Chapter 1: I Died, Turned into an Axolotl, and Now I Live in a Tank in Hell

“…”

Darkness. Silence. A strange floaty feeling.

This wasn’t what I expected from death. I always imagined a bright light, a staircase, maybe some old guy in robes judging me.

Instead, I was suspended in an endless black void, swaying gently as if underwater.

No. Not as if.

I was underwater.

I flailed my limbs—stubby, short, too soft. My tail swished without grace.

Wait.

Tail?

I looked down (somehow) and saw pale pink stubs where my arms should be. Gills frilled like seaweed near my cheeks. My body was… tube-shaped?

No.

I was a—

“Axolotl…?” I tried to say, but nothing came out. No mouth. No voice. Just bubbles.

My entire death was already a blur, but I recalled something about trying to rescue a kid's toy from a pond... falling in… choking on algae…

A tragically pathetic ending.

And now I was… this?

“Oh no, oh no no no—I messed up again, didn’t I!?”

A voice echoed from above. A soft, panicked, distinctly divine voice.

Light bloomed. A woman descended like a falling star—elegant, shimmering, and clearly in distress. She wore flowing robes stitched with celestial constellations and had lilac hair tied in looping braids that defied gravity.

The way she clutched her clipboard screamed bureaucratic overtime.

She stopped just above me and squinted.

“Oh no. A human soul got assigned a beast body again. That’s the third time this week. I swear, ever since the Phoenix Systems Division started outsourcing…”

She flipped a few papers, sighed, then clapped her hands together.

“Ahem. Hello, recently deceased soul! I am the Goddess of Reincarnation! I deeply, deeply apologize for the inconvenience of your current… aquatic form. There was a mix-up during your soul transfer.”

I blew more bubbles.

She gave me a look of pity mixed with professional embarrassment.

“Don’t worry. I can’t turn you back into a human—not yet anyway—but I can grant you a divine gift to balance the scales. You know, compensation for the trauma and... slime.”

She reached into a pocket dimension (conveniently shaped like a glittering filing cabinet), rummaged around, and pulled out a small, shimmering object.

“This,” she declared, “is the Earring of Absolute Truth! It reveals the stats and hidden traits of anyone you gaze at. Kind of like... an appraisal skill, but shiny. I tuned it so even an axolotl could understand it.”

She gently lowered the earring to me. I didn’t have ears, but as soon as it touched my frills, it clicked into place like it belonged.

A faint glow pulsed. Data floated before my vision:

Name: ???
Species: Axolotl (??? Soul Fusion)
Magical Power: 0.4
Innate Power: Predation (Temporarily Sealed)
Status: Wet and Confused

“How cute,” she said. “Now, as for your reincarnation location… well, I was supposed to send you to the beginner’s forest, but considering your current… helplessness… I think it’s safer to place you somewhere guarded.”

A spinning wheel appeared next to her labeled “Reincarnation Zones.” The choices were things like Friendly Villager Farm, Beginner Slime Swamp, Dungeon Cleaning Reservoir, and—

“Demon Queen’s Aquarium!?” I screamed internally.

Too late. The wheel stopped spinning. Ding!

“Oh. Looks like you’re going to be the Demon Queen’s pet now. But don’t worry, she’s actually quite sweet when she’s not vaporizing armies.”

Before I could protest with my big axolotl eyes, the void collapsed, and I felt myself fall—

SPLASH.

The world came back in a burst of light and color.

I was in a massive obsidian palace with stained-glass windows filtering hellish sunlight. Around me bubbled a pristine tank of enchanted water. Crystals lined the glass. It smelled faintly of roses and blood.

A shadow loomed above.

Long horns. Crimson eyes. Skin like moonlight wrapped in velvet darkness.

The Demon Queen herself.

Name: Sylvia Veo Lucifera (Base Form)
Magical Power: 3,500+ (Holding Back Significantly)
Species: Archdemon (Peak Royalty)
Mood: Melancholy and Curious

...I was in danger.

But instead of devouring me or using me as potion ingredients, she just smiled and tapped the glass gently.

“You’re awake,” she said, voice smooth as wine. “Little one, I’ve decided to name you ‘Blob’.”

Blob!?

“You look like a squishy blob. It suits you.”

I sulked.

“You’ll be safe here,” she added, sitting beside the tank and reading a scroll. “Nobody would dare hurt something I own.”

Safe? Maybe. But dignity? Dead.

Days passed like that. Sylvia occasionally fed me glowing shrimp and ranted to me about politics.

I had no idea what she was saying, but I nodded and did cute flips.

Then… it happened.

One night, the palace shook.

Guards screamed. Something roared. Magic flared.

A cloaked figure burst into the chamber—tattered, monstrous, leaking dark red mist.

“SYLVIA!” the rogue demon snarled. “Your reign ends—ghk!”

He didn’t finish.

The Demon Queen sighed, rose from her throne, and flicked her wrist. A thousand blades of light eviscerated the attacker in an instant.

Blood sprayed—everywhere.

Including… into my tank.

Foreign Essence Detected
Demon Blood Absorbed
Evolution Catalyst: Triggered

Oh no.

Oh no oh no oh no—

My body burned. My stubby limbs stretched. My tail lengthened. My head spun. Gills pulsed with arcane energy.

Evolution Commencing…
New Form Unlocked: Lesser Demon Axolotl
Magical Power: 0.4 -> 42 

Innate Power: Predation (Unsealed)

Status: Exhausted (Magical Power Overload) 

I exploded out of the water in a geyser of light.

Sylvia blinked.

“…Blob?”

I growled.

Then flopped back into the tank, winded but victorious.

“Interesting,” she mused. “Looks like you’re not so ordinary after all.”