201
-x-X-x-
In the world of "Space Survival," the ability to travel through space is extremely important. This is only natural, given that the game is set in space. However, the point at which space travel becomes feasible varies by species.
Space pirates like the Spacedog and MegaCorp captains can travel through space very early on. These factions are recommended to engage in smuggling or recruit mercenaries using their ships. On the other hand, some species are specialized for space activities but are delayed in their space travel due to various restrictions.
For instance, the Metallic Gremlins can theoretically travel through space from birth but are limited in their means to leave their atmosphere. Outspacers can go into space right from the start, but without any defense mechanisms, it's largely pointless. For species like the Metallic Gremlins and Outspacers, it's easier to progress if they establish a strong foundation on their starting planet before venturing into space.
The Amorph falls into the latter category. While they can survive in space without much trouble, their lack of spacefaring capability makes early space travel difficult. To travel to other planets, they must stow away on the ships of players or NPCs. Once they gradually develop and gain space travel capabilities, their gameplay style changes significantly, shifting from moving within a planet or continent to exploring the entire universe.
'Space travel includes faster-than-light (FTL) movement.'
However, this isn't something that can be used arbitrarily. FTL travel consumes an enormous amount of energy and requires as much preparation as stowing away on another ship.
'If used recklessly, you could run out of energy and starve to death mid-journey.'
Before setting off, you must eat as much as possible and ensure there are resources for resupply during the journey. Another drawback is that FTL travel cannot be used during combat due to a long charge time, which makes you vulnerable to enemy fire.
'In the game, these risks required cautious use, but…'
In this world, it's different. I have another interstellar navigation ability: "Horizon of Nightmares." This unique trait allows me to merge with a spaceship, transforming it into a sort of bio-ship.
'Each ability has significant limitations, but together, they complement each other.'
Horizon of Nightmares and Enhanced Wings of the Beast each have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Horizon of Nightmares isn't very versatile but can store much more energy, making it suitable for long-distance travel between star systems. However, it can only dominate one spaceship every seven days. Conversely, Enhanced Wings of the Beast are effective for short-range travel between planets or within planetary systems. Due to the need to continually find food, crossing multiple star systems with this trait is challenging.
In essence, how you use these traits can compensate for each other's weaknesses.
'Use the wings for planetary or system-internal travel, and Horizon of Nightmares for long-distance travel by taking over a ship.'
There are likely other uses, but I'll figure those out as I go along.
I looked down at the arms enhanced with the "Enhanced Wings of the Beast" trait. This was the first trait I acquired after arriving in this world. Initially, they were similar to beetle wings, folding protectively around my body and unfolding when needed.
However, the new wings are quite different. The topmost pair of my six combat arms has transformed into wings. Typically, my combat arms are all the same length and shape, changing only during special transformation modes. But now, the winged arms are much longer and larger than the others, almost two to three times as long. When fully extended, the fingertips touch the ground even without bending my torso.
The arms' exoskeletons have small, membrane-covered holes lined up in a row, used to expel propulsion substances necessary for FTL travel and space flight. All but one of the four fingers on each hand have become long and sturdy, with a broad membrane growing between them, resembling a bat's wings. The outside of the membrane is covered in scales, giving it a rough, tough feel, while the inner side is lined with fine, soft fur.
The outer surface of the wings is fairly hard, resistant to energy-based weapons, and can even block a plasma cannon blast once, making them useful for emergency defense.
'Frequent hits will tear them, so it's not the best choice, though.'
The membranes are almost as large as my body when fully spread out, but folded, they drape down like a massive cloak.
'Amorph cloaked in wings.'
When I evolve into a full-grown form, I'll look quite impressive, resembling a three-headed dragon from classic Japanese monster movies.
'The Saint Stage.'
With the ability to travel freely through space, I'll be able to meet my evolution conditions more quickly. With this excellent means of transport, the entire planet becomes my hunting ground.
Though there's still a long way to go before reaching my mature form, I can now achieve it faster than before.
'Do you like it that much?'
As I admired my wings, Mother of the Sky approached me. After the representation of the hunt effect ended, everyone else had temporarily backed off, fearing I might attack. Behind her were Number 26 and PS-111.
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Sorry for causing you worry.)]
｢What's to worry about? I already knew.｣
｢Big baby, are you full now?｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Sorry for eating so much by myself.)]
｢Babies get hungry quickly, so it's okay!｣
When I came to my senses after the side effects of the Symbol of Hunt ended, the only remaining food in front of me was half of a female Crystalwing's body. The male's corpse was completely devoured.
[Preliminary simulation results of the energy consumption for the enhanced form suggest that sufficient energy has not yet been supplied.]
"Now that I've regained my sanity, it's fine."
[TL/N- Well there is a slight confusion here actually on how Amorph talks with PS-111 I think he uses the mimic organ to talk to it.. I'll once again recheck in all the raws as in the starting the mc talked to PS-111 using mimic only and there is no other description saying that they can communicate using thoughts. Nevertheless I will check]
[I've heard that 'Amorph' can remove its weaknesses through genetic modification. I recommend consuming other organic matter to eliminate those weaknesses.]
No need to say it; that was my plan. Now that I've acquired the desired flight ability, my next target will be the Sharkbear to gain a new trait.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Once we're done eating, let's go find new prey.)]
｢Alright!｣
｢Understood.｣
Number 26 and PS-111, who were engrossed in eating Crystalwing meat, responded enthusiastically.
｢Oh, by the way, I have something to show you.｣
Instead of replying, Mother of the Sky showed me a small metal fragment. It was an ivory-colored metal, partially melted—Moon Silver.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (Moon Silver? Where did you find this?)]
｢I found it in the digestive tract of the female.｣
While I was consuming the male's head to gain its trait, she had been examining the female. To enhance her deification stage, she needed to consume the heart and organs. She must have discovered the Moon Silver fragment during this process.
'But why would a Crystalwing have Moon Silver?'
I examined the Moon Silver fragment closely.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (It's not in its mineral state.)]
｢Right. It's a refined Moon Silver alloy.｣
Hearing that, I had a suspicion. She seemed to have the same thought and nodded silently.
Moon Silver is a mineral primarily used by cultists. Its properties amplify psychic power effects, so Moon Silver alloy is widely used in weapons, power suits, and even ships.
There's only one possible explanation.
'Jason.'
It's undoubtedly a remnant of the spaceship Jason and his subordinates arrived in. Judging by the extent of the metal's melting, it seems it was digested quite some time ago.
'At least over a day ago.'
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Did you find anything else?]
｢I didn't find any other traces.｣
I would have examined the male's body further if it hadn't been completely consumed by me.
'A spaceship, huh.'
When I interrogated Jason, who had become an Inmyeonsu, he mentioned bringing several subordinates. These subordinates had set up camp in the Black Gallagon's nest. This wouldn't have been possible under normal circumstances, but it was a miracle made possible because the Black Gallagon had a close relationship with his fellow player.
'He said they would never leave until he returned.'
Judging from the current situation, it seems likely that his subordinates tried to leave the planet and met with misfortune. The Crystalwings wouldn't have entered the Black Gallagon's territory to attack the cultists otherwise.
'Or is it an entirely different force?'
It's also possible that pirates composed of cultists have set foot here, similar to Muriel's cartel.
'No need to overthink it.'
If necessary, I can find out directly.
With my thoughts organized, I looked at the others. Number 26 and PS-111 had already finished their brief meal.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Did you eat well?)]
｢Yes.｣
[Quite satisfactorily, though more energy is needed.]
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Is that so? Perfect.)]
Having eaten and acquired winged arms, it's the perfect time to hunt while flying.
***
"All repairs are complete."
"Phew, thank goodness."
The captain, who had been anxious while the ship was being repaired, finally breathed a sigh of relief. This dreadful planet was crawling with terrifying monsters.
"What the hell, six attacks in less than a day!"
The spot where the cult cruiser crash-landed was near the middle of a massive mountain. It was quite a distance from the Gallagon nests, but that didn't mean it was safe. Being away from the Gallagon nests meant that many other wild creatures lived in the area. While they expected some attacks, they never imagined being attacked this frequently.
If it weren't for the temple guardians, specialists in monster hunting, the ship's crew would have become food for the beasts long ago.
"At least the Garan Minos haven't returned."
Garan Minos have special outer shells that make them undetectable by scanners. Unless seen with the naked eye or detected using specific psychic power techniques, it's nearly impossible to avoid their attacks. Initially, the crew's attempts to leave the planet were thwarted because of those damn Garan Minos.
The temple guardians kept a vigilant watch for fear of another Garan Minos attack, but fortunately, no such incident occurred.
"Providence is on our side. Everyone, prepare for takeoff!"
"Yes, sir!"
The crew busily responded to the captain's orders. The engines, which had been shut down, roared to life, and warmth spread through the cold hull that had been chilled by the outside air.
The cultists in the command room synchronized their psychic power with the cruiser, which had just awakened. Information stored at the time of the crash was transmitted into the synchronized minds of the cultists. Important data was projected as a translucent image made of energy in the middle of the command room.
[Engine activation at 70%. Rising steadily to 100%.]
[Energy levels at 67%. Stable.]
"Damage control and containment complete."
"Ready for takeoff."
"Good. Once we're off the planet, prepare the engines for a jump."
"Understood!"
"Observers, report immediately if you detect any Gallagons or other threats."
"Yes, sir!"
With all preparations complete, the ship slowly began to lift off. The ivory-colored, elongated rhomboid cruiser wobbled slightly at first but soon ascended smoothly into the sky.
"Please, let there be no threats…"
"Biological signals rapidly approaching! It's a Gallagon!"
"Damn it!"
The cultist in charge of external monitoring urgently reported. Simultaneously, a tactical map, more sophisticated than those produced by MegaCorp or the StarUnion, was projected in the command room. A triangular marker was approaching the rhomboid shape representing the cruiser in the center of the map.
"Can you identify the Gallagon's color?"
"Judging by its size, it's estimated to be green. At its current trajectory, it will collide with us in five minutes."
"…Tsk, switch to evasive maneuvers but maintain current speed as much as possible. Do not engage; just get away quickly."
"Understood."
Given the speed at which it was approaching, it was clear the Gallagon wasn't coming with friendly intentions. For some reason, it had targeted the cruiser.
As the crew tensed at the sudden appearance of the enemy, the complexion of the crew member in charge of monitoring and scanning turned pale.
"Emergency report! Another unidentified target is approaching!"
"What?"
"Judging by its size, it's at least white class! Its speed is incredible! Estimated collision in one minute!"
The unexpected bad news threw everyone in the command room into confusion. The captain, barely maintaining his composure, urgently issued orders.
"Prepare the FTL engines! Observer, share the external camera feed!"
"There isn't enough time to get the engines ready!"
"Damn it! Do whatever it takes!"
As the situation grew increasingly tense, the video feed from the external camera was displayed in the middle of the command room.
"What the…?"
The captain was horrified by what he saw on the camera.
It was a black meteor soaring through the dark sky. Known as a harbinger of great calamities to the empire, it appeared whenever a massive disaster struck.
A black demon with gigantic wings was approaching them.
"What? What is that?"
As everyone froze in fear at the sight of the ominous entity, someone's bewildered voice echoed through the command room. The captain's gaze turned to the reinforced glass at the front of the command room.
Among the black clouds and the storm of snow and hail, something was there.
A dark silhouette illuminated by flashes of lightning.
The terrifying entity captured on camera opened its massive jaws wide and hurtled toward them.
"Everyone, brace for impact!"
Just as the captain screamed at the top of his lungs, the cruiser shook violently.
-x-X-x-
In mythology, the sky is an object of fascination. The vast heavens often take on the divine role of Father or Mother, closely tied to the creation myths. Even without divine attributes, the sky was seen as the abode of gods or as a place where souls find salvation, sometimes as heaven, and other times as the realm of beings beyond humanity.
Even with the end of the age of ignorance and the dawn of reason and technology, the sky remains alluring. This holds true in "Space Survival" as well. Given that the game is set in the vast universe, the sky inevitably becomes a target for challenge and conquest. But caution is advised—who knows what might lurk within the unknown expanse of the sky?
Snow, rain, hail, and storms—my wings swim through the symphony of nature. Lightning flashes, followed by thunder. With each strike of lightning, my shadow flickers against the ashen clouds. My shoulders tense, and the muscles covered in scales and armor tremble. The membrane extending from the tips of my long fingers slices through the clouds. The span of my outstretched wings exceeds 40 meters on each side, longer than the length of my body.
'Considering my size and weight, I need wings this large to fly.'
Those cultists under attack by me wouldn't find this situation pleasing. Although my body is much smaller compared to the hundreds-of-meters-long cruisers, cultists observing me through their cameras wouldn't think so.
'Bringing them down might be a bit much.'
Just a moment ago, I rammed the front section where their command center is located with my body. It was to disorient them. As I expected, the cruiser's crew couldn't make a sound decision. Instead of fleeing at full speed, they retaliated with their artillery.
Amid the eerie noise of the blizzard and lightning, the sound of psychic turrets firing mixed in. I adjusted my wing arms and dove sharply. The enemy's attack barely grazed the tip of my tail.
｢Be careful while flying! If we fall, it's over for us!｣
[I'm designed for atmospheric descent missions, so it shouldn't be an issue…]
｢Shut up!｣
｢Whee! Flap, flap! This is fun!｣
The kids were riding on my back as I flew at an incredible speed. Worried they might fall off, I gently wrapped them with my infiltration tentacles. As Mother of the Sky said, it wouldn't end well if they fell.
'Surprisingly.'
Contrary to her name, Mother of the Sky didn't seem to enjoy high-speed flight. Since earlier, she's been clutching my tentacles like a roller coaster safety bar.
Mother of the Sky being a griffin has the ability to glide temporarily in the air. I thought she'd be fine, but I was mistaken.
'Number 26 seems to enjoy it.'
As usual, Number 26, who likes everything I do, seemed to be having a lot of fun. On the other hand, the mostly mechanical PS-111 showed no emotion.
'Should I take out the engines first?'
It's unlikely, but if their captain activates the hyperdrive engine, it'll be troublesome. If they manage to warp into a star, that's one thing, but escaping from here wouldn't be good for me.
'They might bring reinforcements from the Cult Empire.'
Since this planet isn't designated as a sanctuary, the situation is different from last time. If I'm not careful, I might end up fighting the entire empire. I'll battle the empire when I become an adult, but now isn't the time. I need to prevent their escape.
'Let's start with the thrusters.'
I glided through the clouds, gently flapping my wing arms. The enemy cruiser's artillery continued to fire at me, and large purple energy shells pierced the clouds, closely trailing me. Even synchronized with a spaceship, I could easily evade such attacks. Entering the storm clouds, I effortlessly dodged the enemy's fire.
'They probably won't use their main cannon.'
Cult cruisers are equipped with powerful main cannons. In the past, Muriel's pirate fleet, possessing a cruiser from the Humanity Cartel, targeted me from a great distance. Despite controlling a cargo ship from the StarUnion, one shot from the main cannon split the massive vessel in two.
The destructive power is immense, but they likely won't use it now. Activating the main cannon concentrates enormous psychic power, essentially advertising their presence to the surrounding Gallagons.
'Of course, they might just lose it and fire, but…'
I need to finish this quickly before that happens.
Hidden within the clouds, I quickly approached the side of the cruiser. The artillery guns, catching sight of me as I burst out of the clouds, hastily swiveled their barrels. A few quick-firing guns managed to hit me, but it didn't matter much. I had already closed the distance to the cruiser.
Judging the distance to be close enough, I spread my wing arms wide and extended the membranes. My rapidly advancing body came to an abrupt halt in midair. Simultaneously, I channeled the recoil into my tail. Like a natural pendulum, my long tail swung forward. The pincer at its end struck the diamond-shaped cruiser's side like a mace.
With a thunderous crash, flames erupted, and the cultists' ship lurched violently to one side. The thruster on that side was destroyed, causing the cruiser to lose balance.
Amidst the confusion, I landed on the cruiser. The artillery, hindered by the shaking of the entire ship, failed to hit me accurately.
Before the ship could stabilize, I had work to do. I activated my "Acidic Myotic Gland" feature for the first time. Acidic mucus mercilessly poured out from beneath my bifurcated jaws. The smooth ivory-colored exterior armor of the cruiser began to melt with a pungent odor. The fungi quickly penetrated the outer wall and infiltrated the interior sections.
'That should be enough.'
With my combat arm, I widened the hole and thrust my head inside. There, in the hallway, I saw a cultist staring at me in shock. Before he could react, I opened my jaws wide and bit down on him.
"Heek!"
"A monster is breaching the ship!"
The cultist crew screamed, seeing their comrade disappear into my stomach, leaving only his ankles.
'This place is too cramped for me.'
My body had grown too large to navigate the corridors easily. Unless I reverted to a more compact form, moving, let alone fitting inside, was nearly impossible.
'Perhaps I should target the runway.'
After firing some fungi at the fleeing cultists, I pulled my head back outside.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (I'm heading to the other side.)]
｢Got it. Let's secure the command center and the engine room first.｣
[ZZZ (Yes.)]
｢See you later, big baby.｣
'This is a chance to update the database on cult cruisers'
Carefully, I placed the kids I had been holding with my infiltration tentacles inside the ship. Sensing their presence moving away, I spread my wings again.
***
"Report the damage!"
The captain shouted desperately. He had injured his head in the recent impact, but that was not important.
[External armor damage rate is 9%! Twenty-three percent of the internal sections are damaged!]
"The status of the crew is unconfirmed!"
[An unidentified psychic creature is heading to the engine room! The defense squad has been wiped out!]
"Damn it! What are the Templers doing?!"
"They're, they're trying to stop the monster that appeared on the runway…."
Despite his words, the captain knew. He couldn't be unaware. The numerous video feeds floating in the center of the command room starkly displayed the dire situation.
The twelve Templers were all on the runway. They were currently overwhelmed by a gargantuan flying creature much larger than any Gallagon they had faced before.
To say they were facing it would be inaccurate. It was more of a slaughter.
The long, thick tentacles protruding from its back were as fast and deadly as energy shells. Even the Gallagon Scale Armors worn by the members were of little significance if caught by those tentacles—once engulfed, their bodies would dissolve completely. What good was armor against such defense?
And that wasn't all. The creature, with its immense size, was undeniably tough.
"Damn it! The creature is reflecting psychic powers!"
"What should we do then?"
"Use the Demolishers—aaaargh!"
In a momentary distraction, another member fell. Foam, uncomfortably luminous, covered his head, his waist bent backwards.
He had been one of those who had protected the cultists on this ship before departure. But the odds were not in their favor.
The flying monster was excessively strong.
The captain turned his head as he saw another member's limbs being torn off.
They were their last hope, and even that was fading away. They had to come up with another plan.
"Should we abandon the ship?"
Using the escape pods might allow them to escape from these monsters.
The problem was that escaping wouldn't necessarily improve their situation. Abandoning the ship in a place with terrifying monsters and harsh weather conditions made survival impossible. At best, it would prolong their lives for a few days.
"Prepare to activate the superluminal engines."
"Captain! That's insane!"
Despite objections from the crew in the situation room, the captain shook his head. It was their only remaining option.
Since the ship was already significantly damaged, there was a high probability of it breaking apart during navigation. But in any case, whether they stayed or left, death was almost certain.
Moreover, one of the monsters was heading towards the engine room, which meant this option might be unavailable in a few minutes.
"After flying to a nearby planet using superluminal navigation, we can escape."
Though the identity of the attacking monsters was unknown, they were likely native creatures of this place. Whether they could survive in a completely different environment remained uncertain.
"I'll say it again. Prepare to activate the superluminal engines."
As the captain was about to give the order again, the floor shook violently.
"No."
It wasn't the ship shaking. Currently, the ship is maintaining balance in the air with the emergency thrusters. The flying creature that could destroy the ship was still fighting the Templers on the runway.
"It's not the ship shaking…"
His gaze fixed firmly on the closed bulkhead door. If the situation room was attacked, all the intermediate areas connected to it had been closed.
"No way?"
As if to answer his question, the situation room shook again. This time, it wasn't just him who felt the impact.
The crew who had been diligently adjusting the ship's condition stopped moving. Like the captain, they stared at the bulkhead door.
"…Confirm the status of nearby sectors."
"Ah, understood…."
Then, a thunderous roar. A sound very close, akin to firing energy shells from a cannon, echoed nearby. It seemed to come right from behind that bulkhead door.
And the captain's prediction was correct.
The bulkhead door shook violently from a strong impact. After a few more tremors, it soon fell silent.
"…"
Although the attack had ceased, none of the cultists present here thought the enemy had retreated just like that. Some crew members, following the captain's gesture, retrieved weapons stored in the bridge.
As they armed themselves, another change occurred at the bulkhead door. A sudden red dot appeared on the surface of the door. The red dot rapidly enlarged, soon becoming a sizable hole as energy concentrated intensely and disintegrated the material forming the door.
Everyone in the situation room peered through the hole. Dim cries of crew members echoed faintly through the hole.
And amidst the deep darkness, "it" revealed itself.
Eyes as red as blood, a face so pale it seemed unmatched.
If her eyes had been closed, one might have called her face beautiful, like that of a woman, glaring into the situation room.
"A… woman?"
Someone uttered in disbelief. But soon, they had to retract their statement.
The white face floating in the darkness wasn't anything like a woman.
Of course not. Whether human or cultist, no woman's mouth opens that wide.
A mouth as wide as a cultist's face. At the moment when a purplish-blue flame erupted from within, the captain tried to give an order.
"Open fire on that monster immediately."
But he couldn't.
Suddenly, the world twisted, and the smooth ivory-colored floor rushed up abruptly. Along with it came a familiar sight he saw every morning in the mirror.
His finely adorned upper body.
It was then that the captain realized his neck had been severed from his body.
Gradually, countless arms tore through the hole, and the silent screams of the crew members became his final memory.
-x-X-x-
The society and institutions of the Cult Empire are quite different from those of MegaCorp or StarUnion. They have developed civilization in entirely different environments, so it's natural that they would be so different.
For example, the concept of a Knowledge Manager aboard a Cult Empire fleet is non-existent in MegaCorp or StarUnion. To put it metaphorically, they can be seen as a hybrid of information storage systems from other factions and ship engineers combined.
During voyages, Knowledge Managers utilize their extensive knowledge to assist captains and handle ship repairs when necessary. Due to the importance of their duties, Knowledge Managers are respected as much as military commanders on any ship.
However, even their esteemed position did not prove particularly helpful in the current situation.
The intruder who killed the captain began massacring the crew in the Situation Room.
That monster was an entity unknown even to the Knowledge Manager. It had eight large and small arms with blades at their ends, a pale feminine face, and a grotesque tail—a biomechanical organism reminiscent of something out of a nightmare.
Despite the Knowledge Manager's efforts to understand competing factions against the Empire, identifying this creature proved to be a challenge.
If one were to liken it to any known entity based on its physical characteristics, it would likely be the cursed bio weapon of the StarUnion, known as a Screamer.
However, unlike the Screamer, which supposedly cannot wield a variety of weapons like this abominable hybrid, it fired lethal energy blasts from its tail and mouth.
The Knowledge Manager knew well what kind of energy, glowing with a cold navy blue hue, emanated from the creature. It was the weapon predominantly used by the Temple Guardians, the 'Demolisher'.
"Take cover!"
"Uh, uhh?"
The creature's tail swung around. Energy blasts, disintegrating matter according to the tail's movements, rained down upon the Cultists' heads.
Some managed to dodge, but others were not so fortunate.
"My, my arm! My leeeegs…!"
"…Ugh."
A crew member whose arm vanished entirely due to the disintegration effect, and a Cult whose lower body remained after being struck. Their bloodless appearance was truly eerie.
"Aim for that tail!"
"It's no use! It shoots from its mouth too!"
"Damn it!"
As if to confirm their words, the villain who severed the captain's neck was the energy blast that came flying from its head.
Even if it's only means of attack were its tail, the odds of the situation improving were slim. Its movements were too swift; targeting them was nearly impossible for non-combatants.
"Knowledge Manager! Since the captain has fallen, you're in command!"
"Do something!"
Before examining further, most of the crew had been wiped out. Hiding and observing the enemy, the Knowledge Manager finally issued an order.
"Restraints, anything! Pour out any technology that can limit its movements!"
In a short time, it appeared that the creature had a reduced resistance to psychic powers.
The basis for this was its evident attempt to evade psychic rifles fired by Cultists.
The psychic rifle stationed on the bridge was not particularly potent. It was merely an item prepared for non-combatants to defend themselves in dire situations.
However, the creature had been primarily evading combat with psychic focus. It should have realized the potency of firepower much sooner.
Therefore, it could be inferred that the enemy had a weak resistance to psychic abilities.
Upon the Knowledge Manager's exclamation, the Cultists with goat-like horns began gathering psychic power. They drew on any knowledge they had learned to hold the enemy in any way possible.
The flow of intense energy that filled the Situation Room entangled the creature. As a result, its frenzied movements dulled.
"Krrk?"
Sensing something wrong with its body, the creature smirked. Its movements slowed and eventually ceased.
The creature's bright red eyes rolled like blood. It appeared to be investigating the anomaly that had occurred within its own body.
Gradually, its eight arms began to tremble.
"It's an immense power!"
"We must finish it quickly!"
The creature emitted cracking sounds from its body, while the Cultists attempting to restrain it groaned loudly.
The Situation Room became noisy with the sound of the creature's victims.
They had to finish it off as quickly as possible. Except for the Cultists using technology, the rest aimed their rifles at the creature's head.
Just as their muzzles were about to spit fire, the Knowledge Manager doubted their eyes.
Something was standing where there had been nothing just now.
Similar to the Cultists, it had horns on its head. Its height was similar, and it stood on two legs. However, the Knowledge Manager felt no familiarity upon seeing it.
Instinctively, they could tell. That entity was as dangerous as the biomechanical creature they had captured.
The eyes of the entity standing at the door moved. Its vivid pumpkin-colored pupils faced the Knowledge Manager.
Upon meeting its gaze, the Knowledge Manager felt the pupils shine blue. They hurriedly tried to call their comrades.
However, before they could do so, there was a voice calling out to them.
"I'm hungry!"
"?!"
The whisper-like voice in their ear made them startle. They turned their head, but there was no one behind them.
'Was that just…?'
"I'm starving to death!"
"!"
What had been a whispering sensation until now now thundered into their brain. The Knowledge Manager covered their ears with both hands.
"I'm hungry!"
"Please!"
"I'm starving!"
"Give me meat!"
"I want to tear something apart!"
"There's plenty of food around here!"
"Hurry!"
"Tear it apart!"
"Give me organs!"
"Drink blood!"
"Eat bones!"
Despite plugging their ears, the curse filled with revenge pierced them. Kill those beside you. Fill your stomach with their flesh.
They struggled to withstand it somehow, but the voices quickly overwhelmed them. Their superior knowledge and reason faded surprisingly fast. In its place grew an overwhelming madness.
"Knowledge Manager! What should we…?"
"Th-that…!"
When their colleagues realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The Knowledge Manager was no longer there.
Only victims enslaved by the icy grip of the demon remained.
"AAAAAHH!"
"AAAHH!"
As the Knowledge Manager turned into a slave of the demon, another monster outside the Situation Room entered. With golden fur and black stripes, horns on its head, the creature attacked those restraining the biomechanical organism.
Every time its sharp claws flashed, Cultists poured blood and fell. As their comrades fell one by one, the restraints on the biomechanical organism did not last long.
Two monsters brutally tore apart the Cultists and a Knowledge Manager who had suddenly gone mad.
When exactly nine Cultists remained, the slaughter ceased. The bipedal monster approached a Cult's computer and began tampering with it.
Meanwhile, the creature with eight arms absorbed the fallen Cultists.
This was no metaphor. The creature absorbed the life force from the bodies with its hooked claws. Every time its hands touched a body, it quickly withered away and soon dried up like a mummy.
The problem was that among the Cultists lying on the floor, some were still alive. Those who had been subdued with severe injuries also became sacrifices to the creature.
"S-stop it! D-don't do thaaaaat!"
The creature's hand reached a Cult whose legs had been severed. In agony, he screamed as he was sucked into the creature while still alive. One could tell how severe his suffering was even without hearing his screams.
When all was said and done, its body had shrunk to a third of its original size. The creature withdrew its hand from the Cult's body, which was now reduced to a skeleton, and licked its claws.
The moment the dude aimed for fresh prey, the Situation Room floor shook. At that moment, both the dude touching the computer and the dudes devouring the cultists all stopped moving.
The vibrations rattling the Situation Room grew closer. Each time those dudes broke down the door, the vibrations were much larger.
The remaining nine cults quickly realized who was causing the vibrations. A creeping presence to end the nightmare-like time.
"Gr-gr-gr-gr-gr…"
It was a bigger nightmare.
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (You've worked hard)]
[What hard work? It's not like I've done this only once or twice.]
[ZZZ (Well)]
The Situation Room was a literal slaughterhouse. The smell of delicious blood wafted from scattered chunks of flesh and blood flowing on the floor.
They were all traces of the cultists' spilled blood. In the corners of the Situation Room, nine cultists trembled without their weapons.
[I thought I might need to hide my belly.]
[ZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ (Thank you. Well done)]
This spaceship will come in handy when we leave the planet. Since there's no immediate need to decompose, I'm going to hide it somewhere.
"But I'll need crew members to manage it."
I activated the 'morphological organ' after a long time. One of the five genetic information stored in my body spread throughout.
Located between my mouth and throat, the vocal organ was reconstructed based on the received genetic information, and the tiny holes in the synthetic scales, outer covering, and shell were ready to emit new pheromones.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"Come here."
When the voice of the same race came out of my mouth, all nine were greatly surprised. Their faces, which had been watching me, gradually turned pale.
Due to the pheromones of the morphological organ, they will see me as a cult. However, they will feel severe discomfort due to my size. They would never want to approach me, as I, who was a monster, had suddenly turned into a tribe that exuded an ominous feeling.
'But they have no freedom.'
There's nowhere for cult survivors to escape on the cruiser above the clouds. Like prisoners being dragged to the gallows, they came to me.
As I lay outside the Situation Room in the corridor, I implanted parasites in them. The first victim to become rancid and eat away at the tentacles was followed by others who listened well.
"Land this ship."
"…Yes."
I instructed them to land near the location of my nest. Cults with faces ashen as one began the cruiser's coordination.
I've gotten a lot bigger since I became a junior. There was no significant change in length, but the carapace, which thickened due to the characteristics of the bone beast, and the wings, which were folded but still took up a lot of volume.
It was almost full even though I lay in the corridor instead of entering the situation room. I'm going to have to wreck the computer if I try to control it.
So I called PS-111 while lying down.
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (I brought demolition because I thought it might be necessary.)]
[TL/N- Ok it is confirmed, that the mc can talk with PS-111 through telepathy, actually sometimes the author made them talk normally and sometimes through telepathy.. So it got a little confusing, from now on the mc will talk to PS-111 through telepathy only, unless it is mentioned that he used the mimic organ.)
[Thank you. More importantly, I need other tools that 'Amorph' is carrying.]
[ZZZ (This?)]
PS-111 looked at the loot held by the small arms on my chest. After hunting the members of the Temple Guard, he took their equipment.
Gallagon's Claw sword, a type of reinforced suit made from gallagon scales, as well as miscellaneous armaments, are in my hands.
After fighting with Muriel before, the important equipment was separately packed in a backpack or something. Blood Raver, or High Priest's Golden Spear, etc.
I am currently benefiting greatly from the 'Divine Spectre' I gained by preying on the brain.
I was thinking about bringing the equipment to the nest, but PS-111 seems interested.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Do you want something?)]
[I need a silver tool containing psychic power and genetic information of a specific creature.]
It chose Gallagon's Claw sword. It picked up the weapon with his fingers and swallowed it whole.
Soon, the arms with sickle-shaped claws began to change shape. The black sickle was colored silver rapidly, and the thickness was thicker than before. The newly transformed figure looks very similar to the White Gallagon's Claw.
It shook its arm once, with a new sickle blade in its part. A transparent blade made of psychic power pierced the wall of the situation room.
[I can now operate psychic power.]
It was satisfied with the traces of psychic power it had created.
'I said it was a new model.'
Contrary to what it was saying lightly, the abilities it showed were by no means something to be taken lightly. Its identity is a mutant screamer's intermediate terminal model. It's like a prototype for combat weapons.
That is, it could be mass-produced.
I had heard that players were participating in the development of mutant screamers. Perhaps I could fight hundreds or thousands of screamers at the level of PS-111 when I fought with them.
'…It's unlikely.'
There was no screamer I've seen so far that had the same or similar power level as PS-111. If other creatures had similar levels to PS-111, players would have conquered space and stayed.
'Find its superior model.'
When we found PS-111, his condition was not good. Thanks to it, we were able to reboot it as a friend of the Number 26, but much of the information stored in his memory was damaged.
For example, the operation when I first entered this planet, the strategic goal or so on. It didn't remember. The top model commanding the intermediate terminal model knows it.
'It called it Pyra Eleven.'
Commander-in-Chief of the Mutant Screamer. I don't know whether he is a screamer or an android. While watching PS-111 and thinking about future plans, I approached the mother in the sky.
"I just looked up the computer and found some unusual information."
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (What information?)]
[I guess a creature presumed to be a Green Gallagon came here and returned.]
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Returned? Did he come out to scout?)]
[I don't think so. It seemed like it retreated when it approached the close distance. It must have been trying to hunt.]
Rarely does a Green Gallagon with an aggressive personality back off when it sees its prey. Only when on a reconnaissance or when it meets a formidable opponent that he can't handle.
'Because of me?'
With a black carapace with a large build and tentacles, it could be misunderstood if the opponent is an inexperienced Gallagon. In the fine appearance, there is no difference, but seeing the cloud hiding, it will be no different from a black Gallagon.
'I'm glad I didn't fight.'
Around here, the White Gallagon faction with Adhai is still running the Odd Grad's flock that has been there since the beginning. It's unclear which force the opponent belongs to.
'If any force gets to know me, it'll be very guarded.'
And Gallagon doesn't like having a strong opponent installed in front of him. We'll have to get ready for a battle with Gallagon faster.
-x-X-x-
The cult battleship landed in a forest far from where I had set up my nest. The area around the nest was not suitable for landing due to the terrain.
After landing, I sent eight survivors outside the situation room to clean up the scattered bodies.
Inside the situation room, I inserted the Bloodsucking tentacles and sucked in the bodies one by one. That's when I noticed something strange.
'No knowledge manager?'
The knowledge manager is the core officer and chief technician of the cult battleship.
As a species using psychic powers called Psychic Power, the cult can transmit records and information stored in computers to individuals. Therefore, the cult does not have a central information processing agency like MegaCorp's data archive or StarUnion's Starlink database. The Prophet Assembly, one of the Empire's three major power institutions, plays a role similar to this.
Normally, a knowledge manager must be on board a battleship.
While it's common for patrol ships not to carry them, they do board medium and large warships above destroyers.
However, among the corpses laid out in the situation room, there was no knowledge manager.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Where's the knowledge manager?)]
｢Eh? I subdued it as an ice spirit earlier. It should be inside the situation room.｣
The Mother of the Sky answered my question with a wave of my attack. Currently, she was in another part of the battleship looking for equipment worth taking as loot. Despite hearing her response, I searched through the corpses again, but still couldn't find it.
Physically, the knowledge manager looks just like an ordinary cult member, but with a special badge attached to their clothes. It's shaped like the eye of a cult, often referred to as Illuminati in the community.
'Could they be mixed up among the bodies? I can't find them.'
As I rummaged through each corpse, PS-111, who was circling the computer, asked me.
[What are you looking for?]
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (A corpse with an eye-shaped badge)]
[I ate that corpse before Amorph came.]
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (You ate it? When?)]
[Middle Baby was working on the computer. I didn't realize it was an important target. I apologize.]
PS-111 bowed and apologized.
'Why is it acting like this when it usually doesn't?'
Although it always spoke of energy supply, it had never touched my prey before. While it was a special individual, it was still controlled by machines. I thought the chance of making a mistake was low.
Moreover, as always, the voice was a monotonous female voice mixed with mechanical sounds, but it felt subtly different.
'Hmm.'
I watched it. There was no change in the face of PS-111, a creature composed half of machines. However, both its voice and expression felt different.
If I had to express the feeling that permeated the white face…
'Emotions?'
It had shown a sulky appearance to Number 26 before. At that time, it felt artificially expressed by the machine in a specific situation.
But now it seemed much more human.
'A human-like machine.'
It was a new Screamer model and a commander-level creature, so it had relatively high autonomy. Therefore, it was uncertain whether this change was due to its design or whether it was evolving into a new existence.
'This aspect is similar to Number 26.'
When I first met it, I had similar thoughts. At that time, I decided to keep an eye on him, which ultimately proved to be very helpful to me.
'Let's watch a little more.'
If it thinks it can deceive me, there are many better ways than awkwardly trying to deceive me like this. It must not intend to harm me.
After a moment of hesitation, I decided to overlook PS-111's "mistake."
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Be more careful next time)]
[Thank you.]
With that, I finished and sucked up the bodies again with the Bloodsucking tentacles. After cleaning up all the bodies shortly afterwards, I went outside the battleship with PS-111.
｢The big baby and the friend came out.｣
｢Why did it take so long?｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (I had something to do for a moment)]
When I came out, the Mother of the Sky and Number 26 were waiting for us.
The Mother of the Sky had a leash attached to the Demolisher and wore a Champion Shield on her left wrist. She resembled a Temple Guardian but did not wear a Gallagon Scale Suit.
Wolves cannot wear normal armor apart from special materials due to their transformation abilities. This is why when transformed, the body doubles in size and the shape changes, so ordinary clothes would quickly be damaged.
Next to her, Number 26 carried a backpack filled with loot.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Then let's return to the nest)]
｢Are we flying?｣
[ZZZ (Yes)]
'Ha…'
Number 26 always loved flying. When I lay down and lowered my body, it bounced up and climbed onto my back. Despite her name, the Mother of the Sky, who didn't enjoy flying as much, sighed and followed behind Number 26.
Carrying PS-111, I flew up into the sky.
'Let's rest at the nest for a moment and then go catch some new prey.'
Now that my presence was known, the fight with Gallagon would soon be at hand. Regardless of which herd, they'll try to exclude me.
The Black Gallagon herd, who expelled Adhai, won't be fond of new competitors. While Ham Ort had promised not to confront me directly, that doesn't mean I can relax. They might be more wary, thinking I'm aiming for Adhai.
'I originally planned to prepare more, but there's nothing I can do.'
Gallagon is as challenging an opponent as a player. I planned to gather more than 10 traits of the apex and then fight it.
'Let's start with Shark Bear.'
'And then I will fight the Sky whales.'
Creatures that have never come down to the ground after being born.
A magnificent presence known as the whale of the universe.
That's the sky whale.
***
｢Owner of the Red Forest｣ ｢He died?｣
In response to the unbelievable news, the Queen of Purity Ham Ort asked, and the White Gallagon who reported the news nodded its head.
Until recently, the king was alive and well. Why would the king suddenly die? She didn't understand this situation.
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Did he kill him?｣
｢Nel Germa｣ ｢Do not know｣ ｢King｣ ｢Already｣ ｢Dead｣
Just in case, she asked, but she knew it wasn't Odd Grad who did it.
｢Body｣ ｢Bring it.｣
The white female gallagon Nel Germa extended the fragment of wings left by the owner of the Red Forest. Seeing that, she barely resisted a sigh.
These small fragments are of little significance. In other words, she needs to find another Red King somewhere on this planet.
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Orders｣ ｢New Owner of the Red Forest｣ ｢Search｣
｢Nel Germa｣ ｢Opposed｣ ｢Fellow｣ ｢Weary｣ ｢Need｣ ｢Rest｣
It was rare for a young Gallagon to raise objections to the leader. Moreover, Nel Germa was one of the most obedient Gallagons in Ham Orts herd.
Such a scenario means the situation is not going well.
Ham Ort did not raise objections any further because she disliked Odd Grad's propensity to sacrifice their own kin. If she were to issue orders forcibly here, she would merely become another Odd Grad, forcing her subordinates to work for her.
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢correct｣ ｢Nel Germa｣ ｢kin｣ ｢rest｣
｢Thank you｣
Having dismissed Nel Germa, Ham Ort swiftly pondered over her next move.
Time was not on her side. Though she currently left the cruel whims of the black Gallagon untouched, no one knew how long that would last.
If Odd Grad were to emerge now, many of her kin would perish, even if she were to sacrifice herself.
Therefore, as quickly as possible, before that happens, she must transform Ham Ort's daughter into their savior. Ham Ort entered the nest, carrying fragments of wings.
In the expansive cave lay a single small kin.
Impressive with grass-green scales, smaller than juvenile ones, and a plump tail. She was none other than Ham Ort's daughter, Adhai.
Unlike their first meeting, Adhai now had small white spots on her wings as she lifted her head.
｢Red Forest owner｣ ｢Died?｣
｢That's correct.｣
Adhai spoke as if she already knew everything.
Recently, she had been practicing her psychic powers in detail. Now, her sensing extended beyond the cave into the forest beyond.
From a mother's perspective, there was no greater joy than seeing her daughter grow, but Ham Ort couldn't wholly embrace it. Because Adhai was constantly plotting to escape whenever an opportunity arose.
｢Adult｣ ｢Hunt｣ ｢Definitely｣
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢denies｣ ｢Red Forest owner｣ ｢not weak｣ ｢ugly kin｣ ｢hunt｣ ｢impossible｣
｢Adult｣ ｢appearance｣ ｢change｣ ｢real｣ ｢appearance｣ ｢much｣ ｢cool｣ ｢strength｣ ｢powerful!｣
Since she had brought the corpse of the Snake King with difficulty last time, it had always been that cry. Ham Ort knew exactly who Adhai meant by 'adult'.
At the time they met Adhai, the ugly kin was also present.
Adhai remembered the 'adult' as a grotesque being so bizarrely shaped that it was unclear if it truly belonged to their kin. It communicated not in the usual way their kin did, making it seem like another species altogether.
Of course, the majestic horns on its head were not unattractive, but that was all. It was small in stature and did not appear particularly strong. That such a feeble being was accompanying Ham Ort's daughter was a miracle in itself.
｢Kin｣ ｢appearance｣ ｢unchangeable｣ ｢Ham Orts daughter｣ ｢mistake｣
｢No｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢wrong｣ ｢don't know｣ ｢at all｣ ｢don't know｣
Seeing Adhai speak so bitterly, Ham Ort felt an urge to strike her but restrained herself forcibly. She threw the wing fragments in front of Adhai.
Grabbing the wing fragment with her forepaw and starting to chew it with her tentacles, Adhai was informed by Ham Ort.
｢Eat it｣ ｢After eating｣ ｢we will go.｣
｢Where to go?｣
Eating the owner of the Red Forest right now was impossible. Therefore, she needed to advance and deal with what was to come.
｢King of the Sky｣ ｢Hunt｣
｢King of the Sky?｣
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Ham Orts daughter｣ ｢go together｣
If she were to devour the King of the Sky, her daughter would ascend to a level akin to hers in an instant. So Ham Ort decided to take the gamble.
If her daughter truly was their savior.
She would achieve her goal.
***
Inside the geothermally heated cave, bubbling with activity.
The floor was strewn with all sorts of precious minerals and gemstones, while the walls and ceiling were adorned with fruits emitting a fragrant aroma.
Amidst one of the most extravagant caves seldom seen in nature lay the black-colored owner.
Although his long body curled into a circle as he slept, he still emitted a considerable sense of awe.
Six curved horns sprouted from his head, and his wings were as massive as rain-clouds pouring down. His body and legs were tightly packed with sturdy muscles, and his talons were sharp as lightning bolts in a storm.
He was none other than the Black King, the great Odd Grad.
As usual, he supported himself with the geothermal heat while deep in slumber. However, today was slightly different. Despite clearly being asleep, his tail twitched uncomfortably.
Moments later, he raised his head sharply. As his massive body moved, the entire cave shook violently.
'What was that just now?'
Odd Grad's eyes, initially filled with uncertainty, gradually regained their composure. He had just had a nightmare.
In his dream, he saw it.
His kin rushed at him, attempting to slit his throat.
He vividly recalled even the sight of his head falling off mid-flight. Yet the entity that cut his throat remained blurred.
Whether it was large or small, nothing was clear. The only certainty was that the creature's body was black.
'…The future?'
Odd Grad possessed a very special ability.
He could foresee the future. Whether through prophetic dreams or visions, he could glimpse what was to come.
After realizing his precognitive ability, he always maneuvered to avoid ominous futures. Without that, it would have been impossible for him to survive this long.
At present, there was only one entity capable of shedding its black scales.
The white female who stood against him.
Odd Grad had been implementing measures to ensure his kin "did not grow." For some unknown reason, this detestable female had found a loophole in his unknown condition.
The future shown in his visions had yet to materialize. Reflecting on past precedents, it would still be some time before dreams become reality. Therefore, the white female was likely still mid-transformation.
Odd Grad summoned his companion from outside. When the white companion entered, he issued his command.
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢commands｣ ｢kin｣ ｢prepare｣ ｢eliminate｣ ｢traitors｣
The waiting was over.
It was time to execute the traitors he had long ignored.
-x-X-x-
Finding food, securing shelter, mating and leaving offsprings—everything is tied to competition.
To find limited food, you must compete with others, and the places that feel comfortable to you are likely desirable to other creatures as well. The same goes for feelings towards mates.
However, just because survival and competition are closely linked, not everyone can be a winner. Most creatures in nature live having lost in some aspect of competition.
The small cave's owner, the Sharkbear, embodied both the winner and the loser. He triumphed in all other areas but failed in just one.
He had no mate.
Perhaps it was because he had been separated from his group at an early age.
He never learned social skills and viewed other creatures solely as prey. Occasionally, females approached him, but his attitude drove them all away.
But so what?
He had a cozy cave and a vast territory all to himself. Except for not being able to leave offspring, he led a satisfying life.
Today, the young male Sharkbear roamed leisurely in his hunting grounds to satiate his hunger. There were no creatures around that could threaten him.
Except for the occasional intrusions by a beast with white fur and long limbs.
This bipedal monster was swift and strong. Its unpredictable arm movements were particularly annoying. Thus, even the Sharkbear found it a bit burdensome.
Still, the young male was not worried. He had recently chased the beast out of his forest after a fierce confrontation. He was sure it wouldn't return anytime soon.
As he strolled through the forest, a scent reached his nose. It was warm and sticky, out of place in the frozen surroundings. And it carried a sweet undertone.
It was the smell of blood.
Someone had died in his hunting grounds.
Rooaaar.
The young male let out a low growl.
Who dared to encroach on his territory? He thought. This time, he would not let the white-furred monster go unpunished.
Following the scent through the air, he reached an open clearing. In the middle of the snow-covered clearing was the source of the blood scent.
Under normal circumstances, he would have rushed in immediately, but he did not.
Something felt off. No predator would leave such a tasty meal behind without reason.
He dismissed his curiosity about the sweet scent and looked around. There were no tracks of other animals in the snow. He looked up at the open sky.
As always, the dark sky was snowing continuously. Could his instincts be wrong about the danger?
He noticed the broken tree branches above. They looked as if something heavy had fallen from the sky.
Had he been more social and interacted with his kind, he would have understood the significance of those signs. He would have known how dangerous aerial creatures could be.
But living alone, he never knew this. He approached the snow-covered corpse. His jaws opened wide, revealing his sharp teeth.
Just as he was about to enjoy his meal.
Something swooped down from the dark sky above his head.
['Enhanced Endocrine Glands' trait has been applied.]
[Can be fused with the existing 'Muscle Reinforcement' trait.]
['Enhanced Endocrine Glands' and 'Muscle Reinforcement' traits have fused. Evolving into the 'Berserker Synapse' trait!]
[Berserker Synapse: Enhances overall physical abilities. Reduces energy consumption and allows more energy to be stored within the body.]
[*Note: You are a living tank, an unstoppable train.]
'Whew. Finally.'
After capturing the 11th Sharkbear, I finally gained a new trait. It took a while because I didn't use the Symbol of the Hunt.
'I need to save the Symbol of the Hunt for the Skywhale.'
The Skywhale has some troublesome traits like 'Energy Absorption', but it also has many useful traits. Besides 'Giant Creature' and 'Space Travel', it has numerous valuable traits. It's a creature worth hunting for its power.
I looked down at my new body, enhanced with the [Berserker Synapse] trait. As expected of an internal organ fusion trait, there were no significant changes.
The only noticeable difference was that the muscles around my arms, neck, and tail were more pronounced. The muscles in my wing-arms were also stronger, allowing for faster and longer flights.
'I feel powerful.'
In the game, these changes were merely numerical, but in reality, it felt different. My whole body felt brimming with strength. Even without activating transformation modes like the Symbol of the Hunt, I could instinctively tell.
I wouldn't have to worry as much about the side effects.
｢Big guy, are you done eating?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Yes. You can have the rest)]
[Detection of rapid muscle density increase and energy distribution changes.]
｢…Your muscles are incredible.｣
While Number 26 was always indifferent to my growth, the others were not. PS-111 seemed eager to collect samples of my skin tissue, and the Sky Mother was observing the muscles of my combat arms closely.
[ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Let's leave right after we finish eating)]
｢Okay. Flap flap, sounds good.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Where do you think we should go to find the Skywhale?)]
｢Huh? Oh, um, I'm not sure. Well.｣
She, who had brought the High Priest's Golden Spear from the nest, seemed fascinated by the changes in my body. She stared intently at my arms with her amber eyes, startled when she heard my question.
｢Uh, well, it's definitely somewhere in the atmosphere, but I'm not sure where it would be easy to find. As you know, they never stop moving.｣
As she said, Skywhales have no nests. Their range of activity includes the entire planet and outer space. They roam planetary atmospheres, absorbing solar and other forms of energy, then move to another planet or star system when they've had enough.
The planet with the Gallagon's Nest is rich in psychic power, so Skywhales frequently visit. Thus, the chances of finding a Skywhale somewhere on this planet are very high.
'It has not been detected in this area.'
PS-111 said, eating Sharkbear meat with its hook-like hand. The piece of meat in its hand shriveled up in an instant, turning into something resembling a dried leaf. The dried meat was then consumed by Number 26.
As I watched them eat, I thought,
'We won't approach the Gallagon's Nest because of the Gallagons.'
In the game, events where Gallagons and Skywhales fought often occurred. Skywhales, which absorb all forms of hostile energy, are natural enemies of the powerful psychic Gallagons. Thus, Gallagons dislike Skywhales approaching the Gallagon's Nest.
'Should we search by flying directly?'
It seems we have no choice but to rely on my auxiliary organs for the search.
Once Number 26 and PS-111 finished eating, we began our search for the Skywhale.
Every flap of my wings made my thick muscles ripple. The black wings cleaved through the air, parting the clouds around us. Soccer ball-sized hailstones mixed in the blizzard struck my wings, but the membrane remained undamaged.
As my body and wings soared through the sky like a Gallagon ascending, the auxiliary organs under my chin tirelessly performed their tasks. They analyzed all elements in the clouds and the energy flowing through the air without missing anything.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (See anything unusual?)]
｢Not yet.｣
｢Nothing detected!｣
Sky Mother and Number 26, riding on my back, were also looking for signs of the Skywhale. Sky Mother stood on two legs, scanning the clouds with her hawk-like eyes. Despite her fear of flying, she had made significant progress.
'Except for gripping my tendrils tightly with her hands.'
Beside her, Number 26 extended tendrils to trace the energy flow.
I maintained a speed that wouldn't overwhelm them as they searched. Having just eaten the Sharkbear and with the Berserker Synapse effect, I still had plenty of energy.
While continuing our extensive search, my auxiliary organs detected something. The feeling tickling the ends of my auxiliary organs was subtly different from psychic power.
'What is this?'
I sensed an unusual energy flow from a specific direction. Number 26, seemingly feeling the same, sent out a pulse.
｢Big Baby! There's something strange coming from over there!｣
[Got it]
I slightly folded one wing to turn towards the source of the energy. My body tilted sharply with the inertia, then I spread my wings wide again, beating them powerfully. My body shot forward like a missile launched from a launcher.
As I increased speed and flew forward, a massive mountain peak came into view. It was far taller than the Twin Peaks where I had hunted Crystalwings.
The mountain pierced through the clouds and extended far above them. The peak, devoid of snow, appeared black, with no trees growing on it.
The sight looked more like a mythological giant than a naturally formed terrain.
｢Amazing. I've never seen such a huge mountain.｣
Sky Mother was right.
It felt like seeing Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, with my own eyes. The grandeur of the colossal black mountain was truly astounding.
As we neared the mountain, the unusual energy flow became even stronger. The black mountain seemed to be emitting energy from its peak, like a volcano spewing ash.
'That mountain is generating energy…'
｢There! The Skywhale is there!｣
Just as I was about to focus on the mountain, Sky Mother sent a thought wave. She pointed towards the mountain peak. Though it was hard to see clearly from a distance, tiny specks were circling the peak.
I increased my speed to approach it. Soon, the Skywhale became visible to my eyes.
It had a long body resembling a whale, six wings formed from clusters of opal-colored particles, and eight eyes.
It was a Skywhale, a whale of the cosmos.
'Judging by its size, it's still young.'
A mature Skywhale can reach up to 50 meters in length. The one before us was about 60 meters long, nearly twice my size.
"■——–"
Sensing my approach, it let out a warning cry. Since I was there to capture it, I ignored its warning and closed in.
"■—!"
It spread its wings in anger. The opal-colored particles on its wings began to gather and shine.
'Damn!'
Knowing what this meant, I folded my wings and dove. Six photon cannons fired from its wings, scorching the spot where I had been.
In the community, Skywhales are often compared to herbivores.
People might misunderstand them as harmless, but think of African elephants or hippos—herbivores but incredibly dangerous.
The same goes for the whales of the cosmos.
Having fired the first shots, it fired the opal-colored beams again. I wrapped my wings around my body and spun in the air. The beams grazed the outer part of my wing membrane. As I spread my wings again after the evasive maneuver, Sky Mother took action.
Using her 'Ice Spirit' ability, she aimed to seal the Skywhale's photon cannon attack. The Skywhale trembled as its eyes met hers.
The light on its wings flickered and then dimmed.
｢I can only hold it for a minute! We have to finish it within that time!｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ (Don't worry)]
I didn't plan to drag this out anyway. While the Skywhale was distracted by the Ice Spirit, I quickly closed the distance.
I could see its eight blue eyes, now devoid of their usual sharpness. The creature, losing its mind, charged at me. I did not dodge and charged right back.
Black wings clashed with opal wings, and the thunderous sound echoed like a bolt of lightning striking.
"■—–!"
The Skywhale cried out, overwhelmed by pain despite losing its mind. I, too, felt significant pain at the point of impact, but it was bearable.
Tendrils erupted from my back, biting into the creature. It retaliated by striking my head with its wings. Though my exoskeleton didn't crack, the impact was considerable.
[Pain Nullification Activated!]
Ignoring the text box, I bit down on the Skywhale's wing. It shrieked in pain and attempted to strike me with its other wing.
｢Help Big Baby with the attack!｣
｢On it!｣
Everyone riding on my back leapt towards the Skywhale, now held in place.
Sky Mother wielded the golden spear of the priestess, slicing through its flesh with the glinting weapon. Beside her, Number 26 lashed at its back with tendrils, leaving deep cuts. PS-111 crawled spider-like to its flank, slashing with its claws.
Skywhales can absorb energy-based attacks, rendering them useless. As I had warned everyone beforehand, they all engaged it in hand-to-hand combat.
'In close combat, we have the advantage.'
The Skywhale's melee skills weren't bad, but it had one major flaw: its lack of durability.
Its exoskeleton was easily damaged by our attacks.
"■——"
It tried to shake us off by thrashing its body. I tightened my tendrils around it to hold it in place.
Realizing it couldn't get rid of us without first dealing with me, it opened its mouth wide.
Skywhale mouths are more for combat than feeding. Male Skywhales bite each other to prove their strength in competition for mates. Even another Skywhale can be fatally injured by those massive jaws.
But there was something it didn't know.
'Now!'
"■?!"
As it opened its mouth, I thrust my head inside. Before it could clamp down, I drove the horns on my head into the roof of its mouth.
Six massive horns pierced through the soft palate, reaching the sensitive inner areas. I used my tendrils to push myself further into its mouth.
"■——–"
It tried to scream, but it was impossible. Nearly a quarter of my body was jammed inside its mouth.
I shook my head, tearing up the inside of its mouth with my horns.
"—…"
Finally, when my horns ripped through to its brain, it stopped moving. The light from its beautiful wings faded, and its six eyes slowly closed.
With its death, we all began plummeting rapidly.
｢Hey, hey, hey, hey! You crazy bastard! We're falling! We're falling!｣
｢Wheee! This is fun!｣
[Calculating damage based on the fall height…]
I pulled my head from the Skywhale's mouth and spread my wings wide. At the same time, the tendrils holding the cosmic whale bore the brunt of the weight.
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Hurry up and climb up)]
[Thank you.]
｢…Phew.｣
｢That was fun!｣
Even as the others climbed up my tendrils, I didn't stop flapping my wings. With the Skywhale in tow, I gradually reduced our falling speed.
'Now we just have to land and eat…'
At that moment, a surge of intense psychic power washed over me. I quickly released the tendrils holding the Skywhale and shot upwards.
In an instant, a thick purple beam slashed through my tendrils. The Skywhale's corpse plummeted below with the severed tendrils.
｢King of the Sky｣ ｢Cannot be allowed to escape｣
Above me, against the black sky, stood a being resembling a white angel.
'…Ham Ort.'
The white Gallagon who had taken Adhai.
Ham Ort, the White Gallagon, was there.
-x-X-x-
Ham Ort was the third consort of Odd Grad and the second in command within their ranks. While many of her kin shared her white scales, none possessed strength greater than hers.
Her formidable power allowed her to hunt the diverse creatures inhabiting this icy star. Among those who met their demise from her breath, there were beings worthy of being called kings.
However, the Sky King was a particularly troublesome adversary for Gallagon.
He soared through the skies, devouring the very energy that her precious kin needed to survive.
Even when she was with the Odd Grad pack, the Sky King had prevented young ones from growing, a problem they encountered more than once. With her immense strength from a young age, she had teamed up with her kin multiple times to slay the king.
Yet, each time a new king emerged, causing further trouble. They seemed to come from the sky above, from the realm where the stars reside.
Though the Sky King had been a persistent nuisance, he eventually stopped seeking out her kin. Instead, he lingered around the mountain near the Star Garden.
That mountain emitted a strange energy that even her kin avoided. Back when she had green scales, it was fine, but it had changed at some point.
Regardless, after she shed her scales and turned white, she once captured the Sky King alone. Now, being even stronger, it would be no problem for her.
One potential variable was Adhai, her daughter born with a weaker body, unlike her naturally superior kin.
There were two reasons for taking her to such a dangerous place to fight a formidable foe.
Firstly, it was difficult to move the king's corpse alone. Time was short, and her kin were exhausted. She judged it better to bring Adhai along and feed her directly to help her grow.
Secondly…
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Warning｣ ｢Escape｣ ｢Impossible!｣
｢Pain!｣
Since leaving the nest, Adhai had attempted to escape three times already.
With just the two of them, if she went to capture the Sky King alone, Adhai would surely escape the nest while she was gone.
｢Sky King｣ ｢Strong｣ ｢This action｣ ｢Dangerous.｣
｢Me｣ ｢Leaving｣ ｢Danger｣ ｢Disappearing.｣
Ham Ort tightly grasped Adhai with her front paw. Until now, she had knocked her unconscious every time she tried to escape, but this couldn't go on forever.
｢Kin｣ ｢daughter of Meteor｣ ｢Need｣ ｢Cooperate.｣
｢Kin｣ ｢Abandoned｣ ｢Me｣ ｢No interest.｣
She knew that Adhai was hostile towards her and the other kin, believing she had been abandoned by the group.
However, if this continued, it would be problematic. Even if she gained the strength to defeat Odd Grad, it would be useless if Adhai remained passive.
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Young kin｣ ｢All｣ ｢Kill｣ ｢Is that｣ ｢Okay?｣
Ham Ort sent out a wave of thoughts filled with intense emotions, causing Adhai to hesitate.
｢Young kin｣ ｢Innocent.｣
Eventually, Adhai relayed a sullen thought wave. Ham Ort, holding the now subdued Adhai, resumed their journey.
She was the best flyer among the white-scaled kin. She moved so swiftly that even the sound couldn't keep up. Meanwhile, she used her psychic power to reduce the impact Adhai would feel.
As she soared through the air, she spotted the black mountain.
She sensed the unpleasant energy emanating from it, along with other strange energies.
｢?｣
Sensing the energy flow belatedly, Adhai looked up and started struggling.
｢Big Adult!｣ ｢Lesser Elder!｣ ｢Present!｣
｢Big Adult?｣ ｢Ugly kin?｣ ｢Present?｣
Focusing on the tendrils at her mouth, Ham Ort detected that one of the strange energies was indeed the wavelength emitted by the Sky King. However, the other energy was unfamiliar to her.
She realized what it meant that the two energies were intermingled.
The "Big Adult" that the daughter of Meteor mentioned had beaten her to the hunt.
｢Ugly kin｣ ｢Hunting｣ ｢Sky King?｣
｢Big Adult｣ ｢Strong｣ ｢Can defeat Sky King.｣
Adhai's thought wave carried two emotions: pride and conviction.
The unknown energy was similar to psychic power but much stronger. It felt like when she encountered Odd Grad. The claim that the "Big Adult" would win was no lie.
Ham Ort hesitated for a moment before activating her psychic power. Small purple sparks flickered from her tendrils, and Adhai's body went limp.
Given her temperament, encountering the "Big Adult" would likely trigger impulsive behavior. It was better to knock her out.
Ham Ort stopped flying and gently landed on the ground, carefully placing Adhai beside a tree.
She looked down at her small offspring.
Born weak and abandoned by her kin, yet she had become their savior. For a fleeting moment, an emotion flickered in her purple eyes and then vanished.
Turning her gaze away, she spread her wings and took to the sky.
There was one thing Adhai did not know.
Why was she still alive and able to leave this planet?
But Ham Ort had no intention of revealing that fact. Regardless, it was true that her daughter had been exiled.
And she bore some responsibility for that. She was determined to take responsibility.
Ham Ort, with her white wings fully spread, hovered in the sky, focusing on her auxiliary organs while keeping her eyes on the creature she was observing.
***
Skywhales were formidable foes, even for Gallagon. While their specs were similar to White Gallagon, their special abilities set them apart.
Skywhales, which absorbed all energy, were natural enemies to Gallagons, whose strength lay in their high-powered psychic attacks. Only Black Gallagon, capable of killing a Skywhale in a single strike, could deal with them easily. Otherwise, multiple Gallagons were typically needed to take down a Skywhale.
'Even during the event, they appeared in a ratio of almost 5 to 1.'
So, there must be other Gallagons besides that creature.
While scanning the surroundings with my auxiliary organs, Ham Ort flew towards me. With a single flap of her wings, she reached me in an instant.
She swung her front paw, her diamond-like claws aimed at my neck.
'So fast.'
She was as quick as a white lightning bolt. Hovering in the air, I quickly pulled my neck back. Her claws narrowly missed my tentacle by a paper-thin margin.
As I dodged, I tensed my tail that was hanging towards the ground. The muscles in my lower body tightened, and the pincer at the end of my tail shot upward.
Before the pincer could strike Ham Ort's hind leg, she suddenly shrank. She had retreated swiftly after her failed attack.
Purple energy gathered at her tendrils. She was preparing to fire a psychic breath as she withdrew.
I hurriedly gathered the energy in my body. She, having gathered her energy first, fired her psychic breath.
A purple beam cut through the dark sky. Keeping my energy charged, I fully folded one wing. My body tilted sharply downward, and the beam grazed the top of my carapace.
The "Psychic Reflection Armor" activated automatically, reflecting a portion of the beam back at her. My tentacle, now fully charged, also fired a purple beam.
Displaying remarkable agility, Ham Ort effortlessly dodged the dual beams of psychic power.
[ZZZ (Now!)]
I sent a wave to the Mother of the Sky on my back, signaling her to use the "Ice Wraith."
"!"
｢Damn! She's too far!｣
Sensing we were about to attack, Ham Ort swiftly distanced herself, causing the attack to fail.
'How clever.'
Indeed, it was expected of a Gallagon that dared to rebel against a Black Gallagon. Even after a brief skirmish, her judgment was better than that of most players.
Realizing close combat was disadvantageous, it began to fire Psychic Breaths rapidly.
Having acquired the "Beast's Enhanced Wings," I could move quite nimbly, if not as fast as a Gallagon's "Hyper Acceleration." I advanced through the torrent of purple storms.
Though its aim was considerable, dodging attacks was second nature to me. Adjusting the angle of my wing arms to change flight direction, I evaded the beams with minimal movement.
Of course, merely dodging wouldn't suffice to defeat it, so I made sure to counterattack whenever possible. Thanks to the "Berserker Synapse" effect, my energy consumption was significantly reduced. This effect applied not only to physical activities but also to energy-intensive abilities.
In other words, I could use the "Divine Spectre" more boldly than before.
As I spun my body with my wings to dodge a beam, I charged the power of the Thunder God. My body, covered in black scales, gleamed golden, reflecting the sunset.
To it, which could see the flow of energy, it would appear differently. It would see a fearsome power concentrating in its opponent's body.
Sensing danger, it fired another Psychic Breath. Seeing that the beam was much thicker than the one I had fired, it must have increased its output.
'It doesn't matter if it doesn't hit.'
I dodged the incoming beam, disrupting the golden glow around my body, and lifted myself upward.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The beam, which should have passed well below me, veered and aimed straight at me.
'What the…!'
The creature, which had been relentlessly changing positions to target me, was now flapping its wings without moving. Around it, psychic power spread like a vast web.
'It's controlling the beam!'
It had forcibly altered the trajectory of the already-fired Psychic Breath.
The beam, curving upward from the middle, was about to strike my abdomen. It was too late to dodge. I quickly shielded my abdomen with my combat arms.
Just as the beam was about to collide, it dispersed in mid-air.
'What is this?'
In the spot where the beam disintegrated, dozens, if not hundreds, of threads of psychic power intertwined, similar to what Ham Ort had done.
I thought it had dispelled the beam, but that wasn't the case. It was visibly shocked, indicating it hadn't expected this.
At that moment, a wave came from the figure on my back.
｢I will protect the big baby!｣
'Number 26!'
The current miracle was undoubtedly caused by it. Like Ham Ort, it had interfered with the Psychic Breath.
However, it seemed it wasn't an easy task, as its wave carried signs of exhaustion.
'No matter what, this is our chance!'
I didn't know how the two of them used similar methods, but now was the time. Seizing the opportunity it created, I activated the Divine Spectre.
The golden light enveloping my entire body climbed up to my neck and gathered around my mouth. The Divine Spectre. I unleashed that power from my mouth.
A moment later, Ham Ort also released a breath made of pure psychic power.
A golden dragon tore through the sky. Opposing it, a purple celestial horse charged.
As they collided, a storm of light erupted. Between Ham Ort and me, a sun made of mixed energies emerged.
A blazing sun of purple and gold.
Eventually, the sun exploded, releasing a tremendous shockwave. The shockwave of light cleared the black clouds that enveloped the planet's atmosphere. In the sky, now free of clouds, yellow lightning and purple energy spread like cracks in shattered glass.
After the shockwave swept through the sky, a deafening roar followed. It wasn't so much a sound as a primal sensation, something beyond mere noise, leaving only a profound sense of numbness.
The intense clash, visible even from space, didn't last long.
The result was a decision victory for me. The Divine Spectre overwhelmed the Psychic Breath. Ham Ort dodged skillfully but couldn't completely avoid it.
Ham Ort staggered in the air, with one damaged wing. Its once snow-white scales were scorched and cracked from the impact.
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Won't be defeated!｣
Even in this dire situation, it roared defiantly. Its tendrils turned a lighter shade of purple.
As I prepared to fire the Divine Spectre again, my auxiliary organs warned me. A large number of lifeforms were rapidly approaching.
'Gallagons?'
As expected, they were all Gallagons. In the clear sky, I saw ten Gallagons with green scales flying toward us.
They quickly reached Ham Ort and began communicating.
'What are they doing?'
I thought they would attack me immediately, but they didn't. I wondered if they were strategizing, but it didn't seem that way. If only I could eavesdrop on their psychic waves, but whatever Ham Ort did, I couldn't sense it.
｢Big baby, there's big trouble at the bad guys' place.｣
Number 26, who had the best psychic tuning ability among us, overheard their conversation and relayed it to me.
'Big trouble?'
Of course, understanding what it meant was a different matter.
After their conversation, they all turned and started to fly away. I didn't know why, but it was clear they were retreating.
'Where do they think they're going?'
I couldn't let Ham Ort, who was nearly defeated, escape. I couldn't miss the chance to capture an Apex.
As I aimed the Divine Spectre at their backs, Ham Ort sent a psychic wave to me.
｢Daughter of the meteor｣ ｢Is below.｣
'What?'
｢To prevent｣ ｢Danger｣ ｢I brought her｣ ｢If late, she will die｣ ｢Hurry｣ ｢Go.｣
'Crazy.'
The moment I understood what she meant, my body moved on its own.
'What?'
Meanwhile, Ham Ort and the Green Gallagons had left. It seemed like she sent another psychic wave before leaving, but I had no time to focus on that.
'To think they'd use her as a threat!'
I had thought it was necessary to protect the Gallagons, and I believed Adhai would be safe because she was their child.
But I was wrong. I folded my wings back and dove toward the ground.
I landed almost in a crash and immediately activated my auxiliary organs after dropping off the kids. The Skywhale, dead and scattered, was the least of my concerns.
'Where is she? Where… there!'
I caught a familiar scent from one side of the forest. I hurried in that direction.
Soon, I saw a Gallagon lying next to a tree. The beautiful green scales like emeralds and the small, chubby body was unmistakably Adhai.
As soon as I spotted her, I generated a symbiotic spore. If her life was in danger, as Ham Ort said, I needed this.
Just as I was about to attach the spore to the seemingly lifeless Adhai, she suddenly lifted her head.
｢Big one?｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Are you okay?)]
｢Big one!｣ ｢Glad!｣
She jumped up and clung to me, rubbing her head affectionately. She looked completely unharmed.
'…Could it be?'
I didn't want to believe it, but it seemed I had been deceived.