[Welcome to the Game of Thorns!]
This is not a dream.
This is not a simulation.
This is real... and you have been chosen as a candidate for the title of Hero X in your designated world.
A brief explanation: There exists one primary universe, known as "Prime Earth" (also referred to as Earth 001), and countless alternate realities. These alternates may be theoretical, fictional, or even metaphorical in nature.
Your designated world is Earth 0147 — commonly referred to as the DxD Universe. This world has been structured as a stage for the Game.
Within each designated world, there are ten Hero Candidates. Each is granted a unique ability — sometimes in the form of an object, a skill, or a conceptual power. These abilities vary from individual to individual.
The rarity and potential of these abilities are ranked as follows:
E, D, C, B, A, S, and the highest, X.
The probability of acquiring a high-grade ability is extremely low.
Your objective is simple:
Eliminate all other Hero Candidates and rise above them to become Hero X.
Welcome to the Game.
Let the thorns guide your path. 🌹
"!?"
Horrified, Cassius felt the strength drain from his legs. A surge of panic rose in his chest. Instinctively, he staggered back from the ominous laptop.
His knees buckled. He nearly collapsed, but managed to catch himself by flinging his hands toward the edge of the table. In his frantic attempt to stay upright, he knocked over a stack of books, sending them clattering to the floor.
The air around him was incredibly dense and uneasy, as though it carried invisible vibrations. Faint whispers seemed to drift on the edges of his awareness, like ghostly murmurings just beyond comprehension. It was the same bone-deep chill he'd felt whenever he watched horror stories alone in the dark.
No. This isn't real. It can't be real.
Cassius shook his head violently, trying to dispel the creeping dread. Gasping for breath, he steadied himself and turned his gaze away from the flashing screen.
This has to be some kind of prank.
Eliminate all Hero candidates? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Doesn't that imply I'm a target too?
Nine others. There are nine other people out there, trapped in the same nightmare with unknown powers, motives, and personalities.
But... I shouldn't have to worry too much, right?
I have the Omnitrix, after all. That has to rank pretty high. Maybe even S-tier… or better.
Even so, this makes me uneasy. What is this so-called Hero X? Is there even a reward for surviving? Do I get sent back home if I win? Or... is survival the only prize?
Then it hit him.
Wait...did it say the DxD universe? As in High School DxD?
His jaw dropped in disbelief.
What the literal fk?!**
Of all the fictional universes out there — ones with manageable threats, maybe even quiet slice-of-life vibes — why did it have to be this one? A world filled with devils, fallen angels, literal gods, and over-the-top power scaling?!
This is not crash! This is definitely not crash at all!
Cassius couldn't help but curse at whoever or whatever responsible for his transmigration into this world. He raked a trembling hand through his hair, trying to suppress the whirlwind of thoughts crashing through his head.
"This can't be happening," he muttered aloud, as if hearing his own voice might anchor him to reality. "No, this shouldn't be happening. I didn't sign up to fight to the death."
Unfortunately, the cool pressure of the Omnitrix on his wrist and the lingering sting of pain from his earlier fall reminded him this wasn't some lucid dream or simulation.
Indeed, it was real.
Swallowing his dry saliva, he turned his gaze back to the laptop. The message had vanished, replaced now with a spinning emblem: a thorned rose, crimson and metallic, pulsing like a heartbeat on the screen. Beneath it, a single word blinked in glowing red:
[ACKNOWLEDGED]
Following that, another message appeared.
[The user can check their attributes and abilities using the Dimensional Shard, under the 'status check' section.]
I can check my status? Thinking so, Cassius noticed the icon blinking faintly in the corner of the screen, just beneath the thorned rose emblem.
It hadn't been there before.
In fact, it looked like part of a game UI like some kind of strange RPG interface. The icon resembled a fractured gem, its jagged surface glowing with shifting hues of violet and midnight blue. It pulsed gently, beckoning him to click.
With a shaky hand, he moved the cursor and hovered over it.
"Status check... right," he muttered, then clicked.
The screen glitched for a split second — static tearing across his vision like a screen being peeled back — and then a new window opened, unfolding like a blooming flower made of data.
[DIMENSIONAL SHARD SYSTEM: STATUS INTERFACE]
[Name: Cassius Locke]
Origin World: Earth 001 (Prime Earth)
Designated World: Earth 0147 (DxD Universe)
Status: Hero Candidate – [Active]
Elimination Objective: 9 remaining candidates
Unique Item:
🔹 Omnitrix [Tier: S]
A universal transformation device containing a genetic library of countless alien species. Grants access to enhanced abilities based on selected alien forms. Limited use per cycle.
Traits:
▫ Enhanced adaptability
▫ Latent potential: [High Synchronization Rate with Dimensional Field]
▫ Immunity to minor dimensional distortion
Condition: Physically stable. Mentally unstable.
....
Cassius stared.
He didn't know what shocked him more, the fact that the Omnitrix was graded S, or that the system had casually labeled his mental state as "unstable."
"Gee, thanks," he said dryly.
But even as he tried to be sarcastic, a creeping thought took root in the back of his mind.
Tier S… but not X.
Which meant there was a Hero Candidate out there with an X-ranked ability.
Cassius swallowed hard at the thought, but then paused, reconsidering. According to the mysterious Game Master, high-tier abilities were extremely rare. Even S-ranked powers were uncommon enough to be considered miracles.
Maybe he was already lucky just to have received something like the Omnitrix.
An X-rank ability…? The odds of anyone obtaining one had to be astronomically low.
Right?
At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about an X-tier ability user in this world, though that doesn't mean he would completely erase the possibility.
Cassius let out a chuckle.
What a joke. Using the Omnitrix to kill? If Azmuth finds out his creation is being used for that purpose, he would probably have my head. If I remember correctly, he created the Omnitrix to serve as a tool of communication or something along those lines.
Honestly, the intended purpose behind the creation of the Omnitrix was no longer his concern. What only mattered now was his survival. And in order to survive, he needed information.
As a Hero Candidate, even using his real name felt like a risk. For all he knew, someone out there might possess an ability or a rare item that could track him through something as simple as a name. In that case, adopting an alias would be the smarter move. He needed to protect his identity while navigating the DxD world and extracting useful information.
Fortunately, it seemed that part had already been taken care of.
Out of curiosity, he clicked the History tab under the Status section.
There it was:
Name – Benjamin Tennyson Jr.
Age – 18
Gender – Male
Nationality – American
His eyes widened slightly. So in this world, his identity had already been rewritten. And apparently, his backstory had been filled in as well, his parents were still in the United States, while he had transferred to Japan to attend Kuoh Academy as an international student.
This...
Cassius blinked. Of all places, it had to be Kuoh Academy?
That couldn't be just a coincidence.
Even stranger, his name was Benjamin freaking Tennyson. The addition of Junior only made it feel like he was some cheap knockoff of the real deal. Was this the Game Master's way of messing with him?
He clicked his tongue.
Wouldn't this basically announce to every other Hero Candidate that his main weapon was the Omnitrix?
Talk about subtlety.
"So much for laying low," he muttered bitterly.
The Game hadn't just dropped him into a warzone — it had practically spray-painted a target on his back. If any of the other candidates had even a sliver of pop culture knowledge, they'd connect the dots fast. Benjamin Tennyson + mysterious watch = Omnitrix. And if any of them were even remotely competent, they'd realize just how dangerous that made him… and how high he'd be on the list of threats to eliminate early.
He leaned back, letting the chair creak under him, eyes still fixed on the screen.
But maybe… that could work in his favor.
A decay!
If they thought he was the real deal or worse, someone better, then maybe fear would do what stealth couldn't. After all, not everyone would be stupid enough to pick a fight with an Omnitrix user head-on.
Still… he couldn't rely on that alone.
And he wasn't in a hurry to advertise his presence.
With a flick of the cursor, he returned to the Dimensional Shard's main interface. There were more tabs available now. For one, there was a tab that specifically explained the usage, time limit and functions of the Omnitrix. It took him a total of 30 minutes to read through everything and he learned something interesting.
The Omnitrix's alien scan could be used to locate Outworlders. Simply put, he could locate any Hero Candidate in close proximity to himself.
A knowing smile slowly crept onto Cassius's lips.
Yes, yes, this can work! This will definitely work!
Closing the laptop with a soft click, Cassius rose to his feet. He stepped out of his room, descended the stairs, and opened the front door. The morning light greeted him, along with the crisp, unfamiliar scent of this new world.
He paused on the doorstep, taking a slow, deliberate breath. The air of Kuoh was different — cleaner, lighter, yet thick with a sense of looming fate. Somewhere out there, the other Candidates were moving. Plotting. Hunting.
Some might have already begun their threads.
But one thing was certain.
The Game had begun.
The stage was set.
And Kuoh Town was about to become far more chaotic than it had ever known.
"...I hope the girls can handle the headache," he muttered with a crooked grin. "Because I'm not planning on holding back."
With that, Cassius Locke took his first step into the unknown as Benjamin Tennyson Junior.