"A slime, yet I'm quite curious about how you possess such immense mana within you. And your intelligence seems remarkably high." Just as Rimuru was thinking, Takeru spoke directly and plainly.
'Is it because of the mana inside me and the fact that I'm too intelligent for a monster? How should I answer him? And he's not going to suddenly attack me, right?'
Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru's mind started racing again, and his expression grew tense once more. "Well, um... there are some special reasons..."
"Strange, isn't there usually a goblin with you?" At this moment, Tsumugi also asked curiously.
"Goblin? Oh no, I forgot all about Gobta!" At Tsumugi's words, Rimuru broke out in a cold sweat as he spoke.
"Haha, what an interesting fellow. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nara Takeru, and this is my companion, Kotobuki Tsumugi." Seeing Rimuru's reaction, Takeru said with a light laugh.
"Ah, n-nice to meet you. I'm Rimuru Tempest. Please treat me well!" Although he didn't understand why Takeru suddenly laughed, Rimuru sensed no ill intent from him and breathed a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, with Takeru showing goodwill, the mild-mannered Rimuru quickly became friends with him. During their conversation, Takeru 'learned' about Rimuru's situation and showed great interest, accepting Rimuru's invitation to visit his camp.
Of course, they first rendezvoused with Rigur and the others. Then, Rimuru and his group rode on Ranga, while Takeru used Salamence to carry Tsumugi.
The unique experience of flying on Salamence excited Tsumugi greatly. From high altitude, she could also use her [Spectator] to observe the terrain below.
Two days passed during the journey. Ranga's speed was far too slow compared to Salamence, which was enhanced by wind magic. Combined with the dwarves, their progress remained somewhat slow.
However, time was still plentiful, and being able to experience the sights of this world, both Takeru and Tsumugi remained patient and unhurried.
In truth, Tsumugi had often been rather laid-back in many previous worlds, not particularly proactive in seeking out quests.
But thanks to her decent luck and skill, she always managed to complete some side quests, consistently earning above-average ratings.
"Rimuru, there are some monsters up ahead. We'll be right back." Noticing movement in the distance, Takeru directly addressed Rimuru.
"Ah, oh! Be careful!" Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru was momentarily stunned, then quickly responded.
"Rimuru-sama, it seems Takeru-san and Tsumugi-san really enjoy hunting monsters. They're not planning to attack you later, are they?" Watching Takeru and Tsumugi disappear, Kaijin remarked with emotion.
"Ahaha, s-surely not. We're friends, after all!" Hearing Kaijin's words, Rimuru's heart skipped a beat, and he replied with a dry laugh.
Truth be told, even he wasn't entirely sure. But after two days of interaction, Rimuru could tell that Takeru wasn't an extremely evil person. His attitude towards monsters wasn't extreme either… on the contrary, Takeru was very gentle and didn't put on airs, even when dealing with goblins like Rigur.
Moreover, although Takeru looked young, he handled himself with surprising maturity and possessed high intelligence.
The only thing Rimuru truly envied was Takeru's appearance. If this were his previous life, with looks and personality like that, Takeru would undoubtedly be the star of the school, a true member of the popular crowd.
Speaking of popular crowds, Rimuru suddenly had a thought: 'Could it be that Takeru, like myself, was also from Japan? If that were really the case, did that mean I'd finally found people from home?'
Takeru was naturally unaware of Rimuru's internal monologue. After leading Tsumugi to a spot about a kilometer from the camp, they encountered three dog-type monsters… Cerberus.
Crimson eyes, heads largely encased in exoskeletal armor, sharp fangs, and blue flames burning along their backs extending to the tips of their tails.
"Tsumugi, they're all yours." Sensing the strength of the Cerberus, Takeru found it rather uninteresting and directly spoke to Tsumugi.
"Okay, leave it to me!" Hearing Takeru's words, Tsumugi excitedly drew her longsword. Throughout the journey, she had been handling nearly all the monster encounters.
Mainly, Takeru wanted her to boost her evaluation score. Hunting monsters did contribute points, albeit perhaps very few, but many drops make a flood.
As for Takeru himself, he already had his own plans and naturally didn't need to compete with her over these few points.
Noticing Tsumugi's intent to fight back, the Cerberus bared its fangs with a fierce expression, then launched the first attack at Tsumugi.
Facing the rapidly pouncing Cerberus, Tsumugi nimbly sidestepped with a small leap, dodging its assault. She then counterattacked with a swift backhand slash, easily inflicting severe wounds on the lunging Cerberus. Instantly, copious amounts of blood rapidly flowed from the gash.
Seeing their companion injured, the other two Cerberus angrily attacked Tsumugi with fangs and claws. However, through her Spectator, Tsumugi had already anticipated their attack trajectories. She slightly shifted her body, evading one's claw strike.
Then, facing the biting attack of the second Cerberus, Tsumugi raised her longsword vertically. The monster pounced directly onto the blade, impaling itself clean through, instantly losing combat capability.
With a light flick, Tsumugi flung the impaled Cerberus off her sword. Looking at the last Cerberus, which now showed signs of fear, she didn't hesitate. She leaped towards it and unhesitatingly thrust her sword into its head.
After easily dispatching the three monsters, Tsumugi swiftly withdrew her blade, flicked off the blood, and sheathed it.
Takeru collected the Cerberus corpses. After a moment's thought, he used one of the Cerberus's bodies for manifestation.
Under Takeru's skillful manipulation, the Cerberus's appearance rapidly changed. Its horns became large and curved, its orange snout protruded, and the tip of its nose was black with two barely visible external fangs.
"It looks incredibly powerful. Its name is?" Seeing Houndoom appear instantly, Tsumugi asked in surprise.
"Houndoom. That is its name." Hearing her question, Takeru spoke softly.
As Takeru bestowed its name, he felt his mana drain once more, the expended power flowing directly into Houndoom.
Enveloped by the mana, Houndoom's form began to transform, quickly becoming a Mega Houndoom.
Its horns shifted from curved to extending upward in a zigzag pattern. Around its neck appeared something resembling bone with two pairs of protrusions, tipped with three sharp, fang-like objects. Its claws became sharper and turned a blood-red color.
"So cool!" Looking at Mega Houndoom, Tsumugi exclaimed with admiration.
Takeru observed the Mega Houndoom, which stood over two meters tall including its horns, and indeed found it majestic and awe-inspiring.
"Master!" Once its consciousness cleared, Houndoom approached Takeru and respectfully addressed him.
"Hmm." With Salamence as a precedent, Takeru and Tsumugi weren't particularly surprised to hear it speak human words.
"Alright, let's head back." Gently stroking Houndoom's fur, Takeru said to Tsumugi.
"Master, you may ride on my back." Hearing Takeru was about to leave, Houndoom quickly offered.
"Very well, I'll leave it to you then." Hearing this, Takeru didn't stand on ceremony. He easily swung himself onto Houndoom's back and helped Tsumugi up as well.
Takeru and Tsumugi's weight naturally posed no burden to Mega Houndoom. Its base strength alone likely exceeded one hundred and fifty, not to mention skill bonuses. It was far stronger than Rimuru's current mount, Ranga, the leader of the wolf pack.
However, Houndoom was still considerably weaker than Salamence. Salamence had absorbed over twenty thousand of Takeru's mana units, while Houndoom's naming consumed just over thirteen thousand… not even comparable.
As Takeru and Tsumugi returned to where Rimuru and the others were resting, Rimuru and his group looked at them with surprise and curiosity.