Chapter 2

It's so dark.

It's pitch black, I can't see a thing.

Where am I? No, what happened?

I seem to have been toyed with, called a sage and a great sage...

Thinking about this, my consciousness clears.

My name is Sato Mune, a good man at the age of thirty-seven.

I was stabbed while protecting a junior who was about to be attacked by a random killer on the street.

Very well, I still remember. No problem, there seems to be no immediate reason to panic.

When was the last time I panicked? Probably when I had a bedwetting incident in elementary school.

I plan to observe the surroundings, but I realize something. I can't open my eyes.

Troublesome, I was just about to scratch my head... my hands don't respond—more importantly, where is my head?

My mind is in chaos.

Hey, hold on a second.

Give me a moment, I need to calm down. Should I count prime numbers in a situation like this?

One, two, three, ah————!

No, that's not right. Come to think of it, one isn't a prime number, is it?

No, no, that's not important.

This isn't the time to be silly, things seem to be quite serious?

Huh? Wait, what's going on?

Could it be... perhaps the current situation is so dire that I can't help but panic?

I'm as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, checking if any part of my body hurts.

It doesn't hurt. I feel completely at ease.

I don't feel cold or hot. I seem to be in a very comfortable space.

This makes me feel a bit more at ease.

Next, I need to check my limbs. Not to mention my fingertips, neither my hands nor feet respond...

What's going on?

Just being stabbed shouldn't make my limbs disappear, what happened?

And I can't open my eyes.

I can't see anything, it's pitch black all around.

An unprecedented sense of unease is overwhelming me.

Does this mean... I'm unconscious?

Or am I still conscious, but my nerves are severed, rendering me immobile?

No, no, spare me!

Imagine this.

They say people go crazy quickly when confined in darkness. I'm in that state, and I can't even end my own life.

If this continues, I'll go insane. It's impossible not to despair.

At this moment, something seems to touch my body.

Huh? What is this...?

My consciousness is focused on that sensation.

Next to my stomach (or so I think), something that feels like grass is touching me.

I concentrate on that area and start to vaguely understand the boundaries of my body. Occasionally, the tips of leaves prick me.

This makes me a bit happy.

I'm still in complete darkness. However, at least I can perceive things through one of my five senses, touch.

I find it interesting and decide to turn towards the grass—

It's slippery.

I realize my body is moving, feeling like I'm crawling.

It's moving...

At this point, I clearly understand that I'm not on a hospital bed. The sensation under my stomach (or so I think) feels like the uneven shape of rocks.

I see... Although I have no idea what's going on, it seems I'm not in a hospital.

Moreover, I've lost the functions of my eyes and ears.

Although I don't know where my head is, I still move towards the grass. I focus on the part that's touching.

I can't smell anything. I probably don't have a sense of smell, right?

Furthermore, I'm not sure what shape my body is in.

Although I don't want to admit it, it feels like some kind of streamlined, bouncy "monster."

This feeling has been in my mind since the beginning.

No, no... it can't be. No matter what, it's impossible...

Anyway, let's put this unease aside for now.

I decide to try the last of the five human senses that I haven't tried yet.

I want to, but I don't know where my mouth is. What should I do?

《Do you want to use the unique skill "Predator"? YES/NO》

A voice suddenly rings in my head.

What? What did it just say? Unique skill "Predator"...?

By the way, what is this voice?

It seems I heard a strange voice when talking to Tamura. Was that just an illusion?

Is there someone else here? But it feels strange. This doesn't sound like someone else... more like a thought floating in my mind.

The tone lacks a human touch, perhaps it's like the mechanical voice of a computer.

Anyway, I'll choose NO! for now.

No response. I wait for a while, but I don't hear anything.

It doesn't seem like it will ask again. Did I choose the wrong option? Is this a game where you get stuck if you don't choose YES?

I thought it would be like an RPG, where it would keep asking the same question until you choose YES, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Asking a question and then leaving me hanging is quite rude.

I'm actually a bit relieved to hear a voice.

This makes me a bit regretful.

Well, there's no helping it. Let's try the taste I was testing earlier.

I move towards the grass I encountered earlier.

I feel the part where the grass touches me and crawl onto it. I cover the grass as if to confirm the sensation with my body. Indeed, these are grass.

When I confirm the sensation of the grass, the part where it touches my body starts to dissolve. I panic, thinking my body is dissolving, but it seems only the grass is dissolving.

Then, I realize my body is absorbing the dissolved grass.

It seems I absorb the grass by dissolving it. In other words, my body doesn't eat with its mouth but with the part that touches. By the way, it tastes like nothing.

So, that's how it is.

It seems almost certain that I'm no longer human.

Come to think of it, was I really killed?

Rather than a question, I almost believe it. If that's the case, it makes sense that I'm not in a hospital but on a grassy rocky plain.

What happened to Tamura?

What about Ms. Sawatari?

Was my computer properly destroyed?

Questions keep coming up. But there's no point in worrying about them now. I need to think about what to do next.

So, my current form is indeed—

Judging by the sensation just now...

I refocus my consciousness on my body.

It's bouncy and elastic.

This body moves with a rhythmic feel.

In the darkness, I take my time to confirm the contours of my body.

Amazing!

I used to be incredibly handsome and manly, and now I've turned into a streamlined, minimalist object!

Hey, this is a joke! I can't accept it—

Judging by the shape of my body, no matter how I think about it, it can't be anything but that.

No, no, because... you know!

I don't dislike it! Yes. I even thought it was cute!

But if you ask, "Do you want to be that?" I think most people would feel the same way as me.

However, I guess I have no choice but to accept the reality now...

It seems my "soul" has reincarnated as a monster in another world.

Although it's supposed to be impossible, the probability should be astronomically low...

I, the person, have reincarnated as a slime.

*

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.

I'm eating grass.

Why? Of course!

Because I'm bored!

Although I didn't want to, after accepting the fact that I've become a slime, I must have spent a few more days. I'm not sure how many days... after all, there's no sense of time in the darkness.

Day by day, I realize that a slime's body is more convenient than I thought. I don't get hungry, and I don't need to sleep. In short, no need to eat or sleep.

I also realize something else.

Although I'm not sure, it seems there are no other creatures here. Fortunately, I can survive... but I have nothing to do every day.

During this period, that strange voice didn't appear again. Now, I can deal with it.

Thus, I have no choice but to eat grass.

There's nothing else to do. I eat grass to pass the time.

Currently, the grass I absorb is decomposed and categorized in my body—this is just my personal feeling.

If someone asks me what the point of this is, I would say there is no point.

I just fear that I might go crazy if I don't find something to do.

Recently, I've gotten used to it, and I keep repeating the process of absorbing, decomposing, and storing.

Here, I encounter a

very strange problem.

I haven't excreted anything yet.

Since I'm a slime, I don't need to excrete— if that's the case, where did the stuff stored in my body go?

From my personal feeling, there's no change in my form.

What's going on?

《Answer. It's stored in the stomach of the unique skill "Predator." Additionally, the current space usage is less than one percent.》

What? It actually answered——!

By the way, when did I activate the skill? I remember answering "NO!" clearly.

《Answer. The unique skill "Predator" is not activated. The substances absorbed into the body are automatically stored in the stomach. You can change this setting at will.》

Is that possible? This time, the answer is smooth. Well, that's not the point...

So, what happens when I use the skill?

《Answer. The effects of the unique skill "Predator" are as follows—

Predation: Absorb the target into the body. However, the success rate is significantly reduced if the target retains consciousness. The skill can be used on both organic and inorganic objects, as well as skills and magic.

Analysis: Analyze and study the absorbed target. Generate possible items. If the material conditions are met, replication is possible. Successfully analyzing a spell can grant the ability to learn the target skill or magic.

Stomach: Store the absorbed target. Additionally, it can store the materials generated after analysis. The stored items are not affected by time.

Mimicry: Reproduce the absorbed target and exercise the same abilities. However, this is limited to objects that have been successfully analyzed.

Isolation: Store harmful effects that cannot be analyzed. Purify and convert them into magic power.

These are the five main abilities.》

Huh?... Huh?

I haven't been this shocked in a long time. These are quite impressive abilities... not at all like what a mere slime should have.

Wait, let's put those aside for now. Who is the voice that keeps answering me? Is someone there?

《Answer. This is the effect of the unique skill "Great Sage." Since the ability has stabilized, it can respond quickly.》

"Great Sage"... I used to mock this thing, but now it seems very reliable. I hope it will continue to support me.

By the way, I'm not picky anymore.

As long as it can comfort my endless loneliness, anything will do.

This "voice" might be a hallucination I created, but even if it is, it doesn't matter.

I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time.

*

It has been ninety days since I reincarnated as a slime.

To be precise, it has been ninety days, seven hours, thirty-four minutes, and fifty-two seconds.

How can I be so precise? All thanks to the correction effect of the unique skill "Great Sage."

Oh, this skill is really convenient. For any questions, just ask "Great Sage," and it will answer everything.

According to "Great Sage," it took ninety days for the skill to fuse with my soul. However, it couldn't respond to my questions like it does now. To answer my questions, it underwent self-modification and borrowed some of the "Voice of the World" authority.

Generally, having a voice in your head that answers questions—such a convenient ability doesn't exist. The "Voice of the World" only speaks when a skill is obtained or evolved.

However, obtaining a skill and evolving are not easy. The world only grants a "skill" when it recognizes the person's growth. As for "evolution," it's something most people can't even dream of.

I don't fully understand, but I'll accept it as it is.

Although "Great Sage" can now answer my questions, it is a passive skill and has no will of its own.

It won't ask me questions unless I talk to it. This is a bit disappointing.

However, even if it's one-sided, being able to ask the voice questions is quite enjoyable.

In the original world, if I talked to my skills, people would say, "You're just imagining things, tough luck," and treat me like a weirdo...

Thus, in the darkness with nothing to do, I asked a lot of questions.

As a result, I confirmed that I had undoubtedly become a slime.

I also understood why I don't get hungry and don't need to sleep.

In this world, slimes don't need to eat as long as they can absorb magic particles. In areas with low magic particle density, they need to absorb monsters or small animals to replenish their magic particles.

Therefore, in this world, slimes are more vicious and stronger in areas with lower magic particle density. Generally, monsters are stronger in areas with higher magic particle density.

In short, the magic particle density here is so high that there's no need to eat.

Next, information about sleep—

《Answer. A slime's body is a cluster of the same cells. Each cell is a brain cell, a nerve, and a muscle. Therefore, the cells used for thinking can take turns resting, so there's no need for sleep.》

That's what "Great Sage" said.

Where are my memories stored?

Perhaps in a state similar to a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) in a computer?

When I thought about it, "Great Sage" answered, 《More or less correct.》 I didn't expect "Great Sage" to be so responsive.

Next, I was very curious about the five effects of "Great Sage."

Thought Acceleration: Increase perception speed by a thousand times.

Analysis Appraisal: Analyze and appraise the target.

Parallel Computation: Perform computations on the target while keeping thoughts separate.

Chant Exclusion: Use skills and magic without chanting.

Comprehensive Knowledge: Encompass all unshielded phenomena in this world.

That's it.

Comprehensive Knowledge? Can I effortlessly acquire all knowledge with this! I thought...

In reality, it only displays information within the possible range for things I have encountered.

In other words, this ability can further analyze known things, but it must be in a state where the target is recognized.

Next, Chant Exclusion. Does this mean I can skip the chanting process and directly cast spells after learning them? Or, in other words, is there really magic!

The answer is YES.

After learning that magic exists in this world, I really wanted to learn it.

I asked "Great Sage" if I could use it, but it wasn't possible.

But then I had an idea—can the analysis of "Predator" be linked with the parallel computation of "Great Sage"?

《Answer. The analysis of "Predator" can be linked with the parallel computation of "Great Sage." Do you want to link them? YES/NO》

Of course, it's YES! But there's nothing to analyze... wait.

I remember the things stored in my stomach, the grass I ate to pass the time. What is it?

Since there's nothing else to do, I might as well analyze the grass.

So, let's try it.

………………

……………

……

《Analysis complete—

Hippocut Herb: An ingredient for healing potions. Grows only in areas with high magic particle density. Mixing the herb juice with magic particles creates a healing potion. Crushing the leaves and mixing them with magic particles produces a salve for wounds.》

What! The random grass I ate to pass the time...

This is an unexpected treasure from the sky.

I immediately started making healing potions and salves. Although it happens inside my body, I don't really feel it. The analysis takes less than a second, and the individual process takes no more than three seconds. I can generate a hundred in about five minutes.

Since there's nothing to compare it to, I'm not sure about the quality, but according to the appraisal, it seems to be "high-quality."

The results are quite satisfying. Both the analysis and the creation process are very fast. I asked "Great Sage," and it said it would take longer under normal circumstances. It seems linking the analysis with parallel computation was the right choice.

I tried it without the link, and it took fifty minutes.

The time saved after linking is astonishing.

It seems I have two skills that complement each other well, although I didn't realize it...

Among them, there were some weeds, but most of what grew here were Hippocut Herbs.

Just in case, I started eating the grass with the intention of eating it all.

At the same time, the stomach in my body started making healing potions.

Anyway, it's still pitch black, and there's nothing else to do...

At this moment, I had no sense of tension.

Partly because I had a passive but interactive ability, I became a bit overconfident.

Moreover, in the past ninety days, I haven't encountered any other creatures and haven't faced any life-threatening situations.

In short, I was too careless.

H