Chapter 3: The Third Day After Reincarnating as Rimuru

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This creature, radiating an aura formidable enough to topple demon gods, turned out to be—a slime? And it was actually frightened to tears by him?

Unbelievable, this completely defied all logic.

The thoroughly mortified slime could not comprehend the shock in Morax’s heart; it was entirely consumed by the miserable realization that it had just been streaking about in the nude.

"Wuwuwu, what did I even do to make you want to stab me with your stone spear? And why didn’t you warn me sooner that I wasn’t wearing any clothes?! Can’t you speak?!"

If this guy hadn’t suddenly rushed at him with that stone spear, leaving him no time to check what he looked like, would he have ended up running around naked for so long?!

The more Rimuru spoke, the more aggrieved and humiliated he became, his blue tendrils pounding the ground furiously as he wallowed in utter despair.

"You—"

"You what?! Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have a pretty face, you violent brute!"

Stop crying, please...

The words of comfort Morax had been preparing for so long never made it out. This slime, who burst into tears at the slightest provocation, left him quite at a loss. To be honest, in all his years, he had never witnessed such a scene.

The demon gods and beasts he had pummeled before had never shed a single tear.

But this time… perhaps he really was at fault?

As he gazed at the ‘delicate’ slime collapsed on the sand, weeping its heart out, Morax, for the first time, engaged in self-reflection.

While the God of Stone was fretting about how to resolve this, the slime rolling on the ground had already given up hope and was mentally arranging its own ‘funeral.’

"I’ve never been so humiliated in my life, wuwuwu, what do I do, this is so embarrassing, I might as well just die!"

Die—just die? Was it really that bad?

Watching the blue slime thrash about madly in the sand, the young Geo Archon’s body gradually stiffened, his face betraying utter confusion.

The slime, resigned to its fate, started babbling nonsense. Perhaps because his monologue drew no response, Rimuru suddenly stopped, sprang upright, and fixed his ‘executioner’s’ gaze on the ‘cold-faced little golden dragon’ before him.

"As long as no one knows about this, my social death isn’t real, so maybe I should just… silence the only witness!"

Holding fast to the belief that it’s better his companion than himself, the slime advanced menacingly on the ‘dragon-man.’

Sensing the sudden hostility, Morax narrowed his eyes and reflexively summoned his stone spear, gripping it in one hand. Yet before he could strike, the slime performed a dramatic about-face.

"So, if you don’t want to be silenced, you’ll have to take responsibility for me! After all, it’s your fault I’ve suffered this social death! And you didn’t even hesitate to throw a spear at me and try to skewer me—this is all your fault!"

Rimuru demanded Morax take responsibility with an air of utter righteousness, his blue tendrils waving like victory pennants.

That’s right, most of his earlier theatrics were just an act. From the moment they met, Rimuru had felt an uncanny sense of familiarity with this stranger, and once the name was revealed, he instantly recalled who the other was.

Morax—wasn’t that a character from that wildly popular open-world game from his previous life?

Although he’d never played it, he’d seen plenty of fan videos and parodies! The Lord of Liyue, commonly known in Teyvat as the human-shaped wrench—and his true form was a long, elegant Chinese dragon, complete with an adorable cloud-patterned tail!

Since there was no tsundere storm dragon, he would ‘reluctantly’ let this fierce stone dragon fill the role.

"Take responsibility, take responsibility, take responsibility!" Rimuru wriggled his elastic slime body with excitement, making noises like a player eager to latch onto a pro-gamer’s coattails.

If this was one of the seven champions of the battle royale, Morax, then this must be the world of Teyvat. From all those fan videos, he knew Teyvat was not only filled with all sorts of humans and non-human waifus, but also countless dangerous monsters!

Rimuru had no desire to camp in the wild or exhaust himself vying for first place with all these battle gods—he just wanted to be a happy, freeloading slime.

So—

—If he didn’t seize this opportunity to cling to a strong backer, when would he?

The slime’s cuteness made even its most serious threats utterly lacking in menace, leaving Morax feeling as though he was bullying it.

Which, in fact, he was—the stone spear in his hand was evidence enough.

"Take responsibility, you say?"

With a casual gesture, Morax dissipated the stone spear into pure geo energy, letting it vanish into the air. The young god lowered his eyes in thought, then looked deep into Rimuru’s eyes, golden irises shining.

"What would you have me do to take responsibility?"

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Since Morax was in the wrong, he would not shirk responsibility.

—Everything going according to plan! Rimuru thought gleefully.

"Ahem, my demands aren’t excessive—I just want you to… um, no, just help me find a place with free food and lodging, that’s all."

Oops, he nearly blurted out that he wanted Morax to keep him—way too direct for a first meeting. He couldn’t be so blatant yet; after a little time, Morax would surely grow used to caring for this freeloading (scratch that, adorable) slime.

Since Morax had agreed to take responsibility, the days of freeloading must be just around the corner!

"A place with food and lodging…" Morax was no fool—indeed, he was very sharp, and quickly deduced the slime’s intentions.

"You wish to settle in my domain."

Rimuru nodded vigorously, "Yes, exactly!"

Morax’s brows drew together. "You’re not weak, so why not carve out your own territory?"

In Teyvat, whether god or beast, territorial instincts ran deep. Rarely would multiple archons rule the same land.

What a silly question—as if I’d claim my own territory! It’s just because I’m lazy! But of course, he couldn’t say something so self-deprecating aloud. Rimuru quickly fabricated a dignified excuse.

"Actually, it’s your fault!"

"??"

Meeting Morax’s puzzled gaze, Rimuru declared earnestly, "It was that stone spear you threw at me!"

Was there something wrong with that spear?

Morax’s expression didn’t change. "I don’t believe it could have harmed you."

"No, no, no, it definitely did, and badly at that!" Rimuru denied flatly. "To avoid being skewered, I had no choice but to eat your stone spear…"

"And?"

"And I got a stomachache!"

His explanation was delivered with such conviction that Morax found himself at a loss for words.

This slime hardly looked like it had an upset stomach—still spirited enough to concoct such a wild lie.

Morax stared at Rimuru expressionlessly, offering no comment.

"Hey, hey, don’t look at me like you don’t believe me!" Rimuru was a bit flustered.

This time, he really wasn’t lying—he did have a stomachache!

[Alert: Decomposition anomaly detected, geo element cannot be broken down into magicules!]

[Environmental analysis: magicule concentration is zero. For long-term survival, energy conversion is necessary. Magicules will be converted to primordial elemental energy. During this process, the master’s abilities will be temporarily suppressed to their initial state and will recover as conversion progresses. Begin conversion now?]

It was this very warning from Raphael that had Rimuru desperate to find a strong protector—this world was so dangerous, what if he died by accident?

A slime in its starting state might not even be able to beat a goblin, let alone the battle gods of Teyvat…

This was his hard-won second life—he couldn’t let it end for something so silly!

Seeing Rimuru’s steadfast attitude, Morax did not press further. He sighed, then regarded the slime seriously: "I already have mortals under my protection. Even so, you still wish to return with me?"

Creatures formed of elemental energy rarely cared for humans; some even loathed them. Morax couldn’t be sure this slime could coexist with his people.

Mortals under Morax’s protection?

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Rimuru paused, then quickly realized, "Oh, you mean humans?"

When the archon gave no rebuttal, he smiled and waved a hand dismissively.

"Ah, that’s no trouble. I can help you protect them too!"

He’d been human once himself—getting along shouldn’t be an issue. And if they proved difficult, he could always keep his distance. If he couldn’t win, he could at least avoid trouble.

Morax raised a brow, surprise flickering in his eyes. This creature actually volunteered to help protect his people? Truly rare. This monster… no, he said his name was Rimuru?

"In that case—Rimuru, let us form a contract."

"Once the contract is sealed, there will be no turning back," Morax declared solemnly, his tone brooking no dissent.

"Oh, a contract? To prevent me from going back on my word once I enter your domain, right? No problem!"

Rimuru fully understood Morax’s reasoning—he had no intention of causing trouble anyway. He nodded and asked, "Right, so what are the terms?"

"The contract has two parts. First, once it is formed, you may not harm mortals without cause, nor infringe upon their property, nor recklessly use your powers to destroy the resources they depend upon for survival.

Second, my duty is to provide you with food and shelter, and within my abilities, to protect you as best I can. If one day you tire of life in my territory, you may leave, and the contract will be dissolved."

Morax listed the terms one by one, then fell silent, patiently awaiting Rimuru’s reply.

Huh? Protect… me??

Morax was actually willing to include that promise in the contract!

Good heavens, so this is the power of the Teyvat ‘wrench’—truly irresistible!

Faced with Morax’s unconscious directness, the blue slime blushed shyly, then stretched out a hand with gusto. "Alright! Since you’ve promised to protect me, I’ll protect you too! And… your people as well!"

A fair exchange—once again, fairness! He really was a most considerate slime. Rimuru shamelessly congratulated himself in his heart.

After preening for a moment, Rimuru realized his outstretched tendril had no takers. He waved it at Morax for emphasis.

"?"

Does he… want to shake hands?

Morax gazed down at Rimuru’s extended ‘hand,’ hesitated a moment, then, when Rimuru gave another little wave, bent down and pressed his own hand atop it.

The moment their hands touched, a golden geo sigil burst forth, radiating dazzling light. The golden markings on Morax’s dark arm responded in kind, resonating and shining in harmony.

Thus was the first contract between the slime and the dragon of stone sealed.

"The contract is set. Any who break their word shall suffer the punishment of stone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. So, how do we get to your domain?"

[Raphael, begin the conversion.]

[Conversion initiated.]

Rimuru could clearly feel his powers being suppressed. He glanced at Morax, his feelings mixed.

Until the conversion was complete, his life would be in Morax’s hands.

It should be fine… right?

Luckily, Rimuru was blessed with a naturally thick skin. After a moment’s sigh, he patted Morax on the shoulder in a very familiar manner, gesturing for him to lead the way.

"Come on, come on, let’s head back quickly! Your people still need your protection; you can’t be gone for too long~"

He, who’d spawned in the wilderness, could hardly wait to move into a luxurious mansion!

Morax saw Rimuru’s utter lack of caution and could only shake his head helplessly.

"…Very well."