Multiverse: Rimuru Template

In the Middle of the Night

The forest buzzed softly with life—rustling leaves and distant chirps of unseen creatures. Shiro moved through it like a phantom, his steps soundless and deliberate. Earlier, he had ensured Belfast and Sheffield were deep asleep before sneaking out. But even now, he stayed alert. The two were incredibly sharp and overly protective.

With [Magic Sense] and 'Great Sage' guiding him, slipping past the estate's defenses was easy. The skill allowed him to sense everything within a 10-kilometer radius. It gave him 360-degree awareness, letting him see in pitch-black darkness as though it were broad daylight. Ambushes were no longer a threat.

[Surveillance barrier ahead.]

Shiro smirked faintly. "Got it," he whispered, slipping effortlessly past the barrier.

Once he was far enough, he stopped atop a large tree branch. Using [Mimicry], he had altered his physical appearance to look like a confident 16- to 18-year-old, blending Gojo Satoru's sharpness with Rimuru Tempest's otherworldly charm.

Shiro's current appearance is so breathtaking that even goddesses of beauty might doubt their own beauty.

He activated [Magic Sense], expanding his awareness further. The forest unfolded vividly in his mind, every rustle of leaves and faint motion clear as day.

[Grade 3 Curse Spirit signature detected. Distance: 10 kilometers northeast.]

"Found one," Shiro murmured.

He casually leapt forward, covering the 10-kilometer distance in less than a second. When he landed, he was already in front of the Curse Spirit. The grotesque creature twisted, sensing danger too late. Tendrils of malevolent curse energy lashed toward him, but Shiro moved faster, closing the distance in a heartbeat.

He delivered a single, effortless punch, his fist emanating a faint glow of blueish Curse Energy.

The result was nothing short of devastating.

The Curse Spirit was utterly obliterated, its remnants lost to the sheer force. The shockwave tore through the clearing, scattering debris and uprooting plant life. Even a distant boulder was reduced to smithereens by the sheer power of the punch's aftershock.

Shiro stood still, his arm lowering slowly as he stared at his hand in stunned silence. His pulse raced, his breathing uneven as realization set in.

'I'm strong!' he thought subconsciously. He had only ever taken Rimuru's template seriously in terms of the Unique Skills, Intrinsic Skills, Tolerance, and the immense potential for growth. He hadn't fully accounted for the overwhelming power of Rimuru's monstrous physique, amplified by a vast sea of magicules.

Snapping back to reality, Shiro screamed, his voice shaky. "…What the hell was that?" He was visibly spooked by the sheer intensity of his own power.

He turned his gaze to the devastation he had wrought. The clearing was unrecognizable, the Curse Spirit completely erased. And he hadn't even been trying.

"Just one punch," Shiro muttered to himself. "I was holding back… and it still did that. That's insane."

And he had been so worried about Gojo Satoru, even asking Great Sage to prepare countermeasures in case they ever became enemies, all while possessing this much power at his disposal.

Shiro couldn't help but smile wryly at the irony.

He flexed his fingers, his disbelief growing. "How much power was that?"

[Analysis complete. Output equivalent to 0.25 megatons of TNT (250 kilotons), 17 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, capable of annihilating entire cities.]

His head snapped up. "Eh? I wasn't even serious!" He laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. "And here I was so impressed by the old man's performance this morning, thinking he was amazing. I could've ended him with a mere tap—even without Curse Energy Reinforcement."

"So, I'm a walking nuclear bomb," Shiro muttered. "How is it that, with this much power at my disposal, I didn't cause any destruction to my surroundings? If you think about it, a mere touch from me should be incredibly dangerous." He curiously asked Great Sage.

[The master's physical power is automatically regulated to match that of a normal human to prevent unintended damage to the surroundings or harm to those nearby. This also safeguards the user from self-destruction caused by their own overwhelming power.]

Shiro blinked, his surprise quickly shifting to confusion. "Wait… you've been controlling my strength this whole time?"

[Affirmative. Adjustments are applied based on your subconscious desire,] Great Sage replied.

Shiro glanced down at his hand, noticing faint cracks forming on his skin, likely from the sheer force of his punch.

"How much power did I use in that punch?"

[Approximately 25% of your maximum striking strength.]

Shiro frowned. "So I can't even use 25% of my strength without damaging myself?"

[Affirmative. It is advisable to strengthen your body or acquire additional self-preservation abilities, such as 'Reverse Curse Technique,'] Great Sage suggested.

"If I remember correctly, Rimuru doesn't have this problem," Shiro remarked.

[Based on my analysis, this is likely due to the user retaining a human physique. While compatible with a slime-based physiology, it cannot handle the burden of such immense power. Unless the user abandons their human characteristics, they will be unable to safely utilize more than 50% of their maximum power. Forceful usage could result in severe self-damage,] Great Sage explained.

"What would happen if I abandoned my humanity?" Shiro asked curiously.

[The user will likely lose their reproductive organs...] Great Sage replied matter-of-factly. While there were additional consequences, such as becoming vulnerable to holy magic after fully transforming into a monster and relying on magicules to survive, Great Sage deemed them unnecessary to mention, as it had already addressed Shiro's primary concern.

"Okay, I won't abandon my humanity. Do you have any alternatives?"

[Alternative suggestions include evolving your human species into either an Enlightened or a Demonoid. However, this would take time. The user is projected to naturally evolve into one or both paths by the age of 15, depending on your growth and choices,] Great Sage offered.

"Alright, I'll go with that. I can wait," Shiro nodded. "How much of my power can I safely use without hurting myself?"

[Approximately 15% to 20%,] Great Sage responded.

Shiro sighed, resigning himself to waiting. Not that he was in a hurry—after all, he didn't have any enemies at the moment.

His gaze shifted to the devastation ahead, the remnants of his overwhelming power etched into the landscape.

"I can't destroy them completely. I need the Curse Spirits alive to use 'Predation' on them and absorb their Curse Energy," he mused aloud.

[Understood. Adjusting output to incapacitate without obliteration,] Great Sage responded efficiently.

"Good," Shiro said with a nod. "Time to get to work."

With his orders set, Shiro began his hunt. Using the sub-skill [Predation] from his [Unique Skill: Predator], his goal was to increase his Curse Energy by consuming as many Curse Spirits as possible.

Moving silently like a ghost, Shiro hunted every Curse Spirit within a 100-kilometer radius of the Gojo Clan's territory. He appeared and disappeared like a flicker of light, leaving no trace in his wake.

…

The Next Morning

As dawn broke, Shiro stretched lazily, a grin spreading across his face. Curse Energy coursed through his body like a steady current.

From his initial Grade 4-3 levels, his Curse Energy Quantity had now reached that of a Grade 3-2 Jujutsu Sorcerer. Despite using [Predation] on hundreds of Grade 4 and Grade 3 Curse Spirits, the progress was slow—but it was progress nonetheless.

"Not bad," Shiro said to himself, his grin widening.

It was unfortunate that he hadn't encountered any Curse Spirit above Grade 3, likely due to the barriers surrounding the clan.

It was undoubtedly Master Tengen's barriers, designed to purify Curse Energy and prevent stronger spirits from manifesting.