"Welcome, hero!"
Before he knew it, he was summoned to another world.
An ethereal white realm, a self-proclaimed goddess, an offer to become her chosen champion... the classic trope he had seen so many times in anime, and hentais– or not. Or absolufuckingly not.
[Accept New Patron Goddess? Y/N]
[Identification Skill Activated!]
[Slave Contract Detected!]
...
"No thanks."
'I know what your kind does to men.' And as he rejected her, he felt it. There was something wrong with her eyes: greedier, hungrier, predatory.
This was no goddess.
"Oh? Aren't you a shy one? Hehe, that's why I chose you to be my Hero. Amongst all the others, I chose you, and only you <3."
She thought he was prey. Cute.
And as she waved a dainty hand, images rippled across the realm. Students. All young, sixteen maybe. All of them in the most banal of classrooms.
"See? That's you right there."
He barely recognized himself. Young, a smile full of hope, one that even reached his eyes. Damn those eyes! As dark as his black hair, yet still full of a naivety that would have almost been endearing had it not disgusted him. Now all he saw was
And as he observed "himself", he felt her.
She came behind him, as one would a family member, or a lover… or perhaps both. Then she waved once more, the scene in the replay changing abruptly. A glowing, magical circle burst open, engulfing it all. Chuckling, she pointed toward the "him" on the screen.
"While everyone panicked, you stayed calm. While the girl next to you fell, only you helped. While the homeroom teacher was cut in half by the magical boundary, you wept yet kept your composure."
She circled around, facing him…
"This world you're going to is dark, you know? Without a patron deity, you won't make it. Let big sis protect won't you?".
He couldn't help but smile. The monsters were as pretty as ever. This one especially. She was so pretty he couldn't have described her even if he tried– her appearance changing in real time to best entrap him… which only compounded with the perception Alteration Spell so he wouldn't notice the fuckery. Deadly for anyone who didn't know better.
[You've Focused Your Mind!]
[Activated Mental Image]
[Natural is BEST!]
… An outrageous being was revealed…
Pink flowing hair. Pink eyes. Pink wings. Pink tips. She was also dressed modestly– so modestly that she wasn't wearing anything. Which still didn't distract from her claws stained with fresh blood… ?!? Claws that the succubus aimed right at his head.
"Let me see all of you…"
[Status Accessed Forcefully!]
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[STATUS]
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Gray Bright (16)
Tamer (Unranked)
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BODY 27 (STR 8, DEX 9, CON 10)
SOUL 38 (CHA 14, INT 12, WIS 11)
Soul Power: -99999
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GIFT: UNKNOWN
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"Oh? A tamer? That's good. That's very good. I'm definitely the one you want to follow. I can teach you tons of Taming techniqu–"
"WAIT WHAT?! This shouldn't be possible. A negative soul power?! And what's with that nonsensical value?! Taming's impossible without Soul Power! It would make you… defective?! Worse than trash!?"
Good as expected.
"WAIT A MOMENT, UNKNOWN GIFT?! Hehehehe, I can feel it's gonna be something good. Hehe, and it's all gonna be mine. How many would spit on it, but not me. I'll wring you dry, boy. Time to dig in hehehehe."
Her claw flew once more.
"Stop."
A weak arm grabbed a hold of her wrist, stopping it in mid air, not because of the grip itself, but because of the emotions contained in his glowing black eyes.
"Oh? You want me to stop? Too bad <3"
Her gaze said it all. She would uncover his secrets. She would make him her slave. She would utterly break him. And there was nothing he could do about it.
"Hehe. Prey versus predator <3"
"Indeed…"
[NEW GIFT: SUFFERING!]
[NEW GIFT: SUFFERING!]
[NEW GIFT: SUFFERING!]
….
"ARGGG?!!!"
"You just had to look…"
The voice that came out didn't belong to a 16-year-old youngster; it couldn't. And neither did the gaze that looked at the succubus as if a piece of meat on a barbecue– that's all that would soon remain, her beautiful features turning white with dread.
"YOU WHAT DID YOU–?!?"
Then she saw it. The gift? It was no gift. It was merely his memories. A youngster summoned 500 years ago in a strange land. A young tamer full of hope. Trash nonetheless. 500 years of trying. 500 years of ridicule. 500 years of abuse in a world that stole everything from him.
500 years of....
"How are you still alive?!" She painfully croaked.
The flow of memories was still flowing inside the succubus, her jaw clenched as she tried enduring it all, tears, snot, and puke already overflowing all over. To the strongest of beings, there was nothing worse than being helpless, something his memories were bombarding her with. He had always been the weakest. And it would get worse.
Images flashed. A deal with a primordial being synonymous with Agony. A path only a devil would walk. A power no mortal could wield. A power that devoured him. A power most cursed...
"Make it STOP!"
He wouldn't. He couldn't.
Her eyes started bleeding, pure suffering turning into big droplets of red blood full of Mana. IT wanted out. As for him, he was merely a bystander now, sighing to no one.
"The best is yet to come…"
He knew what she was seeing. A hopeless fool turned into a magical catalyst… for Agony. Brewing it inside him. Taking it all in. Becoming far less than human. All for the foolish dream of rebirth.
"It's something only the weak can endure…"
The tears of blood grew bigger. Then they turned into a pool, a lake, and finally an ocean of blood– filling the entire realm utterly besides a certain human. He wasn't fun to devour for suffering turned blood. And as the succubus sank to the very bottom… a youngster watched it happen, ever so calmly, a smile finding its way to his lips.
"What did the foolish succubus say to the Reincarnator?"
"Blub– Blub– Blub–"
"Exactly…"
He said, only to turn serious half a best later.
He still had negative Soul Power. He still couldn't be a Tamer– nor was changing class possible. As for using his "GIFT"... it could counter memory searches at best and had no direct offensive power… yet he found himself chuckling as he vowed to himself…
'I failed as a Tamer. I'll rise a Monster instead.
[Sub Realm Owner Has Been Defeated?!]
[Returning to the Real World!]
[Prepare for Transfer!]
…..
The light took him.