01. The Beginning

Author Note: The first chapter is just 1.7k words. But from the second onward, it will be 2.2k or more words per chapter.

By the way, I'm a lazy guy and have to work in real life. So, don't expect me to update everyday like a freak.

Anyway, enjoy my story.

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In the vast expanse of the cosmos, spatial turbulence rippled through the fabric of the universe, distorting the very essence of space itself. Waves of chaotic energy collided and intertwined, creating a mesmerizing dance of cosmic forces. Amidst this celestial turbulence, an unknown soul floated aimlessly, suspended in the ever-shifting currents of the cosmic tempest. Lost and weightless, the soul drifted endlessly, its presence a mysterious anomaly in the cosmic ballet of swirling energies.

Three mysterious figures ventured into the spatial turbulence, their silhouettes obscured by the swirling cosmic energies. They maneuvered through the undulating waves, deftly navigating the unpredictable currents of the chaos. Amidst their progress towards their destination, the trio suddenly became aware of the unknown soul floating midway through the tumultuous spatial turbulence.

Two of them appeared to be twins, resembling young "misses" with silvery-blue hair. The only discernible difference between them lay in the color of their eyes: one possessed golden eyes, while the other had red eyes. Accompanying them was a tanned, muscular young man with blond hair.

One of the twins with golden eyes turned to the red-eyed twin and inquired, "Ciel, can you check its memory?"

"As you command, My Lord!" Ciel responded with a respectful nod.

It was kinda peculiar, considering the apparent twinship between the two of them.

After a moment, Ciel turned around. "Report. This is an individual's soul from Earth."

"Earth? Seriously?" The golden-eyed twin couldn't contain the excitement after hearing that.

"Ooohhh! Finally, I can find more sacred books! And hey, I'm up for a round of Street Fighter too!" Veldora exclaimed.

"Veldora, there are tons of other fighting games, you know. Plus, it's been 6 years since I kicked the bucket on Earth. I'm sure a bunch of stuff has changed."

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's head to Earth, gyahahahaha!"

However, Ciel added, "Apologize, Lord Rimuru, Lord Veldora. The Earth in this soul's memory seems different from what Lord Rimuru described."

Their conversation confirmed that the twin with golden eyes was Rimuru, the other twin was named Ciel, and the tanned, muscular man was Veldora.

"Eh, how come?" Rimuru couldn't help but ask after Ciel made that statement.

"This soul originated from an individual named Mahavira Arjun. He passed away three years ago, and his soul has been drifting in the spatial turbulence. Prior to his demise, he held the status of a B-Rank Hunter, a top rank in his country. Four years before his demise, Earth resembled the planet Lord Rimuru described. However, a sudden emergence of Gates connecting to a different world, inhabited solely by monsters, transformed Earth entirely. Considering the timeline, unless there's a distinct time flow, his world differs from Lord Rimuru's previous world," Ciel explained at length.

Intrigued by Ciel's explanation, Veldora read the soul's memory. Meanwhile, Rimuru sighed before casting a glance at the soul before him.

"Well, that might be a parallel Earth or something, considering we also found Earth in the 19th century but similar to the 17th century previously. But what should we do with this soul? Send it to the afterlife?"

"Khukhukhu. I found something interesting," Veldora suddenly chuckled.

Rimuru turned to Veldora and asked, "What is it?"

"You just mentioned 'the Earth in the 19th century,' but there's something different with that world, right?"

"Hmmm, Oni, or I'd say something like zombies and vampires. If not, that world would be similar to my world in the past."

"Hehehe. What's interesting is..." Veldora pointed at the floating soul before continuing, "That world existed in the sacred book and anime in this guy's world before the apocalypse happened."

"Wait... What???" Rimuru was totally caught off guard. "Did a god switch careers to become a mangaka?"

"Who cares? But, I found this dude interesting."

"Is he? Lemme check his memory!" Rimuru said, casually thinking, 'Perhaps, he's an Eroge fan too.'

Jokes aside, Rimuru digested all of the memories and then remarked, "I didn't expect his death to be so similar to mine back then. Saving comrades, eh? More importantly, the appearance of the gates in his world seems like a prelude to a big war."

"So, what's the plan, Rimuru?" Veldora asked.

"Yosh, I'll give him a chance. However, whether he can return to his world depends on his luck."

"Oh, where will you toss him for his rebirth? We don't have his world coordinates. Also, are you gonna whip up a human body just for him?"

"Nah, creating a human body is too much hassle. He's gonna pop out as a slime, just like me. As for the world... Well, the Oni-filled place we mentioned earlier might be good for him to level up. After all, this guy's world seems sketchy." Rimuru explained casually, then added, "Well, I just hope he didn't end up in Jura Tempest Federation, or everyone will be after him since I heard they enjoy cooking up slime dishes." Rimuru shuddered a bit at the thought. After all, Rimuru was a slime as well.

Both Rimuru and Veldora deliberated on the skills they wanted to bestow upon him. Considering the poor soul was starting from scratch, they decided to equip him with some essential skills for survival according to his level.

Once they had finalized their choices, Rimuru molded a new form for the little soul before opening a portal and transporting the soul along with the new body to a specific world.

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My consciousness jolted, and I woke up in an instant. However, I was disoriented; I couldn't see, hear my surroundings, or even breathe. Yet, strangely, I feel like I was doing fine, despite the abnormality in my breathing.

'Is this the so-called afterlife?'

I couldn't gauge how much time passed in my unconscious state, but it felt like an eternity before I finally awakened from my deep slumber.

Why did I believe I'd been in a deep slumber?

Because I recall the moments before a weapon struck my heart and a blunt force hit my head.

It was unbelievable that I was still alive after experiencing such an incident. So, I wonder if I'm in the afterlife, awaiting judgment. Or perhaps I'm in purgatory, waiting for my soul to be cleansed.

My name is Mahavira Arjun. I was 22 before my untimely demise, living in a certain big city in Indonesia.

In a world without 'that' incident, I would have been a college student, spending my free time watching anime or reading manga. I was well-versed in the anime and manga realms, probably, thanks to my old man. He was an enthusiast who had collected a plethora of good anime series, meticulously saving them in his HDDs before making the switch to SSDs.

I borrowed those from time to time when my old man went to work. On one occasion, I overheard him telling a friend, "People who don't know anime are just a bunch of uncultured swine!" Damn! I couldn't agree more. But let's set aside the anime discussion.

Four years before my demise, at the age of 18, I was gearing up for my college entrance exam. However, the sudden appearance of several gates caused upheaval throughout the entire country. Unbeknownst to everyone, a certain gate had remained undiscovered for a few months prior, and it spawned some monsters—albeit weak ones, goblins.

Soon after, people started gaining superpowers. Unfortunately, some criminals acquired these powers and became uncontrollable. In response, the president decreed a new law stating that anyone using these powers for criminal activities would be dealt with immediately, even resorting to killing the criminals. Since then, The Hunter Association Center was built.

Because most manga or anime productions halted due to the gates, I decided to become a Hunter a year later, hoping that my world would return to normal.

But, I was wrong.

The more people gained strength, the more the gate difficulty increased, and more powerful monsters emerged inside the gates. It was a never-ending cycle, much like RPG games: the stronger you become, the tougher your enemies.

'My world is messed up when I think about it. But, since I'm dead, those things don't matter to me, do they?'

Weirdly, why do I feel like I was not in the afterlife?

Even though I couldn't see, hear, or smell, I definitely sensed something. 

Yep, I could feel that I was stepping on the grass. 

I attempted to touch the grass, but strangely my arm didn't respond at all.

'Where's my arm? Wait a sec. I need some time to process this. This is bad, right? Like, what's exactly going on?'

I checked to see if I was hurt anywhere. However, it didn't seem that way. Physically, I even felt terrific.

From the gust of wind I sensed, I'm sure I was outdoors.

'Did someone save me from that gate? But who? And where am I?'

Knowing that I was still alive, I couldn't help but feel relieved. Now, my hands and legs— Oops. No response from any of my limbs. Did I get amputated or something? And am I blind now?

'No, no. I can't breathe either, so…'

'Am I... in a coma or something? That's it. Perhaps I'm dreaming... or having a nightmare, to be exact.'

'Man! This isn't funny. Think about it! Do you guys love to be thrown into a dark, enclosed space?'

Just then, I remembered that my sense of touch was still there.

'Yep, that's it. This isn't a dream. This is real. Otherwise, my sense of touch wouldn't be this clear.'

I felt something brush against my body. Focusing all my senses on this sensation, yep, it was grass. Slowly, I began sussing out what was around me, feeling the pointy edges of the grass against my body.

It made me happy. At least, I still have my sense of touch. Overjoyed, I could feel my body sliding flat against the ground.

I... I moved?

I knew I wasn't at the hospital. But the feeling beneath my stomach... Uh, this still didn't make sense at all.

Really, now...

I feel like I quit being a human. Focusing all my senses on my body, I felt... strangely flowing and jelly-like. In fact, this idea had been running through my head for a while now.

Suddenly, a notification seemed to pop out inside my head as I concentrated on sensing something in my body. 

[Intrinsic skill, Absorb, has activated!]

What the hell!