: As I approached the large exit door, I could feel a sense of excitement and anticipation building inside me.
With a confident smile on my face, I placed my hand on the door and pushed.
"Dammit, why won't this open!?"
But as I tried to push the door open, I realized that it was too heavy for my stubby little slime hands.
"Screw it. [Poisonous Breath]!"
I aimed the powerful stream of corrosive gas at the door. The acid quickly ate away at the wood and metal, causing it to melt and crumble away into a pile of rusted debris.
As the acid dissipated, I stepped through the now open doorway and into the bright sunlight outside. I felt like shielding my eyes for a moment, but it took only a second for『Great Sage』to adjust [Magic Sense] to the sudden change in light.
Before me lay a vast expanse of rolling hills and lush green forests, stretching out as far as the eye could see. The air was crisp and fresh, and a gentle breeze brushed against my body, carrying with it the scents of flowers and trees.
"Now, where are those goblins located?" Originally, my plan was to replicate exactly what Rimuru did.
Save the goblins, conquer the wolves, and set the foundation for Tempest. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
But for some of you observant bunch, you'd know exactly what I did wrong. My ignorance that would eventually cause my undoing. The seed that would distort proper Tensura history.
"Should I go left, or right?" I asked to no one in particular. I looked from side to side, "Left? Right?"
Before me lay a vast expanse of rolling hills and lush green forests, stretching out as far as the eye could see. The air was crisp and fresh, and a gentle breeze brushed against my body, carrying with it the scents of flowers and trees.
After pondering for a moment, I realized that neither left nor right held any particular appeal. "Alright, I'll go straight!"
As I hopped straight through the forest, my slime body was in constant motion, adapting to the rough terrain and quickly adjusting to any obstacles that lay in my path. My movements were fluid and graceful, each hop propelling me forward with incredible speed and agility.
My slime body was perfectly suited to this environment, allowing me to navigate the forest with precision and speed. I hopped over streams and through thickets, my senses alert for any danger or opportunity that might arise.
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, I complained about the decision I myself made.
"Great Sage, can you take the wheel?"
I then remembered about that time『Great Sage』controlled Rimuru's body against the Orc Disaster and during his Demon Lord evolution.
«Positive──Enable [Auto Battle Mode]?»
"Woah, woah, woah. Don't you have something like 'Auto Walking Mode'?"
«Correction──Although it may be referred to as [Auto Battle Mode], it is a general term used for autopilot. Automatically moving your body in a straight line is something easily achievable»
After hearing the information presented to me, I took a moment to fully consider all aspects of the situation and ultimately came to the conclusion that it was acceptable.
"Set the activation duration for… let's see… 2 days?"
I activated [Auto Battle Mode], and, I don't know if this is supposed to happen, but I lost consciousness when it activated.
I later learned that this was an effect of my own personal Unique Skill that I didn't know I had before. While I couldn't see the journey I took,『Great Sage』was able to retell what it passed.
Continuing to hop through the forest, it came across a clearing filled with lush green grass and vibrant flowers. In the distance, there was a small pond, its surface shimmering in the sunlight.
As it passed the pond,『Great Sage』told me that it was filled with all sorts of creatures. Some were small and delicate, with intricate patterns etched into their scales or feathers, with glowing eyes and shimmering wings that sparkled in the sunlight.
Tiny fish darted through the water, while frog-like and other amphibians lounged on the rocks and lily pads that dotted the surface.
As『Great Sage』continued to hop through the forest, the journey took it deeper and deeper into the wilderness. The trees grew thicker, and the underbrush grew denser, making it more challenging to navigate through the terrain.
But despite the difficulties, it persisted…! Mostly by using『Predator』and [Poisonous Breath] to destroy any obstacles along its way.
Eventually,『Great Sage』was brought to the edge of a massive ravine, its walls stretching up high into the sky. From where it stood, you could see that the walls were rising high into the sky and stretching as far as the eye could see. Towering cliffs of jagged rock, layered with sediment and striated with veins of different minerals, loomed over me on either side.
In some places, the walls were so steep that they seemed almost vertical, with no way to climb or scale them. In other areas, the walls sloped more gently, their rocky faces carved into intricate patterns and crevices by the elements over time.
The floor of the ravine was covered in a thick layer of sand and rocks, with small streams of water trickling along the edges. The water was crystal clear, shimmering in the sunlight that filtered down from high above, casting dancing shadows along the walls of the ravine.
『Great Sage』showed no hesitation, jumping right in as per its order, "Go on straight."
After 2 days had passed, I was given manual control. What I thought would be me watching Great Sage's journey, ended as if I was sleeping through a road trip.
And in the first time I could see in two days, I saw a scenery completely unlike that of the forest I had just escaped the cave from.
The landscape was barren and desolate, with nothing but sand and rock stretching as far as the eye could see.
Mountains that rose up like massive monoliths, its sides steep and forbidding, with jagged outcroppings of rock and scree littering its slopes. The sand around the base of the mountain was hot and dry, the wind whipping it up into small dust devils that danced and swirled around me.
"Holy sh*t, where am I?!"
«Answer──You are 238.9 kilometers away from the Sealed Cave»
"That doesn't answer my question. What does [All of Creation] say?"
«Answer──The Subskill: [All of Creation] isn't applicable at the moment, due to the fact that you have not perceived anything that would pinpoint this location to a specific one»
"So I would need to see some sort of landmark?"
«Affirmative»
𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴.
As I hopped through the mountainous desert, the landscape shifted and changed around me, presenting new challenges and obstacles at every turn. The sand underfoot was hot and gritty, the rocks sharp and jagged.
I knew that this was nowhere near the goblin village that Rimuru found, but I had already spent two days walking here and I'd be damned if I had to walk for another 48 hours.
Besides, with『Predator』and『Great Sage』at my side, I thought that there wouldn't be anything for me to fear.
(𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱)
In the distance I could hear the sounds of the hoofs of horses striking the sand. Yes, I could hear. By tweaking [Ultrasonic Waves] I could detect sound-waves that『Great Sage』would process the inputs into sound.
I looked at the source of the sound. What looked to be an envoy. There was a wagon being drawn by two horses, on the wagon were small crates and 3 people, a woman, a boy, and a girl.
Both in the front and behind the wagon were horse riders. The one in front was a man that looks like a cowboy straight from a western movie.
And the rider behind the wagon was a woman who was strapped with a quiver behind her.
𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦! 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯! 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘐𝘴𝘦𝘬𝘢𝘪 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.
But as I hopped my slime body, I saw that the paved sand road was too far away, and the wagon party was going farther by the second.
"Great Sage! Is partial Mimicry of『Predator』usable?"
«Affirmative»
Obviously, I didn't want to alert them by turning into a giant bat that's flying towards them. So I settled by just mimicking the wings.
The gravity defying wings sprouted on my head for some reason, but I guess since I don't have a face I shouldn't expect it to sprout on my "back".
But even with the wings, I struggled to catch up to the horses running at mid speed. I had to resort to coming up with a way to get faster.
"Give me a list of all the Skills that I'm able to use!"
«Answer──The Common Skills Steel Thread, Sticky Thread, Poisonous Breath, Thermal Regulation, Paralyzing Breath, Body Armor, Drain, and Ultrasonic Waves.
The Extra Skills Sense Heat Source, and Magic Sense
The Unique Skills Great Sage, Predator, and Freeloader»
Although I was intrigued by what that new Unique Skill I heard was, I had to ignore it for now and focus on this before I lost them.
𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢.
"Is it possible to compress [Poisonous Breath] or [Paralysis Breath] and expel it in the opposite direction of where I'm facing?"
«Answer──That is certainly feasible»
I released [Poisonous Breath] and [Paralysis Breath] inwards within the Stomach of『Predator』, compressing it, then turning the other side to blow the gas out. What resulted was a kind of aerokinetic version of Rimuru's [Hydraulic Propulsion].
[Acquired Common Skill [Pneumatic Impeller]]
Now that I had this Skill, combined with the Anti-Gravity Wings, I was able to keep up with them while still being sneaky enough that they wouldn't detect me.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 [𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦]? I made a mental note to learn Battlewill as soon as I get a human body.
𝘕𝘰, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.
I stayed about 100 meters above the wagon party, staying a bit ahead so I wouldn't lose sight of them. Since there was only one road, I felt safe to fly ahead and watch from a nearby cliff.
────────────────────────
Name: Zarasu Tempest
Race: Slime
Divine Protection: Storm Crest
Title: None
EP: 81,100 (A Class)
Magic: None
Battlewill: None
Mystic Arts: None
Unique Skills:『Great Sage』『Predator』『Freeloader』
Extra Skills: [Sense Heat Source], [Magic Sense]
Common Skills: [Steel Thread], [Sticky Thread], [Poisonous Breath], [Thermal Regulation], [Paralyzing Breath], [Body Armor], [Drain], [Ultrasonic Waves]
[Pneumatic Impeller]
Intrinsic Skills: [Absorb], [Dissolve], [Self-Regeneration]
Resistance: Pain Nullification, Thermal Fluctuation Resistance, Paralysis Resistance, Electricity Resistance, Physical Attack Resistance