Max woke up in the Demon Realm in his spiritual body.
The sensation was strange—his form felt lighter, almost unreal, as if he were made of thought rather than flesh. Still, he didn't panic. After a short while, he adjusted to the feeling. From what he understood, this was normal. Once summoned properly, he would receive a physical body.
"Odin," Max said calmly, "give me a summary of my current skill list and any important information I need to know."
"Answer," Odin replied, her voice smooth and feminine—pleasant enough that Max didn't mind hearing it. "All Ultimate Skills, with the exception of Veldanava's Heart, are currently operating at greatly reduced efficiency. Your aura has been modified to prevent drawing the attention of True Dragons or beings directly connected to Veldanava."
Max listened carefully.
"However," Odin continued, "since most of your Ultimate Skills are passive in nature, it is highly unwise to disable them completely. Their effects are merely suppressed to avoid excessive attention. All Intrinsic Skills are fully installed. Recommendation: upon summoning, you should present yourself as an Arch Demon."
"Thanks," Max said. "Anything else I should know?"
"Yes," Odin answered. "Despite being one of the oldest beings in existence within this universe, you were deliberately designed to remain reserved until now. True Dragons are aware of your existence, but not of your current form. At present, no one truly knows who you are."
There was a brief pause before Odin added, "Also, a note from the Creator: don't get too cocky."
Max let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah. Power means nothing without experience. Right now, I don't have any real combat arts of my own. In the original story—or rather, other versions of me—overconfidence usually leads to disaster."
He took a breath. "Odin, can you help me create a few skills? I've got some ideas from the anime, but I don't know if they bend the rules too much."
"Incorrect," Odin replied immediately. "With myself, along with your skills Creator and Degenerate, any skill or spell can be synthesized as long as sufficient conceptual information exists. I assume you desire a unique variant of Mana Bullet, an advanced technique similar to Death March Dance, and a more hands-on combat technique inspired by Earthquake Stomp. Processing now."
Only a few seconds passed.
"Completed," Odin said. "Skill created: Mana Bullet. Technique created: Hailstorm of Destruction, utilizing Tiamat's ability to overcharge magical effects. Technique created: Earthquake Strike, which transmits extremely dense, magicule-infused vibrations through physical blows, causing severe internal damage and significant degradation of armor and defensive skills."
Streams of information flooded Max's mind, instinctively teaching him how to use each technique.
"Thank you," Max said sincerely.
"You're welcome," Odin replied. "Be advised: I cannot arbitrarily create skills at will. You must possess the prerequisite abilities. Most future skill synthesis will likely rely on skills gained through Thanatos."
"Makes sense," Max said. "Mana Bullet is pretty standard for anyone with magicules, after all."
Before he could say anything else, a massive summoning circle appeared beneath him. A powerful force tugged at his very being.
"Interesting," Max muttered. "I wonder what changes there are in this version of the world."
Light engulfed him, and in an instant, he vanished.
When Max opened his eyes again, he found himself standing at the end of a long stone tunnel. There was nothing else in sight.
"…Wait," he said slowly. "This is the entrance to the labyrinth. Guess I'm the result of a mis-summon."
He looked down at himself and froze.
His new body was physical—extremely so. A fit, tanned human form, well-balanced and powerful. Wolf ears protruded from his head, and a matching tail swayed gently behind him. Faint, nearly invisible scales lined parts of his body, hidden unless closely examined. His hair was jet black, his eyes a vivid crimson.
"…Thank god," Max said with relief. "I wanted something mostly human. Though I did aim for a beast god, so I guess this fits."
He frowned slightly. "Still, I have no idea what my backstory is in this world. I'll have to figure that out eventually."
Suddenly, he sensed multiple presences approaching from within the labyrinth.
He expected Rimuru.
What he saw instead made him pause.
The children looked the same as he remembered—but Rimuru was different. She had a fully feminine body rather than the neutral, androgynous form from the anime and manga.
"…So in this universe, Rimuru is female," Max muttered.
She noticed him instantly.
"Excuse me," she said, already on guard. "Who are you?"
"Right," Max thought. "Great Sage probably can't analyze me properly yet. She's likely getting warnings instead."
"Sorry to trouble you," Max said aloud, bowing slightly. "I believe I'm a side effect of the demon summoning that occurred earlier. I am an Arch Demon. Since you summoned me, what is it you desire?"
Rimuru blinked, clearly caught off guard. "Oh—um. I don't need a demon right now. You can go."
Max hesitated. "Wait. Could I convince you to let me stay? I'd rather not return at the moment."
"Warning," Odin whispered internally. "You will likely need to reveal that you are an Otherworlder. Fabricate details if necessary, but this increases acceptance probability."
"May I speak with you in private?" Max asked. "There's information I'd rather not share in front of the children."
Rimuru glanced at the kids, then nodded, though her guard remained up. "Fine. Kids, stay here. I'll be right back."
Once they were far enough away, she turned to him. "Alright. What is it?"
"I'll start with this," Max said calmly. "It's good to meet another reincarnated person."
Her hand instantly tightened around her sword. "What do you mean by that?"
"Easy," Max said quickly. "I was reincarnated too. Judging by your sword style, you were from Japan, right?"
Her expression softened slightly. "You're right… I didn't realize others reincarnated as well. But you don't sound Japanese."
"My original name is Max," he said. "I was from America. I don't have a name in this world yet."
"I'm Rimuru," she replied. "My original name doesn't matter. But I'm surprised—you're a demon. How did that happen?"
"When I died," Max said honestly, "I wished for power. I was weak in my old life. Along with a few other wishes… I became this."
Rimuru nodded thoughtfully. "Then I don't have a problem. Maybe I should give you a name."
"Wait—" Max started.
Too late.
Rimuru's magicules surged into him in a massive wave. She collapsed instantly, reverting to her slime form and falling asleep on the spot.
"…Ah," Max muttered.
The students stared at him in complete shock.
He scratched his head awkwardly and looked at them. "Uh… you guys know the way back, right?"