King Arthur's Quest of Dragons and Devils

[Krak-Quinn]

System Reboot Successful!​

I blinked slowly as my consciousness started up.

The golden light emitting from the screen was the first thing I noticed. As I read the words written in black, my mind was filled with questions but I couldn't answer any of them. My brain was groggy, and that made thinking a chore.

I blinked again and this time noticed that I was in a black void. Perhaps I shouldn't call it a void, I could have just been inside a dark box, but the golden screen had inclined my train of thoughts to follow a more fantastical track. Regardless I didn't know where I was, this wasn't my bed and I could've sworn I had just laid down to sleep. Well that's not entirely true, I was in bed but I wasn't tired, so I started browsing fanfics based on the anime Highschool DxD.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the actual show, it had way too much gratuitous nudity for my taste, but the mythological aspects did intrigue me enough to keep watching. Similarly in the case of DxD fanfic I had trouble enjoying the majority of it because of the smut. I did enjoy reading… Huh? I couldn't remember. I racked my brain but I couldn't remember the names of the fanfics I enjoyed reading, I couldn't even remember the names of the ones I actually hated.

I blinked. I couldn't remember anything about my personal life. Everything was gone, I couldn't even be sure of what I was forgetting, I didn't know if I had family or friends that I would miss. 'Why can't I remember my life? Why could can I only remember DxD?'

The System has Provided the Minimum Information Required to Comprehend this World.​

Another golden screen popped up. As I read the words, everything clicked together and I finally understood.

"Am I a Gamer?" I tried to ask, but my lips wouldn't move. I quickly surmised that I didn't have a physical form.

The Currently Installed System isn't an Exact Replica of The Gamer's System.​

'Yeah, yeah, each System experience is personalized. In the end I have a System, correct?'

Correct.​

"For real?" I tried to ask myself. By now I was pretty sure I passed out while reading a fanfic and was currently dreaming, but I've never had such a vivid dream before, and the fact that it was a Gamer dream was nice. It probably wouldn't last long and it was bound to go off the rails as it progressed, but in the end I was just hoping for a fun experience.

Form Generation Stabilized! Proceeding to Transfer Substitute Consciousness!​

Before I could process what that meant, it felt like my brain was shredded into countless pieces and I lost consciousness.

---

My head pounded like I had a hangover, sights and sounds were too much for me to handle at the moment, then my body adjusted to the sensations. My vision cleared up and I saw chunks of broken stone and wood inside a large room. I saw broken windows and a large door left ajar. A ray of warm sunlight pierced through a gaping hole in the roof and landed on my skin. I didn't move for a moment, lightly howling wind echoed inside this abandoned and dilapidated building, while a chorus of chirping morning birds played in the background.

As I got my bearings, I stood up from the ground. I took a moment to dust myself off before taking in my appearance, black shoes, blue pants and a white button up shirt, I was dressed pretty formally. My skin was a little paler than normal, but my height was about the same and the only other significant difference was how well built I was.

"System!" I called out and four screens popped up.

Status:

Level: 1. Name: Arthur Pendragon. Title: N/A. Class: N/A. Species: Human. Age: 15.

HP: 100/100. MP: 100/100. STR: 10. AGI: 10. END: 10. MGI: 10. CHA: 10. LUK: 10.​

'Pendragon? Well that was a surprise.' For a moment I was confused when I imagined King Arthur from the Fate franchise instead of the DxD Arthur, then my brain explained why it had thought so. Right before passing out, the last thing I could remember was reading a fanfic about a person with Fate Arthur's body being isekai'd into DxD. The story had little substance and was overall lacking, but I was still interested to see where it was going to go.

Back to my stats, I was surprised to find them at a flat beginning, if I was a Pendragon then shouldn't I have the abilities of one of them? Instead I had an evenly distributed amount of points filling out stats.

Skills:

Dragon's Heart (E): Generates 5% Max MP per second.

Mana Replenishment (E): Generates 5% Max MP per second.

Twisted Soul (E): Generates 5% Max MP per second.

Revenge (E): Increase Mana Generation Skills by 5% when below 50% Max HP.

Avalon's Blessing (E): Heals 5% Max HP per second, Resist 5% of All Damage.

Blade Works (E): Replicates Weapons in a Reality Marble.​

'That's more like it.' I thought to myself, satisfied with this starting bonus. 'So it's a 15% Mana Production Rate, but when I'm injured it'll jump to 30% MPR, sweet.'

As I read the actual names of the skills I possessed, I was surprised to read Twisted Soul, Revenge and Blade Works. The last one was clearly meant to be a version of Unlimited Blade Works, and that had nothing to do with Arthur Pendragon, the only thing I could think was about how in the last fanfic I read the MC had somehow gained the ability. I guess my mind was surprisingly lazy enough to just copy that.

The other two were a different subject, I couldn't recall anything relevant related to their names, but they didn't sound great, I could only hope my mind wasn't giving me edgy sounding skills for no reason. I wanted this dream to make sense and feel realistic.

Magic:

Mystic Eyes of Madness (E): Cause others to be unsettled by eyesight.

Blade Works Healing (E): Knits wounds shut.​

'That's all?' I asked myself, wondering where my Magic attacks were. I could easily come up with magic bullshit, but for some reason my brain only gave me two. I didn't even understand why I had the first one, maybe it was a subconscious manifestation of my fear of making eye contact with people, or maybe I just thought it would be cool to stare down people until they gave up. I understood the second one pretty well and I hoped I wouldn't have to use it anytime soon, not only would it hurt but the imaginary pain would likely wake me up.

Traits:

Sword Affinity (E): 5% Increase in Sword Based Magic. 5% Decrease in Non Sword Based Magic.

Sword Origin (E): 5% Increase in Sword Based Magic. 5% Decrease in Non Sword Based Magic.

Sword Factor (E): Grants Skills 'Blade Works' and the 'Blade Works Healing' Spell, 5% Increase in Sword Based Magic. 5% Decrease in Non Sword Based Magic.

Dragon Factor (E): Grants Skill 'Dragon's Heart', 5% Increase in Dragon Magic.

King's Aura (E): 5% Increase in King Magic.

Outer Existence (E): Grants Skills 'Twisted Soul' and the 'Mystic Eyes of Madness'.

Divinity (E): 5% Increase in Divine Magic.

Fae Blessed (E): Grants Skill 'Avalon's Blessing', 5% Increase in Fairy Magic.

Stained Soul (E): Grants Skills 'Mana Replenishment' and 'Revenge'.​

'Oh wow, so a 15% Buff to Sword Magic and 15% Debuff for all other fields, or just a 10% Debuff for Dragon, King, Divine and Fairy Magic. Fuck man, now I have to be a Sword Mage.'

Overall I wasn't happy with myself, sure I wanted realism but I didn't want to be limited by unnecessary things, I didn't need to have the sword traits just because I had Blade Works. I wouldn't have complained if my brain forgot that part of the lore. Dragon Factor, King's Aura, Fae Blessed and maybe Divinity were all probably from King Arthur. Outer Existence and Stained Soul, I had no idea from whence my mind pulled those edgy things from.

The instant I was done thinking about my traits, another window popped up.

Account Balance: 150p.

Skill Shop:

Magic Resistance (E): Resist 5% of the effects of Magic and Magic Damage is reduced by 5%. [Cost: 50p.]

Battle Continuation (E): Resist 5% of the effects of Mortal Wounds and Damage caused by injuries. [Cost: 50p.]

Riding (E): Use vehicles and creatures as mounts. [Cost: 50p.]

Presence Concealment (E): Prevents 5% of spiritual energy from leaking out the body. [Cost: 50p.]

Instinct (E): Sense danger that would leave you beneath 5% Max HP, and read the trajectory of Weapons. [Cost: 50p.]

Mad Enhancement (E): Increase STR and END by 5% at the cost of articulation and complex thinking. [Cost: 50p.]

Territory Creation (E): Build a special area for the purpose of Magecraft. [Cost: 50p.]

Item Construction (E): Manufacture Magical Items. [Cost: 50p.]

Weapon Proficiency (E): Wield Weapons to fight. [Cost: 50p.]

Weapon Shop:

Brass Knuckles Rings (E): Magical rings that can change into brass knuckles. [Cost: 20p.]

Holy Dagger (E): A small dagger imbued with Holy Light. [Cost: 10p.]

Magic Shop:

Mana Burst (E): Infuse objects with Mana and instantly release it. [Cost: 20p.]

Manifest Armor (E): Forge armor out of magical energy. [Cost: 20p.]

Cthulhu Fhtagn (E): Call forth Horrors from the depths. [Cost: 10p.]

Wind Slash (E): Fire a blade of wind. [Cost: 10p.]

Structural Grasp (E): Understand an object. [Cost: 10p.]

Reinforcement (E): Reinforce an object. [Cost: 10p.]

Projection (E): Project an object. [Cost: 10p.]

Mystic Codes Shop:

Mystic Eye Killers (E): Dampens the effect of Mystic Eyes by 5%. [Cost: 10p.]

Holy Cross Necklace (E): A Holy Cross imbued with Holy Energy. [Cost: 10p.]​

After reading everything, I was at least sure I knew where my mind was putting all its processing power. "Did it seriously expect me to keep track of number percentages?" I thought I already had enough on my plate earlier, but now I didn't think it was possible to have a coherent dream, I was definitely going to forgot something. Putting all that aside for now, I did have 150p to spend.

After a few minutes of contemplating, I made my final decision.

Purchase: Battle Continuation (E), Instinct (E), Holy Dagger (E), Cthulhu Fhtagn (E), Structural Grasp (E), Reinforcement (E) and Projection (E) for 150p?​

I wanted the first two because I didn't want to wake up if I felt phantom pain, if it hurt less and if I knew when I was about to be hurt then I could stay dreaming for a while. The dagger was because I needed a starting weapon, no matter how weak it will be late game, it would probably be useful for now. The last three were because I was stuck as a Sword Mage and would need these spells to be a viable build. And I had chosen Cthulhu Fhtagn because it was unique and I had left over points after my selection.

After confirming my purchase, I felt knowledge unravel in my brain and a dagger manifest in my hand. I tried out my new spells, I Grasped the dagger in my hand and then Projected a copy of it, they were functionally identical. I Reinforced both daggers and flailed my arms about in stabbing and slashing motions. I had spent 20 MP per use of a spell, a total of 80 MP used by just four spells.

"I'll probably just stick to goblins, zombies or whatever else my grinding monster was." Otherwise I might run into trouble and end my dream prematurely. "What else do I have, System?"

Servant Card System:

Include:

Install:

Summon:

Servant Compendium:​

"Oh. Cool. So how can I get Cards?"

Around the world are Dimensional Distortions, and at the center of those are Servant Cards.

After Locating a Dimension Distortion, use the System to Cross Over into the Mirror World.

Defeat and Collect the Servant Card.

Use the System to Cross Over back into the Real World.​

It mildly surprised me that my brain had created this sort of story, I didn't expect that I would get this explanation. I would've been fine with it just saying that I could get them after completing dungeons or something along those lines.

Dimension Distortion Located!

Cross Over into Mirror World (1 Star)?​

It seemed like my brain was rushing me through, but I wasn't upset. And even though I hadn't recovered my MP, I confirmed my entry. In my opinion my dream was taking too long and I wanted to see some action before I woke up.

Space twisted and bent around me, colors and shapes blurred together. Then I had entered the Mirror World, everything appeared to be the same although there wasn't any sunlight and a gray mist wafting about.

Mission: Defeat Spartacus.

Reward: Servant Card Spartacus.​

'What?'

The thundering crack of stone echoed from behind me. Fear began coursing my veins. In this dark dilapidated building, I felt someone's steaming hot breath wash over the back of my neck. Slowly, I turned around. I saw a wall of pale skin covered with countless scars, I looked up at a being of pure muscle who was towering over me. He stared down at me with his blank white eyes, and a large toothy grin wide enough to show off his pink gums.

"Ooo," his raspy voice moaned, "ppprrreeesss," he hissed, "ooorrr." He sang and his smile widened as he raised his left arm.

Transfixed, I could only stare at the sharp Gladius in his hand as it pointed at the roof. Then electricity ran through my nerves as he swung his sword down and sliced my body in half from my head to my groin, I nearly vomited and passed out from the vision my Instinct gave me. And finally my surging adrenaline overcame my innate fear of death and pushed my body to move.

Even though I threw my body to the left with all my might, the sword was faster still. It cleaved through the right side of my body, slicing through everything from my shoulder to my thigh. Again electricity ran through my nerves as he swung his sword, this time it was a horizontal arc from right to left, and removed my torso from my waist. Again I nearly passed out from the vision my Instinct gave me.

This time I wouldn't be able to dodge. I knew this down to my bones, I would die, it didn't matter if this was a dream or not, I'll die when I'm killed.

Adrenaline abandoned trying to use my body as my life flashed before my eyes. It was non-surprisingly short. I woke up in the void, then in the abandoned building, I read my status and skills, bought some things, discovered the card system and got card lore. My mind stopped flashing when I found my way to survive.

'Cross Over!' I exclaimed in my mind.

As a sword was about to cut my life short, space twisted.

When adrenaline left my brain, time resumed at a normal pace. And my body flopped down to the ground, next to my severed right arm, half of my lung, rib cage, and whatever organs resided in the right side of my stomach and my leg. I was quickly bleeding to death, even with my skills I was losing too much blood.

I… couldn't think anymore. My body was shutting off, it was a miracle I didn't die from shock and was able to hold on this long.

I didn't want to die.

I didn't want to die.

With the last of my conscious effort I used my Blade Works Healing to stanch the bleeding wounds shut.

"Cth… ul… hu… Fhta… gn." My mouth spoke.

That was one of the spells I bought, and I had forgotten to test it out.

Through my fading vision I saw a swirl of magical energy transform into something similar to a blue starfish.

I felt my consciousness slip as it approached me.

My final thought was a surge of intense hatred toward Spartacus. He had ruined my dream.

'I won't die until I kill you.' I swore vengeance

 

[Krak-Quinn]

I saw a bright white light shining down upon me, it blinded me but I couldn't close my eye. I had no eyelid to blink, with nor any arms to block out the rays, my eye was slowly being burnt up. Yet I didn't mind; for as long as I felt pain, I was still alive. I was forced to stare into the radiant orb in the sky. What little was left of my body was still confined in a single spot.

Over the uncountable years, I had gotten used to the sensation of nothing, of being nothing. Occasionally I would look out upon the world and ponder a few things, but right now my consciousness had shut down. Every few seconds my heart would produce a golden spark, which would normally glitter a little before dying out, but this time the golden sparks managed to reignite my consciousness.

I choked on air as I came to, my throat was parched and my lungs felt as heavy as stone. The blood circulating through my veins had been replaced with liquid agony. I couldn't scream; I was missing the majority of the organs and muscles needed for that action.

My body suddenly collapsed to the ground. I felt coarse sand scorch my skin, it ate away at the surface of my body and was dyed red by my flowing blood.

I threw my body into the ocean. Saltwater entered my nostrils and throat. I couldn't see in the darkness of the sea, but I felt a giant figure moving towards me.

I screamed in confusion, and swam up.

I rolled down a pile of corpses, and landed in the center of a colosseum. Jeers echoed from the empty stands as a metal gate was raised.

A gross mix of red and black magma spilled forth from the opened gate. Jeers turned into ear screeching whispers.

I spun around when I felt someone's steaming hot breath wash over the back of my neck.

Spartacus with his sword raised high into the sky.

Anger surged through me, the burning desire of revenge filled my being.

I couldn't fight him, I didn't want to die.

As the magma approached me, saltwater rained down and flooded the colosseum. It filled my lungs, my veins, my bones, and my brain. I drowned.

---

My eyes snapped open when I choked on my vomit. As the urge to vomit once more crawled up my throat I rolled over and broke into a coughing fit. Blood. It was blood that I was vomiting, I had half expected it to be saltwater. When I finished a screen popped up.

System Rebooting Interrupted!​

"Oh, fuck off." I groaned as I curled my body into a ball, the stone I was laying on was too cold to sleep comfortably. "Wait, wait, fuck." The memories of what had just happened became clear. I sat up and inspected my body, the good news was that it was all in one piece, the bad news was that my clothes were ruined. My shirt wasn't unwearable, it just looked really stupid. My pants were trashed, having been sliced in two it couldn't support itself anymore. Not to mention that they were stained in blood and other bodily fluids that had leaked out my organs.

I was glad I was alive in the first place. I couldn't remember the exact number, but at the rate I was bleeding HP I thought I would be dead in seconds.

'So, this isn't a dream?' I mentally asked myself. When I first found myself here I had assumed it all to be a lucid dream, with that mindset I didn't even bother doing any critical thinking and just followed the flow. "System, can you explain what is happening?"

All Life on this World, Intelligent or Not, will Cease to Exist at Some Point in the Near Future.

This System was Created to Find and Assist the Hero who would Save the Future.

Unfortunately the Previous Candidate had Altered the Stability of this World.

The System has been Adapted to Accommodate the Alterations.

You are a Hero Candidate, just One the Infinite Amount of Candidates.

As a Hero Candidate you Receive a System.​

"Oh, is that all?"

Yes.​

'Okay, well fuck. So that doesn't help me at all, it could've just told me a ROB did it for the LOLs.' It really didn't help being told that I was basically just another Gamer in the infinite sea of other Gamers. 'Well fuck all that shit, let someone else find a way to save the universe.' I'm sure there's a Gamer out there who could save the entire multiverse, I'll just wait for him to stumble upon this world and save it from ruin. In the meantime I'll find a way to get to America, where at least there I'll be able to function normally in society. As a born and raised American, I didn't have the slightest clue as to how I'll get an identity, education or a job in Japan, not to mention all the cultural differences I'll stumble over. So I decided to leave it all behind and go back home.

I slowly stood up from my feet, I felt a little woozy, probably because of blood loss or something. As I struggled to use the piece of my torn shirt to tie my pants together, a few screens popped up.

Cthulhu Fhtagn (D): Call forth Horrors from the depths.

Cthulhu Fhtagn (D) has Ranked Up from continuous use.

Spell Granted by Cthulhu Fhtagn: Gn'bthnknyth (E)!

Gn'bthnknyth (E): Transform a Horror into a Replacement Body Part.​

"Yeah, sure, cool, whatever." I wasn't in the mood for this Gamer bullshit, sure it was fun to read about but I wasn't going to repeatedly risk my life just so I can get stronger and then fight stronger enemies, I didn't want to get stuck in a cycle of pain that only a masochist could enjoy. I wasn't the type of gamer who played on nightmare mode, I didn't bother with completing achievements, if a game had a stupidly high learning curve then I wouldn't play it.

My personal life was hard enough to manage, and I only enjoyed what I considered fun, there's was no way I would ever willing submit myself to mental or physical torture. I was kinda bummed that I wouldn't be able to use my System to get ahead in life, but I didn't want to draw the attention of anything supernatural, so that meant I had to seal away my system.

As I managed to get my pants to stay up on my waist, I took a few steps and when it held, I headed for the door. Once outside I saw the moon and the stars, but I didn't care about them. I had to hurry up and escape Kuoh Town before I got noticed by anything. After scanning the wide tree line that surrounded this building for the exit, I found a clearing.

I walked a few feet past the clearing and came upon stone steps leading down. The instant my foot made contact with the stone, space twisted. The night sky and the surrounding trees vanished, leaving only a staircase in this Mirror World. Before I could voice my confusion at the sudden Cross, I noticed that a man was standing on the steps below me.

He had indigo hair and eyes, and when a cold wind traveled between us, his kimono and ponytail fluttered gracefully. In his hand he held an almost comically long sword.

Mission: Defeat Sasaki Kojirou.

Reward: Servant Card Sasaki Kojirou.​

My nerves buzzed with electricity, and my body was sliced three times over in a single swing.

'Cross Back!'

Space twisted and my body was propelled backwards, I tumbled into the clearing. I stood back up after regaining my bearings. "What the fuck was that? I didn't want to Cross!"

Scanning Dimensional Distortion!

Results: This Distortion Crosses Anyone Attempting to Use the Stone Steps.​

"Fine! I'll go through the woods then." I walked into the woods. "Fucking stupid dimensional distortion, fucking stupid Sasaki Kojirou, fucking stupid System." I mumbled under my breath as I stumbled my way through a forest in the middle of the night.

I had finally found my footing when space twisted again. My mind went blank at what I saw in the Mirror World. A young blonde girl with orange eyes, wearing a red plaid shirt, blue overalls, brown stockings, gloves and boots, she was just standing still, staring at the stars. What had shocked me was her size, none of the surrounding treetops had even reached her ankles.

Mission: Defeat Paul Bunyan.

Reward: Servant Card Paul Bunyan.​

As I stood there, frozen, her buring orange eyes locked onto me. My nerves buzzed and my entire body was crushed beneath her boot.

'Cross Back!'

Again I was propelled backwards as space twisted. "System?" I asked as landed on my ass.

Scanning Dimensional Distortion!

Results: This Distortion Crosses Anyone Wandering The Woods.​

"Great! Fan-fucking-tastic! Oh boy I sure do love being railroaded! What kind of garbage game is this? Huh!? Isn't it supposed to be an open-world exploration!" And well I went on and on about my gripes with this entire thing for a while. While rambling I had returned to the abandoned building, which was clearly once a church, and went to the left of it.

Again space twisted, but before I could even think about Crossing Back over, I saw the most beautiful woman. She was dressed rather oddly, in a way that showed off her thick thighs, smooth midriff, and her bountiful cleavage. As she walked, sashayed really, towards me, I wanted to thank whoever allowed us to meet.

Mission: Defeat Mata Hari.

Reward: Servant Card Mata Hari.​

'Why on earth would I do that?' There was no way I'd even consider doing such a thing, not to someone I knew I could entrust my life to.

Mata Hari was just about to be within arms length of me. I hoped it wasn't too much to expect a kiss from her, even just a hug would be fine with me. As she reached her arms out towards the sides of my head, I closed my eyes and leaned in. The electricity zapping along my nerves ruined my mood, but not as much as having my head be crushed between two soft and delicate hands.

'Cross Back!' I thought reflexively. Space twisted and I felt my heart ache, I began to wonder if my Instinct had been wrong.

Inflicted by Charm!​

I noticed out of the corner of my eye. 'Oh, yeah. That's a thing she has.' Disappointed, I trudged off and tried going around the right of the church.

Unsurprisingly, space twisted. Surprisingly though, I didn't feel worried. Being here actually felt good, I let out a sigh as I felt the tension leave my body. Looking around, I didn't spot anyone, and if I wasn't in danger then why shouldn't I relax?

Then I noticed that a girl was standing in front of me. She had brown hair and green eyes. I smiled at her cute smiling face. I opened my mouth for small talk, but blood dribbled out instead. I noticed that there was a burning feeling in my abdomen so I looked down. The cute smiling girl had plunged a knife deep inside my gut, she slowly dragged the blade upwards, slicing through my body like butter.

Mission: Defeat Charlotte Corday.

Reward: Servant Card Charlotte Corday.​

'Oh, Cross Back, I guess.' That's what I've been doing for a while now, and I didn't see a reason to stop.

As I appeared back in the real world, my knees gave out and my body crumpled to the ground. My body was rapidly losing its warmth. Like the last time, I used Blade Works Healing to stop the bleeding.

Inflicted by Relax!​

'Oh, fuck.' I would've probably cried if I wasn't currently inflicted.

I was still losing blood. "Gn'bthnknyth!" I said before with gritted teeth and bated breath. The puddle of blood that leaked from my body turned dark green and coagulated together into something resembling a slug with a mane of tendrils. The creature, a Gn'bthnknyth as it was called, slithered through my open wound and I felt it expand.

Then I passed out.

 

[Krak-Quinn]

After I woke up, still on the ground, I let my tears fall for a bit. In my entire life, the most serious injury I had ever sustained was when I sprained my foot playing outside. I had no real experience with pain and suffering, and yet now I've nearly died twice. I was only alive because of magical means, I had survived lethal injuries that should have killed me many times over.

The memories of the intense but brief pain I had felt flashed through my mind. At this moment I was considering dying, hoping that whoever was in charge of the System would reincarnate me in an easier world. I didn't want to live in this screwed up world.

I didn't want to die.

I didn't want to live and experience pain, but I feared death more. I was beginning to hate myself for creating this contradiction. Hate. I hated those that caused me pain far more than I hated myself. I almost couldn't handle how intense my hatred for them was, it nearly made my blood boil with fury. Thoughts of murder filled my mind and it became harder to breathe, my muscles were tensing up painfully tight and I couldn't see clearly. I clawed at the ground, I smashed my burning head into the dirt repeatedly.

After I woke up from blacking out, my emotions were calmer now. "Hey System? Why don't I have a Skill like Gamer's Mind?"

Skills such as Unyielding Will, Vitrification, and Determination of Steel may Assist in Mental Stability.​

"What skills are those? They weren't in the shop so how can I get them?"

Gain them by Installing Servant Cards.​

I blinked at the unhelpful advice, all the Servants blocking me in could kill me in one-shot, I couldn't even imagine a way to defeat any of them. I just remembered something. "Servant Compendium." I called out.

Servant Compendium:

Name: Spartacus. Class: Berserker. HP: 5,472. ATK: 5,093.

Mad Enhancement (EX): Increase STR, END and AGI by 200% at the Cost of Logical Reasoning.

Unyielding Will (A): Resist 90% of Physical and Mental Damage.

Honor of Suffering (B): Increase STR, END and AGI by 80% and Increase Regeneration Rate by 80% when Beneath 50% Max HP.

Regeneration (B): Heals upto 80% Max HP per second with Magical Energy.

Crying Warmonger (A): Converts 90% Incoming Damage into Magical Energy. Attacks bypass Resistances.​

After reading that I knew that defeating him was impossible at my level, regardless of his strength and healing, he could turn nearly all of the damage he might take and turn it into magical energy, and even then he would have resisted nearly all of the damage anyways. That was how I understood it, and I hoped I interpreted correctly, otherwise it could also mean that after being attacked he only took one percent of the damage done to him.

Name: Sasaki Kojirou. Class: Assassin. HP: 5,422. ATK: 5,032.

Presence Concealment (D): Blend into the surroundings.

Fake Mind's Eye (A): Sense Incoming Attacks.

Knowledge of the Sowa (B): Render Attacks Unreadable to Opponents.

Vitrification (B): Resist 90% of Mental Interference Effects.

Tsubame Gaeshi: Perform Three Simultaneous Attacks with a Sword.

Monohoshi Zao: 150cm long blade.​

I knew more about Sasaki Kojirou from the anime, so I wasn't surprised to read his skills. It was exactly as I expected, and although his skills might not seem like they were anything special, I knew that with his swordsmanship he was nearly unbeatable.

Name: Paul Bunyan. Class: Berserker. HP: 5,239. ATK: 5,499.

Mad Enhancement (D): Increase STR and END by 10% at the Cost of Logical Reasoning.

Saint Graph Expansion (D): Grow or Shrink to accommodate the surroundings.

Delightful Comrades (A): Increase Companion's STR and LUK by 20%.

Bean Soup Lake (A): Recover 100% of Companion's HP.

Popcorn Blizzard (A): Reduces Opponent's Defense by 20% and the Effectiveness of their Healing by 50%

Marvelous Exploits (A): Instantly Grow to a Colossal Size and Increase STR by 100%.

Dakota Camp (A): Influence others to follow commands.

Wisconsin Death Trip (A): Manifest a Chainsaw, All who Hear its Roar are Inflicted with Madness.

Babe the Blue Ox: ?​

While I was aware of this folk hero turned into a gag Servant, I hadn't had much exposure to her, so I didn't know what her skills had been or how she used them, just her colossal size alone made her unbeatable to me.

Name: Mata Hari. Class: Assassin. HP: 5,363. ATK: 4,977.

Espionage (A): Conceals all Hostility.

Pheromone (B): Incline Others to Trust and Accept, Inflict Charm on Men.

Double Cross (B): ?​

Now I knew exactly what skills she had used on me, I guess she made for an amazing assassin or spy.

Name: Charlotte Corday. Class: Assassin. HP: 5,244. ATK: 4,857.

Presence Concealment (C): Conceals Presence.

Angel of Assassination (A): Inflict Relax on Others, Increase LUK by 90%.

Determination of Steel (D): Resist Mental Interference Effects by 10%.

Haphazard Planning (B): Increase LUK by 80%.

Le Rêve Ensoleillé (C): Conceals Killing Intent.​

I had to let out a sigh of frustration before even reading her profile. I would say that the reason my Instinct didn't warn me of an attack was because her killing intent was hidden.

There was no way for me to win, the Berserkers were too strong and the Assassins were skilled. I struggled to get back into my feet, I didn't feel woozy like last time but my body was just tired. With shaky legs I made my way back inside the church.

Surprisingly I saw something new in the spot where I had woken up. Five colorfully wrapped boxes were sitting beneath a christmas tree.

"What?"

Happy Holidays! As an Apology for Summoning You During the Holidays, Please Accept these Gifts!​

Oh yeah, it was December in my world, but it wasn't in this one. 'Whatever, I'm not going to complain about free gifts.' I walked over to the red and green boxes, I knelt down next to them and picked up my forgotten dagger off the ground. I grabbed a box and sliced off the wrapping paper. Immediately the box disintegrated away and a screen popped up.

Gift:

Gloom Robe (E): Increase Death Resist by 5%, Unsettles those that gaze upon it.​

A purple and black robe materialized in the air above me, it had an odd pattern in the front of it but I didn't mind. I quickly undressed myself from my makeshift outfit and slid the robe over my body. I felt a little exposed wearing just a robe with socks and shoes on, but it was better than what I was previously wearing so I wasn't going to complain. I opened another box.

Spell:

Radiance (E): Converge Light into an Orb.​

I tested it out, it was basically a small lantern in terms of brightness. Since it would only be useful during night but it also required an entire hand to keep it active, it probably wasn't going to see much use outside of illuminating dark rooms.

Spell:

Shadow Arm (E): Manipulate an Arm made of Shadows.​

The arm was a flat shadow that could exert a small amount of force upon the things it touched, it had a reach of about five feet with me at the center, and the further it got from me the weaker it became. I would probably use it in combat when it got stronger, but for now it was a party trick at best.

I opened the next box, but my body folded over before I could read the screen that popped up. I couldn't breathe, it felt like my lungs were being crushed, the blood flowing through my veins began to leak out into my body as they were torn open. After a few minutes I felt incredibly lightheaded but otherwise perfectly fine.

Trait:

Crystal Heart (E): Generates 5% Max MP per second, Increases Max HP by 5%.​

'Did I just fucking grow a second heart!?' Well considering that my veins felt like they had been torn open, I'm assuming I also grew some new ones of those too. Still it's fucking wild. I held my hand up to my chest and felt for my heartbeat, sure enough I felt a smaller beat in between beats, so I assumed that my new heart was rather small. Even though I'm just guessing, I didn't feel the need to dissect my body for definitive answers.

I grabbed the last box a little hesitantly, I hoped it wouldn't be anything painful and sliced it opened.

A Gift from Saint Nicholas: Six Distortion Collapses.​

I blinked, and couldn't quite understand what I was reading. "System?" I inquired hoping for an explanation.

A Distortion Collapse occurs when enough Magical Energy is Forced into a Distortion that the Mirror Bridge Connecting it to this World Collapses. However, when this is Performed by the System it Completely Destroys the Distortion. It also Updates the Store.​

"Wait really!? I could use these to clear out a path for me? I could actually leave this stupid place?"

Correct.​

"Fuck yeah." I immediately jumped up and started dashing for the stone steps leading down. I arrived at the clearing, my hearts beating faster with excitement and anticipation. "So how do I do it."

Be near the center of a Distortion and intend to Collapse it.​

I was a little put off at having to be near the center, the Servant, but hopefully I didn't need to be right next to them. "Cross Over." Space twisted and I started down at a samurai spirit guarding the stairs. 'Collapse!' I didn't trust my mouth to move faster than his blade. The mirror-like walls of the Distortion cracked, and then shattered completely, along with the Servant.

Relief filled my being, It was possible to leave. I hurriedly jumped down steps nearly tripping plenty of times but I reached the bottom of the stairs and the gate leading out without any more injuries. Excitedly I ran forward, almost bursting with joy. My body collided with an invisible barrier, and my brain rattled within my skull for a few seconds. "System, what the fuck is this?" I hissed.

Scanning Distortion!

Results: A Distortion with Special Properties has Prevented Retreating.​

"Wait, am I inside another Distortion right now?"

Correct! This Entire Mountain is Inside this Distortion.​

"But there are Distortions on this mountain!"

Distortions do Not Exist on a Singular Plane of Reality, they are Spatial Anomalies.​

"So they also exist in the real world but they can also be accessed from inside a Mirror World."

Correct!​

"Can you Collapse it?"

Collapses can Only be Performed near the Center of the Distortion.​

I sighed, my entire motivation sapped from my body. "Fuck." I moped back up the stairs.

I searched far and wide, traveling to every corner of the Distortion that was this mountain. I had to waste my Collapses in order to get past the Servants so I could do a complete investigation. In the end I didn't find the center so I returned to the church.

My mood was terrible, ever since I had arrived in this new world I hadn't experienced anything enjoyable. I also haven't eaten anything, and was beginning to get hungry. I kicked my pile of rags in frustration, then I recalled Spartacus. I was still angry at him, but I had been more angry at the other Servants because they had forcibly started combat, whereas with Spartacus I had made the mistake of entering combat with him.

I blinked and looked over to the center of the church. Spartacus's Distortion had been different compared to the rest of the ones on this mountain. I quickly Crossed Over and Collapsed the Distortion, and when space twisted back to reveal the real world, I noticed a glow emanating from beneath the floor, from a secret passage. I ventured down, my mind clear and ready to use my final Collapse the instant I caught even a glimpse of a Servant.

The passage exited out at a room with a long stone hallway, that hallway led down an equally long hallway. After five minutes of waking I was worried that I had lost my bearings and attempted to back track, but I found that I couldn't remember if I turned right or left. The instant I crossed into another hallway, I forgot where I had come from. The more I thought about it, the sooner I realized I couldn't tell the difference between the two directions.

After that realization I tried just running straight forward, hoping to escape. And yet at some point during my running, I had forgotten the meaning of going forward or back.

Turning, advancing, retreating, I couldn't comprehend what they meant.

The more steps I took, wandering aimlessly, the more I noticed just how dizzy I was. Vertigo assaulted my mind, I felt my muscles, joints and bones protest against me with every movement, I was forgetting how to operate a human body. The natural limits of how far a body can move were lost on me, I stumbled and tripped as I forgot which leg to move, and how to move them. I nearly tipped over as my center of gravity fell away. Equilibrium was now a foreign concept.

I was lost.

'What was I even doing here?' My last train of thought was a question, but then cotton was filled my head and I couldn't hear myself think.

Hallways twisted as reality blurred, my body and mind were on the verge of ceasing to function, when a Minotaur came into view.

Mission: Defeat Asterios.

Reward: Servant Card Asterios.​

I couldn't read those words, but as the monster roared and his figure became increasingly bigger. 'C-collapse!' The thought that I had loaded before descending down into this labyrinth was finally fired.

With the sound of thunder cracking across a stormy sky, the stone hallways shattered into fragments of glass, and then space twisted in on itself.

I vomited and fell to my knees as sensations and concepts returned to me. On shaky legs I exited out the hidden room, up the secret passage and out the abandoned church. On my way out I peeked at Asterios' profile.

Name: Asterios. Class: Berserker. HP: 6,342. ATK: 5,637.

Mad Enhancement (B): Increase STR, AGI, END, MGI, CHA, and LUK by 80%

Monstrous Strength (A): Increase STR by 100%.

Natural Demon (A): Permanently Increase STR and END by 150%.

Labrys of the Abyss (C): Giant Axe.

Chaos Labyrinthos (EX): Materialize the Labyrinth.​

There was no way I could have beaten him in a fight, that much I knew but I was still surprised at his strength buffs.

The first thing I noticed when entering the real world was the sea of lights illuminating a town in the middle of the night.

Thoughts of freedom swirled inside me, but I didn't dare get my hopes up again.

With shaky steps I walked down the stone stairs and stopped at the gate. I took a deep breath and took a step forward, my foot made contact with the outside world.

Tutorial Cleared! Reward: 300p!

Missions Completed: 0/6! Reward: 0 x 1000p!​

As I started walking closer to the town, I looked through my shop. It had in fact been updated with the skills of the Servants it had destroyed but they were all E rank now. Still, I had the points and I wouldn't say now to making my life easier.

Unyielding Will (E): Resist 5% of Physical and Mental Damage.

Vitrification (E): Resist 5% of Mental Interference Effects.

Determination of Steel (E): Resist 5% of Mental Interference Effects.​

All these skills were worth fifty points and although they seemed pretty basic, when I had asked about a skill like Gamer's Mind, it had said that these one could assist in my mental stability. I had taken that to mean that they had sub effects that weren't important enough to mention. And just by reading the names of the skills, I had already formed an idea as to just how they might help me.

After confirming my purchase, I felt a small shift in my mind. Fears and worries had dimmed, a sense of calmness now sat at the center of my thoughts. It was easier to think rationally, but I didn't push it, my skills were still low level so I doubted they couldn't stand up to a panic attack or anything close.

Regeneration (E): Heals upto 5% Max HP per second with Magical Energy.

Crying Warmonger (E): Converts 5% Incoming Damage into Magical Energy.​

Spartacus's skills both were worth fifty points, I had considered Honor of Suffering, but at the low level it was at it didn't offer much help. Not that I expected Crying Warmonger to be of any use to me right now, but if I didn't die and managed to level it up then I wouldn't have any complaints. And with Regeneration, if I factored in Avalon's Blessing and Crystal Heart, then my HPR rate would be at fifteen percent a second.

Mana Burst (E): Infuse objects with Mana and instantly release it.

Manifest Armor (E): Forge armor out of magical energy.

Wind Slash (E): Fire a blade of wind.​

The first two were worth twenty points and the last one was worth ten points. I didn't particularly want them right now but it was either these three or just one skill and I wanted options. I knew that I would have trouble with wind magic because of my sword traits, but it was still worth getting ranged magic.

I was satisfied, my mind was calm and my body was relaxed, my hellish tutorial was finally over. Now I just had to find a plane, train, or even a bus out of this devil town. A chill ran down my spine when I heard heavy wings flap in the air. Mechanically, my head tilted upwards into the sky. The first thing I saw was a beautifully full moon glowing in the pitch black sky, the second thing I saw was a black haired girl with devil wings floating in front of that moon.

I swallowed hard, my skin was tingling slightly because of the buzzing sensation in the air between us.

"Oh dear, oh dear, what do we have here?" She asked with a small giggle, her voice was a mixture of mature and playful.