《Anathema in Chrysalis》 Chapter 1 [Welcome, Lai.] From the deep nothingness of that dark place came a greeting, a weird voice from which I couldn''t distinguish gender or origin. I felt as if floating in water but no substance along my skin, all but a feeling of dump and hot moisture enveloping from head to toe. Weird, I do feel this place is dark, but its like my eyes are closed as well. I do try to open them with my hands just to notice I cant move them, actually I can''t even feel them!! Same for the legs. God, what happened?! Did someone kidnap me and take my organs? Who would steal my arms and legs?? Was it some obscure black market from the deep web? Damn I knew I should''ve used VPN on those links... [You have died.] Oh, well that''s better, I was just freaking right now with those random... WHAT!??!?!?!!??!? Oh god it''s EVEN WORSE! Whats gonna happen now? Am I in hell? Is this god? But which one?? Dammit I should have done more charity back in the days... What do you mean I died, mysterious disembodied voice? And why do I feel a little deja vu right now? Is this the part where you show my misdeeds before the final destination of this pure soul of mine? I swear my browser history wasn''t that bad¡­ please dont look it up, just say the verdict, we really don''t need to check on that, you know, so many viruses and weird pop-ups on that damn Internet, right? [Be calm, you will soon awaken, to experience life again in a new world.] Oh that''s not that bad, so I get a new chance, like those weird baby movies from the 90s! Or those copy-pasted mass products and horribly overrated isekai mangas. Oh my, so I''ll be reborn as a savior, a hero of this afflicted land bestowing divine boons to fight evil! [You will be reborn on the world of Pangera.] [Destiny and luck shall determine your fate.] Yes! [You will be reborn with the following status:] Yessss!!!!!! [Level: 1] OH YES, GIMME THOSE YUMMY OP-PLOT-ARMORED MC STATUS! [Stats:] Might: 0 Toughness: 0 Cunning: 40Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Will: 1 HP: 1/1 MP: 0/0 ? ?? ??? ?? ? Da fuq? [Skills: Oral sucker level 1; Forced Homeostasis level 1; Equilibrium level 1] Is this a lame excuse for a joke? [Species: Intus Comedentis (Anathema)] - - Well, isn''t that a-m-a-z-i-n-g, i got isekaed into another world to live another chance as an overpowered main character! YEAH! But why cant I look at my surroundings? I know I''m in another place, no longer listening to that weird voice, but even so everything is just black. I can feel my heart beating fast as the same with my lungs expanding and retracting, filling my blood cells with oxygen so my muscles can work strained to maximum¡­. Wait a minute¡­ I am no bio major to know stuff like that, and why does this information come flooding my mind? I myself am not moving to have my body show this behavior. Weird, it feels like I am just static, enveloped in some hot dump blanket, like I am completely covered. All I can move really is my mouth, my ORAL SUCKER as this system so says. I do try using it since its my only part that moves at all, it works like a tongue really, small and slow but enough to give me the tiniest bit of agency. And with my little sucker I feel where I am landed on, it feels like a pulsating wall of spongeous mass a bit hard and really moist, I do feel something akin to taste, but not quite. My mouth gives me information that whatever I am standing on is quite "proper", if I can translate this weird sense I am getting. I stay blindly feeling the place with my tongue all over until I notice that there is not really much to do here since I can''t move. I try to bite the thing I am on with my mouth, but oh boy if missing teeth can make things harder, in the end I just get to suckle on it, like, with my ORAL SUCKER. God, I should''ve avoided some of those websites, huh¡­ To my surprise I heard that voice talking to me again. [Extraction process initiated: 0%] Oh. [Warning! It is ill advised to stop extraction amidst its process otherwise all progress will be lost and repercussions may incur]. Oh, just as I was dislodging my mouth from whatever I am nibbling on. Well What can I do here at all if not just sucking, so I continue doing so. A few minutes pass before I check on it again [Extraction process initiated: 10%] Hmmm, I feel like some strange mining unit from an RPS game. Well it''s like I have anything else to do, so I just continue doing whatever my weird mouth is doing right now. [Extraction process initiated: 20%] [You have extracted 1 point of Biomass] Oh, so I got something from it huh. So¡­ what is it useful for? By its name it means something biological in nature and the "mass" bit would imply that it''s used to build or add itself for something? Hmm¡­ the system doesn''t give me an explanation of what this resource is for, and I really don''t know where is it at all, like, I got it from my mouth so it''s inside me, right? Anyways, I stay doing my stuff here until it reaches 80%, it takes a whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile, but we get to it, 2 more biomass to the tank, its looks like every 20% I get something, huh. A little bit more until my task has been finished. [Extraction process initiated: 100%] [You have extracted 1 point of Biomass] [Warning, additional extraction may prove harmful to the body, further progress is ill advised] Oh, interesting, the system is giving me warnings, well better not do anything stupid here, if things blow up its not like I can run away. But it doesn''t leave me much to do either... Hey system, can you tell me about those skills? What does this Forced Homeostasis do? [Forced Homeostasis: The subject can forcefully share their state with another, this can as well serve to utilize the user''s senses from the primary user obliges the other to be on an equal footing in cognitive abilities among the participants of this link. The specifics of what will be divided among the participants are at the discretion of the main user.] Hm, that''s a bit dense, let me read it carefully¡­ So¡­ it lets me share senses between me and someone else. But who would it be? Do I need to name someone? Oh well, there is only one way to do that. Forced Homeostasis ACTIVATE! Please assign subject: Okay, so I can connect with a dino? Isnt it unusual, well lets-a-go! When I activated my skill it was like my brain was flooded with information, temperature, vision, smell and sounds, all at the same time. I realized it was really hard to have all of them active at the same time so I turned off most of them except vision. Well it was considerably blurry and foggy, but I got to finally see something, and it was horrifying. Before me laid a carnage, dozens of what looked like dinosaurs with 3 spikes on their torsos being butchered by enormous ants, they weren''t bigger than their foes, but goddamn if a dog sized ant is scary. They were cutting pieces of meat from the fallen dinos and carrying it over their heads, all of that amidst a pool of cooling blood and entrails clearly one sided from the dinos, yup, stuff of nightmares. One ant looked in our direction, I saw its antennae twitch, it got closer to me, like measuring us with its claws until it shook its head and went its way along with all the severed parts from their victims. The dino quickly went his way, fleeing rather quickly until it stumbled on a writhing mess of legs. The thing was already fighting another foe, we couldn''t see, but it was furry. The little guy I was using to take a look focused his eyes along the carapace of the multi legged thing in front of us aaaaaaand¡­ BACKSTAB! Chapter 2 The Tri-pointed Spinosaurus rushed to atak his foe, I couldn''t see what he did, but soon one spike from his back was in position to stab the carapace of whatever gigantic insect was fighting the furry thing. The stab wasn''t that much really, all it did was a small wound with the tip. Weird however was that the thing rolled on itself and showed its head to us, a big and nasty centipede. Boy if that thing wasn''t happy at all, it didn''t try to attack back though, i just fled. The centipede¡¯s foe, something like a furry dog, was quite wrecked, behind it laid a few other destroyed centipedes, as I could understand it was a mob attack against it, but did not end well even with larger numbers. After its prey ran away the little, yet quite brave dino, got in an attack position once again, this time targeting the dog. I have to say all of this was really weird, it''s like watching a video camera from a drone, except you can''t do anything and resolution here is quite bad. It got my attention how the dog was hesitant as well, it didn''t want to flee, looking quite possessive to the monster''s carcasses. Man the spinosaurus fighting style was quite awkward since all it did was rushing straight ahead and pierce his enemy with its thorns. The furry thing was exhausted by previous fights, it didn''t mean it just waited for incoming the death, a big clawed pawn swiping from left to right right in front of our face, I couldn''t feel anything but I lost the vision window of one of the eyes and the other was painted in red. Still the attack linked, the spike thrusted and penetrated inside the enemy, still not much more than the tip, the furry dog however wailed, I activated hearing back to have the fullest experience I could. The dog trashed against the thorn, it''s obvious that thing has more than it looks, probably poisonous. The beast breathing got more and more ragged and collapsed. [ Because of the link with the host experience has been provided. ] Oh my, I got experience! But why though? I didn''t do anything at all, except watching the ruckus, does the audience gain xp in fights as well? Unlikely¡­ is it something with my skills? Forced Homeostasis dont look like it can affect it, Oral Sucker didn''t suck xp as well. [ Equilibrium level 1 The user can determine the amount of experience and biomass that is diverted from the host. The amount is being set at: Hmmm, I get it, interesting, that''s handy. Wait a minute¡­ Host? Forced Homeostasis? What does that mean¡­ I can see¡­ it''s coming to me¡­ the truth is shining upon me! . .. ¡­ .. . OH NO, GOD!!! YOU DIDN''T DO THAT?! Now it makes sense! The ORAL SUCKER, the lack of senses, the dark hot and damp place I am in, the constant reference to a host and so on¡­ I am a parasite, a verm, a disgusting worm thriving in this dino¡¯s entrails. Oh god, I don''t feel well, I¡¯m hyperventilating, I think I¡¯ll pass out, the truth is too much to me, ignorance is bliss. ¡­ Actually I don''t even breath, I don''t think I got much of a body even to be able to pass out, I doubt I even sleep at all. But damn, it hurts, I became a freaking parasite, no wonder the "anathema" in my racial description, who would love something that exists only to take from others, to steal the labour and rewards from someone? God I hate myself right now! I need a while to digest this realization, and on top of that it''s now so obvious how screwed I am, a parasite is totally and absolutely dependent on my host. If this Rambo wannabe I''m riding dies, I go along with him. There must be something I can do to improve my chances, that can''t be it, right?This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Eh¡­ System, open the store! (Nothing happens) Huh. Open inventory? Actually, what kind of thing would parasite store? Better not, I dont want to think about it. Open Options? In my mind two large blue windows shows themselves. [ Please select the organs which biomass shall be spent in order to improve its functionality. Remaining biomass: 5 ] [ Please select a skill to learn. Remaining skill points: 1 ] The first window lets me improve my organs, weird. I can get things to +5 if I focus on one alone since its ratio is 1:1, but should I? I dont know what would change, is it qualitative or quantitative? I should experiment and take a look. [ Proboscis has been improved to +5, at this level you can chose an upgrade to it: Wow, it stretches to heavens and beyond. So¡­ what should I pick, it doesnt let me do anything else if the question is not resolved. [ Prehensile Proboscis has been pick, the changes cannot be unmade, proceed? ] Yes? [ Proboscis has become +5 Prehensile Proboscis ]. Yes, now I have a PP and an Oral Sucker skill, such lovely innuendos yaaay! And about the skills, they are a lot more than the previous, like, A LOT MORE. I really don''t know what to get here so I take my time scrolling down until I pick something useful to my predicament. [ Would you like to purchase Host Analysis for 1 skill point? ] Yup. Aaaaand I activate it right away: [Tri-pointed Spinosaurus lvl. 4] [Stats:] Might: 10 Toughness: 20 Cunning: 10 Will: 10 HP: 29/40 MP: 0/0 Skills: Mutations: Oh so we have some poisonous backstabbing boi right here, no wonder the others avoided him, except the ants, they probably are way worse than poison lizards, huh. So far so good with my skill purchase, since it has a level 1 it should mean I can level it up, however it is done. I just shove the status windows to the left and let it work full time for me. I do test the prehensile proboscis, it works more like a tongue, since I am so small and weightless can move around quite a bit to who knows where, I don''t know in which part of the body I am right now. Back to the dino, its having a feast, it ate the dog and bits of the centipedes, quite a glutinous lizard we got. Such amount of leftovers was bound to attract other creatures, it quickly became a battle orgy with mew contestants every minute. I think I should be worried about my life since I am chained to this battle crazy dinosaur, but his methods does give him an easy time, all it gotta do is wait for a fight to start and kill steal with his backstabs and poison. [ Because of the link with the host experience has been provided. ] [ Because of the link with the host experience has been provided. ] [ Congratulations, you have reached level 2! ] And notifications kept popping up! [ Equilibrium has changed the experience distribution for user and host to: 100% : 0%. ] What, can''t I be a little greedy? I am a parasite, and goddammit if "anathema" makes sense now, I''m doing nothing and getting all the spoils, who wouldn''t hate me? For real, what''s the use for a high level tapeworm, right? Chapter 3 Poor dino, he''s sweating buckets fighting nonstop, actually kill-stealling nonstop. How much poison does his glands produce? Anyways, I am reaping lots of levels.
Congratulations you have reached level 4!
Oh the good times of being a disgusting vermin feeding on entrails and whatever levels may be here, lovely indeed I say taking a sip on my imaginary cup of stolen xp tea. Hmm, now that I think about it, I don''t think stealing all this is a good idea, I am a parasite, I am NOT the main body, if this godzilla in the making dies, I will go along with him! Quick, Equilibrium, change it- Before I could finish a group of ants showed themselves, no doubt attracted by the ruckus of our battle orgy. With astonishing precision the ants dealt with the bigger foes, but left unarmed the smallest prey like some frog, rabbits and lizards like my ride. How curious, they would slaughter those furry dogs and other strong foes but blatantly ignored my little dino host, to the point of walking side by side with it. I don''t know if this guy has some racial passive skill to detect power levels, but he looked outright terrified by them. Dammit, I want their bodies not this dumb lizard. Oh god¡­ what kind of thoughts are that?! Have I succumbed to such disgusting instincts of a parasite? Well, the ants finished their work, killed all that attacked them and took the bodies, like all of it. Dino felt frustrated, all its food taken without a single bite. I keep wondering why those monstrous ants dont kill us as well, they did kill the other largest tri-pointed spinosaurus. Hmm, perhaps its because of our size? Are they waiting for us to fatten enough to feast on more meat? Damn, that would be dark, like monster cattle, slaughterhouse dark. Are ants that smart? I feel useless here, those 4 levels didn''t change my base stats, but I did get 3 skill points. I need something to support my ride here, there must be something. [ Host operator The user can manipulate simple biological workings on the body such as blood stream and hormonal flow. ] THIS!!! Its actually quite good, I can help him albeit indirectly, like injecting the little thing with a nice adrenaline shot when tired or more blood to its legs to run faster? I''m not that good with biology but we will learn. [ Host Management The user may manage the usage of the host skills and biomass ] Hmm, I am not keen on this one really, I don''t want to micromanage things, I dont even know what to do, but its quite obvious that this fella is not the brightest star out there, so I should take it anyway. Still one skill left, nothing that looks remotely useful right now, no magics as I dont have MP to do it anyways. I''ll save it for later. Oh Host Analysis got lvl 2: [ Tri-pointed Spinosaurus emotional state: stressed ] Bah, quite the development, huh. Before I forget, Host Management, activate! How funny, Host Analysis activates as well, so this system operates in a skill tree pattern here ''cause Host Management wasn''t available before. [Tri-pointed Spinosaurus lvl. 4] [Stats: (stressed) - (infested)] Might: 10 Toughness: 20 Cunning: 10 Will: 10 HP: 29/40Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. MP: 0/0 Skills: Anti-armor strike level 2 [ Available skill points: 3 ] Mutations: Spike Horns +1 Poison gland +3 Scale skin +1 ] [ Available biomass: 0 ] Zero biomass huh, almost like someone sucked it out of him hahaha¡­ my life sucks, literally. Well, I need to improve our survivability rate here, skills should do the trick for the time being, so I take a long time picking them while this venomous yoshi does its thing. For real your name is Yoshi for now on, you want to fight and eat anything. What we get is this:
Endurance lvl 1
For a brief time, empower the user''s defenses.
Quick Attack lvl 1
The user damage becomes faster although normal damage is applied.
Backstab lvl 1
The user does 150% damage if attacking an unaware enemy.
That''s some synergy I''ve seen some! Hmm, Am I trying to make some really greedy asian company lawsuit me with such a large amount of references or what? Nah, nevermind, they have no power here! I hope? Hmm after all that I think I need to think more about mutation, looks like it''s important. When we get biomass more tests shall be done. -- A few days later I got a surprise, well I don''t know if it was days, this place here doesn''t have night cycles. But anyways, those battle orgies we had last time are getting quite common as time passes and after my intervention my guy here became a ruthless last hitter, together with Equilibrium letting it have all the xp, our dino leveled up! It was weird, after getting to level 5 my ride went to a small crevice between rocks and its eyes kept moving as if looking at something but I couldn''t see it. Few moments later it went to sleep, and thats when things became wild! everything around my body began shifting like crazy, I was being pulled, pushed, squeezed and god knows what more. The last thing I remember was being crushed by something really hard, it was not like the moist organic tissue I''m used to, it was spherical as I inquired about with my proboscis. After all that ruckus about our loved dinosaur entrails I noticed quite a lot of changes. Not only a nice lvl up my something Dino specs changed a lot, new organs, new skills and more stats, even its name got an addendum and it looks the same color at the infested status that''s, well, obvious¡­ so perhaps it''s related to a new condition, and looks like dino has mp now, I bet they are related. So If I get my lvl 5 I will also get those things! Gotta change the xp distribution again.
Tri-pointed Spinosaurus - Core
Level 5 - (0.0%) Skills
  • Backstab (I) lvl 1
  • Endurance (I) lvl 1
  • Wheel movement (I) lvl 1
  • Quick Attack(I) lvl 1
Mutations
  • Spike Horns +1
  • Poison gland +3
  • Scale skin +1
  • Flexible musculature
HP 50/50
MP 10/10
Might 20
Toughness 25
Cunning 15
Will 10
Status: Happy - (infested)
Wow, Even if I don''t know how these stats translate into reality this new Dino became quite good. I''m curious why it has flexible musculature or what this wheel skill does. I''m not connecting the dots here, perhaps they were randomized? God, I want to know that too!! Go on you dumb lizard, go on and try to kill yourself already, I want my next level and see what happens! It doesn''t take long for us to spot prey in this bizarre red dyed forest. Our next prey was an obnoxious mix of a lion and a crab, can you imagine what the hell that looks like? Well try on because goddamn if I don''t know where to start. It had pincers, it had a lot of fangs and a big mouth, and it also had a nice luxurious mane. And disgusting crustacean legs. Man, I don''t know Yoshi, It reeeeally doesn''t look like a good match for us. As if trying to surprise me Yoshi just stand on his back legs, I didn''t even know it could do that. Our dino took a good look at its enemy, since I was looking through his eyes I knew he was focusing for areas with less exoskeleton, meaning: its head. The moves I picked was all about KS, not a front attacker so I was quite lost here. Yoshi then just curled up, grabbed his own feet and bit his tail, securing it in his mouth. Hmm¡­ I''m still lost here dude. And then Yoshi started spinning, faster, faster, FASTER! DA HELL IS HAPPENING HERE. Chapter 4 And the world go round, round and round. DAAAAAAMN, I don''t know what''s weirder, this lizard going all Rammus style out of nowhere or me not getting dizzy with all of that. I don''t think it was well thought out, even if it looks cool as hell, like, it''s amazing to spin and become a death ball of poison, but is it good when you lose your sight and sense of direction? Since I can''t see anything, therefore I trade it for the other senses that are smell or sound, I can''t handle more than one at a time, but both of them work better than eyesight and that explains a lot. This place is not really bright, its like a forest of red trees, inside a big cage of rocks, or a cave if you will. I''d call it death''s dome really, all there is here is nothing more than monsters killing, mauling, dismembering or straight up butchering each other 24/7 nonstop. So, back to the fighting, I dont know what''s happening and I don''t think Yoshi here does either, he''s just spinning around aimlessly. Yeah, great time to test a new fighting style, against a middle boss variant, NOICE. We end up running away unintentionally by spinning straight ahead, which somehow results in a few casualties along the way. The very first traffic accidents this world ever experienced, how tragic.
Congratulations, you have reached level 5! At this level you may choose a path of evolution! Pick carefully.
Oh sweet parasitization, my time finally came too! Show me da goods!
2.1 Intentis Comedentis - pupal stage (Anathema)
+30 thoughness
The embryonic stage is finished as the organism cells start proliferating enough to form a pupa inside the host which will quickly drain it of all biomass and nutrients until its cocoon is fully formed. This evolution path shall result in the host death, the host, however, shall directly influence the resulting adult stage.
2.2 Core Infestor (Anathema)
+10 cunning, +20 will
Because of the micro sized body of the Anathema''s family line it becomes impossible to produce a viable core, to bypass such limits the Intentis Comedentis may parasitise the host''s core by hijacking its complex neuron pathways.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Oh my, such nice and civilized options, become a xenomorph wannabe or go down the line on the parasite way of life. Beautiful, superb! Actually I cant even be surprised, what would I expect, Pikachu becoming Gyaradus? So¡­ which to pick? I''m not comfortable with these options either, and I don''t know the outcome at all. Will I become some kind of a bodysnatcher going with becoming a pupa stage? God and all of that sounds so messy, urgh¡­ my other possibility lets me tap on the resource recently acquired by my ride here, whatever this core is its probable referring to that spherical thing that formed inside it. The tooltip is explaining that because i''m too tiny I cant form a core, huh. Well, I didn''t fancy myself the tallest lad around but MAH GOD, microscopic?! You mean Im so small that I can''t be seen by the naked eye? What am I? Salmonella monster? Goddammit! Am I even multicellular? How can this work? How can I have such a sophisticated train of thoughts being a microorganism?! I NEED to know more of this world and ASAP. I will p¨ªck this Core infestor option,its not that bad and Yoshi here doesn''t deserve to be xenomorphed from inside out. And then it happened for the first time, right after I picked my evolution I went limp, it wasn''t sleep, my body wasn''t developed enough to even have such functionality, so I just stood motionless while I felt my body change. What happened was, what I thought would be closer, to a tree having its roots growing. Such a weird feeling! Oh and my "roots'''' connected with something straight away when they had contact.
Host''s neural network found. Attempting connection¡­ Pending¡­ ¡­ Connection established. The following information is available: Core status: common Mana available: 10/10]
Oh so my I have access to my hosts mana now, can I make some magic then? Do I need skills or spells? Do you want to learn the Connected Cortex skill?
Connected Cortex ( Anathema )
The user may connect to the host''s brain and have access to an organ that otherwise would not be possible due to biological limitations of its species. This connection allows the user to fully utilize whatever skill the user holds as long the connection holds stable. As a side effect the user may be fully able to communicate with the host.
The skill list lets me buy a few things, yet NONE lets me do things by myself. You see, I''ve become a Core Infestor, so I became quite dependant of my host on what it decides about its own core, which means, THIS DAMN LIZARD HAS TO LEARN HOW TO DO MAGIC FOR ME TO LEARN AS WELL!!!!!!!!!! I can''t believe it! I should have picked the one that killed it and who knows what happened next. Now I literally became a cerebral parasite that feeds not only on biomass or leech xp, but skills too. Goddammit I might as well become one of this stupid lizard organs at this point. Chapter 5 - Plot Twist I [Contact, please, respond] ¡­ [PLEASE, if there is intelligent life, please, respond!] ¡­ [Eh, who''d known, this lizard has a brain the size of a pea, bright as a potato. Sad, but I am all alone here-] "Who are you calling stupid, you son of a whore?" [What?] "What?" Oh god, is this for real? Is it possible? [Can you hear me?] "Oh god, I am crazy, I''m in hell and now hearing voices. Is that you, Satan? [What? No! I am not the Devil, I am a poor indignant reincarnated soul!] "Why are you speaking in my head, are you a ghost?" Okay, someone is getting paranoid here, better clarify everything right away. [Nah, I''m a parasite, the one inside you right now, sorry not sorry. Let''s get along, senpai!] "¡­" [¡­] ¡­ [H-hello?] "Why do I have an otaku tapeworm infestation?" [H-hey that''s racist! I am a parasite, but I am a nice guy!] "¡­" ¡°You took my biomass earlier, didn''t you?¡± [¡­] [W-w-wait, how did you know that? I mean, that was an accident, I didn''t mean to do that, it was like, my first time using my skill and¡­]If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You even took all the experience I was getting while I was risking my life¡­¡± ¡­ Well, I did that, really. [Okay, I am guilty.] ¡°Can you leave my body please?¡± [Oh, I didn''t expect that from a lizard, so polite! But I am sorry, I''m stuck here, I got isekai¡¯d here and in the worst possible way as well] ¡°Oh no¡±. [Yeah. Wait, what?] ¡°What?¡± [What? Wait, let''s NOT start that again, how do you understand so well what I am talking about, aren''t you supposed to be a mindless monster?!] "What? No, I should be saying that, why is a damn tapeworm talking to me, it''s fucking crazy, god, and it''s an ISEKAI¡¯D tapeworm, holy shit! [You''re having a meltdown, calm down, it''s not thaaaaaat bad, I''m a nice guy. But hey, how did you understand what isekai''d means? Is that common here? Did I miss the hunter''s guild around the last corner?] ¡­ " Its ''cause I''m isekai''d too". [¡­] "¡­" ¡­ [WHAT?] "WHAT?" [PLEASE, STAHP! What do you mean you are reincarnated too and as a monster as well?] "I guess so, who would think that after 80 long years I would be reborn as a lizard. My grandma didn''t say that to me when I was little¡­" [What? And you''re a grandma yourself? WTF?! How did you know those words I said? Old people wouldn''t recognize them, common!] "Bah, my grandchildren were bullied in school because of too much anime in their life. They loved showing me those things. What would I do? I just let them watch it as long as they didn''t annoy me, you end up getting bits of it anyway." [I am speechless.] This situation was way weirder than I thought, it''d made more sense if Yoshi was just an abnormally smart lizard. So, we got two isekai protagonist? Damn, can''t lose my spotlight here! "Ave!" [What?] "The ants are coming our way. Can you do something else besides being a worm feasting on my body?" [Hey, that''s racist!! I think I can, never tried, though. I''ll mess a bit with your body workings to make us go faster, don''t know if there are after effects.] The first thing I did was to attune myself to Yoshi''s eyes. There was indeed a group of ants rushing our way, they were rather small ones, perhaps younger? Anyway, they did look faster than their counterparts.
Host operator - Parameters available:
¡ñ Blood pressure ¡ñ Adrenaline ¡ñ Gastrointestinal processes
Hmm, so I will change adrenaline, that''s the stuff that makes us do things harder & faster? Oh, the sweet, sweet innuendos.
Adrenaline parameters have been set to normal= 100%, would you like to set a new parameter? The maximum you can change right now is to add or lower 10%
Adrenaline levels have risen to 110%, some effects may develop in cascade if the parameters are not set to normal again.
How ominous. Well, whatever. Skills are up, Yoshi curls itself to go bowling again, this time to run away like the good MCs we are. Since using the rolling skill makes us lose our eyesight, I have no idea if we are, in fact, faster. I get the impression these 10% did way more than these numbers shows. When we uncurled we encountered ourselves unintentionally starting yet another battle orgy because we ended up striking a group of big centipedes along the way, that as well as the weird bunnies, furry frogs and other weird things. Oh, such love. " OH GOSH, I FELL SO YOUNG AGAIN, IT''S LIKE DRINKING A LITER OF BEER BACK IN THE GOOD DAYS". [Oh my, someone is excited. Who would know, huh. Let''s get this thing off, okay, grandma?] {Warning, excessive tempering on the endocrine system may result in unforeseen consequences on the host''s body, do you want to continue?} ¡­ [Oh, that''s more than ominous. Common why can''t I mess with things like a stupid kid pressing buttons randomly? Why do I have to bear the consequences of my actions?] "YOU KNOW, I AM THE ONE THAT''S BEARING THE CONSEQUENCES RIGHT NOW". [Sorry I thought too loud, and yeah, I complain too much, my therapist often said I acted like a little bitch. Can you believe this level of profess-]? "AND INDEED YOU ARE". [...] "..." --- Yoshi took its time recovering from the adrenaline pump it got, meanwhile we got to know each other a bit more. [Wait, you''re 86?!] "Yes, boy I am, or was, I am in another body, another life, this time I''m not more than a month old". [Wow, that is unexpected, I even nicknamed you Yoshi, like, from the games.] "Never heard of it". [Oh common, you know about otaku stuff and not games? What kind of grandchildren did you have?] "You know, there wasn''t that much tech available during the great war". [Wow, you were alive during the World War 2?!] "No. What are you taking about? I meant the third". Chapter 6 [So that''s the deal, okay?] "Why are you calling it a deal, you are imposing it, I can''t do anything, you will steal my biomass and experience either I agree with you or not". [Oh common Yoshi, It''s not like I have an option either, you see, I can''t move or do anything, I''m like another of your organs. If you don''t give me a bit, I can''t get it by myself.] "I am a hostage in a toxic relationship". Well, can''t blame her, I would not receive the idea in better terms, but really, what can I do? [Well, since I explained how my skill works I will set one of them to 100% for biomass and 0% XP for me, I got too few things to improve, so I''ll get them better first than get levels.] "Shit". [What was that? Well, whatever, before I forget, why did you get a core as your evolution?] "Magic, but I don''t know how, and you? Are your evolved?" [Yup, I am a CORE INFESTOR.] Yoshi went silent after that, well, who wouldn''t, I find myself disgusting as well! Oh, and I had to explain all my skills to Yoshi, since I''m inside her like, all the time, some trust should be built. "Goddammit, you can even expend my things for me without MY consent? Christ, this is just getting worse every second". [Oh common, think me like a supporter, your flesh-y fairy godmother, ready to help you whenever I can. If you die, I die too!] "OH, killing myself is an idea now, thank you". ¡­. [Anyway, about my evolution, I really am connected to you, we share all our skills, so it looks like if we train a skill it means it levels up for us both, although the magics are all yours since you kinda need the core for that.] "I don''t think I can use yours, it''s one-sided, am I right?" [Maybe? Who knows, please, buy-mana-manipulation-skill-for-me-plis!] After a few minutes of arguing and convincing that magic should be important for us Yoshi accepted buying the skill, it appeared as usable for me right away. That however made yet another deal between us, I would be responsible to grind magic for us, it''s not that I would have anything better to do either. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
Connected Cortex shared Skills:
¡ñ Mana manipulation
The ability to manipulate mana according to the user''s will.
So, I tried doing it for the first time. It was WEIRD. I could feel all my roots as if an electric current was passing through it after leaving the core. Curious, I didn''t know what to do with this current of energy, so I just let it keep flowing along my cortex roots, if I am not mistaken, they probably reach both Yoshi''s brain and spinal cord. [Hmm, just checking, is everything okay?] ¡­ I got no response back. Is it because¡­? I turn off the mana manipulation and the energy dissipates fast. "AAAAAAAAAH, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" [Oh, did you feel something unusual?] "UNUSUAL? I WAS GETTING ELECTROCUTED!!" Oh dear, looks like more test are needed.
Mana manipulation reached level 2!
¡ª So, I don''t know about doing fancy spells or things like that, all I can do right now is moving this weird energy here and there inside Yoshi, still getting the hang of not electrifying her, but it''s hard. When I asked for her to try, Yoshi did it in a different way, expelling the energy though the mouth, amazing, BUT, I have no agency over her body, so I can''t do it myself.
Mana manipulation reached level 4!
Mana manipulation reached level 3!
Mana manipulation reached level 5!
Mana manipulation reached level 6!
My, my, was it supposed to be so easy? I don''t feel like doing much really, I tried new pathways for the mana flow, like, alongside Yoshi''s muscles, organs, and even her skin. All that supercharged flesh didn''t do anything fancy, Yoshi explained she did feel it a bit, but no glow or whatsoever. Meh. Well, my mana reserves are minimal, like 10 mp! Yoshi had a really small core. But how do we get this core to be bigger, perhaps it should be like mutation or by leveling up. "Hey, you are having a party doing this magic thing, heh". [Well, there is nothing else for me to do, just lay here and take your XP and biomass.] "Could you not stay doing those magic training hours straight, please?" [Oh, but why so? You are getting the skill leveled as well, you can even do it now.] "Boy, you are using me to train, like I am a goddamn calculator or who knows what. You are straining me like hell and beyond, my brain hurts". [Oh, well, I think I do am using you to process things for me, since I can''t myself. Huh, sorry. It''s just that I feel useless, I can''t move or see without using our connection.] "Yes, yes, such a sad story, just try not to fry my brain doing your tricks". Later, after Yoshi got to rest and recharge her mp I would start our magic training again, until there we decided to hunt again. We walked around the red forest searching for prey until we found it. Our next victim was like a tall and tattered coyote, its thin legs supported a skinny body, the finishing touch was its deformed mouth along with an amalgamation of teeth. God, it looked ravenous1. [It looks weird, are you sure to fight that thing?] " Oh, it looks like a wolf, it''s been ages since I saw one. It looks weak, it will be easy". Nice words for a flag, hope it''s not a death flag. Well, I''m a passenger here, in the end it all goes down to Yoshi''s choices anyway. Yoshi positioned herself and curled up, she really got addicted to this spinning wheel move. The problem with this skill is not its effectiveness, it''s really a good damage dealer, but it also always leaves us blind. Well, we went rolling! And we missed. I don''t actually know if we missed, but if we had hit the target we would notice some vibrations, which was not the case. We uncurled to see what happened, the creature was standing not far from us, its eerie blue eyes glowing and its horrendous mouth leaking, perhaps we were they prey here. A few things about the spinning skill should be explained, it was really stamina consuming, and although cooldowns does not exist here it may as well have because using it leaves Yoshi exhausted. So, here we are against an opponent that knows our trump card, we are already tired, and it does not. The monster circles around us to find a good spot to crunch with its disgusting teeth. Yoshi still has its venomous thorns, but we are not in a favorable position, my lizard ride has assassin oriented skills, not made for frontal confrontation. The monster finally decided to attack us using its maw as a weapon. It was too quick, before we could even react its jaws closed upon our tail! Chapter 7 Pain. The first thing we felt was pain, the creature bit our tail and even I, with my skill not relaying the sensations, felt it. Yoshi screamed and trashed while the monster had its jaws locked on us, blood was pouring and the creature was gouging on it, taking huge chugs. Was it a vampire or was it just having toying with us? The thing didn''t let a drop of blood fall on the ground at all! Yoshi maneuvered and tried to bite the coyote, only then the monster''s jaw left us. Our attack didn''t hit, the creature just jumped back, damn it was nimble! Yet again the coyote chose to circle us, probably would try to attack our blind spot again. My isekai Tri-pointed Spinosaurus disliked the idea of falling for the same strategy again, she decided to rush against it instead of waiting to be bitten. Yoshi charged against the coyote and used one of its thorns in her back like a lance, but the dog just evaded it as well. It was way faster than us, the moment we missed its mouth counterattacked and struck against our neck! If blood poured from our tail, the bite on the neck made it flow like a faucet! "SHIT!" GODDAMMIT, what should I do?! Fuck, I can''t do anything, at this rate we WILL die! Fuck, shit, fuck! Yoshi''s vision is getting blurry and darker as more blood is lost, blood loss always ends with you fainting, is it the creature strategy? What should I do, dammit! I can use my skills to alter the blood flow? But that won''t stop the thing biting us at all¡­ Perhaps, perhaps I can do something, it''s risky, but it''s our only chance! I gather all the mana from Yoshi''s core, and try to make it flow faster as possible and one way: the blood escaping the wounded neck! If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Whats gonna happen? Will that help? Fuck If I know! Even with the small amount of mere 10 mana points, I try to make it count! The coyote was happily drinking our life juices when it hit, I don''t know what it felt, but it dislodged from us and vomited a lot of blood while shaking its head in chaos. It didn''t look like it was hurt, probably was surprised with the unsuspected sensation it got from our blood. Yoshi didn''t waste time at all, while the creature was astonished, my ride lunged in a last attempt and actually landed a hit! The coyote screamed, a guttural screech, and shook itself even harder than before! I couldn''t see well, our visions was too blurry, and we were being shaken as well since we got stuck on the monster body by one of Yoshi''s thorns. Quickly, I activated my Host Operator to diminish the blood flow. Not long after we fell on the earth along the coyote. With the blood loss stopped, our vision slowly got better. In front of us, the piece of shit laid fallen, but not dead. The monster had one of its eyes pierced sideways, the thorn entered its skull but ended penetrating until it pierced its cranium upwards, it probably happened due to its own strength while shaking its head trying to free itself. The coyote, however, was still alive but jerking on the ground while its mouth started foaming. Was it because of the poison? Did it graze the creature brain and poisoned it directly? Who gives a fuck, we didn''t die! "YOU SON OF A WHORE!" Yoshi was pissed! She stabbed the creature a dozen times until her rage was placated, the strikes were feeble because my blood pressure shenanigan made her muscles really weaker, but it was enough to pierce the skin and fill the monster with more poison. It had a gruesome ending. [It''s already dead, you can stop now, Yoshi]. "I want to be sure. Hey, what did you do?" [As I said, I am your supporter, I tried to make it get the same thing you felt while using mana.] "That shock made me get up too, you did well, parasite." Hm, thanks? After resting a bit, Yoshi decided to eat. The monster carcass didn''t look enticing, or edible at all, but that did not stop my companion to fill its hunger. I did shit off the hearing transmission, I really did not enjoy the crunching sound of bones and flash being shoved down Yoshi''s maw. [How can you eat it, it looks disgusting.] "It''s easy to get used to." [But its raw, like, what if it has parasites?] Yoshi stopped for a little and then proceeded to chomp its meal. "I have done worse during the war." [I REALLY don''t think there is something worse tham gwaing on an almost rotting monster body.] "Heh, you don''t know what is a war boy, I have done much worse to survive, this is nothing." Damn, that gave me chills, what could this lizard have done worse than this right now? I don''t think I want to know¡­ [You know, I am not a boy, I''m 30!] "Yet 56 years younger, so yes, you are a boy." [I think we should know each other a bit more. Like, we are tied to each other anyways.] "Stop wasting your time, boy, you want to know about the war." Damn, that was as straight a response as I can get. [So¡­ what was it about? Why did it start?] Yoshi didn''t waste time and stop eating, since we had been speaking with our brains, well, her brain. "For the same motivations that all wars happen." [Freedom?] "Ha! A war for such a thing, would you imagine that! There is no war for that, boy. People don''t die or kill for such nice things." [Hm, then why was it?] "For the same as any other, for money, for power. Those are stuffs worth sacrificing the lives of thousands and killing even more." Huh, what? I don''t like how this is going.