At that moment, Granstar's body was undergoing an extraordinary transformation. A flurry of system notifications echoed within his consciousness, all originating from the unique skill [Overlord].
[Notice. The host has received the effects of the unique skill: Blessing. The upper limit of magicules has surpassed the previous maximum... Commencing storage and conversion of excess magicules.]
[Notice. The body, composed of magic essence, is being influenced... Initiating automatic upgrade protocol.]
[Analyzing host framework... Reconstructing... Reconstruction complete. Physical form has been successfully upgraded.]
[Notice. The host's lifeform has undergone sublimation. All racial skills are now evolving.]
[Notice. Racial attribute [Ice Element Control] has evolved into the unique trait: [Lord of Ice].]
[[Lord of Ice] has been successfully integrated.]
[Notice. Interference detected. [Lord of Ice] is influencing skill evolution... Interference successful.]
[Skill evolution complete: [Ice Blade] → [Ice Cutting], [Ice Thorn] → [Ice Thorns], [Frost Breath] → [Frost Burst].]
[Derived racial skills acquired: [Frozen Domain], [Ice Puppet], [Ice Giant].]
"Why is it taking so long? Did something go wrong?"
Rimuru looked at Granstar, who was now enveloped in a radiant sphere of light, with a worried expression.
"What are you fussing over? Granstar is just going through a lifeform evolution. Hmph, it's the natural result of receiving my [Blessing]."
The voice of Veldora Tempest, the Storm Dragon, resonated from within the seal, sounding completely nonchalant.
"Lifeform evolution? But why don't I feel anything?" Rimuru asked, now more curious than concerned.
"Hah! I was just about to ask the same thing. After receiving my [Blessing], even a low-ranked being like you didn't undergo any visible change!"
Veldora snorted in mock indignation.
"Hehe... maybe I'm just special."
Rimuru scratched his head sheepishly.
"Well, since Granstar is fine, I'll go ahead and absorb Veldora. Once he's inside me, I can start analyzing the [Infinite Prison] from within."
"Alright, get to it!"
Rimuru's body melted into a pool of liquid, adhering to the walls of the seal before enveloping it completely, absorbing both the seal and Veldora.
[Great Sage: Commencing analysis of Unique Skill: Infinite Prison... Progress: 0.0001%... Continuing analysis.]
"Roar~! Haha!"
Veldora's voice rang out dramatically, "One day, I shall return to the world—tremble in awe of my resurgence—!"
Rimuru winced. Still with the chuunibyou lines, huh?
However, Veldora's triumphant proclamation was cut short. A wave of weakness washed over him, and his consciousness began to blur.
"Wh-What's happening?! Why are my magicules vanishing so fast... Stop! STOP SUCKING THEM UP...!"
Unbeknownst to either Rimuru or Granstar, the bulk of Granstar's evolution had been fueled by Veldora's magicules. Fortunately, [Overlord] had the foresight to leave the Storm Dragon with a tiny reserve, ensuring his eventual recovery.
But since neither [Great Sage] nor [Overlord] reported the incident, both Rimuru and Granstar remained blissfully unaware...
Meanwhile, Veldora was left in a tragically depleted state. ╥﹏╥
As the brilliant white light around Granstar faded, his new form was revealed—a perfectly sculpted adult elf with an ethereal presence.
"Where's Rimuru?"
He glanced around in confusion. The seal had vanished. So had Veldora.
Responding to his unspoken thoughts, [Overlord] issued another notification.
[Notice. The host's lifeform evolution required extended time due to comprehensive enhancement.]
[During this period, Veldora has been absorbed into the host Rimuru. Rimuru is now engaging in monster absorption via Unique Skill: Predator.]
"I see..."
Granstar hadn't anticipated such a significant leap in power. He extended his now radiant, ice-blue wings and flew to the river below, inspecting his reflection.
His body now resembled that of a high elf—tall, graceful, with flowing blue hair cascading over his shoulders. The once childlike innocence had been replaced by a calm, noble bearing. His eyes, now a sharp icy blue, glowed with arcane depth.
His new form was entirely non-physical, a perfect construct of condensed magic essence. And best of all, he could freely control its size by adjusting the concentration of magicules.
A perfect evolution.
He didn't linger on his appearance for too long; instead, he opened up his status panel to check his newly acquired abilities.
"Hmm… this Unique Skill: [Lord of Ice] is quite something. Not only does it exert a powerful suppression effect on ice-elemental monsters, but it also grants absolute control over the ice element… and—wait, what's this...?"
Just then, Granstar sensed a disturbance behind him and turned sharply.
"You... are you Granstar?"
"Oh? Rimuru? You still don't recognize your favorite elf brother?"
That familiar voice and teasing tone struck a chord—Rimuru's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wha—?! No way! How the hell did you get so handsome?!"
Rimuru immediately bounded over, circling Granstar, peering at him up close, then from a distance, then back again, completely amazed.
Granstar gave an exaggerated shrug.
"Rimuru, seriously? I'm still me."
"Ughhh~, it's not fair! From every angle, you're stupidly handsome! Wuuugh~!"
The little slime practically steamed with envy. If only he had a proper humanoid body right now—this is injustice!
Granstar: "..."
"As I was making my way through the dungeon and absorbing monsters, I came across an old gate up ahead."
"Huh, that might be the exit!"
"Exactly. Let's go check it out—it's probably time we get out of here."
"Yup!"
The two small figures advanced together. Granstar, unable to endure the unsettling gleam in Rimuru's metaphorical eye, adjusted the flow of his magicules and shrank his form to match Rimuru's current size—a mini version of himself.
Now floating just above the slime's head, he followed closely as Rimuru glided across the ground.
Before long, they arrived at a massive sealed gate—just as Granstar had predicted.
"This has to be it," Granstar said.
"Alright! Time to show off my skills a bit~!" Rimuru declared, stepping forward and preparing to unleash a flashy spell.
But before he could channel the energy, Granstar grabbed him and ducked behind a large stone outcropping, swiftly deploying a concealment barrier.
"Shh! There's something up ahead. Stay quiet."
"O-Oh... got it!"