Psychic Parasite

Chapter 92: Trait of Efficiency

"Caterpillar?" Jyorta gazed at the blood-red Caterpillar standing on his palm, looking confused. Noticing the expression etched on its face, he wanted to give it a sound beating.

"The Caterpillar can be proclaimed as the manifestation of your Wisdom Parasite's psyche housed in a temporary body. It has many uses and serves to be of vital importance in your journey." The man replied, "The Wisdom Parasite grows by absorbing your memories, emotions, character traits, etc. So, even its thought process and intelligence are similar to your own; but, to get an advantage over you, it first absorbs your recessive traits."

"For example, you are good at drawing but, you suck at singing. So, the Wisdom Parasite will first absorb your singing trait. This is just an example; each person possesses recessive traits that are sometimes greater than their dominant traits. The Wisdom Parasite uses them to bolster its growth and eventually surpass you. It also absorbs your dominant traits. Just that, its priority order is further below." The man looked at his Caterpillar.

He then noticed it seem unstable, on the verge of crumbling down, "It cannot last for long since you are at Tier 1. So, we will hurry up with implanting the Trait in you."

A glass jar floated to his hands, uncorking its lid. It was filled to the brim with a viscous solution. A soya bean, the size of his thumb floated in its centre, shining with a gentle radiance. The man infused his psychic energy into it, lifting a thin stream of the viscous solution, and sending it towards the Caterpillar.

The moment the viscous fluid neared it, the Caterpillar displayed euphoria, as if it had smelled the most pleasant fragrance in the world. It swerved it head, trailing after the headwater approaching it, its face beaming with a jovial smile akin to a child's.

The Caterpillar opened its mouth, craning its body forward to meet with the thin stream. At the moment of contact, it gulped down the contents like a travellerone who had been walking in the desert for a week and hadn't drunk a single drop of waterwho had chanced upon water.

Jyorta looked at the Caterpillar drinking the thin stream, seeing a bulge in the two tendrils of blood that seeped out from his nostrils. It was the connection he shared with the Caterpillar.

The process continued for a good ten minutes when the man noticed the Caterpillar looking drunk, as if it was a human that had downed alcohol beyond its limits.

He then lifted the soya bean from the glass jar, coursing it along the stream of viscous liquid, bringing it towards the Caterpillar. The moment the soya bean reached within its arm's length, the Caterpillar showed an instinctual rejection that stemmed from its constitutional makeup.

But, thanks to its drunken state, the resistance it offered was minimal. Moreover, the soya bean was covered with the viscous fluid, one that the Caterpillar liked a lot. Under the influence, it raised its two hands and held the soya beanthe size of its head.

It opened its mouth, forming a set of teeth similar to a human. It bit into it, taking one bite after another, the viscous liquid coating the bitten parts serving to abate its instinctual rejection to a large extent.

"We don't need to take any stringent measures since the Wisdom Parasite is only at Tier 1; it is equivalent to a newborn baby. From Tier 3 onwards, we have to take a lot into consideration; the chances of failure are also steep." The man commented, looking at the Caterpillar finish devouring the soya bean.

"You can retract it now," The man commanded, instructing Jyorta through his psychic energy, guiding the process. The Caterpillar dissolved into thousands of tendrils of blood, merging into the two tendrils that gushed out of his nose. 

When a person suffered from cold and had developed a lot of mucous in his nose, he would feel a sense of stuffiness. The moment he sneezes, the mucous gushes out of the nostrils; sometimes, its viscous and gelatinous nature makes it hang out of the nostrils without being severed. Moreover, when the person involuntarily sniffs with force following that, the mucous gets pulled back into his nose.

This was the feeling Jyorta experienced at present, greatly disgusted as the two tendrils of blood flowed into him through his nostrils. A minute of uncomfortable sensation later, the final trace of the tendril had disappeared.

Jyorta heaved a sigh of relief, inspecting his body, failing to find anything different. Seeing his look of confusion, the man let out a chuckle. "It first needs to be digested and absorbed into your system. After that, as the Wisdom Parasite Nurtures your body, it would form the Trait in you."

A stamp flew out from an open drawer and appeared in his hands. The man stamped the slip, folded it along its lines, and placed it in the envelope. "Give this to the lady in the reception below. Also, the entire process for the formation of your Trait takes about a day or two. Don't try to use your psychic powers until then. I'll also inform Madam Mila and the other faculty in charge of your class."

Seeing the man wave his hands, motioning for him to go away, Jyorta gave him a deep bow. He then entered the lift and watched it descend, arriving behind the door numbered 41 at the reception.

As Jyorta walked out, he noticed the crowd larger than before he entered. He had just taken a couple of steps when a boy brushed past him, entering the lift behind him in a hurry.

Unbothered about it, Jyorta looked at the reception lady who had directed him to the door, making eye contact with her. In the next second, the envelope in his hands flew out, appearing in her hands.

She took out the slip in it, pulled a window on her monitor, and typed a couple of sentences. She then secured the slip in a drawer and motioned for Jyorta to exit the reception, informing him about the completion of the formalities.

Jyorta gave another bow and walked along the long hallway, arriving before the flight of stairs, feeling strained. He then descended the stairs, holding the handrail in fear of tripping. Finally, he traversed the stairs worth 15 floors, arriving on the ground.

The sun was shining bright, the ambient light mixed with some heat. Jyorta noticed many students performing morning jogs, in order to better maintain their fitness. He shook his head, feeling his throat parched as he dragged his feet towards his dorm.

8:15 AM, arriving at the entrance of the Indigo Building, Jyorta bumped into Haeshafiguratively. The moment she saw his haggard state, Haesha covered her mouth in shock, almost shrieking out. "What happened to you? Why haven't you attended the classes? What were you doing these days to end up like this?"

"I was just studying, Haesha. Don't worry; I will come to classes starting tomorrow." Jyorta flashed a wry smile, "Also, you are getting late. Today is an important session, you shouldn't miss it."

Haesha recalled a statement from Esina, 'Jyorta is from the Bone Family. There is a fair chance that he is privy to everything we learn here.'

Haesha nodded, expressing her worries, "I'll check up on you in the evening. Take care until then."

"I am just tired," Jyorta replied, "My body is feeling fine for the most part."

He then entered the Indigo Building and climbed the flight of stairs, cursing at the management for not installing a lift in the building. Finally, he arrived on the third floor and entered his room.

Hanging his key in its designated socket, Jyorta unscrewed the cap of his water bottle, thanking the heavens that he had filled it beforehand. He downed its contents in one stretch, heaving out a relaxed sigh after that.

He sat on the bed, gently laying down, his mind whirring with thoughts, 'I have missed many classes, some of which are focused on important information. At least, I have already learnt about the Caterpillar which was scheduled for today's class. I can later refer to the theoretical information from the Portal.'

"Thankfully, Madam Mila's class is scheduled only once per week. Otherwise, I would have lost a lot of practical knowledge exclusive to Espers." Jyorta murmured, closing his eyes.

'I have completed my first objective; my Credits are greater than everyone else in my Batch, barring Laila. I should next use my advantages and accumulate as must strength as possible. The resources offered here are funded by the two Royal Families. I can never expect something like this even in my Bone Family.'

8:30 AM, when everyone attended their classes, Jyorta closed his eyes, planning to sleep. The blue soul in him severed some connections, making his body enter a state of rest immediately.

His eyebrows eased while an expression of content emerged on his face. His weary self relaxed, taking in the well-deserved sleep. His current demeanour looked like one in bliss, getting the sleep after working hard non-stop for over a week.