The Greedy Frog
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DxD: DO System 2
🕑 Added 2024-12-31 13:42:36 +0000 UTCChapter 2: The First Quest
"Make sure you come back on time, Issei," came the voice. "I know you've been worried about your exams lately. I'll have something tasty cooked by the time you return."
Hearing her say that felt strange to him. He wasn't used to people waiting for him, especially not with such enthusiasm as to prepare special meals for him.
‘I wonder if my mom did that for me when I was a kid.’
Sadly, he knew the answer, and it wasn’t a positive one.
"I will, Mom," he answered with a smile. Although it felt strange, he couldn’t deny that he appreciated the care the woman was showing.
‘At least in this life, I have someone who cares.’
Just a few hours after arriving here, he had already been bombarded with surprises—some eyebrow-raising and others leading to soft smiles.
‘And I also figured something useful out.’
<Race: Human>
<Rank: Null>
The <Draconic Eyes> ability he had received allowed him to glance at the race and class of a being. It didn’t provide a name or any other personal details, but it gave him enough information to avoid most trouble.
Yet, despite all his efforts, he still couldn’t figure out what the [Draconic Physique] was about.
He tried throwing some punches and kicks in his room, but it quickly became clear that he couldn’t do anything beyond what his human physique already allowed.
‘If it doesn’t give me Draconic strength and speed, then what does it give me?’
He even tried hitting himself with the chopsticks, and it did hurt. So, it didn’t seem to provide any extra defensive abilities either.
For once, he was certain it was a passive ability, as he couldn't activate it at will—unlike the Draconic Eyes.
‘Ah, if only this system came with a guidebook.’
With that thought, he waited for a moment, hoping that the cosmic power that had sent him to this world might miraculously provide him with a guidebook—maybe out of pity.
Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
Instead, he was stuck with a system that didn’t explain anything and a Sacred Gear that was still sealed.
‘How do I even unlock this gear?’
But then, the system that hadn’t bothered to give him a guidebook gave him something much more interesting.
<Quest Received!>
‘Received? From who?’
<Quest: Improve your physical capabilities—strength, speed, and dexterity within a week!
Day: 0/7>
<Rewards: (Boosted Gear Unlocking Mechanism), (Issei Hyoudou Memories)>
For two full minutes, Issei stood in the middle of the walkway, trying to process what had just happened.
‘A quest? Out of nowhere? Sure… makes sense.’ He rolled his eyes sarcastically, unable to shake the feeling that whatever higher power had brought him to this world was watching and listening to him.
But this also meant he could now unlock the gear. And he knew just how overpowered the Boosted Gear was.
The only problem?
‘How am I supposed to improve my physical capabilities in a week? It takes at least a month to see any real change. This isn’t an anim—’ He paused, his lips quivering. “Maybe it is possible.”
He looked at his hand. It was thin and not the best forearm he had ever seen, but it had potential.
He had seen himself in the mirror. He wasn’t thin, fat, or skinny-fat. He was perfectly lean but needed to put on some muscle.
‘Considering the magic and supernatural aspects of this world, maybe I can complete this quest.’
He shoved his hands back into his pockets, pulled out his phone, and checked the map.
‘Until the quest ends, I’m stuck with nothing, huh?’
No magic, no overpowered skills or tools, and worst of all—no memories.
Memories were exactly what he needed. Without them, life would be unbearable.
What was the point of knowing the future if he couldn’t even figure out how to get to his school?
‘It’s not massive, but it’s not tiny either.’
The map in front of him was filled with parks, businesses, and a million cafes.
But right now, his focus was on one of the few schools in all of Kuoh.
‘For such a bustling place, there aren’t many schools.’
Especially since he remembered that Kuoh Academy used to be an all-girls school.
‘Where did the boys go before Kuoh?’
He did a bit of research, which led him to discover that Japan was one of the toughest countries when it came to education, right alongside China and Korea.
‘At least I’m still in school,’ he sighed in relief. ‘Japanese universities are worse.’
Just like the U.S. had the Ivy Leagues, Korea had the SKY universities, and China had the C9 League, Japan also had its own prestigious list: the Imperial Universities, now called the Japanese National Seven Universities.
‘One Google search and people are already crying tears of blood when talking about the National Seven...’
Issei’s face soured as he scrolled through the endless complaints.
The worst realization came when he went through the posts about jobs in Japan.
‘The prestigious companies only hire people who graduated from the National Seven?’ He frowned but kept walking. ‘So, you can only dream of earning a high salary if you’re from one of the National Seven?’
It didn’t seem fair, but it only kept getting worse.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any concept of a 9-to-5 here; it’s work from dawn to dusk.’ He bit his lip. ‘Work until you drop dead.’
For the average person, this would be their life.
Either get into the National Seven and earn good money.
Or go to an average university, earn just enough to scrape by, all while working yourself into the ground.
‘No wonder Japan has a declining birth rate. Who even has time to date in these conditions?’
After reading through the 20th rant on why corporate life in Japan sucked, and realizing his family had no political or financial backing to start a successful business, he decided to focus entirely on the quest.
“Yeah, no,” he muttered aloud. “I’d rather not be human anymore and risk my life than live like a slave in this damned country.”
The beauty and heritage of Japan couldn’t save his view of the place. If he had to live like a slave, what was the point of being in such a beautiful country?
“Fuck this.” He muttered, memorizing the directions to the school from the map, then sprinting down the street. ‘Training starts now.’
His fleeting idea of avoiding the supernatural madness and living a normal life was instantly shattered with a simple Google search.
‘And it would be the biggest waste to let go of this gift.’
He was Issei Hyoudou. He knew that if he chose to live a normal life instead of playing the game of supernaturals, the world would most likely fall apart —or at least that's the nicer way to put his thoughts in words.
‘Almost there,’ he thought, his pace unchanged despite the beads of sweat on his forehead. He was determined to complete the quest as quickly as possible so he wouldn’t have to live like a corporate slave.
Thanks to his focus and speed, he didn’t have to worry about being late to school.
Gasping for air, he looked ahead and saw the school gates. He wasn’t late; there was still time before they closed.
Not wanting to look all sweaty—especially since he’d taken a cold shower this morning and spritzed himself with body mist—he wiped his face clean.
He smelled great, looked better than most of the guys around him, and felt a surge of excitement about entering a school full of supernaturals.
‘Excitement beats nervousness,’ he thought.
After straightening his clothes, he walked confidently through the gate.
He knew that Issei, despite being a pervert, had an insane level of confidence.
‘Thick-skinned, that’s the term.’
He didn’t want to draw suspicion, not without his gear awakened and no way to protect himself. So, he made sure to walk with confidence.
‘Now, the biggest issue,’ he thought, scanning his surroundings. ‘How do I find my class?’
With dozens of classrooms on each floor, he couldn’t afford to waste time searching every one.
He needed a way to get to his classroom without looking like a creep—no matter what people might think of him right now.
‘I can’t just follow some random girl,’ he thought wryly.
Besides, he knew very few girls in his class. The only leads he had were from the show he’d watched, and since they were all normal humans, the Draconic Eyes wouldn’t be much help.
Luckily, fate seemed to be on his side. He heard two boys call his name.
“Issei!”
It was an obnoxious shout, making everyone nearby turn toward the source.
“What’s up with you, man?” The voice was loud but close. “Why so early today?”
Immediately turning around, not wanting to draw attention so early in the morning, Issei froze in place.
‘How could I have forgotten?’
Before him stood two familiar faces.
“You okay, Issei?”
One was bald, the other wore glasses.
“You look like you just saw a ghost.”
It was Matsuda and Motohama—the two other members of the trio that the old Issei had been a part of, and the last people the new Issei wanted anything to do with.
Unfortunately, these were the only two who could help him get to his class without raising suspicion.
“I woke up early today,” Issei said with a forced smile. “Good morning, Matsuda, Motohama.”
The two in front of him were Matsuda, the Perverted Baldy, and Motohama, the Three Sizes Scouter.
They were the other two members of the infamous Perverted Trio at Kuoh Academy.
And they were also the two people Issei desperately needed to distance himself from as soon as possible.
