Chapter 2 - Oh, you're the Veldora guy Voice-san mentioned.
Booooooiing, booooooiing, boooooooooiiiiiing...
SPLAT!
'Ah, not again', Satoru thought, recollecting his scattered self for the umpteenth time. 'I know I complained about blood and all, but for real? A slime?'
Yup. After his long-awaited time to shine as a protagonist in the truest sense, he found himself moving a bouncy, rounded body, with no limbs and lacking more than a few organs. Including those responsible for all sense but touch, which seemed to be an innate sense to slimes. This of course meant that he couldn't see, which he failed to find amusing. That said not all was lost.
In the past few days of goalless walking through the cave he woke up in (he didn't need to eat or drink, which he found to be both a blessing and a curse), he had been experimenting with his newfound abilities. The only resistance he could test was Pain Nullification- and to his pleasure, it worked. Predator, which he found was essentially a better version of a slime's abilities, had managed to consume every obstacle he found, which he found very promising. One of its sub-skills was Analyse and Assess, which, per her(?) suggestion, he linked to Great Sage, saving him the job of analysing what he consumed. Speaking of Great Sage, ignoring her great abilities, such as Thought Acceleration or All of Creation, he discovered that conversing with her was a great way to stave of his boredom. He'd even learned a few things.
One, he, having no need for food or drink, could live forever as long as he even had the faintest amount of magicules within him. Two, he was likely the strongest slime in this world. Three, the world he was in, the Cardinal World, was the world first created by the Creator. He tried to ask more about this out of curiosity, but then:
Notice. Unique Skill Great Sage lacks the keys to access further information from the 'Voice of the World'. Evolution and improvement of Unique Skill Great Sage is required to gain access to further information.
-she said. Satoru was still stumped as to why she referred to herself in the third person but decided it best not to question it.
Back to the information he did receive, four was his appearance. A rounded, light blue, gelatinous blob about 50cm in diameter. Squishy, but not sticky, rather smooth, which he found out wasn't normal for a slime. According to Great Sage (GS from now on), this is because of the potions synthesized inside of his body- yes, potions. One of the many things he consumed was Hipokute herbs. These rare herbs found only in areas with densely packed magicules are used to create healing potions to treat wounds. Satoru's potions in particular, being almost completely pure, were far better than any commercially available potion in his current world, though both he and GS were utterly unaware of this.
Five, was the abnormality that was his other Unique Skill- The Son. The subskills were as followed:
Transmutation- allows one to change one material into another (limited by energy and skill)
Resurrection- bring the targeted soul back from the dead (limited by energy and skill)
Food Replication (incomplete: 25%)- utilising the powers of creation, create new food from surrounding matter (limited by energy and skill)
Charisma- one's words and actions having greater chances of achieving the desired effect (limited by confidence, the strength of one's will (soul), and alignment with the 'Voice of the World's moral code)
Temptation (incomplete: 50%)- the user can tempt the target and make them bend to their will (limited by the strength of one's will (soul) and alignment with the 'Voice of the World's moral code)
Healing- heal the target(s)' wounds no matter resistance or weakness to magicules (limited by energy and knowledge of the wound)
The only skills that had been heard of according to GS' limited access to the 'Voice of the World' (VOTW from now on) were Healing (which normally did not bypass magicule resistance of weakness) and Charisma, which even then was only known to be part of another unique skill.
Satoru, however, was not too shocked by this knowledge, as he'd been aware of how odd these powers were for a long time- after all, he had them as a human too. But that's a (side)story for another time.
Back to the present, Satoru had an amazing idea. He asked GS with a thought full of hope, 'Is there a way for me to see without eyes, which I can't get for some reason?'
In response:
Yes. By sensing the flow of magicules within your surroundings, you can form a perfect image of where you are, and, with proficiency, far beyond just that.
'Sensing magicules, ey?'
Closing his non-existent eyes, Satoru attempted to do what GS said.
10 minutes.
20.
40.
2 hours.
10.
A day. A day was what it took. And what it brought was a flicker of colour, then an explosion of information. Fortunately, however, GS was there to prevent Satoru from suffering due to the backlash, intercepting the information, and processing it, allowing Satoru to finally gain the skill he'd been going for.
Extra Skill 'Magic Sense' acquired. 'Magic Sense' has been automatically linked to Unique Skill 'Great Sage'.
'Hey, GS, how long did that take?'
1 day.
'Ehh?! It took an entire day? Then how long have I been in this cave?'
Approximately 8 days, 7 hours, 43 minutes, and 57 seconds.
'Well the-' As Satoru was about to complain about how difficult it was to obtain skills, which he was in no position to do, he realised something. While unconsciously bouncing around in order to explore his newly-visible surroundings, he suddenly spotted something which he should have noticed the instant he could see, or rather, sense.
A Dragon.
Jet-black scales, compared to which the abyss would look shiny.
Golden, glowing eyes, ready to strike fear, to kill with a look alone.
Claws sharper than any sword a mere mortal could possibly wield, lifted up menacingly, read to stri-
. . .
Let's say that last bit again.
Claws sharper than any sword a mere mortal could possibly wield, lifted up not so menacingly- instead, rather bashfully, causing one Satoru to notice the almost obvious blush that looked further out of place on the scales than a human sauntering down the Sun.
"H-h-heello- I-i mean, h-hello. I-i'm the almighty Storm Dragon, V-veldora. I'm s-sure you heard elder brother mention m-me."
Satoru looked on quizzically, thinking, 'Oh, so you're the Veldora guy Voice-san mentioned. Shyer than you expect from something that's meant to be intimidating.'
"I-i'm not s-sh-shy, just surprised that the person elder brother s-sent is so cu- I m-mean pathetic."
'Mind reading? I guess there's only one way to test it. HEY BALDY, STOP BEING SO SHY OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE EMBARRASSING YOUR FELLOW DRAGONS, GOT IT?' Satoru thought, putting up a fake aggressive front.
Veldora looked shocked, but then turned his head snobbishly.
"I suppose you may have a p-point."
Despite his supposed feeling of superiority, he still glanced at the slime with an expectant expression, and his voice sounded forced.
'Tsundere, ey? Guess even dragons can fall under stereotypes. Makes the guy more... approachable. Though it might help if he suppressed his aura a bit.'
Aura. The magicules unconsciously emitted by monsters. A monster's aura is just the maximum amount of magicules they can eject without outpacing their magicule regeneration. Thus, unless a monster has a skill or technique to amplify the pressure of their aura, the strong a monster's aura, the more magicules they will have.
Veldora's aura, though clearly suppressed by some external factor, was still leaking all over the place, resulting in the conditions for Hipokute herbs to grow- and in large numbers too.
"Like I'd ever suppress my aura for the sake of some petty slime."
'Petty? This guy's funny. Hey, GS, do you know anything about him?
Veldora- Storm Dragon. One of the four True Dragons ever-present. Though he supposedly has the 2nd most magicules out of the four, he is known to be the weakest in combat- and everything else.
GS projected this so that Veldora could hear what the VOTW had to say about him. Apparently, she was also amused by Veldora's sudden shift in attitude. How this is possible for a skill is something only God knows. Seemingly, only God picked up on it, as Satoru simply assumed Veldora simply read his mind to hear it- and hear it he did.
"WHAT?! THIS MUST BE FALSE, I AM BY FAR THE STRONGEST BEING EVER. LIES, I TELL YOU, LLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS!"
'Yeah yeah, calm down, Dragon-kun. Anyway, do you know why Voice-san said I would take care of you?' Satoru asked, puzzled.
Apparently, Veldora was barely more knowledgeable, adopting a puzzled look himself, before saying, "Actually, I have on guess. It's likely due to your soul- it's radiance is almost on par with elder brother's.
'My soul? Thought would be something else, to be frank. But I guess I can accept that answer. So then, why are you cooped up in the cave?'
Veldora sighed, before answering, "I pissed off a demon lord and a hero, then got sealed in this prison, before being transferred to this cave through large-scale relocation magic. And before you say it, no, you won't be able to break me out. It's far too complex."
'Wow. Well then, since you apparently won't be leaving anytime soon got any tips for surviving?'
"HOW RUDE! B-but I suppose as a superior being, it's necessary for me to teach a few basics."
Veldora, though seemingly reluctant, was actually brimming with energy at the thought of such an interesting conversation. He went on the teach about numerous basic concepts such as naming, skills, and magic. Magic is actually a type of skill, but it still operates in slightly different ways. He also informed Satoru how to use the water in the cave to his advantage, instructing him to use predate the water with the Unique Skill Predator he had mentioned, then manipulate the water to create blades and a source of propulsion. GS updated her databases with some specific details of what Veldora mentioned- after Satoru judged him to be a trustworthy source of information.
In return, Satoru thought the magic words that would change the fate of many worlds:
'Hey wanna be friends? I just thought of a way to get you out- it's GS approved.'
Stunned was the only way to describe how Veldora was feeling. A slime asking to be his friend? Baffling. What was more baffling, however, was that he found himself wishing to comply.
"Kukuku,kuhaha,KUHAHAHAHAHAHA! Sure little one. But before we get onto your plan, something must be done first."
'?' A question mark formed on Satoru's slimy body.
"Naming."