He noticed the small things; he actually had time, plenty somehow.
Pieces of broken, uncompleted thoughts stuck with him:
Rain tapping on the awning outside the store, the cheap chime of the door, someone's half-drunk, sour coffee cooling on the counter.
A kid's laugh, sharp and bright, and suddenly he thought of his sister, of days that felt far away now.
The look on the driver's face when it all happened, quick as a blink. A knife. A shove. A choice token by instinct that didn't seem worth thinking about at that moment.
He measured out his life by these scraps. The jobs he'd taken to pay rent, the apologies he never bothered to give and later wished to, the mornings he didn't get up because of his own laziness.
He counted the good stuff too, handing someone his umbrella once, chasing a guy down the street to return a lost wallet. That woman last spring, the one whose groceries spilt everywhere in the rain; she'd cried when he helped her, embarrassed but grateful.
For some reason, in those last desperate seconds, he realised that cry of gratitude was what kept him going all along, those little flashes when the world lined up and made sense.
He saw his mother's hands, rough, warm.
His dad, who never said he was proud but always left coffee waiting for him.
His sister, calling once at midnight just to say she'd be okay.
He tried to grab hold of the first time he'd really felt shame, a tiny, sharp memory, but it slipped away, messy and fast.
Pain hit again. Not the kind you see in movies, nothing dramatic. Just a tight, burning spot that cut straight through him.
For a second, he understood everything, but the answer came in blood and heat, as if the world was saying, "Here you go." No destiny, no plan. Just a mugging, his hand shoving a stranger out of the way, someone else's hand digging for his wallet, a knife choosing his body as an ideal target for some reason.
He tasted metal and rain.
The ceiling blurred until it resembled the sky, too cloudy.
With his thoughts scattered, he felt an odd annoyance about telephone poles and how sunlight had made a splinter glow last summer. He had time for these trivial details, the things he never thought he would miss.
Names floated through his mind: cousin, friend, stranger, idiot. He wanted to say his own name, just once, to anchor himself perhaps; however, the word hovered, almost stubborn, but every breath made it harder to reach. Oh, breathing, breathing got thin. The store lights buzzed, as if marking his farewell, then fell silent.
Darkness slipped in, gentle as a curtain.
Fortunately, the last thing he felt wasn't pain, not really, more of a relief, like shrugging off a coat that never fit, an oddly heavy one. He wondered, almost amused, if death would at least have the decency to be quick.
It wasn't. Death took its time.
~~~~~~~~~~
He woke up to cold and quiet.
But not the kind of cold you get in winter, not that gentle silence after snowfall. This was different, emptier.
The air pressed around him, hollow, like the world had just forgotten how to be warm. He wasn't even sure he had a body at first. Just awareness floating in the dark.
He tried to talk. Nothing came out. He tried to move, but everything felt thick and slow, like trying to swim through syrup. No arms, no legs, just a faint ripple spreading through...whatever he was now.
<
The words dropped into his mind, calm and clinical. Not threatening, just matter-of-fact. For a moment, he felt split in two: half of him clinging to scraps of his old life, the other half turning strange, like fog gathering in a cave.
Panic prickled at him. What the hell is this? Am I dead? Paralyzed? He tried to think. He willed something to move; a ripple answered him. He pressed in one direction; something shifted. Slowly, a pattern formed. His movement wasn't mechanical; it flowed. Pressure, shifting, spreading. No bones or joints. Just currents.
<
Hydrostatic? That actually matched what he felt. He pushed, flexed, and pinched. Each movement spread through him in a way that made sense. He could sense his edges, feel pressure sliding across his form. It was like moving a puddle around, but his mind was still his own.
What is this voice anyway?
<
Slime? It sounded ridiculous, but it fit; his movements made sense. And no name, that emptiness where his name should be twisted something inside him.
He grabbed at a memory, desperate to find something solid. Flashes came: a cramped kitchen, steam curling from a kettle, his sister laughing, a scraped knee soothed by a gentle hand. Then it hit harder: a stranger, a knife, the shove, metal flashing. He'd acted first; that wild courage burned in the darkness.
I did that, that's me!
<
Reincarnation? So the slime thing is... The word landed with a thud. Dead. Now...here. Panic pulsed, but so did a bitter laugh. Great. Died, came back as a slime. Could be worse, right?
He tried to say his name. The sound slipped away, leaving only emptiness. Frustration, sharp and familiar, filled the gap.
<
He reached for his name, mentally, but nothing surfaced. The voice stepped in:
<
Nome. Really? Couldn't you have chosen something better? Not even a real name, just something to hold onto. Whatever. It would do for now. He rolled it around in his mind, winced like it was a bad nickname, and let it stick.
"Notice" Primary objectives: survive. Regain mana. Repair modules. Establish shelter
Nome flinched. Mana? What is that? He tried to process, but no explanation was offered.
He tried himself out. A droplet clung to a stalactite overhead. Water? Nome rolled over, absorbed it. Not because he was told, but because old, human thirst still lingered. Warmth trickled through him.
"Notice" Core mana: small. Recovery rate: minimal
Movement was awkward. He pushed, pulled, stretched, and pinched himself into new shapes. Internal currents flexed, pressure shifted, surface expanded, contracted. Each experiment taught him something new.
Silence followed. The strange "voice" that had guided him earlier didn't return.
Uh... hello? Nome called out mentally. Voice-thing? You there?
Nothing.
He tried again, louder in his head this time. Oi, mysterious system guy? Narrator? Anyone?
Still no response. Just the slow drip of water and his own sloshing sounds.
Well, great, he muttered, or thought. First, I wake up as... whatever this is, and now my tutorial voice quits halfway through the job.
He examined himself for one last time, or rather, felt himself. No bones. No hands. Just a trembling, stretchy body of liquid gel. He remembered, dimly, what it felt like to have muscles, a face and good clothes.
I used to be... handsome, right? Yeah. Handsome. Muscular too. What happened to my perfect abs!
He tried flexing, but his body jiggled, not the same.
Left alone with nothing but dripping echoes and boredom, Nome started to move.
He rolled, bounced, and flopped forward, absorbing small pebbles and bits of moss.
Then, something melted inside him. He panicked. Wait, wait! I didn't mean to eat that!
The object dissolved completely, absorbed into his body. He felt... Fuller?
That tiny success led to another, and another.
Before long, Nome was rolling around gleefully, melting anything he touched just to see what would happen. Moss, rock, even leftover puddles.
And as the time passed, the cave's silence pressed against him.
How long have I been doing this, anyway? He wondered aloud.
"Answer" Approximately three days.
What the—Who are you?!
"Answer" This is the effect of the user's Unique Skill: ｢Great Sage｣.
You! So you're the voice I heard earlier! Why were you quiet for so long?
"Answer" No questions were asked. No interaction required.
...I can't even argue with that logic, Nome sighed. Anyway, finally someone around! Or, uh, inside? You're inside me, right?
"Affirmative" Unique Skills reside within the soul of the user.
Cool, cool. Informative. So, one last thing, am I really reincarnated? I remember... getting stabbed.
"Affirmative" The Unique Skill ｢Great Sage｣ did not declare the reincarnation. That was the Voice of the World. Yes. The individual 'Satoru Mikami' was reincarnated as a slime after... the incident in the coffee shop, based on memories.
Oh... right. The memory stabbed through again, cold, sharp, and short-lived.
Pain, too much of it. Well, at least it's over, he thought, shaking away the thought.
Questions then tumbled from him one after another: why did things melt when he touched them? Where did they go? How did he do it? What other skills did he have?
"Answer" The individual currently possesses two Unique Skills.
Nome's interest p. Two? Oh! Okay, what are they?
"Answer" ｢Great Sage｣: a high-level analytical skill capable of independent calculations, environmental scanning, information synthesis, and strategy recommendations. ｢Predator｣: an active skill enabling the absorption of physical objects, life force, or skills upon consumption, with evolution potential.
Ah... so this is why I can... well, do stuff to things and learn from them? That's it?
"Answer" Correct. Additionally, the body possesses several Intrinsic Skills inherent to the slime species. These include: [Absorption], [Amorphous Form], [High Elasticity] and [Regeneration]
Okay... that makes sense. So basically, I can absorb stuff, stretch, and heal automatically, and then my Unique Skills let me... think and learn faster, and... eat stuff smarter?
"Answer" Correct.
And where does the stuff that I eat go?
"Answer" It is stored in ｢Predator｣'s [Stomach], which is a spatial storage to hold consumed items and data.
So... I have an infinite stomach. Nice!
Nome continued to pepper the Sage with questions about his skills, digestion, mana, whatever popped into his gooey head. Most explanations flew straight over him, but after several failed attempts, he managed to understand one thing: he could store stuff.
And what were I consuming all this time? He was able to guess that they were random herbs and rocks, but he asked out of curiosity.
"Answer" The [Stomach]'s contents: Rocks. Magisteel. Herbs. Metals. Further analysis is required to gather more information about the contents.
Hm? Analysis? Aren't the contents analysed once inside the stomach?
"Answer" Negative. Conducting an analysis is required. Activating [Analysis], ｢Predator｣ sub-skill? (Y/N)
Nome thought for a moment, but he gave a yes.
"Notice"Activating [Analysis]. Estimated time: 5 hours.
Five hours? Can't you speed it up? Even though Nome wasn't in a rush, he was curious about the actual content of his collection so far, as well as the analysis results.
"Solution"Do you wish ｢Great Sage｣ to synchronise ｢Predator｣'s analysis systems? (Y/N)
Wait, why?
"Answer" The synchronisation will result in better performance.
Well, I don't think this will cause any harm, so...Yes?
"Notice"Synchronisation between ｢Great Sage｣ and ｢Predator｣ established. Beginning shared analysis of absorbed materials.
"Analysis Complete."
"Result" Hipokute Herb: Medicinal plant rich in healing magicules, promotes rapid regeneration. Magisteel Ore: Magicule-infused metal, extremely durable and highly conductive.
Ooooh! This will surely be useful! He started eating herbs, rocks, glowing mushrooms, and anything around him.
After what felt like an eternity, he sighed again. Man, this would be less boring if I could at least see something. Jumping in a straight line and hitting walls isn't exactly entertainment. I think I will be able to see once I grow up, right? he assumed hopefully.
"Deny."
Wait, what do you mean, deny? Don't slimes ever grow eyes or something?
"Negative." Slimes possess weak sound sensors and can distinguish light from dark using outer-layer sensors. They rarely require more, as they are not typically in dangerous areas.
Dangerous areas? So... this cave is safe, then?
No answer. Satoru sighed. Sage could be stubborn with question formation. Uh... that means the cave is safe, right?
"Answer" Incorrect.
EEH! Why?!
"Answer" The cave has high magicule density, which is considered ideal for dangerous monsters.
Monsters? Magicules? Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I could've lost my second life before even starting!
"Answer"The individual did not request information regarding those subjects.
Nome puffed indignantly, well, as much as a slime could. I'm requesting now. Explain!
"Answer" Magicules: fundamental particles of magical energy composing all life and phenomena in this world. Monsters: organisms born from concentrated magicules; their existence depends on the continuous flow.
Lucky me... I haven't been eaten yet. I need to avoid those guys.
He paused. Great Sage, have you found a way out of this cave yet?
"Answer"Negative. Sensor data is insufficient to map exit routes.
Nome jiggled in frustration. Come on, there's got to be something you can do about this whole no-vision thing! I don't wanna die again!
"Solution"
What?
Environmental perception can be acquired by analysing the interaction between the body and surrounding magicules.
Wait, really? How?
"Answer"Analysing the interaction of magicules with the body will—
Yeah, yeah, but how exactly!?
Silence.
It wasn't like Sage couldn't answer; it simply failed to provide a simpler explanation. Little help here? He unintentionally gave the correct instruction.
"Understood" Does the individual wish to begin analysis? (Y/N)
Yes! he answered without hesitation.
Immediately, Sage began its calculations. Flickers of light and colour exploded in Nome's mind as the analysis progressed. Yeah! You're doing great, Sage! he cheered, even as his thoughts swirled in a dizzying storm of information.
The images grew sharper until—
<
Ahh! I feel my head's gonna explode!
"Understood" Does the individual wish to delegate analysis of ｢Magic Sense｣ to ｢Great Sage｣? (Y/N)
"Yes, yes, YES!"
Suddenly, the pain vanished.
"Notice" Activating ｢Magic Sense｣.
The world exploded into clarity. Lines of energy, floating dust, glowing minerals, everything shimmered in vivid, shifting colour.
Nome gasped, or tried to. Whoa... It's beautiful.
For the first time since awakening, he saw the world.
And he grinned, figuratively, since slimes don't have mouths.
Sage, you're amazing! Now, let's get out of here!
"Analysis complete." Multiple branching pathways detected. Airflow is present from the northwest. Magicule density decreases along that direction. Conclusion: probable path to surface. Does the individual wish to proceed? (Y/N)
Nome pulsed with excitement. Yes! Let's go now!
He bounced forward, light rippling over his translucent body. Somewhere far above, unseen through the ceiling stone, faint traces of magicule wind drifted through the cave, remnants of a power long vanished.
Nome didn't notice.
He was too busy rolling toward his first adventure.