115
-x-X-x-
"Hey, it's time for the shift change."
"Ugh, thought I was gonna die of boredom."
"The acting captain called. Go before bedtime."
"Damn, is the guy relieving me of working on self-improvement? Why isn't he here?"
The pirates patrolling outside the ship grumbled and kicked the dirt in annoyance.
The pirate taking over the shift smirked and teased him,
"No need to envy. He has to write a report about the cargo we sent a few days ago."
"Oh, that? Sending those captured Wolf slaves to the camp in the backwoods?"
"Yeah. With the number of people being sent there, he probably hasn't slept for days."
"Haha, idiot, should've written it earlier. He's in deep trouble now."
They mocked their colleague who would be dealing with the aftermath of their actions while starting to gossip among themselves.
It was a monotonous patrol duty carried out in three shifts. It's unbearable without some chatter.
"Let's have a smoke break."
"The guy taking over should be here soon."
"It's an e-cigarette anyway, what's the difference?"
"True."
The pirate who spoke first took out an e-cigarette from his pocket and pressed a small switch. Inhaling the thick synthetic narcotic in the cigarette deeply, he had a dazed expression.
"Ah, damn, this is ecstasy."
"Let me have a drag too… huh?"
The temporary street lamp above them suddenly flickered and went out.
As the dim darkness descended, they turned on the headlights attached to their helmets.
"What's happening?"
"Everything else is fine."
"What's going on there?"
"The street lamp went out here!"
When a colleague from a distance asked what was going on, they waved their hands, claiming it was nothing. The street lamps above the distant colleagues were shining brightly.
"Did the power go out? Why suddenly… damn!"
"What's wrong?"
"A damn mosquito got into my ear!"
The pirate with the cigarette in his mouth nervously scratched his ear and pointed the headlight towards the street lamp.
"Huh?"
"What's this?"
As the two examined the lamp, something strange caught their eyes.
From under the buried lamp base, silver moss-like substance was emerging, spreading up to the top of the lamp.
"Is this moss?"
"Why moss all of a sudden? And why is the ground so damp when it hasn't even rained?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the wet soil began to stir. Soon, a brightly colored plant pierced through the earth.
The plant looked like a vibrant red vine with tiny thorn-like stems running all over its surface.
"What's this? A mushroom? What is it?"
"…."
The pirate with the e-cigarette frowned at the mysterious plant. Despite its beautiful color, there was an inexplicable sense of discomfort about it.
He took out a communication device and called his colleague, who was staring blankly at the plant.
"Hey, we need to report this."
"…It's beautiful."
"What did you say?"
"I'm going crazy with beauty!"
The pirate who hadn't smoked a cigarette approached the plant with an ecstatic expression. Suddenly, the vine that had been still flew towards him so quickly that it wrapped around his face, invisible to the naked eye.
"Oh, damn!"
"Hehe…hehehe."
The pirate, who knelt down and pressed his face into the vine, was horrified as he looked at his colleague. He quickly activated the communication device, attempting to contact inside the cruiser.
If only it weren't for the voice calling him from a distance.
"A woman?"
Clearly, the sound he heard in his ear was the lustful moan of a woman. It echoed as if flowing out from inside a cave, but there was no mistaking it.
He loved getting involved with women.
"Perfect. Time to have some fun after a long time."
The pirate followed the voice with bloodshot eyes. He was so focused that he didn't even realize that blood was flowing from his ears.
"You damn idiot, you're done now."
Following the voice, he leaped into the bushes. Along with him, a familiar sound reached his ears.
The sound was that of mines buried around them being triggered. The flames of ultra-high temperature rose from the ground, engulfing him.
'Is this the beginning.'
The nest installed deep underground reports to me. There are continuous vibrations of various scales happening on the surface.
Lying leisurely in the nest, linked to it, I could observe everything happening on the surface.
Pirates infected with 'hallucinogenic bugs' were jumping onto the mines, turning the area around the cruiser into complete chaos. Even the pirates who managed to avoid the surprise attack of hallucinogenic bugs were not unscathed.
Because they were entangled by the tempting pheromones emitted from the 'Sticky Lurker' growing from the ground.
As the name suggests, the Sticky Lurker is a carnivorous plant that approaches victims near the nest and devours them. It has almost no direct combat capabilities, but it entices enemies by emitting unique tempting pheromones, holding them in place.
In the setting, the tempting pheromones emitted by the Sticky Lurker give the prey a euphoric pleasure similar to drugs. It doesn't work on species with bodies replaced by machinery like cyborgs or androids, but it works very well on sentient species like humans.
'Those who catch a whiff of this scent probably want to devour all the dirt.'
Moreover, I am currently in a state where I possess enhanced pheromone characteristics. Some of my physical characteristics also apply to the nest, so it is probably not easy for them to withstand the pheromones emitted by the Sticky Lurker.
Because I used this characteristic a lot to seduce others before, some players in the community called me an 'addictive moff.'
'It's the fault of those who get caught.'
Anyway, as their colleagues suddenly go crazy, the heavily armored walkers guarding the perimeter will be extremely bewildered.
They will try to respond to the all-around attacks happening, but will it be easy?
The biological sensors installed inside the walker show nothing marked around the cruiser. Because the 'Smog Tower' generated by the nest continues to emit toxic mist around the cruiser.
Although much less deadly than the mist spread in the swamp, this mist is also quite lethal. If you stay in it unknowingly for a long time, your lungs will be contaminated and you'll die.
In reality, some of the operators of the walker, who may have had weak lungs to begin with, stopped moving. Other walkers seemed frightened as their comrades suddenly vomited blood and collapsed.
While chaos reigns outside, what could be happening inside the ship?
'They'll probably try to figure out what's happening outside.'
That's impossible.
The cameras connected to the temporary street lamps are all disabled by the 'Gremlin Moss.' The same goes for the Stormgun, which is the same machine.
The Gremlin Moss is a counter feature of machines that operates differently from hijacking and electromagnetic interference.
Unlike hijacking and electromagnetic interference, which control and incapacitate machines through specific vibration waves, Gremlin Moss must directly infect machines with moss. The infected machines are completely disabled until the moss's survival time of 20 minutes elapses.
Once a machine is infected with moss, it cannot be infected again, which is a disadvantage. However, unlike hijacking, which allows control of only one machine at a time, moss can damage multiple machines at once. Machines that move frequently like walkers or large machines like cruisers are difficult to infect.
There are still walkers remaining, but it seems like they have somewhat neutralized the enemy's defenses. Now it's time to move on to the next stage.
I disconnected the link with the nest and started digging the ground just above my head.
If I continue straight up, I'll reach right below the cruiser.
Although it was about a hundred meters away, with my 25-meter-long body, I quickly reached the surface by digging a tunnel.
When I slightly raised my head above ground, the landing gear was right in front of my nose.
Now, through the four additional auxiliary mechanisms under my jaw, the entire exterior of the cruiser was detected.
It was a cruiser with the distinctive elongated diamond shape of the Cult. The outer armor, rather than being rugged like Mega-Cob or Star Union, had a smooth texture with an ivory color.
'Maybe they made it from Moon Silver, thinking it's not a Cult warship.'
While Black Silver weakens psychic powers, Moon Silver, on the contrary, amplifies the effects of psychic powers.
'It's fortunate to attack a cruiser.'
The leader of the pirates belongs to the Cult race. The target of the Moon Silver reinforcement effect.
'Not anymore.'
Metallic sounds of walkers wandering in thick fog nearby can be heard. They seem oblivious to the fact that I am right below the cruiser.
I opened my mouth wide and pressed closely under the cruiser. The Acidic Mycota near my esophagus started creating fungi with tremendous power according to my intentions.
The Acidic Mycota is a fusion trait created using the Acidic Blood trait, which I acquired as a material. Previously, I could only use the Acidic Blood trait when creating wounds, but now I can spit out highly acidic substances to enemies when I want.
Soon, the Acidic Fungi, completed in an instant, spewed out of my mouth.
The emerald green Acidic Fungi that adhered to the bottom of the cruiser instantly melted the ivory Moon Silver.
While the fungi worked diligently, I activated the Tooth Fairy Nest. The Tooth Fairy Nest, located in the lower back, burst open, spewing out carnivorous fairies.
Since they were reinforced as a type, the appearance of the tooth fairies had changed. They remained the same size as before, about the size of a child's palm, but exoskeletons grew on their heads and bodies.
"It looks like the fairies are wearing helmets."
As if reading my thoughts, the tooth fairies saluted. Their appearance was quite cute.
"Go inside the ship and chew off various important equipment and wires connected to them. Feel free to eat the crew if necessary."
Dozens of tooth fairies entered the ship through the melted holes.
Feeling the metallic confusion inside the ship, I waited until the holes widened.
Pirates inside the ship seemed confused.
A full-scale attack from all directions outside, sudden damage occurring under the ship. It's all beyond their expectations.
While examining the internal situation through auxiliary mechanisms, I felt signs approaching from the hole towards the inside of the ship.
"Is it okay to go in now?"
I was still holding onto the widening hole with combat arms that were melting. With four arms stretched in all directions, the hole had widened enough for me to barely enter.
"Oops!"
"Damn! Fire at everything!"
The moment I rose up through the hole in the floor, Cult and human pirates wearing reinforced suits noticed me. Clearly, they were the ones guarding the cruiser, shooting calmly with purple spray guns they held.
"They're calm, but…"
The problem is that I have psychic reflection gloves.
"Reflect some of the attacks of psychic power."
The Psychic Reflection Gloves are an advanced version of the "Reflection" technique within psychic power skills, serving as a psychic version. It automatically reflects 30% of the damage received from psychic power attacks.
Flames composed of psychic power wrap around my outer shell. Since becoming a quasi-entity, the upgraded outer shells make the experience much less painful.
"It's not even reducing the discomfort."
To me, it's just warmth to the extent of causing some unpleasant feelings, but how about them? Some of the flames that were engulfing me flowed in the opposite direction.
At the end of it were pirates holding purple spray guns. When the violet flame beam flew towards them, their expressions turned pale.
"Uh?"
"Everyone, dodge… aaaaah!"
Since my gloves are sturdy, there isn't much damage even if I get hit by the purple spray gun, but the same can't be said for them. Despite their efforts, the pirates in reinforced suits struggled to extinguish the unyielding flames, but they knew it was a futile endeavor.
"Was the situation room this way?"
Ignoring the pirates falling one by one, I moved on.
Up ahead is the situation room.
A defense facility located far from the cruiser.
As you approach the central area near the jungle where the forgotten temple is located, signal interference intensifies. This is due to the unique energy emitted by the temple.
That's why Muriel built a fortress serving as an outpost between the cruiser and the temple, playing the role of a vantage point and a temporary command post in case of unexpected incidents.
"We'll stay here tonight."
Returning from dismantling the camp near the temple, Muriel and her subordinates decided to spend the night here. They planned to take a transport ship early tomorrow morning and return to the cruiser.
Even though the situation suggested a possible attack from enemy players, Muriel had reasons not to rush back. It was not only due to intermittent signal interference in this area but also to gather additional information about the Amorph player from the mother of the sky.
"Scream! Gasp! Gasp!"
"Brother, since he won't die anyway, pull it tighter."
"Yes."
Even in the late night, torture aimed at the mother of the sky was in full swing in the open field of the defense facility. When the internal organs bound to the wire were torn apart as the wheels turned, the mother of the sky screamed.
Observing her with a bored expression, Muriel commented,
"That must be quite painful. Shouldn't you tell us by now?"
"You damn bitch! Even if I say it, there's nothing you can do!."
"That's for me to judge. I'm sure, compared to you, I've fought against him."
Muriel changed her mind because she felt skeptical about the attitude the mother of the sky had shown.
"I'm sure I've met him before."
The 5th rank Amorph player is infamous even in foreign countries, and she is aware of it. However, the mother of the sky's attitude was clearly abnormal.
She is also a ranker like Muriel, even 15th place above Muriel, a Wolf ranker. Even if the opponent had a higher ranking in the past, isn't he just a fallen star now?
Moreover, the mother of the sky she saw here was highly skilled.
"She even learned Divine Manifestation."
Divine Manifestation is known as a challenging technique to learn among Wolf's advanced skills.
Muriel knew that the mother of the sky didn't have a high enhancement level, unlike other players. She chose to live with the current residents, and amidst that, she managed to learn Divine Manifestation. That in itself shows that she is no ordinary player.
"If I hadn't brought that equipment, I wouldn't have won."
Originally, it was a "weapon" brought to subdue the Earth Father.
Anyway, Muriel couldn't understand why the formidable mother of the sky feared the guy so much.
"Surely, the two of them must have met and fought in a past game."
The reaction seemed to be exclusive to those who had encountered him and experienced something unpleasant.
"Perhaps the mother of the sky suffered a devastating defeat. That fear must stem from those memories," Muriel thought.
"If that guy is as formidable as you say, you might not be safe either. If you don't want to die…"
"Tch! You killed my family. I'd sell my soul to Amorph if it means I can kill you!"
"Hmm, is that so?" The excruciating torture was something Muriel, as the designer, knew very well. Yet, the mother of the sky remained unbroken.
Muriel signaled the pirates to stop the torturous wheel.
"How about we have a chat with your beloved family?"
"What?" When she waved her hand, other pirates brought in Wolf captives. The Wolves, their throats bound by metal wire, were all young boys.
"You damn bastard!"
"Alright, brothers. Bring in the wheel."
"Stop it!"
The pirates brought a wheel similar to the one used to torture the mother of the sky. Seeing the brutal torture tool, the young Wolf captives began to tremble in distress.
"Let me ask you one last time. If you don't answer, these Wolf friends of yours here will all participate in an organ exhibition."
"You damn bitch! You're just like me! But how can you do such a thing!?"
"Ah, noisy. Tell us quickly. Or else, might my brothers do something bad?"
The mother of the sky could tell that Muriel's words were not false. The malicious pirate leader still had enough cruelty left in him.
"…I'll talk. I'll tell you everything, so don't touch them."
"That depends on your attitude."
"What do you want to know?"
"Have you ever fought against him? Tell me what happened."
Finally succumbing to Muriel's threats, the mother of the sky began her story with a submissive attitude.
"…You know about that, right? The Shepherd Planet Battle."
"The battle where four clans gathered on a deserted planet? The one where all hell broke loose because they wanted to capture one player… Ah. Don't tell me?"
"Yeah. That was a gathering to capture that Amorph player. I was the leader of the Savage Clan, one of the clans that participated."
Muriel was unaware that the mother of the sky was once a clan leader. This was because the mother of the sky was famous for rejecting membership offers from renowned clans in the game.
"At that time, he wasn't a ranker. He was just a Pre-Saint, and that's all. So, we thought we would easily win. But…"
"But?"
"He destroyed our spaceship within an hour of entering the planet. He destroyed all the communication towers responsible for contacting external spaceships, leaving only one. Blocking our escape route was probably his plan. After that, one or two of us were hunted down by him in the jungle. He acted as if he knew our plans completely, making any strategy useless."
"…"
"Skinned corpses? That's just the tip of the iceberg. He ridiculed us in every imaginable way. Because of him, we fell apart, fought against each other. Well, that was probably his intention."
The mother of the sky spoke calmly, but strong emotions were deeply embedded in her words.
"…A communication tower still remains, right? If you contact the outside, you can call for reinforcements."
"Kekeke, that's right. Only one communication tower from one of the four clans remains. At first, we thought they had betrayed us since it was the only one left. But as time passed, we could rely on each other, waiting for the reinforcements brought by that clan."
The mother of the sky's bitter expression revealed the subsequent events to Muriel.
"Perhaps reinforcements never arrived as expected. However, the truth that came from the mother of the sky's lips surpassed her expectations."
"Later, I found out there was a reason why that communication tower remained."
"What was it?"
"He deliberately left it there."
"What?"
"The clan members at the communication tower were already dead, and all this time, he had been imitating the clan members. He knew everything about our meetings and had been providing false reports externally."
"…"
"After that, he deceived us multiple times. We couldn't endure, suffered a complete annihilation, and my clan fell apart completely. We were so deceived by him that we couldn't trust each other anymore."
Hearing those words, Muriel thought,
"That Amorph player is truly insane,"
and realized the dire situation she was in.
"Well, anyway, it's just a game…."
"Yes, it's a game. But this is reality. He emerged in reality. How can you be so calm when you have no idea what terrifying tactics he might employ?"
"…Even so, I'm just a virtual entity!"
"While you're enjoying yourself here!"
The mother of the sky's scream interrupted her words. The impact of that momentary outcry was so terrifying that Muriel flinched.
"He has already prepared everything to torment you. By now, the battleship may already be in his hands, right?"
Upon hearing those words, Muriel began to feel rapidly uneasy.
"Could it be? No, that's impossible."
She tried to act nonchalant and called over a subordinate responsible for communication. It was to establish contact with the battleship.
Due to the radio interference spread throughout the jungle, communication was only possible with special equipment, which took some time to connect to the battleship.
After a while, the subordinate brought an activated communication device. Taking the device, she questioned the battleship with a voice unintentionally trembling.
"Brothers, is everything okay on your end?"
"Crackle, crackle."
Instead of an answer, the returning sound was just noise. When her gaze turned to the subordinate, he gestured that the connection was already established.
"If anyone is alive, respond!"
"Crackle, is that you? Crackle."
As the words came through the communication device, she felt fear and shivers.
-x-X-x-
Situation Room on the Aircraft Carrier.
The pirate leader, upon hearing my voice, fell silent. Judging by the faint sound of breath being held, she seemed quite startled.
"…The 5th ranked Amorph."
She spoke in a trembling voice. Unexpectedly, the first words from the leader, or rather the player, were about my identity. She seemed to know exactly who I was.
'Well, considering the chaos I caused it's not surprising.'
It wasn't an inflated sense of self-awareness. There weren't many Amorph players who engaged in psychological warfare with the enemy by exposing their stripped bodies. If they were players experienced in the game on the other side, they might have heard about me at least once.
"You're quite audacious. Do you know who I am?"
"Hu…ma…ni…ty…ran…king…20th…I suppose."
'I know well.'
After occupying the Situation Room, I was engaged in other activities until the communication came through. Specifically, I was examining the information on the pirate leader stored in the computer.
The pirate leader, the woman conversing with me beyond the communication device, was named Muriel. In the game, she had been the 20th-ranked Spacedog, a space survival expert.
'I haven't met her in person.'
I had quit the game shortly after she became a ranker due to academic warnings, so I hadn't fought against Muriel directly. However, I had collected information about other rankers, including her race, faction, and clan.
'She wasn't a cultist originally.'
As far as I knew, the 20th-ranked Muriel was a cyborg of the Spacedog race. Therefore, until I confirmed her name on the computer, I didn't think the pirate leader would be a ranker.
'Of course, there were Spacedogs from the cult too…'
He was a man, not a woman. I remembered him as the 11th-ranked American ranker, whom I had fought against a few times in the past.
Anyway, looking at the picture of Muriel displayed on the computer monitor, she clearly belonged to the female cult, specifically a cult with deer antlers, a symbol of the cult's royal family.
'I don't know why the deer antler cult is engaged in piracy.'
If she is a ranker, she would know how much the deer antler cult could achieve within the cult society.
The ship she brought was probably not just an ordinary aircraft carrier but an Imperial MotherShip..
'Gotta investigate that step by step.'
Currently, I know very little about the player. There were many other things that I didn't know too, such as whether there were other players in this world besides her and me. Therefore, I needed to extract enough information through our conversation.
"You being higher-ranked than me is just a game talk. Do you still think you can beat me now that this is the real world?"
Her confident attitude indicated that she was no longer feeling tense. Despite losing the aircraft carrier, she seemed to have confidence in herself.
I know there have been negative rumors about her being a queen bee or something. However, she is also a ranker in Space Survival.
If the person on the other side isn't impersonating the 20th ranker, they must be hiding an ace up their sleeve.
'Let's delve into it a bit more.'
"They've gone as far as taking over the aircraft carrier, claiming it's all in the name of the Ascension Battle."
"Hmph. Such ships are nothing compared to the power we possess."
"Us?"
What could the 'us' she mentioned mean? It might refer to the Humanity Cartel, but it doesn't seem right. Thanks to Amorph's unique intuition, I could somewhat grasp the emotions conveyed in her voice.
'It feels more like referring to a comrade than a subordinate.'
In other words, there is another player with her and what she implies is that there is a shared intention between her and the player, or an entity equivalent to a player.
While I was quickly processing this in my mind, she continued speaking.
"Praising you for coming to this planet on the Ascension Battle topic is fine, but that's the extent of it. If you had just stayed quiet, I might have overlooked it."
"Don't misunderstand. You're the one who provoked my ship from a distance. What could you possibly have to say in this situation?"
"How foolish. I can't just leave an unidentified intruder alone. Besides, right now, you're nothing more than a weakling. You have no right to complain in the face of weakness."
Her words sounded childish, but they cut to the core of this world's reality. The world of Space Survival was a dystopia dominated by the logic of the survival of the fittest.
'Further conversation is meaningless.'
Seeing her dismiss the discussion of weakness, bringing up negotiations seemed futile. To obtain detailed information, it seemed I would have to meet her in person and hear it directly from her. I had plenty of useful tools to ensure the truth from my counterpart.
"It seems like you've immersed yourself in this world."
"Ha. Anyone who spends a long time in this world will end up like that. You know what this place is like, right?"
I was about to end the conversation when she provided an important clue.
'Spent a long time here?'
I hadn't been in this place for even half a year. Although it felt lengthy due to constant activity, it wasn't long enough to be described as spending a long time.
'Muriel and I have different durations in this place.'
At least she had been in this world much longer than me.
'This aspect is quite intriguing.'
The reasons to capture Muriel seemed to be increasing.
"And by the way, do you think I'm mindlessly engaging in this useless conversation?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think I'm so stupid? Do you think I haven't prepared anything for the aircraft carrier?"
She spoke as if to mock, making it sound like she had some kind of trick up her sleeve regarding the aircraft carrier.
"Are you talking about explosives?"
"Huh?"
"You Spacedogs seem to love bombs."
Before I took control of the Situation Room, I told the tooth fairy swarm scattered within the ship to alert me to a potential threat. They reported that remote-controlled bombs were planted around the reactor.
Being discreetly installed and not recorded in the ship's computer, it seemed that Muriel had likely placed them in anticipation of the ship being seized.
"Ha. Indeed. This is the real deal for a 5th-ranked ranker."
The bombs were already rendered inoperative as the front line was cut off. Confirming this fact, Muriel let out a sigh.
However, the emotion permeating her voice was different from what I expected. It wasn't astonishment or shock but rather a sense of relief.
"You're clever, but do you think I only prepared that?"
[Detecting unidentified energy flow in planetary orbit! Danger! Everyone, evacuate!]
As soon as Muriel finished speaking, warning alarms echoed throughout the Situation Room.
'Orbit? Could it be?'
"I hate to lose the ship, but throwing a bait to catch a ranker is still a good deal, right? Don't you think?"
Without hesitation, I left the Situation Room. There was only one thing the energy flow in orbit could indicate – orbital bombardment.
If it was an orbital bombardment delivered through the fleet, the ship's AI could detect it. Since it was mentioned as an unidentified energy flow, it wasn't a spacecraft conducting the bombardment.
'Unique-class weapon!'
Among the unique-class weapons exclusive to the cult, there was a satellite weapon called 'Noshin.' It assisted in striking specific areas on the ground, utilizing the owner's psychic power as fuel to unleash a massive lightning bolt.
Although it might sound weak to call it lightning, its destructive power surpassed that of a nuclear bomb. Once fired, everything in the targeted area would be obliterated.
While it had a disadvantage of a 14-day cooldown, making it difficult to use frequently, it was extremely popular in the game for dealing with powerful enemies by using it strategically before entering battles.
Even if I am a Quasi-Saint, a direct hit from Noshin's lightning means instant death.
I quickly crawled underground through the hole I had made beneath the aircraft carrier.
'This won't be enough.'
The distance from the ground was well over a hundred meters, but I couldn't relax yet. Although the nest filled the hole I made, it was still insufficient.
Hastily, I dug downward, facing the ground.
When I was a few hundred meters away from the surface, the link connected to the tooth fairies was severed.
Soon after, I felt a powerful vibration from above.
It was the lightning bolt unleashed by Noshin, striking the ground.
Even though it was far from the aircraft carrier, Noshin's lightning was powerful enough to be visible. The night sky cleared as clouds were swept away by the lightning coming from the planetary orbit.
In the area where the lightning struck, a massive nuclear mushroom cloud rose as the aircraft carrier's reactor exploded. Even a jungle filled with redwoods, boasting sizes of several hundred meters, couldn't withstand this unprecedented catastrophe. A colossal demon of fire engulfed the jungle and its inhabitants, swallowing countless lives. Watching the extinguishing lives, Muriel clapped her hands, seemingly delighted.
"As expected of Noshin, its performance is exemplary."
"…"
Seeing Noshin in action for the second time, the mother of the sky grinned. This wasn't the first time Noshin had been activated on this planet; Muriel had used it when capturing the father of the Earth and mother of the sky. Although the Father of the Earth, a Wolf Named with remarkably high defense, couldn't withstand Noshin's lightning, he sacrificed himself to shield the mother of the sky.
Thanks to that sacrifice, he fell into a fatal state with a single blow and was subsequently beheaded during the battle with Muriel.
"Hehe, even if you're the 5th-ranked ranker, there's no chance of surviving that lightning, right? Not to mention the father of Earth? He also went out in one shot."
"…"
"Still, safety first. I should see the corpse with my own eyes."
Muriel called a few of her subordinates.
"Brothers, go there with the mother of the sky and check."
"Don't make me laugh. Do you think I'll listen to you?"
"Huh? Isn't it obvious?"
In response to her answer, Muriel released the spear she had been carrying on her back. Then, with an indifferent expression, she casually stabbed a young Wolf boy with the spear.
｢You…you!｣
"Are you going to throw away your 'family'?"
｢I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart no matter what!｣
"Oh, how terrifying. But before you kill me, it seems like these cute little ones here will die first."
｢Ugh!｣
"If you want to save your family, it's better to listen to me. Rank 15, please."
｢Damn it…｣
Faced with Muriel's threat, the mother of the sky could do nothing but lower her head once again.
'I thought I was going to die.'
Although I managed to avoid the range of Noshin, that didn't mean I was completely safe. The combination of the reactor explosion and the bomb created a tremendous blaze that penetrated the underground tunnel I had dug.
Fortunately, having evolved into a pseudo-entity, my exoskeleton had become strong enough to endure within the destructive energy flow. Moreover, the perceptible shaking caused by Noshin's lightning prevented the overwhelming heat from chasing me relentlessly as my tunnel collapsed.
!
I waited underground until the aftermath of the explosion subsided before surfacing. The area that was once filled with redwoods and grass had turned into a desolate wasteland. Where the aircraft carrier had been, only sand remained, and in the distance, the jungle was still burning fiercely in the flames.
'This is the result.'
Up until now, I had consumed countless lives, including humans. However, somewhere in my heart, there was a lingering thought – perhaps it was acceptable because they weren't people living in my world. That might be why I approached her with an ambiguous attitude, different from how I treated actual humans.
Even though I knew that Muriel posed a significant threat not only to me but also to No. 26 and Adhai, I approached her with a certain ambiguity. It was clear.
Now, that thought has completely disappeared.
'Would killing someone who goes around striking lightning into other people's heads be considered self-defense?'
Emerging from the ground, I swiftly crawled towards the burning forest in the distance. The heat I felt emanating from my body could be due to the aftermath of the nuclear explosion or simply my anger – it was impossible to discern.
Regardless, it didn't matter.
'The cooldown for Noshin is 14 days.'
Whether this is her trump card or if she has more hidden, I don't know. But it doesn't matter now. I won't kill her right away. There are pieces of information I need from her.
Instead, I must convey to her something more frightening than death. I will use all the strategies and means at my disposal. Soon, Aymoph will learn just how terrifying an enraged entity can be.
-x-X-x-
"We've arrived."
"Let's go."
Six Heavy Walkers and one beast disembarked from the transport ship.
They had come here under Muriel's orders to investigate if there were any survivors where the lightning had struck. Until a few hours ago, the lush land teeming with life had now become a desolate wasteland with only sand and death remaining.
They roamed the barren wasteland with various detection equipment activated, following Muriel's command.
"Huh? Hey! There's something over here!"
One of the walkers found traces left on the ground and called out to his comrades. As another walker approached with metallic clinks, he recorded the traces with the camera attached to the walker.
"Leader, did you see this? There are dragging marks."
[Han, that crazy monster. Isn't it dead?]
"It seems not."
[Ask the mother of the sky. Check how it's doing.]
"Yes."
One of the walkers pulled a large chain in his hand. The mother of the sky, bound by the chain around her neck, was dragged along lifelessly.
｢Gah!｣
"Hey, this matches the creature's traces."
"The one we know walks on two legs, but here, there are marks of dragging. What happened?"
[It's better to speak honestly if you don't want to see your 'family' die.]
｢… Wait.｣
The mother of the sky reluctantly examined the traces in detail. Using her superior senses that surpassed advanced machinery, she grasped the condition of the target that left the traces—partially dragging his body, showing signs of injury with scattered pieces of skin between the dragging marks, and traces of acid reactions on the ground. Judging from the direction, he had entered the forest.
｢… He dragged his body halfway. He's injured, judging by the skin fragments between the dragging marks and the acid reactions on the ground. Judging from the direction, he entered the forest over there.｣
[You're not lying, right?]
｢You can figure it out, can't you? Verify it if you want.｣
Currently, a special chip implanted by Muriel was lodged in the back of the mother of the sky's head. It reads the wearer's brainwaves to determine if they are lying or harboring impure thoughts. As long as this chip is implanted, the mother of the sky cannot speak falsehoods.
[Huh? Whatever. It's no surprise that he got injured after facing the gods.]
"What should we do?"
[He must not have gone far since he's injured. Find and kill him. If it's the mother of the sky, you can kill it, right?]
｢If it's an injured creature with a little strength, we can kill him.｣
[Hehe, did you guys hear that?]
"Yes!"
After the communication ended, the Heavy Walkers collected the scattered skin fragments and followed the traces leading to the forest.
Above their heads, the transport ship flew, confirming if there were traces continuing into the burning jungle.
Muriel's subordinates had no doubt that they could easily eliminate the creature that left these traces. However, there was something they didn't know. Surely, the mother of the sky did not lie. Instead, she precisely answered only what Muriel had asked.
In the opposite direction that the walkers were heading, there were traces that the walkers did not discover. It was a partially collapsed pit. Many pits were formed by Redwoods or rocks, which were pulled out of the ground altogether. So, the pirates assumed it would be similar to other traces, but the mother of the sky with her extraordinary senses could perceive that it was a hole made by a serpent-like creature.
'Ha, that Mofpbak. It evolved into an adult form by crawling.'
The mother of the sky concealed the fact that she knew.
Her eyes, with a leash tied to the pirates, gleamed coldly.
When I begin a hunt, there are factors I check first: information, time, and location.
Firstly, information.
Knowing who the enemy is, what equipment, characteristics, skills they possess, what strategy they use, and how much they know about me are crucial for smoothly navigating through the battle. Although Amorph is a powerful species as it evolves, the journey to get there is extremely treacherous—not just for me but for everyone. Therefore, acquiring information is essential.
Next is time.
Deciding when to strike during day or night, whether the enemy is aware of my assault, and if so, when they might become aware—all these considerations help in choosing the right time to hunt and preparing accordingly.
Lastly, location.
Knowing the enemy's location, the terrain, where to lure them, and where to settle the score—all these aspects need to be understood.
So, how much advantage do I currently have in targeting the enemy?
Starting with the information, she and I don't know much about each other, but at least I am in a better position than her.
'Muriel thinks of me as a celestial being.'
Using the gods' lightning was a good choice if she thought I was a celestial being. Even if I run away quickly, it's not easy to escape the range of the gods' lightning.
'Nevertheless, she'll try to confirm.'
She's a woman who installs bombs in her cruiser as a precaution against it being captured. She'll try to confirm whether I'm dead or not. Investigating the explosion area will soon reveal my survival.
'From here on, it's a critical point.'
She likely believes that I suffered a fatal injury from the gods' attack. In reality, it's only minor due to the explosion of the gods and the cruiser. My armor was scorched, and a part of the exoskeleton fell off. Even now, there are remnants of the fallen exoskeleton in the traces leading into the forest.
They were all intentionally left behind.
To make the enemies believe that my condition is not good.
Hiding my evolutionary stage and concealing my condition to mislead the enemy about my status.
The information warfare began when I emerged from the underground and infiltrated the jungle.
'They'll probably try to follow my traces over there, but…'
In this jungle, detection devices often malfunction. However, it's unlikely that they would miss me. Still, it will take some time for them to discover me.
While the enemies are slowly pursuing me, my tasks are clear. I need to locate Muriel and shift the battlefield in my favor. Fortunately, before the cruiser took off, I had browsed through the data stored in the ship's computer. Thanks to that, I could anticipate her possible locations.
There are two large camps presumed to be where she might be. One is the vast jungle area spreading from the center of the continent, and the other is the canyon area with the Wolf indigenous village. I was confident that Muriel would be in the jungle area.
'There's a forgotten temple in the center of the continent.'
The 'Forgotten Temple' is a kind of dungeon where powerful unique-grade equipment is stored, comparable to other games. However, the entrance conditions are quite strict, and there are powerful Wolf statues inside, requiring thorough preparation for conquest. For instance, special energy fields around the temple can be mentioned. Even if you try to detect from a distance, the energy field prevents detection, and as you approach the temple, communication devices often malfunction. Unluckily, if a transport ship stops working due to the energy field, it might crash.
Therefore, players intending to conquer the temple often set up supply camps a considerable distance away. Muriel, like other players, would have set up a large camp inside the jungle for the temple conquest.
'When I checked the transported items, there were only weapons.'
And looking at the periodic transport records, it was undoubtedly all used for the temple conquest. By now, she might have finished the conquest and obtained the rewards.
'Was the Priest's Golden Spear reward for clearing it?'
It's equipment that increases attack power when killing sentient beings. Although the increase in attack power per killed being is very low, there is no limit to the increase, making it infinitely powerful with more kills.
Once she knows I'm alive, she'll likely try to kill all her subordinates or slaves to increase her attack power.
'I need to confirm this part directly.'
Because of the task, I, who was half-buried in the ground, raised my head. Thirty minutes ago, I had arrived near the large camp where Muriel was presumed to be.
I could reach here in just half a day without resting, using all my energy for a full sprint. I was a few kilometers away from the camp.
From there, I was preparing a favorable 'battlefield' for myself. There was no area within my line of sight that was not covered in black slime.
The vibrant grasses were twisted, and instead, red vines, like blood, grew in their place. Between the vines, spores emitting toxic mist relentlessly filled the air.
Even the towering Redwoods standing on the corrupted ground seemed intact from the outside, but they were decaying from the inside. When the thick bark peeled off, black slime and insects sprouted from within.
Beetles the size of fingernails and hallucination-inducing bugs hovered around, infecting anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity.
Having confirmed that the nests were growing steadily on their own, I released the link and stood up.
'This makes it the third one.'
I was in the process of creating nests surrounding the camp. Just as there are perks in the physical enhancement and psychic enhancement types that enhance related abilities, there are also perks in the nest enhancement type.
When multiple nests merge into one, the characteristic effects are amplified. In this way, Muriel's camp will be subjected to a more intense assault of toxic mist than the swamp inside the Utopia 02 continent.
'If I fight there, the attribute effect of Personification Sacrifice will shine.'
Before evolving into a Quasi-Saint being, I acquired the attribute 'Personification Sacrifice' in the swamp. On its own, it has no effect, but when corpses appear in the nest, the situation changes. If you possess the Personification Sacrifice attribute, the nest absorbs the corpses, providing the energy of the corpses to the owner of the nest. Even if limbs are severed, the energy absorbed through Personification Sacrifice accelerates my recovery, restoring me to my original state within minutes.
In other words, as long as corpses continue to be supplied, I become a living entity akin to a zombie.
"Moreover, it can counter the Golden Spear."
I moved to find a new location to set up a nest. Since creating nests consumes a lot of energy, I didn't forget to intermittently supply energy.
"Squeak?!"
I seized a gorilla with an ant head using corrosive tentacles.
Named 'Andril,' it is a carnivorous creature with specs surpassing those of a Nightstalker, but it was no match for me as a Quasi-Saint being.
"If there's time, I would have liked to taste it."
It's regrettable that I can't.
After devouring a few more Andril, I found a suitable place to plant the nest and relaxed my body. As the mucus poured from my body and the nest was being created, a loud noise echoed from above.
"Hmm?"
It was the sound of a transport ship flying. The ship started low-altitude flight without caring about the covered trees. Then, seven large objects could be felt falling to the ground.
'Have they already found me?'
Even with a bio-scanner, finding me in this jungle is not easy. Detection devices often malfunction or reset in the middle.
"Huh?"
The enemies who landed from a distance began moving in a completely different direction as if they hadn't found me using the bio-scanner. They were heading towards the traces where I crawled here.
'I don't know what happened.'
I need to tidy up before the nest is compromised. It's more detrimental for the nest to be compromised than for me to be caught.
I released the link with the fourth nest I created and climbed up the tree silently.
Then, without a sound, I moved towards the location where the enemies were.
With my body elongated, if the distance between the trees wasn't too far, I extended my body to move, and if the distance was considerable, I utilized an aerial membrane.
After narrowing the distance with the enemies, I could see how they had pursued me.
Their formation consisted of six Heavy Walkers and one beast at the front.
The leading beast was something I had seen a few times in the game.
"A Wolf that learned Divine Transformation?"
A creature resembling a griffin from mythology, with the head of an eagle, the body of a lion, and a serpent's tail. It was undoubtedly a Wolf.
Unlike Amorph, who aims for endless evolution, a wolf's journey to reclaim the divinity within his body plays a significant role in the story. a wolf's transformation ability is closely related to this setting. As he gets closer to divinity, he can transform into sacred beasts like griffins or unicorns, not ordinary animals.
Therefore, when a wolf transforms into a griffin, you can think of him as being between the stages of Ascendant and Quasi-Saint, compared to Amorph.
"If it's a griffin, it's definitely possible, but it's strange."
Because a griffin's eyes are superior to Amorph's hyper-sensory abilities, it can track my traces even from high altitudes. I understand how they chased me on a transport ship, but there's a fundamental question remaining.
"It seems like a named one, but why is it with pirates… huh?"
Observing the pirates while activating my camouflage, I turned my head for a moment, and our eyes met with the griffin.
It didn't seem to notice me and naturally turned its head. However, with Amorph's unique hyper-sensory perception, I could tell that it had recognized me but pretended not to.
"I don't know why it's acting like that."
Detailed information can be confirmed by capturing it directly. I cautiously moved towards the Heavy Walkers' location.
-x-X-x-
In a forest covered with towering redwoods that extend for hundreds of meters, night fell once again. The dense green leaves and the red hue of the trees combined, casting a navy blue tint over the darkness of the forest. In the chilly and silent space, six Heavy Walkers advanced with their lights on.
'Let's see.'
I observed them from above the trees. Honestly, as a quasi-player, I could just go down and take them all out, but there's a reason I'm not doing that.
'I can't afford to be exposed. If they find out I'm a quasi-entity, Muriel will either prepare accordingly or try to escape into space to get away from me.'
There doesn't seem to be another ship besides the battleship, but if they have a means of escaping into space, I can't stop them. To prevent this, I need to destroy all six at once, ensuring that the enemies can't capture me on camera.
"I can't even sleep; what a hassle."
"Hey, is that around here?"
"Yes, he's close."
"Ah, that creature is wandering around a lot."
"It's fortunate that he's close, it will make it easier for us to find him, so let's catch him quickly and go back."
The Walker operators complain about chasing traces all day long.
'Alright.'
Since everyone is momentarily relaxed, now is the time to strike.
Hidden in a suitable spot to surprise attack at any moment, I tightly coiled my tail around the tree and extended my upper body over their heads.
"Now, let's go."
I quickly activated the corrosive tentacles. The sharp six appendages of the corrosive tentacles poured down like arrows, accurately targeting the control seats of the six Heavy Walkers. The tentacle pierced through the upper part of the control seats, pulling out or crushing only the heads of the operators inside.
"…!"
The Griffin Wolf, who had been aware of my existence since earlier, leaped forward. The blood-sucking tentacle that sprang from my hand sadly missed the target and only struck the barren ground.
The leaping Griffin Wolf soared upwards. Its body defied the laws of nature, soaring into the air as if there were invisible stairs. Although there was an iron chain connected to its neck, it seemed like the creature had no intention of escaping.
Like an eagle spotting its prey, the Griffin swiftly attacked. Its target was not my upper body, but my tail, the part holding onto the tree.
Quickly releasing my tail and spreading the wings, I flew to another tree. In an instant, the creature's forelimb struck the Redwood.
Creak.
The sturdy Redwood was deeply gouged by the creature's forelimb.
"?!."
The creature, as if it didn't know how to dodge, widened its eyes. I, now on a different tree, fluffed my tail dramatically.
It seemed the creature didn't know how to avoid flying. It stared at me with wide eyes as I fluffed my tail, then I swung it forcefully.
Large thorns, larger than kitchen knives, flew towards the creature floating in the air. With eyes resembling an eagle's, the creature read the trajectory of the incoming thorns in a short moment and evaded them all.
As soon as the creature landed on the ground, the Walkers lost all their control, slowly falling forward.
[What's happening? Why did all signals cut off? Mother of the sky? What's going on?]
｢The Walkers fell prey to that creature.｣
Muriel's bewildered voice flowed from the communication device inside the Walker. the Griffin responded briefly with a melodious tone resembling a bird of prey.
[What…What did you say?]
｢He recovered in the meantime.｣
[What the hell?! What kind of nonsense is this? Hey! Bring out the cameras attached to the Walkers! I need to see it for myself!]
However I Couldn't have possibly allowed her to see me so, I activated the contaminated fungus organ. Contaminated fungus surged upward from near the esophagus, spewing it onto the control seats of the Walkers.
The contaminated fungus that fell onto the Walkers bounced around, adhering to all six of them.
｢I'm dealing with that creature.｣
[Forget the nonsense and quickly pull out… sssss]
"...."
The control seats melted entirely, and the cameras and communication devices vanished along with them. the Griffin severed the chain around its neck with the fungus.
Seeing that, I was convinced. The creature was also a player.
"You're… a… player?"
｢Yes.｣
the Griffin answered, not taking its gaze off me. Then it soon wrinkled its face.
｢…Damn, I thought I found happiness, but now I meet a psycho girl and a mophead in succession.｣
Judging by the conversation they had before the Walkers died and her current attitude,Griffin Wolf and Muriel didn't seem to get along.
'Two players encountered already.'
It seems like there are more players in this world than I thought.
'I'll look into that later.'
For now, I need to deal withGriffin Wolf before Muriel arrives. Although it's uncertain due to its ambiguous attitude, Muriel's momentary carelessness is enough.
Feeling my hostility, the creature moved slowly to the side, lowering its body like a lion stalking its prey. With my long tail in tow, I also aimed for the creature's vulnerability.
'There's a wound on its abdomen.'
Griffin's recovery ability is known to be excellent, but it seems to be a fairly deep wound. Even now, droplets of blood were falling between its fur.
As I examined the creature, its gaze also thoroughly scanned my body.Griffin's eyes had an effect similar to my 'Insight' ability, pinpointing the weaknesses of the enemy.
'Well, it might be useless anyway.'
Looking at the gap between the creature and me, it's clear that I have a significant advantage. Moreover, the creature is still in a less recovered state from its injuries. If it were another Amorph, it might not be so uncomfortable, but since the creature knows my identity, it's going to be tricky.
As evidence of this, I can feel the creature's heart pounding, a sign of tension and fear.
"Kaio!"
After a brief 'exploration' period, the initiative was taken by the Griffin. The creature roared shortly and lunged towards me. Its front paw was directed towards where my arm was.
'It knows that the head is tough.'
Considering the strength I demonstrated when breaking the Redwood earlier, it seems that cutting the arm might be challenging, but breaking it is possible. In other words, it's better to dodge than to take a hit.
I twisted my body like a dancing cobra, avoiding the creature's front paw. As the creature's front paw hit the ground, it created a thunderous explosion, echoing like a grenade blast.
Since the attack failed, the creature's posture collapsed. Without missing the opportunity, I pulled out a bone axe from my hand and swung it towards the creature's back.
However, just as the creature failed in its attack, my intention was not fulfilled either. In the meantime, the creature flexibly twisted its body and narrowly avoided my attack.
Using the recoil from its body movement, the creature swung its hind leg towards my neck, precisely targeting the area where the monster's tentacle was.
'Oh no!'
I quickly moved backward, and the tentacle just grazed me, but considerable pain rushed through.
'Unbelievable.'
The monster's tentacle is a characteristic based on a superpower mechanism, not something you'd see in a game. No Amorph player would acquire a superpower mechanism. Yet, the creature caught on to a vulnerable spot on my body in a short moment.
While I was stepping back in amazement, the creature did not follow up with another attack.
To be precise, it couldn't. It was busy avoiding the corrosive tentacles that sprouted from my back.
The tentacles pierced through the ground and air where the creature stood, however the creature skillfully evaded them, gracefully dodging in mid-air.
However, my means of attack don't end here. The eye-shaped patterns on my head simultaneously glowed.
The watcher of night suppressedGriffin's mind.
In an instant, the creature's gaze became hazy. Although the Griffin quickly regained its composure due to its resistance to mental attacks, it was too late.
"Kuk!"
The blood-sucking tentacle shot from my hand grazed the Griffin's side. The creature tried to evade it desperately, but my combat arm did not miss.
I used the Ghost Claw while holding the creature's front paw. When my hand touched the bones and muscles inside the paw, I released the special effect.
Naturally, since my hand was larger than the creature's front paw, the paw shattered from the inside due to my hand.
"Kraaah!"
The creature couldn't endure the pain of its front paw exploding from the inside and screamed loudly.
In the meantime, my other arm gripped the creature's neck. I slammed the creature into the ground with full force. The creature, caught in my hand, was helplessly thrust into the ground.
I swung my massive tail to bring down the Griffin's body lying on the ground, aiming to finish it off.
Thunk!
The Griffin spews blood. With that blow, its waist and leg bones were all shattered.
'If it weren't for the Griffin's exceptional vitality, it would have died instantly. Sensibility wasn't bad, but the opponent was weak. The timing was off too.'
I had successfully subdued the Griffin. I grabbed the creature, which was barely breathing.
"I…will…kill…you…right…now."
Silence
"Re…veal…all…you…know."
I wasn't sure about the connection between the Griffin and Muriel, but they had collaborated. If that were true, the Griffin would likely have a lot of information about Muriel. I planned to decide whether to eat or spare the Griffin after obtaining all the information.
However, the Griffin's response was unexpected.
｢Ku, kukuk, kugh… Nothing has changed after all.｣
The Griffin laughed while covered in blood. From the recent attack, the Griffin's spine and legs were broken, but if it weren't for its remarkable vitality, it might have died on the spot.
"Sensibility was not bad, but the opponent was weak. Timing was off."
The Griffin had been present at the scene, watching the events unfold. Despite my actions, it seemed to hold no fear of death.
"Are·you·in·sane?"
"Kwak! Cooluk, kugh… Well, it's not wrong. From now on, I'm going to do crazy things, I have lost my mind."
After saying that, the Griffin stared directly into my eyes. In its pumpkin-colored eyes, a boiling emotion could be seen.
It wasn't fear of death or despair over being eaten soon, as one might expect. According to the auxiliary apparatus below its jaw, the emotion seemed to be fierce anger.
"I'll tell you everything I know. If you demand cooperation, I'll listen. If you want to treat me as a slave, go ahead. Even if you devour me, I don't mind."
"What…are…you…saying?"
"Promise me one thing. Give Muriel the greatest despair you can show. If you promise that, I'll give you everything you desire."
It seemed that the relationship betweenGriffin Wolf and Muriel was not very friendly.Griffin's hatred seemed genuine, even to my eyes.
"You…don't…have…the…right…to…negotiate…with…me."
"I know. kuhhh, this is my position. But you know, the weakness of a parasite."
The Griffin's gaze turned to my arm containing the parasitic colony.
"This…thing?"
｢Kukuku, I've struggled so much because of that that… kuhh, it might look that it has changed in reality, however it's still not perfect.｣
Griffin Wolf's insight was extraordinary. None of the opponents I had faced so far had quickly grasped my abilities. Thanks to the enhanced infection type, I could now control ten parasites.
Also, if I concentrated without moving, I could control the body of a being dominated by the parasites for ten minutes. In the game, I had often blown up clans using my symbiotic apparatus and parasitic colony.
'Though there is a vulnerability, that's a fact.'
Inducing internal conflict in the enemy is highly effective, but the interrogation function itself hasn't been significantly enhanced.
Therefore, as seen in William's case, even under severe pain, one can choose to speak the truth or entertain distracting thoughts.
'Moreover, it seems to know quite a bit about me.'
Judging by its speech, it's evident that the creature has fought against me in the game several times. However, Wolf has fought so many battles that its memories seem vague and uncertain.
'Hmm.'
As I remained silent, the creature closed its eyes as if signaling for me to proceed as I wished.
This dying Griffin Wolf is quite an intriguing being.
'What should I do?'
It would be better to contemplate more, but I don't have time.
Having made up my mind, I reached out towards the creature's head.
-x-X-x-
"..."
Muriel, seated in the commander's camp surrounded by defenses, stared at the monitor with a cold gaze. The vital sign graph, which had been turbulent until a moment ago, now showed no movement at all, forming a straight line.
What could this mean?
"Leader, there's a massive pool of blood here."
In the video sent by subordinates, puddles of blood were visible. The genetic analysis revealed that it was all the blood shed by the Sky Mother. With such a significant loss of blood and no detection of the chip's location, one could anticipate the fate of the Sky Mother.
"A troublesome situation."
The reason Muriel spared the Mother of the Sky was that a female wolf slave who shared her intentions wanted her. The Mother of the Sky was a suitable target for her colleague's discerning taste. The plan was to discipline her a bit and then send her away, but things took a turn.
"That damn Amorph!"
If that infamous Amorph consumed the Mother of the Sky and gained her abilities, it would be a headache. She also knew the low probability of Moth Park acquiring abilities. However, in this unpredictable world…
"I don't think I'll lose, but…."
Muriel opened the safe in the camp. Inside were an old communication device and a diamond-shaped kit. The most powerful weapon in her possession was the 'Brain God.'
The Brain God was merely a means to make battles more favorable. The weapons she used most effectively were the ones inside this kit. She placed the communication device in her pocket, carefully held the kit with both hands, and sat in front of the computer.
"Ah, I'll need to restock after this fight."
She sighed, handling the precious items slowly as if dealing with delicate treasures. The kit contained various drugs and small mechanical devices. Syionium, which elevated the user's potential, Ultra Controller, a drug that significantly improved the precision of psychic power technology, and Nano Spartan Module, which made the skin extremely tough while enhancing recovery, were among them.
Each item was powerful, but the side effects were not to be taken lightly. If she didn't have a 'special' body thanks to the 'benefits,' she would have hesitated to use them.
After carefully examining the items, she closed the kit and called her subordinates.
"Did you call, sister?"
"Brother, there will be an attack soon. Gather all the captured slaves in the central square."
"Slaves? Understood."
The wolf slaves were all intended to be used as reinforcement materials for spearheads.
For a moment, she thought it would be a waste to discard all the carefully collected toys, but she shook her head.
Those expendable items can be easily replaced at any time.
More importantly, there's the Sky Mother, obtained through difficulty, along with precious drugs and enhancement modules. The damage inflicted by Moth Park on her was never insignificant.
"That Amorph bastard, he should forget about dying peacefully."
Until now, Muriel had never let those who caused harm to her go unpunished. Ranked 5th, Moth Park would soon pay off his debts with his own blood.
***
'It's complete.'
Confirming that the tenth nest was autonomously mobilizing, I disconnected the link. Cute spores emitted slime and toxic mist, while the black waves on the ground relentlessly advanced. Up to this point, I had strategically placed nests around Muriel's camp, completing a total of 10 nests—five on the surface and five underground. Nine of them had already merged into one.
Within 10 minutes, the tenth nest would also merge with the others. After that, my assault on the enemy's stronghold would begin.
'But there's something to check before that.'
I headed towards the sixth nest through the pre-dug tunnels. The underground world that was once filled with soil, rocks, and tree roots no longer existed. This place was now filled with sticky slime, malignant tumors, disgusting sacs expelling vile substances, and spores constantly contaminating the air.
It might seem repulsive to others, but to me, it was a familiar space.
Passing through the elongated tunnel, my constructed underground community, the sixth nest, greeted me.
On top of the nest lay a Wolf with a half-human, half-beast appearance.
She had the head of an eagle, mane-like long hair resembling a lion's mane, and a body mixed with that of a lion and a human. Her hands and upper body resembled a woman covered in lion fur, while the lower body was that of a lion, but without a tail.
'Seems to be at a high level of beastification, resembling a beast quite closely.'
If she hadn't been seriously injured, she might have been a formidable opponent. Currently, thanks to the symbiotic spore effect, she was recovering rapidly, but it would take a few more days for a complete recovery.
I lay down in the middle of the nest and called her.
'Awake?'
｢….｣
I had known she was awake since entering the nest. It was different from when her heartbeat had stopped.
The Griffin Wolf quietly opened her eyes.
｢Surprising. You're not killing me?｣
"No."
｢Huh?｣
'Your body will be useful later.'
Not killing the Griffin Wolf didn't mean keeping her alive indefinitely. I crawled closer to her, dipped my fingers into the pooled blood on the ground, and put it into her mouth. Even if I roamed with honey instead of blood, it still tasted sweet enough to be believed.
'It's a pity I can't eat it right away.'
Keeping the Griffin Wolf alive is advantageous for me in various ways.
In the short term, she can provide useful information. Starting from essential information needed when fighting Muriel, to details about the player's existence.
One might think it's enough to extract the information needed for battling Muriel and then dispose of her, but it's not that simple.
Even if I were to capture Muriel and extract information about the player from her, without a cross-verification target, it's difficult to discern whether the extracted information is true or false.
'And Griffin Wolf harbors hatred towards Muriel.'
Griffin Wolf's skills are decent in my observation. Bringing her along to confront Muriel would bolster our forces.
Betrayal is impossible due to the implanted parasite while she's unconscious. Moreover, the intensity of pain inflicted by the parasite has increased significantly due to the infection enhancement type, so if she were to betray, it would result in immediate death.
Unless I command the parasite to retrieve her, her means of escaping from me are limited.
Besides the short-term advantages, she could also be useful in the long run.
'Because she can be used when fulfilling the conditions for promotion and evolution later on.'
Since the juncture of transition to adulthood, the evolution conditions have become much more stringent. It's not just about consuming a few sapients and acquiring a few types to evolve.
'Instead, you have to hunt specific creatures or obtain unique traits.'
I've displayed the newly updated evolution conditions.
[The Quasi-Saint > Ascendant evolution conditions have been partially fulfilled.
APEX 0/30 (Incomplete)
Possessed unique traits 2/10 (Incomplete)
Possessed types 4/6 (Incomplete)]
To evolve from junctura to adult, one must hunt 30 rare creatures classified as the top predators, or 'APEX,' and secure the 10 unique traits they possess.
One notable difference is that now, successful hunting without necessarily consuming the prey also counts toward fulfilling the conditions. This change has occurred due to acquiring traits that affect the gene essence absorption mechanism, akin to the jaw structure of a gene essence extractor.
'It doesn't mean it's particularly easier though.'
The APEX category includes immensely powerful psychic creatures like Gallergons to creatures with extremely potent powers like Skywhales and their superior species, Arcane Orcas. Each creature classified as APEX possesses formidable strength and is exceedingly rare, making even finding them a challenge in itself.
'Signing a contract with Adhai was also necessary to surpass the Quasi-Saint stage.'
Gallagons are a prime example of creatures classified as APEX. Guided by Adhai, if one were to venture into the Gallagon's Nest, fulfilling the evolution conditions wouldn't be too difficult.
'Besides that, there's also actively utilizing the transcendental system….'
Currently, I possess two unique traits, all obtained through the transcendental system.
One might think that since there's a transcendental system, there's no need to capture APEX, but there's an issue with that.
"Not knowing the effects of the traits and being restricted from using other traits."
These are the major drawbacks of the transcendental system.
The unique traits obtained through the transcendental system are entirely new traits not existing in the game. Thus, it's challenging to judge immediately whether they are beneficial or not, and the restrictions on using other traits are unknown until obtaining the trait.
'I suppose both hunting APEX and utilizing the transcendental system appropriately are necessary.'
In any case, keeping Griffin Wolf alive aligns with the context of signing a contract with Adhai.
When ascending from the mature stage to the transcendent stage, it demands conditions incomparable to those before. I don't know what will happen afterward, but at this point, there's a high possibility that her life will become necessary.
'Ha, still alive.'
She seemed vaguely aware of why I didn't kill her.
'But even if she considers me an enemy, there's no sharp move she can make.'
Currently, she is in a critical condition. Thanks to the symbiotic organisms attached to her body, she is receiving healing effects and immunity to contaminants from the nest.
Even without using parasites, if I release the symbiotic organisms, she will die. Of course, she knows me well as a player. She must understand how foolish it is to resist in this situation.
｢It doesn't matter. As long as you keep your promise.｣
'Muriel will suffer and die.'
｢Fine. I will follow you, I am the Mother of the Sky.｣
As expected, she made a wise choice by calling herself the Mother of the Sky. The griffin, Wolf, forced herself up and bowed to me.
'
｢I'll recover as quickly as possible to be of help.｣
"It doesn't matter. Use me as you need."
In truth, the reason she couldn't get up wasn't solely because of the injuries inflicted by Muriel.
'Partly because of me, but there's no need to mention that.'
When I decided not to kill her, I removed the vital signal device from the back of her head with my Ghost Claws. It was a bit challenging to remove the chip without the skill of dexterity, leading to a considerable amount of bleeding and aftermath.
'Well, she's a griffin. She'll recover quickly.'
If she were a regular wolf, she would have died the moment I removed the chip. However, she's different.
The 'Divine Transformation' stage is relatively high, allowing her to inherit the abilities and appearance of the griffin mode even in an untransformed state.
With the griffin's regenerative power and the healing effect of the symbiotic organism spores, she should recover enough to move alongside me when I confront Muriel.
But more urgently, there's something I need.
'Tell me Muriel's weaknesses.'
Until the nest is complete, I need to know as much as possible about Muriel's equipment, strengths and weaknesses, combat habits, and anything relevant.
Knowing about the Mother of the Sky and information about players will be sufficient after dealing with Muriel.
Even though it's midnight, the defense zone inside and the surrounding forest are as bright as daylight. The large lamps on the towering watchtower continue to surveil the fortress walls and beyond, with hundreds of pirates inside preparing for the enemy's attack.
The vigilant posture of the pirates, even at this late hour, is akin to that of soldiers. The reason for their unwavering focus on defense is their leader, Muriel.
She impaled each Wolf slave gathered in the square one by one with a spear, as if slaughtering animals.
The pirates of the Humanity Cartel were wary of their enraged leader, well aware of the consequences if they displeased her. Naturally, discipline was maintained.
Moreover, the fact that the communication with the pirates who went on a reconnaissance mission outside a while ago was completely cut off added an extra layer of tension to the fortress's defenders.
"Watchtower 1, all clear."
"Watchtower 2, all clear."
"Watchtower 3, sudden fog."
"Here, Watchtower 4, fog is seen just like at Watchtower 3."
"Watchtower 5, fog? It didn't rain, why is it suddenly… Oh, I see it here too."
While ominous radio transmissions echoed from the watchtowers, three pirates were moving Wolf corpses scattered in the square to the warehouse.
"Looks like the boss is really pissed."
"Ha, I hope we can get through tonight safely."
"Hey, I have a charm that wards off danger, want it?"
When they had moved about half of the corpses, a thick fog settled above the defense zone. Fog in the humid and warm jungle at night wasn't unusual, but such dense fog without rain was rare. Moreover, the fog emitted an unpleasant smell. It was the familiar scent of death that anyone active in space would recognize – the smell crows circling around rotting corpses would appreciate.
"Cough!"
"Ugh, what's this smell of decaying bodies…?"
"Wow, let's hurry and finish and leave."
The pirates, who were clearing the corpses, quickly moved to the warehouse, dumping the bodies on the ground. Dozens of Wolf corpses were piled up like a pyramid, and the warehouse floor was soaked with blood and organ fragments.
The corpses, all with open eyes, seemed to say,
"We won't forget your sins even in death."
One pirate shuddered at the eerie sight.
"Damn, it's one of the most f*cked-up scenes I've ever seen."
"Stop talking nonsense and help."
"Fine, got it. Phew!"
The pirate, who spat on the ground, helped his comrades move the corpses to another location.
"Huh?"
Had he not seen the corpses wriggling before turning his gaze away, he would have undoubtedly thought so.
"What was that just now?"
He wiped his eyes and looked back at the corpses. As if to prove that he hadn't misseen, the corpses lying on the ground were being 'absorbed' into the black soil.
He was about to alert his comrades about this bizarre phenomenon. Before he could open his mouth, long and massive hands emerged from the ground. He was dragged into the soil without even a chance to scream.
"Hey! Help… Where did he go?"
"Uh? He was just there a moment ago."
The warehouse had lights on the ceiling, so the interior wasn't too dark. It was in this well-lit space that their comrade disappeared.
"Damn it! Quit fooling around!"
"Is this the time for jokes? Come out quickly!"
Whether their comrade heard their shouts is uncertain. The pile of corpses began to collapse.
The pirates hoped it was just a prank by their comrade, but what emerged from among the corpses was not their comrade. It was a snake with six sharp appendages.
The snake bit the pirate's head at bullet-like speed. Instantly, the pirate's head vanished, and blood spurted like a fountain from the neck hole.
"Huh?"
The nearby pirate only realized the fact that his two comrades were murdered in the warehouse after getting splattered with their blood.
"Ah, ahhhh!"
He screamed and fell backward. Thanks to falling, he narrowly avoided the snake's attack that killed his comrades.
Terrified, he crawled out of the warehouse. As soon as he stepped outside, he loudly blew a horn hanging around his neck. The sound, like the cry of a raptor soaring through the sky, echoed throughout the entire fortress.
"We're under attack!"
"Where?"
"The warehouse!"
Voices of pirates shouting could be heard from various places inside the fortress, and the pirate who blew the horn somehow managed to get up and tried to flee.
Behind him, a deafening noise resounded. It was undoubtedly the sound of steel reinforcing bars and the roof of the building being destroyed.
As he ran, he saw debris from the warehouse flying into the sky. And above his fleeing figure, an object as thick and long as a redwood fell.
Thunk.
He couldn't even scream before being crushed by the massive object. Thus, he never realized until the end that the giant object was the 'tail' of some creature.
"■——-!"
The creature, using its tail, slammed down a pirate, roaring triumphantly. It was as if it declared the commencement of a 'night hunt' within the fortress.