"Rimuru-sama, you're so cruel! How could you just leave me behind! You're so mean-su! I'm crying-su!"
Gobuta wailed dramatically when he finally caught up to the group, desperately using a new skill he had somehow unconsciously acquired to bridge the gap.
"Sorry, sorry," Rimuru said, rolling his nonexistent eyes. "But who told you to sleep all day like that?"
Rimuru was utterly speechless at the goblin, but what could he really say? "Anyway, we're heading back now. Everyone is waiting for us."
"Yes, su!" Gobuta nodded enthusiastically.
Only then did the young Hobgoblin notice Suzuki. The mysterious human was casually riding atop one of the massive Direwolves, and somehow, his posture and command over the beast were significantly better than Gobuta's—or anyone else's in the village, for that matter!
"W-Who is this guy, su?! His riding skill is amazing, Rimuru-sama!"
"Oh, he's my friend!" Rimuru declared proudly, stretching a gelatinous arm out to wrap around Suzuki's shoulder.
Suzuki sighed inwardly, stiffening slightly as he felt the slime's arm around him. Surprisingly, Rimuru's body didn't feel weird or gross; if anything, it felt exactly like a high-quality, temperature-controlled plushie. Rimuru must have used his skills to subconsciously adjust his gelatinous composition, ensuring anyone who touched him felt perfectly comfortable.
Suzuki knew this because he had actually poked a wild, non-sentient slime back in the forest right after transmigrating. He had to admit, that one had been far too sticky and acidic for his liking. It was weird of him to touch random monsters, sure, but he was curious!
Still, as they rode, Suzuki analyzed his feelings regarding the goblin. In his mind, the image of a "goblin" was overwhelmingly negative. Aside from the fact that he had been violently ambushed by evil goblins the moment he dropped into this world, the overarching pop-culture narrative from his original world heavily endorsed the philosophy that "The only good goblin is a dead goblin."
Yet, he knew logically that just like humans, monsters possessed a spectrum of morality. Since Rimuru had personally named this tribe, Suzuki theorized that their inherent nature would align with their Namer's personality.
And what was Rimuru's personality? Completely harmless and painfully naïve. There was no need to worry.
But he did wonder why he had zero issues casually riding a hyper-lethal Direwolf, yet experienced complex, lingering prejudice against a goofy goblin.
Hmm...
Pushing his bias aside, Suzuki nodded at Gobuta and introduced himself smoothly. "Nice to meet you, Gobuta. You can call me Suzuki. I am a merchant."
"Ah, oh! Nice to meet you too, su! I-I am Gobuta!"
Gobuta was momentarily stunned by Suzuki's perfectly neutral, polite introduction. The goblin knew exactly how human adventurers typically viewed monsters. Unable to contain his confusion, Gobuta quickly leaned in close to Rimuru and whispered loudly, "What's wrong with this human, Rimuru-sama? He isn't looking at me with disgust or treating me like trash-su."
"..." Both Suzuki and Rimuru heard him perfectly.
"Don't worry," Rimuru quickly reassured his subordinate. "This guy is totally chill! Plus, he's a merchant. As long as we provide a solid profit margin, he'll be good to us."
"Profit?" Gobuta scratched his head, thinking about their current living situation. "Is there really any profit to be made in our tiny, broken, muddy village-su?"
"..."
"GOBUTA, YOU BASTARD! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Rimuru panicked, wildly waving his pseudopods before looking at Suzuki with absolute desperation. "D-Don't listen to him, Suzuki-kun! There are so many wonderful, highly profitable things in our village! Like... the pristine nature! And... other stuff!"
"Such as?" Suzuki asked dryly.
"..." Rimuru froze.
Suzuki sighed inwardly. He decided not to embarrass Rimuru any further. He knew perfectly well from the original plot that there were countless unique, highly profitable resources in Rimuru's territory.
"There are actually a lot of things you can sell, you know," Suzuki said calmly.
"Oh?" Rimuru looked up in genuine surprise, not expecting such an immediate, positive assessment.
"First, you can routinely hunt down the dangerous, high-level monsters surrounding your territory. Any raw materials you don't personally need—hides, magic cores, fangs—you can sell directly to me in bulk. Or, better yet, you can utilize your new Dwarven craftsmen to process those raw materials into high-grade armor, weapons, and textiles, and then sell the finished products to me for a significantly higher markup."
"...Is-Is that really okay?" Rimuru asked, his eyes widening.
"Yeah." Suzuki nodded. "I don't like dealing with the hassle of physical production. You handle the manufacturing, raw material gathering, and labor. I will handle the international distribution, logistics, and all the financial headaches, paying you in whatever currency or goods you request."
"...I can get whatever I want?"
"I don't mean to boast, but..."
Suzuki casually reached his hand into his invisible [Conceptual Pocket] and pulled out something that completely shattered Rimuru's mind.
"T-That's...?!"
"A cola."
"A COLA?!" Rimuru screamed, utterly dumbfounded. "HOW?!"
"It was in my bag when I was forcefully transmigrated to this world. So..." Suzuki smoothly tossed the chilled plastic bottle to the slime. "Can you recreate this for me, Rimuru? Bring cola back to this world."
Gulp!
Rimuru stared at the bottle as if it were the Holy Grail. He knew he had just been entrusted with a task infinitely heavier and more important than anything he had faced so far.
"Wow, what is that? It looks weird, but kinda refreshing-su..."
Gobuta curiously reached his hand toward the sacred bottle.
Smack!
Kick!
Rimuru slapped the goblin's hand away while Suzuki flawlessly delivered a brutal, synchronized kick to the goblin's side, instantly knocking Gobuta unconscious.
"..." The Dwarven craftsmen watched in terrified silence.
Ignoring the unconscious goblin, Rimuru pinged his Unique Skill.
Sage, can you replicate the chemical composition of this cola?
[Affirmative. It is entirely possible to perfectly replicate the chemical structure of 'Cola' in this world. However, it requires agricultural adjustments and the sourcing of specific raw materials.]
"..."
A profound, electrifying excitement surged through Rimuru's jelly body. The prospect of bringing the ultimate comforts of modern Japan into this brutal fantasy world was intoxicating. And he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the ruthless, impeccably dressed young man standing before him was the absolute perfect partner to make it happen.
"Suzuki-kun... my best friend... let's do it! Let's bring modern comfort to this world!"
"I knew I could count on you, Rimuru!"
The two Japanese transmigrators practically cried tears of joy as they hugged each other, their minds filled with glorious visions of air conditioning, manga, and junk food.
In truth, Suzuki could have easily brought modern comforts to the world himself. Utilizing the [Creation Magic] and [Synergist] skills copied from the Arifureta Suzuki, he could theoretically manufacture almost anything.
Yet, he was simply too lazy to do the heavy lifting. Why build an entire manufacturing sector from scratch when he could just retreat to his Penthouse and enjoy the real thing? Furthermore, if he openly started producing modern technology, he would become a massive target for every greedy king and paranoid Demon Lord on the continent.
It was infinitely safer to use a proxy. Rimuru would act as the brilliant, wildly successful "Creator," drawing all the global attention and acting as the ultimate lightning rod, while Suzuki comfortably managed the shadowy, highly lucrative logistics in the background.
Yes, it was a somewhat manipulative corporate strategy, but Suzuki didn't feel guilty. He was helping Rimuru immensely. Being a monster in this world was politically brutal. Human nations ruthlessly guarded their influence, and establishing equal economic trade with a monster nation was practically impossible without a legitimate, human intermediary. Suzuki was exactly the buffer Rimuru needed during his crucial growth phase.
Suzuki knew Rimuru's ascension was inevitable. The Golden Age of Monsters, led by the Jura-Tempest Federation, was approaching, and humanity would either have to adapt or perish against Rimuru's overwhelming might. Suzuki, despite being human, just wanted to secure a comfortable life and protect his monster lovers.
The primary difference between the two transmigrators lay in their specific skill sets. Rimuru possessed the [Great Sage]—an AI-like analytical powerhouse—and a slime body capable of devouring and recreating anything within his stomach. Rimuru was the ultimate Creator; the guy with the wildest, most revolutionary ideas.
Suzuki, on the other hand, was the ultimate Optimizer. Armed with the [Manager], he didn't want to invent the wheel; he just wanted to patent it, streamline its production, and monopolize its distribution.
Who was objectively better? It didn't matter. Both roles were vital for global domination.
Still, as they rode closer to the village, Suzuki felt a slight pang of reluctance. He wasn't particularly eager to spend time in a muddy village full of Goblins. Wait, technically they were Hobgoblins now. But still, when he looked at the unconscious Gobuta, he assumed the entire tribe—male and female—looked roughly the same.
Wait, why am I even thinking about the females?! How degenerate am I getting?!
Suzuki aggressively pushed the strange, lingering thoughts out of his mind. It was easy enough, assuming they were all as goofy-looking as Gobuta.
Yet, as the treeline finally broke, revealing the bustling, newly constructed village—
"Rimuru-sama!"
"You've returned!"
"Welcome back, Rimuru-sama!"
"Hmm?"
Suzuki blinked, his eyes locking onto the female Hobgoblins rushing out to greet their leader.
Despite his desperate internal attempts to suppress any inappropriate observations, he was forced to admit an absolute, undeniable truth: the female Hobgoblins were... surprisingly attractive?
Completely unaware of Suzuki's internal crisis, Rimuru turned to him, his featureless face beaming with absolute, innocent pride.
"Welcome to my village, Suzuki-kun!"
"..."
Ah...
Suzuki wasn't entirely sure why, but looking at Rimuru's pure, trusting face made him feel an intense, crushing wave of guilt.
D-Don't look at me with those innocent eyes, Rimuru! I'm not a good person!
Desperately trying to suppress his own degeneracy, Suzuki nodded firmly, matching Rimuru's earnest tone. "Thank you for having me, Rimuru."
However, deep down, Suzuki knew with absolute certainty that his willpower was crumbling by the second.