Starting from "Zero" in another world.

- Chapter translated using my poor knowledge and DeepL

Tokyo City, Japan.

I just turned 17. I guess it's somewhat exciting to have one more year of life...

I was walking the streets of Tokyo to reach a place I really enjoy visiting.

During my walks, I'm a fan of reflecting on my affairs. Actually, everything is going pretty well in my life. I have a normal and uncomplicated life. I'm almost done with high school and will start university soon. I'm very excited to study literature.

A small smile appeared on my face.

I walked slowly, stopping at a traffic light. I looked around and saw several people waiting alongside me.

My current life is quite good. My parents support me, and since they earn a lot of money, I don't worry about things beyond my studies and hobbies.

The traffic light turned red, and we all started crossing the street together.

Although, if there's something I feel is missing in my life right now, it's a girlfriend. However, I don't worry too much about that. I know I'm young, and at some point, someone will be interested in me because of my personality.

At least, I hope so... Well, if I've been single for 17 years, I don't think waiting a little longer will hurt.

As I walked, I heard someone shout, "Mikami-senpai! Over here!" I overheard a conversation in the distance, mainly because of the boy's shouts, but I didn't pay much attention since it wasn't my concern.

"People have been quite noisy lately," I whispered with concern.

I took a few more steps and finally reached my destination: a cozy café where I usually relax and read stories online. Although I could do it at home, I feel that my inspiration flows better when I read and write in different places.

It's a routine I enjoy.

Before I could enter the café, something stopped me. I heard screams of fear that startled me.

Without thinking twice, I decided to head towards the source of the screams to see what was happening and if I could help in any way.

I don't consider myself altruistic, but I'm not a heartless person either.

However, when I arrived, I was paralyzed by what I witnessed.

"Watch out!" I could hear from a distance.

My thoughts raced as the metallic gleam of the blade reflected the light. The atmosphere became oppressive, and a dark shadow loomed over me. A chill ran down my spine, foretelling imminent danger.

The piercing sound of the steel cutting through the air resonated in my ears, like an ominous buzz. Time seemed to stand still as my eyes fixed on the sharp blade, rapidly approaching my body.

Terror engulfed me, and my survival instinct kicked in, desperately trying to avoid the strike, but I was unable to do anything.

A sharp, penetrating pain tore through my flesh as the blade found its target.

"Kahh!" An inarticulate scream escaped my throat, but the sound was drowned out by the deafening echo of tragedy. I managed to remain standing, and I saw the bastard fleeing in the opposite direction.

Although my instinct screams at me to chase after him, the reality of the situation hits me.

The wound felt like a blazing fire rapidly spreading, tearing through my muscles and bones.

Every beat of my heart pulsed with agony, as if each throb pushed the blade deeper into my body.

Every breath became a torturous effort as air entered and left my lungs with difficulty.

My limbs grew heavy and weak as blood uncontrollably flowed from the wound. I felt an intense heat in my body and fell to my knees, resting my head against the ground.

People around me screamed, and the noise overwhelmed me.

"It feels bad... It's hot," I whispered mentally as I tried to grasp what was happening. "I don't want this," I threw a tantrum in my mind, attempting to deal with the pain.

<[Confirmed. Heat resistance acquired.]>

To die by a stabbing? I've given my characters more dignified deaths.

<[Confirmed. Stabbing resistance acquired.]>

<[Physical attack resistance acquired.]>

It hurts so much. The blood...

<[Confirmed. Pain nullification acquired.]>

<[Confirmed. Creating a body that doesn't require blood.]>

It's cold...

<[Cold resistance acquired.]>

<[Heat resistance and cold resistance result in the ability: Thermal Fluctuation Resistance.]>

I feel my body numb. Is this electricity? I don't want this.

<[Electricity resistance acquired.]>

<[Added: paralysis resistance acquired.]>

"I wanted to devour the world completely, being the best writer, but it seems I won't be able to do that..."

<[Unique ability: Predator, acquired.]>

In the midst of my delirium, fragments of unfinished stories come to mind, and I lament not having had the chance to finish them. I dream of going back in time and making the most of the time I have.

<[Unique ability: Sage, acquired.]>

<[Continuing, Sage evolves into unique ability: Great Sage.]>

I never managed to finish my story. I wish I could avoid this. I wish I could go back to moments before...

My death...

<[Extra ability: Return from the Dead, acquired.]>

* * *

Where am I?

I can't open my eyes.

What happened?

Oh, yes, I was stabbed. And then?

Nothing? Nothing comes to my mind... I can't remember. Is this the aftermath?

Was I in the afterlife? Perhaps, I didn't feel any pain, it was as if I were in paradise.

No. I feel like I'm in something. In fact, I think I can make something out, but I have no idea what I'm seeing... Am I even seeing anything?

I could hear my inner voice beginning to distort. Did I forget what my voice sounded like?

Ignoring that fact, slowly, I began to realize that something was happening. I felt a presence within me, as if something was entering my being.

What? What is this? Did I eat a plant? I feel the taste, and also the texture... How do I feel the plant inside me?

I tried to move, staggering in an attempt to understand my new form. I felt myself transforming into a kind of elastic ball.

Am I a toy?

No, toys don't have consciousness... But is this situation even remotely logical?

But obviously, I'm not human.

I once read a manga called Re:Monster. Could it be that I have been reincarnated as a monster? A Slime?

...

Nah, that sounds too far-fetched, doesn't it? Hahahaha...

No. I'm not crazy. Even if you read many Isekai stories, you would never think that you could actually be reincarnated, but seeing myself in the situation I'm in, there aren't many things I can think of.

Well, I'd better start moving.

I decided to try rolling a bit since I had no idea how a Slime should move.

I was never a big fan of role-playing games or anything like that, so I had no previous experience in this kind of situation.

Although I felt somewhat clumsy and lost, I knew I had to adapt quickly if I wanted to survive in this strange world.

I turned slightly, trying to find balance and adapt to my new form. However, something went wrong. Suddenly, I started spinning uncontrollably, unable to stop, while I felt my surroundings closing in on me.

The sensation of dizziness and vertigo overwhelmed me, and my little gelatinous body became a whirlwind of chaotic movements. I desperately tried to stop, but it seemed that the more I struggled, the faster I spun.

The world around me turned into a blurry blur, and the feeling of being trapped in a vortex overwhelmed me.

The wind blew around me, making me feel alive and free. I let myself be carried by the slope, spinning and spinning without apparent control.

Suddenly, I felt something akin to water entering my body.

It wasn't liquid water. Ice? No, it's too small... Snow!

Now I find myself spinning down from the top of a hill as my body is enveloped in a giant snowball! Excitement and adrenaline run through my veins as I gain speed, and my form is transformed by the snow that sticks to me.

'Whaaaa!' I scream internally as I feel myself rolling down the hill.

THUD

I hit something.

It feels like a tree... Well, whatever. I'm in a snowy place, so I should be careful when rolling.

WHOOSH

Wow, it seems I can jump. That will be more useful than just rolling and causing an avalanche. I decided to walk towards nothingness, hoping to find something that guides me.

* * *

Some days or maybe months have passed. I've lost count if I ever had it.

This body is surprisingly cool. I don't need to eat, sleep, or anything like that! I feel a hundred percent energized at all times, and it's a comforting feeling to say the least.

But... I feel lonely. I haven't talked to anyone in so long. It's not like I talked much before, but I entertained myself by creating and reading stories online. It's an efficient way to interact with people without being physically present.

But putting that aside, I wonder what happens to the things I consume. I can feel them inside me, but I don't know how it works.

<[Answer: They are stored in the stomach of your unique ability, Predator.]>

Boo!

Who or what are you?

<[Answer: It's the effect of your unique ability, Great Sage.]>

At that moment, memories of the things I was thinking during my dying process flooded in. It was as if a torrent of memories and past emotions inundated my mind.

Oh.

Great Sage, huh? You say you're a unique ability, so can Predator also speak?

<[Answer: No. Predator allows you to ingest objects and analyze them within your body. You can acquire the abilities of those objects. Once the analysis is complete, you can imitate them. The stomach stores the objects you ingest. It can also isolate harmful objects that cannot be analyzed.]>

So, they are all different from each other. It's an incredible ability. I was going to put the topic aside and have a pleasant conversation with Great Sage, but I remembered another ability.

Wait... What can my ability to return from the dead do?

<[Answer: It's an ability that allows you to go back in time to a moment before your death. To save a specific moment as a "Checkpoint," all you have to do is sleep.]>

Shocked by that information, I'm glad that I'm basically a total anomaly in the world. It's a surprising revelation and, at the same time, comforting.

Maybe because I wanted to be special or because I'm essentially immortal, but well, who cares about such trivial things when you're immortal.

The only requirement is to sleep?

<[Answer: Correct.]>

This body doesn't need sleep, but I think if I try, I can do it. It means I could sleep now, and in a few years, if I die, I'll come back to this specific day.

Although I don't have a mouth, I can imagine how a confident smile would form on my expression, if I even have one to begin with.

I possess an ability that basically turns me into a divine being. However, it's important to recognize that this ability makes me transcend the realm of the mortal, but it doesn't grant me true immortality as is commonly understood.

My immortality is significantly different from "common" immortality, if you can even call it that.

Well, I can't entertain myself too much being philosophical. Sage, can you analyze the plants I've been consuming?

<[Analyzing...]>

<[Analysis complete. Hypocute Grass. A valuable herb that only grows near the Elior Forest in places with a high concentration of prana. It is usually used as an ingredient for potions.]>

Elior Forest and prana? Huh, I'm certainly in a fantasy world.

Well, I suppose it would be strange if I reincarnated as a Slime in the modern world.

Prana is the magical energy that resides in this world, right?

<[Correct.]>

I guess if I have these Hypocute grasses, it means I'm in the Elior Forest or at least close enough to come across them.

Tell me, as a magical being, do I have the ability to detect... Prana?

<[Correct.]>

"Alright. Maybe I could develop something like a magical sense. If I can't see or hear, the only thing I can do is feel the prana.

"Ugh..." I started exerting force from within my Slime body to try to sense something around me.

Although I lack traditional physical senses, I began to feel a strange connection with the world around me.

Ha! I think I can distinguish something!

<[Extra skill: Magical Sense acquired.]>

<[Do you want to use Magical Sense?]>

OF COURSE!

The whole world lit up around me.

Suddenly, I could see my surroundings perfectly. I was in a vast snow-covered forest, and the view was truly spectacular. Every snowflake shimmered under the sunlight, creating a magical landscape.

And there I was, a white Slime that blended perfectly with the snow around me. I felt proud of my appearance, as if I were the most handsome Slime of all. I smiled to myself, enjoying the internal joke.

The beauty of the surroundings beautifully contrasted with my gelatinous form. It seemed like I was part of this magical winter scenery. I felt in harmony with nature, as if I were destined to be here at this moment.

Well, now that I can see, it will be easier to move around and examine my surroundings. But what should I do now?