Makoto was startled when he heard Nueria's words.
"1 equals 1000? With that much energy, what kind of core are you going to create, Nueria?" Makoto asked.
[Answer: By using the structural example of the core of the Voice of the World, and with [Ultimate Skill: Creation], it is confirmed that creating the required core is possible.]
"The core of the Voice of the World? Isn't that almost the same as creating an entirely new world from nothing?" Makoto said.
[If Master wishes, that core can become the core of a new world.]
"No need. The world of Eryndal is already enough for me," Makoto replied.
"Nueria, begin core creation."
[Understood, Master.]
[Notice: Using [Ultimate Skill: Rull] to create [Skill: Creation]… success.]
[Notice: [Skill: Creation] evolving into [Extra Skill: Creation]… success.]
[Notice: [Extra Skill: Creation] evolving into [Unique Skill: Creation]… success.]
[Notice: [Unique Skill: Creation] evolving into [Ultimate Skill: Creation]… success.]
[Using [Ultimate Skill: Creation] and [Ultimate Skill: Rull] to create a core… success.]
After hearing the notifications in his mind, Makoto felt something forming within his consciousness. When he looked inward, he saw a beautiful hexagonal crystal at the center of his consciousness, occupying the place where the seed of the World Tree had once been.
[Report: Proceed with transferring Ultimate Skills into the core?]
"Proceed."
Makoto then saw several rainbow-colored lights enter his mental space and fly into the hexagonal crystal. The crystal, which had previously been clear, now emitted a rainbow glow.
[Report: Transfer complete.]
"Good," Makoto said.
When he exited his mental space, Makoto realized that evening was approaching. He began walking back toward the city. On the way, he encountered Gobta again, who was also returning from patrol.
"Yo, Gobta. Are you heading back to the city too?" Makoto asked.
"Oh, Makoto-sama, we meet again," Gobta said.
"Do you need a ride, Makoto-sama?"
"No need. I prefer walking at a relaxed pace," Makoto replied.
"In that case, I'll head on first, Makoto-sama," Gobta said, then left with his group.
By the time Makoto arrived at the inn, the sun was almost setting.
"Welcome back, Waka," Tomoe said, drinking sake.
"How was your meeting with Hakurou?" Makoto asked.
"We sparred for a bit. In terms of sword technique, he was superior to me. Even though I won in the end, I lost when it came to swordsmanship technique," Tomoe said happily.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Makoto replied.
"Have Mio and Shiki returned?" he asked.
"They're back. Mio is cooking with Shuna in the kitchen, and Shiki has been in his room since returning," Tomoe answered.
"In that case, I'll soak in the onsen first. Don't drink too much sake, Tomoe—dinner is coming soon," Makoto said.
"I understand, Waka," Tomoe replied lazily, then took another drink. Makoto shook his head.
After washing up, Makoto soaked in the onsen.
"Ahh, onsen really is the best," he said, closing his eyes.
Soon, he heard footsteps.
"Oh, Fuze-san. Are you here to bathe as well?" Makoto asked casually.
"Yes, Makoto-dono," Fuze replied.
"Fuze-san, does the Kingdom of Blumund have any interesting places?" Makoto asked.
"Interesting?" Fuze echoed.
"Yes—places with beautiful scenery or something characteristic of the kingdom," Makoto explained.
"If it's places like that, there really aren't any. Blumund is just a small, peaceful kingdom," Fuze said.
"That's exactly it, Fuze-san. Not all kingdoms are peaceful. Even if they look calm on the surface, conflicts often occur in the shadows," Makoto said.
"Why are you asking about Blumund, Makoto-dono?" Fuze asked.
"I'm planning to travel to various places. When I visit Blumund, I wanted to know if there were any interesting spots," Makoto replied.
"I see. Then I can recommend a few places, such as the capital of the Kingdom of Ingracia or the capital of the Holy Empire of Ruberios," Fuze said.
"Thank you for the suggestions. If I have the time, I'll be sure to visit them," Makoto replied.
After leaving the onsen, Makoto relaxed in the lounge.
"Tomoe, you're still drinking sake here?" Makoto asked.
"Oh, Waka. Want to drink with me?" Tomoe replied.
"Not now. Dinner will be ready soon," Makoto said.
"Welcome back, Makoto-sama," Shiki greeted him.
"Shiki, are you going to the onsen?" Makoto asked.
"Yes, Waka-sama. I just finished writing notes about the herbal plant Hypokute," Shiki replied.
"Sounds like you got good results. What about the rare minerals we brought?" Makoto asked.
"Although the rare minerals we brought can also conduct magical energy, their characteristics differ from the minerals found in this world. As a result, Kaijin offered a high price for them," Shiki explained.
Before long, dinner time arrived.
"Makoto-sama, please try this new dish I made," Mio said.
"Is this a new recipe, Mio?" Makoto asked.
"Yes, Waka-sama. I used spices and herbs from this world and combined them with some seasonings I brought earlier," Mio replied.
After dinner, Makoto drank sake with Tomoe until late at night.
For several days after that, Makoto's routine didn't change much. Aside from accompanying Milim on hunts a few times with Caval, Eren, and Gido—who came with Fuze to meet Rimuru—everything was peaceful. One day, after returning from a hunt, a guest arrived: a dryad. When she appeared with a strong killing intent, everyone became alert.
"I am the dryad Tria, the younger sister of Treyni," she said.
"What's with that killing aura?" Rimuru asked.
"This is an emergency. A disaster is drawing near," Tria replied.
"A disaster?" Rimuru echoed.
"A disaster-class monster, Charybdis, has been resurrected," Tria said.
"Charybdis?" Rimuru repeated.
"Its power rivals that of a Demon Lord. My older sister Treyni and the others are holding it back, but it's completely ineffective," Tria explained.
"Then Charybdis's destination is this place. Fighting Charybdis, the ruler of the skies, from the ground is futile. I've come to advise you to strengthen your defenses and prepare an aerial force as quickly as possible," Tria said.
"It seems we're in a critical situation. Souei, gather everyone for an emergency meeting," Rimuru ordered.
Soon, most of the city's key figures assembled in the meeting room, and Tria explained Charybdis.
"Charybdis has existed since ancient times, repeatedly dying and being reborn. The ferocious ruler of the skies—aptly called the child of the forest's guardian ruler, the Storm Dragon Veldora-sama," Tria said.
"Charybdis was born from leaked magical energy belonging to Veldora," she continued.
"If Charybdis has awakened, it may be even more dangerous than a Demon Lord. Unlike Demon Lords, that creature cannot be reasoned with," Fuze added.
"It's essentially a mindless monster with [Unique Skill: Summon Monster], calling Megalodon sharks from elsewhere to wreak havoc," Vesta said.
"What? Isn't that even more troublesome than the Orc Lord?" Rimuru asked.
"The situation is dire. For some reason, the summoned Megalodons have possessed several low-level dragon corpses nearby," Tria said.
"Huh?" Rimuru reacted.
"There are thirteen of them," Tria added.
"Rimuru-sama, what should we do?" Shuna asked.
"Hem hem hem! Haven't you forgotten someone very important? If it's just Charybdis, it's no match for me! I'll beat it for you!" Milim said enthusiastically.
Rimuru was pleased to hear that, but before he could agree, Shion spoke up.
"We can't do that," Shion said.
"Eh?" Milim exclaimed in surprise.
"This is a problem for our city," Shion continued.
"But we're friends," Milim protested.
"That's true, but it doesn't mean we should always rely on our friends. If Rimuru-sama is truly cornered, we'll gladly ask for your help," Shuna said confidently.
Hearing Shuna's words, Milim became dejected.
"That's right, Milim. Trust me," Rimuru said to her gently.
"But… I thought this was my chance to show my strength," Milim muttered.
"Don't be sad, Milim. You can stay with me and watch from afar," Makoto said.
"Alright everyone, prepare to defeat Charybdis!" Rimuru declared.
"Yes!" all of Rimuru's followers replied before leaving the room to prepare.
Makoto also left the meeting room and returned to his room with Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki.
"Waka, what are we going to do?" Tomoe asked.
"Didn't Rimuru already say it? This is a matter for this country. We don't need to interfere," Makoto replied.
"Mio, tomorrow we're going on a picnic. Prepare food and drinks—and I also have something for all of you," Makoto said.
"What is it, Waka-sama?" Mio asked.
"Nueria, copy [Extra Skill: Storage Space] and transfer it to Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki," Makoto ordered mentally.
[Understood. Copying [Extra Skill: Storage Space]. Transferring to Individual Tomoe, Individual Mio, Individual Shiki… success.]
Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki all made surprised expressions after hearing the Voice of the World.
"What just happened, Waka?" Tomoe asked, while Mio and Shiki also waited for an explanation.
"I gave you a skill I possess: [Extra Skill: Storage Space]. As the name suggests, it's a skill for storing items. The storage space is fairly large—about 20 cubic meters—and I've also set time inside it to stop," Makoto explained.
"Waka-sama, how are you able to create and configure a skill so easily, and even give it to us?" Shiki asked.
"Previously, I had a skill called [Unique Skill: Perfect Assistant]. It was a skill I accidentally created when I came to this world. With it, I could easily use my various abilities—it truly lived up to its name, helping me with both small and large matters. However, its authority was too low. It couldn't help me use Sakai, because Sakai is an ability categorized as a rule of the world. Even if Sakai is only a simplified form of a rule, a rule is still a rule—beyond the authority of [Unique Skill: Perfect Assistant]. That's why I needed to evolve. Besides making me stronger, evolution allowed [Unique Skill: Perfect Assistant] to petition the Voice of the World to evolve into an Ultimate Skill," Makoto said.
"Normally, to evolve, one must meet certain criteria. For example, monsters in this world don't have names. To name a monster, the one who gives the name must sacrifice magical energy proportional to the monster's strength—the stronger the monster, the greater the energy required. Or one can take a special path, such as becoming a Hero or a Demon Lord, but that requires a Hero egg or Demon Lord Seed first. My evolution was very special. I didn't need a Hero Seed or Demon Lord Seed—I only needed a trigger. By using [Unique Skill: Perfect Assistant], I gained access to evolve through the system of the Voice of the World," Makoto explained.
"When I evolved, [Unique Skill: Perfect Assistant] proposed evolution to the Voice of the World and became [Ultimate Skill: Nueria]. With the help of [Ultimate Skill: Nueria], most of my skills merged and became Ultimate Skills. For example, [Unique Skill: Perfect Body] became [Ultimate Skill: Absolute Body]. This skill makes my body immune to all attacks—from magical attacks to conceptual attacks. Even if my body is struck, the skill automatically analyzes the attack, renders my body immune to it, and allows my body to adapt to any environment without limit, even chaotic space outside dimensions. Simply put, [Ultimate Skill: Absolute Body] is a combination of strength, endurance, defense, speed, and adaptation," Makoto said.
"Then [Unique Skill: Domination] became [Ultimate Skill: Rull]. This skill originated from various manipulation skills, detection skills, and others—but most importantly, Sakai. Using Sakai as its foundation and other skills as supplements, [Ultimate Skill: Rull] was born. With this skill, I can use, alter, create, and even erase rules. With it, I could easily erase an entire world. I was shocked myself when I realized I had obtained this ability. It may be due to Sakai causing the mutation, or perhaps something else I don't yet understand. What I do know is that I now possess a skill whose limits even I don't know," Makoto said.
"And lastly, [Ultimate Skill: Creation]. As its name suggests, I can create anything from nothing—ranging from inanimate objects, to living beings, even an entirely new world—as long as I have enough energy," Makoto concluded.