Cthulhu Girls in My Eyes - Reviews

Overall, this is a promising start to a litRPG/isekai story with a dark twist. The main character’s voice is engaging, the world-building is layered with mystery, and the pacing alternates between system exploration and lore drops. Some readers might find the stat-query sequences a bit repetitive, but I enjoyed them because they establish clear rules. The biggest strength is the sense of scale – from a small pool to a cosmic event. I’m definitely intrigued and would keep reading to see how Chen Yi’s “Omniscient Eye” and his non-human identity unfold.

The chapter ends with Chen Yi picking thousands of snakeberries and increasing his stamina cap. But the story cuts away just as he leaves and the snake people emerge. That’s a solid hook. I really want to know what happens when the snake people report this to their deity. Will Chen Yi encounter them soon? The distance to his “same kind” is still far (about 800k steps short), so maybe the next steps will bring him into conflict with these beings. The pace of reveals is well-managed.

I’m not entirely sold on the “never hungry, never thirsty” aspect yet. It makes survival too easy. Sure, he can get tired, but without food and water needs, the tension of resource management is gone. However, the author compensates with the stamina limit and the need to find soul-strengthening items. So it’s a trade-off. I’ll wait to see if this leads to unique challenges, like needing specific nutrients that only exist in certain places.

The line “I have to say, the commotion created by collecting things in a calm little pool is really big” amused me because it’s such an understatement for what is actually a supernatural gathering. The whole sequence of him swimming and disturbing the pool feels like a metaphor for his arrival in this world – he’s an outsider stirring up the equilibrium. I’m sure the locals (snake people, ghost lizards) will feel the consequences.

Reading the scene where Chen Yi collects water and then has to wait for it to settle because he stirred up the black matter – that’s a very real survival problem. He could drink the muddied pool, but he chooses to wait out of squeamishness. That attention to detail shows he’s still holding onto human standards, which makes his gradual transformation more poignant. Also, his estimate of “using one step as one unit” is a nice narrative shortcut for a stat system.

The “drinkable water” that gives stamina recovery and the “black water” that raises spirit limit is interesting, but I’m still not sure what the colorful soul crystals do besides cause addiction. The author says they maintain pleasantness and are “similar to soul fragments with activating properties.” That screams potential plot device. I bet these crystals are exactly what the Ghost Lizard magicians are fighting over. The connection is subtle but strong.

Chen Yi’s reaction to finding the bone spike – pretending to be a swordsman, then coughing awkwardly – is such a great character moment. He’s aware he’s alone and still goofs off. That blend of loneliness and self-amusement makes him feel human (even if he’s not). This kind of playful internal scene breaks the tension and makes me smile. I hope he keeps this sense of humor as things get more dangerous.

One of my small gripes: the transition from Chen Yi’s POV to the Shavi World interlude felt abrupt. There was no warning or chapter break (at least in this extract). It works diegetically as a cutaway, but it might confuse some readers. Also, the naming (Shavi, Greshus, Ghost Lizard) is a lot to take in. However, I appreciate that the author trusts the reader to piece things together. It’s not overly expository.

The “Greshus” plants being mobile was a fun reveal – “Right by your feet” made me laugh. So Chen Yi has been eating and destroying a field of living creatures that were apparently planted by snake people for sacrifice. That’s a huge misunderstanding that will probably lead to conflict. The plants themselves were described as dark reddish with a fishy outer taste and sweet inside – that sensory detail made it more memorable. I bet the snake people are furious.

I have to comment on the stamina/ spirit system. It’s simple but effective: stamina 0 means no physical body, spirit measured in “w steps” is an unusual unit. I appreciate that the author tried to quantify everything, even if it’s a bit arbitrary. The fact that he can increase his stamina limit by eating fruits is a classic leveling mechanic. But I wonder why the limit hit 200,000 – is that his current maximum based on his soul? Or is there a bottleneck? This kind of system invites min-maxing, which I love.

The snake people’s perspective section was a great narrative shift. Seeing Chen Yi as a giant shadow with tentacles is hilarious because we know he’s just a regular dude with a bone spike. It also reveals that this world has snake people, priests, and a father god – so there’s a structured society with religion. The line “Evil God, Evil God” repeated by the golden-scaled priest makes me wonder if Chen Yi is genuinely a threat or just misunderstood. That ambiguity keeps things fun.

The “Catastrophe Ghost Dragon” lore is epic. A sealed deity-level entity that breaks free, a missing dragon, and a mad guardian who saw something unspeakable. I’m betting Chen Yi is somehow connected to that ghost dragon – maybe he absorbed it when he died? Or the crash caused the soul tide? The timing of the accident and the soul tide (both around 11:11?) might be a clue. I love theorizing while reading, and this story gives plenty of fuel.