1 Here We Go Again.

They say the world will end not with a bang but with a whimper… unfortunately for him, his life ended with a bang.

Meteorites shattered against the earth in a catastrophic ballet of destruction, and countless explosions tore through the sky as if the heavens themselves were collapsing. In this cinematic chaos, his life came to an end.

Did you believe that?

Nah, he was simply struck by lightning while crossing the street, an ironic twist of fate that led to a truck swerving uncontrollably and ending his life sooner than expected. Bit of a bummer if you ask him.

But who could have predicted that a random stray bolt of lightning would lead him to this moment? Here he was, standing before a god. The god appeared a bit worn out, but he still managed to clear his throat before speaking.

"Welcome to Limbo. We're here on official business… Or not, if you don't care. Honestly, I don't get why they make me do this useless crap," the god grumbled, thumbing through some paperwork. "I swear, I better get a promotion after this. Satoru Mikami, right?" he asked without looking up.

He hesitated, then nodded. That wasn't his name, yet it rang a peculiar bell in his mind. And when he had almost shook his head, he felt a twist of discomfort in his gut, as if saying no would lead to his death.

"Great, ok… let's see here… Predator… Great Sage… Yup, everything appears to be in order. I don't know why you appeared here instead of just being reborn immediately." The god seemed to reassure himself, discarding a piece of paper carelessly.

His eyes widened with surprise at the familiar names of the skills, but before he could delve into those thoughts, he was abruptly interrupted.

"Next!" The god barked, yanking on a lever with a nonchalant flick of his wrist. 

The world around him spiraled into darkness, the sudden shift marking the beginning of an unexpected new chapter.

— — —

As consciousness seeped back, everything was shrouded in a dense fog. He saw nothing. Heard nothing. A chilling void enveloped his senses, leaving him adrift in his thoughts.

'Wait a minute… What did that guy say again?' he wondered, struggling to sift through the haze of his memory.

'Great Sage… Are you there?' he attempted to call out, though no sound escaped his lips, only thoughts echoed in the void.

Silence was his only response, stretching on until it was nearly unbearable. He posed the question once more, clinging to the hope of an answer. After what felt like an eternity, a response finally pierced the quiet.

 [Received. Skill Great Sage is present.] A crisp, robotic female voice resonated within his mind.

'Neato,' he mused, a spark of curiosity igniting his thoughts. 'Sage, can you use the magicules in the air to craft something like magic sense? I'm a bit blind over here.'

[Received. Starting process… Analyzing… Analysis complete. Extra skill 'Magic Sense' has been generated.]

[Do you wish to activate the skill?]

'Oui,' he responded mentally.

The moment he agreed, his world transformed dramatically. A torrent of information flooded his senses, so vivid and intense it was as if he'd been blind his entire past life. He could perceive everything: the small details of the rocks, the eerie aura enveloping the cave, and even a reflection of himself, a small, light blue blob, featureless yet oddly endearing.

'Kind of cute,' he thought, the simplicity of his new form strangely appealing, reminding him of something a child might lovingly squeeze.

The initial sensory overload was staggering. He could process it all, from the minute textures of the cave walls to the peculiar, shimmering auras that danced through the air. His mind buzzed, nearly overwhelmed, until the Great Sage intervened once more.

[Adjusting intensity… Calibrating… Calibration complete. The burden of the skill will now be shared with the Skill Great Sage. Calibration will continue as you become accustomed to your senses.]

As the voice announced the adjustments, the vivid colors dimmed to a more manageable intensity. His perception, though still vastly superior to his previous human senses, settled into a new, astonishing form.

As he navigated his new life as a slime, he mused to the Great Sage.

'So, Sage, I guess it's just you and me for now. How did he do it again in the original... Grab herbs and steel while looking for the big bad dragon... Sage, could you show me the optimal path to gather resources while heading towards the largest source of magicules?'

[Received. Beginning Navigation.]

— — —

Humming to himself in his head, 'We are off on a secret mission. We are gonna go kill the king…' he maneuvered adeptly from one patch of Hipokute Grass to the next deposit of Magisteel.

Gradually, he grew accustomed to his new form. Although being a sentient blob was bizarre, it oddly felt right, there were definitely some weird perks to being a slime.

While collecting resources in the vast cave, he thought about his future outside. Being a slime had its upsides, but also downsides, like potentially being attacked on sight by most of the world. Honestly, having only watched the first two seasons of the anime, his knowledge was a bit sketchy. He knew some spoilers, but that was hardly enough to plan an entire life.

'Yo, Sage, check out my memories. What do you think about that whole kingdom-building thing?'

[Analyzing… Analysis complete. Creating the Tempest empire would be the best path to gain influence and strength. However, there are many other paths.]

[Analyzing probable paths… Analysis complete. Options include infiltrating small villages and consuming the people and monsters there to increase our strength through predation; adapting our path from predator to parasite and taking over the lives of influential figures worldwide; or engaging in mass genocide to become a true demon lord…]

'Yo, Sage… Chill.' He wasn't about to become public enemy number one. That seemed like a surefire way to get knocked off by a true dragon or a demon lord. I mean, who wouldn't want to slap a psychopathic slime that could only cause more problems as it got stronger?

He was sure Sage had some way of making plans that were not as stupid or dangerous as they sounded, but he wanted to avoid the whole murder-hobo deal for now.

[.... Error. The Skill Great Sage does not contain a temperature.] The monotone voice resounded after a few moments.

'Don't worry about it, Sage. You're good. But let's try to keep things less... murder-hobo in the future, even if it isn't as optimal.'

[Acknowledged.]

Continuing their journey through the cavernous depths, they soon came across a sight that stopped them in their tracks: the gigantic dragon Veldora lying down within a shimmering magical prison. The beast appeared the embodiment of draconic boredom, barely mustering the energy to glance at the new arrival before dismissively shutting its eyes after seeing it was just a slime.

Undeterred, the slime used his gelatinous body to gently 'knock' on the magical barrier.

'Can you hear me, little one?' Veldora's voice boomed directly in his mind.

Mentally clearing his throat, he responded with a mental friendly smile.

'Howdy, my good fellow, fancy seeing you here. You look like you could use a buddy friend pal brother amigo.'

To his surprise, Veldora's eyes snapped open, a mix of shock and amusement playing across his face before he burst into roaring laughter. 

"Heh-heh-heh… Eh-ha-ha. Ahh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! "

His laughter echoed through the cave, filling the space with a warmth uncharacteristic of the cold, damp rocks surrounding them. As it subsided, Veldora leaned closer, his curiosity piqued. 

"How fascinating. You appear to be far too aware to be a normal slime."

'Yeah bud, I ain't your regular monster. How about you? Must be boring getting trapped in that thing, right?' His casual tone seemed to spark another round of laughter from Veldora.

"Do you have a name, little one? I am Veldora, the storm dragon."

The slime wiggled side to side since he couldn't shake his head. 

'No, siree, I am a brand spanking new baby slime. Though I used to be a human.'

A flicker of surprise crossed Veldora's face before he nodded in understanding. 

"I see, so that's how it is. A transmigrator, eh? You appear to be quite calm for someone who just woke up in such a different body," he mused with a hint of amusement, his voice resonating through the vast cave.

'Yeah, well, it is what it is… Though to be honest, it's probably all thanks to one of my skills. I would honestly be freaking out right now if I didn't have my skill.' the slime mused in his head.

Veldora nodded thoughtfully. 

"Hmm… I suppose that is to be expected. Though I am surprised you were not scared by my presence. I haven't seen any creatures in such a long time that I was beginning to go crazy in here. The magicules in my body are enough to scare all of them away."

'What can I say? I had to come and check out my dad. Your magicules made me, no?' he joked, and if he could smile, he would have. The dragon burst out laughing once again, before shaking his head in amusement.

'Nah, don't worry, you don't need to explain. I already know the gist of it.'

Realizing it would be useless to withhold anything when since Velodora would eventually be able to see his own memories after he ate him, the slime decided transparency was the best policy. Besides, from what he had seen in the show, the storm dragon seemed somewhat of a sad person. Years of solitude had made him so desperate for company that he warmed quickly to the first person he could speak to.

So, since they were destined to be allies, why maintain secrets that could later strain their friendship?

'Here, let me tell you the story of that time I got reincarnated as a slime… Nah, but for real. Here's my story.' he began, his tone shifting to one of casual sincerity.

As the slime narrated his tale, Veldora's eyes shimmered with curiosity and amusement, theories and thoughts flitting across his mind. Once the story concluded, the dragon's face broke into a smile tinged with fascination.

'So yeah, now I am Rimuru Tempest. Or, well, I will be. How about it, bud, wanna give your old pal a name?' the slime asked, his tone playful yet expectant.

Veldora's laughter echoed through the cave, a sound full of genuine joy. 

"Sure, 'old pal'. I have to say, never in my entire history of existence have I found someone as interesting as you. There are those who travel time, but for my existence to be a story in your world… I want to see what you will do with the fate you have stolen."

Veldora lowered his head to meet the slime's 'gaze', a gesture of equality and respect. 

"Perhaps fate brought us together, my new friend, Rimuru Tempest. From now on, my name will also be Veldora Tempest. I will be waiting for you to fulfill your promise to me, and I will be watching you in the meantime."

Rimuru felt a surge of anticipation but noticed no immediate changes to his form upon receiving his name. He simply nodded and signaled to Sage to consume the storm dragon. After a few minutes, Veldora was absorbed in one swift motion, almost as if eating a potato chip, now residing within the stomach of the Predator skill.

His next steps were clear. As he made his way through the cave, he consumed the various creatures he encountered, bats, snakes, lizards, and spiders quickly becoming nothing more than a refreshment on his journey. With each creature he consumed, Rimuru gained new forms, allowing him to shapeshift and navigate the cave's terrain with increasing agility.

"We're off on a secret mission… A totally secret scheme… We'll slyly do in your next of kin… And quietly make him scream." Rimuru sang aloud, a newfound ability provided by the vocal cords of his new forms. Meanwhile, the Great Sage worked diligently to adapt the ultrasonic wave skill he acquired from the bat into a new form of communication.

He was surprisingly at ease with the swift and deadly efficiency of his actions, a calmness he credited to the Great Sage. The skill allowed him to process information and adapt to his new life with astonishing ease, an asset he knew would prove invaluable in the future. 

Yet, he would dial back the intensity of this skill once he had settled down. He didn't want to be a weirdo who was fine with everything all the time.

Finally reaching the cave exit, Rimuru transformed his body into a flat, pancake-like form and slipped through the small gap beneath the door. He didn't have time to wait until someone came around and opened the door.

Stepping out into the world, Rimuru couldn't resist the urge to mimic taking a deep breath, savoring the freedom and the myriad possibilities that lay before him as he surveyed the vast landscape.

"Sage, do you sense any goblins around here?" he asked, hoping to encounter some local monsters to kickstart his new life.

[Negative. However, I do detect the presence of some dire wolves near you. Do you wish me to point their location to you?]

"Aye aye," Rimuru responded with a hint of excitement.

— — —

(I will only show them when relevant, but since it is the first chapter, here it goes.)

Race: Slime

Protection: Crest of the Storm

Intrinsic Skills: Absorb, Self-Regeneration, Dissolve.

Unique Skills: Great Sage, Predator.

Extra Skills: Magic Sense, Control Water, Poisonous Breath, Sense Heat Source, Paralyzing Breath, Sticky Thread, Steel Thread, Drain, Ultrasonic Wave, Body Armor.

Tolerance: Resist Pain, Resist Electricity, Resist Temperature, Resist Melee Attack, Resist Paralysis.

~A/N~

I am always open to feedback and suggestions, so feel free to drop them if you have any. However, do understand that it is up to my discretion which suggestions to take. You can read the reason for rewrite chap for more info. Also, I have read the light novel up to volume 16, and I am currently rereading it up to the latest, so it will have content from that. This is not an anime only story.