BEAST MODE ACTIVATE!! | That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime - Episode 22 | Season 3
Added 2025-04-21 09:03:46 +0000 UTCElmesia and King Gazel help Rimuru with his festival currency issues. Gobta takes on Lightspeed Masayuki!
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So Rimuru had encountered several otherworlders before Masayuki. There was Shizu, who was a good one but unfortunately was at the end of her life when they met. Next was Yuki, who's obviously a d-bag, but how ust how bad has yet to be revealed (I half expect him to start singing "How Bad Can I Be?" from The Lorax.) Then there's the children, who are good kids even if they did act out when they first met him. Next was Hinata, who did try to kill Rimuru due to her being led to believe that he had killed Shizu rather than that he accepted her decision to be allowed to die rather than being reunited with Ifrit, who she couldn't control anymore, though you've seen that she's no longer hostile towards Rimuru. Finally there was Shogo, who was a D-bag even before Razen killed his soul and took his body for his own, where he met Rimuru. Of course Shogo's two companions was rotten as well, but since Rimuru hadn't met them before they were taken out I'm not counting them. There was a couple other otherworlders Rimuru had encountered, but since the Anime has yet to clarify their status I will let it rest at that. So, tallying up the confirmed otherworlders Rimuru's crossed paths with to this point, there's Shizu (Good, but gone), Yuki (Schemer), his 5 students (all good), Hinata (hot-headed, but good), Shogo (good riddance to bad rubbish), and Masayuki (Good). All in all Rimuru's had a good track record with the otherworlders he's come acquainted with, though I don't fault you for mainly remembering the rotten apples amongst them.
SonicKing2004
2025-05-17 13:26:32 +0000 UTCYoshida is the pastry chef. Tempest is nowhere near finished as a project, nor is the world going to just accommodate Rimuru's every plan. And there are numerous antagonists out there we have already seen or heard mentioned. Rimuru's plans don't sit well with all of them and some of them have goals that arose long before Rimuru even arrived on this world, but nevertheless, they might find him an obstacle to those goals, almost as an afterthought. We have concluded Volume 9 of the LN's, and there are 22 now and one more (probably) to come. Also it shouldn't come as a surprise that this money problem they are having is actually an attack, it just doesn't come in the form or an army. I said this before, but a big part of what the tournament was about, what the heck was going on with Masayuki? At least, that's most of what Rimuru was thinking about. Gobta is the next most important subject. Elmesia seemed to have been observant the whole Festival before she approached Rimuru. Rimuru had no idea about Diablo being a Primordial, or even that there were such things, until Elmesia brought it up. And she basically walked into that meeting and flexed. Flexed as an authority, as one with knowledge and strategy, in wealth, and in pure power. Also, we see Rimuru was taking direction from his seniors in rulership. Elmesia seemed to shift focus on the potential for Diablo to go on a rampage, to be subtly implying that if Rimuru himself thinks about going on a rampage, he should consult them first. Poor Masayuki, all it took was someone allowing him to unburden himself, eat Japanese food, have low-key work and a safe place to stay, have access to toilets and baths, and wave the future promise of manga before him, for him to feel much more comfortable and happier. He's been dragged all over into dangerous and embarrassing situations by his Skill, and he's only really a seventeen-year-old teenager. What has Yuuki been doing for him all this time if all it took to relieve him was for Rimuru to offer him lunch and a listening ear? Part 1. Gobta couldn't control the extra strength of Ranga, which is why things went so wrong. I think that incident was half Chosen One and half Gobta's clumsiness or inexperience. Before that, maybe Chosen One's Heroic Aura spooked Gobta, which made Gobta decide to use his ultimate (small u) power, which, as I see it, wasn't exactly to Masayuki's advantage. After that, the Chosen One’s other powers were mainly used on the audience, twice, and not Gobta. Way back, when we first saw that Gobta might be fighting Masayuki I thought that it might be Gobta's luck vs Chosen One. Which one is stronger? But you see how this turned out. ............... How many times has Raphael been able to observe Chosen One in action? Well, we have when Masayuki first arrived in town. We have the data of hearsay and anecdotal evidence of what everyone from Diablo to Alice have seen, from which Raphael might be able to deduce something. Then we have Jinrai withdrawing. There are times when the audience reacted contrary to normal expectations. That day it happened twice. Raphael might also have been able to detect the magic being broadcast about. The topic of mind control is relevant, how it works in Slime, and the types of mind control that exist. I can’t go into too much depth, though. I what we’re seeing is a kind of brainwashing. Using a seed that was planted earlier is part of the toolbox. ............... Oh, and finally we get a glimpse, actually more than that, into the true Masayuki, and what he was thinking all along. His purpose is not just to be comic relief or be commentary on the broken Isekai hero trope. You have to wonder, exactly what has Yuuki been doing (as his supposed guardian) all this time for Yuuki's emotional health? Remember, he's barely seventeen. Here is an anime which looks at someone that age from an adult's perspective. He's had experience out in the world, he's got a bunch of friends, some of whom are older than him, and been in the world for about a year. But what he really needed was someone to talk to. Somehow Yuuki was not that someone. I have to blame that on Yuuki. He might not have cared or found it amusing, I don't know. Finally, all the burdens of being expected to be this great hero were alleviated to some degree. All this boy wanted was someone who understood him, a safe place, a reasonable role to fulfill that wasn't rife with danger, some fun, and toilets. He will continue to grow and mature, but for now, he's still just a kid. ………………Elmesia seemed to have been observing the whole Festival before she approached Rimuru. Rimuru had no idea about Diablo being a Primordial, or even that there were such things, until Elmesia brought it up. And she basically walked into that meeting and flexed. Flexed authority, as one with knowledge and strategy, her wealth, and her pure power. Also, we see Rimuru was taking direction from his seniors in rulership. Elmesia seemed to shift focus on the potential for Diablo to go on a rampage, to be subtly implying that if Rimuru himself thinks about going on a rampage, he should consult them first. I was a bit confused myself about what Elmesia was so shocked about with Rimuru saying he'd take responsibility and stop Diablo. I don't see the aura moment as an aggressive power struggle. To me it's, this is me, my true face; I am facing you straightforwardly and honestly, I am not hiding, I am sincere. Face me on equal terms if you can, do the same for me, or we cannot trust each other. I don't see it as aggression or a power play, at least not one where there must be a winner. It's paradoxically showing vulnerability instead. I think Rimuru saw a bit of a kindred spirit in Elmesia, after she said rulers are not the slaves of the people, the people want the rulers to live freely, as it makes them happy. I don't think she meant that rulers should devote their lives to debauchery, irresponsibility, wasting the country's money, or anything like that. Otherwise, it would be impossible to agree with her philosophy. I think she must have meant that rulers don't have to constantly suffer to be a good ruler. Elmesia does leave a lot of the governing to the Thirteen Families. (See Ep. 14 comments, I think.) Part 2. At the meeting: Gazel asked his people to assemble all our current surplus coinage. A little over 1500 Gold coins. Not really that much but they couldn't do any more (at least by tomorrow morning), without affecting their own economy. It wasn't quite enough for the merchants. The total needed was 3000 (~300 million yen, 2.1 million USD). The 1500 Stellar Gold coins in their vault would break down to 150,000 regular Gold coins. They couldn't do that because they were dealing with newer, smaller merchants. Tempest didn't have enough of the common currency. There are a lot of silver coins but not so many gold ones. Tempest wasn't ready to institute its own currency yet. Currently Tempest had less than 100 Gold coins. Rimuru personally has 300, plus the 1000 or so Mjollmile had managed. Rimuru thought he needed a few hundred more, “based on the accounting in [Rimuru's] head. Gazel doesn't know where to start lecturing him. That's when Elmesia butted, I mean, chimed in. Rimuru tried to turn her down, but Elmesia countered with, didn't you just complain you didn't have enough? She said she was only offering “in light of the friendly relations our two countries will share going forward…?” Rimuru sensed trouble. The idea of owing Elmesia scared him. He figured he could get away with not having the full amount, as long as Tempest didn't lose face, and nobody lost money in the end. Gazel said, “that woman” will not give up once she's made a decision. He said it’d be better to anger every merchant on the continent than her alone. I previously neglected to talk about the suspects behind the economic interference. The committee behind the Council that Mjollmile has heard rumors about, we have already seen. Are they Eastern Merchants? No, the Council is the Council of the West, and there is a committee we have seen, the Five Elders. They are based in the Rozzo family, who are in turn the rulers of a nation called Seltrozzo, which lies on the northern coast between Farmenas and Engrassia (although those two countries also share a border). They have a sort of relationship with the Eastern Merchants but it's not very solid. It only works as long as both sides can get something from it. And someone is controlling them as puppets, huh? It looked to me like Elmesia almost forced Rimuru into agreeing. Yet it ended on a friendly note. I think it's because, even though she insisted, she didn't intend to take advantage. It's like marching up to someone you just met, announcing that they are going to be their friend, and then acting like a true friend. Gazel apparently met Erald and Elmesia during his father's reign. The LN made it sound like merely guessed that his father's life has been difficult due to his free-wheeling father that Elmesia describes. Gazel was intensely irritated, though he was doing a good job of hiding it. Rimuru thought maybe he couldn't tell, but Elmesia could easily. To nobles, reading body language was a piece of cake. It was a game of wits between Elmesia and Gazel, and for Rimuru it was a moment to see his mentor faring poorly. Elmesia treated them both like children, so they were in total sync. Rimuru figured he had no choice but to give in, as Gazel advised, because he just didn't have the experience to out-negotiate Elmesia. What Elmesia wanted from Rimuru is what was stated in the anime: an invitation to future events. Rimuru detected a lack of enthusiasm from some parties in the room, but to him, Elmesia's excitement was welcome. She said the thing about royalty living freely. Elmesia took out what Rimuru called her magic purse. After she offered what she called her “pocket change” of 1000 Gold, Rimuru, pretending this was perfectly normal, Rimuru asked if they could exchange it for 10 Stellar Gold coins. But Rimuru was like, this woman is like an A-list celebrity who lives on another planet from the rest of them. Rimuru's even more convinced that he doesn't want to get on Elmesia's bad side. Now Rimuru didn't need to bow down to these merchants. He had saved face. But now Elmesia is bringing up the idea that someone might have approached to intervene if Rimuru had been unsuccessful at coming up with sufficient coins in time. She pointed out that someone might want to put them in their debt. And that person might in turn be under someone else’s control behind-the-scenes. (What she herself just had done, except she didn't have any nefarious intentions.) The LN went into further detail about how the mediator would offer to help. They might accept a signed contract allowing payment at a later date, which would show that Tempest couldn't be trusted, but it would also make the interloper look like they could be trusted. It would put them deeply into their debt. The person behind the scenes would benefit if Tempest trusted the person who appeared to mediate the problem; but if Tempest didn't, the “mastermind” could just abandon the plan without exposing himself. That would leave the intermediate in a bad spot, though. Mjollmile talked about the rumored committee. He said the story was that they had de facto control over the Council of the West. This committee was supposedly made up of the ruling classes, the highest level of leaders from the Council's member nations. But he didn't believe the rumors because the Council was elected, and royalty was hereditary. It sounded to him a lot like a conspiracy theory. That's when Souei appeared. At that point , Elmesia asked a question. As they put it in LN, she no longer was hiding her true face, that of a ruler; Rimuru could feel her overpowering aura, at a much higher level than Gazel's. He countered with his own aura (they called this his own Heroic Aura). He faced her as directly as possible. She asked how Rimuru was planning to deal with the incredibly dangerous Primal demon over there. It was clearer in the LN what Rimuru was thinking. Rimuru didn't know what Elmesia meant, and thought, yeah, he’s strong, but not that dangerous. He said he didn't think he needed to do anything, Diablo was doing a pretty good job. She rephrased the question, and asked how would Rimuru take responsibility if Diablo went out of control. Rimuru could see that as a possibility but mentally compared the danger level as similar to Shion. But although Rimuru thought that while it was nice of her to concern herself with his predicament, he wasn't sure what she could do about it. So he said, he’d simply stop it before it happened. He really couldn't think of another way. She was shocked by this answer, questioning whether he was serious about that. Rimuru replied that it was likely, but lately Diablo had been listening to him more, and he believed that Diablo was much more mature than previously. Rimuru thought that if both Diablo and Shion continued along the paths they were taking, he didn't think either one would cause problems. This part leaves a different impression from the anime's parallel conversation. It seems apparent that Rimuru still doesn't get it, in regards to Diablo being a Primordial, neither what that means, nor being dangerous. At the same time he's looking at Diablo as an individual, not as a particular label of Primordial, or even as a Demon. His “race” is not a factor, it's invisible. It's just, can I trust this guy to act in a reasonable manner? Elmesia giggled and said: “Did you hear that, Erald? This demon lord's an even bigger piece of work than how you described him!” Gazel stepped in to support Rimuru. The ensuing statements were just as in the anime. The change in the treaty was to make them close friends. She begged him not to go out of control. Rimuru didn't understand why suddenly it looked like Elmesia was talking about him in this context. They talked about his putting on the festival on a whim, and he promised to talk to them first. They said they wouldn't normally ask that of a fellow ruler, but please forgive them. Gazel didn't want to go too far with this since it would interfere with Tempest's internal affairs, but since Rimuru had a tendency to go counter to accepted norms, they just wanted him to keep them in the loop a little more. They just wanted more warning, no judgment of the actual ideas implied. Rimuru agreed, since he figured they'd need to prepare for the angels’ invasion sooner or later. In the end, I wondered, what was Elmesia thinking? What does she want to accomplish? Some of my opinions are interspersed throughout the account above. But additionally, my first thought was that, yes, she wants in on the fun. I thought, too, that she wants to profit financially and diplomatically from an alliance with Tempest and the wider economic sphere Rimuru is creating. But I now think an even bigger reason is that she wants to be able to keep tabs on Rimuru and Tempest, and more importantly, be able to have some influence over Rimuru's actions in a relationship of trust. Especially in light of the direction the world could go if there were no moderating forces exerting pressure. So after all that was over, Elmesia brought up Yoshida. First thing the next morning, Day 3 of the festival, Rimuru teleported to the Dwarven Kingdom to make the planned exchange of Stellar Gold coins for Gold coins. *************More background and my thoughts about the conversation between Rimuru, Elmesia, and Gazel, particularly on the subject of Diablo.: I think Rimuru is comparing Diablo with Shion because they have a similar propensity to fly off the handle. When I reread the LN, I thought that Rimuru might be thinking they are similar in strength, consistent with the idea that he still doesn't seem to understand who and what Diablo is. You would think that Rimuru would be on top of his subordinates' capabilities, given his connections with them, especially. Raphael, I don't think, would be so oblivious. But while he does ask himself and consider the relative power of many of them, indeed, I don't think he could make any kind of plans involving military power without having a somewhat accurate view of what each unit can do, he does always seem surprised by his senior staff's growth. But I think a little background is in order. Most people who are worried about Diablo have more knowledge about demons, history, and the world than Rimuru does, especially if it's not common knowledge, which All of Creation (the subskill of Raphael), and Raphael's reading of the Engrassia library's entire contents makes him privy to. Elmesia has been around long enough to know some things that aren't common knowledge. Few people so far have recognized Diablo in any way. We have Razen, maybe Damrada, the Demon hunter from the East, Guy and Beretta, obviously, and Saare, at minimum, have some inkling of what Diablo is, at least enough to have some indication of it. The things they know that few others know aren't shared by all of them, but they each know parts at least. The Big Thing is that Diablo is a Primordial demon. To realize that is, in itself, important, It would mean knowing that Primordial means old. In addition, some would know that there are few of them, and that all Greater Demons or higher are members of one of their factions (the colors represented by one Primordial Demon each). They would know that the only Primordials that have, up until now, permanently manifested in the physical world, are Guy, and possibly they would know about Raine and Mizeri. But Guy is the one in charge of those, which means there is really only one will, one threat. Guy is also a true Demon Lord. They might know he had evolved to a Demon Peer, as had Raine and Mizeri. Obviously they all have names. Furthermore, chances are that they know about other Primordials. If they do, they know those other ones haven't acquired permanent physical bodies or names. Some of these other ones have been causing various kinds of mischief in the world over millennia, without having the benefit of a permanent body or a name. In particular it's been mentioned that Blanc is more well-known in the East, and is responsible for the Lake Shore Dyed Crimson incident. (This has other translations, such as The Bloody Shore Incident.) The Demon hunter from the East knew about this, in his case, because he witnessed the Incident himself. I don't think this is widespread knowledge. Noir, I think, has been keeping his activities throughout history fairly well-concealed, as demonstrated by his interactions with Shizu and Tiss. But it seems at least some other people know of his existence. So imagine one day you realize that before you is standing a Primordial demon with a name and a permanent physical body. It's not Guy, Raine, or Mizeri. What the hell?! You are going to worry about what happens if this guy were to suddenly decide to try out a destructive spell, collect a demon army, or possess whole countries as did the Demon in Filtwood, for instance. You are sure it would not be anything less than a disaster for humans, since the demons aren't going to hold themselves back due to moral concerns, with the exception of their own rules of honor, like those governing contracts. What guarantee do they have that Noir is going to obey Rimuru forever, except his oath? It's not even like he's receiving much in return according to any contract. Even then, Diablo is probably able to disobey Rimuru if he wanted to, and there is some question whether Rimuru is actually stronger, or will ever be stronger, than Diablo. In the end Rimuru is relying on using his intellect to convince Diablo via logic into doing things his way in the worst-case scenario. It seems that what Rimuru was saying to Elmesia. We therefore do have to worry about the world if something ever happened to Rimuru. Who could control the anger, desire for revenge, or just loss of direction his people might feel? We don't know if they have or could eventually exercise self-control. Maybe down the road, but I don't think they are there yet. And, further, what happens if Rimuru, say, doesn't maintain that calm, even disposition he is famous for? The closest we saw to this was when Rimuru saw his deceased people back in Season 2. But he pulled himself together and didn't snap. His response was influenced by anger, but he was able to sublimate it, and it was mainly a reasoned, calm response. However, Rimuru is not perfect. Day 3; Tournament Finals Mjollmile was taking bets on the outcome: As Rimuru thought: “The most surefire way of winning at gambling … is to run the game.” Rimuru had bet on Gobta, and it definitely wasn't because he was such a long shot (lol). Part of the purpose of Souka's commentary was to keep Gobta from running away. Cruel, but effective. Rimuru wanted Gobta to win because then his problems would be over. If he lost, and Masayuki really was as strong as Hinata, Gobta would be toast. No matter what, they would learn something, for instance, if Masayuki had any trouble at all with Gobta, that meant Masayuki was no threat at all to them. With Gobta having Ranga and his good luck, he was a decent opponent to test out Masayuki. How much of Masayuki’s real Skill could Gobta manage to elicit? Now, the scene in the LN shifts back to Masayuki at dinner the previous night: he was panicking. It seemed to him that only insanely strong monsters must have been allowed to enter the tournament. Last night he couldn't even eat. (I have to say, if that's the case, kudos to him for not running.) Thinking back over his life here in this world so far, things had been going too well. He realized he has been leaning on his friends’ strength too much, letting people call him a Hero and champion, he grew complacent, believing “it’ll all work out somehow,” which it did, enough so Masayuki never really doubted it, or maybe he just didn't want to think about it. He kept his sanity by believing, without evidence, that he and his friends were invincible and could defeat anyone. Now he wondered how he could have believed all those delusions. He needed to get out of there. Jinrai at this point innocently suggested that Masayuki immediately challenge Rimuru after he beat Gobta. Mentally, Masayuki is screaming, “You’re crazy!” Masayuki thinks it's all Rimuru's fault, looking all kind and vulnerable, so that he, Masayuki, got comfortable and failed to protect himself. Jiwu is saying it's only a matter of time before Masayuki liberates the people from the Demon Lord’s tyranny. Bernie unexpectedly suggested that maybe Masayuki should talk it over with Yuuki. What if he should lose tomorrow? Jiwu and Jinrai, who thought that maybe if it were Lion Mask he was fighting, maybe they’d worry, but against this Hobgoblin? Not a chance. Masayuki, for his part, had no idea how he was gonna defend himself, but he couldn't tell his friends. So he bluffed through the evening. And now, here they were. From Masayuki's viewpoint, Gobta “exuded coolness”. He was supposed to be a weak Hobgoblin so how come this guy had evolved into such an ”heroic-looking dude”? (Me, I am like, what kind of 3-D glasses is this guy wearing?) Masayuki was scared, no doubt about it. “Masayuki recalled his skill—Chosen One, his sole unique. He still didn’t know much about it. The name had been reported to him by this cold, businesslike voice in his mind. Only recently had he come to know that this skill provided him assorted effects. He knew it made people react in ways that always benefited him, making him worshipped as a modern-day champion. But he couldn’t find a way to turn it off—and now, it had brought him into this arena. “…Yeah. And that power did its stuff against Bovix yesterday, too. And if it can just get me safely through this one… “As far as Masayuki knew, Chosen One simply made everyone assume the wrong thing about him. He resolved to bet on it one more time. This inner decision helped calm him a little. He looked at his foe. Then—was it a coincidence? Their eyes met. And he saw that he was looking a bit agitated, too. Fidgety. “Huh? Wait, is this gonna work…? “Opponents reacted this way to him at the tournaments in Englesia [Engrassia], too, assuming Masayuki was all-powerful and throwing in the towel. It happened more often than he could count. “Now, maybe—just maybe—he could win this. And the moment he thought that, his legs stopped shaking. “Maybe, if all goes well, I can win without doing anything again.” Unfortunately, he would have to reconsider. Things mostly proceeded as in the anime. Rimuru could see Gobta was going to try something and he wished he would try practicing before trying it in public. Raphael informed him of the new Skill Gobta had acquired. Rimuru remembered that Raphael had been about to tell him something the previous night, and became suspicious. Raphael started to say something then cut off. Now Rimuru is sure something’s up if Raphael can't even finish the sentence. It's too unnatural to believe that Gobta suddenly awakened to this power out of nowhere. Raphael must have facilitated it in some way. Raphael never lied to him, but he wasn't talking. Rimuru just decided to see what happened. Gobta shouted “Transform!”, and it happened just as in the anime. Rimuru thought it looked way cool, and was jealous he had such an awesome form. Milim thought it was cool too. After hearing Diablo's commentary, Rimuru was even more impressed because Gobta was “extracting all of Ranga's force for his own use.” Everyone else was impressed too. Then, to most people, Gobta vanished, and next thing they knew he had smashed into the wall. He had also run out-of-bounds. His judgement was off because he didn't have the same body dimensions as Ranga. Milim was so disappointed and angry that she wanted to whip Gobta into shape. If Rimuru agreed, he knew it'd be so mean to Gobta. But then he decided to extract something from Milim in return. Rimuru chose this time to ask whether he could explore the ruins in Clayman's old domain. Milim wants to know why he's asking her. Frey interjected, “Milim, who's the ruler of that domain right now?” “Oh, right!: That's me, isn't it?” So the answer was, “Of course it's fine!” So Rimuru was satisfied that at least he was getting something out of this debacle. Gobta had essentially self-destructed, and he still didn't know anything about Masayuki's skills. Besides, it'd help Gobta. Now Milim wants to come along on this expedition. Rimuru said if the expert from the Guild he’d reached out to gave the okay, she could come. Meanwhile Souka and Diablo had been discussing the decision between themselves, and Souka announced the winner. Then the narrative switched to Masayuki's POV starting with Gobta shouting, “Transform!” Totally shocked, Masayuki changed his mind about the situation; he was sure he'd be dead before he could stop it. At that moment he realized his life meant far more to him than his pride. After Gobta self-destructed, he knew Gobta would be disqualified and he would be declared the winner. But it seemed Masayuki had undergone a realization: was it really good for him if he were? Would winning get him anything he wanted? Did he want the right to battle a demon lord? No way. It was just depressing that the crowd thought he threw Gobta into the wall. How could he lose and remain in one piece? He tried to look calm as he left the arena. Rimuru thinks, is this guy a big fake after all? But Rimuru was happy he wasn't going to fight him. The crowd actually interpreted this turn of events a little differently. Remembering that this demon lord had said he wanted to be friendly to humans, they decided that Masayuki was warning Rimuru. They were also saying that Masayuki was an admirable young man to deliberately lose face to get his message across. Rimuru had to admit the whole thing sounded oddly convincing. Rimuru wonders, is this a religion? Masayuki's awkward gesture as he left also seemed odd. Raphael now says she believes it's due to some Unique Skill Masayuki has. Just as Rimuru thinks something is inexplicable, Raphael saves the day. It looked like Raphael had been doing some analytical work. If Masayuki's Skill could manipulate the thoughts and feelings of those under its spell, then, thinking back, no wonder he never took out his sword, it looked like Masayuki couldn't even react to what his toes were doing. The conclusion he came to was that Masayuki couldn't fight very well. Hinata had said she couldn't get a read on Masayuki's strength, and that's apparently because there was no strength. (I think the Skill Chosen One, though a Unique, was special, and Hinata was unable to copy it or figure it out.) But, you couldn't dismiss him. If he could influence the people around him that much, then making him your enemy would be dangerous. In fact, Rimuru needed to stay on his good side. Maybe Masayuki needed help dealing with Bovix. Maybe Rimuru could offer some sympathy and support; maybe he could help advertise the Labyrinth. Besides, he'd like to talk with him anyway as a fellow native of Japan. Rimuru had Souei invite Masayuki to lunch. Meanwhile, again, Souka and Diablo finished conferring, and they decided to declare Gobta the winner. Some, luckily a minority, in the audience, were upset at the fact that the big final match amounted to a champion who gave up and a half-wolf who almost killed himself. Luckily it wasn't Rimuru's fault. It didn't look good for Gobta's rep with the public, though. Rimuru gave out the awards. He gave Jinrai the armor he’d promised him. Gaiye demanded a set, too, but he had no agreement, so he was ignored. Masayuki agreed to the meeting. Gobta was named a member of the Big Four. Rimuru could say from now on, if Gobta ever lost, that he was the weakest of them. The position oddly suited him after all. Pretty much the same thing happened when Milim got ahold of Gobta and Ranga. They had disappointed too many people. Rimuru thought Gobta relied too much on his own good luck. And Ranga relied too much on instinct. Milim wasn't just out to punish them, she must have seen that this combo could be something great. Hopefully, they'll get there. Day 3: Lunch with Masayuki Masayuki seemed embarrassed calling himself a Hero and worried about Rimuru's reaction to him. He probably felt awkward and scared. Rimuru figured a meal would help. Rimuru thought he hadn't used his other name for a long time but it felt like it still fit him, a lot more than he thought it would. Masayuki seemed not to believe him about his history. Rimuru encouraged him to eat. After which, Masayuki announced he would become Rimuru's servant. He said he had no problem abandoning “this Hero crap.” It was embarrassing hearing people chant his name, and he's been trying to figure a way out of this constantly. Rimuru let him tell his story. He apparently was a smart kid, and had been attending a good high school. He liked reading manga and light novels, which he hid, and he felt somehow that had led to the current situation. His Skill, Chosen One, was just so stupid, he said. He’d wanted to be a hero and somehow that led to him being here. And his Skill was about what Rimuru thought, it let him naturally guide the thoughts of those around him, almost like brainwashing. It was beyond his control. Rimuru still thought the Skill was incredible. Masayuki said all it ever brought him was trouble. He’d let it go to his head, because it made life easy, but the tournament experience made him realize that if the Skill ever failed, he’d die. So he’d decided it was time for a reality check and Rimuru agreed. Rimuru wondered if the Skill affected him, and Raphael assured him that nearly all lower-level Skills are canceled against Ultimate Skills. Good, because Rimuru was intending to go easy on him, but he hadn't realized Masayuki was a complete amateur at battle. Rimuru assured Masayuki he’d made the right decision and probably at the last possible moment, which was pretty admirable. Masayuki wasn't so sure that he shouldn't have seen Gobta's strength sooner, but Rimuru thought to himself that Gobta wasn't so strong, but basically Masayuki did the right thing. They exchanged their stories, but mostly Rimuru listened. Masayuki's friends worshiped him so he couldn't really talk to them. Yuuki was too busy. All the stress and irritation had no outlet and kept building. Masayuki told Rimuru everything about himself freely. Then Rimuru asked him about Bovix and the Dungeon. Masayuki was jolted back to reality; probably he had been ready to skip town. Rimuru reminded him the Dungeon was large, so it'd be a while before he had to face Bovix. So he’d make it through today. All the dignitaries were leaving tomorrow and the roads would be packed. The Dungeon was only open temporarily for the big unveiling. So Rimuru didn't think anyone would get too far in the Dungeon for the time being. Rimuru also had thoughts about the battle between Bovix and Masayuki; he didn't want Masayuki to get defeated. He wanted to have Masayuki advertise the Labyrinth, leading the adventurers and keeping them hyped. Masayuki thought that this explained why Rimuru had given Jinrai that armor. It wasn't true, but as long as he didn’t get killed in the Dungeon, Masayuki thought it sounded perfect. Rimuru said he would leak some Dungeon hints to him and hoped he would get pretty far. Also Rimuru asked for him to suggest improvements. Rimuru wasn't going to help beyond Floor 50, to keep some semblance of fairness. But he’d never die as long as he had a Resurrection Bracelet. Masayuki was excited, saying it was like beta testing a game. Rimuru agreed and told himself not to overdo it, that if he could get to the 5th Floor, it’d be fine. Masayuki said he felt much better and he was starting to feel the world wasn't that bad. Rimuru thought the Skill had made things easier, but Masayuki was still anxious much of the time. Having someone supporting him must have eased his mind. Besides, Tempest had the best technology, good food, and potential entertainment. So Masayuki decided to stick around for a while, and Rimuru decided to stay in close touch. They conversed about Dungeon info, reminiscing, and picking Masayuki's brain for manga. Masayuki was curious about Rimuru's collection. Rimuru thought, now I have a new friend.
myst0dreamer
2025-04-25 04:37:54 +0000 UTCGreat reaction as always, glad I saved these last 4 episodes for a binge 🧡
Kcosta
2025-04-25 00:39:33 +0000 UTC
![Someday*[サムデイ]](https://samukata.com/istorage/107168.jpg)
