Titan parasite

Lex stood in the dim light of the cavern. His eyes were fixed on the shop menu floating in front of him. His fingers moved quickly, scrolling through the list of items.

Soon, he found what he was looking for—two items from the same set. The first was a mask shaped like a plague doctor's, its long beak and round lenses giving it an eerie look. The second was a tattered robe that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light. Lex didn't hesitate. He bought both for 500 each.

[Item Purchased: Worshiper of Decay's Mask. Remaining coins: 13,642.]

[Item Purchased: Worshiper of Decay's Robe. Remaining coins: 13,142.]

The mask appeared in his hand first, its surface smooth and cold. It was made of some dark, matte material, with a beak-like protrusion and glass lenses that glinted faintly. Lex turned it over in his hands, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

[Name: Worshiper of Decay's Mask]

[Stars: ★★★]

[Effect: Increases poison resistance by 35%.]

[Requirement: Must be a player.]

He slipped the mask over his face, adjusting it until it fit snugly. The lenses didn't obscure his vision, but they gave everything a faint greenish tint. He could already feel the difference—the air felt less oppressive, the faint sting of poison in his lungs dulled to a barely noticeable ache.

Next came the robe. It materialized in his hands. Its fabric was heavy and coarse, like a burlap soaked in oil. The robe was a patchwork of dark, mismatched fabrics stitched together with thick, uneven threads. Symbols were embroidered along the edges—strange, twisting patterns that seemed to shift when he wasn't looking directly at them. Lex shrugged it on, the weight dropping comfortably over his shoulders.

[Name: Worshiper of Decay's Robe]

[Stars: ★★★]

[Effect: Reduces the effects of environmental toxins by 30%.]

[Requirement: Must be a player.]

"Trendy," Lex said, his tone flat and a bit muffled by the mask. The outfit was strange and ugly, but it was effective. He adjusted the robe, his fingers brushing over the odd symbols.

With the set equipped, Lex turned toward the tunnel, leading deeper into the Titan's guts. The air grew thicker as he walked, the faint green tint of the mask's lenses making everything look sickly and unnatural. Slowly, a brown mist began to creep in, curling around his feet.

However, what marked this place was the smell. That was somehow even worse than in the stomach.

It smelled awful—like rotting meat left out in the sun, mixed with the acrid pungency of chemicals. Lex could almost taste the sourness and spiciness in the air.

"I remember the first few times I came here," he muttered. "Awful memories."

This place was the highest difficulty for a reason. Lex might've made it look "easy," but that was only because he was walking on the corpses of his past selves—countless lives sacrificed to learn how this place worked. For anyone else, it would've been a death sentence. Most players would've died from the secret poison in the upper part of the corpse without even knowing what killed them, or they'd have been torn apart by a White Cell within minutes.

This place wasn't even meant to be conquered alone. It was designed for groups of players who'd almost finished the tutorial, armed with top-tier gear and plenty of different blessing and combat-related attributes. Lex had none of that. Just his wits, his experience, and now an outfit that made him look like a deranged bird.

"But I do have to agree that having a personal shop thanks to the 'Game Master' aspect helps a lot," Lex thought as he walked slowly through the brown mist. Most of the time, even if someone had coins, they couldn't spend them directly. They'd have to find a merchant—assuming they survived long enough to reach one.

Moreover, game merchants would always try to swindle you. They'd sell you blessings or items at a high price.

Lex didn't have those problems. His shop was always just a thought away, and he could always buy things at "dirt" cheap prices.

Lex kept walking, his steps slow and steady. The mist grew thicker, the air becoming harder to breathe. It was like walking through soup.

Then, he saw something out of the corner of his eye—a vague and amorphous shadow. Lex stopped, his hand instinctively reaching for his knife. The shadow shifted, and soon, the creature came into view.

It was one of the invaders—the same kind Lex had seen earlier. Its body was insect-like, with long, spindly legs and antennae twitching in the air. But it was in a pathetic state, its exoskeleton cracked and broken, held together only by thick, writhing tentacles that pulsed faintly. The creature's head snapped unnaturally, its faceless gaze locking onto Lex.

Before Lex could react, it charged.

Lex sidestepped the first lunge, his movements smooth and precise. He didn't attack. Instead, he kept dodging and rolling around, his body weaving through the mist as the creature struck repeatedly. Its movements were erratic, its broken body barely holding together as it swung its limbs wildly.

Then, without warning, a tentacle shot out from the creature's abdomen, aiming straight for Lex's chest. He barely dodged, the tentacle grazing his robe. Lex immediately stomped with force on the tentacle, only for it to free itself after a moment.

Lex quickly retreated with a frown. "I got sloppy. Forgot I didn't have Death Stomp anymore."

The creature's mouth didn't move, but a painful cry echoed from its chest. Enraged, it charged again, its movements even more frantic. Lex continued to dodge and jumped around as if he were playing tag.

The creature tried the same tactic again, another tentacle shooting from its abdomen. This time, Lex was ready. He parried the tentacle with his fist, the force sending it recoiling. Before the creature could react, Lex drew his knife and slashed at its abdomen.

[Name: Knife of the Hungry Family]

[Stars: ★★★]

[Effect: Razor Hunger - When used on a corpse, the blade's sharpness multiplies by three.]

[Restrictions: Only activates on corpses.]

The knife's effect activated, the blade cutting through the creature's abdomen surprisingly easily. The flesh split open, revealing something inside—a large, octopus-like creature controlling the insect through its tentacles.

Lex didn't hesitate. He struck at the octopus, his knife slicing through its rubbery flesh with difficulty. However, its sharpness suddenly decreased a lot, as it wasn't a corpse; the knife sharpness effect didn't activate.

Yet, the creature was faster. Before Lex could deal real damage, one of its tentacles lashed out, hitting Lex with enough force to send him flying. He slammed into a fleshy wall, the impact knocking the air out of his lungs.

Lex groaned, pushing himself up. His eyes narrowed as he studied the creature. Unlike what one might believe, this thing wasn't just another invader. It was one of the Titan's natural defenders—a parasite that used the corpses of invaders as hosts and armor.

In the upper parts of the Titan, White Cells handled the defense. But down here, in the guts, these things were the guardians.

Lex coughed, blood trickling from his lips. His ribs ached, the sharp pain telling him at least one was cracked, if not broken. The octopus-like parasite didn't give him a second to recover—it surged toward him, tentacles slicing through the thick brown mist, cutting the air with a wet, sickening sound.

"Persistent little bastard," Lex muttered, his voice muffled by the Worshiper of Decay's Mask.

He wasn't panicking. The pain was a familiar sensation, and so was desperation. The problem wasn't fear—it was strength. He didn't have any tools to deal real damage. No enchanted weapons, no convenient blessings. Just himself, a knife with a very situational effect and an outfit meant for resisting poison, not combat.

"This thing has better strength and agility than me," he whispered.

Even with far more battle experience, he couldn't overwhelm it as the difference in strength was too great.

The parasite lunged again. Lex sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the whip of a tentacle, and seized the moment to slash at the creature's tentacle—but his knife barely grazed its rubbery hide.

The octopus pressed the attack faster this time. Lex dodged left, then right, his feet skidding on the floor as the tentacles lashed out, striking the ground of flesh.

"I can't keep this up," Lex admitted silently. His stamina, while impressive, wasn't infinite. Every dodge, every roll, chipped away at his reserves. The creature seemed tireless. Lex was not. Even with his current strength and agility blessing, it wasn't enough.

This fight was harder than the Red Cells. At least the Red Cells were predictable—slow, clumsy, and easy to outmaneuver. Moreover, they couldn't communicate using pheromones and often attacked each other in confusion. It was only logical as their primary role wasn't to fight after all.

But this thing? It was fast and relentless. It was made to kill.

Another tentacle shot forward, aiming for his chest. This time, Lex didn't dodge. He caught the limb with both hands, muscles screaming as he held on, feeling the slick, rubbery texture of the parasite's flesh. The tentacle thrashed, lifting him off the ground and swinging him around like a ragdoll.

The pain was blinding. Lex's shoulder wrenched and threatened to dislocate. But he didn't let go.

With a snarl, Lex twisted his body, momentum and leverage working together as he pulled hard. He used every ounce of strength he could muster, and with a sickening tear, the tentacle ripped free as black fluid sprayed across the floor.

The parasite screamed—a high-pitched, keening wail that made Lex's ears ring.

Lex then fell to the ground and rolled to absorb the impact. The torn tentacle was still clenched in his hands. His palms burned, slippery with the creature's oily blood.

The octopus, still using the invader's corpse as armor, staggered, its missing limb throwing off its balance. Lex saw the opening and took it. He threw the severed tentacle aside, grabbed his knife, and charged.

Before the creature could recover, Lex plunged the blade into its rubbery flesh, the blade sinking deep. The parasite screamed, its remaining tentacles lashing out wildly. But Lex didn't stop. He kept stabbing, again and again, the knife barely tearing through the creature's flesh. Yet, it was enough.

Slowly, the parasite's struggles grew weaker, its movements slowing until it finally fell limp. Lex stood over the creature's corpse, his breath ragged and his heart pounding.

[You have killed a Titan's Hollow Parasite. 1,000 coins have been awarded.]

[Total earnings: 17,380/200,000]

[Coins: 14,142]

With the parasite dead, Lex slumped against the wall of flesh, his shoulders heaving. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving him exhausted and sore.

It wasn't a perfect fight—far from it. He had taken more hits than he should have and wasted precious energy dodging when he could have planned better. But he had won. That was all that mattered.

Lex crouched beside the body and carefully began dissecting it with his knife. The parasite's outer flesh was too rubbery to be useful, but the inside was the part that mattered.

After a few minutes of careful work, he found a strange, bulbous organ. It was translucent and filled with a thick, yellowish liquid.

With a sigh, Lex muttered, "Finally..."

[Name: Parasitic pouch]

[Stars: ★★★★]

[Effect: Mask the user against particular creatures from the rift "Titan's corpse." for a few minutes.]

[Description: An organ looted from a Hollow parasite. It is filled with a strange liquid.]

"I still need a few more. But right now I should go back and heal myself. I don't want to risk dying from internal bleeding," Lex muttered as he walked away.