Chapter 265 – Never Peek Behind The Curtain

John's Stats

Spoiler

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[Status - John Suzy Wayne]

[Age - 84 ]

[Mana - 100/100% - +]

[Ki - PL 37]

[Stats - Human Average 20/ Natural Human Peak Range 80-150]

[Free Points - 42]

[STRENGTH - 82 +1 = 83 (-30 for anything requiring two full arms)]

[REFLEX - 66 +1 = 67 (-30 for anything requiring your right arm and hand)]

[SPEED - 51]

[ENDURANCE - 89 +1 = 90]

[INTELLIGENCE - 62 -> 8 (Early stages of Alzheimer's. DEN System Maintaining Reincarnator at minimal setting. Exhaustion degrades condition significantly)]

[WISDOM - 58 -> 8 (Early stages of Alzheimer's. DEN System Maintaining Reincarnator at minimal setting. Exhaustion degrades condition significantly)]

[LUCK - 42] 

[DEN Achievements - You Can Bring It With You, Clan Wayne, Beastkin Connoisseur]

[Current Gatcha Tokens - 56645 - 500 - 20000 + 47000 = 83145] 

[Skills]

[DEN Return (24 hr cooldown)]

[General Magic - Adept]

[Pilot - +Savant]

[Dig]

[Ambidextrous - Adept]

[Swordsman -  -Adept (TGC)]

[Animal Husbandry - Adept]

[Animal Empath -Novice] (NEW, EVOLVED)

[Gardening - +Novice]

[Firearms - Adept]

[Gunnery - Novice]

[Status Ailment Resistance - Adept]

[All Magic Affinity - -Adept (IF)]

[Healing Magic Affinity - -Master (IF)]

[Dancing - Adept]

[Divine Aura - Master (WC3)]

[Singing - Novice (BT)]

[Leadership - Novice (BT)]

[Planning - Novice (BT)]

[Logistics - Novice (BT)]

[Guide Of The Sage - Adept (MHA)]

[Martial Arts - Adept (MHA)]

[Mana Cycling - +Novice (MHA)]

[Ki - +Novice (MHA)] (NEW)

[Decoy (KO)] (NEW)

[Nature's Beauty (KO)] (NEW)

[Skill Bind (KO)] (NEW)

[Bind (KO)] (NEW)

[True Sight] (NEW)

[Ejaculation Control - +Novice]

[Tonal Connection - +Adept]

[Scouter - -Adept]

[Refractory Period - +Novice]

[Fortified Sperm]

[Egg Splitter]

[Flavoured Semen Selector]

[Healing Touch]

[Card +18]

[Known Magics]

Holy Magic

[Heal]

[Cure]

[Detoxify Poison]

[Paralysis Recovery]

[Sleep Recovery]

[Middle Heal]

[Barrier (Basic)]

[Holy Light (WC3) Lvl 2]

[Divine Shield (WC3) Lvl 2]

Arcane Magic

[Firebolt]

[Water Ball]

[Wind Blade]

[Mud]

[Darkness]

[Bolt]

[Quest]

[The Cross-Worlds NoFap Challenge Level 2]

[Take the virginity of five different women - 4/5]

[Rewards]

[One S-Class Implant From Infinite Frontiers]

[One A-Class Implant From Infinite Frontiers]

[One Heavy Clan OmniMech From Battletech - Timber Wolf]

[Awakened Quirk From My Hero Academia - Feral Instinct]

[X]

[collapse]

Aqua's Stats

Spoiler

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[Status - Aqua]

[Age - 299 999 ]

[Mana - 150/150% - +]

[Divinity - L9 - Demigod]

[Stats - Human/Mermaid Average 20-30/ Natural Peak Range 60-160]

[Free Points - 0]

[STRENGTH - 24]

[REFLEX - 34]

[SPEED - 40]

[ENDURANCE - 45]

[INTELLIGENCE - 10]

[WISDOM - 77]

[LUCK - 3] 

[DEN Achievements - Nil]

[Skills]

[Holy Magic Affinity - Savant]

[Water Magic Affinity - Savant]

[Clean]

[Nature's Beauty]

[Construction - Master]

[Purification (Passive)]

[Known Magics]

[Holy Magic]

[Heal]

[Cure]

[Turn Undead]

[Magic Circle (Ritual)]

[Arcane Magic]

[Create Water]

[Water Ball]

[Water Blade]

[Water Jet]

[collapse]

"So, how is this going to work, Alec? Can I share my points with Aqua?" John asked. He wouldn't hesitate to dump half his points into her intelligence to help her memory.

"No. Going forward, as long as she remains in your party, she will gain points alongside you. Since you already opened almost everything, and she isn't going to be replacing someone in any of those opened worlds, her points will be weighted on how much she contributes to what you do." Alec replied, his shit-eating grin lessening as they returned to the business at hand.

"How about the gatcha stat points?"

"Once again, those are yours. She will earn her own tokens as she travels with you, weighted according to how much she contributes. If you want to share equipment with her, that is your choice, but otherwise, she needs to earn her stats just like you did." Alec said, taking a sip of his drink before adding, "Due to the fact that most of your worlds have already been opened and canon's broken or nearly so, we will allow her to use your 'You Can Bring It With You' achievement so she gets to keep any stats she earns between worlds. Otherwise, it would be even more difficult for her to keep up with the current you."

"Keep up? What are you talking about? I am a goddess. Of course I'll be able to keep up with a mortal!" Aqua said, a bit of her cockiness returning. Alec pounced on it, a sly grin forming on his face.

"You were a goddess, you are a demigod now, a weak one at that. Even with your divinity boosts, John could bend you over his knee and spank your ass now, so don't cause him too much trouble."

"S-Spank?... John, please don't spank me... I'll be good." She said, the facade shattering again. 

"What bonuses does her divinity give her?" He said, ignoring her plea, but pulling her slightly tighter to his side with his busted arm. 

"As a level 9 divine being, it's just a flat 20% boost to her stats, more effective holy magic, and increased mana regeneration. Her heals hit as hard as yours do when you have your armour on, but nowhere near as good as when you funnel your sword's magic into it. Oh, and she will be stronger when surrounded by her element, and weaker if surrounded by its opposite."

"Huh? Her element?" 

"Water! I thought that was obvious. You stick her in a lake or ocean, she becomes stronger, walk alongside a lava field or through a forest fire, and she becomes weaker. There are other things divinity will do for people, some good, some bad, but as an L9, they will be minor at most."

"What does that even mean?" John asked, getting lost in the weeds here.

"Just what level of divinity someone has. A demigod is the weakest 'god' at L9, though some priests and paladins will gain some divinity and be L10 or even L9 in some circumstances. It goes up from there, ending with DEN beings at L1. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways these beings gain power, not just being believed in and worshiped. It's a long, convoluted process, with as many exceptions to the rules as there are rules, so I won't bother going over it.

Aqua was an L7 goddess before, and Eris is an L8 if you are wondering. The other divine beings you have encountered already range from L9 up to Fate at L3. I wouldn't worry about them too much, as most will know about DEN and not hinder you directly unless you start a fight or work directly against them. You could stand up to some L9's at your current strength, but the power scale of L9 is pretty broad and overlaps above and below it, so just because you can stand up to one doesn't mean you can stand up to them all."  

"Sure... Don't pick fights with the gods, got it." John replied, shaking his head. It didn't seem like something he really needed to know, at least not yet.

"It's not just gods, but many different immortal or near-immortal beings. The Devil's in DXD, for example, Sirzechs, that armoured guy that blew up your office, is a L9 but is a L7 in terms of raw power. That world is full of powerful divine beings on both sides of good and evil, though the lines are blurred as to who is actually the bad guy. He is actually a pretty chill dude if you get to know him."

"Chill? He blew up my office and my suit instead of punishing the two students who attacked me. Speaking of that world, can I change my sacred gear? Having an 80s video camera that protects me is great and all, but that will be really inconvenient if I have to return there with just one arm."

"Sure. Just feed it some Ki, and you should be able to change its shape. Though it still has to be a camera, you can make it look a little less awkward."

"John... are you consorting with Devils too?"

"Not really. I'm just the principal of a school that has a few of them. Anyway, we are getting way off script here. If I can't add my stat points to Aqua, use thirty-five of them for the next mana level, then toss the rest into Intelligence."

[INTELLIGENCE - 62 + 7 = 69 -> 8 (Early stages of Alzheimer's. DEN System Maintaining Reincarnator at minimal setting. Exhaustion degrades condition significantly)]

[Mana - 150/150% - +]

[Mana Regen - 31/hr]

John felt his mind expanding, his thoughts speeding up a bit. He cycled his mana and could feel the expanded reserve of energy inside his body. 

If I only had these reserves before I went into Konosuba, things might have turned out differently. Oh well, if wishes were wings, pigs would fly.

"I felt that. Did... did you just get stronger?" Aqua asked him. 

"Yeah. This is what DEN does. Trickles me more power in exchange for entertaining them. I thought Xiaolin explained that to you?"

"Ahh... she might have, but I... forgot. There is just so much happening... I'm a bit overwhelmed again." She said, looking dejected again.

"Shhh... It's okay... we will work on it. You got this." John replied, patting her thigh with his hand. 

"Can I please have another drink?"

"Sure." He said, pouring her another glass of Westria. The effects of the drink would ease her mind for now, and he would cure her intoxication before they left.

"Any further questions on anything before we move on to the main event?" Alec asked them.

"I'm guessing with Fate here, you have something special planned other than my normal gatcha rolls."

"Your guess is correct. I'll let him explain. Please welcome to the stage, The God Of Fate!"

Music started to play, and silver smoke billowed out from the floor, being backlit by beams of bright light. Fate stepped out from behind a curtain and walked over to them, a wide smile on his face, waving in random directions like there was a crowd there. John just shook his head, not understanding this part of their show at all, but rolled with it. That is what he seemed to do-

Wait! I have this True Sight skill... I wonder.

He activated the skill, and suddenly the world around him changed. He and Aqua were still there, as was the stage and the furniture, but everything else... was very different. 

The doors all looked like black and purple whirlpools, looking dangerous and ready to devour whatever came close. Alec and Fate both looked like bright points of light, Alec being the much larger of the two and in a light blue shade, while Fate was silver. He could see a bright point of light where Xiaolin was hidden, a soft orange light coming from her direction that was comfortable and somehow very, very, very familiar. 

I know her... why do I know her... not as Xiaolin... what the hell is this. 

Looking away from her, he noticed for the first time that behind all the curtains were points of light, hundreds of them. All of various colours and putting out the same amount of energy as Xiaolin and Alec. It was starting to make his head hurt. Really badly hurt.

Suddenly, it all went black, and a strange yet comforting voice entered his mind, washing away the pain.

{Please, shut that skill off. Your mind is physically just not ready to use it in the Omni yet.}

Who are you?

{I think you already know. One day, we will talk again, but first, show me that you deserve to join us in DEN and that you were not just a happy little accident.}

You're the director, aren't you? Why do you sound like- Bob Ross!?! I knew that line sounded familiar.

{No, I am not Bob Ross, though I did enjoy his work a lot. I might have been an impressionable young lad at some point and taken on a few of his mannerisms. Happens when your father figure was a TV, but I digress. We will talk again someday.}

A TV? Okay... nice to finally talk to you.

He shut the skill off, and the world resumed as if nothing had happened. Fate gave one more wave to the crowd and sat down on a chair beside Alec. 

John shook his head again, wondering just what in the hell was going on here, but wasn't really in a position to do anything about it. 

Just play their game, grow stronger, and live your life how you want to live it. Protect the weak, the vulnerable, and lift them up. You don't need to be the best; just be the best man you can be.

"Are you okay, John?" Fate asked, his voice even deeper and grandfatherly than John's was.  

"Hun? What?" John replied, shaking his head, and tried to refocus on the conversation. He just realized he drifted off in the middle of Fate's offer; the use of True Sight and talking to the director really shook him and he had been running on autopilot for a couple of minutes. 

Who is he... and who is Xiaolin, really? Why is she so familiar? Damn it, snap out of it. This is important. 

"I asked you if you understood my offer." 

"Yes, of course. If we accept your challenge, I don't do this gatcha draw. Then we will go to a world of your choice, in the place of a rival goddess' champion, and stay there for two months."

"And you leave your sword, armour, and other weapons here."

"If we do this... You will install a system on the High School of the Dead world for me?"

"No, I will give you a way to implement a system in any world. I will even allow you to design some aspects of it if you want."

"Any world? That seems rather god-like."

"Well, pass my challenge, and you will get the rest of the information. You may find this door is a bit more difficult, at least at first, but there are many rewards within for the bold and the brutal. Do you accept?"

"Well, it can't be much different than just walking into another door blind. I can DEN out if I need to, right?"

The brutal? I hope I don’t regret this.

"Of course. You will fail the challenge, but you can return to the world afterwards." Alec said. 

He looked down at Aqua, but she just looked resigned as the reality of having to travel to different worlds had hit. "You okay? Any thoughts on this?"

"No. Just choose something and let's get this over with. I want to sleep."

"Fine, we accept."

"Excellent. I can't wait to see that smug look on Destiny's face fall off when you mess with her baby." Fate replied, clapping his hands together.

"Her baby? While I know you are probably using baby as an idiom, please tell me I'm not messing with another goddess's child."

"Hah, yeah. No, this world was designed to be difficult but highly rewarding for some of her favourites when they died in other worlds. Just remember, there is always a bigger fish."

"Always a bigger fish? That doesn't make any sense. That would mean there would be a fish the size of the ocean... why are you looking at me like that, Bos- Fate."

"Never change, Aqua. Never change." Fate replied, giving her a warm, grandfatherly smile.

"Cure!" John chanted, clearing the alcohol from Aqua's system, then stood. "Well, I think we're ready. Thank you for this chance, Fate. Hopefully this works out. Alec, I might have had more questions... but this return to DEN has been just as confusing as when I first arrived; I think I just want to get back at it."

"Fair enough, John. Xiaolin has another short vacation planned for the end of this last world, so you at least have that to look forward to."

"I'm tempted to DEN back tomorrow because of that now. But I will give this challenge an honest try." John said, stripping his belt buckle and sword belt off, leaving them on the table beside the Pelican and Suzy Q. He offered Aqua his hand. "Want to walk? Or hop into my eye?"

"I'd rather not go back in there if I don't have to; it's spooky." She replied, taking his hand.

"I'll take your word for it."

With a nod to Alec and Fate, and a wink and a kiss towards Xiaolin, the two of them walked up to the purple door. Already chosen, he read the words above it, the title making him wonder what in the hell this story could be?

God, I hope this isn't some horror story. Starcraft and Warcraft are bad enough; I don't need another place full of nightmares in my worlds.

With a shrug, he opened the door, and the pair of them disappeared, sent into a world called Re: Monster.