Issei sat on his bed, looking at the screen before him in interest.
"Okay. The guide was simple enough." He spoke.' Though I'm still freaked out about it. First I have this shield, given to me by God to help fight of apocalyptic waves of attacks...which I am definitely not ready to do! Secondly, I have another sacred gear! And apparently it has a dragon sealed within it!! Talk about freaky! Like seriously, why did he have to go and give me two sacred gears!?'
He sighed as he looked at his hands." It said he rarely ever hands them out, and yet he gave me two. One of which is only ever given to the person he trusts is capable of preventing the apocalypse." He turned his gaze upwards." I don't know what you see in me. But if you believe I am the one best suited to take on this responsibility, then I'll do the best I can. I guess." He stated. He turned his gaze back onto the screen.
'Now, if this is like a game then that must mean that I'll have to level up somehow.' "Show {status}! He called out and the screen changed:
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Titles: [Breast fiend] [Cardinal Shield Hero] [Awakened Red Dragon Emperor]
Level: 8|Next level: 550 Exp
Class: Low Class|Human
Stats:
HP: 275/280
MP: 270/270
STR: 22
STA: 20
DEX: 20
INT: 27
WIS: 20
Attribute points: 0
Special Status:
[Breast Fiend]
- As a result of your overly perverse nature in public, you have obtained this status. This status grants you -25% reputation points with woman aware of your status and -70% chance of you obtaining a lover.
Status can be removed by ending perverse actions and behavior performed in public or at all.
Issei sweatdropped at this.' Is it really thát bad?'
[Cardinal Shield Hero]
-You bare the Cardinal Shield, and thus are considered the Shield Hero or Hero of the Shield. Grants you +10 reputation points with those who know of your identity, while also granting you the negative perk {Looked down upon} as well as the perks {Party} and {Will to Protect!}. +10 HP and MP per level.
[Awakened Red Dragon Emperor]
- You have awakened the Boosted gear, thus declaring you this generation's Red Dragon Emperor! While only in its first form, the gear allows you to double your power every ten seconds! This status grants you a +5 to all physical stats and CHA each time you level up. +100 additional skill points every level! + 20% additional Exp.
Though this status reward will uprade as you evolve and level up the sacred gear. Also grants you the nemesis status [White Dragon Emperor].
Up until this point, Issei didn't know how to react. He was a bit confused with the lack of perks from the shield but figured that he would develop more as he went along. And then there was the {Looked down upon} negative perk. The concept of which confused him to no end.
But when he came to the Boosted gear. His jaw fell to the floor.' Like, what the F! That's freaken OP! And the thing isn't even fully developed! Why would God entrust me with something so damn powerful!?' And then he came to the nemesis part and couldn't help but sigh.' Of course I'd have a nemesis! With a power as great as this, it wouldn't make sense for their nót to be a catch.'
He read further.
Perks:
{Party}
-As the wielder of one of the Cardinal sacred gears, you can gather allies and for a party which will help both in your quest to overcome the waves of catastrophe and will also boost your Exp gain.
* Exp boost depends on how many people are in your party and their level.
* In addition, should you have a slave in your party belonging to you, you will gain an extra amount of Exp the equivalent of your servant's and the same applies to them in terms of being your servant.
{Will to Protect}
-As the bearer of the Cardinal Shield, you naturally gain an additional affinity for both Support and Defence magic.
*In addition, should you use any magic spells or incantation of these categories, you'll have a 25% discount on the cost of mana on your reserves.
*This affinity also strengthens the magic spells that fall under these categories.
{Draconic Spirit}
-As the vessel of a dragon spirit, you naturally gain all of the dragon's spiritual traits.
*You gain the [Charisma] stat
*You gain the [Instinct] perk
*You gain the ability [Draconic Aura]
*This perk will upgrade as you and the dragon spirit become more unified.
Negative perks:
{Looked Down Upon}
-You are underestimated. Your strength unacknowledged. Seen as weak for what you bear. And might even be scorned by some.
This grants you a -10 reputation points to those who favour the other three Cardinal Heroes. As well as a 45% chance to be underestimated by those who know of your status.
Yeah...he really didn't like that part.
Nemesis:
[White dragon emperor]
As the Red Dragon Emperor, you bare the White Dragon Emperor as your rival and nemesis.
The White dragon also known as the Vanishing dragon, is one of the Two Heavenly Dragons, and the only dragon to match the red ones power. He is also the prime opposite of Draige, the Red dragon.
*Where as Draig is the [Dragon of Domination] Albion, the White dragon, is the [Dragon of Supremacy]
*Where as the Red dragon doubles his power every ten seconds, the White dragon halves his enemies power, adding that power to its reserves.
'Draig, huh? So that's his name. And this white dragon doesn't seem like a push over either. With that kind of ability he could gradually weaken his opponent while increasing his power. That's gonna be a problem. I can only double mine but and even then I'd still have to deal with my full powered enemy. This sucks!'He thought.
He sighed." You know what, I don't care. Show me the [map]." He spoke and the screen changed, now showing a map of Kuoh with green, yellow, red and purple highlighted areas. The rest of it was grey.
"Okay, so am I to assume that the highlighted areas are supernatural bases? And that the colour of the area determines if I am capable of going there. Kinda like a difficulty measure?" He asked. A notice appeared confirming this.
[You are correct!+1 INT]
[The map will show you the whereabouts of all supernatural bases or dungeons within your vicinity and determine their difficulty level]
[In addition, once you've reached the base, the system will notify you of the kind of beings roaming there]
"Well guess that means I'll have to go and kick some ass later on." He stated as he continued to look through the map, noting that there was only one place that was green, while the rest were either yellow or red. With one being purple. Kuoh Academy.
His eyes widened.' My school is a base for supernatural entities! And from the looks of it, they are freaking overpowered!' He thought as he began to think of who they could be. But nothing came up." Guess I'll just have to check them out with my observation skill."
《》
Walking down the street, he thought back to what he had learned.' I hope its not Yokai or Fallen. Or Devils for that matter. I'd hate to run into any of those. Considering this is like a game, an RPG no less, there should be reasonably weak opponents for me to fight until I reach a higher level.' He thought and came to a stop beside a bridge.
He looked down at the massive sewer pipe sticking out of it and sighed when it glowed blue." Well, guess this is it. Now what am I facing?" He sighed when a title appeared above the sewer pipe.
He walked up to the entrance, when a notification appeared.
[You have discovered The Den of The Night Crawlers]
[Do you wish to enter dungeon?]
[Y/N]
*Warning, once entered the dungeon must be cleared in order to exit!
He shrugged before hitting the yes icon. The gate was removed, and he entered the sewer. He grabbed his nose at the awful smell as it struck him head on.
"Damnit this place stinks! The things living down here can't be good!" He continued on down his path until he came upon a hideous sight. Three rats, each with a crimson arrow floating above their heads with the titles [Rat Mutant LV 6] floating above their heads. They were easily the size of dogs, black fur and glowing yellow eyes and were currently eating at the carcass of a dead man.
He wanted to hurl at the sight when a green glow enveloped him, calming him at once.' Thank goodness for the {calmed mind} skill. I guess I found the source of the stench.' Issei thought before summoning hos shield.
The light caused by him summoning his shield notified the rats to his presence. They started screeching before each one of them dashed at him. Razor sharp teeth gleaming in the dark sewer.
Issei got into a stance, holding up his shield as the rats came at him. The first tried bitting his head off but ended up slamming into the shield, and got shot into one of the other approaching rats by the shock wave the shield gave off.
Issei smirked as he did the same to the other incoming rat, sending it to join its brethren. He held out his hand, pointing it at the rats." Barrier!" He cried out and four square like barriers appeared around the three rodents. He closed his hand, making the barriers enclose on the rats and crush them in the process. He also noticed a red energy seep out of them and back into the ground
[You defeated Rat Mutants X3!]
[You gain 150 Exp!]
[You gain 300¥!]
He smiled and continued on. He stopped and looked at the dead man's corpse. Quickly noticing the eight star shuriken that was hanging around the man's neck like a necklace. Removing it and holding it up to his shield, the shuriken disappeared in a green light, signifying that a new shield was created. And Issei wasn't disappointed when he read its ability.
Sighing, he got out a lighter and set the corpse on fire." I don't know if these things killed you, though that is a highly probability, but there is no need to leave you like this. Even if you are dead. Rest in peace." He stated and continued on.
He ran into a couple more rats. Twenty to be exact. And these weren't as naive as the previous ones as their attacks were more coordinated and more precise. One managed to bypass Issei's barrier and bite him in the leg. Finally having had enough, Issei held up the shield and cried out." Cardinal Shock!" His shield shone green as a massive shockwaves was sent at the rats, hitting them dead on and dealing a great deal of damage.
He ran at the closest rat and slammed its head into the ground, crushing its scull. Doing the same to two more before the others came too. He proceeded to make multiple more triangular barriers, turning them horizontal so that a point of each barrier was pointing at a rat. He pushed out his arm, making the barriers shoot at the rats and struck full force. One of the barriers even decapitated one of the rats.
Issei sighed as he looked at the carnage he caused. He was tired. Plane and simple. After ten minutes of this dungeon and he was already tired. And that pissed him off.
He looked at the screen that appeared before him.
[You defeated Rat Mutant X20!]
[You gain 1000 Exp!]
[You gain 2000¥!]
[Congratulations! You've Leveled up! LV8-LV9!]
*Do to certain actions, the skill {Shield Prison} and {Arial Strike Shield} has been created.
He let out a sigh of relief at that." I needed some more skills. Not that I don't like the shield but its meant for defence and doesn't have to many offensive abilities what so ever. It also doesn't help that I can't use any other weapon besides the shield and gauntlet." He stated as he got up and moved over to the deceased rats.
He had actually tried bringing along some weapons, like a knife. Only to have the shield shock them out of his hands. It really sucked for him to find out that he couldn't wield any weapon other than the shield.
He walked up to the decapitated head and took it, placing it on his shield's core. It consumed the head, giving him a notification that a new shield was created. He sighed." I don't like the idea of creating a weapon from the head of a corpse but hey. Anything is better than this."
He continued on, even activating his new shield as he went.
[Mutant Shield: Rat]
Special skill: {Hyper state}
-A rat has extremely heightened awareness and senses. This is mostly due to its hart rate being so many times faster than that of a normal person's. This skill allows you to replicate this skill of theirs and enter into that hyper state.
*This skill amplifies DEX X2 while granting you hyper reaction time.
*This skill drains the user's STA and can thus only be used for a selected period of time.
*Current time limit: 5min
And true to the statement, Issei felt his hart rate spike. As everything seemed to slow down. Even his breathing had heightened. He quickly deactivated the shield.
'While that would be extremely useful. I honestly don't need that kind of adrenaline flooding my system.' He thought as he came to the end of the tunnel. Silently making his way to the exit, he gazed into a clearing filled with rotting corpses. But not human corpses. No. These were Rat Mutant corpses. And eating away at said corpses were even bigger rats.
These were easily a full feat larger than the previous ones. And above their heads floated the titles, [Demon Rat LV10].
This worried Issei. He counted at least five of them. And each one of them was a level higher than him.' I wonder what's the difference between them and...' Before he could finish the thought, a notice popped up.
[Rat Mutants are rats that have been enhanced by the sagurated [Demonic energy] that they were exposed to. While they are demonically enhanced, they are still rats. Demon Rats are rats that have absorbed a portion of demonic essence (A demons lifeforce), residue from stray demons and it has converted them into demonic beings. They are no longer rats.]
'I just had to thought...' He turned his attention back to the demon rats as he got out his latest shield. Taking a deep breath, he dashed out at them. They noticed his presence and instantly began to screech as they too ran at him at a far higher speed than the previous rats. They were even faster than him!
The one coming at him slammed into a big green shield." Arial Strike Shield!!" Issei called out as it slammed into the rat, sending it flying into the wall and crushing it in the process. Ducking under a rat, he twisted around, grabbing at its tail and slamming it into the ground twice before throwing it at another rat.
Turning to the three incoming rats he held out his hand." Shield Prison!" He exclaimed, and the three rats were engulfed by a round green orb consisting of multiple green shields, held together by chains.
Issei couldn't help but smirk.' So cool. Now for the finale.' He thought as he clenched his fist. Unexpectedly, multiple spikes extended from the inside of the shield prison and pierced the rats, killing them in an instant. Shock overtook him for less than a second, as he processed what had just happened." F***ing epic!!" He turned to the two rats that had just gotten back up and proceeded to do the same to them.
He took a moment to catch his breath, noting that his MP was at 50 while his HP was at 100
Notifications began to pop up one by one.
[You slayed Demon Rats X5!]
[You gain 500 Exp!]
[You gain 750¥!]
He got up, wanting to check out his new status, when something caught his eye. The rats bodies began to glow a redish black aura before the bodies turned to some kind of black liquid that swiftly moved towards one another, joining, combining and forming a something terrifying to the young boy.
A black rat-like creature emerged, easily towering over Issei. Though this monstrosity's form was also like that of a human's. It stood on its back legs which had grown longer, looking like a cross between human and rat legs. The same applied to its arms and upper body. Its dark crimson eyes glaring at Issei.
Overall, if not for the fear creeping up inside of him, he probably would've barfed...again. A green light engulfed him once more.' Again...thank Heaven for {calmed mind}.' He thought.
He gazed at the creature's title floating above its head.
[Hellion Rat LV14]
[Pack Alpha]
If Issei didn't think that the thing before him was intimidating because of its looks, then he damn sure did now. Even its health bar was three times as much as a demon rat's!
'It's five levels higher than me!!' He exclaimed in his mind. Though before he could think any further, the creature leaped at him, with speed far surpassing his own and gave a ferocious strike. Issei barely managed to block, but the force behind the attack was still to great and sent Issei flying into the wall on the other end of the sewer.
Coughing up blood, Issei looked at his opponent with worry as he gazed at his own health bar. Having it now stand on forty.' What the Hell!? If that had actually landed then I would've died!!' He realized, though snared as he got back up.' Time to get serious!'
"Boosted gear!" Issei called out as he raised his right hand, soon having a green light envelope it as his red gauntlet appeared."[Boost!]" The sacred gear called out and Issei could feel his strength and power double." Mutant shield!" He cried out and a black shield appeared, having the head of a rat on its center with crystal yellow eyes and the sacred gears jewel, now yellow, in its mouth.
Issei felt his new ability activate as his breathing heightened and his veins began to pulse. Time itself felt as though it was slowing down.
The rat demon leaped at Issei once more, but this time, Issei saw it coming and countered, ducking under the creature's claw and driving his shield covered fist up its chin, hard. This time, sending it flying into the wall.
Issei gave a quick glance at his hand a shook his head as a smirk came across his face ." This power is really starting to make my day. Though I might want to switch to my other shield. Using both the Mutant shield and Boosted gear to boost my performance will run my stamina dry before I can finish this. So come forth, Shuriken Shield!" He cried out once more as the creature stood back on its feet and dashed at Issei.
The rat shield was replaced by a large eight starred shuriken with a green jewel in its center.' Now, enhance!' He began to channel magic into the shield, making it turn green as it grew bigger. It began to spin at high speeds, giving off the sound of metal cutting through air. He cocked back his hand before throwing it at the monstrosity approaching him.
It saw the massive shuriken approaching and hastily jumped to the side, dodging it and continuing his pursuit to annihilate Issei. It opened its mouth and began to gather energy there, making a small black ball appear. This shock Issei greatly.
But that shock soon faded as he heard a familiar call."[Boost!]" He felt his strength and speed be double again and smiled.' Just in time!' The creature had reached Issei and was about to launch his attack, when it suddenly found itself without legs. The shuriken having returned and cleanly sliced through the beast's legs.
It fell to the ground before Issei, the magic it had gathered, dispersed. And Issei now stood above the rat with his shuriken shield in hand. Not one to waste time, he swiftly drove the shuriken through the creature's head. Killing it in an instant.
He fell to his knees. Releasing the effects of the Boosted Gear, he instantly felt all his energy leave him. Out of breath and almost out of HP, he looked at the screen that had appeared.
[You have slain Hellion Rat, the Pack Alpha!]
[You gain 300 Exp!]
[You gain 500¥!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up LV9-LV10!]
He smiled." It may not have been pleasant but it was worth it. Time to go home." And just as he finished that sentence, a path of blue light appeared before him, leading around the corner. He smiled, knowing where it leads.
He turned to the corpse of the Hellion and walked over to it. Holding his shield against it, the body soon disappeared with flash of green light. Once more, Issei smiled as he looked at the newly created shield in his status que.
[Demon Shield: Rat]
Special ability: {Accelerate}
-This skill will alow you to replicate the {Hyper State} skill on a larger basis.
*This skill amplifies user's DEX X5. This skill uses demonic energy to enact skill.
*If not possessing demonic power, the shield will use the bearer's STA as fuel to supply DE.
*Current time limit: 30sec
[Notice: As you have awakened a Shield belonging to the [Demon] catagory, you instantly gain the skill {Lesser Demonic Immunity}!]
{Lesser Demonic Immunity}
-This skill grants you lower level immunity towards demonic presences near or within you. Spells meant to control your mind or ensnare you will no longer have any affect on you.
* This skill, if developed high enough, will make you immune to demonic attacks and powers to the point where their strongest attack can do you no harm.
* Skill levels up through constant exposure to demonic powers or presences.
He sighed, knowing he could still use it despite the fact he wasn't a demon. And that he wouldn't be affected by the demonic energy since it would only increase his immunity towards the demons.
He turned, about to start moving, when he turned back, having realized something." These things can't be left to rot, who knows what kinds of diseases they would unleash if they did. But damn, I didn't bring something for this. How stupid off me. And neither can this place be left accessable to the public. Guess I'll just have to seal the place off." He spoke before lifting up his hands.
"Seal off the place of my desire! Barrier seal!!" He cried out and he felt the last of his mana leave him. Flooding the area and sealing of all entrances and pathways leading to this section of the sewer.
He almost fell onto his knees due to the massive loss of mana but mustered the strength to keep standing and eventually, following the blue path out of the sewer and back home.
~♡~
Standing in the middle of the previously sealed off sewer, Rias Gremory looked on at the damage done here and the multiple corpses that laid around the place.
She had felt the pulses of magic earlier on today and had come to investigate. Only to find a sealed off sewer and multiple dead rats.
Akeno turned to her leader." The demonic presence in here is very high. These were probably mutants spawned by a stray. Though, we can't locate the remains of the stray even after locating its lair. I assume it was either destroyed completely or removed from the premises." She stated.
Rias nodded." I assumed as much. Though what interests me is the people responsible. They weren't dealt with in the traditional supernatural manner thus I assume it wasn't any of the supernaturals present in Kuoh.
Fallen could have dealt with all this in an instant and nothing would have remained. Yokai would have been just as lethal. Meaning it had to have been human." She stated, pointing at the corpses as she spoke.
Kiba, coming around the corner with Koneko, nodded." Definitely human. That all can be seen from the magic used here. Though it is very exotic. I don't know what kind of spells could have done this and the magic seen in the barriers was magic I have never seen. Though the fact that the barriers were so weakly set says a lot of their magic capacity. Probably a newly awakened Sacred Gear user testing out their newly gained power." He stated.
"Human sent." Koneko commented. Rias nodded." Valid points. But remember, those barriers weren't meant to keep anyone out or in. It was a basic seal meant to keep the contents from leaking out or keeping the public from getting in. Basically to keep the humans from finding this place. And considering the multiple human corpses I found down here, I can understand why.
And as for the Sacred Gear theory. Again. Valid. But there has only been two people in this town to show signs of possessing a sacred gear and only one has shown signs of having awakened it. And considering that said person is currently incapacitated from having a concussion after taking the full force of an explosion, head on..." She spoke as she turned to Akeno, giving her 'the look' while the person in question giggled.
"I doubt it was him. Medics say he'll be out for a week." She finished. Kiba wanted to speak up once more but was interrupted by his leader." There have been no exorcist, of any kind, spotted within town. So no, not them either. Haa.." She sighed.
"..let's just go home for now. This has been dealt with. And since the person responsible was human, I don't they'll be a problem. We'll find whoever did this eventually. And I'll have a good time hearing them explain why he or she was hunting demons in my territory without my consent." She spoke.
"Hai! President!" Her servants replied and in a flash of crimson light, they disappeared.
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Next Time: Meeting with the Red Dragon