After being thrown aside by the alpha's violent head shake, he hit the ground hard. The impact jarred through my new mass—thirty centimeters of dark-red flesh, heavier now, more solid. Pain flared along one side, a sharp sting where the fur and muscle had scraped against dirt and roots. Not crippling, but enough to remind him he wasn't invincible yet.
He decided to burrow deeper into the bushes. Tentacles pushed against soil and leaves, pulling the bulk backward inch by inch until he was tucked beneath low-hanging branches and thick undergrowth. Hidden. Safe for the moment. The alpha was still in the clearing, growling, sniffing, but the howl from the distant fight pulled it away.
He opened his status.
The panel unfolded in his my mind, crisp and burning.
—--
[Status – Level 10]
Species: Parasitic Tentacle Worm
Level: 10
Biomass: 28.4%
HP: 4 / 12
Strength: 13 ↑ +3
Agility: 16 ↑ +4
Vitality: 14 ↑ +3
Intelligence: 19 ↑ +4
Wisdom: 18 ↑ +4
Dexterity: 17 ↑ +4
Mana Pool: 56 / 56
Unallocated Stat Points: 45
[Passive Skill]
Minor Regeneration (Passive)
Restores 1 HP every 10 minutes.
—--
HP is running low. The throw had taken a chunk. He noticed the minor regeneration skill listed in the passive section.
Slow. Too slow. At this rate he'd be waiting hours just to recover from a single hit.
He noticed the free stat points—45 waiting to be distributed. A privilege earned from the level-ups. But he pushed that aside for later. Constantly being without a host was costing biomass. He could feel it slowly drain, tiny but steady. Staying disembodied was inefficient. He needed a new vessel soon.
Then a new line appeared below the panel.
[Skills Acquired]
He expanded it.
—---
- [Blunt Weapon Mastery] (Hobgoblin Origin)
Increases proficiency with blunt weapons. Minor damage bonus and reduced stamina cost.
- [Savage Grip] (Hobgoblin Origin)
Improves grip strength and holding power. Useful for restraining or crushing in close combat.
- [Pack Instinct] (Hobgoblin Origin)
Heightens awareness of group dynamics and hierarchies. Minor bonus to intimidation and coordination when commanding lesser beings.
- [Enhanced Balance] (Direwolf Origin)
Improves stability and recovery from knockdowns or throws. Reduces chance of being staggered or thrown off-balance.
—---
He stared at the list. Hobgoblin combat skills—practical and brutal. The wolf one fit the recent fight. All useful for my future host.
Before he could open any other descriptions, another heading popped up beneath it.
—--
[Traits]
- Libido (Hobgoblin Origin)
Increases sexual drive, stamina and influences the reproductive state of affected entities.
—--
Libido. Of course. The hobgoblin's base nature bleeding through. Perfect for weakening resistance and corruption, perhaps, once he had more control or thralls.
The forest was quiet now. The alpha had charged off toward the howls. He was alone, injured but growing.
Time to decide what to do next.
His thoughts drifted back to the human captives in the hobgoblin den—the women, the kobold females. They were weak, broken, but human. A settlement must have been nearby and would likely have more. Fresher host. Easier to corrupt.
"I should have used Bio Codex on the hobgoblin before consuming him." he could have read his memories. Mapped the location of the nearest village, the paths they used, maybe even the numbers they had. Stupid oversight. The knowledge was gone now—dissolved with his brain. All he had was the lingering scent of human fear from the cave and the vague pull of civilization somewhere beyond the trees.
He decided to turn back toward the clearing where it all started.
The journey back was slow, but uneventful.
The ground still carried traces of the earlier fight—disturbed soil, broken undergrowth, the lingering heat of large bodies that had passed through and not returned. It was familiar terrain now, mapped by memory and instinct. More importantly, it held what he needed.
Biomass.
He moved slowly, keeping close to the earth, following paths that kept him shaded and concealed. By the time the clearing came into view, his pace had steadied. The damage from earlier had dulled into something manageable. Not healed, but no longer interfering.
He paused at the edge.
A vibration rippled through the ground. Light. Repetitive. Too small to be dangerous. He traced it without moving, gauging distance and rhythm. The heat signature was faint but distinct, pulsing with quick, nervous energy.
Rodent-type creature.
Fast and alert.
If it fled across open ground, he wouldn't catch it.
He shifted his focus upward.
The trees bordering the clearing were old, their branches layered and dense. After splitting himself into two separate masses, leaving one to sense the vibration on the ground he began to climb, anchoring himself around bark and rough knots, pulling his body upward in controlled increments. The elevation changed his perspective immediately. From above, the movement below became clearer—a small creature darting between corpses on grass, pausing to sniff, unaware of what watched it.
He positioned himself directly over its path.
Part of his body extended downward, thinning as it stretched. The flesh elongated, drawing tight into a narrow, rope-like strand. He adjusted its length carefully, waiting.
The rodent passed beneath him.
He constricted.
The tentacle snapped tight around the creature's body, halting its movement mid-stride. At the same moment, he released his hold on the branch and dropped the rest of his mass.
The impact drove them both into the dirt.
The rodent struggled violently, its body twisting, claws scrabbling uselessly against the ground. He tightened his grip, activating his Skill with practiced precision.
He didn't linger.
The goblin corpses lay where they had fallen, already cooling. The prong deer was nearby, its body partially torn but largely intact. He consumed them in segments, breaking down everything.
As the biomass was absorbed, notifications surfaced in his mind.
New skills registered.
Dash.
Charge.
Stomp.
Apprentice Dagger Mastery.
Apprentice Trap Mastery.
He acknowledged them, as they existed to aid him in reaching the top.
The effects were immediate elsewhere.
The portion of him that had taken in the most biomass expanded, lengthening and thickening until it stretched close to a meter.
That became a problem, he could no longer parasite his target.
The restrained gale rabbit was close.
The attempt failed.
The size mismatch prevented proper integration. His body could not anchor. The structure rejected the connection outright.
He withdrew and stilled.
For a moment, he remained there, evaluating. Growth had pushed him past the threshold where this form was viable for parasitism. Power had introduced a new limitation.
He accessed the Bio-Codex.
The Bio-Codex responded clearly. It outlined the process without hesitation—mass redistribution through internal storage, structural reconfiguration via controlled morphological change. The instructions were precise, almost clinical, detailing what had to be achieved and the conditions required for it to succeed. Knowing what to do did not make it easy. He attempted to follow the guidance, drawing his body inward and redirecting excess mass as instructed. The result was immediate resistance. The structure failed to adjust, destabilizing under the strain before snapping back into its previous form. He tried again, correcting his approach each time, but the outcome remained the same—collapse, loss of cohesion, then recovery. Understanding was not the issue. Execution was.
He attempted to apply them.
The first attempt failed. The second destabilized him briefly, forcing him to pause and recover before continuing. The third reduced his size, but not enough. The excess mass had nowhere to go.
On the next attempt, the biomass was no longer forced inward.
It was stored.
The change was gradual, controlled. His body drew in on itself, shedding bulk without losing cohesion. When the process stabilized, he was reduced to little more than an inch in length.
He paused, confirming stability.
Then a familiar sound caught his attention.
—--
[Skill Acquired]
Shapeshifting.
Bio Storage.
—--
A brief acknowledgement. Then he moved again.
The gale rabbit had not gone far. He approached it once more, smaller now, lighter, suited to the task.
Parasitism began.