With a soft exhale, I locked my phone and slipped it into my coat. The gentle hum of the airplane was nothing but background noise as I turned my eyes to the window beside me, watching clouds give way to a distant skyline.
"That was… decent," I murmured, the warmth of bittersweet satisfaction tugging at my lips. The novel—That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime—had kept me sane this past month. Or distracted, at least.
It wasn't just entertaining. It was comforting.
Rimuru, that naive little slime, had something I never had—people. A purpose. A chance to change the world after death.
If only it were that simple.
I pulled out my old, frayed journal from the seat pocket. Pages stained with ink, regret, and hypothetical rewrites stared back at me. Plans. Corrections. If I were in Rimuru's place, what would I have done?
Secure more power early. Build redundancies. Keep Shizu alive. Anticipate Hinata. Outsmart Guy. Control the board before even placing a piece.
Never feel helpless. Never lose anyone again.
I frowned, fingers tightening around the pen. "He had power and wasted it on diplomacy. Kindness isn't a strategy, it's a liability," I muttered, earning glances from the passengers nearby. Whatever. They wouldn't understand anyway.
No one ever did.
Shizu's death still gnawed at me. I scribbled in the margin—"Soul Corridor: a bridge of life between two beings. Could've saved her. Should've. He hesitated."
I wouldn't.
Not if I had that kind of power. I'd save everyone. I'd build something perfect. I'd force peace if I had to. Even if the world mistook me for a monster—so be it.
"I wish I could take his place…"
The words slipped out in a tired breath before I snapped the journal shut and tucked it into my shirt pocket. The seatbelt light blinked on. The plane was landing.
Pristine floors. A cold winter breeze brushing past my cheeks. Neon signs. Vending machines. The strange, orderly chaos of Tokyo.
It was everything I'd ever dreamed of—until I saw him.
A man, running toward me at a terrifying speed. Eyes glazed. A glint of steel in his hand.
Too fast.
My instincts screamed—but my body was too slow.
Pain exploded in my stomach. I gasped, staggered, and fell to my knees. My luggage tumbled to the side, landing in a puddle of blood that spread like a blooming flower over the snow.
The world dimmed.
"Seriously…? Now?"
My voice was dry, barely a rasp as the pain dulled into something colder.
And then—
A voice. Calm. Icy. Inhuman.
I blinked. "Am I… dreaming?"
No. No, that's… That's not possible.
It can't be…
But it was. Just like in the novel. The skills. The voice. I wasn't hallucinating. I was transitioning.
And I knew what I needed. I wouldn't hesitate like Rimuru did.
"Give me Predator. Give me Great Sage."
Heh… it worked.
Even at the end, I'm still the same old nerd—planning for a world that didn't care.
But if this is my second chance…
I'll make it mine.
"In this life... I'll make sure nothing will stop me. That I'll never rest until everything I worked hard for... everything I cared for... will never be taken away from me... ever... again."
…I see.
So that's how this works.
A laugh escaped my lips, hoarse and broken. "Fine. I'll play the tyrant. I'll wear the crown. If that's what it takes…"
Everything I lacked. Everything I feared. I'd bury it beneath strength and certainty.
No one would take anything from me again.