The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 8 Do you crave power?

Ugh! My head is spinning...

Can't move my body?

Could it be that I... am dead?

Startled, Little Mike opened his eyes abruptly, but it was pitch black all around him, and he couldn't see anything.

My whole body felt soft and limp, with a slippery and sticky sensation.

He instinctively reached out and grabbed a black mushroom that was wrapped around his body.

Did I... get eaten by Brother Mushroom?

Mike was both shocked and frightened, and he struggled to climb out.

Suddenly, a voice rang in his mind.

"Do you... crave power?"

Do you want to truly live?

who!?

Who is speaking?

For a moment, Mike thought he was hallucinating because he was tired and sleepy these past two days.

But he soon realized that this was not the case.

Because a tentacle hovered in front of Mike, looking down at him with a condescending "sense".

"Brother Mushroom, is that you!?"

"it's me."

Horn responded.

He originally wanted Alice to conduct the "onboarding ceremony" for the new employees.

But considering that Alice is already dead to Mike, he might overreact and make things worse.

Besides, wouldn't using BOSS Zhipin make them seem more sincere?

"It really is you, Brother Mushroom..."

Mike murmured absently.

He also found it incredible that the carnivorous mushroom could talk and possessed human-like intelligence.

But after these few days of contact, Little Mike realized that it was no ordinary mushroom.

Now that Horn had actually spoken, he felt a different kind of relief, as if a shoe had finally dropped to the ground.

"Brother Mushroom, you're not going to eat me, are you?"

"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of mushroom."

"So... what do you want me to do?"

To Horn's surprise...

Mike's reaction was surprisingly calm, much better than Alice's, who was terrified and cried.

Perhaps because he felt the situation couldn't get any worse, he decided to just give up and go all out.

"Relax, I just want to make a deal with you."

"……trade?"

"That's right, your situation on the ship must be quite unpleasant, isn't it?"

Mike lowered his head slightly.

He didn't speak, but the sadness on his face said it all.

I can give you strength.

Horn said calmly, "But this isn't free; I need you to do some things for me."

Doesn't this sound like a deal with the devil?

Little Mike had naturally heard those ancient legends about the sea.

But the thought of "trading" with a bunch of mushrooms made him feel very strange.

What is this?

Is it a mushroom ghost?

Mike quickly snapped back to reality after his thoughts had strayed off course.

He seems to have a choice, but in reality, he has no choice at all.

If I refuse, I'll definitely get eaten by Brother Mushroom, right?

Moreover, he was truly fed up with this kind of life.

He wanted a more spacious cabin, hot meals, and to be spared beatings while working...

He wanted to... live like a human being.

Mike nodded firmly without further hesitation.

"I agree to the deal!"

"Then, the contract is established."

Horn extended a tentacle and pressed it firmly against Mike's forehead, as if stamping it.

The onboarding ceremony is now complete.

Of course, the contract didn't exist—he made that up to scare the kid.

But this doesn't mean Horn has no means to control Mike.

【Parasite】

[Name: Mike Farrell]

Race: Human (?)

[Rank: Zero (Lv4)]

[Secret Path Class: None]

[Physical Fitness: 3]

【Magic Power: 0】

【Spirit: 3】

[Talent: Plant Affinity]

[Skill: Cooking Lv2...]

[Status: Starvation; Minor bruising; Parasitic]

Yes.

While Mike was being anesthetized, Horn parasitized him.

—It was just a small thing!

The parasitic process was much simpler than Horn had anticipated, even faster than Alice's.

Perhaps because Mike was just an ordinary person, his resistance was minimal.

in other words.

The higher the rank of a target, the more difficult it is to parasitize it.

Moreover, negative states such as coma, paralysis, and near death can increase the success rate of parasitism.

So, is it somewhat similar to catching Pokémon?

When will the Sleep Spore ability be unlocked?

At that moment, a small tuft of tentacles took root on Mike's chest, ready to pierce his heart with a single thought from Horn.

This is considered a last resort.

Based on my observations over the past few days, Mike doesn't seem to be the kind of person who would betray you.

But just in case, Horn decided to keep control in his own hands.

If Little Mike shows any intention of revealing his existence, he will kill the person without hesitation.

Horn had no psychological burden when making this decision.

Since we're not going to act like human beings anyway, we should at least have a flexible moral bottom line!

"So, Brother Mushroom, what do you need me to do?"

Mike quickly adapted to his role as the monster's lackey and asked curiously.

Call me Horn.

"Yes, Brother Horn!"

Does this kid have some kind of obsession with his "elder brother"?

Horn muttered to himself and continued.

"In short, first help me gather information about the crew, such as what the boatswain Hansen did today and what his preferences are."

"oh……"

Although he didn't understand why Brother Mushroom was collecting this intelligence, Mike had long since learned to obey orders.

He nodded: "Understood! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

"No need to worry too much, just prioritize protecting yourself."

Upon hearing this, Little Mike was stunned.

Brother Mushroom, are you worried about me?

A complex warmth welled up in his heart.

The other sailors on the ship didn't treat him like a human being, but instead received long-lost care from a monster?

"I will, Brother Horn."

Horn had no idea that Mike had such a rich inner world.

He just felt that since he had finally recruited new employees, he should use them for a few more days; they couldn't die too quickly.

After Little Mike left the cabin.

Alice emerged from the tentacles, a small mushroom perched atop her silver hair.

"Mr. Horn, we succeeded!"

Having successfully won over Mike, the girl was even more excited than Horn, her face slightly flushed.

"Our power has grown even stronger, bringing us one step closer to Mr. Horn seizing this ship!"

She certainly provided a lot of emotional value.

But Horn still poured cold water on the idea.

"It's not that simple."

"There aren't many people like Mike on the ship. He just happened to be assigned to the mushroom cabin, which is why I was able to take control of him so quickly."

Horn rationally analyzed: "It will be much more difficult to recruit new people later."

"I see..."

Alice wasn't discouraged: "Anyway, this is a good start."

"Speaking of which, Alice."

At that moment, Horn remembered something and asked.

"What exactly is this 'Secret Path'?"

He had been somewhat interested in Alice's [Secret Path Profession] when he first saw it on her panel.

I saw this section on Mike's panel again this time, so I decided to figure it out.