Sitting on the swing of the park —the very one that was destroyed and reconstructed with a day— Issei did his best to enjoy the fresh air.
'Stressful, isn't it?' Ddraig snickered. 'This new life.'
Issei didn't entertain him with an answer as his eyes were stuck to his status.
[Status]
"You're not joking when you say I can take on a high-class being, right?"
Issei wasn't really worried about speaking out loud. It was early morning, and the newer, nicer park was only a couple hundred meters away, so this one was practically empty.
Even if someone heard him, they'd probably just think he was crazy.
And honestly, he'd prefer that to being labeled a pervert.
'With your stats alone, you can definitely hang with the peak of middle class. With boosts, High Class should be manageable.' Ddraig said. 'Unless the Devil heiress' peerage pulls off some kind of miracle, your abilities should be enough to handle all of them—except her.'
Issei hopped off the swing and stretched his arms.
'What about the Heiress?'
He wasn't really interested in fighting Rias, but it never hurt to know his chances.
'She has the Power of Destruction,' Ddraig explained. 'Your memories should've made that clear. I'm sure you're not dumb enough to rush her head-on.'
Issei bent down and touched his toes, stretching deeper. It felt a lot easier than it did last week.
'If you go straight for her magic... you'll get wrecked. She could literally tear you apart with it.'
"That bad, huh?" Issei jumped up, getting the blood flowing.
'If you don't take her magic head-on...'
"Then I win?"
'You wreck her.' Ddraig replied. 'Your boosts would make her cry. Plus, based on your memories, it's clear she's not much of a fighter. At least, she hasn't trained much.'
Issei mulled it over for a second, then asked, 'Do you see anyone around? Or sense anyone?'
'Just a sparrow.'
"Good enough."
[Boost]
He took a deep breath, focusing on the tree ahead.
[Boost]
He arched his back, touched the ground with his fingers, and lifted his toes as he breathed out.
[Boost]
He kept boosting every ten seconds. It was annoying, but he still didn't know how to get rid of the limiter.
[Boost]
His powers surged inside him, like they were about to explode.
[Boost]
It was intense—the power felt so exhilarating.
[Boost]
'This is nothing,' Ddraig said. 'In the future, you'll grow exponentially. Your power will multiply so fast, you'll be able to tear the skies apart.'
[Boost]
'It will feel amazing, but also incredibly corrupting,' Ddraig warned. 'Don't lose yourself when that happens.'
Issei steadied himself, both physically and mentally. "How long until that happens?"
He wasn't asking if it would happen, but when. He was certain it would. It was just a matter of time before he had to face it.
'Since you're still human, it should take a while.' Ddraig replied.
'But?'
'But you've got another power inside you. It's annoying, but it helps a lot. And your knowledge of everything only speeds up your growth.' Ddraig grumbled.
Issei could feel his body calming, managing the boosted power perfectly.
'So?'
'A couple of weeks.'
Issei chuckled, feeling a bit sorry for himself. Trying to grow stronger this fast was going to hurt. He just wasn't sure how much.
[Boost]
'Don't go any further.' Ddraig warned. 'Seven boosts in quick succession is the limit. Eight if you're stable.'
Issei exhaled, feeling the strain. His heart was racing, his nerves were on fire, and his muscles felt like they were being ripped apart.
It was pure pain.
'Last question,' he said. 'How long until I can take on that bird devil?'
Ddraig went quiet for a moment before answering.
'You need to work on your defense and endurance,' Ddraig said. 'Focus on training with Dragon's Vigor.'
Issei nodded, understanding the implications. 'So, I can't just beat him easily?'
'Not within the current timeframe, no.' Ddraig replied honestly. 'But can you win? Yeah, you can.'
Issei grinned. "That'll do."
'Oh, it'll do more than that,' Ddraig laughed. 'It'll make him scream, beg, forget that you have less raw power than him. He'll beg for mercy, and you'll decide his fate. That's how you win.'
Issei didn't need any more explanation. He and the dragon thought alike when it came to fighting.
'I need to meet my teacher for that, don't I?'
'You absolutely do. You need to master that skill as fast as you can.'
'Done.'
With that, Issei pushed off the ground, launching himself forward at a pace that would shatter any speed record. But it wasn't just the push—his speed and the distance he covered were insane.
To the naked eye, he was a blur. Even the sparrow couldn't keep up. It blinked, confused, and, too afraid to understand what just happened, it flew off.
Issei didn't stop. He kept running, leaving marks on the ground as his shoes scraped against the solid surface, wearing down fast.
'You don't need to burn off all the fat, you know. Fat gives you energy.'
'So does demonic power—and whatever else you provide me with,' Issei shot back. 'I need my body to be in top shape. If my body's strong, everything else gets stronger too—magic, boosts, all of it.'
Ddraig had to admit he was right. The better Issei's physique, the easier it would be to boost his powers without wearing himself out.
'More importantly,' Issei continued, 'before I meet Hachiman to train in Hokuto Shinken, I need to be strong enough to handle the next skills in that set.'
And yeah, Issei was kind of cheating.
The boosts didn't just up his strength, magic, and defense—they improved everything. His immune system, for example. Each boost made his immunity stronger, helping his body fight off things like cancer, speeding up healing, and even boosting metabolism.
That's exactly what he was using now.
He kept boosting his physical state to burn fat, build muscle, and improve his overall conditioning.
In just a few minutes of running—with Ddraig on the lookout in case anyone showed up—Issei felt the difference. His water weight dropped, and actual fat was burned off.
But was it easy? No way.
It was brutal. Ddraig had to constantly monitor him, making sure his heart didn't give out, he didn't tear something, and his organs didn't collapse under the strain.
That was the risk of cheating, of taking shortcuts. And definitely the risk of pushing his body to its physical limits.
'So, about this plan of yours,' Ddraig interrupted, pulling Issei out of his thoughts. 'What's the actual goal? You know I don't buy into cheap tricks.'
'It's not a trick, it's efficient,' Issei explained. 'There's a limit to how strong we can get, and how quickly. If a Satan-class being showed up right now, not even Juggernaut Drive would save me.'
Ddraig wanted to argue, but he couldn't. The boost from Juggernaut Drive wasn't enough to beat a Satan.
'So, we need backup,' Issei continued. 'We need strong people, weapons, resources, and tricks. I want to get to High Class soon. But to do that, strength alone won't cut it in the Devil world. You need achievements. You need people.'
'People you can win over,' Ddraig said, understanding what Issei meant.
'What about achievements?' the dragon asked. 'Those aren't easy to come by.'
"There are way too many things coming our way," Issei explained, sweat soaking through his shirt as steam practically billowed off him. 'Leaving those Fallens alive is a catalyst, and it's also a way to win over someone important.'
Ddraig knew exactly what he meant.
'You connect the dots and tell me—do we already have some events lined up for achievements, or not?'
Ddraig responded, 'Play your cards right, and you'll make a name for yourself.'
Issei smirked, his shirt completely drenched now. His whole body felt like it was radiating heat.
'What's with this obsession with becoming a High-Class devil?' Ddraig asked. 'Class doesn't matter. You're the Red Dragon Emperor. If anyone insults you, rip their face off.'
Issei chuckled. 'Sure, I could do that. But becoming High-Class isn't just about power. It's the privileges—land, titles—and most importantly, my own peerage.'
'Followers,' Ddraig muttered. 'Those can be useful. Got anyone in mind?'
Issei nodded, but didn't go into detail. He might've been an anime-only fan, but like anyone who gets curious, he'd looked up the strongest characters from the series. Some of them weren't even shown in the anime—and a few of them, not even Rias knew about.
'I've got a few ideas, Ddraig,' Issei laughed, finally slowing to a stop. His shirt clung to his body, showing off his toned figure and the sweat-slicked abs beneath. 'Though, some of them are way too strong for me to convince right now.'
He placed a hand on his abs, sighing. 'But first, I need to figure out how to bulk up. Cutting's easy with the boosts, but bulking? That's a whole other challenge.'
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[[A/N: Read 25+ advance chapters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog
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Currently in the Rating Games on Patreon. Major power up and Devil class upgrade coming soon.]]