Our three adventurer friends Elen, Kabal and Gido walk up to us with friendly smiles. Illya, Mikoto, Ranga and I replicate those smiles, although Ranga’s smile looks a bit menacing due to him being, you know, a WOLF.

But he still looks cute af, especially in his smaller size that barely reaches my hips. He looks like a big dog, especially with his wagging tail.

Rimuru- “You guys aren't on a quest?”

Kabal- “Our past few quests have all been travelling to Avalon or somewhere near there and each time that happens, something mind-blowing happens. We’re taking a little rest…”

Kabal exasperatedly explains as Gido and Elen nod beside him.

Well, they do have a point. The first time I saw them, they had to investigate the Sealed Cave for Veldora’s disappearance. The monsters in that cave would’ve definitely killed them if they didn’t have that discount plot armour.

The second time, they were chased by giant ants and Shizue died.

And the most recent trip resulted in Yohm working under me and being chosen as a champion.

Elen- “So what are you doing here? I thought you would never bother leaving Avalon.”

A wry smile spreads on my lips. If it wasn’t for Shizue’s students, I would never leave Avalon, so Elen has a point. I mean, I do not need to leave, I can just hole up in my house all day and nothing would change.

Actually, should I just do that?

No no no, I need to see the kids. Holing up in my house comes later.

Rimuru- “Well, we have business over at Ingrassia so we decided to register as adventures while we were passing through.”

Gido- “Oh, Ingrassia, huh? That’s pretty far from here. Probably a month trip.”

A month? So just under a week for Ranga?

Fuck, that long?

Mikoto- “Hey, since you’re here, do you mind explaining a few things for us?”

Elen- “Mmm? About what?”

Mikoto- “Well, Rimuru and I were wondering what Speciality we’re going to choose.”

Kabal- “Speciality, huh? Well, Monster Slaying is always the best way to go, killing hostile monsters comes with the job after all. It also happens to be my speciality!”

Elen- “Eeh? What are you talking about? You’re asking THEM of all people to choose Monster Slaying? Obviously choosing Retrieval like me would be the best option for them.”

Gido- “No no, Exploration would be the best. If you do your job well, you don’t have to fight at all, but you still can if you so wish.”

The three begin arguing over which Speciality Mikoto and I should choose. But even so, it’s not like we’re going to be doing any missions anyway. I just need to speedrun the tests and reach the highest rank I can get before heading to Ingrassia.

But I can't help but think I'm forgetting something…

Illya- “Uhm… Aren’t the rank advancement quests different depending on which Speciality you choose?”

THAT’S IT! As expected of my dear imouto! That’s what I was forgetting!

I start petting Illya as a reward as she closes her eyes and shuts down all of her mental faculties to just enjoy my touch.

(A/N: Lewd)

Rimuru- “So, uh… Which one is the quickest to rank up?”

Elen, Gido and Kabal stop talking and look at each other. Kabal smirks and the other two drop their heads in defeat.

Kabal- “That would be Monster Slaying. All you have to do is pass the examiner’s test by defeating them in a battle.”

Elen- “Well, they should be no problem for you two…”

???- “Hmph.”

The grumpy old man behind the counter humphs out loudly, clearly showing his disdain. While lowering my voice, I lean towards the three and point towards the old man who can still definitely hear me.

Rimuru- “Who’s the sour grape?”

Elen- “Pfft!”

Gido- “Ku…”

Elen and Gido do a spit take and Kabal tries to hold it in.

Kabel- “He’s… Hehe *Ahem*! He’s an ex-adventurer. He took an arrow to the knee and now he works as a guild member.”

… Holy shit, I thought that was just a myth.

Gido- “He also happens to be today’s examiner, a Summoner. If you choose Monster Slaying, you would have to defeat the monsters he summons.”

Gido kindly adds. Kabal then leans in and whispers so only Mikoto, Illya and I can hear. Not that Illya is even listening.

Kabal- “He’s a bit jealous towards us since we’re ranking up quickly recently and he’s retired, so he likes to nitpick us. Now that he knows we’re acquaintances, he might try to take it out on you. Just a heads up.”

I nod my head in thanks because I completely forgot this from the novel. They ranked up quickly because… Hmm? Why did they rank up quickly?

You can rank up by completing quests and gaining points. Once you have enough points, you can advance to the next rank…

Hold on, didn’t they turn in material quests using the materials of monsters they got for free at Avalon?

I stare at the three with accusing eyes, causing them to look away.

Guilty! So guilty! It’s entirely your fault!

???- “Hmph! My name is-“

Mikoto- “Hey, Rimuru, I'm done filling out my paper, you should fill out yours too so we can do this exam and leave.”

Mikoto lifts up her sheet of paper and waves it as she urges me to complete mine.

???- “Hmph! As I was saying, my name is-“

Rimuru- “Oh, right. Did you choose Monster Slaying?”

???- “I said-“

Mikoto- “Yup.”

Meanwhile, the grumpy old man is being grumpy from being interrupted.

Later…

Mikoto and I are standing in the middle of a large open area attached to the Adventurer’s Guild building. It’s about as large as a gymnasium. Joining us are Kabal and team, some guild members looking to kill time, and a certain grumpy old grape.

Grumpy old grape explains the situation to us.

???- “Since you’re registering for the first time, you must complete the first test to officially become an adventurer. After that, you may continue to take as many rank-up tests as you would like. This way those with ACTUAL strength don’t get held down in lower Ranks.”

I feel like he was taking a jab at us, probably thinking we were weaklings or something. I mean, I don’t really ‘look’ like a swordsman, my body isn't bursting with muscles and Mikoto isn't emitting many magicules.

Well, it’s mostly because Mikoto has amazing control over them, but he doesn’t know that.

Wait, hang on… isn't this the basic setup for cannon fodder bad guy coming to cause trouble to the MC only to get smacked down?

???- “Hmph! I’ll reveal your true strength and give you the low rank you deserve!”

It’s him!?

???- “Once you fail a rank-up test, you will be given the rank of the latest test you completed. For example, if you failed the C Rank test, you will be given D Rank. You will be unable to attempt another rank up test until you gather enough points through completing missions and a certain amount of time passes.”

Seems simple enough… I look over to Mikoto looking around with anticipation.

Rimuru- “Do you want to go first?”

Mikoto- “Can I!?”

Mikoto excitedly asks.

I just wryly smile and give her the go-ahead.

Mikoto walks forwards while cracking her knuckles and sparking electricity. A smile spreads on her lips. She would look rather cute if not for the fighting spirit she’s emitting.

This woman loves to throw her lightning around…

-----

Name: Rimuru

Race: Origin Slime

Protection: Crest of Space

Title: Highest Tier Spirit, Leader of the Monsters, Onii-chan, King of Avalon, Master of Headpats, Procrastinator King, The Nutcracker

Manas: [Manas: Illyasviel]

Ultimate Skills: [Belzebuth, Lord of Gluttony] [Ahura Mazda, Lord of Creation] [Scathach, Lord of Runes]

Unique Skills: [Spatial Ruler]

Intrinsic Skills: [Infinite Regeneration] [Universal Shapeshift] [Universal Sense] [Enhanced Replication] [Universal Thread]

Extra Skills: [Lord's Ambition] [Thought Communication] [Control Natural Elements] [Control Magic] [Control Gravity]

Resistances: [Cancel Pain] [Resist Melee Attack] [Cancel Natural Elements] [Cancel Ailments] [Resist Spiritual Attack] [Resist Holy/Demonic Attack]

Equipment: Yamato, [Raphael] Skill Orb, Limiter Ring