After experiencing the power he had gained simply through World Attunement, Sirzechs couldn’t help but feel pleased with his decision.
The discoveries he had made were far beyond his expectations.
The various skills he had obtained were practical, versatile, and incredibly useful in everyday combat and utility situations. More importantly, they complemented his existing abilities perfectly, filling many gaps that he hadn’t even realized existed.
The Unique Skills, however, were on an entirely different level.
The moment they had been granted, an instinctive understanding of their basic functions appeared within his mind.
Power of Destruction had undergone a qualitative evolution.
Previously, his destructive energy was capable of annihilating matter, energy, souls, and even space itself. But now, under the laws of the Cardinal World, it had been elevated even further.
At its current level, it possessed the ability to destroy concepts themselves.
The extent of that power was still limited, and he would need time to fully understand its applications, but the mere possibility was terrifying.
As for Spatial Sovereignty, it was every bit as absurd as its name suggested.
Teleportation, which previously required calculations and energy expenditure, had become as effortless as breathing.
Space itself obeyed his will.
He could twist it.
Compress it.
Expand it.
Seal it.
Bind enemies in place.
Create dimensional barriers.
Or simply fold space and appear anywhere within his perception.
And those were merely the uses he had discovered within the first few minutes.
Many more possibilities continued to emerge as he experimented.
After spending some time familiarizing himself with his new abilities and amusing himself with various tests, Sirzechs finally began exploring the cave properly.
Along the way, he collected several clusters of Hipokte Herbs, rare medicinal plants commonly used in potion-making.
Fortunately, Spatial Sovereignty granted him access to an internal storage dimension, allowing him to store everything he found without inconvenience.
He also gathered several chunks of high-quality magic ore scattered throughout the cavern.
During his exploration, he encountered many of the monsters that Rimuru would eventually meet in the original story.
Giant bats.
Venomous serpents.
Various magical monsters.
Unfortunately for them, facing a newly evolved Demon Peer was no different from challenging a natural disaster.
None survived long enough to pose any real threat.
Hours passed as he wandered through the immense cave system.
Eventually, using Spatial Perception and his heightened senses, he located the overwhelming aura of the Storm Dragon Veldora.
Even sealed away, the dragon’s presence was impossible to miss.
The sheer density of magicules radiating from him was like a miniature sun hidden beneath the earth.
Knowing where Veldora was, Sirzechs chose not to approach immediately.
Instead, he continued exploring until he eventually arrived at a vast underground lake.
The moment he saw it, recognition flashed across his face.
This was the very lake where Rimuru had fallen shortly after his reincarnation.
Finding the place strangely peaceful, Sirzechs sat near the shore and relaxed for a while.
The water reflected the glowing crystals embedded throughout the cavern ceiling, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
For some time, he simply enjoyed the tranquility.
Then—
A small blue slime bounced into his field of vision.
Sirzechs blinked.
The slime hopped left.
Then right.
Then directly toward the lake.
Without any apparent awareness of its surroundings, it promptly launched itself into the water.
Splash.
The slime immediately began sinking.
Sirzechs watched the scene with amusement.
Several moments later—
WHOOSH!
The slime suddenly burst out of the lake at astonishing speed before flying straight into a nearby rock.
Thud!
The impact caused it to bounce backward and wobble unsteadily.
Sirzechs stared for a second.
Then he chuckled.
Looking at the future Supreme Chaos Creator, the being who would one day shake the entire Cardinal World, it was difficult to imagine that this clumsy little creature would become such a terrifying existence.
Right now, it was simply an adorable slime with absolutely no sense of direction.
Amusement filled his eyes as he walked forward.
The slime didn’t seem to noticed his approach.
Without saying anything, he bent down and gently picked it up.
Then promptly froze.
Completely still.
As if pretending to be an ordinary, harmless slime.
Sirzechs almost laughed.
The slime remained motionless in his hands.
He lightly stroked its smooth surface.
The texture was surprisingly pleasant.
Soft.
Cool.
Squishy.
Comfortable to touch.
The slime jiggled slightly under his fingers.
And for some reason, Sirzechs found the sensation oddly relaxing.
"Well now," he muttered with a smile.
"So a special Monster huh?"
....
Rimuru’s POV
Hm, hm... oya oya...
Rimuru bounced happily through the cavern, his translucent blue body wobbling with every jump.
I have absolutely no idea where I’m going, but this slime body is surprisingly convenient.
He paused for a moment before continuing his internal monologue.
I don’t feel hungry. I don’t feel sleepy. I don’t even get tired.
Being a slime might not be so bad after all.
The former salaryman desperately tried to reassure himself.
After all, he had died a painful death and awakened as a blob of jelly.
That wasn’t exactly the reincarnation fantasy he had imagined.
Still—
At least he was alive.
Just as he was busy convincing himself that everything was perfectly fine, the ground beneath him suddenly disappeared.
"Eh?"
That single eloquent word was all he managed before plunging straight into the underground lake below.
Splash!
The water swallowed him whole.
For several seconds, Rimuru simply sank.
Then panic kicked in.
AHHHHH!
I’m drowning!
I’m actually drowning!
I died once already! Don’t tell me I’m going to die again before I even get to experience this new life!
I haven’t even done anything yet!
I’m still a virgin!
The slime flailed mentally as he continued descending deeper into the water.
A calm, emotionless voice suddenly interrupted his panic.
<Report. Slimes do not require oxygen to survive.>
<Conclusion. Drowning is impossible.>
Rimuru froze.
"...Oh."
A brief silence followed.
"...Right."
He wasn’t human anymore.
He was a slime.
And slimes didn’t breathe.
Which meant—
He wasn’t dying.
The panic instantly vanished.
Wait...
If I’m not drowning, then how am I supposed to get out of here?
Rimuru began thinking.
Then another idea struck him.
Hold on.
Can’t I store things inside my body?
Like some kind of inventory?
The moment the thought appeared, he instinctively opened a large mouth-like opening in his gelatinous body.
The surrounding water rushed toward him.
WHOOOOOSH!
Massive amounts of water disappeared into his stomach.
Rimuru’s body expanded dramatically.
Then—
"SPIT IT OUT!"
BOOOOOM!
The compressed water blasted from his body like a cannon.
The resulting force launched him from the lake at incredible speed.
"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Rimuru shot through the air like a living missile.
Unfortunately—
He had absolutely no control over his trajectory.
The cave walls blurred past him.
Crystals flashed by.
Rocks narrowly missed him.
"W-WAIT!"
"HOW DO I BRAKE?!"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
The slime continued hurtling forward at frightening speed.
Then he spotted something.
THUD!
Rimuru slammed into the rocky surface with a loud thud.
His body wobbled violently before flopping onto the ground.
For several seconds he remained completely still.
Then a single thought appeared in his mind.
I meant to do that.
His gelatinous body splattering slightly from the impact.
"Owwww..."
Not that it lasted for long.
The damage quickly disappeared as his body regenerated almost instantly, restoring him to perfect condition.
Amazing.
Being a slime is actually kind of broken.
Just as he was preparing to continue his completely directionless exploration of the cave, something unexpected happened.
He was suddenly lifted off the ground.
Rimuru froze.
His body became completely motionless.
Eh?
Eh?
EH?!
He could feel himself being held by what were unmistakably human hands.
Panic immediately filled his mind.
A person!
There’s a person here!
What do I do?!
Should I run?
Can I even run?
Wait, would that make me look suspicious?
Unable to come up with a good answer, Rimuru chose what he considered the safest option.
He played dead.
Or rather—
He played slime.
Completely still.
Not moving even a little.
....
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