the Gods observing this little "game" suggested I shake up the difficulty for fun.]
There are people watching me? Kinda expected it honestly. Need to keep the bills running somehow… But I still can't shake the thought. The chance of me dying on the first world I enter is still pretty high. Aren't you supposed to keep me alive until then? You know, make me "extra" special.
[Special?]
[You're already getting me, a wonderful system, blessings from a higher being, a new look. And after all of that, you still ask for more?]
[Do I look like fucking Santa Claus?]
Well, n-
[Then shut up and take the damn flaw.]
[Or should I make it worse by adding two more?]
Fine, alright. I'll take the stupid thing already. Just, don't do that.
[You have Received Traits]
[Rumination]
Ever look back and think "You dumbass! We've been through this once, why haven't you changed already!"? Well, multiply that by double, add your current mental state, and you get a shitshow.
So, basically depression but permanent, got it. Wonder how that will take effect. Wait! I don't want to know.
[Great, that means we're almost done.]
[Select a World from the Following]
[Worm] [Warhammer 40k] [Tower of God] [SMT V]
Why!?
[What do you mean Skye?]
You know exactly what I mean! This selection is somehow worse than gaining a flaw with no benefits. Practically suicide to even attempt one of these without proper readiness and time. Wiki dumps, and reading the source material will only get you so far, more so after taking into account the butterfly effect caused by my mere presence.
The first two are a quick no. The amount of knowledge I have in both verses may be lacking, but at the very least, I know to fear it. The latter are more bearable, the journey will still be tough.
Tower of God is comparably less dangerous, but with the series still unfinished the last time I read through it, there are still variables left untouched, and weird "author" gods creeping around the corner.
And that leaves Shin Megami Tensei V standing as the most likely candidate, regrettably so. Firing balls of Shinsu sounds super fun. Sacrifices have to be made when the other options rail you with a metal spike without a care in the world.
Tapping on the tab, a CYOA sheet appeared before my eyes. Though it was a bit on the shorter side, it was enough to get the point across.
Credits:100
Note: You will be given a hundred credits per jump. You have the choice of either spending them all or saving them for next time.
Origin
Humans (-20 Credits): As a regular human, you are weak. But through gaining your demon counterpart, your power will rise by leaps and bounds, unshackled by your vessel.
Demons (-20 Credits): You are a demon, usually come dime a dozen. You have limited potential, and finding your other half will be difficult. But with enough determination, great things are bound to occur. Roll for demon race, then species.
? (-10 Credits): Bag of trick, spin the wheel and let the axiom decide. Don't know what you'll get? You could end up as something so obscure such as Oracle, or the big record scratching man himself.
Huh. That's it.
Staring at the window for a moment, I turned it over to look for any more menus. There were none, and I was left screwed. No planning it seems, so unless there's a redo button, I don't think I could maximize this to the max.
Minutes passed weighing out the options. On one hand, YHVH levels of broken, while the other has beings like Mad Slug from Megami Tensei. Did I really want to lower myself to that level?
Screw it, let gacha take the wheel, I'll just build the strongest it the best I can.
Demonoid Oracle: Half-man, half-demon? Or half-demon, half-man? Whichever the case may be, you have turned into the vile combination of both. You aren't the demi-fiend, nor the Nahobino, but something far worse. Your existence is constant agony as visions of the future forever haunt you. The worst part is that not a single soul will believe your claims.
That… is terrifying. It wasn't the lacking presence of the character, nor the vivid, and possibly nightmare inducing foresight that scared me, but the lack of faith those close to me will have.
Because in the end, no matter what path in this life I chose to lead, they will all finish with me bitter and alone, companions long dead after ignoring my claims, brushing them off to the side as if they were mere crazed and tired ramblings.
And I couldn't possibly deal with the metal ramifications of such, even with the aid of my blessing. Hey game? Would it be possible if I could maybe reroll?
[You could.]
Then do-
[But at the cost of 100 credits.]
This is really going to come right back around and bite me, isn't it?
[Most certainly.]
[You can't leave this section with a wallet in the negatives, however.]
Craps biscuits… Alright, show me the drawbacks.
[If you say so.]
Drawbacks
Chaotic Counterpart (+30 Credits): Two wrongs don't make a right. Both you and your human/demon half will have vastly different ideologies. From law to chaos and light to dark. Butting heads at every turn.
Species Downgrade (+20 Credits): Power slowly leaves your body as your form seems to change. Ex: Archangel - Angel.
Note: It is highly recommended that the user may only take a maximum of three, any more and the chances of death only rise from here.
Return of the True Demon (+120 Credits): Do you really think you're strong enough? To go up against a being of pure chaos? If you really think so, then why don't I make it harder for you. One special modifier will be added to aid your opponent. He shall await your arrival at the foot of God's throne. Fight him and reshape the world as you see fit.
Zenith of Humanity (+9999 Credits): ######?
Right, this practically screams deal with it, or death. Species Downgrade looked like a good choice, though I could only get a single one. Then there was Chaotic Counterpart, somehow this was even worse than the other options.
My only hope at changing my race was to either blip myself out of existence, or face the Demi-Fiend, someone who was on par with Lucifer in his game, and is potentially Aleph level if he succeeded in his goal of overthrowing the big man upstairs.
Even considering Nahobino's "truest form" bullshit, the chances of me winning were slim. But, that doesn't mean it's an instant loss on my end. As long as I played my cards right, this wouldn't necessarily hinder my plans.
As for the last option… I don't particularly want to kick the hornet's nest. It isn't a pastime of mine, even if my personality was more inclined to being an asshole.
Opting for a single of both the second and third options, I watched as the number in my "virtual" wallet soared to great heights. I would have felt a sense of great elation if it weren't for the fact they were tired to massive disadvantages.
It didn't matter, right? Anything was better than Oracle.
Wilder Bicorn-
[Downgrading]
Wilder Cockroach: Huh? You actually got it. Congratulations on being the unluckiest person alive, not only did you get one of the worst races, but you also got a low-level demon. Look at the bright side, you get to hang out with Mothman.
Murphy, buddy. What have I done to deserve such a fate? Did I murder your loved one? Because it definitely feels like that. There was much regret in my actions, as if a tiny voice had begun to whisper seedlings of doubt to disrupt my thought process.
The second conscience would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for me clutching to the slightest glimmer of hope still left within me. Thankfully, the next portion of the sheet was for powers, something I could use to alleviate my stress and power myself to great heights.
[Skye, you have selected {Location: Random},{Time: 5 years before canon}, {Physical Skill Potential+4}, {Wind Skill Potential+2}, {Dark Skill Potential+1}, {Connection to the World of Shadows}, {Full Control Nahobino}, {Consensual Demon Fusion}, { Species Downgrade}, {Return of the True Demon}.]
[Are you sure you want to continue?]
[Yes] [No]
Confirming the self-inflicted masochism, I steeled myself for what was to come. Lest I face off against hell with a butter knife.
[Did you really have to take that long?]
[I've been sitting here for twenty hours now for crying out loud.]
[Whatever, enjoy your new existence.]
[And have fun dealing with your current circumstances.]
What can you do? When your objective is to have fun, and the odds are stacked against you more than a high-level game of dominion, you do the best you can with what you have. Besides, I am the protagonist of my budding story, damn it. There's no way I could die so early on.
…
[Status Card Generated]
[Skye]
Race:Demon (Wilder Cockroach)
Class: Thief (T1)
Alignment: True Neutral
Overall Strength: T2.2
Dropping down into the new world, my minuscule body crashed with a quiet thud. Trying to "open" my eyes was pretty much useless, probably due to the fact I no longer have them in the first place.
My vision was replaced by something more primitive, a mix between echolocation and smell. An odd combination, but not unbearable. Granted, it will take some getting used to, having the knowledge that a turd was stinking two meters away from me was concerning, and the fact that my instincts were telling me it tasted like chocolate was even more so.
Ignoring the nugget of nutrients, I turned my attention to something worse. There was a conflict happening nearby, blood, sweat, and delicious magatsuhi littered the ground like trash in the ocean.
This was an incredibly risky task, but it would pay me well. Right now, I barely have enough standing amongst demons, to the point where even slimes have a reasonable chance of taking me out.
There was still fusion, but that not only required me to bring another demon, but also be in the world of shadows. Easier said than done.
Back to the drawing board. I have a physical build with tons of utility, that much is known. A minor selection of dark magic to help me blend into the darkness. Wind magic to boost flight speed. And a potential Nahobino state if I find my knowledge.
Great, however, I still don't know where I landed. False Tokyo is the only place humans can inhabit without instantly dying, so getting there will become top priority.
One slight problem, Bethel's existence effectively blocks my entry inside.
…Unless. I became a mercenary for hire.
We can plan that later, "Skye". There are more important things ahead of you. Like the three-foot tall cryomancer swiftly flying towards me.
Scurrying away from my previous location, I watched as the temperature around me dropped by a cartoonish degree. This was a Jack Frost, the mascot character who's surprisingly more terrifying in person than through the screen. Hovering close by him was Pyro Jack, another third of the Jack Bros.
Then came the last Jack (or who I assumed to be the last), Jack the Ripper. Brandishing his signature knife, cutting through the air as he showed it off to his friends.
I couldn't exactly hear what they were saying, but they were definitely talking, I knew that much. And their appearance here didn't seem to have come because of me, but instead, pure coincidence
Taking the opportunity, I ran for my life, towards a battlefield where a fight seems to have taken place. In a field laid the deteriorating corpses were pixies, the smallest and weakest of their species. But to have them so deeply concentrated in one area must mean… I have to be in their forest, or somewhat close to that at least.
More and more, the dead continued to pile on, bodies strewn about like some modern art pieces. With the abundance of the energy in the air, and with no danger in sight, I started absorbing the magatsuhi in the air, feeling a gradual increase in power with each second there.
Frankly, the boosts were so small that they could be considered inconsequential, nevertheless, any little amount helps when even humans have a shot at killing you. Wrapping myself in a coat of gale and darkness, I started to float off the ground without the assistance of my wings. Then came an improvement in my vision, as I used the air to "see" further than my antenna could sense.
Thankfully, I didn't need to know how to use magic, or at least in the conventional sense. This body feels as though it is naturally attuned to the stuff I picked earlier. And since my body isn't that of an inept human, it feels like moving a decommissioned arm. You take slow steps, a gradual rise, then we'll have to wait for the rest as I hear a shriek in the distance.
I've been waiting for this. The quintessential Isekai experience, saving a damsel with your relatively overpowered abilities. Surely it isn't anything I can't handle. After all, I have plot armor on my side.