A/N: Here's the third chapter, at long last! Sorry it took so long. This chapter was hard for me to write, so apologies in advance for any inconsistencies and whatnot.

Anywho, on with the story!

Darkness… Nothing but darkness.

I was floating around in a dark void. Not a sound to be heard, and not a sight to be seen. I stared at the darkness that stretched out to infinity, and it just stared back at me.

BZZZZT* That static noise again.

"Yorg schnii vil-" *BZZZZT* "-mor nox xil-" *BZZZZT* "-zun lor wid-" *BZZZZT*

Wait, I know that voice. Can it be? Suddenly, I felt a surge of energy course through my body. I became more alert and tried to direct my attention in the direction of the oh so familiar voice.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Do you hear me?! Yeah, I'm talking to you!" That cosmic asshole better be hearing this. I have so much to get off my chest right now. "I don't know what you're trying to do to me, but I want it to stop!"

Before I could get another word out, a glimmer of light appeared right in front of me, slowly expanding into a bigger and brighter light that illuminated the dark void.

"What the? What is-" I covered my eyes from the light as it enveloped me.

-x-

"AHHHHHHH!" I yelled as I suddenly woke up and bolted upright in a sitting position, clutching my chest and gasping for breath. What was all that? A dream? It sure didn't feel like it.

After taking a moment to calm down, I looked all around me to see where I was. I wasn't in that interrogation room anymore. In fact, I was lying in a bed. The room I was in was white, and there was a curtain circling my bed, as well as a bedside table to my left. It seems I was in some kind of hospital, or what counted as one in a fantasy world. On the bedside table, I noticed a small mirror and took a long, hard look at myself for the first time since I got to this world. Man, I looked like I hadn't slept in days. The baggy eyes, the messy hair, the black writing on my right chee- wait, what?!

I rubbed my eyes and looked back at myself in the mirror. "What the hell," I touched my right cheek. "How did this get here?" For some reason, I had some writing on my right cheek. I tried rubbing it to get it off, but no luck. Was this permanent marker or some kind of tattoo? And what were these symbols? From the looks of things, it's some kind of English writing. S, L, T, a hyphen, and…. was that an 8? Is this some kind of code? What does it mean? Did I get this writing on my cheek when I landed in this world? Or did it appear while I was unconscious? Before I could ponder further, the sound of a door creaking open brought me out of my thoughts, followed by a mysterious voice calling out to me.

"Ah, I see you're finally awake!" said the mysterious voice. It was in English. Even if I still felt a little disoriented, I heard it loud and clear. I looked toward the door and saw who the voice belonged to. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, so I rubbed my eyes again and looked back at my visitor, or should I say visitors? In the doorway, there was a tall and curvaceous woman with bright purple hair, a horn on her forehead, and she was wearing a pantsuit. Not only that, but her breasts were huge! Goddamn! I couldn't help but blush and look away in embarrassment. I'm not good when it comes to women. I shot a slight glance back at the mystery lady and noticed that she was holding some kind of round blue plushy thing with lines for eyes in her arms. This was getting stranger by the minute, but I needed to break the silence.

"Ummmmmmm…. hi there?" I said with a hint of nervousness in my voice.

From then on, the woman was talking in Japanese. I couldn't understand what she was saying outside of 'Shion-kun.' Just who was she talking to? We're the only ones in this room. Then, as if on cue, the plush suddenly jumped from the woman's arms and onto the floor. I couldn't help but flinch at the sight. That wasn't the woman who talked to me just now, and that certainly wasn't a plush she was holding. It was a slime. A talking slime. And it talked to me in English.

"Hai, Rimuru-sama." said the busty woman as she turned to leave. Okay, so the slime was just telling her that he'll take over from here. Shutting the door behind her, it was now just me and the talking slime, who was staring right at me. Hoo boy. Interrogation time again. Second verse, same as the first. But that name though. Rimuru? Where have I heard that name before?

"Are you alright?" asked Rimuru in English again.

I took a deep breath, before opening my mouth. "Y-Yes. I'm a-alright, I think." I replied, still feeling slightly nervous.

"That's good! It would've been really bad if you didn't wake up. You've been out cold for a long time." said Rimuru.

"What's going on? How did I get here? How long was I out for? And how are you speaking English?" I asked. A lot of questions, I know, but with the way things are now, I needed as many answers as I could get.

"Easy does it. You just woke up, and you're probably feeling a little disoriented right now, so let's take this one step at a time," replied Rimuru as he hopped up on the table next to my bed. "For starters, from what I was told from Rigurdo, you were in some serious pain and suddenly lost consciousness in the interrogation room. We brought you here to the hospital to recuperate. As for how long you've been out, it's been about 6 hours." said Rimuru.

"6…. hours?!" I replied as my eyes went wide. I couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. What the hell happened to me? Just what the hell did that cosmic bastard do to me? I was seriously getting scared now, and my mind began to race. Why is this happening to me? Of the billions of people on Earth, of all those people, why was I chosen by that cosmic bastard? Was I special to him? What's his goal? Why is-

"Hey!" The sudden response from Rimuru shook me out of my train of thought. I didn't think about it at the time, but I definitely needed that. "Stay with me! I need you to calm down and relax. Take deep breaths." ordered Rimuru. So I complied. I took a few deep breaths, calming myself down a little. It wasn't much, but I felt better. "Better now?" asked Rimuru.

"Yeah, I think so." I replied.

"Good! This may be our first meeting, but I can tell that you've been through a lot," said Rimuru in a sympathetic tone. "There's no need to rush things. I know that you've got a million questions you'd like answers to, but we can deal with those when they come. For the time being, let's just focus on the here and now." Wait. What?

"We? You're willing to help me?" I asked in genuine confusion. "But why? You don't even know me. I'm a human. And you're…. monsters. Why?" Why indeed. Yeah, sure, I came to this town to ask for help, but I wasn't expecting the town to be filled with monsters. By that point, I was all but certain that they were going to torture me or eat me. That's usually how the formula goes: Humans hate monsters. Monsters hate humans. Kill or be killed. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum. I see no reason why this slime, or the rest of the monsters in this town, would feel obligated to help me. As far as they're concerned, at least to me, I might as well be another corpse to add to the pile.

"Mmm," hummed Rimuru in response as he turned around, putting his 'hands?' behind his back. Call me crazy, but seeing a slime suddenly sprout hands, or tentacles I guess, from its body wasn't the weirdest thing I've seen here. "That's a typical reaction. I don't blame you for thinking that way. It's true that humans and monsters don't always see eye to eye. In fact, it's usually expected. Anyone whose reality doesn't align with their own world view, anything that appears different from what they know or how they've been taught, people, and that includes monsters too, tend to react negatively towards these unknown elements. It ranges from fear, to anger, to hatred, to condescension, and to speak of extremes, killing each other. It's a sad fact that's a part of life in this world, unfortunately." Rimuru replied sagely. I remained quiet, trying to take in his words. He turned back toward me and continued to speak.

"However, I hope to change all of that. This is a nation where humans and monsters can coexist and treat each other as equals. It's a small nation, but we've currently opened relations with some of the surrounding kingdoms, and we have connections with some of the humans as well. It's a small step, but someday, I hope to achieve my goal of showing the world that not all monsters are evil. That is the goal of the Jura Tempest Federation. So you don't have to worry. You're in good hands." said Rimuru.

Wait. Jura Tempest Federation? Hold the phone. I'm starting to get an idea of where, or rather, which world I landed in. A town, no wait, a nation populated with monsters. A talking slime who wants humans and monsters to coexist. No way….. No fucking way!

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I went off on a little tangent," said Rimuru after a moment of silence. "I should introduce myself. My name is-" Before he could finish, I cut him off.

"Rimuru…. Tempest?" I said, completely in shock at the realization of where I was. This was the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. I just couldn't believe it! Here I was, face to face with the main character of an anime series that I watched. This wasn't a dream. That was established a long time ago. I also couldn't believe that it took me this long to realize where I was. Maybe waking up in this world left me disoriented to the point that I had trouble remembering certain things? Well, if I wasn't aware already, I certainly was now.

"Hmm? You already know who I am?" asked Rimuru.

"Y-Yeah, I do. I-I know you q-quite w-well actually." I stammered. I'm not sure whether or not to tell him how I actually know him: as a fictional character from an anime. Truth be told, I don't think he'll believe me. Best case scenario, he'll think I'm spouting nonsense due to my disorientation and just laugh it off. Worst case scenario, on the off chance that he does believe me, he'll experience an existential crisis that he won't recover from. And I do not want to be that guy who breaks people, be it intentionally or unintentionally. I'm not an evil bastard, and I never will be. Besides, I know Rimuru would sympathize with my situation. We're both from the 'modern' world and were sent here to a fantasy world. Only difference, I didn't die to get here, nor do I want to die trying to get back home. The least I can do is ask for his help. As for the whole "fictional character" thing, I'll put that off until I can find a good way to tell him. Guess I'll play things by ear for now.

"Ah, I see," replied Rimuru. "Well, I guess it makes sense that people outside the kingdoms we're allied with would know about me!" Rimuru was rubbing the back of his 'head?' in embarrassment. He straightened up soon after. "But, it's especially rare that an Otherworlder such as you has heard about me." How did he figure it out so quickly?

"How did-" I began. "How did you know I'm not from this world?"

"Not many people wear Mario pajamas around here." Rimuru deadpanned. Oh. Right. Makes perfect sense. On the one hand, I'm surprised, but on the other, I really shouldn't be. Either way, I felt dumb for asking. "I just so happen to be an Otherworlder myself, so I can recognize something from our original world with ease." said Rimuru. Yeah, 'our original world.' While we may come from Earth, our 'original' worlds are several realities apart from each other, even if Rimuru's is very similar to mine.

"Anyway," Rimuru continued. "This would be the part where I'd ask for your name, but I'm not going to do that." I looked confused. "While Rigurdo did tell me how you suddenly experienced intense pain and passed out shortly after, he also mentioned that before that point, you were fine, but only until you tried to tell him your name. Every time you tried to tell him your name, your pain became more and more intense. While you were still unconscious, I used my Unique Skill to analyze your body. I detected some kind of unknown magic possessing you. Truth be told, there were complications with the analysis, but I think it's safe to assume that this unknown magic is preventing you from remembering your name." Rimuru said as he finished my diagnosis.

My god…. Talk about a bomb being dropped on me. I couldn't help but tense up after hearing all of that. Everything that happened to me back in that interrogation room? That static I heard? The pain I felt? Passing out? All of that happened because I tried to tell someone my name, let alone think about my name? What kind of fucked up logic is that? Also, how is it that I can't remember my name, but I can still remember everything else? Selective memory loss? I don't think it's supposed to make my head feel like it was about to burst. I swear, this shit was getting more complicated by the second! For every answer I get, a million more questions appear.

"So can you do something about this?" I asked. "Can you get rid of this 'magic' or whatever it is that's affecting me?" If Rimuru was going to extend his hand to help me, I might as well take advantage of that. After all, he's the most powerful denizen in this nation, bar none. And that Unique Skill of his, Great Sage, is practically the fantasy equivalent to a supercomputer AI making thousands of calculations per second, so he should be able to find a solution to my problem in no time flat, right? Right?

"Hmm," Rimuru said at last. "That's going to be…. difficult per say." My optimism quickly deflated. "Like I said before, there were complications during the analysis. While my Unique Skill did pick up that unknown magic signature from your body, it hasn't immediately figured out where it came from or how it got there. It'll take time for it to figure everything out, but in the meantime, you should take it easy. You've had a rough day, so we can just pick up everything where we left off tomorrow when you're feeling better." Makes sense. Ever since I woke up in this bed, I haven't had much of an opportunity, if at all, to take it easy. I could use a good meal and some sleep right about now.

"By the way," said Rimuru. "Since you can't remember your name, I'm going to give you a temporary one."

"Excuse me?" I asked in confusion.

"Well, we can't just have you wandering around with no name, now can we?" Rimuru answered. Good point. Let's just hope that this stupid 'magic' I've got going on won't be an asshole about temporary names.

"True. Do you have any ideas?" I asked.

"I have one idea." Rimuru answered. "How about Slater?"

"Slater?" I asked. "Where'd you come up with that one?

"Well, that writing on your right cheek was the inspiration. I noticed that the symbols looked like English letters and a number 8. To me, at least, it looked like an abbreviation that stood for something. So, after thinking it over, I figured that maybe it stood for 'Slater' or something like that. Cool, huh?" said Rimuru as he formed a hand above his 'head?' in a thumbs-up gesture with his body, indicating he was proud of my 'new name.' Really now? That's all it took to come up with that name? A part of me wanted to facepalm by how ridiculous his thought process for that was, but a larger part of me didn't want to. Upon giving it a bit of thought, Slater sounded like a good name, even if it was only temporary. And I guess it made this writing on my cheek have meaning, even if I didn't know the actual meaning behind it. So, whatever. I'll take what I can get.

"Okay then. I'll settle with that name for now." I answered finally.

"Good! From this day onward, at least until we take care of that magic, your new name is Slater!" said Rimuru. A part of me couldn't resist going 'RAWR! My name is Slater! I am a badass superhuman warrior! Bow down before me,' because if I remembered correctly, all the monsters in this nation had no names originally. Rimuru named them all and that caused them to evolve into stronger monsters. Now obviously, that wasn't gonna work for me, so I just quietly suppressed my urges to make a fool of myself. Rimuru then jumped onto the floor and morphed into a human-like form, before extending his arm out to shake my hand. I knew his human form looked effeminate, but good god! He could definitely pass himself off as a cute girl if he wanted to. Anyway, I extended my hand out to meet his.

"Nice to meet you." I said as I shook his now-human hand.

"Likewise!" said Rimuru. "Now then, I'm going to have someone prepare a meal for you and you can get some sleep. Tomorrow, when you feel better, I'll give you a tour of Tempest. Sound like a plan?"

"Um, yeah. Sounds like a plan." I answered.

"Good!" said Rimuru. "I'll give you some space. There's a bathroom to your left so you can freshen up. And if you need anything, just press this button on the wall here and we'll send someone to your room. It shouldn't take too long to get you your meal, so just take it easy." As he finished that sentence, he turned toward the door to leave. Before he was out of the room, I called out to him. I almost forgot one more thing I wanted to ask.

"Hey wait!" I said to Rimuru, who looked back to face me. "You didn't answer my last question. How are you speaking English? Did you use that skill of yours to learn my language?" That had to have been the reason. There was no other explanation for it.

"Oh, that?" Rimuru replied. "English just so happens to be a language I'm well versed with. Great Sage has nothing to do with it." Wait, what? "Before founding Tempest, before coming to this world, I had a job that involved working with many different clients, some local and some international, so English became one of the languages I picked up along the way." Oh, that's right. In his previous life, he worked as a salaryman. Of course he would learn another language if it was for work. I'm such an idiot. But that still leaves one question unanswered though.

"Then how did you know that I speak English?" I asked.

"Did you see that crystal ball in the interrogation room?" asked Rimuru. I nodded. "It's a magic device that not only offers two-way communication, but it also records whatever conversations you may make. That's how I was able to tell you spoke English. It helps to catalogue evidence and such." Ohhhhhhhhhh! "How very convenient." I sarcastically mused to myself. A multi-purpose magical crystal ball huh? The day isn't even over yet and already I've encountered several 'deus ex machinas' that helped make my situation easier. These fantasy worlds, I swear.

"Is that all?" asked Rimuru.

"Yeah, I think I'm good for now." I answered as I waved my hand off.

"Good! Well, I'll leave you to get some rest Slater. We've got a long day tomorrow." Rimuru replied.

"Ok." I said. And just like that, he was out of the room and I was by myself once again.

Man, oh man! So much to unpack here. In the span of a single day, I landed in a fantasy world, got taken in for questioning, passed out trying to say my name, found out that said fantasy world belonged to an anime I watched, talked with the main character, and got myself a new name on top of that. Sheesh! A small part of me still thought that this was a dream I'd wake up from soon, but that small part is wasting its time. I'm tired from trying to make sense of all this. After I'm done eating, I'm going to sleep. Me and Rimuru can talk more about this subject tomorrow.

Tomorrow's another day.