Shiro was carried home by his uncle, his body battered and exhausted. The moment his head touched the pillow, fatigue overwhelmed him, and he drifted into unconsciousness.
In the depths of his slumber, he found himself standing in a familiar dream—one he had experienced before.
He stood face to face with a God.
A presence loomed before him, its sheer existence incomprehensible, indescribable, suffocating yet oddly gentle. It was the moment he had received its grace—an opportunity beyond he couldn't missed.
This was a God so powerful that the gods in Danmachi, when compared, appear insignificant—mere flickering lights before the Sun. The same could be said about him though.
God had granted him two wishes.
And Shiro had made his choices…
As those long-buried memories surfaced, a sharp jolt pulled him from his dream. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself staring at the wooden ceiling of his room, bathed in the dim light of dawn.
Something was different.
A strange sensation pulsed within him, his perception now split into four distinct entities. It was as though he was simultaneously existing as four beings:
• Shiro, a human child.
• Rimuru Tempest, a slime.
• Storm Dragon Veldora, a True Dragon.
• Greater Fire Spirit Ifrit, an Elemental.
He could freely shift between these identities or even use them simultaneously. However, his Storm Dragon identity remained inaccessible, sealed deep within the [Infinity Prison], locked away inside the [Stomach] of his Slime's identity.
Shiro hesitated to refer to his alternate identities by their original names. These were merely copies, echoes of the originals. To call himself Rimuru, Veldora, or Ifrit felt... wrong. It could lead to a dangerous mental divide, a detachment from his true self. While the risk was low, he would not take chances with his sanity.
Yet, there was something else.
A foreign presence lingered within his [Stomach]. Something apart from the Storm Dragon and the Greater Fire Spirit. An unknown existence, dormant yet distinct.
Curious, Shiro willed it into reality.
In an instant, an object materialized in his grasp.
A key.
It was a simple, unassuming key at first glance—yet its significance was immeasurable.
This was no ordinary key.
It was the Key to the Heavenly Star Palace.
A relic of unfathomable value, a gateway beyond worlds. With this key, he could access the Heavenly Star Palace at will—an ability that transcended the very fabric of existence itself.
The Heavenly Star Palace, also known simply as Heaven, was the Place of Beginnings. The sacred realm where Veldanava, the God of Tensura, had first awakened at the dawn of creation. An isolated plane, detached from all known universes yet connected to them all simultaneously.
And now, it was his.
Shiro couldn't help but laugh like a madman.
This was not the original Heavenly Star Palace—it had been tailored by God to suit his preferences, freed from the limitations of the Tensura World. With it, he could travel anywhere, to any world, at any time.
He could be an admiral, a pirate, or a revolutionary (One Piece); a sorcerer (Jujutsu Kaisen); a ninja (Naruto); a hunter (Hunter x Hunter); a devil (Highschool DxD); a soul master or a soul beast (Soul Land); a Beyonder (Lord of the Mysteries)—the possibilities were endless.
He could be anyone.
A smirk crept onto Shiro's lips as he tightened his grip on the key.
…
[Infinity Prison]—the Unique Skill of Chloe Aubert, the Masked Hero. This ability entrapped its target within an infinitely vast Imaginary Space, eternally cutting them off from the outside world. The seal would not weaken with time, nor could it be broken by conventional means. Furthermore, all skills possessed by the sealed entity were suppressed, rendering them unusable. Only minor, low-energy abilities could be accessed, and even then, only if the trapped entity was overwhelmingly powerful.
[Stomach]—a sub-skill of Rimuru Tempest's Unique Skill: [Gluttony]. It was a metaphysical dimension where consumed entities, objects, and even concepts were stored. Anything placed within it remained in perfect stasis, unaffected by time.
…
Shiro hadn't noticed the presence of someone else, so engrossed was he in his imagination. It wasn't until he tried to stand up from his bed that he felt an unexpected weight holding him down.
Removing the blanket, Shiro found Airmid Teasanare sleeping not so peacefully on his lap. Even in slumber, her face was filled with worry, and faint tear marks stained her delicate features.
A gentle warmth spread through Shiro's chest. He couldn't help but feel touched.
At that moment, he silently swore to protect this girl and never let her shed tears again.
Not wanting to wake her, Shiro extended his hand, and a golden blob—his slime form—emerged from his body. It pulsed with a soft, radiant glow before undergoing a breathtaking transformation through [Universal Shapeshift], gradually taking on a humanoid form. Shiro's original appearance was already mesmerizing, but now… it was simply otherworldly. He resembles a teen around 16 to 18 years old. This new form of his bore a striking resemblance to both Shiro and Rimuru Tempest, yet it transcended them both in sheer beauty and cuteness.
Shiro's slime identity was an androgynous masterpiece, a vision of perfection. Imagine Rimuru Tempest—but more exquisite, more radiant, with long, golden-blonde hair that shimmered like liquid sunlight. His skin was flawless, smooth as the finest porcelain, carrying an otherworldly glow that seemed to defy mortal comprehension. His eyes, like molten gold, held an ancient depth that could drown even the most resolute of souls. Every delicate curve of his face, every subtle expression, was imbued with an enchanting grace beyond the reach of both gods or men.
Even Shiro, fully aware that he was merely looking at himself, felt his heart race uncontrollably. His breath hitched as he struggled to process the sheer divinity of his own existence.
If Goddess Demeter was an 11/10 in beauty, then his slime identity was beyond measure—a 15/10. He was not just beauty incarnate; he was something beyond the concept of beauty itself, an entity that eclipsed even the most revered goddesses and gods of beauty in sheer allure.
Snapping out of his daze—after his slime identity delivered a slap to his human self—Shiro collected his thoughts.
"Damn, I'm absolutely stunning. I might actually be in love with myself." Shiro smirked, throwing a playful glance at his other self. "Apologies to any future waifus, but let's be real—no one's ever going to come close to this level of perfection. It's just how I'm built, can't help it."
With a silent nod, his slime form stealthily slipped out of the house. There was much to explore, much to test. Tonight, he would explore Rimuru Tempest's skills and techniques, now fully his own.