Afternoon, Great Jura Forest.
"System check-in!"
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have received one bottle of leibi!"
Zhong Chen fell into deep thought as he looked at the pile of items in his System Storage Space.
Host: Zhong Chen
Gender: Male
Age: 23 years old
Realm: Peak Golden Core Stage
Items: One Dimensional Gate, leibi * 3, feminine hygiene product * 1, damaged iron sword * 1
Overall evaluation: In the myriad of worlds, you are already a visible nobody; be careful not to be accidentally stepped on! ┓ (´ - `) ┏!
"It's been five consecutive days now, what kind of bizarre stuff is this system giving me? leibi is fine, at least I can drink it, but what in the world is this feminine hygiene product?!"
"I'm a man! A man! System, isn't the probability of getting good stuff from this check-in too low?!"
"Ding! Check-in rewards are completely random!"
"How is the check-in probability low? It's been this high for so many years!"
"Please look for your own problems, Host. Have you been earnestly praying and improving your luck all these years? Hmph!"
"Sigh!"
"A Chen, what's wrong? I've seen you sighing these past two days!"
Rimuru, held in Zhong Chen's arms, looked up at the constantly sighing Zhong Chen and couldn't help but ask.
Hearing Rimuru's question, Zhong Chen stroked Rimuru's round body and said with emotion:
"Oh, Rimuru! I'm lamenting the injustice of heaven. Why do excellent people like me always face such shameless targeting!"
"Sigh! Is... is that so? o((⊙﹏⊙))o"
...After walking for an unknown period, the two suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps and found a group of green-skinned Goblins blocking their path.
The Goblins held crude weapons and wore tattered equipment, appearing very weak.
The Goblin leader, wearing a red bandana, looked very nervous.
Upon seeing Rimuru held in Zhong Chen's arms, he gripped his weapon even tighter, and his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
"St-strong one, pl-please, what brings you to our front?"
The Goblin wearing the red bandana asked, trembling, with his weapon in hand.
"Strong one? A Chen, is he asking you?"
"No, I think he's clearly asking you!"
Looking down at Rimuru, who was emitting an aura that was absolutely terrifying to the Goblins.
Zhong Chen suddenly remembered, wasn't this Rimuru's first encounter with the Goblins?
"Sigh! Me? Uh, nice to meet you, I'm a Slime. My name is Rimuru, and this is A Chen. His full name is Zhong Chen!"
As Rimuru introduced himself, his voice, carrying terrifying pressure, assailed the Goblins, instantly causing them to cover their ears and fall to the ground in pain.
"We understand your power, please lower your voice!"
"Is the intent contained too strong?"
Thinking this, Rimuru then spoke softly, as if afraid of blowing away a fallen leaf on the ground:
"So, do you have something you need from us?"
"We sensed the aura of a powerful monster and came to investigate!"
The red-bandana Goblin knelt on the ground and replied.
"But I didn't sense any powerful monster."
Hearing this, Zhong Chen directly spoke to Rimuru:
"Oh, Rimuru! Try switching your perspective to look at yourself!"
Hearing Zhong Chen's words, Rimuru used Great Sage to switch his perspective and saw the terrifying magic power swirling around him.
"Wow! My aura is leaking out, and Great Sage didn't even remind me!"
"No wonder the Goblins are so afraid of me!"
Thinking this, Rimuru quickly retracted his magic power.
"A Chen is so mean, he knew but didn't remind me, just to see me make a fool of myself, right? Hmph!"
As Rimuru retracted his leaking magic power, the Goblins immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then knelt on all fours, heads touching the ground, and pleaded:
"Oh, strong one! Given your immense power, we have a request! Please, we implore you to visit our village and hear our plea. We beg of you!"
Hearing the request, Rimuru looked up at Zhong Chen and asked:
"Hey! A Chen, should we go?"
"Let's go. Anyway, we don't know where to go right now. Going there might also help us understand more about this world."
"If you don't go, how will you rule these Goblins? If you don't help them, you won't meet the Fanged Wolf!"
"You are the future Lord of the Monster Country Federation! I'm planning to freeload off you!"
"Ding! Host, look at your lack of ambition!"
"None of your business!!!"
Since Zhong Chen had said so, Rimuru agreed to the Goblins.
Following the Goblins, they arrived at a dilapidated village, consisting of only a dozen small huts made of thatch.
Inside the central hut of the village, the Goblin Village Chief and the red-bandana Goblin were kneeling on the ground, looking at Zhong Chen and Rimuru.
"Welcome, both of you. I am the chief of this village!"
The Village Chief, with white hair and a frail body, spoke tremblingly.
"Hello! So, what do you wish to ask of us?"
Rimuru asked, getting straight to the point after hearing the Village Chief's words.
Zhong Chen stood silently by, simply observing.
"Are you aware of the recent increase in monster activity?"
"No."
"Our deity disappeared a month ago, and since then, monsters from the vicinity have begun to harass this land!"
Hearing the Village Chief's words, Rimuru looked up and pondered.
"Is he referring to Veldora? The timing matches. Can his existence keep monsters at bay?"
"We fought back, but the difference in strength was simply too great!"
The Village Chief helplessly explained the situation, and at this point, the red-bandana Goblin kneeling nearby excitedly said:
"That's why we hoped to entrust ourselves to you, two esteemed sirs. Please grant us your protection, and we will swear our loyalty to you!"
"Do they want to borrow our power?"
Rimuru thought this as he looked at the two kneeling Goblins.
"But I am a Slime, I might not meet your expectations!"
The red-bandana Goblin, who had previously felt Rimuru's terrifying aura, bowed his head respectfully and said:
"You are too modest. An ordinary Slime would not possess such a powerful aura as yours. You must be a rather famous monster!"
"Is that so? You noticed? You Goblins have quite a future!"
Zhong Chen found this scene very interesting. He had seen it in anime before, but this was his first time witnessing it in reality.
"Thank you for your praise. So, our request is..."
As the Village Chief recounted, the situation was still the same as in the original story: the Fanged Wolf tribe swarmed from the east to attack the village.
The disparity in combat power was immense, and the Goblins were unable to resist, which is why they sought out strong individuals for protection.
"A Chen, why don't we help them?"
Rimuru looked up and asked Zhong Chen, who was standing beside him.
"No matter what, you're always so soft-hearted, but that's also one of your charming qualities. Alright, I agree!"
"Really! A Chen, you're so good to me!"
Watching Rimuru happily jumping around, Zhong Chen couldn't help but smile.
"Your wish, I, Rimuru Tempest, will accept on behalf of Storm Dragon Veldora!"
Hearing Rimuru agree, all the Goblins excitedly knelt and bowed, and the Village Chief, with tears in his eyes, respectfully shouted:
"Thank you so much! From now on, we are the loyal servants of Lord Rimuru and Lord Zhong Chen!"
"It seems I can also test my skills tonight. As a dignified Golden Core cultivator, I haven't had a chance to fight yet, and my hands are getting a bit itchy!"
Zhong Chen hadn't fought since becoming a Golden Core cultivator.
He was still very curious to know what level his current combat power was in this world.
Based on his estimation of Rimuru's aura, it shouldn't be weaker than an awakened Demon Lord.
However, it probably wouldn't reach the level of Milim and Guy, as the current Rimuru should have at least A-level combat power.
Fighting a Demon Lord Seed, he might not be guaranteed a win, but he shouldn't lose either.
Time slowly moved into the deep night...