First Deck

*Endless Stamina was changed to Fatigue Resistance to better fit the skills intention.*

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In order not to draw any suspicion they left and returned to their quarters. Matt sat on the bed after having already done a quick shower and waited for Alexis to finish. He had noticed that the steak gave him four points today which was a lucky result. He rarely got four points from steaks. This put him up to a total of ten. He looked at his skills and contemplated what to do. His hypnosis was already at forty-nine proficiency, which made him happy.

With ten evolution points the only things he could afford to level were his Toxin Resistance and Telepathy. Matt was curious what would happen if he maxed Toxin Resistance since it was new territory. Earlier he had overreacted to the discovery of the ESP suit because of his past frustrations from the game. Matt would not simply lie down and let them beat him with such a thing. Also, he was no ordinary Mind Flayer parasite anymore.

Matt had been avoiding looking at Primary Reproduction because he knew the cooldown for a new parasite would be long. The exact length he was not sure about since the game was not to scale. He didn't think leveling telepathy to two would be worth it unless he could level it to max right away and evolve it. He sighed and pulled up Primary Reproduction since he couldn't ignore it forever. This was the skill necessary for evolving to grade two.

[Primary Reproduction Lv. Max: You have created a sub-body that has inherited a portion of your skills and abilities. You are able to communicate with the sub-body instinctively without need for excessive use of mental energy. The body is immature and will need Evolution Points in order to grow. Once mature, the sub-body may be combined with the main body to evolve to the next grade.

>Number of sub-bodies: 0 (8752:32:12)

>Evolution Cost: Mature Sub-body]

Matt blinked a few times and stared at the ceiling in a daze. Alexis finished her shower with only a towel. However, he was in a daze and didn't seem to notice her. She tried calling out to him but he seemed to be completely lost. She resorted to sending him several thoughts through their connection which snapped him out of it. Alexis stood in front of him with a worried look.

{What's going on? You've been a bit off since we left the lab, but just then you were completely out of it.}

{Ah, sorry. I'm fine. What's up?}

{Didn't you want to see my skill's descriptions?}

Matt realized he had forgotten about that. He nodded towards her leading her to sit next to him on the bed. Ever since accepting the parasite, she felt a sense of comfort from Matt beyond what she usually felt. While she was enjoying his presence, Matt had the sudden urge to lift her and bring the both of them into their bed.

They changed positions quickly and Alexis had to pull the towel out from under her. She was completely naked underneath and tried to adjust herself. Matt grabbed the towel out from under her while she was writhing around to dislodge it and then threw it across the room. He pulled the covers over them and pressed up against her.

"Okay, you can show me now."

"What was the point of that…? Sigh."

[Host: Alexis Alexeyev

Master: Matthew O'Connely

Support Points (SP): 3

Status: Immature Parasite

Abilities: Growth, Infection, Fascination, Fatigue Resistance

Skills: None]

[Growth: Immature Parasites grow steadily until they mature. You may determine the rate of growth.

>Growth Rate: 24 hours]

[Infection: As an Immature Parasite you are able to survive outside of a host in order to infect a host. You may change hosts until you mature.]

[Fascination: The ability to subtlety influence those around you with your emotions. Those who are susceptible or willingly allow it will take actions based on your mood.

>Toggle: On/Off]

[Fatigue Resistance: After optimizing the host's cellular respiration cycles, stamina is significantly improved.

>Increased Energy Recovery

>Decreased Fatigue

>Slightly Decreased Exhaustion]

Seeing the difference between the details made Matt realize that the support version of the Imposter System was very lacking. However, it was better than nothing. He had tried investigating the skills himself but nothing happened. Fatigue Resistance seemed to be Alexis's innate ability. The ability seemed quite powerful. It would essentially create more energy while preventing the body from getting tired or exhausted.

Although having a lot of energy seems to serve that function already, there is normally a biological limit to your activity. Therefore, the decreased fatigue and exhaustion means the excess energy is able to be used. People with more energy than their ability to utilize it typically have trouble sleeping at night. Feeling extremely exhausted but unable to fall asleep is a terrifying curse.

{How did you gain three support points already? What exactly are they?}

{I'm honestly not sure what I did. The most recent one happened just a little bit ago. Right before you tackled me, I saw the notification appear in my head.}

Matt wasn't sure what exactly the criteria was for gaining support points, and the description didn't help at all. Alexis showed him but he refused to acknowledge such a poorly written tooltip. It simply used the name as the definition. Support points are points gained while supporting. What nonsense is that? Matt sat up a bit and slid off his shirt. Then, he pressed his naked torso up against Alexis's body and tried to calm his mind so that he could sleep.

After a long time in silence, he heard Alexis's thoughts in his head. She hadn't been able to fall asleep either and was nuzzled into his embrace.

{Can you make another dream with me?}

{What would you like?}

{Can we continue the last one? Where we got married. I want to see Alex and Katrina.}

That night, unknown to anyone else on the ship, Matt and Alexis lived together on Earth for several decades. They watched their kids grow old and have their own lives. The two of them were like newly weds even in their fifties. They went all over the world together and experienced more in the dream that most experience in a lifetime. Having the parasite in her head allowed her to remember the dream in more detail.

The next morning the two woke up extremely refreshed. They felt much closer than before and didn't even need to speak or send telepathic messages to understand each other. Matt was further convinced of the strength of his ability because of this. Although it was mostly due to how good their relationship was already, the influence from his dream control is incredible. The two of them left for breakfast hand-in-hand after getting dressed.

While in the middle of their meal, the two of them suddenly received a message on their personal devices. After reading their respective message, they gave a knowing look to each other. They had both been invited to the captain's drawing room for a meeting. This did not sound like a wedding reception so it must be related to official matters. The two of them could only follow their orders and head toward the first deck where the captain was waiting for them.

Not just anyone could enter the first deck. You needed explicit permission from a bridge crew member, orders, or a high enough ranking. The hallways were much larger with fewer rooms. There were no quarters except for the captain's quarters. There was also a small cafeteria here specifically for the bridge crew. This was why the captain was typically not seen in the main cafeteria. Matt and Alexis arrived in front of the captain's drawing room and waited to be let in. The doors slid open and there were two empty seats with several high-ranking members sitting around the table.

They had been discussing various matters already and the next case that was being introduced was the case of Alexis Alexeyev's rank. The captain called the previous topic into a close and signaled the two waiting patiently to come in and sit. They occupied the empty seats at the side of the table and the captain began talking. The previous commander of the First Strike squad was in confinement along with five members. Two of those members were in line to take up the position of commander of the First Strike squad.

The issue today was the lacking of a suitable candidate. Alexis had been nominated but due to her maternity leave couldn't take up the position yet. The captain suggested bringing her in to the meeting and called Matt along for another issue. Once they heard the captain present the item of discussion, Alexis and Matt seemed to understand what was happening.

"… And therefore, I believe Commander Alexis Alexeyev should take up the vacant spot as leader of the First Strike squad. Due to her maternity leave, she will nominate someone as acting leader until she returns to duty." The captain summarized.