First Bites of Another World

Chapter 2 - First Bites of Another World

[System Notification]

[System Functions Stable. Field Analysis active. Memory tracking online. Milestone tracking system initialized.]

Waking up as a slime wasn't exactly in Ren's five-year plan. But after the initial shock wore off and he got over the lack of limbs, faces, and taste buds in the traditional sense, curiosity took the lead.

The cave he'd found himself in was cool and shadowy, walls slick with condensation and spotted with glowing fungi. Everything looked surreal. His perception wasn't based on sight in the normal way—it was more like a full-body awareness. He could sense the shape and texture of the world in every direction.

He bounced experimentally. Sloshed. Wobbled. Flopped.

Progress.

He moved toward a cluster of glowing mushrooms nestled against the stone wall. Blue-capped, faintly bioluminescent.

"Alright, mystery shroom. Let's see what you've got."

He absorbed it with a cautious nudge.

[Ingredient Discovered: Lumo-Fungi]

[Taste Profile: Mildly sweet, mineral tang]

[Effect: Minor Night Vision Boost]

He actually tasted it. Sweet and earthy, like sucking on mineral-rich rock candy.

The information didn't just stop at taste. His body analyzed each sample in real-time, cataloging it like some kind of mystical foraging database. It reminded him of his old job—indexing, tagging, building interfaces.

So he gave it a name: Kitchen Logbook Protocol - Alpha Build.

With growing excitement, Ren set about tasting anything he could get near.

[Ingredient Discovered: Charroot Fungus]

[Taste: Smoky]

[Effect: Slight heat resistance]

[Ingredient Discovered: Glowleaf Moss]

[Taste: Bitter, minty aftertaste]

[Effect: Slight mana regeneration]

[Ingredient Discovered: Cragberry]

[Taste: Tart and juicy]

[Effect: Minor energy restoration]

[Material Analyzed: Glimmer Quartz]

[Taste: None]

[Effect: No nutritional value]

[Use: Enchanting catalyst]

[Notice]

[Magistone Fragment Detected — High mana concentration. Direct absorption not advised.]

[Material Analyzed: Ironroot Bark]

[Taste: Fibrous, metallic]

[Use: Alchemical infusions]

[Ingredient Discovered: Ashvine Pod]

[Taste: Pungent, peppery bite]

[Effect: Minor toxin resistance]

[Ingredient Discovered: Cave Creeper Beetle]

[Taste: Crunchy, nutty]

[Effect: Improved surface traction]

Ren zipped and bounced around the cavern, marking areas with discarded globs of himself like GPS breadcrumbs. He didn't sleep. Didn't really need to. Every new find filled him with something akin to adrenaline—or maybe it was just magical glucose.

Not everything was friendly. A rabbit-looking creature with too many teeth lunged at him once.

It got eaten.

[Combat Analysis: Feral Lapin]

[Taste: Gamey]

[Effect: Enhanced jumping force acquired]

He learned how to leap—really leap. The next few hours were spent bouncing off cave walls like a kid on caffeine.

But then something shifted. The cave air grew warmer. Denser. Magic crackled faintly through the stone.

Someone was nearby.

Out of the darkness came a figure—slime-shaped, like him, but glowing with power and calm presence.

"Yo," said the newcomer with an amused bounce. "A slime in this place? That's rare."

Ren froze mid-bounce. "Wait—you can talk?"

"Telepathy," said the slime. "You'll get used to it. I'm Rimuru. What's your name?"

"…Ren. At least, I used to be."

Rimuru's aura pulsed like a laugh. "Ah, another reincarnated soul. Welcome to the afterlife—but cooler. Good thing you didn't get eaten."

Ren wobbled awkwardly. "I, uh, eat stuff now. Analyze it. I think I'm building a flavor database or something."

Rimuru hummed thoughtfully. "You'd get along with some of the folks back at Tempest. We've got a research division for weird food and magical cooking. You interested?"

Ren blinked—mentally. "You're offering me a job?"

"I'm offering you a life," Rimuru said with a grin in his voice. "And a lot of taste tests."

Ren paused. This was fast. Weird. Completely absurd.

But then again, so was everything else.

"…Do you have udon?"

Rimuru laughed. "We will."

And that was enough.

[Milestone Achieved: First Taste of the New World]