A/N - This is my second Fanfic ever, so bear with me please. I was mostly inspired by The Dark Wolf Shiro and Mirlnir's Gamer fics, so if you want to read well written fics, go check them out.

I do not own any of the of the franchises or characters used, bar my own character.

With that said, I hope you enjoy, and happy reading!

Since I was a child, I always loved the notion of magic. I searched in every library for books about the arcane, in every bookstore I found myself in, and many, many PDFs. And even when I got older, magic still fascinated me. But then, instead of merely fantasy books and journeys full of spells and mystique, I researched philosophy.

Perception is a beautiful thing. The awareness and openness of our perception of reality is glamorous, explendid, and a masterpiece made by the hands of something I can only call… divine. From every sound, sight, taste, touch, smell we have, to the phantom pains an amputee feels. All of them are perceived by our brains and processed into our awareness, feelings, senses. But our perception is, quite frankly, the farthest thing from reality.

How can I say that? Because, while the whole world has shunned and belittled me ever since I made a paper on that topic, I believe in magic. And what is magic? Simple and pure willpower. Want a feasible example? In my early teens, I watched a middle aged mother lift a car to save her infant from becoming squashed. Mind you, that woman was weak, and by that I mean, there wasn't a single muscle in her body. She was overweight and the years weren't gentle to her body. So how could she lift a car that weighed 1.4 tons, even momentarily?

The answer is simple, sheer, desperate, willpower. While scientists might say she "unlocked the full capabilities of the human body for a few moments", I believe she reinforced her body using magic to be able to lift the car. That she channeled some kind of energy to fortify her muscles. How? Because she willed reality to do so for her.

And you might ask me, then why the average Joe can't suddenly wing fireballs nonstop like a wizard in a DnD campaign with a lax GM? Because one requires a particular emotional state to gather enough willpower to bend reality. Let's go back to that woman's example. She was desperate, afraid and panicked to such an insane level of despair that she forced her will subconsciously on the world to do her bidding. And her "wish" was granted. All that because of the love for her child.

In my theory, magic happens when an individual has strong emotions that are connected by either love, or hate. Like a barbarian of old, channeling his rage to grant himself additional strength. Or the end of a quest for vengeance funneling the individual to be sharper, faster, keener.

But before I could finally prove my theory to the world, my life was cut short.

Fortunately, in my last moments, when I was bleeding on the ground having just been stabbed in the back with my knife by my assistant. I achieved it. The despair and panic ran in my veins the wish to live, the desire to finish my lifelong goal. I finally felt Magic.

I felt the pool of what I assume is Mana in the air, the bolts of energy coursing through every being, the bloodlife of reality and the tip of my fingers. I was so, so close.

Then nothing.

The individual who wasted his entire life searching for magic only found it a couple seconds before his death. And his knowledge of it was carried with him to his grave.

Ironic, Tragic if I may say so myself.

And after that sob story, you and I might have the same questions running through our minds.

How am I alive then?

Did I die? Is that it? Is this a dream? Am I dreaming? What is happening?

Congratulations, and yes, you are dead.

Why? Why!? I was so close, I felt it. I FELT it! It was right there! And that bitch killed me! WHY!? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN CONGRATULATIONS!? WHO AR-. Why am I suddenly so calm? Weird. Who are you, and what do you want from me?

You may call me "The Game", I congratulated you for your astounding achievement. Even if it was for fractions of a second, you were able to use magic without the patronage or interference of a Divine being. In my entire existence that has only happened exactly 3 times. You have gained a nanometer of respect from me for that.

That's… interesting I suppose, that doesn't answer my second question, though.

Sigh... you have been chosen as the 57th gamer, congratulations.

Gamer? As in Gaia's Chosen, like in the manhwa? I suppose I am being reincarnated to go with it.

No, I am something far superior to that system. But in layman's terms, yes. You are taking this surprisingly well.

I have a feeling you have something to do with that. Let me guess, Gamer's mind?

Guilty as charged.

Perks gained

[Gamer's Mind]

Your mind will calm itself in case of emotional overload.

Great resistance to psychological attacks.

[Gamer's Body]

Your body resembles that of a RPG character, restoring all scar tissue and wounds after a designated time.

Does not regenerate limbs.

Skill gained.

[Observe]

Gives a description of the target object or being.

[You have gained 0.00000001 reputation with the game!]

How convenient. I'm sure me being in a calm state of mind helps a lot with the information dump.

Were you not having a panic attack? How ungrateful. Child, I do not have the patience for dealing with you squeamish mortals.

Just get this over with.

If you insist, Choose your race.

[Human] [Random]

Just how variable is the random option? Are we talking ranges from amoeba to divine being, or anthropomorphic races only?

Normally it would be the former, but because of your achievement, I will make it anthropomorphic races only. Be grateful.

You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take, I suppose. Random it is.

[Protoss]

The protoss Firstborn are a sapient humanoid species native to Aiur. Their advanced technology complements and enhances their psionic mastery.

Additional 10% to INT

Able to communicate telepathically at will, but all psionic projection of speech is audible as if speaking with a mouth.

Does not need food to survive, all Protoss are able to photosynthesis and can survive long amounts of time without light.

Sin of Pride flaw automatically acquired,

[Racial Alignment pre-defined: Nerazim]

Able to permanently cloak at will.

Due to a severed connection to the khala, greater resistance to psychological attacks.

Due to Shakuras, your homeworld, being absent of light, your body has evolved to function in full capacity with minimum light absorption.

Unlocks Dark Templar skill tree after level 50.

Holy shit.

I'M FUCKING ZERATUL!

Lady luck, thank you very much! I swear when I get out of this I will make it my mission to make a shrine dedicated to you!

Seriously! It is almost too good to be tru-

Oh...

Game, can I know where I am supposed to go after this is finished?

And spoil the surprise? Why would I do that?

The roulette table pays nobody except him that keeps it... I guess I should have known the house would always win.

So many gambling references… I just hope this doesn't become a trope. Anyway, select a class.

[Fighter] [Rogue] [Ranger] [Mage] [Support]

Mage.

...That was fast, are you sure you don't want to think abou-

I said mage.

...Alright then. Select a specialization.

[Elementalist] [Druid] [Necromancer] [Warlock] [Summoner] [illusionist]

...Ok, let me think.

Because of my racial traits a int based class would be preferred, so try to choose a class that clearly benefits from it. Elementalist is a solid choice, but that takes me to the question of where I would get the necessary energy to bend the powers of nature. I can't just assume my mana will be able to change the composition of the air to be able to ignite it. And a pyromancer without a flame is useless. Geokinesis might be useful but in the endgame there is no way I would be able to win a fight by throwing rocks at my enemies, and the utility and crowd control is not worth the dip in combat abilities. Hydrokinesis falls under the same category as its counterpart, with no water around I'm useless and until I could control the air humidity I would probably be dead already. Cryo falls under the same category, unless it controls the ambient temperature, but I'm not willing to take the risk. Aerokinesis is the better choice in my eyes but I am not sure if I could use it in an extraterrestrial setting in the case the game is trying to bluff me into thinking I'm not going to the StarCraft universe, and I don't think a strong gust of wind can take down a carrier.

With that done, druid… all of the possible inspirations and skill systems I don't think I could use those powers in the StarCraft universe or anywhere set in the galaxies. Maybe the WoW variant, but it is still too risky.

Can you hurry up? I don't have all day here. Oh, well I do, but hurry up either way.

Necromancer is good, Really good. I really want to take this, but I would need a stable income of bodies, as that would be really difficult to get a hold of in the early game. And I might get a peaceful world, and becoming a mass murderer is way too much work for me.

And he's ignoring me.

Warlock would require either deals with demons and/or rituals. Both of those things are unwanted, if I don't have enough resources or enough charisma/strength to make a favorable deal with a demon or defeat it if the deal goes FUBAR, so I probably wouldn't be able to progress nearly as quickly as I would have liked.

Summoning might be good if I could take a secondary class later on, I'm assuming I can, so I'm leaving this alone for now, and crossing my fingers I am able to get it later.

The leaves out Illusions. I really need a way to make myself look human, and if this follows the DnD format I would have a lot of utility. Just gotta hope I don't get enemies with truesight early game.

Yup illusionist it is .

…

Game?

Oh? Are you done? Don't mind the one with power to turn mortals into Gods and vaporize them out of existence with a single thought. Take your time.

Ok, ok geez, calm down, yes I am done. I'm sorry for actually thinking about decisions that might affect my life years on end.

Oh please, half of your thoughts were either ridiculous assumptions or unreasonably paranoid considerations.

I did what I could with the information I had, would you give me more if asked?

Maybe, maybe not, but you already lost that opportunity. Illusionist it is. Now choose a specialization.

[Psychological] [Sensory]

So, mess with the target's mind, or mess with their body. Both of those bound to perception. But what is most valuable to take control of to make someone believe in something.

Huh, this takes me back to the good old debates about Rationalism and Empiricism. I thought both were essential, but if I would choose… Plato or Aristotle, the age-long question

You have 5 seconds to decide or I will lock your luck on 0 for a whole year.

Fuck. Sorry Plato, but I'm betting in Aristotle. Sensory it is.

Good. Here is your character sheet.

Mallory Le Blanc

Level 1

Class - Empirical Illusionist - LVL 1/100 [0%]

Race - Protoss (Nerazim)

Rank - Disciple

Alignment - Lawful evil.

STR - 10

END - 10

DEX - 10

INT - 11

WIS - 10

CHA - 10

LUK - 10

Mallory Le Blanc… this is new. But I can't remember my old one… I guess it will have to do. At least I know how to speak French, so I can at least justify the name. I hope my background will help with the alibi.

Other than that, I am pretty much your average Joe with a higher INT because of my race modifier. Cool, is that all?

Not yet. You can get a random perk, at the cost of a random flaw. Are you willing to take the risk?

I really shouldn't, but the gambler in me screams otherwise. Deal me a good hand, would 'ya?

Trait gained

[Zealot]

You are one who is full of zeal for his own specific beliefs or objectives, usually in the negative sense of being too passionate; a fanatic.

Perk gained

[Silver Tongue]

You have a very clever way with words, and know how to use them to either charm or manipulate anyone who you speak to.

Could be worse, should I push my luck once more? Why not.

Trait gained

[Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]

Excessive thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions).

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterised by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead to compulsive behaviours.

And now it plagues you for the rest of your life.

Perk gained

[Blessing of the Trickster God]

All Illusion spells cost 50% less and do double the psychological damage.

You have a natural understanding of how to use illusions to their full capacity.

I should have quit while I was ahead. While the blessing is incredibly good, I don't think getting OCD with it was worth it. No use crying over spilled milk, I suppose.

And that is all, for now. When you arrive at your destination, I will give you your first skills.

Alright then. Before I go, can I ask you something?

...Speak

Why did she kill me?

Money. A rich man offered to marry her if she killed you. She had no qualms killing The Madman of the City of Coffee and Tears. Pity she was short sided and got arrested the moment she got out of the building.

Madman huh? Foolish little girl. In the end, I was right! Fools! All of them! FOOLS! They choose to live a life of ignorance, but I know the truth! I felt it in my veins! Magic IS real! And I shall reap its benefits for the rest of my life! Maybe ignorance is bliss, but I pride myself in choosing the red pill! Morpheus, take me to the Nebuchadnezzar!

Heh, this will be interesting. You will be reincarnated in 5..

4…

3…

2…

1

Loading resources.

Trait added

[Sin of Pride]

Your race has conquered the stars and made entire races shudder in fear from merely mentioning you.

Is it a surprise you see yourself as superior?

Let the games begin!

I open my eyes. They are met by a starry sky, I admire its beauty for a couple seconds before a headache makes itself known.

I bring my right hand to my face and try to get up. I do so easily and notice my then notice there is something different about my hand.

I saw three fingers and one thumb, all of them clawed and ready to strike, my skin covered in scales and I knew it to be semi-permeable. It had a light grey tone with a touch of blue. I could hear and smell through it. And let me tell you, there is nothing more disorientating than suddenly having 2 of your senses transferred to another organ.

But even then, I could hear better than ever before, my sense of smell also had a significant upgrade, I could distinguish 2 Terrans, pardon me, humans at about 2 kilometers southeast. A male and a female.

I notice the clearing surrounding me, away from civilization. Probably in a rural area, I close my eyes and focus on my sense of sound.

I hear cars in the distance, about 3 kilometers west. A long walk awaited me, I suppose. But first... I had matters to settle.

Morpheus, can you hear me?

Yes I can, Le Blanc. And really? I don't mind the name, but a tad bit unoriginal, don't you think?

Yeah, yeah. Could I have my skills now? I would like to not be killed on sight by humans. I know I can cloak, but I might as well get familiarize myself with my new abilities.

Sure, just give me a moment.

Class Skills gained

[Optical Illusion] (Active)

Deceive the sight of a target. Costs 10 mana per second.

[Audible Illusion] (Active)

Imitate or muffle a sound in a 10 meter radius. Costs 10 mana per second.

[Alter Appearance] (Active)

Changes self to resemble an image of choice by the user. Cost negated by Blessing of the Trickster God.

Thank you, at least I will be able to walk normally within society. Could I see my stats again?

Mallory Le Blanc

Level 1

Hp - 100 - 1 hp regen p/second

Mp - 110 - 1 mp regen p/second

Class - Empirical Illusionist - LVL 1/100 [0%]

Race - Protoss (Nerazim)

Rank - Disciple

Alignment - Lawful evil.

STR - 10

END - 10

DEX - 10

INT - 11

WIS - 10

CHA - 10

LUK - 10

Wonderful, so I can hold an optical illusion for 12 seconds and I would already be out of mana. Humble beginnings, I guess.

Additional skills loaded and items loaded, adding them effectively immediately.

Skill gained.

[ID Create] (Active)

Creates an Instant Dungeon

Dungeons Available:

[Zombies] [Demons] [Angels]

Available to escape at will.

Item added to inventory

[Protoss Warp Blade] (Epic)

Psi-blades can cut through almost any material regardless of density, its Nerazim variant is much more powerful through infusing them with both Void energy and their burgeoning psionic power.

-Requirements: Exclusive to the Protoss Race.

Deal (50 INT) DMG.

Praise the Xel'Naga! I have my Psi-blade! Ah, It was a glorious day, the same day I severed my Nerve Chords. I still remember the speech Dark Prelate Zeratul gave, and to this day it still fills me with Pride!

Wait… Those are not… my memories? Who is this? Why do I remember witnessing the fall of Shakuras? Why do I remember the teachings of Old? Why do I remember the absence of light when we first arrived!? Am I a body snatcher? Did I override the previous warrior that lived in this body!? Morpheus! Explain!

For someone as Paranoid as you I thought you would figure it out sooner. Why do you think you were not given a choice of name? Search your memories.

I... was sent out of the koprulu sector on a scouting mission… Hierarch Artanis chose me to do Recon for a potential habitable world… But all coms went unresponsive.

The Protoss Race has gone extinct. At least would have gone if your body wasn't on stasis for the last 500 years, Amon won.

No… NO! What happened to the Tal'Darim!? The Purifiers!? We had a Legion of Vanguards! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

Total annihilation. The Koprulu Sector is no more. The fate of your species law on your shoulders, mortal.

...Fuck.

Indeed, but you still have your mission to complete, don't you?

What do you mean?

Quest acquired.

[Main Quest Line - Our Home]

Repopulate and Restore your kind's former glory.

Awards [10,000,000XP] [5 Gatcha coins] ["Hierarch of the Firstborn" Title] [200 to all stats.]

...I have a long road ahead of me don't I? At least I can use Zeratul quotes… right? Friend Morpheus... long has it been since we stood together against the swarm.

I did no such thing, you stood against them alone.

Let me have my fun, at the very least!

My sojourn has led me to a habitable world named... is this Earth?

Sigh. Can I know where I am, Morpheus?

You are currently 10 kilometers west away from Kuoh Town.

Kuoh? Does that mean-!?

Yes... Welcome to High School DxD!

A/N- Reviews are always appreciated! Specially since I am learning how to write better and more enjoyable fics. So if you have any constructive criticism, I would love the see it! Hope you enjoyed it!