[Partner, you are not gonna summon the shadows?]
"If I rely too much on them, Ddraig, I can get rusty."
Issei answered as he swiftly sidestepped and dodged the lunge of a large, panther-like monster, with pitch black fur and glowing red eyes. Its sleek, streamlined form moved with unsettling speed, with razor sharp fangs and claws bared as it aimed to strike.
"Plus, we got this."
With that said, Issei quickly skidded to a stop before launching himself at the monster to deliver a powerful punch that connected with its side. The impact sent the panther crashing to the ground, skidding several meters across the dirt and leaving a trail of disturbed earth and shredded leaves in its wake before eventually coming to a halt, lifeless.
[On your left, partner! Do not let yourself get surrounded.]
"Got it, Ddraig!" Issei replied, pivoting just in time to see another panther monster lunging at him from the shadows, its claw extended to slash at his chest. The Sekiryuutei reacted instantly, leaning his torso back to avoid the claw before countering with a swift punch using his dragon gauntlet, sending it sprawling backward. It quickly regained its footing, snarling defiantly, but Issei was already moving again.
Before he could pursue, two more creatures emerged from the darkness, flanking him on either side. They pounced at the same time, jaws wide, ready to sink their fangs into his neck.
[Skill activated] – Phoenix Shift lv 1
Mana cost: 50
Element: Fire [Exclusive to Fire Dragon Pacts]
Description: Allow the user to instantly teleport a short distance. Attack just before reaching your destination will transform the Phoenix Shift into Phoenix Strike, dealing fire attack damage.
Level up this skill to increase the range of teleportation.
But he had seen them coming. Activating his newly acquired fire-element skill, Issei disappeared in a burst of fire, causing the two panthers to miss him as he teleported forward directly to the monster he had just knocked down. Before the panther could react, Issei had thrown his fist at its underside with explosive force, launching the creature into the air like a flaming shooting star, illuminating the area in a brilliant blaze of phoenix fire.
So that was the Phoenix Strike, Issei thought with a grin as he dashed over to the side to avoid another group of panthers, reaching his hand into inventory to pull out his level 10 fire sword, Razan's Blade, a weapon he had not used in a while. The only battle he had faced since unlocking his classes had been against Raiser and his Peerage, who were well-known for their exceptional skill in fire magic. As a result, Issei had chosen not to use any of his fire abilities or weapons, not wanting to give the Phenex any advantage. The decision had prevented him from utilizing and experiencing the elemental aspect of his Fire Dragon Pact with Ddraig.
But now that he was up against beast-type monsters, which were weak to fire-damage, Issei could finally see what it was all about.
With a firm grip on the hilt of his sword, Issei slashed the weapon at the nearest panther, feeling the familiar heat radiating from the blade as it left a crescent shaped trail of fire in the air. The blade carved deep into the side of its body, and the flame it emitted, enhanced by his Fire Mastery passive and carrying just one stack of the Burn debuff, seared into its flesh like a wildfire engulfing dry brush, consuming the monster entirely before leaving it as a smoldering heap.
With the first panther reduced to ash, Issei immediately spun on his heel, dodging the next lunging beast with ease. Flames crackled along the edge of his sword as he slashed the weapon upward, cleaving through the panther, slicing its head clean off as two more came at him from the side, snarling and baring their fangs.
[BOOST!]
[Skill activated] – Transfer
Transferring the boosted energy into his sword, causing its flame to intensify, Issei slashed the weapon in a wide arc, sending out a wave of fire surging toward the two monsters. The fiery slash collided with the beasts, engulfing them in searing heat before they could reach him. Their howls of agony echoed through the night as the enhanced flames burned into their flesh, leaving their bodies in smoldering heaps.
The remaining panthers charged in a coordinated assault, but Issei was more than ready. He dashed forward, rapidly closing the distance and evading their attacks with repeated activations of his Phoenix Shift skill, his movements leaving behind afterimages of fire as he blinked between the creatures. Each time he appeared, his blade struck down a panther with a Phoenix Strike, igniting the beast in an explosive blaze before blinking over to the next one, cutting through one monster after another while illuminating the night with his blazing onslaught.
[!] Level up
In a matter of moments, only a handful of monsters remained, circling Issei warily. Their primal instincts must have been screaming at them to retreat, but Issei could tell they still wanted to tear him apart.
"You kitties are hella weak." Issei taunted as he spun his sword in his hand. Without waiting for them to pounce, Issei shot forward again, disappearing in a burst of fire as he activated Phoenix Shift once more to blink to one of the panthers, cleaving it into two with a swift swing of his sword. Another leaped toward him from behind, but Issei sidestepped with ease, bringing his sword down in a clean, fiery arc. The beast hit the ground as a burning carcass just as Issei blinked over to the last two panthers and cleaved through both of them at the same time. The panthers were incinerated in an instant, their ashes scattering into the night air.
As the smoke cleared, Issei surveyed the battlefield, scanning the area for any monster still lurking in the shadow. Once he was certain no enemies remained, Issei opened his map to locate the boss arena and wasted no time rushing to the site, finding a huge monster awaiting him. Like the ones he had fought so far in the dungeon, its streamlined form resembled that of a panther, adorned with a pattern of dark spots reminiscent of a leopard, sporting large, sharp claws and a long, serpentine tail. Glowing red eyes burned in the darkness, while a pair of tentacle-like whiskers, which ended with three-prong blade-like tips, similar to a trident. extended from both sides of its face, whipping around in eager anticipation.
[Coeurl – level 40]
"Here goes." Issei said as he leaped into the air and descended upon the Coeurl, which unexpectedly sensed his presence and snapped its head up to snarl at him, using the blades of its whisker to intercept his strike, creating a sharp clang as metal met the bladed appendages. The impact sent a shockwave across the arena, knocking Issei back, but he quickly regained his footing, landing on the ground with his skidding back to a stop.
The Coeurl snarked and lunged at Issei, who sidestepped the attack effortlessly, the blade barely missing him as he flipped in the air. The moment that his foot touched the ground, Issei activated his Phoenix Shift, blinking behind the beast as it used its whisker to fire an orb of lightning at him before launching himself forward to swiftly deliver a swift slash to its flank.
The beast let out a furious roar as phoenix fire erupted from its fur. Before Issei could strike again, however, the Coeurl leaped away, flipping around in midair to land on its feet and remain facing him, snuffing out the flame burning at its fur with its sudden movement. Electricity crackled along the blades of its whiskers as the Coeurl whipped them both at Issei, striking him with deadly precision and speed.
Ducking his head low, narrowly avoiding the first whisker before diving forward to evade the second, Issei used the momentum from his roll to spring up and execute an upward slash, sending a wave of flames surging toward the Coeurl, which dodged to the side while countering with a quick flick of its left whisker. The moment that its paws touched the ground, however, Issei was already upon it with Boosted Gear, which was engulfed in dragon fire, cocking back.
[Skill activated] – Fire Imbue
Before the Coeurl could react, Issei had launched his flaming metal knuckle at its head, sending the monster flying across the arena with a resounding blow. The Coeurl skidded across the ground before slamming into the wall in the distance, leaving a scorched mark where it landed, its glowing red eyes momentarily dazed.
Issei wasted no time to capitalize on his advantage, attacking the Coeurl with a flurry of sword slashes before it could regain its footing. The creature roared in agony before retaliating with its tail, but Issei had no trouble dodging it, spinning out of reach just as the Coeurl was able to get back on its feet and lunged at Issei, claws outstretched and fangs bared, its eyes narrowed at him with fury.
[BOOST!]
[Skill activated] – Transfer
[Skill activated] – Vital Slash
[Skill activated] – Penetrate
Activating Phoenix Shift, Issei teleported behind the beast in a burst of fire, skidding to a stop on one knee as the flames of the skill danced along his form. Without missing a beat, he shot forward and came at the Coeurl with an upward fully empowered Phoenix Strike. His sword cleaved through the air, slicing off its tail in a clean, swift motion before igniting the creature in a blazing inferno.
The Coeurl screeched in pain, thrashing wildly while flames consumed its body while its whiskers whipped violently in the air, striking the ground and generating crackling bolts of lightning. Diving to the side to dodge one of the whiskers, Issei then leaped towards its head, twisting his body around as he dove through the air, leaving behind a circular trail of fire behind with his sword as he slashed through whiskers before they could hit him, severing the electrified bladed tips before descending from his spin to dive his sword into its head, with the tip of his blade embedding deep into the ground as it emerged from the other side. The fire from his weapon erupted in a final blaze, engulfing the Coeurl in a blazing inferno as it let out one last, ear-splitting roar before collapsing, its body twitching once before finally falling still.
[!] Notice – [You have defeated Coeurl – LV 40]
[!] Notice – Level up
[!] Notice – Level up
"There we go." Issei said as he flipped his grip on the hilt of his sword and pulled the blade free, with dragon flame flickering briefly along the edge before dissipating. Putting the weapon back into his inventory, Issei then opened his status window and reviewed his stats "Hm, so I only gained three levels from all that. Guess that is expected for this C-rank dungeon."
[Better than nothing right, partner?] Ddraig spoke, his voice lacing with a hint of amusement. [Least you finally get to test out the elemental capability of our Pact. I have to say that was actually quite a spectacle. You have gotten quite strong.]
"Thanks, Ddraig." Issei grinned, allocating two levels into his main class and one level into his subclass, boosting himself to level 36 Dragonsworn and level 11 Shadow Monarch. As the leveling process completed, Issei closed his status window and turned his gaze to the charred remains of the Coeurl lying on the ground.
Thanks to his Shadow Monarch subclass, there was always a good reward at the end of a grind like this.
Arise
After collecting the loot and claiming his rewards, the Instance Dungeon started to collapse, returning Issei to the real world in a flash of light. Finding himself back in the forest behind the high school division of Kuoh Academy in the middle of the night. Checking the time with his phone to see how much time had passed since he had entered the dungeon, Issei then hurried over to the parking lot and grab his bicycle, waving goodbye to the guards who thought he had come to retrieve some forgotten belongings from his clubroom before leaving the school to start heading home.
It had been five days since Issei started working as a part-time employee of the Crimson Emporium. Not counting the first raid, Issei had been to a total of three Gates, all of which he had lent his aids as support. While some might consider this position the most tedious during a raid—and they would be right—Issei had actually been enjoying himself as he could just leave the heavy works to his shadows, who made his job so much easier and also allowed the Gremory to spread their workforces out more and secure more jobs with the heroes all around the world.
To say that Issei and Beowulf had grown close would be an understatement. Issei had come to view the older man as the older brother he never had, who spent his time showing Issei the ins and outs of raiding and sparring with him every time he got the chance, helping Issei hone his fighting skills. The two shared stories from their daily lives and engaged in the occasional banter over girls, making the long hours spent supporting a raid feel less like tedious work and more like a fun outing.
Still, as fun as it was sparring with Beowulf and learning from the heroes themselves, they were not the reason he went to work every day.
Almost as soon as he had finished work with Beowulf, Issei returned to Kuoh Academy and used the time that he had before having to go home to continue his secret grind, opening an Instance Dungeon using one of the keys he had been saving. The Gate he had worked on earlier that day had been a C-rank, so Issei decided to use a C-rank key to ensure that the energy reading on him wouldn't exceed the expected limits.
And as much as it might be unnecessary for him to take such precaution, there was a chance that Grayfia would randomly show up at his house, just as she had a few days ago to check on Rias, with an Energy Dosimeter that would let her tell that he had been to a Dungeon with a higher energy reading than the Gate, which was technically the same thing to them, he had been to earlier. Considering that the residual energy usually lingered for several hours regardless of the amount of shower he would take later, Issei had decided to not take that kind of risk. The last thing he needed was for Grayfia, or even Rias, to become more suspicious of him than both of them already were.
In conclusion, it never hurted to be extra careful.
"Welcome back, Issei-san!"
Just like yesterday, the moment that he stepped into his home, Asia was there to greet him, with Rias following not far behind her, wearing a warm smile of her face that was a bit more composed but no less genuine.
"Welcome home, Ise." Rias said she hurried over to welcome him home with Asia "How was work today?"
"It was fun." The Sekiryuutei answered without revealing any further information of the nature of his job, since his parents could be in the watching room, watching television. The two believed that he worked part-time at a local store owned by the Gremory. It was pretty much the cover for his other devil jobs as well.
"Glad to hear it, Ise." Rias beamed, giving Issei a knowing look as Asia nodded her heads to him in understanding. No doubt his master had already contacted Beowulf to ask if everything was going smoothly for him.
"Anyone want some late night snacks? I grabbed these from the local convenience store." Issei asked as he showed the two the bag of snacks in his hands. No harm in taking extra measures to reinforce the excuse why he was home late. If Rias had checked with Beowulf, she would know that work had ended about twenty minutes ago, and his bike ride from school normally would never have taken him that long.
Asia beamed, nodding her head eagerly with her eyes lighting up when she saw he had her favorite potato chips as well. "Yes, please."
"Why not." Rias smiled before she added "I need to talk to you two about our trip to the familiar forest tomorrow as well anyway."
With that, the three made their way up to his room, where they could discuss their supernatural activities without worrying about being overheard by his parents. Giving the two a warm greeting as they passed, finding them to be in the living room watching their favorite show just as he had expected, Issei continued to lead the girls to his room, feeling just as eager and excited as Asia to learn more about their trip to the Familiar Forest.
The next night, just as they had planned, the young Gremory peerage arrived at Familiar Forest, arriving at the entrance together using the magic circle in their clubroom.
For the occasion, the group had opted for their school uniforms, but they had also traded their usual shoes for sturdier footwear that Rias had prepared for them—boots and hiking shoes specially designed for the hazards they were about to encounter inside the forest. It seemed the Familiar Forest was notoriously infamous not only for its uneven terrains, but also for the myriad tiny, dangerous, and often poisonous creatures lurking just beneath the foliage. One accidental misstep onto the wrong things, and they could find themselves spending the next few days in a hospital, nursing painful bites, stings… or worse.
The forest itself, on the other hand, looked like something that came straight out of a horror movie with the strange, dark purple sky looming over their heads. The trees towered high, their gnarled branches twisting like skeletal fingers reaching out into the gloom, casting shadows in hypnotic and haunting ways along the ground. Thick underbrush crowded the path, and the air was thick with an earthy scent that mingled with a hint of something sweet yet rotten.
"Welcome to the Familiar Forest, Ise, Asia." Rias introduced with a smile on her face as she extended a hand forward "This is where you two can find many different types of magical creatures that you can make into your familiars."
"As you can see, today is a full moon. It is the only time of the month for us devils to find our familiars." Akeno explained as she pointed her hand up at the red moon above them.
"If we miss this one, we will need to wait till the full moon after the next one, since Sona already booked that day for her servants." Rias added before she started looking around, as if searching for something, or someone "There is also the matter of booking the appointment with the familiar master. That man is the only one who can lead us to where we need to be to find our desired familiars."
"So, where…"
"GOTTA CATCH THEM ALL!"
Before Issei could finish asking the question, a resounding shout was heard and everyone looked up to see a figure jumping from a tree branch to land in front of them, looking to be a middle-aged man with a lanky appearance. He had a neck-length red hair tied in a low ponytail and brown eyes. His outfit consisted of a white tank top, black shorts with a green sweater wrapped around his waist, white socks, brown sneakers, black fingerless gloves, a dark-blue cap and wore on his back a yellow backpack.
"Good evening, Gremory devils! My name is Zatouji! The Familiar Master in training! I can catch any familiar that you can think of!" The man confidently introduced himself while performing a series of strange Super Sentai poses that looked lame enough to have been rejected by the production company. Issei and Asia could only sweat drop while staring at him, while the rest of the Peerage seemed used to this kind of display.
"He might look odd, but Zatouji-san is a professional. He is the one who helped Yuuto-kun, Koneko-chan and myself acquire our own familiars." Akeno leaned forward and whispered into his ear, making Issei nod his head in understanding as Rias walked up to greet the man.
"Good morning, Zatouji-san. These are the two devils I have told you about. They are here tonight to find their familiars." Rias introduced, gesturing her hand toward Issei and Asia, who gave Zatouji an awkward smile while waving her hand at him.
"Nice to… meet you." Issei decided to greet the man out of politeness, trailing off a bit as he leaned his head toward him with a hand rubbing at his chin while wearing on his face a thoughtful look.
"Hmm… a dull looking dude and a cute blondie. Very well then, what type of familiars are you two gunning for?" Zatouji asked as he leaned back and asked Issei and Asia while looking between them "Do you want one that is strong? Or fast? Or are you two looking for one that can spit poison and cast magic?"
"Uhh… that sounds a little dangerous." Issei answered, his eyebrow twitching in slight annoyance.
"If… if possible, I would like something cute, please." Asia raised a hand and nervously told the familiar master, who snapped his head over to her and stare at Asia in disbelief.
"No no no no, you newbies just have no idea what you are talking about. Familiars reflect their masters, so you both will want familiars to be useful and strong!" Zatouji made a fist in his hand as he spun around and shifted into a heroic pose "A devil needs a strong companion to accompany them into battle, so that is the reason why one must always aim for something like…"
"A hydra!"
With that said, Zatouji spun around and showed Issei and Asia the book in his hands, being opened to a page with the illustration of a snake like monster with multiple heads. Its scales were a deep emerald green, while its serpentine body was coiled in an aggressive stance. Each head was adorned with sharp fangs and piercing yellow eyes, giving it a menacing appearance.
"Just look at this gorgeous creature!" Zatouji continued excitedly while Issei looked at him as if he had gone mad.. or perhaps he was from the start. "The hydra is a legendary monster known for its unmatched regenerative abilities. If you cut off one head, two more will grow in its place! Now, if you can tame this snake… imagine having that kind of resilience on your side!"
"Are you crazy!?" Issei blurted out, his voice rising in alarm while Asia looked scared. "You want us to try taming a monster like this?"
[Hoh, so you are saying that you are not interested in testing your strength against an opponent like this, partner?]
'Well, yeah…' Issei responded to the dragon inside him, but could not say anything else because deep down, he had to admit that the prospect was undeniably thrilling. He had read about the Hydra while researching the supernatural world and reading about Greek Mythology, where he had also gleaned the name for Lycaon. He knew what the creature was capable of. He also knew its story with the legendary hero Hercules, who defeated the Hydra using fire to stop it from regenerating its heads, which made Issei wonder if he would have a chance against the monster, since rather well equipped with fire abilities and weapons.
But fighting it was one thing, making it his familiar was another. He would much rather have Lycaon as his familiar than an immortal snake known for its regenerative powers and dangerous poison that could kill even gods. Moreover, one of his main issues with the Hydra was the fact that Asia looked completely terrified of it. It would be impossible for him to keep that creature around if it sent her into a panic…
"Tch… how about…" He then flipped the page and showed them another creature. This one looked fairly interesting to Issei, however, since it had the appearance of a pale blue Western Dragon with blue scales. "This one! Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat! Not only is she a legendary dragon, but she is also the only female among the five Dragon Kings! So far, no devil has managed to even capture her, since she is well known to be just as strong as a Maou!"
"Hmm, I have to say… a dragon familiar would suit you best. It would be amazing if you can make this one yours, Ise." Rias hummed, sounding positively optimistic that he would be able to tame Tiamat.
Issei chuckled nervously at her confidence in him. "Yeah, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here…"
[Ugh… partner.] Ddraig, who could tell what Issei was thinking, called out to him before he could say anything to Zatouji.
'Yeah?'
[Maybe you should pass on this one.]
'Eh? Why? Not that I think I can take on something as strong as a Maou right now, by the way… but it sounds like you just don't want me to try getting this particular dragon as my familiar.' Without a doubt, dragons were his top choices for familiars. Maybe not something that was terrifyingly strong like Tiamat, but because he was Sekiryuutei, the renowned Red Dragon Emperor, it would just be plain cool to have a dragon at his side.
Besides, having a dragon as his familiar would mean that he would have another dragon to make a pact with. A fire dragon would make the fire-elemental aspect of his existing Pact with Ddraig stronger, while dragons of any other elements – like ice, lightning, or water – would expand his arsenal and add more versatility to his fighting style.
[Long story short, she hates me… and in turn, she dislikes all of my hosts. That will probably include you as well, partner.] Ddraig answered while chuckling rather nervously. [I heard from one of your predecessors that she registered her name as a recruitable familiar, probably just for the fun of chasing those who dared to think that they could tame her down… which is NOT going to be the only thing she would do if you run into her.]
'Riiight… Remind me to ask you what you did to her later, cause that sound serious.' Issei spoke to Ddraig, who grunted quietly in response.
How fantastic. Not only did he have the current White Dragon Emperor gunning for him because of the long lasting rivalry between their dragons, but he also had another powerful Dragon King going after him for a reason that was probably no fault of his own. It made Issei wonder just how many existing problems he would have to deal with before he could even start building his own harem, let alone become the Harem King.
"Uh… how about a dragon that is not as powerful?" Issei suggested, glancing over to Asia before asking "And also, do you have something that is cute and adorable like the everyday house pets here?" Considering that everyone found their familiars in the forest, and they all had adorable familiars, the chance for Asia to find one that was cute was high.
Once Asia had found her familiar, he would worry about his later. Overall, he was in no rush since lots of people thought of his shadows as his familiars already. He had figured that more or less it was the difference in the type of the magical bonds.
"Heh, I see that you got it, kid. There are many types of dragons that made this forest their home. I can lead you to their nests." Zatouji patted Issei on the shoulder with a wide grin, which then turned upside down as he looked over to Asia and continued with a thumb pointing over his shoulder. "As for cute and adorable familiars, I have no clue what your preferences are, so how about we go for a walk and see if anything catches your eyes?"
"Sounds good to me." Issei said, with Asia nodding her head repeatedly in agreement before Zatouji turned around and started leading the Gremory peerage into the Familiar Forest. The atmosphere shifted as they moved away from the entrance and deeper into the forest, with the sounds of chirping insects and rustling leaves filling the air, mingling with the distant howls of nocturnal creatures. The ground was covered in a thick carpet of moss, muffling their footsteps as they ventured further into the depths of the woods.
"Keep your eyes peeled!" Zatouji instructed. "You never know what you might find lurking behind the trees or hiding in the bushes."
"So, beside dragons and deadly snakes… what else can we hope to find here in this forest?" Issei decided to ask while looking around. His night vision and high Perception allowed him to spot several animals along the path they walked, from small glowing insects that hovered near the treetops, to a pair of large, bat-like creatures swooping between branches. A few shadowy figures resembling wolves slinked silently through the undergrowth, their glowing eyes watching the group from a distance. He also caught sight of a black snake, its scales gleaming faintly in the moonlight as it slithered between rocks. A lot of them did not look anything out of the ordinary, but they had a magical aura surrounding their bodies.
"We have all manners of creatures here." Zatouji answered while walking ahead, with a finger pointing at the sky "Near the swamp you can find rune crocodiles that can shoot laser beams from their eyes. There are also the wisp spirits too. They are those floating balls of light you might have seen flying around. Annoying little things, but great for scouting and illuminating your room at night."
"Can I have a wisp?" Asia asked, and unexpectedly, Zatouji gave her a look of disapproval.
"Of course you can… even some of the flowers here in this forest can be made into familiars. But girl, do you really want something useless in combat and as annoying as a wisp as your familiars?"
Asia blinked, unsure of how to respond, her smile faltering a bit. ""W-Well, I watched some movies that had wisps. I just thought they might be cute…"
Fortunately for her, Zatouji seemed to notice something and called the group while waving them over to the side "Oh shit, you guys are in luck tonight. The Undine are coming out!"
"Undine?" Issei repeated, his face brightening with a hopeful and excited smile. He had read about the Undine. They were beautiful elemental spirits of water, often taking on the forms of stunningly gorgeous women whose beauty and singing captivated anyone lucky enough to encounter them. The thought of having a stunning Undine as his familiar particularly made Issei forget how cool it would be to have a dragon as his familiar.
"Yes, Undine." Zatouji confirmed as he led the group to a spot that overlooked a beautiful lake. Its water seemed to glow an ethereal color even in the middle of the night with a red moon above them. "Undine are also among my top suggestions for familiars, because…"
Just as Zatouji said that, while Issei watched on excitedly, waiting for the Undine to reveal herself, something burst out of the water, sending droplets flying into the air like shimmering diamonds. The sight that followed next made the smile that Issei had on his face turned upside down as his jaw dropped in utter shock… and horror.
First, it was a mop of shiny blue hair and a transparent robe, followed by a massive and muscular body, with insane biceps and calves thicker than the waist of a very jacked bodybuilder. The figure wore a breastplate that appeared to be forged from iron, while its scarred face resembled that of a seasoned gladiator.
"What the fuck!?" Issei blurted out as he snapped his head over to Zatouji and asked in disbelief, all the while his enthusiasm deflating like a popped balloon. "That's not an Undine!"
"You have no idea what you are saying, kid. That is clearly an Undine." Zatouji said while nodding his head, more to himself than to anyone "You see, the world of the Undine and their kinds is based on power and they always need to fight for their territories. If you are not strong, you cannot have your own lake so this one is definitely a high level. I recommend either of you to take this one, an aquatic familiar specializing in the physical department will not be a waste."
Just as he said that, another Undine appeared, looking just as muscular and battle hardened at the first. Without the need for any verbal exchange, the two Undines launched themselves at each other, their bodies colliding with war cries and an explosive force that the group could feel even from a distance. The first Undine swung her massive fist, striking the second in the abdomen and sending a spray of water in all directions. The second responded with a roundhouse kick, landing it squarely on the shoulder of the first, causing her to stagger back, though she quickly regained her footing.
Issei continued to stare in utter disappointment as Akeno patted him comfortingly on his back, unable to comprehend the sheer brutality of the scene unfolding before him. Those were clearly not the graceful, enchanting spirits he had envisioned.
"So?"
"So?" Issei repeated, looking over to Zatouji with a dark aura surrounding him. Before the so-called familiar master in training could react, Issei had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and demanded in a threatening voice, making the man shudder fearfully "You bring us to the locations of cute familiars. If you think you can toss me another one of these bullshits again, I will toss you to one of the Undines down there, got it?"
"G-Got it…" While the others just laughed and chuckled in amusement at the scene, Zatouji replied with a nervous smile, nodding his head repeatedly to Issei, who then released him. Soon after, the group returned to their original path, leaving the two Undines behind to fight it out for the territory. Their howls and cries, the sounds of their fists colliding with their targets could still be heard in the distance.
The group continued to travel through the forest, meeting a variety of creatures that came out of bushes to greet them. Some were extremely cute so Asia wanted to make them her familiars, but Zatouji managed to convince her out of it for various reasons, which caused the other devils to turn away from them, and dragged them off to another area before she could make the final decision.
They also arrived at a couple dragon nests, but found the places to be empty. Generally, older dragons were much harder to tame than the young ones, so Zatouji also let them search areas around recently hatched eggs, but did not let them get too close to the nests since the mother dragons could still be around. Like most animals, dragons were extremely protective of their children, so angering a mother dragon by being too close to her babies was among one of the stupidest things a devil could do while searching for a familiar in the Familiar Forest.
Eventually, the familiar master spotted a creature sitting on the tree branch and exclaimed.
"Ohh!" The familiar master suddenly exclaimed, pointing his finger upward "That must be a sprite dragon!"
Hearing that, everyone looked up and widened their eyes when they saw a small dragon perching on a sturdy tree branch. It was a dazzling sight, its blue diamond-like scales shimmering in the dim light, reflecting shades of blue and silver. Its large, expressive eyes sparkled with curiosity as it surveyed the area, eventually noticing the group standing below, its tiny wings flapped in curiosity.
"If I am not mistaken, that dragon belongs to a very rare breed called the Sprite Dragon." Zatouji spoke as he brought out his book and flipped to the page about the type of dragons "He might not be as strong as a Dragon King, but the Sprite Dragons are known to be among the top tier for their powerful blue electricity."
"He's so cute!" Asia exclaimed excitedly as she looked up at the dragon.
"Indeed. This is my first time seeing a sprite dragon." Rias nodded her head in agreement.
"It seems this one is relatively young, but if you want to capture a dragon like him, now is the time." Zatouji nodded his head "You certainly won't be able to do so when he's an adult."
"Then what were the talk about making Tiamat a familiar, isn't she also an adult dragon?" Issei remarked sarcastically while glancing over to Zatouji before turning his attention back to Asia "Asia, do you want to try getting that dragon as your familiar?"
"O-oh, I don't know… don't you also want a dragon familiar, Issei-san?" Asia asked.
"Of course, but you can have this one, since you really like it." Issei explained before rolling up his sleeves "Wait here, I will go up there and catch him for you."
With that said, Issei dashed over to the two trees nearest to the one that Sprite dragon was currently perching on, and leaped onto one of the branches, using it to propel himself upward. With each jump, he transitioned smoothly between the trees, ascending higher and higher until he was able to grab onto the branch with the dragon and spin around, landing softly behind it, making the dragon turn to face him. The little creature tilted its head, curious but cautious, its wings fluttering slightly as it assessed him.
[!] Notification
Target is eligible for Pact making.
"Woah… seriously, even this little dragon?" Issei asked as he looked at the notification window that popped up beside the Sprite Dragon, which tilted its head at him while its wings fluttering slightly, looking curious but cautious.
[You can worry about that later, partner. This little one is a male … sprite dragons like this tend to dislike the opposite genders of other species. You being my host and a pseudo-dragon also make little difference, so you need to be very careful.] Ddraig warned him from the back of his mind.
"It's perfect for Asia then." Issei grinned, though he knew he now had to approach the dragon more cautiously and delicately. The dragon was rather low level, so he highly doubted that it could hurt him, but a wrong move was still more than enough for it to run away, and they would miss out on an amazing familiar. "Hey there, little buddy."
Issei began while slowly reaching his right hand out, trying his best to make himself seem friendly. The dragon backed away from him cautiously, its large eyes narrowing as it asserted Issei, who remained still, waiting for the dragon to decide its move.
Then, before he could say anything more, the sprite dragon gave him a look of disinterest and flew away, gracefully landing on a branch of the nearby tree. Issei, instinctively reaching out to grab it before it could get away, lost his balance and slipped, landing face-first on the branch.
"Ise, be careful!" Rias called out from below, her voice laced with concern and a hint of amusement
"I'm fine!" He called back, waving a hand at her and the others as he pushed himself up and looked at the Sprite dragon. "Well, he clearly does not want me as his master."
[Which is as expected, partner. Still, I have to admit that the way it reacted to you was fairly interesting. Most sprite dragons would have just zapped you with their lightning right then. It seems to tolerate you to a certain degree.] Ddraig chuckled [Your predecessors also didn't have much luck with them, wonder if you're unique because you are a Dragonsworn…]
Issei nodded his head in agreement before glancing over to the Sprite Dragon, which was now looking down with a hint of curiosity from its perch. Following its gaze, Issei could see that it was looking at the group standing below. It was hard for him to tell if it was looking at Asia or not, but if it really was…
"Hey, little guy." Issei called out, keeping his voice friendly and inviting. He wished he had brought along some snacks. "Do you want to come down and meet my friend?" He gestured toward Asia, who was watching with a hopeful expression, her eyes shining with anticipation.
The sprite dragon fluttered its wings slightly, tilting its head as if considering the invitation.
Before anything else could be said, the dragon suddenly looked up, almost at the same time that Issei did it himself, sensing something coming from above. At first, he thought it was moving leaves because of their green color, but after a brief second having a closer look at them, Issei realized that they were some kind of living slime. Some fell on nearby tree branches, others landed on the ground, wobbling on the forest floor as they crawled slowly toward Rias and the girls of the peerage.
"Hey, you guys alright down there? Need me to come down?" Issei asked as he watched from above. Other than the fact that they looked like something that came straight out of a hentai anime, the slimes looked relatively harmless. "What are those things even?"
"Oh, they are slimes." Zatouji explained as he flipped open his books. If Issei was not mistaken, the slimes were purposely avoiding him and Kiba. Even the ones landing on the tree branches next to him showed no interest in Issei as they started to crawl down the tree "They usually act together to attack their victims. Even if they are monsters, these slimes only focus on clothes on female secretion, so they are not really desirable familiar choices..."
"Wait, seriously!?"
"Uh… I don't think that is something to be excited about, Issei-kun." Kiba remarked with a forced smile as he created a flaming sword in his hand and started killing the slimes before they could reach Rias and the other girls of the Peerage.
"Oi, you stop killing them right now, Kiba Yuuto!" Issei protested as he jumped off the tree branch to return to the ground "I want these guys as my familiars…"
Before Issei could try to stop Kiba by snatching his fire sword from his hand, a rumble of thunder caught their attention, and the group looked up just in time to see the Sprite Dragon flying down from its perch, all the while launching bolts of blue lightning at every slime within his reach, frying them all to ashes. Stunned, Issei did not notice Kiba slipping off from behind him and killed the nearby slimes. With the help of the girls, who used fire magic to safely kill the slimes from a distance, it did not take long for the slimes to be completely exterminated.
"Sorry Issei-kun, but those creatures are better off death." Kiba said as he walked back to a disappointed Issei and patted him on the shoulders, which slumped even more as he looked at the piles of ashes on the ground…
"Wait, maybe I can still revive them with my – ouch, what give, Koneko-chan?" Issei exclaimed as the idea crossed his mind, but was unable to finish the examination because Koneko walked to him and punched his arm while giving him a disapproving look. Issei opened his mouth to protest, but Koneko was already using a broom she had brought out using her storage magic to efficiently brush all the piles of ashes away until nothing remained for him to extract shadows from.
Not that he could do it, though, since he was at his max shadow capacity already with the addition of the Shadow Panthers the day before.
"Oh…" At the same time, Asia let out a gasp of surprise as the Sprite Dragon flew over to her and buried itself into her chest, allowing the blonde to wrap her arms around his small body and hug him close while rubbing his head with one hand, causing it to coo in appreciation.
"Oohh, it seems he has chosen you as his master." Zatouji explained in delight.
"C-can I really make this dragon into my familiar?" Asia asked hesitantly, despite holding the dragon very closely to her.
"Of course. He chose you, so it's only right that it becomes your familiar." Zatouji nodded. "Everyone comes here looking for their familiars, but there are also times when the familiars are the one who choose their masters."
"You know, change your outfit and your words will be taken more seriously, old man." Issei remarked with a deadpan expression, making Zatouji chuckle while waving a hand at him.
A few minutes later, the group returned to the entrance, where Zatouji taught Asia the magic to bond Sprite Dragon to her. Soon, the magic circle that appeared under her feet as the spell was casted lighted up, glowing brightly as the blonde started chanting the vow needed to turn the little dragon into her familiars. Once the magic ended and the contract was formed, the magic circle disappeared and allowed the sprite dragon to fly back to Asia, who brought him in her arms with a beaming smile.
"Thank you for choosing me to be your master, Rassei-kun."
"Rassei?" Rias repeated the name with a raised eyebrow.
Asia blushed slightly, glancing over to Issei before explaining, "Well, it uses lightning, so I took the word Raigeki and combined it with Issei-san..."
"Oh? So you named him after me?" Issei asked, pointing a finger at himself as Asia nodded her head to him in response. "Well, I feel honored. Thanks, Asia."
"Alright, now that is done, we still need to find you your dragon, kid." Zatouji announced, making Issei look at him.
"Well, lead the way then, old…"
WHOOOOSSHHHH!
"ISE!"
The Gremory cried out in shock, as a dragon suddenly appeared from nowhere and swooped down to snatch Issei in its claws.
"Woah! What the… LET ME DOWN!?" Issei shouted in disbelief, craning his neck to look up at the dragon, feeling the powerful gusts of wind batter against his face as the giant creature beat its massive wings, lifting him higher into the night sky above the Familiar Forest. Panic surged through him as he flailed helplessly in its grip, glancing down at the rapidly shrinking figures of his friends, who were now mere dots in the moonlit clearing below.
How in the Underworld did he not feel something this big coming toward him until the moment it snatched him off the ground?
"HEY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME! LET ME GO OR YOU WILL BE SORRY!" Issei shouted. Suddenly, the dragon banked sharply, and Issei felt stomach churning as they changed direction, diving toward a nearby mountain peak. "No, no, no! I didn't mean it like that!"
He yelled, his voice barely audible over the roar of the wind. Without any other choice, he summoned his Boosted Gear, getting himself ready to force the dragon to let go of him. Before he could act, however, Ddraig suddenly spoke up, his voice filled with an unfamiliar note of fear coming from the green jewel on the back of his gauntlet instead of his mind. At the same time, Issei finally noticed the color of the scales of the dragon, and it was celestial blue, identical to the second illustration Zatouji had shown him earlier.
"TIAMAT!"
"Been a while, Ddraig!" The blue dragon replied in a rather feminine tone, surging upward with a powerful flap of her wings before she collided with the mountain and let go of Issei, sending him tumbling down the rocky slope. Issei scrambled to grab hold of something as the momentum carried him toward the edge. The claws of his metal gauntlet scraped against the rock, and it was only after he had managed to pull out a sword from his inventory and stab it into the rocky terrain that he finally managed to stop his fall.
"NOW, WHERE ARE MY TREASURES!?"
The moment that the Sekiryuutei managed to pull himself up, Tiamat descended upon him, her claws slamming into the ground with enough force to cause a rumble and make Issei lose his balance, falling back on his butt while looking up at the blue scaled dragon above him. Her booming voice echoed through the forest as she clawed at the ground next to Issei, as if Tiamat was holding herself back from ripping him apart.
"What treasure?! I…" Issei asked in confusion before widening his eyes in realization, making him turn his gaze down and look at the green jewel on the back of his head Sacred Gear "Ddraig… did you steal something from her?"
"I did not steal. I borrowed them. I used those treasures to fight Albion." Ddraig answered with a nervous chuckle, which only pissed Tiamat off more than she already was. With a snarl, the blue dragon claws down next to Issei, the impact shaking the ground and sending tremors through his body.
"You borrowed… and then you lost them!" Tiamat grumbled as flickers of blue flame started to lick at the corners of her maw, making Issei back away from her instinctively.
"How was I supposed to know that God and Satan would team up on us and seal our souls into Sacred Gear after destroying our bodies?" Ddraig protested, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his tone.
"Oh we are not having this conversation again! That whole ordeal was your fault, Ddraig. If you and Albion didn't start that fight, then you might have lived long enough to return the treasures you have stolen."
"Again, I did not steal. You gave them to me after I asked for them!"
"And you think you have the right to lose it to some human thieves?!"
"Come on, it was just some shinny…"
"Guys GUYS! SERIOUSLY, STOP!"
Issei shouted, his voice rising above the escalating tension as he pushed himself up from the ground, trying to regain some composure despite the towering, and downright terrifying presence of the blue dragon above him.
"Do you guys really think arguing is going to help us right now?" He continued, looking between his gauntlet and Tiamat, who tilted her head to the side curiously as she looked at him before letting out a booming laugh.
"HOH, what a surprise! This host of yours can talk back!" The blue Dragon King said, making Issei turn to her and look at her weirdly before she continued "If I am not mistaken, all of your predecessors were told by your dragon to flee on sight when they saw me, so this is actually my first time talking to one of you Boosted Gear possessors in centuries!"
"Seriously?" Issei asked, looking down at his Sacred Gear as if staring at Ddraig.
"Unfortunately for you, Ddraig, you cannot run away from me this time—or ever again. After all, I've already mastered a method to suppress my presence so that you won't notice me. How wonderful it is to live for so long." Tiamat taunted, a smirk evident in her voice.
"So that's why I didn't notice until you grabbed me," Issei said, voicing his thoughts out loud. He then asked before Tiamat could say something "So lemme get this straight… Ddraig borrowed some treasures from you, and you just want them back, that's it? Wow… I actually thought it was something more serious."
"Not you too, partner…"
Tiamat gestured with her head as if nodding. "He claimed it was to strengthen himself so he could defeat Albion. As for what happened afterward, I'm sure you can understand that as the current host, right?" Issei nodded. He knew that story well at this point.
"Do you guys know what happened to the treasures?" Issei asked, making up his mind. If he played his cards right, then he would get more than just solving this problem for Ddraig. "Maybe I can find them and help settle this dispute between the two of you."
"Oh, how thoughtful of you, little devil! It seems this one has a backbone, unlike you, Ddraig." Tiamat mocked, the corner of her maw curving up into a smirk while Ddraig grumbled in annoyance. "Unfortunately for you, the treasures I lent him were all stolen by some human thieves and scattered to every corner of the world. Think you can find them now?"
"…Uuu, I'm sorry." Ddraig sounded pretty honest as admitted this, but all that he got from Tiamat in return was a sneer.
"I don't care, just return them to me. You were the one who went and got yourself killed in a fight. The responsibility for that still lies with you… and your host."
"So if I can find and return your treasures to you, will you stop hunting me and Ddraig down?" Issei asked, making Tiamat look at him.
All he had to do was to find some treasures. How hard could it be?
"Are you even sure they are still around after all this time?"
"Trust me, those items that Ddraig borrowed are not so easily taken apart or worn down by time, let alone destroyed." Tiamat answered, her tone shifting slightly for the first time. The annoyance and frustration still lingered, but there was also something else.
"Do you know where I should start?"
"No clue." Tiamat replied dismissively, a flicker of amusement dancing in her eyes despite the cold tone she was still speaking in. "But since you've decided to shoulder his responsibility, that is something you should figure out yourself, am I right?"
Issei scoffed quietly under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the Dragon King. However, she certainly had a point. If she had known where her treasures were, she would have been able to retrieve them herself from whoever had stolen them.
"Fine, I will figure something out." Issei finally said as he pointed a hand at Tiamat "But do not think this means you can just sit back and wait for me to bring the treasures to you. You owe me some help at least!"
Tiamat tilted her head, clearly amused by his boldness before suddenly raising her hand and slamming it down, knocking Issei off balance but he managed to catch himself this time "You think I owe you anything, little twerp? This is your mess to clean up. If you can even return one item to me before this month ends, then I will forgive Ddraig for losing my treasures in the first place. If you can return them all, then you will have my gratitude, how does that sound?"
"Nah, that's not enough for the amount of effort Ddraig and I are going to have to put in. If you have been hunting Ddraig and my predecessors this long for those stolen treasures, then they must be pretty important to you." Issei reasoned, maintaining a strong voice as he pointed a hand up at Tiamat. "How about if I can find all of your treasures and return them to you, you become my familiar?!"
At that, Tiamat opened her maw and unleashed a torrent of blue fire, which swept across the sky and illuminated the night in an ethereal blue glow just a few feet above his head. Even with his high fire resistance, Issei could still feel the heat in from the flame, as well as the fury that Tiamat was directing at him for his bold request. Yet, he remained firm on his feet, never breaking his gaze away from the Dragon King standing over him.
After a moment, Tiamat finally stopped breathing fire and turned her gaze down to glare at him. "How about I don't reduce you to a pile of ash for your insolent, brat? You think I would willingly become your familiar just because you can find and return to me my items that your dragon allowed to be stolen?"
"Well, I was just suggesting. If you hate the idea, even though you did sign up as a recruitable familiar, then sure… I don't want to force you to do something you don't want either." Issei brought his hands up and shrugged, with Tiamat glare at him "So be it then. Leaving me and Ddraig alone is good enough."
"Smart choice. Now, how do I even know if you will uphold your end of the deal?"
"Well, you honestly don't really need to worry about that…" Issei answered with a chuckle, glancing briefly to the side at the System window bearing the notification of a new Legendary Quest that he could accept. It was undoubtedly the quest to find and retrieve the stolen treasures for Tiamat. "Regardless, if you want to ensure that I will find and return your stolen treasures, we can make a pact to formalize our deal."
From the guidebook, Issei had learned that a Dragonsworn pact functioned very much like a contract between him and the dragon, with both sides benefiting from each other. For his Dragon Pact with Ddraig, Issei provided the entertainment of watching him grow strong in a way that none of his predecessors had, in exchange for his powers, element and abilities. It sounded fairly simple, but that was what Ddraig had asked for, and it was what Issei had been delivering.
"A pact, you say?" Tiamat repeated, narrowing her eyes at him. It was hard for him to tell if she was being suspicious of him or not. Given that she was a Dragon King, and someone who had lived as long as she did, Issei had no doubt that Tiamat had the wisdom to tell that there was more to what he was suggesting.
"Yes. I will find your stolen treasures, Tiamat, and I will return them to you." Issei said, nodding respectfully to the Dragon King. "In exchange…"
"Ise!"
His friends called, their voices lacing with concern when they looked up and saw him returning to them in the same manner that he had been taken away, within the claws of the Tiamat. She dropped him just as roughly as she had before, and Issei hit the ground with a heavy thud, feeling the breath being forced from his lungs as he landed on his face. Rias and the others immediately surrounded him as he rolled to a stop before regaining his footing and picking himself up, chuckling softly in amusement while glancing up at the worried faces of his friends.
"Hey, guys. I'm back."
"Ise, are you alright? I was so worried!" Rias exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace. Her warmth and concern wrapped around him like a comforting blanket, soothing the sting of his rough landing.
"I'm fine, really." Issei said, smiling as he returned the hug. "Just a little shaken up, but nothing I can't handle."
Just then, the unmistakable sound of massive wings flapping echoed through the air before powerful gusts of wind swept over them, making the Gremory peerage look up. The Gremory peerage looked up, their eyes widening in surprise and amazement—except for Issei, who chuckled a little. Hovering above them was none other than Tiamat, her blue scales shimmering with an otherworldly light beneath the glow of the red moon.
"We shall meet again very soon, Issei Hyoudou." The Chaos Karma Dragon King spoke, her tone much softer than what she had used when addressing him and Ddraig before "And remember what you promised me."
"For sure. See you, Tiamat." Issei said, waving his hand at her as Tiamat turned and soared into the night sky, leaving the Gremory peerage in stunned silence for a moment.
"Issei-kun, what happened?" Akeno asked, her curiosity piqued as she continued to gaze after the blue-scaled Dragon King until she disappeared before turning her attention back to Issei, who was dusting himself off.
With a soft chuckle, Issei answered, noticing the shared curiosity that everyone was having on their faces. "Well, how do I start..."
In the end, Issei was unable to find for himself a familiar, spending much of the remaining time that they had in the Familiar Forest to tell his friends what had happened between him and Tiamat, and what he had to do for her from then on. Tiamat had also given him a list of items, which provided Issei with a basic idea of what he needed to look for. What he needed next was a starting point, and everyone promised to help him once he had finished telling them his story.
Asking the older devils, especially one who had a deep knowledge in relics and magical artifacts like Zeoticus, was without a doubt the best move. His expertise could provide valuable insights into the items on the list and possibly guide them toward the right leads to recover her treasures.
A couple of minutes after Issei had returned home with Rias and Asia, the Sekiryuutei found himself standing in his bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror as he waited for the water to heat up. After being tossed around like a ragdoll twice, he certainly looked like he had seen better days. Twigs were tangled in his hair, his face was smeared with dirt, and his clothes bore scuff marks and grass stains. It was also a disappointment that he could not find a suitable familiar, as much as he was happy for Asia that she was able to find for herself a little dragon.
But all of those were small prizes to pay for what he had learned earlier.
"Here goes," Issei muttered as he held up his right fist and concentrated, activating his fire imbue skill. As he opened his palm, his hand instantly burst into flame, but instead of it being the normal orangish flame that he had been using, the flame burned a bright blue, similar to Tiamat's dragon flame. "Woah…"
[I have to say… even among us dragons, her flame is probably the most beautiful.] Ddraig said, making Issei grin before putting the flame out and opening his status window to check his stats, which he had not had a proper look at since successfully signing the pact with Tiamat.
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Reincarnated Devil
Class: Level 36 Dragonsworn / Level 11 Shadow Monarch
Current Pacts: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact LV1, Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
Current Active Pact [2/4: Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
1. Unique Skill:
Karma (MP cost: 500): Allows the user to manipulate the flow of karma of a chosen target or within a designated area, randomly affecting the outcomes of events, either tipping the scales of fortune in their favor or imposing misfortune on their enemies. The severity of the effects increases with the Pact Level and the amount of good karma the user has accumulated by clearing quests and doing good deeds.
Current Good Karma: 0/1000
2. Passives:
- Dragon's Physiology: Grant immunity to all diseases, poisons, and status ailments. Greatly improves health regeneration when the Player is asleep. This passive won't be lost when Pact Switching.
- Dragon's Sight: Enhances vision to allow the Player to see through illusions and detect hidden objects or enemies. This passive won't be lost when Pact Switching.
- Dragon's Resilience: Increases resistance to physical and magical attacks by 11%. This resistance increases by 1% for each additional dragon the player makes a pact with. This passive won't be lost when Pact Switching.
- Dragon's Might: current bonus stat: Your true potential has been unlocked, allowing you to grow stronger with each level. HP now also scales with STR, MP now also scales with CHAR, and dragon-based attacks now deal a percentage of VIT and DEX. This effect increases by 2% for each additional dragon the player makes a pact with, currently at 4%. This passive won't be lost when Pact Switching.
- Fire Mastery: Through the pacts with your fire dragons, you have gained mastery over fire. All fire-based skills and spells will have their MP cost reduced by 22% and deal 17% more damage, increased by 2% for each additional fire dragon the Player makes a pact with. This passive will be lost when Pact Switching to dragons of other elements.
- Fire Resistance: Through the pacts with your fire dragons, you have gained fire resistance. All fire-based skills and spells will deal 10% less damage to you. You can also withstand high temperatures and heat-based environmental hazards. This resistance increases by 5% for each additional fire dragon the player makes a pact with. This passive will be lost when Pact Switching to dragons of other elements.
3. Active skill:
Fire Imbue: Through the pacts with your fire dragons, you have gained the ability to imbue your weapons with fire, dealing fire damage equal to 35% of Attack with a chance to [Burn] the target, increase 5% for each additional fire dragon the Player makes a pact with. This passive will be lost when Pact Switching to dragons of other elements.
The flame now has a blue color due to your current active Pact with the Chaos Karma Dragon King, Tiamat.
Despite losing all the benefits for his Boosted Gear abilities, reverting back to what they had been before he made the pact with Ddraig because he was currently having the Pact with Tiamat as the active pact, Issei could see that all of his stats and passives had increased decently. He had also gained a rather broken unique ability, which enabled him to influence the outcomes of events in his favor or impose misfortune on his enemies.
Although the mana cost for the skill was quite steep, and Issei also had to accumulate good karma throughout the day to make sure the effect was impactful, if used correctly he could tip the scales of a fight in his favor, turning the tide during critical moments and securing victory when it mattered most.
[You know, partner… I haven't had the chance to properly thank you for taking it upon yourself to find Tiamat's treasures and return them in my stead...]
"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?" Issei replied with a grin, summoning Boosted Gear and holding it up to talk to Ddraig directly "Besides, just like the rivalry with the Hakuryuukou, your problem is my problem now. Tiamat has also made it pretty clear that we cannot run from her anymore, so the sooner we find and return those stolen treasures, the better it would be for me as well."
"Agree, partner. And speaking of… are you sure that letting her in the loop is a good idea as well?" Ddraig asked, his tone becoming more serious "While it's clear that dragons who make pacts with you are exempt from the rules of confidentiality, can we be 100 percent sure she'll keep it a secret? It's not like Tiamat can be around you all the time to ensure that, can she?"
"It never hurts to have a little faith in someone else, Ddraig. Plus, Tiamat started being able to see the System features after she made the pact with me, so I would probably have to explain to them what they were anyway." Issei answered with a shrug, making Ddraig hum thoughtfully in response.
"Fair, partner. Guess we will see her again soon." Ddraig chuckled "Gotta give it to you though… not many can claim they made the proud and prideful Chaos Karma Dragon King speechless. The look on her face while you were explaining the System to her was priceless."
"Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed it too."
Issei chuckled, then slipped off his shirt as he prepared for the shower. What an eventful night it had been.
Before he closed his status window, Issei glanced at his Dragon Pact Slots, the designated areas for his active dragon pacts. He could switch between them manually or simply think of a command for the change to take effect, just like many of the other commands the System offered.
But that was not his current problem. Issei had learnt from reading the guidebook that while he could make as many Pacts as he wanted, he could only equip and switch between a limited number at a time. Currently, he could assign four pacts to his Pact Slots and switch between them as needed. The number of slots would increase as he gained more levels, but for now, he had only four to work with.
And what was the problem? After forming the pact with Tiamat, her pact automatically filled the third slot instead of the second. His pact with Ddraig, naturally, occupied the first slot. At first, Issei had thought the third slot was just mislabeled, or he misunderstood it, but when he tried to switch them, a notification popped up, informing him that the second slot was already 'occupied' and asking if he wanted to 'switch out the existing Pact'.
Issei couldn't figure out why the second slot appeared visually empty, despite the system showing that it was in use, and the clear indication that he currently only had two active Pacts. There wasn't any mention of this issue in the guidebook either, so Issei really had no idea what to do.
He stared at the empty second slot for a moment longer before closing the window. It wasn't an immediate concern, but it still nagged at him and had been on his mind all night. There had to be some reason for it, some condition that needed to be met for the slot to be available. For now, though, he had a shower to take, and a night to call.
Current Stat:
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Reincarnated Devil
Class: Level 36 Dragonsworn / Level 11 Shadow Monarch
HP: 8125 / 8125
MP [Current Attribute: Draconic/Demonic: 2435 / 2435
Title: Shieldbreaker [Add 10% Armor Penetration]
Strength: 166
Vitality: 135
Intelligence: 130
Dexterity: 140
Perception: 120
Charisma: 110
Unique Class Skills: Fire Imbue (LV1), Shadow Extraction (LV1), Shadow Storage (LV1), Karma (LV1).
Active skills: Doubling, Transfer, Penetrate, Sprint (Max Level), Vital Slash (LV1), Jump (Max Level – Equipment Ability), Observe (LV1), Ruler's Hands (LV1), Phoenix Shift (LV1).
Active spells: Fire balls (LV2 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Firewall (LV2 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Lightning Strike (LV1), Water Blast (LV1), Earth Shield (LV1), ...
Current Pacts: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact LV1, Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
Current Active Pact [2/4: Chaos Karma Dragon, Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
Current Shadows: 100 / 100
Elite Rank Shadows: Lycaon (Knight), Gladio (Knight), Unnamed Coeurl (Knight).
Items: Boosted Gear (LV4), Abyssal Cloak (LV25), Razan's Blade (LV10), Magitek General's Helmet (LV7), Palace Guard's Boots (LV15), Metal Gauntlets (LV10 – Only one currently in use -Stats Reduced), Kamish's Slumber (LV?), Blessed Random Box (x1)…
Potions: Healing Potions x15, Mana Potions x15, Greater Healing Potions x10, Greater Mana Potions x10, Miracle Potions x3...
Gold: 1,930,250 (G)
Ultimate: Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker – Boosted Gear Crimson Armaments (LV. 1 – Pact Affected)
Sigils: Sigil of the Shadow Commander - Igirs, Sigil of the Shadow Ice Bear - Tank.
End of chapter 12