A year passed like a blink of an eye. A good insert for a timeskip if you ask me.
There wasn't much I could do except raise my stats and learn and level up skills since I still have no access to Instant Dungeons with monsters to level up. I worked hard, trained my body like a madman, raised the levels of my skills like a devil and earned a lot of stats from training.
All that hell I had to experience really paid off.
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Name: Tomoe Enjou
Title: [Hero of Wrought Iron]
Level: 4
Race: Human
HP: 1450
MP: 1910
Strength: 18
Vitality: 16
Agility: 17
Intelligence: 22
Sense: 12
Yen: 8000
Points: 15
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SKILLS:
[Structural Grasp] Lvl. 5
Type: Active
Allows the user to understand the structure and design of objects as if viewing a blueprint.
Can be used on living beings [Title: The Gamer] to see information.
When used on a weapon, the history, techniques and experience will be observed and learned [Title: Hero of Wrought Iron].
[Reinforcement] Lvl. 5
Type: Active
Enhances the existence of the target.
Stats increase by 25% when applied to the body. Power and Durability increase by 25% when applied to a weapon/object.
Duration: Continuous unless cut off.
[Gradation Air] Lvl. 7
Type: Active
Materializes objects, in accordance to the caster's imagination.
Power and Durability is only 35% of the original.
Duration: Continuous unless cut off.
[Alteration] Lvl. 4
Type: Active
Gives an object a property or effect that it originally didn't have.
Duration: Indefinite
[Presence Concealment] Rank: D
Type: Active/Passive
Active: Manually conceal magical signature and presence.
Passive: Presence is lessened, strengthened if in a dark/secluded area.
-
The stat increase may seem average, but a normal human adult has an average stat of 5 with athletes and education geniuses at least approaching 9; their respective stat being the highest, so it's quite large. The Sense stat of course is zero, for most cases with the rare 2-3 points usually from a declined supernatural lineage family or an experienced martial artist.
Skills were hard to learn; even I only gained a single one. Skill levels are also hard to increase, except for personal skills due to the title. It's unlike any other system that gives out levels left and right but still has a shitty effect.
There were tasks/missions, formed from situations like 'Do your homework', 'Clean the house' and other menial tasks a normal person can do but they only give a slight increase of experience, stats and/or some money depending on the task.
It was a surprise to see all my stats increased by one when I leveled up and 5 points that can be distributed, which means I receive 10 stat points per level. Also numbers rising up in my [Inventory] when I achieved a task with money as a reward was also a very nice surprise that I even doubted if it was surreal, but no it's truly real.
And of course I also spend my time with my guardian and rest once in a while. Everything must be balanced, as things should be. No point in having a second chance if I just focused on one thing and not enjoy myself in things.
That reminds me… I still have to go to school. The euphoria of getting reincarnated into a fantasy world with powers has distracted me from the fact that I still have to live as a normal person.
Well… not exactly 'normal' but you know what I mean.
I attended a local school in Kuoh. Why Kuoh when knowing that it's the epicenter of the [PLOT] in DxD? It's because it's the nearest school I'm living in, unfortunately.
School was easy, since my Intelligence stat was quite high which made me memorize things easily. It would have been boring if I did not discover who was also attending the school. He looked plain, I would have mistaken him for a background character if not for me detecting the small yet draconic power residing on his left arm.
Yep, it's the Protagonist of the world I'm in, Hyoudou Issei.
Of course I did one thing that I would not actually do in any circumstances, I befriended the guy.
He's actually decent, he was not the pervert I came to know when I watched the anime, maybe due to hormones not kicking in yet. He was a year under me, making him my kouhai. He was around two guys, probably the other members of the future 'Perverted Trio'.
He still talks about becoming a Harem King, something about some old man talking about how great it is having harems. It's stupid though, multiple women won't just be willing to share a single man, unless it's just about the money or you're the protagonist and the world favors you so much it just gives you what it wants.
I wanted to knock some sense into him, but seeing his determined face just stops me from doing so. I wonder if it's the [PLOT] preventing me or was it just myself.
Long story short, we're now friends and even hang out sometimes for video games and stuff. But now's not the time to talk about things like that. Because now I can finally access another type of I.D from leveling it up.
-
[I.D Create] Lvl. 2
Type: Active
Used to create instant dungeons. Stronger instant dungeons may be created at higher levels.
Instant Dungeons Available:
[Empty]
[Undead]
-
But first I have to stock up on supplies, a man's gotta eat you know?
"Hey Enjou-senpai!" Well speak of the devil and he shall appear, here's the protagonist I just talked about.
"Hyoudou. What's up?"
"Didn't I say that you can call me Issei like the others? Anyway I'm going to the arcade to play games with friends. Want to come?"
"I'd like to, but I'm busy and I have things to do." Sorry bruh, you can't distract me from finally getting strong right now.
"Oh… okay then maybe next time?"
"Sure." I bid him farewell and went to the store, bought supplies, and quickly went home. I made dinner, fed Hanako-san, did some chores and homework I have and went into my room.
'Let's do this. [I.D Create].'
It was as if a two-week old apocalypse just occurred in an instant. The surroundings were dark, streets were drenched in blood and the stench of death filled the air. Groaning sounds can be heard with sloppy footsteps as I spotted a silhouette passing by the road.
[Zombie]
Race: Undead
Level: 8
I summoned an E-ranked nameless short sword while activating [Presence Concealment] to hide my presence. It was easier to sneak towards the monster since it was dark, though I did not expect for it to face my direction. Despite hiding my presence it reacted by instinct and was ready to strike.
Though it was too late as I cut its head off. Its body fell down and disintegrated leaving 500 yen in its place.
[You have slain an enemy higher than your level]
[You have gained 50 Exp.]
[500 Yen has been obtained.]
It felt weird, knowing I had just killed. I knew I had to feel this despite knowing what I should do, that I would probably feel bad about taking a life. But I forced myself to focus, reasoning myself that I had to do this in order to survive.
I may possess the memories of a man who killed to save many, but it doesn't mean I was the one who have done so. Seeing it is one thing, experiencing it is another matter.
… MCs really make it so easy, not even blinking when taking out a life.
Composing myself, I stored the money and began to move around the area. I spotted another one, crawling as its legs were mangled. I ended its misery by stabbing its chest, stabbing its heart at the same time.
[You have gained 50 Exp.]
[Your level has been raised by 1.]
[All stats have been raised by 1.]
[You have received 5 Stat Points.]
[500 Yen has been obtained.]
Satisfied, I continued my venture to gain experience points. I just have to perform sneak attacks and summon weapons to level up skills, killing two birds with one stone. A very effective strategy if you ask me. It's quite stupid charging head-on and attracting attention where you get tired easily, even with such amazing abilities.
It never hurts to be cautious since I can't even summon a [Noble Phantasm] yet. Last time was a fluke due to Kanshou and Bakuya being the symbol of EMIYA having wielding them all his life, making it easier to summon. And even if I used them, it was still unusable and it just wastes mana.
And even if I have a skill that helps me in combat, I was still not used to fighting against monsters.
[You have gained 50 Exp.] *4.
[Your level has been raised by 1.]
[All stats have been raised by 1.]
[You have received 5 Stat Points.]
[2000 Yen has been obtained.]
I killed and killed. The experience I earned lessened, but it didn't matter since I was capitalizing on getting used to live combat. By the 10th zombie I was actually forgoing stealth and just charged in. It was okay facing two at the same time with the help of [Reinforcement] so it was little trouble facing them.
Big mistake, as I was so fixated in killing them that I have forgotten what happens if a certain number of monsters were killed.
A boss would be summoned.
When I killed what I assumed was the 100th zombie (I did not count), the earth began to rumble. Lumps of gray matter started to amass, absorbing the remaining zombies in the area as it started forming into a giant, letting out a screech.
-
[Legion Zombie]
Race: Undead
Level: 35
-
It was currently impossible for me to defeat it now, so I know that I had to retreat.
'[I.D Escape]!'
[You cannot leave the dungeon.]
Oh right, I can't escape.
What should I do? I can't leave until I defeat the boss which I can't even lay a scratch on, not to mention a wound.
"If you can't defeat it, then imagine what can."
… How is it possible to forget the skill [Alteration]? It's literally a broken skill where you can add any alterations like size, weight and even add in concepts.
I focused on an image. A normal sword, then alter its materials into having an [Anti-Undead] concept with the use of [Alteration].
Sparks emitted in my hands as an object finally took shape. It had the form of a normal sword, but it glowed as it is imbued with a Light Attribute energy.
-
[Undead Slayer]
Type: Weapon [Sword]
Rank: D-
Deals additional damage towards [Undead]-type enemies.
-
[You have successfully summoned an Uncommon-ranked weapon.]
[The skill [Gradation Air] has leveled up!]
[The skill [Alteration] has leveled up!]
[The skill [Reinforcement] has leveled up!]
It would have just been a normal sword, but with the help of [Alteration] it was possible for me to alter the sword into being effective against the undead.
I spammed [Reinforcement] on the sword and my body as I feel myself getting stronger.
I braced myself, as the zombie boss finally became mobile, dashing towards me. Despite having a huge frame it was agile as it reached my position in the span of two seconds. Instincts kicked in as I quickly dodged when it swung its arm towards my previous position, blood and debris blown away from the impact. If not for [Eye of the Mind], I would have become a part of the road.
'It's strong.' It was levels above me. It may be strong, but there's always one thing in common when it comes to gigantic objects.
'The bigger they are, the harder they fall.'
I rushed towards it, swinging my sword towards its left leg. It made a shallow cut as it screeched out in pain.
Rinse and repeat, I kept slashing its legs, focusing on one area while dodging its attacks. It just kept thrashing about not even hitting me once. It even dug on the road just to throw asphalt towards me and still missed.
Eventually it fell after losing balance, a loud thud echoing the area. Blood spurted from its body mimicking a fountain. Though it couldn't move, it would still take me a long time to kill it. I really don't want to waste any more time since I still have to take care of Hanako-san and attend school. Who knows she might be needing me right now.
Then I remembered the undistributed stat points.
[Points: 50]
'... Add all points to Strength.'
[Strength: 25 → 75]
Power surged through my body as I felt my strength rising. It was… invigorating. It's like I've become omnipotent capable of killing anyone with ease, including Gods.
The growling snapped me from my trance state as I focused myself. Grasping my sword, I exerted everything I had as I swung the sword towards its defenseless head, striking the zombie. Its roars came to a halt as its body slowly dispersed leaving nothing but a stack of objects in its place.
[You have successfully slain the boss, Legion Zombie]
[You have slain an enemy higher than your level]
[You have gained 3000 Exp.]
[Your level has been raised by 3.]
[All stats have been raised by 3.]
[You have received 15 Stat Points.]
I plopped down, no longer able to stand due to exhaustion. My sword had already shattered from the swing. I don't know how long I battled the boss but it was over.
Oh right, the items!
I slowly stood up, summoning a cane to help balance myself and headed towards the items.
[30000 Yen, 5 Low-Rank Health Potions, Ruby Pendant, Item Construction have been obtained.]
Nice!
It seems that fighting bosses are so worth it. That's a huge sum of money, I won't have to worry about not having enough for supplies and games for a while.
-
[Low-Rank Health Potions]
Type: Consumable
Heals minor wounds instantly, has little effect on major wounds.
-
The potions are also a godsend, even if it's a low rank. Just having an ability or item that can help in healing is very beneficial.
It also dropped an accessory, a sort of necklace. The necklace looked very similar to Rin's Pendant had a triangular ruby which looked very expensive.
-
[Ruby Pendant]
Type: Accessory
Stores mana by injecting into the jewel; Intelligence +20, Sense +10
-
It's actually good, additional stats and a mana storage. It can be used as a last resort if ever I ran out of mana.
The last one… is a stone? A single rune of Nordic origins was engraved on it.
-
[Rune Stone: Item Construction]
Type: Rune Stone
A skill can be obtained by breaking the rune.
-
So this is the other way of learning a skill, a rune stone. No wonder I could not learn skills through books.
Now that I think about it, isn't this similar from that novel 'Solo Leveling'? Could it be that my System is the same as Jin-woo's? But from what I know only [Inventory] and [Status] had functioned. Unless...
'... Shop.'
...
It did not work.
Goddamn it! Thinking that this system is practically similar to that of Jin Woo's is stupid. I didn't get this system from some hidden boss that administrate an otherworldly being's power in order to give it to the successor, but rather it might have come from a ROB or something else.
I dejectedly diverted my attention to the rune stone, crushing it as I learned a new skill.
*crack*
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[Item Construction] Rank: C
Type: Passive
Ability to manufacture items, magical and non-magical.
-
Holy… now this is an ability I truly needed. Most would prefer offensive-type skills where a crafting skill is one of the essentials in terms of getting strong.
There are three main factors regarding strength. First is stats, second is skills, and the third is items.
Stats are a given, they are the fundamentals where one can gain superhuman status from just raising their stats. Skills are the indicators of how strong one can be in terms of abilities. And lastly, items can grant unprecedented strength just from equipping them.
And with [Item Construction], I can make myself Mystic Codes, though I still have to learn Rune Magic to be able to grant permanent effects on items.
I really have to leave now. I bet it's already late and I still have a long day ahead.
'[I.D Escape].'
I finally returned to my room, unsummoned the cane and let myself fall onto the bed. I fought a boss the first time I went to a dungeon, got some really good stuff from it and I'm very satisfied.
Now, all I need is a good night's rest…
On that night, I dreamt of a hill filled with swords.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Name: Tomoe Enjou
Title: [The Gamer, Hero of Wrought Iron]
Level: 14
Race: Human
HP: 1960
MP: 3140
Strength: 78
Vitality: 26
Agility: 27
Intelligence: 32 (+20)
Sense: 22 (+10)
Points 15
Yen: 88000
Finally done.
Clarifications:
I don't put HP and MP because it's troublesome to calculate them, though I may add it as a tracker I will not add it on the status. Also remember the System is not like [The Gamer] system which affects the real world. I'm keeping it as realistic as possible, that's why weapons have no damage value and the reason why he one-hitted a zombie is from hitting vital spots.
I might also rush this arc, maybe two chapters later mc would finally enter 'canon', since it's exhausting my rusty mind trying to come up ideas for a fanfic which was suppose to be written for fun, teehee ;).