Everything hurts like hell. I can't see! I can't hear! What the hell happened? That's when the memory comes back to me.
That goddamned shitty Goddess!
So much for the warm light and happy new family all the stories back on Earth said came with reincarnation. What did those stupid authors know? Huh? Sure, there was a gorgeous Goddess. But her attitude stunk to the high heavens.
Oh, sure, becoming a hero sounded like a good deal. But I didn't want that! I just wanted my casual life back home. Who did she think she was to give me a stroke and kill me off just so she could bring me here? Why would I thank her for that?
Maybe I shouldn't have been so vulgar when I turned her down.
At least then I probably wouldn't be this… thing. Ugh. This is definitely the worst punishment she could've given me.
Nope. I still can't move. How the heck does this body work?
This is just wrong. I know I'm moving some parts of my body but what are they? Do I even want to know? Maybe I should curl up and die. Even if I survive this, what kind of life can I possibly have now?
No eyes, no hands, no legs, no ears, pretty much no anything. I mean, I'm a frickin' worm if I believe in that cow's threats. Damn! Just thinking about her makes me so damn angry!
Nope! I'm not going to give her the satisfaction of getting rid of me so easily! She can go fuck herself for all I care. Come on, Cal. Move that boneless ass of yours!
Is that slime? Yep. Pretty sure that's slime all around me. As if things weren't gross enough. Deep breaths, Cal. No, wait, that's probably not a good idea. Hmm. Ok, ok. Stop. Take a moment and think. Let's do this one thing at a time.
Those things I'm moving at my front. They're… tendrils? Huh, I guess I've at least got basic knowledge of my new body. Ok, now focus. How does it feel when they move? What's triggering their movements? Oh, oh! That's easier than I thought. It's kind of like wiggling individual fingers. Oh, that's weird.
Yeah, that sent a shiver down my spine. It felt wrong to twist something I'm thinking of being like a finger three hundred and sixty degrees and at an angle impossible for a human finger.
Ah, so that's how my main body works. Finally, I can get moving. There's no denying how weird this feels. Here I am, wiggling my way through this slime while trying to use my tendrils to imitate the arm movements of the breast stroke for swimming. Oh, there's something solid ahead.
What is that? Hmm. It feels… fragile. I'm pretty sure my tendrils could break it if I push hard enough. Ok, let's do this.
I push gently at first, and whatever I'm touching gives way. Yeah, that's definitely a crack. Wait. This feels familiar. Isn't this what an eggshell feels like?
My tendrils reach through the crack and wrap around the outside. Slowly, I pull myself through the slime and press my body against the shell. A few seconds later, the crack widens from the pressure. Ah, air! Who knew it could taste so… rancid!
What the actual fuck? Where am I? A sewer?
Nowhere else could be so disgusting.
Oh, wait. Why is my skin itching? Light? How do I know that?
Instinct?
Great. This just keeps getting weirder.
[Congratulations on your new life! Beginning download of your Divine Gift. Download complete.]
Oh! I forgot the Goddess mentioned this before I pissed her off. Well, it's not like I'll be able to do much with it in my current form. Well, there's a good chance my new life will be over soon. May as well have a look at what I got from her. Stats.
Name: None
Race: Neurol Worm
Rank: Gnawling
Gift: Genesis of Dominion
Skills:
(Transmission) Burrow
Description: You can use your tendrils to burrow into a host's body. Requires physical contact.
(Symptom) Neural Leech
Description: By implanting your tendrils into the brain of your host you are capable of hijacking their thoughts and bodily functions, placing your host fully under your control.
(Unique) Replication
Description: You are capable of self-producing eggs that contain Relay Neurol Worms that are extensions of your consciousness. Warning: May cause headaches and sensory overload. Transmission skills required for your Relays to infect hosts.
Uhm…
Ok. That's just… gross. How would this even work if I were still human? Nope. I refuse to think about that. Another shiver runs through my body.
Huh? Wait. Something's moving. No. Not one thing. Many things!
Ah, I see. My tendrils are picking up information from the environment and translating it for me to understand. So those things that are moving…
Are my brothers and sisters!
How many are there? A hundred? More? Yeah I've lost count.
Bleurgh!
Yeah, definitely not how I wanted to spend my new life. I can feel their slimy bodies wriggling all over me. Ringed, raw flesh rubbing against my own as my siblings crawl all over the place. I kind of understand what they're doing. They're searching for food.
Oh no. What the hell am I supposed to eat? Now that I think about it, I'm quite hungry. What are the others eating? Oh, hell no! Great. Fucking cannibals!
I'm out of here!
I worm my body through the crowd as fast as possible. There's no way I'm staying here a moment longer than I have to. Ow! One of the fuckers nibbled me! Nope, nope, nope! Come on body, move it! I will not be anything's dinner!
There we go. Just a bit further and I'll be clear of this… Shit! What the hell are they?
My tendrils show me hulking figures on eight legs moving toward us. They're definitely tens of times larger than I am. No. Stop. Don't! Please!
I can't turn fast enough as one of them hoovers me up with its circular maw. This must be how a noodle feels when it's dinner time. Yep, I'm sliding over its tongue towards its throat. Is it really going to end like this? If I had eyes I know I'd be crying right now. With a healthy side of snot. At least if that were possible I'd maybe be able to make this thing barf.
Who am I kidding? This thing eats worms! It isn't going to care about that. It may even be considered a delicacy.
Help! This is so pointless. I can feel my body just sliding like on a slide in a water park. Come on, there has to be something I can grab onto!
[Burrow Activated.]
Oh! I can feel my tendrils digging into this thing's flesh. That's totally disgusting. But, my life comes first. Don't fail me now!
I dig deeper below the surface and pull my body through the hole I made. Now, I'm surrounded by blood and tissue. Huh? Why do I feel an urge to go in that direction? My tendrils seem to be having an involuntary reaction. They're pulling me towards whatever my instincts are telling me is good for me here.
This is by far the worst journey I've ever done in my life. Here I am, snaking my way through the insides of something that tried to eat me. Hmm. Wait. Isn't this the direction of its head?
[Neural Leech Activated.]
Ah! What the fuck? My body aches from the sudden jolt of pain as my tendrils dig into something soft. Wait! Hold on. Is that? I can see?
Damn, it hurts like hell! All the senses I thought I'd lost are rushing back to me. What's going on?
Ok, so that's it. Now I feel dumb. I should've realised the moment I got the notification of my skill being used. Still. It's troubling that I didn't mean to use it. In fact, I didn't mean to use either of them. So, does that mean my intentions can trigger them?
This is so weird. How do I move this… host?
Huh. So it's as simple as thinking about it? This feels a bit like controlling a character in a game. Its movements are more complicated than the simple input I provide. I guess I shouldn't complain though. Damn, is that what I crawled through?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be traumatised by this. Thousands of my siblings are crawling over the ground and each other like a living carpet. I guess my main body's senses weren't enough to pick up just how bad it was.
"Old four," the clicking sound next to me translated itself. "Hurry up and eat. If you don't, there won't be many left."
I turn my host's head to my right where I see a large beetle staring at me. I can't lie, those eyes are creepy as hell. Still, I probably shouldn't give anything away. Especially not my frigging shock at a talking beetle! I simply nod my host's head and look at the slimy noodles around me.
Yep, just keep thinking about them like that. This isn't siblicide. Certainly not. This is just… surviving.
Ohh!
That's quite tasty. The thin white noodle slips happily into my host's stomach. Ok, if I taste that good I don't know if I can still be angry at this thing for trying to eat me. Wait, what am I even thinking?
I can't help but ponder that question as I slurp up some more of the delicious white noodles. I try not to be distracted by their wiggling in my mouth. Maybe my mind has become affected by my new body?
That would make a lot of sense.
Maybe this life won't be so bad after all. I have a roof over my head, so to speak, and grub to eat. Yeah, maybe I can get used to this. I can't help but smile to myself as I look around. As long as I live, maybe there's a chance I can get revenge on that Goddess. There's no way I'll ever forgive her for this.