Dead and Game Start
If someone had told me that I'd die young—and worse, die while minding my own business—I would've laughed in their face.
How do you even die from minding your own damn business?
And yet, here I am, lying in a pool of my own blood, my stomach riddled with bullet holes.
Now, you're probably wondering how I ended up in this mess. Let me give you a clue. What's one thing that can push a man to completely lose his mind? Not just a little—I'm talking about a full-blown, no-going-back, life-destroying meltdown.
If you said women, then ding ding ding—you're absolutely right.
It all started when I was sitting peacefully in a café, sipping coffee, eating a croissant, and scrolling through My Hero Academia: Izuku Reloaded (peak web novel, by the way). Nothing out of the ordinary, just a regular, quiet morning.
Then, suddenly, I heard a couple arguing a few tables away. I ignored it at first—relationship drama wasn't my problem. But then the woman said something that made my ears perk up.
"This is exactly why I cheated on you with your brother! He's such a better man than you are! All you ever do is sit in your room and play with 'the boys'—why don't you just go out with them instead?"
At that moment, I expected the boyfriend to snap back, maybe curse her out, maybe storm out of the café like a normal person.
But oh, how wrong I was.
He started laughing. Not the kind of laugh that comes from amusement, but a deep, twisted, unhinged laugh. The type that makes you realize something is very wrong.
Then he stopped. His face contorted into a wide, toothy grin, his eyes dark with something I couldn't quite place.
"I fucking knew it," he muttered, voice eerily calm. "I fucking knew it. Traitors. All of you. The only people you can trust are the bros."
Now, at this point, I figured that was it. He'd yell a little more, storm out, maybe punch a wall to prove his manhood. So I shrugged and went back to my web novel, chalking it up as just another relationship gone down the drain.
Not even two minutes later, I heard it.
Click, click.
A cold chill ran down my spine. I turned my head slowly, my stomach sinking.
There he was, standing in the middle of the café, a damn Uzi in his hands and a twisted grin still plastered on his face.
And just like that, all hell broke loose.
I swear, this man had zero experience with guns. His first shots actually hit his intended target—his now very ex-girlfriend—but the recoil caught him off guard, sending the spray of bullets in a wild arc.
And guess who just so happened to be right in the line of fire?
Yep. Me.
And that's how I ended up in this ridiculous situation—bleeding out on a dirty café floor because some nerd couldn't handle a breakup.
I mean, come on. Every guy goes through this at least once—it's practically a rite of passage. You're supposed to use the heartbreak as motivation. Hit the gym. Get a glow-up. Fix your fashion sense. Make new friends. Level up.
But no.
This dumbass took the easy way out. He crashed out. And now? Now he's probably going to prison, where he'll end up as someone's bottom bitch in record time.
Pathetic.
The noise around me is fading. It's getting colder. My body feels heavy.
So this is it, huh?
Well… Bye-bye, world.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
A endless void, an abyss so deep and absolute that even darkness felt too faint a word to describe it. There was nothing—no light, no sound, no scent, no sensation. Just an overwhelming emptiness, as if I had been swallowed by the void itself.
One moment, I had been in the real world.
Then... nothing.
Now, I was here, weightless, untethered, drowning in an existence stripped of all senses. Was this death? Had my life really ended in a single instant, just like that? No afterlife, no divine judgment—just this vast, infinite nothingness?
Panic should have taken hold of me, but even fear felt distant, as if my emotions were being swallowed by the void itself.
Was this all there was?
Whoever brought me here without giving judgment for wherever I was suppose to go needs to arrive. I need to run the ones in real way.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Time had lost all meaning.
Had it been a second? A minute? An hour? A day? A week? A month? A year? A decade? A century? A millennium? An eternity?
I had no way of knowing.
There was no sun to mark the passage of days, no ticking clock to measure the seconds. Just endless, suffocating darkness stretching infinitely in all directions. No sound, no light, no feeling—just existence in the purest, most agonizing form.
This was worse than death.
This was torture.
I would have gladly spent weeks being dragged around on a shopping spree with my girlfriend, carrying an entire department store's worth of bags, dealing with her indecisiveness over which dress to buy, nodding like a fool every time she asked, "Does this look good on me?"
I would have welcomed that.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [You, who have endured the Void—the desolate abyss where even gods falter—have remained both sane and shattered. Such transcendence is truly divine.]
[You have awakened the Gamer system]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ 'Are you fucking kidding this shit was a fucking test, whatever'
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [New Game]
[Yes] [No]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ 'Obviously i'm going to pick yes after going through that hell there is no way I'm going to stay in this void who knows what would happen if I pick no, this might be my only chance of getting out of here.'
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Transporting User to new world]
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
'Really they didn't even let me pick where i'm gonna go, well fuck it as long as its not some god forbidden world such as warhammer than i'm fine. Hopefully it's not a world where that deals with politics like harry potter, I love the books but I would hate to be there. The world is so white and black no gray, how can you call someone a dark lord because they use a forbidden spell, a dark lord should be determined by the intent of there action and don't get me started on how they basically are brainwashed by dumbledore, they worship the very floors he walks as if he's a god or something.'
________________________________________________________________________________________________-
In the shadowy corner behind one of the school buildings, three figures crouched low against the wall, their gazes locked onto a small, suspiciously placed hole. On the other side, the soft giggling of girls and the rustling of clothes sent visible shudders of excitement down the spines of two of the boys.
Motohama, the self-proclaimed "human calculator of three sizes," adjusted his thick glasses, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. "Alright, according to my precise calculations, this is the golden hour, the peak time for maximum exposure. Boys, we're about to witness paradise!"
Issei, their fearless leader in debauchery, licked his lips in anticipation. "This is it... the holy grail! The sacred land of bouncing oppai!"
Matsuda, however, wasn't paying attention. His eyes weren't focused on the hole but rather staring off into the distance, his mind drowning in a whirlwind of thoughts.
'Issei Hyoudou? Motohama? Kuoh Academy? No way... this is High School DxD.'
His stomach twisted as the realization sank in. He wasn't just some random student—he was Matsuda, a literal side character whose only purpose was to be comic relief.
'Are you kidding me? Of all the people I could have reincarnated as, I got stuck with one of the two biggest perverts in this school?'
But as frustrating as the situation was, he had to admit... it could have been worse. The world of DxD was dangerous, but it was also one filled with opportunities—powerful beings, ancient artifacts, and getting powerful is easy, if issei can get motivated over boobs or to make matters worse poke boobs in the middle of a battle to power up than its a walk in the park. If he played his cards right, he could rise above the background role he was assigned.
'That being said... Issei is a terrible friend.'
Matsuda frowned as a new thought struck him. 'Even after getting his harem, the guy never once introduced his so-called "bros" to any girls. No hookups, no wingman plays, nothing! After everything they went through together, they just got left behind like trash.'
He sighed. 'Well, I'm not letting that happen to me.'
"Matsuda!" Motohama hissed, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you gonna peek or what?! Murayama got a perfect 36-22-34, and Katases's legs are out of this world—34-22-36, baby! This is amazing!"
Matsuda blinked, still disoriented. Right. The whole peeping thing.
Instead of answering, he threw out a question. "Hey, guys… how long have we been in this school?"
Issei gave him a strange look. "Huh? That's a random-ass question. But whatever. We started here half a year ago when it went co-ed. Why?"
Matsuda suppressed a smirk. 'Good. That means I have at least six months before everything kicks off. Plenty of time to prepare.'
Issei continued, shaking his fist in the air dramatically. "Not that it matters! That damn pretty boy Kiba keeps stealing all the attention. But just wait—by the end of the year, I'll have the biggest harem this school has ever seen! Oppai of all kinds—small oppai, big oppai—I'll be the Oppai King!"
Matsuda held back a chuckle. 'Yeah… sure you will, buddy.'
Scratching the back of his head, he put on a sheepish smile. "I was just thinking… maybe we need to change things up. It's been almost six months, and let's be real—we haven't made any progress with the girls. The only girl who doesn't look at us like we're walking plagues is Aika, and even she calls us perverts while being one herself."
The moment he finished speaking, both Issei and Motohama turned to each other—before bursting out into laughter.
"Pfft! No way am I changing for anyone!" Issei declared proudly. "I will be the Harem King! They'll have to deal with it!"
Motohama nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, what Issei said! Why should I change myself for others? Matsuda, you've been acting real weird lately. Usually, you'd be the first one peeping, but now you're talking about self-improvement and dating? You're not possessed by aliens, are you?"
A tick mark bulged on Matsuda's forehead. "No, dumbass! I'm just trying to better our—ugh, never mind. I gotta use the bathroom. Don't wait up for me, lunch is almost over."
Without waiting for a response, he got up and walked away, leaving the two idiots to their peeping mission.
Issei and Motohama watched him go before shrugging.
"Eh, he's probably constipated or something."
"Yeah. Anyway, back to the Girls!"
And with that, they turned their attention back to the hole, continuing their perverted crusade.
Meanwhile, Matsuda walked toward the bathroom, his thoughts already spinning with plans for the future.
Just as he was about to reach the bathroom he saw koneko eating a cookie on the grass field
It is detected through a action the host has created a skill. The skill 'Observe' has been created.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Skill Unlocked: Observe (Lv 1)]- A basic skill that allows the user to gather information on people, objects, and abilities. Information gained increases with higher levels.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
[Target: Koneko Toujou]
Titles: Rook of Rias Gremory, Nekomata, Hidden Power
Race: Nekomata (Reincarnated Devil)
Level: 45
HP: 5,500/5,500 MP: 2,200/2,200
STR: 150 ([Enhanced by Rook Piece & Yokai Heritage])
DEX: 85
VIT: 170 ([Enhanced by Rook Piece])
INT: 40
WIS: 35
CHA: 25
LCK: 20
Status: Calm
Affiliation: Kuoh Academy (Occult Research Club)
Titles: Rook of Rias Gremory, Nekomata, Hidden Power
Notable Traits: Enhanced Strength & Durability, Senjutsu Sensitivity (Suppressed), High Stamina
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Matsuda nearly choked on his own saliva as he processed the absurd numbers.
"What kind of cheat-level bullshit is this?! 150 Strength?! 170 Vitality?! That's tank-tier durability with one-punch devastation! And this is her holding back?"
He swallowed hard as he snuck another glance at Koneko, who was nonchalantly munching on her snack, completely unaware (or so he hoped) that he had just peeked into her stats.
"No wonder she casually throws Issei around like a ragdoll… hell, she could probably suplex a damn truck if she wanted to."
Then, without warning, Koneko's golden eyes flickered toward him, narrowing ever so slightly.
Matsuda felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.
"Oh, shit. Did she sense me using Observe on her?!"
He quickly forced a yawn and stretched, making a show of looking tired. "Man, I really gotta hit the bathroom," he muttered to himself before speed-walking toward the school building like his life depended on it.
Koneko watched him go, her ears twitching slightly.
"...Weird," she murmured before taking another bit of her cookie.
Reaching the bathroom going in and seeing no one inside I go and splash some water on my face and look at the mirror and a box appears in front of me.
[Ding it has been detected that user has arrived in the new world good luck with your journey to supremacy]
"Status"
Name: Matsuda Yamazaki Race: ???
Title: Perverted Trio Member Job: The Gamer
Level: 1 (EXP: 0/100)
HP: 255 (15 HP/Min)
MP: 500/500 (20 Mp/Min)
STR: 13 (Dictates your physical might)
VIT: 17 (health, or more specifically, their maximum hit points)
DEX: 10 (agility, reflexes, and fine motor skills)
INT: 25 (Potential for new knowledge and amount of mana possesed)
WIS: 15 (Decision making skills and processing rate for information)
CHA: 4 (Your looks determines if you can get bitches) (!Your ugly as shit!)
LCK: 5 (You now what this represents, as they say always bet on hikari)
Stats points: 10
Money: $50,000
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
'System what is the normal states for a normal human'
[The average baseline human has about 10 in all states]
'Wtf this makes no sense how is magic states so high and what do you mean there are question marks next to his race, what next the system is gonna say my parents are gods.'
[It is detected that there is a seal placed on the host would you like to unlock it.]
[Yes] [No]
'Seal, there wasn't any talk about a seal on him in the original, whatever is there going to be any pain and is there gonna be anything I should know about'
[Yes it recommend that host goes to somewhere secluded the process will be very painful]
"Fuck"
'Who the fuck put a seal on me and why does it have to be painful uhhh what a drag, Stall on the seal I'll do it when I reach home'
[Affirmative]
Let's look at the skills. "Skills"
Gamers mind. (Passive) - Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through. Allows peaceful state of mind. Immunity to mental disorder.
Gamers Body. (Passive) - Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game. After sleeping in a bed, it restores HP, MP and cures all status effects.
Observe. (Active) - A basic skill that allows the user to gather information on people, objects, and abilities. Information gained increases with higher levels.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hmm nothing unexpected, guess time to go to class."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The rest of the day went by normally, if I could even call it that. Honestly, every time I passed someone in the halls, their eyes were on me. They whispered, they snickered, and every step I took felt like it was leading me deeper into some kind of social pit I couldn't escape from.
I wasn't dumb—I knew my Charisma stat was trash, but damn, I wasn't expecting it to feel this bad. It was like every step I took made me a bigger target for the entire school. I was just minding my business, walking through the hallways, and then bam, the snickering starts.
'This shit feels like some humiliation ritual,' I thought bitterly.
I tried to brush it off. 'Whatever, I'll figure out a way to get better looking. I'll use my points on something else later. There's gotta be a better way to handle this than relying on the system for every damn thing.'
At least one good thing came from today—his house. I didn't expect to be living in a mansion, especially when I thought Matsuda's life was going to be another mediocre, middle-class existence. His dad's apparently dead, and his mom left when he was younger—some of the memories I dug up from Matsuda's past revealed that much.
'Still, that's not my problem. There's more important things to focus on right now…'
"System unlock the seal"
[Unlocking the seal…]
For a second, nothing happened. I waited, expecting some kind of response. But then—
"Hhhhnngh—!"
Pain, like nothing I'd ever felt before, slammed into me all at once. It felt like my body was being torn apart, my insides on fire, my skin crawling with the sensation of something inside me ripping free.
I couldn't scream. My throat was too tight, the air too thin. Every breath I tried to take felt like I was sucking in shards of glass. My limbs jerked involuntarily, and I could feel my skin start to sweat, beads of it rolling down my face, mixing with the bloodshot tears streaming from my eyes.
The world around me twisted as my body fought against the pain. Every inch of my muscles screamed, spasming under the pressure, as if something inside me was trying to claw its way out. My hands instinctively dug into my skin—anything to try and fight the agony that was flooding my senses. It wasn't enough.
My body wasn't mine anymore.
I could hear my pulse ringing in my ears like a drumbeat, the pressure of the pain amplifying with every passing second. My veins felt like they were going to burst, like my heart was working overtime just to keep me alive in the middle of this hell.
I couldn't stop myself from scratching at my own skin, my nails digging into my flesh as if that would give me some kind of relief. It only made it worse. Blood stained my palms, but I couldn't even register it through the agony that consumed every nerve in my body.
"Ahhhhhh…!" The scream that finally broke free from my throat wasn't human. It was raw, desperate, like an animal caught in a trap.
But it wasn't enough.
I could feel the last of my strength slipping away, my vision dimming as my mind struggled to stay intact. My fingers twitched in a final, feeble attempt to claw my way out of the pain. My body wasn't my own, my mind screaming for an end to this torture.
And then, with a final, crushing wave of agony, I lost it all.
Everything went black.
____________________________________________________________________________________________The world slowly came back into focus, and I found myself lying on the floor, drenched in sweat, chest heaving as if I had just run a marathon. My body ached, every muscle screaming at me as though they'd been twisted and pulled beyond their limits. But the pain... it was gone.
I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of the hazy blur around me. What just happened?
I lifted myself up, feeling the cold floor beneath my palms. My heart was still thudding wildly in my chest, but everything else seemed... normal? At least, nothing looked different. I didn't feel any stronger, at least not in the immediate sense.
I stood up and stumbled toward the mirror, trying to make sense of my own reflection. My face looked the same. My body, though sore, seemed unchanged. But something felt off, like there was more beneath the surface that I just couldn't see.
Then, something caught my eye.
I pulled off my shirt, scanning my body for any marks, any signs of what had just happened. My stomach clenched as I felt something... strange, a heat radiating from beneath my skin, almost like a pulse. And then, just below my chest, right where my heart was, I saw it.
A faint emblem, glowing lightly against my skin. It wasn't much at first, but as I focused on it, the symbol became clearer. It resembled an intricate, ornate design—something akin to the Hephaestus familial emblem from Danmachi, with its stylized hammer and flame motif. The heat I felt around my chest began to intensify, and my mind raced with the realization.
'Wait... this symbol… it's the same as the one for Hephaestus. Could it be?'
I paused for a moment, considering it. Could my mother or father have been a god?
It seemed unlikely, but then again, gods were known for their freaky, unpredictable nature. Gender didn't seem to matter to them—who's to say one of them didn't take on a mortal guise, change forms on a whim, or even come to Earth in a way that couldn't be explained?
I wasn't jumping to conclusions yet, but the idea began to make sense. The emblem. The heat. The connection to fire, to metal, to creation—that was something Hephaestus would be all about.
Before I could think further, my game screen buzzed with a new notification:
"You have come up with a wise decision. +1 to Wisdom."
I blinked at the message, surprised. It was the first time I'd gotten a notification like this. I had barely started processing everything when a sudden idea shot through me.
I quickly opened my stats, checking for any changes. Sure enough, they had shifted dramatically.
Stats:
Name: Matsuda Yamazaki Race: Demi - God
Title: Perverted Trio Member Job: The Gamer
Level: 1 (EXP: 0/100)
HP: 345 (15 HP/Min)
MP: 1000/1000 (20 Mp/Min)
STR: 13 → 20
VIT: 17 → 24
Dex: 10 → 17
INT: 25 → 50
WIS: 15 → 22 (from the +1 bonus)
CHA: 4 → 6
LCK: 5
Stats points: 10
Money: $50,000
I froze. My mana had doubled, and my physical stats had all increased as well. But it wasn't just that. As I looked closer, I saw something new:
Bloodline: Yamazaki (Awakened)
Copy Skill (Martial Arts): Unlocked
Copy Skill (Ultra Instinct): Half locked (Uncontrollable)
Mana Signature: Warm and fiery, like the forge of a blacksmith. Stronger, hotter, more volatile.
Awakened Yamazaki bloodline...
My thoughts raced. This was big. The Yamazaki bloodline must've had some dormant potential, and now it was unlocked. And what the hell was this about Ultra Instinct? I'd heard of it, of course—who hadn't? But to have a copy skill for it? I wasn't sure whether to feel amazed or terrified.
But what really caught my attention was the description of my mana signature. Warm and fiery, like the forge of a blacksmith…
That was definitely Hephaestus' influence. The heat that had been radiating from my chest was proof. My mana was literally burning hot now, like molten metal, and I could already feel the pressure of it as I let it flow through me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on it. The fire inside me was wild, like a forge that had been set aflame, but... it wasn't fully under my control yet. It pulsed and throbbed like it wanted to break free, but I knew I wasn't ready to tap into its full potential.
Then, I saw a new prompt on the screen:
Perks:
Hephaestus' Blessing: +10 to Strength and Endurance when working with metal or fire. Mana regeneration increased when near heat sources.
Forged in Flame: Increased resistance to heat and fire-based magic.
Born of the Forge: Unlocks increased affinity with crafting, smithing, and metalwork.
It was all becoming clear now. The Hephaestus connection, the fiery mana signature, the increase in physical stats—it was all pointing to the fact that I was no longer just some random kid. I was a demigod.
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Yo, this is my first real attempt at going far with this story. I'm open to all comments and criticism—every bit helps me improve. If you've got suggestions, drop them in the comment section! I can't promise I'll use everything, but I'll definitely try to incorporate what works. I'm doing this for you guys, but it's still my story, so don't expect me to follow every suggestion.
As for the characters, let me know who you want to see in the story! Akeno will be the main focus for the first arc, but as the story progresses, Matsuda will start to develop deeper relationships with the other heroines as well.
For those of you who've read Ordeal, my character will be heavily inspired by Che Heart— and magneto from marvel two of my favorite characters in fiction. If you like them, you're in for a treat.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the journey.
Peace! ✌️