the inevitable end

Season 2: Desert

season 2: The path to salvation

[A Week Later]

Light eats orc meat with disgust because he has no other way to quickly increase his strength. He has gained the ability to heal quickly from minor wounds and see long distances, even in the dark. He chews the meat with difficulty; it tastes like cattle hide and feces. As he swallows, he says, "Parasite, have you extracted a new ability?"

The parasite replies, "Yes, but you won't like it and you won't need it now because you're single."

Light angrily responds, "What do you mean? We are one and the same, so we are both single. What is this ability?"

The parasite responds, "Do you want me to load it onto your body? It is the ability of virility, which will give you a great desire for s*x. Alright, I'll start loading it."

Light panics, "No, don't do that. Please stop, parasite."

The parasite says, "Okay. In any case, we need to go deeper into the wave. The monsters here are ghouls and some orcs, which are considered the weakest monsters, and we've already extracted all the useful abilities from their races."

Light responds, "You're right. We need to move forward. What is the best path in your opinion?"

The parasite replies, "We should choose the east-west path. There lies the Lake of Wishes, where the elves used to live before they were exterminated by humans. It is the most likely place to find monsters."

Light says, "Alright, we'll take that path."

The parasite adds, "You need to start learning magic, so you won't use anything other than magic until we reach the fourth zone of the wave."

Light asks, "What do you mean?"

The parasite explains, "When we entered the wave, I sensed a disgusting energy. My analysis shows that it becomes denser with each zone, and the stronger the energy, the stronger the monsters that live there. That's why I divided the wave into zones."

Light says, "I understand the situation. It seems it's time to move forward."

After two days of travel, they reach the second zone. Light is shocked by the sight: behind them is a forest with dead black grass and eerie trees, while in front of them lies a hot desert. It's as if someone has messed with the world's settings.

Light says, "Is this what you meant by changing and concentrating the energy?"

The parasite replies, "I knew there was a change, but I didn't know it was this crazy. It seems this place is more complex than I thought."

Light says, "There's no turning back now that we've reached this point."

They move forward, walking through nothing but sand. Light's endurance begins to wane as there is no shelter from the scorching sun.

The parasite says, "Run."

Light starts running and asks, "What's happening? Why did you tell me to run?"

The ground begins to shake, and a giant worm seven meters wide emerges.

Light exclaims, "Damn, this is insane."

The worm starts chasing him. Light draws his swords, ready to fight.

The parasite says, "Put them back. Didn't I tell you that you can't fight with them?"

Light responds, "We need to change the plan. If I can't fight with what I know, I won't win, and losing here means death."

The parasite says, "If you can't survive here without using your swords, you won't survive further in. Turn back now if you're afraid of death."

Light looks at his swords, hesitates, then curses and sheaths them. He faces the worm and begins chanting a spell, focusing on the approaching worm and telling himself, "Don't get nervous; wait; wait." Suddenly, he shouts, "Now, it's time!"

A giant three-meter-long stake pierces the worm, splitting it in half.

Light pants from exhaustion and collapses to the ground, saying, "I did it."

After catching his breath, he runs to the worm's body and starts eating its raw meat. When his stomach is full, he uses a sword to cut the body and finds the core inside. The parasite consumes it to begin analysis.

The parasite says, "Don't cut the tail into pieces. Hollow it out and sleep inside; the outer shell is very tough."

Light asks, "Won't the smell of blood attract more monsters?"

The parasite replies, "No, it seems these monsters can't smell or see but sense the slightest vibrations. Breathing, walking, even blinking produce vibrations, and these monsters track their prey this way. It's complicated now, but you'll understand when you use this ability after analyzing it."

Light hollows out the worm's tail, keeps the outer shell, and sleeps inside, reminiscing about past events.

He wakes up the next day, feeling nauseated and noisy. This pain reminds him of gaining his first ability, night vision and long-distance vision. He starts seeing and sensing everything as repeated expanding circles until they disappear. The nausea intensifies as he feels everything like the ripples from throwing a stone into water. He can't even gather the strength to get up; any movement or touch produces numerous vibrations. His head feels like it's going to explode when he hears the parasite's voice: "Try to control it. If you manage this ability, it will greatly help you achieve your goal. If you lose control, your brain might explode. Try sitting and meditating."

Light sits and begins to contemplate these things, trying to harmonize with them instead of controlling them, closing his eyes and shutting off all his senses. After several days, he starts feeling his surroundings. After more days, he senses everything around him. He opens his eyes, feeling strange, as if he can't see due to the limited understanding of his surroundings. He tears a piece of his shirt and covers his eyes, feeling reborn and realizing he was previously limited.

The parasite tells him, "Using a blindfold is a good idea, but you should remove it once you master this skill. The blindfold will limit your ability's full potential."

Light replies, "Alright, but now is not the time for a lecture. There are hundreds of these monsters coming from underground."

[to be continued]