The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 4 Your abilities are very good

Mysterious island, swampy jungle.

The weather on the island was perfect, and a gray toad was leisurely basking in the sun in a corner of the swamp.

Its tongue would occasionally flick out, swallowing the mosquitoes around it and thoroughly enjoying itself.

Caw, smells delicious!

However, it failed to notice that several jet-black tentacles quietly emerged from the mud.

"Now!"

With a thought from Horn.

Seven or eight large black mushrooms suddenly burst out, surrounding it, and several tentacles lashed directly at the toad's body.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

The toad was immediately whipped and spun like a top.

Then, numerous tentacles wrapped around its body, tightening little by little, until it could no longer move.

The entire hunting process was swift and efficient, taking less than ten seconds.

But Horn wasn't very satisfied, he muttered to himself.

"These guys are a bit weak in combat."

If it were his true form, one [Tentacle Whip] would be enough to smash this toad to pieces.

However, these few companions only left a few white marks on the other's skin.

Its attack power is pitifully low.

Think about it too.

The Carnivorous Mushroom is at the very bottom of the monster food chain, even weaker than a slime, so this level of combat power is normal.

Currently, Horn can only produce one type of "unit": the Carnivorous Mushroom.

Perhaps once he assimilates other monsters, he will be able to create other familiars.

However, the carnivorous mushroom isn't without its advantages, namely—

It grows fast!

Give it some water, some nutrients, and some magic, and it will grow incredibly fast.

In just half a day, about ten carnivorous mushrooms grew on the swamp carpet, proving to be cheap and durable.

It manipulates its kin to transport the gray-skinned toads back to the fungal carpet.

[Activate gene integration!]

[Analysis of the "mud frog" carcass!]

[Gained skill: Thick Skin Lv1!]

Oh? It's been shipped?

Horn was somewhat surprised.

In previous hunts, I only gained some experience points from the corpses, but I never expected this toad to give me a skill.

He tried out the new skill.

A layer of grayish-white membrane appeared on the surface of the tentacles.

It appears to have some defensive capabilities, capable of withstanding attacks from some sharp weapons.

and many more……

Horn suddenly discovered the blind spot.

Could this thick skin help to control the Vulture Venomous Bee?

The most dangerous attack method of the vulture wasp is its stinger.

Unlike ordinary bees, this monster's stinger has evolved into a magical organ.

They can launch their stingers remotely and repeatedly, injecting highly corrosive toxins.

But in other words...

If you have thick enough skin to prevent the poisonous stinger from getting in, wouldn't that disable the opponent's most powerful weapon?

Horn thought it was getting more and more promising.

They immediately prepared to equip their newborn dependents with this skill.

That's right, the biggest advantage of the servants is that they can share skills with Horn!

Skills like [Tentacle Whip] were acquired by him later.

On the other hand, sharing skills is not without its limitations.

Based on Horn's research during this period.

Besides the original skills of their companions, they can now equip a maximum of two more skills.

It's somewhat like a "spell slot" or "skill slot" setup.

This may be related to Horn's current rank.

As his rank increases, the number of spell slots available to his followers will also increase.

Moreover, the first spell slot is free, without any additional cost.

However, adding a second skill will increase the amount of magic and nutrients required to create familiars.

Horn thought this made perfect sense.

Anyone who has played RTS games knows that producing advanced units consumes more resources!

A short while later.

A carnivorous mushroom with a grayish-white skin emerged from the mycelium carpet.

Horn used his whiskers to curl up a twig and poked it.

The mushroom stood there motionless, looking rather pitiful even when poked.

Horn took a look.

It has a firm, chewy texture; you really can't pierce it without using force.

But that's all.

If you apply a little more force, this layer of skin can be easily broken through.

"It seems to be due to a low skill level."

Horn quickly came to a conclusion.

"After leveling up a few more times, I should be able to block the stings of the poisonous bees."

The method to upgrade skill levels is also very simple—hunt monsters with similar skills, and [Gene Integration] will automatically activate.

Coincidentally, the mud frog is also a fairly large species in this swamp.

"You're very capable, but you're mine now!"

Horn waved his tentacle, preparing to make the [Mud Frog] his next primary target.

"Let the frog suffer, I'll bear the blame."

Upon receiving the order, the dozen or so pack animals quickly crawled out of the mud and resumed their hunt.

……

……

at the same time.

In the lower deck of the Golden Sun, Alice slowly opened her eyes.

It was pitch black all around, and there were hordes of monsters everywhere, with mycelium-like tentacles wrapped around her body.

For most people, this would be an absolutely terrifying, hellish sight.

But after this "feeding," Alice's mindset was completely different when she looked at the slippery, wriggling tentacles around her.

Far from making her feel disgusted, she felt an inexplicable sense of warmth.

Can tentacles be this cute?

"You're awake!"

Horn noticed Alice's awakening immediately.

"Um... Mr. Horn!"

Alice was startled. Every time she communicated in this way, she felt as if her inner thoughts were completely read.

"Stop standing there, get to work!"

"Get to work?"

The girl blinked her light blue eyes.

What kind of work can you do in such a cramped and enclosed room?

"Dig a hole, or rather, chisel through a wall!"

Horn extended a tentacle and pointed to the wall that was blocked by the mushrooms.

Although the plan calls for them to be patient and reflect during this period, it doesn't mean they can't do anything.

For example, opening a map!

With just a small hole, Horn could spread his fungal carpet into the next compartment.

After that, it will be much easier to explore other areas of the ship or to change positions.

But before that, there's a small problem—

The tentacles are soft!

Horn's true form is currently a mollusk. He can use his tentacles to control some simple tools, but he's really bad at chiseling walls.

Coincidentally, his top employee was an upright ape who was skilled in using tools.

"Alice, this difficult task is entrusted to you!"

"Okay, okay!"

Alice gave the little head a hard peck.

She quickly pulled a small knife from her waist and began to slowly chisel away at the wooden wall.

Suddenly, Horn noticed some subtle movements.

"Someone's coming, please stop for a moment."

Alice immediately fell silent and hid in the mushroom pile.

squeak-

The old oak door was pushed open.

Mike, whose face was covered in freckles, walked in cautiously carrying a wooden bucket, muttering to himself.

"Why does this room feel increasingly eerie?"

"Ugh, I really didn't want to come here..."