AN: It's been a while, after a two year absence I've decided that I wanted to try and rewrite my first story A Gamer's Life is Hell. Apologies for not continuing the original but life got in the way, but things are better and more stable now so I hope that I'll be able to post on a more regular basis. I also just kinda wanted to do things a bit differently this time around, so for those who read the original and enjoyed it and those only finding this now I hope you all will have a good read with my little story here.
Chapter 01
Hell Starts Here
I didn't live a life I could say I was proud of. When I turned eighteen, I had lost everything and fell into a deep depression that spiraled out of control. The remaining family and "friends" I had left were soon pushed away from my inability to 'move on' from my losses so I ended up spending my days behind a computer screen to escape from the reality that I could no longer handle as my mind began to break apart. Ultimately I died alone with no one to mourn for me.
So I wasn't too surprised that I didn't find myself in the stereotypical portrayal of Heaven, instead I was in a dark and misty realm that stretched out endlessly around me. So, this must be hell? I might've been no saint but I didn't think I did anything too reprehensible that I'd end up in hell of all places. It is different from the depictions I grew up with but I'd take this over the fire and brimstone anyday.
"Not quite."
I froze upon hearing a deep and booming voice speak from within the ether. The voice was polite, yet something in the back of my brain was screaming at me to either run away or that I really didn't want to upset the owner of the voice.
"You wouldn't be able to get away," the voice said, shit , were they reading my thoughts? "That is irrelevant."
"Who said that?" I found myself looking around trying to find the owner of the voice, they sounded close by so why couldn't I see them?
"I did."
The ground beneath my feet rumbled as everything began to move up. It was then that I came face to face with the owner and the reality of what was happening became apparent to me. I wasn't currently standing on any ground but rather this Things fucking finger. To call this being massive didn't even begin to cover just how utterly gargantuan this thing truly was as even now that I was brought to meet with its 'face' all I could see was a single piercing green light that was its equivalent of an eye yet it might as well have been a moon or hell even the sun.
I found myself unable to speak as fear had gripped my heart, my body was completely unresponsive as I fell due to my knees giving way to my terror.
"Congratulations, you have been selected as the newest in a long line of gamers. A concept I already know you are familiar with given the prevalence of stories of gamers from your world. But I digress, what you need to know is that I will be serving as the administrator of your particular system in this upcoming journey of yours."
My mind was a jumbled mess of different thoughts and emotions but through it all I was able to ask one question.
"What if I refuse?"
It was true I was familiar with stories of people being reincarnated or being given the power of the gamer. It was usually followed by being thrown into a world full of dangers that would require the aforementioned gamers to constantly grind and strive for more power to survive. Granted a great many were simple power fantasies but I had doubts that it would be so simple as that. There was also the fact that I was, to put it bluntly, absolutely awful at playing video games and despised conflict, one of the many reasons why my life went the way it did was due to my personal fear of confrontation. Simply put I don't think I'm at all a good candidate for such a thing as I'd much rather spend the rest of eternity enjoying the peace and quiet of whatever afterlife awaited me on the other side.
The light of this thing's eye lowered for a moment before I heard its voice speak once more.
"In that case I misjudged you and you may proceed on your way to oblivion."
Oblivion? What…what does that mean?
"What awaits your kind after death isn't a paradise or a hell of any sort. The only thing awaiting you is nothing but the cessation of existence and your soul will be erased."
"I-I…I accept!"
A primal fear had taken hold of me at the revelation of what awaited me if I refused. A hell I could deal with, at least I would continue to exist but to simply cease…for me that was a fate worse than any hell I could picture.
"Excellent. Now I will leave the rest to you. Rejoice for today is your re-birthday as our newest Gamer."
I wanted to vomit as the world shifted and changed. No longer was I in that dark and misty void, instead I was inside some dilapidated room with the smell of mold and rot.
[WELCOME: Would you like to view your stat page?]
[Yes/No]
It took me a moment to calm myself as I eyed the window before mentally selecting yes.
[STATUS]
Player Name: Regis Chasseur
Level: 1
Race: Human (Lvl 1)
Hero Descendant (Lvl 0)
Class: [Not Selected]
Health: 100/100
Mana: 100/100
Strength: 5 (Standard Average is 5)
Endurance: 5 (Standard Average is 5)
Agility: 5 (Standard Average is 5)
Mana: 5 (Standard Average is 5)
Luck: 5 (Standard Average is 5)
Regis Chasseur? Is that my new name? Kingly Hunter? I like it. But wait what does it mean by hero descendant and why does my race have its own levels?
[ANSWER: You are a variant human found in this world that either descends directly or is a reincarnation of a famed individual from history or myth. Races like classes have special skills and stat improvements and can be upgraded or changed should you reach the right requirements.]
Why does that sound familiar? Whatever I'll worry about later, for now I need to get my bearings straight.
[OFFER: As this is the beginning of your journey, would you like to roll for perks?]
[NOTE: Rolling runs the risk of being given a flaw. Most flaws can be mitigated or removed through special steps taken by the player or simply lessened with time. Permanent flaws are known as curses and you will receive a bonus consolation reward for them.]
How many times can I roll?
[ANSWER: You can roll any number of times that you feel comfortable with.]
Why not? I could use the extra advantage, especially since I have no idea what is in store for me. Plus, I'm a hell of a gambling man so I'll roll for six.
[ROLLING]
…
[Perk Gained: Sacred Gear Wielder]
[Perk Gained: Universal Translator]
[Curse Gained: FUBAR]
[Skill Gained: Danger Gauge]
[Perk Gained: The Man Born a Monster]
[Curse Gained: Seed of Malice]
Upon seeing the Curses I swear I could hear laughing from afar. Quickly I called up my game menu to have a look at what all this meant for me.
FUBAR:
The borders of reality have been blurred and various variables have spilled into the setting resulting in unknown variables taking place.
Seed of Malice:
Within your soul lies a truly twisted and distorted thing, a seed of malice. Currently it has yet to take root.
[NOTICE: For rolling these curses you will be given a free level up that you can use as you see fit and full heal that can be used at a later date at your own discretion.
FUBAR wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might've been…I think. I'm not too sure what it all means but it doesn't scream 'I'm gonna die' so I'm sure I can work with that. However, that other curse has me worried, what exactly is a 'Seed of Malice'? No, I shouldn't dwell on it, right now I have more urgent matters.
Mentally I switched over to the perks and skill I had managed to roll. Hopefully they'd help my situation and lead me in a direction I can follow.
The Man Born a Monster:
Superman Syndrome is a very rare and powerful mutation that you were born with that puts you at the top when it comes to strength. You have acquired a super dense musculature that is 52 times higher than average, thus fights with you are less actual conflicts and more akin to a force of nature destroying whatever is in its wake.
Sacred Gear Wielder (Dormant):
You are born with one of God's Artifacts that he bestowed upon humanity. However at the moment you have yet to awaken the Sacred Gear residing in your soul.
Universal Translator:
A simple yet very useful ability that allows you to read, write, speak and understand any language you come across. Be it ancient and dead, coded, or even supernatural in nature as long as you encounter it once you will have full understanding of the language in question.
Danger Gauge (Lvl 1) (0%)
Upon activation you will see the name/title of the individual you are looking at. Their name/title will appear in a color depending how much stronger or weaker they are in comparison to you.
(Cost: 10 Mana)
So I'm like Wakatsuki now, cool. On top of that I have a Sacred Gear…and I'm a hero descendant…I'm in High School DxD aren't I? I am so cooked!
[ANSWER: That is correct, you have been sent to the world of Draconic Deus.]
Okay, calm down. I can deal with this. First things first I should use my free level up. I'll put it towards my racial level.
Level Up 1→2
Strength 5→9
Endurance 5→10
Agility 5→9
Mana 5→8
Luck 5 →13
[NOTICE: To further level Hero Descendant you will now be required to possess knowledge of your ancestor. This will unlock special perks, skills and increase your stat improvements based on their true identity.]
I take it you're not just going to tell me huh? Well whatever I'll add it to a list of things to do, on top of unlocking my Sacred Gear.
Although actually looking at my stat page I can't help but to notice a lack of two very useful and very common skills in Gamer's Body and Gamer's Mind.
[CLARIFICATION: Due to the set difficulty by the Admin the skills Gamer's Body and Gamer's Mind have been disabled to offer a more challenging experience.]
Of course they were. Well that should do for just about everything I can think of.
[Tutorial Mission]
Objective: Survive and escape the dungeon.
That was sudden. Already giving me missions, eh? Well not like I really need the incentive to leave this place.
I dusted myself off before looking around to try and find a door. The room is so dark that I can't see much of anything but if I follow the walls I should eventually come across a door…oh will you look at that.
The door creaked, its hinges rusty and the frame warped and as soon as it was open the pungent smell of rot intensified.
"Yup I fucking hate it here," I found myself grumbling as I moved out of the starting room.
Luckily for me I was now in a long hallway that was brighter, even if only barely, allowing me to see the layout of the area.
A hospital? Abandoned and left to rot by the looks and smell of the place. But something doesn't feel right about this, I got this eerie feeling that I'm in serious danger. The mission did say to survive and escape, so that must mean there are enemies or something to that effect.
Focus!
I slap my cheeks to rid myself of the intrusive thoughts swirling in my head. Right now I just need to find the exit and leave. I've spent enough time in hospitals to have a good sense of where things should be. If I continue down this hall I should come across the entrance to the waiting room.
While walking through the hall I noticed some rebar sticking from the ground. Better to take it with me as I'd prefer to have some sort of weapon to use just in case. It was easier to retrieve then I thought it would be, but then again my Strength is counted as being 52 times higher so that would explain that.
Suddenly I heard the sound of rumbling as the floor started to shake. An earthquake? No it doesn't feel like one.
Shit.
The ground beneath me gave way and I fell only to land in a pile of rubble.
Health: 190/200
Ow, that hurt.
Getting up and dusting myself off I was able to retrieve my 'weapon' and managed to orient myself. And will you look at that, I'm in the main entrance.
But…what are those?
Before me were these green balls made of some organic material. They kinda remind me of cocoons. Hmm…?
"The fuck!"
I yelled while quickly backing away after getting a better view. The 'cocoons' were semi-transparent allowing me to see the contents inside. There were so many people not only dead but horrifically balled up. Their faces, terrified and pain filled, pressed right up so I could see them perfectly.
Bile threatened to rise from my stomach. I need to get out of here and quick. Noticing the exit I make a run for it and go to open the door.
[Condition to leave has not been met.]
An invisible barrier stops me from opening the door and as the text pops up I feel pure dread.
[In order to leave you must first defeat the dungeon boss.]
It was only then did I hear the faint sound of crunching, turning to where it was coming from I noticed a door that was slightly ajar. Quietly moving to the door I took a peek to see what I was meant to 'defeat' and immediately my jaw dropped.
In the other room was a beetle-like creature with a length of 13 feet with a height of 10 feet, and while it was facing away from me I could see the sharp horns on its head. I also now know the source of that crunching noise. That thing was in the middle of compacting three bodies to be as small as possible, the sound was of bones breaking and joints being dislocated.
[First of the Blue - Tank Beetle]
I used Danger Gauge and sure enough that the thing's name was a deep crimson, and despite not being told I just knew that meant this thing was dangerous.
[Your negative emotions have reached the threshold of the tolerance limit.]
I grip the rebar tightly with both hands. My body won't stop trembling. How the hell am I supposed to kill this thing?
"Fuck it. I'm not dying here."
Without a second thought I charged in with adrenaline pumping in my veins I raised the rebar above my head and with all the force I could muster slammed into the side of the Tank Beetle, causing its chitinous skin to crack ever so slightly. Unfortunately my action also caused it to take notice of me as it swung one of its pincers in my direction.
Health: 152/200
I could taste blood as a stream of it ran down my mouth. My 'weapon' was worse for wear, having snapped after my first strike. What was even worse was that the Tank Beetle was far faster than it had any right to be, faster than I could react and it was charging at me with the goal of trampling me to death and I wasn't able to do a thing as the pain from my newly acquired wounds made moving next to impossible.
The world slowed down and I felt a weight around my chest, but I ignored it. I was going to die again and so soon. It wasn't fair but then again rarely is anything in life fair.
But this? This is ridiculous!
[Your negative emotions have exceeded the threshold of the tolerance limit.]
The pain I felt had all vanished as a new emotion filled me. Spite. As it got closer, I decided I'd meet its challenge and as time seemed to return to normal I found myself grabbing it by its horns managing to hold it back even if it required all of my might to do so.
The Tank Beetle started to try and swat me away again with its pincers, but between my strength and the close distance compared to before it was unable to do the deed but still dealing continuous damage to me. The creature hissed at me as its mouth opened to reveal a series of sharp and jagged teeth.
"Yeah, fuck you too!" I yelled as I lifted with my full strength to try and throw it onto its back.
Given its build and weight I doubt it'll be able to flip itself back upright which means this is my chance. Quickly I took a mount and started punching this monster, my fist ringing with all my fury as the blows against its armored skin caused a crater to form underneath us.
Once again it tried to use its enlarged pincer to hit me, but I was able to catch it and pull, tearing it off and causing the beast to scream in pain. It was then that I noticed something in between the horns of this damn bug. It was a tube of flesh with a round pulsating orifice. I'm not sure why but I feel like I just found this thing's weakness.
With a manic fervor I repeatedly hit and bashed the boss, blood covered my hands rather if it was mine or its blood I couldn't be certain.
[Boss Tank Beetle has been slain.]
Health: 27/200
It was only after getting the message did I stop beating its body. Its head now is little more than mush and my hands are completely destroyed. Yet I felt nothing, the pain that had initially been paralyzing was no longer an issue.
Looking down at myself I finally took notice of the black chestplate that I knew I wasn't wearing before.
[You have unlocked your Sacred Gear.]
The game informed me but at that moment I didn't care. I felt drained way beyond what I had ever experienced before in life. With a thought I dismissed my Sacred Gear. That was a mistake.
The moment it was gone pain had flooded my brain, I could feel lacerations, broken bones and other injuries I had incurred in the brief fight I had with the Tank Beetle.
"Use the full heal now!" I shouted at my system wanting the pain to go away and after a moment a dull light had overcome my body and I was back to full, but I could still feel phantom pangs of agony, even if they were lesser.
[For completing the tutorial mission you have received rewards]
[Gained: House hey and address]
[Gained: 300 experience]
[Unlocked: Class assignment]
Oh, I can choose a class now? I'll do that later, I just really want to leave this place.
"Just what have I gotten myself into?"