The Grub That Couldn't Crawl
My heart pounded during the strengthening experiment on specimen number two. The moment I'd been longing for had finally arrived.
Well, not really longing, if I'm honest. Who in their right mind would look forward to shoving a grub-like larva into their ear?
Of course, I was fully prepared for the grub. According to the game's description, my body had become a deadly poison to parasitic cadavers. The thing wouldn't burrow into my ear or reach my brain—it'd melt away without surviving long, absorbed as nutrients by my body.
But knowing that didn't stop the fear. No matter the facts, I couldn't shake it. If only a status window had popped up showing [Parasite Immunity], I'd have been twice as calm. But all I knew was that I'd eaten a disgusting virus sample recently and puked up blood afterward—whether that counted as adaptation or not.
Aaah, I wanna run. I wanna run!
Emma was watching me constantly, and dozens of researchers blocked the way outside. I had to stay calm. Any pointless fidgeting would just arouse suspicion. My heart kept racing, but I had to hold my breath to hide even that.
Haah! How much time passed like that? Finally, with a clunk, the doctor entered, clutching a vial with the grub inside.
"No problems, I trust?"
"Yes."
An instant reply. Of course. I hadn't even turned my head, let alone tried to flee. Right now, I was a stone gargoyle—a vicious hunter perfectly camouflaged in its surroundings, waiting motionlessly for prey to approach.
The enemy reached out in carelessness. Ah, wait. I'm not ready yet. Whoops. Wrong thought. Right, I'm the vicious hunter.
Squish.
···Save me! Something weird in my ear! Ugh, it's coming in, keep coming! Status window! Operator! Director! Anyone, come sit here! There's a bug in the game!
"Heh heh heh···."
Hey, don't laugh. It's starting to traumatize me.
The grub-like thing had wriggled into a place it shouldn't. No, this was seriously dangerous. If it pushed just a bit further, it wouldn't parasitize my brain—it'd devour it whole!
"It's about time. Get up."
Ah, so the brainwashing kicked in that quickly? Didn't know. Yes sir, right away.
With the doctor's words, Emma's arms released me (from captivity). Right—I was too frail to even pretend to run.
"Hmm, unclear. You've always obeyed my commands like a doll."
The doctor raised an objection, even though this wasn't a trial. Dude, if I've been obedient all along, why so paranoid? Let's just get through this nicely, I'm begging you.
"Is it true loyalty to me? Or submission to the brainwashing parasite? I can't tell."
The doctor tapped the table with his finger. Tap, tap, tap—a steady rhythm echoing in the room. Meanwhile, slimy grub noises squelched endlessly from my left ear. Left: grub. Right: doctor. What a nightmare.
But after all this time, it was still writhing like a NEET trapped under blankets. Did that mean the brainwashing had failed? The sounds almost seemed like agonized thrashing.
"Shall I have it eat a bit of your brain?"
Uh··· no?
"No, ruining a precious specimen would be bad."
Exactly. Spot on, doctor.
"Still··· a little pain shouldn't matter. Come to think of it, I've never seen that face twist in agony."
Uh··· a little···? You mean just a little, right?
"Nera."
The doctor looked at me, demanding a response.
"Yes."
"Carve it. Shove the blade in deep enough for all the edges to bite, and slowly slice your forearm."
Suddenly, the grub's flailing stopped. My superior immune system had overcome it, absorbing it as nutrients. Medetashi, medetashi.
I took the scalpel the doctor offered without hesitation. Gathering every ounce of strength my five-year-old body could muster, I raised the hand gripping it overhead. Then plunged it fearlessly into my forearm.
The impact was bigger than expected. The embedded scalpel shook, blood spurting. As I tried to slice down—
"Stop."
My motion halted abruptly, like a cut thread. The pain··· was absent. Wait, why doesn't it hurt?
"Ha, haha···. Looks like I've been too immersed in research lately—stress must be getting to me. Calamity? Monster? Play-acting? Ridiculous. I need a break."
Dr. Licht clutched his head with one hand, suddenly self-reproaching. Hey, doctor! Great you're reflecting on your obsession, but you haven't ordered hemostasis yet!
The doctor took a deep breath and eyed my forearm.
"Emma, what are you doing? Hemostasis, now."
The giggling doctor snapped irritably at Emma for no reason. My love, my shield, my heartfelt mama(?), Emma swiftly reclaimed the scalpel and pressed a prepared handkerchief firmly to the wound.
Ah, so gentle. Feels like I'll live. Actually, I feel nothing. If I hadn't cut myself, I wouldn't have noticed the blood gushing.
I'd questioned it since the injection, but with senses this dulled, eating that sample before was worse. Not totally numb, though—Emma's pressure on the skin felt clear. It just didn't reach pain.
"You can look forward to it from now on. You'll evolve, grow, mutate endlessly. I'll have to be more selective with samples."
Whoa! The strengthening event I've awaited!
"First, a short rest. Once we start, efficiency demands strict scheduling. Giving orders to tools here just piles up my mutterings."
I couldn't relate to most, but that? Totally got it. The dreary lab was torture just existing in. Wait, you brainwashed all the decent people, didn't you? I didn't see it, but the game has proof~
The doctor stood abruptly—signal his soliloquy was done. Sneaky bastard, heading out alone. Yeah, eat well, live long.
···Heh heh, said that, but I've been waiting for this moment. Now it's my time!
This dreary lab now held only brain-dead doll researchers and me—the smiling future star with intact sanity!
Everywhere I went, eyes followed—suffering. Meant the doctor treasured me, but that attention was too much.
He'd clearly dropped his suspicions—no eyes trailing now. Safe at last! I hadn't even realized he suspected me! I thought researchers watched because a specimen might go wrong.
But suspecting a five-year-old girl? Doctor's utterly mad.
Does he know? This was opportunity. A chance to leave a strong impression.
I had no intention of meekly taking his strengthening samples. House empty? Time to burgle—that's manners.
Deadly virus samples to others were just tasty boosters to me. Sample room locked with keycard? No worry—every researcher dangled one.
Don't get greedy, though. He said rest, but that workaholic could return anytime.
I eyed passing researchers' clothes. White, white, white—yellow! Jackpot first prize. Sample room access granted.
Clap clap clap. Oops, haven't done anything, but a grin slipped out. First smile since birth?!
This feeling? Excitement, basically. Imagining powered-up me—dopamine exploding. Like··· booting a new game, heart racing.
Like VR, but crude keyboard/mouse swapped for full senses! Everyone fantasizes: leap reshaping terrain, palm flames, eye lasers!
Not pure fantasy—no magic—but P.V. Virus enabled extremes. Concentrate flammable fluids for explosive breath, neurons as power plant for megavolts.
Plausibility limits—no gravity hacks or time stops—but magic-like not dumb dreams.
I want basics: fire breath, ice make, electric eel. Run on walls, body tougher than diamond. Thrilling just thinking.
Time to choose for my future. Sample room packed with P.V. samples. Examined one by one.
This: body enhancer. This: disease immunity. Oh—that rare manifestation agent.
Wanna loot it all, but risky. Virus overload? Fever city. Doctor spots empty room, rushes back.
Wait—these are his treasures. Steal few, he notices? Obsessive guy counts on return, like wife.
Not immediate, but all become his 'ampoules' eventually. Bad luck: instant catch. Good: eventual. Post-escape irrelevant, but risk outweighs gains.
I set it down. Next: deep shadows inside sample room—another door. So dark, add a lightbulb. Hiding what~?
Knew what: raw material room. Cadaver bodies here.
Hazard suit needed? Not for me. Let's enter.
Keycard—light green, door auto-opens. Long passage, another door—keycard, white gas sprays. Decon.
Scowling deeper, foul stench wafted. Endless transparent tubes before me, filled with unidentified creature corpses.
Yes, here. Even doctor won't weigh every corpse.
Strolled leisurely, shopping. Stopped where this was labeled:
Mimic
Sudden Mimic? Think: after five years, doctor's big gap.
Choices: devour all unknown-power cadavers for one-shot kill chance? Moderate body-boost cadaver, throat-strike when he relaxes? Or··· follow brilliant doctor's curriculum to supreme being?
Answer obvious. His plans near-complete by escape—original protagonist powerless. Veterans gut him; normies like me hit bad end against flow.
But fool him now?
Always bored, tired, wanna escape— but leaving lab? Regretful. Long humiliation, oppression··· I remembered all.
Not this world's doctor to me. ···Wait, still victim? Damn! Revenge justified!
In game, backstabbed by him—wished to beat dead. See his despair. No such feature; he never bowed.
Now real—anything possible. Mind cleared.
Mimics: P.V.-infected with extreme mutation traits for deception. Hide power, weak voices, loved ones' forms. Perfect to blind doctor's eyes.