Start in DxD as Motohama: Leveling Up in Another World-Chapter 24: Exploring

After returning home, Shinji decided to spend some time in the other world.

"It doesn't look any different..."

Although almost two days had passed, there was no noticeable change in the house or the garden of the other world.

His plan for today was to explore the interior of the forest, a place he had yet to explore in depth.

"Now that I have the [Map] skill, I don't need to worry about getting lost."

Cautiously, he stepped out of the fence surrounding the house and began his exploration. Until now, he had always followed the same direction from the fence, so today he decided to venture into the opposite side.

"Now that I think about it... it seems the path I was exploring earlier took me out of the forest. It was in that direction where I met that girl and the soldiers."

His assumptions were confirmed when he noticed the forest becoming denser in the new direction he was heading.

Thanks to his [Universal Sense] skill, he proceeded with extreme caution until he detected the presence of a living being. Immediately, he activated [Stealth] and, holding his breath, he slowly approached.

What he saw made him tense.

A massive bear was devouring its prey. Its fur was a deep crimson, and three dreadful horns protruded from its forehead. Its jaws and fangs seemed strong enough to crush both flesh and bone with ease. In terms of size, the creature was at least twice his size.

Shinji activated his [Assessment] skill to analyze its stats.

[Devil Bear]

Race: Demon Beast

Level: 450

Magic: 4500

Attack: 10,500

Defense: 6,000

Agility: 2,000

Intelligence: 3,500

Luck: 500

Weaknesses: Eyes, heart, stomach

Finally, he came across an enemy whose stats exceeded 10,000. Although in general, Shinji had a more balanced stat distribution, the overwhelming attack power of the Devil Bear was still a concerning threat.

"... Can I kill it?"

This thought, although uncommon in his original world, was the logical approach in this reality if he wanted to stay alive.

In the end, he made his decision.

He would attack the Devil Bear.

Eventually, Shinji decided he would have to fight the Devil Bear, although he didn't know how strong the monsters in this world were or where the Bear's home was. Still, he wanted to gauge the strength of the creatures in this place.

Immediately, he took out the [Formless Bow] from the [Item Box]. This [Formless Bow] had no visible structure, meaning it was invisible to the eyes. However, Shinji recognized it perfectly, as he could feel the sensation of holding a bow in his hands. Additionally, he could generate invisible arrows at will.

He attached an invisible arrow to the bow and silently aimed at the Devil Bear, holding his breath.

And then...

"¡¿Gaaaaaaahhhhhh!?!"

The invisible arrow struck directly in the Devil Bear's left eye. The monster screamed in pain from the sudden attack. However, as expected from the creatures in the forest, it immediately detected the direction from which the arrow had flown and turned to glare at him.

At that moment, Shinji thought:

"The bow seems to have a limited range... Well, then I'll try something else."

He drew the [Absolute Spear], his preferred weapon, and approached the Devil Bear with the intention of delivering a strong blow.

"Haahh

"... No matter how I look at it now, that was definitely magic, right?"

The monsters Shinji had fought so far had never used magic, so he was completely shocked to see the flames from the Devil Bear.

Shinji quickly began to think of how to handle the Devil Bear's magic.

He knew that if he got too close carelessly, he would fall victim to its magic. While thinking of a plan, the Devil Bear shot another flame, but this time it formed a sphere and fired it directly at him.

He twisted his body and dodged the flame, but if he continued like this, he might eventually lose bit by bit. The question was whether the Devil Bear's magic or his own stamina would run out first.

Without hesitation, Shinji ran toward the Devil Bear with determination.

"Gaahhh!"

The Devil Bear began to launch its flame in a powerful jet, like a flamethrower. Shinji stepped back, just at the edge of the flame's reach.

"Guuaaaaahhh!"

The Devil Bear let out a roar, surprised by Shinji's sudden movement. Ignoring it, Shinji took one more step back and threw the [Absolute Spear] directly at the Devil Bear.

"Gaahhhhhh!"

At first, it seemed like the Devil Bear was going to repel the [Absolute Spear] with its fire, but realizing the special properties of the spear, it understood that doing so was impossible. It then tried to counter it with its terrible claws.

"Now!"

Shinji seized the opportunity and quickly closed the distance.

"Gaahh!"

The Devil Bear raised its voice, surprised by how fast Shinji was closing in. It tried to slash him with its sharp claws, but Shinji reacted quickly.

"Haaaahh!"

With great determination, Shinji delivered a powerful kick to the Devil Bear's arm.

"Oryaaaaa!"

"Guuooooooo!"

Kicking the ground hard and using his whole body for momentum, Shinji recalled a book he had bought from a secondhand bookstore that detailed monster-fighting techniques.

The impact of his kick struck the Devil Bear's arm with force, destroying its stance and causing the monster to stumble backward.

Quickly, Shinji slid toward the Devil Bear's chest, which had become vulnerable after losing its balance. In one smooth motion, he equipped the [Infinite Gauntlet] onto his arm.

"Uuoooooooooo!"

With the momentum of his kick still propelling him, Shinji launched a punch, charged with all his strength, directly into the Devil Bear's abdomen.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

It was just one hit, but what made it devastating was the effect of the [Infinite Gauntlet]. This skill caused the same powerful attack to repeat continuously in the same spot upon impact.

The only way to stop it was by defending the blow or repelling it. However, the Devil Bear had no way to avoid it.

Over and over again, a series of devastating attacks struck the Devil Bear's abdomen. The monster vomited blood from its mouth and, finally, was sent flying through the air, crashing dead to the ground. Shinji stood there, upright like a boxing champion, his fist raised toward the sky.

"Now, let's see the drops..."

Shinji examined the materials left behind by the Devil Bear:

Red Hair of the Evil Bear: The fur of the Devil Bear. Resistant to fire and very warm, but with a soft texture.

Meat of the Evil Bear: The meat of the Devil Bear. The meat will be tough if roasted, but becomes very tender when cooked properly.

Blood of the Evil Bear: The blood of the Devil Bear. Sometimes used as a material for magical tools, but also drinkable. It has a refreshing taste and doesn't smell like iron. This blood can also be used to make dashi soup. Drinking it grants flame resistance.

"Hey, this blood..."

Shinji looked at the items he had gathered: a large, solid red pelt, a generous amount of meat wrapped in mysterious herbs, and a large bottle filled with blood.

"This [Flame Resistance] skill will be useful against magical and spiritual flames... or at least, I think so. I wonder, will it work against the flames of the Phenex? Well, I'll use it to cook next time."

Normally, Shinji might have been reluctant to use blood for cooking, but if he knew it was edible, he wouldn't hesitate. After all, there was nothing wrong with being frugal.

After checking the effect and storing it in the Item Box, Shinji turned his attention to the other items.

Magic Stone - Rank A: A special mineral that can be obtained from magical beasts.

Flame Guitar: A rare drop obtained from the Devil Bear. Playing this guitar will make you feel energized and passionate. If you manage to master it, you will be able to manipulate flames.

"Eh, aside from the magic stone, what the hell is this guitar?"

Shinji was a little surprised to see that the Magic Stone was ranked A. He thought that, since the Devil Bear could use magic, it would be an S-rank monster, but it turned out to be just rank A. It was at the same level as the General Goblin. Upon further thought, Shinji couldn't even imagine what kind of monsters would belong to the S-rank.

"I guess it's okay. Now, I don't know if this guitar is better than the magic stone..."

The guitar also seemed like a rare drop, but... why a guitar? Shinji thought it would be more useful to get accessories like the Black Moon Necklace, the rare item he had obtained from the Hell Slime. Although, according to the item description, it seemed like it could manipulate flames. If he could master it... a wicked smile appeared on Shinji's face.

"... Well, now I have a little more space. I wonder if I should buy a beginner's guitar textbook from the bookstore and practice it."

At that moment, a familiar message suddenly appeared in front of him:

[You have leveled up!]

"Oh, my level went up."

Yes, leveling up would be easy if he defeated enemies of higher rank than his own.

Without wasting any time, Shinji checked his status:

[Name: Shinji Motohama]

[Age: 17]

[Race: Human (100%)]

Titles:

[The One Who Has Crossed Between Worlds]

[Master of the Gate]

[Master of the House]

[Inhabitant of Another World]

Occupation:

[None]

Level: 235

Magic: 8,650

Strength: 9,820

Constitution: 10,050

Agility: 9,820

Intelligence: 8,650

Luck: 10,750

BP: 0

Skills:

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"I leveled up twice."

Not only did his level go up, but so did his True Martial Art skill. Shinji thought that was a good sign. He decided that, due to the small amount of BP he had earned, he would distribute it into agility and strength.

"Alright, should I continue exploring a bit more?"

After checking a few things, Shinji decided to leave it at that for now. It wasn't a good idea to disconnect completely from the DxD plot, especially when things were starting to change.

While Shinji explored the forest, something important was happening in the entertainment world of Earth.

"Hey, did you see that photo?"

"Yeah, I saw it! The guy in the photo with Ai-chan, right?"

"Who's that guy? What agency is he from?"

"I really have no idea."

The moment Ai had done a photoshoot with Shinji at the shopping mall had become a hot topic in the agency Ai belonged to. The information network of the entertainment world should not be underestimated. The man who had taken the photos with Ai not only became a topic of conversation in Ai's agency, but also in several other agencies. In other words, Shinji was being talked about by everyone, even though little time had passed since that photoshoot.

And in this matter, not only Ai, the model in the photo, became even more popular, but also the photographer André, who had taken the photos, became a super famous figure in the entertainment world.

"Hey, investigate that guy!"

"What's his name?!"

"What the hell are the scouts doing now?!"

"We'll find him, for sure!"

The various fashion-related agencies began to mobilize to search for Shinji. Even the agency Ai belonged to had asked about Shinji's name. However, since it was personal information, Ai decided not to reveal it. André, the photographer, was one of the few who wasn't interested in letting the agencies get that information, for the same reason Ai didn't: to protect Shinji's privacy.

Thus, the agency never knew Shinji's name.

Neither Ai, nor André, nor even Shinji knew if this decision was good or bad. But both Ai and André made it for Shinji's sake, and it wasn't something relevant since Shinji himself hadn't imagined that his name would become a hot topic at that moment.

Moreover, the current Shinji was a hikikomori. He only left the house when he needed to restock his daily supplies or go to school. His daily needs were replenished the next day, so finding him would be even more difficult. For Shinji, it was far more fun to spend time in the alternate world, and unless something really important happened, he had no intention of leaving his exploration in that other world.

It was only a matter of time before Shinji became known to society.