Caramel Snail

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Caramel Snail (焦糖蜗牛) 221
Alias(es)	Jiao Ziniu; Snail; Cow; Jio Zeiou; Saga Akira (conscripted character/persona) 546 895
Species/Race	New Generation Homo Sapiens, Heavenly Ring ethnicity (Saga Akira body) 546
Gender	Male 795
Affiliation	White Candle Star; Trustworthy Village; Lioz Mercenary Group — Scout 389 546
Occupation/Role	Star Abyss player; [Destruction] Path Swordmaster; competitive duelist 546 559
First Appearance	Chapter 221: I Was Socially Anxious Before Entering the Game, and I'm Still Socially Anxious After Entering the Game, So Didn't I Come Here for Nothing?

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
[Street Punk]	222	Began as a complete gaming novice in Heavenly Ring; pursued experience to level the Street Punk job.
[Martial Artist]	274	Acquired the rented [Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint] Aura, which rewards sword kills with power and technical bonuses.
Level 19	401	Reached level 19 while exploring White Candle Star with a six-player team.
[Destruction] Path — [Swordmaster] Lv. 60 (MAX)	546	Tournament character data lists a total level of 80, with [Mutant] Lv. 20 as a sub-class.
Gamma Rank	829	Remains Gamma-rank during the battle for Azure Planet despite his high-speed, long-range sword pressure.
Fully implanted armor body	814 917	Underwent mutation and full Implant Armor integration; later awakens in the Boundary Abyss in an Implant Armor body.

Background / History

Caramel Snail entered Star Abyss as an ordinary player and an apparent newcomer whose background even forum veterans could not identify. Unlike most beta players backed by corporations, guilds, professional clubs, or streamers, he lacked a team and was intimidated by established players despite receiving unusual public attention. His first descended identity was Saga Akira, a Heavenly Ring street punk with a troubled past. 164 221

While pursuing a quest against friends who abandoned him, he was robbed by a student wielding a switchblade. Caramel Snail retaliated instinctively, killing the robber; the incident established both his initial aversion to violence and the decisive aggression he displays when threatened. 222

Li Aoz identified Caramel Snail as a player worth cultivating. He offered him the long-term quest Path: Great Power of Destruction, intending to steer him away from the limiting Twilight Sword Saint route and toward a more suitable combat path. 223 Caramel Snail subsequently became strongly reliant on Li Aoz's guidance, equipment, and Aura resources. 274 567

After arriving on White Candle Star, he joined other players in exploration, the founding of Trustworthy Village, and the Goblin Nest campaign. The experience also brought him closer to professional players such as Cumin Powder and improved his ability to socialize. 366 389 444

Appearance

In Saga Akira's descended body, Caramel Snail has light brown eyes. When operating without armor on Violet Star, he appears as a slender young man in ordinary casual clothes. 366 568

• Often fights in full Implant Armor, supplemented by magical armor and external weapon systems. 547 794
• Can transform an arm or implanted equipment into a Blood Pressure Implant Cannon. 547 548
• His later Boundary Abyss body is explicitly an Implant Armor body. 895

Personality

Caramel Snail is socially anxious, easily embarrassed, and prone to stumbling over his words around strangers or famous players. He sometimes relies on the sharper “Saga Akira” persona to speak up when direct interaction becomes overwhelming. 221 444 795

Beneath his timid presentation, he is sincere, charitable, and unusually straightforward with friends. He publicly donated a significant portion of his streaming income to people in need, while Cumin Powder describes him as earnest and naturally talented when it matters. 223 829

His compassion becomes a source of conflict in highly immersive missions. After killing Valena, her brother, and potentially innocent people on Violet Star, he experiences horror, guilt, and a need to establish the truth rather than excuse himself. 580 581 Following the real-world deaths of Cumin Powder and other players, however, he withdraws and turns to relentless extermination of Society-aligned enemies. 853

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship and Sword Qi

Caramel Snail is a fast, close-range [Swordmaster] whose combat style emphasizes sudden movement, decisive strikes, and sustained sword-pressure.

• His reactions and dueling awareness are described as sharp enough to rival professional players. 223
• Uses Brutal Sword Intent to suppress melee opponents and exploit complex terrain. 547
• Can produce continuous Sword Qi barrages with suppressive power likened to an aimbot. 794 829
• Defeated world top-four player Jean Reno Léopardon through aggressive swordplay, space-warping tactics, and rapid adaptation. 548
• His ordinary attacks can function as long-range area attacks, allowing him to pressure mobile targets. 829

Aura Techniques

Caramel Snail's fighting strength is heavily amplified by Aura equipment and techniques acquired through Li Aoz.

• Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint — A rented Aura that grants increasing power and technical bonuses for sword kills; its awakened weapon consciousness ceases communication when the rental ends. 274
• Crescent Moon Aura — Used during the international tournament alongside his sword techniques and tactical movement. 548
• Castling — Switches his main body and phantom after a brief damage window; it can activate regardless of the main body's condition. 548
• Overlord Body / Super Armor — Allows him to resist crowd control and force his way through magical attacks. 559
• His dependence on Aura is a recognized weakness; Long Yuqiong believed Caramel Snail might otherwise have defeated him. 829

Mobility and Physical Enhancement

• Turbocharged Lobe mutation grants permanent movement speed, faster sprinting, and greatly improved stamina recovery. 829
• Uses Gravity-based movement and defensive techniques, including a Gravity Shield. 547
• Can maneuver through the air with Implant Equipment Vanguard assistance while firing on targets. 522
• His speed, patience, and repeated high-speed reactions allow him to overwhelm conventional soldiers and kinetic weapon users. 794

Eye of Truth

Caramel Snail can activate the Eye of Truth through silver-white runes in his eyes to inspect targets and environments.

• Reveals concealed enemies, such as a disguised golem during his match with Reno. 547
• Can fail against targets protected by sufficient secrecy. 366
• Helped him discover evidence that challenged his assumptions about a suspected cannibal. 581

Recognition Filter Failure

Caramel Snail's Recognition Filter and Player system are vital to his stability in dangerous environments.

• Void erosion shatters the Filter and takes his system offline, leaving him unable to fight effectively. 957
• The damage causes hallucinations, intrusive memories, panic, and severe self-doubt. 955 956
• His uncontrolled state later triggers a Void Rift, exposing him to greater danger. 958

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Tsu・Shadow Edge — Tachi capable of releasing destructive black sword intent. 580
• Samurai sword / longsword — Primary sword weapon; used to benefit from sword-focused Aura effects. 274
• Blood Pressure Implant Cannon — Arm-mounted biological cannon used for close-range bursts and ranged fire. 547 548
• White Candle Star crystal and magical armor — Provides notable protection against magical and kinetic threats. 547 794
• Implant Equipment Vanguard — Implant Armor equipment with aerial maneuvering and assisted aiming. 522
• Magic scrolls — Includes Pyroblast and Frost Magic Scrolls used in combat. 547 559

Relationships

• Li Aoz — Mentor, benefactor, and frequent mission partner. Li Aoz cultivated Caramel Snail's class path, supplied Aura resources, and repeatedly relied on him as a bodyguard; their trust is strained by the Violet Star bombardment plan but persists through later crises. 223 567 583 960
• Cumin Powder — Close friend and fellow player. She repeatedly supports him in exploration, encourages him socially, and openly praises his integrity and gaming talent. 401 444 829
• Saga Akira — His first summoned character and long-term persona. Saga served under him for 89 years, 4 months, and 12 days of game time before reaching his service limit and retiring. 853
• Azi — Companion who teased Caramel Snail affectionately and developed feelings for him; Saga Akira later tells Caramel Snail about those feelings. Azi's death becomes a major source of his resolve and grief. 829 853 872
• Garryton — Teammate and cooking teacher who taught Caramel Snail enough wilderness cooking to impress Li Aoz. 444 568
• Long Yuqiong — Professional rival and S1 champion. Their final demonstrates the gap Caramel Snail believes he must overcome. 559 567
• Grina Vortex — Boundary Abyss associate who forcibly assigns him as her temporary servant; their interactions are marked by insults, bargaining, and mutual resistance. 895

Story Role / Major Arcs

Heavenly Ring Descent

Caramel Snail begins as a socially anxious ordinary player inhabiting Saga Akira's Street Punk body. His betrayal by former friends triggers his first major quest and leads to his first killing in self-defense. 221 222

Li Aoz's Protégé

Li Aoz recruits him for Path: Great Power of Destruction, gives him access to specialized Aura resources, and gradually redirects him toward the [Destruction] Path. Caramel Snail becomes one of the players Li Aoz intends to take into the wider universe. 223 274

White Candle Star Pioneer

He explores White Candle Star, forms a team with Cumin Powder and other players, joins Trustworthy Village, and becomes an increasingly capable combatant. He comes to see Star Abyss as a genuine second home and hopes to upload his consciousness there after death. 366 389 492

S1 International Competition

As an independent competitor, Caramel Snail enters his first international tournament. He defeats Jean Reno Léopardon and wins three consecutive matches to reach the top sixteen before ultimately claiming the runner-up title behind Long Yuqiong. 548 549 567

Violet Star Mission

Caramel Snail accompanies Li Aoz across Violet Star as a bodyguard and investigator. The journey exposes him to the Church, the planet's violence, and the moral costs of Li Aoz's plans; he is devastated when he learns that Li Aoz knew the mission's true conditions and that an orbital bombardment is imminent. 568 578 580 583

Saga Akira's Retirement

Following losses among the players, Caramel Snail becomes consumed by vengeance against the Society. Saga Akira reaches his service limit after nearly a decade of continuous use, forcing Caramel Snail to confront the fact that summoned characters have lives and feelings independent of their Players. 853

Boundary Abyss and Void Crisis

Caramel Snail descends into a new Implant Armor body in the Boundary Abyss. In the Mahamut ancestral home, Void erosion destroys his Recognition Filter, leaves him defenseless against Crosshead, and ultimately causes him to trigger a Void Rift. Li Aoz intervenes against the Executioner Ha Mai Jia Lai, while Fettis brings Caramel Snail to safety. 895 955 958 960

Notable Quotes

“If he didn't participate in eating people, then it's my mistake, and I must recognize that.” 581

“When I die, I will upload my consciousness here too.” 492

Trivia

• Caramel Snail's improvised name “Jio Zeiou” means “Break the Illusion” in the Ancient God Race language. 895
• He was the only ordinary player among the early beta entrants, making him a conspicuous anomaly on the forums. 221
• Despite his name, allies frequently compare him to a cow because of his aggressive combat style and stubbornness. 829 895