Afternoon sunlight filtered through the dense canopy of the Great Jura Forest, casting mottled shadows across the ground. A soft breeze carried the scent of greenery—and the sound of a very frustrated Takumi.
"System, check-in!"
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received—one bottle of Leibi!]
Takumi stared blankly at the glowing item panel.
Host: Takumi
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Realm: Peak Golden Core Stage
Items: Dimensional Gate ×1, Leibi ×3, feminine hygiene product ×1, damaged iron sword ×1
System Evaluation: In the myriad worlds, you are already a visible nobody. Be careful not to be accidentally stepped on! ┓(´ｰ`)┏
Takumi sighed deeply.
"System… It's been five days. Five days! What am I supposed to do with… this stuff? I can drink the Leibi, sure, but why feminine pads!?"
[Rewards are random. Please improve your luck stat. Pray more. Try believing in something.]
"I believe… that you enjoy bullying me."
Rimuru, cradled in Takumi's arms, looked up curiously.
"Takumi, you've been sighing nonstop for two days. What's wrong?"
Takumi stroked Rimuru's round, squishy body like a stress ball.
"Oh Rimuru… I'm lamenting the injustice of heaven. Why does someone as extraordinarily handsome and gifted as me get persecuted by fate?"
Rimuru blinked. "Uh… I don't think that's how fate works…"
A Strange Encounter
Their banter was cut short by the sound of chaotic footsteps.
A group of small, green Goblins stumbled out from the bushes, clutching crude wooden spears and wearing ragged cloth armor. The Goblin leader—distinguished only by a faded red bandana—was trembling so hard his weapon rattled.
Upon seeing Rimuru in Takumi's arms, the entire squad visibly paled.
"St-Strong one… wh-what brings you to our territory…?" the red-bandana Goblin stammered.
Rimuru blinked. "Takumi, is he talking to you?"
"No, he's absolutely talking to you."
Takumi glanced down at Rimuru। "Your aura is leaking. A LOT."
Rimuru, startled, used Great Sage to examine himself—only to see a massive vortex of magicules swirling around him.
"WH-WHAT!? Why didn't Great Sage warn me!?"
[Correction: You did not ask.]
"YOU—!"
Takumi chuckled while Rimuru hastily retracted his magical pressure, finally allowing the trembling Goblins to breathe normally.
They immediately pressed their foreheads to the ground.
"Oh Great One! We beg you—please come to our village! Our people are in danger!"
Rimuru looked up at Takumi for confirmation.
Takumi shrugged. "We don't have a destination anyway. Might as well learn about the world. Plus, you won't get to recruit them if we say no."
The Goblins nodded vigorously, as if terrified they'd be rejected.
The Goblin Village
Their "village" was a clearing with a dozen shabby huts threatening to collapse at any moment. Each hut was made of mismatched branches and leaves, looking more like they were crafted by hope rather than skill.
Inside the central hut, the elderly Goblin Village Chief kneeling before them trembled like a leaf.
"Welcome, honored ones. I-I am the chief of this humble village."
Rimuru nodded politely. Takumi stood behind him, arms folded, observing with curiosity.
"What do you need from us?" Rimuru asked directly.
The Chief bowed low.
"Our deity, Lord Veldora, vanished a month ago. Without his protection… monsters have begun attacking us relentlessly!"
Rimuru stiffened.
He knew exactly why Veldora disappeared.
"We tried to fight back," the Chief continued, "but our strength is too little… We beg you… please lend us your power!"
Rimuru hesitated.
"I'm just a Slime. I might not be what you expect…"
But the Goblins shook their heads frantically.
"You are far too humble, Great One! Your aura alone is more powerful than any known monster!"
Rimuru puffed up proudly.
Takumi snickered.
Then the red-bandana Goblin added urgently:
"A savage pack of Fang Wolves will attack tonight! Without your aid, our village will be wiped out!"
Rimuru turned to Takumi again.
"Should we help them?"
Takumi smiled softly.
"You're too soft-hearted. But yes—we should help."
Rimuru hopped excitedly. "Takumi, you're so nice!"
With newfound confidence, Rimuru declared:
"Very well! On behalf of the Storm Dragon Veldora, I shall protect your village!"
The entire Goblin tribe bowed in tears.
"Thank you, Lord Rimuru! Thank you, Lord Takumi!"
Takumi's First Battle
As night fell over the forest, the Goblin village became eerily silent.
Takumi stood in front of the huts, arms crossed, observing the area. Rimuru bounced beside him.
Takumi stretched lazily.
"You know, I've reached Golden Core stage, but I've never actually fought anything yet. Kind of curious to see how strong I am in this world…"
Rimuru gave him a weird look.
"You sound like those battle junkies in anime…"
Takumi smirked.
"Well, this world is basically anime."
The Civilization System suddenly chimed.
[Host, this battle will provide excellent data for evaluating world combat standards. Recommend testing Herrscher abilities at low output.]
"Right, right, don't blow up the forest. Got it."
[Thank you for acknowledging your destructive tendencies.]
"I feel insulted, but it's not wrong…"
Then the howls began.
Dozens of glowing red eyes emerged from the treeline.
The Fang Wolves.
Rimuru tensed. "They're coming!"
Takumi stepped forward, golden energy faintly crackling around him.
"Let me handle the first wave. You take care of the pack leader later—it'll be good for your evolution."
With that, he extended his hand.
Finality energy shimmered.
Time slowed.
Space rippled.
The wolves leapt.
Takumi flicked his fingers.
Invisible golden lines sliced through the air.
The wolves froze mid-jump, suspended like puppets.
Rimuru's jaw dropped.
"Takumi… what did you DO?"
Takumi shrugged.
"A small domain of causality collapse. Basically, I told the universe that they already lost before they attacked."
Rimuru: "That's… cheating."
Takumi: "Yes."
The wolves collapsed like cut strings, unconscious but unharmed.
[Finality Output: 0.00004%. Environmental damage: negligible.]
"See? Totally gentle."
Rimuru stared at him like he was a walking natural disaster.
The Fang Wolf King Arrives
A deeper, more menacing howl echoed.
A massive Fang Wolf—its fur silvered, eyes glowing with intelligence—stepped forward.
"That must be the leader," Rimuru whispered.
Takumi nodded.
"Your turn, Rimuru."
Great Sage echoed in Rimuru's mind.
[Warning: Individual possesses superior physical attributes. However, victory is possible with Predator.]
Rimuru gulped.
"Takumi… you'll back me up, right?"
Takumi patted his head.
"Always."
The battle was quick.
The leader pounced. Rimuru dodged. Great Sage calculated the path.
And with one decisive moment—
Rimuru unleashed Predator.
The Fang Wolf leader vanished into Rimuru's body.
Silence.
Rimuru blinked.
"…Did I win?"
Takumi laughed.
"You won."
A Pact Formed
The remaining Fang Wolves trembled before Rimuru.
Then, one by one—they lowered their heads.
A sign of submission.
Rimuru's eyes sparkled with pride.
Takumi whispered to him:
"You're officially a leader now."
Rimuru puffed up again.
"That's right! I am Rimuru Tempest—protector of Goblins!"
The Goblins cheered. The Wolves bowed.
And the System chimed.
[New Population Detected: Goblins ×63, Wolves ×31. Integrating into Dimensional City registry.]
[Dimensional City Level Up Conditions Met.]
Takumi's eyes lit up.
"Oh? A level-up already?"
A brilliant column of light shot into the sky.
The ground beneath the village trembled.
Metallic platforms rose. Holographic barriers formed.
The first external District Expansion of Dimensional City had begun.
Rimuru stared in awe.
"Takumi… your city is actually growing on its own!"
Takumi smiled.
"Welcome to the future capital of countless worlds."
The night sky shimmered above them.
The Goblins and Wolves huddled together in awe.
Rimuru hopped excitedly.
And Takumi stood at the center of it all—with Finality energy radiating faintly behind him like a divine halo.
Dimensional City had taken its second step forward.
The world was beginning to change.