The light was blinding.
For the first time since their reincarnation, Jiro and Rimuru emerged from the sealed cave, bouncing into a sunlit forest so vast and vibrant it made their previous prison feel like a dream. Towering trees stretched toward a cloud-dappled sky, and the scent of earth and magic danced on the wind.
They had made it.
"So this is the Jura Forest," Jiro said, his slime form rippling slightly with awe.
"Yep," Rimuru replied. "Feels like we just left the tutorial zone."
Jiro chuckled. "Now we get to play the open-world game."
The two slimes hopped side by side through the underbrush, their gelatinous bodies moving with surprising grace. The air was alive with sounds—distant growls, fluttering wings, and something else… the hum of ambient magic. It pulsed through the trees like blood in veins.
A familiar panel appeared in Jiro's mind.
Location: Jura Tempest ForestThreat Level: Medium-HighNearby Lifeforms Detected: Direwolves (Group), Goblins (Tribe), Lesser Wyverns (Solitary)
"Looks like we're not alone," Jiro murmured.
"Let's hope we're welcome guests," Rimuru replied.
They didn't travel far before they heard the cries—shouts and snarls carried through the trees.
"Help! We need help!"
The two slimes paused.
"That sounded like a goblin," Rimuru said.
Jiro nodded. "Let's move."
Without hesitation, they bounced toward the noise. As they emerged into a small clearing, the sight before them made Jiro's instincts flare.
A group of goblins—frail, terrified, poorly armed—was surrounded by a pack of snarling direwolves. The wolves, massive and sleek, their fur rippling with shadow, circled like sharks sensing weakness.
"We can't outrun them!" one goblin cried. "They'll kill us all!"
Rimuru moved first. "HEY! Back off!"
His voice echoed with magical resonance, enhanced by his newfound authority. The wolves hesitated—but didn't retreat. One of them stepped forward, growling.
"They're not going to listen," Jiro said, eyes narrowing. "Time to test what we've got."
He focused. Magic coursed through his form. A dark, glowing symbol ignited inside him as he activated his unique skill: Bloodflare.
A crimson aura erupted from Jiro's slime body, shifting the air around him. His form pulsed with flickers of black flame, and for a split second, his shadow took on the outline of a humanoid—tall, cloaked, with glowing red eyes.
The wolves recoiled. The heat from the aura crackled across the clearing like burning coals in winter wind.
"Leave," Jiro commanded. His voice, distorted with magical intensity, struck like thunder.
The alpha growled… but then turned tail and vanished into the forest, its pack quickly following. Within moments, the clearing was silent save for the goblins' awed murmurs.
"That… was incredible," Rimuru said, bouncing over. "That skill is crazy strong."
Jiro's aura faded as quickly as it came, leaving him slightly winded. "Looks like it draws from both my bloodline and magic pool. Powerful, but risky if I overuse it."
One of the goblins—a smaller one with a jagged scar over his eye—approached cautiously. "You… saved us. Thank you, great slimes!"
"We're just travelers," Rimuru said with a smile. "What's going on here?"
The goblin bowed low. "Our village is in danger. The wolves have grown bolder. Please… help us."
Rimuru turned to Jiro.
"Looks like it's quest time."
Jiro smiled. "Then let's write the first chapter of our legend."