DxD: Path of the Gremory Prince

Opening my eyes, I found myself in a strange place. In front of me was a long table with twenty chairs. Seated in each chair was the silhouette of someone.

These silhouettes were unrecognizable, like wavering shadows of beings from races other than my own.

'Where am I?' I asked myself.

To find the answer, I looked around and saw that surrounding the table was a dense curtain made of a material my mind could not process. Were those flames? Or perhaps smoke?

Well, it didn't matter because I finally saw someone I could recognize at the other end of the table.

'Teemo?' I rubbed my eyes with my hands before opening them again and looking at the small being with a green hat and red goggles on his head.

"Hello, sir," Teemo said, almost making me jump out of my chair.

"You look like Teemo from League of Legends."

"If I look like this, it's because you feel comfortable seeing me this way. My nature allows me to adapt to anyone's preferences."

"In that case, I'd rather you turn into a beautiful woman. How about Sakurajima Mai? Or would Boa Hancock be better? I like women with nice legs."

"I didn't choose this form. Anyway, sir, shall we get down to business?"

"Ah, yes. Of course."

"You must have realized by now that you're not where you should be."

My last memories before waking up in this place were fuzzy. I remembered getting three days off after working for two years straight, and I used two of those days to play as much as I could.

"I fell asleep after playing too much and... woke up here. But what exactly is 'here'?"

"You're in the Office!" Teemo raised his little arms, and the tone he used told me this must be something big.

"..."

"Ah, I skipped the explanation again. I'm an employee of the Missions Office. We work for Contractors. You're from a base world, and we usually recruit people from base worlds to carry out missions in Entertainment Worlds. Today, I want to hire you."

Teemo snapped his fingers, and a tablet appeared in front of me. It was an ordinary tablet, nothing special.

"On this device, you'll find the details of the mission we've prepared for you. I recommend paying close attention to the setting and the world you'll be in. Before agreeing to be hired, you can customize some parameters with your credits, except for the contractor's mandatory conditions."

I picked up the tablet in front of me and read the mission details.

+

[Contract Mission: In the world of DxD, become a Satan.

Scenario: Start as the character Milicas Gremory.

Description: Milicas is an individual with the potential to become far more powerful than he will in the future — a mere chief guard of an entire fleet of devil armies. That's boring! Change it!

Reward: 2 million credits or Ascendancy to Entity Rank (The hired must choose upon mission completion).

Difficulty: S+ (Although Milicas is powerful and from an influential family, the world of DxD contains beings bordering on omnipotence and countless conspiracies).]

+

I took my eyes off the tablet and looked at Teemo, who was leaning his two small hands on the table, watching me as if he were anxious.

'The world of DxD... That's an interesting world, but also a very dangerous one. I just wonder... what happens if I refuse?'

Knowing this wasn't the time to keep my doubts to myself, I asked Teemo this question.

"Nothing. You'll wake up in your room, half an hour late for your shift at the office, with no memory of this situation or the contract."

"I see... What about the parameters I can change? Can I check those before making my decision?"

"Of course!"

*Tlec!*

Teemo snapped his fingers again, and the tablet screen flickered, changing to a page full of lists. With a quick scan, I saw these lists contained extraordinary abilities copied from various universes.

However, some lists were locked. The Character and Appearance options, for instance, were fixed on Milicas Gremory and his traits.

The universe was also pre-selected as the DxD universe.

Under abilities, one main power was already chosen and locked: [Power of Destruction]. However, I could add more abilities.

'Let's start with the basics. Milicas is just a child, and there's no thrill in being a child. So first, I'll adjust my age. 13 is too young, 25 is too old. I want something in between. 17 is a good age. That way, I won't be ignored in serious conversations, nor will I be immediately summoned to all the important meetings.'

To my surprise, changing my age cost me 500 credits. I had 10,000 credits, which limited the modifications I could make.

The brief joy of being able to alter many things disappeared when I saw the cost of the abilities. Most abilities, even seemingly basic ones like Total Elemental Mastery, were expensive. That one alone cost a staggering 17,500 credits. And the Martial Peak Natural Instinct, which had a description identical to Dragon Ball's Ultra Instinct, cost 500,500 credits.

"Why are these abilities listed as options if I can't afford them?" I let out my frustration.

"You can't afford them yet, but, in time, you will," Teemo replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Scroll to the bottom of the page."

I did as Teemo asked, and when I reached the bottom of the page, my eyebrows shot up, and my mouth dropped open.

+

[Side Objectives:

1 - Win over Sona Sitri through a confession of love

Reward [Credits]: 30,000 credits.

2 - Win over Akeno Himejima through a confession of love

Reward [Credits]: 30,000 credits.

3 - Win over Angel Gabriel through a confession of love

Reward [Other]: 1 OMG Ticket.

4 - Win over Rias Gremory through a confession of love

Reward [Other]: Exclusive Partnership Skill.

5 - Defeat Riser Phenex in a Rating Game

Reward [Other]: 1 OMG Ticket.

6 - Defeat Kokabiel

Reward [Other]: 1 OMG Ticket.

7 - Defeat the Chaos Brigade

Reward [Other]: Mysterious.

8 - Defeat the Hero Faction

Reward [Other]: Mysterious.

9 - Protect the Underworld

Reward [Credits]: 10,000 credits.

10 - Defeat the Old Satan Faction

Reward [Other]: 3 OMG Tickets.

11 - Defeat Trihexa

Reward [Other]: Mysterious.

+

"By completing these objectives, you'll earn credits that will help you acquire new abilities or modify parameters. Now, please continue customizing your contract," said Teemo.

If I could acquire more abilities later, there was no reason to be overly cautious now.

The first ability I purchased was Alchemical Transfiguration, which was just a fancy name for the alchemy used in Fullmetal Alchemist. I also bought the alchemical knowledge of an experienced alchemist, so I wouldn't have to study for years to use this ability.

Of course, I would have liked to obtain a powerful technique on par with Reality Marble or Sharingan. However, those kinds of abilities were simply too powerful to acquire at this stage.

'Now, on to the basic skills. I'm going to buy Partial Affinity with Water Elemental Magic. Of all the elemental spells, this one has the most versatility and cannot be imitated with alchemy. Sure, there's Light and Dark magic, but Light would hurt me when I used it, and Dark is very expensive.'

'Now, about my inheritance... Inheritance is a power that will be passed on to my children if I have any. I need to choose carefully and not spend too much.'

With fewer and fewer credits, my options were limited. But before long, I found an Inheritance called Infinite Ceiling.

'With this, even if I train hard and reach a very high level, all I have to do is train more and I'll continue to evolve. My children will also be able to grow without limits.'

Finally, I bought a Relationship System that reminded me of the one in Stardew Valley, allowing me to measure the evolution of my relationships with the people around me. After all, a noble devil would only become a Satan if he had good relationships with other nobles.

'Honestly, I also wanted to get a leveling system, like Solo Leveling. However, that kind of system is far too expensive. To get one, I'd have to sell most of the skills I've bought and try to complete a few missions to get more credits. Only then would I have enough.'

With the few credits left over, I changed the fact that Milicas lived and studied at home in the Underworld to having an apartment in the city center and studying at Kuoh Academy.

"I think I'm done. Do you want to review the contract?" I asked Teemo.

"Of course I do." Teemo snapped his fingers, and the tablet in my hands was teleported into his. "Um... Good choices... Actually, they're great choices. I must confess I'm impressed. It's been a long time since a hired chose the parameters so wisely."

"The Patrons will be pleased that you've chosen such interesting skills to start with."

"Patrons?"

"Well, it's the Patrons who will watch your actions. That's why there's a contract, after all. They should be amused and entertained while you complete the Contract Mission. They might even sponsor you if they like any of your actions."

"Through messages, they can reward you or show disapproval, but they can never directly interfere in the world you're in... If you're okay with that and the Contract, please sign the paper in front of you."

I looked at the table, and a contract on parchment paper was there. The letters on the paper were not ordinary letters, they were neither in English, nor in Japanese or any other human language. Even so, I was able to understand them somehow.

"Right."

I picked up the quill next to the contract, dipped it in the pot of red ink, and touched the tip of the quill to the paper. My right hand moved automatically, writing something in the same language as the contract. 

"Perfect! It's done! Please do your best to complete this contract and other objectives without dying."

"Wait, I still have a question. What are OMG Tickets? The contract said I was entitled to one of those tickets."

"Oh, about that. OMG Tickets are things to make it a little more interesting for the Patrons. These tickets allow you to summon a living being from any universe to help you complete your missions. They understand their situation, but such a situation causes each living being to change in some way. Be careful with the level of trauma of your choice so you don't end up dead. Also, do you have any more questions?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Good." Teemo smiled and waved his right hand in farewell. "I hope we don't see each other before the contract is finished, hired. See you later."

My mind darkened as Teemo spoke, and suddenly everything went black.

-:-

My consciousness suddenly returned, as if someone had turned off and then on a switch inside my head.

I still remembered seeing it and also the contract. However, my mind was a jumbled mess of memories from two different lives. 

Somehow, what brought me out of this state of confusion was the coldness of the ground on which my face was almost glued.

'What...?' I blinked hard, staring at the wooden floor.

I stood up slowly, resting one hand on the white wall of the corridor. The environment wasn't strange to me, but, at the same time, I felt it was. At least I knew I was in the hallway of the rooms of my new apartment in Kuoh City.

Recently, I, Milicas Gremory, had left Gremory Manor after a heated argument with my family. I demanded more freedom and privacy — both of which I envied in my aunt Rias Gremory. 

However, the whole situation felt strange. I was sure about my motivations for the move, but I now knew it wasn't natural; it was something I had changed in the parameters before signing the contract.

By the way, my memories of my other life were clear too.

I was a salaried employee who worked long hours without a break, aiming for the position of commercial manager. I had no girlfriend or close family either.

'Well, at least that's in the past,' I thought as I stood up.

I had been a tired man in my other life, but now I was Milicas Gremory. I was born in the underworld as a noble devil and had all the memories of the last 17 years.

'It all makes sense now. I wanted freedom... in both lives. Now I have it.'

I straightened my posture and immediately felt my body respond with more energy than my old body ever could. The difference between a high-class young devil and a tired man was immense. Putting my thoughts aside, I followed the light at the end of the corridor. When I reached it, I found the living room of my apartment.

Two spacious sofas, a wooden table between them, and a 42-inch television. Nothing extravagant like I had at Gremory Manor, but it was better than living in the mansion with so many servants and pairs of eyes everywhere.

To my surprise, there were two familiar figures in the room. One of them was Rias Gremory, my aunt, sitting cross-legged on the sofa. Although we were only a few months apart in age, she acted like an older sister.

Behind her, with her hands behind her back, stood Akeno Himejima, Queen and Rias's best friend.

"Have you been to the bathroom already?" Rias arched both eyebrows. "That was quick."

With her mentioning it, I remembered this situation. Shortly after Rias arrived at my apartment, she said she needed to talk about something and I agreed to listen, but then I got a headache and asked to be excused to use the bathroom before we talked.

Now, what did she want?