Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck!

"What the hell have I done?!"

I just killed her! I killed a person! I killed…what's her name!

Finally realizing what I have done, I ran to her before stopping.

"The rats! I need to stop them before they spread the spores! Hive Control!"

When the screens appeared before me, I quickly called the rats back.

"It's too late. They have already spread so far away; they definitely infected several people already. Damn it, what was I thinking."

The whole rat thing was a bluff! I planned to use them to buy myself some time to escape. I didn't mean to actually use them to spread an epidemic! I was confused and angry, I didn't mean it!

I sat down on the floor, trying to think this thing through.

"I-I need to hide the body. I could absorb it, but I want to give it back to their family. Yes, giving her back would be the best choice. Wait, the system said that it became a minion. Does that mean that I am able to control her? Hive Control!"

The familiar screen reappeared and I checked it again.

"No point. It must be a bug. I will give her back. As for the infected…I have no choice, I need to give them the antidote, even if I can't stay here afterward. But where do I go? ...Sigh, damn it this is going to be assured."

I got up, walked to the body, and placed my hands on her chest.

"Hive Absorption."

Like the monsters, the black smoke came out from my mouth, enveloped her, and returned to me, leaving no trace behind.

[New strain of mold has been successfully integrated into the body.]

[Now plant[Calmed Wind Flower(fungi)] will automatically appear on newly infected individuals.]

"How great. My mold now has flowers growing on it. How is it even possible, molds don't pollinate? Bah, fantasy world, fantasy rules. Not important."

Once I absorbed the newly arrived rats, I got up on my feet and started walking.

"I still have one bottle of antidote on me. If there is a machine that can tell people what their skills are, then there must be one that can dissect a potion into its ingredients! I only need to give the ampoule to the knights and have them work this out! But I don't know where the knights' headquarters are…The Guild! If I leave it there, they can surely pass it through for me! Also, I need to get some new clothes, moving around with only my pants on is embarrassing. I wonder if that store is still open."

*****

Receptionist POV:

" I am telling you! He was tall and scary!"

"Sure, sure. And he was moving faster than you could see. Now, continue working, this epidemic is really putting a strain on our guild."

Everything we do puts a strain on us.

Thinking about soon resigning, she took the request for magical plants and started to sort them by type.

With the epidemic, several healers and doctors are trying to concoct the antidote, using different plants, making the number of gathering quests skyrocket.

"Excuse me, I need your help with something."

"Yes, in what can I help…you…"

Before the counter a tall man wearing a white coat, sunglasses, and a hat. His skin was slightly green, and his hair looked like small green vines.

"I have an ampule and a small letter which I would like to give to the captain of the knights. May I ask you to deliver it for me?"

"Ehhh, sure but you need to pay the transport fee and I need to ask you for your name."

"No problem. Here, it's an urgent matter. As for my name, please call me Baghead."

He put several gold coins on the counter then stepped away.

The receptionist looked at it, with eyes filled with greed.

This much money could easily buy her a huge house in a wealthy part of the city! it would be insane not to accept it.

"S-My lord, this is too much!"

"Take it as an excuse for what I am about to say now. I have another thing for you to report to the knights."

The man smiled then, suddenly he started to vomit out a thick cloud of black smoke. When the smoke dispersed, there was a body covered in a green substance and white flowers.

"I killed someone."

The receptionist looked at the man, but he was nowhere to be found.

He disappeared. Like a ghost.

*****

"Now that this is settled, I need to get this over with."

I walked back to the Hideout Village and I bagged my things.

"Sorry, but I will carry you like that."

Once I was done. I grabbed my house plant and exited the old shack in which I had been living for a while.

"Well, old house. It hasn't been long but…well I have no regrets. See you never!"

I walked down the street and arrived before the bar.

"Let's hope they are here."

I walked in and knocked on the receptionist's desk, who was a flamingo-birdman by the way.

"Are the envoys from the Thong kingdom here?"

While I talked, I put some gold coins on the counter.

"They are still in their room. It's the number 23."

"Thanks."

I took back the coins before he could take them, and I quickly walked upstairs.

"20, 21,21,23! Here it is."

A little bit nervous I knocked on the door.

…Nothing.

I knocked again but no one answered

"Are they sleeping?"

Not having any better idea, I walked through the door, abusing the power of the pendant given to me.

The inside was dark with the curtains pulled over the windows.

As I walked in, I noticed the four people standing before the door armed to the teeth, but not looking at me, but past me.

Hmm? Did I turn invisible when I passed through? Damn, my instincts are good.

Not wanting to appear before weapons, I walked behind them, sat on the sofa, and placed my plant on the smoking table in front of me, before turning visible again.

"Where are you guys looking?"

Immediately, they spun around, weapons pointed at me.

The catgirl hissed as she looked at me.

"impossible. How did he enter our room?"

The many-eyed one looked at me shocked, her many eyes turning madly in her sockets.

"I didn't see any mana current. He didn't use magic or skills."

"Yeah, I am incredible but that's not the point." I crossed my arms and legs, trying to look important.

"Something came up, forcing me to move. Since I have no other place to go, I decided to accept your offer of working with you, of course, I have some conditions."

"…Very well. We will take you then."

"Take me? I didn't e-

WHOS!

"-even said my-Where the hell am I?

A second ago, I was still in the dark hotel room, now I was sitting in the middle of what seemed to be a throne hall.

White marble walls and pillars, long red carpet, an elevated platform with a gold throne on it, the total.

At the sides of the room, monsters of all shapes and sizes holding different weapons, looking recently at me.

"Our King, we brought you the Life Scholar, as you ordered us!"

The group kneeled before the throne, my brain only registering that there were people there.

Six beauties, each a different monster stranded around the throne, wearing finely crafted cloth and jewelry.

On the throne, another woman was sitting.

She had a mature body with vibrant blue eyes and green hair.

The king is a queen? Does she consider herself a male? Then why is she called the Toad?

Feeling like I should do something respectful, I stood up from my seat and made a small bow.

"It's an honor to meet you. My name is Phil Smith, a humble [Life Scholar]. It's a pleasure to meet you… your royalty."

The monster around me hissed at me as the women at the platform threw deadly glares at me.

Did I say something wrong?

The king toad just looked at me with an emotionless face before she started to talk.

"I have been waiting for your arrival, scholar. I heard that you refused the first time we approached you, what changed your mind?"

"As I said to your subordinates, something happened which in turn forced me to move. Since I didn't possess any information about the outside world it seemed safer for me to come here where I could get work and a place to stay for sure."

The stares. They start to hurt.

The king stayed silent, she just kept on looking down on me.

Okay, this is getting quite hard to bear.

"So… Do I get the job?"

The monsters groaned in displeasure; some even pointed their weapons at me.

Scary!

"Before we employ you, I want to check something that I read in a report about you. Sasha dear, please fight this male to see if he is worth the post."

"As you wish, my king."

One of the women walked down from the platform.

She had dark green hair and eyes, with a matching light green dress. Even her skin was slightly green with pointed ears.

"Your majesty, there is no point in me fighting against her. I am a scholar; my talent lay in knowledge and not-"

"Tree Bullets."

Before I could finish talking, the green girl fired several brown projectiles at me.

By reflex I turned my body intangible and invisible, making the bullets pass through me while hitting the sofa instead.

Seeing me disappear all of a sudden coursed a loud uproar in the crowd, which was hushed quickly by that Toad girl.

"Very impressive, but I can still tell that you are here. Before you think about escaping, I have erected a barrier around you, trapping you in there till you defeat your advertiser."

You are shitting me!

"Forest Field."

From the feet of the woman, several roots grew, quickly spreading on the ground.

Oh, you don't.

I jumped back from my sitting position, in time, the roots already shredded the furniture into firewood.

Wait, my plant! No that's not important.

Don't ask me how, but I knew somehow that if I got caught in her attack I would die.

Following my instincts, I turned back normal, slammed my hand on the ground, and released my mold.

[New skill learned:[Mold Field]]

Not now!

As my mold spread, it clashed with the roots of that woman, the two fields fighting against each other.

Soon, a two-meter wield area formed half of its ground covered in roots, the other one in the mold with some white flowers blooming on it.

"Tree Bullets."

Turning my upper body intangible, I let the attacks pass through my body, then by concentrating, I made several tentacles grow around me.

"Grab her."

At my order the tentacles started to move towards her, some even growing black spore sacks on them.

"Tree Shield."

By using the toots around her she created a barrier that protected her from the attacks.

"Nicely done. But you are now in my mercy."

Still connected to the mold by a vine attached to my left palm, I brandished my bone saw and threw myself into the fray.

She must have sensed my approach since several roots started to move towards me, but by manipulating some of the tentacles I grabbed them and held them in place.

Then, at the last second, I severed the tentacle connecting me to the mold and passed through the barrier.

It was dark inside which didn't bother me in the slightest, with my dark vision and all.

As expected, she was standing in the middle of the, her eyes closed.

Since she didn't seem to notice me right away, I quickly jumped towards her.

STAB!

"W-What?"

From behind me, some branches grew on the barrier piercing my legs, arms, and stomach, running my newly acquired cloth.

"Got you."

S-She planned this? This bitch.

With the pain reduction, I stayed conscious and opened my mouth as wide as I could.

"Hive Repulsion."

While I regurgitated a single rat, I used the smokescreen as a distraction to turn invisible again. While she was coughing, I jumped back out from the barrier arriving back to my own territory.

As I touched the ground, my body absorbed some nutrients from the ground, quickly healing my wounds.

This was dangerous, I am quite lucky to be able to escape from that one. I need to find a way to take her out safely before I am dead.

The wood barrier slowly opened slowly releasing the smoke from its inside.

The green girl glared at me furiously, holding the rat's body by its head.

"You will pay for that. Sacred Weapon, Re-"

"ENOUGH."

The king didn't raise his voice, but the way she spoke somehow managed to silence everybody in the room.

"I have seen your abilities. I judge you worthy to work for me. I will give you your own laboratory and room, with a vast number of resources. I will let you work on your own projects, but when I need you to do something, you will do it. Are we clear?"

"…Crystal."

I am half dead; I have no energy to argue. I just want to take a nice bath and forget this day ever happened.

The green girl, hearing the words of her boss, retracted her roots, threw my rat at my feet, and walked back to the pedestal, not saying a single word.

Rude.

I also retracted my mold, taking a big chunk of the floor with me in the process, which caused the monsters to hate me even more.

"So…where do I sleep?"

[

Name: Phil Smith 'Plague Father'

Race: [Low Molded Chimera Skeleton] Lv: 10/70 (20/60)

Main Class: [Life Scholar]

Sub Class: [Runner]

HP(Health Points): 34/115

SP(Stamina Points): 125

MP(Magic Points): 75/75

TMN (Tamed Monster Numbers): [231.803]

Blessings: [Blessing of Nergal]

Active Skills: [Basic Steady Hand] [Basic Fast Eye] [Formula Creation]] [Hive Control] [Hive Absorption] [Hive Repulsion] [Mold Field]

Passive Skills: [Basic Body Knowledge] [Basic Plant Knowledge] [Basic Medicine Knowledge] [Basic Stamina Enhancement] [Basic Movement Enhancement] [Basic Reflex Enhancement.] [Basic Sponge Mind] [Perfect Stomach] [Hive Mind]

Affinities: [Basic Farming Affinity] [Basic War Affinity] [Basic Pestilence Affinity][ Basic Fire Affinity.] [Basic Life Affinity] [Basic Death Affinity]

Titles: [The One Who Saw A Thousand Worlds] [Knowledge Driven] [Chosen by Flies] [Medicine Pioneer] [Hive Master]