It was dark… far too dark. Not that I expected anything else.
"…Did I actually reincarnate? Or is this just another delusion," I muttered to myself, eyes closed, back flat against the freezing stone floor.
No pain. No warmth either. Just cold. The kind that seeps into your thoughts. The kind I'd gotten used to.
My name… doesn't matter anymore. Like the life I left behind.
A twenty-year-old dropout. Too ambitious, too afraid. The type who wanted to build something great just to stop everything from falling apart. The kind of man who chased knowledge not for power, but to fill the silence. To stay sane after losing too much.
Running to Japan had been my last gamble. A fresh start, I told myself.
And I got it. Just not in the way I expected.
"At the end of the day… I got what I wanted."
I opened my eyes slowly, half-worried I wouldn't have any. Relief washed over me when sight returned. Groggy limbs responded just enough for me to sit up and raise a hand.
Dark skin. Long fingers. Nails a deep obsidian, almost like black glass.
"…That's new." I muttered.
I stared at myself. Everything was… intact. I even checked that part, just to be sure. Rejoiced a little more than I'd like to admit.
Sitting up, a strange sway followed me. I turned and spotted a thin black tail with a jagged tip, twitching slightly.
"Huh." I reached up—horns. Of course. I sighed.
This was different from Rimuru. Rimuru had it easy. He was a slime. Me? I looked… demonic.
"Is this going to be a problem?" I muttered, more to myself than anyone.
My thoughts immediately jumped to resources. Connections. In the original story, Rimuru only got the Dwarven King's favor because he could make full potions—products of analyzing Hipokute herbs.
"What were those herbs called again?"
My heart skipped a beat at the familiar voice. "...Great Sage?"
A grin crept onto my face, wide and satisfied. "Can I produce full potions with this?"
Perfect.
No need for allies or sympathy. If I could refine high-tier items immediately, I could build leverage from day one.
I spent what felt like days—weeks, even—gathering herbs. Anything I could find. I avoided threats, mapped the terrain, tracked resource locations mentally. Predation took care of the storage. All I needed was time.
By the time Predator's storage had reached just 5% capacity, I knew I had to start exploring further.
"Maybe it's time I find Veldora."
Still, information first. Power without understanding is just wasted potential. "Great Sage, summarize Predator for me again."
Predation: Target is absorbed into your body. Success rate drops with sapient beings. Works on objects, skills, magic.
Analysis: Breaks down absorbed targets. If the structure is understood, replication becomes possible. Includes skills and magic.
Stomach: Internal subspace. Timeless storage. Ideal for preservation and crafting.
Mimicry: Reproduces the absorbed target's form and abilities. Requires prior analysis.
Isolate: Separates and neutralizes harmful or unanalysable effects. Converts them into magicules.
I nodded as I walked deeper into the cave, collecting data and thoughts.
"…And Dominion?"
Soul Enforcement: Allows the user to impose Soul-Seals onto targets.
Soul-Sealed beings:
Cannot lie to or betray the user.
Can receive telepathic orders.
Experience accelerated growth or evolution when loyal.
Attempting to break the seal inflicts soul burn or skill degradation.
Irresistible Force: Attacks ignore; Elemental resistances, Physical and magical defense boosts, Barriers below Ultimate-tier. The stronger the difference in magical power, the more violently the skill enforces superiority
Vitality Replenishment: Body no longer requires food or sleep. Magicules in the air replenish energy.
Pain Resistance: All received pain is halved.
Weapon Resistance: Reduces and negates physical damage under a given threshold.
Fallen: Identified by the world as an enemy. Support and healing magic are weakened against you.
I frowned slightly. "So… it's tailored for conquest and solo optimization with combat sustain. I like it."
Great Sage also explained how my soul had taken 90 days to fully adapt to the skills. The voice—its voice—was the will of the world interpreting my desires through those skills.
Made sense. I had expected something similar. Still, I kept my thoughts quiet and listened. No need to interrupt perfection in motion.
Eventually, curiosity won out.
"Oh yeah. Great Sage—what am I, exactly?"
"Felborn…" I whispered. "Not tiefling. Not demon. Something... else."
Something powerful. Outcast. Alone. Just like me.
"Okay, one more question, Sage."
I paused. Blinked. Then laughed under my breath.
"Hell yeah."
A family.
Though Blood wasn't really needed to make one, it doesn't hurt to have people I could call my own, a connection that goes beyond relationships and goals.
"This time... I swear, I'll keep everything I hold dear close to my hea- FUCK"