"Hey! What's wrong with this slime of yours? Why isn't it moving? Hurry up and go fight some monsters!"
A soft, sweet voice rang out nearby, sounding like someone was urging him on.
Ethan groggily woke up, his mind still foggy and disoriented.
When he opened his eyes, he froze.
Wait… why am I lying on the floor?
He tried to stand up, but quickly realized he couldn't move at all.
Panicking, he reached up to touch his face, only to feel something soft, slippery, and gelatinous—like jelly.
"What the hell?!" he shouted, his voice trembling with fear. "Where are my legs?! What's going on?!"
A strange gurgling sound echoed in his ears, as if it was coming from inside his own body.
He lifted what he thought was his "arm," only to discover it wasn't an arm at all—it was just a blob of goo, completely lacking any bones or structure.
Looking down at his body, his heart sank.
"Where's my skin? My bones?! What… what the hell is happening?!"
A wave of dizziness hit him, and Ethan felt like his mind was on the verge of breaking. He couldn't process what he was seeing. It was as if his entire sense of self had been ripped away, leaving him hollow.
Just as he was about to lose it completely, a flood of unfamiliar information suddenly surged into his mind.
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully entered the game world you personally designed. As a bonus, you've been granted the Super Evolution System.]
[This system is designed to help the Host achieve infinite evolution. Loading Host data…]
[Loading 10%...]
[Loading 20%...]
…
"What… what the hell is this?!" Ethan's eyes widened as a familiar yet strange game interface appeared in his mind.
[Data successfully loaded. Current identity: A basic slime summoned by player DerpyKitty. Please earn Evolution Points as soon as possible, or you will cease to exist.]
After hearing the system's explanation, Ethan finally began to piece together what was happening.
"I… I've been reborn into the game world I designed? And I've turned into a slime?"
"And not just any slime—a basic one summoned by some random girl player?"
"And what's this Super Evolution System?"
In the span of a single minute, Ethan went from shock to confusion, and then slowly to reluctant acceptance of this absurd reality. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
"Alright, freaking out won't help. It is what it is," he muttered with a sigh.
Before all this, Ethan had been a genius game designer and a globally renowned gaming prodigy. In the industry, he was known as the "Industry Prodigy."
His latest creation, Dark Scrolls, had just launched its global beta test. Within a single day, it had attracted over 1 billion players worldwide.
But to meet the deadline for the beta launch, Ethan had worked tirelessly, pulling five straight days of all-nighters without eating or sleeping. He hadn't even closed his eyes once.
The moment he finished the final adjustments, his body gave out. Overworked and dehydrated, he collapsed at his desk and died of exhaustion.
He hadn't even gotten the chance to experience the game he'd poured his heart and soul into.
And yet, death wasn't the end. Somehow, he'd been transported into the world of Dark Scrolls—the very game he had created. But instead of being a powerful hero or a legendary figure, he'd been reincarnated as a basic slime—a disposable summon used by players as cannon fodder.
Looking down at his squishy, jelly-like body, Ethan couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
No bones, no flesh—just a blob of goo. Every little movement made his body emit a faint "gloop gloop" sound.
"Fate really has a twisted sense of humor…" he muttered, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Then, his thoughts turned to his family—his mother and sister back in the real world. His chest tightened.
"If they know I'm gone… how devastated will they be?"
He let out a heavy sigh, falling silent for a moment.
But soon, a determined look appeared in his eyes.
"Alright, fine. Since I'm already dead, let's just think of this as a new beginning. No point dwelling on it—might as well roll with the punches."
Ethan took a deep breath and opened his status panel:
Name: Ethan
Level: 1
Race: Slime (Summoner: DerpyKitty)
HP: 100
MP: 0
Attack: 2 (Weapon: Slime Goo +3)
Defense: 1
Weapon: Slime Goo
Evolution Points: 0
Enhancement Points: 100
[Note: The host possesses the Super Evolution System, which allows evolution by earning Evolution Points through killing monsters. Evolution paths are determined by the host.]
[Enhancement Points: Used to upgrade equipment. Earned by defeating monsters of Uncommon rank or higher.]
Ethan stared at his stats for a moment, letting the reality of his situation sink in. Then, he calmed himself and began to think things through.
The game had just launched, and his summoner, DerpyKitty, was a beginner player. Her Level 1 skill allowed her to summon slimes—ten at a time, to be exact. These slimes were meant to help her fight monsters, which gave summoners a distinct advantage over other classes.
But that was her advantage. It had nothing to do with him.
From the moment summoned creatures appeared, their fate was sealed—they were cannon fodder.
Their sole purpose was to protect the player, disposable at any moment.
If they died, the player could just summon more.
But Ethan wasn't like the others.
If he died, that was it.
Game over.
No respawns, no second chances.
He couldn't afford to take risks.
Since fate had handed him a second life—and thrown in a ridiculously overpowered evolution system—he wasn't going to waste it.
Even if he was just a slime, he was determined to become the strongest slime there ever was.
Cannon fodder?
No way.
Ethan clenched his metaphorical fists and made a silent vow: he would never let himself be reduced to a disposable tool like the other summoned creatures.
He would break free from this fate.
Sure, he was just a slime right now. But he had the instincts of a top-tier player, the kind of game sense that only came from years of experience at the highest level. And with the evolution system backing him up, he had every reason to believe he could turn the tables.
The only problem? He was weak. Pathetically weak.
His starting attack power was so low that even killing a basic monster would be a struggle.
"Guess I've got to get stronger first," Ethan muttered under his breath, his gaze falling on the 100 Enhancement Points the system had gifted him at the start.
If he wanted to stand out from the other slimes, he needed to make the most of every resource he had.
"Let's start by upgrading the Slime Goo."
[Enhancing Slime Goo will cost 10 Enhancement Points.]
[Enhancement in progress… Enhancement successful! Slime Goo has been upgraded to Corrosive Slime Goo.]
Weapon: Corrosive Slime Goo (Common)
Attack Power: +6
Description: A strengthened version of Slime Goo. It deals continuous corrosive damage to enemies.
"Not bad. Let's keep going!"
[Spent 20 Enhancement Points. Corrosive Slime Goo successfully upgraded to Toxic Slime Goo.]
[Spent 50 Enhancement Points. Toxic Slime Goo successfully upgraded to Explosive Slime Goo.]
[Enhancement failed. Insufficient Enhancement Points.]
"Explosive Slime Goo?" Ethan's eyes lit up as he eagerly checked the new weapon's stats.
Item: Explosive Slime Goo (Uncommon)
Attack Power: +17
Critical Chance: +5%
Description: A highly volatile version of Slime Goo. When thrown, it creates a powerful explosion capable of dealing massive damage.
"An Uncommon weapon? And it even has a 5% crit chance?" Ethan couldn't help but grin. This was leagues beyond what a normal slime could ever hope to wield.
With the Explosive Slime Goo in hand, his attack power had skyrocketed, and his efficiency in killing monsters would improve dramatically.
Holding the volatile weapon, Ethan felt a surge of excitement. He was itching to test it out.
But as a former top-tier player, he knew better than to rush in blindly. Years of gaming had taught him one golden rule: never act without understanding the situation first.
He took a moment to survey his surroundings.
Blue skies. White clouds. Rolling green fields.
In front of him, a pack of slimes—his "siblings," so to speak—were ganging up on a ferocious forest wolf.
Above the wolf's head, damage numbers like "-1" and "-2" kept floating up. It was clear that the slimes' attacks were pitifully weak.
Meanwhile, standing nearby, a cute girl with an inquisitive expression was staring intently at Ethan, her face full of confusion.
"What's up with this slime? Is it broken or something? Why is its mouth opening and closing like that? Does it think it can talk or something?"
Lily waved her wooden staff in front of Ethan, even poking his squishy body with the tip of it, her face brimming with curiosity.
She was a semi-experienced summoner, but she had never seen anything like this before.
All the other slimes were charging forward under her command, attacking the wolf without hesitation. But this one? It just stood there, completely still, its mouth moving as if it were muttering something, though no sound came out.
"Slimes aren't supposed to have any intelligence, right? Why does this one look like it's… contemplating life?"
Lily was at a loss. She even started to wonder if this slime had been some kind of coward in its past life, so scared of dying that it refused to fight.
But then, following Ethan's gaze, her eyes landed on the glowing Slime Goo in his hands. A flicker of surprise flashed across her face.
"That Slime Goo… why does it look kind of… different?"
She stared at the faintly glowing weapon in Ethan's hands, a sense of unease creeping into her mind. Something about it felt off. But after a moment, she shook her head and laughed at herself.
"I'm probably just imagining things."
However, before she could dwell on it further, Ethan suddenly moved!
His jelly-like body began bouncing forward, one hop at a time. The motion was a little comical, but there was a clear sense of purpose behind it.
Lily blinked in surprise, then smiled faintly. "Finally decided to move, huh…"
Ethan slowly hopped to the edge of the battlefield, carefully observing the forest wolf's movements. Then, without hesitation, he hurled the Explosive Slime Goo straight at it!