At the Night Butterfly, while Rimuru and the others were enjoying themselves, they encountered Minister Vesta.
Driven by jealousy towards Kaijin, upon learning that Kaijin had completed the difficult task he had assigned, Vesta was extremely unwilling to accept it. He then began incessantly mocking Rimuru, calling him a low-grade monster.
Ultimately, Kaijin could no longer bear it and lashed out. Subsequently, Kaijin's group and Rimuru were once again detained by the guards...
It was because of Vesta that Kaijin resolved to leave this country and also decided to follow Rimuru, who had helped him and seemed like a very decent person.
Faced with the decision of Kaijin and the three dwarven brothers to follow him, Rimuru was overjoyed.
...
Time quickly passed to two days later. Takeru, who had been quietly training in Dwargon for two days, noticed Rimuru, Kaijin, and the others being escorted to the royal palace. Takeru then called Tsumugi to leave Dwargon and wait outside the city walls for Rimuru and the others to come out.
Aside from his curiosity about Rimuru, Takeru also wanted to obtain certain things from him, such as top-grade recovery potions, which could even regenerate severed limbs.
He also wanted to see if Rimuru could help replicate Beginner Enhancement Potions or even the Gene Serum...
Takeru himself naturally had little use for recovery potions, but Miu, Emilia, Ram, and the others might find them extremely useful in the future. Furthermore, even trading them with other Reincarnators could yield considerable benefits.
Arriving outside the city, Takeru saw that it was still early and didn't want to just wait idly. Instead, he took Tsumugi for a stroll near the mountain range.
They soon discovered monsters like Ranga and Rigur hidden in the forest. Takeru had no intention of hunting them and continued searching for other monsters.
Soon, they encountered a special lizard-like monster. Unlike the others, the moment it noticed Takeru and Tsumugi, it lunged at them to attack.
Seeing the overconfident lizard monster, Takeru simply pointed lightly forward. The surrounding air instantly swirled into a gale, tearing the creature in two.
Looking at the dead lizard monster, Takeru treated it as material. Mana surged from his body, and the corpse began to transform into special energy before reshaping into a mighty, dragon-like Pokémon.
Its body was mostly blue with a gray lower jaw. Thick scales covered its underside. It had enormous red wings, four legs, a dragon-like appearance, and a long tail with a thin end.
This was the pseudo-legendary Pokémon from the Pokémon World, Salamence.
As consciousness emerged, Salamence instinctively felt immense closeness to Takeru. Tsumugi, who had witnessed the entire process, was utterly astonished.
"Takeru, this is...?" Tsumugi stared blankly at the fierce and powerful Salamence. She could clearly sense that Salamence was not merely fierce in appearance… the energy contained within it was formidable as well.
"Salamence. It can serve as our mount from now on." Stroking Salamence's head, Takeru explained directly to Tsumugi.
Despite Takeru's explanation, Tsumugi still found it difficult to calm down. She couldn't imagine that Takeru could casually create new life… it was simply too terrifying. And what happened next was even more shocking to Tsumugi.
As Takeru bestowed a name upon it, he noticed his mana rapidly depleting again, flowing directly into Salamence.
After approximately twenty thousand units of mana were consumed, Salamence's appearance changed once more.
Originally only 1.5 meters tall with a body length of just over three meters, Salamence's form transformed dramatically.
Its two wings twisted and merged together, forming a single large, crescent-shaped wing. Its head, neck, and torso became more slender, its limbs shortened, and its tail grew longer and thinner, giving it a streamlined figure.
Moreover, its height increased to two meters, and its body length reached around five meters.
It had clearly assumed the form of Mega Salamence. Most importantly, Takeru could sense that it wasn't just its appearance that had changed… its internal mana and base attributes had skyrocketed.
"Takeru, what happened to it?" Witnessing Salamence's transformation, Tsumugi asked again.
"It seems to be an effect of this world's unique rules. It has evolved from an ordinary monster into a named monster." Hearing Tsumugi's inquiry, Takeru said with a touch of wonder.
"Yes, Master. Thank you for the naming." At Takeru's words, Salamence slightly opened its mouth and spoke human language directly.
"You can speak?" Hearing its words, Takeru was taken aback.
"Yes. Due to the evolution just now, it seems I instinctively gained the ability to speak." In response to Takeru's question, Salamence directly answered.
"Is that so? That's pretty great." Upon hearing this, Takeru stroked its head and said.
"By the way, Tsumugi, would you like to ride and fly for a bit?" Noticing Tsumugi's complex expression, Takeru changed the subject.
"Can I ride it?" At Takeru's words, Tsumugi immediately cast aside her jumbled thoughts and asked excitedly.
"Of course. Right, Salamence?" Hearing her words, Takeru nodded and looked at Salamence.
"Please, don't hesitate. I am, after all, my Master's mount." Hearing Takeru's inquiry, Salamence responded very politely.
"I want to try it!" Upon hearing this, Tsumugi quickly nodded.
Then, taking Tsumugi with him, Takeru rode Salamence high into the sky, fully enjoying the scenery of this world. It wasn't until dusk that Takeru spotted Rimuru, Kaijin, and the others at the city gate.
"Big brother, take care." At the moment of parting, Kaidou spoke to Kaijin with a hint of reluctance.
"Sorry for the trouble I've caused you. You take care too." Faced with Kaidou's reluctance, Kaijin was also a bit emotional.
"Rimuru-sama, I entrust my brother to you." Then, Kaidou directly addressed Rimuru.
"Don't worry. I just plan to put him to work." Hearing Kaidou's words, Rimuru said with a light laugh.
"Hmph. According to the verdict, Kaijin and his accomplices are to be exiled from the country. Leave immediately!" After the farewells, Kaidou abruptly changed his demeanor, speaking to them in a cold, official tone.
"Let's go. Our companions are still waiting for us in the forest." Watching Kaidou and the others completely close the city gate, Rimuru spoke to the melancholic group.
"What is that?" Suddenly, Garm, the eldest of the three brothers, noticed Salamence circling in the sky.
"Enemy attack?" Looking at the somewhat fierce Salamence, Kaijin spoke worriedly.
Rimuru also watched Salamence nervously. After all, one look told him Salamence was an extremely terrifying monster.
For Rimuru, who lacked self-awareness of his own power, it definitely seemed like a very dangerous existence.
At that moment, Takeru, having finished his long tour, descended from the sky riding the massive Salamence with Tsumugi, landing directly before Kaijin's group of four and Rimuru.
Rimuru and the others quickly noticed Takeru and Tsumugi on Salamence's back and stared blankly at them, uncertain of Takeru's intentions.
"Um, is there something you need?" Unsure of Takeru's background and purpose, Rimuru, adhering to the principle of friendly coexistence, stepped forward to inquire.
"Of course. I've been waiting for you for quite a while." Looking at the cautious slime, Takeru jumped down and said to Rimuru with a smile.
"Eh? Waiting for us for a while?" Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru was stunned.
'Oh no, he didn't deliberately wait here to hunt me, did he? But... he looks somewhat familiar.' Hearing Takeru's words, Rimuru, having processed this, became extremely nervous inside.
"Um, may I ask what business you have with me? Also, have we met before?" Asking nervously, Rimuru quickly searched his memory.
[Explanation: Two days ago, when you fought the adventurers, he was present nearby!]
Just as Rimuru was thinking, the voice of Great Sage appeared in his mind, reminding him.
'Is that so? By the way, if I fought him, what would my chances of winning be?' Hearing Great Sage's words, Rimuru quickly inquired internally.
[Explanation: This lifeform possesses multiple types of heterogeneous energy and exceptional physical abilities. Probability of victory in combat: 0%. Probability of escape: 0%.] In response to Rimuru's inquiry, Great Sage directly stated.
'You've got to be kidding me. Why do I keep running into people like this? First it was the dwarven hero king, Gazel Dwargo, and now just some random passerby is on this level. Does this mean my strength is really just that insignificant in this world?!'
Hearing Great Sage's explanation, Rimuru felt somewhat devastated. Unclear about the world's power scaling, he began to doubt himself.