Rimuru spent the entire night agonizing over his current predicament. By the time the sun came up, he had analyzed his safety, his potential routes home, and the minefield that was Clock Tower politics.
In the end, he wisely decided not to overthink the "Department Meeting" May had mentioned. The waters of the Clock Tower were too deep, and diving in without a life vest was suicide.
For now, he focused on two things: his abilities and his immediate survival.
Early the next morning, Rimuru sat by a sunny window, stifling a yawn as he accepted breakfast from one of the Archelot family bodyguards.
He dipped a strip of toasted bread into a rich, western-style seafood chowder. As the crust softened in the creamy soup, he looked out the window.
Since the assassination attempt at the hotel, May Riddell, being the assertive heiress she was, had immediately moved him to her personal territory: the Academic City under her jurisdiction.
It was quite a distance from the British Museum and the main Clock Tower campus, but the trade-off was security. Under the relentless hospitality of the Archelot family, Rimuru realized he needed a few days of peace anyway, so he thanked the Lords' familiars and accepted the offer.
Every Lord of the Clock Tower governed their own "Academic City."
Now, when one hears "Academy City," one might think of the anime trope, like Fuyuki, Tengu City, or the one with the Railgun. You know, the "Three Great Safe Cities of Japan" (a title dripping with sarcasm).
Thankfully, there was no electro-master middle schooler here to flip coins at him.
However, compared to the Department of Modern Magecraft's city, "Slra", which was notoriously run-down and gritty, May Riddell's domain was aggressively ostentatious.
The style here was loud. It was a fusion of high-level modernization and heavy industry. The steel skyscrapers gleaming in the morning light looked even more advanced than central London in this era.
The whole city screamed one word: Money.
While a lot of the infrastructure budget came from the Mages' Association, Rimuru had to admit that the Department of Botany knew how to turn a profit. They specialized in pharmaceuticals and potions, after all.
May might not have been the wealthiest Lord, but she certainly had enough cash to keep a freeloading slime as a pet without breaking a sweat.
Rimuru admired the cityscape for a moment, grateful that the pink-haired heiress wasn't here yet. (She had tried to "sneak attack" his room last night, but failed miserably).
He turned his attention back to breakfast.
The fragrant white bread dissolved in his mouth, the sweetness of the wheat mixing perfectly with the savory seafood broth. It was delicious.
But as he ate, his eyes drifted down to his own arm.
He traced the invisible lines running beneath his skin.
173 Magic Circuits.
It was a staggering number. But as he analyzed them, he noticed something strange.
He gently ran his fingers over his forearm.
Only 57 of these circuits were "Active" or standard circuits. The remaining 116 were in a state of deep dormancy, hidden away within his spiritual structure.
Rimuru frowned.
Why? Was the previous owner trying to hide his talent?But it didn't make sense.
Rimuru frowned. Magic Circuits determined the throughput of mana and the complexity of spells a mage could handle simultaneously. Having a lot of them was certainly a flex, a sign of potential greatness, but it wasn't the be-all and end-all.
Circuits weren't Magic Crests. They didn't store generations of knowledge, spells, or research. And unlike Crests, you couldn't rip Circuits out of someone to steal them.
So, logically, there was zero reason to hide them.
Rimuru leaned toward a simpler, more depressing explanation: His predecessor didn't hide them. He just never used them.
"What a waste."
Take Touko Aozaki. She was a genius with only around twenty or thirty circuits.
Or look at Emiya Shirou. The guy had a measly 27 circuits of mediocre quality, yet he ground his way up to become a Heroic Spirit capable of matching legends.
Having 173 circuits just meant this body had a ridiculously high ceiling. It didn't mean Rimuru was strong right now.
"And honestly," Rimuru muttered, stirring his soup, "173 isn't even that much when you look at the freaks in this world."
Take Alice Kuonji. That girl was basically a walking, breathing Magic Circuit. Her "Ploy Kickshaw" heritage meant her circuits were etched into her very bones and internal organs.
Compared to a monster like that?
"I'm basically just a scrub with an 'A' rank on paper."
The Magic Crest inheritance was fairly standard, at least. It was a solid combination of Water and Imaginary Numbers, allowing him to manipulate ice, mist, and execute some conceptual interference.
There was nothing game-breaking about it. No crumbling, corrupted system. No unique, mutated circuits. Just a very standard, very stable lineage.
An unpolished gem, Rimuru concluded. A diamond that the previous owner was too lazy to cut.
But that was fine. In fact, it was perfect. Because of his predecessor's sloth, the slate was clean. Rimuru could mold this body's development to fit his needs.
He paused his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"Great Sage, is my affinity for Water and Imaginary Numbers influenced by my Slime physiology?"
[Answer: Negative. However, the possibility of magical mutation due to the acquisition of racial traits cannot be ruled out.]
"Is that so?"
Rimuru nodded. He wasn't anxious. He was Rimuru aka… Skills like [Dissolve], [Absorb], and [Self-Regeneration]. Resistances to Physical Attacks and Electricity. The hyper-learning speed provided by the Great Sage.
And, most importantly...
[Predator]. To predate targets, analyze them, store in Stomach, mimic their forms and abilities, and isolate threats, enabling rapid evolution.
"But that's a dangerous path," Rimuru whispered to himself. "It's a potentially self-destructive ability. If I let greed take the wheel, I'll just become a monster enslaved by the hunger for power."
He took a sip of the soup. It was rich, complex, and perfectly balanced.
He needed a path. And considering his ultimate goal, that path was obvious.
Spatial Magic.
He wanted to go home. To do that, he needed to pierce the fabric of dimensions and locate the coordinates of his original universe. It was the only way.
If possible, his target for a teacher, or perhaps a target to surpass, was the Jewel Magician, Zelretch.
"Great Sage." Rimuru's eyes narrowed as he stared into the steam rising from his bowl. "If I accidentally fall into the Root while trying to cross dimensions... can you pull me back?"
[Answer: Unknown. However, calculation suggests that given sufficient time, you would eventually be capable of devouring the Root itself.]
"Sufficient time, huh..."
Rimuru stared blankly into the distance, his golden eyes losing focus as he contemplated the sheer scale of that statement.
BANG!
The door was thrown open with zero hesitation. A familiar pink figure strutted in, radiating high energy.
"Rimuru! How was your rest?"
"Ugh..."
The brooding blue slime-boy was snapped out of his existential crisis. He turned around, giving her a deadpan look.
"Can you not knock? Ever? What if I was doing something...?"
"Hm? Something?"
May Riddell stood on her tiptoes, her pink ponytail swaying as she leaned into the room. She sniffed the air theatrically, hunting for the scent of scandal.
But all she smelled was seafood chowder.
"Tch."
She clicked her tongue, visibly disappointed.
….
There will be mass release on sunday when the ranking gets reset.
But dont forget to comment and send some powerstones. See ya tomorrow.