For the first time since his transmigration, Rin found himself truly alone in the vast Takakura mansion. Night had fallen, casting long shadows through his opulent bedroom. Ai, his ever-present attendant and increasingly affectionate companion, was absent. She'd received a rare invitation for a sleepover from some old school friends.
As a devoted servant of his household, Ai wouldn't have even considered going without his explicit permission. Given the influence of Rin's system, her desire to be by his side far outweighed any social obligations. However, when Rin heard about the invitation, he'd encouraged her to go. He explained that just because their lives were now intertwined, it didn't mean she had to sever ties with her past or abandon her own friendships.
The truth was, Rin didn't want Ai to lose herself completely. While he undeniably enjoyed the control his powers granted him, he had no desire for her to become a mindless doll, merely dancing to his strings. Her wit, her competence, her Ai-ness, were part of her charm. A small part of him, perhaps the lingering sentiment of his old self, valued that.
So, he was alone. He considered going to sleep, perhaps to see if he'd wake up in Tempest again. But another idea, one that had been brewing for a while, bubbled to the surface. The Tensura world was dangerous. Even with his "maxed" stats, he was fodder compared to the likes of Gelmud, let alone beings like Rimuru or Gazel Dwargo. If he was going to have any real fun there, especially if he wanted to experience some fights, he needed more power.
He pulled up his own status window, his gaze lingering on the various attributes he'd tweaked over the past few weeks. It's time to go all in, he decided. Max everything related to combat potential.
Strength, Speed, Stamina, Durability, Reflexes, Pain Tolerance… he mentally pushed them all to their supposed limits.
The instant he confirmed the final upgrade, an agony unlike anything he had ever experienced ripped through his body. It wasn't a sharp pain, but a deep, grinding, tearing sensation, as if every cell was being ripped apart and forcibly reconstructed. He nearly blacked out from the initial shock but managed to cling to consciousness by a thread, his teeth gritted so hard he thought they might shatter.
He could feel his muscles spasming, writhing beneath his skin, bones creaking and groaning as if being reshaped from within. Yet, looking down at his arms, his body appeared unchanged, still lean, almost deceptively weak-looking. The transformation was entirely internal, a brutal reforging of his physical essence. His heart hammered against his ribs like a war drum, each beat a concussive force.
He'd expected an instantaneous power-up, a satisfying ding like in a game. Instead, he got this. Three excruciating hours passed, each second an eternity of torment, just for his physical attributes to settle. And then, it was his mind's turn.
As his Intelligence and Wisdom stats began their ascent to their maximum values, a new kind of pain seared through his skull, as if his brain itself was being expanded, rewired, flooded with an overwhelming torrent of processing power. He knew maxing these out might spoil some of his future "entertainment" by making him too knowledgeable, too perceptive. But the allure of understanding his system better, of perhaps triggering something new, outweighed that concern. Besides, the Tensura world was full of unknowns; true omniscience was still a distant dream.
After a total of five agonizing hours, just as the mental onslaught began to subside, a new window flickered into existence before his eyes. Relief, so potent it was almost a physical blow, washed over him. His body, pushed beyond its limits for so long, finally gave out. His consciousness winked out like a snuffed candle.
Rin expected to wake up in the familiar clinic in Tempest. Instead, he was still in his own bed, the morning sun casting a gentle glow into his room. He felt… surprisingly normal. No lingering pain, no dramatic physical changes.
Why didn't I go back to Tensura? He pondered. Ah, I fell unconscious naturally. It seems that only works as a way back to this world, not from it.
It was Saturday, no school. He stretched, then pulled up his status. His eyes widened.
All his core combat stats – Strength, Speed, etc. – were back at what appeared to be zero. But next to each "0" was a Roman numeral: "I".
Strength: 0 (Tier I)
Speed: 0 (Tier I)
Stamina: 0 (Tier I)
He thought for a moment, his newly enhanced intellect piecing together clues from countless anime and light novel tropes. So, "maxing" a stat isn't the end. It's just the completion of a tier. I've essentially leveled up my entire stat framework. A dark horse, indeed. He could appear weak, then reveal increasingly higher tiers of power. This was far more entertaining than a simple linear progression. He also noticed a new section entirely: "Magic & Supernatural Power Affinity (Locked)." Interesting.
He decided to test his new "Tier I" capabilities. Kuoh Town was quiet this early, so he made his way to an abandoned factory complex on the outskirts, a place he'd scouted before. He felt normal, but the numbers didn't lie. He found a discarded, heavy piece of machinery, something that would have been impossible for his previous self to even budge. Focusing, he gripped it and lifted. It rose from the ground with surprising ease, though it still required significant effort – perhaps half his current "Tier I" strength.
He spent the next few hours experimenting, getting a feel for his new baseline. The potential for growth seemed limitless. He could, in theory, keep pushing these tiers, becoming truly monstrously powerful. But he reaffirmed his earlier decision: he would only increase his power when he felt it was absolutely necessary, or when the entertainment value was too good to pass up. Being an unassuming dark horse was a role he relished.
His system, it seemed, was far more complex and adaptable than he'd initially realized. He was truly an overpowered character, but one with the agency to choose when and how to reveal that power. For now, though, the "Magic" section remained locked. He'd let that awaken naturally, perhaps when he finally stumbled into a genuine supernatural event in this DxD world.
And that was his next goal. Enough testing. It was time to actively seek out the hidden world of Kuoh Town. He wanted to be "accidentally" dragged into a fight between supernatural beings. With a newfound spring in his step, Rin left the factory, a hunter in search of the extraordinary.