The captain of the ship reached out.

Chapter 22 Tam, I'm really getting angry!

However, it is counterproductive.

Just as Tam's back was getting slightly hot from the sun.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw several black mushrooms lined up, wriggling as they approached their territory.

Caw—!

Tamm, I'm really getting angry!

The creature, which looked like a toad or a catfish, burrowed into the mud and then suddenly leaped up.

[Submerged in Mud!]

This is Tahm Kench's innate ability.

With this ability, it can move to various parts of the swamp.

At this point, dealing with a bunch of small mushrooms would be a waste of their potential.

Whoosh!

Tamm's massive body crashed down like a mountain, splattering sticky mud everywhere.

The several carnivorous mushrooms were completely encased in mud without any resistance.

Tam didn't mind at all; he simply rolled his tongue and swallowed all the mushrooms.

These mushrooms aren't very tasty, but they're not inedible either.

Tamm wouldn't waste food that was offered to him.

Just as I was about to go back to the swamp to sunbathe, several dark mushroom caps suddenly appeared not far away.

Again?

Tam was amused.

They're lining up to deliver food to it!

After taking two steps, Tam swallowed them all in one gulp.

We had just finished eating when mushrooms appeared in front of us.

Tam decisively followed.

It's going to eat mushrooms all it wants today!

However, Tam didn't notice.

As it feasted, it drifted further and further away from the swamp it knew so well...

After eating more than a hundred mushrooms, Tam turned and looked around.

Ok?

Where is this place...?

Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Tam felt inexplicably uneasy.

Just then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted an exceptionally large mushroom.

Tahm Kench instinctively jumped over and skillfully opened his mouth wide.

—Never mind all that, let's eat first!

However, this time, Tahm Kench failed to get to eat the mushroom.

Its body pressed down on the layer of dead leaves and immediately fell uncontrollably downwards—beneath the dead leaves, there was a deep pit that had been there for some years!

Boom!

Tahm Kench fell straight to the bottom of the pit.

But it was thick-skinned and didn't get hurt at all.

Tam looked up at the cave entrance, but did not panic like ordinary monsters.

It's just a small pit; watch him jump right out!

But suddenly, a sharp, cramping pain shot through its abdomen, and all its strength vanished rapidly.

At this point, the monster, which was not unintelligent, finally realized what was happening.

Mushrooms... mushrooms are poisonous!

This is a trap set by those mushrooms!!

Caw—!

In its final moments of consciousness, several dark purple tentacles swept and coiled around it, covering its entire body.

……

……

We finally caught this big guy.

As Horn watched the swamp lord gradually take root in the pit with its tentacles, a great weight was lifted from his heart.

He spared no expense for this operation!

More than a hundred of their relatives were used as bait!

These dependents are only equipped with the skill [Biotoxin].

Their purpose in being manufactured was to be actively fed into Tam's stomach and then wait for the toxins to take effect.

Even so, Horn still felt it wasn't safe, so he upgraded several mushrooms.

There was even a [Biotoxin Lv6] among its relatives!

This pit was discovered accidentally by Horn's family members when they went out to explore.

Have to admit.

Tahm Kench, the Lord of the Swamp, has an incredibly thick health bar!

Despite eating so many poisonous mushrooms, it wasn't poisoned to death; it just fainted.

Moreover, Horn felt that if Tamm was left alone, it would probably recover in a couple of days and be lively and energetic again.

Kill it while it's sick!

Horn first tried [parasite].

As expected, it failed.

Tahm Kench's vitality is too strong; Lv3 [Parasitism] is clearly not enough.

At that moment, Horn suddenly realized something very embarrassing.

It seems he... lacks a way to quickly kill Tahm Kench?

[Biotoxin] It won't kill Tamm.

The mud spray and tentacle whipping are like tickling it, not even breaking its skin!

The only feasible method.

It seems that only by taking root in Tam's body with its tentacles can it slowly drain away its life force.

How long will that take?

Horn made up his mind that he must quickly acquire a powerful attack skill to avoid such an embarrassing situation from happening again.

……

……

"...Quack?"

Tam woke up groggily, feeling utterly weak, as if countless needles were pricking his body, slowly draining his life force.

All around, countless tentacles covered Tam's body, deeply rooted in his flesh.

"Are you awake? The surgery was a success!"

Immediately afterwards, a thought was transmitted through the whiskers.

"Although it will take a little bit of time, don't worry, I will make sure you have a safe journey."

Tam: "..."

Can I not die?

With its level of intelligence, it quickly realized that it had no chance of escaping the trap.

What awaits it is a long, slow death.

Caw—!

Don't talk about that kind of thing!

Driven by his survival instinct, Tahm Kench quickly made the right choice.

"I...want to live...I surrender..."

"I...surrender to you..."

Intermittent mental fluctuations came through.

Oh?

To survive, they even shouted things like "submit to the tentacle monster"?

To be honest, sparing Tam's life wouldn't be out of the question.

After all, Horn's decision to take action against it was not due to any contradiction.

It was only after learning of the existence of the Twitch Dynasty that he felt a sense of urgency and crisis, and thus coveted Tamm's experience points and abilities.

If Tamm could be used by him and become a general in the [Tentacle Fungus Group], that would be acceptable.

But the problem is...

[Parasitism] cannot work on Tahm Kench, so how can Horn guarantee its loyalty?

Or should we just kill it and eat it?

As if sensing Horn's concerns, Tam quickly croaked.

"There is a way!"

"Contract Beads..."

It slightly opened its mouth and spat out a red bead the size of a pebble with some difficulty.

The bead is round and has a crystalline texture, with a mysterious magic flowing through it.

【Contract Orb】

[Type: Curious Item]

[Quality: Rare]

[Description: A precious orb imbued with contractual magic, created using a special method.]

"Are you my master?"

Tahm Kench was hiding something this good?

Considering it has reigned supreme in the swamp for so long, who knows what kind of strange treasures it has swallowed.

That said, that mouse also has a [Hidden Jewel].

Is there any connection between these same suffixes?

Putting his curiosity aside for the moment, Horn tentatively infused a little magic into the orb.

The pearl immediately began to glow faintly.

[F-010: The Lord of the Mire has submitted to you and is about to sign a master-servant contract with you.]

【Whether to accept? 】

Upon seeing this prompt, Horn realized that Tam was also one of the numbered test subjects.

No wonder it has such a strong vitality.

But now, it's about to become its little brother!