Chapter 20 : Parasite Demon—Dogsius

Parasite Demon—Dogsius

My name is Dogsius, and I live in the Abyss of the Netherworld. To have a name here fills me with pride, for I am one of the few higher beings in this place.

Possessing intelligence and the ability to act autonomously, those Deepwater Fishmen and Fallen Lucia can't even be compared to me.

What?

You're asking why I'm also a Fallen Lucia?

Hmph, the noble Parasite Demon—Dogsius cannot be bothered to answer such a foolish question!

Who could have imagined that the once exalted race of Parasite Demons would now be reduced to inhabiting the body of a Fallen Lucia, and have to roam around seeking energy just to survive, like the rest of them?

As for what "energy" is...

Spotting a piece of rotten meat lying on the barren earth, I controlled the body of the Fallen Lucia to dart over and grab it in my hand.

Enduring the hunger gnawing at my belly, I swallowed the rotten meat tearfully, and upon absorbing the energy, I was so moved, I almost broke into tears.

So, the following scene unfolded—

"To think that I, a dignified and noble Parasite Demon, have fallen to eating someone else's leftover rotten meat. Hmph, but it tastes so good."

A Fallen Lucia was gnawing on rotten meat, appearing as if feasting on the finest delicacies.

While eating, Dogsius recalled his past experiences.

As a Parasite Demon, he should never have sunk so low, because the previous generation of Parasite Demons had already parasitized some powerful creatures. They would manipulate those bodies to protect their offspring and help them find suitable hosts.

Yet, this never happened to Dogsius. From the moment he was born, he had no protection from his kin.

During that period, Dogsius was constantly summoned into other worlds, but without the help of his forebears, he could only rely on his reptilian form to parasitize weak creatures.

For this purpose, he had parasitized cooks, blacksmiths, teachers, artists—countless humans—as well as lesser monsters like twin-tailed rats and carapace beetles.

His previous host was so weak that it was killed by an adventurer, so he returned pathetically to the Netherworld, and to survive, he was forced to parasitize a Fallen Lucia.

Over his long life, he came to realize a chilling truth—

It was not that his kin had abandoned him, but that his species, the Parasite Demons, might only have him left.

This realization came from memories inherited from three hosts ago— the immortal Parasite Demons had been annihilated. He—Dogsius—was the only survivor of that apocalyptic war.

Yet Dogsius refused to accept the death of his kin. He obsessively swapped host after weak host, determined to find his predecessors.

But after countless years, his kin remained missing, and Dogsius's stubborn searching brought only bitter disappointment.

To survive, Dogsius clung to the feeble body of a Fallen Lucia, and no one would ever be foolish enough to summon a Fallen Lucia, no matter how tempting the offerings.

He was now just a stupid Fallen Lucia!

Deprived of the right to be summoned, Dogsius lingered in the abyss in utter dejection, living as humbly as a Fallen Lucia.

Such an existence dragged on for ages. With what remained of his self-respect, Dogsius swallowed the last bite of rotten meat.

"I'm saved for now, but where will I find my next meal?"

Staring blankly at the desolate Netherworld, Dogsius's gaze was numb; he no longer wanted to repeat the life of running a thousand miles for a bite of food.

Just as Dogsius was staring dully into the distance, a gate shrouded in purple mist appeared behind him.

"Hm?"

Turning around, Dogsius saw that purple gate.

"Abyssal Summoning!!!"

Upon seeing this gateway to another world, Dogsius cried out in excitement.

"My forebears, now I can look for you—wait for me!"

On the other side, Serea looked solemnly through the dimensional gate.

Through the portal, Dogsius saw the figure of his future master, and just at first glance, he was instantly captivated.

Having parasitized so many humans, Dogsius inevitably retained some human tendencies—such as an appreciation for beauty.

From a human aesthetic, this girl was simply stunning.

Immersed in appreciation for a long moment, he snapped back to reality only when the spatial gate began to shrink.

Now was not the time for such thoughts—if he wanted to reach another world and search for his kin, he had to seize this summoning opportunity.

Therefore, Dogsius chose to respond.

Learning from the lesson of being rejected when summoned as a Fallen Lucia last time, Dogsius did not show himself right away.

He also had to pretend to be very powerful—so powerful the summoner would have no choice but to summon him!

While deceiving a summoner might bring unwanted consequences, right now he simply had to leave this place—he had to escape the Netherworld.

To that end, drawing upon the memories of a theater actor host from six bodies ago, Dogsius began an awkward performance.

"Who dares disturb my slumber!"

Using his most commanding tone, Dogsius's voice was full of authority.

Noticing the excitement on the girl's face across the portal, Dogsius knew he was already halfway to success.

Summon me, summon me, summon me!

Dogsius screamed inwardly.

On the other side, Serea, barely concealing her excitement, said to the system,

"See? With my luck, the abyssal creature I summoned is surely something powerful."

Standing before the portal, Serea seemed full of herself. Perhaps finding her smug attitude unbearable, the system prompted:

System: Judging by its physique, the summoned creature is a Fallen Lucia—among the lowest in the Abyss. Its maximum individual level will not exceed Level 10.

"Fallen Lucia?"

Serea looked at the portal in disgust. Although she didn't know what a Fallen Lucia was, anything with a max level of 10 had to be weak.

On the other side, seeing Serea pierce through his identity, Dogsius was horrified.

"How did you know?!"

"Huh? It really is a Fallen Lucia."

"No, I'm not, I swear, just let me explain!"

Dogsius completely lost his former authority, desperately trying to plead with Serea.

"Not a Fallen Lucia? That's an awfully suspicious denial."

"This... The Fallen Lucia is just my disguise! I'm actually a tremendously powerful being!"

"Tremendously powerful?"

Serea was amused and teased, "Oh really? How powerful?"

"Emm..."

Dogsius thought for a moment, but not knowing how else to show it, simply spread open the Fallen Lucia's arms and said, in a drawn-out tone,

"So, so very powerful!"

(To be continued...)

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Poor Dogsius...