If you could start life over in a fantasy world, what would you be? A dragon? An elf? What about a slime? Well, that happens to be the case for the man who would be Rimaru Tempest. How does that happen? What does that mean in your new life? Is it just a body horror story? Let’s find out!
Satoru Makami was a thirty-seven year old out on a lunch date with his coworker and coworker’s bride to be when Satoru heroically took a stabbing meant for his coworker. As he lay dying, Satoru thought of all he regretted in his life, how fragile human bodies were and how cold this sensation was. How he wish he had found someone to be with and that maybe he would have become a great sage in another time.
Turns out, those dying thoughts were being recorded in the grand scheme of things and Satoru was reborn in another world. He couldn’t see or feel much of anything, he knew he had no limbs and was just wondering around blindly in cave. While he no longer needed to eat, he found it something to do to pass the time, his wandering eventually had him ask himself where that food goes which activated his Great Sage ability, an advanced library with encyclopedic knowledge on nearly any subject he could ask it. He had been reincarnated as a slime with this ability and his ability to eat, all came from his dying thoughts being collected for this reincarnation.
Now with an ally at his side when he needed it, he learned more about what he was capable of, all he had to do was ask the right questions. As he traveled, he ate magic crystals he found along the way, storing them within himself. This lead him to bump into another individual in the cave, who was nice enough to aide him in finally being able to sense the world around him. Once he could finally see he found that he had been aided by an imprisoned dragon, one of the few left in the world. This dragon was Veldora, a being of immense power who had been imprisoned in this cave long ago, he was lonely and seeking a friend.
To seal their bonds of friendship, they did a name giving ceremony to one another. Veldora granted the name Rimaru to his slime friend. Rimaru gave Veldora the last name Tempest who then returned the last name to Rimaru to further unite their bond. Now being good friends, Rimaru tried to figure out if Great Sage had any idea as to how to free Veldora. While this didn’t turn up anything, it was revealed that Rimaru could “eat” Veldora and his binding circle, holding him safely inside the slime pocket dimension when eaten. This would allow Rimaru to seek out help from the outside world on how to free Veldora and bring the massive dragon along safely with him.
Left to find a way out of the cave, Rimaru would absorb many monsters that were in the cave, learning that not only when he did this, did he gain their powers, but the ability to mimic their appearance as well. Gaining more and more power as he went, by the time he reached the exit, he was quite powerful, unbeknownst to Rimaru. As he exited, he would sneak passed some adventurers, not wanting a misunderstanding due to his slime appearance. Now finally free from the caves, Rimaru would be greeted by a struggling goblin tribe, they were seeking protection, the aura of Veldora had disappeared when Rimaru ate him, leaving a power vacuum that other monsters were now wishing to fill. Realizing this was his fault, Rimaru took responsibility for these goblins.
Now the leader of this band of goblins, Rimaru would learn that their current threat was a pack of dire wolves. The goblins were eager to do what Rimaru said and with his plans and powers, he was not only able to stop the wolves from attacking, but became their new leader as well. Rimaru’s tribe was growing and he realized they didn’t have any names for one another, he would learn a little too late that naming monsters is a powerful magic. After passing out from naming so many goblins and the leader of the wolf pack, he would awaken several days later to every monster in his tribe transformed into bigger, more powerful versions of themselves, the power of naming.
Each old problem solved lead to new ones to figure out, the goblins needed clothes and shelter, which leads to traveling to the city. This means befriending the dwarves and bringing some back to help make their village a better place. More monsters here the legends of the mighty slime and his mixed monster village. More friends and enemies come to the slime, more power and acclaim as well. Through his cleverness and kindness, Rimaru not only thrives, but so do all those who befriend him. His adventures get bigger and bigger as he helps others and gains new abilities. He’s come a long way since the cave, even further from his past life.
There you have it! That Time I Reincarnated As A Slime is a rather cute fantasy series that started as a light novel then became a manga and finally an anime. Playing with the tropes of fantasy series and how appearances can be deceiving. The power of friendship and fighting smarter not harder runs through out. See you next time!
Suggested Reading
That Time I Reincarnated As A Slime
Dr. Bustos
drbustos@comicattack.net
