This chapter is cut into multiple parts for better access for readers. Please enjoy
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Boost!
"Nine charges. Not bad, but not impressive. I want to see ten by the end of the day."
"Ten?! But I feel like I'll shit myself now!"
"Stop whining and do it. This is the fastest way you can currently grow."
"Ugggh... can't I just whip out the sword and win that way? Why do I gotta bust my ass when it gives me all the power I want?"
"Relying on natural power will be the swiftest way you find demise. Your true power is untapped and will remain that way unless you bring it forward. Now discharge the energy and start again."
Focusing the stored up power outward from his left hand, a shining ball of crimson energy quickly generated. Reaching its apex and appearing only a few times larger than a marble, the boy stared at it with disappointment.
"That's it?" Issei asked with drooped shoulders. All that effort and this was all it resulted in?
"Silence. That ball of energy is heavily condensed. Can you not feel it?" Ddraig answered irritably, not liking his attitude.
Now that he mentioned it, his arm was straining a bit to hold the energy up and keep it together. Holding it there in place. was starting to make him tremble. "Yeah, this shit is heavier than my balls on a bad night."
"I said silence. Now aim the energy skyward and release it."
"How do I do that?"
"Push it. Throw it. Let it go. Do you humans lack intuition, or is it just you?"
"I got it! Geez..." Placing his right hand onto the gauntlet and angling it upward, Issei closed his eyes and refocused. Imagining that he was pulling the rubber band of a slingshot backwards, he released the pull with a shout as the energy shot forward.
Disappearing almost unnoticeably into the vast blue of the sky, the red orb enlarged as it exploded loudly, creating a large shockwave that ripped through the nearby cloud. It billowed downward, slightly rumbling the earth underneath his feet as the leaves from the trees shook on their branches.
"Wow, that was strong," Issei commented as the kickback of wind blew into him rather nicely - a pleasant contrast against the humid temperature.
"Not quite. A single charge from the red-headed girl would yield similar results." Ddraig put the power dynamic in perspective, having a better grasp on the concepts.
"So I'm still a pansy compared to someone like Rias?" Of course, they were both discounting usage of The Flaming Sword.
"No. Unlike you, she does not possess the Boosted Gear. You can effectively reach her level of power without placing strain on your limits, but I doubt you could best her with my power alone. Perhaps comparing yourself to her Queen would be more apt."
Being as strong as Akeno didn't sound that bad. Her status as the Queen piece put her as the second most powerful in Rias's peerage. He hadn't seen her fight, but she had to be stronger than Koneko, and that little girl fucked.
"Don't get complacent. I already told you that your aiming for ten boosts before you finish."
"Hey, how strong am I without the Boosted Gear?" Issei wondered as the gauntlet reset, taking a toll on his body and making him slouch from exertion.
"You have a level, do you not? Just look at that."
"Yeah, but that doesn't tell me anything deep. I mean, I can look at my stats but it's not like it says whether or not I can kick a tree in half, you know?"
"It tells you enough. Compare your level to others and you'll know if you are stronger or not." He could practically feel Ddraig shaking his head from what should have been obvious.
"I know that too, but Rias and her group are different than me. They all got different specializations in their stats, like Koneko being strong and Kiba being fast. Even if my level is higher than someone's, they could still smoke me because of that."
"Most of your stats were about the same, the exception now being your high amount of magic due to The Flaming Sword's properties blessing you. That's more than enough to avoid 'getting smoked' by someone of a lower level. Learn how to fight and react, and you shouldn't have such a humiliating fall."
"True... I'm just antsy about getting caught off guard." His experience that first day with his awakening was still a fresh scar. When he thought about that, it made him want to double down on training. Like Ddraig warned, he couldn't be prepared enough.
"Stop worrying about the whelps. If it comes to an opponent around your own power, you have every advantage and surprise over them, regardless if they get the jump on you. Even if I couldn't, your power warns you in advance, and you can always rely on the sword in times of great peril."
"Not like all your warnings have helped with that..."
"Enough. You'll be fine if you listen to me. In the worst case, you can reload whatever save state you need. Unless you are the worst living creature that has ever existed throughout time, you cannot lose."
Issei agreed with the Dragon Emperor. He was worrying too much over the small things when he didn't need to. But every time he had gotten comfortable, he had forgotten something or been on track of making a mistake. It was like The Gamer power required him to be perfect to use substantially, which was not something Issei Hyoudou felt he could be.
Perfect or not, he had it. The power wasn't going anywhere, so Issei had all the time available to master and release the unending mystical powers it held within. He trusted Ddraig's guidance and considered himself lucky to have him on his side. He could have been unfortunate enough to have an evil demon intent on taking over his body sealed inside him like in anime, but Ddraig wasn't like that.
He was cool. Following and relying on his mentorship whenever he got ahead of himself had been as big a gift as The Gamer power itself.
Boost!
Boost!
Boost!
He still couldn't speed up the time of the Boosted Gear charges. It was still once every ten seconds, but Ddraig informed him that it could be reduced with enough mastery or under certain conditions. Those conditions had been stuff like rage or sacrifice. Not very inviting if he'd say so himself.
On the ninth boost, Issei readied himself to fire another shot in the sky before hesitating. "I hope that magic continues to hold up."
"It will. The only ones who will detect you are magical beings. No normal human can see through the type of spell used by the devils to avoid detection." Ddraig's idea for their training location was to go into the forest around the space he had utterly eviscerated Diodora with his Holy Sword. The magic that was used to conceal all the damage was still up after the weekend and would be awhile before it dissipated. Not even the loud sounds could be heard while walking through the illusive barrier, which would redirect onlookers away. The damage within had been mostly fixed, though there were large patches of open area that needed to be replaced with trees.
"Couldn't I try to learn that type of magic?" Issei asked, channeling the condensed ball into his palm and letting it blast aimlessly into the sky, resetting his gear. "It could be pretty useful for training and avoiding other people."
"That type of magic is a specialization of devils. Humans cannot cast the same forms of magic, nor as easily. It can take several years for a dedicated human with talent to master a single spell. In your case, however, those rules no longer apply."
"So your saying it's possible for me to learn it?" Issei panted, catching his breath after losing more energy.
"Perhaps. I am unaware as to whether or not you, with your unique disposition, are able to train in those arts. One way to obtain said ability is to be granted it by your power, but relying on mere chance is not preferable."
"You're right about that. My RNG has been good lately, but I doubt I'll get everything I want. Guess I should just try it out, and if I can't do it then I can't."
"For now, you are better off training in areas you have and can improve, such as my Boosted Gear. You can mess around experimenting later."
From what Issei knew about devil magic, you could apparently use it in close to any way as long as your imagination was strong enough. A powerful mental image, will, and the magical ability, and you could achieve an uncountable amount of effects. The magic sounded awesome and was another temptation into joining one of the devils peerages, but he held off out of his best interest. His Gamer ability allowed him to reach power beyond simple magics.
In fact, it already had.
"Can't I train with some of my new magic, too? Or my new power?" His voice was practically begging, even as it rasped with exhaustion. He had yet to try out his newest abilities, nor had he got to use any of the blessings left behind by The Flaming Sword. He had been granted many different attributes including fire, holy, spirit, and healing, all of which were mostly unusable with the lack of magic in his arsenal. Barring that new light spell he received, he couldn't tap into them without the sword's assistance.
Then there was everything else. He had so many new tricks and all Ddraig wanted him to do was boost himself. Wasn't this the perfect time to try everything out?
Ddraig seemed to think otherwise. "Your new skill won't help you right now, and the items are unknown. Keep using the Boosted Gear. It is the best way you can train in your current state."
Issei pouted grumpily. "You're just saying that because you're biased..."
"Hmph, then maybe I should stay quiet and let you do push ups in the park?"
"At least give me some credit! Koneko trained with me a bunch, and push ups are hard!"
"Sure, and when a powerful enemy shows up, you can impress them with your form before they erase your existence and I find a new host," Ddraig snorted sarcastically. "Training with a partner is advisable, but you must make do with what you have, which is more than enough for a pervert like you."
"Why do ya gotta keep insulting me? I'm building up my awesome." Flexing his gauntlet arm, Issei began boosting up another round of charges.
"Why do you keep complaining?" Ddraig countered. The boy made a defensive sound to retort, fading away as he knew the dragon had him there. What Ddraig kept to himself was that his crude comments were a part of what kept him sane when dealing with the perverted human anomaly. The boy possessed such an ungodly power that stunned even him, and would likely threaten the balance of everything across the dimensions as they knew it. Such mystery hiding an innumerable amount of secrets, yet the kid would rather spend his time pulling at his shlong and seeking out female flesh.
Absolutely detestable. An indefensible mockery of all things, or so his sagely, draconic wisdom believed. Yet Ddraig had to make do and respect his host's will, offensive as it was. At the end of the day, Issei was his host - by far the most unique of them all - and he had to actively work with him more than all the others to make sure he lived up to the power he held.
Yes, his host. He had to respect him.
Disrespect him at every chance.
Like him.
Hate him.
Uplift him.
Crush him.
...
This boy was going to drive him mad.