(And well, that's the thing! Ain't it strange!)
I continued speaking, almost ranting at this point. Without even mentioning my abilities or the strange "boons" I'd acquired, I laid out everything from the moment I was stabbed, to waking up as a literal slime, to the absurd situations I've stumbled into since then.
Yet even as I spoke… it didn't feel as dramatic as it should. The words sounded like I was whining about a mild inconvenience instead of a life-altering phenomenon.
And somehow, that irritated me.
(…I see. You reincarnated after all. Just as I thought. And what a remarkably peculiar method you used.)
(Hey, aren't you supposed to be shocked or something!?)
What kind of reaction was that? I expected disbelief. Awe. Questions like "How did that happen?" or "What divine mechanism guided your soul?"
But his response was so casual—so dismissive—that normal birth was starting to feel like the rare event.
I mean, sure, reincarnation was rare… for a normal person.
But he's a dragon. A primordial storm dragon at that.
His sense of "rare" and my sense of "rare" clearly weren't operating in the same dimension.
And he definitely felt different from the anime.
More mature—not in a dull or stoic way, but like a loud extrovert who had lived long enough to mellow out certain edges.
Still dramatic, still expressive, but with a strange gentleness behind his tone.
(Ay. Reincarnations do occur every so often. Souls with strong intent carved into them tend to drift back.)
He said it like he was explaining why it rains sometimes.
(Those who remember their past lives aren't even that unusual.)
Seriously? Was I overthinking reincarnation this whole time?
(But reincarnating from a different world—now that is truly rare.)
Alright, that sounded more appropriate.
(Moreover, reincarnation usually results in being born from a human womb. To reincarnate as a monster… and formed purely from concentrated magical energy… that is unheard of.)
He paused, his tone turning deeper, weightier.
(To cross between worlds, possessing a strong soul is not enough. Had you not anchored your soul into this demonic body, it would have collapsed. You would have vanished without a trace.)
He exhaled—if the voice of a sealed dragon could "exhale."
(You are special.)
(Is that so…? I wasn't really self-aware at the time, so I didn't even realize how dangerous it was…)
I tried to imagine what might've happened had the process failed.
…Actually, no. Let's not imagine that.
So there are others who came from different worlds, huh?
(Ay. Although none have succeeded in returning to their home worlds, some have wandered from there to this side.)
He continued:
(Such beings are referred to as "Foreigners" or "Otherworlders." They possess intellect distinct from this world—and often acquire special skills.)
He almost sounded proud while explaining it.
(There are records of some reincarnated individuals who became widely known for their wisdom. Of course, there are certainly many more whose names never made it into any record.)
I leaned back—or whatever the slime equivalent of leaning back is.
So there are people like me roaming around?
Different worlds? Possibly even versions of Earth?
I didn't know whether their Earth was the same as mine…
Not that I had any intention of returning. That life was over. And honestly… I didn't miss it.
(I see! In that case—maybe I'll try to find an Otherworlder someday. Who knows? I might even meet someone from a similar world!)
I said it casually, almost jokingly…
but something stirred within me.
A sense of curiosity.
Maybe even longing—not for the past but for the idea of someone who understood that past.
A compatriot.
A fellow drifter between worlds.
Someone who could look at me and say, "Yeah, I get it."
(Still, little one. You can't even see.)
(Ah… right?)
I… really did forget about that part.
For a moment I got so caught up in talking with him that I stopped caring about the fact that I was basically a blind, bouncing blob.
How does one forget not having eyes?
(I shall restore your sight.)
Oh boy.
Here it comes—his "advice."
And with "advice" always comes a "condition."
I braced myself. I had a strange feeling about this… like he was about to hand me some world-shaking prophecy or a cryptic warning.
(Eh? Will you really?)
(Ay. But, there is a condition. How about it?)
A condition…
Ominous. Very ominous.
(What sort of condition?)
(A simple one. When you regain your sight, do not fear me. And… you be my family after that. How about it?)
I froze.
He changed the wording from the anime—
but the result was basically the same.
Still…
…family?
Just what I suspected.
This dragon wasn't terrifying—he was lonely.
Loneliness born from overwhelming strength.
Isolation carved into him by three hundred years of living in silence, surrounded by nothing but his own thoughts.
So this big legendary Storm Dragon…
was just a big softie.
Yup. This was a good deal.
(Is just that much enough?)
(Ay. Truth be told, I have been sealed away for three hundred years. And so, boredom has plagued me endlessly. How about it?)
His tone softened at the end—just a hint, but enough to tell me he meant every word.
(If you are alright with it, then I will happily accept!)
(Ay. Then it is a promise. Keep it!)
(I will! As they say—I am not a bad slime!)
Ah yes.
I couldn't resist.
I had to say the line.
(Very well. There exists a skill called [Magic Sense]. Can you use it?)
(No, I cannot. What type of skill is it?)
(You perceive the surrounding magical energy. It is no major skill. And acquiring it is simple.)
(Ho ho. Simple, you say!)
※ Truly, it is not simple at all.
But I didn't know that yet.
(Ay. For those like myself, it is as easy as breathing—you are doing it without realizing.)
(I see! If I were to acquire it, would I be able to see?)
(That is the idea. The world is covered in magical energy. There is difference in its concentration. And light and darkness possess a wave-like property, did you know?)
(Yeah, light waves and dark waves, right?)
(You know well. Is that knowledge from the other world? Well, it is so.
By observing these fluctuations, you can calculate the appearance of your surroundings. Simple, right?)
HAAA!?!?
This guy—
How is that simple?!
(Iya~, sounds a little difficult…)
(What? With this, even if your eyes or ears are crushed, you can continue combat. Ambushes become impossible. It is an indispensable skill.)
(Iyaiyaiyaiya! Forget combat! I just want to see!)
(Muu~, if you insist. I shall help you acquire it. And for the record—I do not know another way!)
(Wha… can you even do that?! Aren't you a beginner at this yourself?)
(Don't worry. You are among the fortunate few who possess memories of a past world. Thus, you know what light and darkness look like.
Had you not known, then granting you sight would have been impossible—even for me.
You are indeed blessed!)
Ah.
That made sense.
Explaining "sight" to someone who's never seen anything… would be nearly impossible.
Hellen Keller took 2 years to understand words.
But he really was different from the anime's Veldora.
This one could explain things properly.
Still loud, still dramatic… but gentler.
A bit more patient.
And of course—I had [Great Sage].
She could do this without breaking a sweat.
But… I wanted to try without relying on her completely.
(Please teach me!)
(Nay, fret not; it is truly simple. First, try to move the magical energy inside your body.)
That part… I understood.
I was basically living inside a sea of magicules.
Moving them was like swimming in water.
(Like this?)
I enclosed the flow within my body and shifted it.
(Ay. Though you said otherwise, you are quite apt at this. Now—the energy within you and the energy beside you. Do you feel the difference?)
I did.
Surprisingly easily.
Maybe being a slime wasn't so bad after all.
(That much I understand! Since I eat it, you know?)
(Fufufu. Since you understand that much, the rest is simple. Feel the movement of magical energy outside yourself.)
Wait—
fufufu?
That was almost a mature woman's laugh…
No way.
No way, right??
"..."
Moving on.
I tried to sense it.
I really did.
But the outside flow was faint… distant… foggy.
Time for backup.
(Great Sage, help me out a little.)
＜Analyzing…＞
As expected, she immediately stabilized everything.
The moment the extra skill [Magic Sense] activated—
a tidal wave of information surged into my mind.
Even as a human, I had never held so much data at once.
It was overwhelming, blinding, dizzying—
—but manageable.
Slowly, the chaotic flood sorted itself.
Light waves.
Dark waves.
Movement of particles.
Density gradients.
I began converting the data into a visual form I could comprehend.
And then—
—I saw.
A perfect 360° field with no blind spots.
Boulders.
Shadows.
Surfaces.
The landscape far beyond a normal human's sight.
If a human mind tried to process this much, it would probably fry on the spot.
But I was a slime.
Every cell was a neuron.
Every inch of my body could think.
I could handle it.
For now.
>Linking extra skill [Magic Sense] with Unique Skill [Great Sage]… complete.
My vision stabilized.
No pain.
No overload.
Just clarity.
Honestly…
it was strange earlier when I hadn't used her.
[Great Sage] was definitely a cheat.
But hey—
I was the one using it.
So there was no problem.
(Well… I seem to have managed it. Thank you very much!)
And then—
—my gaze lifted.
And I saw him.
Gleaming like obsidian steel.
Scales layered like armor and flowing like liquid metal.
A monstrous silhouette vast enough to swallow mountains.
A true dragon.
A nightmare of legends given form.
(Geh! D-Dragon!!!!!!)
The scream tore out of me instinctively.
Seeing a dragon on a screen is one thing—
seeing one in reality, towering over you, fangs like boulders, aura like a tempest—
—that's a whole different experience.
This was Veldora.(Veldara)
An actual living Storm Dragon.
And She was terrifyingly beautiful.
.....
Status
Name: Mikami Satoru
Species: Slime
Title: Reincarnated One, Otherworlder
Magic: None
Unique Skills:
• [Great Sage]
• [Predator]
• [Dimensional Gacha]
Intrinsic Skills:
• [Dissolve]
• [Absorb]
• [Regenerate]
Extra Skills:
• [Magic Sense]
• [Water Manipulation]
Resistances:
• Thermal Fluctuation Resistance
• Physical Attack Resistance
• Piercing Resistance
• Pain Resistance
• Electricity Resistance
• Paralysis Resistance