4 Scouring the cave

"What's with the fuss?" Veldora said and moved his claw in front of his face, and dispersed the light. "Just because you want to show special effects doesn't mean you should blind me!"

W-what just happened? I asked the giant Dragon.

"Hahaha, were you scared? Don't worry. It's just after-effects because you used your skill on a high-level one like the Seal. A tremendous amount of magicules was released because your skill and the white light were just an amalgamation of it as it activated. This shouldn't happen too many times, though."

So, it's because I used copy? Speaking of, I did hear some notifications from Great Sage when my "eyes" went blurry. Great Sage, can you display it?

[Unique skill copy was used on Unlimited Imprisonment Seal Skill.]

[Skill too low leveled to copy the skill. Downgrading Unlimited Imprisonment Seal Skill as an alternative.]

[Unique skill Unlimited Imprisonment Seal -> Unique skill Grand Imprisonment Seal skill has been acquired.]

[Grand Imprisonment Seal: A downgraded version of the "Great Hero's" ultimate Unique skill Unlimited Imprisonment Seal. Upon the skill's activation, a perpetual coverage of magicules will surround the target, confining them till the skill's duration ends. Duration: 10 minutes. Depending on the difference of power level between the user and the opponent, the skill's duration and power could plummet.]T-this! Is this normal?! What kind of OP skill is this?! I screamed.

"What are you saying? Were you truly able to get the skill?" Veldora asked, his voice serious.

Oh ya. No, I wasn't. But I did get a downgraded version of it. Although it's not unlimited, it's still OP. And then, I went ahead and explained the skill to my new friend Veldora.

"Not bad," Veldora scratched his chin with his claws. "Can you release me now, then?" he asked, his voice slightly hopeful.

I-I am sorry. It seems that because the skill is too low-leveled and isn't the same as the Unlimited Imprisonment Seal, I can't.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault in the first place... and thank you for the help," Veldora muttered the last part under his breath.

"Now, young Rimuru, it's about time! Eat~me," he said.

Baka! Why did you have to say it like that! I screamed, completely embarrassed. Predator!

Rimuru spread his slime body across the Unlimited Imprisonment Seal, slowly devoured Veldora, and stored him in his subspace stomach.

Now then, should we properly finish exploring this dungeon? I might be able to devour and copy useful stuff. I thought before starting to move.

Moving from the area I met Veldora, it didn't take me long to find something new. Some monsters and other plants occupied this cave. Using Devour, I ate everything, Many notifications came to me, but I ignored them. The only thing on my mind was swiping this cave clean of anything useful.

From spiders, insects, flowers, bushes, and other creatures in the biome, Rimuru devoured all. The slime had no concept of time in this state but still felt that a lot of time passed as he journeyed through the cave.

In the cave, after a long time.

Where am I? I think I am near the exit? I heard a sound like a door creak, so either an entry exists for other places to explore or a doorway. Let's check it out. I have had enough of this cave. No wonder Veldora felt bored... How did he even manage to survive this boredom for 300 years?

After deciding, Rimuru neared the place the sound originated and spotted three humans. Two men and one woman. They seemed to be a party of adventurers. They appeared to have just entered.

"It finally opened," a hunched back, bandana-wearing late-twenty-looking man spoke. "It's so rusty, the keyhole's falling apart."

"That's no surprise." A blonde-haired sword-straddled man remarked. "No body's come here in 300 years."

"We won't be attacked out of nowhere, right?" A young woman entered after the two and asked. A ribbon decorated her blonde hair, and she held a stick showing she was a wizard.

Humans? These are the first humans I see since I came here... Well, I did come to be in this secluded cave, so of course, I wouldn't meet other humans.

While Rimuru observed, the wizard, as if sensing a gaze on them, pointed her wand towards the slime's place, "Fireball!" she shouted, releasing a ball of flame towards the source of the stare.

"Weird? I could swear I felt a stare on us from there," she commented before her teammates could ask.

I survived! I almost died there, damn it! This really isn't a joke. Well, I could have absorbed the fireball, but this would only draw attention to the humans. It was a good idea to activate stealth after evading. Good job me!

"Since we can't find the source, let's just keep going. Our mission is to investigate what happened here a couple of weeks ago." The bandana-wearing man ordered.

A couple of weeks ago? Isn't that when I came here and when I devoured Veldora? So it's already been a couple of weeks. I should get going, thankfully they left the gate open, or I would need to open it, which would make unnecessary noise.

Soon, after leaving the cave, Rimuru walked around the forest. He admired the sky he hadn't seen for so long, the chirping birds, and immersed himself in the nature surrounding him.

Yet, before Rimuru could properly look around him, he heard the sounds of countless footsteps charging towards his location. Focusing his 'eyes', he saw a group of green-skinned and small-built creatures; they were goblins.

They pointed their beat-up weapons towards him while shivering. They looked at him as if he was going to slaughter them.

The one at the head of the group had white hair covered by a cloth-like hat, "Strong one, do you have business here?" he asked, his tone fearful.

Are you perhaps talking to me?

The goblin nodded.

I just need to produce sound waves carrying my thoughts? I'll try it then.

"HELLO! I'M A SLIME AND MY NAME IS RIMURU!"

When he finished, he noticed that all goblins were on the ground prostrating. "We are well aware of how strong you are already, sir! Please quiet your voice!" They begged.

"Oh, I'm sorry. So did you need something?" I asked, this time softly.

"We felt a powerful monster and came here to check," the leader answered.

I looked around me, "I don't see anyone like that, though."

"You must be kidding. Even if you face us in that form, your leaking aura exposed you. You can't fool us."

As I thought he was talking about me.

"Strong one, having seen your power, we would like to ask for a favor!"

"Favor? What do you need?"

"If you follow us back to our village, the elder would explain everything." The goblin answered, his tone hopeful.

"Kotwaro! I refuse."