The midday sun cast a warm glow over the garden area of Kuoh Academy as Issei Hyoudou sat under a tree, casually munching on his sandwich while scrolling through his phone. His eyes flickered between the messages in the chat group and the generous assets of Rias Gremory, who had just walked up to him.
For a moment, his thoughts wavered between admiration and curiosity. This is the Rias Gremory… and she's talking to me? Am I dreaming? His gaze, as shameless as ever, lingered for a few seconds too long before she called his name.
"Issei."
His brain clicked back into action. "Ah, sorry. How can I help you?" He did his best to focus, but Rias's beauty made that difficult. She wasn't just attractive—she was stunning, a immortaldess in human form. No, wait—devil form, he corrected himself internally.
Rias gave him a soft smile before speaking. "I want to ask if you would like to serve me and become a devil. It will give you power and allow your dream to come true."
For a second, Issei thought he had misheard her. His sandwich nearly fell from his hand. His dream? Becoming special? No longer being just an average perverted high schooler but someone important, someone powerful?
His answer was instant. "Yes, yes!" He practically jumped to his feet as if the offer would expire in mere seconds.
Rias chuckled but held a look of concern. "Don't you want some time to think it through or ask for advice?" She wasn't surprised by his enthusiasm—if anything, she had expected it—but she didn't want him to regret it later.
Issei did pause for a moment, but only briefly. Think it through? Ask for advice? His mind immediately brought up an image of Naruto.
'Go ahead, boy, do it.'
Yeah, that's exactly what he'd say. Issei grinned to himself before shaking his head. "Nah, I'm good. Turn me into a devil and give me the power." His eyes sparkled with excitement—this was his chance to become something more than just a loser with perverted dreams.
Rias nodded, accepting his decision. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her Evil Pieces, the tools that allowed her to reincarnate humans into devils. In her hand, she held eight glowing Pawn Pieces—a rare amount, signifying just how much potential she saw in him.
"Okay." She took a deep breath before stepping forward. Holding out her hand, she channeled her power into the pieces and began the process.
But the moment the pieces touched Issei, something unexpected happened.
A deep, mechanical voice echoed from his phone.
"Do you really wish to go through the transformation?"
Both Issei and Rias froze. Her eyes widened in confusion. The Evil Pieces had never spoken before.
The chat group device in Issei's pocket resisted the transformation. It was as if something—or someone—was interfering.
Issei didn't hesitate. "YES!" he practically screamed.
"Very well, for best results, the system will provide assistance."
Rias barely had time to react before dark energy and golden light erupted from Issei's body, engulfing him completely. The raw power sent shockwaves through the air, rustling the trees and making her step back in shock.
Then, the pain hit.
Issei screamed as a deep, primal energy surged through him. His body convulsed, his muscles tensing as if being torn apart and reforged at the same time. Black flames flickered around him, mixing with the crimson glow of the Evil Pieces as they forcefully integrated with his very essence.
Rias clenched her fists, watching the transformation in awe and slight concern. No pain, no gain. I should have realized this was coming, she thought, recalling Naruto's motto. If the chat group was involved, then whatever was happening to Issei was beyond a normal devil reincarnation.
Seconds felt like hours, but eventually, the glow around Issei faded.
As the light dimmed, his new form was revealed.
Standing before her was no longer just Issei Hyoudou, the perverted high schooler. His body had changed—his physique had become leaner, more muscular, his chest now defined with power he had never possessed before.
A crimson gauntlet with an ominous emerald jewel gleamed on his left hand—the Boosted Gear—but there was something even more shocking.
From his back, black, leathery devil wings extended.
His clothes were in tatters, shredded by the overwhelming transformation, but his breathing was steady, his expression one of pure exhilaration. He clenched his fist, feeling the raw power coursing through his veins.
He had never felt so strong before.
Issei collapsed onto his knees, not out of exhaustion, but from shock. His body was buzzing with incredible strength, unlike anything he had ever imagined.
"…I… I did it." His voice was hoarse, but filled with excitement.
Rias took a moment to process what she had just witnessed. That was no ordinary reincarnation. The chat group… helped him? Modified his transformation?
She had no idea what the full consequences of this would be, but she was certain of one thing—
Issei Hyoudou was no ordinary devil.
Issei sat on the ground, still adjusting to the surge of power coursing through his veins. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, his muscles hummed with raw energy, and his new devil wings twitched slightly behind him. The feeling was exhilarating—he had never felt this powerful before.
Then, his eyes flickered to the crimson gauntlet on his left hand.
A strange sensation washed over him—something alive was inside it.
"What is this?" he muttered, flexing his fingers as the emerald jewel on the back of his hand pulsed with a faint glow.
A deep, booming voice answered immediately.
"I am not an item, kid."
Issei flinched, startled at first, but after everything that had just happened—the Evil Pieces, the chat group's interference, his painful transformation—he was already mentally exhausted. At this point, talking accessories didn't seem all that weird.
He exhaled and looked down at the gauntlet. "So who are you?"
The voice rumbled again, this time with clear authority.
"The Heavenly Dragon of Domination—Ddraig. Kid, you're going to follow my words, or life is going to become really messy for you."
Issei raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound so angry?"
Ddraig let out a deep, irritated growl before answering.
"Because of your personality and the fact that you ruined my image even before I had awakened. How could you accept such a shameful name as 'Oppai Dragon'?"
Issei blinked. "I didn't do that."
"But you didn't mind it," Ddraig shot back.
Issei grinned sheepishly. "Well… what's wrong with it? Do you not like them? If you say no, we can't get along."
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, a long, drawn-out sigh echoed from the gauntlet.
"By the immortals… what kind of host have I been stuck with?"
Before Issei could continue his very important discussion about the greatness, Rias's voice interrupted.
"Issei, who are you talking to?"
He looked up, realizing she was staring at him with a mix of amusement and curiosity.
He held up his gauntlet with a grin. "The dragon inside the gauntlet."
Rias raised an eyebrow. This boy… really hasn't changed at all, has he?
Wang Lin sat cross-legged in his dimly lit room, his fingers gliding over the phone's smooth surface. The Heroes Chat Group had been a blessing, providing him with connections and knowledge beyond anything he could have imagined. Though skeptical at first, he had quickly realized the immense value of being part of this mysterious group.
His eyes scanned the latest messages.
"I would like to learn Life Erase, Knocking, Instinct, and Food Honor." — Grand Scholar.
He didn't hesitate. These skills, if acquired, could make him untouchable. In his world, power determined everything. The strong dictated fate, and the weak were mere stepping stones on the path of the mighty. If he could master these abilities, he could change his destiny.
"What can you offer?" — Glutton.
Wang Lin paused. He had no treasures, no knowledge of foreign worlds, and no powerful backers. He had only himself.
"I can only offer my body." — Grand Scholar.
The response came swiftly.
"So explain your world to me, and I will give you a mission." — Glutton.
Wang Lin's fingers moved deftly, typing out the truth of his world.
**"My world has people called cultivators who become strong through training and absorbing energy. They aim to become immortals and move the stars with a thought.
Humans and beasts alike walk this path. This world is vast, and the weak often die tragically before ever reaching their potential. Here, weakness is a sin.
The area I live in is peaceful, but there is a mountain filled with beasts—some ordinary, some magical. Beyond it lie great cities ruled by cultivators, where the struggle for power never ceases."**
A moment later, Glutton's reply came.
"I will give you the skills Life Erase and Knocking. Your task is to vanquish the strongest beast atop that mountain."
Wang Lin inhaled sharply. The King of the Mountain. A bear that had stepped into cultivation, making it a magical beast.
Another message appeared.
"Don't ask for Instinct yet. It relies on great experience and isn't compatible with you at the moment." — Emperor of Mankind.
Naruto, the Emperor of Mankind, had been the most mysterious and powerful figure in the chat. Every word he spoke carried weight, and Wang Lin was beginning to understand that Naruto's knowledge was deeper than anyone could fathom.
Wang Lin immediately bowed his head, a habit ingrained from years of discipline.
"Thank you, Master Emperor of Mankind and Glutton. I will try my best."
As soon as he sent the message, he felt a strange sensation—a golden laser shot out from his phone and entered his forehead.
For a brief moment, his mind froze. Then, his consciousness expanded. Information flowed into his brain like an ancient river, carrying the experiences of those who had wielded these skills before him—Naruto, Toriko, and countless unnamed masters.
He gasped as the knowledge merged seamlessly into his very being.
The skills were his.
Another message popped up.
"You are welcome. Don't push yourself too hard. Learn anything useful and utilize whatever you can. Throw away any kind of honor. Fighting in the wild is about survival. Use ambushes, traps, and poison if necessary." — Emperor of Mankind.
"He is right. Use anything at your disposal, but avoid killing what you will not eat. It is a waste of resources and life." — Glutton.
Wang Lin looked at the messages and smiled. These people understood the world better than he did.
He clenched his fists, feeling the changes in his body. In just one week, he had become stronger than he had ever dreamed possible.
His mind flickered to the strange item he had received from the tiger—an artifact that had pushed his growth beyond what should have been natural. With this, and my new skills, my path has never been clearer.
"I will be careful." Wang Lin typed before putting his phone away. As if recognizing his command, the phone vanished into his body.
Without another word, he grabbed his short daggers, a net, a bow, and a quiver of arrows.
"Father, I will be going out to hunt, so don't look for me today."
His father, a simple village man, nodded absentmindedly, assuming his son was going on one of his usual hunting trips. He didn't ask questions. That was the way of their world—men fought, men killed, and men survived.
Wang Lin left the house, his eyes locked on the distant mountain.
The jungle path was unforgiving—twisting roots threatened to trip him, poisonous plants loomed with unseen danger, and venomous snakes slithered beneath the foliage. But Wang Lin moved like a phantom.
Life Erase was miraculous. He had always been quiet, but now he was invisible—not through magic, but through pure skill. Even the most sensitive beasts failed to notice him until it was too late.
A wolf dropped dead before it could react, Wang Lin's dagger puncturing its throat.
A serpent never saw the arrow coming, its skull split before it could strike.
The efficiency was terrifying.
At the mountain's midpoint, Wang Lin took a break. He skinned a wild fox, its fur valuable, and prepared its meat. Using knowledge from Toriko, he cooked it into a meal that maximized its energy.
He bit into the meat, feeling the warmth of energy flow into his cells.
His mind raced. My path has become incredibly smooth… If I continue like this, immortality shouldn't be impossible.
But his curiosity was growing.
What ability should I ask from Master Emperor of Mankind next?
Naruto had given him the strongest techniques so far. His mind was filled with countless ideas, ways to push his cultivation beyond its limits.
But…
He ignored Death.
A force of nature like Death? That wasn't something he believed could help him grow stronger.
The King of the Mountain awaited.
With renewed energy, Wang Lin rose to his feet and continued the hunt.