Two weeks have gone by since I arrived in the village of Ogres and have found them to be peaceful days filled with hunting, gathering, and training. Wanting to work while I stayed, I joined the hunters and took the dangerous game head-on while they supported me from the rear. The small agile animals needed more than brute strength to capture and so I learned on my first day out how to set up traps. Which were used to attract the larger game as the Ogres were not satisfied with bagging small fries. That's partly why they took a liking to me, the strength of my body far exceeds theirs.
To see how well I did in an actual fight the old ogre had me face off against the red ogre and others there were interested at the time, including a busty ogre with a thick black horn poking out of her forehead. The purple tint of her skin matched her hair that was tied back in a ponytail. She was pretty attractive by Human standards. If there was a perfect target for [Lover's Embrace] she would be the one. I struck that thought from my mind and fought fairly every time we trained, using none of my skills. This made it a contest of strength and speed that I couldn't lose.
"He really is strong," The purple one was on the ground after I had punched her into another one of the Ogres.
The red one commented as he stood between us, "That's why I told you to be serious from the start."
"The young master is right," The old one said, stepping in from the sidelines. "It is vital that you properly evaluate your opponent. See what he possesses and figure out what is lacking."
"Hey, hey," I spoke up. "I don't mind training with them, but you're not seriously going to join the fight. I don't want you to throw your back out, old man."
The old ogre's aura leaked out as he drew his sword, "As a teacher it is only right I lead by example. Now let's begin."
It would have been more fun if they were all on the old man's level, the only one that came close was the red one. Surely, he trained under him for years. I don't know anything when it comes to swords, but his form looked similar to the old man's and so must have been good. Winding down, roasted boar was brought out for lunch by one of the Ogres. I had gotten used to the lack of flavors that I remembered from modern cooking. The village didn't produce any sauces or salt, though the small variety of fruits and vegetables helped. There isn't much in terms of entertainment either.
Asking the red one if there were any games he played when he was younger, I was given a look asking what I meant. So I thought of something simple they might have tried, arm-wrestling. A different way to test each other's strength. Bringing out a wooden box, I placed it between us and took his hand. With our elbows on the box, one holding it while the other grasps the opponents tightly, I gave him the rules, as simple as they were.
"The goal is simple, make the back of your opponent's hand touch the box. No skills. No more than one arm. Ready?" I smiled, seeing his interest in it.
He confidently answered, "Yes!"
"Then begin!" I shouted.
He immediately put all of his strength into it, with the force causing the box to crack beneath his elbow. To keep it from breaking completely, I ended the game. I was the only one he lost to, not counting the old man since he merely watched. The others had their chance against me, including the purple one. All of them met the same fate as the red one. From then on the people were more social with me and joined in. By the end of the day, everyone in the Ogre village knew about it and wanted to try it. I would have to wait before I could introduce any more games to them.
Multiple bonds established. Connection is too weak for Strong Bonds to take effect.
Or so the [Voice of The World] said. I asked that it only notify me when the bonds are strong enough, I didn't need to hear that all the time. While the Ogres may allow me to walk around their village, that didn't mean we were friends. A level of trust and fun was missing that's found between friends, and it appeared that the game helped. I should keep that in mind if I find someone I want to establish a bond with.
Near the end of the second week, I was on my way with the red one to be introduced directly to the chief and the princess of the Ogres. Their home was better in condition than the other homes in the village, however, it looked the same as the others, and was not needlessly decorated in a show of wealth. We would be speaking over dinner, where I would see for myself how reserved the princess was. This was made surprising as I learned that she was the sister of the red one. I couldn't tell from their appearance that they were siblings until the chief referred to them as his children. As when we sat down to eat the chief took the lead in speaking.
"We finally meet," His voice didn't falter as he spoke clearly, "I am the chief of the Ogres and the father of these two. I've heard from him that you've been a help to our village during your stay here and introduced a new game."
I slightly lowered my head, "It's the least I can do in exchange for the clothes and shelter I've been given."
"Hmm... Whether you know it or not, it is the nature of monsters to follow the one who is strong. However, that power attracts more than followers who come to rely on it, it attracts equally powerful enemies. That is why I requested my son to bring you here, I am requesting that you leave our village for a time," The chief said.
The red one spoke up, "Father, are you suggesting his presence will weaken us?"
"I am not suggesting, but stating a fact," The chief's eyes stayed on me as I lifted my head. "We are one of the powerful among those in the Jura Forest, we cannot become reliant on someone stronger. Do you understand?"
I nodded, "You're not saying you want me to never return, you simply don't want your people turning to me in their time of need," The chief nodded to my answer. "Alright then, I don't mind going on my way. I would like to travel and see if there are people who could use my strength for more than sparring practice." I playfully punched the red one.
"I'm glad to hear that," The chief replied, "You may return in the future if you so wish, simply do not overstay." In other, less friendly words, don't think about taking over as the leader of this place and bring the unwanted attention of those more powerful in the Jura Forest.
I nodded, "Speaking of the strong, who is the strongest in the Jura Forest?"
"The strongest individual would be Storm Dragon Veldora," He answered without hesitation.
I thought aloud, "Storm Dragon?" So this world has dragons.
The red one added, "He is one of four True Dragons, beings of another level."
"He sounds interesting, I'd like to meet him if possible, maybe pay respects to him since he's the strongest," I said, really just wanting to see what a dragon looks like in this world.
The chief laughed, "I don't know if you'll be able to do that, seeing as he was sealed long ago in the western part of the forest. You'll have to find the cave on your own if you're serious."
"I'll probably head west even if I don't. There's a lake in that direction, right? I'd like to take a trip there and see it," I then picked up the food and started eating.
I want to explore the forest more before going to a kingdom and this Storm Dragon sounds like an interesting stop along the way. If he really is sealed away then there shouldn't be a risk of us getting into a fight. Maybe we could even strike up a conversation if he can speak. I had a different obstacle to overcome first, socializing with the princess.
"I don't think I've seen you around the village," I tried to speak to her but her brother chimed in.
"She doesn't go outside that often, especially not when you first arrived," Her brother answered for her.
I tried to laugh it off and continue, "You must practice a lot of indoor crafts to stave off boredom."
Her father spoke up this time, "Don't underestimate her. She's learned to use magic that could put even you to sleep."
I stopped trying. After finishing my meal I thanked them again for their hospitality and told them I would return in the near future. The red one told me that I didn't need to leave immediately and that I could stay the night, but I politely declined. Walking outside, the sun was already setting and the other Ogres were turning in for the night. A soft smile crossed my face as I slowly passed each house and came closer to the edge of the village. I enjoyed my stay here. It was the right call to enter this forest after waking up in this new world.
Under the night sky, I walked with little hurry in my pace. Back on Earth, I had never gone hiking before, or spent so much time in the woods, having been born and raised in a woodless area. Sofia never had an interest in nature either. We both could enjoy the pleasant scenes, such as how the night sky gave the forest a calm yet eery air from the sounds of insects chirping. The longer I took the forest into view, looking through its assortment of trees, it seemed as though no branch hung low enough to touch me, and no bush stood in my way. Perhaps the trees heard what happened to the ones that got in my way last time.
That idea was supposed to be a joke. Then it occurred to me an hour into my walk that the unsettling air could be more than just the bugs making noise. There could be tree monsters and I probably killed a lot of them when I first arrived in the forest. Stopping for a bit, I looked around and examined the trees. They weren't moving, not any more than normal trees. Just to be on the safe side I walked over to one and placed a hand on it.
"Just saying, I didn't mean to hurt those trees. There's no need to worry now that I have better control of my speed," The air did not get any lighter. "This is just a regular tree, isn't it?"
Answer. Yes.
"You always give me the simple answers," Being alone again might already be getting to me. "Just in case, I should skip the trip to the lake and get out of the forest before the trees do turn on me."
With a big leap, I aimed to get a view above the forest to see what direction I was heading. The lake at the center of the forest and the mountains in the north helped more than just judging by the moon. That was another thing, I don't remember my eyes being so good. They adjusted to the darkness well and could easily see great distances. Falling back to the ground, I made sure no trees were harmed. That bush, however, was the one that decided to cushion my landing. Stupid bush, I was trying to be nicer to the trees and now I've probably made forest upset.
In fact, when I started running deeper into the forest, that sensation of unpleasantness that I felt couldn't have been produced by any mere tree. A new sense was starting to awaken as if I was feeling touch for the first time. I felt more aware of my actions and began to feel restrained. Believing the source could be dangerous to the Ogres, I continued running westward in its direction but it wasn't completely clear where it was coming from. Stopped for a moment to check my surroundings, I tried to focus on it and using that new feeling as a way to use that new sense.
The source was too far away, but as I continued to try I began to see more than just with my eyes. There was more around me in this forest than I first thought. I think I finally understand what the red ogre and the [Voice of The World] meant when they explained aura. When they brought up Magicules for the first time, I didn't fully understand what they were talking about, and while the red one didn't have the words for it, the [Voice of The World] explained it in a way that, while it made sense, I didn't care and wanted the simple answer. But now that I was feeling and seeing it in the air, it clicked.
Extra Skill: Magic Sense acquired. Would you like an explanation of the skill?
"Please and thank you," I sat down and listened, getting my mind off the eery feeling.
Magic Sense allows the user to perceive the surrounding magical energy known as Magicules in all directions. It also grants the ability to understand and express the intent of spoken words even if the language is unknown.
"That last part is kind of redundant because of [Listener of The Voice]," I commented.
Yes.
"Hmm, why didn't I learn this sooner at the Ogre village? And how would it react with [Darkness X]?" I asked. "It would be useful if I could sense areas that weren't immediately surrounding me."
Answer. The sense was subconsciously suppressed to prevent any effect caused by the notice of Magicules produced by the magic surging from Storm Dragon Veldora throughout the Jura Forest. Analyzing potential outcomes. The components that would be reversed would result in no useful benefit to the user. Therefore, skills Darkness X and Magic Sense are incompatible.
I rubbed my chin with intrigue, "So my mind is adjusting to the new senses of my body, I'll have to get used to it like I did with my speed and strength. And there are skills that don't work with [Darkness X]. [Magic Sense] is rather beneficial to its user to begin with." I tilted my head in a thinking matter. "Wait, if [Darkness X] reversed the user part to target then there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Reanalyzing potential outcomes. Tsk.
"Did you just click your tongue?" I asked.
No. Analysis complete. Use of Darkness X and Magic Sense would result in Extra Skill: Magic Jamming. Would you like to use it, yes or no? Reminder: Corruption will accumulate while Darkness X is active.
"I guess that depends, will I learn this skill if I use it once?" It could be useful.
Use of the skill Mind Library will permanently store the knowledge of the skill Magic Jamming.
"Alright then," I stood up. "[Darkness X Magic Sense]!"
Extra Skill: Magic Sense has been altered to Magic Jamming. The flow of Magicules in the nearby area has been disturbed. Perception of magic power temporarily unavailable while Magic Sense and Darkness X are in use together. Corruption has reached fifteen percent, no abnormalities detected.
"Abnormalities? You didn't mention that before," I said to the silence of the voice. "It's fine, thank you for the information. If the skill's knowledge has been stored in [Mind Libraray] deactivate [Darkness X] and use [Magic Sense]."
Knowledge of Magic Jamming has been stored. Darkness X has been deactivated. Perception of magic power has been restored. Extra Skill: Magic Jamming has been acquired.
"Hmm, if I do the same with [Paralysis Resistance] then I should get an offensive skill," I nodded. "Store the results in [Mind Library] like before, [Darkness X Paralysis Resistance]."
Understood. Analyzing potential outcomes. Analysis complete. Paralysis Resistance has changed to Paralyzing Touch. Knowledge of Common Skill: Paralyzing Touch has been stored. Corruption has reached sixteen percent, no abnormalities detected.
It only jumped up one whole point, [Magic Jamming] and [Mind Library] appeared to increase it more. That must mean it's not only how long I use [Darkness X], but immediately when I use it corruption occurs and is proportional to the power of the attached skill, which could be dangerous. I should make sure the level of corruption is checked during the analysis from now on.
"Okay, deactivate [Darkness X]," I continued. "And see if this corruption can be measured during the analysis please." I should be nice, I don't want the voice I'm stuck with to think I'm ungrateful for their help.
Darkness X has been deactivated. Corruption will be taken into analysis. Warning, time for analysis completion has been increased. Consideration recognized. Common Skill: Paralyzing Touch has been acquired. Would you like to use it, yes or no?
I shook my head, "No, that's alright. There's no one around to use it on. It's nice to have it, but I would like it if I could acquire skills that could help others more. Maybe healing magic is possible?"
No current condition makes the acquisition of healing magic possible at this time. Studying under a user of the technique may fulfill the conditions with Mind Library.
Poking my cheek, "It was worth asking since you wouldn't say anything if I didn't." The voice was quiet. "Yep, that."
Climbing into one of the trees and claiming it for a nap, I got as comfortable as I could on the sturdiest-looking branch. I had asked [Voice of The World] to remind me in a few hours that I needed to get going, but that proved to be pointless. I, inexperienced in sleeping in trees, fell out of it after an hour when a wind came through the tree. My body simply reacted, moving enough that I fell. That nearly frightened me. In the past, I had experienced the sensation of falling while in bed, but the real thing is much more concerning. Getting up off the ground, I told it not to bother with the reminder and continued on my way as I patted the dirt off me.
The source of the powerful magic that I was sensing quickly became my new guide to the western part of the forest. Passing straight by the lake and through the marshlands, I avoided everything I could using [Magic Sense]. Stopping only to eat when I felt hungry. By the break of dawn the next day, I slowed down upon approaching a double-door made of iron. Examining it showed that a key was required. I punched it open. A loud sound echoed through the cave because of it. That might have been a bad move.
It was a good thing I'm built to last. While diving into the cave, I encounter my first real battle. {Voice of The World] identified them as Giant Bats. The loud sounds they created from the skill [Ultrasound Waves] were annoying as they nearly deafened me. Thankfully, when they came at me to attack, one touch from [Paralyzing Touch] made them drop to the ground, turning them into easy targets. They weren't the only monsters I encountered on my way in, but the funniest one had to be the Evil Centipede way further in. It tried to use [Paralyzing Breath] on me. If it had a brain and its head wasn't crushed under the boulder I threw at it, I'd tell it how brainless it was.
I laughed at my own joke, "Not that there is anyone to laugh at that joke with me."
Yes.
"That wasn't a question," I said as I kicked a small rock into the water that went through the cave. "Maybe I should bring them back one of the monster corpses as a souvenir. Nah, it might look cool, but I don't know if they could be useful to them." As I was thinking I felt the aura of a powerful monster approaching from nearby. "A Slime?" I asked, watching it jump from one spot to another with passion before it plopped and sank into the water.
Encounter. Meeting of The Otherworlders.
"Wait, you're telling me that slime came from another world?" I asked in a daze staring at the water.
Answer. Yes.
"So then... does that mean there's a chance that," I snapped out of asking when the slime suddenly sped out and across the water. "You've got to be kidding me."
I chased it on the land beside the water and managed to get ahead of it before it hit the land. I missed the catch and watched as he flew into an opening in the cave that was brightly lit. Slowly stepping forward, my eyes were stuck on the massive monster that was before me. [Voice of The World] didn't need to say anything, I could guess who it was. The gleam of those black scales, the wings protruding from his back, the unmistakable tail and head of a dragon.
Encounter. The Sealed True Dragon, Veldora.
I picked up the slime as I heard him speak, "It has been a long time since I last had visitors, let alone such an odd pairing."
"Let go of me," The slime said as he wiggled his way out of my arms.
"Hey, stop moving," I did my best to keep hold, but the slime managed to jump out of my grasp. I attempted to tackle it, only to slam my face into the ground when it jumped by chance.
Veldora laughed at the sight, causing the cave to shake a little, "Amusing, you two truly are odd ones to play around before me."
I held my face as I got up, "Well, I've seen a lot recently that I've never seen before back on Earth."
"Earth?" The slime asked surprised, "Could it be... Wait, if you understand me, do you know, I'm not a bad slime?"
"Yes, I can understand you. And I'm pretty sure that's a reference, right? Like, the cake is a lie?" The slime jumped at my response.
"Yes, it is! To think I would actually meet someone from Earth so soon and they understand me! If only I could see you," He sounded extremely happy.
I added, "I feel the same, it was definitely a surprise."
"So where are you from?" The slime asked only to be interrupted by Veldora.
"Hey, hey! Don't leave me out of the conversation," He said before he huffed. "Littler one, you said you cannot see, I can grant you the ability. However, for souring my mood there will be conditions. What do you say?"
"Wait, couldn't I teach him-" I was cut off by Veldora slamming his tail on the ground. "Oh, I get it. Just play along with him, slime." I whispered to him.
The slime asked, "Alright... what kind of conditions?"
Veldora answered, "They're simple ones. You must not fear me like your friend here when you have the ability to see, and you two must come talk to me again. That's all. It's a generous deal."
"Do I have to agree to these conditions?" I thought out loud.
"Of course you do!" Veldora answered quickly. "For three hundred years I've been sealed in this place. As you can guess, I've become unbearably bored."
"That door was pretty old, but three hundred years," I looked at the slime, even without expressions, I could tell he and I were thinking the same thing. "Hey."
"What is it? Do you have a problem with the conditions?" I shook my head to his questions.
"Not at all. In fact, I would visit you again even if you didn't ask," I crossed my arms. "It's not every day someone gets to be chatting buddies with someone like you. I just want to warn you that I may not have interesting stories for you all the time."
"Oh, yes, that's fine," He obviously didn't think I'd say that and then acted big. "Still, you should honor the chance to speak with me and visit often. Now, what about you?"
"I'm curious as to why you were sealed, but I'll gladly do it!" The slime answered.
Veldora seemed happy, "Good. There is a skill called [Magic Sense]. It allows you to sense the Magicules around you." I just smiled at the big guy.
"If I can detect Magicules, I'll be able to see? Okay, I'll give it a try." With a fierce grunt, the slime gave it a try. "Hey, something's there... Is this stuff Magicules? It's that easy?!" He got rather excited about being able to see, that he ran over to the water to look at himself.
"Well?" Veldora asked.
"Right," The slime jumped back over to us, "I did it, thanks so much!" It was then he saw Veldora and screamed. "D-Dragon?!"
Veldora leaned forward, "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the Storm Dragon, Veldora. I am one of only four True Dragons that exist in this world. As for you two, you mentioned you were from Earth?"
"Yes," The slime spoke up. "The thing is, I was a Human before being stabbed and died. Next thing I knew, I looked like this."
"Sorry to hear that," I said, "As for me, I was drowned in a sudden storm and woke up on a coast far from here."
"I see. That would explain it. You were both reincarnated. Strange that you both came into this world in a very unusual way and met here of all places."
"Unusual?" The slime and I asked.
"There are occasionally those who come here from other worlds, but you are the first two I've known that have been reincarnated." Veldora continued, "Most would be unable to withstand having only their soul traverse worlds."
"Then she probably didn't get reincarnated, she's really gone," I said to myself.
"Who's gone?" The slime asked.
"Forget it, it's fine." I waved it off and brought on back on track, "So you're saying that there are people from other worlds out there besides us?"
"Indeed," Veldora nodded, "We call them Otherworlders. I've heard that they gain special abilities when they cross into this world."
"What do you think?" The slime asked me, "Do you want to try and find some of these Otherworlders?"
"It might be nice to meet some in my travels, or was that you asking to find them together?" I asked.
"What? You're both leaving already?" Veldora asked while pouting, getting a laugh out of me.
"We're talking about the future, right now we're here and talking, right?" I looked at the slime to back me up.
"Yeah, right, I don't mind staying a bit longer," He said, earning an excited reaction from the big dragon.
"That's good! Stay and chat as long as you like!" After Veldora said that and calmed down, I broke one of the larger stalagmites from the ground and used it as a log to sit with the slime.
One of the things we talked about was how he was sealed here, and boy was he excited to tell someone about it. Three hundred years ago, he claimed to have faced a hero blessed with divine protection. He surprisingly owned up to having underestimated his opponent for being a girl. The slime teased him, saying how he must have been fascinated by her beauty. Veldora denied it and immediately started to describe her beauty. Then finally got back on track, and said how he went on to put in his full strength partway through the battle. Then he proudly declared that he still lost. Apparently, the person used her Unique Skill [Absolute Severance] to overpower him and sealed him using [Unlimited Imprisonment].
The hero apparently called herself a Summon. Which Veldora, again, was excited to explain. The process takes more than thirty mages to perform a ritual that lasts several days. His tone shifted to seriousness, as he told us how they're expected to serve as powerful weapons. Magic is used to carve a curse into the Summon's soul to ensure they can't defy the Summoner. They're no different than a slave to the power that summoned them. The slime voiced his displeasure at it.
"I don't know what your world was like," Veldora responded, "But survival of the fittest is the prevailing truth in this world."
I added, "The Ogre's chief said something akin to that before I left, how monsters follow the strong."
"It seems you've already been exposed to the world then," Veldora said. "It is best you adjust to it."
"So you've been here ever since?" The slime chimed in.
"That's correct," The dragon slouched. "I'm so very bored..."
"I can't imagine being all alone for three hundred years. And I thought I was lonely in my life." The slime then jumped and yell, "Hey, why don't we become friends?"
"Us become friends?!" Veldora yelled, causing the cave to stake.
"If you don't want to be-" It was the slime's turn to get cut off by the dragon.
"Who said I didn't want to?!" He yelled some more.
I stood up and stretched, "He has a point. Stopping by, chatting about things, enjoying each other's company. Why don't we be friends?"
"W-Well," Veldora was acting a little shy, "It can't be helped since you're both so insistent. We can be friends." I threw a fist and tried to break the seal. "What are you doing?"
"I was just thinking that maybe I could break the seal with raw strength," My answer got a laugh out of Veldora.
"Why are you laughing?" The slime asked. "Friends help each other, we can't just leave you here waiting for us all the time."
"What?" Veldora didn't seem to understand.
"It seems we were thinking the same thing then, so how do we break this thing?" I asked.
Answer. There is no way. Unlimited Imprisonment cannot be destroyed by physical attacks.
"Damn, my strongest aspect is physical attacks," I clicked my tongue. "I'm out of options. If it was my skill, I could reverse it with [Darkness X], but since it's not... anything?" I sat back down asking the slime.
"There seems to be a way to break the seal. [Great Sage] would need to analyze both the inside and outside of [Unlimited Imprisonment]," The slime explained. "I would just need Valdora to give me the information on the inside."
"Won't that take a long time?" Veldora continued, "Didn't you both want to leave this place and seek out the people from your world?"
"I have a suggestion for that, do you want to come inside my stomach?" The slime asked, earning a confused glance from me, and a very loud laugh from Veldora.
"Very interesting!" He shouted, "I'll leave everything in your hands then! Breaking free together sounds much more interesting than staying here alone."
"Then I'll use [Predator] to swallow you-" The slime got cut off again, this time by me.
"Question before that," I looked at Veldora. "There was something I wanted to ask you."
Veldora looked at me, "That is alright, there was something I wanted to do as well, so ask."
"Back when we entered, you said we were an odd pairing, does that mean you know what kind of monster I am?" I asked, never having thought until now to ask. "I'm definitely not a Human, I can ask my skill if you don't want to, but I would like to hear it from someone else so I'm not missing anything."
"Yes, I do know what you are." Veldora continued in his regular speaking voice, but under it was a tone of contemplation, "I do not know what caused you to be such, but there is only one other individual like you, the offspring between a True Dragon and a Human, a Dragonoid."
If that means I'm one step down from Veldora, I now understand what I looked like to the Ogres when we first met, "A Dragonoid, thank you for telling me."
"That sounds impressive," The slime said. "Wait, would that make you more Veldora's family than a friend?"
"Fool!" Veldora shouted, embarrassed, "Don't go suggesting things such as that on your own. But I was going to give you both names, and..."
"A name?" I asked.
Veldora nodded, "And think of a name for us to share. Not only will it be engraved onto our souls that we are equals. The ones I give will grant divine protection."
"A name to share," I said and looked to the slime, "If we're to base it off of any of us." We both looked at Veldora. "Black scales that shine... the stars in the night sky. Twilight? No..."
"Yeah... Storm Dragon... storm," The slime said, thinking aloud. "How does Tempest sound? Sorry, perhaps not, you were caught in a storm."
"It's alright, I like it," I waved away his concerns.
"So do I," Veldora claimed loudly, "Starting from today I'll be Veldora Tempest! As for you two... I'll give you the name Rimuru Tempest and F/N Tempest," He pointed to the slime and then to me, both of us glowed golden in reaction to the naming.
Multiple bonds established. Connection with Veldora Tempest & Rimuru Tempest is now strong enough for Strong Bonds to function. Would you like an explanation of their skills?
Another time, "I guess it's goodbye for now, do your best to get out of there."
Veldora laughed lightly, "It won't be that long. Take care, my friends."
"We'll be waiting for it!" Rimuru shouted, "Unique Skill: [Predator]!"
Rimuru's slime body expanded, covering the whole of Veldora and the seal, swallowing it whole. Despite the dragon inside him, he managed to keep his small slime form and the magical power that Veldora gave off was completely gone. Together, we explored the cave and hunted monsters, stopping along the way so he could devour the monsters that got in the way. As he received new skills, I was notified through [Strong Bonds] what they were. It took several weeks to get them all and gather some of the plants and ores. Why did it take so long? Because I learned extremely important things.
Unique Skills cannot be freely used and only exist one at a time. To use them through Strong Bonds, permission must be given by the person who has the skill before it can be used. So long as the Unique Skill is being used through Strong Bonds, it cannot be used by its original user.
That means so long as Rimuru okay's it, I can use [Predator] and acquire the skills of the monsters with him. However, it has to be returned to him so [Great Sage] can continue its analysis of the seal. Since I could freely use the ones below Unique and learn them through [Mind Library] we had to stop. This experimenting led to the discovery of how Intrinsic Skills, skills that are specific to a certain species when they are born, work through my body.
For instance, Rimuru has [Absorb & Dissolve], his body, unlike mine, is essentially jelly with no bones, skin, or organs. So what happens when I use it? What I thought at first was that my hand would melt around the monster meat I touched and then dissolve it into nutrients for my body. And that is what happened, but the feeling of the bones in my fingers turning liquid and back to solid, popping back into place, is something I don't want to do again. If I need to eat a monster, I'll do so with my mouth, end of discussion.
Then there's Veldora Tempest. I didn't say this to Rimuru, but the bond between me and the big guy might have made me more terrifying than before. The resistances alone were more than enough. [Natural Effects Nullification], [Abnormal State Nullification], [Pain Nullification], [Physical Attack Nullification], [Spiritual Attack Resistance], [Chaos Attack Resistance]. I have become what baby tanks dream of. While Veldora is inside Rimuru, talking is impossible, so I couldn't learn how [True Dragon Magic] or [Storm Magic] are used.
But I'm not complaining. Sure, when Rimuru got [Ultrasound Waves] and shouted to the top of his lungs I might have shouted at him to hold his voice back, but that was a minor issue in the grand scale of things. What is important is that we had the company of each other who are in a similar situation. There was a small setback when we reached the entrance to the cave, we encountered our first Humans of this world. The problem was spoken about by the three as they talked while Rimuru and I hide.
"What kind of monster smashed through the doors?" He asked the other three.
"It was a single attack from the looks of it," The young guy said. "We should keep our guard up just in case and should assume someone powerful is behind Veldora's disappearance."
I whispered as I looked at Rimuru, "We should probably avoid them and not talk about Veldora out loud."
Rimuru hummed in response as to not risk speaking too loudly. The girl with them spoke up as she stepped inside, "We can always use [Escape] if they're still here and report back."
The burly one then used Stealth Arts causing the three to disappear. Watching closely, we waited for their footsteps to get deeper into the cave before quickly making our way out. I didn't have a direction in mind other than west, but after spending so many days in that cave, I started to miss the room I slept in and the people of the Ogre village. Not in a rush, I walked behind Rimuru as he enjoyed seeing the sunlight for the first time since he was reincarnated. I even stopped to pick some berries and clean my palette of the monster meat still lingering in my mouth. It was a good day for something to go wrong.
Encounter. The Goblins In Need.