The cave was silent now, except for the sound of dripping blood and Selene's ragged breaths. Broken bodies lay scattered across the stone, the Goblin Captain slumped lifeless against the wall.
Selene dropped to her knees, her shoulders shaking. She pressed her hands into the dirt, staring at the blood that stained them.
"…I killed them," she whispered. Her golden eyes trembled. "I really killed them."
Through the link, her emotions poured into me—shock, horror, guilt, but also a fierce spark of pride.
I chuckled weakly. "Correction: we killed them. Co-op victory."
She shuddered. "You… parasite. You made me…"
"Yeah, but you finished it. That last punch? That was all you."
For the first time since I had met her, her lips twitched into a shaky smile.
---
Then the system chimed.
> [ Hive Protocol Activated ]
Core: Toru (Parasitic Anomaly)
Queen Node Established: Selene (Goblin Warlord Node)
Features Unlocked:
Hive Energy Pool (shared stamina & biomass)
Drone Host Creation (limit: 5)
Hive Link (mental communication radius: 30m)
Node Buffs (Selene active: +10% Agility to all Hive units nearby)
A new screen unfolded in my mind, shimmering with silver-green light. It looked like the root system of a massive tree, with me at the center. From my core stretched a thick glowing branch—and on it pulsed a bright green orb. Selene.
The Hive.
I grinned. "Looks like we just unlocked guild mode."
Selene blinked, confused. "What… is this? Why do I feel… different?"
"You're a Queen Node now."
Her brows furrowed. "Queen… what?"
"Basically, you're my second-in-command. Our Hive's first pillar."
Her cheeks flushed. "Y-your… queen?"
"Not like that!" I coughed mentally. "Okay, maybe a little like that. But it's technical. System thing."
She crossed her arms, glaring—but her lips twitched as if she wasn't sure whether to be angry or embarrassed.
---
"Alright, let's test this."
I crawled our gaze over the cave. Broken goblin corpses littered the floor. Biomass still oozed from their wounds, pulsing faintly.
The system pulsed again.
> [ Biomass Available: 95 ]
Drone Host Creation: Possible.
"Oh hell yes," I muttered. "Minion time."
"Minion?" Selene tilted her head.
"Watch and learn."
I focused on a nearby corpse. Biomass flowed from me into the husk. Its body twitched. Flesh bubbled. The goblin's eyes flickered with a faint green glow.
> [ Drone Host Created: Goblin (Drone) ]
Hive Link: Active.
The goblin jerked upright like a puppet. Its movements were stiff, unnatural, but its eyes glowed with Hive light.
Selene gasped, stumbling back. "You—you can control the dead?!"
"Not exactly. Think of them as… zombie grunts. Limited brain cells. But loyal."
The drone turned its head toward us, awaiting orders.
Selene's jaw dropped. "That's… terrifying."
I smirked. "That's leadership."
---
Selene rose to her feet, still trembling, her torn tunic barely hanging together. Sweat and blood plastered the fabric to her skin. She hugged herself, face burning.
"…Stop looking."
"I'm not looking, Selene. I'm feeling. Unfortunately, same thing."
Her blush deepened. "Y-you pervert parasite!"
"Not my fault the system coded Shared Senses like this!"
She groaned, tugging at her rags. "We need to… leave. Find clothes. I can't…"
Her embarrassment seared through the link, heating my own thoughts. My human brain screamed fanservice alert.
I coughed. "Right. Escape first, fashion montage later."
---
We gathered what we could from the corpses. The Captain's axe was too heavy for Selene to wield properly, but a smaller blade from a grunt fit her hand well enough.
Her golden eyes hardened as she gripped it. "If more come… I'll fight."
"Now that's the spirit."
We moved toward the cave's exit, our new drone shuffling behind us. Each step echoed with tension, but also with something else—resolve.
Selene wasn't the trembling goblin girl from before. She was something more.
And with her, so was I.
---
Light.
For the first time since I had awoken as a parasite, sunlight pierced my vision.
We stepped out of the cave, blinking against the brilliance. The air was fresher, tinged with grass and wildflowers instead of rot. The sky stretched wide and endless, clouds drifting lazily across a sapphire canvas.
Before us sprawled a vast wilderness. Rolling plains dotted with jagged rocks. A distant forest shimmering with green. Mountains looming on the horizon like sleeping titans.
And everywhere… monsters.
I could sense them. Packs of wolves prowling in the grass. Winged creatures circling in the skies. Something massive moving beneath the soil far away.
Varlaeth. The world we had been thrown into.
Selene's breath caught. "…I never thought I'd see this as anything but prey."
I smirked inside her mind. "Well, now you're not prey anymore. You're Hive."
---
The system pulsed once more.
> [ Hive Expansion Quest Available ]
Objective: Secure a Hive Base.
Reward: Unlock Hive Lair (upgrade system).
A base. A lair.
I grinned. "Selene… time to build our home."
Her golden eyes widened. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her bloodstained lips.
"Yes. Our Hive."
---
The camera pulled back—Selene standing at the cave mouth, the sun blazing down, her body bloodied but defiant. Behind her, the corpse-drone shuffled obediently. Above, a shadow passed—a winged creature watching from the clouds.
The world of Varlaeth awaited.
And the Hive had just been born.