"What's wrong, Veldora?"
A small, cute, bouncy blue slime wobbled inquisitively, wondering why his newly self-proclaimed "best friend" dragon had suddenly gone dead silent.
Back in the forest, Suzuki might have successfully hidden from the Demon Lords, the Holy Church, and the rest of the world using his Semantic Camouflage, but Veldora was a different story. True Dragons inherently perceive the absolute "truth" of the world. Veldora stared right through the "Average Human Merchant" data packet, recognizing the exact same, highly structured linguistic aura of the guy who had just slept with the Dryad.
However, since Veldora was firmly sealed inside the cave, Suzuki's secret remained safe for now.
"Bwahahahahahaha!" Veldora suddenly erupted into booming, chest-rattling laughter.
"What? What's wrong? Why are you laughing out of nowhere?" Rimuru asked, thoroughly confused.
"Oh, Rimuru! Did you know there is a fellow reincarnator running around out there with a truly fascinating skill?"
"Oh? What kind of skill?"
"His skill allows him to literally change the definition of reality."
"...What do you mean?"
"I mean, he can rewrite anything—the laws of physics, the flow of magic—simply by parsing the syntax of the world. It's like rewriting a legal contract. Let's say someone casts a fireball at him. If this guy rewrites the core definition of the spell from 'burn' to 'warm,' then the fireball just becomes a gentle heater."
"...Isn't that basically a god-tier power?" Rimuru deadpanned.
By that logic, if this guy simply redefined the world as "destroyed," wouldn't the world end?!
"Truly, he is dangerous! If I weren't a supreme being capable of perceiving the absolute truth of reality, he might have even fooled me! He is currently masking his terrifying presence, trying to make the world believe he is just a normal, average human."
"A human, huh? Man, he's so lucky..."
Rimuru sighed dramatically, internally lamenting why he was stuck as a blob of jelly while his fellow Japanese compatriot got to keep a human body. Sure, humans might be physically weak in this world, but it was infinitely better than being a slime—the absolute bottom of the monster hierarchy.
More importantly, he didn't have his son! How was he ever supposed to escape his thirty-seven-year virginity now?!
"Oh, he is incredibly lucky!" Veldora boomed, clearly amused. "He is truly a fortunate fellow. He just spent the entire night sleeping with the Guardian of the Forest—the Dryad—and successfully forced an evolution into an Enlightened Sage in the process!"
"...Wait. You mean this guy slept with a Dryad, and that's how he got super powerful?!"
"Indeed! And by your human standards, the Dryad is considered one of the most breathtakingly beautiful beings in existence."
"GODDAMMIT!"
Rimuru was so violently jealous he felt like he was going to die a second time!
Yup. At that exact moment, Suzuki's secret wasn't quite as safe as he thought it was.
Back in the clearing, Suzuki remained blissfully unaware of the dragon's gossip. Honestly, he didn't care. For the first time in his life, he felt truly relaxed.
His days in his previous world had been far from peaceful. Every single day had been a grueling, rigorous grind of discipline, studying, and part-time jobs. The very concept of "resting" had always felt like a terrifying waste of time. It wasn't until he acquired the [Manager] and stabilized his existence that he finally felt he could take a breath.
It might sound strange to an outsider. As a Japanese teenager, shouldn't he have been enjoying a joyful, rose-colored youth? Unfortunately, reality was rarely that kind—especially for orphans.
Suzuki had absolutely nothing. There was no safety net and no one to rely on. The moment he turned eighteen, he became a legal adult, meaning if he didn't secure his own survival, he would end up on the streets. And life for the homeless in Japan? He preferred not to dwell on that grim reality.
But right now, lying warmly in the forest, he felt like he was floating in a dream. He was resting in a comforting embrace, the kind of maternal warmth he had never known. But he was well aware the woman holding him wasn't his mother.
"...Treyni?"
"Good evening," Treyni smiled softly, gently running her fingers through his hair. "It's nighttime now, you sleepyhead."
"...Right."
Even though Suzuki was sleeping on the bare ground in the middle of a primordial forest, he didn't feel cold or uncomfortable. The ambient temperature was perfect, as if he were wrapped in a thermal blanket. Strangely enough, the grassy earth contoured to his body, offering the plush comfort of a premium spring mattress.
"Are you hungry? I gathered some fruits for you," she offered.
"Thank you."
Despite not having eaten since before his transmigration—and despite engaging in very rigorous physical activity all night—Suzuki didn't feel a gnawing hunger.
How was that possible?
The only logical answer was his forced evolution into an Enlightened Sage. By surviving Treyni's overwhelming "fierceness," he had successfully taken the first major step on the path of human ascension.
While the process had been incredibly dangerous (he had genuinely almost died from being sucked dry), the benefits were staggering. He had successfully shed his mortal frailties. His body was now semi-spiritual, meaning he was no longer strictly bound by physical human needs like constant caloric intake. He would age incredibly slowly—potentially living for centuries—and his base physical durability had increased exponentially.
Furthermore, because his body had forcibly adapted to Treyni's immense nature energy, his internal magicule capacity had skyrocketed. His raw power output was now easily on par with an A-Rank monster.
To the uninitiated, "A-Rank" might sound mediocre. It was not. A-Rank monsters were walking natural disasters. An A-Rank threat had the potential to utterly decimate an entire town, requiring the deployment of high-ranking adventurers or an entire platoon of national knights to neutralize. He was just one tier below the Demon Lord seed, hovering on the borderline of the Hero Class.
He might not be the absolute strongest being in the world, but with his two Unique Skills, he was virtually untouchable.
[Self-Made] and [Etymologist].
With [Self-Made], he manipulated his innate biology. He could adapt, evolve, and grow exponentially stronger in the face of any adversity.
With [Etymologist], he manipulated the external world. He could alter the fundamental "source code" of the world's magic, granting him Law Domination. Anything that possessed a defined name or structural syntax fell under his domain; he could rewrite its purpose at will.
Additionally, because his evolution was triggered specifically by a Dryad's magicules, his [Improvised Armament] and [Etymologist] skills now carried the subtle attributes of the Jura Forest. He had gained a passive, absolute resistance to natural poisons and a high affinity for earth and wood magic.
"So, what are you planning to do now?" Treyni asked, resting her chin on his chest.
Suzuki accepted a strange, brightly colored fruit from her hand. He inspected it for a moment, deciding that even if it was highly poisonous, his new resistances would handle it. He took a bite; it was incredibly delicious.
"...To be honest, I really don't know."
"Really?"
"Yeah." Suzuki paused. Normally, he kept his thoughts strictly to himself. He was used to solving his own problems in complete isolation. But lying here, he felt surprisingly open. "In my original world, my only goal was to secure a stable, peaceful, and comfortable life. To do that, I had to spend every waking moment studying or working. But now... it seems I can actually just live well."
He couldn't earn a traditional salary anymore, but with the [Manager] and his Unique Skills, surviving in this dangerous world would be effortless. He could literally become a hermit, hiding in the jungle, and live in absolute luxury using the [Online Shopping] connection to his alternate selves.
As for money? If he ever actually needed it, he could easily register as an adventurer, effortlessly hunt high-tier monsters for bounties, or establish a trade monopoly like the Arifureta Suzuki.
Treyni stared up at him, a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "Have you ever thought about just... having fun?"
"...Having fun?" Suzuki frowned, the concept entirely foreign to his workaholic brain.
"Yeah!" Treyni ignored his confusion, a brilliant plan forming in her mind. "What did you think of what we did last night?"
"It was wonderful. Honestly, the best experience I've ever had," Suzuki replied bluntly. It was the absolute truth. Aside from the terrifying moment where she almost literally drained his life force, her body was incredibly soft, she smelled like heaven, and the sensation was mind-blowing. But where was she going with this?
"That's great~!" Treyni giggled brightly. Then, with a sweet, innocent smile, she casually suggested something absolutely outrageous. "Then... wouldn't it be fun to travel the world and try sleeping with all the different types of women out there?"
"..." Suzuki stared at the Guardian of the Forest, utterly speechless.