Chapter 14: The Premium Subscription
"Manifest some tea, Rimuru," I pulse, my dark surface shimmering as I hover over a makeshift wooden table. "If I'm going to plan a war against a quarter-million pigs, I refuse to do it without a civilized beverage."
"Tea? Now?" Rimuru bounces, sounding stressed. "Shinji, the Lizardmen messenger said they're already on the move!"
"Exactly. Panic is a high-cost, low-yield emotion. We sit. We drink. We strategize."
Notice. Sub-skill [Law Manipulation – Copy] is active. User may now replicate observed biological and magical laws. Suggestion: Apply acquired data from the Kijin evolution to stabilize User's internal magicule density.
Azathoth, you're suggesting I finally stop being a glass cannon? About time. Let's see what the 'Corporate Upgrade' looks like.
I focus on Benimaru, who is standing nearby looking at the maps Myrd provided. I don't need to touch him; the [Transaction Domain] acts as my sensor. I observe the way his magicules flow through his new Kijin form—stable, efficient, and dense.
[Law Manipulation – Copy]
I don't transform into an Ogre. That would be an aesthetic nightmare. Instead, I copy the density law of his high-tier monster body and apply it to my own slime membrane.
Activation successful. Magicule density increased by 40%. Physical resistance: Improved. Magicule consumption for maintenance: Increased by 0.05% per hour.
I feel heavier. Not in weight, but in presence. The faint iridescence of my dark surface deepens, turning into a polished, obsidian-like sheen. If Chapter 1 was "Startup Mode," this is "Series A Funding."
"Whoa, Shinji," Rimuru pauses, a manifested cup of tea in his nub. "You just... changed. You feel a lot more solid. Did you level up?"
"I simply optimized my internal assets," I pulse, my voice sounding a fraction deeper, more resonant. "Now, about the tea."
I take a "sip" by absorbing a portion of the liquid into my membrane. It's... passable. A bit leaf-heavy.
"Kaijin!" I call out, my voice carrying across the village. "The trenches need to be wider. If these Orcs are as hungry as the reports suggest, they'll use their fallen as a bridge. We need a 'debt-trap'—a kill zone where their numbers become their biggest liability."
"Got it, Lord Shinji!" Kaijin shouts back, his hammer clinking against a defensive spike.
Notice. High-level magicule signature detected. Entity: Dryad. Designation: Treyni. She has bypassed the village perimeter via [Spatial Motion].
Azathoth, a Dryad? The 'Landlords' of the forest? This just became a multi-party negotiation.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swirls in the center of our war room. Leaves manifest out of thin air, weaving together to form a beautiful, green-haired woman with a serene—and slightly terrifying—smile.
"Greetings, masters of this village," she says, her voice like rustling silk. "I am Treyni, a protector of the forest. I come with a request for the one who defeated the Direwolf lord."
I don't flinch. I just finish my tea.
"You're trespassing, Treyni," I pulse, my new, denser body radiating a cold authority. "But since you're the one who technically owns the 'zoning rights' to this forest, I'll waive the entry fee. What's the proposal? And please, make it a short pitch. We're on a deadline."
Rimuru looks back and forth between us, his cup shaking. "Shinji, be nice! She's a Dryad!"
"Niceness is a luxury we can afford after the Orcs are liquidated," I retort. "Well, Ms. Treyni? The floor is yours."
Current Magicule Reserves: 98.1%. Location: War Room. Status: Meeting Treyni. Defense Prep: 40% complete. Internal Status: Reinforced Slime Body.