Jojo dragged his obsidian glass body into a narrow, glowing moss covered crevice. He felt like a smartphone that had been running 15 heavy games at once. His violet core was dim, flickering like a dying lightbulb.
"Ugh... consuming that thing... it's like eating a whole lechon in one bite," Jojo groaned, his voice a metallic rasp.
He slumped against the cool, damp wall. The moss felt surprisingly soft, like high-end velvet. For a moment, he forgot he was at the bottom of a death-pit.
"System," Jojo mumbled, his consciousness drifting. "Hey... System. You there?"
[System Notification: I am always active, User.]
Jojo sighed, a small bubble of shadow popping on his surface. "Yeah, I know. But... who are you? Or what are you? We've been talking a lot, you give me stats, you tell me when I'm about to die... but you're just a blue box. Are you a ghost? An AI? Did the King put you in my head?"
[Processing Query...]
[Error: Information Restricted by 'The Creator'.]
"The Creator? Is that like... a God? Or a developer?" Jojo poked his own transparent chest. "And why me? Ryu got a 'Solar Sovereign' thing. Sarah is a 'Valkyrie'. They get cool capes and shining armor. I got turned into a puddle that eats garbage and bounces like a toy."
[System Response: You were assigned the 'Shadow Slime' race due to your high 'Invisible Presence' stat in your previous world.]
Jojo went silent. "...Wait. You mean because I was a 'nobody' in high school, the magic ritual thought I was a literal shadow?"
[Correct. Your compatibility with 'Being Noticed' was 0.04%. Your compatibility with 'Absolute Darkness' was 99.9%.]
"Ouch. Even the System is roasting me," Jojo grumbled, rolling over. "Fine. But do you have a name? Calling you 'System' is like calling a dog 'Animal'."
[System Designation: Abyssal Engine 0.01.]
"Too long. How about... Sessy? Or System chan? No, that's weird." Jojo paused. "I'll just call you 'Sys'. It sounds like 'Sis', so it's like we're family. Since you're the only one who didn't kick me into a hole."
[Registering Nickname: 'Sys'...]
[Nickname Accepted. Warning: User's Mana is critically low. Sleep is recommended to prevent 'Core Cracking'.]
"Yeah, yeah... goodnight, Sys," Jojo muttered. He curled into a tight black ball, his glass shell softening back into a comfortable jelly. "And thanks... for the 'Elastic' thing. Even if I did hit myself in the eye."
[System Response: You are welcome, User Jojo. Analyzing dream patterns for 'Embarrassing Memories' to optimize future growth...]
"Hey! Don't look at my dreams! That's private!"
But Jojo was already snoring a sound that resembled a wet sponge being squeezed.