"Ara, is Issei-kun already back at it again?"
Akeno Himejima, the beautiful other half of the two Great Onee sama, asked her best friend with a small, playful smile as she approached her best friend and master, Rias Gremory, in the ORC clubroom. Rias was currently standing by the window, her eyes following Issei as he finished another laps around the schoolyard… all the while dragging a heavy truck tie behind him with a rope secured to his back.
"Yes, he is." Rias nodded as Akeno looked out of the window with her and arched an eyebrow when Issei stopped momentarily to catch his breath, but it wasn't long before he started running again. "Ise has been running every day. It seems he even works out regularly in the morning."
"How long has he been running like that again?"
"A little over an hour… since school ended."
"Oh wow… while pulling that tire?"
At the same time, Issei panted hard as he pulled the heavy tire, the rope straining against his back with each step. His legs burned. His breaths came in ragged gasps, but he continued to keep pushing forward.
It had been four days since he was killed by his girlfriend, woke up the next morning and found out he had been reincarnated as a Devil. He had started to adapt to his new life, although it was not that much different from his old one. He still hung out with his friends at school, and had meals with family… but now, as a devil, Issei also had to do his devil jobs at night, and participate in club activities with the other members of the Occult Research Club, Rias Gremory and her other servants, Akeno Himejima, Kiba Yuuto and Koneko Toujou, all of whom were devils, during lunch break and after school ended.
[!] Notice
Congratulations! You have leveled up!
Ability unlocked: Observe
Use with your eyes to see the stats of your friends and enemies.
[Recurring quest completed]
You may choose from the following rewards:
1. Full Rejuvenation
2. 3 bonus stats
3. Random loot box
"Confirm 3 additional bonus stats."
Issei said, wiping the sweats from his chin as he came to a stop. Unhooking the rope, Issei let the heavy tire behind him and made his way over to the nearby bench in front of the old school building, collapsing onto it with a deep breath.
It had been four days since he was killed by his girlfriend, woke up and found himself looking at the blue window of the System. In that time, he had come to learn a few things about it. First, it was not some kind of hallucination, and second, no one else could see it but him.
Last but not least, the effects that it had on him were real. Issei felt the exhaustion in his muscles – his legs ached with a persistent burn, and his breathing was heavy, coming in ragged gasps. But unlike the first day, it felt manageable, kinda like the feeling that someone had after a good workout. The bonus stat points that he had put into strength and stamina made a significant difference.
Opening his inventory, Issei chose the water bottle he had bought from the shop, another function of the system he had discovered a few days ago after completing a quest that rewarded him money. As the item appeared in his hand, Issei wasted no time to open it and took a deep swig, feeling a pleasant relief spreading through him with each gulp of the orange flavored liquid. Although it only brought him to half of his full strength and it also cost him his entire fund, the healing water bottle allowed Issei to pick other rewards, like bonus stats or random loot boxes, for the daily and recurring quests instead of Full Rejuvenation.
With a contented sigh, Issei then pulled up his status window to check his stats. The familiar blue screen shimmered before him, displaying the following information.
[Player Status]
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Level: 2 [exp: 250/2000]
HP: 355/355
MP [Current Attribute: Demonic]: 55/55
Strength: 21
Vitality: 19
Intelligence: 8
Dexterity: 12
Perception: 12
Charisma: 8
Issei nodded to himself as he reviewed his progress. He had been focusing mainly on Strength and Vitality to improve his physical capabilities, with a bit of attention to Dexterity and Charisma because why the heck not. He still had no clue what charisma did for him, maybe it would help him talk with girls better or something like that, but the effect that came with putting points into other stats were pretty apparent. The more points he put into strength, the stronger he would become.
But, after a recent experience, he had been considering putting a few points into Intelligence as well, having discovered that it directly affected his MP. The night before, when he was about to head out to do his first devil job, the teleportation magic circle he was supposed to use to go to his client's house failed to activate. The problem had been that his demonic reserve was even lower than that of a typical devil child. Sure, he had figured from seeing his MP that his reserve was low, but for it to be THAT low was like being told he was the weakest Devil in the entire Underworld. It was an understatement to say that he had been embarrassed.
Allocate 2 points into Intelligence? Y/N
Intelligence: 8 → 10
MP: 55 → 75
So each point into Intelligence increased his MP by ten, in the addition of the amount that increased when leveled up, Issei thought to himself as he considered the option. Nodding, the reincarnated devil confirmed his choice before putting the remaining point into Strength, as he wanted to keep improving his physical capabilities. Getting up, Issei then walked over to the truck tire and effortlessly picked it up with just one hand. It wasn't that he couldn't already do it, but Issei could tell that he had a much easier time than before as he carried the tire over to the storage room and stowed it in the corner.
Closing the door behind him, Issei grabbed his backpack and headed to the clubroom of the Occult Research Club. Arriving at his destination, the young man could hear the hum of conversation and laughter coming from inside. He knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open, stepping into the warm, inviting atmosphere of the room to find Rias Gremory smiling at him from her seat at the table in the center of the room.
"Good afternoon, Issei-kun!"
"Good afternoon, Buchou." Issei replied, returning her smile with his own as he walked fully into the room and set his backpack down. Before he could say anything else to his master, Akeno Himejima rushed to his side and offered him a cup of tea while smiling warmly.
"Here, I made you some tea, Issei-kun. I hope you like it." Akeno said, her eyes twinkling with warmth as Issei accepted the cup from her, feeling lost in her smile. The serene beauty of it was enough to make him forget the remaining exhaustion from his training.
"Thank you, Akeno-san." Issei said with a dreamy smile before taking a sip of the tea, feeling it spread a warmth throughout his body "This is just what I needed."
"Ara, I'm glad that you like it." Akeno giggled, hiding her smile behind the back of her hand.
Later that night, Issei found himself following Rias and the rest of the peerage as they made their way into an abandoned building on the outskirts of Kuoh Town. For a newborn, reincarnated devil like him, there were two main ways to earn his stripes and raise his rank: the first was performing devil jobs, and the second was achieving military accomplishments, usually by hunting Stray Devils — those who had strayed from their masters to pursue their own selfish desires, and usually become a great threat if their powers go beyond their control.
"We have recently received reports that a stray devil has been attracting humans here to feed on their flesh." Rias explained as she walked with Issei. "Normally, no one would bother with rumors since there are humans that go missing all the time, but these rumors all led to this house. That is usually a sign that a stray devil has taken up residency here."
"Ugh, so there are devils who eat human meat too?" Issei asked and Rias nodded her head in confirmation. Soon, the group found themselves making their way through the living room of the mansion, where the stench of blood clung heavily to the air. Issei felt kind of glad that he had not had dinner, because the sense of blood and rotten flesh was truly horrible.
"Ise, this is a good chance for me to explain how the servant system works, so just stay back and pay close attention to everything that I will tell you, alright?"
"Alright, Buchou." Issei nodded.
As if on cue, a deranged voice echoed in the area.
"What a delightful sense… I wonder how you will taste."
Snapping his head to the side, Issei widened his eyes when he saw a figure emerging from the vast darkness before them. They had the appearance of a female with messy hair, red eyes and no shirt to cover her upper torso. The lower half of her body, however, was anything but human, having the mixed features of a lion and some kind of arachnid creature, with a tail sticking out of her hind quarters that were covered in fur.
"What an unsightly appearance!" Rias said tauntingly as she stepped forward to face the stray devil with her arms crossed over her chest and a crimson aura of demonic energy flared around her. "It suits you well, Vizor."
"That hair color… you are Rias Gremory, are you not?" The stray devil snarled, and it was then that Issei saw the bloody javelins in his hands. "I will enjoy staining your corpse with fresh blood as dark as your crimson hair."
Rias, however, ignored the threat and turned to Issei to speak to him "Ise. Do you play chess?"
"Uh… no, but I know the game and its basic rules."
With a smile, Rias said. "Good. Then you know what the pieces are called, yes?"
"I do, but… is now the time for it, Buchou?" Issei could not help but ask, glancing repeatedly over to Vizor, who was not taking kindly to being ignored by Rias. With a snarl, she lunged at them, but Koneko Toujou had acted first. She jumped in between them, and punched the stray devil with one small fist, sending it soaring back and crashing through the wall.
"You see… Koneko is a Rook." Rias explained as Issei gasped in surprise at the display of strength from someone who had such a small figure. "As you can see just now, her traits are insane strength and defense."
Issei nodded his head in understanding before he decided to test out the ability that he had unlocked upon leveling up earlier on that day. His eyes flashed briefly with the color blue, and the familiar blue window appeared. However, instead of appearing in front of him like it always did, it appeared next to Koneko as stood facing the stray devil with the same emotionless gaze, bearing the info as follows.
Name: Koneko Toujou
Race: Reincarnated Devil – Nekoshou
Level: 25
Strength: 75
Vitality: 70
Intelligence: 44
Dexterity: 20
Perception: 30
Charisma: 25
Issei widened his eyes as he read Koneko's stats. While her abnormally high strength and vitality didn't surprise him because Rias just told him the reason, her race did. Nonetheless. he decided to keep the information to himself, believing that there must be a reason that no one, not even Rias, had mentioned it over the past few days.
"Next up is Yuuto. He is my Knight and he focuses on incredible speed." said Rias as she looked over to Kiba, who made a sword appear from nowhere. As Vizor, who Issei saw was only level 10, rushed at Koneko to try and attack her, Kiba made his move and suddenly disappeared from sight. When he appeared again, he was standing behind Vizor, holding his weapon sideways as the stray devil roared in pain from severed limbs, which had been slashed clean off.
Name: Kiba Yuuto
Race: Reincarnated Devil
Level: 28
Strength: 35
Vitality: 25
Intelligence: 35
Dexterity: 85
Perception: 50
Charisma: 45
"Oh wow." Issei murmured as he looked at Kiba. So he's a Dex guy. Figured.
"Last but not least, Akeno?" Rias called, and Akeno nodded her head to Rias before walking towards Vizor with her hands clapping in front of her face. In that instance, Issei could not help but feel that something extremely disturbing about the normally gentle and pleasant Nadeshiko Yamamoto of Kuoh Academy. "Now listen, Akeno is my Queen."
"Y-You fucking bitch..."
"Ara, ara," Giggling softly into her hand despite the insult, Akeno tilted her head back and looked at the stray Devil before her. "What a vulgar mouth, I think you need to be punished."
ZZZZZTTT!
With her hand raised, Akeno then sent sparks of lightning from her fingertips into the air, creating a yellow magic circle with the crest of the Gremory in the center. From it, a massive lightning bolt upon struck Vizor, leaving her to cry out in agony.
"GRAAAAA!"
"As a Queen, Akeno has all the traits of all other pieces." as Rias spoke, Akeno began zapping lightning at Vizor. Her breathing had picked up drastically, despite the fact that she didn't look like she had tired herself out yet. There was a heavy blush staining her cheeks as well, and she was squeezing her thighs together and shuddering in ecstasy every few seconds.
Issei, meanwhile, was far more interested in her stats. As expected, she had extremely high intelligence with an overall balanced other stats. But at the same time, there was something else that immediately caught his attention, in the same manner Koneko's stats had.
Name: Akeno Himejima
Race: Reincarnated Devil – Fallen Angel
Level: 30
Strength: 36
Vitality: 40
Intelligence: 95
Dexterity: 45
Perception: 30
Charisma: 85
'Akeno-san is a fallen angel?' Issei thought to himself as he looked at the description of her race, though his musing was cut short when Vizor let out a hateful scream and lunged at Akeno. The black-haired Queen remained unfazed, gracefully sidestepping the attack. In the next instant, Koneko leaped forward, tackling the stray devil and slamming her into the floor with such force that the entire building trembled.
Before Vizor could pick herself up, Kiba dashed forward and slashed her, leaving a deep, bloody gash in her abdomen. Akeno then summoned another lightning bolt, this one much bigger than the previous ones, striking the stray devil and leaving her smoking from the intense blast.
"We will leave the rest to you, Rias." Akeno said as Rias walked forward, gazing upon the defeated form of the stray devil. Issei then turned his Observe gaze to Rias, expecting her to be the strongest among them.
Name: Rias Gremory
Level: 32
Strength: 38
Vitality: 36
Intelligence: 105
Dexterity: 35
Perception: 40
Charisma: 90
And he was right. Despite having slightly lower health than Akeno, she had higher Intelligence as well as mana pool, no doubt making her a powerful spellcaster. Her Charisma were also unsurprisingly high, while her Strength, Vitality, Dexterity and Perception were as expected.
"Do you have any last words?" Rias asked coolly. However, Her face was blank, devoid of emotion. It was a perfectly composed mask befitting a Devil of her high standing.
"Kill me..."
"Very well then," Rias smiled, holding up her hand as a dark crimson aura appeared around her body. What looked like a ball of black energy erupted above her palm, and she then let it loose at Visor. The effect was instantaneous, as the orb of black and crimson energy slammed into the stray devil, swallowing her whole in an inferno of dark wave like flame. Once the power had disappeared, Visor was no more, and there was nothing left.
Not even a drop of blood left to stain the floor with.
"Wow..." Issei whispered as he looked at Rias. The grace and power that she showed... it was unlike anything he had seen before.
"It's over everyone" Rias smiled as she turned back to her peerage.
As the group began to leave…
"Excuse me, Buchou..." Quickly catching up to the beautiful president of the Occult Research Club, Issei said.
"Hmm?" Rias turned to smile at him "What is it?"
"I was just wondering..." The young man then began. "You have not explained what my role is."
"Oh, your role is Pawn." Issei almost tripped over and slammed his face on the ground. So much for expecting himself to be a cool piece like Rook or Bishop or even Knight like Kiba. "Ara, don't be so down, Ise. By being a Pawn, you have the most potential among us all. Since you said that you know the basic rules of chess, what can Pawns do when they manage to reach the enemy's base in the game?"
Issei remained silent again for a few seconds, before widening his eyes in realization. "Promotion!"
"Exactly" Rias smiled as she gave him a nod before continuing, "Just like a game of chess, you can promote yourself into any piece beside the king when you reach the enemy territory, grating you their attributes and traits. You can also promote yourself when I give you the permission to do so. And also, Ise... in the system, the Queen piece is worth nine pawns, while a Rook is considered to be five Pawns. Both bishops and knights are worth three pawns each... and you, you took all eight Pawns that I have to reincarnate. Your potential is far greater than any of us can anticipate. We can expect great things for you, Ise."
Issei dropped his jaw at that, feeling a sense of relief and newfound determination. "I will make sure to live up to the expectation, Buchou!"
Rias beamed at him, her eyes twinkling as she gave him a nod of her head.
Later on that night, as Rias and the rest of the Peerage headed home to rest for the night, Issei found himself wandering to a nearby park, holding in his hand a key that he had gotten from a random loot box reward. Its description showed him that the key used to open an Instance Dungeon, and his experience of playing RPGs told him it was likely to be filled with unique monsters and treasures.
While Issei had no idea if he was ready for that kind of challenge yet, he knew sooner or later he would have to join Rias and the others in their fights. He thought about the fight earlier and the stats that his friends had. The gap between their abilities and his own was vast, and it was clear that he needed to close it by getting stronger.
Taking a deep breath, Issei entered a secluded area of the park and held the key out. A wave of energy flared around the tip, before a portal materialized appear before him, shimmering with an eerie light. Without hesitation, he stepped through, his eyes scanning the shadowy expanse around him. The area looked almost identical to the park he had just been in, save for the subtle yet unsettling differences — the chill in the air, the dim lighting, and above all, the eerie silence. He wondered if the key had really worked, or if he was still in the same place.
"Hello?" Issei called out, his voice echoing off the unseen walls. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for any sign of a response, but there was only the darkness that surrounded him.
But then suddenly, from the enveloping darkness, a group of menacing creatures emerged, their green-skinned faces twisted into malevolent grins. None of them stood taller than his waists, but all of them were dangerously armed with crude weapons, from rusty swords to jagged spears. The way that their eyes gleamed in the darkness made his skin crawl.
Goblins, all level 2. Issei thought nervously as he took a step back from them, his breath coming in shallow, rapid gasps as they slowly approached him. Instantly, he turned around to bail, to leave the dungeon before it was too late, but all that he found at the door was a solid wall.
"What the hell?" Issei cried out. A notice then appeared before him, telling him that he could not leave until he had defeated the boss of the dungeon or used a teleportation stone, which he didn't have on him at that moment. Turning back, he eyed the approaching goblins nervously before noticing a passerby, an older man wearing a track suit, jogged slowly down the street just outside the park toward the group of goblins.
Panic, Issei waved his arms frantically, his voice breaking into a shout. "Run! There are goblins over there!"
To his surprise, however, the man didn't even glance in his direction and ran straight through the goblins as if they were not even there, completely oblivious to the danger. The goblins ignored the passerby as well, and their focus was solely on Issei.
It was then that the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
Seeing no other choice but to fight his way out, Issei turned his attention back to the goblins, swallowing his fear and nervousness to replace it with newfound determination. "Alright, let's see what you've got." he said, trying to sound braver than he felt as he prepared for his first real battle.
Gripping his fists, Issei summoned Boosted Gear, making the weapon materialized on his left arm, and then charged at the goblins, finding his body to be light as a feather. At the same time, the goblins charged at him, brandishing their rusty weapons wildly. Issei raised his arm to block the first strike with Boosted Gear. The impact was enough to rattle his arm, but he held firm, pushing the goblin back with a shove.
"Hah!" Issei shouted as he swung a punch at another goblin. His knuckle connected with its jaw, sending it soaring back and crashing into a wall. The bonus stat points he had put into his Strength finally showed its impact, but Issei barely had time to see the damage that he had done as the others thrusted their spears at him.
Quickly dodging to the side, cursing quietly as he stumbled and narrowly avoided a spear that lunged at his midsection, realizing the reason for his clumsiness was due to the lack of attention to his Dexterity. Issei recovered and sent a quick jab at the nearest goblin before punching it with his other hand. His knuckle hurt as the goblin fell to the ground with a broken jaw, but not as much as he thought.
Another goblin rushed at him, with another right behind it, their feral eyes locking onto him as their hisses filled the air. The first lunged at him with its club, but Issei swiftly sidestepped the attack, and yanked the weapon from its grasp to swing it across its head, bashing its face in before turning the second goblin with a cry. Blocking its attack with the Boosted Gear, he then swung the club in a wide arc, knocking two more goblins off their feet, and slammed the weapon across the head of the second goblin.
"I am not done yet!" Issei cried as he held the club in hand, barely paying any attention to its stats as he charged at the remaining goblins. In the chaotic battle that followed, Issei barely noticed the sweat dripping from his brow or the fatigue settling into his muscles. All that mattered was the fight in front of him, and the burning determination to grow stronger.
"Hah!" Issei found himself collapsing to one knee and allowed himself to exhale in relief once the final goblin had fallen, its body disappearing to be replaced by a bag of gold just like the rest. "I did it... I actually did it."
Mummering that to himself, Issei went around to collect all the loot, finding himself a sizable fund once he was done. A couple of them also left behind [Goblin's hat], which he could see for extra gold in the shop, although it's not much. He then looked at the gate and saw that it was still locked, meaning that the fight was not yet over.
Finding a spot inside the slide at the corner of the park, Issei hid there and opened his shop to search for something that could help him, as punching with Boosted Gear might not be the most optimal choice. The majority of items in the shop were locked behind level requirements, but it didn't take long for Issei to find a weapon with an affordable price.
"Confirm, buy."
With that, the item went to his inventory, but just before he could take it out, his sense alerted him of an incoming danger. Instantly, he dove out of the way just as a massive club smashed down where he had been sitting, shattering the slide into splinters. He rolled across the ground, barely avoiding the second, crushing swing of the club that splintered the ground where he had just been.
Looking up, Issei widened his eyes as he saw the towering figure of a massive goblin, its muscles bulging violently as it brought the club overhead for another swing at him. Seeing that it was a Hobgoblin with a level 4 next to its name, Issei quickly scrambled to his feet and dodged the attack, flipping to the side before quickly opening his inventory to select the weapon.
[Iron Sword. +10 ATK]
Just as the Hobgoblin began to wind up for another attack, Issei put his hand through the inventory window and grabbed the hilt of the iron sword. Energy flared around the blade as he yanked it out and charged forward, aiming for the exposed side of the Hobgoblin when it swung its club down "Take this!" He yelled, swinging the sword in a wide arc. The blade cut through the Hobgoblin with ease, causing it to roar in pain as it stumbled backward while holding its bleeding side.
"Now this is more like it." Issei smirked as he pressed the advantage, not waiting for a response. The group of goblins who were on patrol earlier noticed the commotion and charged at him, but he hacked and slashed his way through them with a flurry of strikes, feeling his confidence building with each and every goblin he took down.
[!] Notice – Level up
The Hobgoblin roared and swung its club wildly at him, hitting even its allies in its furry. Issei dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a deadly blow, and retaliated with another fierce slash. More goblins swarmed the area, but Issei defeated them all with the sword in his hand while using Boosted Gear like a shield, blocking the attacks that he could not dodge.
[!] Notice – Level up!
Every time that Issei leveled up, he felt himself getting stronger. With all of his stats going up by two each time, Issei soon found himself having a much easier time killing the monsters as well as dodging and avoiding their attacks. The hobgoblin tried to attack him once again, but issei swiftly leaped into the air, putting one hand on its club as it swung at him to launch himself further up, and punched the goblin in the face with Boosted Gear. The Hobgoblin staggered from the blow, and Issei quickly took the opportunity to drive his sword into its chest with a powerful thrust, making it let out a guttural cry before collapsing to the ground, its body dissipating into a pile of loot.
[!] Noticed – Level up!
Level 2 of Boosted Gear acquired
Issei barely noticed the notification as he kept his attention solely on the fight, missing the transformation of his gauntlet as it became more dragon-like. Bringing the iron sword back, he dashed toward the remaining goblins and finished them off in quick succession.
[!] Notice – Level up!
You have earned the title: Goblin Slayer.
As Issei eyed the title he had just been granted, with the last goblin falling at his feet, a shiver sudden ran down spine. An eerie feeling of something powerful approaching gripped him, and he glanced around warily.
"What the..."
Before he could finish voicing his thoughts, he felt something coming at him, emitting an orange hue light that illuminated the entire area. Instantly, Issei dove to the side, dodging as a fireball as it soared past him and exploded where he had just been standing, sending him sprawling across the ground. Quickly recovering, Issei looked up, dazed and reeling from the explosive, and widened his eyes as he looked at the source of the attack: a tall goblin clad in dark robes, its eyes glowing with an eerie red light. The creature held a gnarled staff, and dark energy crackled around its form.
[Goblin Chieftain – The Dark Spellcaster]
[Level 10]
"That level..." Issei whispered as he picked himself up. The Goblin Chieftain locked onto him with a menacing grin, raising its staff to cast another spell while chatting in a guttural language. Shadows coalesced around it, forming into shadowy figures cloaked in darkness that floated menacingly around their summoner, their hollow eyes glowing with eerie light.
The Goblin Chieftain launched another ball at Issei, forcing him to dodge again. As the fireball exploded and destroyed an entire building behind him, Issei rolled to his feet, scanning his surroundings as the phantoms circled him, their presence adding an oppressive weight to the air.
"I see. So, you must be the boss of the dungeon, huh?" He said, his hand gripping tightly at the iron sword as he stood up and readied himself. "Come at me then!"
Current stats:
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Level: 6
HP: 755/755
MP [Current Attribute: Demonic]: 235/235
Strength: 29
Vitality: 27
Intelligence: 18
Dexterity: 20
Perception: 20
Charisma: 16
End of chapter 2