Mental Changes

After chatting with Naiyuan and Herohero for a while, Momonga immediately began testing his items.

Mirror of Surveillance.

The effect of this item was to observe enemies from a distance and obtain some of their information, but in the game, it could only be used to scout terrain.

After all, most players would purchase several anti-reconnaissance items.

However, now that he had transmigrated to another world, Momonga felt a sense of anticipation regarding the item's effects; perhaps it might produce some miraculous results.

Pressing his skeletal hand against the mirror's surface, Momonga began channeling his mana.

As the mana was injected, the surface of the mirror began to change. Waves of mist emerged, and finally, an image appeared within the glass.

The perspective seemed to be from high in the sky looking down. Momonga could clearly see a vast grassland, as well as the exit to Nazarick.

"I didn't expect this item to be so useful."

Momonga looked at the image before him with pleasant surprise.

It gave him the feeling of watching television.

"Indeed, this item is quite good for peeping."

Watching the scene before him, Naiyuan, who was lying on the sofa, said with a smile.

The scene reminded him of an anime called Naruto, where the Third Hokage often used a similar Ninjutsu to peep.

"Don't talk nonsense, Naiyuan. Why would I do something like that?"

Momonga retorted, his face covered in black lines.

What did he take him for? How could he do something like peeping? This was an insult to his character.

"I was just making a suggestion, Momonga. Don't get so worked up."

"Naiyuan, your suggestion really isn't a good one."

Herohero, who was enjoying a massage, also chimed in with a laugh.

"You two... forget it, I'm not talking to you anymore."

Out of sight, out of mind. Momonga chose to ignore his two troublesome friends and continued his observation.

Momonga waved his skeletal hand continuously, and the image in the mirror shifted accordingly.

The view extended outward from Nazarick, passing through forests, animals, and rivers, until the image finally paused over a village.

"I didn't expect there to be humans in this other world as well?"

Watching the humans scurrying about like tiny specks on the ground, Momonga felt a flicker of surprise.

"Isn't this perfectly normal?"

"It would be strange if there weren't any humans in another world, wouldn't it?"

Herohero and Naiyuan walked up to the mirror. Herohero expressed that this was nothing out of the ordinary and wondered what there was to make such a fuss about.

"I suppose that's true."

After a moment of silence, Momonga nodded in agreement.

"The image seems a bit off. Momonga, zoom in and take a look."

"Alright."

As Momonga adjusted the angle and distance, Naiyuan and the others finally saw the situation below clearly.

A massacre—it was clearly a massacre. A group of knights clad in ornate armor and wielding sharp blades were swinging their weapons incessantly.

The ones being attacked were villagers dressed in rough hempen clothes. With every swing of the knights' swords, a crimson flower of blood would bloom in the air.

"It seems the people of this other world aren't very strong. Those knights don't possess any supernatural powers."

Ignoring the slaughter on the screen, Herohero instead analyzed the strength of the combatants, ultimately arriving at a poor assessment.

"We shouldn't be careless. These might just be cannon fodder; we haven't seen the truly strong ones yet."

Momonga shook his head and said to the two, noting that while these knights appeared weak, it was possible the stronger ones simply hadn't appeared yet.

"I have to say, aren't your priorities a bit skewed?"

"They're committing a massacre, yet you're analyzing their strength?"

Naiyuan looked at the two men, who were deep in thought, with an expression that suggested they were acting strangely. Their bizarre focus left him speechless.

Momonga and Herohero were stunned by the remark.

That's right. This was clearly the main point, so why had they subconsciously ignored it?

Under normal circumstances, seeing such a scene should have made them feel uncomfortable or nauseated. How did they have the leisure to discuss other issues?

For people who had never witnessed such slaughter or bloody scenes in their entire lives, their current behavior was highly abnormal.

"Momonga, do you feel anything about this bloody scene?"

"Absolutely nothing. I even find it a bit boring."

"What about you, Herohero?"

"I'm about the same. It feels as if it wasn't people who died, but ants. My emotions haven't fluctuated at all."

Momonga and Herohero began to observe the mirror surface carefully, but no matter how they looked at it, they could not produce any uncomfortable emotional reaction.

The words of the two men plunged Naiyuan into deep thought, and at the same time, he began to sense his own current state.

The conclusion he reached in the end was no surprise: he felt absolutely nothing about it.

If he hadn't been paying deliberate attention earlier, he likely would have been just like the two of them, subconsciously ignoring this slaughter.

"If it were the 'us' from before, we definitely wouldn't be like this."

Naiyuan looked at the two of them and said thoughtfully.

"It seems that the bodies we have now bring us not only power, but are also subconsciously influencing our minds."

Body and soul are inseparable by nature. Now that they had changed bodies, their minds would inevitably be influenced by their new forms.

Although this influence had no lasting side effects, it would subconsciously cause their perspectives to shift.

"Now that you mention it, I often have an urge to devour living things and then corrode them."

Herohero recalled the past, looking at the two of them with a grave expression.

He had discovered his own differences; the instincts of a Slime were guiding him.

"For me, seeing life fade away before my eyes brings a sense of joy."

"I originally thought it was an illusion, but now it seems my mind is indeed adapting to this body and undergoing changes."

Momonga spoke up about his own feelings at this moment.

As an Undead, he felt no sympathy for humans.

His original human emotions were gradually diminishing, while the mindset of an Undead was constantly deepening.

"I'm about the same. The arrogance and conceit of a Dragonoid make it impossible for me to feel any pity for these humans; I even find myself appreciating the sight of them being cut down."

Naiyuan stretched out his arms and looked at the black scales on his body. He knew that he, too, was being influenced by this Dragonoid body.

Their memories would not change, but their personalities would drift away from humanity and align more closely with their respective current races.

Toward strangers with whom they had no connection, their attitudes were all the same.

Having voiced their respective feelings, the three of them looked at each other.

"This is the price, I suppose. Although it's a bit troublesome, it's no major issue."

Herohero looked at his new body, which was composed of slime. If he could obtain such great power, then what did these minor changes matter?

Although he was somewhat surprised by the change in personality, he didn't pay it much mind.

The bond between him, Naiyuan, and Momonga would not change because of such trivial matters.

He was still himself; that would never change.

"Everything in this other world has nothing to do with me, and I have no issues with that."

Momonga looked calmly at the mirror before him. He accepted his changes because he didn't belong to this world in the first place, so there was no need to feel burdened by it.

He only needed to protect Nazarick, protect his friends, and protect his family.

"As for me, as long as the three of us are together, nothing else matters."

Naiyuan crossed his arms and looked at the two of them with an indifferent expression.

The reason he had brought up this question was simply to remind Momonga and Herohero of their own changes; he had no other intentions.

Regarding the people of this other world, his attitude was to do as he pleased—simply put, he would do whatever he wanted.

"That's so cheesy, Naiyuan. If someone didn't know better, they'd think we had some kind of improper relationship."

Herohero teased, his body simultaneously striking a pose of mock terror.

"It's not like it's impossible, you know. Dragons are known to have no taboos~"

"And being a Slime doesn't mean it can't be done."

Licking his lips, Naiyuan wore a friendly smile, but the words he spoke made one's skin crawl.

"Are you serious?"

Herohero stiffened, retreating in horror to hide behind the quietly standing Solution.

Although he knew Naiyuan was teasing him, Herohero was still somewhat afraid; the other party's current race was a Dragonoid.

He didn't dare gamble on whether his friend might suddenly want to test the softness of a Slime one day—after all, dragons were known for their lust.

Comparing their respective strengths, Herohero realized that he would likely have no choice but to be taken.

"Hey, that's enough, Naiyuan. Look at how scared you've made Herohero."

Momonga, standing to the side, hurriedly spoke up.

If he didn't intervene, he felt that Herohero might just run away.

Moreover, seeing the two of them like this, he had to admit he felt a little emotional.

He was clearly Naiyuan's best friend; how did it end up feeling like he was the third wheel?

"Alright, alright, I was just scaring you, Herohero."

Hearing Momonga remind him not to go too far, Naiyuan put away his joking manner.

Even if he were crazy, there was no way he would go after a Slime, let alone the fact that the other party was his friend, and most importantly, a man.

"That's good. Don't say things like that next time; you had me worried sick."

"I'm not Momonga. It doesn't matter for him since he's just bones."

Hearing Naiyuan's assurance, Herohero felt a wave of relief after the false alarm.

He slowly stepped out from behind Solution, reaching up to wipe away non-existent sweat from his forehead.

When Momonga heard this, the red lights in his eye sockets flickered; he felt deeply offended.

He really wanted to shout at Herohero and tell him that he could do it too; with the Disguise of the Undead item Naiyuan had given him, he could turn into a human at any time.

Meanwhile, Sebas, who had been standing by with zero presence, also breathed a sigh of relief. If Lord Naiyuan had truly intended to force himself on Lord Herohero, it would have been absolutely disastrous.

As the butler, Sebas couldn't imagine what position he would have taken in that situation.

He was meant to protect the safety of the Supreme Beings, but if the other party was another Supreme Being, he would be powerless to intervene. Furthermore, Sebas had his doubts about whether that would even count as harm.

Although he appeared quite old on the surface, Sebas was undoubtedly still a baby, and Touch Me had not included knowledge of that nature in his settings.

Unlike Sebas, whose mind was wandering, Solution on the other side felt a bit of regret.

If Lord Naiyuan really were with Lord Herohero, wouldn't that mean Lord Herohero would never leave me?

Harboring such thoughts, Solution felt it was a pity.

As an NPC created by Herohero, she undoubtedly wanted him to stay in Nazarick forever, and she would not refuse any opportunity that might keep her creator there.

"Since we've already figured out our situation, what should we do now?"

"Should we go to this village and take a closer look?"

Unaware of Solution's dangerous thoughts, Herohero asked.

At the same time, he moved calmly to Momonga's right side, putting distance between himself and Naiyuan on the other side.

Naiyuan, who was standing to Momonga's left, was left speechless by this. He had just made a joke—was it really necessary to go that far?

"Let's go then. We have to face it sooner or later anyway."

"What do you think, Momonga?"

Although he was a bit annoyed by Herohero's move to distance himself, Naiyuan nodded, agreeing with the suggestion.

He turned his head to look at Momonga beside him and asked about his intentions. Herohero also looked over.

Although he and Naiyuan had both agreed, Momonga's opinion was also crucial. If he did not agree, they would not force the issue.

"What else can I say? Since you both want to go, I'll go with you."

He suppressed the words of refusal he had originally intended to say.

Seeing that Naiyuan and Herohero had both agreed, Momonga had nothing left to say. Just as Naiyuan had put it, they would have to face it sooner or later anyway.

Upon hearing this, Naiyuan immediately laughed and placed his hands on the shoulders of Momonga and Herohero respectively.

A terrifying strength pulled the two of them directly to his side.

"Then, I declare."

"The Nazarick expedition to the other world officially begins."