The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 3 Alice

"I see……"

"I completely understand how to use the fungal mat now!"

Horn carefully examined the state of the mutated mushroom.

simply put.

It was like Horn's retinue, completely under Horn's control, just like the mushrooms in that cabin.

Horn decided to name them—

【Tentacled Fungal Cluster!】

The function of the fungal mat is, on the one hand, to create a mother bed for the "tentacle fungus", which is equivalent to a "barracks" or "nest".

On the other hand, it serves as a link between Horn and his family.

Only in areas close to the creep can the [Tentacle Cluster] obey Horn's commands.

Once away from the creep, Horn's control over his followers will rapidly decline.

The sacred creeping carpet connects us!

Horn glanced in the direction the Vulture Poison Bee had left.

"So you think you're the only one who knows how to mass-produce units?"

"I, the Tentacle Bacteria, am by no means a benevolent being!"

He has set a small goal: to turn this swamp into his own territory!

The biggest potential enemy is none other than the swarm of vulture-like poisonous bees that roam the skies above the swamp.

However, Horn didn't plan to cause them any trouble so soon.

As the old saying goes.

Build high walls, store up plenty of grain, and delay declaring yourself king!

While fiddling with his newly acquired abilities, Horn also took the opportunity to check on the situation in the lower decks of the [Sun].

At this moment, the silver-haired girl Alice finally cried herself out and her emotions stabilized.

She stared blankly at the group of black tentacles beside her, biting her lip as if she had made up her mind.

"Mr. Horn? Are you still there?"

"I've always been here."

The sudden voice in her mind startled Alice.

She hasn't gotten used to this way of communicating yet.

"Did you need something?"

"Um... I'd like to ask, Mr. Horn, what are you planning to do next?"

"...What do I want to do?"

Horn was a little puzzled, but answered anyway.

"Grow bigger, stronger, and more powerful?"

"That's right!"

Alice nodded emphatically: "But when you grow up, sooner or later, the sailors on the ship will find you."

"That makes sense."

"At that time, Bazel and his men will hire powerful clergy to wipe you out! The situation is extremely dangerous!"

"That makes some sense."

It's normal for Alice to make such a misjudgment since she was unaware of Horn's true form.

"……so?"

"So, let's steal this ship!"

"what?"

The sudden turn of events caught Horn off guard.

Has this girl turned evil?

But then she thought about it again. The girl had nowhere to stay on the ship, and she had a blood feud with the current captain, Bazel.

Clinging to her tentacle "thighs" is her only way out.

And coincidentally, Horn also needs to use Alice's human identity to understand this strange world.

As the saying goes, wolves in sheep's clothing... Pshaw!

A pair of smiling tigers, two black sharks... Pshaw!

It's all about getting what you need, a win-win situation!

After a moment's thought, Horn replied, "You don't need to tell me, I had the same idea."

"But what are you planning to do?"

Alice had clearly thought about this question seriously.

"Mr. Horn, besides me, can you parasitize anyone else?"

"Yes, but the conditions are quite strict."

Horn's guess is that the [Parasitism] skill can probably only be triggered when the opponent is in a near-death state.

We'll need to test it a few more times to find out what other limitations there are.

"That way, we can manipulate the other crew members one by one, slowly eroding Bazel's men, and finally seize control of the ship!"

hiss……

That's pretty ruthless!

Horn looked Alice up and down for a while, as if he were getting to know the little girl all over again.

It seems she has already made up her mind to seek revenge.

"Your plan is good, but I have a few points to add."

After thinking it over, Horn adopted the airs he had when he was a team leader in his previous life.

"The other people on the ship aren't blind. One or two might be fine, but if there are too many people being parasitized, it's inevitable that they'll be noticed."

"Therefore, we'd better only target a few key crew members for control."

Alice nodded. "Mr. Horn is right."

"Also, you need to make use of your identity."

"...Me? Me?"

"Think about it carefully. Are all the crew members on this ship truly loyal to Bazel?"

"How is that possible?"

Alice immediately realized what was happening.

There must have been other crew members on the Golden Sun who sympathized with her and her father, but were too afraid to show it because of Bazel's brutality.

Another group of people are simply opportunists who can be bought off as long as they are offered enough benefits.

In this situation, one's own identity does indeed play a significant role.

only……

Mr. Tentacle, do you even understand this kind of thing?

Alice couldn't help but mutter to herself.

She discovered that Mr. Tentacle was much smarter than she had expected, almost like communicating with a wise and reliable elder.

Just like... a father.

Horn, unaware that Alice was having a strange idea, continued.

"The ship will definitely be under heavy security during this period. Let's remain patient for a few days and wait for the captain to lower his guard before taking action."

"Yes, Mr. Horn!"

Without realizing it, Alice began to subconsciously obey Horn's orders.

This is actually related to her state of being parasitized.

The parasitized organism will instinctively trust and depend on the [genetic complex].

However, Horn himself... has not yet discovered this.

"But, Mr. Horn..."

Alice asked again, her voice weak.

"What should I eat these days?"

Yes, what should we eat?

Feeding her a member that is a [Carnivorous Mushroom] is fine, but it feels a bit strange, like I'm just producing and consuming my own produce.

After thinking for a moment, Horn opened his many tentacles and said generously.

"Come lie down here."

"what?"

Looking at the twisted, writhing black mycelium, Alice felt a little scared.

But driven by the persistent hunger pangs within her, she carefully lay down.

Followed by.

Nutrients are gradually infused into the fungal carpet through the contact points.

Ah...so comfortable!

No, Alice!

The girl's remaining rationality was sounding an alarm.

Being filled with nutrients by tentacles is really strange!

However, the body cannot resist this sense of satisfaction, as if it has returned to its warm little home, eating a steaming hot meal with its parents.

Even if it's fake, she just wants to immerse herself in this happiness.

Before falling into a deep sleep, her last thought was...

Father, Alice, have you fallen?

What are you thinking about, chattering away?

When Alice is connected to the fungal carpet, Horn is able to more keenly perceive her thoughts.

No, I only feed him once, what are you thinking?

Am I some kind of really bad tentacle?

But then again, Alice was, after all, his first employee.

From now on, I should treat her a little better.