Granstar returned to the village a day after Rimuru Tempest fell unconscious from magicule exhaustion. Though mentally prepared, he was still taken aback by the changes that had swept through the goblin village.
"This… This is a complete transformation!"
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.
Granstar didn't sit idle. He took it upon himself to guide the newly evolved Hobgoblins in constructing their homes. Using his affinity for ice magic, he cleared a large area of trees and carefully partitioned the land.
Though he lacked architectural knowledge, he had precise control over his magic.
"Who says ice can't be used for houses?"
Channeling his magicules, Granstar condensed a massive ice block nearly three meters tall.
"Whoa! What's Lord Granstar doing with such a huge block of ice?"
"I bet he knows we're parched from working and is making something to cool us off!"
"Really? He's as considerate as Lord Rimuru!"
A few goblins stopped their tasks and gathered around, curious about the spectacle.
Granstar paid them no mind. His fingers moved with skill and grace, carving into the massive ice block. Shards scattered in all directions, and slowly, an elaborate ice structure resembling a small castle took shape.
"There. Done!" he said, admiring his work.
At that moment, Rigurd, the village chief, approached.
"Lord Granstar, this ice castle you created is...?"
"Oh, Rigurd. This? It's just a temporary dwelling for me. Your homes will be simpler — I'll build them within half a day."
Rigurd beamed. He had been worried about housing, but now felt at ease. A home, no matter how simple, was a blessing.
With the experience of sculpting his ice castle, creating the hobgoblins' homes became far easier. Granstar constructed various-sized houses — double rooms, communal five-person lodges, and larger ten-person shelters — all of ice.
Maintained by his magic, the houses wouldn't melt, and the energy cost was negligible.
The village had grown significantly, with around two hundred inhabitants, including members of the Fang Wolf tribe — a fusion of goblins and the Direwolves Rimuru had once defeated and later named.
Meanwhile, in Rimuru's inner world...
For three days, Rimuru remained in deep meditation within the cave. He had pushed himself to the brink by naming so many goblins and wolves — a process that consumed an enormous amount of magicules.
But upon awakening, he noticed something incredible — his magicule reserves and magical essence had actually grown stronger.
"This power… It's even greater than before!"
Rimuru grinned, itching for action. A small part of him wanted to test his strength against Granstar — but he quickly dismissed the idea.
"Not yet. He's no pushover…" Rimuru chuckled, shaking his head.
Stretching his arms, he shouted:
"Granstar! I'm finally awake! You do know naming burns through magic power, right?!"
His voice echoed through the village.
Lounging inside his ice castle, Granstar perked up.
"Heh. He's awake at last."
"Lord Rimuru is awake! Finally, we can all breathe easy!"
"Waaah! Lord Rimuru, we were so worried! What would we do without you?! Waaah!"
Rimuru: ⊙∀⊙!
"Gobuta, stop crying! He's fine!"
Rimuru hadn't been fully unconscious. He had sensed what was happening outside — and knew of Granstar's efforts. The village had taken on a whole new shape, and much of it was thanks to Granstar.
He felt a bit embarrassed… but hey, thick skin helps.
Suddenly, Granstar appeared, wings outstretched, descending beside Rimuru.
Now, he was in his compact, humanoid form — about the same size as Rimuru, but just a bit taller.
"Yo, Rimuru. Good to see you conscious again. Maybe now I can finally catch some rest."
"Hmph! You've been lounging in an ice palace and I was the one who passed out."
"Don't get grumpy! Remember, there's still something important left to do."
Granstar elbowed Rimuru playfully, pointing toward the edge of the clearing.
Following his gesture, Rimuru saw nearly a hundred Direwolves — the Fang Wolf tribe — staring at him expectantly.
"…Oh. Right."
It was time to bestow names once more.
"So many Fang Wolves... I'm afraid the magicules I just recovered will be drained again!"
Rimuru stared at the pack nervously, remembering the last time he handed out names.
"Great Sage, if I name the Fang Wolves now, will I fall asleep again like before?"
[Answer: Analysis complete. If the host bestows names to multiple monsters, the host is expected to enter a state of stasis for approximately three days, due to excessive magicule expenditure.]
"Seriously?! I just woke up!"
Rimuru groaned, his face contorting into frustration.
Watching this, Granstar—an original character not in the canon, but we'll roll with it—couldn't help but chuckle at the slime's misery.
"Rimuru, let me give you a tip. The Fang Wolves aren't like other monsters. They're a unified pack—naming the leader automatically extends the name's effect to the entire group. But be warned, the magicule cost remains the same."
"Oh? That's convenient... though not any less painful," Rimuru muttered, his expression still bitter.
He knew what was coming.
"Rimuru, how could I let you go through that again alone? We're friends. This time, I'll share the burden with you!"
Granstar grinned, placing a reassuring hand on Rimuru's shoulder.
"Really? You'd do that for me?" Rimuru looked up, genuinely surprised.
Granstar nodded and gestured for the new pack leader to step forward—a large wolf with an imposing presence and sharp golden eyes, the son of the previous leader whom Rimuru had defeated.
"Let's name him together. Something cool and fitting."
Rimuru's eyes lit up.
"Storm... fang... Our name represents the storm. How about 'Ranga'? The Fang of the Tempest."
"Perfect! Let's do it!"
Granstar agreed, and together they spoke the name.
"We name you—Ranga!"
The moment the name echoed across the clearing, a massive surge of magicules was siphoned from both Rimuru and Granstar.
Rimuru staggered, already feeling his consciousness slipping. Granstar managed to stay on his feet but was clearly winded.
Luckily, Rimuru had prepared in advance. From his [Stomach], he summoned a vial of Magicule Recovery Potion—one of many he had begun mass-producing for just this sort of situation.
"Ugh... I really need to stop doing this on a whim..."
He downed the potion quickly, hoping to stave off the inevitable drowsiness.