Spice: Hello again, ladies and gentlemen, Spiceracksargent001 here, with my very first joint venture fanfic. One second, I need a moment for the signal to stabilize… there!

The screen is static at first, before it clears up to reveal a man wearing blue and yellow armor.

?: Hello Everyone, Sorry if the background's a little cluttered, still unpacking at my new home base. The name's Zinomaru, but you can all call me Zino.

Spice: Eh, no problem, I mean, I live in a mobile factory, but that's neither here nor there right now. Anyways, yeah, I'm collabing with Zino here after he proposed we work together on a Gamer fic. Since it's been a while since I've actually worked on any of my stories, I figured Wynaut.

Zino: I see that my taste in puns has affected you, Spice. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this nice change in flavor when compared to the everyday Gamer fic. This hasn't been my first foray into collaborative writing, so I'll do my best to help Spice not get lost in this new frontier.

Spice: Ha, ha, very funny, Zino. Also, I've watched Chuggaaconroy before, long before we met; I'm already used to bad puns.

Zino: Well, I believe it's that time.

Spice: Right, but first, ELFI?

ELFI: Spiceracksargent001 and Zinomaru claim no ownership over Highschool DxD or any video game references that happen in this story. The only property they own within this fanfic is their Original Character.

Spice: And with the disclaimer out of the way, on with the story!

I was expecting several things when I woke up this morning. The birds singing, the sun shining through my window and attempting to blind me through my closed eyelids, my alarm clock waking me up with its obnoxious claxon of a small hammer rapidly bouncing between a pair of brass bells… you know, the usual morning stuff.

I think it's safe to say that suddenly finding myself floating in an empty, white void of nothing was decidedly not something I expected to wake up to.

"... What the hell?" I muttered, looking around as I tried to come to grips with what I was seeing, or rather, the lack thereof. Before I had much time to really wonder if I somehow died in my sleep, a random blue box suddenly popped into existence in front of me.

==Greetings, Leo Micheals! You have been selected to alpha test a new Gamer System!==

I yelped, leaning back as the box popped in. But as soon as I read its contents, I groaned. "Great. Some sort of extra-dimensional being has decided to make me its guinea pig… What's the details and catch?" I asked, rubbing my sinuses.

==Well, someone else would've been chosen, but a different department got their claws into him first.==

"Okay," I responded in a deadpan tone. "That doesn't exactly answer my question."

==Keep your pants on, Mr. Impatient, I'm getting there.==

Oi.

==So, for this particular Gamer System, while you'll still have the universal gamer abilities, your particular system will function more like those Metroidvania-style games you love breaking so much.==

"So you want me to stress test the system to make sure it works properly?"

==Yes, and don't worry, there are some sequence breaks left in for you to make use of if you find them.==

"You're speaking my language," I say, a sly grin making its way onto my face. "So, I'm guessing I need to go through one of those tutorial things first, right? How do we get started?"

==Well, first off, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this already, but we need to determine your method of accessing the Gamer System to begin with. Verbal or Mental controls?==

"Mental, always mental. Speed of thought is faster than speaking afterall."

==What I figured, but it never hurts to double-check. Verbal commands used to be the default, and a few of the other departments out there still prefer/get stuck with that system. Anyways, first things first, let's open up your menu. I don't need to explain how to do that, do I?==

"Menu, stats," I said, answering the voice's question with that alone as new text boxes sprang up before me.

Leo Micheals

Title: [The Gamer]

Level: 1

HP: 100/100

MP: 50/50

STR: 5

VIT: 5

AGI: 5

INT: 5

WIS: 5

LCK: Poor Low =Normal= Good High

"Hold on, what's with the gauge instead of a number on my Luck stat?"

==Well, first off, look at you, sequence breaking the tutorial already! As for the Luck Stat, that doesn't work like it does for most other Systems. We'll be using an experimental new system where your luck is fluid. It starts out as Normal, and can go up or down based on your demeanor and certain outside factors. Being in a good mood can raise your luck while getting down in the dumps can cause your luck to drop, for instance. For the purposes of the tutorial, we're locking your Luck to Normal, but be aware of that once we're done here.==

"Got it, so… I'm guessing that I get a spread of stat points to start with?" I asked, scrolling further down to see how many points this system would give me to start with.

==Smart cookie! You get six free stat points to modify your starting stats with, but first…==

A new screen popped up in front of my stats.

==For asking a rational question, your WIS Stat has increased by 1!==

==You earned your first stat increase already! This is a universal function of the Gamer System, certain activities can naturally cause your stats to grow, and asking that question just upped your WIS to six! At this rate, you'll be breezing through the tutorial with ease!==

"Well, that's gonna get annoying fast," I murmured before swiping away the notice to distribute my six free stat points.

STR: 6

VIT: 6

AGI: 7

INT: 5

WIS: 8

There we go. Strength and Vitality are generally nice to have, but not terribly important in a Metroidvania, whereas being able to efficiently get between areas is. Plus, I've always preferred avoiding damage whenever possible. Don't really need magic power right now, while being able to effectively spot possible sequence breaks has always been one of my better skills.

"And done. What next?"

==Well, the next bit is your weapon. Go to your Inventory for a moment.==

"Inventory," I reply immediately. When the screen shifted I only saw a single item with a weapon icon present in the Inventory besides some of my money. Clicking on the icon, I was surprised to suddenly be holding a hexagonal wooden stick about the size of an arming sword.

"Wait, I'm just starting out with a stick?" I asked, incredulous. "I thought I'd be getting a choice of starting weapon?"

==You're not the first American that's been chosen as a Gamer by a department to be shunted where you're getting shunted, and he immediately went for a gun like a typical American. We want to see how you'll do with a melee weapon instead. Also, it's a Hakaku-Jo, or hexagonal quarterstaff, not a stick.==

"...Okay, that's fair. I guess having a melee weapon would be easier to use for what I'm going to have to do, anyway. Won't have to worry about reloading it."

==Good. Now then… Create I.D., Tutorial Dojo.==

As the system said that, the void seemed to ripple and change. I soon found myself in the middle of a classic training area, with a sandy floor and walls on all sides. "Okay, the heck's an I.D.?" I asked on impulse.

==Instant Dungeon. A sort of pocket dimension generally full of endlessly spawning enemies of a specific type. There's a skill for making these that's occasionally given to Gamers in various departments, but you won't be getting one. That'd kind of defeat the purpose of a Metroidvania, no?==

"Fair enough, I can see how that'd be the case. So that makes this the combat tutorial?"

==Right on the head. If you look to your left, the first enemy should be spawning now.==

Turning to my left as instructed, a monster did, indeed, just spawn in. It honestly didn't look like any kind of monster from a game I immediately recognized. First off, there wasn't even much of a physical body, just a floating, tattered gray cloak with a rusty hook coming out of one of its sleeves.

==This is a Shade, an incredibly basic ghost-like enemy. That same American Gamer we told you immediately went with a gun loves using these guys. It'll be your training partner of sorts to get you used to fighting with a Jo staff.==

Upon hearing that, I immediately got ready, holding the staff in an offensive position. "Well, no time like the present. So I just attack until I get my staff mastery skill or something?"

==That or you kill the Shade, whichever happens first.==

I didn't need any further confirmation, rushing the Shade and immediately clocking it upside the head with my newly acquired weapon. I wasn't very surprised when the number 10 popped up above its head, showing that it had taken ten damage.

"Che… let's see how much it has left… Observe." I stared at the ghost, trying to force the development of a skill I had seen in some fanfics.

==Points for being Genre Savvy, but the only Skill we're allowing you to unlock in this Tutorial is Jo Mastery lvl 1. You'll need to unlock Observe after arriving at your destination. Also, incoming.==

Before I could properly process that, I quickly backpedaled as the Shade lashed out with its hook. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite fast enough to dodge it and got nicked in the cheek, taking 2 damage. Well, if the system wouldn't give me the 'you can see everything' skill, guess I'd just have to beat this thing black and blue. I lashed out again with another attack, this time thrusting my staff directly into the Shade's chest, knocking it back and dealing another 11 damage. I didn't let up though, moving forward and driving the pace of the fight since it wasn't turn-based. A strike to the arm dealt another nine, a wide swing to the side did fifteen, and I even did another five points when I smacked its hook aside while it was going in for another strike.

Deciding to be a little flashy, I paid careful attention as I pulled back a little. Sure enough, the Shade pursued and tried to stab me in the head with a downward swing. As the hook started to come down, I darted around to the side, causing it to whiff and get its hook stuck in the sand while I was behind it. With a jump, I brought the Jo Staff down with a swing to the Shade's back, surprising me with dealing a whopping 20 damage, more than enough to end the Shade right then and there as its cloak was torn to shreds.

==Oh hey, you found the Back Attack mechanic! Hitting an enemy from behind is generally more effective than from the front or sides, and does as much damage as a critical hit. Of course, you can also still crit with a Back Attack for a whopping x4 damage!==

"Well… now I know to never fight my opponents face to face when I am able to. Just hit them from behind," I noted, looking at the place where the Shade fell.

==Also, due to your combat skills, you've earned the skill Jo Mastery lvl 1. Now that you've gotten some practice in, I believe it's about time we got you to your destination.==

"Speaking of, you haven't actually told me where it is I'm going yet," I comment dryly.

==Eh, you'll figure it out. Quick question: Devils, Fallen, Angels, or Humans?==

"...I'm being shunted into a world where female anatomy defies physics, aren't I?"

==Oh hey, you figured it out. Yeah, we're dropping you into Highschool DxD buddy. Also, could you answer the question, please? We're on a bit of a time crunch right now since our first candidate got snapped up before we could bring him in.==

"Humans, I'd rather not start with one or more factions hating my guts."

==Oh hey, that's what Vincent went with, too. Anyways, you'll be starting out a month before your first term as a second year in Kuoh Academy. Glhf!==

Before I could even respond, my world faded to white.

When I came to, the first thing I heard was, in fact, an alarm clock going off. I opened my eyes and found myself in a bedroom. Not mine though, so that definitely confirms that what just happened was not a dream. I sat up, and figured I should go ahead and do some standard hygiene before I figured out what to do next.

-One round of hygiene maintenance and ten minutes later-

Okay, teeth brushed, hair combed, clothes changed, looks like I'm ready to go out and familiarize myself with my new home for the next however long I'll be here. After doing the quick pat-down check of wallet, keys, and phone, and I was locking the door of the apartment I was apparently going to be staying at for my time in Kuoh. Glancing back briefly at the said door, I made a mental note of having just left room number 209. Nodding to myself, I then made my way down to street level to explore a bit. Of course, once I was on the sidewalk, I got another sudden text box showing up in front of me.

==Your current Luck level is Normal! It's a perfectly average day for you, but there's an equal chance of running into someone who'll end up being a good friend or a bitter enemy down the road.==

"I guess the phrase 'just my luck' will have more meaning for me." I thought, eyebrow twitching as I mentally swiped away the notification. After doing that, I picked a direction and went in it, not surprised at all as a minimap appeared in the upper right hand corner of my vision. A bit surprised the system didn't give me a notification about that, but considering it said that my Gamer experience would be more Metroidvania in style, I already knew it'd be there sooner or later. It's standard fare for those kinds of games, after all.

Of course, what did draw a bit of surprise is that after only a few minutes of walking, I suddenly found myself outside the gates of none other than Kuoh Academy itself. A bit surprised to find out where I'm staying is well within walking distance of the place to be honest. Of course, this was also accompanied by another text box.

==Discovered new location: Kuoh Academy! Earned 25xp! Landmark Discovered: Kuoh Academy Gate! Earned 50xp!==

Huh… so exploration gets me xp, good to know. Well, I guess the next thing would be to see about finding some sort of dungeon? I doubt they would call this a metroidvania without having specific places to backtrack to at later points.

==For coming to such a rational decision, your WIS has increased by 1!==

A twitching eyebrow was my response to the sudden text box that just popped up right in front of my face. Yeah… that's already getting old. I swiped it away and decided to pull up the map by heading into the Menu.

[Map]

[Stats]

[Title]

[Inventory]

[Equipment]

[Locked]

[Skills & Techniques]

[Allies]

[Lovers]

[Objectives]

[Locked]

[Help/Information]

"Woah, wait, the heck's with the 'Lovers' tab?" I muttered quietly enough I wouldn't be overheard.

==Buddy, this is Highschool DxD. Not only is roughly 3/4ths of the supernatural population women, but Kuoh has a predominately female student body. No doubt you're gonna attract the eye of at least one superhuman chick while you're here.==

"I'm not going to be graduating from high school a virgin, am I?" I thought to myself.

==Not unless you decide to be a completely antisocial jerk.==

"Well… tabling that discussion… I'll need to find out where some dungeons are. Map." I thought, opening up the Map tab for me to have a look at. The tab opened, revealing a mostly colorless, non-filled version of the Kuoh map. With the only filled in parts being what was on my minimap at one point or another. "Well… how am I supposed to find dungeons to take on like this? There's barely any info."

==Yeah, you're not gonna be finding squat with the map as it is right now. Might I recommend you try Objectives instead?==

"Alright then, Objectives," I think, switching from my Map to that tab instead.

Current Objectives:

Welcome to Metroidvania. Population: You

Completed Objectives:

None

Failed Objectives:

None

"Okay, interesting name for my first quest," I mutter quietly while mentally selecting the only thing present in my Objectives.

Welcome to Metroidvania. Population: You

You've just become The Gamer! Now what kind of Gamer would you be without going out for a good old round of deadly dungeon diving? Let's go find one and get yourself some good ol' fashioned loot!

Objective: Find and clear the first phase of the Dungeon -Kuoh Underground-

Completion Rewards: 100xp, Location of the next Dungeon, ?

If Failed: Death

"Well, that's not ominous at all," I said under my breath, staring at the consequences for failure. "Well… guess I have nothing better to do." I select the option to navigate to the dungeon, and see a bright yellow circle with a black exclamation point pop up on my minimap, at the edge of it. "Well, looks like I still have to explore to find the way to it, but I at least know the general direction it's in."

While making my way to where I could find the entrance to this "Kuoh Underground" place, I was, surprisingly, still giving exploration xp, and sure enough, after registering a general store in my map…

==You've leveled up! The total xp you'll need for each level up is equal to your current level times 100. Enemies give xp proportional to the difference of their level and yours, while exploration yields a consistent amount of xp. Each level up also gives you 5 stat points to assign as you see fit!==

So enemies can yield more or less xp depending on how strong they are compared to me, while exploration gives just a static amount? Good to know. Opening up my menu real quick, I decided to spend those stat points. My stats were still pretty low, after all, so I might as well shore myself up as much as possible while I'm still hardly even a blip on the supernatural radar.

STR: 7

VIT: 8

AGI: 9

INT: 6

WIS: 9

LCK: Poor Low =Normal= Good High

Yeah, it turns out that walking around's also a good way to passively build up VIT, so there's another benefit of having exploration factor into the xp system. After that, it didn't take much longer for me to find the entrance to the dungeon- though not before registering another landmark and getting another seventy five xp for my troubles.

==Discovered new location: Entrance to the Kuoh Underground! Earned 25 xp! New Dungeon Found: Kuoh Underground. Earned 100 xp! Landmark Discovered: Kuoh Underground Dungeon Entrance! Earned 50xp! You've leveled up! Earned 5 Stat Points!==

I stared at that xp amount. A hundred and seventy five xp total… just from finding the entrance of a dungeon. "Well… looks like I'll be doing a lot of walking soon…" I muttered, before diverting my attention to the dungeon entrance itself. It looked like a very old staircase leading down into a dark abandoned building. The stone that it was made of had been worn away, and the only reason why it wasn't paved over by roads or filled in with concrete was due to how it was out of the way, hidden in the city's park.

"No time like the present." I stepped down into the darkness, summoning my Jo staff into my hands as I took my first steps into the dungeon.

==Welcome, Gamer, to the first dungeon. The Kuoh Underground is large and mazelike, split into ten known phases. For the time being, it's for the best that you only take on the first phase for your safety. Even if you could reach them right now, the other phases would eat you alive.==

"Good to know. Also, the known phases bit tells me there are hidden areas I might be able to discover with the right gear. Actually, before I forget…" pulling up my stats real quick, I went about distributing my new stat points in preparation for my first dungeon crawl.

STR: 8

VIT: 9

AGI: 11

INT: 7

WIS: 10

LCK: Poor Low =Normal= Good High

"Really glad the exploration mechanic means I can devote stat points elsewhere without actually having to worry about raising my VIT much now," I muse aloud before looking at the entrance to the first phase of this Kuoh Underground. The archway in front of me looked like it was made from some sort of metal, with depictions of different creatures making the bulk of it, and a large, empty portion at the top being the crowning feature. It looked like the place had been robbed already, and that whatever was supposed to be in that empty portion had been stolen. As I stepped through, I could feel the atmosphere change. It became more oppressive, the sense of something dangerous lurking within as the walls began to be lit by glowing gemstones held in sconces. I couldn't help it as a grin spread across my face, I was starting to feel excited as I delved further into the catacombs below the city.

Sona Sitri blinked as she observed the new transfer student through the eyes of her familiar. As one of the two heiresses in charge of Kuoh Town and the student council president of Kuoh Academy, she'd had one following Leo Micheals since he'd wandered up to the academy gates, seemingly getting himself acquainted with the town's layout. Her mentally going over his profile had slowly changed to confusion, however, as she watched him descend a set of dilapidated stairs in the town park that she didn't even know existed.

Had those always been there? Why hadn't Rias or herself been informed about this earlier? What was even down there, and where had Leo pulled that Hakaku-Jo from? Shaking her head, Sona pulled out her phone and started quickly sifting through her contacts to call Rias and both of their Queens. She had more questions than answers right now, and that was a problem she wanted rectified fast. One dial later, and a conference call was started.

[Morning, Sona.] The voice of Rias rang out as the red-head answered the call. [How are you doing?]

"Doing fine for the most part, Rias," Sona replied back, a small smile on her lips. She and Rias had been good friends since childhood, after all, and even if she exasperated her at times, the red head always knew how to put a smile on her face. She quickly schooled her features, though. "Of course, this isn't exactly a social call. A little something's come up that I have little to no information on."

[I assume that's why this is a conference call with both of our Queens present?] Rias responded with a raised eyebrow. [What has your feathers ruffled so much anyways?]

"Are you all at least aware of the foreign exchange student who will be attending Kuoh next month?" Sona asked.

[Yes?] Rias asked, as both Queens had answered at this point, letting them hear what Sona had to say.

"Well, I currently have a familiar tailing him - a fair distance away so as to not alert him to being under surveillance - and he has gone somewhere I never knew existed," Sona explains. "After making his way to the park, he somehow managed to find a set of dilapidated stone stairs leading to what I can only assume to be some sort of underground temple. I've gone over the reports of Kuoh's geography, and not once had such come up in my reading. You?"

[Hm… It hasn't come up for me either. But the reports only go back so far. Perhaps these are much older than even the reports?] Rias suggested.

"Perhaps, but even then, I would like to think the Satans or our parents at least would have informed us of it before we moved in," Sona retorts. "I highly doubt they would've just forgotten about its presence in our territory."

[Well… Why don't you keep an eye on him, and we can go ask him about what that place is all about once he comes out? If he doesn't come out by the end of the day, then we can go in and get him.] Akeno- Rias's Queen- suggested.

"That's about all we really can do at the moment, I suppose," Sona admits with a sigh. This really wasn't how she'd expected her day to be going this morning. "I'll be heading to the park once I've had lunch, or if he comes out of there beforehand. If you three could meet me there, it would certainly make things go a bit faster."

[Of course, I'll be seeing you there, Sona,] Rias replied, before she and Akeno hung up.

[Would you like me to join you for lunch, my King?] Tsubaki, Sona's Queen, asked.

Sona gave a thoughtful hum at that, before eventually smiling and nodding again. "Sure, that sounds like it'll help alleviate some of the headache I suspect this is going to be," she informs her Queen. "See you at lunchtime then, Tsubaki."

[See you then.] With that, she signed off… hopefully whatever was about to happen wouldn't end up giving the Sitri heiress a migraine.

Spice: And that is chapter complete. Not a bad start for this fanfic.

Zino: That's right. I think we did well, recording this together. And boy is Leo going to be in for a rough time when he exits the Underground.

Spice: Understatement. Two Devil Kings and their Queens'll be waiting to drill him for info the second he steps out of there. Their levels are gonna straight up eclipse his own, even after the level-ups he'll get from fighting the first batch of enemies in there.

Zino: Well… we at least know three people who would be jealous of him.

Spice: Yeah, well, they're unrepentant perverts and canon hasn't even started yet, so who cares?

Zino: Fair enough.

Spice: Anyways, as always folks, constructive criticism is encouraged and highly appreciated.

Zino: Same here, See you all in the next entry, Zinomaru out. The screen cuts out, the signal being cut.

Spice: Until next time, this is Spiceracksargent001: signing off.