The hunger inside me sharpened to a razor's edge. I didn't just want her—I needed her. Every nerve screamed that if I didn't infest her now, I'd shrivel into nothing.
But my human brain fought back.
"Nope. Nope, nope, nope. This is disgusting. This is wrong. I'm not going to—"
> [ Warning: Biomass Depleting. Infestation Required in 10 minutes. ]
"…Goddammit."
The girl groaned, clutching her wounded shoulder. Her breaths came shallow and fast. The sound echoed in me, thrumming through my new senses. And when she shifted, when her torn rags slipped just enough to reveal a sliver of skin, the parasite inside me roared.
Her heartbeat.
Her warmth.
Her flesh.
It all called to me.
---
Let's review my options.
1. Do nothing -> die like an idiot worm.
2. Infest -> live… but also become the literal nightmare fuel of hentai forums.
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't. My slimy body just twitched in place.
"Of all the isekai setups… I get this. Someone upstairs is laughing their ass off."
Her golden eyes darted toward the cave entrance. Shadows loomed outside. The howls were closer now—guttural, mocking. Goblin males hunting their runaway female.
Selene—though I didn't know her name yet—pressed herself against the wall, trembling. Her lips formed a broken whisper in goblin tongue, words I couldn't understand. But the intent was clear: fear, desperation, a plea for help.
And that was the final straw.
"Alright," I muttered. "Screw dignity. Screw morality. Survival first."
---
I launched myself at her.
She barely had time to gasp before my body latched onto her shoulder wound. Warm blood flooded my senses—sweet, rich, intoxicating. My circular mouth stretched wide, teeth hooking into her flesh.
Her scream pierced the cave.
Then I burrowed.
Her skin parted. Heat enveloped me. Pressure clamped down, forcing me deeper. Veins pulsed around me, throbbing with blood. Her heartbeat thundered in my head, faster and faster as she thrashed.
It was grotesque. It was intimate. It was… electrifying.
> [ Infestation Successful. Host Bound. ]
[ HOST: Goblin (F) – Selene ]
[ Shared Senses: Active ]
And suddenly, the world exploded.
---
Vision.
Not mine—hers. My eyes opened for the first time, but they weren't my eyes. They were golden, wide, wet with tears.
Sound. Her ears caught every echo, every drip, every howl outside.
Touch. Her body pressed against the cold stone. Her ragged clothes clung to her skin. The wound in her shoulder burned—but I felt it too.
Breath. Her chest rose and fell, desperate, rapid, trembling.
All of it was mine now.
"…Holy shit."
I'd played VR before. I'd tried full-dive systems. But this was different. This wasn't simulation. This was real.
Every sensation, no matter how embarrassing, slammed into me at once.
And that included the awkward bounce of her chest when she scrambled upright, the heat between her thighs as fear spiked, the sting of air on bare skin where her clothes had torn.
"Oh hell no—"
My thoughts tangled with hers. She gasped aloud.
"Wh-what—? Who's there?!"
---
Her voice rang inside our shared mind.
I panicked. "Uh—hi. Don't freak out."
She froze. "What…? Where…?!"
"In your head. Long story short, I'm… your new parasite."
"…WHAT?!"
Her shriek rattled my bones—well, her bones. She slapped at her body as if she could claw me out.
"Out! OUT! OUT!!"
"Hey, calm down! You'll kill us both!"
She froze again, panting. Her golden eyes darted side to side. "Us… both…?"
"Yeah. Look, I don't like this either, okay? I was human five minutes ago. Now I'm a worm stuck inside you. If you die, I die. So, teamwork?"
She blinked rapidly. Then shook her head violently. "No… no, no, no… demons… curses…"
"Well, technically, parasite. But sure, curse works too."
---
The system pinged again.
> [ Symbiosis Initiated. ]
Host Vitality: +5%
User Control: Partial (20%)
Her body stiffened as energy surged through her veins. Her wound itched as my biomass knit her tissue together. Her legs steadied.
She gasped. "…Stronger…?"
"Yup. That's me. Your brand-new illegal performance enhancer."
Her brows knitted, but her trembling slowed. For the first time, she looked less like prey and more like… someone ready to fight.
But then her cheeks flushed.
"…You can feel… everything, can't you?"
I hesitated. "…Define everything."
Her eyes narrowed. "Everything."
"…Oh crap."
---
The next thirty seconds were the most awkward in my two lifetimes.
When she shifted her torn rags, I felt the brush of fabric.
When she crossed her arms, pressing against herself, I felt the warmth.
When she clenched her thighs together in embarrassment, I really felt it.
"Oh no. Nope. Abort. System, give me a log-out button right now."
Her face turned crimson. "Get out of me, you pervert!"
"Lady, I didn't exactly have a choice! I'm literally fighting for my life here!"
She stomped one bare foot on the stone floor. The vibration rattled us both.
"This is humiliation! Violation!"
"Correction: this is survival. Also, you're welcome for the free buff."
Her lips twitched. Rage, shame, confusion—she was a mess.
And me? I was just trying not to think about the fact that every jiggle, every twitch of her body was now part of me.
---
But we didn't have time for arguments.
The howls outside grew louder. Shadows danced against the cave wall. Dozens of goblin males were closing in. Their guttural voices barked orders, their crude weapons clattered.
Selene's entire body trembled. And so did I.
The system pulsed.
> [ Quest Update: Defend Host → Survive Encounter ]
"Selene," I said, trying to steady my thoughts. "Listen to me. If you die, I die. If I die, you die. So like it or not, we're partners now."
Her lips trembled. "…Partners…?"
"Yeah. Co-op mode. Duo queue. Ride or die."
Her golden eyes met the darkness ahead. Her fists clenched. For the first time, I felt her fear shift—just a little—into resolve.
"…Then let's survive."