In front of Zhang Hao was a shallow puddle. Inside it waddled a plump, light-blue creature with two oval eyes, moving slowly. It looked bouncy, almost jelly-like—so squishy and cute that he wanted to just grab it and squeeze.
"A… Hydro Slime?"
For a moment, Zhang Hao's mind went blank. Then recognition hit instantly. The creature's iconic appearance was unmistakable.
It matched perfectly with a certain "two-character game's" monster. Zhang Hao muttered under his breath:
"…So now I know where this is. Turns out it's Teyvat."
As a Genshin Impact player, he suddenly realized why everything had felt so familiar earlier. Those glowing plants must have been Small Lamp Grass.
He glanced to his left. There was a fruit tree bearing plump, sunset-colored fruit, radiating a sweet fragrance.
Sunsettia. At that, his tense heart finally settled.
Now it was certain. He had transmigrated into the world of Genshin Impact—the continent of Teyvat. Definitely not some peaceful slice-of-life world.
This world had seven nations: Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Snezhnaya. Each represented one of the Seven Elements, and each ruled by its own Archon with different ideals.
Zhang Hao scratched his head. He knew Teyvat fairly well, but this wasn't exactly a safe, everyday world.
The slime before him was a Hydro Slime—one of the weakest monsters in Teyvat. Its combat power was negligible, which piqued Zhang Hao's curiosity.
Resolving himself, he stepped toward the slime.
Duang~ Duang~
The light-blue Hydro Slime bounced in the puddle, and upon sensing a human presence, it immediately leapt at Zhang Hao like a jelly ball.
Duang!
It launched its trademark Slime Collision, smacking into him. Aside from staggering slightly, Zhang Hao didn't feel much pain.
However, since it was a Hydro Slime, his clothes were instantly soaked through.
As expected, Hydro Slimes ranked among the weakest of all Teyvat monsters.
But… in the game, slimes were completely immune to their own element. Even Raiden Shogun's Musou no Hitotachi couldn't scratch an Electro Slime—it had to be taken down with another element or physical damage.
Zhang Hao crouched down and gave the Hydro Slime a pat. Its surface felt slick and a bit sticky from slime condensate, yet overall it really was like touching jiggly jelly.
"Right, in some anime, slimes even have cleaning abilities."
He tossed a dirty rock into the slime's body. The stone spun around inside, and before long, all the mud had vanished—scrubbed spotless as though polished clean.
Sensing that Zhang Hao wasn't a threat, the Hydro Slime stopped attacking and just stared at him with its dopey little eyes.
A strange human indeed.
Zhang Hao picked it up. Round, squishy, adorable to look at, and with a surprisingly pleasant hand-feel.
Since he was already in Teyvat, why not try taming a monster? Keeping one as a pet sounded fun.
"Hey, Hydro Slime, how about sticking with me from now on?"
Zhang Hao asked with a smile. Slimes were just too cute to leave behind.
The Hydro Slime blinked at him, suddenly feeling this human was oddly friendly. Instead of charging again, it simply stared blankly back at him.
"Not saying anything? Then I'll take that as a yes."
If anyone else had been here, they'd probably be facepalming. Slimes couldn't talk, of course they couldn't answer in human words.
"Well, I guess I've got myself a pet."
It didn't matter that Hydro Slimes had almost no combat power. As a mascot, it was good enough.
Zhang Hao wasn't planning on heading to Mondstadt City right away. Carrying a monster inside—even a weak slime—could cause panic, and then he'd get invited to tea by the Knights of Favonius.
Better to survive in the wild for a while. As a transmigrator, he had no Mora, the local currency. Even if he went into the city, he couldn't rent a place to stay.
He wasn't the Traveler, blessed with power and connections with the Knights.
For wilderness survival, he'd watched Bear Grylls and Ed Stafford videos. At least he had some rough knowledge. In Teyvat, wild food wasn't scarce. He wouldn't be starving every three days.
First priority: shelter. Next: find an adventurer and gather information to confirm the timeline of current events.
Because while Teyvat looked peaceful on the surface, shadows stirred beneath. The Fatui and the Abyss Order were plotting world-shaking schemes.
If he got dragged into that, it could very well cost him his life.
"Gurrrgle…"
Zhang Hao clutched his stomach. He didn't know how long he'd been out cold, but now hunger gnawed at him.
Licking his lips, he walked toward the Sunsettia tree. The fruit resembled figs, its sweet aroma making his mouth water. Each Sunsettia was nearly the size of a cantaloupe.
Crunch!
He wiped one with his sleeve and bit in. Juice burst forth, sweet and refreshing, revitalizing his entire body.
No pesticides, pure natural produce—safe to eat, no worries.
In Teyvat's wilderness, food was plentiful. People rarely starved. Unless, of course, monsters got them first.
Burp…
After finishing two Sunsettias, Zhang Hao let out a satisfied belch. Enough to stave off hunger for now, though without protein, it wouldn't be sustainable.
He hadn't forgotten to share with the Hydro Slime. The fruit chunk dissolved instantly inside its body. Zhang Hao could almost feel the creature's happiness radiating back at him.
Smiling, he rose to his feet. With some energy restored, he could finally get to work.
The Hydro Slime bounced along behind him, going Duang-duang with every hop.
If a local saw this, they'd think they were dreaming. Monsters weren't supposed to behave this way. Even the weakest slimes attacked intruders without hesitation.
Before night fell, Zhang Hao used birch wood to build a simple shelter. Crude, yes, but at least he wouldn't get drenched in the rain.
He looked at his handiwork with satisfaction. His first home in this world—humble, but it gave him a real sense of accomplishment.
As for fire, that was easy. He found dry wood, used friction to create sparks, and when glowing embers appeared, he fed them tinder and blew gently until smoke rose—then flames bloomed to life.