Riku Snow died on a Tuesday.
Not dramatically. No truck-kun, no heroic sacrifice, no villain's bullet. Just a wet road, a blind corner, and a tree that wasn't supposed to be there. He was 29 years old, in the year 2125, surrounded by technology that was supposed to make life safer. It didn't.
He expected darkness. Maybe a tunnel, a light, some clichéd afterlife nonsense.
Instead, he got a goddess who looked like she'd stepped out of one of the ancient manga he'd spent his life consuming.
"Riku Snow," she said, and her voice wasn't sound—it was understanding, concepts bypassing his ears and slotting directly into his brain. "You died disappointed. Not angry, not fulfilled. Just... disappointed."
Riku looked down at himself. Same clothes from the crash. Same blood. But no pain. No broken bones. "You're the goddess. The reincarnation deal."
"I am many things. For you, I am Opportunity." She smiled, and it was like watching sunrise on an alien world. "Your soul is... interesting. Brilliant, yet unfulfilled. You died with potential that could have changed your world, if only you'd reached for it."
"I spent my life reading stories, and watching TV. " Riku said.
"I will give you three wishes. Choose freely—there is no cost, no hidden price. I offer what you need to become whatever you want. "
Riku didn't hesitate. He'd spent 29 years planning this conversation in his head.
"First," he said clearly. "I want to go to any worlds that exist—fiction, reality, anywhere. No imitation too use it."
"Granted. The Path Between will open to you. No toll, no limit."
"Second," he continued. "I want to bring anything with me—skills, items, people. If it exists, I want to bring it with me or them and bring it to my home worlds."
"Granted. The Dimensional Vault will bind to your soul. No cost for storage or retrieval."
"Third," Riku took a breath. "I want the Gamer System. Status screens, levels, skills, quests, achievements. Something that shows me exactly what I need to become and how to get there."
"The Gamer System." The goddess raised her hand, and light condensed into a blue window that hovered between them. "Granted. It will quantify your reality, show you paths to power. No cost to use, no penalty for failure."
She stepped closer, pressing two fingers to his forehead. "One last gift—not a wish, but what your heavy soul requires. You are too heavy for heaven, too aware for reincarnation. Left alone, you'd become a monster. So I will give you an alternative—become the blade. Soul Reaper powers. Your own soul forged into a weapon, working with you because it is you."
Fire flooded his veins. Riku felt something settle into his chest that was cold and sharp and right.
"You will be born into High School DxD. Born 1983. 22 years before the story begins. Good luck Riku Snow, i hope this world is everything you want and more."
Riku opened his eyes to warmth and weight.
In an infant body. Small lungs, Limited muscles. But his mind—his mind was intact, 29 years of memory and purpose and refusal to waste this chance.
He didn't scream. He assessed.
'Im in a new new world. With a new body. Three wishes and soul Reaper power. I won't waste my life, not again.'
A face appeared above him. A man, young, dark hair, tired eyes that held sharpness. The eyes of someone who had seen violence and chosen control.
"Hey," the man said softly. "Welcome, little guy."
Riku stared back.
The man laughed. "Look at that face. Like he's already planning something."
A woman joined him. Lighter hair, gentler features, but her hands moved with precision that suggested training. Magic or medicine or both.
"He's calm," she said. "Most babies scream."
"Ours doesn't." The man—his father, Riku understood—touched his hand with careful fingers. "I'm Hiroshi. This is Yuki. We're your parents though you probably don't know what im saying." He laughed "And we're going to teach you everything we know."
Riku gripped his finger. Testing his strength, reflexes and muscle control.
'Good grip,' Hiroshi noted aloud. 'Already strong.'
'Not yet,' Riku thought. 'But I will be.'
The System activated 3 months later.
"Status" Riku said.
[STATUS]
Name: Riku Snow
Age: 0.25 years
Level: 1 (0/100 XP)
HP: 12/12
MP: 25/25
STA: 30/30 (Stamina)
SP: 0/0 (Spiritual Pressure - Sealed until Level 25)
Riku studied it in darkness, while his parents slept in the next room. "Damn it! I need to be level 25 before I unlock my soul reaper powers, that sucks. Achievements." He said.
ACHIEVEMENTS
[First steps] - Reward +1 CON, +1 DEX, 50 XP
[Early Reader] - Read your first book. Reward: +2 INT, 100 XP
[First Blood] - First enemy killed. Reward: +1 STR, +2 SP, 200 XP
[Soul Reaper Awakened] - Unlock Zanpakuto. Level 25 required.
'22 years,' Riku calculated. 'I need to build a solid foundation. Have my parents teach me as much as they can.'
He started immediately. Tummy time became core strengthening. Reaching became coordination training. Every conscious moment pushed his undeveloped body toward function.
His parents noticed however.
"He's different," His mother said one night, while Riku pretended to sleep. "Already focusing. Already trying."
"Its he's soul. It's Heavy," His father murmured. "I can feel it. Something in him that doesn't belong to a child."
"Is it dangerous?"
"No." His father was quiet for a moment. "It's like he's determined. Like he knows exactly what he wants and is waiting for he's body to catch up."
Riku listened.
At 14 months, he started walking.
[Baby Steps - COMPLETE]
[Level 1 → 2]
[STATUS UPDATE] Level: 2 (0/200 XP) CON: 5 → 6 DEX: 4 → 5
His parents cheered. Riku kept his balance, evaluated his new capability, and immediately sought the next target.
Hiroshi found him in the study, pulling books from low shelves.
"Already?" his father asked, kneeling beside him. "You want to read?"
Riku pointed at the characters on the page. Determination shown in his eyes.
Hiroshi laughed. "Alright. Let's start kiddo."
The lessons began. After they was done Hiroshi taught him the basics sword skills first, how to hold a wooden practice blade, proper grip, fundamental stances, everything.
Riku absorbed everything, using the system to track his progress. Physical training grew, he watched his [STR] and [DEX] climb incrementally.
[Kendo Practice: 1 hour]
[STR: 3 → 3.1, DEX: 5 → 5.2]
Yuki taught magic theory. Basic energy manipulation, sensing spiritual pressure, distinguishing human from other. Riku combined this with his [Observe] skill, developing awareness that exceeded his physical limitations.
[Magic Sensing: 1 hour]
[WIS: 8 → 8.1, MP: 25 → 25.5]
"Good," Yuki said, watching her 4 year old son sense the energy flow in the training ground. "You're learning faster than I did."
'I have advantages,' Riku thought. 'An adult mind. System tracking. And above all a goal.'
He didn't say this. He accepted the praise and asked for more difficult lessons.
At age 5. He leveled to level 7. STA at 45, climbing steadily. SP still locked at 0.
Hiroshi took him to the dojo he used to visit. Old Tanaka-sensei, who had taught Riku's father decades before, watched the child swing a bamboo sword with grip that made experienced students pause.
"You're too serious," Tanaka said. "No joy in it."
'Joy is for people who haven't died disappointed,' Riku thought. 'I have weight to carry.'
"Again," Tanaka commanded.
Riku swung. Again and again and again.
Every session earned gains.
[Kendo Practice: 2 hours]
[STR: 8 → 8.1, DEX: 12 → 12.2, STA: 45 → 45.05]
Every gain brought him closer to Level 25. To the sword in his soul. To the goal of becoming the god he would become.
His parents watched him grow with pride and worry. They saw his intensity, his refusal to be merely a child, his eyes that held too much awareness.
They taught him anyway. Sword and magic, to strengthen the body and mind, everything they knew they passed to their son who who stil demanded more.
"Why?" Yuki asked once, when Riku was six and practicing kendo forms in their backyard. "Why are you working so hard? You're young. You have time."
Riku stopped mid-swing. Looked at his mother with eyes that held 29 years of regret and one clear purpose.
"Because I have purpose," he said, voice steady despite his age. "I won't waste it."
Yuki said nothing. She simply nodded, and adjusted his stance, and taught him the next form.
The long grind continued.