Chapter 13
Kaito, just like every day for the past week, was summoned to Gaia.
However, this time something was different. Around him, there was no territory or landscape… just an immense white space. Dozens of other people were gathered with him.
---
"[Welcome, Lords!]"
"[It has officially been one week since your arrival in Gaia. This marks the end of the tutorial period and the opening of the Tower of Worlds.]"
"[I will now provide some important explanations. Pay attention: I will only say this once.]"
"[The Tower of Worlds unlocks a new floor once a week, exactly on Sundays.]"
"[It has over 100 floors. Most are different worlds, each with unique missions, getting progressively harder.]"
"[You are not required to enter a world the day it opens. You may decline and enter it later.]"
"[However, to access an unlocked floor, you must first complete the previous one. You only get one chance per floor.]"
"[The first floor, being introductory, cannot be declined.]"
"[About the worlds: most are unique, meaning you'll only see them once. But there are exceptions.]"
"[You can think of unique worlds as movies — one-time experiences — and exceptions as series — recurring worlds. Even if the characters and settings are the same, the events will always be different.]"
"[About the rewards:]"
"[Grades range from F to SSS and depend on your mission completion level. In unique worlds, what matters is completing the mission — but to get higher grades, it's best to surpass the mission's objective. For example, in a war mission where the goal is to kill enemies, someone who ends the war without bloodshed might get a higher grade than someone who killed millions from the enemy camp.]"
"[In recurring worlds, missions are divided into four difficulties from the start:
•Easy
•Medium
•Hard
•Impossible]"
"[Difficulty affects both rewards and mission conditions.
Grades are calculated by world, not by difficulty, so each difficulty has a grade ceiling, but no lower limit.
That means someone on Easy cannot get a grade higher than D, but someone on Impossible can still get an F.]"
"[Besides rewards, you will receive something called Extraction Points, which you can use to acquire abilities or stats from your mission self.]"
"[The number of people entering the same floor varies depending on the mission. I have nothing more to say about that.]"
"[And lastly: since this is your first mission, you will receive a small special advantage granted by me.]"
"[That's all. Good luck to everyone.]"
---
The system's voice that had maintained the silence up until now suddenly vanished. Even so, the only sound heard was the soft breathing of everyone present. No one spoke. Everyone was still processing the information.
The explanation had been long, but not complicated. In fact, it was pretty straightforward.
As usual, Kaito tried opening the mission window just by thinking about it, like he did with the system.
But instead of a single mission, four appeared.
"So we're starting with a series-type world… that explains the 'beginner advantage'," he muttered.
Although the mysterious voice had declared the tutorial period over, it still granted them a beginner's benefit — clearly, there was a catch.
And he wasn't the only one who noticed. The others were also staring ahead, as if reading something invisible floating in the air.
It was the first time he'd seen other Lords of Gaia, and watching them all read "nothing" in front of them struck him as oddly amusing.
Returning to his own screen, Kaito read the mission descriptions.
---
[World of Gods and Dragons]
Description: This is a world where all mythologies collide. Gods, demons, youkai, angels… all exist and coexist. In this world, humanity is nothing more than cannon fodder compared to the other races.
Currently, there is a fragile truce — born not from a desire for peace, but from the fear of further casualties. Centuries ago, a great war between Heaven and Hell shattered the world's balance. The death toll was so massive that both factions, afraid others would take advantage, agreed to a ceasefire.
One direct consequence was the drastic decline of demons. To fix this, one of the rulers of the Underworld created a system to transform other races into demons under the command of a pureblood.
Meanwhile, God, moved by humanity's plight, granted them Sacred Gears — artifacts forged from other factions' elements. However, this only worsened their situation.
Humanity, once ignored, is now the target of greedy demons and other races seeking to reclaim their relics.
If you go to this world, don't be human. And if you are, pray you're normal enough not to attract the attention of someone who'd wipe out a city just because they're bored.
---
Reading this, Kaito felt a rush of emotion surge through him — intense, unlike anything he'd experienced since his reincarnation.
"This is…"
Of course he recognized the description. How could he not? Who wouldn't?
It was the world of High School DxD.
One of the most famous anime from his previous life… and here, in this world, it didn't exist.
He knew that for sure. One of the first things he'd done after arriving was check whether any anime or manga from his past life existed. His plan was simple: make easy money by plagiarizing their stories.
The result? A complete success. None of them existed.
He couldn't draw, of course, so he enrolled in an art university. His family, knowing how committed he was and how he'd always dreamed of getting into a top university, was surprised. Even so, his mother was happy — he finally seemed to have a passion, something beyond just getting a good job.
But leaving that aside…
This was his cheat!
Every reincarnator has one. Even if it's not a system, at least something to set them apart. Kaito had already given up on that idea. Gaia was so fun, he'd forgotten to look for a "cheat."
But now… here it was!
Not only did he have a cheat — it was integrated into Gaia!
If all the tower worlds were stories from his past life, and the missions were tied to their plots… then without a doubt, he would become Gaia's supreme Lord.
Below the world description, the missions appeared:
---
[Difficulty: Easy]
Mission: Attract the attention of a faction and join it.
Your grade will depend on the faction you choose.
Perk: Mid-level Sacred Gear.
[Difficulty: Medium]
Mission: Attract the attention of one or more factions, reject them, and survive the hunt.
Your grade will depend on how many days you survive.
Perk: Mid-level Sacred Gear.
[Difficulty: Hard]
Mission: Hunt down a faction.
Your grade will depend on the faction you choose and the percentage you eliminate.
Disadvantage: You cannot join any faction or ask for help.
Perk: Low-level Sacred Gear.
[Difficulty: Impossible]
Mission: Get as close as possible to a faction's top ranks and survive being human in front of a leader.
Your grade will depend on your proximity to the top and how many days you survive.
Disadvantages:
•Your race will never stop being human.
•Depending on who you approach, a leader will develop absolute hatred toward you and try to kill you.
Perk: Full mastery in one human discipline.
---
Without a second of hesitation, Kaito chose Impossible difficulty.
Though it looked like a crazy challenge, it was actually completely viable. In fact, it seemed designed with a single success route… if you knew the story.
[You have chosen difficulty: Impossible.]
[Number of challengers in this difficulty: 137]
Around him, everyone began looking at each other. Soon they started to split into groups based on difficulty, each group led by someone.
Kaito estimated there were around a thousand people. Most picked "Easy", and the higher the difficulty, the fewer the people.
Even so, the number of challengers on Impossible was absurdly high.
But he understood why.
A simple text wasn't enough to convey how dangerous the world of High School DxD was.
With that in mind, Kaito decided not to join any group. He wasn't the only one — many others also chose to act alone.
And then, his body disappeared.
Kaito was transported to a new room.