"...-over here, it's just a little bit further!" Came a hysterical voice as the approaching footsteps grew closer...that voice sounds like a little girl.
And the other sets of footsteps, sounds like three other children and one adult...
"W-we were just playing around, I swear, we didn't mean to kill him!" A reply echoed out, sounding like a young boy.
Huh? Are they talking about me? I mean, I don't see anyone else around...
"Yeah, th-that's right, it was an accident!"
"No, it wasn't!" Snapped the little girl angrily, as I caught a glimpse of their shadows as they got closer.
They then came into sight, an elderly man along with a little girl and three young boys, they all looked like they were under ten years old.
Hm?
Woah, what the-...the girl has cat ears and a tail, and they don't look fake. Then, that means...I didn't just reincarnate, I reincarnated into a different world.
"Slow down, kids, my old legs aren't as nimble as they used to-...hm? He looks fine to me," Responded the old man in bemusement, as the kids around him stared at me with stunned looks on their faces.
"Uh...hi?" I said uncertainly, not sure what to make of this situation.
"I'm glad to see you're okay, Jaedfern, I was worried when these four came running to me in a panic," Replied the old man, letting out a sigh of relief.
He looks like he's in his sixties or so, was on the short side with a hunched back, a bald head and wrinkly skin. He had a short, thick grey beard and dull blue eyes, with dark circles underneath them.
"Jade! You're alive! I'm so glad!" Exclaimed the cat girl with a look of relief, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jade? Is that my name? Kinda weird, but whatever. More importantly, what do I do?
Evidently, I haven't reincarnated into a new body, since I'm obviously not a baby, I've instead taken over an existing body, or something like that. Based on what I heard them say as they approached, I'm guessing those boys killed the original owner of this body, after which I found myself in it.
But it doesn't seem like I have any of his memories, I don't recognize any of these people, I don't even know what I currently look like, all I have is my own past memories.
Alright, then, that's fine...I think there's an easy solution to this...
"Who...are you people? Do I know you?" I inquired with a confused frown.
Instead of trying to bullshit my way into pretending to be whoever this kid was, I'll just play the amnesia card, that'll make things a lot easier for me.
"N-no, don't tell me you've lost your memories?" Gasped the little cat girl with a dismayed look on her face.
Her hair kinda looks like a leopard's fur pattern, dark yellow with black spots all over it, same with her ears and tail. A real cat girl, as I live and breathe...wow, never thought I'd get to see one, for obvious reasons.
"I...I don't know. I can't remember anything at all," I shook my head, putting on a dazed look on my face.
Based on the clothes they're all wearing, as well as the clothes on my new body, I think it's safe to say that this world is a hell of lot less developed than the modern society I lived in in my previous life. Or maybe these people are just really poor, which would make me poor too, I guess. Yeah, either way, I'm not too thrilled about this current situation.
But hey, at least I'm alive.
I then continued feigning amnesia, in an effort to get some information out of them. I don't like not knowing anything about my current situation, so I need more info.
I managed to find out that I'm an eight year old kid living in an orphanage, along with these other kids, and this old man who runs the place, plus some other adults who help him out with that.
And clearly, the previous owner of this body, 'Jaedfern' or whatever, lwas bullied by the other kids, though this cat girl seems to be on his-...or now, my...-side.
Apparently, 'Jaedfern' and the cat girl had been playing in these woods located behind the orphanage, when these other kids showed up and started bullying the pair.
One of them then shoved 'Jaedfern' when he tried to stand up for the cat girl, he fell back and the back of his neck slammed onto one of the jutted-out roots of the tree I woke up under, a loud crunch echoed out upon impact and he went limp.
Sounds like they broke his neck and killed him, that's probably why my neck felt a bit stiff when I came to.
The cat girl then ran away and called the old man, the boys chased after her and tried to explain that it was an accident. From the sound of it, technically yes, it was an accident. But it was still malicious intent on their part, accident or not.
And now, from their perspective, it's all well than ends well, since this body is still alive. They did actually kill the previous owner though, they really lucked out...well, maybe, I don't know if they'd actually have faced any real consequences, I still know too little about this world...
"How do you feel, Jaedfern? Any pain or discomfort?" The old man asked me...looks like that's all the information I'm getting right now.
I could ask more questions, I suppose, and I really want to since I don't like not knowing, but I better not push it for now. Don't want to rouse any suspicion, not when I still know next to nothing about this world.
For all I know, reincarnation could be a common occurrence in this world, and maybe it's seen as, like, I don't know, unholy or something, which could lead to me being executed or imprisoned or whatever.
Yeah, okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but it's best that I err on the side of caution.
"N-no, I don't feel any pain, but...my neck is kinda sore and I feel a bit dizzy," I replied with a slight groan, placing a hand on the side of my head as I briefly relaxed my legs so that my knees wobbled, making it appear as though I was dazed and unsteady.
"It might be for the best that you get some rest for the remainder of the day, go to your room and relax. Maybe a good sleep will help you recover your memories," He suggested as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
Yeah, I doubt that.
"Okay, I'll do that...some rest sounds good," I nodded, plastering a weak smile across my face.
I've learnt how to convincingly deceive people during some of the requests I got from clients in my previous life, some targets are more difficult to get to than others, so I have to get creative in order to reach them.
In such instances, I would often disguise myself as a janitor or caterer or waiter or whatever role would get me close to my target without arousing suspicion in a given setting. Those jobs were kind of a pain and a bit stressful, but they were also pretty fun and felt super rewarding when successfully completed.
Ah, good times...
Anyway, back to the present, the cat girl then helped me back to the orphanage, letting me lean on her shoulder. Pretty sure I should be able to walk just fine on my own, but this'll help really sell my act, so I'll let her help me.
As the orphanage building came into sight, I gave it a quick glance over...wow, what a dump.
The walls were dirty, covered in cracks and chipped spots, the windows were stained brown with dirt, and I could see rats scuttling about through the overgrown grass surrounding the building.
Well, this is unpleasant...I really don't want to live here. But going off on my own while in an eight year old body would be a bad idea, so I guess I have no choice but to put up with it for now...
She then helped me inside the building, which wasn't much better than the outside. There were wooden chairs and tables that were close to rotting, there were several holes across the ceiling, under which there were deep, dirty stains on the floor caused by rainwater.
And there was a slight unpleasant odor in the place as well, a dank, musty smell. I didn't see any drainage pipes or anything outside, so it looks like plumbing doesn't exist in this world. Fuck...it hasn't even been half an hour and I miss my old world already.
The cat girl then led me to a row of doors, before opening one and helping me inside. It was small, cramped room with two rusty, rickety old bunk beds by either wall to the left and right, and a window at the back wall, the glass smudged heavily with dirt and grime.
"Okay, you should get some rest in here, Jade. I'll come check on you later, okay?" She remarked with a smile, as I sat on one of the beds, grimacing as a few puffs of dust billowed out of the mattress.
These mattresses sure are pungent, covered in yellowish brown sweat stains, and with no bedsheets...at least, I hope it's just sweat stains. The pillows were heavily stained with sweat too, with no pillowcases to cover them.
This is so fucking gross, damn it...I want my fluffy goose feather-stuffed pillow, my king-size bouncy mattress and my soft, thick quilt!
Or at the very least, some sleeping pills, because there's no way I'm gonna be able to fall asleep on this goddamn petri dish of a bed.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," I replied with a smile, bottling in my complaints.
There's nothing I can do about it, so might as well accept it. But there is something I can do regarding another matter...this small, uncomfortable lump I'm feeling inside my collar, by the right side of my neck.
I noticed it earlier, but kinda forgot about it after being distracted by the old man and those kids showing up. It must be a bug or something, I felt it moving around a bit earlier...it hasn't bitten me or anything yet, but I'm still gonna kill it.
I raised my hand with my palm open and smacked the spot with the lump...before jumping slightly as a faint, startled cry of alarm rang out from there.
What the hell...!?
Suddenly, something swiftly flew out of my collar, a blur of black and pink coming into sight before stopping in front of me, hovering in front of my face...a bug?
Wait, no...
"Ow, that really hurt...I mean, it doesn't do anything to me, but still! So not cool, you stupid shithead!"
The fuck? It spoke.
It looks like a tiny woman, just a couple of inches long, with black feathered wings and a black, glowing halo above her head. She had long, light pink hair tied up in a ponytail, light blue eyes, and was glaring at me with an annoyed look on her face.
What the hell am I looking at, what is this thing?
"Uh...are you, like, a fairy or something?" I inquired in bemusement, as she suddenly grew a bit, to about five inches long.
"Huh? What, are you fucking blind or something, dumbass? Or maybe you're just retarded. See these wings? And more importantly, this halo? I'm obviously an Angel, jackass. Well, now a Fallen Angel, to be specific, but same difference!" She huffed indignantly, before I swung my palm across and swatted her, sending her flying across the room and hitting the wall with a quiet smack, "Ow! What the fuck was that for?"
Huh, that felt weird, the impact on my palm felt kinda hollow, as if I just slapped the air instead of anything solid. Also, for allegedly being an Angel, she's got a pretty foul mouth...
"If you're gonna insult me, then of course I'm gonna retaliate, you annoying little insect," I shrugged dryly.
"Insec-...!?" She began with an incredulous look in her face, before cutting herself off and clearing her throat as she muttered, "Okay, calm down...he's just a mortal who's barely two and a half decades old, and you're a Divine Being who's existed for several millenia. Don't let him get to you..."
"Talking to yourself, insect?" I taunted with a raised eyebrow.
"Tch, you're so rude. But letting myself fall for your provocations would be beneath me, so say whatever you want. Well, whatever, I suppose it is kinda my fault."
"Excuse me?" I frowned suspiciously.
"Hm...I suppose I might as well get it out in the open. My name is Arkiela, and like I mentioned, I'm an Angel, more recently a Fallen Angel. And I ended up as a Fallen Angel because I interfered with the living world and fucked with a human's life...namely, you. In my defense though...I was so goddamn bored, you have no idea how boring the Divine Realm is if you follow all the rules!" She replied with a strained sigh.
Hold on, what?
"I'm sorry, you fucked with my life? How? What did you do?" I growled, standing up and walking towards her with a murderous glare as my mind began racing, all my worst memories flashing through my head and seriously pissing me off.
"H-hey, now, let's stay calm, you're gonna want to hear everything I have to say, for your own sake. So, until I'm done, don't do anything rash," She grinned nervously as I approached her, before clearing her throat and adding, "You see, Angels are forbidden from influencing or interfering in the living world, we're just supposed to be observers who make judgements when the mortals we're assigned to observe die, we're in charge of the rebirth and reincarnation aspect of the cycle of life and death.
Breaking the rules and meddling in mortal worlds are a strict taboo, but I kinda sorta let my boredom get the better of me. Of course, if I did anything too obvious, I would've gotten caught and punished, so I tried to be subtle. Specifically, I used my powers to add fuel to certain people's dark impulses and intrusive thoughts, bringing those thoughts to the forefront of their minds and making it next to impossible for them to ignore those thoughts."
"Wait, you don't mean...?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, I messed with your parents' intrusive thoughts until those thoughts became prominent parts of their mindsets. Let me be clear though...I can't add emotions in people that don't already exist within them. For instance, if someone is genuinely incapable of murder, I can't magically turn them into a murderer, that impulse needs to already exist within them, which I can then exploid and feed.
Of course, even if an impulse does exist within a person, there's no surefire guarantee that I can exploit that impulse and bring it to the forefront of their minds. A person with a strong enough will can resist my attempts to corrupt them, though very, VERY few mortals are actually capable of that. And unfortunately for you, your parents weren't such people. Deep down, both of them wished they had a 'normal' child, and hated your deformities.
It was shockingly easy to amplify those thoughts, corrupting a parent's perception of their own child is usually very difficult, except in cases of deadbeats and the like, of course. I also manipulated more people around you after you were sold off, like the human traffickers, I'm the reason why their leader ultimately decided to recruit you instead of selling you off, so you're welcome for that.
I also manipulated some of your clients and other associates and stuff, to make things more entertaining for me. Oh, but I didn't do anything with that last client of yours, the one who got you killed. That guy was a huge piece of shit to begin with, I didn't have to do anything to-...ow!" She informed me, chuckling as she recalled what happened before yelping as I swatted her again, "Stop doing that, shithead!"
"No, I don't think I will. So, are you done? Because if so, I'd like to get to strangling the living shit out of you, among other things," I replied with a calm, icily murderous smirk, reaching out towards her.
"W-wait, I'm not done, I haven't even gotten to the important part yet!" She blurted out in alarm.
Hm...I suppose I might as well get the full story. I am lacking in information, she might have the answers I need. I can always kill her afterwards...
"Alright, fine, I suppose I have no reason to rush. Tell me, did you ever control my impulses or intrusive thoughts?" I inquired as I narrowed my gaze at her.
"Yes, but only a little bit. Specifically, when you were locked up by those human traffickers, I stoked your rage and hatred. I didn't really need to lift a finger after that though...you kinda just embraced your darkest impulses and intrusive thoughts on your own. You were going in the exact direction I wanted you to, I didn't even have to do anything after the initial prodding.
Heck, the only reason why I later manipulated some of your clients and associates was because I was bored by how smoothly everything was going, it was as if you snatched the controller out of my hands and just put the whole thing on autoplay, it was still entertaining, but too predictable for my liking. And I didn't do anything drastic, just nudged a couple of your clients to the mindset of not paying you, minor stuff like that.
Honestly, the only thing I played a genuinely significant part in was getting your parents to sell you off. Everything after that was mostly you, inadvertently following my lead without ever realizing it. Anyway, even though I thought I was being subtle about it, I still got caught by my superiors, I guess I overdid it.
I was then banished to this backwater world along with you, and I'll be stuck her for the duration of your lifespan, with the added kick in the balls with the fact that most of my Divine power is sealed away. Now, then, for the most important part, and why you can't kill me...our lives are currently interlocked. Or, to put it simply, if you die of anything other than old age, I die too. And it goes both ways...if I die, you die," She informed me.
Okay, uh...that was quite the info dump. Yeah, there's a whole lot to unpack there and wrap my mind around. Alright, then, for right now, I'll set aside the past life stuff and focus on the last part...
"Hold on, why would that work both ways? You dying if I die makes enough sense, I suppose, considering that you're being punished. But why the hell would I die if you die? Hm, you know what? I've got the feeling that you only said that because you don't want me to kill you right here and now," I stated coldly.
"Sure, maybe so...but are you willing to take the risk? You see, under any normal circumstances, killing me is next to impossible, even in my current weakened state. I'm not a mortal being, after all. But by design, you've been made an exception...as things are now, you could kill me, and pretty easily at that. So, go ahead and call my bluff," She dared me with a smirk.
Tch...you little bitch. I'm, like, ninety percent sure that she is, in fact, bluffing about this, there's a hint of nervousness in her eyes. But that remaining ten percent...it's not a risk worth taking.
Well played, you damned insect.
"Fucking bitch. Alright, you win...if that's how it is, then I suppose there's no point in being at odds with you. If our lives really are interlocked or whatever, then it's in my best interest to make sure you don't die. I don't like it, but I guess I can tolerate your presence around me. You're a real bitch, but I suppose you are easy on the eyes, so whatever. Although, if you try to fuck with me again, I swear, I'll-..."
"Oh, no need to worry about that. First off, like I said before, most of my Divine Magic is mostly gone, so I can't use the immense, omnipotent powers I possessed when I was in the Divine Realm. That aside, I need you alive, I'm not stupid enough to screw things up for you when my own life is tied to your fate. Ugh, this sucks, I feel like a nun who's been stripped naked without my Divinity. Hm, but it looks like I can use a rare type of Magic in this world called Destruction Magic, so I guess it could be worse," She sighed wistfully.
"Oh? Then, this really is a world with Magic? Seeing that cat girl made me think it might be, but I didn't want to get my hopes up."
"Yeah, this is a world of Magic and Monsters and shit like that. I don't know too much about this particular world, since there are more interesting worlds out there. But I know enough about the Magic System and the basic structure of this world. Hm...there are a couple of things that are a bit strange though.
First of all, the fact that you reincarnated into this world to begin with...there have hardly been any people from your world who have been reincarnated in this world. The main reason being that the Magic in this world has fairly low compatibility with souls from your world, as they have grown less and less spiritual in the modern era, with a lot of religions slowly dying out and atheism rising. There are some exceptions, of course, but that's the case for the majority.
I guess that makes you an exception...which is weird, because you were definitely not a religious person at all.
The second thing that I find strange is your reincarnation itself...you didn't start over as a baby, your soul instead took over a vacant body. That's not totally unheard of, but it's not exactly normal, either. Well, to be fair, it is rare for an Angel to interfere in the living world, so this was already an unusual case to begin with.
And third is the fact that you didn't meet God and get to choose your abilities before reincarnating, which is practically unheard of. Unless you're-...n-no, that can't be the case. At least, I hope not. Oh, shit, I really fucking hope not.
Anyway, uh...you were probably reincarnated with your memories intact as a sort of consolation, to make up for your life coming to an unnatural end as a result of an Angel's, my, interference. You've probably been given some OP Magic as well, along with a Magic System interface to help you understand and use your Magic," She explained, as I listened in fascination.
This is pretty useful, I'm glad I didn't kill her right away. At the very least, I suppose I can make some use of her as an information bank, so there is some merit to keeping her around, unfortunately...
"How does the Magic here work, anyway?" I inquired curiously.
"Well, there are three main elements to the Magic System of this world. A person's Magic Class, their Skills and their Mana Pool. Their Magic Class is the core of their abilities, Skills are additional abilities, some active and some passive, and of which every person possesses three.
And Mana Pool is pretty self-explanatory, it's the quantity of Mana a person possesses, their Magical energy. There's also Mystic Pressure and Mystic Transcension, but we can get to those later. For right now, what do you say we get to seeing what abilities you were bestowed with?" She suggested with a look of intrigue, but also a hint of dread in her eyes.
"Yeah, sure, I suppose I'm pretty curious about that too. So, uh...how do I bring up the interface thing you mentioned?" I asked her uncertainly.
Hm? Wait, I see something in the bottom left corner of my vision. It's barely noticeable, but it becomes more visible when I focus on it...it looks like a small digital display, with two lines of text that read...
'Level: 1'
'EXP to Unlock Lv 2: 0/125'
Huh, it's like a video game or something.
"Try saying 'open display'."
"If you say so. Alright, here goes...[Open Display]," I remarked, feeling a strange sensation as I chanted the words, before a display opened up in front of me, a blue screen with rows of information on it...ah, I think it's like a more detailed version of the small display in the corner of my vision.
Huh? Wait, this is...
"Wh-what the hell is this!? No, really, what the actual fucking hell!? No Magic Class, and a Mana Pool of zero!? ZERO!? And...only the one Skill, 'Mercenary's Item Box'.
Hah...hahahahaha! Ohh, what the fuck!? Item Box is one of the most basic and common Skills in this world. Well, shit...it looks like I'm fucked, you're gonna die in no time with this weak-ass shit, which means I'm gonna die too! I don't want to fucking die like some lowly mortal!" She snapped in dismay, as she erupted into hysterics and flew around the room in a panic.
Do all Angels have such foul mouths? Though, I'm not gonna lie, this is pretty disappointing. I thought I'd be able to cast some cool Spells and shit, but I've got no Magic from the looks of it. Oh, well...if that's the hand I've been dealt, I might as well accept it. I doubt whining about it will change anything.
At least I have one Magic ability, might as well learn all that I can about it and figure out how to best utilize it, right?
"Let's see here...huh, it can be leveled up," I noticed in fascination, snapping her out of her meltdown.
"Huh? Leveling up isn't a thing in this world though," She responded in surprise, before letting out a sigh and slumping her shoulders as she added, "Not that it matters...there's no way you can survive in this world with nothing but a stupid Item Box Skill.
There's no denying it, I was really worried that this might be the case, and it looks like it's just been confirmed...you weren't reincarnated here as a way to make up for how I affected your life, this isn't a reward. No, you were sent here as punishment. I had a friend in Divine Realm, another Angel, who did the same thing I did, interfering with the living world.
I don't know the details, I wasn't fully paying attention when she talked about it to me, but she once mentioned something about enabling a serial killer to make him more successful. She wasn't subtle about it though, she did stuff like making evidence against him vanish like it never existed and stuff, so she was caught pretty quickly.
As a result, she was banished to this world a few centuries ago, along with the human she helped. They were both sent here as punishment, and since she never returned to the Divine Realm, it's safe to say that both she and that human died, I don't really know exactly what happened though. Shit, that's probably gonna be our fate in this world too! I mean, seriously, if all you've got is Item Box, we're totally fucked here!"
Okay, that's not very encouraging. So, after the shit I went through in my previous life, I'm being punished? Nah, fuck that...I'll survive in this world, no matter what it takes. And not just survive, I'm gonna fucking thrive.
"You're a real downer, aren't you, you little bitch? I mean, maybe this isn't just a basic Item Box Skill, it says 'Mercenary's Item Box', so maybe there's more to it? There's this row with 'EXP:' in it, though the value is 0. Okay, so I guess that means I can level up this Mercenary's Item Box Skill by gaining EXP. Hm, it doesn't say how leveling up will affect the Skill though, or even how to level up. There's a 'Storage' tab, let's see here...huh? Hey, check this out...it says I have twenty storage slots, and they're all occupied," I remarked, reading through the description.
"We're totally screwed here, damn it. I swear, if I ever make it back to the Divine Realm, I'm gonna fucking...," She muttered to herself as she flew around the room in circles.
Oh, she's not listening to me anymore, she's too worked up about the fact that we're both probably gonna die. Whatever, she can freak out all she wants, I need to stay calm and assess my situation.
For starters, I'll learn everything I can about this Skill of mine. Alright, the slots are numbered, and I open one by saying 'Open Slot N', with N being the corresponding number. Let's test it out...
"[Open Slot 01]," I chanted, my eyes widening as a square portal opened up in front of me...okay, basic ability or not, this is pretty fucking cool.
And what a strange feeling this is...I think I can widen or shrink the size of the portal at will. Now, then, let's see what's inside.
I reached inside the portal with a sense of anticipation, a slight clatter echoing out as I touched something familiar. Unable to resist my curiosity, I poked my head in through the portal, finding myself inside a large, cubic space.
And inside it...were several of my guns. Holy shit...fuck, yes!
"Hey, question for you, insect bitch...how advanced are the weapons in this world?"
"Huh? Not very, it's pretty damn medieval, and pretty much everyone uses Magic when it comes to violence, so there's little drive to develop more advanced weap-...is that a gun?" She trailed off in bewilderment as I exited the portal and held up a revolver.
"All twenty slots of this Item Box Skill are occupied, I...I think all my old weapons have been stored inside them. Some of my guns are in this one...[Close Slot 01]. [Open Slot 02]...yes! This one's got some of my ammo stash stored in it!" I exclaimed gleefully.
"Okay, I guess this isn't that bad, guns should be pretty damn effective in this world. Oh, except for the fact that they'll be useless once you run out of ammo," She pointed out dryly.
Tch...I may not be able to kill her, but I'm sure there are other ways in which I can get back at her.
"You know, you're a real bi-...," I began, before trailing off as I heard footsteps approaching, quickly tossing my revolver into the portal I'd opened and chanting swiftly and quietly to close it up.
Huh? Why isn't the Angel bitch hiding!?
"Hey, Jade? Oh, you're awake...you should really get some rest," Said the cat girl with a smile, as she stepped inside with a jug and basket with a few fruits, "Here, I brought you some water and something to eat."
Hm? She just walked right past Arkiela but didn't even seem to notice her. Can she not see her?
"Thank you, I'm grateful," I replied in a friendly tone, being careful not to sound overly familiar...I'm supposed to have amnesia, after all.
"You're talking a bit differently to how you did before, I guess you really don't remember anything, huh...w-well, anyway, I'll let you get some rest. Hope you feel better," She responded, as she placed the jug and basket down and headed back out.
"Why didn't she...?" I trailed off, glancing at Arkiela as the cat girl closed the door.
"Oh, you're the only one who can perceive me in my current state. I can make my presence perciveable to others if I want to, but since that puts me at risk, I have no reason to do so. As far as anyone else is concerned, I don't exist to them as I am now. I might as well be air, you're the only one who can see and touch me, it's a part of my punishment. I-...woah!" She exclaimed in alarm, as I suddenly snatched her out of the air and lay down on the dirty mattress and pillow, holding her over my head and staring up at her as she tried to wriggle free of my grasp.
"Hm, good to know, very good to know. Alright, time for game plan here...I have my guns and plenty of ammo, but like you correctly, and annoyingly, pointed out, my ammo won't last forever, and I certainly won't be able to get more ammo in a world like this one. I've got enough to last me for quite a while, but even if I'm super conservative about it, I'll probably run out in maybe three or four years.
No, it's too early to estimate that yet, I won't know for sure until I see exactly what this world's Magic is capable of, but I'll go ahead with the assumption that I'm at a significant disadvantage due to my lack of any Magic, which may mean I can't afford to be too conservative with my guns. With that in mind...I need to train my new body, I have to be as fast and agile as possible.
I should be able to achieve that by training in the same way I did in my previous life with gymnastics. I also dabbled in swordplay and stuff, and my blade weapons are probably in my Item Box as well, I should train with those, save my guns as a last resort. Granted, I never mastered swordplay, it was more of a hobby since guns are way more practical on assassination jobs, but still, I think I have enough of a grasp on the basic techniques of sword fighting techniques to develop a decent enough level of mastery if I really work at it.
This body feels pretty weak and frail, not exactly surprising considering that it grew up in this shithole of an orphanage. Come to think of it, those other kids looked pretty skinny too. That said, I think I'll stay here for a while, at least until I learn more about this world. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. It'll be a tough grind to build up such a weak body from scratch, but I don't exactly have a choice, now, do I? Okay, it's settled, my game plan for the next few years is set," I surmised with a sense of satisfaction.
"Yeah, that's great and all, shithead...but could you please release me now?" She frowned, continuing to try and wriggle out of my grasp.
"Oh, I don't think so. See, I might've accepted your presence around me, but that's only because I didn't have a choice, and also because you could be useful to me. I may not be able to risk killing you, but that said...I can still let off a bit of steam," I smirked menacingly, raising my other hand towards her, holding the tip of my index finger with my thumb...before flicking it out and smacking my fingernail against her boobs.
"Ow! Hey!" She protested in alarm, before yelping as I flicked her again.
"Mm, that's a nice jiggle. I've just found another use for you, you make for a pretty good stress toy. By the way, you grew a bit in size when you first flew out of my collar. How big can you grow? And can you only grow yourself proportionally, or can you expand specific parts of your body? Like, for example, your boobs?" I inquired curiously, flicking her chest once more.
"S-stop that! I am an Angel, damn it, a Divine Being! A mere mortal like you can't just-...owww, c-cut that out!"
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Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!
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