"Choice confirmed. The transformation will take three hours to complete. Would you like to start?"
"Wait—will I be in danger during that time?"
"Yes. However, only creatures stronger than you pose a threat. The system will protect you from weaker entities by creating a protective cocoon equivalent in strength to your current body armor."
"Okay. Activate the evolution."
The evolution began.
A cocoon wrapped around his body, layer by layer, sealing him in darkness. A faint, sweet-smelling gas filled the space, dulling his thoughts. His eyes slowly closed as his consciousness slipped away.
The lab doors slid open. The researchers entered, agitated but maintaining a professional tone.
"Okay… Maria, let’s start today’s work. What’s our first test?"
"We need to run toxin extraction on Subject 31057-A, test their reaction to Subject 30012-D’s poison, record whether they consume Batch One ingredients, and send the results to the data center."
"That’s a long list. Want to start with the reaction test?"
"No. That should be last. They might die. Start with the ingredient test, then extract the poison."
"…Alright."
The atmosphere between them was tense. Since the incident involving Subject 20013-B, pressure weighed heavily on both of them. They had lost a unique asset—something that had never happened before. It had nearly cost them their positions.
They worked in silence.
The subjects were expendable. Knowledge was not. Knowledge meant leverage, profit, and control—pillars of the expanding empire they served.
"I’m… I’m sorry," Maria said quietly.
"I know," Dave replied. "It was an accident. Let’s just keep going."
He hesitated.
"Shouldn’t the Silth babies be near the exit door?"
"Yes. That’s where the protocol says they should be," Maria answered absently, focused on her console.
A pause.
"They’re… they’re not here."
"What?" She turned. "They’re not—what?"
Panic crept into her voice.
"We already lost 20013-B. If the Silth are gone too, we’re finished."
"Calm down," Dave said quickly. "Silth are expensive per unit, not rare. M.O. breeds them by the millions. We can replace them. I’ll ask Gab to check the cameras from last night."
"Okay… okay."
They left separately, moving carefully, trying not to draw attention. Dave went to ask favors in neighboring facilities. Maria headed to the surveillance wing.
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"Hey, Gab. Can you help me?" she whispered.
"Depends," Gabriel replied. "What do you need?"
"Can you check if anyone was in our lab last night?"
He glanced around. "Let’s talk somewhere else."
Inside the camera room, he crossed his arms.
"I don’t have direct access to your hallway feeds. But I know someone who does. Four hundred credits."
"Four hundred?!" She swallowed. "Fine. I’ll send it."
"Good. I’ll get back to you tomorrow."
"If you find anything suspicious, call me. If I don’t answer, leave a message."
"I know."
When Maria returned, she found Dave already waiting—Silth containers concealed beneath his uniform.
"Gab’s checking the cameras," she said.
"Good. I gathered eighteen from other labs. Enough to finish today’s work."
"Then let’s just get through tomorrow," she said. "No mistakes."
"Agreed."
He woke.
The cocoon had dissolved, leaving no trace behind. A translucent window appeared before him.
His body had changed again.
His frame was slimmer, more refined. His legs were longer, their joints sharper. His jaw-claws had thickened, reinforced. Two new tentacle-like organs extended from beneath his carapace—tools meant to connect, to drain, to consume. The Carapace Weaver no longer relied solely on its mouth.
He adjusted his posture, testing unfamiliar balance.
"Lumina," he said.
"What can I assist you with?"
"Explain my new traits."
"Opening trait information."
Hosting
Level: 1
Description: Allows you to issue commands to a host.
Warning: Hosts with high mental resistance may detect or resist control.
Warning: Commands that conflict with the host’s instincts may be rejected.
Anchor hook(passive)
Level: 1
Description: Increases leg grip and anchoring strength slightly.
Essence leech
Level: 1
Description: Allows slow consumption of a host’s nervous system to generate Varloon and disrupt motor control.
stick bug
level: 1
Description: Enables limited physical mimicry of host body parts to reduce suspicion.
"So these are my evolution traits," he murmured.
"Affirmative."
"What about system upgrades?"
"As a Hosting Parasite, you may now acquire traits through DNA assimilation. Consuming sufficient samples of a species allows acquisition of generic traits. Consuming specific species enables unique traits.
Leveling allows enhancement of a selected trait’s effectiveness."
"Good. When did I get that mission? I don’t remember seeing it."
"You did not review your missions after completing the previous objective."
"Show me my current missions."
[MISSIONS]
situational mission:
????
Description: ?????
Rewards: ????
Evolution mission:
Thanks for the meal
Description: destroy your host’s spinal cord
Rewards: level 2 Hosting unlocked
First of many
Description: Find your first host
Rewards: 80 varloon
Timed reward: if completed before the timer runs out you will receive 20 more varloon
Timer: 15 h 00 m 00 s
"I can complete all of these," he thought. "The question is—who should I choose?"
As the thought formed, familiar voices echoed through the lab.
