Let's get to it.

The Hijack skill is pretty straightforward, and it even explains exactly how wisps, such as yours truly, can go about using it. But otherwise, it's just a bit odd. It only ever mentions a "host", so by that logic, anything and everything possessing a nervous system and, um, a "mana crystal", can be considered a host.

However, in the original description of the wisp, the only thing it ever seems to hijack are humanoids, which raises a certain question. Namely, if this is the actual state of things or just another part of the sketchy description.

There's only one way to find out.

I quickly dislodge myself from the windowsill of the goblin girl and take to flight once more. From there, I slip into the storage and further into the cave. But before I can properly re-enter my birthplace, I realize I don't really know how to get back home. Hmm.

If I think back to it, the "shine" spell didn't say anything about any time limit to the orbs of light, did it? So, in other words, I should be able to curry these throughout my travels like breadcrumbs until I find a non-humanoid host, at which point I can just follow the orbs of light back home.

Hehhehee, I am a genius!

And I don't even have to use Light! My mana lights everything up just on its own, and I'm surprised I could live at all without this light. Then again, it's not like these barren walls are much to look at anyways. Every few meters or so, whenever the cave makes a twisting turn or forks into several tunnels, I put down a ball of light and fly on by.

Curiously enough, I never encounter even a trace of the goblin I, uh, ended. He's just nowhere to be seen. Not a trail of blood from his severed pinky, not a broken stalagmite, not anything. It feels... strange. The two grunts probably dragged it deeper inside, or maybe they took it a different route than the one I'm going, but still.

Man, as cool as this should be, it's really kind of boring. Some parts of the cave look pretty cool, but there's very little to actually be seen. No animals, no moss, no insects. Maybe I should just turn around and try hijacking a goblin?... Maybe, just maybe, I should have done it from the start, after all... Then again, it's safer to try out on some random animal, and if I fuck up and make them do something weird, it won't be the end of the world.

Let's just put down a ball and keep going.

...

.......

Dripp drip. Is that...? Water-??

Oohhhh, boy I'm in for a treat aren't I-?!

But, let's not get ahead of ourselves! After all, just running straight at a noise didn't send very well last time, so let's just keep the ship steady.

I turn a corner, yet another, place balls by the elbows of both turns, and emerge into a cavity. The light of my mana is barely enough to light up the furthermore part of the room, but I don't need my mana to light this place up! Instead, I pour a few more points into a shot of "shine" and let the bright ball of light float to the very centre of the room.

And, as it turns out, right in the centre of the room is what I would describe as an underground lake of sorts. It spans the entirety of the room, being easily the largest room I have seen in this world. That is to say, it is even larger than the mouth of the cave, the part the goblins live in.

It would probably look really fantastical and beautiful, had it not been so muddy and dark. If I approached and gazed into the dark waters, I could easily see my reflection (wow, my eyes are auburn!), but exactly nothing of the black waters.

Something about those waters set off some deep, primal fear within me. All I could think of was the idea of a fish jumping out of those waters to grab a luminous snack, or, if this world is even more fantastical than it looks, it might not even be a fish at all.

Brr. Is it cold down here? I'm sure it is freezing, especially since I'm shivering like this. I wouldn't do that unless it was really really cold. After all, I'm a manly man who ain't afraid of no ghost. Yup, that's the reason. Brr, how cold.

So... what now? I've got a feeling there's something in here, but I can't see-,

HUGYg

From the waters, a beast emerges! Water escapes in any and all directions as I flail my body to escape, a ravenous maw flying mere centimetres from my face.

Holy shiT-,,,

I-, I almost died! Who-, what-,,,

In front of me, a lone frog sits innocently, its large, purple eyes staring at me with malicious intent. Actually, on not-much-closer inspection, this frog is actually quite un-frog-like. Sure, it has two eyes and all, both being this grummy purple colour, but one of them is strangely, well, long. Not the eye, that is, more like... It has a really long antenna, upon which the eye is sat, about half of it having a large flap of green skin, resembling a lily-pad of sorts.

This antenn-eye is currently hanging behind the frog itself, giving off a mysterious aura. What purpose might it have? What usage could a long eye possibly ha-,

Skill (System Recon Interference) has been used, information will now be shown

Peeking Toad Lv.27 (E-)

A peculiar creature possessing a non-symmetric face. The most interesting feature of this toad and what also lead to its namesake is its characteristic peeking eye, which allows the Peeking Toad to peek up from shallow waters, trenches, marshes etc. to find prey. When submerged with the eye and eyeflap visible, the toad closely resembles a lilypad. The flap is theorized to both allow the toad to camouflage itself and allow for underwater breathing through the skin.

Oh-, is this, is this that "system interference" thing? The one with the weird acronym and everything-?? How interesting! So, it lets me see the information of random species, then-? Well, I can see what species this guy is, but I can't see his skills or anything, so I guess it has a ways to go.

Regardless, this is the perfect opportunity! My rank is well in the D rank, so purely by the law of physics, I should be able to wreck this guy.

..It didn't say anything in the box about it being any intelligent, right?...

Right, right, okay. He doesn't look too witty, so it should be okay. In fact with his eyes being about five meters from each other, he doesn't look like he poses any threat to me at all.

That is, until I barely feel the force of air swooshing past my face, and I notice I was almost creamed by a long, yellow tongue.

H-, holy shit, okay, um, let's not take any risks, right?

Without waiting for the toad to do anything that might kill me again, I fly up as high as I can go, but what with my bright bulb of mana, I'm pretty much just a big target.

Then again, can't be a target if they can't see you.

"Blind!"

With a bright flash of light, the toad gives a horrid scream.like croak that makes me wince before attempting to retreat back into the muddy waters.

Ohnoyoudon't

Saying so, I search my mind-list of skills and spells, trying to figure out which one might stop it from going anywhere. I don't have any direct binding spells or skills I could use like that, and assuming my strength is enough to keep this beast in check would be a stupid move.

But, I do have something I could use to cripple him. If it's strong enough, that is...

"Fireflies"

I could have made more than I did, but if six didn't do it, nothing would. The second the spell is activated, six firefly-shaped flares of fire emerge from my ball of mana, and I barely have time to instruct them before they all fly at the toad, wings of fire buzzing as they body-slam one of the toad's legs, turning it from fresh meat to newly-grilled frog-leg before anybody could react.

The blinded, now also crippled frog croaks in pain, momentarily too distracted by its pain to escape me.

I swoop in, landing on it's back, having just enough time to admire just how large it was before activating my skill.

It's toad hijacking time

Without exactly knowing what I was doing, I let my mana-bulb sink into the neck of the toad, and it did so with little to no resistance. It felt... oddly right. My mana merges with that of the toad, taking over its mind and body.

Skill (Hijack) has been used, you have temporarily gained the following skills

Prey Sensing, Enhanced Vision, Croak, Oxygen Deficiency Resistance, Skin Breathing

Ooooo, nice! Well, it's temporary, but...

Okay, this feels really really weird. I'm suddenly very big, and I've only got, well, four limbs. These are also... hands, so, I haven't needed to use them before, but now than I can, it's kind of neat.

But I really did take over its mind, didn't I? Even more so, I've pretty much usurped all its functions. I see from its eyes, I could eat with its mouth, I can use its limbs. My own body is still here, but if I feel the back of my head, it almost feels like a tick, just popping out of there without a care in the world.

"Krok"

Oh. And I can croak! I can-, I can make sounds that aren't weird and creepy!

"Croakcroakcroak!"

Hehhehehe, this is kind of fun!

"CROAKCROAKCROAKCROAKCROAKCROAKCROAKCROAKCRO-,"

"CROAK?"

I-, I didn't make that noise...

From behind me, from inside the waters, I can hear something emerging. Heavy, wet steps like a whale flopping on a tiled floor. Water tumbles off of its back, splashing onto the rock below and onto me. I fear turning around, and yet, I do it.

Skill (System Recon Interference) has been used, information will now be shown

King Cocytus Lv.76 (C+)

A mighty foe fit for battle with the highest-ranking knights of any kingdom, this enlarged toad reigns over a body of water like a true monarch. These rare toads are said to emerge after all members of the species "Prince of the lake" have battled to the death, ending in the emergence of a King. This long-winded battle can take up to a hundred years, with the older frogs often being more powerful. Although it possessed no magic abilities, it has an impressively tough skin, giving it a strong baseline for magic and physical defence. Outside of combat they can be quite peaceful, and are only openly hostile if the opponent has harmed them or any nearby members of the "Toad" subspecies.

Skill (System Recon Interference) has gained a Level

...Oh shit.