The darkness of the night sky was punctuated by twinkling stars, and the gentle light of the moon cascaded over the sleeping trees, bushes, and flowers like a blissful blanket.
With the assistance of the system's holographic interface, he pressed the inventory icon, and a dialog asking, "Do you want to store [Wendigo's Remains] into the inventory?" appeared in front of his eyes.
He pressed 'Yes.'
The carcass shimmered and then vanished in the blink of an eye as if it had been snatched up by a giant invisible hand.
Silence descended upon the scene, broken only by the whisper of the wind.
He opened his inventory and was about to set up a camp when a roar of a nearby wild animal interrupted him.
After a few seconds of deliberation, he decided against it and decided to go back.
The path was bathed in an eerie, pale blue light from the moonlight and the beam of the flashlight.
On either side of the path were tall trees, their trunks stretching from the ground into the inky blackness above.
The wind made them sway, creaking as it blew, sending leaves and debris flying.
Crickets chirped in harmony nearby, and Yuuto's eyes darted around, taking in every detail of his surroundings, his flashlight cutting through the darkness.
As Yuuto took a step forward, he felt something give under the thick sole of his boot.
He peered down to find a small, amorphous organism quivering in his feet.
Its slimy surface almost glittered in the darkness.
It was squirming on the ground, trying to get away from his foot.
Its body was translucent, and the moonlight shone through it like a faint lightbulb.
It had several appendages that were writhing around in all directions.
Before he could even think to take a step back, the creature began slithering its way up his arm as if it possessed an independent mind of its own.
Startled, Yuuto tried to shake off the monster from his shoulder using both hands, but it only managed to squirm more violently and lunge toward his face.
He screamed in horror as the slimy mass threatened to engulf him.
The slimy creature crawled into Yuuto's every orifice, seeping into his mouth and nostrils, his eye sockets, and ear canal.
"Urhghhh!!!"
He groaned in agony as the creature burrowed further into him, its slimy body wrapping around his face while he desperately clawed at it in an attempt to break free—but all of his efforts were futile.
The slimy, writhing creature oozed over Yuuto's body like a thick, sticky blanket.
It clung to him with a tenacious grip, penetrating every orifice of his face - slithering down his nostrils, invading his mouth and ear canal, and wrapping tightly around his eyes.
Yuuto screamed in horror as the creature burrowed deeper into him, its slippery body coiling around his head as he frantically tried to claw it off in vain.
The more he struggled against it, the tighter the creature tightened its hold on him until he was completely enveloped by its suffocating embrace.
He felt himself slipping away, consumed by the thing that had invaded him, all that he could do was scream and struggle in hopeless desperation.
As the creature slithered into his body, a heavy pressure settled in his gut.
His mouth opened in a silent scream as the pain blossomed, spreading like wildfire through his lungs and limbs.
Every breath was agony, each inhale and exhale searing hot in his throat.
He could feel the writhing mass of the creature within him, moving against his insides as it made itself at home.
[Assimilation with Xapkret Slime successfully completed.]
[Pet acquired: Xapkret Slime]
[Pet menu is now available.]