I ran my hands over my body carefully, tracing the skin that had previously been torn open like shredded rotten meat. There was still dried, sticky blood staining the worn-out shirt I was wearing. But the pain… was gone. The gaping hole that had nearly made me faint every single second had completely vanished, as if it never existed. What remained was only the torn fabric and a fading ticklish sensation. I took a deep breath, feeling my lungs work lightly without any obstruction. There was relief, but also an equally large confusion.
And right in front of my eyes, that bluish screen was still floating clearly, suspended without any support, as if it were reflecting off the air itself.
"Seriously… I should've gotten this yesterday. Is there some requirement or something?" I muttered while staring at the screen with a mix of frustration and bewilderment. A system that clearly couldn't read the room.
This system—somehow—could only be accessed by me, and from the description I'd seen earlier… its name was Akashic System.
If my memory before dying wasn't wrong, Akashic referred to some kind of metaphysical library that stored all knowledge in the universe. A sort of universal database. A spiritual version of Google—for the soul.
Getting something like that… was incredible. Even too incredible for a homeless man who had almost been killed twice in a single day. If this system was truly based on the concept of the Akashic Record, then the possible abilities it held might be completely unreasonable.
But… what could it actually do?
That question kept circling in my head. If the system really came from something akin to the Akashic Record—an entity said to hold all knowledge in existence—then the answer likely wouldn't be something as simple as "increase stats" or "display level panels." But I didn't dare assume anything recklessly. This world was full of strange things, and I didn't want to die a third time over some misunderstanding.
I swallowed, trying to calm my still slightly shaky breath, then decided to do the most basic thing.
"System?"
[Hello, Host…]
I froze for a moment.
'Whoa… interactive!'
The voice wasn't loud, but it was crisp and clear, like someone was standing right next to me and whispering without sound. There was a cold calmness to it, almost like a computer, but at the same time… alive. Hard to explain, as if there was a faint touch of consciousness woven into every word.
In that case…
"Explain yourself!"
There was a split-second pause, then:
[Very well…]
[I am a system created from a consciousness originating from a higher dimension, known as the Akashic Record. I can answer anything asked, as long as it remains within the Host's grade limit. I was created to assist the Host in improving oneself in order to obtain the highest survival probability.]
[My drawback is: the knowledge I can provide must align with the Host's grade. Currently, the Host's grade is at the lowest tier of the hierarchy, which is: Fodder.]
'Fodder? Seriously? Even the system calls me livestock?'
[To ascend grades, the Host must improve through adventures or quests determined by the Akashic. Grade improvement means correcting the fate trajectory of the world and oneself.]
[The highest grade—and the final goal—is: Transcendent.]
A new display appeared in front of me, like a neatly arranged ranking list glowing in bluish light. I read them one by one.
1. Fodder
2. Fighter
3. Elite
4. Master
5. Grandmaster
6. Hero
7. Sovereign
8. Demigod
9. Deity
10. Transcendent
Seeing it was like seeing a giant staircase piercing the sky. The gap between Fodder and Fighter alone made me want to sigh deeply, let alone thinking about reaching Deity or Transcendent. Even Sovereign already felt like something only side characters dreamed about without ever reaching.
But the system continued its explanation.
[When ascending ranks, the Host may utilize various conditions or external assistance. There are no restrictions as long as the process does not destabilize the dimension.]
[I also possess several features the Host may use, such as: Universal Item Gacha, where the Host may obtain items from various dimensions; Inventory Subspace as private storage; and access to the Tower of Babylon.]
This was no longer sounding like a simple cheat. It felt more like reading the manual for some cosmic machine that had been dumped into my lap without proper instructions—or rather, with instructions that only made me more anxious.
"Alright… then how do I get more items from this gacha? Through quests!?"
[Answer… Correct. I provide quests, and the rewards are tickets.]
"Uuh… and the free ticket is already used?"
[Yes.]
'Right. There's no way I'd still be alive if the system didn't automatically use the gacha on its own.'
That bitter feeling returned. Somewhere between gratitude and irritation—like someone handing you an umbrella after the storm had already passed.
For now, I needed to find a safe place first. Speaking of which… the small tent I set up to store my things was under the nearby bridge. Better retrieve it before someone else found it or before something horrible appeared again.
I grabbed another change of clothes from my emergency bag, replacing the ones soaked with blood and mud. The clean fabric pressed against my skin—skin that now strangely felt much younger, firmer, as if the Elixir had forcibly rewound my age.
I took a long breath. I had to move. This city… could no longer be treated as a safe haven like before.
Kuoh City. A fictional city I'd only ever known from the pages of a light novel and an anime screen—High School DxD. Its main genre? Hard ecchi. No wonder nearly every character in this world was… well, horny in their own way. Especially the girls who looked as if they were designed by someone who had never touched grass.
But beneath that, this world was far from just lewd comedy. Its supernatural side was harsh. Brutal. Filled with endless conflict: stray devils roaming around, the cold war between the three major races, the scramble for Sacred Gears, conspiracies between factions, and eventually a massive war that would drag the human world into chaos.
Ridiculous. Unreal. Yet deadly.
And me? I had to survive in it.
The only way was to get stronger. In the supernatural world, strength was the most valuable currency—more valuable than morality, law, or social status. And even though being strong would make me a target, what difference did it make? Eventually, the human world would get dragged into the major conflict anyway. Rather than becoming a nameless mob who dies off-screen, it was better to get involved. To take no sides, move independently, and exploit any opening I could find.
If this world truly followed its story path… then I didn't have much time.
I stepped into the forest located in the hills, quite far from the local church—the place that would later become the starting point of the main plot. I had to get away from the center of the canon as much as possible. Dealing with the timeline before I was ready was the same as suicide.
As I walked further in, the blue screen appeared again.
[Quest – Create a Shelter]
Reward: +1 Universe Item Gacha Ticket
The first quest. Simple, but clear: I had to build a permanent shelter. Its location was about fifty kilometers from the city center. Far—but that was exactly what I needed. Distance from the main scenario was safety.
It was an easy task… in theory. I had spent all my money before coming to this world to buy whatever supplies I could—worn-out tools, a knife, several pieces of equipment that weren't ideal but enough to survive.
First—cutting wood.
…
And in reality, it took a full month to build a decent hut. It wasn't big, about 3 x 4 meters, enough to sleep, store supplies, and survive the weather. It was impossible for me to build it any faster. I didn't have supernatural strength, game-like crafting skills, or superhuman stamina. All I had was a body that was now healthy… and stamina that felt endless, thanks to the Elixir.
I hunted for food. Sometimes I did small-scale gardening with whatever seeds I had. Occasionally I fished in the river not far from the edge of the forest. The days passed with a rough but steady rhythm: work, eat, sleep, repeat. Until finally the hut stood—rough, simple, but sturdy.
When I set the final beam in place, the system notification appeared and glowed brightly.
[Quest Completed]
[Reward Granted: 1 Universe Item Gacha Ticket]
Finally.
I entered the still-empty room—no furniture, no decorations, just rows of rough wooden walls that still gave off the scent of sap mixed with the damp aroma of forest soil. Its warmth was faint, but enough to ward off the cold of night. I sat leaning against the newly placed support pillar, feeling exhaustion seep out of every pore in my body. One month of hard work… finally producing minimal results.
Alright. Time to see what I got.
[Universe Item Gacha…]
[Tickets Available: 1]
[Use now? Y/N]
A light appeared right in front of my face, solidifying into an object. And when its shape became clear… I froze.
A chest.
Not just any chest.
A mini wooden chest with excessive carvings—and a chibi capybara mascot smiling peacefully on top of it.
"What—the fuck…?"
I even blinked several times. This was truly absurd. All the time I had used this system, I had never seen a gacha visual this clear. Exactly like in a game—complete with unnecessary kawaii design.
'…Yes.'
I finally pressed the Yes button on the blue screen.
The moment my finger touched it, the chest gave a small bounce then began to spin slowly, accompanied by bluish-purple glowing effects that flickered. A notification sound echoed like a cheap jackpot from an arcade.
[Congratulations!]
The light stopped. The chest opened.
[Heavenly Demon Cult Martial Arts Manual Vol 1 – Rank A]
I fell silent.
This…
This wasn't a normal item.
And it wasn't something that should exist in the DxD world at all.