EDIT III: THIS IS THE LAST ONE I SWEAR! I got a new beta, ekaterina016, you can go check out her fics! She was really helpful!

Previously known as To Fasten and Sulture because I am an idiot.

Yes, it's another gamer fic. Yes it was inspired by the Dark Wolf Shiro. Hopefully I manage to make my fic a little more unique?

Edit: There were a few mistakes here and there, so I thought I might as well fix it.

Edit 2: I need to stop with these edits. But some of you peeps gave me wonderful ideas and I could not leave my first chapter like that. Added one more scene, but the story is the same plotwise. Fixed the level up message errors.

I OWE NOTHING!

"Why? Why me?!"

Why? It might be all those unexplained absences you took? Don't tell me you have forgotten how you refused to meet up with the official physician during every single check-up? On top of all that, I have received countless claims from your direct supervisor that you have been taking loans of god knows how much money from shady companies.

You are too 'risky' of an employee. Honestly, you should have realized what was happening the moment you received a written reprimand. They only start doing that when they want a paper trail going, which you would know if you attended all of the classes we told you to!

We can't have such an irresponsible person going ahead and causing a scandal, you know? That will totally ruin the company's good name.

'Why? Just why was someone as incompetent as you on the board at all?', is what I really want to ask him. Alas, due to certain laws, I cannot tell this obese man exactly what I felt about his incompetent ass. Wrongful termination cases can be scary, and I am not putting my promotion on line for him,of all people.

"Listen, Joffrey, you have already failed to complete your Performance Improvement Program (PIP) twice. You were told to complete your PIP, which is a perfectly reasonable request by the way, and you straight up refused. Twice. Furthermore, you have taken several unexcused leaves."

I pause for a second here, enjoying the look on his face. It has turned into this very interesting shade of puce. His mouth moves open and close, looking like a huge, ugly goldfish which should have been flushed down the drain a long time ago.

"With that said, seeing you have been serving this company faithfully for the last ten years, I believe a voluntary resignation, rather than a disciplinary eviction, would better suit both of our interests."

"W-Wait!" He stutters. "Is there truly nothing you can do…?" the man, who has the misfortune of being named Joffrey Lancaster, pauses for a second, and visibly struggles with himself.

"A-At the very least, I should be given some more time to settle my affairs," he continues, a little more confident at the lack of any reprisal. "I need to save a little more money for my daughter's…"

'Need some more time?' Did this idiot even read his contract?

You only get a month, man, no matter what you say now. I can't let you breach the contract, even with a mutual agreement. It will be too much of a pain, and allow you to sue the company.

And as for his daughter, does he think I was running a charity? I don't give two fucks about him or his daughter.

I let him continue to ramble, though, allowing him to build up some steam. Why? Because telling him that he is fired after he pretty much convinces himself he is safe is much funnier.

Hey, I had to get my share of fun from time to time too.

Dealing with all of the weeping and wailing fools, reciting the same story again and again, is a serious pain in my ass. There are always people like him, desperately trying to cling to the company like leeches.

Of course, I admit there are places where crying and begging may have worked, but Joffrey, aren't you being a little too shameless? Didn't you call me a 'heartless monster', 'pet dog' and 'cyborg' just yesterday?

Who's the one with a stick up his ass now, Mr. Lancaster? Mind reminding me about that again?

If he really thinks I am the 'forgive and forget' type, then he is going to have a nasty surprise heading his way.

'Ah, I can't wait for this farce to end.'

Following the re-consolidation through layoffs of this department, I'll probably shoot up the corporate ladder and get the chair for the director of human resources in a few months.

My life should have been smooth sailing.

…should have been.

Three months later, in a surprising turn of events, a man named Joffrey Lancaster was arrested for killing the Director of Human Resources of the company he used to work for…

'Feeling your skull cave in due to being bashed with a rock is the worst feeling ever. 3/10 – would not recommend. At least now I know why the previous director told me to watch my back at his farewell party.'

You know, I was reasonably certain I would go straight to heaven when I died.

Sure, at times I might have acted as an asshole, but really, I was a decent person all in all. I donated all of my money to charities in my will… oh, well, looks like I 'forgot' to include my wife in it. Well, damn.

So, anyway, I had never committed a crime, and was an ideal citizen to boot. I should be the first in line to heaven, and anyone saying otherwise is a filthy liar.

And that was precisely why I was so confused.

[Please Enter Your Name]

'Was this a practical joke of some sort? is a goat headed demon going to jump out from behind this screen and yell, "Gotcha!" the moment I enter my name?'

I don't trust this. I don't trust this screen at all. But it doesn't look like anyone else is coming here. I turn around cautiously, hoping to spot something different, but the damn screen is always staying right in front of my face.

From what little I could see, there was nothing else here, just me. And this screen. Where is the old white-bearded dude or the sexy goddess who's supposed to give me my exposition?

'Maybe… I should wait for the goddess some more?'

Yeah, this thing is not working out anymore. Nobody is coming here, and I am getting very, very bored.

I glare hatefully at the screen, which is still very much on my face. 'Alright then, I will play your game for now.'

I quickly type in my gamer tag, back from my Otaku Days.

[Welcome to the Game, Kaito Kutsuki!]

'Huh, so it does accept fake names.' If I had known that earlier, I would not have called myself "Rotten Tree in the Middle of Plum Trees".

Then again, maybe I am dying right now, and this is all just an illusion or a hallucination my brain cooked up for me. Though if that is the case, then my brain must be the weirdest fucking place which has ever existed.

[Kaito Kutsuki]

[The Gamer]
Level – 1
EXP – 0/100
[Tier: Mortal]

HP – 200
HPR – 2

MP – 200
MPR – 2

[Class – None]

STR – 10
VIT – 10
INT – 10
WIS – 10
DEX – 10
CHA – 10

Points: 0

SKILLS:

Gamer's Mind (Passive) – Level: MAX
Description: Allows the user to live reality as a video game. As such, the user can calmly and logically think through any situation. Grants Immunity to Psychological Effects.

Gamer's Body (Passive) – Level: MAX
Description: the user is given a body which functions as if in a video game. As such, all HP, AP and Status Effects are recovered after sleeping. If the user sleeps in a proper bed for at least 7 hours, their Condition is improved.

Observe (Active/Passive) – Level: 1
Description: Created through continued observation. This skill allows the user to gain information on any object or being. Active use increases the amount of information observed. Higher levels increase the amount of information given during active use.
Cost: Free

[Tip!]

Observe is currently only at Level 1, but can be levelled up by using it repeatedly. As with your Attributes, they develop quickly at lower levels, and are much harder to develop at higher levels.

'…is this some kind of shitty joke?! What is all this shit even supposed to mean? Live life like a game character? If this is true then God must be a troll! And not the internet kind – the one who lives in a cave, hates sunlight and is very dumb kind of troll.'

[Choose a Class]

[Warrior] [Mage] [Rogue] [Support]

'Hello. I would like to go speak to your manager now! the game is not user friendly at all. Hell, this is like the worst game design I have seen in a long time. There is no explanation, no backstory and I am sure the plot would be absolutely garbage too.'

I glare at the screen, still flashing by innocently, when suddenly, I feel the explanations and uses of these… stats flow right into my skull, alongside the various complex calculations this 'game' uses to calculate them in the background.

Here is your explanation of the various attributes listed on the Stats screen, sucker.

Title – This is your current titles. Titles are granted when you meet certain conditions and can grant special bonuses.

Tier: Not every level is the same, you know! In order to prevent the numbers from crossing the 250 mark, we present to you the Tier System! Currently, your tier is Mortal! the value of attribute points, the amount of experience you gain is all dependent on your tier. How do you increase your tier? Get beyond Level 1 and then we will talk.

Level – This is your current level. Levels are the main way to measure power. Levels can be increased by earning experiences points. Level up to increase your maximum HP and MP, and get five extra stat points to your main stats. Of course, it is not completely accurate. Sometimes, a person who does not have the required stats for a level but have a super rare cheat skill, so stay sharp!

Experience Points (EXP) – This tells you how much experience you have accumulated and how much you need for your next level up. Experience points can be gained from defeating your opponents and completing quests. for every level, the experience points required to level up are double the previous one. To reach Level 2, you need 100 EXP; to reach Level 3, you need 200 EXP, and so on.

Health Points (HP) – Health Points determine how much damage you can take in battle before falling. As you take damage, your current HP will drop. If you drop to 0, you will lose consciousness or die, depending on the circumstances. You can recover HP by resting, using items, or sleeping.
Health Points Regeneration (HPR) – Health Points Regeneration affects how much HP you recover passively. It is measured in minutes.

Mana Points (MP) – Mana Points measure the amount of magic you have. Spells, as well as certain special skills and items all require mana. You can no longer cast spells when you run out of mana.
Mana Points Regeneration (MPR) – Mana Points Regeneration affects how much MP you recover passively, measured in minutes.

Strength (STR) – Strength determines how physically strong you are. This translates to how hard you can swing a weapon, how much weight you can lift, and how many things you can fit into your inventory. Do you even lift?

Agility (AGI) – Agility determines how quickly you move. This directly affects speed and reflexes, which are some of the most important combat statistics. How fast can you go?

Vitality (VIT) – Vitality measures how tough you are. This determines your HP, your HP Regeneration and your resistance to physical ailments. Come at me bro!

Dexterity (DEX) – Dexterity measures your body coordination. This affects your reflexes and your hand-eye coordination with ranged weapons, among other things. So you think you can dance?

Intelligence (INT) – Intelligence determines how smart you are. This affects your learning rate along with Maximum MP. Most spells are dependent on Intelligence. Joke? What do you mean, 'joke'?

Wisdom (WIS) – Wisdom determines how you utilize your knowledge. This also affects your perception, intuition, and MP Regeneration. The Answer is always 42.

Charisma (CHA) – Charisma is a pretty broad stat which measures your ability to 'charm' people. Sometimes, it might be possible to skip fights entirely by talking or even charming your opponents by hitting them repeatedly. All hail Ninja Jesus!

Points – These are the number of points you have to allocate to your main attributes.

Condition – This determines your current state of being. It directly affects how well you perform.

Credits – This is how much money you currently have. It is possible to convert this into any currency from any world. Just don't ask me where they come from.

Classes – This might just be the most important characteristic in your page. If your level determines your growth, then your class determines the direction of your goal. A class makes gaining additional points in its attributes easier, and also provides you with skills when you reach a certain level of proficiency with them. Most good classes have prerequisites, like already having another class or skill to unlock them.

Furthermore, you shall have access to an 'inventory' a pocket dimension to store most of the stuff you gather. Most of the gamers are essentially pack rats, just due to this skill. Though I swear I will remove the important shit in inventory if you start shoving random things as 'spoils of war'.

With this system, you shall be sent to another world for no particular reason. Consider yourself lucky.

You would not have liked where you were going.

'That doesn't sound ominous at all.'

Also, did this thing just read my mind? That's a gross and unwelcome intrusion of my privacy, and normally I would kick its digital butt so hard its motherboard could feel it but… 'Holy fuck I was getting reborn!'

And it was not just the bog-standard 'getting reborn', which in itself was pretty amazing as it is – I was getting reborn with 'cheat mode' on.

With that being said, it was no longer prudent to antagonize this 'game'.

I was intimately aware of just how many ways the administration could fuck things up for someone.

After all, didn't I get a large number of people fired just because they annoyed me? It would be pretty disastrous if this game decided to throw me back to the place where I was going.

'So… do your best, game!'

[…]

Ah, it looks like I still haven't chosen my class.

Mage seems to be the option most well suited for me. I could always learn to punch people in the face or stab someone's back with a knife, but I had no idea how to go about summoning the power of nature to destroy the crap out of someone.

The reasoning might seem simple and illogical, but the fact magic was just cool might have factored in my decision-making process. Despite being what must be the most clichéd choice, there was just something different about being the mage.

[Kaito Kutsuki]
[The Gamer]

Level – 1
EXP – 0/100
[Mortal]

HP – 200
HPR – 2

MP – 200
MPR – 2

[Class – Mage]

STR – 10
VIT – 10
INT – 10
WIS – 10
DEX – 10
CHA – 10

Points: 5

[Your Starting World Has Already Been Selected]

[Beginning Consciousness Transfer in 5…]

[4…]

[3…]

[2…]

[1…]

[0!]

And then, quite suddenly, I was slumped over a desk in what appeared to be a perfectly ordinary classroom. I almost jumped out of my chair, but then the memories of Kaito Kutsuki slammed into me with all the force of a truck sending another sucker out of the world.

"Oi, Kutsuki! Are you trying to sleep here?!" A woman, presumably the teacher, had noticed me.

She seemed to be in her mid-twenties, and was staring at me. She was mildly attractive, especial with her deep purple, almost black hair framing her cute face. Despite her angry tone, she almost looked concerned. [Observe].

[Fukui Naoko]
Level 6
[Homeroom Teacher]

I glance at her name for a second time, trying to make out whether she is in any way plot relevant. She wasn't. So, since she was clearly unimportant in the grand sale of things, I ignored her.

After all, taking care of the jumbled mess of Kaito's memories was much more important than trying to pay attention to this woman.

Hell, I had already gone through this hell years ago. I shake my head. No time to be distracted right now, given I've repeated the word 'hell' twice already in my head.

I delve into Kaito's memories, and well, uh… damn.

There were a few problems here. First, Kaito lived in Kuoh Town, and studied in the prestigious Kuoh Academy, which had only just begun accepting boys.

'This was bad. This was really, really bad.'

It meant this was DxD.

This was the anime series where stray Devils and homicidal exorcists regularly murdered regular humans. This was the universe with the 'Hero Faction', the human supremacist faction which liked murdering humans an awful lot for a 'human supremacist'. Furthermore, Lovecraftian monstrosities were going to attack this world at some point in the future. Why? Because plot.

And speaking of plot, in this fucking world, and pardon me if that sounds a tad hypocritical, the protagonists were just given more and more power for no particular reason.

They were all a bunch of dumbasses who got away with doing stupid. Like the power-up Issei got from poking Rias' tits.

'Almost makes me wonder why I watched this show.'

"…who am I even kidding, it was for the tits," I murmur in English.

And I was right in the middle of this train wreck. I was in Kuoh Town, studying in Kuoh Academy. Yes, I could try to quit this school, but there were several problems with that.

"Kutsuki! KUTSUKI…!" the annoying woman continued screaming.

Abruptly leaving school might draw the attention of Devils to me. 'Which could be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on how I go about the storyline. for now, though, I should probably avoid drawing much attention on me, at least until I decide whether to become a Devil or not.'

Kaito was a good student, and there was no good reason for him to suddenly drop his schooling. Kuoh Academy was the most prestigious school in Kuoh, so I couldn't really say I had found a better school either.

If those idiots notice me before I am strong enough to refuse or join their peerage on my own terms, they might just try to force me into it. Or maybe try manipulating me to get me in their peerages.

Rias with her dumb marital problems might just get anxious for a new member. Therefore, my first objective was to get to as high a level as possible…

[Quest!]

Git Gud!

Objective: Reach Tier II: Elite by the Start of Canon []
Bonus Objective: Reach Tier III: Champion by the Start of Canon
Rewards: 100,000 EXP
Bonus Rewards: '?'

'Judging by this quest, I can assume reaching Tier II should be enough to survive the encounter with Raynare – and with Tier III, I might just be approaching the level of a high-class Devil with their peerage. But the fact I have no idea what level is required to advance a tier, or how much time is left for canon to start, complicates things.'

The second problem with this new life was Kutsuki Kazuki, who filled in for the token abusive parent role.

'Of course, it was kinda' my mother's fault.'

You see, he was a Japanese person who really loved his Japanese wife, Asuka. And then she died while giving birth to Kaito, a blonde haired, red eyed brat. Nobody in either of their family tree had blonde hair, and Kaito grew up to look nothing like Kazuki, who himself had black hairs and eyes.

'I am sure you can see why that might be a problem.'

While Kazuki was not physically abusive, he was a dick. One big, useless ball of negativity who got cucked by a foreigner and just could not get over it. The only reason I was not an orphan was because Asuka, my 'mom' was from a pretty rich family, and the previous Kaito was a meek little wallflower. She had gone ahead and set up a trust fund for him with almost all of her family fortune.

Naturally, the moment Kazuki found out about that, he no longer wanted to dump me. Instead he 'wanted to be a loving dad' and reached the logical conclusion he had to quit his job and lived comfortably in my mother's house as a trustee 'to take better care of Kaito'.

And he did take great care of me. One of his favorite games was to tell me exactly how he was draining the account my mother had set up.

We had a wonderful time discussing about how the account would pretty much be empty the bank account by the time I turn eighteen.

Now, it would be fair to say I had no particular use for money. The show was quite clear about how everyone from the Supernatural was insanely affluent. But it was my money. Mine, not his.I refused to just let him get anything from me, even though it would be easier to just let it go.

As things were now, he should be fairly manageable if I just stay away from my house. Currently, he was the low-priority side quest.

[Quest!]

Home Run!

Objective: Get Rid of Kazuki
BONUS Objective I: Get rid of Kazuki legally
BONUS Objective II: Get rid of Kazuki without using any supernatural powers
Rewards: 50,000 EXP
Bonus Objective I: ?
Bonus Objective II: ?
All Bonus Objectives Cleared: [All According to the Keikaku] Skill

'Well, since getting rid of him will now give me more than satisfaction, I should quickly think up a way to legally fuck him over.'

"Alright, that's it. Get out of my class!" the banshee, who had probably been trying to get my attention for some time now, screamed.

'Looks like today is my lucky day.'

I pick up my stuff, and stand up. The teacher, who was just about to say something else, stopped.

'Ah, it seems like she was not serious. Though now that I have stood up, it would be pretty awkward to sit back down as if nothing happened.'

I could feel the hostile gazes of my classmates sitting all around me. Some of them were shocked, some were confused, but most of them looked pretty angry.

A quick peek through Kaito's memories tells me why. The teacher who I was insulting, Ms. Naoko, was just twenty-five years old. She was well endowed, and a genuinely kind and helpful person.

Unsurprisingly, almost all of the male students were infatuated with her.

A bunch of idiots, am I right?

Not really my would be hell to pay later, I could feel it. I was just throwing away any and all 'connections' I might have made here.

But you know what? All these things were irrelevant, provided you consider the fact I could die just because of encountering a random stray Devil trash mobs at any time. I had no intention of dying in this life, which was full of ways to become immortal. And to do that, I needed to be strong enough to prevent another untimely death. And unless I plan to die as quickly as I did last time, I needed to level up – that is, I needed to kill people and clear quests. And to do that, I had to get out right now.

'Sure, goes a little against my choice of lying low, but I feel like I would die if I sat still for another second,' I think giddily as I walked out of the stunned classroom.

This reminded me so much of the time when my father, the previous one, said there would be a puppy for me by the time I reach home from school. I remember practically vibrating on my seat with excitement at that time.

While the school did have a security guard to prevent us from playing hooky, getting past him was just a matter of confidence. Hell, just acting all self-righteous was enough to trick him. There was a chance this would fail; however, I would have just dumped my points on agility and ran.

Thankfully, the guard was idiotic enough to just let me walk out without even bothering to consult a teacher.

'Incompetent idiots, the lot of them.'

Whistling merrily, I get outside of school and walk towards a random direction. 'Now, what should I do? …maybe I should have thought this part some more.'

'What an annoying day.' Sona sighed.

Normally, she would be with her peerage at this time, having some fun drilling teamwork into their thick skulls.

'But, then again, normally, Fukui there would not even think about entering the Student Council's office with a request.' Naoko never complained about anything, ever. She even ignored the Perverted Trio, for hell's sake. 'It looks like today is shaping up to be one of those days.'

"Essentially," Sona sighed, again, "Kutsuki grabbed his bag, walked out, right in front of you, and you did not say a thing. And now, instead of punishing him yourself, you want me to deal with his punishment."

Sona was not new to doling out punishment. Her own peerage had required a lot of... disciplinary actions before they were able to function properly as a single cohesive unit. As the Student Council President, she considered it her responsibility to punish the disruptive elements, be they teacher or students.

Not that she had to 'punish' people often. Since the last few months, the only students who required to be punished were 'The Perverted Trio'. The rest of them had learned quickly just how creative Sona could get with her punishments.

'Speaking of the Perverted Trio, maybe Rias will let me expel them now?' Those idiots would have been sent packing a long time ago if Rias did not find them amusing.

'Gremories,' she thought,' their whole clan are full of perverts. Still, not expelling them is a small concession to make if it gets her out of the important school affairs.' Rias did technically own half of the school, after all.

She still wished they could convince their siblings to let them stay separately, but apparently, they believed it would be much safer if the siblings of the two Satans and their peerages were at the same place.

'Oh, I digress.'

Sona was aware of Kaito's actions in the class, there was not much which went on the school her familiars couldn't pick up. She had even thought of an appropriate punishment.

But… it felt like the teacher was just pushing her work off to Sona. "Is it not your job as a teacher to try your best to prevent any such thing from happening and to give out appropriate punishment if someone does break the rules?"

Naoko flinched at the young Devil's words.

"But… But he was acting so rudely!" the adult woman whined, "Normally, he is such a well-behaved boy; I could not believe he was really going to…" her voice trailed off there for a few seconds, and then her eyes brightened. "The guard!" she exclaimed, "Wasn't it his duty to make sure no student gets out? I was sure he would be sent back from the gate, so I was not worried."

Honestly, she should not be act so relieved. It was very clear this was not her original reasoning and she had just thought of this as an excuse.

"That might be true," Sona admits grudgingly, "I suppose it is not entirely your fault you were incompetent enough to let him out of your class at all."

Naoko stands there for a few minutes, looking very annoyed at Sona. She opens her mouth, and then remembers Sona's parents owned the school, and the girl could easily get her fired. She shot her a contemptuous look, swallowed her words and walked away.

'This was the worst day.'

Days like these, Sona wondered whether her dream of building a school for the new Devils was worth it. Hell, just trying to run this school filled with humans was giving her enough of a headache.

"Kaichou?" Tsubaki, her Queen, interrupted her musings, "I believe you should calm yourself." the Vice-President raised the glass full of water she was holding, letting Sona see the liquid swirling around like a whirlpool.

'Oops.'

"Ah, sorry Tsubaki, I was just a little annoyed… Well, it doesn't really matter now." Sona groused.

"Just be careful." Tsubaki giggled. "You don't want people thinking another earthquake is happening, or do you?"

Sona blushed at the mention of that incident. A student saw the water in his bottle wobbling around, and then started screaming about an earthquake. So many memories to wipe, and in the end, Sona wasn't even sure she got everyone in the end.

Wait, didn't she command Tsubaki to never mention this incident ever again?

Sona, being the gracious King that she is, decided to let this slide for now. On an unrelated note, it looked like Tsubaki needed a little more training in using Mirror Alice.

'It should be possible to set up more than one shield, and not getting blasted by a lot of water might just be the motivation she needs to do it. Sacred Gears respond to the user's desires, don't they?'

As for Kaito, even though it annoyed her he just straight up went and left her school, without even informing her, she could not really do anything for now. Tomorrow? Tomorrow,Kaito better have a valid explanation. Otherwise, he might just get a remainder why it was only the Perverted Trio who really tried to break the rules.

Tomorrow would probably be fun. Well, fun for everyone except Kaito.

Right now, though, she had a guard to fire.

"Thank you for the business, sir." the clerk bows down, surprising me a little.

'I still couldn't believe they did that.'

I walk out of the pet shop, a goldfish in a bag. I probably should have chosen a dog, or a mammal or something, but frankly, even I don't feel like killing a young puppy. Goldfish, though, they had a special place in my heart ever since Lancaster offed me. It was not a good place.

Once I am away from the pet shop, I throw the plastic bag down, watching the goldfish flop uselessly on the ground.

- …

Damn, looks like animals don't give any EXP. I could try to kill a dog, but it would be too troublesome to verify it.

I let out a groan of frustration. Seriously, grinding stats did not give me any skills, and was too slow. An hour of grinding with push-ups gave me like, three strength and one vitality? Killing animals does nothing too.

'What do you want me to do? Go around killing humans?'

[…yes. Yes, I do]

I groan out a few choice expletives. Who do I even kill? Just getting started was so annoying I was beginning to be scared of the mid-game.

Hear me out, I needed levels to not get killed at the start by all the assholes gunning for this town. To get my levels, I need to kill. But I could not go around killing people randomly. There was no 'dungeon' for me – neither was there an endless stream of 'acceptable targets' like, say Nazis or the Grimm.

I had no such convenient way to level up. Therefore, my next thought was, 'Why not go ahead and attack the Yakuzas? They have gangsters here, right?'

There were gangs here, but I couldn't do shit to them. They had guns, and I was still a normal-ass person. Plus, if I kill them in the amounts needed to clear my quest, then somebody was bound to find out about the 'Yakuza Killer' moving around. Summoning Devils to set up deals was a thing here, and it would be way too dangerous compared to the rewards.

So where do I get my EXP from?

I finally decided to go for the people nobody would miss. The dregs of society. The homeless and the beggars, living in empty alleyways nobody visits.

Nobody would mourn their deaths. I doubt anyone would even notice they were dead if their corpses weren't placed on an inconvenient place, at which point an average person would just nudge the corpse to the side and walk past. Callous? Sure, it might be, but it's not like these guys had any future in this bleak world.

If not me, then a random stray Devil might kill them. Those apparently played a lot before eating their victims and look like eldritch abomination made of randomly sewed animal and human parts. At least these guys would get to see something nice before they die.

In my opinion, they might as well as help with my growth, instead of dying uselessly to a stray Devil.

The start went pretty well, too.

I observed a man with wild hair and patched-up clothing walk past me in the station. A quick [Observe] confirmed he was, in fact, a homeless person who nobody would miss. There was little hesitation before I followed him into a dingy little alley. Unlike the main road, there were almost no people in there.

The beggar himself was walking without a care, whistling a catchy tune, completely unaware of somebody following him. To be fair, he had no reason to be cautious; it was clear the beggar had nothing valuable.

I follow him for a while, making sure there was nobody near me. When I am right next to him, I close up on him and then put him in a choke-hold – or at least, the closest thing to a choke-hold I could perform. I put his neck near my elbows, and 'lock' the hold with the other arm.

"Gggh!" the man made a weird noise, and started bucking like a damn horse, trying to loosen my grip. He slammed his elbows down my ribs, taking out small chunks of HP from me. He continued struggling for some time, trying to smash me against a wall. His struggles got weaker and weaker with time, until eventually he fell on his knees, with my arms wrapped around his neck.

'God, this is an awkward position.' Nevertheless, I maintained it for some time, just in case he was just playing possum. After a few minutes, I hear a familiar 'ding'.

[Congratulations, you have killed Miyamoto Nori!]
[You have received 900 EXP!]

[You Have Levelled Up! You Have Levelled Up! You Have Levelled Up!]
[Congratulations, You have reached Level Four!]
[You Get the Skill [Magic Manipulation] for Reaching Level Four!]

'Nice. I wonder if I can make my own spells with that? As for the body, the inventory should be the perfect place for it!'

Things only got easier after the first kill.

Not emotionally, obviously – I never gave a shit about their death, but I soon had a pretty decent idea about how to go about killing people quickly and efficiently. I assure you, though they might be dead, these people would live on inside of me, as my EXP.

Some quick uses of inventory later, I had four dead bodies, a few thousand yen, and five spotless crime scenes. Since only four hours had passed since I left the school, there was plenty time for some more death and destruction to be spread.

[-40 Reputation with Fukui Naoko]
Current Reputation: -20

[-20 Reputation with Sona Sitri]
Current Reputation: -10

'What was Reputation again? It sounds fairly obvious, but I don't wish to skip something plot important and pay for it later.'

[Reputation Tracker] – It tracks your 'reputation' with the members of your sexual preference. And by reputation, I mean the overall thoughts about you which a character has. Naturally, reputation can only be reach 90. You need to complete special quests to get them to 100.

Wait, why am I getting negative rep now? Shouldn't I have gotten it back when I ran away? Or, I don't know, any time before this? You shitty game, I might have kept quiet about the crap game design while being isekai'd, but-

- Thwack.

A rock smashes against the side of my face, interrupting that line of thought real quick.

[-22 HP]

[You Have the Condition 'Stunned'!]
[The effects of Gamer's Mind have been reduced!]

The grip which I had maintained on the man's neck loosened, more due to shock than the force behind it. With a surge of strength which couldn't possibly be hidden in his wiry frame, he pushes me off his chest and backs as far away as he could.

Still a little shocked, I lied on my sides for some time.

Almost gingerly, I raise my hand and touch my temple. There was a dull throbbing pain over there. My hands were a little sticky with dried blood. Almost an eternity away, I see the brick he used fall near my feet.

'Oh. What the-'

I stare at the motherfucker who just chose death.

[Yoshiaka Katsu]

Level – 6

HP – 80/160

[Nameless Beggar]

Yoshiaka Katsu is a person who lost almost everything due to his gambling addiction. His family left him, and his house was seized due to his massive debt. Presently, he makes a living by begging from random people passing through the alley near the station. It was a perfectly normal day for him, when he asked a 'Gaijin (American) looking fuck' for money. The little fucker randomly decided to choke him.

Condition: Dazed. Free EXP.

Apparently, while I was distracted by the reputations, this man managed to get his hands around a piece of brick lying over here, and tried to smash my face with it.

'Was it irrational for me to be angry at him for hitting me with a rock when I was choking him?' It was obvious that despite being an incompetent useless burden of society, this person possessed a strong will to live, even if it required begging for money or foraging for food in the garbage cans, this man would try to live. Almost like a cockroach. 'You know what? Ordinarily, I'd respect that. But all you did was get me fucking pissed.'

The man was still standing there, wheezing and struggling for breath.

'He was thin,' I noticed for the first time, 'almost too thin.' His HP was lower than they should be for his levels, possibly due to living many years in the street. Keeping my eyes trained on him, I slowly get up and stretch to my full height. I was six feet tall in my previous life, and that seemed to have carried over.

The man slowly managed to regain his bearings. His pupils, still dilated due to adrenaline, moved erratically scanning the place over and over again.

I reached for the rock, the one which had my blood on it. It would be troublesome if someone finds my DNA anywhere near here.

'I knew this was going to get a lot messier than the previous homicides.'

"Inventory."

I watched as the man's confusion at the randomly muttered phrase turn into horror as my hand, and the brick in it, disappeared in a swirling distortion. His mouth opened and closed, eyes traveling up from the distortion to my face.

Then he screamed. It was a terrified, guttural scream which didn't belong to any animal, much less to the thin man in front of me. The man, who was scared shitless by now, decided to choose flight instead of fight. 'Too late for that, friend.'

"[Mana Ball]," I whisper, the first spells I had received from [The Mage] class. A small blue ball forms in my hands, greedily sucking in my mana.

[-20 MP]

The spell was pretty generic, just capable of 'pushing' the target away from its contact point, almost like a regular ball, but with a lot more impact. Still, the spell definitely had its uses.

The blue glowing ball of Mana flew like an arrow, straight towards the running man and hit him right in his knee, sending him tumbling to the ground.

'Falling face first on the ground must have hurt.'

With a smug expression, I slowly walk towards the man, my footsteps easily audible in the alley.

He turns around, now on his back, and tries to raise his head up, letting me see his tears and snot mixing with the blood running down his nose, which had twisted a little too much to the right. The useless worm tries to stand up when he notices my shadow, but I am already standing over him at this point. I grab him by his shirt, and slam his head back on the pavement.

[-10 HP]

"[Quick Equip: Rock. Left Hand.]"

I had a lot of time to tinker with the inventory. The rock appears suddenly in my right arm, and before the man could recover from getting slammed, I hit his already broken nose with my rock.

[-5 HP]

"Let me-"

- Smash!

[-5 HP]

"Tell you something-"

- Smash!

[-5 HP]

"Buddy."

- Smash!

[-10 HP]

"You don't get to hit me with a rock, okay?"

[-5 HP]

[-5 HP]

[-5 HP]

[-5 HP]

[Congratulations, you have killed Yoshiaka Katsu!]

[You have received 1000 EXP!]
[You Have Levelled Up! You Have Levelled Up!]
[Congratulations, You have reached Level Seven!]
[You Get the Skill [Reinforcement] for Reaching Level Seven!]

I smash the face of this beggar once more, his face looking more and more mutilated with every hit. Small white splinters broke through his nose, the blood flowing like little tributaries joining up with the big puddle of blood and piss on the ground. Bruises were already forming around his face, his bloodstained teeth scattering onto the ground.

'What a pain. Now I would have to go and pick them up.'

I doubt anyone would even be able to recognize his face after all this. Seeing the man lying down there, with his mutilated face and all, my mouth twists itself into a wild, feral grin. A chuckle or two escapes my mouth, and why was this so damn funny. Hysterical laughter bubbles up from my guts, the chortling slowly turning into full blown maniac laughter.

'Heh. Maybe I am more affected by my death than I think.'

[The Status Effect Dazed has been removed!]
[Gamer's Mind is Back!]

Almost immediately, I feel the hysteria fading away, leaving me feel sluggish and dull. 'Maybe I was a little too tired.' I doubt the five or so hours I spent looking for people to loot and kill were any good for my psyche.

[Let's see if you insult my game again. I wonder how much negative reinforcement it will take for you to stop with that.]

Still, I do have to put the dead body back inside my inventory. There is no murder investigation if there is no body, right? Right.

"Inventory."

My inventory is still full of dead men, and around 1800 yen… Unsurprisingly, around five dead beggars were only worth this much.

I go around and take out anything which can be lifted, broken teeth, small pebbles with blood on them. Nothing could be done about the blood now. I and wash my hands and face with the water bottle I had on me, making sure to wipe away all the stains with one of the other beggar's shirt. My school jacket was thoroughly ruined by the bloodstains, and I was not stupid enough to wear it ever again. Could never be sure whether Devils could smell the blood, after all.

Thankfully, my shirt was fine. It was a very cool shirt which I would hate to throw away.

"Stats."

[Kaito Kutsuki]

[The Gamer]

Level – 7

EXP – 200/6400

[Mortal]

HP – 880

HPR – 8.8

MP – 900

MPR – 8.4

[Class – Mage (7/25)]

STR – 15

VIT – 18

INT – 20

WIS – 14

DEX – 15

CHA – 17

Points: 35

It would be better to save them... Meh. I am not patient enough to grind my stats. Killing six regular humans netted me more stats than training for the same amount of time ever could. If I improve my stat gain, I improve my killing speed.

Time to look at my skills~

Skills:

Mage Skills

Mana Manipulation (Passive) – Level 3/10
The most important skill for any mage. Allows for the control of raw mana within the user's body to perform magic without using lengthy incantations or spell circles.

Mana Ball (Active) – Level 2/10
A skill made by Kaito Kutsuki while trying to replicate the Rasengan. Due to low mana manipulation, this 'spell' can only push objects away depending on the amount of mana pushed into it.

Reinforcement (Active) – Level 1/20
A spell which can conceptually improve upon any object by trying to fill up its 'deficiencies' with mana. Can only be used to provide a small boost in physical stats at this level.

The only thing that was clear was that I needed more mana.

After all, I was primarily a mage, despite my lack of any useful spells. To become more powerful, I need more spells, and since making spells were trial and error, they required large amounts of mana.

HP – 900

HPR – 9.0

MP – 1200

MPR – 8.5

[Class – Mage (7/25)]

STR – 15

VIT – 20 (+2)

INT – 50 (+30)

WIS – 15 (+1)

DEX – 15

CHA – 19 (+2)

Points: 0

[Skill Gained!]

Eidetic Memory [Max] – Can retain any information for as long as the gamer wishes. Never forget another birthday!

Hmm… maybe I should stop now. Four 'Perfect' murders out of five is not such a bad score.

I should get back to my house now. I need some sleep... and a shower. And I need to think of a better way to level up.

'Maybe I could complete my quests? the quests do give a lot more EXP then these beggars, and I can't fight stray Devils yet. So, the best way to jumpstart my levelling should be the second quest.'

Mentally drained, I walk back towards Kaito's… no, my house.

The evening sun slowly moved back for the night to come, carrying the souls of these beggars with them.

'The Chinese had it right. An interesting life sure is a curse.'

AN: Phew, I am finally done. Nothing much to say here, just please review so I get where I messed up, okay? And whatever shit my MC thinks up of, they are not my thoughts, okay?

Don't forget to review, and that's it really.

Oh yeah, I wanna thank the guys (and gals) at The Dark Wolf Shiro's Discord for helping me out. Thanks to, Raven for picking out a name, and thanks to Jarl Draven for dealing with me trying to pick up a summary. Bibbo (yes that one), Mirlmunir, Zedeff, Vuck L. Wolf, Vampclaw, Nayrcon and Mythology read through my story too! My first draft sucked a lot :'(

Now that I think about it, did I seriously show this to everyone on the server?