Francis concentrated, reshaping his parasitic form, and tore free.
The rat's body went limp, a pile of lifeless flesh sliding into the sewer sludge.
Unlike other animals, he could not simply seep in like ink. The beast body resisted, writhing with reflexive strength, every contraction of its muscles pushing back against him.
'Figures. Taking it over won't be easy. Good thing I dealt with the others first—otherwise, this fight would be even tougher'
Francis forced his way into the skin. Cells attacked as if aware of an invader; it pulsed violently, trying to expel him.
A warning flashed in his mind:
[Warning: Biological Resistance High. Integration progress: 12%...]
This was the first time he faced a notification like this, and he knew failing it would eject him from the worm—and leave him exposed.
The worm slammed itself against the wall, twisting, trying to crush his parasite form from within.
[15%....]
Francis twisted and flexed, feeling the strain. Every percentage point gained feels like wading through sludge.
The beast's primitive instincts doesn't just resist; it actively try to "crush" his consciousness.
'Should I just use force?' He tried, but the worm only thrashed harder.
The problem demanded logic, not brute force.
He focused, analyzing the worm in real-time, and realized he could see its body clearly—part of him now connected directly to its neural pathways.
Every muscle and nerve lit up in perfect clarity, like a living blueprint.
'The nervous system comes first. The rest can wait.'
Neural pathways pulsed like rivers of electricity. Each segment of its brain responded to stimuli with aggressive reflexes.
He could not dominate entirely; he had to work selectively, surgically.
[Integration progress: 24%… 36%… 51%...]
[Warning: Energy consumption Rising]
'Calm… control… adapt.'
Time stretched. Each second felt like an eternity as he adjusted to the resistance. .
Finally, the thrashing slowed. The worm's body relaxed against the sewer wall, not out of submission, but understanding.
[Integration completed.]
[Infestation (Level 3) Activated]
The worm's body pulsed with power. His recent increase in category boosted the beast's base stats by 250%, and it showed.
Scales sharpened, the body widened, and it stretched to six feet tall—without even using Parashift.
'Now this is what I can work with.'
He snapped the tail against the walls, each strike echoing like gunfire. Compared to the rat body, the difference was staggering.
'I can start hunting with this body, but normal civilians won't get me far. Special Categories—or Gamma users—are the real targets.'
After using his 'Spring Joints', he was convinced that simply growing in Category wasn't enough.
He needed talents—a lot of them—if he wanted to reach the top of this world's food chain.
Glancing at his energy, he recognized his flaws. Pushing for a stronger beast in his current state could risk shutting down mid-infection.
He needed to reach at least forty energy points to safely infect a bigger, stronger beast.
Next, he searched for a safe area. Recovery was slower while awake, but sleeping here would be far too risky.
As he waited, more worms wriggled into the area—but they kept their distance, aware that he was the big boss now.
Funny thing was, even without words, he could feel their emotions—as if they traveled to him on some invisible wavelength.
Hours slipped by in the dim tunnels. When his energy refilled, he started exploring again. No fight this time—the worms parted before him.
'I need to make my movement more efficient.'
Speed was relative. Fast for a worm, maybe—but a human with a gun could take two shots before he even reached striking distance.
As a worm, he noticed the tiny bristles on his skin and how his muscles could contract and expand, letting him inch forward.
In a straight line, he moved efficiently, but his turning speed lagged behind.
It was a major weakness—against a fast opponent who could shift positions, leaving him exposed and slow to react.
But then a thought struck him—what if he combined this with the way a snake moves? Could he go even faster?
Francis paused for a moment, feeling the floor beneath him with his bristles. He visualized the snake's movement from his past life.
Unlike worms, snakes pushed off fixed points along their bodies, converting each bend into forward momentum.
The motion was smooth and continuous—perfect for covering distance quickly.
Francis tried again, pushing off the tunnel floor like a snake. The movement felt… off. His long, six-foot body had the length, but it was too wide.
Each twist was a struggle, and the bristles couldn't get proper traction.
He paused, pressing against the tunnel floor, and analyzed his form. Width gave him strength, stability, and muscle mass, but it worked against speed and fluid motion.
To move like a snake, he needed a slimmer profile.
Concentrating, he reshaped the body from within. Scales compressed, muscles elongated, and the body narrowed by nearly a third.
It was subtle, almost like squeezing clay, but enough to reduce friction against the floors and allow lateral waves to flow smoothly down his body.
Testing the motion again, the difference was obvious.
Each undulation now pushed him forward efficiently, bristles gripping just enough to anchor segments, while the slimmed midsection glided between points of contact.
'It's not good enough. I can modify this body further to make it faster.'