Issei Hyoudou, Platinum Edition 1
Issei Hyoudou slept.
And dreamed.
The dreams, however, were really nightmares. Ever since Rin had left, the boy had been alone. He missed his best friend, and had dreams about what could happen to her. She was far away and Issei worried that she could be hurt, or that she'd forget about him. It didn't help that the other children in the neighborhood were much older than him, so she'd really been his only real friend.
Children's dreams can be powerful. Perhaps it was fate that led to one of his dreams being noticed by another. Exceptionally powerful dreams occasionally touch upon a real place, a world of dreams floating within the void. In this case, it was a particularly powerful nightmare in which Issei found himself struggling to protect his best friend from shadowy monsters intent on harming her. Every time he stood up, he was knocked down, was hurt again. And yet, he always, always stood back up. Over and over again, in more and more pain, the young boy refused to give up.
He had to help his friend!
The watcher was enthralled. Here was a human child who refused to stay down. A child caught up in his fears and yet he still refused to give up simply because he wanted to protect someone. One thing he truly favored was mettle and strength of will. It was worthy of respect, a feeling that rarely came to the being.
If you desire power to protect those closest to you, I shall give it to you. I feel an echo within you already, boy. I know not how my power will affect you; it will grow and be shaped by your spirit and mind. It will undoubtedly be a power like no other, shaped by your dreams. But I give it to you freely.
Even as these words penetrated his dream and the dream faded into true slumber, Issei felt a rush of heat and warmth flood into him. And then, even as the boy's spirit faded from the dream world, the Apocalypse Dragon - the Dragon of Dreams - went on his way.
The result of this strange dream would not manifest for years.
IHPEIHPEIHPEIHPEIHPE
Issei woke up to his alarm ringing, feeling a strange rush of energy surge as if he'd drank a bottle of coffee. Glancing at the clock, the fifteen-year-old blanched and threw himself to his feet, struggling to rush into the shower. He couldn't be late! He'd spent too much time last night playing the latest in his favorite series of video games, and now he had only a half hour to get ready. He'd promised his mother that he'd help clean out the garage and storage shed, and she'd be disappointed in him if he was late.
It was only when he was starting to relax in the hot water, that he saw a strange, bronze box hovering in the corner of his vision.
[The Dragon's Game v1.0 is now Activated.]
[Jobs have been initialized and attributes modified.]
[Quest Received: Tutorial. Rewards: +1 Job Level, ¥25,000]
[Think 'Help' to reference the help system.]
[Your Health, Stamina, and Magic have been restored. You are are now Rested.]
"What the hell?" Issei muttered, as he stepped out of the shower. "That looked like a prompt in one of my games." He then thought, Help.
[Welcome, Hyoudou Issei, to the Dragon's Game. You have been gifted with power that has taken the form of a video game. That's what you get for being obsessed with such things at a young age! You will be able to get stronger to protect those you care about! To view your stats, think 'Stats'. Please view the following help topics: Attributes, Jobs, Qualities]
"I am going crazy. I have to be," muttered Issei. But getting stronger did sound nice, it reminded him of his thoughts when Rin moved away. Even now, he missed her. Shaking his head, he thought, Help Attributes. Help Jobs. Help Qualities.
[Attributes represent your basic ability and talents. You know the drill, gamer boy! They are Strength, Vitality, Agility, Dexterity, Intelligence, Perception, and Will. Normal humans have attributes ranging from five to twenty, with the average hovering somewhere in the ten to twelve range. Twenty is the maximum for a normal human being. Other species can have attributes far higher, so be cautious!]
[There are also secondary attributes that are calculated from your primary attributes. These are Health, Stamina, and Magic. If your Health ever reaches zero, that's it: you'll die unless you get immediate medical attention! If your Stamina or Magic reach zero, you'll feel extremely tired and be unable to use skills that require those attributes.]
[Jobs represent broad, related fields of study, similar to the jobs in one of your video games. Basic jobs include Archer, Diplomat, Mage, Rogue, Scholar, and Warrior. These fill a majority of the basic niches one might need in life as a whole, giving skill and special moves appropriate to the job or its concept in games. There are also Prestige Jobs that build upon and sometimes replace the basic jobs that give specialized and increased bonuses! There are sometimes overlap between jobs; in this case, the benefits of each job stack with each other.]
[Qualities represent innate talents that are not necessarily numerically defined. They may be magical, mental, physical, or social aspects that are important, and may even be negative at times. Examples include having a sacred gear, being able to speak any language, being another species such as an angel or devil, or being of the noble class.]
[Additional Help Topics Available on individual attributes and jobs.]
Even as he puzzled over this flood of information, Issei finished getting dressed, running his hand through his messy hair to semi-straighten it. He idly thought, Help Archer. Help Warrior. "I wonder what the difference is..."
[Archers are trained combatants who specialize in ranged combat. In spite of the name, using a firearm or thrown weapons also are affected by the Archer job. The Archer job gives bonus and skill with various ranged weapons as well as augments the ability to dodge attacks. Other skills of the Archer job include general athleticism, stealth, tracking, and even the crafting of bows and javelins. Every level of the Archer job increases Agility and Perception by 1.]
[Warriors are trained combatants who specialize in melee combat. All forms of melee combat are under the aegis of the warrior, including unarmed fighting. The Warrior job gives a large bonus to parrying and blocking attacks and a smaller bonus to dodging attacks. Other skills of the Warrior job include general athleticism, riding of animals and driving vehicles, tactics, and the crafting of armor and weapons. Every level of the Warrior job increases Strength and Vitality by 1.]
"Huh, so archers are snipers and warriors are more front line and tacticians. Odd that you don't learn tactics as an archer," Issei mused, "But that does fit many games, so." A pause. "I should view my stats." He continued, thinking, Stats.
[Issei Hyoudou
Human
Age 16
Health: 280
Stamina: 310
Magic: 380
Strength: 16
Vitality: 18
Agility: 13
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 12
Perception: 13
Will: 19
Jobs:
Archer 1
Scholar 1
Warrior 1
Qualities:
Boosted Gear
Draconic Charisma
Draconic Will
Gamer's Body
Gamer's Mind]
Huh, my stats seem kind of high. It did say it modified my attributes. From my jobs? I have a lot of strange qualities, though. Help Scholar. Help Boosted Gear. Help Draconic Charisma. Help Draconic Will. Help Gamer's Body. Help Gamer's Mind. He started viewing the various help topics.
[The Scholar is an academic. It includes knowledge of everything from schoolwork to more esoteric areas of knowledge. Architects, historians, scientists, and even magicians could have levels in Scholar. The Scholar is also able to pass on knowledge easier than others. Every level of the Scholar job increases Intelligence and Perception by 1.]
[Sacred gears are spiritual abilities gifted to humans from God. The Boosted Gear is a Longinus, one of the most powerful sacred gears. Imprisoned within is the soul of Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor. The Boosted Gear augments the wielder's body and soul, and allows the user to double their traits every ten seconds, stacking with itself. The Boosted Gear increases your Strength and Vitality by 2 for every job level you have.]
[Dragons are charismatic creatures. Draconic charisma means that people are more likely to listen to you... or to be frightened by you if you attempt to intimidate them.]
[Dragons are stubborn creatures. Even before awakening your power, you possessed an unyielding will. Your Will increases by 2 for every job level you have.]
[Your life is now a video game and this includes how your body works. Aren't you lucky? As such, any physical damage is taken off your health. Normal damage will not normally fracture your bones or cause you to bleed out, though attacks designed to do so still work as normal. In addition, after sleeping eight hours, all damage is healed and your secondary attributes are restored to full.]
[What video game character feels fear? You are immune to the negative effects of emotions, and are immune to direct mental attacks of all sorts. While you can still be cautious, confused or even afraid, these emotions will never control you.]
[Quest completed: Tutorial. Rewards: +1 Job Level, ¥25,000]
[Choose a job level. Think 'Choose ' to increase a job. You may only raise a job you already have.]
Issei considered. He really wanted to raise something cool like Archer or Warrior, but considering he was planning on applying for Kuoh in a few months, he needed all the help he could get. Choose Scholar, he thought, and felt a rush of power.
[Scholar Job raised to 2.]
"Issei!" His mom called. "You need to come down, you promised to help clean! Are you up, or did you spend the night playing your games again?"
Issei shook himself out of his thoughts. Part of him wondered if he was going crazy, but he would worry about this later. He opened his door, calling down, "You act like it's an either or thing, mom. I was up pretty late, but I'm ready, I promised, didn't I?"
As he came into the living room, he saw his mom waiting for him, hand on her hip, "You did, yes. I'm glad you remembered. Your breakfast is on the table, hurry up and eat, and then we can begin. I've been looking forward to clearing out the garage and shed for a while, it's a mess."
"Are you going to use the shed for anything?" Issei asked her curiously.
"Not really. I just hate knowing that there's all this junk in there, why?" his mother asked him.
"Well, can I use it once we clean it out? It's a pretty large shed, I could use for a few things, I wanted to get in shape, so maybe some exercise equipment..." Issei trailed off.
It was almost insulting how quickly his mother agreed, happy that he was going to start exercising. It wasn't like he'd really been out of shape before!
Either way, if his life really was going to be like a video game, he was going to use it to the fullest.
IHPEIHPEIHPEIHPEIHPE
Issei was exhausted. It had taken hours to finish cleaning out the garage and shed. On the other hand, as he focused on the corner of his vision, he did see a series of messages that made things a little better.
[Strength Attribute raised to 17.]
[Vitality Attribute raised to 19.]
[Vitality Attribute raised to 20.]
[Vitality Attribute raised to 21.]
Considering the maximum human attribute was twenty, they were raising rather fast. Then again, it also said that was for normal humans, and he wasn't, he guessed. Perhaps that was considered low for him, like in an MMO?
Issei looked around the shed. He'd cleaned out the structure and swept the cement floor. It was a large shed, four by four meters in dimensions. He would be able to work with this. As he thought, he ran his fingers through his hair, looking around. A table for studying, some exercise equipment, and it'd be nice. Though cold in the winter.
There was a Mage job, perhaps he'd be able to create a warming spell or something, down the line?
Stretching, he headed into the house, and waved to his mom, "Hi, mom. I'm finished sweeping out the garage and shed. I need a shower." As he spoke, he headed upstairs to do just that.
Emerging from the bathroom, Issei headed into his room. He had to study, if he was going to get into Kuoh. Some of the other boys talked about how it was a perfect school to meet girls, as it used to be an all-girls school till recently. While Issei really liked the idea of meeting girls, the main reason he wanted to get into the school was a lot more simple: the school had an awesome computer gaming club. And now with this game thing, their kendo club would be fun too. Maybe he'd get what was it, a prestige job, like an Arcane Knight or something!
Yeah, even he had to admit that he was a complete dork sometimes.
Carefully picking books from his bookshelf, Issei organized his studies. He'd do Japanese, History, Maths, then Sciences. He'd round out the evening with a bit of English.
As he studied, he ignored the dialog box that occasionally popped up. He could look at those after, he didn't want to get distracted. He found it strange how much easier studying seemed to be, though.
After a few hours, Issei relaxed, pushing his books aside and closing them. He sighed, tired not only physically but mentally. He glanced at the alerts, and blinked as he noticed a new quest.
[Intelligence Attribute raised to 14.]
[Intelligence Attribute raised to 15.]
[Scholar Job raised to 3.]
[Quest Received: Pass the Kuoh Academy Exams. Rewards: Awakened Boosted Gear, Mage Job, ¥25,000]
That lets me get the Mage Job, that would be so cool! Definitely have to study. I have a few months until the entry test, it's on January 2nd... Issei's thoughts whirled. He was definitely going to study and work hard.
IHPEIHPEIHPEIHPEIHPE
As the months passed, Issei continued to study. He wanted to not only do well on the test but ace it. This Dragon's Game thing seemed to have increased his normal competitiveness. Or perhaps it was just a dragon thing in general.
He also kept exercising, using the money he'd gotten from his quest as well his allowance to purchase some used exercise equipment. He focused more on agility training, as he knew his strength and stamina would raise regardless thanks to his sacred gear, whatever that was. It still hadn't 'awakened'. When he was practicing gymnastics and trying to sneak around a bit, he did pick up the Rogue Job, though. After an attempt to lie to his mom, he gained the Diplomat Job as well. So that was fun.
His attributes did start to rise more slowly as time passed. Probably because he was simply human, even if enhanced. They didn't stop increasing, however.
Soon, it was time for the Kuoh Entrance Examinations. Issei looked around curiously as he went through the gates. He spotted one or two people from his old school, though none he knew very well. Heading into the building, he stopped at one of the desks in front of the large testing room, speaking quietly to the girl sitting at the desk, a slender, dark-haired girl wearing glasses. "Issei Hyoudou." She gave him a small card after he signed a form, and went to take the exam.
It was easy.
As he left the room, he was given a few message by the system and a rush of power filled his body. And floating text bloomed into existence all around him.
[Quest completed: Pass the Kuoh Academy Exams. Rewards: Awakened Sacred Gear, 1 Level of Mage Job, ¥25,000]
[Fifteen total Job levels gained. Status System Unlocked. Dungeons Unlocked.]
[New Help is available: Dungeons, Mage Job, Status System.]
Including one, very interesting one as he passed the table he signed in at.
[Sona Sitri]
[Pureblood Devil]
[Heiress to House Sitri]
What the heck?
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Later that afternoon, two people sat in the Kuoh student council office, talking. "So, are there any promising applicants, Sona?" asked a red-headed girl.
"There were a few that stood out. One girl named Aika Kiryuu had a very good score, and I sensed a bit of spiritual potential when she signed herself in. She's probably the descendant of a shrine priestess." The girl, presumably Sona, looked through the papers, thinking, "I detected something from Saji Genshirou when he checked in as well. I think it might be a sacred gear." Listing off the names, she continued, "Also a boy named Issei Hyoudou. He received a perfect score on the entry examination and there was something off about him. I'm not entirely sure what, though. I think I felt a surge of power when he was leaving the testing center. He might be someone to look out for as well, Rias."
"Hmmm. I might look into the girl as I need someone with magical talent other than Akeno. Though a sacred gear is tempting too, I'll have to think on that. If the other one is that smart, he might be better suited for you, Sona," Rias stated, tapping her lips.
"Depending on how he behaves, you might be right. He seemed nice enough when I spoke. I did see him staring at a few girls, but no more than any other teenage boy. Unlike another pair I dealt with, who were simply creepy. I felt dirty after speaking to them. I'm tempted to block their entry. Neither had any sign of potential."
Rias shrugged, "If they lack potential, I leave that to you. Can you give me Kiryuu and Genshirou's records to look over?"
Sona offered the other girl two folders, "These are copies, so feel free to keep them," she noted. "This was a good year though, we have some good applicants."
"I knew it'd be a good idea to open the school up to boys. One possible sacred gear user so far is good, and whatever talents Hyoudou has," Rias told Sona.
"The most difficult part was convincing Serafall-neesan," Sona said with a shudder.
Rias shuddered in sympathy. Her brother was just as bad.
IHPEIHPEIHPEIHPEIHPE
Meanwhile, Issei was just arriving at home. Heading up to his room, he settled down and thought, Help Dungeons. Help Mage Job. Help Status System.
[Dungeons are locations in the world where the dream world overlaps with reality, creating places you can fight powerful creatures. Isn't that fun? Fighting in a dungeon yields more results than training outside a dungeon, and treasure within a dungeon can be quite lucrative in many ways. A warning: dungeons are rare and don't last long, so are a precious commodity. Don't be a dork and waste them!]
[Those with the Mage Job manipulate raw magic. Obvious, right? Casting magical spells requires both precision and magical power. The more skilled you are, the less magic your spells require, at least up to a point. A beginner mage can manipulate magic in simple ways, able to throw pure magic at a foe, though this is wasteful. A mage may also transform magic into whatever element he has an affinity for. More skilled mages can do this for any element, though a mage's affinities will always be easier for the mage. Practice makes perfect, and imagination is key for this form of magic. A mage may do anything within his or her skill level with some practice, but learned spells are easier and will cost less mana to use.]
[What is a life-based MMO game without status bars? When you look at people and some objects, you will see a name and status bar over them. This is very useful, as it's nearly impossible to fool a status bar, allowing you to see through most forms of invisibility and disguise or detect most hidden things.]
Issei considered. He lifted his hand and concentrated, imagining. Just like in the stories. This should be simple! After a few moments, a ball of light formed in his hand and he released it and it hovered there, floating. "I did it!"
[You have learned the spell: Orb of Light]
"This is going to be so cool," Issei decided. Now to figure out how to do various things you could do in games, and hope they worked.
IHPEIHPEIHPEIHPEIHPE
In the next week, Issei practiced and experimented, mostly with magic but some sword fighting at a local dojo. It went well for the most part. Sure, there was the time when he tried to create a flaming sword and burned his hand to the bone (he is sure that he'll be able to do that down the line!) or the time when he was in the woods and nearly caused a tree to fall on him.
But all in all, it's been a good week. He's learned some spells, gotten a few levels in his Mage and Warrior jobs, and had a few ideas on spells he might be able to do when he became more skilled. His favorite spells included the one that let him walk on walls, which he rather geekily called Spider Climb, and the one that allowed him to teleport short distances, which he called Blink.
Now, if only he could figure out how to create that flaming sword. He supposed that the fact he had to not burnhimself made it harder. He had also been looking for a dungeon, but hadn't found any yet. The help did say they were rare, perhaps they were very rare, or had some sort of condition to be found.
Issei finally got the official results in the mail: he was accepted into class 1-A and had gotten a perfect score on the entry examination.
Even as he put the paper down on his desk, he was mentally cheering.
[Issei Hyoudou
Human
Age 16
Health: 1080
Stamina: 1100
Magic: 980
Strength: 47
Vitality: 61
Agility: 24
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 40
Perception: 28
Will: 49
Jobs:
Archer 1
Diplomat 1
Mage 5
Rogue 2
Scholar 8
Warrior 5
Spells:
Blink, Fireball, Firebolt, Ice Trap, Orb of Light, Spider Climb, Unlock
Qualities:
Boosted Gear, Draconic Charisma, Draconic Will, Gamer's Body, Gamer's Mind]