//–AN–//
There's one thing that's been confusing me: it's quite difficult to blend the magic power system with the murim-style martial arts. Although the murim elements will eventually become more dominant, the world of DxD itself is heavily tied to magic because the era of the gods hasn't truly ended.
Therefore, I'd like to ask: should the MC focus solely on martial arts in the future—which I believe is already strong enough to face the threats in this world—or would it be better to mix it with magic? That way, the MC can choose when to use one or the other, or even combine them. I think something like that could make the character much more interesting.
However, as a newbie writer, this is quite difficult for me.
If you have any suggestions or comments, please leave them in the comments section. Your input will really help me understand what my readers want!
//---//
After passing through a corridor that felt like it had no end, I finally arrived at a room different from the previous ones. No rotten smell, no crawling creature sounds, no tubes filled with organs wobbling like cheap jelly. Just a thick metal door, almost touching the ceiling, with a blinking electronic code panel.
"Of course. A coded door," I muttered. "Because every secret place needs style."
The code panel lit up, displaying a combination of numbers that suspiciously looked like it had just been used this morning. I checked it for a bit, trying to guess if it could be opened normally… then immediately decided not to waste time.
I took a deep breath, channeling Qi into my hand—focused, calm, and slightly annoyed because the door looked like it was challenging me. Then with one swift slash, the thick metal split like hot tofu.
The top half of the door fell with a loud thud.
And I stepped inside.
…then immediately stopped.
I stared at the room in front of me with a blank expression, then took another breath—longer this time.
Inside the room, there were no more mutated creatures. No chimeras. No monsters with wrong anatomy.
There was only one… _thing_.
A massive blob of liquid—very massive—dark blue in color, filling almost the entire room like a puddle with a strong sense of purpose. Its surface throbbed slowly, as if alive. And what made it even more annoying was… the thing seemed like it knew I had arrived.
Right inside the liquid, faintly, I could see several human skulls floating peacefully, like decorations placed without any aesthetic care.
I closed my eyes for a moment, massaging my temple.
"…Waaah… now it's a Slime."
Because of course. Because after chimeras, orc-zombie monsters, long-tongued creatures, and tubes of organs, _why not_ add a giant slime that looked ready to dissolve anything entering its room?
I stepped forward a little, watching the liquid move as if trying to greet me.
'This feels like playing a survival game that mixes every genre,' I thought. 'I should get a mental bonus from the system after this.'
Just as I was preparing to release Qi again, the blue liquid trembled strongly—as if fully aware of my presence.
The blue liquid began shaking even harder, its surface forming unnatural waves—as if something inside was evaluating my existence like I was an appetizer.
I raised my hand, gathering Qi in my palm, trying to judge whether pure energy could pressure something like this. Usually, dense enough energy could make any monster retreat, even one born from failed experiments.
"All right, let's try a standard attack first…"
I swung my hand forward, releasing a wave of Qi condensed like a formless blade. The attack hit the slime dead center—
—and was absorbed.
The wave vanished instantly, swallowed by the blue mass as if it had never happened.
I blinked twice.
"…Hee?"
The slime rumbled, its surface twitching—as if it _enjoyed_ what it just devoured.
"…Okay. I don't like that," I muttered while stepping back half a step.
I tried another method. Qi shifted into a denser form. I condensed the energy into a kind of air blade, then slashed from a distance—
and again my attack was _absorbed_, even faster than before.
The slime shuddered, then suddenly extended part of its body like a liquid tentacle shooting toward me. Fast.
I jumped to the side. The tentacle hit the metal wall—
_WHAM!_
And the wall dented like it was struck by a giant sledgehammer.
"…So its physical strength is high too, huh? Seriously?"
Two more tentacles emerged, shooting forward with random but rapid movements—
I leaped, twisted my body, using Qi _only_ to strengthen myself physically, not as an attack.
Because clearly now: this creature absorbed anything thrown at it.
"Great…" I muttered bitterly.
The slime puffed up, then condensed part of its liquid into three elongated projectiles. Floating… then fired at me like bullets.
I ducked, spun, and jumped—trained movements saving my life from the liquid bullets that, when hitting the floor behind me, melted the concrete until it smoked.
"Corrosive projectiles!"
The creature slammed the floor, making the entire room echo. The blue liquid spread out, forming a half-solid dome trying to swallow the room—and me—whole.
I quickly retreated, throwing myself out of its reach.
'Okay… this is getting annoying.'
I focused Qi in my legs, dashing quickly around the room, looking for an opening. Every time the slime swung a tentacle or fired liquid projectiles, it lost a little mass—but quickly reabsorbed the liquid on the floor, restoring itself.
Fast regeneration. Energy attacks useless.
The slime suddenly expanded like a giant balloon—then _exploded_ part of its surface in all directions, scattering small droplets of blue liquid that sizzled on the floor.
I stared at the slime crawling forward like a blue tsunami fueled by personal hatred. Every small movement produced wet sounds that made my skin crawl—not out of fear, but because I knew well that if one more drop touched me… well, I'd go home with holes in my clothes and skin like it was ironed.
I exhaled deeply.
"…All right. If energy can't be used, then I have to use another method."
The slime raised part of its body, forming three liquid tentacles stretching like elastic whips. They quivered, waiting for me to move. Waiting for prey to approach.
I myself lowered my stance slightly, preparing. Qi flowed thinly through my body, only to strengthen muscles—without becoming an attack, without becoming slime food.
"Full physical focus…" I muttered. "Don't turn Qi into a snack."
But as I looked at the blue creature, an idea flashed through my mind. Not a good idea, not a stupid one… more like a _desperate_ idea that sometimes gives the best results.
If not Qi… what about _magic_?
I lowered my gaze briefly to my finger. The Ifrit ring glowed softly—burning red like embers buried for a long time.
"Oh right… I have this."
I raised my hand.
In an instant, flames burst from the ring, coating my palm like a glove forged in hell. The heat was intense—yet controlled. Then I threw it toward the slime like tossing a flaming baseball.
_WOOSHH!_
The fire struck the blue liquid's surface. And for the first time since entering this room, the slime reacted _seriously_.
_PSSSSHHHH!!!_
Thick white steam billowed. The slime's surface churned violently, as if trying to flee from the heat evaporating its body.
"Ha!" I exclaimed, relief flooding in. "Got you!"
I threw another one. And another. The flames struck, the slime shook violently, retreating slightly while making a sound like someone boiling soup for far too long.
'Good. Fire works. Magic works. Noted.'
But then another idea emerged, far more interesting—slightly insane, extremely dangerous… and because of that, it felt like the _right_ idea for this situation.
If pure fire worked… what if I _combined_ it?
Demonic Qi.
Dark energy that flowed like thick ink from the core of my body. Energy that wasn't entirely mine, but had fused with me ever since I entered this world.
I stared at the slime, which was still panting… fluidly.
With a small smile—one that honestly looked more like a reckless man than a strategist—I raised my hand again.
"If fire alone works…" I whispered softly, "…how about we season it a little?"
Qi inside my body trembled. Not ordinary Qi—but Demonic Qi.
Thick black energy flowed into my arm, gathering in my palm that still burned red with Ifrit's flame.
The fire reacted.
Its color darkened slightly. Thicker. More… dangerous.
Like hellfire in murim style.
"All right…" I grunted quietly, gauging the distance as I prepared to throw. "Let's try not to blow up in my face."
The slime, as if understanding the challenge was aimed at it, raised its tentacles again. Its liquid body trembled, reflecting blue light like an angry night sky.
I dashed forward—making the dumbest and boldest decision at the same time. My hand thrust forward, dark flame swirling in my palm, ready to throw it directly into the slime's body.
And of course…
…that was a very bad decision.
_BOOOOOM!!!_
Not a simple explosion. Not a small burst. What exploded was the _room_, the _floor_, the _walls_, and possibly the reputation of every architect who ever worked on this mansion.
The floor collapsed. The walls shattered. The experimental tubes jolted, their contents bursting, everything exploding like a horror-themed fireworks show.
I didn't even have time to curse. Only enough time for one brief thought:
'Ah. It exploded.'
Then the world turned white.
...
"Damn…"
I pushed a large chunk of debris off my waist and sat up slowly, dust rising around me like a cheap slow-motion action movie effect.
I stared at the rubble that used to be a grand mansion. Now… only the skeleton of a building gnawed by time and thrashed by an explosion remained.
'I didn't expect the blast force to be this strong.'
I rubbed the back of my head, which somehow remained intact.
'Looks like I'll have to be careful using this from now on. Otherwise, I might get accused of bombing a country.'
I stood up, brushing off the dust from my murim outfit which—miraculously—was only slightly torn. I circulated Qi through my body, trying to sense if there was any sign of life nearby.
As my Qi spread, I felt something. Weak—very weak. A small life force, like a flickering light about to go out.
From ahead.
I walked toward it, descending through the debris, checking the cracks in the split floor. There was something there… something small, blinking like a dying lamp.
Then my foot nudged something soft.
"What…?"
I looked down.
Amid chunks of concrete and thick dust lay something unmistakable—a blue mass of liquid now only the size of a handball.
The slime.
Or more precisely, the remains of that slime.
Its body had shrunk drastically, trembling weakly, as if it had lost all the arrogance it showed before.
"…Hah."
I let out a long breath and stared at the tiny blob that now looked more like failed jelly than a monster capable of dissolving someone alive.
"So you're still alive."
The slime quivered faintly—as if answering.