My first fanfiction. Inspired by the works of Dark Wolf Shiro, Mirlnir and The Axe Guy. I don't own anything.
EDIT 1: An attempt to balance Boosted Gear was made...how effective it was is debateable.
EDIT 2: Completely forgot to include class level up lol.
A grey truck swerves onto the pavement. I scream in panic as I try to dive out of the way. However, it is far too late, the truck smashes into me. All I feel is pain, the agony of having every bone in my body smashed because of one reckless driver. Blood trickles down my face as black dots appeared on the edge of my vision.
D̸̰͉͛͋o̸͈̽ ̴͓̝́̚ỷ̵̧̤ȯ̵̗̟̿ǘ̵̼̲ ̷͓̕ẁ̷̧̝̏a̴̧͝n̷̼͚̑ț̶̅ ̶͕̀̓t̵̟̓ö̶͙́ ̵̯͌̎l̵̘̦͌i̶̘̚v̴̘͇̍̊e̵̪̔̈́ͅ?̴͚̋͠
As I lie there, dying and apparently delusional, I think to myself,
"Of course, I want to live… "
As I answer, I feel a powerful tug in my gut, before the world fades to black and I feel my consciousness rapidly fading. When I wake up, I'm in a dark room but more importantly, I notice that despite the crash, I feel perfectly fine. I know something is wrong here- being smashed by a truck with thousands of pounds of force behind it should at bare minimum leave me bed-ridden. My eyes slowly acclimate to the darkness and for the first time, see where I am. A basement of some kind, brick walls, unlit lights, and oh, did I mention the mutilated corpse near me? Because, yeah that's a thing. I should've felt horror, revulsion, and fear at the sight but instead all I feel is a twisted sense of pride as if the corpse was some particularly morbid piece of art I finished.
"What the hell is going on? Where am I?"
[Initialising System….]
[Surveying World….]
[Scanning Host….]
[Integrating Memories….]
[System Start-up Successful!]
I immediately collapse on the floor as seventeen years of memories flood into my mind. I... I was Freed Sellzen, former Exorcist, murder extraordinaire… and a distinctly fictional character. It wasn't just the memories being shoved into my head either, Freed's skill, his instincts, and even his personality melded into me. The thought of a psychopathic murderer's mind being shoved into mine should've been worrying…. the fact that I didn't, couldn't even bring myself to care shows how much influence Freed's memories had on me.
Quest Added
[Learning The Ropes]
Objective: Complete the Tutorial
Open your Status page (0/1)
Open your Traits page (0/1)
Open your Skills page (0/1)
Reward: Unlocks [Class] function.
I stare at the blue screen in front of me in disbelief and a touch of hope. My second chance of life might be as an irrelevant minor antagonist destined to die, but if the System was anything like those in the stories I read before I died, it would be ludicrously overpowered. Hell, fuck surviving, I'm going to make this world my bitch!
First, I had to complete the tutorial though. I mentally call up the pages mentioned in the quest, flinching as three blue boxes appear out of nowhere.
[Status]
Name- Freed Sellzen
HP- 735 [96 per minute]
SP-735 [147 per minute]
MP- 495 [26 per minute]
Level- 46 (19,396/31,199)
Race- Artificial Human
Class- Unassigned
Faction- Grigori
STR- 58
END- 49
DEX- 75
INT- 35
WIS- 26
CHA- 15
[Traits]
[Psychopath]
You possess a complete lack of empathy.
Increased resistance to mental effects. -10 CHA
[Artificial Human]
Born in a lab rather than a womb, you were created to be the ideal human.
The effect of END and WIS on HP and MP and SP is increased by 50%. +5 STR, END, and DEX.
[Combat Prodigy]
You are unusually talented at fighting.
All combat skills gain 20% more EXP. Unlocks skill Combat Precognition.
[Legendary Blood (Siegfried)]
You are related to the legendary Germanic hero Siegfried.
Gain an extra stat point when you level up. Grants you ? when you ?.
[Blessing of the System]
You have my Blessing so you are destined for greatness.
You see the world from the eyes of a Gamer. You have the body of a Gamer. Unlocks skills [Harvest]. Greatly increased resistance to mental effects.
[Skills]
[Sword Proficiency (Apprentice]
Your swordsmanship is considerably skilled.
[Combat Precognition (Novice]
You can read the patterns of your opponents' attacks and occasionally predict their next move.
[Marksman Proficiency (Novice]
You know the basics of how to use ranged weaponry.
[Harvest (Special)]
Passively allows you to gain EXP from defeated enemies. Allows you to steal one of a defeated foe's skills or traits ignoring all requirements and retaining their Mastery level. Limit of three Harvested skills or traits equipped at a time.
Huh, traditionally the System gives complete immunity to mental effects rather than just increased resistance. Still, I can deal with this. Harvest is broken enough to give me an easy route to power even if I am limited to three powers at a time. The System says I'm destined for greatness…I agree wholeheartedly.
Indeed, with my aid, we will become legendary. As for the limits of the lack of complete mental immunity… my last host's death at the hands of a Zenith-tier caused some residual damage to me.
Zenith Tier?
The highest tier of power. The likes of Ophis and Scion lie of this tier. My previous host got greedy and tried to Harvest Eden. Scion…. was not happy and we both suffered for it. So, let's not make a repeat performance ok? Not sure if I'll survive another one.
Don't worry, I don't plan on committing suicide by Entity anytime soon. What are the tiers though?
There are seven Tiers with each tier being stronger than the last. Higher Tier Beings gain a multiplier on their stats.
Mortal – No Multiplier, capped at level 100
Veteran - 2x Multiplier, capped at level 250
Elite – 4x Multiplier, capped at level 500
Champion – 6x Multiplier, capped at level 750
Immortal- 10x Multiplier, capped at level 1000
Genesis- 24x Multiplier, capped at level 5000
Zenith- 100x Multiplier, no level cap
[Tutorial Complete]
[Class Function Unlocked!]
Please select a Class
[Warrior] [Rogue] [Mage] [Ranger] [Support]
Classes allow you to gain stats and skills associated with the said class as you level them up. Raising a class to the maximum level will allow you to choose another class as well as unlock stronger classes. WARNING: You may not repeat Classes!
Interesting…it's nice to know that I can choose another class later, so I won't be locked into one path based on my choice here. The obvious choice is the Warrior or Rogue classes that suit my high DEX and STR, but I wonder…. hey System, can Harvest be used to steal Boosted Gear from Issei.
Yes, you can harvest the Boosted Gear by choosing the 'Red Dragon Emperor' trait as the target…though he would have to manifest it first.
Interesting… I can steal Boosted Gear. I would have to force Issei to manifest his Sacred Gear though as in canon, he only summoned it after he was reincarnated as a devil. It would definitely catch the attention of the devils if I killed students attending the same school as them- especially people like the Beast Tamer or a suspected Sacred Gear holder who would no doubt have special attention put on them. Still, for the sake of having a fucking Longinus, the risk was easily worth it.
I remember from the anime that Vali managed to use Juggernaut Drive while keeping his sanity by substituting his mana for life force. If I can do something similar…that would be a tremendous boost. Juggernaut Drive was ridiculously broken and the more mana I had, the longer I could use it without sapping my lifeforce. The Mage class would help me build mana far faster, also I have to admit magic is just cool. I would be lying to myself if I said the cool factor didn't play at least a small factor in my decision. Except for Support, the other classes seem to involve stuff I can learn naturally while magic will probably be way harder to learn normally. Hmm…. I really want the ability to use Juggernaut Drive without going crazy, so I guess mage me up System!
You have chosen the [Mage] class. You gain 2 INT and 1 WIS per class level-up. You unlock one additional spell every ten levels (max of six). You gain the skill [Spellcasting Proficiency] Please choose one spell.
Once again, the blue squares that I now associated with the System appeared before me. I only expected three or four choices of spells initially but there were no less than ten different spells, two in each of the five categories; Evocation, Illusion, Alteration, Conjuration, and Necromancy. I doubt the System would separate spells into categories for no reason, so how does it affect me?
The spells you currently see are all Tier 1 Spells. You unlock higher tier Spells of a certain category by learning a Spell of the same category from the tier below. Tier 3 Spells are the highest tier, a [Mage] has access to. Furthermore, your choices of spells will decide what prestige classes you have access to.
Good to know the spells I choose right now have long term consequences. I gain six spells so I could get two Tier 3 Spells of different categories, three Tier Two Spells or even pick up one spell from each category plus one. I rather liked the idea of getting at least one of the Tier 3 spells as one strong spell is better than a bunch of weak ones, now which one to choose? All of the choices have merit… but I'm a serial killer, I have a reputation to uphold. Also, Necromancers are cool, sue me. I did have practical reasons as well such as my ready access to corpses, loyal minions being incredibly useful, and the fact that I would eventually gain Excalibur according to canon, so hopefully illusions, and the Chameleon Cloak spell under alteration would be unnecessary. Under the Necromancy category, there were two spells; Raise Undead and Inflict Wounds. Raise Undead was the obvious choice so I quickly locked that in.
[Spellcasting Proficiency (Novice)]
While unskilled, you are nonetheless capable of harnessing the power of magic.
[Raise Undead]
Reserves 100 MP + 20 MP per level. Reserved MP cannot be used or regenerated)
Choose one humanoid corpse or skeleton nearby. Raise it as a Zombie or Skeleton, bound to your will. The minion has slightly boosted STR and END but reduced DEX and greatly reduced mental stats.
[New quests unlocked!]
[A Solid Foundation]
Objective: Reach LV50
Rewards: 3x Gacha Tickets, 10,000EXP, 2500 Credits
[Break the Mold]
Objective: Survive the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard Arc
Bonus Objectives: Kill one or more of the participants in the battle
Rewards: Unlock one additional world, unlocks skill [World Jump], 250,000 EXP, 10,000 Credits
Bonus Rewards: Rewards dependant on killed enemies, 2500 Credits per participant killed
Looks like my dream of controlling an undead army isn't plausible for now, at least until I get my mana way up. Makes sense since I'm still a low-level mage, it would be pretty busted if I could have an army right now.
Walking curiously up to the corpse, I murmur, "[Raise Undead]"
I watch as the corpse struggles to his feet, seemingly unaffected by the gaping hole at the centre of his blood-splattered chest. His lifeless eyes stare emptily at me, awaiting my command. It is honestly quite beautiful in a way to have something completely under your power… that was completely ruined by the smell. A sickeningly sweet smell mixed with the scent of blood hung in the air. Nonetheless, I'm eager to test out my new toy.
"Move as fast as possible to the other side of the room."
Thank God, the zombie isn't the one you see in movies. It would've been quite disappointing if the zombie mimicked the slow, awkward shuffle often found there. It's not quite as fast as a fully sprinting human but it was still sufficient. Now to test its strength.
"Punch the door as hard as you can."
I wince as the sound of cracking wood echoes in the basement. I glance at the door- the zombie had managed to punch through it completely. The enhanced strength certainly seemed to be impressive enough.
Having figured out the basics of my new spell, I move on to the quests I unlocked. I decide to focus on the first quest since getting stronger would naturally increase my chances of surviving and thus completing the second quest. Bonus EXP is always nice, and the gacha tickets could give me some overpowered bullshit. How hard can it be to gain seven levels, anyway? There's supposed to be a Stray Devil in Kuoh that's practically free experience as well. Depending on how much experience low-level mobs give, following canon and going around murdering people could be good experience as well. Everything will be fine! I'll just kill some shitty devil and get stronger!
…. first, I should probably leave this house before people notice this poor sod is missing though.
"P-please, I've got two children to feed. D-don't kill me, I'll do whatever you want."
I stare coldly at the snivelling businessman on the floor. Honestly, having the power to decide somebody's life or death in my hand was pretty exhilarating. However, all good things had to come to an end, and I had something important to test. Ignoring the man's plea for forgiveness, I take a quick peek at his status.
Arakaki Tadashi
LV4
MP- 140
Race-Human
STR- 11
END- 13
DEX- 10
INT- 14
WIS- 9
CHA- 10
"Sorry, I need some information from you. Better luck in the next life!"
Before the man could reply, my light sword cleaved his face open. Blood splatters across the floor as cadaver falls. I take a second to make sure none of the blood splattered on my black robe before I check my status page to see how much experience I gained. Fuck, I only got 95 experience points from that. Looks like being a serial killer isn't a viable way to level up…even if it does give me a rush. By the time I killed enough to gain one measly level, the devils would probably be on my ass. Stray Devils and other solo supernatural beings might be my best bet. Speaking of my light sword, now's the perfect time to check the stats of it.
[Light Sword] [Rank: Common]
A mass-produced blade of condensed light. Deals greatly increased damage against dark creatures. Inflicts [Light Poisoning] on dark creatures.
Huh, the light sword doesn't show any specific numbers and the man didn't have a set HP.
Naturally, while your body acts like that of a video game character's, this does not apply to other people, as such a HP bar or definite damage numbers would make no sense.
The question was how was I going to find Stray Devils. In the anime, Rias knew about Stray Devil because she was the supervisor over the city. On the other hand, I was just an excommunicated Exorcist working for the Fallen…in devil territory. The Grigori really didn't give a shit about us Stray Exorcists either unless we had an interesting Sacred Gear. Hmmm…. a change of plans might be in order, but first I rummage through the dead man's pockets. Easy 9000 yen!
I wince as the smell of rotten flesh permeates through the apartment. Why did I pick necromancy again? Oh yeah, because I was a sadistic moron of a serial killer who thought the ideas of an undead army serving me was cool. Which to be fair, it is, but it completely ignores the logistics of the situation. Corpses not only needed to be hidden but also smelled awful. The apartment the Grigori rented for me is fucking tiny as well, so the smell is even worse. For now, I have the zombie staying at the opposite end of the room while I wrote out a list of potential targets to kill for EXP but I was planning to have a hell lot more than one zombie so I would need to find somewhere to stash them later.
I stare at the list of potential targets I wrote out from my memory of the light novels. It was depressingly short. Only three targets in fact. The Stray Devil I couldn't find, Issei Hyoudou and a Beast Tamer. The worst part was that the only two I knew where to find attended the same school as the two devil heiresses. Excluding that fact however, both of them were tempting targets. Issei held a Longinus while the Beast Tamer had numerous familiars whom I could gain even more experience from.
I think over it for a few minutes before deciding, Issei will be my first target and also my first [Harvest] victim. [Boost] was simply too good of an ability to let go to waste and Issei was far easier a target then the Beast Tamer. Furthermore, Boosted Gear was one of the largest factors in me choosing the Mage class so it would be a waste if I didn't pick it up. If I'm lucky the devils might not even have figured out Issei had a Sacred Gear yet. After collecting [Boost] I could always kill the Beast Tamer afterwards as I undoubtedly will need more experience.
I find some normal clothes in the wardrobe of the 'appropriated' apartment I'm staying in. The cloak and crucifix cut a cool figure while murdering people but would attract far too much attention for a scouting mission at Kuoh Academy. After all, I needed to find out what Issei looked like before stealing his unearned broken ability.
(The next day)
After finding on the internet where Kuoh Academy was and when it closed, I received a text message from Raynare. Apparently, she wanted me to check-in and make sure I wasn't drawing any attention or something. I'll go check in but only because it would be nice to know how strong Raynare was compared to me. She's definitely stronger but by how much is the question. As for her orders to not draw attention? Sorry, but I have experience to farm. That quest to reach level 50 is going to complete itself, you know. Wait, that reminds me, System how long do I have until canon?
Canon starts in a week.
Oh shit, that's not very long at all. Still, the murders I'm planning would draw the attention of the devils anyway so it's not too big of a deal.
Putting on the normal clothes I found last night, I make my way to the abandoned church. Opening the ornate doors, I found myself in a classic church hall complete with a crumbling cross in the centre. Standing in front of it was Raynare and holy shit, I knew she was beautiful in the anime, but it was a whole other story seeing it in person. From her buxom features to her smooth skin, she was literally flawless in a way no normal human could compete with. A normal man would probably have become infatuated with her but thankfully the combination of the Psychopath and Blessing of the System trait meant I was not… she was still ridiculously hot though.
Raynare
LV56
Race-Fallen Angel
SP- 4,050
MP- 6,150
STR- 81
END- 81
DEX- 83
INT- 123
WIS- 100
CHA- 108
… she had six thousand mana. What the fuck. Sure, her intelligence is higher than mine but not more than twelve times higher! I thought my artificial human racial bonuses were nice but even an improved human is still a human- the bottom of the barrel in the DxD universe. All of her stats were higher than mine too despite our level gap not being that large. And Raynare was a minor antagonist in this world. If she was this strong than what about somebody like Azazel or Sirzechs. Hell even, Rias crushed Raynare like she was nothing. Fuck, fuck, fuck! This world is completely fucking bullshit!
Stop panicking, Raynare is an ally for now and with my help, your growth rate will be obscenely fast. You are my host and even if you eventually die, it will certainly not be to cannon fodder.
… thank you, I'm calm now. Fallen Angel racial bonuses are still bullshit though.
"So," Raynare says, "I believed I specifically told you not to attract attention. Despite this, I've seemed to have heard of two people dying of multiple deep cuts…any explanation Sellzen?"
Oh shit, I'm an idiot I just left the corpse lying around in some alleyway. It should be fine though, killing random people is in character for m-, for Freed I mean.
"Just doing my job as a holy man y'know, punishing the wicked and all that. Besides, I got some info on those shitty devils you were worried about."
For the first time in this conversation, Raynare looks intrigued.
"Oh, and what is this info you found Sellzen?"
"One of the ruling devils in this town is a girl with red hair and blue eyes. Her Servants? They call her Gremory-sama. That good enough for you?"
I'm bullshitting of course, I've never even seen Rias, and her Peerage actually called her president. Raynare didn't know about that though. The look of shock on her face is hilarious though. Her cold purple eyes are wide open in shock.
"A girl who goes by the name of Gremory… I wasn't expecting the Crimson Satan's sister to be in this town. You brought useful intel Sellzen…for once."
How dare this fucking crow mock me like this? What a fucking bitch.
My hands itch to slice the fallen angel before I calm down. For now, I'll let her get away with it…. But I'll fucking kill her for this insult one day.
"Are you satisfied now?" I grit my teeth.
Raynare stares smugly at me for a moment before dismissively waving her hand as she goes down to the church's basement.
"Yeah, yeah don't disturb me I have a ritual to set up."
As I turn around to leave the church, I notice the black feathers lying on the floor. Killing students at Kuoh would undoubtedly draw attention…and what better way to redirect that attention to than framing the Fallen. From what I remember from the anime, Rias didn't seem too interested in hunting down the Fallen for merely killing some humans and even if that changed, so what? I certainly wasn't going to try and save the Fallen.
(Later that day)
I'm standing in a lazy posture, my shoulders relaxed. The perfect image of a teenager waiting for his friend. Inwardly however, my eyes flicker between the hundreds of students leaving Kuoh Academy. From the anime, I knew Issei had brown hair and that he was friends with two similarly perverted individuals. Unfortunately, the first was practically useless as this was Japan, most people had either brown or black hair. Instead I was forced to flick my eyes back and forth between the hundreds of students flooding out from the gates, scanning the names above their heads in search for an Issei Hyoudou.
"Not him, or him or fucking him. How many brown-haired boys are there in this fucking school?"
Finally, I fucking find him. The name, Issei Hyoudou, blissfully hovering over his head ending my search. Honestly, the boy was such a disappointment of a protagonist. Average height, average build, even his hair and eye colour were average. There were only two things that made him stand out, his perversion and his possession of Boosted Gear. Oh sure, in the anime they excused his perversion with the excuses that he was nice, courageous and kind but in actuality, he and his friends should've been arrested from the very start. So, if you think about it I, Freed Sellzen, am simply doing my duty as a holy man by cleansing the world of such filth.
"Just doing my duty." I snicker as I follow the boy home.
Fun fact, Japan in the evening had a lot of people roaming around…so it was easy to avoid being noticed, not that Issei was paying much attention to his surroundings anyway. He spent most of the trip back, fantasising over boobs with his friends… truly I was doing the world a service by getting rid of him.
It took a while but Issei eventually split from his friends and headed towards his house. His home was as average as he is, being a common two storey terrace house. I wait for the street to empty before hopping into their garden. Turning on my light sword, I smash the backdoor. I hear screams in response to the sound of the glass smashing into the floor. Following the sounds to the kitchen, I find the panicked family, each holding an impromptu weapon, from a kitchen knife to a frying pan.
"D-don't come any closer, take whatever you want. Just please leave us alone" the middle-aged man stutters out.
It's too bad for him that the thing I want from him is his son's life…and not just that. I need to make Issei awaken his Sacred Gear and what better way than through some good old motivation of avenging his family.
Dashing forward, the man is unable to react before a single slash across the chest saw him collapsing to the floor, gradually bleeding out.
"D-dad! Y-you killed him. Why?" Issei screams in grief and rage.
"Y'know, if you weren't so weak you could've protected him. You have an incredible power lurking in you…your weakness caused his death. Your mother is next, and you can't stop me." I taunted, a cocky smirk on my face.
I watch in amusement as Issei's face twists in anger. Screaming in rage, he charges at me fists raised. I laugh at his comparatively slow speed, a simple kick to the chest sending him crashing to the floor.
"Really that's all you got?"
[Boost]
"Fucking finally." I mutter as the green orbed red gauntlet appears on Issei's hand.
I duck under a much faster punch before slamming him into the floor again.
"You unlocked Boosted Gear…now it's time to say night-night, but first how about a show?"
I raise my head towards his dead father and cast [Raise Undead]. Ahhh, the hope in his eyes upon seeing his father get up is so amusing…right before I snuff it up.
"Tear the woman into pieces," I command.
I wince at the high-pitched screaming of the woman as her 'husband' starts tearing her apart. I move to stop Issei from helping her before groaning as he charges right through me…fuck, with two boosts I couldn't just manhandle him anymore, time to end this before it gets out of hand.
Quickly, I activate my light sword before leaping forward to kill him as he's dealing with his reanimated father. The bright blade cleaves his arm off causing a loud shriek of pain. Pointing my sword at his throat, I'm tempted to savour the feeling of power for a second… but protagonists are bullshit and I really don't wanna die to a shitty protagonist like Issei. A simple flick of the wrist sends Issei's head dropping to the ground, his blood draining from his body.
I step back for a second to admire my work. The dead eyes of the blood-drenched zombie staring at me, awaiting my next command. The torn apart corpse of the mother sitting in the corner. The already drying blood staining the pearl white kitchen floor. And finally, the decapitated corpse of the 'protagonist' resting at my feet. I drop some of Raynare's feathers next to the corpse before checking my notifications.
[You gained 10,267 EXP]
[You have gained 4 class levels!]
That was way more EXP than I was expecting, definitely not complaining though.
Certain traits carry EXP bonuses, [Red Dragon Emperor] happens to be one of them.
Lucky! That EXP bonus almost brought me to LV47, even though Issei was only LV4
Touching Issei's corpse, I mutter "[Harvest]"
A (quite small) list of skills and traits pop up, I quickly select the [Red Dragon Emperor] trait…I certainly had no interest in any of his other traits like [Pervert].
[Trait successfully Harvested]
You have gained trait [Red Dragon Emperor (Harvested)]
[Red Dragon Emperor]
You possess the Longinus-tier Sacred Gear known as Boosted Gear. You gain the [Boost] skill along with the potential to learn more skills. You are affected by effects that target Dragons. You share a telepathic bond with Ddraig.
Assigning relevant skills.
[Boost (Novice)]
Increases one of the user's stats by 100%. Consumes 500 SP every ten seconds.
Huh, not going to lie I expected something other than a notification. Something like a rush of power or sudden crippling pain from the sensation of Boosted Gear melding into my soul, but nope all I got was the notification. Kinda anti-climactic.
If you want to feel the excruciating pain of your soul being pulled and mashed that I helpfully numbed for you, then be my guest.
Yeesh, no need to be so snarky… I wasn't complaining, numbing it is fine! By the way System, I was wondering if you have a name or something, I could call you?
My previous hosts have given me various names in the past, you may do so too if you wish…I care not what others call me.
Got it, you don't care what I call you. What about hobbies? Or any particular moral boundaries? Interesting stories?
As a System, I am hindered by neither morality nor a need for hobbies. Why are you asking these inane questio-…. you're attempting to flatter me, aren't you?
Is it working?
No.
You sure?
Yes.
Aww…I'm blaming my low CHA, I'm sure if it was higher, I could convince you about how awesome I am. Like c'mon I make fantastic art.
….
Well enough of idle chatter, I need to find somewhere to store these zombies where I don't have to sleep in. One night of waking up to the smell of decay and rotting flesh was enough, thank you very much!
AN: Many thanks to the people who helped me improve this chapter over at Shiro's discord. Thanks to MyriadLust (for the title), Regus (for helping me with grammar), Alien Dude and everyone else who helped me!