Night draped itself over the forest like a veil of black silk. Stars blinked above the goblin village, and the fires had long since dimmed to embers. Most of the newly evolved goblins had retired to their refurbished huts, their bodies exhausted from transformation, their minds still buzzing with unfamiliar strength.
But not Jiro.
He stood alone near the edge of the camp, his slime body perched on a boulder under the moonlight. His senses stretched out like feelers in the dark, heightened by his hybrid instincts. He could hear the wings of a beetle brushing against leaves. Smell the wet moss curling at the base of a nearby tree. And underneath it all… something else.
Movement. Watching. Not goblin.
"You feel that too?" came Rimuru's voice from behind.
Jiro turned slightly. "Yeah. Someone's been circling the village since nightfall. But they're good. Too good for a wild animal."
Rimuru bounced up beside him. "Think it's another monster?"
"Could be. Could also be a scout."
"For what?"
Jiro didn't answer at first. His crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dark. "Trouble."
The two slimes remained still, scanning the forest's edge. Then, like a ghost slipping between shadows, it appeared.
A humanoid figure crouched on a branch high above—tall, lean, wrapped in fur and bone armor. A beastman, Jiro realized, or maybe something close. Its eyes gleamed yellow in the dark, and it didn't blink as it stared directly at them.
"Yeah, that's not a goblin," Rimuru whispered.
Jiro's aura flared for a moment, enough to let the watcher know he'd been seen. The figure tensed, then leapt backward into the shadows.
Jiro didn't chase. Not yet.
"He's fast. Skilled. That wasn't a random encounter," Jiro said quietly. "He was studying us."
"You think he saw the naming ceremony?"
"I'd bet my core on it."
Rimuru frowned. "So what now?"
Jiro turned his eyes back to the stars. "Now we prepare. Because if he wasn't alone… more are coming."
---
By morning, the village was alive with energy. The evolved goblins—now taller, stronger, and more coordinated—moved with purpose. Training groups had already formed, and makeshift defenses were being assembled from sharpened logs and reinforced pits.
Jiro, still in his slime form, hovered near the training area, giving tips to a group practicing spear drills.
"No, Haruna, hold your stance wider. You've got reach now—use it."
"Yes, Lord Jiro!" she replied, adjusting her grip.
Rimuru arrived shortly after, looking more energized. "Looks like they're taking to this faster than I expected."
"They're eager. Fear does that."
Rimuru nodded. "I've been thinking. If someone's watching us, it means word is spreading. Which means… we need allies."
"Before enemies find us first," Jiro finished.
They both knew what was coming. A rising power—even one led by slimes—would not go unnoticed. Other monster tribes, human kingdoms, adventurer guilds… someone would come knocking. The only question was: would they come with hands open, or swords drawn?
Just then, a breathless goblin ran up to them.
"Lords! We've found something!"
Jiro turned. "What is it?"
"Tracks. Huge ones. Heading north. And… something was dragged."
Jiro's core tensed. "Show me."
As he and Rimuru followed the goblin toward the outer woods, a quiet certainty settled in his chest.
The age of passive survival was over.
And the first real threat to their rising nation was already on its way.