Chapter 2384 - ESM 53

Megacorp, a human group that thrives around the solar system, is ruled by seven families.

Five Noble Capital families based on Earth.

Two Prime Capital families based on the Mars colony.

Once a huge corporate association, they still exist today as a family.

And now the interests of the seven families are focused on star systems other than the solar system.

A-11 star system.

It is one of the star systems that Megacorp controls after the solar system, and there is a very important facility there.

That is the headquarters of the Megacorp Dispute Resolution Team.

The Dispute Resolution Team, located on a terraformed planet, is a direct agency of the CEO and exists to mediate disputes that arise between families within the megacorp.

The role of 'law' in Megacorp is to efficiently protect the interests of the seven families. Therefore, the laws of Megacorp are all decided through secret meetings between the heads and leaders of the seven major families.

Of course, no matter how much time is spent on creating a 'law', it is not guaranteed to be perfect. There are times when contradictions arise in the law itself, and interpretations may differ depending on each person's position. The dispute resolution team exists to prepare for such times.

A large auditorium that can accommodate thousands of people.

The head of the dispute arbitration team was standing in the center of the place.

"This concludes the 17th meeting on the preparation of the 'T&C/Temporary Ceasefire Mediation Plan for the Edgerton Armed Conflict.'"

His voice echoed throughout the auditorium through the microphone.

It was usually an empty auditorium, but not like today. Lawyers dispatched from the seven major families and reporters from major media companies were sitting in the seats.

The reason they gathered was just as the head of the dispute arbitration team said.

They gathered to resolve the armed conflict that arose between Noble Capital TNC and Prime Capital Edgerton following the fall of the T&C Special Trade Center.

Once an application for mediation has been submitted to the dispute mediation team, the families involved must reach an agreement unconditionally. This is because families that reject the agreement will be deprived of their status as top capitals.

Of course, losing the position of capital is much more damaging than losing a dispute, so no family has ever refused to agree to such a thing.

However, the disadvantages resulting from the agreement are also significant. So much so that the family's power was greatly shaken.

Therefore, the lawyers of the families participating in the mediation meeting must win at all costs. He is a nobleman who bribes enemy lawyers to gain the slightest benefit to his family, and is willing to threaten, kidnap, and torture others if necessary. That can be called megacorp-style arbitration.

"We will receive your appeal again in 24 hours."

As soon as the head of the dispute arbitration team finished speaking, the people sitting in the auditorium began to flow out.

Akira Yujin, who was watching this from a secret room located at the back of the auditorium, turned off the monitor. An old butler was waiting behind him.

The long-running civil war has finally come to an end.

At the beginning of the conflict, the T&C family lost an entire space city and even lost one of the family's successors in the process. Because the losses were truly astronomical, many people predicted that the civil war would end with Edgerton's dominance.

In addition, the Edgerton family has recently succeeded in mass producing a new type of warship. Naturally, the initial situation went in Edgerton's favor.

If Egerton had not lost the head of the family, the civil war would have ended long ago with T&C's defeat.

"This situation turned out to be a blessing in disguise for T&C."

"I think the loss of the matriarch on the Edgerton side was fatal."

"It is true. Edgerton is still in a less stable situation."

Denver Edgerton, nicknamed the Black Lion of Mars. He disappeared when the T&C Special Trade Center collapsed. Egerton's vassal elders were so preoccupied with their own interests that they could not pay attention to the war with T&C.

As the civil war prolonged, the scales shifted towards T&C.

A problem occurred in the production process of the command center. These two factors led Egerton to defeat.

Although the adjustment plan has not yet been completed, the trend cannot be reversed. Based on that adjustment plan, TNC will extort all kinds of rights from Egerton.

"Thanks to this, the Eugene family's influence has extended to Egerton as well, but it won't bring much benefit."

"…."

The butler knew well that Akira had supported Egerton during the civil war. He sensed his owner's discomfort and quickly lowered his head.

His owners supported Edgerton not because they liked him. This was to keep T&C's power in check as it grew to the point where it threatened Eugene.

Akira secretly sent a shadow to TNC's side to sabotage it, while secretly supporting Edgerton's Hulk Mutant. Thanks to his help, it ended at this level; otherwise, Egerton would have suffered much greater losses.

Thanks to this, the number of supporters for Akira within Egerton increased significantly, but Akira was not satisfied.

The butler thought that the owner's anger was due to the failure to achieve the goal of weakening T&C, but this was only half correct.

That was one of the reasons, but there was another factor that made Akira uncomfortable.

That was the starting point of the civil war.

After investigating the cause of the collapse of T&C's space city, Akira Eugene was able to determine who initiated this civil war.

'Aimorph!'

That damn morphbag polluted the city the way he did in the game. He had lost a space fortress because of that guy, so he knew better than anyone else.

And what makes him even more angry is that he and the guy were in the same city together for a short time. When he visited the space city, he was operating in secret somewhere in the city.

At the time, I thought it was the betrayal shadow Sihyeon Eugene's doing, but I was very mistaken.

If he had noticed even a little earlier, a civil war would not have occurred.

I felt like I was going crazy when I thought about this guy wandering around the universe laughing at me.

In fact, when he stole my pet Gallagon's ring and mocked it with a tombstone, I felt my blood rushing to my stomach.

'Aimov Panho! How dare these bastards…!'

Sihyeon Eugene, Beomho's puppet. Mop Park has already been fucked twice. Those who tormented him in real life are also tormenting him in other worlds.

Moreover, recently, there have been disturbing movements even among those who share the same views as him.

Zubaka hasn't contacted her in over half a year, and Chloe has been holed up in her research base on Mercury and hasn't come out.

It all happened after Jason's death.

'The civil war is over anyway. Is it time to sort things out?'

As Akira was thinking about what to do next, someone knocked on the door outside.

When the butler opened the door, a woman dressed in black entered and bowed her head politely to Akira.

"Akira. Walter, the head of the St. Kay family, has arrived."

"Ah, it's been a long time since I received good news."

Akira smiled upon hearing the news that the person he had been waiting for had arrived.

–

'It's been a while since I felt this way.'

This is the second time that an adult has been made here outside of a game.

Previously, I had taken psionium to block the imperial carrier's cosmic bolts. At that time, I was able to truly feel the majesty of the Eucharist, even if it was only for a short time. Even if 'King of Monsters' was also used, it destroyed the imperial carrier and carrier battle group.

My condition now is very different from then.

To be honest, I've never seen anything like this in a game before. This is because the unique characteristics created by the transcendental system are affecting my body.

'Transcendence' is a system that does not exist in the game. Of course, the unique characteristics created through this did not exist.

As it has grown with new characteristics, its appearance has changed significantly from its basic adult appearance.

If I had to choose the biggest change, there would be three. It would be body size, shape and head.

First, looking at the body length, the length from the head to the tip of the tail has increased to about 60m. It can be said that it has more than doubled compared to before entering the cocoon.

Is that all there is to it? The body shape also changed. If the form when it just entered the sub-adult form is similar to that of a snake just before becoming an adult, it has now returned to a body form suitable for bipedal walking like it did in the past when it was a sub-adult.

The fighting arms, located at the waist before the tail, lowered and transformed into legs. In line with the change in role, the joints also took the form of slow-moving legs.

The two single-winged arms and the two fighting arms were still large and long, so it was closer to bipedal walking with its front feet on the ground like gorillas and other apes.

The height of my body standing on two legs is approximately 40m. The height alone when erect exceeds the body length of the White Gallagon. Of course, this may be due to the length of the neck, but even if you exclude that, it is by no means small.

'It wasn't this big in the game.'

Approximately 20 m must be subtracted from this to reach the original size of the adult. Not only did the size increase, but the strength and defense also seemed to increase accordingly.

"Big baby!"

Number 26, who had been waiting next to me until I woke up from the cocoon, called everyone as soon as the cocoon broke. The kids who had gathered at the crater after being on the pirate ship were amazed at my transformed body.

"Wow, look at the size."

Sky's mother reacted with fascination at the sight of me being much bigger than in the game. She probably knows what the Eucharist looks like in the game, so she probably feels the same way I do.

｢Horn!｣｢A lot｣｢Big｣｢Perfect!｣

Aadhai seemed to really like my change. It spun around above my head with its wings spread and continued to pour out exclamations.

As the animal reacted violently, the most impressive part that changed as it became an adult was its head.

When an amorph becomes an adult, the number of heads increases to three. Two newly grown heads can be seen at the ends of the long neck extending on either side of the head in the center.

It's the 'three heads' effect, a characteristic I received as a Eucharistic bonus.

The heads that sensed my consciousness turned towards me.

The overall shape of the two heads on either side was similar to the central head. Two elongated tusks, a long snout like a snake, auxiliary organs under the chin, horns on the head, etc.

Instead, both heads had no eyes. Horns were taking up the place where the eyes should have been. Originally, he wasn't supposed to have horns, but maybe it's because of the unique trait he acquired just before he grew up. Each of the two heads had four horns.

"Grrr"

"Grrr"

Just because two heads were added, there was no way my intelligence would increase or that I could hear two voices inside my head.

Looking at the senses connected to the two heads, it seemed that although they both had brains, they were treated as parts similar to my arms or legs. If I had to compare it, would I say it is a biological robot that has self-consciousness but obeys the commands of the main body?

'There were several times when I was frustrated with this head in the game.'

There were several instances where surprise attacks failed because the AI moved as it pleased if the command was not given properly. Of course, this does not mean that the three heads are a land mine characteristic.

It has three heads and does not die even if its main body, i.e. the central head, is destroyed. This is because one of the two remaining heads takes over consciousness and controls the body.

'I don't know if that's the case here too.'

And although the two heads do not have eyes, they do have auxiliary organs. Having three heads with auxiliary organs under my chin has heightened my senses like never before.

'…I think this will take some getting used to.'

It was more annoying than I thought because it felt like I could sense what was happening several kilometers away right under my nose. I didn't expect this to happen because the game ended with the observable mini-map expanding.

I did my best to block the information coming from both heads.

｢Grr?｣

｢Grrr｣

｢Itchy!｣

As my consciousness slipped away, the two heads began to move independently. The heads bent their necks, got closer to No. 26, and licked him with their tongues. The guy seemed to be in a good mood, emitting a twinkling light in the middle of the desolate planet.

｢Me too｣｢Me too｣

｢Grrr｣

｢Feeling｣｢Strange｣｢Interesting｣

"I'm also very curious about what that feeling feels like. Please ask me too."

｢Grrr?｣

"Thank you. It was very helpful."

｢Oh, I don't have to do it.｣

｢Grr.｣

'It looks like a retriever.'

I don't know if it was just instinct left or if my emotions were distorted, but the two heads showed an attitude that was familiar to kids. It was an absolutely unbelievable sight for anyone who knew Eimov.

'A normal person would faint if they saw me in the first place.'

Except for Heavenly Mother, the rest of the children seemed quite happy playing with the two heads.

'Originally, I wanted to talk about the vision I saw in the cocoon, but…'

If you think about it, even Mother of Heaven could not reach this stage. Because none of the visions she saw competed with her own.

I was going to check with Jason, who was a human being, but after seeing them having fun, I had to put that aside.

Instead, I checked the rest of the changes.

The six horned wings attached to the central head grew larger as the body grew, and the outer skin of the body became thick like the outer wall of a space fortress. The muscles of the fighting arms and legs that support the body have become thick enough to be considered biological armor.

'Ah, should I consider this a change as well?'

The biocannon on my back moved to my tail due to its newly acquired unique characteristic.

Thanks to that, I now have two tails. The two tails that split from the pelvic area, which appeared as the body changed, were each tens of meters long.

The shape of the tail was also different. One tail had claws and the other tail had a biocannon. Among these, the part with the biological cannon was a change that occurred because it reflected one of the two unique characteristics I acquired just before evolution.

'The body check ends here.'

It's time to check the two unique characteristics obtained before evolution and the space monster type level 2 perk.

'First, the perks.'

What was given in the second stage? With such anticipation in mind, I opened the semi-transparent text box.

'This?'

I was surprised when I checked the contents of the text box that popped up.

｢Tier 2 Reward

Monolith of the Double Helix: You can transfer any of your traits (except your unique trait) to a friendly creature. The implanted traits are permanent, and each creature can only have two implantable traits. The implantable traits are affected by the level increase of the Space Monster type.

*PS: Whether you want to be a guide or a destroyer is up to you."

-x-X-x-

A space monster type opened upon entering the second stage of transcendence.

This type has the unique feature of providing additional rewards each time the level increases, unlike other types that are completed once acquired.

The same goes for the Space Monster level 1 perk. 'Essence rearrangement', which nullifies the type penalty, is a reward that cannot be found in the game.

Aimorph's identity is to prey on as many living creatures as possible and store their genetic essence in his body.

The systematic implementation of this aspect can be called a type penalty. It forces you to collect as many genetic essences as possible, regardless of whether they are good or bad.

However, integer rearrangement can escape this limitation. Because you can select and acquire only the characteristics you need.

Of course, that doesn't mean I can or will stop collecting characteristics. No matter what, the more cards you have, the easier it is to outwit a strong enemy.

Anyway, after getting the first stage reward, I wondered how great the second stage would be, but I got something much more unique than expected.

'It's a trait that strengthens friendly creatures.'

Like the parasitic Tooth Fairy and the Human Insect, Eimorph is not without the ability to handle minions.

However, most of them are limited to assisting Amorph players. The 'symbiotic spore' that I like to use was actually a trait used when recovering the Insomnia and Tooth Fairies.

'I thought the essence rearrangement was unconventional, but this…'

I can't believe I can transfer the characteristics I possess to other living things.

It was a privilege only seen in the Metallic Gremlin, which could determine the path of its compatriots belonging to the Outspacer group, which modifies and strengthens the genes of individuals belonging to the corps.

'In some ways, it might be better than that.'

Outspacers, like Amorphs, are a race that utilizes genetic essence, but it has limitations. There are limits to the characteristics that can be applied to each object, and the effect changes randomly each time it is applied.

For example, let's say I want to transfer my claw characteristics to a worker beetle.

Outspacer worker beetles have two front legs that look like pincers, so they can adopt pincer characteristics. However, when it succeeds, the result is a mixed bag. You can just get stronger claws, or you can get claws with strong psychic resistance like me.

However, there seems to be no such limitation in the 'double helix monolith'. Just looking at the description, it seems like the characteristics can be completely given to another creature.

'Let me take a quick look.'

There are things you need to find out first before transplanting.

In the case of 'starlight coordinates', only 'friendly creatures', i.e. targets with symbiotic spores, could be moved. This time too, they said only friendly creatures were allowed, so like before, they brought the auxiliary organ to No. 26.

｢It is a target whose characteristics can be transplanted.｣

'Good.'

Next, the same message appeared on both Aadhai PS-111. All that remains is the Heavenly Mother.

'Is it even possible for players?'

To be honest, I thought there was a high possibility that it wouldn't work, so I brought her an assistive device.

I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw the text box that popped up in front of me.

"What's wrong?"

She was feeling burdened by the sight of my face getting closer, but when I saw her in reverse, she blinked her amber eyes.

'Is this possible?'

Of course, there is no ability to transfer characteristics to the player. Among its unique characteristics, not even the boss creatures Vortex One or Red Gallagon have such power.

Can we say that Megacorp's unique system, genetic manipulation, is similar? This also involves transplanting genes into one's own body and that of an NPC, and cannot arbitrarily change another player's body. Trait transplantation is also, of course, impossible.

I explained to Heavenly Mother about the double helix monolith.

"…You can give me characteristics? To me too?」

[Zuzuzuz Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu (You can give up to 2 of the characteristics you own)]

｢You can transfer characteristics without limit. It seems like Outspacer and Megacorp are upwardly compatible."

She seemed to feel the same way as me. As she crossed her arms and pondered, she sent her thoughts again.

"It's such a strong force, there's no way there's no limit to it. Isn't there some weakness?」

[zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzu (There is no separate explanation for the tulle tip. Of course, it would be difficult to completely believe it)]

｢What I'm saying.｣

Judging from the explanation in the text box, it is a disadvantage. There are two things worth doing.

Unique characteristics cannot be transplanted, and the transplanted characteristics are permanently applied.

'It's the latter that you need to be careful about.'

If a trait is implanted in children and it is not useful or, on the contrary, has a negative effect, it becomes a big problem. Most of the traits I have are useful traits, but there is no guarantee that they will be the same for children.

Additionally, it is currently unknown how the feature will work after being applied.

For example, what would happen if 'three heads' were transplanted to No. 26? Since it has no concept of a head, it is impossible to predict how it will be applied.

'In that respect, it could be said to be a hidden limitation.'

The outcome after transplantation is unknown. Therefore, we need to determine what characteristics are suitable for children and then give them those characteristics so that there are no side effects. I think this part needs more research and consideration.

'Anyway, things are happening one after another that shatter my common sense.'

Moreover, there was a fight with 'me' when I was human. These are all things I have never experienced before.

I looked at the postscript in the text box.

'Will you be a guide or a destroyer?'

Seeing this message in that situation felt completely different.

Given the setting, that option is meaningless to Amorph. When ascending to heaven, the purpose of Aimorph's existence is revealed, and if you look at it, Aimov is closer to a destroyer than a guide.

'Ascension.'

I browsed other text boxes than the special content. As they became adults, new and updated evolutionary conditions appeared before their eyes.

｢'Eucharist'- >'Ascension'

Physical Essence: Choose 1 from Megacorp CEO/Wolf Incarnate (not achieved)

Spiritual Essence: Choose 1 from Cult High Priest/Vortex One (Not achieved)

Wild Essence: Aimorph Holy Body /Choose 1 of the Outspacer Great King (not achieved)

Test of Ascension (not achieved)

Unique attribute 10/15 (not achieved) Type 6/9 (not

achieved)

It wasn't there at all. There were even players who became adults earlier than me.

However, they all fell before reaching ascension.

The reason was the goal of collecting three 'essences'.

In fact, it means fighting the highest leader of each force, so it is a huge challenge from the beginning. The moment you set out to kill them, the fight against the entire force begins.

Is that all there is to it? Those top leaders are usually filled with players and rankers.

Breaking through the enemy forces' defenses and confronting the target does not mean it's over. A crazy challenge awaits Aimov as he must fight a ranker who is supported by the entire force.

Among the requirements for achieving the Essence of Spirit, Vortex One is the only NPC creature, but they are also formidable.

The strength of each Vortex One varies greatly, and even the weakest one has the power of Red Gallagon. It can be considered as difficult as catching the high priest of the Megacorp CEO cult.

'The easiest target is the adult Aimorph…'

Since there are not many Aimorph players, targeting the adult is literally picking stars in the sky. I also went around trying to catch Amorph, but eventually failed, so I changed my goal to Outspacer.

When all remaining conditions for the three essences are met, the 'Test of Ascension' opens and clearing it is the ending.

'It's easy.'

Getting this far is really difficult and takes a long time. The conditions for acquiring a unique characteristic type feel like nothing.

'Because of this, I saved the Mother of Heaven.'

My original plan was to raise her to the highest level of deification, 'Incarnation,' and then eat her. If you do this, it is advantageous because you can begin by completing one of the ascension conditions as soon as you become an adult.

'I don't plan on doing that now, though.'

We have already come too far to sacrifice the Mother of Heaven.

I glanced at her and then returned my gaze to the text box.

Regardless of the difficulty level, my goal was to achieve ascension. Because I thought I wouldn't be able to return to the real world after seeing the ending.

But that goal is now shaken. I am troubled by the vision I saw before becoming the Eucharist.

'I don't know what that vision means, but it's likely to be related to ascension.'

Why did I show the illusion of a life-and-death struggle with the real 'me' in the middle of becoming an Eucharist? And what if I lose? If the 'I' of reality wins, what happens to the current me?

Or, on the contrary, what if I ate 'me'? Then, will the real 'me' disappear and only the present me remain?

It feels like wandering in a fog because nothing is certain.

'…transcendence. 'Could this be the key?'

Transcendence that pushes Aimorph beyond his limits.

Ascension, Aimov's ultimate goal.

Looking back, the two seemed to fit together, but there were also quite a few aspects where they did not. There were many times when I wondered whether to prioritize evolution conditions or obtain unique characteristics first through the transcendence system.

As both require characteristics, ascension and transcendence were often seen competing with each other.

'I thought it was a coincidence, but it wasn't.'

Looking at the rewards I get as the space monster type level increases, I am convinced that there is some kind of relationship between the two. I still don't know what exactly it is.

'As expected, we need more information.'

Now that illusions and ascension have become suspicious, I think we need to gather related information. I think I'll have to put it on hold for a while until I can confirm that Ascension won't harm me.

'I'll have to talk to Heavenly Mother later.'

She has not yet reached the stage where she is struggling with her real self. I'm not sure, but there's a possibility that she may see visions similar to mine when she ascends to her incarnation. The fantasy may have a negative impact on her, so I'll have to postpone this until I know for sure.

'Check with Jason too.'

He also cleared the cult's unique system of quests to a fairly high level. Then you would have had a similar experience as me. You might know something.

'Then, the last thing I learned was the unique characteristic…'

The moment I thought I should check, a slight abnormality was detected. The heads on both sides raised their long necks and pointed upward. The auxiliary organs below the two heads wandered in the air in a tense state.

'This?'

What the auxiliary organ captured was a wave of energy. An explosion of energy originating from a very distant place has reached here.

'Flat-light sailing?'

I focused my senses on the two heads and glared at the empty space filled with black. Although there was nothing visible, the auxiliary organ under the chin could still feel subtle energy waves.

From what I could sense, it was clear that a ship had flown near this desolate planet. Seeing the energy flow up to this point, it seems like a fairly large ship has attempted to travel at faster than light speeds.

'I don't know who it is, but it's good.'

The two newly acquired unique characteristics, 'Variable Biological Weapon' and 'Black Devourer Cannon', coincidentally are all combat-related characteristics.

Since a new enemy has just appeared, it might be a good idea to experiment on them.

–

Megacorp has become a power that dominates the universe today.

The seven families at the center were not mega-corporations from the beginning.

The Eugene family started out as a small agricultural company in a peninsular country, and T&C was one of the common companies in the financial sector. In addition, the Garmelda company, which came from a watchmaking background, as well as Edgerton, which started from a group of gunsmiths, etc.

Today, most of the seven families have changed a lot from when they started the business.

Eugene is good at genetic manipulation, Garmelda is a leader in the development of reinforced suits and weapons, T&C is a master of colony management, including terraforming, and Edgerton has excellent ship development technology. Not many people will think of the past when they see these people commanding the universe.

However, there are some families whose main business sectors have not changed much from the past.

Noble Capital 'Veda' started in the semiconductor business and is in charge of ship AI development.

And it is Noble Capital 'Saint K', which is in charge of Megacorp's resource procurement.

St. K was once the most influential diamond company on Earth long ago.

In the past, mining machines and miners mined expensive diamonds, but now mining is done on a planet-by-planet basis, led by very large spaceships.

Just like their ancestors, they travel around the universe and dig for minerals. That was the hallmark of St. K.

"What about that goal?"

"After analyzing it, it turns out that there are abundant hypertite reserves." "Other than that, there are no other impressive minerals."

"Hypertight prices have risen a lot these days because of the war, haven't they? Considering that, wouldn't it be profitable enough?"

"The energy consumption rate and time of the 'gigacracker' must also be considered."

The conference room of the ultra-large mining ship Gigacracker.

There, several team leaders were gathering and sharing opinions.

"There are some things everyone should keep in mind. "It would be difficult if we forgot that we also have quotas."

"I understand that the quota was already met a week ago?"

"Yes, but the other side says they have achieved more than double that. If we continue like this, we may receive a negative evaluation at the end of the month report."

"Hmm. "You're not wrong."

The atmosphere in the conference room was not bad, although it did not fit the atmosphere of a megacorp society where classes were divided into various capitals. There was no yelling or rude asking each other about capital.

The reason was related to Gigacracker's status.

Gigacracker is a type of superweapon that splits asteroids or dwarf planets into pieces with a huge ion cannon and sweeps up minerals. It boasts superior performance than any other mining ship and its price is ridiculously high. Even the world's Saint K only has 20 Giga Crackers.

Because even if just one ship had a problem, the damage would be serious, so St. K strictly managed Giga Cracker's crew. All of the team leaders in the conference room have received special care from Noble Capital since childhood. Since we share the same past and the same goals, of course there is no need to fight.

"What are you going to do? "Captain?"

Captain Tyrone St. Kay, a former member of Noble Capital, thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

"As the sailing team leader said, we cannot be reassured that we have achieved the quota. "We will operate the gigacracker."

"Understand…"

Just as the captain made his decision, a red emergency light suddenly turned on on the ceiling of the conference room.

"Unidentified energy attack detected! Everyone, please prepare for shock!" As soon as the emergency announcement ended, the conference room shook violently.

-x-X-x-

In Space Survival, ships of Megacorp and Star Union can use plasma weapons. This is because both are forces that originated from humanity in the solar system.

However, if you go into the details, the preferred equipment between the two forces is slightly different.

Star Union tends to weaponize drones equipped with advanced AI technology. On the other hand, Megacorp's main focus is energy-based weapons such as laser and plasma.

The gigacracker, a very large spherical mining ship under my feet, is also one of the Megacorp superweapons that uses energy-based weapons.

Gigacracker's main weapon is a huge ion cannon. Its power is strong enough to split meteorites or asteroids.

'Instead, the maintenance costs are enormous.'

Every time the ion cannon is activated, some material is consumed as an energy source. A crystal wing I caught before. The special metal substance it secretes is the energy source for the super-giant ion cannon. This is why Megacorp players keep their eyes peeled for Crystal Wing nests.

'I never thought I'd see a giga cracker here.'

Considering that I came to this place where there was nothing, it seems like they were trying to mine the dwarf planet where I was trying to evolve.

Since the spaceship was large enough to be visible even from a distance, I was planning to attack it preemptively, but then a thought occurred to me.

The erosion of superweapons.

As I became an adult, my body size became larger than before, and thanks to the dragon's heart transplant, my energy output also increased significantly. If you can take control of that ship with 'Nightmare Horizon', it will be a great help when fighting powerful enemies.

Even if erosion is impossible, it doesn't matter.

Because Gigacracker is much more useful and powerful than a pirate ship. Since it is a mining ship, the secondary armament is mediocre, but isn't there an ion cannon instead? It is always beneficial to get your hands on it.

'I tried testing the Black Devourer cannon…'

I glanced at the 'left tail' with the biocannon among the two forked tails. Just looking at the tooltip, it is a trait that has the power to destroy the entire ship, or at least destroy it in half.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to acquire a super weapon, but wouldn't it be a waste to waste it by experimenting with its characteristic effects? I'll have to write about this later.

I changed my goal from destroying the ship to seizing it, and there were two new weapons I took out.

'Dark Curtain', a fusion characteristic related to superpowers, and 'Variable Biological Weapon', a unique characteristic seen for the first time.

'Dark Veil was used a lot in games as well.'

Each time Amorph grows to the next level, he gains a few traits for free. Dark Shroud is a trait created by combining the traits obtained for free with 'Mental Net'.

When the dark curtain is activated, a special substance flows out from pipes located throughout the body and surrounds the entire body.

The effect is not to be caught by the enemy's detection system.

It can be seen as similar to the Crystal Wing, which cannot be detected due to its metallic secretions.

'It works just the opposite, though.'

Unlike Crystal Wing, which does not get caught in electronic devices itself, the dark curtain does not cover my appearance. Instead, it creates a very strong magnetic field, making it difficult for machines to recognize it properly.

This ship probably doesn't think of me as a monster, but as some kind of giant energy ball or a sudden magnetic storm.

He spread a curtain of darkness to nullify the enemy's detection function and then rushed towards his target. Although the Gigacracker was armed with much thicker armor than a battleship, it was unable to completely neutralize my assault as an adult.

'Of course, that's not the only thing.'

I returned the head carapace, which had become three or four times larger than usual, to its original state. There was a sound of carapace and bones colliding and twisting inside the head, and the weight on the neck lessened in real time.

｢Variable Biological Weapon: Imitation is the mother of creation. Transforms the body to mimic the physical characteristics of the Apex creature it has already consumed.

Transformable Body Parts: Head Arm Right Tail Erosion

Tentacle List of Mimicking Targets (Results): Ice Horror (Carapace) Gallagon (Horn Wings) Glacier Fiend (Claws) Crystalwing (Auxiliaries) Skywhale (Eyes) Hellside Hornet (Arms) Gorgon Swarm (Tail)

*PS: The perception that the original is superior is an illusion. "A

'variable biological weapon' created after escaping from the space fortress.

It was a unique trait that transformed each body part to reflect the strengths of a specific creature. Similar to 'complete organism', physical characteristics were required as materials, and the results were similar.

'It's a trait that transforms the body.'

Thanks to having a complete organism, I can transform into a 'hunting symbol' specialized in combat once every 24 hours. Variable biological weapons do not change the entire body, but can instead change some of the body parts into different forms.

When he hit the Giga Cracker just now, he used a variable biological weapon to transform his head carapace into the shape of an Ice Horror skull.

Ice Horror's skull is a part that I couldn't eat because my teeth weren't set in properly, even though I can't eat a lot of things. These characteristics were reflected even when the head carapace was changed to a variable biological weapon.

'It's okay, but there are some regrets.'

I tried it for the first time and immediately noticed two shortcomings.

Every time I transformed my body and put it back together, the pain was significant. It wasn't enough to trigger 'pain relief', but it was still quite annoying.

And since it only modifies a limited area, it does not respond well to other body parts. It was good to increase the size of the head, but it put a lot of strain on the neck.

'I need to do more research to see if there is a way to improve this part.'

The pain I felt when I was transformed subsided over time. I looked down at the outer wall, which was dented like a castle wall hit by a battering ram. Looking at its condition, it looked like it would make a hole if it were replaced with an Ice Horror carapace and pierced once more.

'no. 'Let's change another part.'

The dark curtain is still in effect. Inside, you don't notice what's going on outside.

This time I decided to change my arms.

'Glacier Fiend's fingernails.'

When the variable biological weapon was activated, the combat arms, not the wing arms, quickly changed.

The four fingers at the end itched, the outer skin was torn, and blood spurted out from inside. Hook-shaped nails protruded from between the torn finger muscles. My blood and flesh were floating in the weightless space of space.

Eventually, the shape of my hands changed to something similar to the feet of a scarab. I strongly swung my two fighting arms with large claws.

Then, a heavy yet sharp nail pierced the outer wall of the ship. When I applied force and pulled my arm, the outer wall tore like a piece of paper.

'As expected, it's similar.'

I was lucky when I caught a Glacier Fiend in Aadhai's hometown. At that time, there was no need to fight directly, thanks to the 'color of the abyss' that completely destroyed the red forest that it controlled.

So it's easy to think that it's a weak enemy, but that's not the case. It is also one of the predators classified as Apex. Aside from being skilled at using narcotic substances to control his subordinates, his body's specifications are also quite high.

Glacier Fiend, which has the upper body of a stag beetle and the lower body resembling tree roots, carries several weapons. One of them is dozens of claws.

After taking control of a specific area, it hides dozens of branches-like legs underground. That's why you don't normally see the ridiculously thick claws on the ends of their legs. These claws are revealed to the outside only when attacking a target that is close to the creature's body.

What if you don't know this and rush towards the main body? He is hacked to pieces by dozens of claws rising from underground.

'According to the setting, it is said to be used for digging the ground.'

Now I'm digging the outer wall of the superweapon instead of the ground.

Thanks to my useful body parts, I scraped off the outer wall as easily as peeling an onion, and held on to both ends of the hole in the outer wall with my wing arms. I used my arms to expand the size of the hole and stuck my head inside.

'There are no humans around.'

The first thing I encountered on board the ship was a huge pile of minerals. There were multiple mineral pyramids on top of a storage compartment covered with red emergency lights.

'It's definitely spacious.'

Even though Gigacracker is a super weapon, it is fundamentally a mining ship. The interior of the ship, which is 2km in diameter, is mostly filled with spaces to store minerals. The space where the actual sailors live is not that large.

After checking, I took my head down. I turned my head and saw two familiar objects flying from afar.

A white dragon holding an eight-legged spider robot, a griffon beast holding a pink ball. They went straight into the hole I made.

Even after they went in, I continued to widen the hole. I was only able to squeeze in after making a hole that was barely large enough for my body to fit through.

'It's a problem if it's too big.'

Upon entering, PS-111 was beginning to take over the ship with the Mother of Heaven. No. 26 and Adhai were looking at the piled up chunks of minerals, as if they were amazed.

"and! There are a lot of them!"

"Liar Odd Grad" "Nest" "Similar"

"These round ones are pretty."

"Recognition"

I approached PS-111, who was operating the terminal in the storage compartment. The guy was bobbing his head with the cable under his chin connected to the terminal.

[Zuzuzu Zuzuzu (Can you control it?)]

"Nothing is impossible for me. "It may take some time, but you don't have to worry."

[Zuz, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu (Really? Then, can you drag out the time so that we can't just travel at faster than light speeds?)]

｢Are you really going to erode the Giga Cracker? Is that possible?」

[Zuzuzu zuzuzu (check first)]

I pulled out the erosion tentacle from my back and placed it on the wall of the storage compartment. Then a familiar text box appeared in front of me.

｢Check that it is a suitable size for erosion. Erosion is expected to take 16 hours to complete. The time that can be controlled after erosion is currently 80 days. '

Hmm. 16 hours.'

It may seem like a long time, but it is the time it takes to completely take control of a super weapon with a diameter of 2km. This amount is practically nothing.

'I guess I'll use this later.'

After confirming that the ship was controllable, I retrieved the tentacle.

When erosion begins, there is a time limit, so it becomes difficult to use it as a hidden card when fighting strong enemies. I plan to leave it under the control of PS-111 until a situation arises where erosion is necessary.

[Zuzuzu (It's possible)]

｢Really? I don't think the balance is right."

[Zuzuzuz, zuzuzu, zuzuzu, zuzuzu (think of it as a reward for all your hard work)]

After giving her a light answer, I called the kids. No. 26 and Aadhai, who were playing with a laptop-sized diamond stone, approached me.

[Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu (Everyone has work to do)]

｢What? "What is it?"

"?"

I explained to the kids what they had to do to take control of this ship.

For example, getting rid of uninvited guests occupying our home.

"huh. "I know what to do."

"Me too."

"I will use hacking to prevent faster-than-light travel."

Since everyone has experienced this more than once, they understood it quickly even if it was briefly explained. At that time, the Mother of Heaven raised her hand.

"Wait a minute."

[Zuzu (what is it?)]

"A container on a pirate ship. "I have to take care of that too before I leave."

Then I realized I had forgotten.

'I guess I'll have to take it with me, right?'

Everyone responded well to the ingredients brought from the space fortress. Since there are people on this ship, there will be food on board, but most of it will only be combat rations.

[Zuzuzzu zuzuzuzu (Let's take care of it when it's all sorted out)]

｢Good…! "Hmm, okay."

Sky's mother looks awkward, as if she's embarrassed to show her emotions. After that, no one came up with any new opinions anymore.

'It's a giga cracker.'

Since it is a super weapon that has never been obtained either in the game or here, I am somehow intrigued.

Of course, this will never be a pleasant experience for the owner of this ship, but not everyone can be satisfied.

Anyway, with this, a new home to move to has been decided.

The first house it got after becoming an adult was Giga Cracker.

-x-X-x-

Gigacracker, a 2km spherical mining ship, is so huge that it ranks among the top five megacorps.

Not only is it large in size, but its structure is also very different from a typical spacecraft. First of all, there are almost no facilities for sailors. If you look at the facilities inside the ship, most of them are facilities for operating ion cannons or storage areas for storing mined minerals.

Since the facilities that need to be managed are so large compared to the number of passengers, about 80% of the entire ship is managed by machines. Crew members take control of these machines and are responsible for maintaining and maintaining them.

In fact, it only looks like a spaceship on the outside, but in reality, it can be thought of as an automated factory floating in space.

Because there are so many facilities that each individual must manage, a lot of professional knowledge is required from passengers. Noble Capital St. K does not strictly manage Giga Cracker's crew for no reason.

Those who are not upper class like Noble Capital or Prime Capital, but have received equivalent education.

The ship's managers are walking inside the restricted living quarters.

Large dolls were moving around diligently in the dark hallway. They all wore advanced reinforced suits that were a mixture of a reinforced exoskeleton and a space suit, and held plasma rifles in both hands.

The plasma rifle, developed as the standard weapon of the Earth Defense Force, was the lightest plasma weapon until the introduction of the pistol. Although it has less firepower than a plasma bolter, it has the advantages of excellent safety and light weight.

The green translucent energy gauge mounted on the exterior of the silver gun, which had a clean, streamlined design, glowed in the darkness of the hallway.

"Is faster-than-light travel still possible?"

The leader of the heavily armed group opened his mouth. The team leader, who checked the computer pad on his wrist, answered the question of Giga Cracker's captain, Tyrone St. Kay.

"yes. "An unidentified electrical signal from outside is blocking remote control."

"In the end, the only way is to go directly."

Having been in an emergency situation while in the conference room, they took out the necessary equipment from the emergency armory, put it on, and headed to the engine room.

Communication completely stopped after the last emergency broadcast before the collision occurred. As you can see, remote control between facilities is impossible.

It was a crisis I had never experienced before while operating Giga Cracker.

"What do you think is causing it? "Magnetic storm?"

"The phenomenon itself is similar, but the scope is too small. The route is unnatural and the origin is also inaccurate.

"If you see an electronic device failing, it could be a bunch of metallic gremlins."

"well. Probably not Metallic Gremlin. "They don't have enough power to rock a 2km boat."

As the team leaders moved around, they used their respective expertise to give opinions on the cause of the situation.

"Could it be an out-spacer? "Isn't the biggest one among them the size of a battleship?"

"Now that I think about it, there are recent rumors that there are signs of a major offensive from the empire as well. "Maybe there's a group of outspacers here…"

"Probably not."

The team leaders suggested that the out-spacer might be unreasonable, but Tyrone immediately denied it.

"Outspacers cannot travel at faster than light speeds like regular battleships."

"Is that so?"

"They contaminate a planet and then build a special device that allows them to jump into hyperspace between star systems. "You can only move if you have that device."

"The captain has a point. "If you look at the records of past major offensives, they say they poured out from contaminated colonies."

Tiers below Noble Capital and Prime Capital have limited access to the Megacorp database. So, like now, there were often cases where there were differences in the information acquired.

For example, Outspacer's unique means of transportation, 'Bio Portal.' This is treated as top secret information as it relates to their true nature.

Captain Tyrone is a member of St. K. I have more knowledge than the team leaders in this position.

"Sailing team leader. When was the last time you had contact with a base in a nearby system?"

"It was two hours ago."

"Regular contact takes place every three hours. "In just one hour, the other side will know that something has gone wrong with the Giga Cracker, so let's not lose hope."

Tyrone made it a point to remind the team leader of course what he knew. This was to give hope to the team leaders by again mentioning the fact that a rescue team would come if they only had to wait one hour.

'If the nearby dwarf planet or asteroid was a bio portal, it would be a different story…'

In fact, Tyron did not tell the team leaders all the information he knew.

For example, bio portals and pollution have nothing to do with each other.

The portal is not created by Pollution, but by an Outspacer Queen entity. It only seems like there is a correlation between the two because usually the planet the queen stays on gets polluted quickly.

If there is a queen somewhere here and it has created a bio-portal on a nearby meteorite or something, their forces can pour into this place without a contaminated planet.

Moreover, although it is not registered in the database, there are rumors circulating among Noble Capitals. There is a rumor that one of them has evolved to be able to travel at faster than light speeds.

'There's no need to bring that up here.'

Team leaders walking through dark hallways are able to maintain their composure because they have received intensive, long-term training. If the hope of survival disappears, this order will quickly collapse.

The team leaders, unaware of Tyron's thoughts, moved diligently.

"Which direction should I take to get to the engine room?"

"Facility team leader?"

"The captain's cabin line is faster than the dining car line. However, the situation room is connected to the dining car line. "You can join that team on the way, so it's a plus."

"hmm. "

To hold out until the rescue team arrives, you must first secure control of the engine room. Whether the enemy is an outspacer, a metallic gremlin, or a magnetic storm.

After hearing the explanation from the facility team leader, the captain thought for a moment and made a decision.

"The more people we have, the safer and faster we can reach our destination. "Let's go to the restaurant car line."

"yep."

According to the captain's decision, they moved along a route that passed through a restaurant car in the middle.

A hallway as devoid of light as the universe. In the extremely dark space, the plasma rifle's gauge bar twinkled like a star.

As they moved through the eerie hallway toward the core of the mining ship, there was something blocking them.

"It's blocked here too."

The entire group stopped in front of the thick shielded door.

The ship AI, which sensed a crisis within the ship, took protective measures and the shielded doors in the restricted residence area were closed. It seemed like he couldn't use his hands in the situation room, perhaps because the remote control was blocked.

"I will disarm the automatic shield door."

The good news is that it can be released by directly connecting the computer pad of the reinforced suit and the terminal of the shielded door. The technical team leader and the research team leader cooperated with each other to open the shielding door.

The moment the door connected to the terminal was opened, a loud noise was heard from afar.

"!"

"Did you hear?"

A noise like something sharp tearing a metal plate. Judging by the small sound, it was clear that the distance was far away, but I couldn't rest assured.

This is because the ominous sound did not stop all at once, but continued to be heard.

"…We need to move faster."

"yep."

At Tyron's urging, everyone's movements became faster.

As soon as the door opened, what blocked them as they quickly crossed the dark hallway was another shielded door.

"The next one is the dining car."

While the technical team leader and the research team leader were opening the door, the captain and other team leaders were alert to the surroundings.

'The sound stopped.'

The annoying noise that sounded like water flowing through a pipe behind the wall stopped a while ago.

The silence made him anxious. Concerns that the problem, rather than being solved, had become more serious crept into the back of my mind.

The door opened again with the sound of air being released.

Inside the restaurant car, the lights were blinking as if the lights had completely gone out.

However, because of the remaining light, they could not help but see with their own eyes the devastation that had occurred there.

The dining car is a place where you can enjoy a little fun inside Giga Cracker.

The place that would be familiar to anyone on board this ship is now immersed in death.

The pure white floor was covered in blood, and pieces of flesh and bone were stuck to the metal table and chairs.

It was not possible to confirm how many people died. All the corpses were so fragmented that it was difficult to guess their original condition.

And beneath the flickering lights was pink death.

Something that was constantly boiling looked at the new sacrifice with hundreds of eyes on the altar of corpses, blood, and bones.

"Ughhhhh!"

Did he lose his composure under that gaze? The medical team leader let out a bizarre scream and aimed his plasma rifle. Just before the green energy was released, something mixed of white and red struck him from the ceiling of the dining car.

Tyrone thought it was a blood-soaked tablecloth. But you are wrong.

Nowhere in the world does a tablecloth suck up human blood with its tentacles.

"Kwaaaaaak!"

"Everyone start shooting!"

The area that was thought to be soaked in blood was not a tablecloth, but rather a monster's wing. A monster with a white body and four red wings was crushing the medical team leader and eating him.

Instead of watching the scene blankly, the other team leaders heard Tyran's command and quickly started shooting. As the energy gauge next to the rifle filled up, a cylindrical energy bullet was fired from the muzzle.

An energy bullet flew towards the white and red ghosts. The moment it was about to touch its body, the red color of its wings covered the impact point like spreading paint. The energies that touched its red body were neutralized like a lie.

"So, it's no use…Kaaak!"

When the crisis management team leader saw this, he screamed and then bent his arm in a deformed manner. Some invisible force had twisted his arm. He was able to protect his arm thanks to quickly activating the shield built into the advanced reinforcement suit.

However, it was his misfortune not to know that the being that tried to break his arm had a high output of 'invisible power' that could overwhelm the shield.

"I survived…!"

The moment the crisis management team leader was about to shout out that he was alive, his limbs were torn off in all directions. His fragments were scattered throughout the dining car, as if the strings that tied the puppet had been pulled all at once, breaking it.

"Aaaahhh!"

The equipment team leader screamed at the horrific sight that would make even a veteran who had been on the battlefield for a long time cringe.

In the meantime, Tyrone barely kept his composure and tried to find the culprit who made the crisis management team leader like that.

'It's a bastard!'

Tyrone's eyes turned to the giant pink jellyfish sitting on the corpses. He fired his rifle at the guy, hoping to get at least one hit.

Did his wish come true? One of the green plasma rounds collided with the pink monster's tentacle. The guy is wincing as if in pain. Other energy bullets follow suit and rain down on his body.

As if it were just a coincidence, the green energy chunks did not reach their target and melted in midair. It's as if it's blocked by a transparent barrier.

｢■■■ ｣｢■■■｣

｢! ■■■!｣

The pink monster that destroyed the energy bullet in the air did not fight back. The red-winged ghost also showed a completely different reaction from the agility it had shown just a moment ago.

'I don't know what it is…!'

"Retreat! retreat!"

"Yes yep!"

Tyrone and the team leaders hurried out into the hallway they came from.

The two monsters did not chase them.

–

｢Just now｣｢That｣｢What is that?｣

｢I don't know! When I thought about it, I said Pavat and that's it!"

"Pabat?"

"Yes."

"Try it again."

No. 26 grunted and concentrated on Aadhai's request. Then, a purple energy stream suddenly appeared in the air. It covered the area around No. 26, rippling like waves in the deep sea.

Aadhai tapped the purple wave pattern with his paw wearing 'red armor'. Then, something like a semi-elastic force pushed the front foot strongly.

｢This｣｢Star power｣｢Similar｣

｢Star power? What is the power of a star?"

"Strong" "Head" "Symbol"

"Wow! Studying paid off!"

"Agree" "Disagree" "Star Power" "Study" "It doesn't matter"

"No! "They said that if you study, you will become smarter and stronger!"

Number 26 confidently waved his tentacles and sent waves. Adhai could not refute this as he had heard similar stories. Instead, he purred and grunted the tentacles around his mouth.

｢This will be enough to protect the older child, right?｣

｢Probably｣

｢Good! That's good! I'll eat more so the older one won't get sick!""

Agree" "Elder adult" "If it hurts" "I know" "It's hard"

After saying that, the two started eating again to build up their strength.

The reason why we did not bother chasing those who ran away was simple.

The eldest child and adult declared.

This ship is his.

Their expert leaders never miss their prey.

-x-X-x-

In the ion cannon management room, the maintenance team leader and team members looked up at the ceiling with anxious eyes.

A sharp noise made when metal blades hit each other and an intermittent booming sound. Both of these were sounds that should never be heard in this giga cracker.

"Shouldn't we go too?"

"It's not possible. "If we move, there is a possibility of losing control of the ion cannon."

"It's too much time to wait for an hour…"

"I wore a reinforced suit to prevent an unexpected situation. What you are wearing are high-grade reinforced clothing. "No weapon can damage it."

Doesn't that mean there's something out there that can disable such great equipment?

The maintenance team leader said that to reassure his team members, but it had no real effect. It's just that the team members understood what he meant by saying it, so they didn't protest.

"We have to defend this place until rescue arrives. "Everyone please wait at the designated location."

"…yep."

With those words, the maintenance team disbanded. Dozens of people were divided into three groups and dispersed to maintenance rooms located in the middle of the hallway.

"I don't know what the fuck this is."

"That's right."

One of the maintenance rooms installed along the ion cannon's huge rail. The three team members waiting there were chatting to relieve tension.

"The month-end report was supposed to be next week, but something like this happened."

"So, I heard you have a family…?"

"you're right. "I got married not long ago."

"It's a good time. This is my 5th year, and I wonder if this is a family member or an employee earning credit. Tsk."

"If you plan to have children, please report to St. K. "There will be a subsidy…"

While they were talking, they suddenly fell silent.

Because I heard a sound.

It was similar to the sound I heard in the management room, but louder. The team members unknowingly tightened their grip on the plasma rifle.

"…Did everyone hear that?"

"Yeah yep. "I heard it too."

"I can hear it nearby…"

Whatever it is, hearing that kind of sound nearby is never a good thing. Maybe another maintenance room was being attacked.

The team leader gave me strict orders not to leave my seat, but now was not the time to question that. Three maintenance team members came out of the maintenance room holding rifles.

As this is the facility that is the reason for the existence of Giga Cracker, it is equipped with a device that can independently supply power in case of emergency. It has a closed structure, so remote hacking is impossible unless physically accessed and manipulated.

A brightly lit hallway welcomed the team members. The distance between maintenance rooms is not far. They headed to a nearby maintenance room and were able to meet other team members loitering in the hallway.

"That one too?"

"yes."

"Now that I'm out, it's quiet again."

"Did another team handle it?"

"I'm not sure, I need to check."

Nothing unusual occurred until the team members visited the third maintenance room.

The problem occurred on the way to the fourth maintenance room. In the hallway, they witnessed an abnormal phenomenon.

I don't know where it came from, but there were small dust-like things floating in the hallway.

"What is this?"

"It looks like a piece of mineral?"

They were grains that looked like finely ground orange agate. If it had been any other place, I might have been amazed to see the particles shining like stars reflecting the light.

However, this is a space where advanced weapons are handled. The influx of unidentified foreign substances is never a good sign.

And their uneasy predictions soon became reality.

In front of the fourth maintenance room filled with particles. There was an alloy door that was so crumpled that its shape was hard to find.

There is a being nearby that has compressed a large alloy door that is only a few tens of centimeters thick to one-third its size.

"…."

"Gulp."

The sound of someone swallowing saliva echoed softly in the hallway.

The team members who were supposed to be in the fourth maintenance room were nowhere to be seen. But the nine people could easily guess what happened to them.

"We have to go back…"

The moment one of the team members opened his mouth, something came out from inside the maintenance room where the door was blown off.

It appeared without any warning and resembled the paws of some cat or wild beast. Except that its front paws, covered in golden fur, are larger than the upper body of an adult male.

What stuck out after the front feet was the head of a bird of prey with black horns.

The moment when 'it"s amber eyes turned to nine people.

Agate-colored particles rained down on them from inside the maintenance room.

The team members standing behind them could not help but witness the sight of those standing in front of them shrinking to the size of basketballs as soon as they came into contact with the particles.

He tried to scream when he saw his colleagues turning into red lumps. But particles traveling through the air were much faster than the sounds coming out of his throat.

I touched the particle, but there was no pain. Because his body was in a state where it couldn't feel pain in the first place.

A beast that instantly turned nine people into lumps of flesh passed them by.

There are still many prey left for her to catch.

–

Tyrone and the surviving team leaders run through the dark hallway.

Due to the tragedy experienced in the restaurant car, there are only two team leaders left: the research team leader and the facilities team leader. The rest were brutally killed by monsters.

"Ha, Captain! This way…"

"The engine is giving up. Rather, we need to get out of here immediately."

"yes?"

The two team leaders looked puzzled by the captain's decision. Even if the captain was Noble Capital, a member of St. K, they could not understand why he would abandon the Giga Cracker.

But Tyrone didn't make that decision out of fear.

He has participated in monster hunting, a hobby of St. Kay patriarch Walter St. Kay, several times in the past. Of the many predators I hunted, there was only one that impressed me the most.

'Sea Demon.'

It is said that among primitive intelligences such as Wolf and Fishrian, there are often cases of worshiping the Sea Demon as a god, and this is by no means an exaggeration. The experience of fighting the monster, known by other names such as the god of the sea and the devil of the deep sea, remained the most nightmarish memory of Tyron's life.

And the pink jellyfish in the restaurant car.

Even though it was small, it was clearly a Sea Demon.

'We can never defeat him.'

Why is Sea Demon in Gigacracker and why are those fierce guys with other monsters?

It was full of things I didn't understand, but that wasn't the important thing. Now that he has taken over the ship, they must somehow inform the rescue team. Otherwise, there will be a literal massacre.

"Captain, please reconsider throwing away the Giga Cracker…."

"It's not throwing it away."

"yes?"

"I don't know how many lives will be lost if we don't pass on information about that monster to rescue teams. If that happens, it will be difficult to get the ship back."

"That's true."

"That won't happen, but if something goes wrong, I will take responsibility."

When the captain said he would take full responsibility, the team leaders remained silent. They continued running in silence until they reached the area where the captain's office was located.

After passing here, you will come to a hangar. Once there, you can escape by taking an emergency escape ship.

But their difficulties are not over yet.

What awaited them who ran with only one hope was endless ominousness. The hallway leading from the captain's office to the hangar was completely ruined.

The walls and ceiling on both sides of the hallway were shattered, as if something larger than the width of the hallway had twisted and moved. The captain's cabin was visible beyond the alloy wall torn off by sharp blades.

The Sea Demon's white winged lizard didn't do it. From the looks of it, the entity that devastated the hallway was a creature much larger than those two.

In addition, the entire area's gravity maintenance system seemed to have broken, causing objects and metal fragments to float in the air.

"…."

Tyran and the team leaders moved through the damaged hallway, very nervous.

Objects from the captain's room crashed into their bodies, floating and moving without a sound. A portrait of a woman with only her mouth and upper body visible because the top of the frame was blown off. A grandfather clock whose second hand is not moving properly because it is damaged. Broken glass, etc.

Although they were all objects we saw every day, there was nothing that wasn't creepy.

The good news is that the hallway leading to the hangar is not long. The three barely reached the shielded door leading to the hangar.

The monster that had created this situation in the hallway could not be seen as if it had moved somewhere else. As soon as the research team leader opened the shield door, Tyrone and the facility team leader rushed into the hangar as if they were flying.

"Close it quickly!"

"Yes yep!"

I don't know when he will come back. The research team leader quickly closed the shielding door with trembling hands.

Only after the eerie hallway was hidden by the door were the three able to feel at ease.

"Seeing as there is still gravity here, it seems like he didn't come."

"Looking at all the escape ships left, I guess we were the first to arrive."

No one talked about what happened to the others.

"The captain's escape ship is this way."

"Captain's code."

"yes."

In front of the escape ship, which had particularly flashy decorations, Tyran entered the emergency code into the terminal.

｢Gigacracker 14 Captain 'Tylon St. Kay' confirmed.'

A short message was output from the terminal, and the escape ship's door opened with the sound of air being released. The moment Tyron was about to take a step forward, something fell on his shoulder.

"huh?"

When I touched my shoulder with my hand, a sticky liquid came out. He slowly raised his head upward.

There was a 'monster' on the ceiling of the hangar.

The guy who was hanging upside down and drooling attacked him.

–

'That's right.'

I was hiding in the hangar to see if anyone could escape, but no, it would be different. Those who appeared to be the captain and leaders came all the way here to escape.

'I don't think anyone else will come.'

Heavenly Mother went to the ion cannon management facility, No. 26 went to the other facilities, and PS-111 went to the Adhai situation room. The entire crew of this ship should have been cleared by now.

A planet-destroying superweapon is at my fingertips.

'Not yet?'

I looked down at my new friend, Captain Tyrone.

Like me, the size of the human-faced insects has also grown enormous. Previously, the length from head to tail was around 1m, but now it has reached 3m.

Inmyeonchung, who had the face of a middle-aged man, immediately lowered his head when he felt my gaze.

He said a rescue fleet from a nearby star system would be here in an hour. Until they are sorted out, it will be difficult to say that Gigacracker is completely owned.

'how will we do it.'

In the game, I fought against superweapons comparable to Gigacracker several times. I know at least how much effort the rankers and NPCs put into protecting this weapon.

Moreover, I knew the level of the rescue fleet in much more detail thanks to what I heard from Inmyeonchung. They are just good prey for me.

For example, I could go out and destroy the fleet myself. The rescue fleet is not a difficult opponent for me, who has become an adult and possesses a strong unique trait.

Or, as usual, you can lure enemies inside the Giga Cracker and eliminate them together with the kids.

'Or…'

I looked up at the huge metal structure surrounding me with a huge body.

A target that has never been used in the game and is only encountered as an enemy.

'A good idea occurred to me.'

I laughed, thinking of the moths that would eagerly fly away without knowing anything.

-x-X-x-

There are some things that do not change even though we have entered an era where humans can run freely among the stars.

An era in which genes can be manipulated as desired, planetary environments can be changed, and huge metal structures can be moved from star system to star system.

Now humans can recreate God's miracles on their hands.

However, if there is something that cannot be changed or changed, it is 'the limitations of the human being.'

death apocalypse. Problems that deal with God's miracles but can never be solved because he is not God. Fear of him is embodied in many forms.

A myth about the existence of infinite evil lurking in the depths of the universe.

A story about landing on an uninhabited planet and setting off again, but the number of people on the ship increased.

Rumor has it that everything was fine until departure, but after arriving, there was no one on the ship.

Ironically, even after the space age, ghost stories still remained. It has merely changed into a form that reminds us of human limitations and stimulates primal fears.

Yamada, the rescue fleet team leader at the Megacorp space fortress located in the OS-255 system, also often heard ghost stories in the past.

Since he was once a flight attendant, there was no ghost story he couldn't hear. That's usually the only thing sailors sailing the vast sea of stars can talk about while drinking.

But I have never heard a story as scary as this moment today.

"I can't hear from Gigacracker?"

Yamada received a call from his subordinate just as he was about to fall asleep, and felt the expression that it sent shivers down his spine.

"yes. Even though the regular contact time has come, there has been no contact."

"I guess it's not a complete loss, right?"

"That's not it. "Gigacracker's energy response still exists."

The rescue fleet is equipped with equipment to track Gigacracker's unique energy traces. Unless the ship itself is completely destroyed or traces of it have long passed, it can be tracked.

"…That's a good thing. "Wake everyone up and prepare to sail immediately."

"I understand!"

After ending communication with his subordinates, he sent an emergency message to the entire fleet.

"Notify all rescue fleets. Signal loss from Gigacracker No. 14! "Signal loss from Gigacracker 14!"

5 minutes after communication went off.

A rescue fleet gathered in space outside the fortress.

If there was a problem with a regular ship, we wouldn't have gathered together this quickly. This was possible because an unprecedented situation occurred where contact with Giga Cracker was lost.

"What is the gigacracker energy response? Is it still the same?"

"yes. "I'm still staying in the same place."

"…It might be the work of Star Union operatives."

Of course, it is a bigger problem for Giga Cracker to be hijacked by another force than for it to be destroyed. The danger to Megacorp's planets is a secondary problem, and the biggest threat is reverse engineering.

Only St. K knows the production method and core technology of Giga Cracker. If it were leaked, St. K would suffer a huge blow.

It was obvious where Noble Capital, which suffered huge losses, would vent its anger. Those who belong to the rescue fleet will be punished so much that they will feel that even being an employee is a luxury.

"The entire fleet is ready for faster-than-light travel."

The entire fleet gathered at Yamada's command glowed blue. The light that illuminated the black universe, like a star shining, disappeared in an instant.

A few minutes later, they appeared in a completely different star system far away. Thanks to the super-light speed engine, the distance that would otherwise take several months to travel at the speed of light was shortened to a few minutes.

"Arrived at target point."

"No ships lost."

"No damage."

"good. "Show Giga Cracker status as a hologram."

While reports from the entire fleet were being exchanged, a hologram conveying the situation within the star system was displayed in the center of the situation room.

Soon, the image of Gigacracker recorded by the ship's external camera was reflected in the hologram. The appearance of a giga cracker in the form of a 2km diameter sphere and figures analyzing its current condition appeared next to it.

"The location hasn't changed… huh?"

The sailor stopped talking while reporting.

But Yamada didn't blame him.

This is because the numbers that appeared on the hologram were extremely strange.

'The energy level being emitted is rapidly increasing, right?'

Just like when activating the ion cannon. Yamada's complexion became pale when he realized that fact.

"Avoid raw fish! Take evasive maneuver immediately!"

"Yes yep!"

Other ships also seemed to have noticed something was wrong and began to rapidly leave camp. Meanwhile, the values displayed on the hologram reached their limit and glowed red.

And when those numbers stopped rising, the dry sound of the ship AI echoed in the situation room.

｢Check high-energy reaction from the front.｣

"Everybody grab something!"

The moment the two voices crossed, a tremendous shock shook the ship.

–

There are almost no players who dislike super weapons in space survival.

Of course it has to be that way.

This is an opportunity to use weapons that we often see in space-based media, such as wiping out a large fleet in one blow or purifying a planet by burning it.

Aside from the fantasy of science fiction, the performance of the super weapon is not bad when viewed from within the game. First of all, because its power is unparalleled, it can easily neutralize the opponent's defense measures.

The only thing that can stop a super weapon is a power equivalent to it. In battles between ranker clan forces, the presence or absence of super weapons has a significant impact.

In fact, I have often had trouble fighting enemies with super weapons. Even if you try to hide on the planet, it will be over if you shoot them with a super weapon from over there.

However, despite these advantages, it is rare for players to retain super weapons for a long time.

The reason is related to those advantages.

Because it gives an overwhelming advantage in battle, if anyone tries to obtain the super weapon, obstacles come in from around them. Even if they are allies, let alone enemies, they do not know when that weapon will be aimed at them, so they carry out sabotage in secret.

And super weapons are very visible. Even though it has tremendous power, it does not have the same defensive power. If you roll just a little bit wrong, you could easily get hit by enemy fire and lose it.

Additionally, the expensive production and maintenance costs are a bonus.

For practical reasons, not many people own super weapons for a long time, but they are still envied by many. That's a super weapon.

That weapon of ruinous charm is now moving in my hands.

The gigantic ion cannon is Gigacracker's core weapon. A weapon powerful enough to split small stars, such as asteroids or dwarf planets, into pieces is activated.

A blue-green beam is fired from a naval gun with an aperture of several hundred meters. It was similar to the particle beam fired by the Crystal Wing, but its scope and destructive power were so overwhelming that it was beyond comparison. In the first place, it makes no sense to compare the power to destroy a star with that of a living thing.

Beautiful death cuts through the darkness that fills the universe and flies toward its goal.

The target at the end is not a star, but a ship. These are rescue fleets that appeared for rescue.

The enemies who have just arrived in this star system are confused. Their reaction was that they had no idea that Giga Cracker would be targeting them. They try to change to a spread formation belatedly, but the beam fired by the ion cannon is already right in front of them.

The moment the beam and fleet collided, an intense light flashed.

There were no spectacular fireworks displays that are usually seen in fleet battles. It was similar to a wave washing over a sand castle. Hundreds of ships, including battleships, destroyers, and patrol ships, were hit by the beam and disappeared without a trace.

'I was that role in the game.'

Even if it becomes an adult, its means of defending against superweapons are extremely limited. Even if it is a unique characteristic. Would it be possible to fight back if we gathered a lot of the characteristics of the most powerful people in Apex?

'If you think about it, it was like that when fighting the imperial carrier.'

Even when blocking the imperial carrier's cosmic bolt, he was only able to win after mobilizing everything, including the whip of God, the king of adult monsters, and the psychic breath fired from three heads.

In fact, there weren't many cases like that in games. This is because most of the cases were finished before the superweapon was activated. What if I fail? It becomes like those ships.

'Is it over?'

Gigacracker's hull, which had spread out like a lotus flower in full bloom, was folding again. It usually has a spherical shape, but when the ion cannon is fired, the outer wall around the weapon and the hull unfold into a flower bud shape.

'That's why my nickname was Tangerine.'

Ion Cannon enters a dormant state and Giga Cracker returns to its original state.

I was watching the scene from beginning to end with a 'dark curtain' spread in outer space.

'Is it my turn now?'

The only ones that survived were fast-moving patrol ships and a few battleships that made evasive maneuvers with quick judgment.

It will be difficult if they return safely.

I flew towards them with the veil activated. The surviving ships immediately dispersed as I approached.

Thanks to the veil of darkness, my body is wrapped in a substance that messes with the enemy's detection system. From the eyes of my enemies, I will now be seen as a large mass of energy.

Perhaps because of the new attacks from the ion cannon, the enemies seemed to be completely unconscious.

I dug in among them and swung my right tail towards the nearby patrol ship. The corvette, which was now smaller than me, was hit by a clawed tail and split in two.

While the tail was swinging, other body parts were not idle either. Instead of a dark curtain, 'Gremlin Moss', strengthened with the 'Great Infectious Agent' characteristic, was emitted in the form of smog from the pipe attached to the body.

A cloud of gremlin moss, disabling the machine, attached itself to the remnants of the rescue fleet. The ships that came into contact with the smoke had their lights blinking a few times and then stopped.

The two heads on either side took care of the neutralized prey. The right head blew a large hole in the ship with its strengthened acid breath, while the left head simply bit the ship and threw it towards another ship.

The combat arms took the form of sharp scythes or had large claws on their hands and struck ships that came close. Thanks to the effect of the 'variable biological weapon' characteristic, the arms changed their shape from time to time, toying with the enemies.

As the number of patrol ships rapidly decreased, the enemy seemed to recognize what was attacking them. The surviving battleships fell back, activated their main guns and began pouring fire on me.

The plasma energy fired by the battleships' main guns struck my body, but there was no significant impact. It wasn't that there was no pain at all, but compared to before, it was safe to say that there was virtually no damage.

'Let's have a naval gun battle?'

It seemed like they wanted that, so I decided to do whatever they wanted.

The two heads that were fighting on their own stopped moving and followed my will and headed forward.

The enormous energy pumped by the dragon's heart surged upward like a fountain throughout my body. The psychic power that would have been concentrated in one head before was now flowing in three directions. The monster's tentacles, which had absorbed all of that intense energy, shook all at once.

And when the gathered energy reached the appropriate level, my tentacles burst into flames.

The dragon's breath, long after overpowering the original, assaults the ships. Even if my strength is still not up to a super weapon, whether they can withstand their psychic breath is another matter. Battleships with thick exterior walls melted into armor, and smaller corvettes left no trace at all.

After the judgment of fire was over, there were no more moving beings.

Only the ship graveyards commonly seen in space remain.

'Should I wrap this up and go back?'

I spewed out purple flames one last time. The psychic breath burned even the ships that had become scrap metal.

After erasing all traces of the rescue fleet coming here, I turned my head.

The kids are waiting for me in my new home.

-x-X-x-