But right now, the most important thing was the request from little Lily.
Facing Lily, who was still just a little kid, Asher didn't choose to deceive her. Instead, he looked at her seriously and said, "Hmm… Big Brother can't be sure until he sees it."
"It might be possible to save, or it might not be."
"But Big Brother is very powerful!", Little Lily furrowed her brows, as if she didn't quite understand what Asher was saying.
Asher patted the little girl's head, "Being powerful doesn't mean being omnipotent."
Lily fell silent.
"Do you still want me to go take a look?", Asher asked.
In truth, he was a little interested in going.
Also, he didn't know exactly what kind of beast it was. If it turned out to be a powerful one, the entire welfare home might be in danger.
It was better for him to check it out first and eliminate any threats.
Lily thought for three seconds before nodding heavily, "Even though Big Brother said that, I still think Big Brother is amazing."
"I'll take Big Brother there!", Saying that, Lily grabbed onto Asher's pant leg and started walking.
Asher, who hadn't even had time to get up, nearly stumbled and fell to the ground. Luckily, he quickly steadied himself and followed the little girl's lead.
After turning a corner from the courtyard, Asher saw a small pond—not too big, not too small.
It looked like it could hold about thirty to fifty people. Any more, and it would feel crowded.
The bottom of the pond was clearly visible, ensuring that there was no risk of drowning.
The water was very clear.
As Asher approached, he was surprised to discover that this was actually a pool of flowing water.
Water was being drawn in from above, and then it flowed out from behind a rock at the bottom, continuing beyond the welfare home.
"Eggy, Eggy, Eggy, Eggy!", As she reached the pond, Lily, perhaps starting to worry about her little "friend," instinctively let go of Asher's pant leg and very purposefully walked towards a large rock.
Asher followed behind little Lily.
Then...
Hmm?
Asher felt like he had seen something gently swaying in the crystal-clear pond.
But when he focused his gaze, it disappeared again, as if the tiny ripples on the water surface had only been his imagination.
However, Asher didn't think it was just an illusion.
On one hand, he had great confidence in his own abilities. On the other hand, it was because of little Lily.
Wasn't he here with her to find an Eggy that no one else could see?
"Big Brother, you're amazing," Lily squatted by the water's edge and, noticing where Asher was looking, her face lit up with surprise and admiration, "Big Brother found Lily's spot as soon as he arrived!"
"Big Brother will definitely be able to save Eggy," As she spoke, little Lily's cheeks turned red with excitement.
Happy.
Thrilled.
Eager with anticipation.
"Ahem!", Asher coughed awkwardly into his fist. Being praised by a little girl... huh, what's there to make a big deal about?
Then, Asher pointed his finger at a spot in the pond. To the naked eye, there was nothing there, but Asher spoke with certainty, "Lily, Eggy is exactly at this spot, right?"
"Mhm!", Little Lily nodded vigorously, her eyes shining with even more admiration.
'So amazing!'
'Big Brother is really amazing!'
'No one else could see the transparent Eggy.'
Even she had only discovered Eggy because she'd been extremely lucky and caught sight of its tentacle with a little blue ring.
But Big Brother found Eggy's exact location on his first visit—Lily's eyes sparkled as she looked at Asher.
"Big Brother, how did you do that? Can you teach Lily?", Little Lily curiously moved closer to Asher, tilting her head up with a pleading look in her eyes.
Asher: "..."
'Hiss—this…'
"It's a secret," Asher raised a finger and shamelessly tricked the innocent little girl, without the slightest guilt, "When Lily grows up to be as big as Big Brother, she'll naturally understand."
Lily showed a face of complete trust.
Asher: *Nonexistent guilt briefly twinged*
Asher wasn't heartless and deliberately trying to fool the little girl. The truth was, he didn't even know how to explain it.
Even though he hadn't used any skills, he just had this feeling—there was something there.
That something was exactly where Lily had said Eggy was.
As for where this feeling came from… Asher had no idea for the time being. His expression gradually became complicated and strange.
'No way, no way?'
'Am I about to awaken another cheat ability?'
'Like, another innate talent or something?'
'A̶m̶ ̶I̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶l̶e̶g̶e̶n̶d̶a̶r̶y̶ ̶f̶i̶v̶e̶-̶e̶l̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶s̶p̶i̶r̶i̶t̶u̶a̶l̶ ̶r̶o̶o̶t̶ ̶g̶e̶n̶i̶u̶s̶?̶'
Before Lily could notice his thoughts, Asher quickly adjusted his expression and threw all those unreliable ideas out of his head.
"Question—", Asher dragged out his voice, immediately shifting the little girl's attention, "Our lively, adorable, and kind little Lily, has she ever secretly touched her dear Eggy friend?"
Lily: "!"
Little Lily's eyes widened, one hand clutching her brown teddy bear doll, the other covering her mouth as if trying to stop the words "How do you know?" from slipping out.
However...
What she didn't know was that her innocent and pure gaze had already betrayed her.
Asher saw through her thoughts at a glance.
"Looks like our little Lily isn't such a good kid after all," Asher added.
"Lily is a good kid!", This time, Lily couldn't hold back. She quickly dropped her hand, her face serious as she defended herself, "Lily is really a good kid!"
She emphasized it twice.
It was obvious.
Even little kids knew that the more important something was, the more you had to say it multiple times.
Asher chuckled inwardly but kept a straight face, "But if Lily is a good kid, then why did she touch Eggy?"
"Lily should have learned that you're not supposed to touch other people's pets or unfamiliar beasts."
As he spoke, his expression became serious.
In a world where humans and beasts coexisted, preschool education included lessons on the dangers and lethality of beasts.
Ugly beasts were naturally avoided by kids, but some were simply too beautiful.
Forget kids—even some adults couldn't resist.
But beauty was one thing.
Safety was another.
If you touched or cuddled something just because it looked nice and ended up losing your life or half of it, that was hardly a fair trade.
Hearing this, Lily's lips trembled, but she couldn't find a way to defend herself.
She lowered her head, looking anxious and guilty.
Seeing this, Asher sighed.
'Ah.'
'Kids, huh!'
As long as he made his point, as long as it left an impression on her, so she wouldn't do it again in the future.
"Alright, alright. Big Brother knows it wasn't your fault, but Lily has to remember this," Asher reached out and patted her head.
Lily nodded, "Mhm! Lily understands!"
Seeing a trace of unease still in her gaze, Asher smiled and decisively changed the subject, "Okay, now let's see what's going on with Lily's friend."
As he spoke, Asher rolled up his sleeves, took a step onto a large rock beside him, squatted down, and reached into the water.
Lily immediately forgot the pressure Asher had given her just now. She clenched her small hands into fists, her expression tense yet excited as she fixated on Asher's actions, craning her neck to peek into the water.
Asher extended his hands into the water, precisely cupping the spot where he felt something but couldn't see anything.
The next second.
Something real touched the palm of his hand.
Soft.
Cold.
A small lump.
Asher really wanted to say it was like a lump of water, but since his hand was already in the water, he could clearly feel the difference between what he was touching and actual water.
Curious, he poked at it with his fingers.
A round, rolling lump.
No wonder little Lily thought it was an Egg.
But Asher, who had hatched pet beast eggs before, also knew that this wasn't an Egg—just an unknown beast curled up into a ball.
Despite being handled by Asher for quite a while, the beast showed no signs of moving.
Asher started wondering, 'Is this thing really done for?'
He was about to activate his talent skill to check.
At some point, the little white snake had freed itself from the group of children surrounding it and wriggled its way over to Asher with ease. It immediately noticed Asher's hands submerged in the small water pool.
The little white snake entered the water.
Not a single splash.
Asher and Lily could only see the ripples it caused as it swam toward Asher.
Little White Snake: "Awoo—"
'Sleepy!'
'Sleeping on the Beast Tamer!'
Asher's hands were just in a cupped position, so without thinking much and without even noticing what was in Asher's palms, the little white snake instinctively tried to coil up there.
Ask why? Well, who isn't a baby sometimes?
It, the little white snake, personally hatched by its Beast Tamer, just liked to stick to its Beast Tamer—was that a problem?
No!
And then...
Then, the little white snake unexpectedly encountered the unfamiliar lump in Asher's hands.
Little White Snake: "!"
Unknown beast: "!"
Previously, no matter how Asher poked at it, the unknown creature didn't react, but now, as the little white snake got close, its movements suddenly became intense.
With a "whoosh—" it unfurled from its curled-up state.
Asher finally got a clear look at the unknown beast's appearance.
'It is a… jellyfish?'
Asher wasn't sure.
Semi-transparent, soft like floating silk, drifting with the water—its gentle jellyfish bell.
Eight tentacles below.
Six of them were about the same length as its bell, while the remaining two were thin, long, and graceful like ribbons, resembling an ordinary jellyfish.
The shorter six tentacles had tiny blue rings scattered across them.
This instantly reminded Asher of a certain natural marine creature—the blue-ringed octopus.
'But this is a jellyfish!'
"Gulu—"
The blue-ringed jellyfish—Asher decided to call it that for now—began blowing bubbles toward the little white snake. Strangely, the bubbles were multicolored, one after another, floating toward the little white snake.
Little White Snake: "!"
'A brave snake fears no challenge!'
'A brave snake charges forward!'
The brave snake had already prepared for the possibility that these bubbles carried special abilities. Whether they reduced speed, attack power, caused dizziness, or had any other strange effects—the snake was ready.
And then...
The little white snake effortlessly shattered the bubbles with a flick of its tail. Nothing happened. It was as lively as ever, like it had barely exerted any effort.
Little White Snake: "?"
The little white snake's tail lifted slightly, twisting and curling into the shape of a question mark—a perfect representation of its current confusion.
Which was also exactly what Asher was wondering.
Wait!
These bubbles looked pretty and seemed poisonous, so what exactly was their effect?
Why did the little white snake seem completely unaffected?
Blue-ringed Jellyfish: "..."
Blue-ringed Jellyfish: QAQ
Without needing a contract, just through his talent skill, Asher could sense that the blue-ringed jellyfish was on the verge of crying but didn't dare to.
"Gulu…"
'Wuwuwuwuwuuwu...'
Whimper! Whimper! Whimper!
The crying grew louder.
Its attempt at intimidation…
Had failed…
Asher fell silent as well.
'Well, damn!'
'So these seemingly impressive bubbles were just meant to scare off enemies?'
'Like how an octopus squirts ink when caught to intimidate predators?'
'Winning without fighting?'
'Nice idea.'
Unfortunately.
The blue-ringed jellyfish wasn't facing an ordinary creature of nature, but beasts with supernatural powers and intelligence close to that of humans.
Just like how a human wouldn't be scared by an octopus squirting ink but would rather cook and eat it—beasts wouldn't be fooled by the blue-ringed jellyfish's bubble trick either.
They would only feel more inclined to attack—because offense is the best defense. If the opponent shows a skill, how can you not counterattack?
The little white snake struck, flicking its tail with a rapid "papapapa," slapping the blue-ringed jellyfish left and right.
Asher could hear it.
The jellyfish's sobbing even paused for a moment—it was completely dumbfounded, as if it hadn't registered what just happened.
Seeing that the blue-ringed jellyfish neither fought back nor did anything other than weakly wave its two unthreatening tentacles, the little white snake—well-experienced in battles and usually either bullied by Big Sister or Big Brother—quickly lost interest.
Flicking its tail, the little white snake swam back toward Asher.
This time, it successfully settled onto Asher's body.
The little white snake narrowed its eyes.
It completely ignored the still-sobbing blue-ringed jellyfish and started dozing off.
But Asher could still hear the jellyfish wailing loudly.
And then, when he met the accusing gaze of little Lily next to him: "..."
No words could explain.
Even if he wanted to defend himself, it wasn't easy to do.
Say he didn't do it on purpose?
Uh… would the little girl believe him?
"I know Big Brother didn't do it on purpose," Lily seemed to guess what Asher was thinking. She bit her fingernail and mumbled, "The snake was just playing with the Eggy!"
Asher: "Exactly! That's right!"
"Big Brother will check on the blue-ringed water… cough, the Eggy's condition now," Saying this, Asher waved at the little jellyfish floating on the water, which at first glance looked like some plastic waste.
Asher no longer wanted to call it the blue-ringed jellyfish.
It didn't deserve it.
Even a normal blue-ringed octopus was more impressive.
One sting from them was deadly.
And this jellyfish?
Asher didn't even know what to say.
The little jellyfish had no face, yet Asher could feel that it was peeking at him timidly. Its six short tentacles and two long ones all conveyed a clear message:
Rejection.
A big, bold rejection.
No thanks.
But can we maintain a friendly and respectful distance?
Asher: ◉‿◉
As a reasonable person, seeing how obvious the jellyfish's reluctance was, of course, he…
Wouldn't agree.
Little Jellyfish: "..."
Then why even ask?
"Gulu…"
'Tyrant!'
'Dictator!'
'Overbearing!'
Muttering in a language it thought humans couldn't understand, the jellyfish cursed Asher under its breath, scraping together every insult it knew.
Asher said nothing.
He just quietly watched as the jellyfish slowly floated out of the water and hovered in midair.
Completely out of the water, it no longer looked transparent and blended in with the surroundings—it now emitted a faint, shimmering iridescent glow.
Like light passing through stained glass in a cathedral.
Asher: "?"
'Is this really a jellyfish?'
'If so, why can it fly?'
The little jellyfish drifted unsteadily toward Asher, hesitating as if it had no intention of approaching him, maintaining what could barely be considered a safe distance between them.
"Say it," Asher suddenly spoke, "I heard you cursing me just now."
Little jellyfish: "!"
The little jellyfish, soft as a puff of air, instantly stiffened, miraculously freezing in mid-air.
Asher couldn't suppress his curiosity. He reached out and plucked the floating jellyfish—just at his eye level—out of the air and pinched it twice in his hand.
The texture felt different from when it was in the water.
If it felt like water while submerged, once out of the water, its body took on a more springy, bouncy texture—just like a stress-relief toy.
It was so satisfying to squeeze that he couldn't help but want to keep pinching it.
Asher suddenly snapped out of it when he met the gaze of little Lily beside him.
'Cough! Cough!'
Now was not the time to play with—uh, no, to play with a stress-relief toy.
Asher activated his talent skill and looked at the little jellyfish, which lay stiff in his palm as if playing dead.
"Hmm—"
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Pet Beast: Box Poison Flower Jellyfish]
[Attribute: Special]
[Species: High Extraordinary Mid-tier]
[Level: ——]
[Skills: Colorful Bubbles, Play Dead, Stiffness, Holding Breath]
[Evolution Path: ——]
[Bloodline: ——]
[Innate Skill: Gluttony]
[Gluttony: The more energy consumed, the faster the growth and power increase (Upgradeable).]
[Wuwuwu… Gulu… So unlucky… So hungry, so weak, don't wanna fight, can't win, but really wanna eat my tentacles…]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher hesitated.
He lowered his head and looked at the six short tentacles of the jellyfish in his grip.
From a distance, he hadn't noticed anything, but now that he was closer—and already knew the answer—he immediately saw that these six short tentacles weren't naturally short. At the very edges, faint bite marks were visible.
But it must've been some time ago, as the wounds had healed over.
Asher: "…"
'No level, no evolution path—just because it hasn't eaten enough?', Asher looked at the odd attribute panel and found it very understandable.
Now, about the Box Poison Flower Jellyfish—
Asher was familiar with this beast.
It was one of the rulers of the ocean.
Mainly found along the coastal borders between Soren and the neighboring country, as well as in the vast transoceanic currents of the four great oceans.
There, the Box Poison Flower Jellyfish reigned supreme.
It was one of the most notoriously untouchable creatures in transoceanic waters.
With its water+poison attribute, it could move freely in the ocean. Even the slightest trace of its venom could kill both humans and beasts.
And this venom was entirely uncollectible.
No known material could withstand the corrosive effects of the jellyfish's poison—even a single drop could burn through an entire machine.
Box Poison Flower Jellyfish do not evolve, but as they grow, the concentration of their venom only becomes more potent. A jellyfish over a hundred years old could effortlessly wipe out an entire nation with its accumulated toxin.
Given all these factors combined—
No Beast Tamer had ever managed to tame a Box Poison Flower Jellyfish.
Not in Soren. Not in any other country.
Some reckless individuals, or those overly confident in their poison-specialist beast-taming skills, had tried to contract one.
None had returned.
The only person who came back was initially hailed as a miracle, thought to have a body that could resist the Box Poison Flower Jellyfish's venom.
Later, this Beast Tamer—who wasn't particularly talented and instead focused on interviews, self-promotion, and even writing books about his experiences—let slip the truth while drunk.
He survived simply because—he never actually went.
He regretted it halfway there.
But turning back was embarrassing.
So, he circled the transoceanic current, chatted extensively with local fishermen, and pieced together an airtight story from their experiences.
Had he not admitted it himself, no one would have figured it out.
The public, upon hearing this: "…"
That had a touch of dark humor.
But all this to say—Box Poison Flower Jellyfish are rare and extremely toxic.
They are completely beyond the reach of normal Beast Tamers.
They are one of the few extraordinary species classified as absolutely forbidden to contact.
So…
How did this weak-looking, obviously mutated Box Poison Flower Jellyfish, with all the wrong skills, end up here in an orphanage?
Asher couldn't figure it out.
Even listening to the jellyfish's thoughts and peeking into its mind yielded nothing.
The jellyfish was either hiccuping from crying or mentally screaming about hunger while hesitantly stretching out a long tentacle, radiating pure internal conflict, temptation, and craving.
Jellyfish: 'To eat or not to eat, that is the question.'
'So unbearably hungry—might as well eat!'
Just as the jellyfish was about to stuff its tentacle under its bell and gulp it down—
A strong fragrance suddenly filled the air.
The jellyfish froze mid-motion.
Jellyfish: (﹃)
'So delicious-smelling… A scent that makes my mouth water… A scent that makes my stomach growl even louder!'
'Sllllurp—'
'Can't hold back!'
'Gotta eat with both tentacles!'
Completely overtaken by gluttony, the jellyfish no longer cared.
What about attacking without tentacles?
If it didn't eat now, there wouldn't be a later.
Before the tentacles could reach its bell, a fragrant piece of food was shoved in instead.
Jellyfish: *Confused*
"Lily, can you find some food?", While feeding the jellyfish, Asher didn't forget about the little girl waiting beside him, "Your friend… this little jellyfish, it's hungry."
Lily's eyes lit up, "Eggy is hungry?"
"Lily will get food right away. Big Brother, wait for me!"
With that, she pitter-pattered off toward the kitchen.
Now that Lily was gone, Asher didn't have to pretend to pull food from his pocket anymore.
Given the jellyfish's eating speed, feeding it bit by bit would never be enough.
Pulling out a cat treat or a biscuit from his pocket would seem normal.
Pulling out an endless supply of food, however, would be suspicious—Asher wouldn't underestimate the kids at the orphanage, especially the clever Lily.
The jellyfish was completely oblivious to Asher and Lily's conversation.
Its entire mind had been overtaken by the delicious food.
A feast from the heavens?
Its brain barely had time to react before its eating appendage started working rapidly—'I eat, I eat, I eat eat eat!'
'Mass devouring!'
'Vacuum inhale!'
'Sllllurp—gone—oh look, more food! Sllllurp— and so the cycle continued.'
One minute passed.
The little white snake coiled around Asher's wrist didn't think anything of it.
Five minutes passed.
The white snake started thinking this weak little jellyfish had a surprisingly big appetite.
Ten minutes passed.
The white snake began to wonder what organ the jellyfish used for digestion.
Otherwise, how was it still eating non-stop after ten whole minutes?
Thirty minutes later…
The white snake lay flat again.
No thoughts, no thoughts.
No thoughts at all.
Something that could eat this much—there was no way it was a jellyfish.
Stop lying to the snake.
One hour… Okay, not really an hour.
About forty minutes.
Little Raven and Cat-Worm noticed the problem: 'Huh? Where's the Beastmaster?'
'Where's our big Beastmaster?'
'Why hasn't he come back yet?'
Little Raven had been surrounded by children receiving endless praise, but once the praise was over, it lost interest.
As for Cat-Worm, it had wanted to escape for a long time.
But its round, chubby appearance was just too popular. It crashed around, but without hurting the children, it simply couldn't find a good chance to break free.
Fortunately, after petting it enough, the children politely gave it some space, and Cat-Worm quickly scooted over to Little Raven.
Cat-Worm: 'Don't ask. From today on, Big Sis is the best Big Sis of the dragon!'
'Big Sis, save me!'
Little Raven: (￢_￢)
'Fine, fine.'
They're all little brothers from the same family.
What else could Little Raven do?
Carrying Cat-Worm, Little Raven easily sensed the direction of Asher through the contract.
Then…
Little Raven and Cat-Worm both showed expressions of utter shock.
The food—their food—so much of it—was all eaten up by that unknown thing.
The little jellyfish, barely five-tenths full from all its eating, finally had enough brainpower to start thinking again.
And immediately, it sensed two killing intents heading straight for it.
Little Jellyfish: "?"
Its body stiffened again.
But its feeding mouthparts kept moving.
There was killing intent.
So it had to be scared and eat in big mouthfuls.
Little Raven flapped its wings and flew toward Asher's shoulder. Cat-Worm cooperated perfectly, making a leap of faith and parachuting from Little Raven's back straight into Asher's arms, using its chubby body to shove that unknown creature right out of Asher's palm.
Cat-Worm: *Proud*
The little jellyfish, pushed out and now staring blankly without food, finally snapped back to reality.
'Just now, I was…'
Its nonexistent eyes met Asher's in the void.
Little Jellyfish: "!"
'It is that human! The one I sacred before—who scared me right back!'
Asher smiled kindly at the little jellyfish.
If this had been half an hour ago, the little jellyfish would have wanted to run as far away as possible at the sight of Asher's smile. But now…
"Gulu! Gulu! Gulu!"
'Dad!'
'Adoptive Dad!'
'Hungry!'
'Eat!'
The little jellyfish called out to Asher excitedly.
What?
Dignity?
Can you eat that?
It was so hungry it could eat its own tentacles. If it kept eating, and the tentacles were gone, and hibernation didn't work, maybe it would even eat itself.
Asher: "…"
Although…
Considering the prestigious name of the Box Jellyfish, he was indeed tempted to form a contract with this little jellyfish. But what he didn't expect was that before he even said anything, the little jellyfish was already eagerly shouting.
Asher wondered if his decision was actually the right one.
Box Jellyfish.
Overlord of the sea.
Proud by nature.
If a human dared to challenge them or even showed the intention of forming a contract, they would quickly dissolve that human into micro-organisms and plankton in the ocean.
Box Jellyfish: 'No matter how much you offer, it's useless! A Box Jellyfish will never be a slave (pet beast)!'
Mutated Little Jellyfish: 'Can I get full? Let me, let me! I can do it! Dad! Adoptive Dad! I'll stick to you! Hurry up and contract me!'
The little jellyfish happily waved its only two remaining long tentacles, wriggling in front of Asher as if showcasing its strengths.
Little Raven landed on Asher's shoulder, its golden-red eyes gloomily staring at him.
╭(╯^╰)╮
Cat-Worm, on the other hand, was heartbroken as it counted the empty food wrappers on the ground.
'So many.'
'So, so many.'
'All gone. QwO'
"No, no, most of what it ate was compressed biscuits, which you guys don't usually eat anyway," Asher said helplessly.
Little Raven, Cat-Worm, and Little White Snake—the three picky eaters of the house.
Oh.
Cat-Worm wasn't so bad.
Cat-Worm was like a little pig-cat.
It ate whatever it was given.
It wanted to eat anything it saw.
But at the same time, it had basic standards for food—it needed to at least smell good.
Compressed biscuits?
One bite—ptoo ptoo ptoo!
'Gross, gross!'
'Not eating!'
Little Raven and Little White Snake were even pickier.
Every time they won a lottery draw, they'd get a ton of food like this. While it had a tiny bit of stamina recovery effect, none of the three actually needed it, so the compressed biscuits just piled up.
They had already reached ×999 in storage.
And then today…
That stockpile finally got a dent in it.
Unlike the picky eldest, second, and third child, the little jellyfish had no such concerns.
Taste?
Smell?
Color?
Not important!
None of it mattered!
The best food was food that could fill the stomach.
Asher fed the little jellyfish fragrant cat treats—chomp chomp chomp.
Asher fed the little jellyfish dry compressed biscuits—chomp chomp chomp.
No matter what he fed it—chomp chomp chomp.
Asher: "…"
He could tell now. The kid had really never eaten enough before. It was starving.
Once it got food, it wouldn't let go.
Cat-Worm took a closer look, 'Oh! that really seems to be the case!'
The worry on its face disappeared.
'Alright.'
'No problem, then.'
Little Raven: "…"
'Is this the key point?'
'This isn't the key point at all!'
Little Raven: *Smash*
Little Raven was fuming.
The little jellyfish wriggled and bobbed, its jellyfish cap pulsing as it floated toward Little Raven.
"Gulu?"
'Hello there~'
'Are you Big Sis?'
'You're so beautiful!'
'Look at those feathers!'
'So glossy!'
'Shining brilliantly in the sunlight!'
'Never seen such pretty feathers before!'
'And this aura.'
'It feels so safe!'
'I really like Big Sis!'
Little Raven: "…"
Little Raven calmly straightened its chest, making its chest feathers even puffier.
╭(╯^╰)╮
'The bird isn't happy at all.'
'It's just letting you look because you like it so much!'
"Gulugulugulu!"
'Thank you, Big Sis!'
The little jellyfish politely rubbed against Little Raven, careful not to mess up its feathers, and even thoughtfully used its tentacles to smooth out any that weren't neat.
Then, it wriggled over to Cat-Worm.
"Gulugulu!"
'Your dragon horns are so cool!'
With just one sentence, the little jellyfish won over Cat-Worm.
"Meow! Meow!"
'Nice!'
'You have good taste!'
'From now on, you'll be a little brother alongside Little White Snake!'
Cat-Worm excitedly waved its six little feet.
Little Raven also nodded, maintaining its dignity.
'Don't worry.'
'Rest assured.'
'The bird will cover for you in the future!'
With the approval of Little Raven and Cat-Worm, Little Jellyfish had not forgotten—there was still one more member in this family.
Little Jellyfish took the initiative to snuggle up and rest its head against the small white snake that was sleeping on Asher's shoulder.
Little White Snake: "?"
Little White Snake opened its golden eyes and stared at Little Jellyfish with a deep gaze, as if telling it—if it couldn't provide a satisfactory explanation, it would swallow it whole.
But the Little Jellyfish, which had been afraid of Little White Snake earlier, suddenly lost all fear the moment it realized that hugging this big thigh meant a future of three meals a day, always eating until full.
"Gulu~"
'So powerful~'
'Can you teach me in the future~'
Little Jellyfish unleashed 200% of its acting skills.
Little White Snake, who had never seen anything act cute in its life: *utterly defenseless*
And each of Little Jellyfish's words was more flattering than the last.
Every sentence praised Little White Snake's earlier battle to the heavens.
Little White Snake: 'Say more, Snake loves hearing this!'
'Snake needs this kind of hype, man!'
Floating on cloud nine from all the praise, Little White Snake joined Little Raven and Cat-Worm in looking toward Asher.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH—
Little Raven, Cat-Worm, and Little Jellyfish all moved in sync, turning their gazes toward Asher.
Little Raven: 'Huh?'
Cat-Worm: 'Huh?'
Little Jellyfish: 'Pitiful, weak, and helpless, my only strength is that I can eat.'
Little Jellyfish took the initiative to float forward, hovered by Asher's cheek, rubbed against his face, then floated down onto his palm, nestling its body into his palm, contracting and expanding.
Asher was momentarily stunned before realizing—
It was mimicking how he had used it as a stress-relief toy earlier.
Then, Little Jellyfish blew out dreamy bubbles toward Asher.
Little Jellyfish was advertising itself from every angle.
Little Jellyfish: 'I'm super versatile! Just give me a bite to eat! One bite! I'll eat a billion bites!'
Asher: "Alright, alright, fine. We can form contract."
Little Jellyfish: *Bubble Rain*
Little Jellyfish excitedly sprayed out a burst of dazzling, colorful bubbles.
Seeing this, Asher laughed.
Feeding a Box Jellyfish could make it stronger?
Asher found it to be an easy task.
This was no big deal for him.
Contracting such a pet beast that could grow stronger so quickly, Asher was actually quite satisfied.
Its innate potential was strong, classified as high-tier mid-grade.
It had a vast space for growth.
The only issue was that it had mutated in a not-so-ideal direction, but for Asher, that wasn't a problem at all.
Eating.
He just needed to feed Little Jellyfish until it was completely full.
Feed it enough so that it could unlock its evolution path, and then all problems would be solved.
Then, Asher realized…
He might have seriously underestimated this mutated Little Jellyfish, which also possessed the [Gluttony] talent.
This wasn't just [Gluttony].
Wouldn't Little Jellyfish eventually evolve into a Taotie¹ at this rate?
This was way too much eating.
His stockpile of over 999 compressed biscuits had been reduced by half by Little Jellyfish, and only then—only then—did it finally reach about 80% full.
Asher: 'Can I return it? Is it too late?'
[[1]Taotie: A mythical Chinese creature known for its insatiable hunger.]
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