The Slimes Grew Again

Night fell.

The two girls returned from Cape Oath hand in hand and waved goodbye at the gates of Mondstadt City.

After returning home and taking a bath, Ellin stood before the mirror and touched her cheek. Fischl's kiss still stirred her deeply.

"Does she like me?"

"That can't be right. I'm a girl!"

"But if she doesn't like me, then why did she..."

Ellin stared blankly into the mirror for a long time. When she came to her senses, she sighed helplessly. "Damn it! Nonsense, utter nonsense!"

She flung herself onto her big pink bed and opened the system interface.

The moment she became best friends with Fischl, she had not only received a new Vision, but also unlocked new slots in her Weapon Inventory and Artifact Inventory. The system had also unlocked a new feature: the world map.

By now, Ellin was certain that every time she became best friends with someone who possessed a Vision, new slots would unlock in her Weapon Inventory and Artifact Inventory.

She opened the Weapon Inventory. Becoming best friends with Fischl had unlocked three new weapons: the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear, the Skyward Blade, and Mitternachts Waltz.

Ellin had already given Mitternachts Waltz to Fischl, so the five-star weapons Ailin now owned were the Unforged, Amos' Bow, the Skyward Blade, and the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.

His four-star weapons were the Flute and the Black Sword.

Next, Ellin opened the Artifact Inventory. This time, it had once again unlocked only two slots.

The two Artifacts inside were a flower from the Witch's set and a circlet from the Gladiator's set.

The flower's main stat was always HP, so there was nothing much to say about that. The Gladiator's circlet, however, caught Ellin's attention.

It was actually a level 20 helmet with Defense as its main stat.

"This... actually boosts Defense!"

The moment Ellin saw the word "Defense," she was torn.

In her mind, defense was tied to muscles. Whenever muscles came up, Ellin pictured a hulking, muscular tank carrying a shield and drawing enemies' attention.

"System, are you there? If I use this Defense Artifact, I won't turn into some muscle-bound woman, will I?"

"Ding-dong! No, Master. The strong have no need for muscles. Just look at the Conqueror of Demons over in Liyue. He's strong, isn't he? Never mind muscles, he doesn't even need height!"

Ellin's lips twitched. "Good thing you don't have a human body. If Xiao heard you say that, he'd definitely use the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear to stab your knees to pieces!"

"Hehe, too bad this system lives inside your mind, Master. If the Conqueror of Demons stabs anyone's knees, they'll be yours."

"Though you're so cute, Master, I wonder whether the Conqueror of Demons could bring himself to do it."

"Ahem. Anyway, you're so cute right now, Master, and I like it very much. So rest assured, this Defense Artifact definitely won't turn you into a muscle-bound woman."

Feng'er, who was standing at the head of the bed, straightened up. As Ellin's familiar, she and Ellin were connected in mind and shared their soul and life.

That meant she knew Ellin had been reincarnated, that Ellin had been a boy in her previous life, and that Ellin wanted to turn back into a boy.

Feng'er even knew about Ellin's system and the conversations Ellin had with it in her mind.

Feng'er was female, so Ellin naturally treated her as a girl. Now, she spoke up. "Exactly! I completely agree with Big Sister System!"

"Besides, Master, haven't you always wanted to become a boy again? If you grew muscles, wouldn't that make you more masculine?"

"Hehe, Master, have you started to enjoy being a girl?"

The system agreed. "Mm-hmm! Exactly! I've noticed Master seems to be getting more and more girlish lately. She must be..."

"Oh, shut up, both of you! Can't you give it a rest? All you ever do is tease me!"

Ellin waved her hand with feigned impatience. "Fine. As long as I won't grow muscles, I can use it without worrying."

With a tap of her little hand, the two Artifacts immediately turned into golden light and merged with her.

Once the golden light faded, Ellin went over to the mirror.

She discovered that using the Witch's flower Artifact had greatly increased her vitality. She couldn't say exactly how much, but she could feel the vigorous life force coursing through her body.

It was at least three times as strong as before.

The most obvious change brought on by that increased vitality was that her skin looked even fairer and rosier. Her pretty cheeks were flushed, making her look even cuter.

As for the increase in defense... Ellin couldn't really describe it herself. She simply felt that her bones were harder and her internal organs seemed stronger.

But a second later...

"Ah!! Why?!"

Ellin suddenly cried out in anguish before the mirror!

"Why? Why did my slimes get bigger again?!"

"And why did my hair get longer again?!"

Ellin was on the verge of tears. She had discovered that whenever she grew stronger, her slimes and hair changed too.

Her hair had originally only reached her shoulders. After she used the Attack Sands and Energy Recharge Sands, it had grown past her shoulders, and her slimes had gotten a little bigger too.

Now, after growing stronger yet again, her hair reached down her back, and her slimes were even bigger.

"Author Daddy, I demand that you nerf my slime size immediately!"

Ellin threw back her head and shouted!

Author: You'll have to ask the readers whether they agree to nerf your slimes!

Early the next morning.

Wearing a white long-sleeved top printed with a Cryo Slime, denim short overalls, and little white shoes, Ellin stood staring blankly into the mirror.

"Ugh... they got bigger again. They sway every time I walk. It's so annoying!"

Ellin was deeply troubled, because she had just discovered that Teyvat had yet to invent anything like a slime bra.

Thinking back, quite a few female characters in Genshin Impact wore backless outfits, and she really had never seen any shoulder straps or back straps from slime bras.

But that made things miserable for Ellin. As her slimes gradually grew, they not only became heavier but also bounced up and down when she walked. Combined with her looks as Teyvat's prettiest girl, that meant she drew plenty of stares from men on the street.

"This is so embarrassing!"

Ellin was terribly frustrated, but in the end, she had no choice but to go out.

After leaving home, Ellin headed straight for the training grounds. Having just obtained a new Vision, she couldn't wait to develop new moves.

Fischl was an investigator for the Adventurers' Guild, responsible for gathering intelligence for them. Lately, she had spent nearly every day with Ellin, leaving a great deal of her Guild work undone.

After making a pact with Ellin the previous night, Fischl felt completely satisfied. She knew that time could no longer weaken their friendship, so she returned to work with peace of mind.

And so, that day, everyone at the Adventurers' Guild was astonished to discover that Fischl no longer spoke in her usual theatrical fashion!

Everyone asked Fischl what had happened, but she only blushed and said it was nothing.

In truth, though, she understood perfectly. Her theatrical persona was merely a disguise, a way to hide her loneliness.

But now she had a best friend. She was no longer lonely, and she no longer needed that persona to armor herself.

Seeing their daughter finally escape her inner loneliness, Fischl's parents were happier than words could say.

They also understood that, as her parents, they bore much of the responsibility for Fischl becoming so caught up in her fantasies. But if they failed to guide their child properly when she was little, it became difficult to do so once she grew up.

They could do nothing about Fischl's theatrical behavior... or rather, that behavior was actually their punishment for being irresponsible.

That was why Ellin's arrival had not only saved Fischl, but also saved Fischl's parents.

And so, Fischl's parents were truly grateful to Ellin beyond words.

Around noon, Ellin put away her longsword after finishing her training.

Inspiration had come easily that day, and half a day of practice had helped her work out quite a few new moves.

"I'll go home for lunch, then enjoy a nice afternoon nap!"

Ellin smiled and was just about to head home when she suddenly heard someone calling her name.

She looked toward the voice and saw a green-haired girl in a white hat running toward her, waving as she came.

"Ellin! Wait, wait!"

The green-haired girl called out to Ellin.