Fwoosh!
Dante ducked under the leaping wolf. His pink eyes darted, catching the glint of an arrow aimed straight at him.
"Tch! Goblin archers are always a headache," he muttered,
jumping to avoid it just as a warrior goblin charged. Its bulging arms swung a massive club at him mid-air with a loud
Boom!
The warrior goblin grinned, confident it had landed a successful hit. But before it could celebrate, a sudden, subtle heat filled the air, followed by a scatter of blue flame.
"Keeee!" shrieked the goblin archer, attempting to warn its companion, but it was too slow-too late for it.
Dante slid out from the dust cloud, cutting the warrior goblin's knee tendons as he moved between its legs. He then controlled a small amount of fire mana— surprisingly too efficient for someone with an E-rank affinity.
The flame burst between his back and the ground, launching him into the air. He spun, bringing his daggers down upon its neck. The warrior goblin, unable to turn in time, could only watch as its own headless body fell to the ground with a "thud."
Dante used the goblin's body as a stepping stone to dash toward the archer mid-air, enchanting his jump with a small burst of blue flame.
"Ugh! Too fast!" he gritted his teeth, but he pressed on, charging into the goblin and plunging his daggers into its neck and chest.
He stumbled to the ground as the archer dissolved into pixels.
'Stand up, stand up!' he told himself, pushing himself up with his already sore arms and a numbing back. He leaped back from the pouncing wolf, gaining much-needed distance and time to breathe.
'Ha,Almost one month I've been training here,' he thought, reflecting on his progress. It had been hard, coming from a world that lacked mana to one brimming with it. At first, he'd had a difficult time even sensing mana, let alone using it in a battle that required his absolute focus. But now, thanks to his blessing, he could manipulate his fire without some difficulties
The capsule wasn't the only thing he used to train, though. He also worked on his physical build. Of course, the simulator fights helped him gain experience, but a simulator was still just a simulator, so he trained in the real world, too.
Before he could delve any deeper, the wolf decided it was time to attack, dashing forward with surprising agility. But before it could take more than a couple of steps, Dante had already thrown one of his daggers.
"Burst Steps," he said, using his newly created technique. He ran- He ran after his dagger,
Step-Boom!
Step-Boom!
each step he took left a scorched patch of earth and a scatter of blue sparks.
The wolf halted slightly, swaying left to dodge the incoming dagger. But before it could continue its advance, Dante was already on it, his hand outstretched with a sphere of blue flame. He slammed the azure fire onto the wolf's back. "Take this!"
"Bam!" The flame in his palm burst, pushing the wolf away and sending him recoiling with the force.
"Hwooooh!" it howled in pain as the azure flame, like a living entity, devoured it from the inside out. As he balanced himself mid-air, his own wounds miraculously seemed to heal and his mana brimmed again as the wolf erupted into pixels.
He landed on the artificial grass, breathing hard but already feeling a gradual recovery.
"No matter how many times I use it, I still can't believe this is my skill," Dante said as he fixed his fingers. His smile morphed into an ugly grin as he imagined how he must look.
"I bet I look so cool, though. Unfortunately for my enemy, kekekeke!" He giggled and spun around like a veteran gamer who had just found a new ability to play with.
"I think it's time to check my status this week."
---
Status
Name: Dante Westler
Level: 1
Blessing: Tess- Flame of Divine Phoenix (S)
• Boosts user's fire affinity by two ranks.
• Grants the user 100% resistance to fire damage.
• Boosts fire damage by 100%.
• Boosts user growth rate by 50%.
• Grants the user the strength to burn brightest in the darkest time.
Stats
Strength: E ⇉ D
Agility: D ⇉ C
Intelligence:E ⇉ E
Endurance: F ⇉ D
Charisma: S
Affinity: Fire (Rank E) ⇉ (Rank B)
Allows the user to control fire elements.
Technique:
• Burst Steps(NEW)
Ignites a burst of flame on a part of the user's body, allowing them to propel themselves with surprising speed and unpredictable movements.
Unique Skill: St. Elmo's Fire (Rank A)
Burns foes to survive.
When Active: User's health will continuously deplete.
Killing enemies heals the user's health and mana.
Heals user's allies in an AoE range and deals massive damage to enemies.
"As expected, just like the game, levels can only be gained by killing mana beasts and clearing the gate," Dante nodded, satisfied with his own progress.
"I think that's enough for today! 'They' should be emailing me soon enough."
With that, he clicked the logout button.
---
Hissss!
With that sound, one of the capsules slowly opened, and a cooling fog came out as the door slid open. The boy emerged, his tight black suit—a suit designed for use with the Nexus Capsule—clinging to his lean, forming muscles.
"Fuu," Dante exhaled as he ran a hand through his bright blue hair, feeling the cool air on his skin. His raw, pink eyes darted around the room, taking in the familiar white walls and the others who had come to use it. He caught sight of a few men and women, mostly women, glancing his way. Some were giving him a baffled look.
"Guess being handsome means something," Dante thought. And with 'I'm not that dense' Smile he smugly, made his way to the locker.
Little did he know how deep these girls' thoughts were. When he left, it was like a dam of murmurs broke.
"Hey! Did you see that? Oh my gosh, he's so hot, don't you think?" one girl said, licking her lips.
"Yep! Did you see his muscles? Fuck..." another girl replied, rubbing her thighs together. A third girl secretly swiped away a nosebleed as she ran to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the men glared at them, some jealous, some... understanding.
***
August 29th, 2868
Dante shuddered as he stepped out of the AAC building, but not before waving goodbye to Kristina, a cat-woman he had become friends with—with a "friends with benefits" arrangement in mind, of course.
"Autumn is going to be cold, huh?" Dante muttered, rubbing his hands together as he checked his email on his phone before running toward his apartment. It read:
> The Fox:We have located your target now. Sorry for the delay, sir; the difficulty of your commission exceeded our expectations. Please contact us back through our web shop.
"Kekekeke, it's time for me to make my move!"
**
Not long after he came to this world.
Dante thought about what his top priority should be.
Money? More money is good, but without the strength to back it up, he would be just a prey, an easy target.
His own strength? That would take time. He didn't underestimate his potential; on the other hand, he was confident that if given enough time, he could become one of the strongest, or at least one of the more powerful. But time was something he was reluctant to lose; it wasn't worth it.
And that's when he thought, why not use someone who already has it? Strength, he meant—a force to be reckoned with.
But how could he recruit someone so strong? Money? No. Connections? Him, a spoiled son of some rich parents? Dante thought not.
It had to be something they desperately wanted but couldn't have, no matter how strong they were or how vast their connections. Not long after he found out about his unique skill, he found it: a candidate. Someone perfect, powerful, and desperate enough to willingly accept his offer.
But 'his' location was unknown, for now. So he started by opening his computer in the room.
Dante's fingers worked magically as he typed on a holographic keyboard. He changed his VPN and went offline before opening his browser and typing "abyss."
He grinned as he pressed enter. "It still works!" he grinned wider as his screen changed to that of a sandbox-style game, which let him customize characters.
ABYSS
A secret website where you can buy anything: illegal work, secret identities... and, of course, an info broker.
Basically, it was a black market in an advanced world.
Carl Bruce, the protagonist, happened to find it by beating up some gang members during his second semester of his first year. But Dante? Why not use it when you have an advantage for the sake of changing the future? The future was already changed, idiot.
Dante customized his character to look like a girl, as his gamer instincts kicked in. Who doesn't want to look at a pretty thing? The real reason he did this, though, was to obscure his identity; being extra cautious didn't hurt, Dante thought as he pressed finished.
His screen zoomed in as pixels swirled, and his display changed to a vibrant, bustling market, a stark contrast to its name. Many other characters came alive within it.
"Wanna look at my collection, folks?!" some rough character shouted, while other customers flocked around him.
"This is the latest, most toxic potion from a two-headed snake! One drop and they'll die...!"
"We open commissions for any info you want. Contact us..."
Dante controlled his character to look around as he headed northwest. He glanced at some ingredients on a stall before backing off while muttering,
"Bruh, disgusting." He looked up at the stall owner, a hunched witch with a creepy smile, who waved at him as he hurried toward his destination.
The Fox's den.
A new company, named for its dependable sources, boasted over 80% accuracy in its info. For now, though, they had just started fresh and were desperate for their first investor, which is why he came here—to be their whale. As he turned the corner, he came face to face with a small shop with a sign that read 'The Fox's Den.'
'Found it.'
He clicked on it, and his screen changed to a chat window while his character sat down at a wooden table. Not long after, a fox—you heard it right, a literal fox—jumped on the table and said,
"Hi, customer-sama. What can our den offer you?" It tilted its head, its voice crisp and cheerful as Dante typed his reply.
"Let's see," he said, licking his lips as he typed, the cool air from his room's air conditioner a stark contrast to the summer sunlight outside.
"I want someone's location. A man, in his late thirties. He has a daughter who is ill with him. He should be around the Farrarish Citadel."
The fox arched its eyebrow at how efficient Dante's brief was. He knew exactly what he wanted—the key info of his target, and a narrowed scope for their work. Simple, efficient, like someone who had done this countless times—a seasoned figure, the fox thought as it looked at Dante. Its face was blank, like a fox can be, but Dante could easily read it. He could see the gears shifting in its brain because he had interacted with it countless times through Carl's character. He knew them inside and out as he hid his smirk.
'I bet they consider me a whale. Just as I expected.'
"Hmm, that will be 20,000 Ð, sir," the fox said, licking its white pixel fur as it continued. "Though we can get you a discount fo—" Before it could finish, Dante had already transferred his money. "30,000 Ð. Consider it a tip, and I look forward to your work." With that, he controlled his character to stand up and exit the shop before logging out.
**
[Fox's POV]
It watched, calculating, as the figure logged out, its eyes narrowing as it spoke.
"She or he behind this character... they're good."
Its voice, once warm, was now cold and feminine as it hopped down. Its small paw hit the ground with a soft click as it continued,
"I was going to lure them into a disadvantageous position in our deal. But now, look at it. With that tip, they left me in that position instead. How clever"
The fox grunted.
"and now they are the benefactor and I am at their service. Our relationship isn't equal now, and that means no more bargaining for me..."
as it started typing with its small paw, a smirk on its face.
"Interesting... perhaps it was the right decision to retire early from the organization after all."