Chapter 2366 - ESM 35

183

-x-X-x-

Jason's player group viewed the rest of existence as NPCs. Similar in nature to groups aiming for game clearance, but with one significant difference. They had little interest in leaving this world. Unlike the real world, here they were kings, mythical beings in themselves. Jason was a character who lived fairly decently in reality, but that didn't mean he was happier here. Other members felt much the same.

In that regard, they were similar to players who chose to live assimilated into the space survival world. Of course, what Jason's group desired wasn't assimilation but domination. Moreover, Jason had an exceptionally good start within the group. Thanks to becoming a noble of the cult, akin to aristocracy within a cult society, he smoothly adapted to this world.

Not only that, he boasted special privileges that synergize well with the cult. People around him supported him, and his own power exceeded the limits of the cult. Naturally, his self-awareness had to become stronger than necessary.

After understanding this world as a space survival world, he lived like a protagonist in a comic or a novel. Like collecting unique characters in a game, he made useful NPCs his own, and eliminated anything blocking his path. Occasionally, if he fancied a woman, he would use mind control techniques like 'Ultra Control'. As a result, he had more than 20 "lovers" within the empire. Slaves who couldn't even be treated as lovers were too numerous to count.

To him, this world was a playground in the game. Except for group comrades, the rest were mere toys. When toys became tiresome, he handed them over to Cloé or Jubaka to be used as their experimental materials.

Even his own kind were seen as nothing more than slaves by the tyrant, not equal beings. That was Jason's essence.

In fact, this life, which seemed to have everything, actually proved that he was a very lonely individual. But he didn't realize it.

Anyway, living without deprivation for a long time, Jason was greatly displeased with the painful reality that recently befell him. Moreover, the one who exacerbated this situation was the Amorph, whom he most abhorred.

He killed his 17th lover with his own hands, and the temple guards he had cherished and nurtured were slaughtered.

As he diligently blocked the collapsing ceiling, the figure of that bastard was changing. Gray bones and exoskeletons protruded from the black, monotonous body, and the body itself was growing rapidly.

Its name was 'Bone Beast', one of the combat abilities Amorphs enjoyed using in the game.

Having fought the Amorph several times, he knew how dangerous this ability was.

'It won't work.'

It might be too difficult to keep being dragged around by the Amorph any longer. He decided to use his 'Third Privilege'.

Four years ago, there was an event known as the Vortex Order Cleansing Operation in the cult society. It was publicly known as such, but in reality, it was a war between players.

Jason, Cloé, and Cynthia successfully hunted down a Coldblood Ranker by joining forces, and in the process, Jason gained a new privilege.

'It might be a bit early….'

Jason activated his third privilege, blocking falling rocks and ice with reflections.

Then, a golden, translucent shadow-like figure appeared behind him. The golden form had antlers protruding from its head, resembling a splendid crown. Golden energy particles swirled around its arms like a garment, while its lower body was absent, instead connected to Jason's spine.

The purple outer eye embedded in the golden head looked at the temple guards being controlled, causing something strange to happen. As the bodies of the cultists transformed into golden particles, they merged with the golden figure.

The golden figure, now having absorbed all 11 cultists, had a much clearer color than before. As Jason raised his arm, the golden figure mirrored the action. Then, with a tremendous light, their bodies shot upward.

'What was that just now?'

While his body was transforming, my auxiliary systems detected an anomaly. It was the first time I felt this type of energy since coming to this world. It resembled psychic power, but it felt much more concentrated.

The enemy player used that power to break through the collapsing passage head-on. He flew upwards through the ceiling, leaving me alone underground.

'I don't sense any movement from the other cultists.'

Before the player left, mysterious energy absorbed all the psychic powers in the vicinity. Given the absence of the cult's distinctive energy, it was easy to guess what happened to them.

'An ability to absorb energy?'

Such a creature existed, but it was not something the cult could do. Clearly, they used means unknown to me.

'I don't see any equipment I don't recognize.'

The equipment the player wore was the Predator set, obtainable as a quest reward. No other equipment was detected.

'I need to go out and see for myself.'

It's risky to fight recklessly in a situation where information about the enemy is lacking. Especially if the opponent is formidable.

Despite the playful antics, the player seemed proficient in using psychic power techniques. The privileges only available to players also seemed very powerful.

'…But I can't avoid this fight.'

He chased me all the way to this remote planet. Even if I run away, he'll somehow track me down.

'So let's deal with it here.'

Having completed my transformation, I began to pierce through the massive ice formations with my overwhelmingly enlarged arms.

Until I activated the Bone Beast, the ice formations that seemed endlessly large now felt like clumps of snow squeezed by a child's hands. Even the bones of the Ice Horror, which boasted a size enough to cover my body, now failed to give off such an overwhelming feeling.

Of course. My body length had almost reached 100 meters. Not only had the size increased, but the thickness of the exoskeleton covering my body, as well as the size of the densely covered composite scales, had also grown significantly.

In addition, my body was covered with an exoskeleton made of bone material identical to bones. A gray exoskeleton covered my black exoskeleton, protecting it.

On top of the gray exoskeleton were bone-like spikes resembling scythes, packed densely enough to look quite threatening even to me.

To summarize my current appearance briefly, it would be fair to say that I, the former Amorph, had flipped an exoskeleton armor made of animal bones onto myself.

'With that size increase…'

It was truly an appearance deserving of being called a giant monster. Although I had seen countless Bone Beasts in games, this feeling of experiencing it firsthand was definitely new.

'I'd like to examine it further, but…'

Ahead lies a battle with a formidable foe. I smashed through ice and rocks, ascending upward. Thanks to the blunt bone spikes protruding from my body, which served as picks or shovels, I could easily clear away the ice.

I ascended to the icy plain much faster than when I descended. Outside, gray Cloéuds heavily covered the sky. The snowfield where I stepped foot no longer deserved to be called an ice plain. Due to the significant depression in the middle, it had become rugged.

Rugged snow and ice piles. And beneath the dark sky, he stood.

The player with the bizarre golden figure attached to his back. He was waiting for me.

'Is that it?'

What caught my attention was not the player himself, but the strange entity attached to his back.

Composed of golden particles, it seemed ethereal like a shadow yet somehow felt three-dimensional. Thanks to Amorph's unique developed senses, I could tell that it was forming a single entity due to extreme energy concentration.

The golden figure had a form similar to the player's, but antlers protruded from the crown, tangled as if wearing a coronet.

Apart from a vivid purple outer eye on its face, there was nothing else. Around its arms, particles swirled, resembling long silk drapes.

'Seems like summoning-related tech.'

In space survival, "summoning tech" was Closer to the possession or descent of higher-dimensional beings rather than mere summoning. Coldbloods who rode the Vortex Order social faction route, or heretic cultists, could harness the power of the Vortex Order.

"If it can materialize to that extent, the cost must be enormous."

Summoning is a high-risk, high-return technology, so it's not easy to use. Although the enemy player stared at me as if about to kill me, it didn't seem like he paid an enormous price to summon that entity.

'Is it an equipment effect, or…'

Perhaps it's due to a special ability.

Either way, it seems extraordinary.

'…So he had a hidden ace up his sleeve.'

Even when I used the Spear of the Gods, he seemed confident. He probably judged that he had it under control.

'Normally, summonings that are unified with the user can't move independently.'

It's likely specialized for assisting in cult battles or summoning specialized for ranged combat. Maybe both.

But that's not the only problem.

Although attention was focused on the alien golden figure, dealing with the player wielding the Predator set was also challenging.

For example, the black armor he wore for body protection. Made of Black Gargol scales and leather, it offered considerable defense.

Although it was evaluated as one step lower than the Ice Horror's exoskeleton, just being compared to the extremely high defense of the enemy was remarkable in itself.

'I don't have the means to destroy that armor in one blow.'

Unless it's a reinforced body with the symbol of hunting or Bone Beast, the King of Monsters.

Moreover, the Predator set includes more than just armor.

The player who had been eyeing me drew a silver rod from his waist. The golden figure imitated him, also pulling something from its waist.

As he held the rod and pressed his thumb, black flames spewed out from the end of the rod. The blazing black flames gradually subsided, refined into a slender black blade.

The weapon resembling a torch is the 'Purification' part of the Predator set. It's equipment inspired by the space opera movies famous before my birth, featuring cosmic weapons.

I wish it ended there, but alas.

The golden figure's arm behind him transformed, taking a form similar to Purification.

The wielder of the weapon immediately swung the sword diagonally towards my direction. The golden figure moved in sync with the player. As the figure extended the sword, it flew towards me to strike.

'Shit!'

I quickly twisted my body to evade the attack. The sword strike in the form of golden particles brushed past the upper arm area of my combat arm and passed by. As I transformed into Bone Beast mode, the neatly layered exoskeleton covering my body was cleanly sliced. The sword strike didn't stop even after hitting me, flying backward for quite a distance.

Dodging the initial attack, I dashed towards him.

With each stomp of my combat arm on the ground, snow and ice fragments piled up flew upwards. As the 100-meter giant moved, creating a tsunami of snow and ice, it engulfed the player along with me.

'How should I counter this?'

Is it reflection, or another psychic power?

However, the cult player acted completely different from my expectations.

No, to be precise, it wasn't him but the golden figure behind him.

'Ugh?!'

Feeling a chilling sensation from the monster's tentacle at the back of my head, I immediately lowered my head forward. Then, the whip-like golden arm passed over my head.

As if falling forward, I sprayed acidic fungus towards the spot where he stood, maintaining the same posture. The green fungus flying amidst the snowstorm was blocked by the brilliant golden shield.

Beyond the swirling snow, the golden figure was seen protecting the player with sword and shield. The cult player, protected by the summoning, looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

'…Indeed.'

Fighting against him won't be easy.

-x-X-x-

When I crawled up from the depths, white pellets began to fall from the dark sky. It was the return of the quiet snowstorm. Amidst the falling snow, we eyed each other.

"Why? Am I not allowed to be dissatisfied?"

The enemy player mocked me with a relaxed expression. Despite the swirling snow, the golden figure shimmered brilliantly, steadfastly protecting its summoner.

Without reacting to his mockery, I reflected on our recent clash.

'That enigmatic particle.'

It was certainly not a psychic power. If it were, even a slight reflection would have been possible with my psychic reflection gloves.

'Furthermore, size doesn't matter.'

The size of the golden figure was barely between 5m to 6m, but it was deceptive. When it swung its arm like a sword just now, its length extended considerably.

Or rather, as it swung its arm, the arrangement of the golden particles composing it changed, transforming into a thin, elongated blade-like form.

'It looks like a blade, but it's actually under his control.'

In other words, the golden figure could freely alter its form. Such a concept of summoning creatures didn't exist in the game.

'It might be a newly acquired ability, or…'

Perhaps it was the effect of some bonus he possessed, obtained by killing someone just as I had obtained the 'Plunderer's Irregular Polyhedron' by killing Muriel.

'At least two, if not more.'

I tried to gain insight from the enemy player, hoping to glean something useful, but there was nothing concrete. Just a message indicating that there was information included that couldn't be verified, much like when I saw Muriel.

The only information I could gather was the enemy player's name.

'Jason.'

The fact that his real name didn't appear was also similar to Muriel. Even with the predator sense triggered underground, his name didn't appear correctly. Moreover, it appeared sporadically amidst heavy noise.

'Is it because the player is the opponent?"'

I didn't know why it was happening like this, but I'd have to think about that later.

Having organised my thoughts in a short time, I moved again. Blunt claws sprouted around my tail and lower body, transforming into bone-like spikes that struck fiercely at the snow and ice.

My body, spanning over 100m, surged forward like a storm. In an instant, I approached Jason, the cult player, and struck him with my combat arm.

"Hmph."

Jason countered my attack with a scoff, his golden form acting as a shield. When his shield met mine, the bone spikes attached to my arm snapped and broke.

"Useless, isn't it?"

Holding his left arm identically, Jason flicked his right arm. As the summoner moved, the golden figure attempted to attack me once again.

A golden sword sliced through my head armor. As the sword met my head, intense sparks flew.

Due to the tail end crab claws and the head armor boasting the highest defense on my body, it wasn't easily severed. Though I couldn't prevent the wounds that went several centimeters deep.

"Until when will you hold out…"

As he adjusted his posture again, I pulled out all six corrosive tendrils from my back. The tendrils, like snakes emerging from a jar, entangled the golden figure.

With the tendrils still attached, I exerted force, pulling the figure. Connected to the figure, Jason's body momentarily staggered.

Flying towards the swaying figure, I wiped my eyes covered in snow. At the end of my tail, the crab claw opened wide.

Due to the bone beast, the size of the claw was roughly 10m. If caught by claws as sturdy as those of the Ice Horror's armor, even the Dragon Slayer set wouldn't escape.

"…you thought?"

However, Jason remained calm. The moment he opened his mouth, the golden figure disintegrated into particles, slipping through my tendrils.

In the blink of an eye, the reconstituted figure swiftly formed a shield, blocking my claw. Unlike other parts, the shield-shaped left arm bore a deeper shade of gold.

'That was easy.'

And the golden figure retaliated like a fencer extending their sword. I lifted my head to evade the attack aimed at the auxiliary organ below my jaw, flying towards me.

But his attack wasn't over yet. Jason, who had been still until now, propelled himself off the ground and leaped into the air.

As the shield enveloping him disappeared, my tail brushed past under his feet, and he stepped on the air like stairs, rising up towards my chest.

Compared to me, Jason was significantly smaller, so there wasn't much to worry about, but the problem was the summoned creature clinging to his back.

A huge blade formed from the reconstituted golden figure behind him flew towards me to slice through my body.

'Oh, no!'

It was difficult to dodge in this situation. Quickly, I spread out the aerial membrane attached to my combat arms.

Originally meant for aerial use, the aerial membrane wasn't suitable for flight above ground. However, with my increased size, the aerial membranes attached to each of my six arms had also expanded. With wings spanning tens of meters each, it was impossible not to lift my body momentarily.

With the membranes spread out, I vigorously swung my arms. A strong wind swept beneath me, lifting my body upwards.

"Agh!"

Jason blinked in the flying wind. The blade that had been about to cut through my abdomen dispersed into golden particles in an instant.

"Trickster!"

With his shout, the blade that had lost its momentum instantly returned to its original form and lightly grazed my exoskeleton. In the meantime, I soared backwards, swinging my tail forward as if sweeping a broom.

I had expected him to form a shield like before, but this time, he took a different action. As Jason spread his left hand wide, a formless energy field appeared, pushing my tail back.

It was the psychokinetic power technique, 'Reflection,' which reflected the opponent's attack. Despite the tremendous recoil from the energy reflected by my tail, I utilized that recoil. My body was pushed backward by the reflected energy flow.

As I landed on the snowy ground, a gigantic spear made of golden particles flew towards me. I intercepted the persistent attack aimed at my auxiliary device with corrosive tendrils.

Due to the tendrils, the trajectory of the distorted spear deviated, turning into small pellets of light before returning to its owner's body.

"You stubborn bastard. Do you have nothing else to do besides running away?"

"…"

"Why so silent? You, the esteemed 5th rank in the rankings? Huh?"

Jason sneered at me, but I didn't respond.

There was something more important than that.

'That just now?'

In just a few minutes, I had obtained two very important pieces of information.

'He lost his form when he blinked.'

In the wind generated when I soared into the air, Jason blinked for a brief moment. During that moment, the golden figure had fragmented into particles.

Literally in the blink of an eye, but I didn't miss it.

'That form is affected by his senses.'

It seems particularly important for constructing his form visually. Perhaps if I manage to evade his sight, actions like shooting blades or throwing spears would be nullified.

'And there's a cooldown for changing his form.'

After blinking, the reconstituted golden figure tried to attack me with a blade again but failed. Right after that, my tail attempted to strike him, but he transformed it into a shield.

'Unlike before, he used Reflection to block it.'

This part is still not certain. Whether he set a trap or acted without much thought remains to be excluded.

'Let's experiment once.'

I spread out the aerial membrane widely and vigorously swept the ground. The ground in front of me cracked, and ice fragments and piled-up snow began to scatter in the air, covering my path.

And I started running in the opposite direction without a cover.

"Trying to run away from here with no cover?"

Escape? Of course not.

Due to me, the terrain of the icy plain became rugged, making it difficult to find a place to hide. Moreover, it's all covered in pure white snow unlike my jet-black body, so there's no way to conceal myself.

'But that's okay.'

From now on, my actions should appear as if I'm trying to hide my body.

"As expected, the little Amorph. Noticed it quickly."

In the snow blanketing the ground, Jason briefly licked his lips. It hadn't been long since we fought, yet he already identified the weakness of the advantage he used.

The identity of the golden figure connected to his spine is a cluster of tiny particle-like parasitic organisms. The organisms are so small, and they are closely interconnected, making the entire cluster appear as one entity.

Usually stored inside Jason's body, they emerge connected to his spine whenever he activates his advantage, forming the golden figure as it is now.

In essence, Jason is a living nest of parasitic organisms resembling golden particles, no different from a brain. Therefore, his cognitive abilities are greatly influenced by them.

What he doesn't see, the parasitic organisms cannot see, and what he doesn't know, the parasitic organisms also do not know.

"To catch that in such a short moment. Truly a madman."

Strictly speaking, it could be considered a weakness, but Jason wasn't overly concerned. He's a powerful psychic power user, positioned almost as a priest in the Cult Empire. He has plenty of means to enhance his cognitive abilities and senses.

Standing there, Jason cast psychic techniques to enhance his senses. Then, information about where I moved rapidly filled his mind: my diminishing energy, the psionic waves dissipating somewhere like thin threads. Jason didn't miss even the smallest piece of information.

"Psychic waves… Trying to call the slave?"

I already know that he considers the Mother of the Sky as a slave, having seen it through the eyes of a temple guardian.

"Come to think of it, that griffin Wolf, could it be a player?"

Considering the circumstances, it's highly likely that Wolf is a player, as per the message left by Muriel before her death.

"A player."

If it's a man, they're useless except for the advantage, so kill them right away, and if it's a woman…

"It's been a while since I had a Wolf slave."

Deciding to play around with it for a bit before killing, Jason leisurely followed the traces left by Amorph.

Though the traces left in the heavy snowfall were almost gone, it was no hindrance to him. Psychic powers don't just disappear easily even in heavy snow.

He activated psychic power techniques for defense like Reflection, then raised his arms high. The golden figure's sword attached to his back expanded to a size of tens of meters behind him.

"That should be enough, right?"

Having increased the figure's size to probably over one-third of my body, Jason swung his arms toward the snowdrift. The huge golden sword, enlarged to be visible even from the distant mountain range, descended onto the snow.

With a deafening sound, several fragments fell into the air.

Through his enhanced senses, he could feel that among those fragments were flesh pieces from my body. Looking at the fallen pieces, the destroyed area looked like one of his arms due to the gigantic finger joints rolling on the snow, easily exceeding 5 meters.

"Hmm?"

Seeing that the debris was larger than expected, Jason was taken aback. Even if its size was around 100m, its fingers weren't supposed to be that big.

"What's… that big… Wait?"

Sensing something amiss, Jason quickly rolled back and lifted himself up. At that moment, something huge emerged from beneath the snowdrift where he stood.

"Oh, Shit!

For an instant, Jason thought two small mountains had sprouted beneath his feet. Astonishingly, it was a mouth, large enough to easily surpass dozens of meters.

The jaws, which had been wide open from side to side under the snow until now, began to close to swallow him. It was like a trap set with leaves closing in, only this one was operational.

There was no time to activate the shield. Despite already casting Reflection, it was impossible to block the enormous jaws closing in from all directions.

In the end, the only way was to retreat. He kicked the air and swiftly moved backward.

Narrowly dodging the closing jaws like a trap in an ancient tomb, Jason barely escaped. However, he couldn't avoid the gigantic mouth that easily surpassed dozens of meters without a scratch. Just before escaping, one of his legs was grazed by the teeth, leaving a deep scratch.

"Argh!"

It's not just a scratch; each tooth is larger than him. Since such massive teeth passed by his leg, it's more accurate to say his leg was torn than just scratched.

"You bastard!"

Thanks to the Dragon Slayer set he wore, his wounds healed quickly, but it didn't eliminate the pain. However, Jason hadn't felt such intense pain in a long time, so he cursed vehemently.

As if in response to the curse, the owner of the mouth in front of him began to slowly rise.

"You damn Amorph… Wh-what?"

For a moment, he thought a solar eclipse had occurred on this planet, but it wasn't.

It was a shadow created by some creature, not the moon's shadow.

The owner of the shadow covering the snowy plain was a creature he knew well.

The creature he detested the most….

The monster he didn't even want to encounter in his nightmares.

The Amorph, with a size exceeding hundreds of meters, roared in front of him.

-x-X-x-

I looked down at the spot stuck in the white snowy field. Jason, who had quickly healed his calf wounds with the Black Gallagon armor effect, was looking up at me.

Compared to the 6m-sized golden form, Jason's height couldn't be easily described as small from an objective standpoint. With a height of 2m, he was quite tall even among Cult males.

'It doesn't matter in front of me.'

Whether it's 2m or 6m, it doesn't matter in front of me. Thanks to using the special state of "King of Monsters" in addition to the skeletal beast state, my body has become tremendously gigantic. The length of my body reached 300m, and the length of the lower jaw easily exceeded dozens of meters.

To exaggerate a bit, it's like a moving mountain.

'I never expected to grow this big without reaching maturity.'

Even I, who knows everything about Amorph, couldn't anticipate what Jason knew. He didn't even notice when I opened my mouth under the snow.

Of course, he attacked with the golden form, suspecting that I might be hiding. As a result, one of his combat arms was severely injured, but I was relieved.

'Originally, this attack would have been enough to blow away one-third of my body.'

The fatal attack only resulted in injuring one arm. And through his attack, I was certain of one thing: the golden form's transformation requires time.

It wasn't a long time, but it didn't matter. Even such a short cooldown during battle could act as a fatal weakness.

'What the fuck is this?! I've never heard of anything like this!'

Jason, who was relaxed just moments ago, didn't seem so now. He appeared to lose his composure at the sight of me, which had grown even larger than imagined.

'In fact, my situation isn't that great either.'

Maintaining the King of Monsters requires a tremendous amount of energy. Even now, the energy inside my body is being depleted at a tremendous speed.

'If I hadn't devoured the Ice Horror, it would have been over soon.'

Thanks to consuming large amounts of meat rich in energy, I have stored a considerable amount of energy.

As long as I don't use the energy-consuming properties like the divine sceptre, the King of Monsters can be maintained for about 10 minutes.

I swung one of my combat arms toward the space where Jason stood. As the combat arm, about the size of a small park, fell, he hastily raised both arms.

When my hand collided with the ice, a tremendous gust of wind occurred, sweeping away the snow. Beyond the swirling snowstorm, his figure was no longer visible.

'Where did he go?'

"…That damn Amorph!"

As if answering my question, his voice was heard from afar. Then, the golden sword he created flew towards my auxiliary organ.

I raised another combat arm to shield the auxiliary organ. The sword he created struck my forearm.

However, my arm itself was so large that it only covered the forearm with the golden arm guard created by the golden form. Realizing that the attack was shallow, he spat out a curse.

"Damn it!"

Currently, Jason was wearing a headband that I hadn't seen before. It was a halo-shaped headband with a violet glow. It's called the "Harmonizer," obtained as a level 9 quest reward.

'For now, let's start with this.'

Extra lives that can be obtained through the harmonizer total five. Since it has been used once, there are four left for future use.

I reached out with combat arms to grab him. Moving to catch him as my arms swept away the snow piled on the ground. Just before my hands could grab him, he raised his left hand.

Then my hand moved on its own, regardless of my will. It must have been a combination of gravity control and reflection that pushed my arms away.

As Jason blocked my attacks, the golden figure surrounding him changed once again.

Particles forming the figure disintegrated, transforming into beams of light carrying his body aloft.

'So, he escaped underground with that.'

I deployed erosion tendrils to seize the one trying to slip away.

The six erosion tendrils are normally kept in a dormant form within empty compartments inside my armor. When needed, they swiftly emerge through thin membranes covering six holes.

These erosion tendrils boast the longest reach among the parts of my body, without any special effects. With my body having grown over ten times its original size, naturally, the erosion tendrils have also increased to an unbelievable size.

Amidst the raging snowstorm, the six erosion tendrils stretch out like dragons ascending along the golden beams of light.

Although the golden beams of light dodged like acrobats, how long could they avoid the tendrils closing in from all sides?

Perhaps sharing the same thought, Jason tossed a "Purification" into the air. A silver rod with a black flame motif spun like a windmill, attacking my tendrils.

Purification is a weapon inspired by a famous sword from classic space operas. Like its original, Purification boasts formidable attack power, capable of easily slicing through my tendrils, controlled by Jason. However, if there's an issue…

'The tendrils are big, so the impact isn't much.'

Even though each erosion tendril surpasses Jason's height in thickness alone, tirelessly attacking with Purification, causing fatal wounds isn't easy.

The enemy's attacks now feel like ants wielding tweezers against a human. Unless they pierce a vital spot with those tweezers, ants won't easily kill a human.

Even if the wounds are deep, I possess the "regeneration" trait. Unless the tendrils are completely severed, such wounds quickly heal.

'Of course, it's not without significant energy consumption.'

With each deep penetration of the erosion tendrils, the time maintaining the form of the King of Monsters diminishes, yet I show no sign of retreat.

My task is simple.

To overwhelm him with immense size.

In other words, the violence of scale. That's the weapon I've prepared.

Cackle!

Judging that attacking with Purification is futile, Jason withdrew his sword. The beams of light surrounding him returned to the golden figure hanging on his back.

As he hovered in the air with gravity control, the golden figure's attack commenced as he swung his arms.

The shining golden sword struck one of the erosion tendrils. It succeeded in cutting more than half, but couldn't sever it completely.

Though the pain was excruciating enough to numb, I showed no sign of it. Instead, taking advantage of the figure's immobilization, I aimed other tendrils at Jason's main body.

As tendrils rushed towards him, he hastily extended his left hand. Reflection activated, bouncing the tendrils away.

However, fending off the tendrils attacking from six directions, each reaching hundreds of meters, is by no means an easy task, even for someone as skilled as him, a Ranker.

"Ugh!"

The sharp appendage of the erosion tendril grazed the man's leg. It was a region torn and then healed by my teeth.

"This bastard!"

As I kept attacking the same spot, Jason yelled out in frustration. Along with him, a gigantic purple whip sprang from his left hand, deflecting my tendrils.

While he dealt with the tendrils, expressing his anger, I swiftly approached him. With a stride spanning over hundreds of meters, the ice beneath cracked and shattered.

As I moved, my mouth widened amidst the rising mist. Lower jaw split in two, revealing rows of teeth packed within.

'Swallow him whole.'

If others had seen me, they would have shivered at my grotesque appearance, akin to a maw of abyss. Upon the massive jaws closing in on him, Jason cursed briefly.

"Shit!"

In response to his curse, the golden figure transformed into beams of light once again. Jason narrowly escaped from my mouth. He let out a new curse as the jaws slammed shut with a loud clang.

"This insane bastard!"

As soon as I heard his scream, an intangible force struck my neck and head. Gravity control, confinement, and several Psychic powers beyond that gripped my head and neck.

"Ugh!"

It's an immense force. Regardless of skill, the output of supernatural abilities from the opponent exceeds that of Number 26.

Even though the Psychic reflection gloves should be deflecting, he was using reflection to bounce back the damage onto me.

"Die… Ugh?!"

As he screamed, attempting to twist my neck, suddenly his body froze like a broken puppet. Unseen threads now ensnared his body.

There's no need to say who the owner of those invisible threads, formed from highly compressed energy, is.

｢Damn you! What do you think you're doing to my baby!｣

Beyond the raging snowstorm, a creature with a purplish-pink hue emerges.

A being notorious in the game as a formidable foe, thought to be impossible to befriend.

And the first friend I made since coming to this world.

It was the sea Demon Number 26.

While Number 26 exerted all his strength to restrain him, a dragon soared behind the man.

｢Me｣ ｢Cold｣ ｢Patience｣

A vivid green wingspan and a long, chubby tail adorned the impressive figure, a small Griffin, Adhai. A centaur, resembling an eagle-headed lion, rode atop his back.

"You damn bastard, did you think you could escape?"

The griffon, now in sky sentinel mode, growls, emitting a sense of calm. Having coordinated their moves several times before, they were prepared for this joint attack.

With lightning speed, the Griffin wolf approached. Jason's eyes widened as he saw them.

"This damn…!"

Purple flames ignited in his eyes. As his body emanated purple energy, it transformed into numerous thorn-like shapes.

There's an effect called "Morta," a high-level psychic power, that nullifies the effects of other psychic attacks.

'Huh? It's released!'

As the unseen threads were touched by the sharp thorns, Number 26's restraints were immediately released.

Freed from restraint, Jason quickly twisted his waist to the side. This was because The Mother of the Sky, already close enough to reach out, thrust her golden spear towards him.

'Tch!'

The spear narrowly missed slicing through the man's armor. As the abdominal armor broke, shards of black Griffin scales scattered into the air.

"How dare you…!"

Enraged, Jason roared and swung his arm towards The Mother of the Sky. The golden figure synchronized with him also transformed its arm into a sword shape and swung wildly.

Adhai, riding The Mother of the Sky, performed amazing acrobatics, avoiding the man's attacks. While Jason blocked my erosion tendrils with reflection, he kept an eye on Adhai's movements.

"You arrogant bastard!"

"Danger!" "Danger!"

As Jason reached out his hand, Adhai froze in mid-air as if suspended. She, too, had used restraints like Number 26.

Seizing the opportunity, the golden figure descended with its sword aimed to split Adhai and The Mother of the Sky in two.

'You think you can leave me alone like that.'

I swung my combat arms with all my might towards Jason's direction.

The combination of size, weight, and power created something truly formidable. A powerful gust of wind struck Jason forcefully.

"Ugh?!"

Whether he couldn't even reflect the wind with reflection, he had no choice but to endure the natural phenomenon I created.

As the air rushed out and snowflakes stung his face, he closed his eyes. Just as the golden figure was about to strike Adhai, it burst into particle form.

｢Don't hit the little ones and the middle one!｣

Number 26's Psychic power flowed into Adhai. The clash between the two mighty Psychic users weakened the restraints on Adhai.

｢Thank you!｣

Freed from restraint, Adhai turned her wings once before swiftly flying behind me at lightning speed.

"You damn manipulator! What trick did you pull to control the Sea Demon and the Griffin!"

Seeing him open his eyes and witnessing the scene, Jason was furious. It seemed more shocking to him that I moved in coordination with other monsters than being affected by the combined attack.

"Manipulator."

He probably thinks I'm controlling them as parasites, but that's impossible. Parasites can't control multiple beings so intricately.

And my allies aren't just three.

'There's still one more left.'

Amidst the relentless snowfall, the ice-covered ground isn't solely occupied by Number 26. Hidden beneath the snow, the special friend he brought is waiting in anticipation.

"Now!"

Responding to my signal, the Screamer, or rather PS-111, sprang out, scattering snow.

PS-111, a monstrous creature with the head of a human woman on four pairs of legs. Other than being a fusion of machinery and flesh, a new appendage had sprouted from its posterior.

It was a tail. Similar to a scorpion's tail, it branched upwards from the body, with something other than a stinger attached to its tip.

The pointed object resembled the head of a demolition bolt.

'Success.'

I secretly issued a command to absorb the Demolisher while I engaged Jason's subordinates in combat.

The creature, having absorbed the Demolisher and crafted a new weapon, activated its prepared arsenal.

A navy-blue energy projectile soared, evaporating falling snow. Its target: beneath Jason's feet.

"!"

Realizing too late, he twisted his body to evade. But once again, his paralyzed thigh became a problem.

The Demolisher's power, capable of disintegrating everything, engulfed his lower left leg.

"Ah, ah, ahhhh!"

With his left foot cleanly severed, Jason screamed in agony. Seizing the moment of his panic, I struck him with my combat arm to inflict as much damage as possible.

Though there was sensation at my fingertips, I couldn't see the man getting hit and thrown away.

After a while, a purple light flashed from far away, and Jason's body reconstituted itself. While his lost ankle returned to normal, he seemed unable to forget the pain he just felt.

"I-I'll kill you all!"

With a scream, a purple line shot out from above his head, flying towards the sky. I knew what that sight meant.

'Brainwave!'

Like Muriel, he also brought a Brainwave.

'If he uses it here, he'll get caught too.'

Even with the Coordinator's effect, it was impossible to completely avoid the Brainwave's range, which was very wide. Jason, being a cult ranker, would know this fact better than anyone else here.

'Whether he believes in something or…'

He lost his sanity due to anger.

Whatever it was, it seemed he judged that he could kill me with Brainwave.

In a game, his judgment would be correct, but not here. Even if struck directly by Brainwave, I, using the King of Monsters and Bone Beast, wouldn't die.

'But the kids won't.'

[ZZZZ ZZZ (Everyone gather)]

I stretched out my combat arm to pick up Number 26 and PS-111. With everyone tucked under my small arms around my chest, I began to retreat when Jason lunged at me.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Dozens of Psychic techniques he unleashed clung to my lower body.

"You damn manipulator! You're dying here!"

Jason's face contorted like a demon. The golden figure's blade, which had been behind him, flew onto my carapace.

***

"…That bastard is indeed unbelievably strong."

Jason cursed inwardly.

He knew well of the devilish prowess for which the notorious Amorph was famous. But he hadn't expected him to fight this well in reality.

Among the rankers he had killed, there was none as annoying as Amorph.

"Damn it. Should've just waited for the Gallagon."

Even if one were to compare him to a Cold Blooded Ranker, Amorph was not to be underestimated. But at that time, Jason had allies. Thanks to Cloe and Cynthia, victory had been easily achieved.

In fact, if Black Gallagon had been present in this fight, Amorph would have already been dead.

"Tch, didn't expect him to have allies."

Among his group, even Akira, who knew Amorph the best, could assert that he wouldn't be walking alone. Jason himself had fought Amorph several times, so he knew what kind of person he was.

In the game, he was thoroughly a loner. He didn't cooperate with anyone, let alone communicate with anyone.

To him, every existence was an enemy, like Amorph, who desired to prey on all life.

To the point where there might have been discussions in the community about whether he was an AI created by the developers.

Therefore, Jason was shocked to learn that Amorph was leading NPCs. It was unclear whether they were slaves dominated by parasites or if it was some special effect of his.

"If this attack doesn't finish, we'll have to retreat."

A very shameful conclusion, but it couldn't be helped. Today, satisfaction would have to come from obtaining information about him.

"Die! Die!"

Despite his cold inner self, he screamed in rage outwardly, appearing consumed by anger. His furious outburst was a facade.

It was inevitable to hold onto the massively enlarged target.

"Anyway, I can escape."

His third special ability obtained from capturing a Metallic Gremlin Ranker would easily allow him to escape from this situation.

As the battle between the monsters and Jason continued, Brainwave completed all preparations.

"Kill!"

"Die!"

As Jason's outer and inner selves merged into one shout, a yellow flame fell from the sky.

A transcendent power generated by the orbital weapon named Brainwave.

Amorph, standing defiantly before this divine flame, raised its banner. Just like a demon mimicking divine authority, a yellow flame spewed from its mouth.

As the powers of the two Brainwaves merged, the sky trembled. Psychics manifested in the form of snow, ice, and thunder. The dance of the Brainwaves, created by material and power, was truly majestic.

Jason, who had anticipated this, was awe-struck by the spectacle, even momentarily losing his composure. But he quickly regained his senses.

'Weak as expected!'

Compared to the attack he had unleashed when fighting the Imperial Battleship, the current attack from Amorph was significantly weaker. It seemed as if there was a lack of energy output.

"Yeah. It must be difficult to use both Double Enlargement and Brainwave's power. Both at once would be challenging."

When Amorph was enlarged to mountain size, Jason thought. If he continued to grow successively like that, the energy consumption from his body would be severe.

His prediction was correct. It was evident that gold was appearing on Amorph's gloves as he poured out the power of Brainwave.

As a result of Double Enlargement, Amorph's gloves became terrifyingly thick, but even that had now reached its limit.

"Now's the chance!"

As Jason focused, the golden figure began to shrink. Instead, the blade part of Amorph's weapon only grew larger.

Moments later, the golden figure disappeared, leaving only a massive mass of light covering Jason's body.

Jason, who had been using the golden figure solely for evasion until now, changed it into a beam of light and reset his target.

Using it solely for evasion was a kind of deception. The beam of light from the golden figure was one of his most powerful attack weapons.

"It's like turning my body into a bullet."

Amorph's armor began to shatter, and its size started to decrease. The lightning bolt fired by Brainwave was also rapidly losing its power.

"Just a little more… now!"

The moment the light from Brainwave went out, Jason commanded the golden figure.

To fly forward and shatter Amorph's head.

The next moment, he found himself not on the snowy ground anymore. The black blood that covered the entire golden figure was absorbed by particles in an instant.

He turned his head to look behind.

There stood a gigantic monster with a large hole in its neck. Even so, it was the neck that was pierced because Amorph had evaded his attack.

Of course, even so, the wound inflicted on Amorph was fatal.

Like a cut thread, the monster's body slowly collapsed.

-x-X-x-

The activation conditions for the Revenant Mechanism are as follows:

One must suffer a lethal attack to the point of near death. By "lethal attack," it excludes self-inflicted harm. It only triggers when attacked by someone or something other than oneself.

Moreover, once injuries are healed, the Revenant Mechanism automatically enters a dormant state. As the name implies, it can only be used when one is effectively dead or in a similar state.

Meeting these stringent conditions and successfully activating the Revenant Mechanism can yield truly remarkable effects. When activated, all cooldowns for possessed traits are reset, and during the duration, all traits can be used without restriction.

Among the traits that Amorph can acquire, those with limitations or cooldowns are typically of unique or fused nature. Even in my case, traits like "Symbol of Hunt" "Horizon of Nightmare," and "Organic Evolution" all have cooldowns.

The reason why such powerful traits have become outliers is twofold. Firstly, to effectively utilize the Revenant Mechanism, one must possess numerous unique traits. However, these unique traits are lost upon the character's death. Deliberately using these traits risks losing them altogether.

The second reason lies in the fact that enemies are aware of the existence of the Revenant Mechanism. If enemies regulate their attacks to prevent its utilization, it becomes a mere ornament. From the stringent conditions to the risks of failure and the emphasis on passive play, everything adds to the challenge.

No matter how remarkable it may seem, the traits themselves have significant flaws, leading most players to not rely on them as their primary strategy. They are either used as insurance or to deceive enemies into believing one possesses the traits.

Of course, just as there are all kinds of people in the world, there are those who actively seek to exploit the Revenant Mechanism. If one can perfectly control their health and accurately anticipate enemy strategies and attacks, they can become true "Returned Ones," masters of the Revenant Mechanism.

And I was one of those who fulfilled those conditions.

Blood flowed from my neck. The injury inflicted by Jason, shrouded in a golden form, piercing through. If this were a game, I'd have very few health points left by now.

This isn't a game, but I could feel it. The blood coursing through my body was rapidly cooling. My heart rate was dropping, and my brain, flooded with endorphins from extreme pain, was not functioning properly.

Since coming to this world, I've never been so close to death.

'Everything is going as expected.'

I had anticipated that once Jason pulled out his weapon, he would engage in a joint attack. It made sense, despite his feigned madness, he acted rationally, apart from his reckless charge towards me.

Of course, I didn't anticipate him using the light beam-transforming technology for an offensive purpose. I had expected a different Psychic power technique.

Still, I could reasonably guess where he would aim.

'This is reality, so I'll proceed as safely as possible.'

If Amorph's brain is destroyed, apart from passive traits, they won't be able to use general traits. So, from his perspective, creating a situation where he could safely kill me, even if not in a single blow, would be advantageous.

'Or perhaps, he's considering fleeing.'

The once cold blood begins to grow warmer, ever so slightly. A small flame ignites in my dying heart. The pain from the hole-ridden neck persists, yet my body is undergoing significant changes from just moments ago. With each throb of Amorph's heart, a special fluid is emitted from the apparatus beside it. Like oil spreading fire, the liquid seeps through my veins, permeating every corner of my body.

As changes occur within me, the situation outside is rapidly evolving. My colleagues, realizing I'm not dead, have begun to fight against Jason and Amorph, trying to stop them.

"Insane! You're not dead yet?"

Seeing Amorph collapsed on the ground, Jason trembled. With the release of his enlargement, the thick carapace that had covered Amorph was shattered, making him look as if he had been suffocated at first glance. But if Amorph had truly died, Jason should have gained the advantages he possessed. If not, there's only one answer: Amorph isn't dead.

"…Should I run?"

Amorph always strikes unexpectedly. It's highly probable that even now, he's scheming something.

"And if not?"

In a game, it's one thing, but can Amorph be considered to have deliberately endangered his own life in reality? If he's truly in danger and just decides to run away, there couldn't be anything more foolish.

Jason pondered. The desire to strike Amorph down with "Purification" and "Condemnation" immediately coexisted with the thought of fleeing.

"No. There's no need for unnecessary risks."

He gained valuable information from fighting Amorph. With other colleagues, they could surely capture him.

With this decision in mind, he attempted to activate the "Third Advantage."

"Huh?"

At that moment, his body, engulfed by blue particles, froze. Some unknown force had blocked him.

"You! Where do you think you're going after injuring my big guy like that!"

A wave of intense emotion pierced his mind. When he turned his head, he saw a Sea Demon.

Similar to Amorph, but closer to black with shades of purple, its grotesque body was covered in sinister eyes.

As hundreds of eyes watched him, a vast darkness engulfed him.

"The Abyssal Terror!"

Jason quickly used a Psychic power technique to defend against the mental assault. The world plunged into darkness for a brief moment before returning to normal.

If it had been a regular Sea Demon, it wouldn't have been so easily dispelled. But that Sea Demon seems weaker.

"Is there… a malfunction? Urgh?!"

As the light returned, a green light flew towards him. Unable to properly detect it due to the Abyssal Terror, he took the full force of the green creature's charge.

｢Big guy!｣ ｢Injury!｣ ｢Forgiveness!｣ ｢Impossible!｣

"Damn it!"

Upon striking him, Jason cursed at the flying green Gallagon.

"So they've gathered similar beings together."

A half-breed Sea Demon, a handicapped green Gallagon. As befitting of Amorph's companions with shitty personalities, they were a bunch of morons.

"Rip those wings off."

As Jason reached out, his golden form transformed his arm into a whip, lashing out at the flying green Gallagon. Just as his attack was about to land, a navy blue energy blast struck his whip. The area hit by the energy blast disappeared as if it had never existed.

"What's this?"

[Enemy. Eliminated.]

Above the broken carapace of Amorph, a sinister creature raised its tail towards the sky.

"Why is that here… no, more importantly, why is it obeying Amorph's command?"

Though their appearances were quite different, seeing the mixture of machinery and biology, Jason was certain it was the Mutant Screamer Cloé was developing.

"Could its memories have been restored? No, that couldn't possibly be the case, but…"

Jason knew what materials the Mutant Screamer was made from. Given the extensive genetic mixing in that abomination, there was surely a connection.

But Jason's contemplation couldn't continue any longer. A creature with golden fur rushed at him.

A Griffin with white hair and golden fur sliced through his abdomen as it passed by.

"What the—?!"

Sudden pain in his abdomen startled Jason. It was a blow from armor made of Black Gallagon scales.

The entity that left a wound in Jason's abdomen was holding a golden spear in its beak.

"The Divine Sceptre!"

He knew that Muriel intended to retrieve the Wolf slaves and incidentally obtain that weapon. Seeing the Griffin wielding the weapon, it was easy to guess who the opponent was.

"Do you remember me? You had Muriel kill my family."

"Damn Wolf bastard…"

While the armor of the Black Gallagon quickly healed his wounds, the fact that he had been attacked unexpectedly remained.

Irritated, he extended his left hand towards the Griffin Wolf. As Gravity Control expanded, immense gravity filled the wide area.

"Ugh!"

The ground froze, and the Griffin's movements slowed dramatically. Adding "Restraint" on top of that, the creature couldn't move at all. In that state, as his golden form was about to slice through with a sword, interference came again.

｢You! Don't harass the little one in the middle!｣

"Tch."

Transparent threads wrapped around his body. Jason used "Morta," nullifying the enemy's Psychic power technique and releasing the Sea Demon's restraint.

'Don't act all annoyed.'

As if annoyed, he flicked his hand, and his golden form struck the Sea Demon with a sword. As several tentacles were severed in one blow, the creature's body turned pale.

｢Go away, from the little one.｣

"You bastard!"

Upon seeing that, the Green Gallagon swooped down, but Jason deflected him with Reflection, sending the creature bouncing off an invisible barrier, its wings mangled.

As he moved to finish off the groaning creature crashing to the ground, suddenly, the approaching Mutant Screamer opened its mouth and bit down on his arm.

"No use… ugh?!"

He thought he'd be protected by his armor, but it was a misconception. In an instant, as his strength was sucked away, Jason almost collapsed.

"Damn Fuckingreaver!"

Realizing the enemy had absorbed the Blood Reaver, Jason immediately swung Purge in his right hand. The black-flamed sword struck the Mutant Screamer's leg.

[Krik, mobility impaired.]

"Damn it, impairments or not, I'll kill you!"

Enraged, Jason swung Purge vigorously. With each flash of the black blade, the Mutant Screamer's legs were gruesomely severed.

In no time, the creature lost most of its legs and slumped down. Jason, in a nerve-wracked attitude, ruthlessly assaulted the creature's body.

"Pah. Pitiful."

He spat at the fallen Screamer and retrieved Purge.

Having quickly dealt with Amorph's lackeys, he approached the Griffin, which was now unable to move. The Griffin, with its beak holding a spear, glared at him.

"That spear is too much for you."

As he extended his hand to activate Psychic power, the spear trembled. Despite the Griffin's efforts to hold onto it, it was futile.

"Ugh!"

The smooth golden beak twisted, then broke. He picked up the broken pieces of the spear that had fallen to the ground.

"That's that. Oh, come to think of it, if she's a player, he must have a reward, right?"

Considering whether to take the Griffin as well, he suddenly heard laughter. The Griffin, with its broken beak, was mocking him.

"Are you crazy?"

"Ke, keke, kekeke, you little shit."

"It's already tricky if you go mad. I have a lot I want to do."

"Kekeke, can you really do that?"

"That's what I'm saying. Even while being tortured… Keuk!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Jason spewed blood. Along with the blood, a pain he had never experienced before engulfed him.

Looking down, he saw a massive bone protruding from his chest.

"What…?"

Slowly turning his head, he saw the owner of the bone blade standing there.

"You, you bastard…!"

A presence stabbed him with a bone-blade protruding from his back.

It was Amorph, transformed into a new form.

-x-X-x-

"Kuk!"

With the bone blade attached to the arms on my back, I attempted to tear Jason apart. However, the 'Harmonizer' effect was triggered, rendering my attack futile. The golden spear of the priest he was holding plunged deeply into my eyes. The enemy had already anticipated using the Harmonizer. Blades of bones surrounding the auxiliary organs briskly flickered. Having predicted Jason's direction, I dashed towards him without hesitation.

"Revenant Mechanism… Kuk!"

Jason, reconstructed from dozens of meters away, shouted before quickly noticing my approaching figure. The golden figure on his back hastily attempted to transform his arm into a blade.

'As expected, the Harmonizer isn't quite compatible.'

From what I've observed so far, after teleportation, he's always fixed in a form resembling a human. This means that each time he teleports, the weaknesses of his golden form are fully exposed. There's a certain delay when the form changes.

Before the golden figure could transform its arm into a blade, my combat-ready arm slashed at him.

"Agh!"

The one whose face was scratched by my nails screamed. Blood gushed from the eye split in half by my nails.

As he screamed, the one clinging to the purification swung his reflection into action. However, I had already moved back. His attack sliced through the air in vain.

"You rat! I'll finish you with one blow!"

New eyes sprouted on his forehead, pouring blood from both eyes. The name of those eyes is 'Third Eye,' a technique that grants effects similar to the auxiliary organs I possess to the user.

It's a good detection technique for detecting invisible enemies or movements, but there's one thing he doesn't know.

[The fur of unknown creatures: This is a benefit provided by the 'Clever Weakling' trait. It provides the user with a hiding effect that allows them to evade detection equipment, traits, and techniques by sensing the subtle vibrations of the fur.]

While the kids held him down, I prepared both the Clever Weakling and the Symbol of Hunting simultaneously.

As the King of Monsters effect faded away, the discarded carapace became a cover, and I was reborn as a small monster of about 5 meters. With my four combat arms moving downwards to form my lower body, my physique resembled that of a centaur rather than a snake. Among the armor and scales covering my body, dense fur with powerful protective effects had grown. But that's not all. Many deadly weapons are also attached to my body. Between the fur covering my back, two arms with bone scythes attached are newly attached, and below my jaw, a secondary organ covered in blade bones awaits activation.

As a Clever Weakling who uses agility as a weapon and a Symbol of Hunting that greatly enhances combat power, these are the last cards I've prepared to adorn the climax of this battle.

Originally, since I had already used the King of Monsters, it should have been impossible to transform into a Clever Weakling. 'Organic Evolution' has a cooldown of one month each time it's used. But the Revenant Mechanism nullifies this restriction.

While the small organ attached to my heart is active, I can use all the traits I have without restriction. Why did I choose to shrink instead of growing larger? There are two reasons. Firstly, I don't have much energy left. Even if I were to use something like the King of Monsters, it wouldn't last long. And growing larger would undoubtedly make it difficult to avoid the enemy's attacks. Even now, blood continues to flow from my neck, soaking my fur. Taking any more damage wouldn't be ideal.

'Instead, let's end this quickly.'

As long as I have this thick fur covering my body, there's no way he can detect me. Not until he sees me with his own eyes, that is. Transformed into a Clever Weakling resembling a centaur, I dashed over the ground with my four legs.

The one who located me by sound unleashed psychic power techniques like Pain Spear at me. I narrowly avoided his attacks and approached again.

Even though his vision hadn't fully recovered, he anticipated my attack and immediately cast Reflection. As my arm halted in mid-air due to the intangible energy field, he smirked with satisfaction.

'Amusing.'

Perhaps it was because his vision hadn't fully returned yet. If he were directly looking at me, he couldn't have smiled like that. Because five humanoid faces attached to my headpiece were glaring at him with bloody tears.

"?!"

The humanoid faces under my control chorused together. The devilish melody tore through his mental defenses, rendering his movements powerless.

While his body was stiffened, my bone blade attached to my jaw swiftly moved. The paralysis inflicted by the humanoid faces varies depending on how strong the opponent is. Jason's paralysis was quickly dispelled.

He barely managed to evade the blade, twisting his neck to avoid getting his throat slashed. Instead of severing his neck, my blade deeply pierced his collarbone.

"Agh!"

While it wasn't as fatal as the throat, the collarbone is still a vulnerable spot. Having it shattered would be excruciatingly painful.

As I twisted the bone blade to finish him off, I felt nothing at the tip of the blade.

Unable to endure the pain, he used the Harmonizer to escape.

'This is the fourth time.'

Now, there's only one use left for the Harmonizer. When Jason reappeared from dozens of meters away, his body was unscathed.

While he glared at me, the emotion within his eyes wasn't anger.

Fear.

He's afraid of me.

"…Tsk."

Instead of attacking me, he enveloped himself in a golden figure. Although it resembled the beams of light he used to move or attack, there was one difference.

'A blue light?'

As he attempted to soar into the sky with a mixture of gold and blue, a drill made of rock and ice suddenly struck him.

'Not going anywhere!'

"This damn demon bastard…!"

It was 26's Demon Crush technique that attacked Jason, causing about a third of his body to be shattered. This attack seemed to have caused considerable damage as the golden aura surrounding Jason wavered. The beam-shaped figure returned to a humanoid form and transformed both arms into shields.

Meanwhile, blue particles continued to spread throughout his body, expanding their range from his feet and hands to now covering his arms and legs.

'That appearance… I feel like I've seen it somewhere.'

Regardless, it seemed evident that he was preparing his ultimate move. Considering he focused solely on defense with the golden figure and didn't use Reflection or any other technique.

"A suitable opening to penetrate his defense… Ah."

In my battered state, I dashed towards the PS-111 lying on the ground.

"Are you okay?"

[The damage is severe. Damage rate is at 92%.]

As expected, its body was in a dreadful state. Its legs were severed, and even its facial skin was peeled off, revealing the muscles underneath.

"…I'm sorry, but I need to ask for your help."

[No need to apologize. In fact, I'm asking for your assistance. Please help me to maintain the main controller.]

I nodded and looked at its tail.

"Can you shoot?"

[If there's energy supply, it's possible.]

At his words, I immediately thrust my arm into the creature's mouth. Understanding my intention, it promptly bit down on my arm without hesitation. In an instant, I felt a draining sensation throughout my body. As my condition worsened, blood poured again from the wound on my neck. If this were a game, my health would probably be at around 5% by now. Nevertheless, I remained steadfast.

'Mistake here could mean death. No, death might be preferable. If I'm captured by Jason, who knows what might happen.'

[We have secured enough energy to use Demolisher against the hostile life form.]

I wasn't the only one thinking this way. Everyone here shares one goal: survival. The PS-111, now replenished with energy, aimed its tail towards Jason. Seeing his body already tinged with blue up to his torso as he shielded himself, I dashed towards him, leaving the PS-111 behind.

The distance between us was no more than 50 meters. Amidst the four legs pounding the ground, my auxiliary system detected another movement. Something was descending rapidly from the high sky. The entity descending like a lightning bolt in a straight line was none other than Adhai. Despite the pain of her broken wings, she paid no heed.

We were all exerting our utmost in this fight. Jason attempted to adjust the shield's angle upon sensing Adhai's approach. At that moment, his attention was diverted elsewhere.

The PS-111's Demolisher disintegration energy blast was launched from its tail. The blue energy mass flew unhindered, destroying Jason's golden shield. With the blue light reaching up to his shoulders, Jason's face showed surprise at the attack, but he didn't seem greatly shaken. Instead, a faint smile graced his lips. Seeing that, I could guess what he was thinking. He probably thought it was all over, regardless of what we did.

"Nonsense. It's not over until I say it's over."

Before his broken shield could regenerate, Adhai collided with Jason's golden figure. Due to the acceleration, both Jason and the golden figure shook violently.

｢You.｣ ｢Reap what you sow.｣ ｢Deserve.｣

Despite the shock, Adhai's wings and forelegs were completely shattered. Surprisingly, however, her attack wasn't over yet. On his back, the Mother of the Sky was perched. Despite her broken beak, she vigorously thrust the golden spear held in both hands. Jason, with only his neck remaining exposed, hastily turned his head. The spear shattered one of his antlers, causing wounds to his forehead and ear.

Relief flickered in his eyes. But that was his final mistake.

With me now within arm's reach, my arm on my back moved. Through the remaining gap among the regenerating golden particles, the bone scythe attached to my arm tip pierced precisely. The sharpest weapon of Amorph accurately severed the target.

As the bone scythe tip sensed the desired result, the golden figure in front of me disappeared along with Jason's body. Just after he vanished, the auxiliary system picked up one small sound. It was the sound when something falls on the eye.

More specifically, it sounded similar to the sound when something the size of a human head falls.

I picked up what had fallen on the ground.

'Success.'

The warm liquid on my hand, with its familiar and fragrant scent—it was Jason's head.

His expression remained as if he had an almost imperceptible smile, from beginning to end. He died because he was complacent.

'Foolish.'

Without hesitation, I put the loot left by the foolish enemy into my mouth.

'Ah.'

The moment I put Jason's head into my mouth, I realized I had made a grave mistake. The crimson fluid of life flowing into my mouth was astonishingly addictive. It was enough to make me forget the pain of the hole in my throat.

Jason's blood was akin to maple syrup but far more flavorful. His flesh would undoubtedly be as enticing as I could imagine.

If there's a problem, it's that all I have now is the bastard's head. The torso beneath the neck has vanished into the blue.

'I guess I should consider it lucky to have salvaged the head.'

Thanks to the jaw effect of the Essence Harvester, I can obtain the genetic essence of my opponent through just the head.

I exerted force on my jaw and bit into Jason's head.

Flesh, muscle, blood, bone, brain, and even the remaining horn. Every element constituting a cult's head was absorbed by me.

Then, translucent text boxes appeared before my eyes in succession.

[Predation effect triggered! Successful plunder of 'Jason (Jason Turningham)' special bonus!]

[There are no compatible traits among the ones you currently possess. They will be transferred to the voucher storage facility.]

[Predation effect triggered! Successful plunder of 'Jason (Jason Turningham)' special bonus!]

[The possessed traits 'Cosmic Bacteria' and 'Flames of Hallucination' are mergeable. Please select a trait. The selection outcome will be influenced by the traits used as materials.]

[Addendum: You stand at a crucial crossroad. Please choose carefully.]

[Time remaining until trait selection: 24:00:00]

[You are the target of the trait enhancement system. Would you like to use the system?]

[Predation effect triggered! Successful plunder of 'Jason (Jason Turningham)' special bonus!]

[There are no compatible traits among the ones you currently possess. They will be transferred to the voucher storage facility.]

'Why are there so many?'

I thought it would be similar to when I encountered Muriel, but there were more text boxes displayed than I expected.

'Are these bonuses obtained by plundering other players?'

It seems the guy had a total of three bonuses. Two of them are currently unusable due to certain conditions, and only one can be combined with my traits for use.

'Well, back with the irregular dodecahedron of the looter, I used metal absorption as material.'

I immediately checked the mergeable bonuses.

It's written that one of the infection-related traits, Cosmic Bacteria, and one of the psychic-related traits, Flames of Hallucination, can be used to merge bonuses.

These two traits are completely different in nature. Depending on which one I choose to use, the results will be entirely different.

Moreover, for reasons unknown, they've given me a full 24 hours to make the choice.

'This is unprecedented.'

It's an unusual situation, but it's unsettling. There must be no reason for them to give me such benefits for no apparent reason.

'At a crucial crossroad…'

There's still 24 hours left, so there's no need to make a decision right away. There are other things that need to be done first.

The high-quality energy obtained from consuming Jason's head has been used to heal all the wounds in my throat. As the penetrating injuries inside begin to heal, the gushing blood also stops.

With the lethal wounds healed, the Revenant mechanism has also completed its mission and returned to a dormant state. The tiny mechanism attached to the heart will fall into a long slumber for the next six months.

So, it might be difficult to use the Revenant mechanism when fighting the Black Gallagorn.

'There's no chance of winning in this condition.'

With the rampage I caused underground, along with the activation of my Brain Shroud, I don't know when the Gallagons will strike.

Not only me, but everyone here is not in normal condition. Number 26 has suffered significant injuries, Adhai's legs and wings are both broken, and PS-111 is in such bad shape that finding an intact part is difficult.

Fortunately, the Mother of the Sky only suffered a broken beak, so she's relatively unscathed.

She approached me.

｢We need to get out of here quickly.｣

She, too, was aware that this situation was far from ideal.

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (let's go to the mountains.)]

｢…Will it be safe for the children if we leave like this?｣

As she said, the mountains weren't safe, but there was no other choice. The underground space beneath where we stood had completely collapsed.

Even if we were lucky enough to find an area that hadn't collapsed, there was a high chance we'd run into the Gallagons who came here.

'And there's also the problem of food supply.'

The last card I played to kill Jason was a collaboration between "Clever Weakling" and "Symbol of Hunt." It was a decision made thinking it would be useful in killing the enemy, but there was another reason.

Clever Weakling specializes in agility, stealth, and special states. It also has the effect of efficiently distributing consumed energy, minimizing the side effects of the Symbol of the Hunt.

There's a low chance the kids will find out about this like before.

'Right now, it's the kids who are worrying more than me.'

To heal the seriously injured ones, there are only two ways: feeding them or laying a nest and attaching the "Symbiotic Fungal Pods."

'Either way, a large amount of food is needed.'

And there's no food around here. When the underground collapsed, the food was buried in the ice.

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (there's no other way right now.)]

｢Got it.｣

Nodding, Mother of the Sky transformed into a Gallagon and hoisted the damaged PS-111 onto her back.

[Excuse me middle child.]

｢…Can't you call me the Mother of the Sky?｣

[Unauthorized command.]

"..."

In the meantime, I carefully picked up Number 26. The one with significant injuries seemed to have reduced its size to minimize energy loss.

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (are you okay?)]

｢I'm fine! You should instead worry about yourself first.?｣

Looking at the pale guy, I could feel how much pain it was in. Yet, seeing it worrying about me first felt strange.

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (you'll be okay soon.)]

｢Yes!｣

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (just hold on a little longer.)]

I carefully held Number 26 to prevent further pain, placing it on my head, and checked on Adhai's condition.

She wasn't going well. Besides the broken front legs and wings, hypothermia was the biggest problem.

I hugged her tightly with my combat arms to warm him up a bit, covered in fur to raise her temperature.

｢Warmth.｣

Feeling the guy in my arms nuzzling against me, I looked at Mother of the Sky. Ready, she nodded at me.

We dashed towards the direction where the dark mountain range was located.

Me, with the centaur body, diligently moving my four legs, and Mother of the Sky, bounding with the body resembling a lion.

Our traces were soon obscured by the pouring white ice flowers.

While running, we heard the sound of beasts roaring from the darkened sky. It was a sign of an approaching blizzard.

The snowfall intensified, and the temperature dropped rapidly. If we delayed even a little here, Adhai and Mother of the Sky, who were weak to cold, would freeze or wither.

Knowing this fact, Mother of the Sky was doing her best while running.

After about ten minutes of running, we reached the edge of the mountain range. It was a different place from where we fought the screamer yesterday, but the scenery was similar.

The ground was thin, but the higher we went, the more the trees spread out like spider webs. They evolved like that to survive the frequent gales and blizzards.

Thanks to the trees acting as a barrier, the forest was less cold than elsewhere.

Of course, we only managed to avoid freezing to death for the moment; it certainly wasn't warm.

I set down Number 26 and Adhai and began to dig the ground vigorously. After digging out the soil, I made a large pit and covered it with nearby branches.

[Shh, it'll be better if you go in here.]

I'd like to start a fire, but the smoke would give away our position to the Gallagons. Unfortunately, this is the best option.

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (Hey, everyone, stick together. It'll be less cold that way.)]

｢Yeah.｣

｢Cold｣ ｢Cold｣ ｢Cold!｣

｢The heat dissipation function is currently inactive. It can be activated with an additional energy supply.｣

The four species tried their best to survive. This bought us more time.

'Now all that's left is the energy needed for recovery.'

PS-111 was right. We need energy. If Number 26 recovers, it can inflate its body to protect the kids from the cold.

'And I can give psychic power to PS-111.'

For my own recovery, I need something to eat right away. I left the kids with Mother of the Sky and went into the forest.

The hunt's almost over. Just a few minutes left. It's to prepare for any potential side effects.

'I need to find something.'

Any creature that can be converted into energy will do. If I don't put something in my mouth right away, who knows what might happen.

I moved with all my strength to find a living creature that could be converted into energy.

The auxiliary organ, diligently searching the surroundings. Soon, some movement was detected nearby.

The sound of footsteps.

I ran towards the direction of the sound.

There were the perpetrators making the noise when I reached there.

'…Oh no.'

Unfortunately, they were far from what I was hoping for.

[Hostile creatures confirmed. 30% match with set target. Main controller 'Pyra Eleven' command delayed.]

[Transmitting the information to PS-250 intermediate terminal. Transmission complete.]

The owner of the footsteps was three new-model screamers. Behind them lay a beast with green scales.

With a body easily exceeding 10m when including the tail, and wings as huge as its body, the creature was none other than a Green Gallagon.

The body was covered with wounds, but there was no smell of blood. Someone had clearly sucked up every drop of blood from the body.

'I don't know what happened, but….'

We need that Gallagon's body right away to replenish energy.

[No decision authority for the intermediate terminal has been confirmed. Autonomous judgment required.]

[Energy replenishment complete. Biological characteristics of the Gallagon applied.]

[Initiating target suppression.]

With that, the screamers rushed towards me at incredible speed. It looked similar to when Adhai used super acceleration.

One of the screamers, covering the air, swung spider-like metal legs towards me.

In my state as 'Clever Weakling,' I used my four legs to push off the ground and dodged aside.

I swung my tail towards the narrowly passing guy's rear. The pincers at the end of my tail precisely struck the back of his head.

Crunch!

The screamer, emitting a grotesque groan, crashed to the ground. Meanwhile, another screamer had already approached right in front of me.

Two front legs with sharp claws flew towards my head. I grabbed the screamer's two legs with my combat arms.

The body of the screamer, whose front legs were caught, twisted grotesquely, and then the legs behind aimed for my side. With a total of eight legs, it was a possible attack method.

'Then I'll do the same to this side.'

When the 'Symbol of hunt' is activated, I have more arms and legs than normal. I swung the arms with bone sickles attached on my back in a cross motion.

Following the eerie sound, the body of the one trying to stab me lost its strength. I cleanly threw the decapitated screamer's corpse into the air.

A screamer, perched on a tree, observing for an opportunity to attack, hastily jumped down upon seeing its comrade flying towards itself.

I dashed towards the point where it was going to land. The creature twisted its body in mid-air to dodge my attack.

'Where!'

The human-faced ones on top of my carapace opened their mouths wide, emitting powerful sound waves towards the creature. Struck by the intangible waves inducing paralysis, the creature's body stiffened.

And the six horns on my head pierced through the screamer's body.

[B-burn, f-freeze….]

Before the creature could self-destruct, I grabbed its head with my combat arms. With a strong pull, I tore it off.

[B-b-burn….]

With its spine pulled out completely, the creature couldn't hold on any longer and stopped functioning. After carelessly tossing the disgusting screamer's head to the ground, I tore off the remaining parts attached to the horns with my hands.

As the battle with the screamer ended, energy drained from my body.

The effect of the 'Symbol of Hunt' had ended.

In the place where energy had drained, a fierce hunger, like being starved for days, came in to fill the void. The thick carapace that had enveloped my body collapsed like a sandcastle.

The bone sickle arm on my back shrunk and detached, falling to the ground. The arms, armored with strong muscles and carapace, now looked like a newly excavated relic.

Apart from the shedding of the carapace, there was hardly any change in the size of my body.

No matter how much I grew, as a Clever Weakling, I couldn't exceed 5m. Even with the 'Symbol of Hunt', the length only changed in appearance, not in reality.

As the 'Symbol of Hunt' ended and the transformation of my body was complete, I heard someone's voice.

[Hostile creature. Transmitting combat situation information to PS-250 intermediate terminal.]

It was the screamer who had hit me on the back of my head with my tail. The guy whose two-thirds of the head were crushed was still alive.

'Since self-destruction is annoying.'

Despite the pressure of tremendous hunger and lethargy, I moved my steps to deal with him.

Just as I approached him to finish him off.

｢Big guy!｣

'Adhai?'

Suddenly, Adhai's telepathy was heard. When I turned my head, I saw the figure of the kid flying through the trees.

Struggling with his immature wings, she was barely flying.

｢Trouble!｣ ｢Kin｣ ｢Spotted!｣

'What?'

Understanding the meaning of the telepathy shot by him, I immediately sensed something from above.

'Flapping wings?'

As soon as I realized this fact, I quickly stepped back. Just after I retreated, a huge white creature fell onto the screamer.

The creature, pulverizing the screamer cleanly, looked down at me with eyes resembling amethysts.

'…Insane.'

Multiple horns on the head, a gigantic body resembling reptiles with huge wings, and tentacles instead of a mouth.

A creature known as the Dragon of the Universe, second only to the Black Gallagon in strength.

At this moment, the White Gallagon, which I had never wanted to encounter, was in front of me.