Drip.

Drops of water trickled from the ceiling.

The droplet hit Rimuru's eyes, causing them to twitch.

His brows furrowed as he slowly opened his eyes, and the soreness in his body made him groan. His golden eyes met in the dark room.

'Where?..' He felt confused and nauseous.

He looked around, his head moving sideways. But as he did, he felt something restraining his movements. Looking closely, he noticed that a thick tangle of vines encircled him.

He attempted to struggle and escape, but the vines also bound his arms. And as if something was taking his strength out of him, his body was weakening.

After adjusting his golden irises and pupils to every corner of his eyes, he saw that tiny, vine-like roots had become lodged in his cheeks from his temples.

His gaze narrowed until it took him a while to realize he was in this dark room, tied upside down.

'So that's why I feel nauseous..'

The vines and roots covering every part of his body gave him a strange feeling. Based on the aura, it appeared that the vines were under the control of someone or something.

'Great Sage'  He called out in his mind, to which it immediately responded.

{'Analyzing...10%.. 34%.. 67%.. 99%..  Analysis complete.}

Rimuru smiled, although it appeared weak on his face. He felt relieved that the Great Sage was still with him, unlike what he had seen in his dream.

'Where am I?' 

{You are currently located in an underground building where the infestation of monsters has occurred.} The Great Sage complied with his question.

"Infestation of what?"

Rimuru's POV

I wiggled my body to break off the vines that wrapped me whole. But as I did, strength was drained out of me.

"Should I just burn these vines off my body?" I said in annoyance.

{ I recommend using the skill 'Black Lightning', to break free and make an opening to escape this place.}

I nodded at the Great Sage's suggestion and closed my eyes. I stopped my body movements and focused my power.

[The exclusive skill, 'Dark Lightning Lvl.3' has been activated!]

Bolts of dark lightning crackled its spark around my vine-wrapped body. The sound intensified as I focused more and more on the skill, then released the energy on a whim.

A crackling, chilling sound echoed around the area. The lightning descended from the sky down to this underground building, piercing through every floor until it reached the last floor and underground, where I was.

I couldn't brace myself from the impact of my own skill, so I expected it to at least damage me.

The lightning finally hit my body, wrapping me in its beam. The scorching heat reached 1,000 degrees Celsius, making the area around me melt from its heat and impact.

[The exclusive skill, 'Heat Resistance Lvl.3' has been activated!]

'Nice save!..'

Even the small particles of debris weren't spared from the dark lightning. For all of it to melt, the ground, the walls, the ceiling, and my skin weren't excluded.

My resistance to heat wasn't that much better compared to my past life. I mean, my past life as Rimuru Tempest, not Mikami Satoru.

The hellish heat of the lightning burned all of the vines around me from head to toe. I winced as I felt my skin peeling off rapidly, then healing back at the same pace.

[Due to the intense experience, your skill 'Heat Resistance Lvl.3' has been increased to 'Lvl.5']

I groaned as I fell off, my head landing on the ground. My body was shaded black, my clothes were destroyed, my legs were shaking, every joint in my body felt like it was burning, and my skin stung. To put it all together, my whole body was a mess.

I didn't dare to move, not even a single twitch of a muscle. I should've told Great Sage to recover my pain nullification. Too bad it couldn't be recovered, all because I was in a human body.

The human body feels pain because it is human. If I don't feel the pain, then that makes it different.

Since I'm a monster, to begin with,.

Joke!.. I'm pretty sure I was human beforehand.

.

.

.

.

Escaping from the building won't be that hard. Thanks to the escape hole created by the lightning.

[The exclusive skill, 'Mimicry Lvl.?? ' has been activated.]

A dark outline of wings slowly built itself on my back until it flocked with feathers and manifested its scales, hardening its surface.

[You have mimicked 'Dragon Wings'!]

Two dark wings that are like those of a dragon, opening and flocking to their full glory as they fully manifested on my back. I could feel it connecting to my skin, down to my bones, like it was a real body part of mine.

I didn't want to waste my time admiring myself, because I know I'm...

Well, impressive?.. probably...

{Majestic would be the right word.} Great Sage said a tad proud. 

Oh? Is this quantum computer robot finally showing its emotions? 

"Did you say something, Great Sage?" I teased my own skill, and if you view it from another perspective, I would look like I was talking to myself. If anyone saw me right now, they'd probably think I'm crazy.

{It's your imagination.} Great Sage recoiled back automatically.

'Sassy bot...'

Anyway, since I already have the wings,. 'I believe I can fly. I believe I can touch the sky.' I took my time to fool around.

{ A strong aura of animosity has been detected a few kilometers away from us.} 

That immediately caused me to stop singing. 'What a mood-breaker!'

As much as I wanted to fool around, this feels like a problem I should probably take care of.

"I should head out now." I said as I hovered my wings above me and prepared to flap them down so I could fly. But the Great Sage stopped me.

{ Notice, your body is nakedly exposed. I recommend wearing clothes.} 

The way this AI said it made me feel like a fool.

'Ah.. No wonder why my 'son' is hanging..'

I felt my cheeks burning from embarrassment as I slowly retracted my wings to cover my body.

'Imagine if I actually flew away with my body naked..'

That would be a sight to behold.

After wearing my new clothes, that were generated by Great Sage, I turned around and looked if it fits.

This familiar texture of this silk on my skin, its dominant color of dark blue somehow matched my light blue hair, and the fur on the endings of my sleeves.

It was all familiar.

'Wait.. Is this?'

"Woah.. This.. Isn't this the old clothes I wore before I died?.." I said bluntly after tugging the fur on my sleeves.

I summoned my mask and placed it on the side of my head. Then summoned my furry scarf and wrapped it around my neck.

This brings back memories..

I spead my wings above my head and slammed it downwards to soar up high, resulting the dust and air around me to be blown away.

I flew upwards through the broken floors, and I could see the infestation of vines and monsters being carried out in every floor I flew through.

I  got out through the rooftop and hovered around the main source of infestation.

A giant flower monster with its roots and vines wrapped around the building. It has a head and teeth, small petals and saliva leaking from its large mouth.

It almost looked like a plantera boss.

"Should I just burn this place?.." I said and flickered my fingers, resulting a spark and ignition of a black flame. But before I could do things any further, I sensed a familiar aura couple miles away from this building, along with the animosity I felt earlier.

I could tell that they're fighting.

I was curious on why that man is here, but I guess fate really rooted for us.

I blew my flames away and ignored the boss monster for now. After that, I followed my instincts and curiousity as it brought me to fly over them.

I landed on a nearby building and searched for the occuring battle. But my eyes stopped when I looked at a meteorite, no.. Even if I was in a mile away, I could tell what it was.. It was definitely not a meteorite.

'A hatching disaster?!.' I furrowed my brows as I squinted my eyes to look closely.

'Moreover, are those people?.. What are they doing?..'

Using 'Magic Sense', my field of vision and distance increased, and I telescoped my eyes to look at them even from a great distance.

The sight was weird, unsettling and horrid. I could see the people kneeling down, praying for something as blood dripped from their faces.

They were praying for the disaster. Their faith and mana was being drained with every mumble of prayers they made.

Blood trickled down their faces as they exhausted themselves on clinging to a false hope.

Humans are desperate for survival. Yet they didn't know that they're bringing their selves closer to death.

'.. Pathetic..' I thought so.

Of all the things we could've placed our fainth unto, why the thing that could determine your death?

With every observations I had on humans, the more I feel less like them. But it reminded me that I was also a pathetic human once. A pathetic human who died a virgin even until now.

Before I knew it, I was now treading on the air. I acted on my instict, and I must save these pathetic people because of it.

But before I could make my way towards them, my eyes bore down on the fight occuring near.

A woman who's hair was silky white, cherry red lips and grey eyes stood on the ground. Her beauty was worth a lavish of praises, but there was something unsettling about her.

Then the second person came to view, a very familiar annoying person. A man clad in black coat while wielding a sword. His ravenous hair was glossy, his jaw line was perfect, his lips were in a perfect hue, and his body was majestic.

Even if I was in a few miles away, I could still see the small details of his face. Those long lashes that fitted his eyes, those eyes that wore a cold gaze would cause a persons heart to malfunction and stop.

His beauty was none like the other, because he was undoubtedly this universe's gods favorite. That annoyingly handsome face was sculpted by the gods themselves.

If that woman's beauty earlier was worth a lavish of praises, this man was worth a hundred more.

'Okay, Junghyuk.. I'd give you that..'