Kairo's mind, still reeling from the adrenaline crash and the Zenkai surge, snapped into hyper-focused clarity. This was the moment. Every action, every word, carried immense weight. He could not appear as a mere beast, nor as a calculated threat. He had to be something… intriguing.
Rimuru Tempest hopped off the rock, his gelatinous body wobbling as he approached. The Great Sage's analysis was likely running at full tilt, dissecting the strange energy signature Kairo had just emitted.
"You're not a monster from around here, are you? And you're so small! What are you?" Rimuru's voice, direct and friendly, echoed in Kairo's mind.
Kairo pushed himself up to a sitting position, his body protesting. He met the slime's gaze—or rather, the spot where a gaze would be. He decided on a policy of careful truth. Lies would be detected by the omnipotent Great Sage. He needed to present a compelling, sympathetic narrative.
Using the faint remnants of his Ki, he focused his thoughts, projecting them back in a weak, childlike mental whisper. It was a strain, but it was possible. "I am… Kairo. My people… are from a distant star. I was lost. Sent here… by accident."
It was technically true. He was a Saiyan, and the System's multiverse travel certainly qualified as an accident from any outside perspective.
"Whoa! Telepathy! And from a baby!" Rimuru bounced with excitement. "A lost alien baby? That's crazy! Your energy felt so powerful for a second there."
"It is… all I can do," Kairo projected, layering his mental voice with a feigned exhaustion and vulnerability. "To survive. This world… is dangerous."
He gestured weakly towards the dead Fang Wolf. The implication was clear: he was a victim of circumstance, forced to defend himself.
[Appraising: Rimuru Tempest - Emotional State Analysis:]
[Primary: Sympathy.]
[Secondary: Intense Curiosity.]
[Tertiary: Protective Instinct.]
Perfect. He was hitting all the right notes for the future benevolent ruler.
"Don't worry! It's not all bad," Rimuru said, hopping closer. "I'm kinda new here too. I can help you! But… you seem kinda… undefined."
"Undefined?" Kairo prompted, though he knew exactly what was coming.
"Yeah! It's hard to explain, but my… uh, my skill tells me you have potential, but you're lacking a core identity here. You need a Name! Giving a Name uses up a lot of magicules, but it helps monsters grow and evolve!"
This was the crux of the quest. He had to guide Rimuru to the conclusion without seeming like he was asking for it.
"A Name?" Kairo projected, injecting a sense of naive wonder. "What would that do?"
"It would make you stronger! Give you a proper place in this world's system. You wouldn't be so lost anymore." Rimuru's tone was enthusiastic, like a programmer offered a fascinating new project. "I've never named anyone from another world before! I wonder what would happen?"
Kairo remained silent, letting the slime's own curiosity do the work. He looked down at his own small, dirty hands, then back at Rimuru, allowing a flicker of hope to color his mental projection.
Rimuru paused, his body still. He was likely consulting Great Sage.
"Great Sage says your energy signature is unique. It's physically powerful but has no magical footprint. A Name could anchor you, integrate you! This is so cool! Okay, I'll do it!"
Rimuru's body glowed with a soft, majestic blue light. The air hummed, and the very Magicules of the forest seemed to draw inward, focusing on the small slime.
"I hereby bestow upon you a Name! I grant you the power to bridge the stars and this world, to carry the strength of your origins and the wisdom of your new path! Henceforth, you shall be known as… Astra!"
The moment the name left Rimuru's consciousness, a torrent of raw, cosmic power slammed into Kairo. It was nothing like the violent, self-inflicted strain of a Zenkai. This was an external, overwhelming flood of energy that sought to rewrite his very existence on a fundamental level.
[INCOMING SOUL DATA STREAM…]
[WORLD SYSTEM INTEGRATION…]
[BESTOWING NAME: ASTRA…]
Agony. It was a searing, spiritual fire that threatened to burn away everything he was. His Saiyan cells screamed in protest as foreign laws of magic tried to impose themselves. His [Limit-Breaker] trait flared in response, not rejecting the change, but consuming it. It was not a passive defense; it was an active, voracious assimilation.
The System's voice cut through the pain, calm and analytical.
[Host Physiology Undergoing Forced Evolution.]
[Limit-Breaker Trait Active. Bypassing Standard Racial Limitations.]
[Saiyan Biology: Preserved.]
[Integrating Magicule Breeder Organ… Complete.]
[Establishing Mana Circuits… Complete.]
[Unique Skill Generated…]
The pain subsided, replaced by a profound, humming fullness. He felt… different. More real. More anchored. The world itself felt clearer, as if a filter had been removed. He could now feel the Magicules not just as an ambient mist, but as a tangible energy he could draw into himself, store, and wield.
[MAIN SCENARIO QUEST: A Name of Power - COMPLETE.]
[Rewards: Unlock Magicule Physiology. 500 Mandate Points. Designation as "Otherworlder."]
[Bonus Reward: Due to Unique Interaction between Limit-Breaker and Naming Process, Host has acquired Unique Skill: [Stellar Forge].]
He opened his eyes—eyes that now held a faint, starlight shimmer. He looked at his hands. They were still small, but they thrummed with a new, dual-layered energy: the fierce, physical heat of Ki and the cool, versatile potential of Mana.
"Astra! You okay?" Rimuru's voice was laced with concern. "You glowed really weirdly for a second. Great Sage says the integration was… unprecedented. But you're stable! How do you feel?"
Kairo—now Astra—looked at the benevolent slime. He sent a new mental projection, this one stronger, clearer, and filled with genuine, unfeigned gratitude.
"I feel… whole. Thank you, Rimuru. This gift… I will not forget it."
He had his Name. He had his foothold. The Saiyan infant, Astra, was now a true denizen of the multiverse, his potential magnified a thousandfold. The first, crucial alliance had been forged. The real training could now begin.