"So, what now?" I turned my focus toward the slime and the dragon. My interruption seemed to have derailed their original conversation.
"All right! Well, um… What do you think? Friends, then?" the slime offered, its mental voice tinged with uncharacteristic shyness.
"Wow, that was… no, really embarrassing to listen to. I'd be cringing right now if I could." The slime seemed to deflate slightly at my remark.
"Wh-what? A mere slime, daring to seek the friendship of the mighty beast feared worldwide as Veldora the Storm Dragon?!" Veldora boomed, puffing himself up behind the shimmering barrier.
"Oh, um, you don't have to if you don't want, but…" the slime backpedaled.
"A slime, a lesser elemental, and a dragon? Being friends sounds like a pipe dream to me," I observed.
"Who said you were included?!" The slime jiggled indignantly.
"Quiet!" Veldora's voice thundered in our minds. "Who said anything about not wishing it?!"
"Oh, no? Okay, so, um… now what?" the slime asked.
"Mmm, indeed… If you insist… I suppose I could consider it…"
I could feel him sneaking furtive glances at us. It would have been one thing from a handsome guy at the movies, but from a death-dealing mythical beast, it was just unsettling. Historically significant, perhaps, but not fun.
"Yep. I insist. It's settled! And if you don't like it, then watch out, 'cause I'll never come back!" the slime declared.
"Do as you please. I don't care either way," I replied.
"No!—Ah, so be it. I will become your… friend. I do hope you appreciate the gesture!"
I see. One is made to exploit people, and the other is made to be exploited. A perfect match, forged in this cavernous hell. I sighed, mentally exhausted just from watching them.
"Well, to future times, then!" the slime cheered.
"Congratulations, I suppose," I added dryly.
"Indeed! To future times! …Ah, yes, allow me to give you both a name. In exchange, you will give one to the three of us."
"Huh? Why? Where'd that come from?"
"More importantly, why am I involved?"
"It shall chisel into our souls the fact that we are of the same rank. Something similar to the family names humans use—except my name will also provide a kind of divine blessing. You two are still nameless, but through this, you will become full-fledged named monsters."
He wanted us to come up with a common name? In exchange, we'd get our own names and the benefits of a named being? I turned my focus to the slime.
"You do it."
"What! Why are you dumping this on me?"
"I can't be bothered. Also, you're the elder here, old man. Do your elder-ly duties."
"You really are a brat! Fine!" The slime seemed to fume for a moment. "Well, you said you were a storm dragon, so… I dunno, 'Tempest' or something?"
"Perfect! So be it! A wonderful timbre to that title, yes!"
He liked it? Well, I'd truly seen it all now.
"From this day forward, they will call me Veldora Tempest!" He pointed a massive claw. "You will be called Rimuru." The claw then swung toward me. "And you... You will be called Deva. Proclaim to the world that your names are Rimuru and Deva Tempest!"
Thus, the name was carved into my soul. A strange sensation welled up within me, as if the very magicules in the air were collapsing inward. A brilliant light erupted from my core.
"Report. You have been bestowed with the name: Deva Tempest from Veldora Tempest. You have gained the protection: Crest of Storms."
"Report. Due to receiving a name, your Ego has solidified and your magicule reserves have increased. Evolution from type "Lesser Omni-Elemental" to type "Medium Omni-Elemental" has begun."
"Spiritual body has been enhanced. Magicule capacity has increased."
"Intrinsic skill 'Elemental Operation' acquired."
"Evolution complete."
The light subsided. "What was that?" I asked, quickly readjusting my Magic Sense to restore full omnidirectional vision. As my perception stabilised, I assessed my new form.
Not much had changed visually—I was still a mass of floating, rainbow-hued energy—but I now had a vaguely humanoid shape and was much larger, about the size of a toddler. A massive upgrade from the wisp I had been.
"I sensed a change in your magicules. It seems giving you a name has caused you to evolve," Veldora stated, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Huh... Evolution? Isn't it too early for that?" I focused inward, analyzing my new state.
"On the contrary, it is quite expected," Veldora explained. "Lesser Elementals evolve by strengthening their Ego and absorbing magicules. You already possessed a formidable will. Your form was merely catching up to your spirit."
"You seem quite familiar with elementals," Rimuru noted.
"I had a sparring partner who was an elemental long ago. Before my... confinement." Veldora's tone shifted slightly. "So I am knowledgeable."
Having been dragged into this naming ceremony, I felt mentally exhausted. "I guess that makes sense," I replied.
"Hey, I had something I wanted to ask before we leave," Rimuru interjected, just as I was about to mention departing. "Can't you do anything about that seal?"
"Not with my current power. One would need a unique skill on the same level as the hero's to have even a chance."
"You don't have any, Veldora?"
"I do, but sealed as I am, I can access none of them. Telepathy is my sole remaining conduit."
"Well, here, lemme try something…" Rimuru rolled over and tapped his body against the barrier.
A dazzling light sparked at the point of contact, then weakly faded. I felt the barrier tear minutely, but it repaired itself in seconds.
"Were you using a skill to try to destroy it?" I asked, floating closer. I reached out and confirmed I, too, could not phase through. Interesting.
"I was hoping a unique skill against a unique skill would do something. No such luck," Rimuru said, slumping dejectedly on the stone floor. He fell silent, clearly conversing with his own skill.
"Hey, did you land any damage on that hero at all?" he asked suddenly.
"Ah, I am glad you asked! Most of my attacks were evaded, but I did land several direct hits… which, I regret, had no effect. Death-Calling Wind, Dark Lightning, even Storm of Destruction—all useless. A total loss! All I could do was laugh!" Veldora accentuated the point with a booming guffaw.
"You're so loud, Veldora-sama!" I moved to cover ears I didn't have, a futile instinct. As an elemental, sound passed through me without causing damage—a fair trade-off, I supposed.
"I guess I need some kind of receptacle to get you out. Even in spirit form, it should be possible…"
"Mm? There is a way?! Indeed… I feel my magical force will exhaust itself in no later than a hundred years. It flows from me even now."
"So that's why there's such a dense concentration here…" I observed the thick, shimmering air.
"Indeed. Even high-class monsters dare not approach. You saw the scarcity of weeds? The plants that thrive here are rare indeed!"
I recalled the fields of Hipokute herbs. So that was their source.
"Yeah, so… you want to try escaping? If I had the right receptacle, it would help our chances. Do you know what's needed?"
"…Even in spiritual form, it would be difficult to regather magic and reform my core. The small tear you created helps immensely. As for a receptacle… if you can bring one to me, I could transfer my consciousness to it. A form of transmigration."
He was sharper than he seemed. He'd grasped Rimuru's meaning exactly.
"Pretty much. If it's something we can find on this side, we could look for it."
"Why is there a 'we' in that sentence?" I asked, annoyed. They both ignored me.
"Hmm… To tell the truth, I do not need a core… You can keep a secret? I am a unique being of purely spiritual form. This body is shaped by the faith of those around me."
There he goes again with the nonsense.
The ensuing explanation was convoluted, but the gist was this: His consciousness could gather magicules to form a body, but the seal prevented that. Escaping as pure spirit would scatter his essence to the winds, erasing "Veldora" and potentially birthing a new, different storm dragon somewhere else.
Rimuru then proposed storing Veldora within himself using Predator. Veldora agreed with alarming enthusiasm.
"Wait," I interrupted. "Veldora-sama, you said a pure spirit's essence would scatter, correct?"
"Yes."
"I'm a spiritual lifeform. Why isn't my essence scattering?"
Veldora paused. "…An excellent point. It is unheard of for an elemental to manifest so stably outside the Elemental Realm. Furthermore, only extremely powerful elementals can make themselves visible to physical beings. And Medium Elementals typically take animalistic forms, not humanoid ones…" He began listing anomalies.
Before he could drown us in theories, Rimuru spoke up. "I've got it! It's because of his unique skill: Sublimation."
Sublimation. I remembered the voice in the dark mentioning it.
"It uses magicules to stabilise his spiritual form in the mortal realm. Without them, he'd likely fade or be pulled back to the Elemental Realm."
"Wait, did you say I'll die?!"
"Fade," Rimuru stated, as if that weren't the same thing.
"Relax, Deva," Veldora intoned. "As long as I am here, you will have ample magicules."
"But Rimuru is going to keep you in his stomach! If he takes you, the magicule density here will plummet, and I might fade over time!"
Rimuru thought for a moment. "What if you use me as a… conduit? With Veldora inside me, I could continuously feed you his magicules to keep Sublimation active. No risk of fading."
"I guess that could work. But what happens when you're unconscious?"
"Ah… I didn't think of that." He fell silent again. "How about a contract? Then you could draw from me directly."
"I'd rather fade," I answered bluntly.
"Oh, come on! We're trying to preserve your existence!"
"I'm not becoming a 'spirit companion' just to survive. I have more dignity than that."
"May I interject?" Veldora cut in. "There is an intermediate form: a Magic Body. It is temporary but can house a spiritual form as long as you provide it magicules. If Rimuru were incapacitated, it would last you a considerable time. As a bonus, in this form, you can interact with the physical world, though you cannot sustain true physical damage."
The proposal was all upside. "Then I shall take the Magic Body. How do I get one?"
"You don't get one. You must make one."
"I think I can do that. Hold on." Rimuru focused, drawing magicules from the atmosphere. He then expelled a humanoid mass of shimmering energy—a featureless, puppet-like form.
"All done. Now you just have to merge with it."
Here goes nothing. I moved my core into the body. A powerful pulling sensation engulfed me, consuming my elemental form. Everything went dark for an instant before my awareness snapped back.
I sat up, lifting an arm to examine my new vessel. The face was androgynous, bearing no resemblance to my old self.
"Magic Body has been obtained. Skills 'Puppeteer,' 'Physical Attack Nullification,' and 'Shapeshifting' have been acquired."
Three new skills. Useful, especially since I was currently—I looked down—devoid of any physical details or clothing. Focusing on Shapeshifting, I willed the surface of the body to morph. A layer resembling sleek, dark fabric covered me from neck to toe, accented with glowing, circuit-like patterns in blue and silver.
"Now I don't feel naked," I said, standing up with a satisfied smile.
"Now that's sorted, it's time!" Rimuru announced. He surged forward, enveloping Veldora and the entire barrier in an instant. A moment later, only a massive, empty crater remained.
"Well then, Deva. Shall we get going?" Rimuru was already several meters away.
"Hey! Wait for me, you cheating old man!" I called out, hurrying after him into the dark tunnel, leaving the silent, empty cavern behind.