The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 9 The God of Tentacles?

How can someone not even know about the [Secret Path]?

Alice was initially surprised.

But then I realized that Mr. Horn wasn't human at all, but a monster!

Their conversation flowed so smoothly and naturally that Alice sometimes forgot about it.

After thinking for a moment, Alice replied, "Simply put, the 'Secret Path' is the mysterious path through which people embark on extraordinary journeys."

"Different secret paths will lead people to different professions, such as [Scholar], [Warrior], [Sailor]..."

"Each secret path has nine steps. It is said that by climbing all nine steps and reaching the end of the secret path, one can completely transcend the mortal world and become a god!"

The girl's voice was full of longing as she spoke of these things.

"Gods...?"

There is a God in this world.

Horn was not surprised.

Given the existence of monsters and superhumans, it's normal for so-called "gods" to exist, right?

I just don't know if there are any examples of demons becoming gods.

God of Tentacles...

Hmm! Doesn't that sound a bit erotic?

After hearing Alice's explanation, Horn had a general understanding of the [Secret Path].

It's somewhat similar to the "sequence" or "path" I heard about in my previous life; it's basically the same kind of thing.

Horn quickly lost interest in it.

the reason is simple.

This "secret path" is clearly a path to advancement unique to humans. What am I, a tentacle monster, getting involved in?

It would be best if he could also embark on the [Secret Path], but he's already leveled up to Lv23 and the [Secret Path Job] hasn't been unlocked on the panel yet.

However, just to be on the safe side, Horn still asked a question.

"Alice, have you heard of any monsters venturing onto the [Secret Path]?"

No.

Alice reacted quickly.

Mr. Horn, do you also wish to venture into the [Secret Path]?

But she had never heard of such a story before.

Monsters seem, perhaps, possibly, probably... truly cannot advance through the [Secret Path].

She quickly added.

"However, elves, demi-humans, and dwarves can become Mystic Pathfinders, so Mr. Horn, you should still have a chance!"

You're actually trying to comfort me now?

Horn didn't feel disappointed at all.

Because of his talent for [genetic integration] alone, he has almost limitless potential.

[Secret Path] In his view, it was something that added the finishing touch.

It's best if it's there, but it's not so bad if it's not.

……

……

Splash...

On this day, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky above [Mysterious Island].

The sky was overcast, the air was thick with moisture, and the scent of grass and earth filled the air.

Monsters living in swamp forests mostly prefer damp environments.

This rain, ironically, brought the creatures in the swamp to life.

Earthworms crawl out of the soil, insects hop and jump on the leaves, and mud frogs lie in the mud singing.

"A vibrant scene of life, where everything flourishes, is right before my eyes!"

As Horn sighed, he manipulated his retinue to emerge from the swamp and search for new prey.

Ever since the successful ambush of that group of "Vulture Poison Bees," these guys have started retaliating!

Once the black mushroom is spotted, it will fly overhead like a bomber, launching its poisonous stingers.

Currently, quite a few wild carnivorous mushrooms have been accidentally damaged.

Four or five of Horn's relatives also met a tragic end.

This indicates that the Vulture Bee's intelligence level is much higher than Horn had anticipated.

It seems that monsters and ordinary insects cannot be generalized.

What's infuriating is that...

Horn is currently unable to deal with these flying monsters, so he can only avoid them and hunt smaller monsters instead.

It's raining today.

Rain will wet the wings of the Vulture Bee, restricting its movement.

That's why he dared to swagger out with his family.

Horn had already decided on today's hunting target—

A group of mud monsters huddled in the middle of the swamp!

The Mud Monster, as the name suggests, is a monster made of mud.

Resembling Muk from Pokémon in appearance, they are formed by combining mud with magic cores and are a large group in the swamp.

Horn hadn't originally intended to attack the Mud Monster.

After all, this thing looks awful. What's the difference between eating mud and eating red stone?

But who told the Vulture Poison Bee to keep pressing them so hard?

Horn desperately needs to acquire a ranged attack skill.

Coincidentally, the Mud Monster has it!

That's an ability called "Mud Jet".

—Draw mud from the swamp and then spray it out remotely.

Although it looks a bit dirty, it's absolutely effective against the Vulture Poison Bee.

"Mud Monster, it wasn't me who ruined you, it was this dog-eat-dog swamp that ruined you!"

Once his retinue was in place, Horn waved his tentacles and gave the order.

"All troops, attack!"

Dozens of Carnivorous Mushrooms suddenly emerged, surrounding the dozen or so Mud Monsters in a grand procession.

After this period of development, Horn's retinue has grown to nearly a hundred.

Even though the individual combat power of the [Carnivorous Mushroom] is very limited, when their numbers increase, they are already beginning to take the form of a "mushroom clump".

However, at this moment, Horn also noticed a problem.

His mental energy seems to be running low?

The more relatives you manage at the same time, the greater the burden on your mental energy.

It seems we need to continue to improve our mental strength, or enhance the wisdom of our relatives?

Now is not the time to consider this issue.

Suppressing his distracting thoughts, Horn refocused his attention on the battle against the Mud Monster.

It's called a "war," but it's not actually that sophisticated.

Both the familiars and the mud monsters have limited attack methods: one uses tentacles to whip, and the other launches mud projectiles.

Moreover, neither of them has high attack power, making it difficult for them to break through the opponent's defense.

They went back and forth like women pulling each other's hair.

They were still in a swamp covered in mud, and when they fought, mud splattered everywhere, making for a rather unsightly scene.

But that doesn't change the fact that it was still a very brutal battle.

The minions charged at the mud monster relentlessly, wrapping their numerous tentacles around its body to create an opportunity for their comrades to destroy the enemy's magic core.

One of the mushroom's tentacles was broken, and its body collapsed.

New mushrooms will then rise up and take the place of the former.

In fact.

The individual combat power of the Mud Monster is significantly stronger than that of its subordinates.

If you aim well with a mud cannon, you can kill a mushroom instantly.

But unfortunately, they were all fighting their own battles.

Two mud monsters were even startled by the tentacles' attack and frantically tried to escape into the swamp.

Victory is inevitable when fighting against such an enemy!

Ultimately, after sacrificing 25 of his followers, the magic cores of 9 mud monsters fell into Horn's hands.

Moreover, Horn had an unexpected bonus—

A living mud monster!

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

The wriggling mud crawled down in front of Horn, its two beady eyes pleading.

He actually begged for mercy!

These monsters are generally quite intelligent!

Horn pondered for a moment.

Taming a mud monster is no big deal.

But more than that, what he wanted to try was...

The assimilation ability of [gene integration]!

The Carnivorous Mushroom can be assimilated, so can this slime monster that looks a bit like a slime?