3 Chapter 3
"We have verified your story. There are other sacrifices in the prison, but there is one missing detail: How did you escape in front of their eyes?" Makima scanned Sam with her yellow eyes. "I doubt that you made it so that they just let you go."
"I got lucky. I'm also quite a fast runner," Sam reached the office, grabbed a cup of water, and drank it.
Makima looked at him. "And you also have quite an extraordinary healing ability."
"I guess I was blessed with good genes," Sam shrugged.
"No. Drinking water and eating food doesn't simply close all of your wounds and fix your bones. It's like when a devil drinks blood. Not as effective, but it is as instant," Makima lowered her head. "Tell me. Did you make a contract with any devil? Don't lie."
"No. I haven't made any contract. I'm just as surprised as you are," he said. "I drank the water and ate my food. And when the nurse put the healing equipment, boom, everything was healed," Sam smiled as he looked at his fist and clenched it. "You have no idea how happy I am. It's like I have left hell and gotten into heaven."
"You have any idea what you are talking about?" The devil woman hummed and sighed.
He shook his head.
A man entered from the door. "Boss, his background is clean. Some car cameras confirm that he had been kidnapped a week ago," he then walked in and placed a file in front of Makima.
She started reading the file: "Sam Lee. Half Japanese, half European. Dropped out of school 2 years ago. After that, you started doing remote jobs to make a living. You're still homeless, jobless, and have many debts. You paid some to avoid going to jail through a loan from the mobs. I'll give you that. You reaffirm my beliefs. People are stupid if left unchecked."
Eyelids shaking, Sam gulped his own saliva. 'Homeless? Jobless? Debts? Possibly going to jail?'
"But I'm only 17," he said on the verge of tears.
"Your debts will follow you until 18, which is a few months from now," Makima said.
'I remember a story about some Brazilian drug dealer. He was a minor, so every time the cops caught him, they would have to release him. When he reached 18 and they caught him, the police station celebrated his birthday.'
"Guess jail is better than being fed to the devils," he muttered to himself. "Also, having free food, water, and a roof is good. This is Japan, so I don't have to worry about getting my ass raped."
"You are quite naive. You'll have to work in jail. People like you don't get hard-earned tax money for nothing."
"What can I do?" Sam leaned backward. "I can't sell my organs now, can I?"
"You can hunt devils," Makima said. "You may have already heard how expensive devil organs are in the market. We, The Devil Hunter Association, offer good payment and even a house for our hunters."
"Really? Isn't that too generous?" Sam narrowed his eyebrow. "What do you get back? I'm just human after all."
"A human with extraordinary speed and healing ability. We'd like to have you and see what's special about you," Makima said.
According to some spoilers Sam had heard from his past life, Makima was the controlling devil.
If he refused her request for now, she would control his mind and force him to do it anyway.
He would even forget that it happened. And she might even make him fall in love with her through her powers.
It would be best to play along with her. Dealing with her was like dealing with a ticking bomb.
"I'd love to have a house and food," he said. "But I'm weak."
"You'll get trained. Like a good hound," she said, smirking.
"So be it," Sam shrugged his shoulders.
He might not want this. He may not want to deal with Makima. He had two choices: Go back to the street and struggle with his shitty background, or join this devil hunter division and then think about what to do.
"I'll assign you to your new house. The agent who will be responsible for your training will reach you tomorrow," she said. "You're dismissed."
"To where?"
"Just get out," she said.
"Aye aye, captain," Sam stood up and walked out of the house.
Very soon, a middle-aged woman appeared in front of him. She asked him to follow her, and then she took him in a car. They went to a nice neighborhood. She then handed him keys and told him the number of the apartment he was meant to go to.
"So this should be it," Sam placed the key in the keyhole and opened the door to his new 1-room house.
It had a wooden platform, a small bed, and a pillow. There was a bathroom and a kitchen as well. Although it was a bit dusty, he felt a bit satisfied with it. After staying in a prison for 2 days, he couldn't complain about the dust or the food quality.
He threw himself onto the bed, and he called the system screen.
'Stats.'
[Stats.
Name: Sam Lee
Level: 3
Class: Devil Hunter
MP: 100/100
HP: 100/100
Age: 17
SP: 2 (Skill Points)
AP: 4 (Affinity Points)
Skills:
Devil Sense (Passive)
Devil Aura (Passive)
Wind Footwork - Level 1 (99/100)
Affinities:
Strength: 3
Agility: 6
Wisdom: 5]
All of the affinities sounded important. As for the skill list, using guns didn't seem like a good start. Seriously, most of the devils were either too big, made of weird substances, or had tough skin.
"I'm not Samurai Jack, but somehow, I think guns were prohibited for the majority of people in this world. Then again, I'm not a regular human either," he mumbled.
He scratched his head, the weight of his thoughts becoming overwhelming.
"Swords and speed with some spells, that'll have to do."
[Skill unlocked: Swordsmanship (Basic) - Level 1
Basic skill for all sword skills. Enhances the user's ability to wield swords, resulting in more damage when using a sword.]
That left him with a single Skill Point.
A tree of skills unlocked, all adorned with sword symbols and prerequisites. These requirements included a specific Swordsmanship level and a certain number of affinities.
Should he increase his Swordsmanship level now using the remaining skill point? No, he decided against it. He didn't need to do so at the moment. He intended to enhance it through dedicated practice. When it became more challenging, he could resort to using skill points.
As for the affinity points, he chose to invest all of them in agility to boost his speed. In case Makima questioned how he could escape, he would rely on his speed as an answer.
[Agility increased to 10]
He closed his eyes, and without even realizing it, drifted into sleep.
-x-X-x-
*Knock* *Knock*
Sam's eyelid twitched as someone forcefully banged on his door.
"Five minutes more, mom," Sam grumbled, rolling over to the other side and hugging his pillow.
*BAM*
The door crashed inwards. Sam was jolted awake, his eyes widening. As he took in the unfamiliar surroundings, he realized he wasn't in his old house anymore. The memory of being in another world came rushing back.
A woman with neck-length dark blueish hair, quite tall, blue eyes, and dressed in a dark suit entered the room. What stood out were her eyepatch and large chest. Quite the curves. 'Nice.'
"I'm not your mom," she smiled. "But you can call me boss from now on."
"Oh?" Sam replied, feigning ignorance. Wasn't she the woman from that Infinity Devil episode? She definitely was. He had to admit, the real-life version was an improvement.
But he had to keep up the act and pretend not to know her, right?
"And you are?"
"Himeno. Starting today, you'll be taking orders from me," she said as she walked in and settled down beside him.
He sat up and studied her. "A devil hunter, I assume?" He then covered his mouth. "Sorry. You see, I didn't have time to brush my teeth."
"You don't smell that bad," she chuckled, flicking her finger on his forehead. "You've got five minutes to get ready. I'll be waiting in the car." With that, she turned and left.
"Wait!" Sam called out. "And the door?"
She shrugged. "You get one more minute. Put it back." With that, she walked away.
'What a nutcase. She'd only be good for fan service. Then again, this is the Chainsaw Man world. There's no such thing as fan service here. Just bait the fans and shatter their hearts into pieces.'
He muttered to himself as he got up. "What a way to kick off a new day."
With a sigh, he fixed the door before stepping outside, wondering what this day might have in store.
