Ok, it was official, grinding like this was officially a bust! It has been roughly one week since Issei began his grinding session, one week since he killed those two strays in a way that later had Ddraig doubt him! Not his fault he needs to hold back! Or was he holding back? It was very likely that the system was affecting him more than he knew, even to the point his ability to fight was affected!
Damn, it, is this system supposed to make him OP or nerf him, he doesn't know anymore!
Regardless, the progress for this week was slow, all things considered. Solomon had advised Issei, per usual, to cycle through the subject he needed to learn for the 'Academic Beginnings!' Quest, and so far the progress has been good enough, he might say. Heck, he even started to do more than 2-hour sessions per day, enabling him to get more progress. The day was basically dedicated to studying and the night to hunting. It was currently Monday, and Issei was reviewing his weekly progress.
First, his own Stats. The week proved to be a bit difficult, finding only 5 other Stray Devils the entire time. He thought those things would be more numerous, but it seems he was wrong about that. He found 1 the day after the first session, 2 more two days later after that one, then stumbled on the last two more or less by accident and blasted them using his [Wyvern Shot] Skill. In total, that entire session earned him around 2400 EXP, meaning he was halfway toward level 11. Still, knowing there was a level curve each time he DID Level-Up, and how long it has taken him to progress this much so far, Issei doubted he will successfully get to level 15 before he starts going to Kuoh Academy.
As far as his other Stats went, he did gain 2 more points in his MGI stat by using his [Self-Clean] spell and 1 ACC point for shooting using [Wyvern Shot]. His [Observe] Skill has been trained, along with [Aura Suppression] and [Aura Flare], placing [Observe] at Level 6 now, with 200 EXP already earned out of 12800; [Aura Suppression] having barely achieved level 7, and [Aura Flare] being close to level 5, which is where Issei assumed it will grow like [Observe] did, unlocking a new capability. But it didn't, making him doubt his assumptions.
The [Sneak Attack] Skill has not gained anything, mainly because he has yet to take any of the Strays by surprise and all, making him think it might not gain EXP anytime soon. Too bad, that bonus was nice.
However, his [Fashion Novice] Skill did level up to level 3, but [Wyvern Shot] - oh boy - got all the way to level 4. It is faster to cast than [Dragon Shot], even if it is weaker. Issei dismissed it too early when he did because he was coming to like it. As mentioned before, the [Self-Clean] Skill was used quite a bit, putting it up to level 5 now, meaning it has gained a new capability! But not that great, all in all. The Skill gained the ability to clean items he was holding, nothing more. It took a while to level this one up, mainly because his negative perk lowered the EXP it was supposed to gain by 2%, which he knew was true for all his skills that used magic. Good thing he doesn't have a bunch of them.
Now, the progress to his Quests.
Academic Beginnings!
You need to pass an Exam to get into Kuoh Academy, and luckily for you, the system has your back! Kind of.
Main Objective: Dedicate 10 hours of studying to the following subjects:
Literature (7/10)
Mathematics (1/10)
English (4/10)
Social Studies (2/10)
History (5/10)
Additional Objective: Score 1st in the Exam!
Quest Time Limit: 3 Months 3 weeks left.
Main Objective Reward: +10 INT, Perk: Bookworm, and 3000 EXP
Additional Objective Reward: +5 Relationship with Kuroka, 5000 EXP.
Failure Penalty: -10 Relationship with Kuroka and locking away access to any future Quests related to Kuoh Academy.
Alright, so to go over the progress, the day following the first outing he had then spent studying English for most of the day, putting in four good hours of his life - which he could have used cuddling, possibly touching Kuroka's funbags! - into it. Then he spent the day after doing one hour for mathematics - he hated math, he really did. Furthermore, he spent the rest of that day studying history, having started early which allowed him to get 5 hours into that. Halfway there with history, which was good, but the next day he went ham on literature. 7 hours in, meaning he only needed to do 3 more to finish that one. Solomon did warn him he should try to get mathematics caught up, but he managed to dodge the bullet so far.
Then everything looped back to Social Studies, putting 3 more hours into those. This was most of his week, studying by day, hunting by night. His academic endeavor seemed to progress more smoothly than his other one, which kinda annoyed him, he won't lie about it.
He needed to find a way to get more EXP in fast, but luckily, Solomon came up with an answer to that. He remembered a certain detail from all those Strays, namely when he observed them. All of them had letters next to their levels, and Solomon was able to figure out why. Those were Ranks. Most Strays he had been killing granted him around 500 to 700 EXP per kill, but that was mainly because they were Ranks E and D, the lowest there are. Ranks reflect the level in some way, but Solomon informed Issei that this notion applies only to the majority, with some special cases having higher ranks than their level usually states. This indicated them having gone through some process that allowed them to raise their rank, effectively placing a power gap between them and the norm. Still, killing some of those higher-ranked Strays might yield him more EXP, so Solomon came up with a plan.
The wise king stated that they have been keeping relatively close to their own neighborhood, and when they went closer to a certain area the Ranks increased. Basically, the Strays were keeping themselves within certain areas of Kuoh because of something, and the king was willing to bet that reason was the presence of two peerages in Kuoh. As such, the weaker Strays are keeping their distance since they do not want to end up hunted by them. Issei had to admit it sounded pretty logical, but then Ddraig pointed out the issue. Solomon was stating that the stronger Strays, which are bound to yield more EXP, are in the more frequented places by the devils, and they had to go there. Even Issei realized the risk at that point, but Solomon made it clear that unless they take this risk they will never reach level 15 in time for the Quest.
So this is why Issei was now here, during the evening again, walking into devil territory. "I will say this once more, Solomon, I have a bad feeling." he muttered under his breath.
"Have some faith Issei. I am certain rewards will be bountiful around those parts." Assured the ancient king.
"Let's hope we don't bump into something else then." Ddraig stated dryly. "The last thing we need is to tip off the devils of our presence, which is the last thing we need. How do we even know your hypothesis is correct, Solomon?"
"We won't know until we check it, old friend." Solomon said. "I admit to the risk, but given the amount of time and our current rates we have no chance of realistically getting the necessary amount of EXP for level 15."
"No risk, no reward, huh?" Issei muttered again, then he sighed. He was keeping his [Aura Suppression] Skill on this time around, since using [Aura Flare] might just attract the Devils. He spotted two of them last time, Shirone and that Kiba guy, a Rook, and Knight. He didn't know if they had any Sacred Gears - he knew for a given fact Shirone and Kuroka were part humans, not pure-bloods, but in their kin, all children are born as female Nekoshous or males of the father's kin. Kuroka confirmed to him their father was human, which was all she knew about their parents more or less.
That left that Kiba guy and any other possible member of the peerage. Man, what a total mess this was. He wished he could just use his Balance Breaker and go on a rampage through Kuoh to get the Strays, but that was not an option. Stealth was the play here, after all. So he walked, searching for those Strays in the area, and eventually, through sheer luck, a notification popped before his eyes.
Dungeon detected!
Since this is your first dungeon, the system pointed out that one is close by. In the future, however, you will need to find them yourself or develop an appropriate skill to find them. Now, how about a basic explanation, shall we?
Dungeons are specific locations filled with enemies. They can be very good for leveling up, getting loot, and so on. They are usually locations with multiple rooms or floors, and you cannot leave the dungeon until you clear the current room/floor you find yourself located at. There is an item, however, to allow you an emergency leave, but I won't say what.
Dungeons usually have better loot than normal, random enemies, and bring more benefits! Do note they have recommended levels, which are there for a reason. Better listen to them, or else you might find yourself biting off more than you can chew.
Now, without further adieu, let me point out where the dungeon is, exactly. It is right below you, in the sewers. Look for a bright red brick.
"Not the sewers…" Issei said, dreading the thought of entering that specific place. Out of all possible places, why did it have to be sewers? Why?
"No use arguing, partner. If this stuff is to be believed, then you might just level up more from them. Now, where is the manhole?"
"Ugh. I share your disgust, Issei." At least Solomon was with him. However, knowing he didn't have that much of a choice, he eventually found a manhole and lifted the lid, entering the sewers. Almost instantly he was hit with the foul smell of everything that was down here; feces, piss, who knows how many rats and their excrement, and possibly a body or two, he doesn't want to know! He gagged, the smell hitting him strongly. Ddraig and Solomon saved themselves by not sharing Issei's sense of smell anymore.
The sewers were also dark, with not a lot of light present. He ran his hand along the wall, trying to feel and look for the red brick mentioned. However, he could barely see shit in here! Seriously, he should think about bringing a flashlight with him or something.
Skill acquired! [Night Vision]
Or never mind, that worked too! "This Skill allows you to see better in the dark, Ise, and it seems to consume 20 Stamina to activate and 10 to maintain per passing minute." Solomon said, informing him. "However, it should allow you better sight. Try it out."
Done and done! Issei activated the skill swiftly, making his brown eyes glow green a bit, but as they did, he had to admit his vision improved really well! It was still no daylight, but now he could tell what was what. Although, on one side, that was not really a good thing as he saw some really nasty shit…literally. This time, when he gagged, he actually did throw up.
"Ugh. What do people eat to end up shitting like that?!" Ddraig was disgusted, and rightfully so. And Solomon, for his part, due to the shock, actually collapsed. "Solomon! Hold yourself together!"
"Let's find that fucking brick and get the hell out of those sewers!" Issei said, and he looked around, eventually seeing the brick. "Aha!" He went to it and examined it, noticing it was sticking out of the wall, but as he touched it a notification popped up.
Alert! You are about to enter the Dungeon: Abandoned Storage. The Recommended Level for this Dungeon is 5. Do you wish to enter?
Y/N
"YES!"/"YES!" All three of them shouted together, not being able to stand in the sewers for a moment longer. But the moment the button was pressed, the wall opened itself up, revealing a staircase going down. Issei, even with his newly acquired [Night Vision], couldn't exactly see all the way down. It seemed that his skill had some limits, like a distance limit. Granted, Solomon was quick to answer.
"10 Meters. That is the distance allowed by this Skill, Issei." The wise king replied, then they saw the next notification.
Skill Level up! [Night Vision] is now level 2.
Something told him this skill will level up quite a bit today.
He went down the stairs, looking around the area for anything of use. Like a torch. Granted, he doesn't feel like he needs one that much. He can see in the dark now, which was good enough, even if with a restricted range. Eventually, the stairs seemed to stop, leading into a short and narrow hallway. You couldn't really have two people standing side by side inside of it, and the hallway was so short that if he laid down on the ground his feet would touch the last step and his head the door.
Still, he went forward and touched the handle of the door, his Gear deployed, ready for anything that might try to jump him. Slowly, ever so slowly, he opened the door, letting the old wood swing open, and then quickly barging in, arm outstretched with a [Wyvern Shot] prepared. He expected more of a challenge, but instead, he found…nothing. Quite literally, this very first room he found himself in had nothing of worth in it. He noticed another door at the end of the room, and Solomon looked over the little information they had about the place.
Three floors, no more, and this was the first one. But they were promised enemies, yet Issei didn't see anything of the likes. The only stuff he saw was a square-shaped room with what seemed to be storage closets on the side. The dungeon is, supposedly, an abandoned storage of sorts. That got him thinking about some things.
First, the location. It was clearly meant to be hidden, otherwise, the access would have been less of a hassle. And less disgust. That led him to believe that whoever once made use of this place didn't want whatever they were holding here to be found easily, However, judging by the lack of anything supernatural-looking, there is the possibility he just stumbled about some old, hidden room made by some bored person.
But he dismissed that possibility. Why? Because he knew what was out there, and this place could be used by Strays to hide from the Sitri and Gremory. In a way, his being here was still something he had to do. Plus, who knows what they stored here, it might have the equipment! Currently, as much as he hates to admit it, he was naked. Maybe he could find something to use, like a sword, as he learned his lesson from the last time with the Stray in the alley.
By learning from your past experience, you gained one WIS.
And the system agreed with him. He slowly went towards the closet there and opened it, keeping his guard up in case anything was going to jump him. But when he opened the closet he immediately got spooked and he let out a small scream as he backed down, but then he realized what spooked him. He found it strange, but they looked like wooden mannequins. They were blank, so to say, with no such thing as a face carved into any of them and they looked less than ideal regarding their state.
"This is it? THIS is what they were keeping here? Sure we didn't stumble upon some freak's workshop?" Ddraig asked as Issei got up, thinking the same as he then went to the door at the back. Maybe they were not on the first floor officially yet and still needed to descend, so he went to the door and tried to open it. However, he received a notification.
Room Incomplete: 0/5 Enemies left.
Enemies? But the only thing he saw was…Crud.
Turning around, Issei was greeted with a sight out of horror films. One by one, the mannequins got up, and they slowly began to make their way to him. He recoiled back a bit, hitting the door with his back and seeing them. Then, one of them charged at him, trying to punch him, but he managed to duck. However, he noticed something when the mannequin's fist made contact with the door: It broke, and damage was dealt.
Curious, he used [Observe] on it.
[Lesser Wooden Golem]
[level 3 E]
[HP: 1000]
[S.E: Rotten]
Those guys were weak! And that Status Effect of theirs didn't really help them.
[Rotten]: Beings who have this S.E. have a ROTTEN BODY. Wasn't it obvious? Their bodies are decayed, resulting in the DUR and AGI stat being reduced by 80% and damage dealt to them being increased by 100%. Additionally, there exists a risk of self-damage when pushing their bodies too far.
Ok, creepiness aside, those guys were seriously weak when you couple their low level and this completely crappy S.E. So, while still ducked, Issei balled his fist, the right one, and drove it right through the head of the golem that was next to him, sending wood splinters all over. It already damaged itself a bit when he broke his hand, but Issei's fist, even if not boosted, dealt more than enough damage to destroy the golem, watching it collapse.
Skill Acquired! [Power Punch]
Ok, that sounded good. Those guys were real pushovers, meaning he won't even need his Sacred Gear! He dismissed it as a result, and so he continued to simply use his newly acquired skill on them. Their movement was slow and predictable. Those guys were truly low-level cannon fodder or something. He was one-shotting those guys, literally. All it took was one good strike to their bodies or heads and they went down like flies. As a result, he was down to the last one pretty quickly.
Now, Issei got an idea with this one. When he took the first swing and struck, he did channel a bit of power into his fist, so maybe, just maybe, the same was true for his feet. He had nothing to lose for trying, so he pulled his leg back and channeled a bit of power into it, then, in one swoop, he struck the mannequin. A CRITICAL was announced as his leg went THROUGH the enemy, putting him in an awkward situation.
Skill Acquired! [Power Kick]
"That works, but now how do I get my foot out of this thing?" Issei asked as he shook his leg a bit, trying to get the mannequin off it. Eventually, he managed to get it off, then he checked his EXP. He gained 500 EXP from all of them, which, given their levels and rank, was the most they could give. This was the minimum amount of EXP you gain from those E-rank enemies. That made up a total of 2500 EXP. Not bad.
Room Complete! 1 / 3 Rooms Complete! Do you wish to proceed further or leave the dungeon? If you choose to leave now, know that enemies will not respawn in the rooms cleared, but if you choose to go further in you cannot leave until you clean another room.
Continue/Leave.
"Are you kidding me? Of course, I will continue! The enemies were a breeze!" Issei exclaimed and tapped on the 'continue' button, which caused the door at the other end of the room to let out a click as it became unlocked.
"Issei, before you leave, try searching the closet where the mannequins came out from. This room has nothing in it, but maybe the loot is hidden inside the closet?" Solomon suggested.
"Hmm. Good point."
"Do be careful, partner. We might wake up with another scare." Ddraig warned as he got closer to the closet, looking inside. There was not much inside aside from dust, but he did see some things on the shelves which he reached out and took, using [Observe] on them.
[Used Iron Knife.]
[An iron knife which seems to have seen some use, but overall still good for combat. Adds an additional +30 damage against enemies. Small chance to inflict the Bleed effect on enemies.]
[Durability: 9/20]
"Well, it's something. At least it is a weapon of some kind." Issei remarked, equipping the knife in his inventory as his main weapon. Despite his Sacred Gear being on his left hand, he was right-handed, but over the years he did develop some skills with both hands. His main went to his dominant hand, which was his right, and as such, that is where the knife went. He searched further in the closet, trying to find anything else of possible use, but the place seemed completely dry, safe for 50 Yen. Having gotten everything this place was likely to give him he advanced to the next room, noticing that the door opened up in another hallway, this one somewhat larger than the previous one.
Skill Level up! [Night Vision] is now Level 3!
At least that skill was doing well for itself. Still, Issei walked through the hallway, knife in hand in case anything jumped on him again. He didn't take any damage in the previous room, which is more or less a testament to those, what were they called again, lesser wood golems?
"Whoever had the bright idea to make golems out of wood clearly didn't pay attention in class. Wood is one of the weakest materials to make a golem out of!" Solomon remarked, throwing his own criticism into the mix as well. He continued to walk through the hallway until he came across a new sight. Pipes, likely part of the city's network or something, but they were becoming more pronounced as he walked down the hall, eventually seeing the door to the next room.
Knife in hand, he got closer to the wooden door and, remembering the previous room, entered carefully, letting his [Night Vision] reveal to him any possible enemy. And this time around, they were not hidden in a closet, but they didn't exactly look alive. They were in a state that was just as poor as the ones in the first room, and he counted around 3 of them, but the other 3 looked different. They were not as rotten as the rest, and [Observe] revealed why.
[Lesser Wooden Golem]
[level 5 E]
[HP: 1000]
They were the same kind of creature, but they looked more well-kept. He could see signs of rot on small patches of their bodies, but not enough to earn them the same Status Effect it seemed. They also seemed to have been treated with something to prevent the rot, or rather, the decay of the wood. Still, Issei didn't lose confidence. The room was similar to the other one in shape, the only detail is the table in the middle of it and the golems piled on it. The rotten kind.
More so, he still had a bad feeling in his gut. Still, he didn't have the time to listen to it as the golems awakened, being triggered by his presence and they began to move. One of the more well-kept ones charged at him, being faster than its rotten brothers, and went for a punch to Issei's head, but the boy dodged it, then, using the knife he got previously, he stabbed it into the head of the golem, but the damage didn't kill it or inflicted a Critical or Fatal. He guessed that since they didn't bleed or had any sort of organs it was harder to figure out where to hit them to inflict those. The one which attacked him ended up taking 800 damage, then he kicked it back into one of its brethren which tried to charge in, knocking them both on the table where the rotten ones were, They didn't get to get up from it before the others crashed, resulting in at least two of them being killed by the impact.
Ouch. That must have hurt. However, the one that was left grabbed him from behind, but Issei overpowered it easily, then he delivered a [Power Kick] to it. That pushed into the wall. The one he had thrown, which still had the knife in its face, was pushed aside by the other golem, allowing it to get up and, in a move that had Issei a bit surprised, pick up the knife himself and charge at him with it!
Ok, this was a bit of an issue. But he noticed something, namely at the other arm. It was stuck in place. The joints were not moving, so when it tried to stab him Issei sidestepped and grabbed the stuck arm, yanking it. The critical announcement played out as he tore it down quite easily, revealing to him the joint pieces. They looked quite feeble, meaning those were likely the weak points. The mannequin slashed with the knife at Issei a few times, but when it went for a stab again he used the arm he tore off to block it and threw it away along with the knife, allowing him to deliver a [Power Punch] finished it off. The one he kicked back tried to rush him, but grabbing the body of the golem he just defeated and throwing it at the other golem, namely at the legs, he managed to make it trip right into his knee, allowing him to smash their head to splinters.
But the room was not over, not by a long shot! He heard the rattling of chains from above, and looking up he saw what it was. More of the intact golems, hanged on chains. He didn't hear them before due to the ruckus he was making with the others, but now he could see two more golems struggling to get off hooks, with one of them succeeding and dropping down to try and fight him.
Issei rushed to get the knife again, and then he went to the golem, the being once again trying to punch him. It seemed that he had higher stats than those things in all possible categories, especially AGI, allowing him to easily dodge their strikes. Not to mention they were linear as hell. He stuck his knife into the shoulder joints of the shoulder, then applied some force to it, and true enough, the arm came off. He was about to strike the golem with the knife in the head when the other one finally got down and hit him over the head.
"Damn it!" He swore as the wood hit his head, but then he ducked under the following strike, making the golem hit its disarmed brethren and for Issei to sweep both of their legs. As soon as they fell to the ground he stuck the knife in the head of the disarmed golem and quickly stepped on the head of the other golem, breaking its splinters with a CRITICAL. "And stay down!"
He inhaled deeply. That was slightly more difficult. While he was still faster, those other golems were in better condition, which allowed them to put up a bit of a better fight. Not to mention they were also able to use his knife, leading him to believe they could use weapons to some degree. Shit, a few of those are no small deal, but a larger number with weapons can get troublesome. On another note, his knife's durability was at 4 now, meaning he needed to be careful with it. It was his only weapon, for now. Still, he checked his EXP, noticing how the rotten ones didn't count. Looks like indirect kills didn't ensure him the EXP, but in rest it was no issue. Those other 4 ones he took out got him 2000 EXP on the dot.
Congratulations! You leveled up to level 11!
"Nice, we leveled up!" Issei said, enjoying his progress. "This dungeon is not even done yet and we are already up one level! Oh man, I wonder what kind of EXP I will receive from the boss!"
"Haha! I do agree this was an easy trip so far, but we must not let ourselves easily fooled-"
"Solomon, what are you saying? Issei's level is double the recommended one and double the level of the strongest creature in here, yet! And he has not even used his Boosted Gear yet! We got this in the bag." Ddraig said, interrupting Solomon. The king sighed, deciding to join them. He had to admit, Ddraig had a point. Issei was barely trying as far as his effort went, mainly because the enemies were currently mindless golems made out of literal wood, and some of them have not seen maintenance in a long time from what he is able to tell.
"Let's just loot this place and be on our way then." Solomon said, then Issei nodded happily, getting to work. The option to either leave or continue appeared, but he decided to go all the way. He did loot the room he was in and did come across something interesting located in a chest next to the door, namely a bunch of ash. What was interesting about it? Well, as he dug through it, he found a piece of paper that somehow must have managed to survive, but it only had one word on it.
'Pier'
Issei didn't exactly know what to make of it, so he simply stashed it in his inventory for the time being. Who knows, maybe that was important for later. But Solomon taught further upon the meaning of the ash in the chest: Why was there ash in the chest? He thought back to the title of the dungeon and to the enemies so far, showing clear signs of abandonment and not any sign of intelligent life having stepped inside for at least a year or so. What kind of place was this? What did they use to store in here aside from the golems? The king began to ponder on those questions as Issei continued through the dungeon, finding himself in yet another hallway.
"Boss, here we come." Issei said as he entered the door, shutting it off behind him. However, as he went in, another figure entered the room he was previously in, one that was much larger than Issei and that found it strange that the Red Dragon Emperor himself was here. No, more like, he was shocked to see him here. How did he find this place?
"What are you doing here, young dragon?" They muttered, deciding to stay in the room for now and wait for him to come out. There was only one exit, and namely the same way they came in.
Issei continued down the hall until he reached another door, which he opened without fear thinking the boss was no one that dangerous. Oh, how wrong he was. The moment he got into the room he noticed two things: first were the multiple wooden golems turned into firewood on the ground and the second was the Stray in the room. Before him stood a Stray with pretty serious mutations; male, as seen from his overall body type, around as tall as Issei, but with more muscles that were covered in scars and looking very grayish in color Additionally, their head was wrapped in multiple black leather straps locked in place with actual locks. They wore a pair of ripped pants, and were shoeless, and Issei could see their glowing, red eyes from between the straps. He hurried himself to use [Observe] on this one as the Stray was quick to try and strike him.
BOSS
[Reinforced Stray]
[level 10 D]
[HP: 7000]
[Reincarnated Stray Devil (1 Rook)]
Issei barely dodged the strike as the Stray's fist connected with the door, blowing it to pieces. Shit, this was the boss, and from the looks of things they were not going to be as easy as the ones he has faced so far. For once, they are nearly the same level as he is, not to mention he remembered the lessons from Kuroka on how Rooks tend to have increased strength, durability, and even stamina. They were the tanks of a peerage, the main heavy hitters, and this was no different. If he wanted to take this one down he could not afford to hold back, so Issei deployed his Sacred Gear as they tried to swing their arm at him.
Issei brought out his knife and held it so the Stray got its hand impaled in the knife. They let out a scream in the process, but they then pulled out the knife and broke it out of anger before fixing their eyes on Issei again.
They were also not a large room, mainly in what looked to be an office, meaning there was little room to maneuver around this guy. Sure, they were the same height, but not the same width. The Stray before him, as previously stated, was jacked with muscle and he did not want to know how it feels to be punched by them. Unfortunately, he forgot one crucial detail.
"Rush." The Stray said in a low growl, but after that their speed seemed to explode as they charged at Issei and scored a powerful punch in his stomach, knocking the air out of him. What the fuck was that?! No one told him Strays were allowed to use skills as well! The Stray grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling Issei off and grabbing his shirt to keep him close as he pulled his fist back. That first punch took 600 points of damage! Luckily, he was able to finally use a [Boost] and fight back.
He leaned to the side, making them miss the punch, and he retaliated by punching the Stray right back with [Power Punch], dealing 1730 damage to the Stray, but they barely flinched! Damn, now that he noticed, their flesh felt harder than normal. Were they reinforced? Wait…He is literally called 'Reinforced Stray', what is he thinking about? Of course, it is reinforced!
With Issei still in its grasp, the Stray twisted itself around, throwing Issei into the desk, which caused it to break. This maneuver hurt a lot, Issei will admit to that, but thanks to his boosted DUR he only took around 800 damage from that. Still, ow. The Stray then went to him, trying to stomp on his head, but Issei was quick to put up his arm and launched his [Wyvern Shot] at the feet that were about to come down on his face, then launched another one in its head. The head is usually a good place to get a critical hit from, but it was covered too well and he couldn't break through that leather with his attack alone. Still, this allowed Issei to get up as the Stray rubbed its face.
He began to charge up an actual [Dragon Shot], aiming at the Stray's main body, namely around the heart area. With increased stats thanks to his [Boost], and with [Dragon Shot] adding +50% damage based on that number, Issei was pretty confident this was going to hurt even this big guy.
He fired his attack right at the chest of the Stray, and he watched the damn thing get sent into the wall, but the spot where the [Dragon Shot] struck it was smoking and a burn wound formed. However, their HP was not yet at 0. From what he could see with [Observe], that strike only got it around half HP. However, he managed to inflict the [Stun] effect, meaning he had some time before it recovered and he could strike it again.
This time he charged up [Dragon Shot], but made sure to [Boost] again to be safe. The Stray raised their eyes at him, just in time to see the red sphere going for their chest and piercing through this time around. The Stray's health hit 0 and it fell limp, a hole now located in its chest.
Issei, for his part, took a long breath and collapsed against the wall, allowing his gear to be dismissed and his bonuses to fade. "Finally…That was unexpected."
"Not to me." Solomon said. "I did try to warn you, have I not?"
"Ugh. I hate it when you are right about this kind of stuff." Ddraig said, then the attention switched to the Stray. "Still, that was a pretty nasty Stray. The mutations also seemed to help it in the long run as they made it tougher. Rooks always took a bit more of a beating to defeat before they gave up."
"I hope it was worth it…"
Congratulations on defeating the boss and clearing your first dungeon! Here are your rewards:
-5000 EXP
-1 Random Skill Book
- 1 point for DUR.
-10K Yen
"I'll take it…" Issei said, then he slowly got up. His muscles were sore from this fight, especially his back from being used as a desk destroyer. "Damn…This hurt a lot."
"Who knew there would be a Stray here, and one so troublesome too?" Solomon said, voicing his own confusion. "Not to mention he seems to have done some damage, just look at the floor! There are destroyed wood golems on it."
"Then how the fuck did we end up fighting them on our way in then?" Ddraig asked, confused. "If the Stray turned them to wood chips here, then he surely walked in through the front door like we did, right? How come he didn't get attacked by the golems?"
"I don't think that is the case, my friend." Solomon replied, earning even Issei's attention. "I have been thinking about some things, namely the nature of this location and the chest full of ash from before. This place, as the name suggests, was clearly used for storing weapons and those golems, and the original owners made sure to clean after themselves, which included the destroy all of documents."
"Documents?" Issei echoed as he brought out the burned piece of paper from his inventory. "Like this?"
"Yes. We are very fortunate to have found this, in rest they seemed to have done a decent job. That piece of paper is important, as it might be a clue."
"A clue to what?" Ddraig asked.
"To the identity of the original owners. However, the location is written on it, namely, the pier, which might be worth checking out later."
"Noted." Issei said, then he looked around the office. He received the rewards, yes, which he will check in a bit. "Say, Solomon, do you think there is anything else in here worth our time?"
"Hmm. Possible." The wise king replied, so Issei got to work searching. He moved the bits of the desk about, trying to see if he could find anything worth at least selling, but all he found were the splinters of the desk. Nothing on the desk, so he looked around the room some more, trying to notice if there was anything else hidden. Nothing, except another pile of ash in the trash can. More burned documents, this time with no piece of additional surviving paper.
And nothing worth selling either…crud.
However, before heading out, Issei did take out the Skill Book he received as a reward and checked it out. And safe to say he was pleasantly surprised.
Name: Skill Book: [Fire Magic - Novice]
A Skill Book for Fire Magic! Ok, now this was big as magic of any offensive kind would be great for him! He opened the book and a screen opened up before him.
Do you wish to learn [Fire Magic - Novice]? Doing this will consume the Skill Book.
Y/N
Yes, yes you motherfucker, YES! Issei pressed the button without thinking twice, and the book vanished.
Skill Acquired! [Fire Magic - Novice]
[Fire Magic - Novice] (Level 1| 0/400): One of the most used types of magic out there, renowned for its highly offensive capabilities all around! This Skill enables you to use basic fire magic, enabling you to light up a small spark in your hands!
Note: Magic is organized between the actual Skill which allows the user to use the magic and the Spells, which are considered as Sub-Skills! Each time you use one of the Sub-Skills, the main Skill gains half the amount of EXP that spells gains!
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Ddraig cheered at the gained skill. "We can start to develop some nice spells to burn any Stray that comes at us to a crisp!"
"True, but with Issei's bad magical perk, the progress will be slow and painful." Solomon said.
"You really cannot let someone celebrate, can you? Killjoy."
Solomon gasped slightly. "Excuse you, Ddraig, I have nothing against celebrations! I only believe we should do it when we get back home, wrapping up our little hiking session here."
"Sure, whatever you say, killjoy." Solomon sighed, rubbing his forehead out of annoyance and frustration.
"Ddraig, Solomon does have a point. I mean, we were too relaxed regarding the boss and I got my ass handed to me a bit." Issei said in the defense of the wise king. "Besides, Kuroka is back home! If we celebrate we should at least be celebrating with her."
"Thank you, Ise." Solomon replied to him. "Now, let's get out of this putrid place. I cannot stand the thought of what awaits us back at the entrance. I might even faint again…"
"Roger that, your highness." Issei replied and began to walk back the way he came. It seems that the dungeon only has one entrance, which was also the only exit, meaning they will be finding themselves back in the sewers…Yay…That really soured the taste of their victory in a way, but not everything was entirely bad.
Skill Level up! [Night Vision] is now Level 4!
At least this Skill was easy to level up. Not to mention it really did help him navigate this dungeon. But, as Issei walked and traveled, eventually entering the second room of the dungeon, he was met with a nasty surprise.
"Oh no…"
"Who the hell is…?"
"So, you are the young Dragon Emperor of this generation." The words of the man before them, who looked to be in his early 30s with a bald head and muscular build. Granted, that is where all the NORMAL aspects of the guy ended. Their eyes were purely white, without a trace of their iris or pupil in them, not to mention their attire reminded Issei of a Buddhist monk more than anything. But the bloodlust they emanated was suffocating! It was like he was staring down Ddraig on a bad day! "I have to say, you did well to take out the Stray in there."
"Who are you?" Issei asked, tensing up and putting up his guard, not to mention deploying his Boosted Gear. His [Aura Suppression] Skill should have prevented anyone who was below High-Class from telling he was the Red Dragon Emperor, meaning that the one before them was not to be joked with. So Issei, to find out more, tried to use [Observe] on him, but in doing so his eyes widened. "W-what the-?!" He muttered, looking at Danbooru's sheet of information. And yes, from it, he could tell their name, but everything else…
[Danbooru]
[Level ? ? ]
[HP: ?/?]
[Reincarnated Stray (2 Rooks; 1 Mutated Rook Piece)]
Ok, that additional information that one of his pieces was a mutated piece, information Issei learned a bit from Kuroka, was not good. Not to mention that, for some reason, he could not read his level, rank, and HP. He dug deeper and eventually came upon a notification that told him why.
The individual you are trying to [Observe] possesses an advanced Skill allowing them to hide their information from your Skill at its current level.
Such skills were a thing?! Then again, the Stray from before did use one as well, even if for them those were like normal abilities and spells, it told Issei that his enemies could use their own sets of Skills. Double crud.
"So you defeated the Stray in there…I have to admit, I was able to gauge its power, and it was a half-decent Rook from the looks of it." Danbooru stated in his deep voice. He was able to gauge out the Stray Issei fought from this room. Just who was this guy? "They were not particularly strong, but they were not weaklings either. Then again, you do possess a Longinus, truly a great power. Yet, for the Red Dragon Emperor, that display was a bit disappointing. I sense the experience with your Gear on you, yet you have so little actual power. Quite the mystery."
"You...Are not going to attack me?" Issei asked, a cold sweat running down his face as he noticed this particular Stray was not acting aggressively, leading him to strongly believe he was like Kuroka, a Stray Devil able to control their own demonic power to the point they are not going full loco.
"Attack you? Maybe in the future, young Dragon Emperor." The Stray stated. "Right now, if we fight, even with the power of your Balance Breaker I am afraid you wouldn't stand much of a chance. The fight would be over too soon."
"Who is this arrogant Stray to spew nonsense like that!" Ddraig raged.
"Wait, Ddraig, listen to his voice! There is no arrogance flowing from it!"
Solomon was right. Danbooru was not here to boast his power or try to discourage Issei with empty words, but he was truthful. Was there really that much of a power gap between him and this Stray? Impossible! If he used his Balance Breaker and spammed out his [Boost] until he reached his limit he should be able to fight! "Just who are you? You are not like the other Strays." Luckily, Issei knew better than to blindly attack like that, part of Solomon's lessons.
"I am Danbooru, at your service." The Stray bowed down in respect, presenting themselves in spite of Issei knowing their name already. "I once served Lord Dantalion as his Rook and personal bodyguard."
"D-Dantalion?! Issei, watch out! Dantalion was the keeper of Hell's library, where all their magical knowledge is stored! It is entirely possible he used his magic to enhance his peerage!" Solomon warned, knowing full well the dangers they were facing. Dantalion was a DUKE in his rank, meaning he was of the higher and stronger breeds, one of the fallen angels of the 666 who fell together with the original Lucifer.
"I wish I could give my name as well, but…"
"There is no need, young Dragon Emperor." Danbooru said. "I do not need your name. I have been watching you, in fact, even since you arrived in Kuoh. Ever since you killed your first Stray in cold blood. I watched as you fought all those Strays, noticing how you handled yourself adequately, yet, as I said before, subpar to what I expect from your aura of experience. And I know why: You are trying to remain undetected by the likes of Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri."
"Not even asking if it's true?" Issei muttered.
"There is no need to ask, I am sure of it for the most part, even if it is not fully accurate." The Stray said. "I have to say, however, that I am grateful to you for taking out that flee."
"Quite the insult for someone of your own kind." Issei bit back, but Danbooru didn't seem fazed by the slight jab.
"I know of the hypocrisy of my words since I too am the same, but compared to them I did not kill my own master for power. No, I did it because they deserved it."
"You...Killed your master because they deserved it? It doesn't make any sense…"
"My former master, Lord Gladia Dantalion, was a shallow man easily fooled by the allure of monetary gain. I always overlooked it because his activities never harmed anyone. But one day I discovered he was secretly running an underground trafficking operation...A living-flesh one." Issei gasped slightly hearing those words. "Men used for tiring work, women used as if they were tools of pleasure, and children...who shared the same fates as the adults in most cases." The words of the Stray were sorrowful as if he was full of regret. "I could not stand it! Before I became a devil, I was a monk who valued life, and I stuck with those values even in my new life! As such, against all of my vows, I took my master's life and foiled the entire operation. Still, I fled and ran from judgment."
"So that is why you became a Stray...You killed your master for those people." He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This Stray was no different from Kuroka, they were both bound to this fate by a selfless act meant to protect another, and for it, they were being hunted. "But why are you in Kuoh? You must be aware of the presence of the Devils here!"
The Stray nodded his head."I am not afraid of them!" He declared. "Sona Sitri, with her water magic and intelligence, and Rias Gremory, with the Power of Destruction inherited from her mother who is of the Bael Family, do not intimidate me! They are but children!"
"The Bael and Gremory mixed? That is interesting…" Solomon remarked.
"Danbooru...Why are you telling me all of this?" Issei asked, looking at him. "You said before we will fight later, so why are you telling me all of this?"
"Because, young Dragon Emperor, you are like the Devils; young and inexperienced. The enemies you took out thus far are nothing compared to an older Stray such as myself, mere cannon fodder. " He stated. "You have to grow more, and for that to happen you need to gain a better insight into yourself and the ones around you. The Strays you hunt, not all of them deserve to be killed. Some ran away because their masters were abusive, corrupt, or Buddha knows what else! I, however, deserve to be killed entirely, for I stained my hands with blood. I have no doubt in my mind you will do fine."
"So you want me to be careful in regards to the people I trust?" Issei asked, to which the Stray nodded in confirmation.
"No one is trustworthy in this world, young Dragon Emperor. The Devils, The Fallen Angels, and even the Angels of Heaven - all have a hidden agenda. When you put your trust in someone, you must be certain it is the right choice, for the consequences are otherwise too dire." Danbooru said, then he looked past Issei at the gate. "Answer me this…Is the office clean?"
Issei narrowed his eyes as he replied. "If you are asking if I found anything, then no."
"Good. You may go. You have my word I won't try anything." Danbooru said, and Issei, being wary of him, moved slowly, keeping his Sacred Gear up until he reached the door and left. After he was gone, Danbooru sighed. "What a mystery…I sense a great power around him, yet I cannot place my finger on it. Oh well, no use dwelling on it." He walked deeper into the dungeon, reaching the same office area where Issei fought the Stray, and noticed the damage around. "Quite fortunate they did not discover this." He pulled back his fist as he neared the back wall, then with one strike, he blew apart the brick, revealing a hidden hole in the wall, and extended his arm into it, pulling out a box. He opened it, looking inside to see several sheets of paper. "I knew you wouldn't burn the most precious information, Snake of Adam. You left it here to recover it later. Unfortunately, your mistake will aid me further in my quest for atonement."
It was a torturous walk back to his home, having taken the first exit out of the sewers and using the [Self-Clean] Skill again, only to find out a detail that had him shaken. The smell was still in his clothing, and apparently, the skill could not get rid of the smell. Fucking great! When he arrived he found Kuroka to still be awake, but she kept her distance as he smelled, telling him to go shower at once. He did as told, and even threw the clothes into the washing machine with a LOT of cleaning products to get rid of the smell.
After the shower and changing into shorts and a shirt, he went to the living room, where Kuroka was as well. "You are quite late, Ise, did something happen?" She remarked, worried. "And did you smell like a sewer system when you returned? Did you take a dip in a septic tank?"
"You have no idea how close you are…" Ddraig said, which had Kuroka perk up.
"The system introduced something to me called dungeons." Issei replied, offering a more clear answer. "However, this one was in the sewers."
"Oh…Nasty." Kuroka said.
"I never saw horrors as great as those sewers in my life. What do the people of this modern world eat to produce such a foul stench and sights?" Solomon asked.
"Ignorance is bliss, old friend. Better keep your mouth shut and do not ask." Ddraig advised Solomon, the wise king taking the words to heart.
"So what happened in this dungeon? Are you ok?" She asked, slightly worried he was hurt.
"I am fine. It was mostly a low-level dungeon filled with some weak wood golems, and even then some of them were in poor condition. They were so weak I was pretty much able to one-shot them and speedrun the dungeon." Issei explained. "However, the last room had a higher level Stray compared to the golems, a Rook, and he gave me some trouble, but I managed to take care of it."
"Good, I am glad you are back and in one piece." She replied.
"However, we did meet someone down there…" Issei continued, and Kuroka's attention was back to them. "It was a Stray, one which could control their demonic power like you, judging from the fact they were sane and non-mutated. They introduced themselves as Danbooru, but, and this is the part that has me shook even now, I was unable to tell their level, rank, and health."
"What? How is that possible, nya?" Kuroka asked.
"They apparently possess a skill that acts to block our own." Solomon replied, explaining further. "But, despite that, they bluntly stated he was stronger than us, a statement I found backed not by arrogance, but by truth, and then he allowed us to leave."
"That…Sounds strange." Kuroka said, finding the encounter somewhat off. "Why did he let you leave just like that?"
"I don't know, but he didn't seem to be violent. He even told us about his master, and how they were a flesh trafficker, and how he killed them for those people. It was like he took a confession." Issei explained. "I don't know, Kuroka, something about that Stray gives me shivers down my spine."
"Nya, you need to be able to get out of places faster!" She said, "What if you wake up face to face with the Gremory or Sitri? You need to be able to quickly get out of there!"
"Yeah, but how? With my shitty magical affinity there is no way I could easily learn spatial magic to teleport away, and-"
Solomon suddenly cleared his throat. "Actually, Issei, I think I have a proposal."
"Solomon?"
"You see, the System seems to have a 'Party option' we could use."
"A party?!" Issei gasped. "Wait, you mean we can take Kuroka with us?!"
"And more. Any Stray she kills will also gain us EXP. From what I gathered, once she enters your Party, she will receive a smaller version of the system herself, granted not as extensive as our own." Solomon said. "EXP is shared equally among all party members, and with only you two in it, I doubt it will be a problem. Not to mention Kuroka here, with her Youjutsu, is a very lethal opponent to face."
"Oh, thank you, Solomon." Kuroka said. "But will this mean I get to go out with Issei from now on?"
"I think that is exactly what it means." Issei said, with Solomon giving a supportive humm. Then, a screen appeared in front of Issei.
Do you wish to invite Kuroka Toujou to your party?
Y/N
He looked at Kuroka, the Nekoshou giving a nod before he pressed Y. Then, Kuroka jumped a bit as the screen appeared in front of her, asking her if she accepted the invite. She pressed Y as well, then she grabbed her head a bit, Issei going to her and holding her a bit. The system was likely adding her, which is why it hurt a bit, but it was over quickly. After it was done, Kuroka noticed some odd auditions in her vision.
"Is this how you see things now?" She asked Issei, the boy thinking she meant her hud. "It's so strange having those things in my field of vision. I don't like them." She said, making them vanish. "This will take a bit to get used to."
Issei then looked to the side of his own HUD, seeing a new health bar under his own. He tapped on it, seeing the information it offered about Kuroka. And what he saw stunned him.
[Kuroka Toujou]
[Level: 72 (A)]
[Health: 96000/96000]
[Stamina: 80000/80000]
[Mana: 33000/33000]
[Nekoshou/Reincarnated Devil (2 Bishop Pieces)]
Her mana reserves were huge! And her level was high as well! Damn, taking out those Strays was going to be a breeze now! Not to mention she could use her magic to quickly teleport them out of the crime scene, meaning they could be bolder. Correction, Issei could be bolder if they had a quicker getaway method. He could barely wait for the next night, but for now, the two went to sleep.
