"Damn acid rain... *sigh*"
Jin removed his waterproof suit, soaked and riddled with toxic microparticles.
He cast a gloomy glance at his surroundings, before putting on more relaxed clothes and eating his artificial meal with gestures that seemed mechanical.
'How long has it been already?'
21 years.
That's Jin Morton's age.
He's a minor employee within a new pharmaceutical corporation that just had a meteoric rise recently.
A good situation, right?
Actually... Yes and no.
Jin works 6 days out of 7, for 10 hours a day.
It's an extremely grueling pace, but he doesn't really have a choice.
In this era where AIs have replaced most workers requiring a human, the middle class in society has become something rare.
Normally, you're either rich or poor.
A middle ground has become abnormal and difficult to reach, or even observe.
The organization where Jin works has a policy of favoring humans, and that's part of the reason for their meteoric rise, thanks to public support.
However, the work is exhausting.
The company tries as best it can to maintain a standard production pace against the "robotic" competition.
Of course, this physically and mentally weakens ordinary employees... like Jin.
That's why Jin is lucky to have this job within the pharmaceutical company, but he's also unfortunate in a certain way.
"Tsk... what am I becoming? I should take my mind off things."
That's when Jin's eyes, surrounded by dark circles, fell on his VR headset.
Before becoming an employee, Jin was still in the family nest and enjoyed virtual games.
But...
'I haven't played in years because of work and adult life.'
Unconsciously, he walked toward the virtual reality headset and grabbed it in his arms.
An unknown time passed, before Jin finally decided to put on the headset.
[ System alert – critical level! ]
[ Host, your blood pressure is unstable. Your vital signs are dropping. It is strongly advised not to activate an immersive simulator. ]
The AI chip.
It's a popular tool within Earth's bourgeois class, since it has many practical functionalities.
Its only real flaw remains its high price, which has made it unpopular with the majority of the population.
Why does Jin have such an object?
To understand this, you need to know Jin's overall status currently.
Jin is an orphan and single.
His apartment was obtained thanks to inheritance money, and the same goes for this AI chip.
Sure, it's not the latest version nor the pinnacle of this revolutionary technology, but... this AI is enough for Jin in his daily life.
"Leave me alone, I want to have some fun."
'Especially since tomorrow, I finally have a day without work.'
After putting on the headset, Jin lay down on his bed to avoid a stupid accident during activation.
"Start..."
The voice command immediately activated the old virtual reality headset, and Jin's mind was connected.
As for his body?
It fell asleep.
...
[ Welcome to "The Origin" ]
[ We have detected that you haven't been connected to your headset for 4 years... ]
[ Would you like to reread the information about the options? ]
Jin hesitated for a moment, but he ended up accepting.
He remembered the VR headset's manual, but he preferred to just be sure.
Simply put, the VR headset is a tool allowing access to games or simulators.
There are various games.
They range from ordinary adventure games to even R-18 ones.
Jin browsed the game library at length, after reviewing the basic information of the VR headset.
He searched for an interesting game for about ten minutes, before finally coming across High School DxD.
He had already read the light novel at one time, because he had enjoyed playing this game during his adolescence.
[ You have selected: DxD ]
[ Please select a historical character from this world's timeline: ]
[ Issei Hyoudou: ... ]
[ Kiba Yuuto: ... ]
[ Gasper Vladi: ... ]
The list in front of Jin was long.
There were several names, ranging from main characters like Rias and Issei to unknown people.
At first, Jin wanted to play under Issei Hyoudou's identity.
Why? Because it's easier to have access to the main plot and resources.
Yet, he hesitated.
"Issei... can I really enjoy this whole universe under his identity?"
Reality is governed by various rules.
Jin wanted to play and escape his current situation.
Thus, he hesitated to play with an identity possessing slave status in "another" reality.
Finally, he used the "random" option.
[ Please select a power available in this universe: ... ]
There were several proposals, ranging from obtaining demonic energy to that of a Sacred Gear.
Jin browsed the available options at length, before finally selecting a paid option.
This latter should allow him to create a power that doesn't go against the laws of the DxD world.
After a little reflection, he decided to use a clichéd but effective power, according to his fictional knowledge:
The unique skill Gluttony.
Unfortunately, the game refused the power as such, due to a balancing issue.
It was then slowly modified by Jin, who wanted to become strong quickly and avoid a stupid Game Over.
In the end, he could only obtain a weakened and limited ability compared to the original.
For example:
Jin won't gain specific abilities at 100% after devouring prey.
He only has a 10% chance of obtaining one, and only recovers 20% of the devoured target's overall strength.
So, if the target possesses several abilities, then Jin would only get one of them, randomly, with only 20% of its overall strength.
It's really far from Rimuru Tempest's total absorption.
[ Are you ready for your game? ]
[ Yes or No ]
Of course, Jin pressed "yes."
An act announcing the beginning of his troubles... or a blessing?
"W-what's happening?"
At the moment of launching the game, several alerts appeared in the AI chip and VR headset system.
The reason?
Jin's vital signs slowly began to weaken, because he had reached his physical limits.
As for his VR headset? It was too old a model to function correctly, and it slowly fried his brain during his fainting.
Jin died from overwork, which ended up forcing his body to rest... and the defective VR headset finished him off.
...
In a rocky area of the Nemea region, an injured lioness was walking slowly toward a cave.
Even if she's described here as a lioness, she only has appearance in common with this creature.
Why?
Because this animal is monstrously imposing.
"S... stupid Regulus, how could you lose? Not against a god... but against a simple bastard!"
The lioness was muttering, intermittently, curses intended for an absent figure in this place with a barbaric appearance.
Apart from her oaths filled with resentment toward her former husband and the bastard demigod, her gaze was filled with loneliness and sadness.
She observed various locations similar to the one where she had lain down, as well as the decorations around her.
The cave seemed designed for beasts... but the presence of certain objects was clearly abnormal, because they were intended for human use.
The lioness's eyes finally refocused on two rudimentary beds, similar to the one where she was resting.
There were three, and a fourth, more decorated one.
This place was once the base of Regulus's pride, the strongest of the Nemean lions.
Unfortunately, this pride is today reduced to a simple lioness... pregnant.
And the rest?
This lioness has no idea.
She had barely escaped Heracles's relentless hunt.
"I... I'm going to give birth..."
Perhaps because of the stress related to recent events, or the already advanced stage of her pregnancy.
The lioness, despite herself, began the painful process of giving birth.
She had no help—and didn't need any.
Although lions of Regulus's race can take human form, they remain monsters, descendants of Typhon and his wife, Echidna.
Even ordinary beasts can give birth alone... so her?
There's no problem. Even her wounds didn't hinder the supernatural beast.
"Ah... a... a son... You see that, Regulus? You have an heir."