49 Intermission I

The Great Forest of Jura, a realm teeming with formidable monsters, where power reigned supreme.

This land held invaluable resources, but neighboring countries refrained from coveting it for various reasons. One major factor was the long-standing protection of the forest by the mighty Storm Dragon, Veldora.

Additionally, the forest's residents included not only intelligent beings but also incredibly powerful creatures.

Any attempts to conquer this territory would require waging war against these formidable beings.

However, the disappearance of Veldora marked a significant turning point.

Now, the forest, along with its resources and territory, attracted the attention not only of its inhabitants but also of previously hesitant neighboring nations.

Among these nations were the Eastern Kingdom, known for its Elven origin, a Western kingdom ruled by an insatiable King driven by the might of his country's sorcerers, and an organization within this world with unwavering animosity toward monsters.

In the future, the latter two would form an alliance to achieve a common goal: neutralizing a certain Slime who was simply minding his own business. This would become the catalyst for the chaos that engulfed the entire world in his wrath, but that event remained a distant prospect.

Within this forest, a place even the most formidable adversaries thought twice before entering, a group of four individuals—two men and two women—made their way through the dense terrain.

Or rather..... they were fleeing for their lives.

Their expedition into the forest aimed to uncover clues surrounding the enigmatic disappearance of the Storm Dragon, Veldora.

These individuals were members of a Guild, a very unique organization in this world, that neither worked for or from a individual country or state.

It was established by an otherworlder who had been summoned from a world much like Rimuru's.

However, He transformed a mere concept—owing to the absence of magic, monsters, and swords in his world—into a tangible reality, creating a system that now influenced nations throughout this world.

This achievement just showcased his remarkable intellect and skills, although questions remained about the true nature of his intentions.

Returning to the group, After narrowly escaping a monstrous creature twice their size, a hybrid between a pig and a rhinoceros, the newest member found herself baffled by her companions.

Despite her vast experience in dealing with monsters, her current circumstances prevented her from unleashing her full power. She knew her control over herself was slipping away, yet an inexplicable force had compelled her to come here, as if it were destiny.

Her bewilderment didn't stem from encountering a powerful monster though, but from the careless, reckless, and unpredictable behavior of her team.

She even pondered how they had managed to survive until now.

But circumstances didn't permit leisurely conversation, and she remained vigilant for any formidable beings that might threaten her and her somewhat foolish teammates.

And Trusting her judgment, they had successfully avoided any excessively perilous encounters. However, she soon reached her limit, and her companions, unaware of her condition, continued their trek into the jungle.

Soon enough, Their luck eventually ran out.

They confronted foes too formidable to handle, and their sheer numbers left them with no avenue for escape.

They had no choice but to fight for their lives.

The adversaries were massive and venomous spiders. The newest member did her best to fend off as many spiders as she could alongside her companions, but she soon reached her breaking point.

She had no option left but to unleash her full power, a move that might cost not only her life but also everything around her.

It would've happened eventually, no matter how hard she tried to control it.

She was holding on, for far too long.

A slight slimmer of hope, which she knew, it wouldn't come.

The person she was trying to find, A person she wanted to question, People she wanted to protect and a place she wanted to return to.

A mentor, An enemy, Her Beloved Pupils and A Home.

Things she desperately wished for.

Things this abhorrent world tried to take from her, time and time again.

As long as she was in this world, she could never truly rest, even in her death.

But right now she had no other options.

Rather than dying in this forest to a nameless monster, she chose to use her full power, knowing it would become the last time.

And finally, with determined heart, she looked at the monster.

She was going to unleash the power, she desperately wanted to deny.

But as the fate would allow, that moment never came.

Suddenly, A blast of black lightning, colossal and deafening, struck the spider in front of her, reducing it to charred corpses and halting the advance of the other spiders as well.

The force of the lightning blast blew her mask away, and she barely managed to shield herself from the ensuing shockwave of dust and debris.

She marveled at the incredible power the lightning possessed.

But soon she regained her focus.

She scanned the area for her comrades, who were still unconscious from the sudden impact.

As she looked around, she sensed someone approaching, and despite her exhaustion, she remained on guard against a potential threat or confrontation.

She knew that in her current condition, she stood no chance against the wielder of that black lightning.

But that didn't mean, she would simply lay her life down.

However, her fears proved unfounded when the figure who approached her through the dissipating smoke turned out to be just a slime wearing her mask, that was blown away from the impact.

And so, it was in this manner that Shizu, the Key, encountered Rimuru, one of the Variables of this world, for the first time.

To be contd.