Laying the Foundation

In the morning, Veldora decided to check on the ogres. He walked through the dense forest, the early sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground. The forest was alive with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling, but there was a palpable sense of calm and order, a testament to Veldora's overwhelming presence.

As he moved, his mind drifted back to the previous day's events. Naming the ogres had been a significant step, and he was eager to see how they had transformed. The forest path was familiar to him, leading directly to the sealed cave where the ogres were resting.

As Veldora walked through the forest, a group of dire wolves suddenly burst out of the bushes, launching a surprise attack. Veldora easily dodged them, his movements fluid and effortless. Normally, any monster would not dare to approach Veldora, let alone attack him, but since he was storing all his magicules inside his stomach, the wolves perceived him as a regular human.

"My, my, would you look at that," Veldora mused, amusement flickering in his eyes.

The pack leader, a massive wolf with dark fur and piercing yellow eyes, ordered the rest of the wolves to attack again. They lunged at Veldora in unison, but he sidestepped their attacks with ease, continuing his slow, deliberate walk towards the leader. As he approached, the pack leader began to back away, growling menacingly, its fur bristling.

Veldora squatted down in front of the pack leader, reaching out to rub its neck. "Don't make me kill you, okay?" Veldora spoke with a menacing smile, letting out a small but potent amount of the aura he had been holding back.

Instantly, the dire wolves felt the overwhelming power emanating from him. Their growls turned into whimpers, and they all kneeled and submitted, recognizing Veldora's dominance.

Satisfied, Veldora stood up and looked down at the pack leader. "I think I'll call you Barkobama," he said, patting the wolf's head. The newly named Barkobama barked happily and wagged his tail, clearly pleased with the name and the attention.

With that, Veldora resumed his journey to the sealed cave, but this time, he rode on top of Barkobama. The leader of the dire wolves bore him proudly, leading the pack through the forest as they made their way back.

As Veldora arrived at the cave, he saw Treyni and her sisters organizing the newly evolved ogres. They had been guarding them throughout the night to protect them from any lurking cave monsters. Sensing Veldora's presence, Treyni and her sisters greeted him respectfully.

Veldora then turned his attention to the kneeling Kijins, who had evolved from the ogres. Their transformations were impressive. Although they used to be big and bulky, their height had decreased, and their bodies had tightened. Their magical energy was now potent enough to mistake them for entirely different beings.

"Eh? They evolved that much?" Veldora mused.

Veldora could sense that they were at least A-rank monsters, with some potentially reaching A+ rank. An A-rank monster is a threat capable of destroying a small town by itself and could devastate an entire country if not quickly repelled by an international coalition.

Veldora's eyes skimmed through the Kijins. The one with the most magical energy had hair burning like a crimson flame: Benimaru. His eyes were filled with respect as he looked at Veldora. The former ogre chieftain, Akamaru, although not as impressive as his son, had also gained significant strength.

Next, Veldora observed the three women, who had become stunningly beautiful after their evolution.

Riri, with fiery red hair, had a wild charm and a single black horn glowing brilliantly. She looked rejuvenated.

Shuna, with long, wavy pink hair and two white horns, had white skin and pink lips. Her crimson eyes, filled with passion, stared at Veldora. She was a striking beauty, standing about 155 cm tall.

Shion, with straight purple hair and a single purple horn, had white skin and red lips. Her purple eyes seemed to look into Veldora's soul. At 170 cm tall, she was a true beauty, exuding confidence as she licked her lips.

Veldora looked at the 300 Kijins in front of him with satisfaction. This was a force to be reckoned with. In the original story, Rimuru had only five Kijins serving him, making him a significant threat. But now, with 300 of them, Veldora's power was unmatched.

"Veldora-sama! Please accept our loyalty!" the Kijins said in unison as they bowed before him.

**************************************************

In a bustling town on the outskirts of the Great Jura Forest, three adventurers were preparing for a daunting task. B-rank adventurers Kabal, Eren, and Gido had been tasked with investigating the forest, where monster activity had been on the rise. The increasing danger had caused merchants to avoid the forest entirely, leading to skyrocketing protection fees and making trips unprofitable.

With their preparations complete, they were about to set off when a lone figure approached them.

"Pardon me. If you are heading towards the forest, could I not perhaps accompany you halfway?" The voice was a perplexing blend—neither clearly feminine nor masculine, neither young nor old. The speaker's face was obscured by a mask, an expressionless yet beautiful mask that emitted an unsettling aura.

Eren tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "Should be fine…?"

Kabal, shot a glare at the stranger. "Hey! You! Before the leader – I ! – gave permission… seriously, what the hell!"

Gido chuckled, nudging Kabal. "Really… well, now that Nee-san gave her okay, there's no use arguing, is there?"

Despite the stranger's suspicious appearance, the trio accepted the new companion without much hesitation.

"I am grateful," the masked figure said softly, following them in silence.

Thus, Kabal's group of three became four, setting off on their investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the Storm Dragon Veldora. The forest loomed ahead, its dense trees and eerie silence a stark reminder of the dangers that awaited them.

**************************************************

Veldora now had his hands full with assigning jobs to everyone. He had almost 2,000 subordinates, most of whom were hobgoblins and tempest wolves he had named, with the rest being kijins.

Though goblins lived socially, they lacked skills in building or crafting. The kijins, on the other hand, had some knowledge of constructing decent houses and organizing their work. To make efficient use of his resources, Veldora established three temporary teams:

Defense team

These were the elite soldiers among the kijins and goblins, dedicating 100% of their time to training and honing their skills. Benimaru was appointed as the leader, with Hakurou serving as the co-leader.

Surveillance Team

Tasked with information gathering, this team was crucial for keeping an eye on their surroundings and any potential threats. Souei was appointed as the leader of this group.

Management Team

This team comprised the leading members of the tribes, like Akamaru and Rigurd. They were in charge of organizing the rest of the kijins and goblins for construction and other essential jobs.

In addition to these teams, Veldora assigned special roles to certain individuals:

Shuna: Appointed as Veldora's assistant, helping him manage various tasks.

Shion: Appointed as his bodyguard. Although Veldora didn't really need protection, he enjoyed having a mature beauty walk around.

Riri: Appointed as his personal tailor and head of the clothing department, which included a small group of goblin and kijin women interested in tailoring.

With these roles assigned, Veldora laid the basic foundation for his emerging empire. However, he knew there was still a long way to go. They needed expert artisans and, most importantly, recognition from another countrie to imprint his empire's name into the Voice of the World.