EXTRA: Old Chapter 2

Part 1.

Quest Alert – Devil Friends (Complete)!

In an event that was a surprise to the both of us—well, just you—Devils Reya Kusaka and Sona Sitri were in your apartment when you returned. With careful navigating, you managed to strike an accord with the Student Council President without revealing too much about your abilities. You're now involved with the supernatural world proper… I'm so proud!

Reward: +5000 EXP, +1 Reputation stage to Reya and Sona (Friendly)

You have leveled up! (x2)

"I'm sure you are," I groused while dumping my newly acquired stat points into VIT. Daichi's skin reacted to the influx of VIT instantly. It rippled, the waves slightly darkening the skin where they passed and left behind a luster where none had been before.

Sona and Reya had finally left in the evening, just before extracting a promise from me that I would return to school on Thursday—tomorrow. And I was glad they were gone. Let it be known that I like Sona, just as Daichi likes Reya, but it was a harrowing experience to deal with the Devil woman in her capacity as heiress to the Sitri family. There were many times in our conversation where I was that close to revealing the extent of my abilities, something I didn't want to do so early in our relationship. Curse her seductive violet eyes! Curse them!

At least I was able to get away with only revealing Haste and Shadow Walk, which more than impressed the both of them, but I'm sure that Sona had a feeling I was holding back. Still, those skills attracted Sona enough to extend an invitation to her Peerage. Which I gently denied, but she wouldn't be a Devil if she didn't make some gains out of our meeting, so now I had a deputy position in the Student Council. And I couldn't get rid of it.

Sona was very clear that independent elements in her territory would not be tolerated, and by being close to the Student Council, she could carefully monitor and cultivate my talents. She was very adamant in her invitations. I was also sure that although she didn't mention her by name, Sona didn't want to lose me to Rias. And by the end of our discussion, there was a lingering threat in the air that if I couldn't be a part of her Peerage, then she would have me as a contracted Magician. Never underestimate the power of Devil greed.

"So…" I started, my voice laced with accusation.

So…

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you? The meeting."

(´• ω •`)
I don't know what you're talking about!
I totally wouldn't amuse myself by letting you get caught flatfooted.
Honest.

"Ha…" I gave up. Could I honestly stop someone like Gaia from getting her fun? No, hell no. But that didn't stop me from being annoyed, "I suppose if it's for benign stuff like this, then I don't mind—as annoying as it is—but please don't do it when there's a potential for danger."

That goes without saying!
You wound me, my chosen.
Are you trying to make me cry?
Are you?

I twitched at the blatant guilt trip attempt. I could only palm my face in response, "Nice try, Gaia."

Didn't work, huh?
Maybe next time.
I know you're a bit annoyed, so how about I make it up with 2 new skills?

"Sure. Your choice, like last time. Might as well make it a thing."

Woo!
How about an illusion skill and a teleportation skill?
Y'know, to run with the assumptions that Sona has about your talents.

Blink/Active/Level 1/5% MP
Disappear and reappear at a distance within your line of sight. This type of teleportation is tough on the body. 10m teleportation distance. +2 STR, VIT per level.

Glamour/Active/Level 1/20 MP per minute
A spell that lets you take the appearance of others. Its potency is less than that of Transformation Mastery, but allows for rapid transformations. Glamour durability is 50% of HP. +1 INT, WIL per level.

"Thanks. I just hope the image doesn't stick, I'll have to let her know that I can do more than just sneak around… Not now of course, but definitely before she settles on that conclusion." Sona was a person whose trust I didn't want to betray. At the same time, my screwy powers as the Gamer was information I couldn't give out lightly. I needed us to be close and as loathe am I to admit, seducing her through food was sounding like a pretty good idea. Damnit, Gaia.

Part 2.

I pulled out my stores of mithril and oricalcum. Another thing I was going to have to explain to Sona at some point, but right now, I wanted to get some crafting done.

Observe told me a lot about the metals in my hands. Gaia's version of mithril was a light, silvery metal that retained its strength no matter what form it was worked into. This meant that it could be spun into a fabric that had the same protective properties as that of a plate of mithril. This was its most useful aspect, the other being high receptiveness to magic. Apparently if you created an alloyed mithril with other metals, you could create a product that was only visible in moonlight. Tolkien didn't exist in this world, so I'm pretty sure that this was Gaia's sense of humor at work again.

Gaia's oricalcum, a copper-red metal, was the opposite of mithril in that it rejected magic, making it the bane of Elementals and other creatures born of magic, yet still had the same amount of strength. Because of its natural resistances, it was very hard to find processed oricalcum anywhere except in the hands of the various blacksmith gods. And that was a good thing too, because a weapon wrought from oricalcum out in the open would be a supernatural nightmare.

To begin the crafting process, I stripped down to my boxers. Speaking of boxers, and Daichi's clothes in general, I was fortunate to learn that if I equipped them through my inventory, they would fit to my frame. Which was good, as I didn't want to deal with clothes way too wide for me to wear. Nonetheless, I stripped for a reason, not because I wanted to engage in narcissism. I intended to use the Erinn-based skill Synthesis to create some armor, and if I wanted a good fit, then I had to be almost naked.

Synthesis/Active/Rank 1/Rarity Dependent
By utilizing the knowledge within the user, this skill allows one to create items from constituent components. Exquisite base quality. Rarity and quality of ingredients affects success rate. +70% base success rate.

The original skill in Mabinogi worked differently to the version of the skill I had now. In Mabinogi, Synthesis was used by interacting with a prop called a Dry Oven. Basically a metal box that was placed over a fire. By combining three or more items, you would get a random item in return, but there were also specific combinations of items that always returned the same result. In this world I could do something similar. If I intimately knew the intricacies of the item I wanted to make, and had the raw materials to make it, then Synthesis would allow me to instantaneously create the item. Synthesis also allowed me to imitate the crafting process of other production skills, by borrowing my proficiency in those skills.

It was the latter method that I used to convert 2 kilos of my mithril into fabric, about 134 square meters of fabric, of which I only needed a tiny portion to make the majority of my armor. The armor in question was the Languhiris Chaser set, a set that I never owned in Mabinogi, but would in real life once I was done.

After half an hour and liberal applications of Synthesis, I had completed the set—with several modifications. The main body of the outfit was an overcoat that had an oricalcum breastplate fused to the chest area. The original armor had a belt that helped secure the plate by looping around the back, where an ornamental sigil could be seen. I replaced both of these things with a series of overlapping plates—top over bottom—fused to the back of the coat. The stylized cross-shaped oricalcum shoulder guards were also fused to the coat, and three upturned mithril spikes were fused to the guards. One of the largest changes I made to the original set was the inclusion of a mithril hood. This replaced the ice crown thing unique the original set. The hood would do a better job of protecting my head than spikes of ice.

Other changes included getting rid of the chains that hung off the waist belt and lining the oricalcum boots with cotton when I felt just how uncomfortable they were to wear. Skin and oricalcum don't mix, but mithril is just fine. Mithril as a cloth feels like silk, to be honest.

As complete as the outfit was, I wasn't yet finished with it. I wanted to add some enchants. In this world, enchants could be added in a variety of ways. From inscriptions, to mana circuits and persistent spells, the sky was the limit when it came to enchanting. I didn't have an Enchanting skill, but I did have Magic Craft. The original Magic Craft was used for cobbling together hearts and plant residues into wands and staves, and while I could do that now, the skill was further adapted to include enchanting within its purview.

Knowledge of how to enchant I had aplenty, but without the requisite skills and catalysts, there was very little I could do. Thankfully, I was proficient enough in Mana Manipulation to create mana circuits that had the effects I wanted: self-cleaning and color manipulation. The want for a self-cleaning enchant was self-explanatory. As for color manipulation? Because I wanted to change the color of my outfit based on the mood. I grafted these circuits onto the mithril portions of my outfit using Magic Craft and considered the entire set to be complete.

Crafting Complete!
You have created the Exquisite Unique Languhiris Chaser set!
+2700 STR, INT. +1688 VIT, WIS. +1800 DEX, +1463 WIL. +600 P-DEF, M-DEF. +15% P-RED, M-RED.
Additional Effects: Self-Cleaning, Color Manipulation.

"…I should stop being surprised by the results I get," I sighed, "I didn't even know that equipment gave stats. Well that's more my fault really, since I didn't have the presence of mind to ask you, nor have I bothered to do much in the way of experimenting, but I might as well ask now. What's up with the stats and… How do they compare to, uh, Devils?"

Eh.
It's only been a couple of days; you have plenty of time to learn!
But to answer…
Any equipment you make or come into contact with can act as an additional container for my power.
Quality of the make, and the rarity of the materials have an effect on how much of said power can be contained.
As for relative strength…
If you were to wear the set, you would be about as strong as an average top tier Highborn Devil.

I hummed in response, "So, any equipment I use will draw in more of your power, but what about equipment that I give to someone for them to use?"

Ah.
Your idea will work if you make the item yourself.
Things that already exist have their own properties.
And I can only temporarily augment them when they are in use by you.

"Good to know." And it was a very good thing to know. In the future, if I was so inclined, I could empower my allies and if the current flow of events was any indication, that meant Sona and her Peerage. Obviously I'd outfit Sona and Reya first, but I would get to the rest of her group eventually.

Part 3.

You don't have to do this today…
Next week would've been just as fine.
And next month would have been even better.

"You can't just say 'in the near future' and expect me to put it off. I have the time so I might as well do it now!" The day was firmly in the territory of the dead hours now. I had spent a couple of hours after crafting my armor making preparations for exploring the Malice realm, but Gaia was having other thoughts.

I know… And that's my fault really.
I just want you to take your time.
Don't feel like you have to rush.

"That's the thing. I do have to rush. If things don't change around too much, then I have about two months before things start going to shit. But anything can happen between then and now, so I have to be ready." If I had complete confidence that this world would reflect canon to the letter, then I wouldn't have the feel the stress of impending doom. Gaia's chosen or not, immune to most forms of death or not, at the moment I was still very weak in the grand scheme of things. I had to achieve a respectable power base, and I had to do it soon.

Sure, I could craft my way to victory. My armor was a sign of that path. Power on par with a highborn Devil and all you had to do was wear the thing? Sounded great, but it was a crutch. I couldn't allow myself to develop a dependency on my items no matter what their numbers showed. They had a limit, and they could break. It was far better to use them to only supplement my strength rather than use them as a basis. My real strength relied on obtaining skills and leveling up.

The latter was not so much of a problem. Gaia is a rather generous lady, so I have full confidence in expecting that whatever quest she gives me in the future, that they'll reward me greatly. That was just an assumption though, and I've only known her for three days. She might just be buttering me up and purchasing my loyalty through the shininess of the Gamer ability to further her agenda… Only to later dispose of me once she has no further use of me. But that's damn cynical and depressing. So instead of that I'd rather be optimistic instead and believe that Gaia is as she presents herself to be.

Back on point.

The former, getting skills, was a time sink. A big time sink. Getting skills for leveling up is a shortcut, but they still had to be trained to their full potential. There was a solution—well, part of one—to this issue: Doppelganger. It was an Erinn skill that I had forgotten about until a couple of hours earlier, when I using Mana Crystallization to create other elemental crystals within the Mirror realm—which turned out to be a more subdued copy of the real world that lacked any life.

Doppelganger/Active/Rank 1/10% HP per clone
A doppelganger in this context is a reflection of yourself. Sacrificing a bit of your vitality, you can create a copy of yourself that retains a portion of your abilities. This copy is connected to your senses and can be controlled remotely. Clones retain 80% of original's stats. Additional Effect: No cloning limit.

It was through this skill that I managed to create thousands of Fire, Water, Wind, and Clay crystals at a rate much faster than in the afternoon. The hitch, as it were, was obvious within the skill description: my senses were tied to my clones, all of them. To make matters worse, my clones were also connected to each other, something to do with mental entanglement with minds that are copies of each other. So imagine being one of a hundred individuals seeing through the eyes of the other ninety-nine plus yourself. The result? Incredible vomit-inducing nausea.

Yeah. Gaia had a laugh at that one.

The nausea was manageable if I reduced the number of clones, closed my eyes, and tried really, really hard to not move. Not a solution, but workable for things that don't require me to move. As such, Meditation and Mana Manipulation were brought up to 36, Mana Sense to 20, and Perception to 27. We even got Haste to 5. Fast growth by any measure and I really wanted to make use of clones.

Which was another motivation for me to visit the Malice realm. I only had a data point of one, however, from the impressions I had with the Mirror realm, the functions of said realm were rather literal. So with a name like Malice, I should expect a realm full of… Well, malice. And that presented a combat possibility. Which means experience points, which means levels, which means skills, which means Gaia trivializing my current problems.

I pulled away from my thoughts, "In any case," I began over the brief lull in conversation, "you sound worried, what's up? Er, well, not 'sound,' but 'read' worried? You know what I mean."

I am.
If you go now, it would be your first combat experience in this life.
It's only natural that I'm worried for my chosen.
But don't let that stop you.
Just… Whatever you do.
Don't use Observe in there.

Quest Alert – Blind to the World
You insist on making an excursion into the Malice realm and I won't stop you. Even so, I only ask that you listen to my advice and don't use Observe in there. And please, come back safe.
Reward: +1000 EXP
Failure: ?

"I promise," I replied automatically. Her affections aside, the impression I had about our relationship so far was one of casualness and good-natured ribbing. Worry… Worry was a new one and I liked it. That said, I activated Realm Creation and watched tendrils of energy wrap around me in a bright cocoon as the reality beyond it shifted from the safe confines of Daichi's to a world filled with malice.

Once the shift ended, the cocoon vaporized into motes of light, leaving me to be buffeted by the realm's atmosphere. I couldn't find the words to describe what I felt. It was… Thick. Thick like blood. And there was plenty of blood in this place, not just in the metaphorical sense. It rained out of the jagged, cracked obsidian ground and stormed skywards. There they pooled into roiling black clouds that seemed to stare back if you looked at them.

And then I felt it—the absolute feeling that if I were stay put, I would die in the very next moment.

Skill created through special action!

Detect Bloodlust/Passive/Level 1/No Cost
The world is not always a safe place. There are things out there that will want you dead and knowing their intent is the first line of defense. Allows you to sense harmful intents towards your person in a 10m radius. +1 STR, WIL per level.

Empowered by my armor, I placed all my strength in side-hopping to the right. I had intended to only cross a couple of meters, but over shot by a couple tens of meters. It at least gave me the perfect vantage to see what had just tried to attack me.

It was an octopus. A massive octopus.

No, that wasn't quite accurate. It had the shape of an octopus, but was far more than that. Excluding the extraneous features, the creature's body plan was pure white and not a shade darker. The creature appeared to be blind, lacking eyes. It had no lack of mouths though. Toothless mouths that were dotted all over the octopus' head and tentacles—which were weird in of themselves—and each possessed barbed, gray tongues that flickered about, tasting the air for something. For me. And finally, the tentacles. If I ignored the fact that they had mouths lined all over the topside then they would look like any other tentacle, but I'd also have to ignore the fact that in place of suckers there were these fingers, long and spindly fingers that jabbed relentlessly at the spot I was just at.

I had to thank Gaia for Gamer's Mind. I felt the skill push back at this wrongness was feeling from looking at the creature.

It had to go.

Relying on the additional effect of my skill Alchemy Mastery to use Erinn Alchemy without a cylinder, I stomped on the ground three times. For every step, a six-meter-high Golem made out of floating slabs of white rock appeared next to me. And for each Golem a mental link appeared in my mind, every aspect of their movement under my control. And I only need them to do one thing.

Alchemy Mastery/Passive/Rank 1/No Cost
You understand the meaning of "Equivalent Exchange," increasing your successes in Alchemic Production. You understand the elements of nature in relation to Alchemy, allowing you to better convert essences of nature for your own purposes. This skill allows you to exercise Alchemy without the use of Cylinders. +15% to Production success rates. +75% to Alchemy modifiers.

Summon Golem/Active/Rank 1/30 SP, MP + 5 Earth, Wind, Water, Fire Crystals per Golem
Animate dirt and stone to create a golem with limited intelligence by using the elements as a catalyst. Only 3 golems may exist at once per user. Golem stats are dependent on this skill, Clay Mastery, Alchemy Mastery, and an elementally aligned Cylinder. 360s summon duration. Elemental Wave Effect: Shadow Golem summon available.

"Attack!" I sure as hell didn't need to say it, but it sounded good. The Golems lurched towards the octopus, crossing the distance between us within seconds. Their approach was noticed by the creature, who reacted by training its fingered tentacles on the trio of constructs—thank Gaia it didn't screech. Those tentacles found purchase on the center Golem and began to constrict it in a vain attempt to snuff out the Golem's life. Too bad it was made out of rock.

This left the octopus' head wide open and I took advantage of that by ordering the other two Golems to flank the thing and wail on it. With Perception active I was relieved to know that there was nothing else around me within 270 meters. The area I was in was also flat, and with a quick look around I saw that there was no other creature in visible range for at least a kilometer or two.

I felt one of the mental links suddenly shatter while I was scanning my surroundings. I trained my sight back on the octopus thing to see that it had just destroyed the Golem it was latched onto and began to do the same to the remaining two. I replaced the destroyed Golem with another and sent it forward to join the rest. I imbued the newest Golem with Shock, surrounding its body of rock in an aura of electricity. A second passed and a flash of lightning struck the octopus on the head, briefly stunning it only to be struck with another flash a second later before it could recover. This pattern repeated for twenty seconds, giving the Golems ample time to tenderize the octopus with heavy strikes. The creature still showed no signs of dying regardless of its bruised appearance. And without Observe I couldn't tell how much of its life remained.

Shock/Active/Rank 1/40% SP, MP + 2 Wind, 1 Fire Crystal
Generates a shield of electricity that surrounds the user. Enemies nearby will find themselves shocked by the sparks that the shield releases every so often. +75~90 Wind Damage. 60m radius. 20s duration. 60s cooldown. 1s discharge rate. Additional Effect: Can be casted on Elemental Wave enhanced Rain Cast. Elemental Wave Effect: +20% Shock Damage, +30m radius, +30s duration.

While the octopus was stunned I circled around the battle so that I could get a clear shot at it myself. I casted Haste on myself, increasing my movement speed by 20% and then closed the gap between myself and the octopus with Charging Strike.

Charging Strike/Active/Rank 1/6 SP
Stage 1 Chain Skill. Close the gap between you and the enemy. 400% Physical Damage. 70m range.

The blow struck true and with the beast still trained on one of my Golems, I followed up with a Spinning Uppercut. The sound glass shattering indicated to me that I managed to activate the skill's debuff—Broken Guard.

Spinning Uppercut/Active/Rank 1/10 SP
Stage 2 Chain Skill. SHORYUKEN! Your blazing fists temporarily shatter the defenses of the enemy! 700% Physical Damage. Additional Effect: +80% chance to inflict Broken Guard for 40s, decreasing target Physical Defense and Reduction by 50%.

I took a moment to recast Shock on myself, stun-locking the octopus once more, and then jumped onto the mouth covered head fully intending on finishing it off. I punched the head, then again, and again, and again, and again. And I did not stop punching that damned head. Even after Shock wore off I kept on punching without end. The gravity of each blow sunk the octopus thing further into the ground. My Golems were not idle during this time. With the constricted Golem now free due to my punching, I had it and the other two use their weight to restrain the tentacles from having free reign on me.

Pummel/Active/Rank 1/14 SP
Stage 3 Chain Skill. Pin the enemy to the ground and pummel them into the ground! 900% Physical Damage.

And so it was with this arrangement that I continued to Pummel into the octopus that was reduced to nothing more than a sandbag. Even as I thrashed it, it didn't react and merely took my blows for what they were. Twenty seconds passed into forty, then onto sixty, then into eighty… And the octopus still refused to die. My armor enhanced stats did a lot to keep my going, but I was starting to feel the mental fatigue of having punched something hundreds and expecting the next blow to be the last. It was insanity. This battle, if you could even call it that at this point, was headed nowhere fast and yet I pressed on, utilizing the strongest of my physical skills to bring the end closer.

Soon enough the end did come, just as abrupt as the beginning, and not in a way I expected. Minutes had passed as I continued to make judicious use of Pummel in an effort to slay the octopus. It wasn't working. It wasn't working and I was settling into a pattern, and that left my mind to wander and regard my foe with an intense hatred that, as soon as it bubbled up from the depths of my consciousness, disappeared. And along with it, the monster. I was fooled. Baited into attacking a relatively passive enemy only to get frustrated and have those negative emotions fester within until they were ripe for the harvest.

"All of that, for nothing." I spat out, unhappy with my performance. I had enough, it was time to head back home. Once more I activated Realm Creation and waited for the cocoon of light to take me back.

Welcome back, my chosen.
Is everything okay?

As Daichi's studio came into view I was greeting with a strange message from Gaia. Why was she implying that she wasn't with me when I went into the Malice realm? Isn't she always with me? I asked, "Were you not there with me?"

No.
While you can go into that place.
I cannot.

"So all this time I was alone?" Just even thinking that hurt my heart a bit. It's only been three days in this new life, but Gaia has been a constant presence since nearly the beginning. It was hard to admit, but I had developed a dependency on her being around whenever I needed her. It was kind of shit of me, but when you've had multiple poor social lives, you end up clinging to that one person who doesn't turn you away. Or maybe that was just singular to Daichi and I.

Yes, and no.
My power will always be with you.
It is a connection that cannot be severed.
But there are places where I cannot reach you with the usual means.
The Malice realm is one of them.

"Can you tell me why?" What could possibly prevent Gaia from accessing a dimension of her own making? Was it something that I would have to fight eventually? Would it be just as ridiculous as that damnable octopus?

It was stolen for me.
And the one who stole it has been preventing me from even seeing it.
As for who's the one that stole it…
It's too early for you to know.
One day, but not now.

How about you tell me what you saw inside?

I recounted my experience with the octopus.

A Harvester, that's the proper name for the 'octopus'.
They're a common sort and often appear in places with high emotional negativity.
They can also manipulate emotions for their own needs.
The next time you see one, destroy the 'eye'.

'The next time,' huh… After my disastrous—by my count—first expedition, I wasn't planning on going back there any time soon, maybe. I wasn't sure. Going to that realm revealed several shortcomings that I needed to rectify before thinking about making another expedition. The first was that I didn't prepare enough. I arrogantly assumed that only Erinn Alchemy would be enough to handle the opposition, restricting my choices from the beginning. From now on, I need to be able to use the entirety of my skillset, at full tilt, at the drop of a hat. The second was my inept tactics. To be fair, I did oddly alright for my first combat foray—maybe it was the fact that I was using skills that I had some familiarity with—but it could have been better. I could have considered possible weaknesses or try using other skills, though the latter would circle back to the first problem. Third… Well, I couldn't think of a third, but that didn't mean it wasn't there! I was just too tired to think beyond points one and two.

"Hey Gaia? I'm gonna hit the sack." I barely managed to stifle my yawn.

Alright.
But before you sleep!

Quest Alert – Blind to the World (Complete)
You made it back. And that's all that really matters.
Reward: +1000 EXP

You have leveled up! (x1)

And then here's your level up reward!

Hive Mind/Passive-Active/Level 1/30 MP per mind
Your mind has been restructured to handle the throughput of multiple consciousness, allowing you to create a unified collective that operates under your directives. But a Hive Mind is nothing without numbers, so this skill also allows you to create copies of your mind to add to the network. 6 mind copies possible. +25% INT. +3 INT, WIS per level.

I smiled, "Just what I needed, thanks Gaia."

Of course!
Good night, my chosen.

Part 4.

Morning, April 16. Kuoh Academy was in sight. I had promised to go. I wanted to go home instead.

Reya did her best yesterday to convince me that the bullying problem would no longer be a problem; her strengths were really scary when you thought about it. Daichi was also no longer fat and if I at least tried to stand a little straighter, we could probably pull off handsome. Maybe. Suddenly changing our looks—and hardly having the time to get used to it—didn't assuage the nausea that Daichi's body was going through.

At least the other six didn't have to go through with this. Other six. Yes, clones. Before I left to my doom—unnecessarily dramatic, but I feel what I feel—I made use of Hive Mind to create the six copies available to me and then shunted them into Doppelgangers of the same amount. Thanks to Hive Mind's passive effect what resulted was seven identical individuals that all connected to a central consciousness that took the brunt of the sensory feedback due to the Doppelganger skill. I wasn't sure if I was that consciousness or just some kind of administrator—all I cared about really was that we, clones and all, didn't vomit!

And to speed up skill training. That too.

Even now, as I approached the front entrance, I could feel them hard at work. The experiences that they were going through were being fed into the collective. If I brushed my mind against the collective, I felt myself integrating their experiences, taking them in as my own. I briefly wondered if this was the beginnings of a slave network that I, as the original, would be the overseer of. I could imagine it ballooning into an empire and I would have my every whim catered to, served on the backs of my slaves. It felt good to think about. My plans of grandeur, broadcasted over the collective without reservation, were put to a stop by my clones: 'Stop thinking stupid shit and get to school!'

Right.

In this world, Kuoh Academy took up the northwestern edges of town. All of the divisions were visible to each other and were backed by the woods that went out into the mountains. The further north you went, the higher the division grade—meaning that the college was farthest north as well as closest to Kuoh's business and shopping districts.

I approached the front gate, trying my best to ignore the looks from the disproportionately female student population. It was unnerving how in a day those thinly veiled looks of disgust turned into admiration of the male form. I was told to expect this happening; that the mundane would have their memories changed to make it so that I have always been this way. I wasn't sure if I should approve or disapprove of this situation. So I went with a third option: ignore it, ignore it, ignore it.

"Good morning, President, Vice-President." Souna Shitori and Tsubaki Shinra were standing guard at the gates. In Daichi's memories this was a usual thing, Sona's power over the high school division was so immense that there was no need for a Disciplinary Squad. She was the Disciplinary Squad. Knowing Daichi's life, the cynic in me thought very little of that power. I promptly quashed that tangential thought as soon as it came up. There will be no souring of my impressions about Sona, memories be damned.

Compared to the rabid fangirls nearby, my greeting was much more subdued, but a greeting nonetheless. It was a departure from Daichi's standard modus operandi, which was to not saying anything at all, slinking away in hopes of not catching anyone's attention. I briefly wondered why I couldn't just use Glamour and disguise my way through school without having to deal with the positive looks levied at me. But then that'd be revealing another in public too early in the game. Besides, I think I owed Sona at the very least a greeting. She had her plans regarding me, and so far, I was receptive to them, so I might as well be cordial.

"It's good to see you back Takahashi-san," the heterochromatic woman raised an eyebrow at the pleasant tone with which Sona replied. Was she not aware of yesterday's dealings? Strange. Sona continued, "Have you fully recovered from your cold?"

"I did," I paused, "Am I still expected at the Student Council?"

"You are," she said with a glint in her eye, "I'll be expecting you after school, Reya-san will guide you then."

I nodded and then went on my way, ignoring the gossiping going on as a result of our brief exchange. Don't these people have something better to do? Like getting to class, maybe?

In the short distance between the gate and the school building I caught sight of the infamous Perverted Trio: Hyoudou, Matsuda, and Motohama. It was difficult to ignore the asinine conversations they were having about breasts and porn. And I was glad I didn't quite discount their chatting. If I did I wouldn't have overheard Issei mention that he got a girlfriend… Yesterday. Yuuma Amano. Raynare. Issei was going to die—if only temporarily, maybe—and soon.

I kept on walking, making no sign of reacting to what I just heard. I made it to 2-C, nodded in greeting to an already seated Reya—who smiled in return, she's lovely—and perused Daichi's memories to find my seat. Seated, I conversed with Gaia over what I just heard a couple minutes before.

'To save, or not to save… That is the question.'

That was a horrible reference to Hamlet.
You should be ashamed.

'I thought it was a fitting alteration to the opening of his soliloquy.' I really did, 'But let's not ignore the problem at hand.'

What problem?
Just ignore it like you did those stares.

'For someone who claims to be the mother of all life, that was a pretty blatant disregard for a person's life.'

Hey!
I
am the mother of all life.
But that doesn't mean I treat all life equally.
Case in point: You.
As for Issei Hyoudou…
He's between planarians and dodos on my 'Most Disliked' list.

What. She has lists for her favorite and least favorite forms of life? Just another reason why incredibly powerful beings are off-kilter by human reasoning, I suppose. 'I'm not even going to comment on that list thing… And besides, a life is on a different magnitude to the nauseating stares I'm getting!'

A life that, when you think about it, has very little to do with you.
You have your own problems, my chosen.
Don't add to them by putting yourself at risk.
Which means you do
not involve yourself with Issei Hyoudou.
And if you
really have to get involved, it's not like you have to do it, right?

I very nearly palmed my face when I saw Gaia's reply. How could I already forget my clones? My collective? I'm getting concerned that my burgeoning INT and WIS stats are having very little effect on my actual intelligence. Or maybe I was distracted with the potential loss of a life. It's hard to not be sensitive about that sort of thing, considering my own second wind. Nevertheless, I had a simple solution to my concerns about Issei—as much as I didn't like the guy. I'll just sic a clone on him when he goes on his date and then react depending on the circumstances. Simple.

'…Where would I be without you Gaia.' I had the decency to be a bit sheepish in my response.

Probably dead.
Yeah.

'…'

Part 5.

Praise Gaia that school was finally over! Now all of these damned classmates of mine can go fuck off while I take care of other business. Calm down, calm down.

It was really touch and go for me throughout the day. I had to spend a lot of effort in preventing Daichi's body from reflexively decking our classmates when they couldn't stop with the not-subtle glances and when lunch rolled around, their attempts at hounding me. Being well beyond the pinnacle of human conditioning isn't all that great when you don't have the mentality for it. And because I didn't have that mentality, I needed to hide. Needless to say that I spent the entirety of my lunch camped out in the woods behind school. Safety in numbers and there was plenty of trees.

"Are you ready to go Takahashi-san?" Reya's dulcet tones wormed their way into my ears, bringing me out of my recollections. She was standing at the front of my desk—when she got there I had no idea—with a patient smile. She was also radiating some kind of aura—not the charismatic kind, but a magic one, in the open—that kept people away from us, though that didn't stop them from gossiping about and observing our interaction. Seriously, shouldn't they be doing something else? Like going home or to their clubs?

"I'll follow your lead Kusaka-san." And with that we made our way to the Student Council room. It was located on the third floor's right wing and was the room closest to the central stairwell. As we made our way, we walked in companionable silence. Every couple of meters, though, I noticed that Reya's eyes would flit over to me. Maybe she wanted to see how I was adjusting to the school-wide memory manipulation? I wasn't sure and I didn't feel the need to bring it up either.

As we got closer to the Council room, that silence became progressively more awkward. At least for me, anyway. There wasn't much I wanted to say to Reya but I felt like I had to because of Daichi's instinctual need to impress the girl he liked wanted to lash out like some kind of guard dog. Not that I could say anything, because the moment I had something to say—along the lines of 'the weather is fine, isn't it,' Gaia, I suck—it died on my tongue as I noticed we stopped before the doors to the Student Council's room. Did I get nervous at the realization that I was about to have a formal meeting with the rest of Sona's Peerage? No, of course not.

Reya tapped on the door twice, each time infused with a bit of mana. Those pulses of mana interacted with a barrier that safeguarded this room and the one next to it; an identification system perhaps? Leave it to the Sona group to be thorough. In my sight the barrier clicked in recognition and Reya, noticing the change, ushered me inside.

The room was twice as long as a standard classroom. At the center of the room—on the side with the windows—was a desk meant for Sona to use in her capacity as the President. In front of said desk were two bracket shaped sectionals that flanked a circular table. On top of the table was a chessboard with black pieces on one side and aquamarine pieces on the other.

To the far right of the room was fully equipped kitchen. I couldn't divine the reason why they would need a kitchen of all things, but then again… Since the room is their base and have to deal with the workload that entails from being a part of the Council and a Peerage, then I suppose having a kitchen makes sense. I wonder if I'll be permitted to use it. Won't hurt to ask later.

On our side, left, there was a long desk that could easily seat ten to twelve people at once. This was where the Student Council was currently seated at. Sona and Tsubaki sat at the head of the table. Momo Hanakai, Genshirou Saji, Ruruko Nimura were on one side, all of them suspiciously seated close together. Tomoe Meguri and Tsubasa Yura were on the other. All of them were equipped with laptops. High-end laptops according to Daichi's memories.

When we entered the room everyone immediately spotted us, halting their work. I was expected to come, but that didn't stop the second years—Saji especially—from reacting to my appearance.

"Shit! You really did get handsome, that's not fair!" I flinched at his vehement allegation. Who the hell shouts something like that the moment someone enters a room? Saji. I decided that I wasn't going to like this guy. He's also in love with Sona, at least in canon, so we're also going to have some problems there. The bloody idiot already has a ménage à trois in the making, he's not going to take my Sona! …Whoa there me, dial back the possessiveness.

"I'd say it's plenty fair after having died to get a body like this," I snapped back. Huh, judging by their slack-jawed expressions I'd say that they—Sona and Reya besides—were unaware of my circumstances. Of course. Did they think that my body was the product of a Devil's contract? Right, they're Devils, that'd be a natural assumption to make wouldn't it?

"I uh, damn, I'm sorry—"

"Saji, that's enough," Sona interrupted, getting the groveling teen to sit back down, "Takahashi-san's I apologize for my Pawn's behavior. I had thought he would act with a little more tact after I had explained your circumstances."

Oh. So they did know, but not about my apparent suicide? Or maybe they were just reacting to how blunt I was being?

"That's fine," I said, "I'm still not used to all of this," Which was true no matter how quickly I had taken to using my abilities, "You know, Devils, magic, the supernatural."

"And that's why you're here," there was a faint smile on Sona's face, "My Bishops and I will help you refine your abilities, but in return I will be putting you to work. And that starts now."

In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess, "What do I do first?"

Part 6.

After a round of introductions once the air had been cleared it was decided that Daichi would work with Reya as the deputy Treasurer. Reya didn't have any problem with that, her experience in cold reading let her know that there was a lot of anger in Daichi and she wanted to help alleviate him of those emotions. However, there was a small traitorous part of her mind that insisted that her motives were far less benevolent; that Daichi's attractiveness was playing a large part in it all.

And it did, to a tiny extent. In the morning Reya had adjusted her wide-scale memory manipulation by placing Daichi among the popular students. In hindsight, it was a bad idea. She saw how badly Daichi reacted, culminating in him running away during lunch just to escape all the voices. Another readjustment would be required it seems.

Right now, she was more focused on being a mentor to Daichi.

"…And that's about it, really. Any questions?" Reya had just gone over her basic duties as the Treasurer for both the Student Council and Sona's Peerage. Money to Reya was a very good motivator to excel in her duties. She'd like to think she hid that part of her personality very well. The rest of the Student Council would beg to differ.

"Are you not worried that someone might find your bookkeeping for the Peerage on this laptop?" That's… That's not what Reya expected as a question.

"Hm. No, there's nothing to worry about. The laptops are only networked to each other and a part of the barrier around this room blocks out most signals, preventing any wireless attacks on our systems. We have Momo to thank for that." The silver haired barrier specialist waved, then immediately got back to flirting with Saji while handling some club requests. How Saji hadn't noticed Momo's or Ruruko's love for him Reya couldn't understand. Maybe it was because young women tended to be infuriatingly indirect when they fell in love with someone? Reya resolved to not be like that kind of person when she fell in love. "Anyway, for the time being I'll have you look for any discrepancies from last quarter's numbers. I always double check, but it's nice to have another pair of eyes."

Reya handed Daichi a stack of paper. An intimidating stack of paper. She stifled a giggle at how Daichi tried to not appear intimidated. "I'll… Uh… I'll do my best Kusaka-san."

"I'm sure you will, Takahashi-kun." The two worked in silence. Reya quietly approved of how Daichi had taken to his job, it let her focus on the semester's budget proposal. By the end she was sure that the culture orientated clubs were going to pissed that their budget was going to be reduced for the third semester in a row.

Between the two of them time passed by quickly, yet comfortably. They didn't say much to each other, unless Daichi needed to clarify something, but Reya didn't mind that at all. There was something… More to Daichi that made Reya like being in close proximity to him. She couldn't tell what it was, she didn't question it either; she basked in it instead.

Eventually it came time to switch from student duties to Devil duties and that meant contracts. Which also meant that Reya had to separate from Daichi. She needed an excuse to stay with Daichi.

"Reya-san, you will stay for today," there's the excuse! "I want you to show Takahashi-san the basics of magic. Since both of your talents are vastly different, just the basics should be fine."

With that the President excused herself from the room and everybody else teleported out with Devil magic to handle their requests. That left Reya and Daichi alone together. There was no way that Reya would allow any sort of inappropriateness to happen in the Student Council room, but that didn't stop her from briefly fantasizing.

"…I want to learn that," Reya heard Daichi absently comment. What did he want to learn?

"How to teleport?" She tilted her head in that cute way, "Don't you already know how to teleport?"

He shook his head, "I didn't get to explain last night… Uh, it's teleporting, but only one way. I set a waypoint and whenever I want to go back to it I can teleport, but the waypoint gets removed so I have to replace it if I want to teleport again."

An oddly specific magic, Reya thought, "I might not be able to teach you that method of teleportation."

"Why not?"

"It's a kind of teleportation that's tied to our Devil sigils, which in turn is tied to the President's Clan crest. So I can't teach it to you… Unless you joined the President's Peerage."

"I still have reservations about making a decision like that." Daichi scowled a bit.

"Sorry, I was being insensitive wasn't I?" Reya internally chided herself. She, more than anyone else, knew about Daichi's traumas. It was hard not to when she experienced them herself as she confirmed the existence of Daichi Takahashi yesterday. The process of reincarnating into a Devil touched a little too closely to dying. Naturally, in Reya's opinion, Daichi would be uncomfortable. She couldn't take back her words now, the damage was done, but she could move away from that topic, "I might not be able to show you our way of teleporting. I can, however, show you how our magic works."

"I'd like that, thanks." Daichi brightened up a bit and that's all that really mattered to Reya at the moment.

"Well… It all starts with the imagination…"

Part 7.

While her Peerage was handling their contracts for the evening—with the exception of Reya, who was lecturing Daichi in the ways of magic—Sona visited the Occult Research Club in the old school building. She had already informed Rias last night about the memory manipulation that Reya did the other day, now she was coming in person to formalize her claim over Daichi Takahashi.

"Tea?" It was customary of Akeno Himejima to offer tea to her King's guests. It was also customary to have Sona Sitri's eyebrows three times whenever she observed her childhood friend's generous assets bounce.

"No thank you," Sona answered with a clipped tone, "I won't be here for long."

"So what's the occasion Sona?" The black-haired heiress' eyes floated over to the woman sat opposite to her. Rias Gremory. Younger sister to the current Lucifer, heiress to the Gremory clan, and also an owner of a damned huge chest! "Didn't we agree to meet unless it was important?"

Sona nodded. It wasn't an agreement that she agreed with, very much. Sure it got Rias out of her hair—in her opinion, if you got past all the posturing Rias was little more than a spoiled brat—but at the same time it had hurt her for a while that her childhood friend would create such a divide between them. And Sona's Devil pride made it astronomically difficult for her to take back that agreement. All of these factors, and then some, were the reason why the two were no longer best friends, but rivals instead.

"We did, I'm just here to declare immunity for one Takahashi Daichi." Immunity, as in that Rias would make no efforts to try to claim Daichi for her own.

"The natural teleporter, right? If that's all he can do, then you can have him." Rias flippantly replied. Sona inwardly smiled at Rias' immediate dismissal of Daichi. This was good for her. She had purposefully downplayed Daichi's abilities in her initial report. After all, she didn't want to lose the enigma that was Daichi Takahashi to someone like Rias. The buxom woman had already staked her claim on the current wielder of the Boosted Gear, a tool capable of killing gods by doubling the users power every so often. And that was fine. Sona had confidence that Daichi was even better than some mid-tier Longinus. Even if that confidence was currently unfounded.

"Then we have an accord," Rias dipped her head in agreement, "And your plans for Hyoudou? How are they coming along?"

"Going well actually, I should have him in my Peerage by this weekend." Rias was completely confident in her plans. Sona wasn't. It involved relying on Hyoudou's perversions to annoy the fallen angel that had been observing—and recently became his girlfriend—him into killing him… Somehow or another. Sona thought that it would've been easier to just seduce him with those damn udders of Rias', but she wasn't about to throw a bone to her rival.

Part 8.

The young man known as Issei Hyoudou was having the time of his life. Why? Because for the first time in his pitiable life, he managed to snag a date with a hot chick!

Him, one of the Perverted Trio, got asked out by a long haired, slender beauty by the name of Yuuma Amano. He couldn't believe it even as he waited for her to arrive at their meet up spot well in advance. Had the God of Breasts answered his prayers, to award her most industrious zealot in the way of breasts and nipples? Oh boy, he hoped so!

But no, there was no way he was going to let this chance slip by! Despite cavorting around like an idiot with his buddies, spying on the luscious bodies of Katase and Murayama, Issei was very much aware of how his honest and open perversions have damaged his reputation. Alongside his brothers he was absolutely reviled by the female population in Kuoh. Aware he might be, but that didn't stop him from being jealous of the looks that the princely Yuuto Kiba or atheletic Daichi Takahashi gets on a daily basis. He was aware, but still a bit of an idiot.

Still, to have a girl exclusively look only at you and tell you that she likes you? For Issei that was the epitome of happiness—if only because that meant that her breasts would be his and that would mean he could fondle them all he wants to. And in that happiness, how could Issei not fall in love with the cute Yuuma? Today, Sunday, he was not going to mess up their very first date. He was going to make it enjoyable, fun, and maybe at the end of the day… A kiss!?

'Hehehe, I'll get her to fall for my charms and then we'll have another day where we can go even further!' Issei psyched himself up for the umpteenth time in the past three hours. If he wasn't imaging scenarios in which he would eventually get laid, then it was reviewing his crib sheet for the day's activities, and if not that, then checking and rechecking his appearance. He also had the decency to not ogle at the multitudes of women that passed by every minute. He even threw away that weird pamphlet he got from devil themed—a common theme around Kuoh, Issei briefly recalled—woman earlier!

"Issei-kun! Sorry I'm late!" Issei snapped out of his latest delusion and spied a rosy-cheeked Yuuma making her way over to him. 'She looks so hot out of breath like that!'

"Don't worry," he replied with a winning—in his opinion—smile, "I also just got here."

The disguised fallen angel pouted, "Liar. You waited a long time for me didn't you?"

Issei gulped at the slightly accusatory tone in her voice. Did he fail already? No! He couldn't end it here, he had to recover! "I was… So excited to have our date, I couldn't help but come here early."

Yuuma giggled, "You're so silly," she grabbed his hand. Issei did his best to not faint at the sensation, "Where are we going first, Issei-kun?"

The date proceeded apace. Doing his best to emulate a gentleman, Issei escorted Yuuma hand-in-hand to the interior of the shopping district. They mostly window shopped clothes and home décor, reveling in how ludicrous some of the items available were. Like the hippo head totem pole lamp or the men's shirt with the cat keyhole on it. At a curio shop Issei decided to splurge a bit and bought Yuuma a silver bangle with three stylized stars attached to it as a commemoration gift. He preened a bit when she gushed over the thing. At lunch they had a meal at a family restaurant. Issei, being the gentleman that he tried to be, footed the bill using the funds that he was saving for the week's latest releases in adult goods. Porn that he would not have, but this was something better. As they enjoyed desert, Issei did his best to not pop a stiffy at the sight of Yuuma licking her spoon clean.

Afterwards they dropped by the arcades for a while until they decided to walk around town until the sun began to set. They made their way to a park at the east side of town, the curious absence of people and the sunset made for a romantic backdrop. The unlikely couple stopped in front of the fountain the center of the park. To Issei's surprise, and depression, Yuuma let go of his hand so she could stand in front of him properly.

"We had fun today didn't we?" She said smiling. Issei could only nod dumbly.

"Hey, Issei-kun."

"What, what is it Yuuma-chan?"

"I want to do something to celebrate our first date. Can you do something for me?"

"What do you need me to do?" Issei's mind was going twenty-seven meters a second. This romantic atmosphere, the shy yet seductive look on Yuuma's face, the progression of the events so far! It was happening, he thought! This was it!

"Close your eyes for me…" He closed them, like the good boy that he was. His heart threatened to burst out his chest. The anticipation was killing him!

And then it happened.

The softest sensation to ever grace his lips. He felt it. It was a kiss! Issei had to make sure he wasn't dreaming, so he slowly opened his eyes… And there she was. Yuuma's face pressed up against his in a chaste, yet loving kiss. It was real! This was real! Issei believed that he could remain like this forever, he wished sincerely for it to happen.

But the most wonderful feeling in the world ended all too soon. Yuuma backed away a bit, her eyes fluttering open, "Did you peek?"

"Y-yeah… Sorry."

Yuuma grinned—he was in love with that bright expression—and said, "It's okay! You can make it up to me with another date, alright?"

"Another… Date… Yes, of course! Another date. Next week, same time?" Issei asked with a little too much hope in his voice. What he got in response was another kiss to the lips. A yes, in other words.

The two parted soon after that. Issei had offered to walk Yuuma back home, but the fallen angel declined, claiming that she lived nearby. Not seeing anything out of place with that, Issei went his own way. With the two of them gone, the park was once again deprived of any life.

All except for two pairs of eyes hidden away in the foliage.


A/N: Another chapter I'm not happy with. I think I'm the kind of author that can never be satisfied with what he writes... Which kind of sucks, because I want to write. Enough about me, let's talk about this chapter and respond to some reviews!

First about the chapter. Part 3 was probably my least favorite part, but I hope it gives some insight to Daichi(?)'s character (mostly in that if you wave something in front of his face he'll want to do something about as soon as possible, among other things). There was also some necessary world building, sort of, that leads up to some stuff in the future. And a number of you will probably dislike my decision to include clones so early into the story (I alluded the skill's presence in the first chapter, but that required some research if you are not familiar with Mabinogi).

My argument is this: Part of the theme of this story is that Daichi(?)'s problems are trivialized through cooperation with an incredibly friendly Gaia. So if he has a problem it's probably going to be resolved in the same chapter and even within the same part. It also puts the grinding in the background, because writing about grinding of all things is padding. And I don't want to subject you all or myself to that. That said, I will try to make tangential references to the slaves when it's necessary. Just know that from here on out Daichi(?) is constantly getting stronger every day at a rapid clip. As expected of a chosen of a Primordial.

Enough about that. How about those other POVs? If I do a POV switch it will usually be centered on Reya and Sona. Issei was... Well... He was a bonus. And the perfect way to show how this particular universe diverges from canon. And there are uh... A number of changes I've made. I can only hope you like those as well. Back to the girls. I don't think I've done a good enough job of showing that they've been compromised by Charming Aura. Intent increases effectiveness of the skill (another thing that I've failed to imply, I think) and you have two guesses as to who Daichi(?) is attracted to.

Okay! If I keep on going I'll end up doubling the length of this chapter by padding it with complaints. Time for reviews. Which reminds me. Please review! I want to respond to your comments. In a totally platonic way.

MysticSpider: Of course! They're in the Fighter tab. And I read your review when I was writing Part 3, so I decided to use those skills. I think I have failed your expectations, but I will try to make it up in the future!

Raven: I'm not going to give this story up! But I thank you for the positive reinforcement regardless!

Ashzaroth: I have to admit that the first chapter was written on spontaneity. You could even say that the first parts of chapter 1 reflect that. I'll fix it eventually, but for now I'll leave the chapter as is so I can focus on future chapters instead of mucking about in the past ones. As for Gaia (which is why I'm so excited to respond to your review, is that weird? It's not weird)... The love thing was also spontaneous, but it's now a plot point. It has major ramifications in the future and I won't spoil that.

And to everyone else who reviewed with some variation of 'good start' or something like that: You should comment on this chapter to. In a completely platonic way.


What could've been (and not been) in this chapter:
Reya chasing after Daichi(?) during lunch and subsequently enjoying one of his two riceballs (hahaha).
Sona giving Reya a mission to somehow convince Daichi(?) to join the Peerage. There are some shades of this, but my initial planning involved seduction. Sorta.
Reya inviting herself over to Daichi(?)'s place for dinner and falling deeper in love with his cooking, and him by association. I thought it was way too early and out of character to involve such intimacy. Maybe next time.
Issei not dying was a total surprise for me. Why he didn't die... You'll have to find out uh... Within 3 chapters maybe? Probably less than that.