MMO: Chapter 6/10

Chapter 6: Kendo Club

At that moment, Shinichi suddenly came to his senses. Looking up, he saw the teacher standing directly in front of him.

"Playing games in class, huh?"

The teacher held up Shinichi's phone, showing him the screen, which was still displaying the game.

Shinichi initially wanted to offer an explanation, but in the end, he gave up. Saying something like his hand had a mind of its own would sound way too chuunibyou.

When the school bell finally rang, Shinichi used the excuse of feeling unwell to ask the teacher for permission to leave early.

"Izumi's acting strange today. Should we visit him after school?" Yuko Tachikawa said, resting her chin in her hand while staring at Shinichi's now-empty seat.

"Maybe he couldn't figure out how to apologize and felt awkward staying in class with Satomi," Silvain said as he flipped through a class schedule on a sticky note.

"I wouldn't rule that out, but I don't think Izumi's the type to run away," Tachikawa said, visibly frustrated. "I even promised to help him apologize to Satomi."

"Found it," Silvain said with surprise. He had indeed found the chemistry class on the schedule. While his knowledge of chemistry was limited, he recognized the chemical name for sulfuric acid. With something like that, he might have a better shot at killing a Parasite.

"By the way, Yuko, does our school have a kendo club or something similar?"

Faced with Silvain's question, Tachikawa thought for a moment before answering.

"I remember Yuuji from our class is in that club. If you have any questions, just ask him. Are you thinking of joining?"

Silvain put away the schedule and smiled. "I'm really interested in kendo."

After that, he spent the rest of the class idly watching the scenery outside the window. He had no interest in the lesson content.

He waited like that until school ended.

"Yuuji, wait a second." As Yuuji was about to leave, Silvain called out to him.

Yuuji was a little surprised by the sudden call, but he stopped and looked at Silvain. "Is there something I can help you with, Silvain-kun?"

"I heard you're part of the kendo club. I wanted to ask if you're still accepting new members."

"Oh, you want to join? Sure, that's no problem. I'll take you to meet the club president. Once the paperwork's done, you'll officially be a member."

Yuuji then brought Silvain to a tall student ahead of them—Tanaka Nakata, the president of the kendo club.

Tanaka was wearing the club's uniform, which resembled traditional Japanese samurai attire.

"Have you practiced kendo before?" Tanaka asked as he handed Silvain a registration form.

Silvain filled out the form and replied, "I trained for a while. It's a great sport."

"Alright." After confirming everything was in order, Tanaka extended his hand. "Welcome to the kendo club. We usually meet at 5 p.m. You're welcome to come train then."

"Got it. Unless something comes up, I'll be there."

After leaving the club president's office, Yuuji began explaining more about the club.

"Our kendo club is one of the biggest in the school. We have over 300 members, including students from all three grades. When you meet upperclassmen, make sure to greet them properly."

"Some seniors don't have the best tempers," he added with a bitter smile, clearly speaking from experience.

"Got it. Thanks, Yuuji-san. Let me treat you to lunch sometime."

"No need. I usually go home to eat."

After parting ways with Yuuji, Silvain checked his pockets and found a few 10,000 yen bills. It seemed this was his weekly allowance. If he managed his spending carefully, it should be enough.

He found a nearby ramen shop, sat down, and ordered a bowl of tonkotsu ramen with extra toppings.

He savored the food slowly. The noodles were soft, and the broth was flavorful. He even finished the soup, though he noted it was a bit greasy—probably due to the heavy oil content.

That afternoon, Shinichi still didn't return to class.

Chemistry was held in a special classroom, unlike other subjects. The teacher in charge was a soft-spoken woman with black-rimmed glasses. She was conducting a small experiment at the front of the class.

Silvain noticed that strongly corrosive chemicals, such as acids and bases, were locked in a cabinet that required a key. Security was tight, and ordinary students clearly wouldn't have access.

"This is a problem. Am I really going to have to steal the key?" For a moment, Silvain couldn't think of a better solution.

Right now, there weren't many Parasites at school, but if he waited a few more days, things would get much worse.

"Silvain-kun, are you feeling unwell too?"

Tachikawa noticed him frowning and asked with concern.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking... what kind of excuse would I need to ask the teacher for the cabinet key?" Silvain joked.

"You don't need an excuse."

Tachikawa casually pulled out a key ring from her pocket.

"?" A huge question mark practically appeared over Silvain's head. "Are you serious? Why do you have the key to the chemistry cabinet?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Because I'm the class rep for chemistry. I'm responsible for cleaning and managing the cabinet. So... guess why I have the key?"

"That's perfect." Silvain really hadn't expected Tachikawa to have the key.

"Can I borrow it? Please?" Silvain looked her straight in the eye. He understood that if anything were to go missing, she would be the one suspected.

"Those chemicals are dangerous. What do you need them for?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"There's a special reason, but you'll find out soon." Silvain couldn't exactly tell her there were man-eating Parasites in the school. No one would believe it without seeing it for themselves.

"Here, take it. Just be careful when you use them. Make sure the bottles are sealed tight."

Tachikawa tossed him the key.

Noticing the confusion in his expression, she added with a laugh, "I borrow stuff from there too for experiments. As long as you don't take too much at once, no one will notice."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 7: Next, Watch Me Perform

"Thanks. I'll treat you to a meal sometime," Silvain said as he slipped the key into his pocket.

When the bell rang and the other students gradually left the classroom, Silvain deliberately stayed behind.

"Sensei, I dropped something. I'll look for it myself." He made up an excuse to get the female chemistry teacher to leave first.

She didn't suspect anything and walked straight out.

Silvain then found two bottles of concentrated sulfuric acid stored in glass containers. After checking, he confirmed that the bottles were high quality and well-sealed. Unless deliberately smashed, the acid inside wouldn't leak.

With these in hand, Silvain felt more confident about taking down a Parasite in one strike.

At five in the afternoon, as Tokyo West High School dismissed, Silvain, now wearing a jacket, made his way to the Kendo Club.

The training ground was large. Many members were already sparring with wooden swords. They wore light protective gear to avoid serious injuries, but being hit by a wooden sword could still hurt.

"Silvain-kun!" Yuuji spotted him in the crowd.

"This is Silvain Nowak, my classmate. He just joined the Kendo Club today," Yuuji introduced him to the others.

"Welcome, welcome."

The members didn't show any resistance to the newcomer. In fact, they all greeted Silvain warmly.

After greeting them, Silvain quietly stepped aside to watch the training.

"Does our Kendo Club only use wooden swords?" he asked, noticing everyone had a wooden sword.

"We have iron swords too, but we don't usually train with them. They're too heavy and are only used during official matches."

While they were talking, several tall students approached.

The one leading had dyed yellow hair and gave Yuuji and the others a disdainful glance. The moment they arrived, the atmosphere turned cold. Silvain noticed the tension and quietly asked Yuuji what was going on.

Yuuji's tone turned grim. "They're third-years. The leader is Aso Koji. Rumor has it he's connected to some gang outside school. They always choose underclassmen as sparring partners and go all out during training."

"What's this? No greeting for your seniors?"

Forced by Aso Koji's reputation, Yuuji and the others reluctantly greeted them.

Seeing this, Aso Koji laughed loudly, and his group followed. Then, he noticed Silvain, who hadn't reacted to them at all.

Aso Koji narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Looks like someone still doesn't recognize our authority as seniors."

"Let's teach him a little lesson. It's tradition for seniors to break in newcomers."

The students around him stared at Silvain with obvious hostility.

"Forget it. He just joined. Don't scare him off," Aso Koji said, patting the shoulder of the one who had spoken.

Then, he selected a few students from the crowd as training partners.

Yuuji was among them.

Everyone in the club knew Yuuji and his friends didn't get along with Aso Koji. Someone usually got hurt when they trained. Still, human nature being what it is, many students gathered to watch the spectacle unfold.

In the center of the training ring, two students geared up. Compared to the tall, burly third-years, Yuuji's teammate looked thinner and more nervous, as seen in the way he held his sword.

Sure enough, once the match started, Yuuji's teammate was on the defensive. Within minutes, he had been hit several times.

Silvain silently shook his head. It wasn't that the third-year was highly skilled—it was that Yuuji's teammate lacked any fighting spirit. He only defended, which made it impossible to win.

As expected, Yuuji's companion took a strike to the back of his hand, lost grip of his wooden sword, and the match ended in defeat.

The next few matches were no different. All one-sided losses.

"My turn." Yuuji gripped his sword tightly, took a deep breath, and stepped into the ring.

His opponent was Aso Koji. Koji looked completely relaxed, swinging his wooden sword lazily as he taunted, "You juniors never improve. It's disappointing. Thinking about how people like you will take over after we leave is just sad."

"Shut up."

Yuuji launched the first attack. His speed was good, and he reached Aso Koji in a flash.

But the strike was blocked easily.

To be fair, Aso Koji did have some skill, at least compared to students like Yuuji. However, in Silvain's eyes, Koji's swordsmanship was full of flaws and barely tolerable.

"Too slow. Didn't you eat today?"

Koji spun behind Yuuji and struck his left arm, making Yuuji clench his teeth in pain.

"You're as reckless as ever. Kendo isn't for hotheaded fools."

Koji kept trash-talking while fending off Yuuji's attacks. Irritated, Yuuji's technique began to fall apart. His forehead veins popped as he began to swing wildly, losing all form.

Noticing this, Koji grinned maliciously. The moment Yuuji's momentum waned and he had no strength left to attack, Koji struck again, slashing the back of his hand. The skin immediately turned red and swollen.

"Give up. You'll never close the gap between us by chanting 'friendship, bonds, and revenge' in your heart."

Under Koji's repeated strikes, Yuuji was clearly reaching his limit.

Even the referee couldn't stand it anymore.

He stepped forward and declared Koji the winner.

Koji, triumphant, said mockingly, "Sorry, looks like I win again. What a shame."

Yuuji, holding back the pain, walked off the ring and lowered his head.

"Sorry you had to see that, Silvain. One day, I'll defeat him."

"Rest up first."

Silvain took the wooden sword from Yuuji's hand and noticed the bruises across his arms.

Shrugging, he said, "Next, watch my performance."

Then he stepped toward the ring.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 8: Extremely Insulting

"Are you kidding me? This is the first time I've seen someone voluntarily come on stage just to get beaten." Aso Koji scratched his head, drawing a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Faced with the ridicule, Silvain silently raised his middle finger at Koji and his lackeys.

As soon as Silvain calmly raised his middle finger, they exploded with anger. A few hot-tempered students couldn't wait to rush up and land a few punches on him.

"Baka! Aso-kun, teach him a lesson!"

"Aso Koji, get down. I'll fight him myself!"

Yuuji and the others were completely dumbfounded. If they had known Silvain had such an incredible ability to attract hatred, they never would've let him step up.

"Very good. I can't wait to get started." Aso Koji stood at the center of the ring, so furious that his chest was heaving, his molars grinding with rage. He looked like he wanted to crush Silvain right there.

Seeing how enraged everyone was, Silvain just laughed.

His smile was extremely insulting.

Aso Koji didn't even wait for the referee to signal the start. He swung his wooden sword directly at Silvain. The sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, and just as it was about to hit, the audience widened their eyes instinctively, afraid to miss the moment.

"Too slow, Aso-san. Haven't you eaten enough?" He returned what Aso had said to Yuuji earlier, and to be honest, Silvain found his speed laughable. With his current swordsmanship, he could predict the angle and force of the swing instantly.

He lightly stepped back twice. Aso Koji's sword tip barely missed his chest by a centimeter.

Pa! In the next second, Silvain's blade landed cleanly on the back of Aso Koji's hand. The strike hit a nerve, making Aso Koji cry out in pain and instinctively grab his injured hand.

"You're not much better. If this is the level of my upperclassmen, it's honestly hard to believe."

Just like Aso Koji did earlier, every time he landed a hit, he made sure to ridicule his opponent.

Aso Koji knew that Silvain was trying to anger him on purpose. He tried to stay calm, but he could no longer keep up with Silvain's rhythm, let alone see his sword movements clearly.

After a few more exchanges.

Aso Koji was already drenched in sweat, while Silvain remained relaxed and composed.

The entire room fell silent. Every pair of eyes was filled with shock. None of them had ever seen someone completely toy with Aso Koji like this. It was unthinkable. Their entire worldview was collapsing.

"Too weak, Aso-san."

Aso Koji collapsed to the ground in pain, though he still gripped his wooden sword—Silvain had deliberately avoided injuring the hand holding the weapon.

"Baka! I'm gonna kill you!" Aso Koji could feel the judgmental stares from the crowd. In a sudden burst of rage, he jumped up and swung his sword at Silvain's lower body. It was a dirty move—duel etiquette normally forbade attacks below the belt, especially with no protection.

The sudden, shocking move made several people in the crowd gasp, and Yuuji and his friends shouted in alarm.

"Silvain, watch out for the sneak attack!"

But on stage, Silvain had already anticipated that Aso Koji would make a desperate move. With a pa sound, he knocked the wooden sword from Aso Koji's hand. At the same time, his own blade was already pointed at Aso Koji's throat.

The referee, having just snapped back to his senses, quickly rushed in to separate them.

Aso Koji remained frozen in place, dazed, his eyes vacant.

"Still in a daze? It's over," Silvain said flatly.

"Impossible… it must be you… you…" Aso Koji couldn't bring himself to say the word "cheating." Instead, he mumbled, "If I hadn't used up my stamina fighting Yuuji, I wouldn't have lost to you."

Seeing how stubborn Aso Koji was, Silvain turned to the upperclassmen.

Then he smiled and raised his middle finger again.

"Bastard! Don't think we're afraid of you!"

Repeatedly insulted, several of them could no longer hold back. They all raised their wooden swords and charged the stage.

"What, not convinced?"

Silvain casually flicked his sword, producing a graceful sword movement. Honestly, he didn't take these guys seriously at all.

Cries of pain followed. The few who had rushed up aggressively were now clutching their right hands, groaning in agony.

The scene stunned Yuuji. At that moment, one sentence Silvain had said earlier suddenly echoed in his mind:

"I used to study this for a while. It's a pretty fun sport."

"This isn't just 'studying for a while.' I don't think even professional swordsmen could compare to Silvain…"

While still dazed, Yuuji felt a hand on his shoulder. Silvain had stepped down from the stage and spoke casually.

"Think I can apply for iron sword training now? This thing's too light."

Yuuji snapped back to reality, his face flushing with excitement. He nodded rapidly, like a chicken pecking rice.

"Absolutely! No problem at all! You're going to be famous after this. I guarantee the whole school will know your name tomorrow."

Right now, Silvain had become the idol of many members of the Kendo Club.

Not quite used to this sudden idol treatment, Silvain quickly walked out of the crowd. Under Yuuji's guidance, he successfully applied for a steel training sword for daily use.

Walking through the streets of Tokyo, Silvain carried a long object wrapped in black cloth on his back. From the faint smile at the corners of his mouth, it was clear he was in a good mood. No wonder Homelander wanted the world to worship him. This feeling of being admired really was something else.

However, Silvain didn't let himself get lost in that feeling for too long. He had never forgotten his true goal—to become the ultimate being, he never wanted to relive those three paralyzed years, the worst of his life. Everything else was just an illusion.

The sky grew darker.

The path Silvain walked led to increasingly deserted areas.

He vaguely remembered that in the original series, Parasytes usually hunted down lone humans in remote places.

Rustle… Under the moonlight, a crooked-neck shadow stretched across the road behind him.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 9: Still a Beast

"Damn it, I wasted three hours waiting for you," Silvain muttered impatiently under the streetlamp.

His footsteps echoed, accompanied by a figure trailing not far behind.

"Damn it, I wasted three hours waiting for you," the figure repeated stiffly, as if mimicking him word for word.

Silvain turned to look at the stalker who had been tailing him. The middle-aged man appeared ordinary, but his white shirt was stained with a large patch of blood. Under the moonlight, his face looked especially pale, his eyes completely lifeless.

The moment he realized he had been discovered, the man abandoned all pretense and lunged at Silvain like a wild beast.

As he attacked, several cracks appeared across his face. Then, his facial skin split apart into several fleshy strips, peeling outward to reveal dense, razor-sharp teeth embedded within. It looked like a grotesque and repulsive flower of blood and flesh.

"How disgusting."

Silvain swiftly drew his sword and slashed at the attacking tentacles. The black cloth wrapped around the iron sword instantly shredded on contact. The force transmitted through the blade to Silvain's hand was far beyond what a human could withstand.

With no choice, Silvain retreated several steps to avoid being torn apart by the following tentacles.

After that brief clash, Silvain realized that the parasitic beast in front of him was a tough opponent.

Whoosh, whoosh! Tentacles, transformed from flesh and blood into blade-like whips, lashed through the air toward him. The speed was incredible. Silvain could barely keep up, parrying just in time. Worse, after a few exchanges, his iron sword was already covered in cracks, some deep, some shallow.

"This guy must've eaten a lot of people. I can't waste time or stamina. I need to end this quickly."

Clang!

Silvain struck another tentacle. The collision sent a shock up his arm, and tiny cracks appeared between his thumb and index finger, quickly staining the sword's hilt with blood.

The beast seemed to catch the scent of Silvain's blood, becoming even more frenzied as it launched reckless attacks.

Tentacles extended from its head, swinging even faster and more violently.

By now, the surrounding street was shredded with various-sized gashes and ruts caused by the beast's wild attacks.

Huff… A tentacle narrowly grazed Silvain's face. The pressure of looming death left him gasping. Then, he felt something drip from his chin. He wiped it with his hand, and the sight of vivid red blood stung his eyes.

"Shit… I actually got hit. It's fast." Silvain stared at the blood in his hand, but his heart became even calmer.

He understood that if things continued like this, he would definitely die. To kill this parasitic beast, he had to take a risk.

Luckily, the creature had only recently transformed. Its attacks were rigid, and its tentacle movements followed predictable directions. Its brain couldn't yet process the control of so many limbs at once.

Seeing his chance, Silvain moved forward instead of retreating. He dashed through the slashing tentacles and arrived behind the parasitic beast.

Under the moonlight, he gripped his long sword with both hands, eyes locked on the middle-aged man in front of him.

The beast wasn't about to let him go. It turned its head and rushed at Silvain again.

Suddenly, its upper body tilted forward, and the tentacles on its head flailed wildly. It had tripped on one of the gashes it had created, causing it to lose its balance and nearly fall.

"If you haven't evolved human intelligence, you're still just a beast."

Seeing that his plan had worked, Silvain smashed a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid at the creature's head without hesitation.

Bang! The glass shattered. The acid splashed across the beast's entire head.

The agonizing pain made all its previously extended tentacles retract at once. A sizzling burn filled the air as white smoke rose from the grotesque mass of flesh.

"Die!"

Puchi! Silvain drove his sword into the beast's heart.

Just to be sure, he twisted the blade, completely destroying the organ.

The beast, which had been thrashing in agony, suddenly froze as if its life had been cut off by some unseen force. Its knees buckled. It dropped before Silvain, and all signs of life faded from its body.

"Looks like Jesus is still looking out for me," Silvain muttered, then sliced off the fleshy ball on its head with his sword.

Everything fell silent.

Silvain dragged a motorcycle from the roadside. It was impossible to tell whose unlucky ride it had been. He unscrewed the gas tank cap, pushed the bike onto the parasitic corpse, then took out a lighter and lit the gasoline pooling at his feet.

Boom! Flames roared up, swallowing the body whole.

Silvain's figure, lit by the rising fire, gradually faded into the night.

…

In a barbecue restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district, Silvain, with bandages on his face, sat comfortably enjoying grilled meat. As he bit into a thick slice of beef, its rich fat and aroma exploded in his mouth, nearly making him faint with happiness.

What could be better than a late-night snack?

And this meal had been hard-won. After all, it was so late, and most restaurants had already closed.

"Not bad." Silvain patted his stomach, satisfied.

At that moment, he opened the system panel.

[Talent Ability: Transformation]

[Analysis Condition: Kill a parasitic beast]

[Analysis condition unlocked. Fuse the talent ability: Transformation?]

"Fuse."

[Transformation talent is merging. Current progress: 2%]

Silvain could clearly feel that some kind of strange change was happening within his body. It felt like a genetic shift, a deep-rooted transformation. A tingling sensation spread across his skin, but soon, it faded away.

"To fuse the transformation talent faster, I probably need to observe or fight more parasitic beasts." Based on his previous experience with fusing swordsmanship talent, Silvain now had a general idea of how to accelerate the process.

Moreover, a new thought emerged. Perhaps new talents would awaken as the parasitic beast evolved.

Shinichi Izumi, Reiko Tamura, or even Gotou—the final boss in the original series—were perfect observation targets.

After paying the bill, Silvain left the restaurant.

The panel had already arranged housing for him. Upon returning to his one-bedroom apartment, Silvain immediately began testing the newly merged transformation ability.

He recalled the bladed tentacles the parasitic beast had unleashed.

While visualizing it, he focused on controlling his right hand. After some effort, his hand gradually started to change. It melted like rubber, slowly forming into a curved blade shape… and then, nothing more.

With his current fusion progress and physical strength, this was all he could manage for now.

"Damn… can this thing even kill anything?" Silvain poked the table with his floppy right hand.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 10: Parasitic Dog

The next morning, Silvain walked toward school.

"Only 2% progress in one night. At this rate, even if my time ends, I won't be able to fully integrate this transformation talent."

Fantasy Points were hard to come by. He hadn't seen a single one during his month as a security guard at Vought International. Now that he was finally in a fantasy world, there was no way he'd be satisfied with just one or two talents.

"Judging by the Parasytes in the original series, there's no way they only have two talents. Could it be that the Migi I analyzed yesterday was in its juvenile state?" Silvain pondered while thinking of how to make contact with more Parasytes.

Relying on random encounters would be too inefficient.

Just as he was racking his brain, a boy in a light brown coat entered his line of sight. The boy was looking down at his right hand, muttering to himself.

"Shinichi."

Silvain's sudden appearance startled him.

"Careful! There's a comrade nearby, the same kind of creature as me."

"You mean Silvain's also been parasitized?" Shinichi asked nervously.

As Silvain walked toward him, Izumi Shinichi quickly pulled out his phone, pretending to answer a call. In reality, he was speaking to his right hand.

"It's not him. It's someone else. It's getting closer."

"How can you sense them?" Shinichi glanced at Migi, which had turned into an eyeball.

Migi replied, "I can sense brainwave-like signals."

"Good morning, Shinichi." Silvain greeted casually. "By the way, aren't you going to school today?"

"Shinichi, ignore him. Let's leave immediately. We have to find it before it finds us." Migi quickly withdrew into Shinichi's body as Silvain approached.

Izumi Shinichi scratched his head. It felt too rude to just walk away, but he couldn't think of a good excuse, so he simply stated his original plan.

"I was heading to the police, but I guess I don't need to anymore. I'm planning to head home. Just realized I forgot a workbook."

"Want me to come with you?" Silvain smiled when he saw Shinichi's face turn red like a monkey's behind from the lie.

Some people just weren't cut out for lying. Shinichi was one of them.

"No need, I can go alone."

Shinichi refused quickly.

"Alright." Silvain stood still, watching Shinichi's hurried figure disappear, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

Elsewhere, Migi reappeared in Shinichi's palm.

"Strange. Wouldn't it have been better to just say no?"

"You don't get it. That would be impolite," Shinichi explained patiently.

Migi blinked its round eyes, puzzled. "Politeness? What's that? Seems there's still a lot I need to learn."

Guided by Migi, Shinichi weaved through the alleys.

Soon, at the end of one alley, he witnessed a horrifying sight: a pet dog was eating the corpse of a golden retriever.

"A dog eating another dog…"

Shinichi muttered in shock.

The pet dog noticed him and immediately turned its split-open head toward him.

The scene looked straight out of a horror film.

What shocked Shinichi even more was that the pet dog spoke.

"Have you failed too?"

"Are you dissatisfied with where I parasitized, with the animal I chose?"

Migi sensed the opponent's intense killing intent and immediately warned Shinichi to run.

After Shinichi fled, the pet dog's head sprouted a pair of fleshy wings, lifting it into the air.

"Incredible. That transformation was nearly perfect." After both had left, Silvain stepped out from a nearby corner."

At the same time, Shinichi, hiding by a wall, thought he had escaped. But when he looked up, the flying pet dog was already coming toward him.

"You've got to be kidding… This is too—" Shinichi didn't finish.

Migi transformed into a tentacle and lunged at the creature.

Although the dog was agile, it was in midair and had transformed part of its body into wings, limiting its ability to fight back. After a few rounds, Migi's tentacle pierced its body and pulled out its heart.

Migi held the organ in front of Shinichi.

"It really used the dog's internal organs and digestive system to survive."

"This is a comrade you finally met."

"It turned out to be a dog. I know that's probably due to the environment it was born in, but still… it was really dumb."

Migi's words made Shinichi feel how cold and emotionless it was. Killing one of its kind meant nothing to it—like squashing a bug.

"Forget it. Let's go. I need to find a place to wash the blood off my hands."

Less than two minutes after they left, Silvain reappeared.

He walked over to the corpse and shook his head regretfully.

"What a valuable research subject. Such a shame it died like this. Still, the body has value. Can't let it go to waste."

Silvain picked up the body, stuffed it into his schoolbag, and returned home.

Missing two classes occasionally wasn't a big deal. Right now, the fusion progress mattered more.

He grabbed a fruit knife from the kitchen and, suppressing his nausea, began dissecting the corpse. He didn't need the precision of a med student, just enough to clearly see the structure of the transformed parts.

It took a full half-hour.

Only then did Silvain figure out how the fleshy wings worked. He straightened his back and summoned the panel.

As he expected, the fusion progress had reached 14%, an increase of 10%. This proved his theory: only through deeper contact with Parasytes could he accelerate fusion.

"Now things are starting to get interesting."

Silvain smiled in satisfaction. He looked at his right hand. All five fingers had turned into sharp blades.

He ran a few quick tests. In this state, his stamina consumption was about the same as running at full speed. Of course, it couldn't compare to the body of a fully parasitized host, but Silvain was already very satisfied with this result.

"Looks like when this walk-along ends, I'll need to figure out how to fuse a superhero's stamina. Otherwise, even with transformation abilities, I won't be able to use them long."

As Silvain considered which superhero to target next...

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

He answered the call and, hearing the teacher's voice on the other end, quickly explained.

"I'm really sorry, I had a bad stomach last night. I'll head to school immediately. I'm really sorry."

After hanging up, he instinctively wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Strange… I've been out of school for years, so why am I still this nervous talking to a teacher?"

(To be continued.)