"Holy shit, cat head!"
The moment Steven saw the girl, he couldn't stop himself from blurting out a rather impolite nickname.
It wasn't his fault.
Back in that fishing village, he had already noticed how the villagers all had some avian characteristics. That naturally led him to wonder—
Would this world have cat-eared girls, the universally recognized mascot of cute anime culture?
Once upon a time, back in his Minecraft days, Steven had installed a monster girl mod, turning his pet ocelot into a humanoid catgirl.
But in the end, she was just a cat in a girl's body. She couldn't talk. She couldn't interact with him.
The illusion was shattered the moment he realized the mod made even villagers less punchable.
So, he uninstalled it immediately.
After all, it was just a dream.
But now, standing right in front of him, this green-haired cat-eared girl was the real deal.
From her sharp feline pupils, to the way her adorable ears twitched at his rude comment—
She was a genuine catgirl.
At that moment, Steven forgot everything else—Abyssal Hunters, the Church of the Deep, all of it.
There was only one thought left in his mind:
One day, I have to pet this cat girl.
Not for any weird reason.
Just for the unfulfilled dream of his pre-isekai, anime-loving self.
As a self-proclaimed connoisseur of all things moe, how could he not want to pat a catgirl's head?
And since she was the first cat girl he had encountered in this world, that automatically made her his prime target.
Even if the way she looked at him was anything but friendly.
In fact, it was downright cold.
"Sir, I would appreciate it if you refrained from using such… peculiar labels to address me. It is both disrespectful and lowers my evaluation of you."
She pulled her gaze away from the cloaked man and turned to face Steven.
Her voice was calm, but carried an unmistakable warning.
She was trying to figure out this bizarre young man in front of her.
No distinctive traits. No identifying markers.
Yet somehow, he reminded her of someone she really didn't want to remember.
But one thing was certain—
Being called "cat head" was absolutely unacceptable.
"Uh… my bad, my bad. That was a slip of the tongue. Got a little too excited. Hope you understand, haha."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Steven scratched his head and flashed an apologetic smile.
His excitement, however, quickly faded.
Not because of the warning in her eyes.
But because he had just noticed something critical.
She was missing something.
Something essential for any true catgirl.
A tail.
Beneath her strange, off-shoulder white coat, there was no sign of a flexible, swaying, ribbon-tied tail.
What kind of cat girl doesn't have a tail?!
Steven refused to acknowledge this blasphemy.
This was like beef noodles without beef.
Sticky rice chicken without chicken.
Absolutely unacceptable.
And once he calmed down, Steven noticed something even stranger—
The girl before him didn't have a single trace of "girlishness" to her.
Instead, she gave off the air of someone who had endured far too much, someone shaped and hardened by the passage of many years, maybe even centuries.
That's weird…
Steven had thought only he would have this kind of weathered, time-worn aura—a side effect of spending centuries suffering in Minecraft.
But this girl, she looked even more ancient than him.
Just how many coats of green paint did it take for this old cucumber to look so fresh on the outside?
<+>
Kal'tsit narrowed her eyes at Steven.
It was obvious from his expression that he was thinking about something ridiculous.
She sighed and decided to deal with the current situation first before questioning this bizarre human.
"If possible, could you hand that man over to me?"
She gestured at the cloaked figure, who was still frozen in place.
Her voice wasn't requesting, it was demanding.
"He is of no further use to you. In exchange, I will tell you what you want to know."
Her tone carried no room for negotiation.
Unfortunately for her, Steven had a rebellious streak.
"But I already made a promise to him."
He tapped his temple thoughtfully, looking as if he was actually considering the request.
Yet instead of handing over the captive, he stepped in front of him, blocking the cat-eared girl's path.
"I always keep my word. If I promise something, I don't go back on it."
Steven turned his head and grinned at the cloaked figure behind him.
He even gave a thumbs-up, as if to say, "See? I got your back."
For a brief moment, the cloaked figure was touched.
But before he could savor that feeling, Steven's next move stunned everyone present.
Out of nowhere, he pulled out a pitch-black, trident-like spear, and casually tossed it to the girl beside him—Gladiia.
"Like I said before—once he finishes talking, you can do whatever you want."
His voice was still lighthearted, almost lazy.
But to the cloaked man, it sounded like pure ice.
A second later, his twisted, monstrous body was sliced clean in half.
<+>
Gladiia had been holding back her killing intent for too long.
Now that she had permission, she attacked instantly, like a furious beast unleashed.
With wild, instinctive swings, she ripped the cloaked figure apart, reducing him to nothing but shredded flesh and gore.
Steven simply stood there, watching with a smile, completely unconcerned about her violent outburst.
After all, Kids need to vent sometimes.
If she held it in too long, she might end up psychologically damaged.
As for whether that cloaked guy had any remaining secrets…
Steven couldn't care less.
He was clearly unwilling to talk anyway.
And besides, sasn't there a new information source standing right in front of him?
Steven turned back to the cold-faced cat-eared girl, pointing at the pile of minced flesh that was once their captive.
"So… about that deal you mentioned earlier—"
He flashed a grin.
"Still on the table? I don't mind taking a little loss and asking fewer questions."