Chapter 4 - A Slime's Awakening
Shiro's world tilted.
The moment Rimuru uttered "Shiro Tempest," it felt as though reality cracked open. A blinding light enveloped him, pulsing with warmth and unfamiliar pressure. His gelatinous form rippled in waves as magicules surged through him.
[System Notification]
[Name Registered: Shiro Tempest]
[Core Identity Stabilized — Initiating Evolution Sequence]
[Analyzing Previous Data… Synthesizing Skills Based on Legacy Traits and Racial Affinity…]
Internally, Shiro panicked. Why does this feel like a boot-up sequence from hell?! he thought, as his consciousness flickered and blurred.
Time lost meaning.
When he awoke, he was nestled in a soft bed surrounded by unfamiliar architecture—elegant, warm-toned walls carved with gentle geometric patterns. A startled kobold nurse gasped and rushed out the moment he stirred.
Minutes later, Rimuru entered with Shuna and Benimaru in tow.
"You're finally awake!" Rimuru grinned. "You've been out for three days. Evolution hit you like a freight train."
"I feel… dense," Shiro muttered groggily.
Rimuru chuckled. "That's normal. You've evolved into something a little different."
[Notice]
[Evolution Complete: Species Upgraded — High Slime]
[Magicule Capacity: Substantially Enhanced]
[Skill Acquisition]
Extra Skills:
[Material Analysis] – Analyze the structure and properties of any object.
[Thermal Modulation] – Regulate internal and external heat within a limited range.
[Magitech Pulse] – Emit focused magical signals to detect or manipulate magical/mechanical systems.
[Mental Link] – Enables short-range telepathic communication with consent.
Intrinsic Skills:
[Circuit Synthesis] – Create and assemble mana-based circuitry for magical or techno-magical constructs.
[Digital Intuition] – Translate abstract magical flows into logical systems. Enables comprehension of advanced tech-magic interfaces.
[Mana Taste] – Detect magical properties through taste or interaction with ingredients.
Common Skills:
[Schematic Recall] – Retrieve and visualize blueprints or designs from memory, whether real or hypothetical.
[Gastronomic Archive] – Growing database of flavors, reactions, and magical-food interactions, indexed by personal experience.
[Ingredient Instinct] – Instinctively identify edible or alchemically relevant substances in the environment.
[Unique Trait Acquired: Techno-Gastronome]
[Your soul's fusion of culinary passion and technical intuition allows accelerated mastery in magical cuisine, culinary alchemy, and techno-magical constructs. Enhances synthesis rates and enables hybridization across food and magic disciplines.]
Shiro blinked. "So… I got a cooking and coding buff?"
Rimuru snickered. "Yup. I even asked Great Sage to run your profile out of curiosity. It called your affinity 'unusual.'"
"Wait—who's Great Sage?"
"Don't worry about it," Rimuru said with a mischievous wink. "Just know I've got a super smart assistant living rent-free in my brain. You'll probably meet her someday."
Shiro wobbled slightly, still dazed. "So I'm not just a slime. I'm a slime with a tech tree?"
"Exactly! And you're officially part of Tempest now. Welcome aboard, Deputy Chief of Food Research."
"You're serious?"
"Of course. Once you're up and mobile, we'll set you up with your own R&D kitchen, research access, and a pantry budget."
Shiro bounced once, joyfully. My old job didn't even give me snack breaks.
Shuna stepped forward, smiling warmly. "Your lab is being prepared in the research district. You'll collaborate with our culinary teams, and we'll provide reports on local dietary patterns. And as Head Chef, you'll also serve as Rimuru-sama's personal chef."
Shiro practically shimmered. "A title, a lab, ingredients, and the honor of cooking for the nation's leader? That's… insane. Insanely awesome!"
He wobbled again, overwhelmed by joy and residual magicule aftershocks.
"I need to start planning menus! Mana-glazed ribs? No—wait! Braised Garlic Vinegar Pork! Like the kind I used to eat back home. Oh man, the Tempest version's gonna blow minds."
Sunlight slanted across the room, casting golden patterns across the floor as Shiro finally let himself process it all.
He wasn't just reborn.
He was Shiro Tempest now—slime, technophile, chef.
And he hadn't even invented magic ramen yet.
[Milestone Achieved: A Slime's Awakening — Evolution Unlocked, Skills Initialized, Purpose Ignited]