A small slime stood before a glistening sphere of colors, within it standing a tall and mighty dragon looking down at the slime. The slime, having just been reborn into his new slimy body, knew little of this world, and until meeting this dragon, had hardly been able to see. This dragon had given this slime a name: Rimuru. In exchange the slime had given them both a single family name: Tempest. The two were now bonded as sworn friends as Rimuru had developed a plan to finally free the dragon from his 300 year long imprisonment. It would take some time, certainly, however Veldora didn’t mind whatsoever.

 

Veldora did, however, have one last thing to say; “Just one last thing, Rimuru. I forgot to mention this but you’re not quite the first person who has found me here.”

 

Rimuru, in his slimy body tilted itself slightly, “Oh? What about that then?”

 

Veldora leaned upwards from having been looking down at Rimuru, “You see she has visited me a few times in the past few weeks, she’s also a sworn friend. I would like to request that if you see them, try to avoid making enemies of them, if possible it would be a lot easier if both of you could be friends yourselves. We would become an unstoppable triumvirate of friendship! Kyahahaha!”

 

“Well then, can you tell me details about her then?” Rimuru asked, curious as to who had been able to come near Veldora when he himself said his aura usually deterred most.

 

“She’s a Demon named Tanya. She’s got black hair with a red stripe along with black and red eyes. Oh yes, and she’s wearing some kind of black and red uniform I believe, I’m not quite sure how to describe it.” Veldora seemed to be lost in thought for a few moments in an attempt to find a way to describe the Demon’s attire properly in human terms; however gave up quickly.

 

Rimuru brought up a suggestion, “I see, well if she visits you frequently I suppose I wouldn’t mind waiting a while. I’ve already been in here for who knows how long, so I’m not in any particular rush.”

 

Veldora shook his head and held his hand up to stop Rimuru, “No, there’s no real need for that. The only reason she’s visited so frequently is because she’s been residing in the forest for the past few weeks. Last she told me she planned on exploring beyond the forest now that she understands her skills. It may be months before she returns.”

 

Rimuru seemed confused at one specific part; ‘Now that she understands her skills?’ Is it uncommon for beings to not know their skills?

 

Immediately Rimuru heard a familiar voice ring out in his head thanks to his Unique Skill;

 

[It is unlikely for an individual to be unfamiliar with their skills except for when they first obtain it. The most likely outcome is that they recently obtained these skills.]

 

Interesting, I wonder how they did it. Is it possible they’re reincarnated like me?

 

[It is a possibility, however it is not the only one.]

 

I suppose I shouldn’t jump to conclusions immediately.

 

Finalizing his internal thoughts, Rimuru continued, “Alright, I understand. If there's nothing else then, are you ready?”

 

Veldora nodded, “Kyahahaha! Let's do it!”

 

In that moment a decision was made, Veldora’s presence would vanish from the world, and the forest would begin to descend into chaos. One which a Demon was now about to be in the center of.

---

It’s been about a few months since I’ve arrived in this world, though without a calendar I haven’t bothered to track the time. Who’s to say a year is even 365 days in this world, not to mention even if it was I doubt they’d be using the Gregorian Calendar. Regardless I’m in no rush, it's not like I’m on the front line any more in a race to satisfy my superiors or take out an enemy. There’s not even a Being X left to try and force my conversion.

 

Though in truth I wasn’t in any rush. After assessing my strengths I came to a single conclusion: I needed a weapon. My powers alone were fairly effective in their own right, however in the end would be multiplied greatly with even the simplest of weapons. Of course, I don’t want just anything, if possible I’d like to get my hands on a rifle or firearm of some kind. The use of Magisteel, a magically-enhanced steel-like metal created from Magic Ore found in Veldora’s cave, would allow for a far more durable and powerful gun. The existence of magic on such a large scale allows me to negate the need for gunpowder entirely too.

 

Without gunpowder, bullets can be highly simplified down to merely the end of it, meaning that even in an pre-industrial society, sizable production could still be managed. Considering the simplicity required, a simple mold could be enough to produce bullets. Through magic I could easily create a small explosion or launch it with sheer power, however through the use of crystals lining the edge of the barrel, I may be able to create a sort of magical railgun by simply funneling magic into the crystals. It’s a bit complicated, however a bit of experimentation with some crystals manifested in Veldora’s cave do suggest it may be possible, though getting used to actually using it may take some time.

 

All of this of course begs the question of how exactly I’m going to make this. I lack both the skill and equipment to make it, and while the countless times I’ve spent cleaning my rifle means I can easily remember all of its properties and proportions, it's merely the prospect of getting someone to make the appropriate parts. To this end, I’ve developed a plan. A brief survey into the surrounding areas and brief expeditions into smaller villages on the border of the Jura Forest have pinned the Armed Nation of Dwargon as the best spot for weaponsmithing along with numerous other innovations. Of course these little ‘expeditions’ into surrounding villages have been minimal and brief, and overall I can’t say for certain that the judgment is completely accurate, but in the end there’s no reason to not at least check.

 

Had it not been for the disappearance of Veldora I likely would’ve waited another few weeks to once again reaffirm my skills, however I’d rather at least begin moving towards Dwargon as I’d like to avoid any monster which may pose a threat to me, even if I’ve yet to see such a creature. I could fly to Dwargon, or at least near to Dwargon as I’d take it flying in may draw suspicion, however while I don’t want to stick around to test my abilities, I might as well walk my way to Dwargon and test my abilities on any creature which dared attack me. The travel itself likely would’ve taken weeks for an average person, however with my capabilities and skills it would take most likely just a few days even without flying.

 

In order to actually have the money to pay someone to make the rifle, I decided to sell the Magic Ore within Veldora’s cave. Considering its ability to turn into a powerful substance, I’d imagine it sells for a lot, or at the very least a stable amount. My only worry is that caves like Veldora’s are far more abundant and that Magic Ore is a lot more common than I hope. Regardless, utilizing a bag made mostly from animal furs I had crudely put together I headed out.

 

Some monsters came up, but none were too challenging. For now, my primary means of attack was manifesting a magical spear of sorts, a manifestation of magic into a vaguely spear-like object which would fly through the air in any direction I wished. Its shape was hardly uniform as it warped and shifted as if it was a flame of sorts. Regardless, it was effective enough for the time being. Had I spent more time practicing in the forest I may have had more time to refine it, but so long as I get a rifle soon that won’t be an issue.

 

As it turned dark I decided to settle down in a fairly open spot in the forest. Technically speaking there wasn’t much reason to; my Magic Sense made darkness a minimal setback and ultimately I didn’t need to sleep. Of course I still was used to sleeping, so I did still make a habit of doing it occasionally, though as time went on the time between sleep grew wider and wider. By this point, outside of a slight instinctive desire to sleep, sleep was merely a means to communicate with Noir if I needed his help. Aside from sleep, my body still instinctively desired to eat and drink, though similarly as time went on the time between eating and drinking grew longer and longer, however I still ate semi-frequently, the hunt was a good test of my skills, and the food didn’t taste too bad either once I got used to cooking it. Of course the first time I attempted to cook meat from a monster I didn’t fully know how I should cook it, so I ended up giving myself Poison Resistance accidentally. It makes me wonder if putting myself in dangerous situations may allow me to gain resistance to said situations, though I decided the risk is more than I’m willing to take.

 

With it being the first night of my trip towards Dwargon, I decided I would eat and sleep for tonight at least, though I likely wouldn’t for the rest of the trip. I had managed to get a good amount of meat from idiotic monsters attacking the first living thing they saw, though to be fair I had my aura held back quite a bit. After what was likely 30 minutes or so of sitting around a fire cooking some meat I had gathered from a bull-like monster which attempted to attack me I noticed something trying to stealthily approach.

 

As it got closer I realized: no, it's not being stealthy, it's just slow. Eventually it approached and entered my line of sight, revealing a cat-like monster with long sharp teeth similar to that of a saber tooth cat, however much flatter and far sharper. Its tail was normal up until the end where it seemed to form into a large knife-like shape. Even the fur of the monster was spiky and sharp looking. Examining its details with Transcending Eye revealed its race; a ‘Blade Tiger.’ Deciding I didn’t feel like fighting right now I simply let out my full aura to scare it off. It was clearly intimidated, but it didn’t retreat, only moving one step back out of sheer intimidation.

 

If it had hostile intent, it would’ve retreated already, that or its simply desperate. Looking at it the latter seemed to be the case, though not quite in the way I expected. My ‘Transcending Eye’ was much more effective at looking at the power, skills, and race of a being, not necessarily its status, though it does help me grasp a better idea on it. Through the skill I could tell whatever this cat is, it's certainly weak, not out of simply being a weak race, but rather weakness that one would likely see from starvation or illness.

 

In terms of size and age, had I been standing up the top of its head would’ve likely been up to my shoulders, and it seemed to be capable of growing a bit bigger than that, so I assumed it was a younger one, or at the very least its growth had been hindered. Sighing, I threw a chunk of meat I had cooked onto the grass near the ‘knife cat’ as I called it in my head and watched as it slowly approached and began eating it.

 

For the most part, I simply wanted it to head off though it seemed contemptuous to eat it where I had thrown it. This is how humans tamed dogs isn’t it? I suppose having a trained pet might not be the worst decision. I’ve always been more of a dog person, but perhaps I could train the cat to do something useful. I doubt its strength would fully match mine, but it may make a good scout and it can probably hunt for itself once I train it a bit, most likely in combat. If I had to guess, the only reason this one was starving was because of the chaos that stemmed from Veldora’s disappearance. Monsters were growing aggressive and it's likely what was once safe hunting grounds for the blade tiger was now a war zone. The smaller size of this one likely led to it having a disadvantage in securing its own prey over other members of its own species, let alone against others of different species.

 

As it finished its first slab of meat, I threw another one out, this one half way closer to me, and once they had finished that I placed another slab of meat directly next to my feet. After a brief amount of hesitation from the blade tiger it approached and began to eat each one. If I wanted to tame it, it would need to want to serve me willingly. Forcefulness would likely only backfire; I needed loyalty, not submission.

 

With it eating practically right in front of me I began to try and pet it to see how it would react. Most animals seemed to enjoy pets in both of my prior lives’ worlds, so I was mostly betting on it appreciating it here. Its fur was… rough, almost uncomfortable to pet even. Had it not for me being a decently powerful demon, its fur would’ve likely poked tiny holes into my skin and caused minor bleeding. Its fur was more akin to a weak metal from how stiff it was, though its tail, claws, and the sharper of its teeth seemed to be more directly reminiscent of metal-like material.

 

Ultimately I came to another conclusion: If I want to tame this cat permanently, I need to give it a name. Names not only cause monsters to grow stronger, but it seems to establish a sense of loyalty to the one who named them, such is essential if I wish to utilize this strange cat.

 

Holding up another slab of meat, I decided to test its intelligence, “Alright here’s the deal. I’ll give you a name and you remain loyal to me, and in exchange I’ll help you get stronger and keep you fed.”

 

Frankly I had no idea whether the cat would even understand a word, though it seemed to have a basic understanding of what I was saying, even if it didn’t understand directly, though still I wasn’t sure. In the end, I decided to just give it a name and see what would come of it. “Alright, well then I’ll name you…” Come to think of it, what should I name it? It seems to be female, so something feminine might work…? Ah fuck it, lets just go with this “...Eiga.” The name wasn’t actually that original, it really just meant ‘sharp fang’ but it seemed to approve of it nonetheless.

 

Almost immediately the large feline began to glow and resonate with magical power. As I had been told it took a chunk of my own magical power, however strangely the magical power I could actually use was unaffected. Rather it took the magical power from the source of magical power which I couldn’t actually use. I’ve had this abundance of magical power stored within me since I was brought here, and while it's slowly been funneling into the magical energy I can use, slowly increasing my magicule capacity, I’ve otherwise been unable to even touch it. Luckily for me the magicule cost from naming ‘Eiga’ didn’t actually bring any immediate downsides.

 

As it finished glowing its size was now slightly taller than me if I stood up completely. Analyzing it again I realized it had evolved into a ‘Demon Blade Lion’ which likely stemmed from me being a demon. In terms of appearance, not only was it larger but many of its features had changed. For one its fur, formerly rough, ragged, and especially spiky was now more laid back and generally much easier to pet or potentially ride on, though in terms of durability and defense it seemed to transcend that of its former ‘fur.’ Its legs however remained bulky and, at least visibly, strong. The spikiness seemed to remain on the legs as the lower part of the legs seemed to be more similar to armored boots than direct fur. Similarly, just about every ‘knife’ part of their body, aside from increasing in size and sharpness, also seemed to be a direct metal rather than a metal-like substance. Its face was generally more refined and ‘cat-like’ , reminding me of a Maine Coon from my first life. To a degree it had both a vicious wild appearance mixed with that of a lovable housecat, and it seemed more than capable of swapping between the two.

 

It seemed to have also gained a number of skills and resistances, the most notable being:

 

[Unique Skill - Lurk] Effectively a weaker version of my ‘Illusion Master’ skill focusing solely on stealth. Allows them as well as anything immediately attached to them such as a rider to completely hide themselves. There are some restrictions, but nothing too major, and similarly to my skill seems to be able to fool even Magic Sense.

 

[Unique Skill - Bodily Enhancement] Similarly to Lurk, it seems to be a variation of one of my own skills, specifically ‘Magical Enhancement’ and to a degree even ‘Strengthen Body.’ While Magical Enhancement allows me to enhance weapons I’m holding, it seems Bodily Enhancement, as the name suggests, allows them to enhance their own body as if it was a weapon. This primarily applies to the various knife-like parts of their body such as their fangs, tail, and claws. By funneling magicules into them, they can achieve the same enhancing effects as I can with Magical Enhancement.

 

[Unique Skill - Mana Slash] Allows them to funnel magic into a slashing attack, launching a projectile of magical energy as an attack forwards. In simple terms, it allows them to basically launch a slashing attack forwards as a projectile, similar to that which one would probably see in fantasy shows or video games, not that I have much experience with them personally. 

 

On a secondary note, I seem to be able to understand their status in-depth. Just before I named them I was merely able to use Transcending Eye to guess, however now it seems I can clearly see every minor detail about their status and health. This doesn’t seem to be an effect of my Transcending Eye, rather I believe it's an effect of my ‘Oberst’ skill. It seems I’m able to see the status of all those subordinate to me, likely meaning either by naming them I was recognized as their superior or perhaps by their own approval.

 

With that, I was satisfied enough to rest for the rest of the night, tossing another chunk of meat as I heard Eiga speak, “Thank you for the meat, master!”

 

I nearly jumped backwards as they spoke actual words, rather than making some form of cat sound as I expected. After a few seconds my initial shock died down and I came to the conclusion that its evolution likely caused it to gain the ability to speak. “Y-You’re welcome… Were you always able to talk?”

 

Eiga shook her head, her firm, powerful, and proud feminine voice standing out in the silent noises of the sleeping forest, “No I was not, I gained the ability to do so when you named me, which I am grateful for. You have saved my life master, I shall do my best to repay you!”

 

I looked down at Eiga who was now tilting her head down in a sort of bow, at least the closest she could do for one as I spoke, “I wouldn’t say I saved your life, but you’re welcome.”

 

Eiga simply shook her head at my comment, “No need to be so modest, had you not given me food I likely would have starved! There was no way I could hunt in that state!”

 

I simply nodded, silently muttering “Alright then. Well I’m getting sleep, you should do, I’m not carrying around a sleep-deprived cat all day.”

 

With that Eiga nodded and curled up for sleep. She fell asleep quite quickly and I moved my gaze away from her. She would probably be useful, at least somewhat, enough so that I might as well keep her around. I probably won't need to worry about much maintenance considering she seems to have intelligence, so she can likely take care of herself to an extent. I’ll be sure to be a good owner, of course, that’s essential for making sure she’s a loyal asset, but an asset which needs as little direct aid as possible is best.

 

The next day, we headed out. From then on any interactions with hostile monsters were mostly handled by Eiga, who herself had evolved to become easily one of the strongest monsters in the forest. The main reason I had her handle it was so she could actually grow and develop her skills. If she can’t grow to keep up with me in sheer power, she needs to at the very least match my skill. It took her a bit but she gradually began getting used to her own abilities, and developed some fairly effective strategies in the process.

 

She also turned out to function well as a mount, not having much of a problem carrying me on her back, most likely considering her strength and my apparent lightness according to her. Ultimately the trip to Dwargon wasn’t much faster considering she still ate and slept, however not having to handle the tedious task of taking down attacking monsters was a nice relaxing break. Eventually however, the towering mountain Dwargon resided within was before us as I prepared to move onto the next step:

 

Acquire a Rifle.