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Chapter 121

Screams and blasts echoing faintly from serious places.

Everything is the result of my actions and decisions.

Despite the chaos surrounding us, Muriel and I, seated here, observed each other without the slightest hint of wavering.

When to strike, how to retreat.

How to uncover the enemy’s numbers, and how to compensate if we fail.

She and I may be enemies, but we share the same thoughts.

Just before the raid on the campsite, I received information about the enemy from the Mother of the Sky.

‘She’s the type who fights while enhancing herself both with equipments and information.’

According to what I heard, Muriel had a combat style quite distinct from the typical cultists.

While Space Survival guarantees high freedom, deviating entirely from the gameplay presented by the game developers was impossible.

For instance, playing as a Megacorp player to collect essence like an Amorph by consuming people, or pursuing a vegetarian Amorph, would render the game progress impossible.

Hence, when reaching a higher rank, one could generally speculate about the tactics and strategies based on the opponent’s race and faction.

If the opponent is a cyborg of the Star Union, there’s a high possibility of fighting with various modules to enhance oneself or preparing various traps, while cultists often use psychic power techniques with diverse utilities to pressure.

Though exceptions exist, generally, they don’t stray far from this framework.

So, if you draw the best card like the Antler Cult, the most effective approach would be to choose the “cultish” tactics, exploiting the enemy with over dozens of psychic power techniques.

‘Normally, that’s what you would do.’

As the Mother of the Sky said, Muriel was said to be more proficient in hand-to-hand combat than handling psychic power techniques.

Cultists in the setting are adept in psychic abilities but have physical abilities below humans.

Even if one enhances their physical abilities somehow in this reality, it would be almost impossible for a cultist like her who learned divinity to engage in close combat and emerge victorious against a Wolf who is close to divinity.

However, Muriel defied this common knowledge.

‘The style of fighting by enhancing oneself is often chosen by cyborgs.’

For example, the navy-blue bodysuit she’s wearing.

It closely resembled when the Nano Spartan module was activated.

The Nano Spartan module, as the name suggests, is an auxiliary device that equips a nano-reinforced suit over the entire body, dramatically enhancing physical abilities. It’s mainly used by cyborg rankers when engaging in close combat, enhancing them slightly beyond Amorphs or Wolves.

‘That’s a cyborg-exclusive module. How did she use it?’

In some mysterious way, Muriel, along with other races including the cultists, openly wore equipment that was supposedly not usable by them.

‘Even if I use insight, there’s nothing coming out.’

[Name: Muriel (Real name ■■■)

Species: Contains unidentified information.

Status: Contains unidentified information.

Worn Equipment: Golden Spear of the High Priest (Unique), and others.

Skills: Contains unidentified information.]

Just in case, I tried using insight, but all that came out was the golden spear she was holding, the “Golden Spear of the High Priest.”

‘Is it a new technology that nullifies insight, or…’

Whether it’s because Muriel is a player, or something else, it’s currently impossible to know.

‘There’s a lot to ask.’

Having finished the brief contemplation in a matter of seconds, I withdrew the corroded tentacle from the hole in my back.

Just as I felt when I saw Muriel, she too frowned upon witnessing my abilities, which she had never seen in the game.

Muriel moved slowly to the side. It seems she has chosen her target.

Now, there’s only one thing left.

A signal flare announcing the end of the exploration phase.

‘Hot!’

The initiative was taken by Muriel. She unleashed a swift battle cry and struck the ground.

The moment she lifted her foot from the ground, my corroding tentacles shot towards her simultaneously.

Muriel wielded the spear to deflect the tentacles. Now, can my massive tail really block her?

I pressed my upper body tightly against the ground, raised my tail upward, and swung it fiercely.

Seemingly judging it as difficult to block, she rolled her foot in mid-air. Disregarding the laws of physics, she stepped on the air like solid ground and reached out her left hand towards me.

When her hand glowed violet, my movements significantly slowed down. It was the effect of the advanced psychic power technique called ‘Distortion Field.’

The Distortion Field drastically impairs the movements of enemies within a certain space while greatly accelerating the caster’s own movements. It would likely slow me down while simultaneously enhancing herself, but she overlooked one thing.

“I…have…a…psychic…power…reflection…glove.”

“Annoying!”

Her floating demeanor crumpled. About 30% of the negative effects of the Distortion Field were reflected back onto her, applying to her as well.

Still, she could move much faster than me.

After evading my slowed tail, she counterattacked with the spear. The Golden Spear of the High Priest, stained with a considerable amount of blood, easily pierced through my tail armor.

Having successfully created small holes in my tail, Muriel thrust the spear repeatedly.

‘I need to retreat.’

While the wounds on my body quickly healed thanks to the Nest’s effect, it didn’t mean I could afford to take any and all attacks.

I rotated my body, retracting my tail while simultaneously attempting to lash out at her with my horned head. In response, she swung the spear horizontally, aiming to sever my head along with the horn.

The moment the horn and the spear collided, a sound reminiscent of metal clashing echoed in the air as if a blacksmith had struck a sword with a hammer.

“What?!”

Muriel opened her eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected outcome.

My horn is structured similarly to the toughest part of my body, the head armor. So, even when it clashed with the High Priest’s Golden Spear, it left only a scratch and did not cut through.

‘Of course, if we clashed a few more times, it will likely break.’

Knowing this fact, she would attempt to strike with the spear again.

To prevent that, my corroding tentacles aimed for her from all directions.

‘…Damn it!’

Even within the Distortion Field, avoiding both the approaching tentacles and the horns on my head would be challenging. Muriel retreated in mid-air, pushing backward.

In the meantime, I hurriedly crawled on the ground, moving out of the Distortion Field’s range.

“Where are you going?!”

Muriel, attempting to resume the chase. I forcefully swept the ground with my tail.

Although she, capable of moving freely in the air, easily dodged my tail, my intention was not to strike her.

When the strong dust created by sweeping the tail covered the area between us, I vigorously dug the ground with my battle-ready arms.

In an instant, a pit was formed, and I swiftly crawled inside.

Despite the obscured visibility, Muriel seemed to have means to see me, as she targeted my tail tip.

“Annoying!”

As she tried to resume the pursuit, Muriel’s irritated voice echoed from above. With detection technology, she could know my location, but it would be challenging for her to set up a Distortion Field while I was underground.

‘I can only lay it where my line of sight reaches.’

Muriel followed me, thrusting the spear into the ground. The spear easily pierced through the ground like stabbing tofu, grazing my back and tail.

Fortunately, her detection technology seemed less than perfect, as it didn’t inflict any fatal wounds on me.

‘This should heal quickly.’

Ignoring Muriel’s restraint, I fiercely traversed the underground of the central square at a rapid pace. As I dug through the ground, tunnels leading to the nests I had previously set up became visible. Those would prove useful in a decisive moment.

“But for now, this takes precedence.”

Tooth fairy nests near my lower back started bursting open one by one. Enhanced bloodsucking fleas climbed up the earth, munching on it and emerging above ground.

While releasing the tooth fairies, I activated the acidic fungal glands, holding back the release of fungi into my mouth.

‘This should be enough.’

Having prepared in just a few short minutes, I broke through the surface and leaped out. With my movements reaching a sizeable 20 meters, the ground trembled, and waves of sand, rocks, and dirt covered Muriel.

As her vision was obscured by the soil tsunami, I brought down a bone axe on her head, precisely as I planned.

Although it was a lightning-fast attack, she didn’t panic and unfolded the Distortion Field.

At a distance where only a short time remained until her head, my body drastically slowed down.

Twisting my waist backward, I easily avoided her axe. The golden spear in her hand pierced through my side according to her will. Black blood spurted from my wound, and a smile appeared on her face.

But what I truly wanted to do was laugh.

“I’ve got you!”

My combat arms grabbed the spear lodged in my side, making it impossible for her to pull it out.

Muriel’s expression froze in the same smile. The tooth fairies summoned from underground clung to her face and upper body.

“What a trick…!”

As the tooth fairies blocked her vision, Muriel let out an irritated scream. They were just tricks, as she said. Even with her sight obscured, the Distortion Field didn’t cancel.

‘That wasn’t my intention.’

My jaw opened wide, and the contaminated fungus, waiting inside, shot out like a stream of water.

The Distortion Field only slowed down the movement of organisms within its area; it couldn’t distort other physical laws.

“!”

Perhaps sensing the ominousness, even in her blind state, Muriel quickly turned her head. Thanks to that, most of the acid fungi missed her, and only some splattered on one side of her face.

However, the terror of the acidic fungus lay not just in its strong acidity but in its ability to spread rapidly even with a single droplet.

“Aaargh!”

As the fungus spread across her face and melted her horn, Muriel screamed in pain. The tooth fairies that had blocked her vision were also gloriously oxidized by the fungus.

‘Now’s the chance!’

Disturbed, perhaps due to my mental state, the effectiveness of the Distortion Field weakened.

Not missing this opportunity, I swung my tail forcefully.

“Ugh!”

Struck by my tail, she flew far away. She crashed onto the chaotic square.

‘That was too shallow.’

Despite the pain of her face melting, Muriel used multiple defensive measures simultaneously to block my attack. From the psychic power technique, Ghost Skin, which allowed her to receive only 10% of physical damage while taking an additional 50% from psychic damage, to a circular shield that momentarily emerged from the suit’s wrist.

While my attack hit, I probably couldn’t inflict fatal damage on her.

‘If she were a true Cultist, she would have been knocked down by now…’

“Damn it..Damn it…Damn it!”

As expected, she quickly stood up, having overturned the dirt. The suit, which had covered only her body except her head, extended like spider silk, healing her wounds.

“…As expected.”

In her rapidly recovering face, things unseen in ordinary living beings were revealed. Inside her melted skin, instead of white bones, there was an ivory-colored alloy skeleton, along with small mechanical devices and chips nestled between her red muscles.

It had been a question from the start. According to my memory, Muriel in the game was a cyborg affiliated with Space Dogs, using equipment exclusive to cyborgs while freely utilizing the Cult’s long-standing psychic power techniques. Even during the fight, she strangely preferred hand-to-hand combat like the Cult, which had raised suspicions. Now, all doubts were resolved.

‘A fusion of a Cultist and a cyborg.’

It was a combination that all cyborg players in the game ardently wished for, yet it was an impossible combination for balance reasons. Now, it stood before me.

Having removed the melted horn and completed her recovery, the cyborg stared at me.

“How… can… this… be?”

Setting aside balance, Cultists, with fragile bodies by design, couldn’t endure cyborg modification surgery due to the intense pain. Until now, none of the Cults I encountered had attempted to resist the parasite, simply because they couldn’t endure the pain.

Considering this, the possibility that Muriel started as a Cult and was later modified into a cyborg seemed low.

‘Rather, it might be the opposite.’

Starting as a cyborg and changing the base race to the Cult through ‘some means.’

‘It’s somewhat similar to my Transcend System.’

Similar transformation abilities to Volph, dominance over spaceship capabilities unique to an Outspacer, and more. I transcended the limits of Amorph with the Transcend System. Muriel went beyond the limits of a cyborg to master psychic power as well. Somewhere, it felt strangely similar.

‘…Alright. Ranked 5th, is it?’

Instead of answering my question, Muriel pressed her empty left hand firmly against her neck. A transparent button-like thing appeared and disappeared where her fingers passed.

Eventually, the effect of the button she pressed manifested. Muscles on her body swelled, her eyes emitted an intense purple glow, and her left arm, which hadn’t held the Priest’s golden spear, transformed into a mechanical arm integrated with the suit.

“She absorbed psionium.”

Just as Amorph could draw upon the next stage of evolutionary abilities by consuming psionium, the same applied to Cults and Cyborgs. Cults, when unlocked through specific quests, gained the ability to use psychic power techniques, and Cyborgs had the limit on the number of modules they could equip lifted all at once.

‘I wonder which race she upgraded to?’

Human-based cyborgs were treated as cyborgs due to the race classification, so unlocking module restrictions through psionium effects wasn’t surprising. However, Muriel was a more complex being, a combination of a Cultist and a Cyborg.

‘Perhaps she was influenced by both.’

The headband I was wearing turned into a violet halo, marking the end of her transformation.

“Because of you, I’ve used psionium and even the equipment I saved. I’ll make you pay for that later.”

With those words, she quickly approached me. It was a speed so fast that even me, an Amorph, who had heightened senses, could barely detect it.

‘Danger!’

Instinctively turning my head, I immediately heard a threatening sound, the noise produced by the spear she thrust. If I hadn’t avoided it, my head might have been pierced by the attack.

‘Her physical abilities have risen unbelievably.’

Realizing this fact, I swung my tail.

Unlike before, she didn’t evade my tail this time. Instead, she grabbed it with her mechanical arm. Then, she began exerting force on the hand that held my tail.

[Enduring Pain skill activated!]

Not only breaking the thick exoskeleton of my tail but also breaking the bones inside it. With this level of strength, she might be able to tear off my tail with her left hand.

I pulled out the bone axe from my combat arm and swung it at her.

She easily blocked my attack with the short spear. Although the spear’s attack power remained the same, the force behind it was so strong that my attacking arm felt numb.

“You don’t seem to get tired of this. Will this method work on me?”

“How…about… this?”

“What?”

She, with a disdainful smile, countered.

‘I already know you have a troublesome personality.’

The hidden card isn’t exclusive to her, and I’ve been waiting for her to use that card.

I restrained her with the combat arm and corrosive tentacles to prevent her from escaping. The parasite I had planted before signaled beneath our feet. The host is ascending now.

“No way?!”

As soon as Muriel exclaimed, the ground we stood on exploded.

｢Muriellll!｣

Emerging from the pierced ground was a lion’s massive foreleg. Accompanied by a roaring sound resembling lightning striking from the sky, the lion’s foreleg flew towards Muriel’s legs.

“Damn it!”

When her calf was half severed, her body glowed purple and disappeared from my hand. Then, from a distance, she appeared intact.

“You damn son of a bitch! What kind of Amorph are you!?”

“What… are you…saying?”

“What kind of Amorph brings a companion along?!”

“Well, that’s just game norms.”

“Humph!”

While Muriel raged in anger, the Mother of the Sky crawled up from beneath the ground.

“Choi Seo-ah, this idiotic girl won’t die…!”

｢Until I finish avenging my family, until I chew on each piece of your flesh, you can’t die, even if you want to. Before ending the vengeance of my family, you can’t.｣

Muriel, using psionium, vowed revenge with blood tears, and the Mother of the Sky, now a precursor, joined in. With all the main characters assembled, the second round begins.