Chapter 5: Cards on the Table
Marcus accepted the quest with a mental command, watching the notification fade. He'd learned enough from video games to know when you were locked into a story path whether you liked it or not.
"Alright," he said, setting Agumon down on the table. The little dinosaur immediately started examining a teacup with intense curiosity. "I'll explain. But first, ground rules."
Rias raised an elegant eyebrow. "You're in no position to make demands."
"I'm not making demands. I'm establishing boundaries." Marcus met her gaze steadily. "What I tell you stays in this room. No reporting to your brother, no telling other factions, nothing. If you can't agree to that, I walk out right now and we pretend this never happened."
"Bold," Akeno murmured, her smile sharpening. "I like him."
Rias studied Marcus for a long moment. He could practically see her weighing options, calculating angles. Finally, she nodded. "Very well. What you share here remains confidential—unless it poses a direct threat to my peerage or Kuoh Academy."
"Fair enough." Marcus pulled out a chair and sat down, trying to project more confidence than he felt. "So. Where do I start?"
"The beginning is traditional," Kiba offered helpfully.
"Right. The beginning." Marcus took a breath. "About a week ago, I woke up in this world with a system interface in my head and no memory of how I got here. Well, that's not entirely true—I have memories of another life, another world. But those feel... distant. Like watching a movie."
**\[PARTIAL TRUTH DETECTED]**
**\[DECEPTION CHECK: PASSED]**
**\[RIAS GREMORY: BELIEVES YOUR STORY]**
"A traveler," Rias said softly. "From another dimension?"
"Maybe? The system calls itself the Digimon System. It gives me quests, tracks my stats, lets me summon and partner with Digital Monsters." He gestured to Agumon, who had given up on the teacup and was now trying to climb onto Koneko's lap. She looked deeply uncertain about this development.
"Digital Monsters," Koneko repeated flatly, even as she awkwardly patted Agumon's head. "Like... computer monsters?"
"Sort of? They're creatures made of data, from a digital world parallel to this one." Marcus pulled up his status screen, making it visible to the others. "The system lets me see information about the world, complete quests for rewards, and grow stronger. It's like... living inside a video game."
Rias leaned forward, her green eyes gleaming with interest as she studied the floating interface. "Fascinating. I've heard rumors of Sacred Gears with game-like properties, but this is different. More comprehensive."
"It's not a Sacred Gear," Marcus confirmed. "I checked. No divine or demonic energy involved. It's something else entirely."
"And this... Agumon?" Kiba asked, watching as the dinosaur finally succeeded in climbing onto Koneko's lap and curled up contentedly. "He's one of these Digital Monsters?"
"Yep!" Agumon chirped. "I'm Marcus's partner! We're gonna have lots of adventures together!"
"He's in his Rookie form right now," Marcus explained. "But he can evolve into more powerful forms. That's what you sensed earlier—his Champion level evolution, Greymon."
Akeno's expression turned thoughtful. "The energy signature we detected. It wasn't demonic, angelic, or youkai. It was completely foreign."
"Which is why you're so interested," Marcus said, looking at Rias. "A new power source, a new faction you don't understand. That makes me either a potential ally or a potential threat."
"Very perceptive." Rias settled back in her chair, crossing her legs. "So tell me, Marcus Webb—what are your intentions? Why come to Kuoh Academy specifically?"
"Honestly? The system sent me here. First quest was to enroll and survive my first day." He shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on and stay alive while I do it. I don't have some grand plan to upset the supernatural balance or anything."
**\[QUEST UPDATE: THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN]**
**\[OBJECTIVE: EXPLAIN YOUR SITUATION - COMPLETE]**
**\[RELATIONSHIP WITH RIAS GREMORY: CAUTIOUS TRUST]**
**\[RELATIONSHIP WITH GREMORY PEERAGE: CURIOUS ACCEPTANCE]**
**\[NEW OBJECTIVE: ESTABLISH TERMS OF COEXISTENCE]**
"That's... surprisingly reasonable," Kiba said.
"I'm a reasonable guy." Marcus glanced at Agumon, who had fallen asleep on Koneko's lap. The white-haired girl looked trapped between annoyance and something that might have been fondness. "Look, I know how this world works. Devils, angels, fallen angels, all the various factions dancing around each other. I'm not interested in getting caught up in your politics. I just want to live my life, complete my quests, and maybe figure out why I'm here."
"And if your quests conflict with our interests?" Rias asked.
"Then we talk about it. Like adults." Marcus met her gaze. "I'm not your enemy, Rias. But I'm not going to be your pawn either. I'm willing to coexist peacefully, maybe even help out if our interests align. But I maintain my independence."
Silence fell over the room. Marcus could feel the weight of their stares, the calculations happening behind their eyes. He'd laid his cards on the table—or at least, some of them. The question was whether they'd accept the hand he was offering.
Finally, Rias smiled. It was a genuine smile this time, not the calculating one from before.
"I can work with that," she said. "Welcome to Kuoh Academy, Marcus Webb. I think you'll find we can be very accommodating to... unique individuals."
**\[QUEST COMPLETE: THE DEVIL'S BARGAIN]**
**\[REWARD: +750 EXP, RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED: RIAS GREMORY (NEUTRAL ALLIANCE)]**
**\[LEVEL UP! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 4]**
**\[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY (PASSIVE)]**
**\[EFFECT: +20% RESISTANCE TO MENTAL MANIPULATION AND CHARM EFFECTS]**
**\[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: FALLEN SHADOWS]**
**\[WARNING: HOSTILE FORCES HAVE TAKEN NOTICE OF YOUR PRESENCE]**
**\[A FALLEN ANGEL FACTION IS INVESTIGATING THE UNUSUAL ENERGY SIGNATURES IN KUOH]**
**\[OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE THE COMING CONFLICT]**
**\[REWARD: VARIABLE]**
**\[TIME LIMIT: 72 HOURS]**
**\[ACCEPT? Y/N]**
Marcus felt his stomach drop as he read the new quest notification. Of course. Of course it couldn't be that easy.
"Something wrong?" Akeno asked, noticing his expression.
"Define 'wrong,'" Marcus said slowly. "How do you feel about Fallen Angels?"
Rias's smile vanished. "Why?"
"Because apparently, they're coming. And they're interested in me."
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly, tension crackling through the air like static electricity. Rias stood, her power radiating outward in a wave of crimson energy.
"When?" she demanded.
Marcus looked at the quest timer counting down in his vision. "Seventy-two hours. Give or take."
"Well," Kiba said, his usual pleasant expression hardening into something more dangerous. "I suppose we'll need to prepare."
Agumon woke up with a yawn, blinking sleepily at the suddenly tense room. "Did I miss something?"
"Just the part where our lives got complicated again," Marcus muttered.
Rias turned to him, her green eyes blazing with determination. "It seems our alliance will be tested sooner than expected. Are you ready for this, Marcus?"
Marcus thought about the quest, about the Fallen Angels coming, about the small dinosaur who trusted him completely and the devils who were now, somehow, his allies.
He accepted the quest.
"Ready or not," he said. "Let's find out."