《M'Destiny》 1. Heaven, Hell, and Chicken Tenders The man glared at his laptop, frustrated. Reading stories on RoyalRoad had become more of a chore than a hobby. Grammar mistakes, poorly planned storylines, and a complete lack of My Little Pony crossovers were tragedies that seemed to plague the site more than anything else. "MC''s level of stupidity is simply astounding." he commented. "But it seems as though he only inherited a small fraction of the author''s foolishness. You probably shouldn''t even bother writing if your IQ isn''t at least 160, like mine. I''m dropping this story- it''s just not advanced enough for me." He submitted the comment and closed his laptop. Sigh. Perhaps if those authors possessed even a quarter of his intellect, they could craft a story worthy of his time. When he moved to Japan and became a manga artist, he would show them all what a real story looked like. He adjusted his glasses, and they glinted in the light. Dartanion Fischer got to his feet, thoughtfully stroking the scruffy, patchy brown beard attached to his neck. He wore a black overcoat, ketchup-stained khakis, and a blue t-shirt that read ''Will Trade Sister for Video Games''. It was much too small for him now, as he had grown since the eighth grade, in terms of both height and weight. He stood at an unfortunate 5''11" and considered himself to be disadvantaged as a result of that one inch keeping him from being six feet tall. He was still a large man by now, at around two hundred and fifty pounds. After some thought, he decided that it was about time for him to eat some food. He made his way to the kitchen of his mother''s old house, opening the freezer door. Empty. That''s right, he''d finished off the last of the chicken tenders yesterday. Which meant it was time for a little trip to the store. Chicken tenders were Dartanion''s favorite food, and just about the only thing he ate. When his mother was moved into a nursing home, she could no longer buy them for him as she had for many years. Now, he was confronted with the looming threat of self-sufficiency. His mother told him there was nothing wrong with being a picky eater, that some just preferred certain foods over others. And she was right, he had turned out perfectly healthy and considered himself a highly capable man. He donned his favorite article of clothing, a vintage black fedora that matched his stylish coat. It was time to venture out into the unknown, into the city where he lived. He had no driver''s license but thankfully only lived a two-minute walk from a 7-Eleven, where he hoped to retrieve some food that would hopefully last him a week or so. The first exercise he''d had in months. It was a hot day, our hero realized as he stepped into the outside air. He panicked slightly. Should he leave his coat at home? Or, should he go out wearing it anyway? He decided on the latter. It certainly was stylish, and perhaps it would earn him the attention of some fair maiden as he went. So, the journey to 7-Eleven began, and truth be told, the jacket certainly did earn him some looks. He felt emboldened as he saw many passersby grant him smiles as they walked by him. Of course, it wasn''t the jacket alone. It was likely due to the remarkable aura of class he knew he radiated wearing such unique clothing. A torrent of sweat poured down from his forehead and scalp, causing his pale features to glisten in the sunlight. Stains also quickly accumulated on his T-shirt. Each time a particularly good-looking woman passed him by, Dartanion made certain to be a chivalrous gentleman and tip his hat in greeting. They did not seem to pay him much notice, but he was sure they appreciated the gesture. Women found his enormous self-confidence irresistible, and he knew they felt thankful to have recieved even a little bit of his attention. It was all just part of being a classy individual with abundant respect for women. Perhaps one day, he could find a nice, pretty, atheist woman who shared his love for My Little Pony and anime and knew better than to friendzone as good a man as he. But for now, his part-time job as a Discord moderator would have to serve as his main channel for meeting women his age. Women were difficult to understand, in his opinion. They complained about boys being disrespectful and unfaithful, but they completely turned a blind eye to nice guys like himself. He knew he was good-looking, charming, and stylish to boot. Yet, for whatever reason, women seemed to only be interested in having him as a friend. He sighed once more as he pulled open the heavy glass door to 7-Eleven, making a beeline for the freezer section. In this store, he had only one target and that was the frozen chicken tenders. He quickly grabbed two enormous bags, one in each hand, before making his way to the front counter. He had procured the finest cuisine around, and it would last him a good few days. Suddenly, Dartanion''s heart stopped. The woman at the counter was jaw-droppingly gorgeous. She had long red hair and a face covered with freckles. Her skin was nowhere near as pale as his, but it still provided a beautiful contrast to her piercing blue eyes. She had soft-looking, full lips, and from what he could see, perfect teeth. With great hesitation, he supposed she would meet his standards. She must have noticed him staring, because she spoke up, smiling. "Hi, sorry about that. How may I help you?" Dartanion placed his two purchases on the counter, tipping his hat. "Just these, m''lady. May I also mention that you look v-very beautiful today." His voice trembled, which he knew would add to his charm. He was a sensitive man, after all, and the YouTube videos he''d watched had assured him that women loved a man who showed his emotions- even if it was nervousness. Her expression changed into something he didn''t recognize for a split-second before she smiled even wider, making Dartanion''s heart leap. "Aww, thank you so much." She scanned the two items. "Would you like a bag?" "Yes, please," he replied. With a graceful flourish of his hand, he performed a deep bow, his head practically under the counter. "You are quite welcome, m''lady. May I, uh, ask for your p-phone number as well?" The most dastardly of forces conspired together to cause his fedora, the cornerstone of his class as a gentleman, to tumble from his head and fall to the ground. He flinched hard, and quickly scooped it up from the ground. Placing it atop his head once more with enormous tenderness, he stood once again to his full height and made eye contact with the cashier for the first time in this whole encounter. She didn''t reply for a second. Had he gone too far? Then, she gave that smile that could make plants grow once more and replied. "Sure you can." She can tell. he thought. She can tell how nice of a guy I am. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The beautiful woman handed him his purchases before quickly scribbling down some random seven-digit number on a sticky note. She handed it to him and winked. "Have a nice day." "You as well, m''lady." Dartanion turned with a dramatic flourish of his black coat, as though it were a cape, and exited the 7-Eleven. He''d done it. He''d successfully gotten the phone number of the most beautiful woman he''d ever laid eyes on. His heart pounded in his chest, but perhaps that was because he knew that his countless hours watching romance anime and videos by pickup artists had finally paid off. He knew that his great courtesy and jaw-dropping intellect had led him to the woman of his dreams, and victory was oh so sweet. As he crossed the street, he closed his eyes and breathed in a fresh air. What a truly beautiful world this was. He thought back to all the women who had asked to ''just be friends'' in highschool, and now, for the first time- SLAM! Dartanion was hit head-on by a twelve-wheeler truck, airborne for only a few moments before being run over by three of its wheels. The impact of landing had caused his head to smack on the ground with great force. He died instantly. His fatal mistake had been closing his eyes as he walked across the street. If they had been open, he would have noticed the truck moving at full speed toward where he was walking. For such carelessness, he had paid the price. The small and fragile soul of Dartanion Fischer slowly floated up towards the heavens, where it would find eternal happiness. It soared above the clouds into a sea of blue, and slowly approached one of the many input channels accepting skyward souls headed to kingdom come. God was an old man in snow white robes, thoughtfully stroking his long cloudy beard of the same color. His green eyes were narrowed with careful observance as he judged a soul before him, and he looked very wise. "Hmmm... A very charming young man. He always stuck to his ideals, treated other people with respect, and was a devout Christian. I will allow this one to pass on.," he said, and the soul continued on to Heaven. "Next!" The soul of a nineteen-year-old kid, Dartanion Fischer, floated before him. Though it was a pure soul, having died a virgin, he noticed many disturbing things when he examined it more closely. It was stained with the blood-red color that appears when one lives a life of sin. Sighing, he reached for the lever that would send the soul to eternal suffering in Hell. Then he noticed something even more alarming. The seven-letter word that even God himself feared. The word appeared, blurry at first, but became legible once it came into focus. It read ''Atheist''. With a gasp, God yanked the lever, and the soul vanished. Panting, he wiped his ancient brow in relief. Lately, their kind were too dangerous to be kept in Heaven. He would accept no more of them into his gates. Down in hell, it didn''t take long for Satan to receive the soul. "Another reject, huh? Let''s take a look." The red-skinned demon cackled. "Huh? This kid might be a sinner and a non-believer, but he definitely isn''t Hell material." The Devil groaned and picked up the phone, dialing God''s number. Immediately, the old man picked up. "Geezer. What''s up with this soul you just sent me?" Lucifer demanded. "Dartanion Fischer is a vile person, a sinner. He belongs not in heaven," God responded sagely. "He doesn''t belong here, either. He''s never done much of anything bad either! Unless making people a little uncomfortable is a mortal sin these days?" "What has he done to earn passage into Heaven? The sheer number of times he has pleasured himself alone is certainly enough to send him down to you." "Now, now. If you actually took the time to look, he was actually a decent man. It doesn''t matter that he was immature, sexist, and a pretentious asshole- I''m sure you have plenty of those behind those fancy gates of yours. You''ve even got atheists up there! No matter how you look at it, he isn''t bad enough to go to Hell." "Listen, son. I know you''ve been in a bit of a rebellious phase for the last couple hundred millenia, but that doesn''t mean-" "Oh, cut it out already," interrupted Satan. "Cut the shit. You''re just trying to send this little loser down to me because you know what I have to do when they don''t belong in either place." There was a pause. "Well, either way, I''m not taking such an impure human into Heaven. That''s my final decision." God hung up the phone. The Prince of Darkness sighed. "Stubborn old man." With a wave of his clawed red hand, the small white soul before him expanded, growing into the shape of the human it once inhabited. Dartanion''s consciousness surfaced, and the projection of him grew wide-eyed as it saw the behemoth that was before him. Around him stretched crimson walls of stone in every direction. Dark red liquid that he assumed was blood dripped down from enormous stalactites hanging from a ceiling hundreds of feet above him. Fires crackled all around, and faint screaming could be heard in the distance. "Welcome, kiddo... to Hell." Satan grinned, razor-sharp teeth threatening the soul''s very existence. "Hell?!" Dartanion responded, shocked. Fear overcame him for only a split second before he regained his composure and grinned. "I see. So God was too scared to meet me, after all." "Wha- no." "I knew that in the slim chance he existed after all, he would be too cowardly to engage in a battle of wits with one as intelligent as myself," boasted the teenager. "See, this is why Fate had you killed." Lucifer rolled his eyes. Despite all his intelligence, Dartanion had no good response to that. The Devil continued his explanation. "The reason you''re down here and not up there is because you don''t belong there. Though you don''t belong down here in Hell either! It''s funny, don''t you think?" "I find no humor in that. It only makes me feel prouder." "I guess you wouldn''t think it was very funny. You''ve never belonged anywhere, after all. And you convince yourself that you''re better than other people to hide that fact from yourself." Satan grinned. "''Oh, look at me, I don''t need friends, or a normal life. I''m just waaaay too smart to want to join those groups of imbeciles.''" he mocked. Dartanion''s heart sped up, anxious. "That''s exactly right. What''s so wrong about that? I am a modern-day genius, so it''s only natural that simpletons do not understand me." He adjusted his fedora. Satan threw his hands up, shrugging. "I knew that someone like you would be incapable of listening to any sort of criticism. Luckily for you, I''m not your therapist, and I don''t want to talk to you any longer than I need to. I''m giving you a one-way ticket to the world of Saga, where you will enjoy precisely none of the luxuries you enjoyed during your dedacent life on Planet Earth." "What do you mean?" Dartanion asked, suddenly even more worried. Satan shrugged his muscular shoulders. "It''s just too bad! If you had stayed down here in Hell, you''d at least get some time on the internet. We have all kinds of jobs for people like you down here. Even if you couldn''t browse freely, I could have at least set you up as a member of our popup ad development team. Or maybe someone like you would have been more suited to our Twitter team- we''re the ones who handle spoiling movies, you know." "Tell me what you meant," the elegantly dressed young man asked shakily, "when you said I wouldn''t get the same luxuries." "Saga''s technological advancement is... well, let''s say, significantly poorer than Earth''s currently is. And it''s one of the newer worlds out there, so it''s hardly developed. You''ll live a hard life, and you won''t be able to get away with slacking off." He cackled. "Who ever said I was a bad guy, anyway? Here I am, sending you to go build some character for the first time in your life. Like a father! You can call me ''daddy'', if you want." He wiggled his curly eyebrows. ''You''re disgusting." Dartanion snorted. "Send me somewhere else." Satan cocked his head. "Oh? And why should I do that?" The more gentlemanly of the two crossed his arms in complete confidence, adjusting his glasses in a flash of light. "Because, I-" His eyes widened. "Because...?" Dartanion realized in horror that his intellect was failing him. He did not have a witty response, for the first time in what felt like decades. "Because... well, I, uh-" "Yeah, thought so." said the Devil, who snapped his fingers. In a puff of smoke, Dartanion was gone, surfing along the interdimensional highway to a far-off destination. 2. Swept Off My Feet Dartanion''s eyes fluttered open, taking in the dream-like scene around him. He lay on a sea of clouds, with nothing but the sky, sun, and moon above him. "Ah, I see you''re awake," came a pleasant, masculine voice. "Welcome to Saga. It is a world rather different from your own Earth, but you will get used to it in time." He sat up, facing the source of the voice. Immediately, he was disgusted. Before him stood a man much more beautiful than many women he''d seen. He had long white hair the same color as his teeth, and was fully clad in black-and-red armor. Dartanion had great contempt for any man better-looking than himself. He told himself that he was extremely handsome, but the truth was, he was only average at best. It was an insecurity of his that he''d never acknowledged. "...I see. It seems like you don''t like my appearance." The man cocked his head. "What exactly is a ''normie''?" Dartanion''s eyes shot open, and his face flushed red. "W-what? How can you tell what I''m thinking? Who are you, anyway?" The beautiful person chucked. "Ah, how rude of me. I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Phinset, God of Misfortune. To answer your question, Gods like myself can easily read the thoughts of lesser mortal souls like yourself." "W-what did you say? I am not a lesser being." Dartanion stood up to his full height. "I am surely anything but a normal human." "Well, you aren''t wrong. You''re the first Earthling to be sent here by Earth''s God of Evil." God of Evil...? Ah, he must mean the Devil. Of course he wasn''t wrong. He was far too intelligent to be mistaken about something so obvious. "Then, I''m not the only one being sent here?" "Goodness, no. You''re the... let me see..." Phinsetlooked up for a moment before returning a number. "Eight hundred and ninety-seventh person to be reincarnated to Saga. All of them had been sent by the other God of your world, though. It seems that vastly more people from your world move to Heaven rather than Hell after death." Dartanion''s heart sank, flaring with a little bit of fear. He thought he was going to bespecial. "But worry not. The God who sent you here has sent you with a very powerful Unique Skill. It''s a Passive, too, which is really rare." He felt a surge of excitement. Perhaps he''d end up being special after all. "But, as these skills tend to go, the more powerful the skill, the more unpleasant the penalty..." "What do you mean?" Dartanion inquired. "Each person being sent to another world acquires a Unique Skill given to them by the God who sends them. However, great power can only be given at a great cost to the recipient, which usually involves taking away something very important to them..." Suddenly, the world around them shook like there was an earthquake. A deafening rumbling filled the air, lasting for a few seconds before dying down. The shaking of the ground beneath them, though, did not stop. "Ugh, I knew this would happen sooner or later," the god groaned. "Just part of being the God of Misfortune, I guess. You''re my first reincarnee, so I''m new to all of this. We''re running out of time, now, so I have to send you down." "Wait! What about my ability?" Dartanion asked frantically. He was really curious to know what exactly it was. "We were supposed to have more time... Just don''t worry about it. You''ll figure it out eventually. Oh, and you can look up your stats by chanting ''Status'' or just focusing on wanting to see it in your mind. That should be... pretty much all you need to know. Probably." "Tell me what my ability is. Just... please?" Though his persuasive ability was clearly quite keen, the God still didn''t listen. "Sorry! No can do, kiddo. Gotta beam you down before the Light gods find out there''s a Dark reincarnee out there." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "They''ll kill me if they see you, and I only just achieved godhood, so..." "Wait!" "See ya." said Phinset, and Dartanion''s surroundings changed with a wave of his hand. The vast expanse of cloud and sky vanished, and was replaced by a charming-looking medieval city. The streets were cobbled, and horse-drawn wagons and carriages went up and down them. People dressed in clothes made out of leather and cotton dominated the area, and the buildings were made of either wood or stone. From where he stood, the street stretched forward and led up a hill that held an absolutely massive palace at its peak. He was in a real fantasy world, one like the ones he''d read about in all of those stories on Royal Road. He would create his own story, one without a stupid main character. His immeasurable intelligence would lead him to become the most powerful reincarnee, he was sure of it. That said, what to do first? He looked back and forth, and found that nearly every man and woman on the street was drastically more attractive than those from Earth tended to be. He felt his own face, but it was the same. Complete with his glasses, neckbeard, and vintage fedora. He removed said hat for a moment, examining it to make sure no damage had been done. Just like that, a window popped up in his vision.
Nice Guy''sFedora of the Arch-Sage (Soulbound) Effects: +100 Intelligence +200 Wisdom Bonus: +10 to all stats each time the wearer levels up.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. This fedora is a stylish piece of equipment vital to the arsenal of any intellectual. Some say that this type of hat will be the crowns future kings wear as a symbol of status and intelligence.
He nearly dropped the hat from surprise. How overpowered was this hat? Maybe it had given him the same stats in real life, he always seemed to win arguments in the YouTube comments section when he wore it... No, that couldn''t be true, because such a stylish fedora would certainly give him a charisma boost as well. Maybe the other articles of his clothing had similar effects. He tried to examine his T-shirt, the one that read ''Will Trade Sister for Video Games'' in the same way, followed by his coat and khakis.
Cursed T-Shirt of the Gamer (Soulbound) +50 Intelligence +50 Wisdom +50 Armor Passive: Stench (Enemies are 20% less likely to attack you) Cannot be taken off. Loses all bonuses if washed. This legendary shirt is said to not have been washed since the eighth grade. It was the armor that protected one man from the eyes of countless women.
Gentleman''s Coat of Charm (Soulbound) +200 Dexterity +200 Armor +100 Wisdom +20 Charisma This item'' stats permanently increase by a factor of 1.1 every time someone sarcastically complimentsthecoat. Increases to 1.5 if you''re gullible enough to believe them. Some articles of clothing are so powerfully imbued with a gentleman''s soul that they become legendary artifacts in their own right.
Blood-Stained Khakis of +1Chicken Tenders (Soulbound) +200 Agility +100 Dexterity User can never do manual jobs such as crafting or cooking. Come on, that''s clearly ketchup, not blood!
Wow! These were some crazy bonuses. Though it seemed like they were making fun of him, he quickly dismissed the idea. But how did this game know it hadn''t been washed since the eighth grade? Very odd. Dartanion deduced that perhaps if these all gave stat bonuses, maybe the rest of his clothing would too. And he was right, his Sketchers gave a huge bonus to agility and dexterity, as did his socks. The sneakers were a special item that could be morphed into a pair of Crocs that would allow him to walk on water (so long as the socks stayed) All of his clothes gave him monstrous stats, but none of them affected his strength whatsoever. It sat at a measly six, while the average human''s was 10. He was starting to attract looks from the townspeople, just standing there staring at nothing dressed in such strange- er, stylish clothing. It was time to move. He hightailed it down the street before suddenly realizing something. That wasn''t all of his clothing. Could it be possible that his underwear...? He quickly ducked into an alleyway and, making sure nobody was nearby, examined his underpants. Sure enough...
Virgin''s Underpants of the Wizard (Soulbound) +500 Intelligence +500 Wisdom -200 Charisma -100 Luck Effect: Starting when the wearer''s age reaches 25, if the wearer is still a virgin, the bonuses given are multiplied by the wearer''sage. It''s said that when someone reaches a certain age and remains a virgin, they gain the powers of a wizard. Here you are, proving them right!
Now he felt kind of insecure. But surely this would not turn into a problem. He was still at the ripe age of nineteen, and had incredible stats. He could surely manage to find a girl that fit his extremely specific tastes. After all, a nice guy like him with the powers of a magician would certainly lead him to become a hero that all the women wanted. Just then... "Hey, you!" called a voice. "What do you think you''re doing in public?" From a bystander''s point of view, Dartanion was standing in an alleyway, staring down into his pants. He jumped a bit and turned toward the source, panicking. A woman stood there, clad in armor with her hands on her hips. She was incredibly beautiful, with long, flowing golden hair the same color as her piercing eyes. "E-excuse me, m''lady," stammered Dartanion. "It''s not what it seems like. A gentleman like myself would never-" "Would never what? Stare at themselves in public? Gross. If you''re going to do that, at least make it somewhere private." She turned and stalked off, leaving him feeling misunderstood and dejected. But not for long. He zipped up his pants and ran down the alleyway toward where she had been. "Wait!" Unfortunately, he had not yet adjusted to his incredibly high Agility stat, and ended up running - at breakneck speed - straight out of the alley, out into the street, and right into someone''s carriage, immediately knocking him out cold. The carriage stopped, and its five passengers jumped from the sudden lurching. "What was that?!" demanded Lance, the handsome captain of the adventuring party inside. "Something just hit the side of the carriage." responded the kind-looking, mustached driver. "It should be fine. Just gonna go check on it." He got out of his usual seat in the front to inspect the damage. "Seriously? I wanna see!" said Trevor, the team''s assassin. He leapt out of the carriage to see an unconscious Dartanion. "Whoa... Is this for real? He looks like those guys from the memes!" He got no response from his party members. "You know, the fedora guys. The ones who buy katanas and stuff. Don''t tell me you guys never looked at memes back on Earth." That''s right, this party was made up entirely of people from Earth who had reincarnated, each with their own special ability. But it was pretty clear none of them wanted to talk about memes. Because, who the hell talks about memes in person? "Yeah, sure, Trev, whatever you say," replied his big sister, Gloria. She was a pretty brunette who functioned as the team''s mage. And, like the other two members of the party (who were also women), had a huge crush on Lance. It was a good thing that Dartanion was not awake to see this situation. "What should we do with him?" wondered the driver, scratching his head. "I''d feel bad just leaving him here..." "Well, why don''t we let him come with us?" asked Trevor. "He looks funny!" None of the other party members could see him, but they all could tell he was from Earth based on the description given by Trevor. "Well... I don''t really know about that." said Lance. "That won''t be necessary," came a deep voice from outside the carriage. It came from a huge man clad in fully black armor, glowing red eyes the only discernable feature of his face through his helmet. "He is with us." "Then, by all means, take him," replied the driver, twirling his mustache. "After a hit like that, he might be in need of some serious medical attention." One might be curious as to why nobody was fazed at the sight of such an intimidating figure. Plot convenience aside, here in the capital city, people from all levels of power and all walks of life showed up for various reasons. It was a diverse place, although mostly inhabited by normal commoner-level humans. "Understood. I will see to it that he is properly treated." said the man robotically, and lifted Dartanion over his shoulder, turning and walking away. "Aww... That guy would have been a lot of fun to have on our team." Trevor pouted as he watched the two of them go. "Why? He sounds like kind of a loser." Gloria scoffed. "I don''t want to be the weakest on the team anymore..." said Trevor. "I wanted someone to pick on, cause you guys are jerks and always do it to me." He was the little brother you couldn''t help but love, but he was also kind of a brat. Meanwhile, the armored man was already very far away, on the outskirts of the city. He used his spell ''Mind Message'' to report back to his leader. "Leader, I have successfully captured an Earthling. I am moving back to base as we speak." The man on the other side of the ''Mind Message'' replied with a message of his own. "Nice!! OwO. get back here ASAP!! With this sacrifice, I''ll gain enough power to rival an Arch-Mage! xD" The armored man sighed. Why was his leader always like this...? 3. The Katana Collector "W-what the hell are you doing?!" Dartanion exclaimed, disgusted. He was tied to a table, wearing nothing but his T-shirt and underpants. A mysterious masked man with long, spiky brown hair towered over him, trying furiously to pull his shirt off. The man jumped, backing away with his gloved hands up. "Er, it isn''t what it looks like." "I do not associate with men. The heart of a gentleman belongs to ladies alone. Touch me again and I will be forced to unleash my power." Dartanion knew, somewhere deep in his mind, that he had no ''secret power'' to unleash, and was really just bluffing based on his own delusions. Although technically, he still didn''t know his Unique Skill, so... "Listen, man... You know what? Screw it. Hugo, can you remove the Soulbind from this shirt?" The man was clearly frustrated. "You... Are you from Earth?" Dartanion inquired. "Sure am. But you won''t have to worry about that for long," he replied. "We''re going to kill you, after all." A giant of a man clad in ominous-looking black armor ducked under the doorway as he lumbered into the room. "Understood, Lord Brian. The Master may not be pleased with my doing it for you, though." "Y-you''re going to do what?" Our hero gulped. "Kill you," said Brian. "As a sacrifice. That fucking weeb of a Master had better come through with this plan of his, or I swear I''ll-" "Did you just say weeb?" Dartanion interrupted. "There is nothing wrong with being interested in Japanese culture. In fact, I myself will be moving to Japan one day. Just because I watch anime, own an extensive manga collection paid for with my mother''s money, and have my very own harem of body pillow waifus doesn''t mean I''m a weeaboo." "Oh, god, you''re one of them too. Now I really am going to kill you. It''s a real shame that shirt of yours gives you enough armor to defend against something as powerful as a Spirit Spear. The rest of your equipment is pretty monstrous as well. Why is it all so overpowered?" "I-it''s because I''m a chosen hero, here to save the world. That''s the point of being reincarnated, after all." Brian cringed. "Honestly, why does everyone who gets reborn here have such a big fuckin'' head about all this? I''m level 73, with a rare class, and you don''t see me eating my own ass over it." Meanwhile, Hugo was beginning to cast his magic. The spell was called [Soul Break], and was a way of forcibly breaking a soul bond between a user and an item. It was not a common spell, as it was part of Soul Magic, one of the most powerful and rare types. With a wave of his hand, the huge man cast the spell. A surge of glowing blue energy poured into the Cursed T-shirt of the Gamer. An incredible amount came from the armored man''s hands, and it looked almost as unnatural as a lake being poured into a water balloon that for whatever reason did not fill up at all. In essence, nothing happened. On top of that...
Spell Gained: [Soul Break] Through your Unique Skill, you have gained the ability and knowledge required to freely cast this spell. Description: Attempts to nullify the effect of the ''Soulbound'' enchantment.
Dartanion felt a surge of adrenaline rush through him. So he had that type of ability... "W-what? [Soul Break] didn''t work?" Hugo recoiled in shock. Dartanion stared in awe. "Just as I planned," he said, his voice quavering. "This shirt is indestructible. With the powers of this eye, I have protected it." He had assumed his eye was glowing or something, the way it would in an anime or whatever, but it was just normal, and he looked like an idiot. "Oh, my god, is he for real?" Brian groaned. "Can we just suffocate him?" "No." Hugo replied sternly. "In order for the ritual to be successful, the sacrifice must be stabbed with a Spirit Spear." "Whatever. Call the Master. That weeb is as overpowered as they get, he''ll be able to handle this." Brian threw his mask on the ground, shattering it. "Screw this role-playing bullshit." He stalked off without a further word. Hugo sighed. "He will not be pleased..." He held his head in one hand for a few seconds before sending a [Mind Message] to his master once more. Hugo: Master, Brian and I were unable to undo the powerful enchantments of his armor. We require your assistance, if you would be so gracious to grant it. Buttering up the Master was always the best way to deal with things. The armored giant felt a bead of sweat drip down his face under his helmet as he awaited a reply. Elvis: Fiiiine. >:I Gimme a sec tho! I''m arranging my collection~ Hugo sighed. The Master was obviously discontented, but not to the point of anger. It seemed he was in luck. "Who is this Master, exactly?" Dartanion asked. Hugo shuddered. "He is an eccentric man... But one who wields great power. Some have named him the most powerful of any of those who''ve been reincarnated. On top of that, he was one of the first." "One of the first people to be reincarnated? How long has he been here for, then?" "Nearly thirty years. Despite that, though, Master''s appearance has never changed." Dartanion felt a pang of jealousy, or maybe it was insecurity. Someone way more powerful than him, and on top of that, he was probably immortal if he''d never aged. And he had powerful servants... It seemed that our hero''s ''main character'' complex would do nothing but grow after his arrival in this world. Just then, a small child stalked in through the doorway. "Haiiiiii," he said, dragging out the word. He looked to be no older than eight, and had long blonde hair with glowing red eyes similar to those of Hugo. Despite being so young and wearing fake cat ears on his head, he radiated an aura of power. The kid walked up to the table Dartanion had been tied to without another word, and touched the shirt with his left hand. "Hmm..." Blue light started to shine from it as he tried to use Soul Magic to dispel the defenses of the shirt. He stayed like that for nearly five minutes with no visible results. Dartanion broke the silence. "It seems you are a man worthy of my respect. A fellow enthusiast of Japanese culture, as well as a powerful user of magic." He scratched his neckbeard. The kid''s magic faded. "Really?~ You like anime too?" He beamed. "As would any man of culture. I was a volunteer professional anime critic for quite some time." Dartanion said. "Well, in that case, I can''t just kill you! You''re nakama!" The kid waved his hand and all of the ropes snapped.
Spell Gained: Soul Manipulation Description: Harness aspects of your own soul to manifest phenomena in the physical world.
Somewhere down the hall, a shiver went down Brian''s spine. Instinct told him that something especially cringe-worthy had happened from the room he''d just left. Dartanion went wide-eyed. He didn''t know how to cast spells, but it seemed that he really would be able to replicate any spell he laid eyes on. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "So what''s your name?" The kid asked, replacing some of his words with Japanese and others with utter nonsense. "I''m Elvis." Dartanion got to his feet, not bothering to thank Elvis, much less ask for some pants. "My name is Dartanion Fischer. I am a man of elegance and grace, and I am pleased to make your acquaintence." "Hey, hey," said Elvis. "What abilities do you have, onii-san? What''s your Unique Skill?" "I am a low level as I am now, but my Skill allows me to copy magic from seeing it," he replied. Dartanion was personally not a fan of using Japanese words in English. He preferred to flex on others by showing off his impressive vocabulary and grammar skills. "Seriously? Wow! That''s amazing, big brother!" He said, half of the words in Japanese. "Wanna work for me, then?" A greedy glint shone in the kid''s eye. "My apologies," said the man standing around in his tighty-whities. ''I will not work under anyone. It is simply a moral of mine." He stroked his beard. "Oh... Well, that''s too bad. I guess I can find someone else to sacrifice." The kid now seemed completely disinterested. "Hugo, you can take him back to the city if he wants to go back." "M-master, aren''t you deciding on this a bit too quickly? With powers like yours, you could force him to work for you like you do with myself and Brian." Hugo tried to reason with Elvis. "That''s no fun. He''s only level 1, anyway. Not strong like you two. And he isn''t powerful enough to be worth the ritual, either." The young master was completely dismissive. "Take him back." "W-wait." said Dartanion. "Oh? Have you decided to take me up on my offer?" The kid raised an eyebrow, half his words in Japanese. "Well, er..." "Don''t be shy! I''ll accept you into my party at any time!" "No, it isn''t that... Can I have my pants back?" "Oh, those..." Elvis looked kind of regretful. "The truth is, I incinerated them." Dartanion was shocked. "Y-you did what? What about the rest of my clothes?" "Hmm, well, the coat, shoes, and socks didn''t fit me either so I got frustrated and just burned them away," The kid smiled. "But you forgive me, right?" Dartanion was certainly not mature enough to forgive him, but he managed to keep his mouth shut. He''d just lost his biggest advantage in this world. "What about my hat? My fedora. It''s vintage." "Ehhh? But I kind of liked that hat... Why don''t you just let me keep it?" Dartanion gripped him by the shoulders, his face red with anger. "That hat is mine. I won''t let you keep it. Give it back right now, or I''ll-" "You''ll what?" Elvis said, smirking. "Kill me?" "No... I''ll tell the guards." "Ha! Baaaaka. Like the guards can do anything. They''ve been too afraid to come after me for twenty years now. They won''t give half a shit if you say I stole some stupid hat." "In that case, I''ll just k-kill you myself." With a thought, Dartanion activated [Soul Manipulation]. The method for activating a spell mentally was similar to how the [Status] was brought up. He had successfully done it on his first try, but the problem was that he had no idea how to actually use the spell. "Are you an idiot?~" asked Elvis, smirking. "If you use that wrong, you can just yank your soul out of your own body. If that happens, you could die. In fact, you are already dead." The last part was entirely Japanese, and Dartanion could feel his consciousness start to fade.
Spell Gained: [Soul Command] Exert the power of your soul to attempt to completely dominate another soul and force it to do your bidding.
"Y-you..." Dartanion, completely out of options, activated his newest spell. He cried out in pain as the effects from using the remaining 90% of his mana pool at once took their toll on him, and his head exploded in pain. "Kill him." came his command, his eyes locked with Hugo''s glowing red orbs. He felt next to no resistance, like a car running over a pebble. And just like that, a glowing blue spear materialized in Hugo''s shiny black gauntlet. Before either of them could react, Hugo drove the spear into his own heart. His glowing eyes slowly faded into complete darkness. He''d been trying to make Hugo attack Elvis, but that worked fine, too. The effect that was making Dartanion feel like he was going to pass out suddenly disappeared, as though hands choking him had suddenly left. "Hugo!" Elvis cried, kneeling at his side. "Don''t worry, I''ll save you... I just have to patch you up a little..." Teary-eyed, he put his hands together over the fallen giant''s midsection. Blue light washed over the two of them, and the glowing red light started to return to Hugo''s eyes. Dartanion was not going to miss this chance. He forced himself to his feet despite the incredible headache plaguing him, and managed to make it out of the small stone chamber into the doorway Elvis had originally come from. It was made of dark grey stone just like the room he''d already been in, the light of the torches turning it golden. His head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds as he walked, and the fear pulsing through him was the only thing moving him forward. That kid was cute on the outside, but his level of power was terrifying. I could beat him if I actually tried... thought Dartanion. I''m just taking a tactical retreat. That''s right, this is all part of my plan! Truth be told, he''d never had a plan. He was running away. Down a hallway he knew nothing about, in his tighty-whities. Thankfully for him, though, Elvis wasn''t coming after him. He continued for nearly five minutes before coming to a room. He opened the door, and his heart leapt. Inside was one of the most impressive katana collections he''d ever seen. The swords, complete with sheaths, lined the walls, and rugs with recognizable anime characters covered the floor. And in the center of it all, was an ornate marble pedestal that held it. The Holy Grail. Okay, it wasn''t actually the Holy Grail, it was his stupid hat. But to him, it may as well have been. He ran across the room, cradling the untouched hat in his arms. Thank goodness it was safe. If anything had happened to it, he''d... he''d... Probably still have run. But that wasn''t the point. Once he returned the Nice Guy''s Fedora of the Arch-Sage to his head, the crippling headache he''d been suffering from vanished with the acquisition of plenty more mana. The hat gave a hundred intelligence, which boosted spell learning speed and mana pool size; and two hundred wisdom, which decreased casting time and boosted mana regeneration. It didn''t take long for his mana pool to start regenerating. Curiosity about what else was in the room overcame his desire to run away, if only for a few seconds. Behind the pedestal was what seemed to be a curtain made entirely of sheathed katanas hanging from the ceiling. He gently pushed his way past it, ducking into the room behind it. This part of the room was much darker. Anime statues and rugs filled the room, and to his left, there was a royal-style bed. There were tons of pillows and blankets. To be honest, Dartanion doubted he would see anything this comfy in this medieval world again. Much less a room this sophisticated and cultured. So, he let his desire take over and jumped on the bed with a running head start. He thought he heard the sound of wood cracking as he landed, but it was probably nothing. He sighed as he sank into the soft, plushy mattress. But... what was that? There was something... hard. Under the blankets, here. He tore the six layers of covers back to reveal what seemed to be the hilt of a katana. He sleeps with a katana beside him? He is even more respectable than I thought. Still... Dartanion grabbed the black-and-gold sword, still sheathed in a very ornate scabbard. It was heavy, and almost three feet long in its entirety. But what was an adventure in a world like this without a trusty, cool-looking sword? Conveniently attached was a belt that would allow him to hold the sword at his side while walking, or sling over his shoulder. The latter seemed cooler, and he wasn''t wearing any pants, so he did just that. He put his hands on his hips. Now I am a true warrior. The world shall know my name as a powerful warrior who is also a gentleman and would never do anything like imagine having a bunch of women all at the same- "Disgusting! Don''t you pollute my mind with such impure images, God! Go get some pants on, you weird sicko! And be a little more careful with me next time. I''m a powerful sword, you know?" An angry female voice with a British-sounding accent rang throughout his mind. "W-what? Who are you? Where are you?" Dartanion asked, surprised. "Just... please get some pants on." "But, m''lady, I haven''t the foggiest of where I might find clothing of that nature." "Oh, drop the act. I can read your mind, you know!" "Act? You are mistaken. I am a fine gentleman who is devoted to-" "The third drawer down in the cabinet to your left. Just spare me the monologue and dress yourself first. I know how your types are. Then get us the bloody hell out of here before he gets back." Dartanion sighed, and turned to find the cabinet. Sure enough, it was there, and he pulled open the third drawer from the top. "These are clothes from Master Elvis''s past sacrifices. You were lucky to survive. Even I..." She trailed off. "You mean you were a sacrifice?" "Indeed. I, like you, am from Earth. I lived in a country called England. I assume you''re familiar with it, considering you''re an American." "Of course!" said Dartanion, slipping into a pair of XL jean shorts. "Everybody on Earth knows about the UK. Even if they have intelligence inferior to mine, and they''ve historically lagged behind the rest of the civilized world in terms of dental hygiene." He grinned at his witty joke, mustard-tinted teeth peeking out from between his thick, extra-chapped lips. "...Whatever you say. Now get your ass in gear before Elvis comes back." He could feel her soul practically shuddering. "I was gonna do that anyway." He promptly made his way over to the door, then continued down the hallway as fast as he could. "Hey, by the way, what can I call you? Do you have a name?" "...I do. I do not believe our alliance will last terribly long, though, so I''m not quite sure it matters." "What do you mean?" His question was answered as five throwing knives sailed past his head, one of them lightly grazing his ear. He jumped, seized by fear, and looked behind him. There stood an incredibly handsome man dressed in well-fitted iron plate armor. Despite all the covering up, it was clear that he was a very muscular and physically fit man. He had medium-length blonde hair, bright blue eyes and nicely tanned skin. He gave a devilish grin as he started to unsheath two wicked-looking daggers from his belt. "I''ve come for you, Amelia!" called the man in a powerful, charismatic voice. "Give me that sword immediately, fiend!" Dartanion bristled with discomfort. This was exactly the type of man he hated. "C-Chad! You came for me after all!" stammered Amelia, the spirit of the sword. "I knew you''d come! Oh, quickly, savior, please return me to my lover." She referred to Dartanion. "Did you say... Chad?" he growled, trying to be dramatic, but his voice cracked on the ''a'' in Chad. 4. A Series of Events Both Fortunate And Not "Did you say... Chad?" asked Dartanion. "That''s right! The two of us were lovers, once... But when I got caught by Elvis and turned into a sword, I lost him for what had to be forty years. I''m sure I can convince him to help you escape when you hand me back to him."Amelia, the sword spirit, said in her usual English accent. She paused."Wait a second... You-" She didn''t get to finish, but she definitely was right in what she was thinking. Dartanion wasn''t about to hand this woman over to anyone. Chad grinned. "That''s me, kiddo. Now. Hand over the sword, or there''ll be more knives where those came from." "B-but, Chad, aren''t you a swordsman? Why are you using knives?"Amelia asked. His grin only grew wider. "Well, my love, when I heard you''d been captured by that little brat and turned into a sword, I realized that there was only one sword I''d need to be using for the remainder of my days." "Awwww~~~!"Amelia''s presence got all light-hearted and happy."How romantic! Please, Mr. Dartanion, won''t you let me go back to my lover?" "I''m sorry, but I cannot entrust a fuckboy such as this one with the safety of a lady." "That''s bullshit! You''re just hoping one day I''ll get some sort of physical appearance so you can... well... I can read your mind! Stop that!" Dartanion blushed. "I-I..." Chad drew two more daggers from his belt. "If you won''t return Amy to me, then, well..." He smirked. "I''ll just have to kill you." Dartanion''s brain froze with fear. Now, he was really screwed. He''d tried to be a hero for too long, and-- wait, this was all part of his plan. He''d calculated long ago that Chad would come after Amelia, and, and, even that he''d pick Amelia up. He drew Amelia from her sheath and prepared to fight. The heavy katana weighed on his frail arms, but he would definitely be able to swing it. He examined the blade before he did battle.
Amelia, Soul-Blade (Legendary Weapon) Level: 1 Growth Rating: S Damage: 400-450 (+300 Lightning Damage) Ability: Lightning Slash Unique Skill: Electrify (Gain the ability to create electricity at will without depleting mana. Since this soul is attached to an object, the skill can only be used while holding the object.) Soul-Blades are weapons infused with a soul. This particular blade was infused with the soul of Amelia, a level one hundred and six adventurer. Growth potential depends on the level of the infused soul. Those swords imbued with a reincarnated human''s soul gain the ability to level up and grow with their user, as well as complete control over their Unique Skill.
He couldn''t examine Chad to check his level, but Amelia was a very powerful weapon that he was sure could defeat him. "No! Don''t you dare use me against him. If you kill my lover using me as a weapon, I''ll..." Dartanion was simply too selfish, not to mention bitter about someone named Chad stealing a woman from him, that he didn''t give half of a shit if the two of them were lovers. He was going to slay this man and go on his way. Then get the hell out of here, because Elvis would probably find them sooner or later. "Then, here I come!" Chad said, dashing at Dartanion. Before the beautiful man could reach him. though, a voice boomed through the hallway, stopping both of them flat. "Kneel." It was Elvis, casually walking down the hallway towards them. He had just used [Soul Command] to force the two of them to their knees. The little brat had finally caught up to them. "Man, it took me a while to heal Hugo. Onii-san, I don''t know if I can forgive you after you''ve done all this." The blonde-haired child smiled sadistically. "L-listen... I couldn''t let you have my hat, so..." "So you tried to kill my nakama and stole my most treasured katana?" Elvis sounded genuinely angry, and a faint blue aura began to enshroud him. "Well, I too am a fan of katanas, so I figured you would not mind if I borrowed it." "Onii-san..." Elvis scowled. "I can''t let you live. Sorry." He said in half-Japanese. "What are you saying, kid? I can''t understand what you''re saying. You some kind of weeb?" Chad piped up. The kid''s gaze turned to him. "When did you get here?" "I''ve been here the whole time, pal," said Chad. Dartanion wiped sweat from his brow. Thankfully, Elvis''s attention had moved to someone else. "Wow... A level one hundred fifty adventurer. You know, you''d make an even better sword than she did." Elvis said, grinning. "So you''re the kid..." Chad replied. "You little psycho. Let me up and we''ll have a fair fight. If you win, you can make me into a sword or whatever you want." Elvis regarded him for a few seconds, seemingly considering his proposal. "Deal?" Chad asked. "No. I run way less of a risk of losing if I take you now. Zero, in fact. You''re going to become my strongest katana, you know? I can''t let an opportunity like that get away." "Doesn''t that mean you''re just too scared to fight me?" Chad asked, taunting. Elvis glared at him with blood-red eyes. "Nice try. I might look like a little kid, but I''ve lived for over sixty years between this world and the last. I won''t fall for your tricks. Now...submit." A shockwave erupted from where Elvis stood, nearly blowing the fedora off of Dartanion''s head as one of the most powerful forms of [Soul Command] was used. The ''Submit'' command was extraordinarily difficult to use because it required the caster to completely overwhelm and shut down another''s brain. This meant completely overcoming their will and making it their own. On top of that, Elvis was using it on a level 150 adventurer, which made it even more of a feat. Fortunately, this spell required one hundred percent of Elvis''s willpower and magic power. Therefore, the ''Kneel'' command was released from Dartanion and he was able to flee. And he sure did flee. Our hero ran and ran until he reached the exit of the cave. He was barefoot, but he didn''t care. In fact, he kept running even after that.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! He wasn''t very physically fit, however, and he ended up having to slow down and walk eventually. So that was what he did. He walked all the way back to the city he''d come from. It took hours, and he did so barefoot and in silence. Amelia was dead quiet for the entirety of his journey. She was probably sad, but it wasn''t his problem. She would come around and realize what a nice guy he was sooner or later. When he finally reached the great stone walls of the city, he was greeted at the massive gates by a couple of guards. He walked over to them, pretty exhausted after the recent events that had taken place. It had all happened so quickly, but he was finally free of it all. Maybe he''d be able to finally start his adventure and things would go the way they were supposed to. "Halt, stranger. What reason might you have for entering the capital city? You''re dressed awfully strangely..." The guards held out their spears, blocking his path. "Good evening, gentlemen. I''m just coming back into the city. I was here earlier, and I got kidnapped." Dartanion said. "Kidnapped, huh? You look pretty fine to me." said the second guard. "Why, thank you. I do take pride in my fashion sense." Dartanion tipped his fedora, grinning. "No, you-" the guard said, then sighed. "I meant that if you were really kidnapped, you might be a bit more beat up. So your story is not very convincing." "It''s true! I woke up strapped to a table, and this guy was trying to pull my shirt off! This little kid named Elvis was their boss. He wanted to turn me into a magical sword, and gain my great powers." "Oh? And can you prove that? We''re hesitant to allow such a strange person into our city." said the first guard. "Yeah, you kind of look like the type to expose yourself in front of a crowd," a nearby guard piped up, and they all laughed. "I would never do such a thing. I am a man of class. And, since you asked, I do have proof."Dartanion unsheathed Amelia, displaying the powerful blade to the three guards. "This is Amelia. She was captured and had her soul turned into a sword by the kid I mentioned. Right, Amelia?" "I detest you," replied Amelia. "She''s not too happy with me right now, but I am a gentleman and will turn her towards me in time," Dartanion said. The three guards stared, slack-jawed. "It really spoke..." "I always knew women were objects, but this is beyond anything I could have imagined!" "Elvis is a well-known criminal around here, so I suppose that clears you of any suspicion. Since you''re the main character and all, I''m kind of obligated to let you pass." He gulped. "Otherwise the author will fire me." "I''m glad you understand your place," said Dartanion, and moseyed on into the city. Wait, what was that about a main character? And did he say ''author''? He whirled to look back at the man who had just spoken. But he was gone, and all that remained was a lone helmet on the ground. Whatever.
Not much later, after buying himself some shoes... Dartanion had just finished arranging himself a couple days'' stay at the inn. It was late evening now, and he figured he would go and try to find something to do until he was tired. He considered going to the bar, but that was kind of a normie thing to do. He''d been to one before, and none of them had the class to appreciate his unique style of clothing. To be completely honest, he was scared to go in because the last time he''d gone into a bar he had been laughed out. But he wasn''t tired, and he wanted to find potential party members. He wanted to level up and become strong, more than anything. So out he went, onto the dark streets of the city to search. The streets at night were creepy and kind of scary. Everything was lit either by lanterns or not at all. Sometimes, as he went, Dartanion would be walking on the cobbled street in complete darkness. He nearly tripped a couple of times, but a gentleman like him is graceful and does not trip on near-flat ground. He took extra care to not go down any alleyways. Just because he wasstrong and had overpowered underwear didn''t mean he was invincible. There were bound to be some shady characters lurking around in a city like this. Plenty of them, actually. He''d seen some scurrying about as he walked, but assumed they were simply fleeing. As he searched, he thought about what type of party members he''d like to encounter. The first thing that came to mind was a single word.Girl. Dartanion was a man of high intelligence and fine tastes, and as such he had one specification when it came to love interests- that they were female. He''d gone so long without dating someone that anyone would do. As long as they were female. Yeah, it''s kind of pathetic- but hey, beggars can''t be choosers, am I right? Aside from that one preference... someone who knew the area would be a good choice. One with huge tits. No, no, he shouldn''t let his own interests play into this. He had to be smart about this. What were the elements of a good party? A tanker, a damage-dealer or two, and a healer. It depended on what kind of party you planned on running. Thinking back to his League of Legends days, there could be different ''compositions'' of parties. Those with super-high mobility and damage, some with low mobility but high damage output and tanking capacity. Things like that. He didn''t really have any spells that directly did damage. So he figured he should probably get some from somewhere. Well, with his ability it would be no problem at all. The problem was, besides leveling up, what should he do with his time here in the city? Free time would be in abundance, and he- His eyes bulged. From the tall building in front of him, a figure fell and hurtled towards the ground. A suicide jumper? He or she was falling headfirst, so they were clearly not planning on surviving this. Dartanion couldn''t just sit back and watch. But without his extra agility, he also couldn''t do anything at all because he was a slow runner and couldn''t make it in time. So he slowly jogged at his own pace towards where the person had just disappeared headfirst behind a wagon filled with hay. There was no sound, but there was no way someone could have survived that. It didn''t take long for him to find out that he was wrong. It seemed that right where this man had fallen, the ground was some sort of cement-like mud. A pair of legs stuck out from the ground as they slowly sank down. Without hesitation, and with plenty of grace, he grabbed each by the ankle and tried his best to yank the man out. But whoever it was kicked his legs violently and made it difficult. Still, our hero did not relent. He kept a firm grip and used his considerable weight to pull the person completely out of the mud. Strangely, he came out completely clean, without any sort of mud or grime on him at all. The guy was about his age. Nineteen or twenty. He wore Earth clothing- a pair of khakis and a button-down shirt. He had short-cropped brown hair and perfectly clear, tanned skin. I saved a normie. Dartanion thought in disgust.Still, a good deed is a good deed, so I will surely receive some sort of reward for saving this man. The person rolled onto their back before getting onto all fours, seemingly trying to get to their feet. It was then that they turned to Dartanion and looked at him with anger in his eyes. "Why did you save me, dude?!" he demanded. Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "I''ve been trying to die ever since I got here, but every time I try something gets in my way. This time, the hard ground I was supposed to land on, and eventested beforehand, turned into some sort of mud and saved my ass. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is, my guy?" Dartanion adjusted his fedora. "No. It would seem that you are simply lucky." The guy glared at him. "That''s exactly what I am. And I hate it, you know?. The fucking God of Luck himself sent me here, a couple years ago, with three hundred luck. Like an idiot, I thought ''luck will be my strength'' and made it all the way to level ninety putting my points in nothing but luck. And do you know what that got me, man?" "What?"This guy is just dumping his problems on me... How tedious. He should just hurry up and give me my reward. "For a while, it got me whatever I wanted. But luck isn''t all it''s cracked up to be, you feel me? It helps you based on what''s good for you, not what you really want. It just judges whatever it wants for me. Women will leave my life because ''they would be bad for me''. If I get shot at by someone, it''ll hit a person near me instead." "So, where''s the line between good luck and bad luck?" Dartanion asked thoughtfully. "That''s what I want to know, man." He sighed. "Listen, you helped me. If you need some sort of money, I''ve never lost at gambling, so I could hook you up." "I appreciate your generous offer, but I have a different type of reward in mind." "Yeah, man, whatever you want. I''m just going with the flow here." "Become my ally. Let us make an adventuring party together. I wish to have you on my team." He was awfully straightforward about it. "Nahhh, I don''t think I can do that. Sorry, bro." "Why not?" Dartanion felt frustrated. "I don''t want to get wrapped up in anything. I''m just trying to die. If it''s something easy like money, I got you though." I need to persuade him. What do normies like...?Dartanion took a few seconds to brainstorm. Then, an idea hit him, "What if I told you that I can get you drugs?" "Drugs? What are we talking here?" He asked. Our hero''s mind raced. What were popular drugs? "Er, weed. And marijuana. And cocaine." The guy grinned. "Well, there''s no way I''m doing coke, but if you hit me up with the other stuff we can definitely talk." "So you''ll join my alliance?" "Yeah, sure. I was a pretty big stoner back on Earth." "And you won''t kill yourself?" Dartanion was not a very sensitive person. "Well, I guess I''ll have something worth living for this way." "That''s kind of messed up if you ask me, but I don''t dislike someone having simple needs," Dartanion said. He extended a small, sweaty hand. "Dartanion Fischer," he said with a tip of his signature fedora. The man shook. "Luciano. Around here they call me Lucky Luciano, but you can call me whatever the hell you want." And thus, what would later be known as one of the most famous partnerships in the capital city of Knox was created.