Not only that, if the Storm Serpent had not been slain by Shizue just now but had instead been devoured by Rimuru, it was estimated her magicules could have risen to 20,000 or even 30,000.
A Slime with over 20,000 magicules?
Good heavens, is that still even a Slime?
That's practically a brand-new species that's never existed in this world!
"That..."
Shizue looked at Rin in confusion. "Do you know this child?"
"I guess you could say that."
As Rin replied, Rimuru bounced forward and landed in front of them.
"Ah, ah ah~"
A cute female voice rang out from the Slime. "I'm not a bad Slime, okay?"
"It talked?!"
Shizue looked at Rimuru in shock. Her expression, hidden beneath the mask, was filled with disbelief.
Wait, no, no!
Because she was so startled, it took her a second to realize, Rimuru hadn't actually spoken aloud.
She had heard Rimuru's voice because of a spirit fluctuation.
That fluctuation had been picked up by her spiritual sense and automatically converted into comprehensible language.
Even knowing that, it was still hard to believe.
A Slime with self-awareness?
And it could speak?
Was this some kind of joke?!
Since when did a Slime have intelligence?
"What are you?"
Suddenly, Shizue's expression turned cold. She stared at Rimuru with a sharp gaze, hand near her sword, ready to strike at any moment.
So, so scary...
The magical pressure radiating from the girl made Rimuru, who had just barely crossed the 10,000 mark and stepped into A-Rank, tremble in fear.
"Alright."
Before Rimuru could respond, Rin gently pressed down on Shizue's hand resting on the hilt of her sword and explained, "She's just like you. A Reincarnator from Japan."
"A... Reincarnator?!"
Hearing that, especially knowing Rimuru came from the same place as her, Shizue was visibly shocked.
She didn't question Rin's words.
With his strength and status, there was no reason to lie about something like that.
"You know about me?!"
Rimuru suddenly leapt up in surprise. "Um, hello! Are you also a Reincarnator?"
"I suppose so." Rin didn't deny it.
Essentially, Rin's circumstances were the same as Rimuru and Shizue's.
It was just that his case was special. He had inherited the bloodline of the Star King Dragon, and also possessed the transcendent Unique Skill [Traveler], allowing him to move across worlds.
And on top of that, he had likely come from Earth, read the original novel, and was aware of this Otherworld.
"Oh, oh, oh!" Rimuru let out a sigh of relief. "That's great! I didn't expect there to be other Reincarnators too!"
Being reborn as a Slime had made her extremely uneasy.
Now, meeting people like her, Rimuru felt like she had found her people and instantly formed a favorable impression of them.
"My name is Itoshi Rin." Rin squatted down and gently patted Rimuru's body.
It was soft and springy like jelly. A strange sensation, but not sticky at all. No moisture was left behind after he let go.
In short, a perfect summer cuddle toy.
"I'm Izawa Shizue. You can call me Shizu." The girl squatted down too and lightly stroked Rimuru's head. "Nice to meet you, Slime-san."
"Mhm, mhm! Nice to meet you, Shizu-san! Rin-san."
Next, Rimuru asked where they were heading.
When she found out they were going deeper into the cave, Rimuru only hesitated briefly before asking to come along.
Rin agreed.
Seeing the protagonist from the original story, of course Rin had a strong interest in her.
But as he observed Rimuru closely, Rin noticed something strange.
This Rimuru was actually a girl.
Yes, a girl.
Rin had originally assumed the feminine voice was just part of the Slime form.
But as he traced Rimuru's reincarnation path, he saw her previous life, she had been a 25 or 26-year-old female office worker.
"...What's going on?" Rin asked Violet. "Is this a parallel world?"
[Upon detection, her body contains various conceptual powers such as space-time, fate, and causality.]
"Hmm?" Rin was stunned. "So what does that mean?"
[It is difficult to explain in detail.] Violet responded. [But one thing is certain—this change is related to you.]
...
In the original story, Chloe's [God of the Spacetime] had the ability to travel through time and change Rimuru's destined death.
Rin didn't have [God of the Spacetime], but he did have Void God.
Void God also possessed the ability to interfere with the past and correct fate.
"I see." Rin didn't press further. Knowing that Rimuru becoming a girl was connected to him was enough.
"By the way, Slime-san."
"Hmm?" Rimuru looked at Rin curiously. "Is something wrong, Rin-senpai?"
Ah right, the technique to use magical perception to interpret surroundings and simulate human vision, Rin had taught her that.
It left a deep impression on Rimuru, and she had already started thinking of him as a reliable senior among Travelers.
"Do you want to become my Dependent?" Rin had developed a habit. Whenever he saw someone with potential, he extended an offer.
"Dependent?" Rimuru asked in her heart, Great Sage, what does it mean to become Rin-senpai's Vassal?
[Report: No direct match found. Based on current conditions, possible meanings include:]
[One: Accept a bestowed name and become a follower under the name 'Rin.']
[Two: Form a contract through a special skill and establish a magical bond.]
[Three...]
Great Sage continued on in detail, but Rimuru didn't understand most of it.
"It's something between the first and second." Rin interrupted, giving a clearer explanation.
"Eh?" Rimuru's watery eyes widened. She suddenly realized something. "Wait, Rin-senpai... can you hear my conversation with Great Sage?"
"Yes, I can."
"So amazing!!" Rimuru wasn't on guard at all.
If anything, she just felt a little embarrassed that her inner thoughts were exposed.
"Um... Rin-senpai, why do you want me to become your Dependent?" In Rimuru's mind, being a Dependent probably meant something like a summoner and a summoned creature.
(To be continued.)
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