The Aura Farmer In DXD (Aura Farming System)

(Special Credit to QuilltedBear & Honoured_Writer & Martian Cactus for the Beta Reading Labor!)

-Story Start-

-Ren POV-

"KOBAYASHI! WAIT! DUDE! PLEASE!" Issei roared out with genuine distress.

"JUST WAIT UP A BIT! SLOW DOWN, MAN!"

I wasn't walking particularly fast, though.

Screeching to a stop ahead of me, he stood in my path, to which I regarded him with an arched eyebrow and an unimpressed gaze.

Calming himself and making a poor show of repressing his labored gasps for air, a clear indication of poor cardio, Issei gave me a pleading look, "W-What just happened back there? With Yuuma?"

His skin was pale, a glistening sheen of sweat adorned atop, and an overwrought expression marking his features.

All signs indicate panic.

Obviously.

But even more obviously, he was likely going to either:

(A) Thank me.

(B) Ask me questions that I, similarly, lack answers to.

Or both.

As an Aura Farmer, my next course of action couldn't be more clear.

Vague yet profound answers.

Regarding him lightly, I gave my response, "I obstructed her from staining the pristine water of the fountain with the blood of man."

...

Processing my poetry, Issei rapidly shook his head and emphasized, "No, I get that you saved my life... thanks"

Lifting his head to look squarely into my eyes, he pleaded for answers, "I was on a date with her... it was all going swimmingly-, well, up until the point where she... turned into an even bigger boobed lady with wings? I just can-"

My palm raised, I put a stop to his nonsensical rant.

Cracking my neck, a knowing smile crossed my lips.

"Peace, Hyoudou. The answers you seek are all within arm's reach," I stated enigmatically, with full confidence.

Lifting my hand to abruptly point into the distant trees, a movement deftly made, polished from years of practice.

"On a road yet untaken, there shall you have it found." I asserted firmly.

...

He blinked, turning to look in the direction of where my finger was pointing, scratching his head in a state of pure uneasy confusion.

"I-I don't get all that flowery talk, dude... that's the direction of the school?" He hazarded a guess.

Bingo...

"Sharpen your discerning eye, Hyoudou, and may you see that which was hidden in plain sight. Mayhaps, the veiled truth will reveal itself unto you, as it had this day." Those were my final words on the matter as I strode past his stupefied figure.

Regarding him with one final key statement, "Do inform me of what you discovered by clearing your murky eyes. I always find the conclusions of the clear-sighted to be a source of great intrigue."

"Safe travels home, Hyoudou." I waved goodbye as he simply stood there, stewing in his own emotions, making sure to keep my calm, composed, and confident stride consistent and elegant.

...

After a few minutes of my Signature Walk™, I was left alone on the road back home, the whistling wind as the sole accompaniment to the clack of my footsteps along cobbled walkways.

I'm so glad I got to use Aura Farming Technique #1 - Point in a Random Direction and give it some abstract uncertain meaning.

Bonus points if the wind blows my cape.

But I've run out of capes so I'll have to buy a few new ones...

This is not a charlatan's technique!

But rather, a method to force the victims of this technique to exert their mental faculties and arrive at the answer themselves.

True guidance is to give direction, not to lead.

To be honest, I have a deep inkling I'll have to use Aura Farming Technique #2 pretty soon...

My gut feeling developed over the years roared at me.

Hmm... this feels like Aura.

I was right.

[+500 Aura Points!]

...

MORE THAN RIGHT!

SCOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I LOVE CENTRAL CAMERASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

BRING ME MOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[+150 Aura Points]

...

I ASKED FOR IT, BUT...

MORE?!

WHAT MORE DID I DO?

-------------------------------

-Third Person POV-

What more did Ren do?

Well, one needs to look no further than to ask one Koneko Toujou.

Hiding deep in the dark, shadowed trees of Kuoh's Central Park.

She'd almost failed with her Master's orders - keeping watch and guarding Issei Hyoudou from that pesky Fallen Angel.

Luckily, it seemed someone... unaccounted for had covered for her blunder.

That someone, was, much to her shock:

Kuoh High's Talented Chuuni and her eccentric classmate.

For most, including her, it was hard to take the boy seriously.

Spouting profound and vague poetry, and doing his best to walk, talk, and act flamboyantly - she couldn't quite put into words what sort of act he was playing.

Though if there was one thing she would give him, it's that he takes his act deadly seriously.

The clear effort he puts into studying, mastering, and perfecting his craft both in terms of physique and speech wasn't lost on anyone.

Hence, the title:

"Kuoh High's Talented Chunni - Ren Kobayashi."

And that was that, an eccentric.

An eccentric was all he was.

Or so they all believed.

Here he was... scaring the wits out of her.

Her hiding position was flawless, letting nary a sound loose, and yet...

Not only did he move at a speed that only Kiba could react to...

He flawlessly pointed at her exact hiding position, on top of hinting at his knowledge of the Devils in Kuoh Academy all along.

He could see her, pointing at her with that knowing and confident smirk as she stood frozen in her hiding spot.

He had smelled like a regular human throughout the entire year, nothing more and nothing less than that.

No magic.

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Sona and Akeno themselves are even more familiar with Kobayashi than her; having known him through his sister and his prayers at the shrine for years.

But even they sensed nothing amiss.

'Creepy...' Koneko affirmed to herself with a sweatdrop.

Issei's situation was one thing her Master was resolute on resolving herself.

But an unknown element of unknown capabilities that had been hiding under their noses for what seemed to be years?

In their territory?

Had Kobayashi been making a fool out of them all?

This is a matter that concerns both the Sitri and Gremory Heiress.

With a resolute yet nervous nod, Koneko slowly slunk away.

Today's events will most certainly be reported.

-------------------------------

Entering my home with a satisfied sigh from a job well done.

I was greeted with the symphony of the local news being played on television.

"Oh, my... another gas leak." Mom's distraught voice echoed from the living room.

Taking off my shoes in a smooth movement, I calmly walked towards the staircase.

The symphony wasn't just my Mom's reaction to the news, but also the melodic and graceful sound of... a blissful sleep.

The snoring of my Dad who was probably fighting the Demon Lord in another world from how knocked-out he looked on that couch.

"Ren! How was your outing? Did you finally decide to get a job and not waste your after-school time?" Mom teasingly inquired.

"A job? Don't push it." I shook my head.

Then I smirked, "As for my outing? It was fine, I fought a Fallen Angel." I gave a thumbs-up.

Tilting her head, she tapped her chin, "Hmm... Fallen Angel? Now that's creative, Ren. Biblical beings in Japan. It's different than the Yokai you were practicing to fight when you were nine."

"Yeah, kinda odd, I'd have expected a Kappa or Tengu as my first encounter, not Biblical beings in Japan of all places." I nodded matter-of-factly.

"How many wings did it have?" My sister's academic tendencies came from my Mom, after all, so this knowledge wasn't surprising.

"Oh, it was a grunt I think. A single pair." I waved her off.

She snorted, "Well, dinner's ready if you'd like-"

I cut her off with a grateful nod, "Nah, I've got important research to do, apparently there are Devils here as well."

"Sure there is, their names are Lucifer the Tax Man, and his wife, Lilith of work-life balance." She plainly gestured at the unconcious, drooling figure of my utterly conked-out Dad as she sat on the couch.

"I fail to imagine the Devil being that sinister." I emphatically stated.

As an Aura Farmer, becoming a 9-5 wage slave is Game Over.

While it is possible to be an Aura Farmer in such a state, I would have to overcompensate for that horrid debuff.

One method of compensation is being a secret assassin in my free time after work or something, and my actual choice of 9-5 is not out of necessity but out of any other casual, Aura-esque reason.

With a sharp glint in my eye, I meet Mom's emerald eyes with my own.

"Is Natsuki here?" I inquired with steel in my tone.

A grim, thin line on her face, she nodded gravely, "She's in a pretty bad mood, she got an A instead of an A+ on her latest exam so... I'd suggest being careful." Mom warned.

...

"I see." I nodded, cracking my neck to prepare for the likely altercation.

Mom was too old now, and my sister and I especially had grown too big and strong.

She's been out of these battles for three years now...

"Good luck, break anything and it's on you." She wished me her deepest condolences and warned me as well.

"I'll be going now." I made my dramatic, elegant exit as I walked up the stairs.

A mixture of flair and silence in my steps, something only a trained Aura Farmer could accomplish.

Minimal creaking of the wood as each step I took felt heavier than the last.

But I was never one to succumb to pressure or fear.

A moment of climbing the stairs later and the blasted door was before me.

I could only click my tongue, as that cursed door leading to the deepest pits of hell... creaked open.

As if the creature in there had anticipated my arrival.

There 'it' stood.

A creature standing at a cool 5'5 feet tall, with green eyes and cascading hair the same brownish hue as my own, a figure blessed with the genetics gifted to her by sheer virtue of being sister to an Aura Farmer such as myself...

My blood sister.

Natsuki Kobayashi.

The Anti-Aura.

Do not be fooled by its small and soft stature - this is a certified killing machine.

Confirmed by none other than myself, an Aura Farmer trained in Judo, Mixed Martial Arts, and Jiu-jitsu.

This broke college student was an official black belt in all three of them.

"You're thinking something rude, aren't you?" She wasn't asking, she was stating a fact.

Any words out of my mouth won't convince her, this creature made its own damn conclusions.

It cannot be reasoned with, it cannot be negotiated with.

"Okay, now you're seriously pushing it..." She growled.

See? She's such an anomaly she managed to bypass my Perfect Unreadable Skill.

Cracking my neck and regarding her with an unimpressed look, I approached with a confident stride, "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

Her lips curled up to form a surprised yet delighted smirk, "Ho~h? You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right after me?"

To which I sharply retorted:

"I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer."

A wicked, broad, devilish grin that made me suspect she was actually one of those Devils that the Fallen Angel spoke of decorated her face, "Oh, really? Then get as close as you need to~"

We approached each other, and the battle had begun.

-------------------------------

"What in the world are you made of? This isn't fair~?!" The loser whined as she lay defeated on the ground.

My fist raised up high as I stood victorious in the hallway, my foot stomping on her back.

"I feel like these fights can no longer be classified as such. More like reprimanding an unruly child, indeed."

A tick mark formed on her head, as she struggled to move, failing to do so at my nearly superhuman strength.

"SHUT UP CHUUNI! I REMEMBER THE DAYS I BEAT YOUR ASS WITH MY HAND BEHIND MY BACK!"

I shook my head with a matter-of-fact tone, "Revenge never felt sweeter, dear sister..."

Then a snarl formed on my face, "AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING CHUUNI?! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS, BITCH! AURA IS THE GREATNESS OF MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD! HE WHO FAILS TO SEEK IT OUT IS A BLATANT FOOL!"

"BITCH!? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW I HAVE ONLY SLEPT WITH ONE MAN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! SO DON'T STAIN MY NAME LIKE THAT! I AM NOT A LOOSE WOMAN! ALSO WHAT AURA? YOU'VE BEEN SPOUTING THAT GARBAGE PHILOSOPHY SINCE YOU LEARNED TO SPEAK WITH THAT WISE MOUTH OF YOURS! YOUR ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION THINKS YOU'RE A WEIRDO, I ASKED SHITORI, TRUST ME I KNOW! WHY DON'T YOU USE YOUR TALENTS FOR SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE FOR A CHANGE?!"

"DISGUSTING! I AM AN AVID BELIEVER OF NO KISS BEFORE MARRIAGE, AND HERE YOU ARE HANDING OUT YOUR PURITY TO AN UNKNOWN MAN YOU AREN'T KEEN ON MARRYING. WHORE! A WHORE IS WHAT YOU ARE!"

"SHITORI KNOWS NOTHING! NONE OF YOU KNOW ANYTHING! I'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH YOU CLUELESS WRETCHES!"

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! HE'S CALLING ME A WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEEEEEEEEE!" The Anti-Aura used the hidden card.

...

"YOU CALLED HER, WHAT?!" My Mom's loud shout shook the very building, maybe she was a supernatural creature as well.

"DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"

I only have two authorities.

(1) Mom.

(2) The Aura Gods.

The latter haven't spoken to me, so for now, I adhere to the former and work to please the latter.

"Shameless." I shook my head in disappointment at the creature being stomped by my foot.

"Blegh!" She stuck out her tongue in a display of utter disgrace, dishonor, and shamelessness.

Truly, the Anti-Aura.

"I'll take it as my victory for today," I stated as I withdrew my foot, only for Natsuki to push herself off the ground to aim a heeled kick on my chin.

An accurate and impressive kick.

Too bad it was slow.

I caught it with my palm and pushed her away, to which she pouted with slumped shoulders.

Her eye twitched as she waved me off with a much calmer tone, "Yeah, yeah, you win."

The tightness of her muscles had loosened, today's debacle was over.

"How was your day, dear sister?" I asked the usual banter after a fight.

Rubbing her pained back; a result of my painful stomping, she had a dismissive frown, "Not great, I got an A."

"Well, you win some you lose some, sis. A lot of people in that course would be crying with joy from merely passing."

"You know as well as I do that we, the Kobayashi, don't compare ourselves with others."

I snorted, "You say that, but you all want me to seek out a job or skip classes."

She folded her arms, "It's for your greater good! It has nothing to do with what others are doing."

She asserted, "I'm saying this as your sister, directed in... tangible and realistic goals, your talents far exceed my own. You can get a very high-paying job and a fantastic position, hell, reach for the stars... the realistic stars."

Waving her off, I nodded, "Yeah, yeah, we've had this talk... which is funny coming from a broke college student."

"I was scouted by Shitori's family, wasn't I?"

"How convenient, rich conglomerate heiress is captivated by you and offers you an internship at her expense, who would have guessed?"

She gestured at herself in a gesture of self-confidence that only reminded me how scary genetics are, "Well, I am Natsuki Kobayashi." She stated with unadulterated narcissism and a self-satisfied smirk.

"Anyway, remind me when you get your reality check." She shook her head helplessly.

"I actually did."

"You did, when? Today?" She blinked in confusion.

"Yeah, I fought a Fallen Angel today, and this town has Devils in it."

...

"That is... creative." She sighed in disbelief.

"Shitori-senpai is a supernatural creature," I confessed.

"Rich is somewhat of a superpower isn't it?" She tilted her head and mumbled in contemplation.

"I'm heading to study..." I shrugged, my levels of tolerance for the Anti-Aura having reached its limits.

"For school?" She asked as I headed to my room.

"Perhaps," I replied enigmatically, making my dramatic turn and striding confidently to my room.

-------------------------------

Sat on my lavish throne, I went onto the important matters.

Given the scene I was in was the Central Camera Scene... it is likely I will be approached or sought out by the supernaturals.

Specifically, the ones inside Kuoh Academy.

The reason for my conclusion?

[Central Camera Activation - TBA]

[Secondary Camera Activation - Kuoh High School, Class 1-B, [14 Hours, 11 Minutes, and 37 seconds.]

The difference between secondary and central camera views isn't something I have managed to figure out, given that I had only recently gotten a first-hand view of both...

The level of importance of the event or direness is clearly one of the differences.

It was literally a matter of life or death for both me and Hyoudou.

I had tried to steer Hyoudou in the direction of getting information on the supernatural for me and relaying it to me, without relaying the fact I am actually clueless on the matter...

But if I am approached...

Indeed, Aura Farming Technique #2 will be utilized.

However, for now, preparation is key:

I need information to see if I can purchase any skills with my current Aura Points that'll be useful.

I am of the mind of conserving for emergencies, however, after thorough analysis, most of the skills that'd serve as aces up my sleeve are unattainable with my current Aura Points.

The ones like 'Teleports Behind You', may act like an ace, but at my current level, it is barely usable, costs roughly half of my Mana, and with an excruciating cooldown.

Furthermore, the cheaper ones are growth or utility ones, which are much more useful and can net me more Aura if used properly.

Most importantly though... I can't skip to Perfect Mana Control or something like that by buying through sheer Aura Points.

I need to get the first Basic Tier and train it from there.

Once it reaches LVL 10 I can buy the next Tier.

[Aura Farmer System] I activated the System.

[Current Aura Points - 911]

These are amounts it usually took weeks or even months to obtain ordinarily with the Offscreen Camera.

But Offscreen in tandem with Central and Secondary?

The gains are...

Ah...exquisite.

My apologies.

Anyway, the Aura Shop is a messy, disorganized cluster of many many skills.

Millions of them.

From the most mundane of - Trash Filtering Magic or Accelerated Digestion that costs roughly double-digit to triple-digit Aura Points.

Up to outrageous ones like Summon - The Lance That Shines to the End of the World which costs millions of Aura Points or Trihexa Runes Comprehension which costs tens of thousands of Aura Points, whatever those are.

With no way to sort them or filter them.

I can get a world-destroying, incomprehensible magic or skill in one slot, and the very next it'd be a magic that lets me summon a rubber ducky.

Do you see the problem?

Luckily, the only function, and thank the Aura Gods for that function, is that I can favorite items.

I make it a habit to browse shop for at least thirty minutes a day and favorite what seems useful in set categories.

Depending on emergencies and changes in the status quo, I am willing to change priorities, but this is what my triple-digit cost skill buy list looks like:

[Aura Shop]↓

- Basic Tier > Mana Malleability [500 Aura Points]

- Advanced Tier > Trick Step [250 Aura Points]

- Intermediate Tier > Mist Magic [200 Aura Points]

- Intermediate Tier > The Weight Of Sight [700 Aura Points]

- Basic Tier > Advice [100 Aura Points]

- Intermediate Tier > Human Physique [500 Aura Points].

I reached LVL 10 - MAX on the Basic Human Physique just yesterday in my training session!

The bad news - I doubt conventional training equipment at the maximum setting will benefit me anymore.

Now, although I haven't been given a compact compare and contrast, this is how I believe the hierarchy works in the System according to the Shop's items and some reasoning:

Basic Tier.

Intermediate Tier.

Advanced Tier.

Superior Tier.

Supreme Tier.

Ultimate Tier.

Divine Tier.

UNFATHOMABLE Tier.

With Supreme Tier being confirmed to be equal to an Ultimate Rank Devil by the System's words?

I guess a ranking System for supernatural beings makes sense, but this doesn't tell me much except the foreboding level of power.

...

GAH!

I NEED SO MUCH MORE AURA!

TO FARM MORE AURA!

A FEEDBACK LOOP ONLY POSSIBLE BY THE AURA GODS THEMSELVES!

...

But I buy what I can get.

[Intermediate Tier > Human Physique LVL 1 bought for 500 Aura Points!]

[Intermediate Tier > Mist Magic LVL 1 bought for 200 Aura Points!]

[Basic Tier > Advice LVL MAX bought for 100 Aura Points!]

[Current Aura Points - 111]

...

I feel the power coursing through me...

Nay, I feel the AURA.

...

Time for research on the Biblical creatures making themselves at home in my town.

Without hesitation and with a graceful and purposeful movement, I booted up my Windows XP supercomputer.

To Be Continued!

[Secret Camera Activation!]

[DING! Advice LVL MAX activated!]

[Requesting Aura Gods' advice!]

[INSERT ADVICE HERE!]

[MOST LIKED ADVICE IN THE AURA GOD WEBSITE OF WEBNOVEL WILL BE TRANSDIMENSIONALLY SENT TO THE USER!]

[THIS CAN BE BOTH PRACTICAL AND IMPRACTICAL ADVICE, LIKE SLURS!]

[SPOILERS ARE AUTOMATICALLY FILTERED!]