New Pet - Mind Shadow Parasite I

He wanted to conduct more experiments, especially to see if he could nurture another Wood Spirit. However, a quick glance at his attribute panel revealed that he didn't have enough life energy and spiritual power left for such an endeavor. Reluctantly, he decided to postpone further experiments until the next day.

Despite this, the experience of evolving Thorny into a Wood Spirit had yielded unexpected benefits. Ram noticed that his overall experience had increased significantly, by about 10%. As Ram was pondering over the day's events, Sid returned, carrying some food. "Ram! Here, something to eat. I've already checked on the girl; she's still sleeping. I left some food for her for when she wakes up." Sid called out as he approached, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of Thorny floating near Ram. "Whoa, is that a Wood Spirit?"

"Yeah, Sid. Meet Thorny," Ram said with a smile.

Sid stared in amazement at Thorny, who responded to his presence with a curious glance, her tendrils waving gently in greeting. "Fuck, that's amazing! You really have a Wood Spirit. Do you know how much a Wood Spirit costs?"

"It's nothing much. She's my companion spirit," Ram replied, taking some of the food from Sid and setting it out for them to eat. "I'm a spiritual planter. After awakening, I found that I was able to summon Wood Spirits and conclude contracts." He lied casually to Sid, wanting to keep his unique ability to create Wood Spirits a secret. He knew how shocking his ability was, if others knew about it wouldn't be as simple as using a parasite to control him.

As they ate, Sid didn't press further about Thorny but talked about other things, occasionally glancing at her with a mixture of curiosity. He had heard that some rare professions had the ability to summon spirits to assist them, so he accepted Ram's explanation without much skepticism.

By the time they finished their meal, the sun had set, casting a warm glow over the horizon. Ram felt a sense of calm and contentment. "We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow," he said, standing up and stretching. "For now, let's get some rest."

Sid nodded in agreement, a slight frown crossing his face. "Alas, I wanted to introduce my sister to you, but she hasn't returned back yet," he said, concern evident in his voice.

Ram understood Sid's worry. "I hope she returns safely," he replied, placing a comforting hand on Sid's shoulder.

--

The next day, Ram woke up early, eager to continue his experiments. The first thing he did was check his attribute panel:

[ Name: Ram, Age: 22/ 73]

[ Profession: Spiritual Planter Tier -1 (10.4%)]

[ Health: 27/100 (+873)]

[ Spiritual Power: 10/100 (+721)]

[ Physique 2.07]

[ Spirit 3.08]

[ Talent: 

 - Recovery(unique): passively recovers 1% of health and Spiritual value every minute.]

[ Skills: 

 Passive skills: 

 - Low-level Affinity: Plant

 - Spiritual Eye 

 Active skills:

 - Plant Enhancement -Lv1(12 /100)

 - Seed Collection -Lv1 (0 /100)

 - Rapid Growth -Lv1 (27 /100)]

Ram noticed a significant increase in both his spiritual power and health, he also noticed that some of his skill proficiencies had increased slightly, likely due to the experiments he had conducted the previous night. Then, he turned his attention to Thorny, who was already awake and floating nearby, her tendrils waving gently in the morning light.

"Good morning, Thorny," Ram greeted her with a smile. Thorny responded by floating closer, her tendrils gently brushing against his arm in a friendly gesture. However, it was the more than 600 points of additional spiritual power that sparked a sudden idea he had been thinking over since last night.

When he had evolved Thorny, using his life energy to upgrade the Thorn Spire Vine, he hadn't built a connection between them. But using his spiritual power to awaken her spiritual consciousness had forged a strong bond. Reflecting on this, Ram realized that spiritual power must be the key to establishing connections.

"If that's the case," Ram thought, "can I use my spiritual power on the Mind Shadow parasite inside my body and control it? If that's possible, wouldn't that mean I'm free?"

The possibility filled Ram with excitement and hope. He decided to give it a try. With his heightened senses, resulting from awakening to Black Iron and the added attribute bonuses, Ram became acutely aware of the presence of the Mind Shadow Parasite residing within him. This minuscule creature, with hair-like filaments, was entangled outside his heart, its purpose being to absorb blood from its host. Ram could sense some of the filaments extending towards his nerves, binding them in a way that could allow control over the host when required.

The Mind Shadow Parasite still seemed to be in an overdraft state. Ram decided to use his identification ability on the parasite to glean more information about it and its current status.

[Name: Mind Shadow Parasite]

[Level: Black Iron (87%)]

[Quality: Elite]

[Physique: 0.3]

[Spirit: 0.7]

[Description: The Mind Shadow Parasite is a unique entity that thrives on absorbing and manipulating the vital energy (Qi) and blood of its host. Higher-quality parasites can easily control lower-quality parasites in their genetic group.]

[Skill:

-Qi Drain - The Mind Shadow Parasite has the ability to siphon and absorb the vital energy (Qi) from the host's body, enabling it to bolster its own strength and vitality.]

Concentrating, Ram directed his spiritual power inward, "Anyway, now it's time to check if infusing Spiritual Power can help me control it," he pondered, starting to gather small amounts of Spiritual Power into his heart, focusing on the parasite that had been a constant threat. 

Maybe because the Spiritual Power is derived from his talent, he could subconsciously control it to move toward his heart, near to the Mind Shadow Parasite very easily. Soon, he felt a subtle change. It was as though an unseen bridge had been established, allowing the spiritual energy to flow toward the tiny creature. He visualized his spiritual energy wrapping around the parasite, seeking to understand its structure and find a way to influence it. "Let's see if the bug can absorb Spiritual Power through my heart, or I need to find another way."

The delicate, hair-like filaments extending from the parasite quivered in response to the influx of spiritual power.