NOVEL FROG Chapter 77
A strong red light flashed, and the egg broke apart.
From within, a newly evolved jellyfish emerged, pushing the shell aside.
A humanoid monster resembling me.
With a jellyfish-shaped hat on its head.
To be precise, an umbrella.
It looked similar to the Jellyfish Queen, the leader of the swarm I saw last time.
However.
It only shared certain overall characteristics.
Its features were different.
Height and body shape were different.
Hair color was different, and even the size and color of the umbrella were different.
‘But I don’t think it’s a different species.’
As I said earlier.
It possessed all the traits of the Jellyfish Queen.
Just as all humans have different appearances, it’s perfectly normal for monsters to look different.
I couldn’t judge that it was a different race just based on such slight differences.
The only clear difference was this.
Our jellyfish had a red coloration.
Either it’s a subspecies of the Jellyfish Queen.
Or perhaps, just like humans have various races, the Jellyfish Queen also has various umbrella colors.
It must be one of those two.
Ha Yumi sent some clothes.
I immediately dressed the jellyfish in its naked form.
Then I briefly conducted an ability check.
As a result.
All the magic it originally had was intact.
It also possessed a new ability, blood manipulation magic.
You could say it’s a magic that gets stronger the more blood it absorbs.
Additionally, it could combine blood magic with explosion magic, condensing the blood and then exploding it.
Not just its own blood, but also the opponent’s blood.
Of course, it could only be done if the opponent’s blood was within sight.
Anyway, after finishing the ability check.
I was working on the guidebook and gave the jellyfish a new name.
I didn’t name it Jellyfish Queen.
It didn’t have a mature look like the Jellyfish Queen; it looked a bit youthful.
Therefore.
I named it the princess of blood-manipulating jellyfish.
「Blood Jellyfish Princess.」
It felt more like a princess than a queen.
■Blood Jellyfish Princess
─Actual Danger Level: SS-Class.
─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: A-Class.
Blood Jellyfish Princess.
Since the name was too long, I decided to call it Fish as usual.
Fish had evolved and could now articulate a proper language.
［Daddy!］
“I’m not your daddy.”
［You are daddy!］
I don’t know why it keeps calling me daddy.
It’s not like it saw me right after being born like Aracne.
I told her to call me by my name countless times.
But Fish stubbornly insisted on calling me daddy.
In the end, I raised my hands and accepted the title.
［Hehe. Daddy.］
Fish giggled, sticking to my leg.
Because it was so small, its head barely reached my waist.
Fish buried its face into my body and rubbed against me.
［Explorer is uncomfortable. Please stop hugging and let go.］
［No! I don’t want to!］
Even when the Centauress scolded her, she didn’t care at all.
“Fish.”
［Yes!］
“Can you let go a bit?”
［Just a little longer!］
Fish rubbed its face against me even harder.
The excessive skinship felt a bit overwhelming.
“Ever since the evolution, it feels like it’s been obsessed with me···.”
［Pet the umbrella!］
“…Okay.”
I gave its umbrella a gentle pat.
The soft texture felt good.
［Daddy, am I pretty?］
“Yeah. You’re pretty.”
［Really? Hehe. I’m glad I’m not ugly anymore!］
【Mysticism】─
“Dan-bi, have you taken drugs?”
I hugged Fish for about ten more minutes before letting go.
I couldn’t keep holding it, and other monsters were glaring at us with jealousy.
After that, I made sure to hug each of the other monsters once.
Favoring only one would make the rest sulky.
I felt like I was playing the role of a caretaker.
*
Day 40 in the labyrinth.
While exploring the labyrinth myself after a long time.
I happened to witness the process of a monster’s birth right before my eyes.
A blue light cluster gathered in one spot.
As the gathering light slowly wriggled, it naturally transformed into a solid and soon took on the form of a monster.
It was a vending machine.
Not the one selling tickets, but a monster in the shape of a beverage vending machine.
What was born was a vending machine.
Not a ticket-selling vending machine, but a monster in the shape of a beverage vending machine.
“I also thought at first that it was a support vending machine for supported ones.”
As soon as the little one was born, I immediately restrained it.
Using the thread I received from Aracne.
Was it just freshly born into this world?
The vending machine monster, unaware that it had been tied up, stared at me in a daze.
I gently placed my hand on its spots to say hello.
“Hello?”
［Japa··· Mommy···?］
“No, not Mommy. Call me Daddy.”
［···Japaan! Daddy!］
Since it was a freshly born monster, its discoloration progressed very quickly.
I decided to check its abilities a bit later.
For now, I needed to work on the guidebook. After that…
■Japa
─Actual Danger Level: S-Class.
─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: B-rank.
─Special Note: Vending Machine.