Pierrot: I am just ashamed that I had to change Veldoraās name.
Clown: I seeā¦ Yeah, I initially called him the Tempest Dragon Veldora, but then the author decided to use that nameā¦ so I changed him to Storm Dragon Veldora. My bad.
Pierrot: Should I tell a joke?
Clown: If it depresses me any more, Iāll dieā¦
Pierrot: ā¦ Iāll try my best.
Clown: You shouldnāt!.
Pierrot: A panda walks into a bar. Orders a meal and quietly eats it. When the bartender comes with the check, the panda pulls out a shotgun, shoots the bartender, and prepares to leave the bar. The bartender, on his last breath, screams āWhy?!ā The panda pulls out a dictionary, points to the entry on pandas, which reads: Panda (n.) ā Eats shoots and leaves.
Clown: I pray he reincarnates as a slime.
.
.
Empowerment Arc
Chapter 04 ā First Friend
To say the least, I was surprised.
Real sorry for calling you a softy.
No question at allāheās dangerous.
Iāll blame my rude attitude on the lack of sightā¦ not like that will achieve anything.
(Oi. Do you remember our promise? ā¦ and besides, for all that complaining, youāve learned it pretty easily.)
(Of course~! I was just kidding. I can see my surrounding, and I can also hear sounds. Thank you!)
(Ay. Could have taken more time learning it, thoughā¦)
Well, I should be fine.
Got scared a bit, but canāt ignore the fact that this dragon has been so nice to me.
Moreover, he really is just lonely.
Just from the glance, heās looks like heās lost a lot. Kind of like the ācrying red ogreā.
(TL Note: look up The Ogre Who Cried on google for more information)
(Soā¦ what shall you do now?)
(Ummā¦ I think Iāll go around looking for fellow world travelers, though no harm if I donāt find any. )
Finding some would be good, but only if on good terms.
And besides, since I finally can see might as well see the world.
The world seems so much bigger now.
No need to munch on grass to kill time anymore.
Butā¦ this dragon.
Doesnāt seem like he can even move a muscle.
And youāre saying he stayed like that for 300 years?
(By the way, Veldora-san mentioned that you have beenā¦ sealed?)
(Mu? Ah, yes. I made the mistake of underestimating a small nuisanceā¦ had I went all out, I would not have been defeated!)
Somehow, the way he announced ādefeatedā sounded prideful rather than anything.
Honestly, doesnāt really seems like sword nor spear, and certainly not magic, can even wound this guy, butā¦
(Was he really so strong?)
What beast could possible be stronger than him?
The outside world is scarier than I thought! ā¦ probably.
(It is so. Strong indeed.Ā Ā Clothed in divine protection, the humanityās āheroā.)
Hero.
Iām rather familiar with the term from gaming.
Recently, the 'stumbled into the position of a heroā plot line has been popular, but I donāt remember them being so overpowered.
In this world, seems like they are truly strong.
(Speaking of, the hero referred to oneself as the āSummonedā.Ā Ā Could the hero have been from your world?)
(Eh? No no! No one is that strong in my world!)
(Nay, the world travelers in this world typically hold some special power. That is what serves as the power to etch their souls into this world.
The āSummonedā most certainly holds some special power. Most likely, holding the one of a kindāunique skill.
Different from those who stumble by chance, summoned souls are especially strong.
The success rate is less than 0.03%, but in this heroās case it succeeded.)
(When you say summoning, do you mean calling something out with magic?)
(As you say. It is a three day ritual involving thirty people. The success rate is low, but success is typically met with a powerful weapon.)
(Huh? Weapon?)
(Ay. The summoner engraves a curse into the soul of the summoned to prevent rebellion.)
(Whatās with that?! Are summoned people not recognized as humans?!)
(Humans? ā¦ world travels sometimes complain about that. That type of thing is but an illusion in this world. Survival of the fittest, that is the only truth in this world.)
I seeā¦
Itās pretty hard to accept this worlds summoning with my worldās stories in mind.
(In that case, would the āWorld Travelersā also be treated much like slaves?)
(That would depend on the person. They have not received the āMonster Warding Charmāā those that do either live quiet lives or become adventurers, or something like that.
Truly, among the many foes I have repelled, quiet a few came from another world! Fuhahaha!!!)
(In other words, forced labor is only limited to the āSummonedā case, huh?)
(I do not know whether it is appropriate to call it ālaborāā¦ but, so be it.
I know much about humans, but certainly not everything.)
(Thatās only to be expectedā¦ sorry.)
Rather, for a dragon he seems extremely informed.
Anyways, just talking makes him seem so happy, and he answers any question.
So for now, the dragon and I, will continue or conversation.
About how he fought the hero.
About how strong the hero was.
White skin.
Deep crimson, small lips.
Jet black, long hair.
Not too tall, petite and thin physique.
And though the eyes were hidden by a mask, that the hero was beautiful was clear.
A woman.
.
Soā¦ was it her looks that got him? When I asked that, āDonāt be spouting nonsense!āācame the angry reply.
.
She carried a peculiarly curved blade ā called a ākatanaā ā and fought without a shield.
Unique Skill [Certain Severance]
Unique Skill [Endless Prison]
With these skills, and every form of magic, she overwhelmed me! ā so he happily exclaimed.
I understood the tale but, this dragon, he just loves humans, huh.
He calls them small fry and trash, but it seems he has never killed any of them.
At least those that have not earned his wrath.
That one time,
300 Years ago, after a certain incident, he turned one city to dust.
And due to that incident, the hero was dispatched, and Veldora was sealed.
By the heroās skill [Endless Prison].
I doubt I can understand the dragonās feelings.
More than it just being someone elseās emotion, in the end, imagination can hardly lead to true sympathy.
But, at least I can say that he isnāt a bad dragon.
And hey, I like him.
So of course Iām no longer afraid of him.
And so,
(Okay! So, with meā¦ no, can we be friends?)
Ouchā¦ thatās still pretty embarrassing.
I must be bright red right nowā¦
(Wha, what did you say? For the feared Storm Dragon Veldora to become f-f-friends with someone of s-s-slimeās social standing?!)
(Ahā¦ well, if you hate it that muchā¦)
(Stupid! You! Nobody said anything about hating!)
(Eh, then? Ummā¦ what will you do?)
(ā¦ letās seeā¦ well, if you insistā¦ I can considerā¦)
Somehow, it seems he is timidly stealing glances my way.
Had this been done by a cute girl, Iād be very happyā¦ but when itās done by an evil looking dragonā¦
Well, it is interesting.
(I insist! Decide! If you hate, the deals off. No second chances!!!)
(Choā¦! Then I have no choice! Iāll become your friend! Show me your gratitude!)
Phew.
This dragon isnāt very obedient.
I also arenāt, so weāre a good fit.
(Then, Iāll be in your care!)
(Ay! ā¦ oh, and let me grant you a name. You also give me one!)
(Huh? Why? So suddenly?)
(To etch into our souls that we are equals. As humans call it, Family Name type of thing.
The one I grant you will bestow upon you āDiving Protectionā. You still lack a name, so you shall become a named monster now!)
Mu mu.
So, I have to come up with a Family Name (one for common use), huh?
Iām not really good at this stuffā¦
(Since you are called the Storm Dragon, how about simply āTempestā?)
Thatās no good, right?
Since it sound good, I simply took Storm and changed it into Tempestā¦
(Itās decided! What a wonderful name!)
He liked it!?
(From now on, I am Veldora Tempest. And youā¦
Shall be called āRimuru,ā Rimuru Tempest shall be thine name!!!)
And that name was etched into my soul
From what I can see and feel, I donāt feel any different.
But somewhere deep in my soul, I felt something change.
That would be something to mention to Veldora, wouldnāt it?
And so, I have become friends (or would it be more appropriate to call this soul-mates?) with him.
(Oh, and before I go, I wanted to ask. Is there nothing you can do about that seal?)
(Not with my power. If it were a unique skill like that of a hero, then it could perhaps be possibleā¦)
(You do not possess any unique skills?)
(I do. But from the moment the seal was placed, I could no longer use any. I barely managed retaining my telepathyā¦)
At the moment, the heroās unique skill [Endless Prison] prison seals the target in endless time and imaginary space; an unpleasant skill that does not permit interference from here.
Though it does seem strange that the only thing he can do is to communicate telepathicallyā¦
Itās not like the skill weakens with time, after all.
Being able to even recognize the present and converse with other creatures all seem like example of interference. Whatās unusual is Veldora himself hereā¦
Of course, both us noticed this.
(Alright. Thereās something I want to tryā¦)
As I said that, I touched Veldora.
And,
ļ¼ļ¼Attempting to predate unique skill [Endless Prison] via unique skill [Predation]ā¦ failureļ¼ļ¼
As expected, a heroās seal is not going to be this easy.
For but a second, interference with the heroās skill released a blinding light, but then it returned to normal.
Seems like for a brief moment, a seam opened in this endless prison. But it quickly restored itself.
And anyways, āSince itās also a unique skill, somethingāll happenā type of thing will only lead to trouble.
Isnāt there anything I can do?
What to doā¦
ļ¼ļ¼Solution. Unique skill [Endless Prison] has been partly analyzed. I shall present the escape method.
It is impossible for flesh to escape. Physical damage wise, the chance of destroying the prison is 0%.
With regards to the imaginary space escape methodāthe analysis proved impossible.
Analysis in identical situationāimprisonment in an [Endless Prison] is necessary for analysis. Therefore, currently this is impossible.
The chance of releasing a spiritual body is 1%.
Should one prepare a host for the spirit ahead of time, and move there in the process, the success rate increases to 3%.
At the moment, this process is similar to reincarnation. Should the affinity with the host be poor, memories and skills will all be reset.
End of the report on escape methodsļ¼ļ¼
ā¦Fumu.
The chances are far too low.
Doesnāt look more than flimsy film, this [Endless Prison] skill.
But for it to be impervious to physical damageā¦.
There must be some weakness to this absolute defense.
(Did hero take any damage? Any wounds or something?)
(Well asked! Our blows were well watched, and I have landed a few direct hits! But, there was no effect.
āDeath Calling Windsā, āBlack Lightingā, and even āStorm of Destructionā. All are skills that cannot be evaded, and yet no effect! I gave up! It was laughable!!!)
And all other similar babble would end in Veldoraās loud laughter.
Unique skill [Endless Prison] was definitely used to cover her body, if all outside interference is negated, no shield is necessary.
What a useful skill!
Unique skill [Certain Severance]
Unique skill [Endless Prison]
If you combine these two, wouldnāt you be essentially invincible?
Definitely donāt want to meet herā¦
She should have passed away by now, so should be okay.
Without a question, she belonged in the strongest class.
ā»In reality, Veldora was also in the strongest class but the Rimuru of the time could not have known this.
Anyways.
The escape to host method, huh?
To escape, a host to transfer the soul to seems to be necessary. It is also possible to escape in a spiritual body, but the success chance is low.)
Donāt really see the reason to mention the percentages.
If Veldoraās desire to escape decreases so could the chancesā¦
(Mu? There was an escape method! Honestly,Ā Ā after some 100 years my magical energy hit empty!
Probably since I didnāt stop the flow of magical energyā¦)
(I seeā¦ that would be the reason why the magical energy concentration around here is so high.)
(Ay. The truly strong monsters also avoid this area. Grass also hardly grows underground. Only some rare vegetation inhabits these caves!)
Ah.
I remembered about the Hipokte Grass.
In this case, itās a pretty valuable medicineā¦
(Wellā¦ since thatās the case, will you attempt to escape? If you had a place to transfer to, the chances would be higherā¦ and also, whatās considered a good host?)
(ā¦ Unfortunately, even if I detach my spirit, to gather the magical energy into a single core is rather difficultā¦
By opening a seam in the seal, thatās how this will succeed.
And a host, huh. That is, preparing a new core and moving thereā¦ reincarnation!)
This guy!
I thought that he might be slightly slow-witted, but he perfectly understood all of it.
How wondrousā¦ he reached the same conclusion as the [Great Sage].
(Thatās the thing. So, if thereās something I can prepare, should I go look for it?)
(Hmm. The thing is, I donāt really need a coreā¦ oh, and keep this secret? I am a ābeing perfect as oneā. Especially durable.
I am a spiritual life-form, and thus have no attachment to this body. I merely responded to the wishes of religions and the like when forming it.)
Again with that incomprehensible stuff.
And so we spoke untill I understood.
The result.
Gather the magical energy with oneās mind, and then form the flesh.
At the moment, the flesh being bound is beyond question, but the mind also cannot affect the surrounding magical energy.
Thatās the situation.
So I asked if he could leave as a spirit.
(That is impossible. I would require an offering.)
Is what he said.
If he were to leave in this way, he would scatter with the magical energy and cease to exist.
And, somewhere else, another āStorm Dragonā would be born.
That is one means of escape, but if thereās no meaning to it if it means becoming a different person.
Iām at a loss.
Wouldnāt eating Veldora with [Predator] be a better alternative?
Place him into the [Predator]ās stomach, analyze at depth the [Endless Prison]ās effects and eliminate just themā¦ could this work?
ļ¼ļ¼Solution. Target: Veldora can be absorbed with the unique skill [Predator]ļ¼ļ¼
Itās possible, huhā¦
If I explain it, will he consent?
If this goes on, after a hundred years of isolation, only to disappear would be his fate.
And so, I explained to Veldora the [Predator] ability and how I thought to use it.
This would be impossible, however,Ā Ā without the [Great Sage] ability correction.
(Kuahahahaha! Interesting!!! Of course Iāll try it. To you, Iāll entrust my everything!)
(Should you be trusting me so easily?)
(Of course! Rather than waiting for you to come back here, tearing [Endless Prison] asunder and leaving together inside of you sound so much more amusing!)
I see.
Not alone. Together.
Isnāt it fine?
With [Great Sage] and [Predator], Iāll continue analysis and seek to free Veldora from his imprisonment.
And in this stomach there is no fear of scattering and disappearing.
I think we can do this.
(Alright. Iāll eat you now, try to break out of [Endless Prison], okay?)
(Kukuku! Leave it to me! Donāt wait, Iāll pause it for you!!!)
Okay!
I made my decision.
I touch Veldora, and begin Predation.
In a second, the giant Veldora disappeared from my view.
That was too quick.
He was speaking up until a second ago.
Having disappeared so suddenlyā¦ makes me lonely.
The skill highly depends on the targetās resistance to being absorbed, but as expected of Velodraāno resistance what so ever.
Must say, Iām surprised I could absorb that huge body.
It seems that at the moment, my stomach is 25% occupiedā¦
Just how big of a space have I got in there?
Andā¦
ļ¼ļ¼Will you begin analysis of the unique skill [Endless Prison]? [YES]/[NO]?ļ¼ļ¼