From that day on I did a very similar routine.

I would wake up, eat and then clean the first floor of all but one of the slimes.

I would then repeat my method from before and boil it until only the core was left.

I’d sell my wares, buy new supplies and the tiniest of luxuries if I had the money to spare and then I’d go back and train. I’d do push ups, sit ups, running and slashing.

I added some basic kicks and punches to my training routine.

Straights, jabs, hooks, corkscrews, axes, and any other simple martial art technique.

Anything to kill time while pushing my body to the limit.

I’d exhaust most of my physical stamina and then practice magic until my mana was drained.

I gained levels rather slowly from this point on, so I made sure to train in the space between with extra vigour and effort in the hopes it’d pay off even more down the line.

Day in and day out. The exact same thing. Over and over.

The alcove in the cave I used as my bed slowly developed into a bedroom.

I bought bits and pieces until I had made a rather fluffy sleeping bag.

When I got to level 15,I learned Solution Sphere. It’s pretty much a water ball.

At level 20, I learned Grazing Gale. It’s mainly used as a razor-sharp blade of wind but it can still make a decent gust if I wanted it to.

Using all my magic together I was able to clean and dry my clothes and things.

I lived this life. Killing, training and sleeping.

An endless cycle where my spirit was slowly molded into a machine that carried out these duties for the purpose of gaining levels.

1 Year Later.

Maki Hibiki Lv30

Skills:

1H Swords Lv42

1H Skill Lv42

Slash Lv55

Punch Lv 23

Kick Lv 20

Spell Slots:

Fireball - Variations: Burst, Detonation, Rapid Fire

Blasting Bolt - Variations: Discharge, Rebellion, Judgement, Static Shock, Zap

Solution Sphere - Variations: Alkaline Arrow, Acid Assault, Mist Manifest, Gushing Geyser

Grazing Gale- Variations: Tearing Typhoon, Turbulent Tornado, Howling Hurricane

Empty Spell Slot

Empty Spell Slot

Techniques:

Explosive Edge

Carving Cyclone

Blitzing Blade

Gelatinous Guillotine

It took me a whole year but I finally made it.

Level 30. I was three times as powerful as I was when I entered the second floor for the first time.

Now I was ready. I was safe. I could take this tiny semblance of risk without fear.

The hair on my head and my face had grown quite a lot. I must look like some hobo who can’t afford a haircut.

Or maybe a kung fu master who is doomed to be murdered in front of his apprentice.

I snort and chuckle as I readied myself for what was about to come next.

I stood over the stairs. I took a deep breath. It was time.

I descend back into a familiar dimming darkness with sword in hand.

I slaughter all the slimes I see. I reach the large circular room from before where I fought the hand. I stayed still a few seconds just waiting. I hear a slight hissing and rumbling. They come.

Must be at least a hundred slimes. They attack me from all directions yet again.

I tear them apart. They regroup. They form four slime hands and cautiously block off the exits.

The first move is mine to make. I smile.

“Explosive Edge!”

Consecutive explosion fuelled slashes! I slice all the cores in half of the slime hand behind me.

It breaks apart almost instantly and I ran back the way I came now that the path was opened.

They chase me. Just the way I wanted them to. I pivot and point with my left hand.

“Bolting Blast.” This time I focus only on my left arm. I draw the picture in my mind.

A flash. A single shock of inspiration that could end millions of lives.

Lightning is more than just a natural phenomenon. It’s the very idea and essence of speed matched with power. A current that can destroy, build and revolutionize the whole world.

Any world. It is potential unmatched and then released at the opportune moment.

Divine Destruction.

Free and unbound even by the heavens.

The purple bolt surges that overflows from my entire hand is enormous. It covers and consumes the whole tunnel I had just walked out of. It disappeared as quickly as it had come.

My left arm dropped down. It was quite numb from that but over time of using this spell, I’ve become accustomed to that feeling. I’m able to endure that sensation of weight and leverage it so I can fire several more times without holding back.

My pursuers were fried into goop. Sure, I lost out on some cores but I was getting enough to eat through the first floor anyway, losing out on a bonus wasn’t that painful.

I walk through the path of destruction I had crafted. The ground was singed black.

I go deeper. Past the room that I was stopped at before. Down further into the abyss.

The tunnel had several more small slimes but they were easily taken out the old fashioned way.

Marching onwards until there was a much stronger light at the end of my path.

A wide-stretching open area.

Overflowing and abundant with what seemed to be hundreds of slimes.

They sense me and leap to dissolve me. They attach to my body like pests.

I walk through the swarm of jelly without a care in the world. My body stung just a little from their acidic bites but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle or care about.

Don’t stop. Don’t be held back by less than mild annoyances and hindrances.

Get to where you need to go. Even if others try to drag you down, fight it and struggle.

It’s all over when you give up and fail to get up. It’s okay to fail. It’s alright to know defeat.

It is never okay to throw in the towel, if you want the prize, you’ll need to claw for it.

Bite for it. Scream and shout. Struggle Struggle. Struggle.

I’m in the middle now...

This enormous room within the earth that could rival the Tokyo Dome.

Perfect. My entire body is covered by the slimes and many are waiting to leap onto if they see a single spot uncovered. I’m basically bathing in these blue gooey fuckers.

I close my eyes and smirk with a slasher’s smile.

Incinerate.

Turn it all into ash.

Paint the world in the colours of the sun and then scorch it all into black and let the grey ash of extinction fall from the skies above and snuff out the air needed to breathe.

Consume it all.

The world is simply kindling to me.

Meaningless things that will feed my fire.

My burning will shall roar until I’m at the peak, alone and untouchable.

I say goodbye to my weakness and pain.

I greet my new found strength with open arms.

Opening my eyes I release the mana building within.

“Fireball: Ferocious Flares!”

From my body comes a dome of fire that cleanses it of the vermin latching on to me.

It grows. Second by second. Inch by inch. The diameter and its power multiplies as it spirals out of my form and starts to devour all that dared to stand before its presence.

Then the sphere of destruction stars spitting out whip-like lashes of molten coloured oblivion.

Until my sight became a pure flurry of red, white and yellow.

Then nothing but white.

When the spell was over I stood in the centre of that wide stretched out room.

Every inch of it was burnt black. Not a single drop of evidence that a slime exists remained.

I was alone. Alone with the mess I made.

I couldn’t be happier.