Across the stone corridor, Granstar stared toward the old, rusted gate. Rimuru, in his slime form, bounced curiously closer.
The gate shook, bits of stone crumbling and falling with clattering echoes.
Outside, voices grumbled.
"Cough, cough... This gate looks like it hasn't been opened for three hundred years. It's ancient!"
"Of course it is. This is the place where the Storm Dragon Veldora is sealed! No one would just wander here for fun."
"Quit whining. Our job is to check if the Storm Dragon's aura has really disappeared!"
A girl's sharp voice cut through their conversation.
"Alright, alright!" two male voices replied lazily.
Two oddly dressed figures heaved at the gates, finally forcing them open with a groaning screech. Sunlight, long absent from this place, streamed into the cavern where Granstar and Rimuru were hidden.
"Huh? Humans? What are they doing here?" Rimuru blinked, surprised. Their armor and gear matched the style of adventurers from this world.
"They're adventurers sent to confirm the Storm Dragon's disappearance," Granstar said, folding his arms with a smirk. "But..."
"But what?"
Rimuru glanced at Granstar, unconcerned about being overheard. A Magic Interference Barrier covered them, after all.
"Their auras are... how do I say it? They're ridiculously weak. Laughably so."
Granstar gave a dry laugh.
"I admire their courage, though. Without special tricks, they wouldn't last five minutes against even the weakest monsters in this cave."
"Whoa... then they're pretty gutsy!"
As Rimuru watched, one of the adventurers muttered, "Stealth."
In an instant, the three figures faded, leaving only faint traces where they stepped.
Rimuru's core pulsed excitedly, his mind quickly jumping to less pure applications.
"Oho... a Stealth skill, huh?"
"If I had that... peeking would be a lot easier... Hehehe."
He chuckled darkly to himself.
Granstar gave him a sideways look, thoroughly unimpressed.
"Cough cough. Rimuru, wipe that drool off your face, you depraved slime."
"Oi, Granstar! Stop reading my mind!"
"Hmph. You were saying it out loud, idiot. I didn't have to read anything."
"I was whispering!"
These two troublemakers started bickering yet again.
Suddenly, Granstar scooped Rimuru up like luggage, his translucent wings flaring open. With a burst of speed, they soared toward the sunlight beyond the gate.
"Waaah! Fresh air, here I come!"
Rimuru shouted, exhilarated.
Granstar flew them out into a dense forest clearing, setting Rimuru down gently.
"Man, the air outside is amazing! Even though technically, I don't breathe anymore..."
They hadn't rested long when a group of green-skinned goblins stumbled out from the underbrush, surrounding them hesitantly.
Granstar's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"What's this? Goblins?"
Seeing the timid crowd, Rimuru shouted, "Granstar, we're surrounded!"
Granstar darkened his expression.
"Surrounded? It's more like we're surrounding them."
He lightly bonked Rimuru's slime body, making it wobble.
The goblin leader, a scrawny figure with a tattered red bandana, stepped forward, trembling.
"O Great Ones! Might you have some business here?"
Rimuru tilted, confused.
"Great Ones? Us?"
The goblin nodded desperately.
Only now did Rimuru notice—these goblins were pathetically weak. Their bodies were frail, and their weapons were little better than scrap metal.
No wonder Granstar was so unconcerned.
"What? Can't we just pass through? Is this your territory or something?" Rimuru asked playfully.
"Ah, no, no!" the goblin leader shook his head frantically. "We're simply... welcoming you!"
It clicked for Rimuru. These must be the very same goblins who would later become his loyal followers. Fate was already at work.
Granstar, with an impish grin, raised one delicate hand. His current childlike form made the gesture look almost adorable... almost.
The goblins, sensing the mana gathering at his fingertips, froze, eyes wide in panic.
"Ice Thorns."
Magic flared. In an instant, hundreds of icy spears shot outward. A swath of the forest a hundred meters wide turned into a glittering frozen wasteland.
"Boom! Crack!"
The air snapped with cold. Every goblin immediately dropped to their knees, shaking violently.
"Spare us, O Great Ones!" they cried.
Rimuru bounced slightly, impressed.
"Note to self... never piss off Granstar."
The surrounding temperature plummeted sharply, a biting chill sweeping across the area. The goblins trembled, fear etched deep into their faces as they collapsed onto the ground, paralyzed by terror. Their wide eyes stared at Granstar, filled with a raw, instinctive fear.
Granstar, floating serenely above them, smiled — a seemingly 'kind' smile that only made him seem more terrifying in their eyes.
With a small, delicate hand, he formed a fist. Instantly, the beautiful ice sculptures that adorned the clearing shattered with a resounding crack.
"Bang—!"
The sculptures disintegrated into shimmering dust, scattered by the wind.
"This powerful spirit...! We—we have already witnessed your might! We mean no harm!"
The leading goblin stammered, his voice cracking as he knelt, his whole body trembling. The sight before them had branded itself into their souls, leaving a lasting scar of terror.
They hadn't even sensed a trace of magicules from Granstar before — compared to Rimuru, who constantly leaked a tremendous, oppressive aura.
But now they realized: this being was equally, if not more, dangerous.
Granstar tilted his head slightly, genuinely confused.
"Hm? What are you doing?"
"I just wanted to test how my skills work outside... I didn't expect them to be this timid," he said with a hint of disappointment.
"Alright, Granstar, stop scaring them already. Look, they're practically falling apart," Rimuru said, hugging himself against the chill and shooting Granstar a reproachful look.
Hearing Rimuru speak on their behalf, the goblins nodded frantically, their impression of the slime lord soaring. When they glanced at Rimuru, their eyes shone with gratitude — but none dared look at Granstar, who still floated in the air like some untouchable force of nature.
Seeing Rimuru intervene, Granstar shrugged lightly and withdrew his magicules. Yet the open space, once adorned with ice sculptures, was now a desolate ruin — there was no restoring it.
"Since Rimuru cares about you, I'll leave you to him," Granstar said lazily, drifting to the side in boredom.
The goblins exhaled in relief, their tense bodies sagging. But just as Granstar and Rimuru were about to leave, the lead goblin panicked. Summoning every ounce of his courage, he stumbled forward.
They couldn't let these two monsters walk away!
Granstar turned his head slightly, and the goblin immediately dropped to his knees again, forehead pressed hard against the ground.
His voice trembled as he shouted,
"Great ones! Please, we beg your help!"
Granstar arched an eyebrow at the pitiful sight. Even though this goblin wasn't even qualified to be considered decent material in his eyes, the creature's courage was... admirable.
From Granstar's memories — ones Rimuru had entrusted him with — he already knew what the goblin would request.
Even the appearance of the goblin was nearly identical to what fate had scripted.
Sure enough, Rimuru leaned forward, his curiosity piqued.
"You have a request? Tell me — maybe we can help."