In this wide and blue-themed battlefield, there are only two contestants. A beautiful sprawling shrimp or an ugly goldfish-like fish. Who will win this prideful duel? Of course, I’m going to win thanks to my powerful tentacles! Who can resist a half-meter long purple tentacle with rows of suckers running its length? What can this brainless fish do against ten of them? I’ll suck his mana dry. However, I need to catch him first. He’s leisurely swimming in the water with his fins, so I’m certain he didn’t spot me. The visibility isn’t good enough to see over 10 meters ahead, but my mana wavelength sensor doesn’t detect any life forms near us. Using jet propulsion like an octopus, I should catch him before he’s aware of my attack. I’ll become a torpedo-shrimp, crash into his flank and wrap his head in my tentacles. Both of us are half-meter long. I’ll just need to hold tight while I’m draining him. I don’t see any seabed or undersea mountain, therefore he can’t crash in the background to take me off.

Let’s do this! Focus on the white light coming from his ridiculously tiny mana circuits and rush to it. I just need to compress the water with my tentacles and use my mana to shoot it backward. The water ball will not go further than 10 centimeters, but the force delivered grant me a 10 meters-long dash. This psychic power is convenient. I swam alongside the Saltwater Fish before setting up my tentacles to dash. I have very little mana, so I can’t fail, or it will either flee or fight back.

Anyway, I set my stance and launched myself like a torpedo. The water opened in two before my head, creating foam after me. I speeded toward my target and… BAM!

The first victim of the shrimpedo confirmed! If the fish had teeth, he would have to spit them out. Some blood was flowing from his mouth, seem more like a minor wound than a deadly one. The shock was severe, but not enough to stun my opponent. Nevertheless, I’m going to have a headache later because of the impact. I took advantage of the surprise element, entwining my tentacles over his head. This is weird, I’m feeling some surprise and anger coming from the fish. Well, I will not eat you, just take your mana away.

“DRAIN” I yelled. White tendrils came out of his head and were sucked by my appendages. My suckers took away these tendrils, and I saw them entering my own mana circuits, where they turned purple and then dispatched in my body. It was enjoyable, it soothed me, but at the same time, I felt new power growing in me. I craved this energy because I feel like it can help me evolve.

I was so engrossed at this moment that this foolish Saltwater Fish tried to make me fall by taking sharp turns. Ouch! He was so pissed off that he bit my tentacle upon his mouth. It hurts, you moron! Just stay still. We aren’t racing in the ocean right now, so slow down! After 5 seconds, the white tendrils disappeared, and the fish decelerated. The white lights that I could see coming from his head a long distance away have significantly dimmed down. Moreover, it wasn’t pure white anymore, but there were tinges of purple mixed in, exactly like the color in my body. Did I contaminate its circuits? That’s why I’m a parasite? What does this exactly mean?

Drain successful.

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New species drained: Saltwater Fish

1/10 Saltwater Fish drained before the upgrade of the Parasite

An upgrade? What will I gain? Will I look like a goldfish and not a shrimp anymore? Maybe they have abilities I can steal? The system asked me to drain 5 of them, 5 more, in addition, isn’t a problem.

“System, are you still working?”

[The System is working… Please accomplish your task]

Okay, I’ll hunt more of them. I looked at the drained fish just dumbly looking at me without moving at all. His bulging eyes are really giving away his stupidity. Though I’m a little jealous of its transparent fins. I could swim faster with fins than my tail and tentacles… On the other hand, I can become a shrimpedo thanks to my tentacles.

I began swimming toward another mana pulsation. It looked like the one of the fish I drained, but somewhat feeling different. Maybe I can differentiate them through their personal pulsations? I only traveled 10 meters before turning on myself. The fish was following me! I don’t know how, but I’m feeling like he’s obedient toward me… And I feel a fondness for me? Did he develop Stockholm syndrome?

“Hey, go away! I’m not your daddy. Live freely, little fish!” I spoke. He blinked a few times while looking at me and finally left. I hope you don’t get killed by a shark or something like that. Does this world have sharks? Please no Megalodon, it scares me shitless. Their big maws full of teeth and the jet-black dark in their opened mouths… See, I’m shuddering.

After one hour, I finally drained four Saltwater Fish from their mana. Every time, they followed me a bit, but I told them to scram. Each time I drained one, I could feel my power strengthen and my purple core growing. Yet, it grows little by little, like a drop in the ocean. After sending away my fifth victim, the System woke up.

[User! I found a way to help you without being too direct. Did you finish your task?]

“You’re finally speaking… Yes, I successfully drained 5 fish. Give me my reward!” I shouted.

[You don’t lose your focus… This System is picking you a wonderful reward… You won the strengthening of your brain and mana circuits! You’ll get dumber if your brain can’t support the weight of your soul, so you need to enforce them!]

“You helped me not to die… So, you don’t die too… Aren’t you cheating me? This is beneficial for both of us. Not a reward only for myself!” I felt wronged by this swindler.

[Without my reward, you wouldn’t live for more than a week. Don’t cry, little baby. You’ll get a reason to in no time. The proper reward is for the next task.]

“What is the next task? Let’s do it!” I’m wondering what this substantial reward is.

[First, you need to go deeper, 50 meters below you lie a seabed made of sand. Go there and stay on the ground. You’ll find your reward for the previous task there.]

Hm… You’re very specific. I don’t think that’s quite right. What will you do to me?

[Go there, or I will not give you missions anymore!] The neutral voice sounded angry.

I dived in the darker blue below me until I found white sandbanks dotted with dark seaweeds. They don’t release white lights like the fish. Maybe I can’t absorb their mana… I brutally landed on the sand, scattering it everywhere. I made a little sandstorm that soon subsided.

[You’re right, they possess way too little mana. The cost will be heavier than the reward. Now, this is the best timing for your recompense! Wait for mana overload and grit your teeth.]

“What is a… HAAAAAAAAAAAAA YOU FUCKER!” I curled up because of the terrible pain. This wasn’t soothing at all, unlike when I drained mana. This was like little needles pricking all over my body. Well, more like big needles than little ones. It hurts sooo much. Am I burning from inside? Is this the famous spontaneous combustion?

I feel like I’m evolving amid this pain.