Chapter 61: Evolution…? Skills…?
– Shion –
Shion wandered through the village, searching for Rimuru-sama. She had sworn her unwavering loyalty to him, the benefactor of the surviving ogres—now the proud oni tribe. He was everything to her, and the fact that she couldn't find him anywhere was frustrating.
She stepped into a wooden building and found Shuna sitting at a table, carefully sewing a new outfit for their lord. "Shuna, have you seen Rimuru-sama?" she asked, crossing her arms.
Shuna didn't even look up from her work. "I haven't seen him since last night."
Shion sighed and tapped her fingers against her bicep. Where could he have gone? "Alright, thanks."
She left the building and made her way to the blacksmith. Inside, Benimaru was standing by as the dwarves fixed his sword.
"You gotta go easier on your equipment, kid. Until we get some magic resistant metals you need to use less fire magic," one of the dwarves said.
"I'll try but its not my fault crazy strong guys keep popping up..." Benimaru grumbled.
"Benimaru! Have you seen Rimuru-sama?" she asked, looking around as if expecting him to pop out from behind a forge.
Benimaru shook his head. "Nope. Not since yesterday."
The dwarves shrugged, confirming his statement. Another dead end.
Shion groaned. "Where did he go?"
As she turned to leave, a voice spoke directly behind her. "I've seen him."
Shion yelped, spinning around with a glare. "Souei! Stop sneaking up on me like that!"
Souei smirked, clearly enjoying himself. "No."
She rolled her eyes, but there was no time to bicker. "Where is Rimuru-sama?"
He tilted his head toward the outskirts of the village. "Inside that new restaurant that popped up last night. He walked in and never came back out."
Shion froze. "What!? Why didn't you say anything sooner? What if it's a magic trap? What if he's in danger?"
Souei waved a dismissive hand. "Relax. We checked through the door. It looked like he was having fun—"
"I have to go save him!" Shion declared, cutting him off entirely. Without waiting for any further explanation, she bolted toward the mysterious new building.
How had she not noticed it before!? It was right there, sitting at the edge of the village like it had always belonged.
"I'm coming, Rimuru-sama!" she shouted.
Shion shoved open the doors to the restaurant, her heart was racing. What she found inside left her speechless. The entire place was a disaster. Men were passed out everywhere—slumped over tables, sprawled across booths, some even lying facedown on the bar counter. The air reeked of alcohol, and empty mugs and plates were scattered across every available surface.
And lying in the middle of the floor was Rimuru-sama.
"Rimuru-sama!" she shouted, rushing toward him. "Are you alright?!"
A chorus of groans erupted from the various hungover men inside.
"Oh god, why is someone yelling?"
"Someone turn off the sun..."
"The windows don't even show outside, there's no sunlight. You're just that hungover."
"Fuck..."
Shion ignored their complaints and dropped to her knees beside Rimuru, gripping his shoulders. "Rimuru-sama, wake up!" she demanded.
Rimuru cracked one eye open and groaned. "Hey, Shion. When did you get here? You're just in time for the party."
Shion frowned. "Rimuru-sama, it's morning! Whatever party you attended is clearly over!"
His eyes widened slightly before he let out a weak laugh. "Oh… hehe, last night was awesome…"
Shion couldn't help but feel a tad jealous that Rimuru-sama had so much fun without her. A quick scan of the room, however, allowed her to relax—there were no other women here. She didn't have to worry about some scheming hussies trying to steal her lord away while she wasn't looking!
"Hey there!"
Shion turned toward the bar, where a nine-tailed fox man was waving at her. He had a pitcher filled with ice water pressed against his head, looking just as miserable as the rest of the men.
"Welcome to The Fox Hole. I'm the owner of this crazy place, Haru," he said with a tired smile. "I'd serve you breakfast, but I'm a little hungover right now."
"That stinks," Rimuru grumbled as he clutched his head. "How the hell do I have a hangover? I'm a slime!"
"Magic booze," Haru chuckled.
Shion narrowed her eyes slightly at the fox man. He was clearly powerful, and this place was obviously more than it seemed. But Rimuru-sama seemed comfortable here, and that was enough for now.
"This place is awesome, Shion!" Rimuru said, perking up despite his headache. "Haru's food is so good!"
Her brow twitched. Another chef? She folded her arms and gave the fox man an appraising look. If he was a fellow master of the culinary arts, then she would have to see for herself if he was worthy of praise. Another time though, she wouldn't want to test someone's skills when they weren't at their best!
She would take over instead.
"If you'll allow me to use your kitchen, I would be more than happy to make breakfast for Rimuru-sama and everyone else," Shion said proudly, placing a hand on her hip.
For some reason, Rimuru suddenly started trembling...
Aww, he always got that way when she cooked for him. He just loved her food so much!
Haru nodded and gave a thumbs-up. "Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm gonna go hop in the shower real quick, 'cause I'm pretty sure my tails may or may not have some vomit in them…"
Rimuru let out a weak laugh and dropped his head onto the bar with another groan.
Oh no! Her lord must be starving! She would rectify this immediately. She stepped behind the counter and couldn't help but admire Haru's kitchen. If nothing else, all the cooking equipment in here looked amazing and magical. She'd always dreamed of cooking in a kitchen like this!
– Rimuru –
Rimuru sat at the counter and placed Haru's pitcher full of ice water on his forehead. Even after transforming back into his slime form and then back again, the hangover didn't go away. Magical booze… what a delicious and formidable thing.
His nose twitched as he caught the scent of something cooking behind the counter. His eyes drifted over to Shion, who was happily humming to herself as she stirred something in a pan. Her back was turned to him, and for a second, his eyes wandered to her swaying hips.
No! He shook his head, snapping himself out of it. He had bigger concerns right now. Shion was making some kind of toxic meal, and he couldn't let his new friends eat it! Some of them were human; they would die!
The doors to the restaurant swung open, and Rimuru turned his head to see a strange figure step inside.
A freaking mecha knight!
"So cool…" Rimuru whispered to himself.
The knight looked around before spotting Armsmaster still passed out in a booth. "Ugh, this place stinks of booze," the knight muttered before turning to the rest of the restaurant. "Hey, everyone. I'm Gallant, a member of the Brockton Bay Wards. I'm here to pick up Armsmaster since he never reported back last night. Now we know why…"
Rimuru had learned last night that Armsmaster was from a world with actual superheroes, and now here was another one. Damn, why couldn't his old world have been that freaking cool?
"I'll help you carry him to the door," Rimuru offered, hopping off the stool.
Gallant sized him up. "Are you sure?"
"I'm stronger than I look," Rimuru pouted.
And he was. WAY stronger than he looked.
Armsmaster didn't stir as the two of them hoisted him up and hauled him toward the exit. The dude obviously had a lot of stress to work off last night and drank way more than a regular human should have been able to.
"Thanks for the help," Gallant said. "Glory Girl said this place was pretty interesting. I'll have to check it out when it's actually open for business." He gave a nod of appreciation before heading toward a black van parked outside, guarded by several armed agents.
The van had 'PRT' labeled on the side. Rimuru made a mental note to ask about that next time.
With one human safely removed from danger, Rimuru turned back toward the counter, only to curse under his breath. Shion was still cooking, her face practically glowing with excitement, and the kitchen was already filling with toxic purple fumes.
He'd have to apologize to Haru later for that mess!
Jon Snow was next. The guy was slumped over a table, groaning as Rimuru approached.
"What's… goin' on…" Jon slurred.
"I'm taking you home," Rimuru said, hoisting him up.
Jon mumbled something under his breath before cracking one eye open. "Ah… I don't wanna go home. Everyone there hates me, and Catelyn is a bitch. I don't know what Haru sees in her."
Rimuru didn't have time to unpack all of that. "Well, if you stay here, you'll literally die, so it's time to go."
Jon groaned but didn't resist as Rimuru guided him toward the door. He pushed it open and—holy crap. A massive snowy landscape stretched out before him, with the largest freaking castle he had ever seen towering in the distance.
"Holy freaking crap, that's awesome," Rimuru blurted out.
A couple of guards in steel armor stood nearby and immediately spotted him with Jon draped over his shoulder.
"Um… you can take him back to wherever," Rimuru said, gesturing vaguely toward the castle.
One of the guards chuckled. "Queen Sansa will be wanting to speak with her brother… although it looks like he needs a proper sobering up first."
There was a suspicious glint in the guard's eye, but Rimuru didn't sense any hostility. He figured Jon would be fine.
Stepping back inside, he nearly choked on his own breath. Agnar and Ainz were now sitting at the counter!
Shit!
Shion was smiling at them as she placed two steaming plates of purple goo in front of them.
Rimuru's blood ran cold.
The two men, still groggy from their hangovers, scooped up spoonfuls of the 'food' without a second thought.
"Thanks for the food."
"Umu."
"NO!" Rimuru tried to call out, but it was too late.
Ainz, even in his human form, was technically undead. He should have been immune to poisons, right? Right?!
Ainz immediately fell backward off his stool, convulsing on the floor.
Oh no. Shion's cooking could bypass racial immunities! What kind of broken ability was this?!
Agnar didn't fare much better. His face slammed onto the counter, with his body twitching violently.
Rimuru's brain scrambled for a solution. Agnar was an adventurer! Maybe he had poison cure potions!
"Observation: The pouch on his left hip most likely holds his supply of potions."
"Thanks, Great Sage!" Rimuru quickly opened it and pulled out a red vial. He poured half of it down Agnar's throat before shoving the other half into Ainz's mouth.
The convulsions stopped. They didn't wake up, but at least they weren't dying anymore. He wiped his brow, even though he couldn't actually sweat because—slime.
Now all that was left was Reigen—
"Hey, this isn't that bad," Reigen said, casually scooping up spoonful after spoonful of Shion's purple sludge.
Rimuru froze. His jaw nearly hit the floor as he watched Reigen eat it like it was no problem.
"Thank you!" Shion beamed. "I'm always happy when people like my cooking!"
"You're… okay?" Rimuru stared at the man. "Freaking how?! How are you not dead?"
Reigen took another bite and shrugged. "There were times when I was short on cash and had to eat way worse stuff than this. I've built up an immunity."
That brought up so many questions...
Reigan calmly set his spoon down, thanked Shion for the meal, and stood up. "Welp, last night was fun, but I gotta get back to work. Being an adult is hard sometimes…"
Rimuru watched him walk out the door, still in utter disbelief. No way that guy was a regular human. No way.
"Observation: He was just a regular human, with no special powers."
"…You're wrong about that one, Great Sage."
"Hmph!"
"Rimuru-sama, I saved your portion and one for Haru as well!" Shion said happily, pushing a steaming plate in front of him. Her eyes sparkled with expectation.
"Damn it..." Rimuru couldn't let Haru eat any of this! He might end up banning them from his restaurant! Thank meant Rimuru only had one option here! He grabbed both plates and opened his mouth wide before gulping all of the food down!
– Haru –
I got out of the shower, my nine golden fox tails now perfectly clean and fluffy. Pulling on a pair of jeans with a hole in the back for my tails and a white t-shirt, I headed back down the hall to my restaurant. The place had cleared out a lot since earlier.
Rimuru's friend—or maybe subordinate?—Shion was sitting on a stool next to him. He looked kind of sick, slumped against the counter while Shion happily chatted with Naruko.
"Hey Haru! I came to visit and see how things were going." Naruko smiled at me.
I smiled back. The shower had done wonders for my hangover. I had promised myself to go easy on drinking, but last night had been an exception.
"Things are going pretty good. Last night was boys' night."
Naruko grinned. "And last night us girls had another one of our meetings! Do you want me to tell you about it?"
"...I'm good." I wasn't about to get involved in whatever gossip they had going on. Some things were better left unknown.
I turned to Shion. "Did everyone else take off?"
She beamed at me. "Yes! They all loved the breakfast I made them!" Then she pouted. "I made some for you too, but Rimuru-sama loved my cooking so much that he ate your portion too!"
I raised an eyebrow, giving her an assessing look. Was she actually that good of a chef? That could be interesting. Maybe a cooking challenge was in our future. It'd been a while since I'd had some true competition!
My tails swayed a bit in excitement.
Naruko leaned on the counter as she spoke to me. "So, are Shion and Rimuru from a new world? I haven't met them before."
I nodded. "Yeah, Rimuru showed up last night, and I just met Shion this morning. I don't know much about their world yet."
"I don't know much about my whole world either!" Shion grinned. "But I know a lot about the Great Forest. It's home to lots of monsters like me and Rimuru. Do you two want to come see? We're in the middle of constructing a village under Rimuru-sama's leadership!"
I shrugged and looked at Naruko. "I've got nothing better to do."
She shrugged back. "Me neither. My brother Naruto's on a basic courier mission and won't be back till later, so I'm free all day."
I held out my arm, and she wrapped hers around mine. Shion glanced at us with an envious look, then back at Rimuru, who was still barely conscious and laying face-first on the counter. She was obviously down bad for the guy.
"I'm going to carry you, Rimuru-sama," she declared.
"Okay... blurgh…" Rimuru groaned.
I winced. "I think he just threw up in his mouth."
Naruko yelped as Rimuru's body suddenly shifted, morphing into a small blue slime. Man, the multiverse was wild sometimes. Shion scooped him up, and we headed toward the door.
I took a couple steps outside with Naruko and breathed in the fresh air. Forests always had the best air. The village Shion was talking about wasn't very big, but I could see the foundations being laid, and its location in the middle of a magical rainforest seemed pretty cool.
Then, suddenly, the entire world froze.
I couldn't move. My body felt completely locked in place, my muscles rigid as if someone had seized control of me. A voice echoed in my head.
"New extra-dimensional magical species detected! Designation: Kitsune. More specific Designation: Nine-Tailed Fox. Altering constitution to align with world parameters. Converting energy known as Youki into Magicules."
My mind reeled. What the hell was happening?
"Error: Conversion requires the Yokai known as Haru to undergo evolution. Fixing error! Commencing evolution! Evolving Nine-Tailed Fox Yokai into Ten-Tailed Demon Fox Yokai!"
Ten tails?! That was impossible! Ten-tailed foxes didn't exist! They were a freaking myth!
A searing heat exploded from my spine. My entire body trembled as my energy surged to an unimaginable level. I could feel something shifting inside me, a deep, primal force awakening. My tails burned as I literally felt another one shoot out from the base of my spine. My vision blurred momentarily, and my breathing grew ragged.
"Establishing Unique Skill: The Chef!"
"The Chef: This skill allows the user to enhance all meals he creates by infusing them with Magicules. Depending on the amount of Magicules used, dishes may even gain magical effects or enhancements."
I barely had time to process what had happened before my body was finally released from its frozen state. I stumbled slightly, my balance thrown off by the unfamiliar sensation of my tenth tail swaying behind me.
Holy crap that really happened!
"Haru, did some weird voice talk to you too?" Naruko asked me suddenly. I pulled my attention away from myself and glanced at her.
I blinked in shock, staring at Naruko like she'd just grown a second head. Which, honestly, wouldn't have been that much weirder than what had actually happened.
"What…?"
She had fox ears. A pair of red fox ears perched right on top of her head, twitching slightly as if adjusting to their existence. Behind her, nine red tails swayed with every slight movement she made. Naruko, of course, was completely oblivious. For now.
"It said something about me evolving into a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and then I gained a unique skill called 'Kurama' or something, and my chakra being converted to Magicules?" Naruko rambled to me.
I was pretty sure she hadn't even noticed her new features yet. I took a deep breath, then calmly reached out and took her hand in mine. "Okay, don't freak out or anything," I said slowly, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
Naruko blinked. "Huh? Why would I freak out?"
"Er-Look behind you." I tried to sound as calm as possible.
Naruko turned her head. Her gaze locked onto the swaying red fluffy tails behind her. She blinked, then reached up, feeling the new fox ears on top of her head.
Silence.
...Then she screamed.
"WHAT THE HELL!?"
XXX
Thanks for reading!!!
I have a patreo n. My subs can read advanced updates of my stories ahead of standard release and even check out pics for some of the more naughty chapters.
Link:
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 322-326
The Fox Hole 67
Thunder and Black Wings 14
The Fox Hole 66
The Blood Queen 38
The Fox Hole 65
The titan 29
The Fox Hole 64
Thunder and Black Wings 13
The Fox Hole 63
The Blood Queen 37
The Fox Hole 62
Thunder and Black Wings 12