Fairly sure the mod is TrophySlots, although I'd recommend playing the pack as-is before messing with the mod list. You'll get used to it, and once you progress to the point where you can unlock the slots (which I haven't yet, by the way), you will feel well rewarded.
Also, removing mods might break the quest book. I'm not familiar with what HQM does in that situation, but I wouldn't want to risk it.