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Chapter 142

‘It seems the transformation isn’t complete yet’

I quickly assessed and understood the situation. Although I couldn’t see due to the inability to move my eyelids, my body was still in a state of gradual transformation within the pod, undergoing various chemical processes.

‘About an hour or two left, roughly,’

I estimated. Normally, I would take this time to rest, but something felt off. There was a sense of urgency, as if I had witnessed something important before my memories became hazy.

‘It was definitely something important….’

I tried to recall, but my efforts were in vain. Frustration built up as the memory refused to resurface.

‘Let it go,’

I decided to cut off my attempts forcibly.

‘Let’s see what the others are up to.’

To alleviate the frustration accumulating in my mind, I directed my attention to those on the surface. Focusing my auxiliary sensors to detect events outside the pod, I realized that my ability to sense activities on the surface was limited during the evolutionary process.

And on the surface, there was no one. All I could sense was the sturdy exoskeleton of the Swamp King.

“Where did everyone go?”

I questioned. The most vulnerable moments for me were during evolution and when utilizing the transcendence system. So, before entering the second stage of transcendence, I had asked the others to watch over me.

Strange as it may sound to say this with my own mouth, my relationship with them wasn’t bad. Number 26, with whom I had spent the longest time, was reliable, and Adhai admired me. I, too, tried to avoid things they disliked as much as possible. If they had specific preferences, I wanted to fulfill them to the best of my ability.

The Mother of the Sky was a bit ambiguous, but as she had her goals, the likelihood of betrayal was low. If she intended to betray me, she would have done so as soon as I entered the pod. The possibility of them leaving without any reason was unlikely. In this case, there was only one explanation.

‘There must be some danger around.’

It was evident that they had left to eliminate threats that could harm me. As I pondered what could pose a danger to me in this location, the first thought that came to mind was the Hond Gigrant couples.

Although their habitat was quite distant from here, ever since they devoured the pirates last time, they had been venturing into the forest. Perhaps they developed a taste for human and cultist flesh, considering it a delicacy.

‘They intentionally made a nest in a safe place, so it’s probably not them.’

Other potential threats, like the rescue team from the Abyssal Research Base, were also unlikely. My nest was far from the base, making it improbable for them to reach me.

‘Or could it be Muriel’s colleagues?’

I had heard rumors when interrogating Muriel that there were players supporting her. She had sent out rescue requests that were ignored before her demise.

‘I’ve erased traces as much as possible.’

The fact that they were cautious about me could be easily deduced from the detailed conversation Muriel had shared. Still, just to be sure, I tidied up the traces I had left as much as possible before leaving the campsite.

Artificial structures and weapons were either ‘incinerated’ or buried underground before leaving the camp.

There might be traces of the cruiser that was hit and exploded, but with that alone, finding my nest would be nearly impossible.

‘My nest is underground.’

On the off chance that players discovered my nest using technology I wasn’t aware of, even that was hard to comprehend.

‘If they really had found the nest, I would have been dead already.’

If there were two players of Muriel’s caliber or higher, they could easily handle Number 26, Adhai, and the Mother of the Sky. It had been more than five hours since I entered the pod, so there was time even after the situation concluded.

Therefore, the fact that I was still alive meant that the players didn’t directly come. It had to be an adversary at a level where they could engage with the kids.

‘In the end, back to square one.’

It seemed that I would have to check things out as soon as the transformation was complete.

The Mother of the Sky is a ranker.

She might not have an outgoing personality, but she had experience running a large clan and leading raids for boss-level creature hunts.

She led the subjugation of a pseudo-boss creature, Sea Demon, participated in the Vortex Zone expedition, and more.

Despite boasting about having experienced all sorts of battles, what she was witnessing now was very surreal.

***

“Aaah!”

“Everyone, run!”

A Sea Demon, grown over 10 meters, was indiscriminately massacring cult warriors in the middle of the forest. Every swing of its thicker-than-logs tentacle erased the upper halves of cult warriors, and whenever eye-shaped patterns on its body glowed, cultists bled profusely from their eyes and ears.

Their leader died on the spot when encountering the Sea Demon, struck by its tentacle. Twisted like a caught butterfly on a net, she perished.

“Deploy shields! Deploy shields!”

A female cult member shouted, managing to evade the tentacle. As she, the second-highest warrior after the leader, urgently deployed the shield, others followed suit.

However, shields were meaningless against a Sea Demon adept at manipulating psychic power as much as Gallagon.

“W…We’re going to d…diee?!”

One warrior, who boldly jumped out while covered by a shield, abruptly stopped mid-air. Then, his arms, legs, and waist began to move against his owner’s will.

“Kuuaaah!”

Is this how it feels to watch someone pull off an ant’s leg? The warrior, bound by the Sea Demon’s ‘restraint’ with five layers stacked, soon saw not only his limbs but also his upper and lower body separate.

“Useless… uaaah!”

Meanwhile, another warrior hit by the Sea Demon’s thick tentacle was sent flying and impaled on a tree. With his neck twisted in a strange direction, he blinked a few times before ceasing all movement.

To anyone, it was clearly a horrific scene of slaughter.

Yet, what made the Mother of the Sky seem surreal was the shockwaves emitted by Number 26 whenever it attacked the cultists.

｢Bad humans! Bad humans!｣

“Aaah!”

｢Who dares to hit the middle child!｣

“Heeek!”

With every scream, Number 26 repeated the phrase “bad humans,” mercilessly slaughtering the cultists. This was because it couldn’t distinguish between cultists and humans.

“Damn it! Block those tentacles!”

In response to the female cultist’s command, two cultists with harpoon-like weapons stepped forward.

‘Oh no!’

Seeing this, the Mother of the Sky quickly descended from the tree.

The net shot by the harpoon-like gun had a tightening effect the moment it hit the prey. It alone couldn’t penetrate the Sea Demon’s tough exterior, but the cult’s net was made of black silver.

‘If it’s black silver, Number 26 might get hurt!’

If Number 26 suffered even a little, the currently dormant monster would surely not be pleased.

However, what she feared didn’t happen.

The moment the net touched him, Number 26’s body shrank suddenly, transforming into a small balloon-like shape. The reduced creature effortlessly avoided the net and grew back, swinging its tentacles again.

One cultist who shot the net barely dodged it, but another one was hit by the tentacle, and his upper body flew away.

The surviving cultist wore a relieved expression, but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Rocks and metal shards on the ground trembled before swiftly flying into his face.

He, too, ended up following the same path as his comrades, his face riddled with holes.

‘That’s ruthless.’

Despite its childlike tone, Number 26 fought exceptionally well, reminiscent of a Sea Demon. It actively applied its own techniques.

‘I probably don’t need to stay here any longer.’

The Mother of the Sky turned away from the scene of Number 26 decimating the cultists and left.

Her destination was where Adhai was fighting.

Currently, Adhai was massacring cultists from another team. As the only one among Amorph’s colleagues capable of high-altitude flight, Adhai actively utilized his psychic powers to capture cultists and drop them to their deaths.

‘There is a flying technique among the psychic power skills…’

Dodging Adhai’s attacks, faster than bullets, was impossible. Colliding with his charge would likely lead to a one-way trip to the afterlife.

Moreover, all the cultists who entered this forest are currently not in their right minds, thanks to Number 26’s ‘Abyssal Terror.’

‘It’s more adaptable than the Sea Demon in the game.’

In the setting, the Abyssal Terror is a phenomenon that occurs as a powerful psychic power energy emitted by the Sea Demon spreads out. Therefore, as creatures approach it, their minds are adversely affected, leading to mental collapse.

However, Number 26 implemented the Abyssal Terror by spreading the psychic power like spider silk, thin and wide. Most enemies had relatively intact minds, but, in return, they lost the ability to use their communication devices and some psychic power skills.

Creating an environment where they couldn’t communicate and dismantle each other. That was what Number 26 intended.

Of course, as it hadn’t fully matured yet, the effect wasn’t perfect.

Since it started fighting on its own, the Abyssal Terror effect it used seemed to sway unpredictably. Without luck, some individuals might break free from control.

Still, the tactic itself was effective enough that the Mother of the Sky had to acknowledge it.

‘…I wonder if Amorph needs a new friend.’

If Number 26 becomes an adult, it would turn into a tremendous monster.

‘In a way, it might be fortunate.’

Whether to find solace in the thought that the formidable monster is an ally or to worry is a dilemma. While contemplating this, she heard a sound from above her head.

It was a scream.

The Mother of the Sky immediately stopped running. A few seconds later, a cult warrior pierced through the branches and fell to the ground, completely shattered.

A graceful green dragon landed on unrecognizable flesh fragments. With a slender body over 2 meters long, gigantic wings extending beyond its torso, four horns, and a chubby tail, the impressive dragon was Adhai.

Adhai, who had eliminated one cultist, was holding another cultist with her forelimb. Whether it was a result of using acceleration or not, the captured cultist, despite wearing reinforced armor, had been crushed in half.

｢Here｣ ｢Clean,｣ ｢Done｣

｢Fast｣

｢Me｣ ｢Impressive｣

｢Indeed. Well done.>

One team had already been cleared, and the other team would be cleaned up soon. The cult warriors she sensed were in three teams, and now only one team remained.

｢Enemy｣ ｢Remaining｣ ｢Hunt｣ ｢Start.｣

｢Wait a moment… Like this.｣

Although the remaining team intended to clean up together, Adhai flew away first. She shook her head, seemingly resigned, and chased after Adhai.

“Heuk, heuk, heuk…”

Cult warrior Olai caught his breath behind a tree, hidden from view.

“Darn it! The war chief, Edrin, and even Isabel… all of them are gone.”

Except for him, the warrior squad that came to this planet had been completely wiped out. The fact that he could know this even without communication was thanks to the tools he possessed.

Unlike other cultists, Olai, a so-called Innovative Cultist, freely used primitive race equipment without hesitation. Before the mission began, he distributed small chips to other squad members.

They were military tracking chips mainly used by Megacorp. It might be challenging to use for long-distance missions, but for activities around a specific area on one continent, it could detect without any problem.

In addition, the reinforced armor he was wearing was not the standard cultist armor. It was a specially customized reinforced suit acquired from the Garamelda family of Megacorp. This particular suit had a relatively lower level of bodily protection but had a powerful stealth effect, making it perfect for infiltration missions.

Moreover, Olai had mastered the psychic power technique to erase the body’s presence, making him literally like a ghost.

“Darn it! Even though we could share such good things, why don’t they listen…!”

He was usually scorned for liking the monkeys’ toys, but it was thanks to the equipment made by those monkeys that he could survive.

“If I can just reach the transport ship, I can survive.”

So far, he had seen three monsters, but he had no idea how many more dangerous ones might be out there. They were likely variations caused by contamination. The purification process needed to be expedited as much as possible.

After confirming there were no monsters nearby, Olai moved again.

“Once I pass this place!”

Beyond that thicket was the transport ship. While moving as quietly as possible, he suddenly crouched down. A black shadow flickered on the ground and disappeared.

His comrade Edrin proved what that meant.

“Why is a Gallagon here!”

Thinking of a colleague who had been caught by the green Gallagon, taken up several kilometers, and then dropped, Olai moved cautiously.

And finally, when he passed through the thicket, the transport ship he had hoped for was in front of him.

However, the condition of the transport ship was very different from what he expected.

“Kreureureureu.”

“Krik.”

Two large marine creatures with giant horns on their heads were smashing the transport ship, chewing up the pilot inside.

In the cult’s language, they were called ‘Manuk Arma,’ but in Megacorp, they were referred to as Hond gigrants, predators that migrated from the volcanic zone to the inside of this forest.

“Kreuk, Kung? Kungkung.”

“Kreureureureu.”

One of the Manuk Arma sniffed something, and its nose pointed directly at Olai’s position.

His sense of smell was extremely sensitive. It wouldn’t miss the scent of his sweat, soaked thoroughly.

Olai silently stepped back. After entering the bushes, he ran away at full speed. Although the roars from behind were heard, he ignored them and ran as if possessed.

“Je-e-enza-a-ang!”

Unfortunately, his escape didn’t last long. The green Gallagon flying overhead didn’t miss him and swooped down.

Olai, who had used every means to survive, couldn’t do anything about his luck. Colliding with a creature over 2 meters in size flying at supersonic speed, he turned into a bug squashed in the palm of a hand.

｢Hide and Seek｣ ｢End｣

Watching the fragments of what was just an enemy, she nodded satisfactorily.

Recently, she felt that her relationship with the grown-ups had become less awkward than before. Since grown-ups do many things with small and ugly friends, she hadn’t done much with the grown-ups.

So, she thought.

Make a fantastic ball and get praise from the grown-ups.

Today alone, she hunted more than ten prey. With this level of skill, the grown-ups would undoubtedly pay attention to her.

Licking the blood on her body, she tried to go back. Unless a new enemy attacked her, that would have been the case.

“Kraaaaa!”

“Pain!”

Suddenly colliding with the monster that appeared, she tumbled on the muddy ground. Thanks to her pre-emptive reaction before the collision, she avoided fatal injuries, but one of her wings was torn apart.

｢You｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Pain｣ ｢Endure｣ ｢Kill.｣

Nevertheless, Adhai did not lose its composure and stood upright on all four legs, glaring at the creature. The small adult and the ugly friend were still far behind.

It was because she had rushed too far ahead due to the urgent wind in her heart.

So, she had to endure until they arrived.

“Krrrrrr!”

｢Two?｣

The despairing fact was that there was not just one creature. The one that had impaled her with its horn charged at her. Thanks to her torn wing, she barely managed to evade that attack.

Unfortunately, avoiding the subsequent second attack and the creature’s tail was impossible. Hit by the thick tail, she flew backward and collided with a tree.

｢Pain!｣

The impact caused the tentacles attached to her head to ooze blood. She tried to get up somehow, but her four legs trembled weakly, refusing to cooperate.

“Krrrrrr!”

Suddenly, the approaching creature opened its mouth wide. Sharp teeth protruded. In a moment, those teeth would tear apart her fragile body.

｢Death｣ ｢Dislike!｣

“Kraaaaah!”

It was too early to give up.

With all her strength, she unleashed the purple lightning. The violet bolt pierced the creature’s eye, and blood splattered.

Even though the creature would likely feel significant pain after being struck by lightning, it did not retreat. Instead, despite getting hit by the lightning, it tried to bite her with its mouth.

｢Big adult｣ ｢Sorry.｣

In her final moments, she did her best, but it seemed like it was the end. Sensing death, she closed her eyes.

However, vibrations were felt from somewhere. It didn’t feel like teeth grinding into her.

At first, the vibrations were faint. Gradually growing stronger, until at some point, it felt like someone was grabbing and shaking her body vigorously.

“What is this?”

“Krek?”

“Krrrrrr?”

The earthquake was not something only she felt. The two creatures also showed signs of confusion due to the sudden tremors.

And then…

The ground exploded, and the creature that was about to bite her was catapulted into the air above the trees.

｢This is insane!｣

A roaring, gigantic monster shook the ground.

It was the big adult she had been waiting for.