Chapter 361: Maybe I Should Just Add Another Mod
"Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!"
The freshly hatched little slime bounced around cheerfully, crying out in words Steven couldn't understand. It wriggled closer to him, rubbing its round, jellylike body against his leg with all the affection of a newborn kitten.
Adorable. Absolutely adorable.
—But as someone who'd spent way too much time in tabletop games and poking around Cthulhu lore back in his old world, Steven recognized that cry all too well.
"Wait a sec— don't tell me this thing's a Shoggoth!"
He pinched it between two fingers like he was holding up a water balloon, lifting it off the floor for a closer look. On the outside, it was nothing but cute—round, squishy, harmless-looking.
But the voice… and the fact that it came from some eldritch, suspicious drop… yeah, the pieces fit.
A Shoggoth.
A creature birthed by alien horrors in Lovecraftian lore, created as a servitor race. A formless, semi-fluid entity with countless eyes and limbs, able to shape-shift freely. Basically… a cosmic horror in slime cosplay.
The more Steven thought about it, the more it lined up. The whole "Collapsal" setting in this world wasn't far off from that idea at all. Even the way pollution worked here was oddly similar to Lovecraft's infamous SAN value system.
The only real difference was that these "Collapsals" here could grow stronger the more you perceived them. A terrifying mechanic, but definitely a unique twist.
"It's hard not to think that these so-called Collapsals were modeled after Shoggoths," Steven muttered. "At the very least, their concept clearly borrowed some inspiration."
Of course, he hadn't forgotten: this whole world was still built off the skeleton of a mobile game. Borrowed elements were par for the course. Originium, Terra—heck, even those names already made him think of certain other franchises.
Not that any of that mattered to him now. He wasn't a player on the outside anymore—he was in the game.
What did matter… was how to deal with this wriggling little "Primordial Collapsal hatchling" in his hand.
"If I remember right, Shoggoths are the ultimate turncoats. Betrayal's written into their DNA. Meaning raising you comes with some serious risk."
Steven cradled the slime in one palm and poked its gelatinous body with his other finger.
Maybe because it was still just a newborn, it had nothing but a big, goofy mouth—no eyes, no other organs, none of the grotesque features that should've made it nightmare fuel. Which, honestly, only made it even cuter.
And the little guy didn't seem scared of him at all. On the contrary, when he poked it, the slime wrapped its body around his finger, clinging to him like a kitten basking in affection.
"…Okay, that's… actually kind of fun."
Steven couldn't help but laugh. For all his concerns about whether he should keep such a dangerous creature, the baby slime's innocent charm was disarming. The way it moved—so trusting, so sweet—naturally stirred a protective instinct in him.
Raising something like this… might not be such a bad idea after all.
Steven didn't waste too much time agonizing over it. If he wanted to raise it, then he'd raise it. Simple as that. Whether this thing was really a Shoggoth or not… who cared? Even if it was, it wasn't like it could actually stab him in the back or anything.
He poked the little slime with a finger, chuckling as he remembered the hamster he used to keep before coming to this world. That little guy had never been this easy to handle—if you tried to poke it, you had better be ready to get nipped in return.
Just as Steven was reminiscing, the slime suddenly froze in place. It stopped rubbing against his finger, and then its whole body began trembling violently, warping like it was about to explode.
"Huh? What's this? Don't tell me your battery ran out, and now you're gonna blow up?"
He watched curiously as it writhed and compressed. Then, in the next moment, its form stabilized—and Steven's eyebrows rose in surprise.
Because what lay in his palm was no longer a green blob of slime.
It was a tiny hamster.
Not just any hamster, either—it was an exact replica of the one he used to keep in his old life. The same fur, the same shape, down to the smallest detail. The only difference was its eyes, which still glowed faintly green, betraying the creature's true nature.
"…So, you can actually read what I'm thinking, huh?"
Steven didn't panic. Instead, he casually squeezed his fist shut, squishing the hamster back into a trembling green ball of jelly, before looking down at it with an amused grin.
He had only been thinking of his old pet, and yet the slime had instantly copied the image from his memory. That was more than a little impressive.
But… the idea of a pet with mind-reading powers? That wasn't entirely a good thing.
He wasn't exactly fond of the idea of someone peeking into his thoughts.
Still, the slime didn't seem to be resisting. After wriggling a bit, it settled down—and then, right on top of its head, a big, glowing "?" mark appeared.
"…Oh?" Steven tilted his head.
It wasn't mind-reading, then. More like… when he imagined something, the slime simply responded by transforming into it.
A pet he could control with his thoughts. Now that was interesting.
To test his theory, Steven unclenched his hand and focused his thoughts on a cat instead.
The slime rippled, warped, and then—just as he expected—it reformed itself into a perfect little kitten, curling up obediently in his palm.
Of course, the size hadn't changed. No matter what it became, the creature seemed locked to roughly the same scale as its original slime body. Still, the transformation was near flawless.
"…A shape-shifting pet, huh? Now that's got potential."
"Interesting… so once you grow up, I can basically use you like a Ditto, huh? Question is—can you actually copy abilities, or is it just looks only?"
Steven eyed the little slime with growing amusement. Then, in his mind, he gave it a command to change back.
The slime, however, didn't budge. Still in kitten form, it rubbed against his palm affectionately, purring with its body language.
Only when Steven focused specifically on its original form did it finally shift back into a blob of green jelly.
"Heh. Guess my pet's just like me—special in its own way. A little dumb, though."
With a chuckle, he pulled a steak from his pack and set it down in front of the slime.
"From today on, your name is Shoggy. Hope you bring me plenty of surprises and laughs, little guy."
Steven was terrible at names, and he knew it. Since he already suspected this thing might be a Shoggoth, shortening it to "Shoggy" felt like a decent compromise.
As for its ability, there wasn't much to say for now. It was still just a baby slime. Combat power: basically zero. Raising it into something worthwhile would take time.
That was a problem for future him.
For now, he just watched as the slime devoured a steak larger than its whole body… only for its size to remain completely unchanged.
"…You've got a bigger appetite than I thought." Steven scratched his cheek, a bit dumbfounded. "Good thing I'm not hurting for food. Anyone else would probably go bankrupt just trying to feed you."
He gave its wobbly body a light pat. "Eat well, grow strong… and hey, if you turn into a cute girl someday to repay me, I wouldn't complain."
Then, without ceremony, he stuffed the slime back into his pocket.
With Shoggy successfully hatched, it was time to solve another problem.
He couldn't exactly let an eldritch hatchling run around freely. Even dogs needed leashes, after all—and this thing was way more dangerous than a dog. Not to mention, once hatched, pets like this couldn't be stuffed into his inventory anymore. Which meant carrying it around or teleporting with it was nearly impossible.
Luckily, he had been planning an upgrade anyway.
After clearing the Kazimierz storyline, he'd earned a fat stack of points. Enough, finally, to buy the mod he'd been eyeing for a while—the one that would let him carry living companions.
He opened his mod library, ticked the box, and after paying the points, a strange sphere materialized in his hand.
Half red, half white. A round button in the middle that looked like a tiny light bulb.
Steven's eyes sparkled. Just holding it, he couldn't stop himself from tossing it up and down in sheer delight.
Who wouldn't want one of these? And if it actually worked like the real thing? For someone like him, it was pure otaku bliss.
He pulled Shoggy back out of his pocket—still busy digesting its massive steak—and grinned.
Then he aimed the ball at it and lobbed it forward.
"I caught a Pokémon!"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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