Aiming for recognition

Having come to terms with his situation weirdly quickly, Jacob decided that he should complete his quest, which meant he needed to become acknowledged.

He decided he would do this by taking over the underworld of this capital by force.

He realized he probably wasn't powerful enough to defeat the more powerful beings contracted by the guild of criminals that ruled this city.

So, he had devised a plan that was sure to promise him victory.

The first step was to spread his swarm through the entire underworld; this would help him collect information that he could use to collect territory and take down operations led by opposing gangs.

The other thing that it would help him with is weakening his opponents in case he ever needed to battle them, as in this way, his swarm would be inside of them.

To put this plan into action, he made the bastard children invite people from the other groups to celebrate the new boss, Edward, with a makeover, as he wouldn't be recognized because of the aura around him.

The truth behind the event was that Jacobs swarm, placed in the food, would infect all of the guests and then slowly spread through their perspective groups.

The parasites have two mandibles that they use to attach themselves to hosts. They looked like a shrunk-down rhinoceros beetle with a darkish dirt brown color. These parasites can latch onto their host's skin and suck their blood for survival. Despite their small size, these parasites can cause significant discomfort and even disease in their hosts.

The parasites, which were almost impossible to remove once inside one's body, were the fruits of Jacob's research on the rhinoceros beetles.

After Jacob realized the Lab was done with its experiments, he placed a fly inside the lab as the second test subject.

Once the Party had started, Jacob looked down on it from a private room, looking down at the party, which was graciously founded by Edward, both the party and the room.

As Jacob looked down at the dozen or so guests eating the food, he became delighted before losing his smile after noticing a commotion near the main stage where Edward stood, seemingly preparing for a fight that might break out.

Jacob, wanting to instill fear into the many gang members below, decided to stop the commotion by dressing as a mercenary hired by the Bastard Children.

As he didn't want to be recognized, he decided to control the body of an adventurer who had been defeated after discovering a parasite infecting his friend.

Now controlling the body, he donned a mask and decided to open a box that Edward had given to him as a gift for giving him the chance to become blessed.

Inside the box was a sword, a pair of daggers, and two handguns.

The steel sword was solid, and its blade shone brightly in the light. It was decorated with intricate insect designs, which seemed to come to life when the light hit them. The hilt was wrapped in black leather and had small beetle carvings. The sheath was made of leather and was adorned with similar beetle designs that seemed to twist and crawl over its surface. Evidently, the sword had been crafted with great care and skill, and it exuded an aura of magic and mystery.

The matching pair of daggers were equally impressive, with blades that looked like they had been forged from a single piece of metal. The handles were made of black obsidian and had intricate insect designs etched into them. The daggers were small enough to be concealed easily, but they were deadly weapons in the right hands.

The handguns were unlike any that Jacob had seen before. They had a sleek, black design and were adorned with beetle motifs that seemed to move and shift as Jacob held them. The guns were light and easy to handle but packed a powerful punch. Jacob could feel the magic coursing through them, and he knew they would be invaluable in battles.

Having now equipped his weapons, he decided to head down as " Scarab," a name he had given to this body and the identity he used to sign up as an assassin for hire, another essential part of his plan. 

Scarab was a skilled assassin, identifiable by the scarab beetle tattoo on his neck. He was a master of stealth and deception, able to blend in with any crowd and vanish without a trace. His unmatched expertise allowed him to take down even the most heavily guarded targets quickly. Scarab was known for his cold, calculating demeanor and unwavering commitment to his clients. He never took on a job he couldn't handle and always delivered the expected results. Despite his lethal reputation, Scarab remained a mystery to those who knew him. He concealed his past and emotions, revealing nothing about himself to anyone. To him, assassination was simply a means to survive in a world that had never shown him kindness.

At least that was what the Assassin Guild knew about his made-up life story; in reality, "Scarab" spent most of his time being kept alive in the hive.

As Jacob donned the mask, he headed downstairs.

As soon as the guests saw him, they made a path for him, recognizing his "legendary" mask, which seemed to have scarab beetles drawn on it.

As Jacob approached Edward, he put one hand on the shoulder of the man, causing the commotion.

Now seemingly filled with rage, the man turned around while attempting to slap Jacob's hand away. This attempt failed as Jacob grabbed the hand and asked the man what he was doing.

Having no clue who he was dealing with, the man stabbed at Jacobs's chest with a dagger that seemed to shine purple under the light.