I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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007 Rotten Cheese

Hunting has always been brutally difficult.
Not only is it physically exhausting, but succeeding is harder still.
Isn’t that why predators in nature are said to have only a twenty percent success rate?
Now that I’ve experienced it firsthand, I understand why it can’t be otherwise.
A predator can afford to fail—there will be another chance—but for prey, a single failure means death.

That’s why prey species have evolved their own survival strategies.
Some developed thick shells and spines to protect their bodies,
others learned to secrete stench or venom,
and still others formed herds to mount collective defense.

The fantasy world was no different.
The difference was that magical beasts could harness Mana, so ordinary animals had to evolve even more formidable defenses to counter them.

So some developed thick shells and spines to protect their bodies….

Shriek! Squeal!

Others learned to secrete stench or venom….

Hack-hack-hack!

And still others formed herds to mount collective defense….

Screech-screech! Squeal!

Gyushik was fleeing from soldier ants that had swarmed him for a coordinated lynching, crying out in desperate panic.
I’d underestimated them because they were barely the size of my fingernail—but they’d summoned dozens more in an instant.
And Gyushik’s body was already scarred and mangled from encounters with other creatures….
In the end, we had no choice but to retreat, swallowing our tears.
Gyushik let out a mournful cry, wounded by the sting of defeat.

Whimper….

Hmm…. All this time I’ve been hurling myself at opponents who seemed easy prey, but head-to-head, I still haven’t found a single creature I can reliably defeat.
So we still have a long way to go.
Of course, there were ordinary animals here too.
But above them were magical beasts armed with Mana.
So how could an ordinary animal survive in such a place?

That’s right. This place is a hell where you can’t survive unless you become far more vicious.
A stink bug passing by reeks ten times as foul as anything on Earth, and even an ordinary frog carries toxins potent enough to numb the senses.

So I’ve been picking fights here and there for Experience Points, but all that’s grown is Gyushik’s collection of wounds.
There was a certain logic to why Gyushik loved the Slop Tank so much.
Barely escaping, Gyushik whimpered as he licked at the welts left by the soldier ants’ bites.

Whimper….

The sting of defeat was bitter.
But I couldn’t give up here.
The truth is, this world has always been this way.
The weak are bound to be hurt, to lose, to retreat—that’s simply the law of this world.
How much longer will I cower and whine while the strong beat me down?

Chirp?

So you must grow stronger!
You need to accumulate Experience Points and level up, constantly honing your skills until you become a force to be reckoned with!
To do that, you’ll have to defeat the enemies standing in your way with your own strength.
If you can’t stomach that, you’ll have no choice but to live your whole life trapped in a loser’s mindset!
Anyone who wants to grow stronger must face constant challenges—that’s simply how it works.
You’re still young, aren’t you? How much longer do you plan to go on like this?
Youth slips away far too quickly when you’re mired in the paralysis of defeat.
Do you understand, Gyushik? Now get up!

Squeak?

Whether my motivational speech had gotten through or not, Gyushik sprang to his feet with renewed vigor.
Then he scurried off in some direction, his little claws pattering against the stone.
And where, pray tell, did he lead us?

Scratch-scratch.

…To a ventilation shaft that connected directly to the massive Slop Tank.
Ah, what was I expecting from a mere rat? The fault lies with me.

Gurgle.

Hmm, I’ve been chasing prey all day long, and now hunger is gnawing at me too.
Well, that’s true enough—hunting requires energy to move. I suppose today I’ll have to fill my belly with slop, whether I like it or not.
No, wait—on second thought, that’s not right at all!
This is a feed factory, isn’t it? The place is practically drowning in supplies. Why should I resort to eating slop?
I took control of my body and turned toward the Feed Storage.
But then…

Squeak? Scratch-scratch-scratch!

Gyushik’s whole frame trembled violently as he threw his entire being into resisting.
What’s gotten into this creature? Why has he been acting like this since before?
Does he really hate the feed that much? It’s far superior to slop in taste, nutrition, and everything else.
A hopeless slop enthusiast through and through!

‘But you need to learn to move past such crude tastes now. Come along!’

I dragged the trembling Gyushik forcibly back toward the Feed Storage.

Squeak…

Moments later, I arrived at the Feed Storage, hauling the reluctant Gyushik behind me.
He was still looking around nervously, on guard against some unseen threat.
A few workers were busy with their tasks inside the warehouse, but they were too occupied with their own work to pay us any attention.

But what could possibly scare him so much?
Sigh. A coward through and through. Already I’m dreading tomorrow when I’ll have to take this craven wretch out on our leveling expedition.
I boldly squeezed between the mountainous stacks of grain sacks and tore open a hole.
Sweet feed began trickling out through the gap.
Mm, what a savory aroma~
My mouth was already watering.
Regrettably, hiding and secretly absorbing the genes was impossible, but the delicately sweet and crispy texture of the feed was truly sublime.
Where else could a tiny rat like me hope to find such a delicacy?
Compared to that toxic slop tank whose fumes could melt skin clean off, this place was nothing short of paradise.

Munch-munch. Crunch-crunch.
I was deep in my feeding session, hidden behind the sacks, when I heard the foreman’s voice shouting from the entrance.

“Whew, that’s enough. Let’s load up the feed and head over to the Breeding Grounds.”

The Breeding Grounds? Was there such a place nearby?
Just then, the massive iron door of the storage facility swung open, and two workers in coveralls wheeled in a large transport cart.
I immediately concealed myself in the shadows behind the feed sacks.
The workers were gathering to begin the actual hauling work when someone suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, did you hear that rumor? They say there’s a bloodsucking ghost showing up in the Breeding Grounds these days.”

A bloodsucking ghost in the Breeding Grounds? What in the world was that about?
The foreman responded to his mention with a dismissive tone.

“What? Ghosts would freeze to death. The Mana Tower is crawling with mages and magical beasts—what’s a ghost compared to that?”
“No, I’m serious! Every night, some pale thing prowls around and tears all the weak magical beasts to shreds. And it supposedly drains every last drop of blood without leaving a single trace.”

The Breeding Grounds? Weak magical beasts?
If the Breeding Grounds was where the Mana Tower’s researchers kept magical beasts for various experiments, it would be packed with them.
Weak magical beasts would be docilely waiting behind bars—so I wouldn’t have to wander around this vast, dangerous place hunting for prey, right?
Those locked in cages wouldn’t have the bothersome ability to escape or mount any real resistance.
In other words, I could hunt from an advantageous position, safely farm genes, and level up all at once!

I’d finally found a way to do a massive level-up run with that coward Gyushik.
But could I get there safely? And would I actually be able to subdue those weak magical beasts?
While I was mentally calculating the prospects of the Breeding Grounds, the foreman suddenly barked an order.

“Forget the bloodsucking ghost nonsense! Stop talking and move the feed already!”
“Come on, I’m telling you it’s real. The rumor’s spread everywhere by now. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right?”

The worker who’d brought it up grumbled and hoisted a feed sack.
Hmm, a bloodsucking ghost… Well, this is a fantasy world, so there’s nothing strange about such things existing.
But a ghost? When I’m already an Ancient Parasitic Organism, ghosts hardly frighten me at all.

Besides, I clearly have a special ability called Universal Host.
“Universal”—mark my words—as in all things under heaven and earth.
Isn’t a ghost, in the end, just one of the ten thousand things? If it possesses consciousness, then I might just be able to make it submit to me.
So if there really is a bloodsucking ghost in the Breeding Grounds, I’ll make that creature my host too!

The plan was finally perfect.
I’d sneak aboard that feed transport cart and make a comfortable express trip to the Breeding Grounds.
That would definitely be better for leveling up than staying here.
Sure, I’d miss this paradise of feed piled high like mountains, but there must be stockpiles there too to feed the magical beasts.
Having made up my mind, I gave Gyushik an order.

‘All right, Gyushik. Sneak aboard that cart. You can do it, right?’
Chirp…

Gyushik let out a hesitant, creeping sort of sound.
Ugh, right… I couldn’t trust an anxious wreck like you with this. I’d end up getting us killed.

So I’ll do it myself!
Taking control of my body, I carefully approached the cart, using the blind spots between the feed sacks to stay hidden.

Three steps, two steps, one step.

I’d finally reached the cart.
Now I just had to hop aboard and squeeze into the gap between the feed sacks—mission accomplished!
It’s nothing, really. Why am I even hesitating?
Just as I was about to leap onto the cart with full confidence—

Shrieeeeek!

A sudden chill swept over me, a dreadful killing intent pressing down on my entire body.
Every hair on my frame stood on end, and the Survival Instinct carved into my very being opened its eyes.
This was no mere shadow cast by a Goeroth or anything like that—it was a primal terror etched into my genes themselves.

‘What—what is this? Insane!’

I whipped my head upward on pure instinct.
And there….

A low, ominous sound rumbled through the air….

Perched atop the sacks of feed stacked on the cart, there was a pair of golden eyes staring down at me with overwhelming presence.
Damn.
Seized by instinctive dread, I immediately pulled up its status window.

【Gluttony Shadow Cat lv 8】
【Traits】
「Predator’s Majesty」, 「Night Vision」
【Skills】
「Silent Footsteps lv 3」, 「Leap lv 2」

In that moment, I finally understood why Gyushik truly preferred the Slop Tank to the Feed Storage.
So there was a ‘Slop Tiger’ living in the feed storage. That’s why he’d grown so tense whenever we came near here….
Gyushik wasn’t a coward at all—he was just being cautious….
I see now. That’s what it was all along….

A low growl rumbled from its throat….

The Slop Tiger crouched low, fixed its gaze upon us, and began swishing its tail back and forth.
I recognized that posture all too well.
It was a cat’s hunting crouch—I’d seen it countless times at a friend’s house.
Cats always adopted that stance when they were about to pounce.
When someone dangles a fishing-rod toy, a cat flattens itself against the floor, tail swishing, eyes locked and tracking.
And the moment the prey lets its guard down—!

Pounce!

The Slop Tiger launched itself at me.
It came hurtling forward with the speed of lightning.
Trusting to my Survival Instinct, I wriggled between the spokes of the cart wheel.

Thud!

The Slop Tiger landed precisely where I’d been standing and immediately swiveled toward me.
Then, as if playing whack-a-mole, it began thrusting its paws through the wheel spokes at me.

Swat. Swat. Swat.

Ow—its claws are sharp! If I hadn’t instinctively burrowed deeper toward the cart’s underside, I’d have taken a hit for sure.
This shameless little beast is actually throwing the first punch. What a rascal.
The creature kept stretching its arm through the spokes, trying to snag me with its claws.
Seeing this, the workers burst out laughing.

“Ha ha ha. Cheese is finally doing some work. What a dutiful little thing.”

Cheese? Did they just call it Cheese?
How in the world does this little rascal qualify as ‘Cheese’? Besides the yellow fur, there’s nothing about it that matches ‘Cheese’ at all.
Its yellow coat was patchy and matted, and its face was absolutely feral and vicious.
Compared to an Earth cat, it wasn’t some common street cat—it looked more like a wild animal you’d see in the mountains.
So if that’s Gluttony Shadow Cat, I’d have to call it rotten cheese.

A low, rumbling growl….

The rotten-cheese-looking Slop Tank Tiger fixed its gaze on me hiding beneath the transport cart and licked its chops.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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