When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was how cold it was. The landscape around me was relatively flat, save for the icy mountains encircling my location like I was in a sports arena. I did my best to look for other people but my only company was icy wind and thick snow. A massive white screen filled my vision before I could make some sort of game plan. I jumped at its appearance, despite already knowing what it was from years of research.

Welcome to the Ellalara Belt! You have spawned in… MEPHISTOS?! This is usually where I give the welcome speech, but… well… it might be a waste.

This was my System. As I recalled, it was an interface that existed in my mind and acted as a HUD to help guide me around the world and check my stats and whatnot. It had a feminine, slightly older voice and didn’t sound at all robotic like I’d imagined it would.

After reading the message again, I noticed that ‘Mephistos’ was blue and underlined like a hyperlink. I tried to tap it, but the screen was both close and far in my vision which made that impossible. Instead, I thought about clicking it, which thankfully worked.

Mephistos, Luminae Sector. This is a High Tier Planet. 7+ Stars Recommended.

WARNING: You currently have 0 Stars.

Listen. I know you’re new here so I don’t want to scare you or anything, so I’ll give you the quick version. If you look at the minimap on the top right of your interface you’ll notice that it says ‘Low Tier Zone’ in big bold letters around the radius.

I hadn’t even noticed the minimap. Sure enough, it was there – a small, circular map persistent in the top right of my vision. Around it on the outside, the words ‘Low Tier Zone’ slowly circled the radius like a loading animation.

Low Tier Zones are where weaker mobs congregate. You’ll also note that I said this is a ‘High Tier Planet’. That means that the ‘High Tier Zone’ is the largest Zone on this planet! You get it, right? I hope you do. Again, I don’t want to scare you, but you should really stay in the Low Tier Zone. Like… you should REALLY stay in the Low Tier Zone. Trust me on that. How about you look at your STATS or something? I’m sure you’re curious about your SPECIES & CLASS? Please, just look at something. Anything. For the rabbits, Grim. For the rabbits.

…Alright? Whatever the fuck that meant. I wasn’t sure what the System was trying to warn me against considering I was the only person in this arctic tundra. The only threats to me were hypothermia and boredom. I knew I couldn’t stay in the Low Tier Zone forever, though. I decided that I’d check those hyperlinks before I came up with a plan. I started with my stats.

Grim Hearts

0-Star Reincarnator

Level 1

Health (HOW MANY HITS YOU CAN TAKE): 1

 

Strength (HOW STRONG YOU CAN HIT): 1

 

Stamina (HOW LONG YOU CAN HIT THINGS): 1

 

Intelligence (HOW STRONG YOU CAN HIT THINGS *WITH MAGIC*): 1

 

Mana (HOW LONG YOU CAN HIT THINGS *WITH MAGIC*): 1

 

Dexterity (HOW MANY THINGS YOU CAN CARRY): 1

 

*Note: Stat Descriptions will now be turned off. They can be re-enabled at any time in your SETTINGS menu.*

Ones across the board? I wasn’t expecting to be overpowered or anything, but ones? Don’t they usually give certain stats a few points when you start? I hoped my species and class would be better.

Draconic Gangster

Great at fighting, posing, and making one-liners. These guys hit pretty hard, but they get tired pretty quickly.

A wave of panic rushed through me as I willed the System away. Just as I’d feared, I really was a dragon…thing. I didn’t have a mirror, so I had no clue what my face looked like, but my hands and arms were gray with black scales all throughout. It was only now that I’d noticed that I was still wearing the T-shirt and sweatpants from my time on earth, despite feeling like I’d been wearing a coat in this arctic weather.

Out of curiosity, I reached my hand around and felt the back of my shirt. I rubbed my fingers together and went cold as I felt the chalkiness of drying blood. Feeling it made all of this feel that much more rea–

“Leave this… place… dragon.”

A gravelly voice sounded from behind me. I turned, doing my best to seem cool and calm, despite everything in me telling me to bolt. The speaker was a man with ash-colored skin who looked like he’d had all the moisture sucked out of him. He was dressed in orange monk’s robes with eyes so sunken in they cast their own shadow.

The man trudged closer to me, and I couldn’t help but notice the health bar blinking above his head. It was in the red, basically empty. I wasn’t looking to start anything, but if it came down to it…

Mephistian Defaulter

7-Star Mob

You know how they say “Don’t make a deal with the devil”? Well, if we’re working with that example, these guys tried to kill the devil and got turned into these things. They’re invulnerable and immortal, kept in a perpetual state of suffering as eternal punishment for their transgressions against a power greater than them.

I know what you’re thinking. “I should kill this guy and hit Level 99! God, I’d be so fucking cool”. First off, work on your reading comprehension. Second, these guys could be on 1HP and you literally couldn’t damage them. Star gaps matter.

And how would I have known that?!

The Mephistian Bargainer screamed out in pain as it began furiously clawing at its cheeks. Before I could say or do anything, it fell face-first into the snow and didn’t get back up. I walked towards it to examine him more closely. I wasn’t able to harm him, but he was immortal and insane. The System warned that I wasn’t a “7-Star” yet, whatever that meant, but this guy was. Maybe if I took his belongings I’d be able to become a 7-Star? It wasn’t like he’d be using them. And if he did have a problem, there were tons of other Defaulters buried under the snow, right?

***

Wrong. I’d scavenged for about 20 minutes before ultimately giving up. Like the System said, there were a ton of those Mephistian Defaulters buried under the snow, but all of the clothes on them and weapons beside them were heavy like fucking cars. It felt like a waste to leave it all behind, but I wouldn’t have if I could’ve lifted… any of what I saw. It’d taken a little while for me to realize that it was because of my Dexterity, which ended up motivating me to look for ways to level up.

After some fiddling, I learned how to zoom the map in and out and was stunned to see just how small the Low Tier Zone was. I began to inch toward the perimeter where the snow was lower and the bodies were more visible in hopes of getting decent weapons or armor, but was instead greeted by red dots just beyond the border of the Low Tier Zone into the ‘Mid Tier Zone’.

I didn’t see any mobs, but the fact that the Defaulters were all hidden under the snow made me cautious. Was it safer to stay at the edge of the Zone where I could potentially see these enemies or go back into the Low Tier Zone where they could ambush me?

It didn’t take long before both choices were taken away from me. A chorus of deep, haunting wolf’s howls came from the blue-gray fog beyond the Low Tier Zone.

Shit.

I checked the minimap and saw what looked like at least a hundred red dots charging straight for me. As much as I wanted to back away and run, I knew the snow would’ve affected my mobility. The last thing I needed was to run away from some wolves only to trip on a Defaulter. Besides, I wanted this new me to be confident. There was still so much about myself I didn’t know. Right now, I could only operate on feelings and dreams. I dreamt of being cooler, and so I desired to embody the traits that a cooler version of me would have. Would a cool Grim Hearts run away from a challenge like this? Of course not. He’d stand his ground and fight. Even if he died, he’d have died the man he wanted to be.

I kept all of that in my mind as I ran for my life. What kind of idiot would I be to sit there and let these wolves maul me to death? There was a small part of me that was yelling to turn back and face them, but there was also a small part of me that’d been begging to Isekai for years, so I found it easy to ignore.

Just as I’d begun to approach the opposite end of the Low Tier Zone, another group of red dots appeared on my minimap. I zoomed out and tensed as reality settled in – I was surrounded.

I looked down at my sneakers, now visible atop the worryingly melted snow, and saw a Defaulter staring straight at me from beside my foot. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and looked up.

There were gray wolves as big as fucking minivans in every direction. Some of them were in the mountains and others were off in the distance eating the Defaulters, but most of them were right there – closing in and circling me. I focused on the nearest one.

Anjij - Bargainer Wolf

0-Star Native

Level 20

Remember how I said the Defaulters are the ones who tried to kill the devil? That’s because they didn’t want to turn into these things! Bargainer Wolves are people who failed to pay their dues to the devil. You can think of them as his pets. Like pets, the older ones are pretty chill. They’re the strongest, but they won’t attack you unprovoked. They’ve been housebroken. The younger ones, though? Well, they have a whole lot to prove.

Once a day before Mephistos’ Temporal Shift, the older Wolves take their little brothers and sisters out to eat the day’s group of Mephistian Defaulters. You, funnily enough, are standing in the middle of their meal! Since you’re still able to read this, it means the older Wolves have decided to let the younger Wolves decide what to do with you!

Holy shit!

A small crowd of Bargainer Wolves had begun to form around me, with one of them in particular inching its way towards me – the 1-Star Wolf I’d been locking eyes with. Its mouth curled into a hideous grin as it lumbered closer.

I need a way to defend myself. God, I wish those weapons weren’t so fucking–

Mephistos Skill List

Carryover - NONE

Level 1 - Essence of Aura: Shrouds the caster’s body in a thin misty aura. This technique strengthens all physical-based moves based on the caster’s Intelligence.

Level 20 - LOCKED

Level 40 - LOCKED

Level 60 - LOCKED

Level 80 - LOCKED

Level 99 - LOCKED

Next time, say SKILLS or something. I’m not a mind reader. Well, I am. I exist in your mind. Still, be clearer. I'm not doing this again.

The Bargainer Wolf lunged at me, tilting its head to the side towards my neck. I sidestepped it and instinctively screamed, my voice cracked with fear and adrenaline.

“Essense of Aura!”

I punched the Wolf, unsure what would happen next. To my utter shock, I’d sent it flying into the crowd. A red health bar appeared centered over the Wolf’s body with about 95% left. The other Wolves looked down at my opponent, then at me, then back at my opponent one more time before erupting into… applause? It all sounded like howls to me, but it was clear they were enjoying the fight. I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to speak, filling my voice with faux confidence.

“It appears we have come to a misunderstanding. I am willing to speak, but I am also willing to discipline… if I must…”

I sounded like a fucking news anchor. Why did I sound like that when I said “If I must?”. As much as I wanted to kill myself right here and now, the other Wolves ate it up given how much they barked and howled. It took effort not to crack a smile. I decided to focus on my opponent instead.

The Wolf I’d launched stood to its full height. It wasn’t smiling like it had been. Instead, it bared its teeth and growled. It darted for my arm and bit down before I could react. A health bar appeared in my vision and it’d just gone down by 30%.

“Essense of Aura!”

I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to chant my attack like some sort of cartoon character, but now wasn’t the time to fix what obviously wasn’t broken. The more I attacked, though, the harder it became. The Wolf’s health was still pretty high, but mine was halfway gone. I’d broken free from its grip but I’d taken damage even after getting it to let go.

If only I were Level 20. I’d have more skills than the one.

Being trapped in Mephistos was both a vicious curse and a glorious blessing. Sure, I was the weakest person in this group, but if I’d managed to get strong here I’d be unstoppable. These Bargainer Wolves all worked for some powerful master, didn’t they? Maybe that master could train me?

That thought was enough to get me to actually smile. To my surprise, the Bargainer Wolf across from me was doing the same. Out of curiosity, I mentally chanted Essence of Aura and the skill formed effortlessly. The Wolf bared its fangs and lunged at me at the same time I launched my fist. This was it. I’d fight it and win, then I’d be on my way to–

The world stopped. The ground beneath me blackened as the sky and the atmosphere around me reddened. Ash replaced snow as the blistering cold gave way to blazing heat. The few remaining bodies of the Mephistian Defaulters spontaneously erupted into geysers of flame, causing a few of the Bargainer Wolves to back away. I turned to the Bargainer Wolf across from me who returned my look with one of pure, unmistakable fear. It’d been easy now to tell which of the Bargainer Wolves were young and which were old. The young ones were either jumping every time a Defaulter exploded or trembling in fear as they stared into the crowd. The older ones, meanwhile, stood tall and proud.

“What are you doing in my home, Ranger?”

A six-foot anthropomorphic doberman pinscher dressed in a black and white tuxedo materialized in front of me with a hand clutching my wrist and the other wrapped around my opponent’s neck. He looked like a semi-realistic furry, and the thought of getting killed by him shouldn’t have been as humorous as I found it, but the absurdity of my situation was starting to wear me down. That, or I was about to die and I knew it. Either way, I scanned him to try and sober myself up… It worked.

Dogtooth - Canis Humanus

10-Star Native

Level 99

My favwite wittle man! Also, he’s the devil in that example. Can’t you tell? Just look at his deviwishly handsome wittle face!

Dogtooth let the Bargainer Wolf go and I watched it scurry away into the crowd. He focused on me, lifting me into the sky. He broke my wrist with a squeeze and I screamed out in pain. I kicked at him for what little good that did, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. I didn’t want to die this soon into my time here. I still needed to go home. I needed to see Mrs. Gertrude. I couldn’t… I wouldn’t leave her for long.

“You have not answered my question,” Dogtooth said, ignoring my frantic attacks. “What are you doing in my home, Ranger? Did you think to ambush me while I was engaged with your leader? If so, please know that she sent you here only to die.”

“What the fuck… are you talking about?” I croaked. “My name is Grim Hearts! I’m not Ranger. Listen, I’m from Earth. I got killed by some Isekai Cultists and then I woke up here.”

Dogtooth tilted his head. “That is impossible. When Reincarnators enter the Ellalara Belt, they spawn in the Serenth Sector.” He placed a dark-skinned human palm on my chest. “Your leader should have prepared you with better lies.”

“I’m not lying! I have no idea who you think I am, but I’m not them! I need to get back home to Earth because I have family waiting for me and I can’t do that if I’m turned into a fucking zombie thing! Listen, I spawned in the middle of the Low Tier Zone and even my System seemed surprised. I’ll admit, I tried to loot them for usable equipment but my Dexterity was too low to handle any of it so I looked for stuff that wasn’t heavy but then I got surrounded by your Bargainer Wolves.” I raised my scaled hand in a placating gesture and did my best to sound reasonable. “Just let me go and I’ll go somewhere else. I don’t know where I am or where to go. I’m just a guy from Earth. I’ll be out of your hair and you’ll never see me again. Please.”

Dogtooth turned to one of the older Bargainer Wolves. It howl-spoke something I couldn’t understand to Dogtooth who nodded along at their words and barked back in conversation. After about a minute of their indecipherable back and forth, Dogtooth dropped me on my ass.

“It seems my Wolves can corroborate part of your story. They observed your attempts to scavenge their meals and decided to investigate you.” He narrowed his eyes. “That does not mean you’re safe, Grim Hearts. Do you understand one cannot begin their journey in the Luminae Sector? I’ve taken measures to ensure that the only ones who may enter Mephistos are those I approve of.” He stood to his feet, furrowing his brow. “It would take entirely too much energy for the Felzian Queen to send someone like you here for no reason. So why are you here, Grim Hearts?”

“I have no idea!” I said, incredulous. “It’s like I told you. I woke up here after I got killed on Earth!”

“I understand that, but no one can… randomly.” He smiled, the gesture ominous in his dog face. “Ah, I see.”

Before I could ask what that meant, he reached out to help me to my feet. I placed an apprehensive hand in his. The last time someone helped me up, I got stabbed and drained of my blood. The more I looked up at him and his toothy smile, the creepier he began to look. Black eyes bore into me as he finally spoke.

“I understand the situation.” He glanced at my wrist. “I’ll make sure you’re paid back for the mixup.”

“Thank you?” I managed, unsure whether to be confused or relieved.

“Consider this a clerical error. Your journey will truly begin in Satyrsong of the Serenth Sector. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes!” I said immediately.

Dogtooth smiled as he balled his right hand into a fist.

Oh fuck, oh shit!

“Hey, I thought you were taking me to the Serenth Sector!”

He smiled. “That’s exactly what I’m doing, Grim Hearts. This is how we get around here.”