DxD: DO System Chapter 33

Chapter 33: A Little Friend

Issei blinked a few times and the little creature blinked back.

He crouched down to get a closer look. The tiny thing tried to lift itself off the ground but flopped back down, clearly struggling.

They just stared at each other, both equally curious.

<Congratulations! You’ve completed a hidden quest!>


<Quest Completed: Draw a Bond! 

Find a creature that wants to form a bond with you!>


<Rewards Acquired: Familiar Mark>


<Familiar Mark: Lets you form bonds with supernatural creatures and take them in as familiars. Bonds are created by giving the creature a name.>

“It’s… a slime?” Rias said, sounding both surprised and amused. “Isn’t it odd for a slime to approach a man instead of a woman?”

Slimes were infamous pranksters, especially around women. They loved using their acidic properties to dissolve clothes and ruin makeup.

“It is a slime,” Zatouji muttered, squinting. “But this one’s… different.”

It was different. For one, it was tiny—barely the size of Issei’s shoe. And instead of the usual red or yellow, this one was a soft, shimmering blue.



What made it even stranger was that this slime was drawn to Issei. Normally, slimes avoided men altogether.

Then, to everyone’s shock, the slime clung to Issei’s shoe and started rubbing against it. Its body shifted colors right before their eyes.

“It turned white?” Akeno gasped. “I’ve never seen a slime do that.”

“Neither have I,” Zatouji admitted. Even he, a devil who’d spent most of his life in the familiar forest, had never seen anything like it.

‘This isn’t normal, is it, kid?’ Ddraig’s voice echoed in Issei’s mind.

‘Yeah… no, definitely not.’

<Race: Mutated Growth Slime>

<Class: Foundation-Low Class>

It was laughably low class, but Issei couldn’t help feeling drawn to it. Besides, it was the first mutated creature he’d ever seen.

“Cuuu!” the slime squeaked, startling everyone.

“I… don’t think I’ve ever heard a slime make a sound,” Kiba said, clearly puzzled. “They usually just… squish around.”

“How is it even making noise?” Koneko asked, frowning. “It doesn’t have a mouth. And what’s with those weird patterns?”

Sure enough, the slime’s body had faint white patterns that shifted as its color changed.

‘How do I form a bond?’ Issei wondered, petting the tiny creature. He figured it might work like his other skills.

And he was right.

<Would you like to form a bond with Mutated Growth Slime? Yes/No>

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Akeno said. “Slimes aren’t useful in battles or scouting.”

“I agree,” Rias added. “They’re cute, sure, but you only get one bond unless you’re High-Class. Choose carefully.”

That wasn’t an issue for Issei. His skill didn’t limit how many familiars he could have. The problem was that familiars chose their masters, so he couldn’t just go around taming everything in the forest.

‘What are you thinking, kid?’ Ddraig asked. ‘They’re not wrong, but you don’t need familiars for strength. Pick something you actually like.’

Issei couldn’t help but smile. Ddraig had a way of cutting through the noise, and he realized he genuinely liked this little blob.

“I think I’ll stick with this guy,” he said, grinning at the semi-solid blob. “I’ve only been around it for a moment, and I already like it.”

He turned to Zatouji. “Do slimes even have genders?”

“Nope,” Zatouji said. “Calling it ‘it’ is fine.”

Issei nodded but didn’t feel right just calling it ‘it.’

“Okay, little guy,” he said, leaning closer. “What do you want to be? A boy or a girl?”

“Cuuu?”

“Huh, you’re cute enough to be a girl, but I’ll call you a him,” Issei decided, much to everyone else’s amusement.

“Are you sure?” Rias asked, raising an eyebrow.

“More than sure,” Issei replied confidently.

Rias sighed. “Well, if you’re that determined, do you want me to teach you the chant to form a bond?”

‘Ddraig, back me up here,’ Issei thought. Out loud, he said, “I’m good. Ddraig already taught me how.”

Over time, Ddraig had learned to pick up on new abilities Issei unlocked, and the two had gotten better at coordinating.

“Draconic bonds are strong,” Ddraig assured the group, his voice brimming with confidence. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Well, you learn something new every day,” Zatouji chuckled.

While everyone else processed the idea of dragon bonding, Issei focused on the slime in front of him.

‘Yes, I want to form a familiar bond with the Mutated Growth Slime,’ Issei confirmed, sealing his choice.

“Well then, little guy,” Issei said with a gentle smile. “From now on, I’ll call you Cuddles.”

<Cuddles has been registered as the name for Mutated Growth Slime.>

<Congratulations! You have acquired your first familiar!>

<New category added: Familiars>

<Familiars: Cuddles (+)>

The group watched as the slime radiated a vibrant array of colors before settling into a calm, steady blue.

“I didn’t think a guy would name his familiar something so… adorable,” Akeno teased, her lips curling into an amused smile.

Issei, distracted by the new system message, barely registered her comment.

<Information regarding Familiars can be acquired by expanding the (+) option.>

<Familiars can be called and dismissed.>

He figured this meant Cuddles would go to the System’s space, like Ddraig and his equipment. For now, though, his curiosity was piqued by Cuddles’ stats.

[Cuddles’ Status]

<Name: Cuddles>

<Age: 1 Month>

<Race: Mutated Growth Slime>

<Class: Foundation-Low Class>

<Abilities: Devour, Expand, Morph, Solidify>

<Equipment: None>

“You good, Issei?” Kiba asked, still busy tending to the tortoise nearby.

“Yeah,” Issei replied with a nod. “I just want to figure out Cuddles a bit. Feel free to keep exploring.”

“I can show Lady Gremory the tiger cubs from last time,” Zatouji offered. “They’ve grown quite a bit since then.”

Rias glanced between Issei and Kiba, letting out a small sigh. “I guess you two will take your time, so I’ll take the girls to see the cubs.”

“Sure thing,” Issei said absentmindedly, his attention glued to the system messages.

“Certainly, President,” Kiba added, still rubbing the tortoise’s shell.

Unbeknownst to the others, Issei was staring at something new on his interface.

<Congratulations! You have unlocked all the categories of Stage One! The System is ready to upgrade to Stage Two!>

<Upgrading the system will render it inaccessible for 24 hours. Would you like to upgrade now? Yes/No>

‘You see this, Ddraig?’ Issei asked, his attention fixed on the glowing system message.

‘I can’t see it, kid,’ Ddraig replied, his tone calm but curious. ‘But I can feel it. The system’s trying to evolve. The white space keeps pushing to expand but just can’t get there.’

<Upgrading the system will not affect the ability of using the Boosted Gear. However, it will limit the gear to only skills and communication for the duration.>


‘Well, that’s a relief, not like there is anything other than that the gear is used for.' Issei thought, but he decided to hold off for now. Upgrading the system could wait until he was home and alone.

He selected No.

<System Upgrade postponed! Host can upgrade it anytime with a thought!>

“Later,” he muttered to himself. There were still a few things he wanted to figure out first—like the skills of his new slime companion.

<Devour: Allows Cuddles to consume any physical item, organic or inorganic, converting it into energy. Consumption time depends on the item’s complexity and nature.>

<Expand: Allows Cuddles to grow larger by burning available energy.>

<Morph: Allows Cuddles to take on any shape, provided it doesn’t defy the laws of reality.>

<Solidify: Allows Cuddles to harden its body, even while using other skills. The hardened form is ten times tougher than tungsten.>

Issei couldn’t help but grin at the way the system explained Cuddles’ abilities. It felt oddly personal. The descriptions used Cuddles’ name, but when it came to his own skills, the system just used You or Host.

‘The system says Cuddles doesn’t have any equipment,’ he noted. ‘Which means he can have equipment. I just need to figure out what kind.’

‘Not a lot of choices there,’ Ddraig chuckled. ‘The little guy doesn’t even have arms or legs.’

‘True,’ Issei sighed. ‘We’ll worry about that later.’

“Cuu?”

Issei chuckled and picked up the slime, surprised by how easy it was to hold. It didn’t slip out of his hands or leave any stains. “You’re adorable, Cuddles. And pretty strong too, huh?”

Sure, Cuddles’ abilities wouldn’t hold up against high-level threats. Any High-Class being could probably destroy the little blob with ease. But Cuddles was only a month old and already had some impressive skills. Plus, the potential to equip him opened up all kinds of possibilities.

‘You know what I’m thinking, right, Ddraig?’

‘You’re thinking you don’t need a weapon with this little guy by your side,’ Ddraig replied. ‘And maybe he can give you an edge against that bird devil.’

Issei wasn’t entirely convinced, but he knew Cuddles could prove useful.

‘Status open,’ he thought.

[Status]

<Name: Issei Hyoudou>

<Age: 17 Years>

<Race: Reincarnated Devil>

<Rank: Core-Middle Class>

<Gear: Boosted Gear (Stage 1)>

<Abilities: Draconic Eyes, Draconic Physique, Boost, Dragon Shot, Penetrate, Dragon Breath, Hokuto Shinken, Draconic Detect, Flight, Dragon Pheromones, Dragon’s Vigor, Dragon’s Cleave, Dragon Scales, Demonic Power, Contract Making, Familiar Mark>

<Equipments: Lasso of Truth>

<Familiars: Cuddles (+)>

<Magic: Demonic Magic>

‘Just a little more, and you’ll be at the peak of Middle-Class,’ Ddraig pointed out. ‘You’re close.’

Issei nodded. If he could push himself to Peak-Middle Class, he’d have a real chance against that Phenex brat. He already felt he could win, but he didn’t have a solid counter to the Phenex bloodline’s unique abilities.

‘We’ll figure something out,’ he thought, smiling as he hugged the little slime closer. ‘We’ve got this, Cuddles.’

Nearby, Kiba was just as smitten with his own familiar. The two of them stayed in the clearing for another hour, laughing and playing with their new companions.

_______________________________________________________________


[[A/N: Boom! The first stage of the System is now complete. And yes, there is a lot of story behind the system which we will discover with time. But for now, we got CUDDLES!

Inspiration to have a slime familiar came from Eminence in the Shadow.]]