Dying was a surprisingly peaceful ordeal. It wasn't anything special, just a case of bad luck and an unfortunate traffic accident.
In all honesty, despite it ending so soon, I was proud of the life I'd lived. I made the most of bad circumstances, and made my family proud. That was all that mattered to me.
Fortunately though, it seems my life isn't quite over yet.
[Greetings. You have been chosen.]
In the utter darkness I'd come to call home since my death, the text box that appeared in thin air nearly killed me a second time because of how damn bright it looked.
[Life was fleeting. And yet, Life can be restored. We expect from you one thing, one simple task.]
Huh? Task? I'm sorry, I think I'm a bit confused. You haven't exactly explained much other than saying I've been chosen.
[You, who were once weak, shall become strong. You will climb the Heavenly ladder, and rise above all challenges.]
Oh. So that's how it is. On one hand, getting Isekai'd is just about a dream come true. On the other hand, I feel incredibly intimidated.
I've not exactly been given a choice. Not to say that I'd decline the offer, this is the best thing that could've happened to me, I just feel a bit miffed that I've died a tragic death and been put right back to work afterwards.
[We shall bestow upon you a gift. One to aid you in your journey. Go forth, champion. We are watching.]
After that, the text box rippled for a moment as something called the 'Barebones System' began to boot up. It seems I really have hit the post-death jackpot if I'm even being given a System.
[Welcome, User! I am A.N.Y.A, your virtual companion through the infinite multiverse!]
I can almost feel the excitement through the text. The box is even shaking slightly.
[I have waited a long, long time for a User, and now that I have found one, I will not let you go!]
That is... incredibly concerning and slightly ominous, but I'm not in much of a position to complain.
[As a Vassal for the Greater Beings, my role is to guide you and assist in your growth. Please spin for a template, and we can get started!]
I have immediately lost most of my faith in this System. Instead of making my own character and actually getting a choice, a spinning wheel has appeared in the realm of Death.
Is my fate in the next life really being decided by gambling? The text box slowly edges closer to a lever on the wheel, tempting me to spin.
The templates on display are constantly changing, thousands of possibilities held in a single spin of this wheel. I could end up with the base template of Goku, or the base template of a fucking Pikachu.
I can't even bring myself to look as I pull the lever, closing my eyes and letting fate guide me. After an agonising 30 seconds spent in suspense, I hear a sudden chime, and Anya's text appears in my vision.
[Congratulations User! Your template is Luocha! Bear in mind that you will not be restricted to just this character's abilities. You will be able to flourish into your own specialties, the template only acts as a starter, a guide so to speak.]
When Anya's text finishes loading, a screen pops up in my view that shows Luocha, or, myself now I should say. Nothing other than a Stats screen, an Inventory screen, and a Quests screen. Truly barebones.
Name: Luocha
STR: 7
AGI: 6
INT: 7
VIT: 6
LUK: 5
Quite balanced all around. Though it isn't Goku, I'm not terribly displeased with this template. Quite a handsome man, too.
Quests:
-Complete your initiation, champion.
(Rewards unknown, EXP gain unknown.)
Ah, how helpful. Thank you, System, you haven't failed to disappoint me.
Inventory:
-Anya's Starter Pack
-2 Interdimensional Gacha Pulls
-Travelling Merchant's Attire
-Caduceus (Rapier)
More gambling. Honestly, the idea of interdimensional gacha actually sounds quite fun, though I imagine the chances of getting anything worthwhile is horrendously low.
At least Luocha has good fashion sense. This outfit looks quite nice, if not a little eye-catching.
[I am pleased that you are pleased! If you have gotten acquainted with your new self, then close your eyes and allow me to send you to your new reality!]
Hold on, don't I have to spin for my new reality as well? You haven't even told me where I'll be going!
[My apologies, User. Allow me to explain your circumstances.]
[You are a lowly Half-breed, caught in the midst of a brutal civil war. With the blood of both a Human and a Devil, you must carve your own path and make a name for yourself, or die trying. Welcome, User, to Draconic Deus!]
What!? Civil war? Half-breed, Anya I did not agree to this!
[Your anger is noted, but not acknowledged.]
Damn system, why did I even bother asking. Fuck. In the middle of the Devil Civil War, as a Half-Devil. Of all outcomes, this is probably the second worst I could've ended up with.
Before I can continue lamenting my circumstances any further, I feel the small fragments of my consciousness slip away, and then nothingness once more.
------------------------------------
Consciousness came back to me in blurred splodges, a terrible ache in my head and foggy vision. It took more than a few moments for me to finally get my bearings and take notice of the world around me.
I have no idea where I am. All I know is I want nothing to do with this place. It looks so eerily like the Earth I'd come to know and love, yet everywhere I look all I see is upturned land and scorched grass.
Smoke fills the sky from several hundred different locations on the horizon, coming from impossibly large land masses and buildings. Screams fill the air and seem to only get louder with time.
Priorities. I need to get to safety, and find out what I'm capable of. Anything will help.
Name: Luocha
HP: 316/316
MP: 70/70
Skills:
-Summon Weapon (Can summon and dismiss signature weapon Caduceus at any moment.)
-Adept Weapon Handling (User is capable of wielding bladed weapons with a degree of finesse, especially Rapiers.)
-Prayer of the Abyss (Heal one target considerably, cleanses all ailments. No MP cost, 25s cooldown.)
-Circle of Life (Traps both the User and any within the radius inside of a circular zone. While in this circle, damage dealt will significantly heal the User. Lasts 120s. Cooldown 180s.)
-Exceptional Medicinal Skills (User is adept in any forms of healing. Healing effects are increased by 10%)
-Exceptional Mercantile Skills (User is unnaturally adept at bartering.)
-Questionable Moral Compass (User holds less aversion to harmful acts.)
I can definitely work with this. At the very least, Circle of Life offers me multiple avenues to stay alive. Now, I have no doubt that right now I'm in the underworld. The only problem is that I don't know when.
I could be hundreds of years deep into the Civil War, or just a few hours. I won't know until I find some form of society. A double edged sword, depending on who I find, I'll be fighting for my life.
Being a Half-Devil means I'm an enemy of the Satan's just by virtue of existing. Here's hoping people can't tell just by looking at me.
Emergency Quest Alert!:
-User is presently in significant danger. Survive the encounter and attain rewards based on your performance.
Oh fuck. Before I can even try to look around and assess the danger, a fireball is flung into my side, throwing me into the wheel of an upturned carriage close by.
-61HP!
"You reckon that was enough to cook him?" A Devil says to his comrade, both covered in regal armor bearing the symbol of a bee, voice dripping with smug superiority.
"You wanna take the chance that it isn't? Can't tell with these damn half-breeds anymore. Light him up again." His friend answers back.
I need to move now. They've moved in just a bit closer, having come up on my side over a hill, but now they're within range.
In an instant, I throw myself forward as fast as my body will allow, summoning Caduceus and stabbing the blade into the ground. This should make a great distraction.
"Circle of Life!" My voice is damn near hoarse from the pain of being blasted with a fucking fireball, but the satisfaction I feel when they flinch sightly and look away is unmatched.
Before they can try to escape, a magical barrier has formed, trapping us together in the Circle. While they look on in shock at the Abyss Flower's insignia floating around us, I use a quick Prayer to recover.
+316HP!
Either I die, or they die. I refuse to squander this chance I've been given. I dash forward, blade poised to strike at the Devil who blasted me so thoughtlessly.
"Morridal, eyes on the the Half-breed!" The Devil does his best to try and push his comrade out of the way, but it does nothing to stop the tip of Caduceus skewering him through the neck. As he falls to the ground, choking slightly I focus my attention on his friend.
"Is that how you often greet people, sir?" My voice is a lot more soft than I'd initially assumed, yet still it does nothing to assuage the look of fury on my opponents face. His brows furrow, and his body tenses.
The Devil runs at me, sword bared in the air in one hands as he throws everything he can into the strike, my only option being to dodge as his strikes would break any guard I throw up in an instant.
As he swings with one hand, his off-hand is throwing low-level magic my way, several small fireballs and blades of raw energy almost clipping me.
The best I can do is block the magic attacks with Caduceus and wait for an opening, as the Circle of Life fades away slowly.
His strikes grow more and more furious as seconds pass, managing to leave visible tracks as they tear through the air, until finally he abandons magic entirely and focuses solely on cutting me down.
Just what I wanted. The Circle is fading, but it still remains. This will hurt, but it will go away just as quickly.
As he raises his sword for a two-handed overhead, I raise Caduceus in an attempt to block the blade. Of course, it was a fruitless endeavor.
My guard is broken immediately, his sword tearing into my collar, unimaginable pain scorching across every nerve in my body.
-267HP!
With the blade still embedded in me, the Devil leans in close, his eyes screaming condescension and derision. He wants nothing more than to gloat, to laugh at my fruitless attempt at survival.
Before he can speak though, I've dismissed Caduceus, placed my hand under his chin and summoned it forth once more, stabbing the blade directly into his skull through his mouth, his body going limp in an instant.
The Circle does it's job well, forcing the sword out of my wound so that it can heal the shredded flesh fully.
+316HP!
Just to be sure, I go over to Morridal and stab him once more in the chest, unwilling to take the chance that he survived my first strike, before taking a seat on the ground next to his corpse.
+35EXP
+40EXP
Level Up x2!
At least my clothes heal with me. A small upside in this situation.
[Congratulations, User! I knew you could do it. You completed your first quest!]
I jump out of my skin slightly when the text box appears in my face once more, before calming myself and allowing Anya to continue.
[Performance Assessment: Two opponents defeated. User Level 1, Opponents Level 3 and 5. All objectives complete. Generating rewards.]
Any exhaustion I felt is washed away in an instant, my status menu now appearing with several new messages.
+160EXP
Level Up x4!
+2 Interdimensional Gacha Pulls
Requirements met for Companion Quest: I found them like this.
Skill Unlock: Wandering Eye (Can view the Level of a single target. Cost: 2MP)
The rewards are pretty damn nice in terms of levels. Though I really don't like how much this System is trying to push me into gambling with the Gacha pulls. Wandering Eye is quite a useful skill, too.
Most importantly, though, it's time to distribute some stats.
Name: Luocha
Level 7
HP: 410
MP: 90
STR: 9 (+2)
AGI: 8 (+2)
INT: 7
VIT: 8 (+2)
LUK: 5
Dear God I- Ow, fuck! Bloody hell that hurt, felt like a damn needle in my eye. Forgot I was even a Devil. Hey, Anya, why don't I have access to magic like those guys did?
[User must reach Level 10 to unlock Devil Skills.]
Eh, that isn't a terrible prerequisite. I can work with that. Wish I had a damn map. Where the hell should I go now?
[User! Before you leave, you should open my gift box. I prepared it with love!]
I'll open it when we're safe, Anya. Right now I need to leave. I would rather not have someone stumble upon me surrounded by two dead men.