Chapter 11
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Became a Dad
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After the PhD left the 1:1 chat room.
I placed the egg in one corner of the bathroom to hatch it.
Then I used my skill on it.
"[Pure Flame]"
Whoosh-!
The purple flames that appeared when I activated the skill.
At first, it was just a small flame like a candle.
But once the flames touched the egg's surface and a little time passed...
Roarrr-!!!
...it blazed up with tremendous force, as if dry straw had been thrown onto dying embers.
Soon, the fire was raging enough to fill half the bathroom.
"...This is gonna be okay, right?"
At first, seeing half the bathroom on fire made my blood run cold—"Ah, I'm screwed."—but.
Whether because it was my skill or just how this skill worked, I wasn't sure.
But I realized the flames weren't hot and didn't burn anything, so I decided to just watch.
The flames had completely enveloped the egg and blazed fiercely at first.
But that didn't last long.
The egg, which had shown no reaction until now, started sucking in the flames like it was devouring them.
And new notification windows I'd never seen before popped up one after another in front of me.
'Nameless Egg' really likes 'Pure Flame'.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
...
"Yes!"
It worked! Finally, affinity increase notifications appeared!
Does that mean it's hatching now? I watched quietly, wondering.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has increased.
...
"...How long are these notifications gonna keep coming...?"
After waiting about 10 minutes with no sign of hatching, I instinctively realized.
This hatching process wasn't going to finish in just one or two hours.
"...Might as well wash up and go to sleep."
In the end, since I was tired and it was too late that night.
I left the egg as is and lay down on the bed to sleep.
The next day.
I woke up to a strange noise and opened my eyes.
"Goronnyang... master... gororonyang..."
An orange cat from who-knows-where was kneading dough on my chest, fast asleep.
"...?"
I spotted the cat only for a moment.
Then I checked the new notification windows that appeared in the corner of my vision.
-Ding!
Affinity with 'Nameless Egg' has reached maximum.
'Nameless Egg' is hatching!
'Nameless Homunculus' has been born!
'Nameless Homunculus' wants a name from its owner.
Will you name it?
〖 -- 〗
Uh... so.
This furball drooling and sleeping on my chest right now.
"Goronnyang... master nyang... I want a name nyang..."
Is my homunculus that hatched from the egg?
"Hmm... I see."
It was a bit different from what I'd imagined.
But this plump, furry cat form wasn't bad at all.
"Kinda looks like a tabby cat?"
For starters, the fur color and patterns were very similar to a tiger's.
But with short legs, massively puffed-up fur, and a super chubby tail, it didn't look like a tiger.
If I had to compare, it was like a chonky cat wearing a tiger skin.
Too wild-looking with those faintly visible fangs and claws like a predator's for a housecat, though.
But one question popped up here.
"No wings or stinger?"
I'd used a Sonic Bumblebee worth over 500 million +@ as the main ingredient, after all.
Nothing resembling a bee's features showed up.
"Maybe they'll grow later?"
Thinking it inherited traits from both monster and spirit, probably.
Nothing urgent right now anyway—just grow up cute like this.
As I listened to the purring furball sleeping on my chest.
Unexpected animal therapy was healing me.
Will you name it?
〖 -- 〗
The name prompt from earlier caught my eye.
"A name, huh...?"
A name... names are important.
As my reliable long-term partner and first homunculus.
I wanted to give it a cute, fitting name for its looks.
Tiger... pumpkin bee... Rangbi? Nah, that's weird.
Tiger... tabby cat... Honul? ...No, even weirder.
Hmm... or just simply Nero? ...That suits a black cat better.
"Sigh, this is hard."
Truth is, I'd never been good at naming anything.
Even back in school, naming game characters took me hours.
Nothing... no good name coming to mind?
That's when it hit me.
"Cute fluffy cat..."
....
"...Lulu?"
A two-syllable name flashed in my mind.
No idea why, but it sounded good and fit the cute look perfectly, so I went with it.
Will you name it?
〖Lulu〗
The moment I entered 'Lulu' and hit next.
"I finally got a name nyang! I love the name Lulu nyang! It's the best nyang!!!"
"Wha-what? You were awake...?! Whoa?!"
"Gratitude fur scarf nyang!!!"
Was she pretending to sleep this whole time?
The moment I input the name, Lulu jumped up from kneading on my chest.
And started rubbing her face all over mine.
Affinity with 'Lulu' has exceeded maximum.
'Lulu' sees you not as her owner, but as her birth parent.
Automatically displaying 'Lulu's status window.
"Ack ack, fur... in my mouth... wait, what? She thinks I'm her parent?"
"Daddy nyang! The best nyang!"
"!!!"
No way, I'd never even held a girl's hand, let alone dated.
And now suddenly I'm a dad?
The shock of becoming a dad (23) in an instant was short-lived.
Grr rumble~
"Daddy nyang... I'm hungry nyang..."
"Huh...? Oh. R-right. Gotta eat."
To fill Lulu's belly, which was growling from hunger.
I went to a nearby butcher and bought meat to feed her.
"I... wasn't sure what she'd like, so I got a variety..."
"Nyam nyam nyam! Anything daddy buys is delicious nyang!"
"...Eats without being picky."
But isn't she eating too much?
I bought three chickens, 1kg beef, 1kg pork to save some.
She was devouring it all at once.
Where does all that meat go in that tiny body?
"Daddy nyang not eating nyang?"
"Nah, eat up, Lulu. Just watching you fills me up."
"Got it nyang!"
As I watched Lulu's bizarre eating show in fascination.
A few minutes later, she'd demolished all the meat.
"Daddy nyang... so sleepy nyang... just a bit... zzz nyang......"
She waddled her plump belly onto my lap and fell asleep.
"Goronnyang... gororonyang..."
...Maybe because she's so new?
Eats in a flash, sleeps in a flash—like those kitten videos on NewTube.
Hmm, anyway.
"...Can I pet her?"
A purring cat on my lap.
How do you not pet that?
"Lemme take a pic first..."
Then very carefully, I placed my hand on her fluffy body and stroked slowly.
"Damn. Feels amazing."
I thought so when she gave me the gratitude fur scarf earlier.
The softness and volume of her fur beat any cat I'd petted before.
I was tempted to do the forbidden belly rub cat owners talk about.
"Gororonyang...♪"
But my conscience wouldn't let me wake a peacefully sleeping kid for that.
Especially during this crucial eating and sleeping phase, so petting it was.
"Maybe thank the PhD."
Stuck until Lulu woke up.
So I logged into the gallery to at least thank the PhD.
[Title: Alchemist soloing floor 2? Is that even possible???]
[Title: Floor 2 today. Challenge or not.]
[Title: No way solo floor 2 lol]
[Title: Non-combat job unfair in Tower of Struggle]
[Title: Tower of Struggle Floor 2 Quick Summary]
...
The gallery had tossed the alchemist bait yesterday and now added more.
They were holding their own poll on whether I'd challenge floor 2 or not.
I never said I would...?
"What if our Lulu gets hurt climbing the tower?"
That day, I'd unknowingly become a dad.
But realizing it would come a bit later.