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Chapter 196

｢Being together is nice.｣

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Is that so?)]

｢I wish we had the little one with us.｣

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Don’t worry. We’ll bring her back for sure.)]

｢Okay!｣

I gently stroked Number 26’s head as it nestled on top of mine. In response, it softly caressed my horn with its tentacles.

‘…It’s cute just to see it like that.’

[Unidentifiable physiological responses detected from the main controller.]

｢I think I have a rough idea of what that means.｣

[The middle one’s statement is quite intriguing. Requesting information sharing.]

｢W-why are you asking me that?｣

After recovering from my injuries with a good rest, I set out with the kids. It was to hunt for new prey together.

‘This opponent is tough to hunt alone.’

This enemy isn’t like Ice Horrors, who are strong on their own, or like Glacier Fiend, who command numerous minions. They are bothersome in a different sense. Even the Mother of the Sky seemed shaken when I brought this up.

I glanced briefly at the Mother of the Sky, PS-111, chattering away.

‘Is that a new form she’s taken?’

Thanks to the hearts of both the Ice Horror and the Snowwalker that I bought, she gained the power of the Wendigo.

The Wendigo of Space Survival looks quite different from the legendary depiction. It resembles a black, skeletal deer walking on two legs.

The Wendigo’s power is divided into two main categories: temperature control, such as generating cold, and mental manipulation of other beings.

Unlike Griffins, which excel in short-range flight and ground combat, the Wendigo is specialized in combat support and crowd control.

‘These abilities are more advantageous in group battles than in solo ones.’

Perhaps that’s why the Wendigo is beloved by colleagues it operates with.

Paradoxically, Wendigos are unpopular with most Wolf players. Their appearance is so unattractive, earning them a notorious reputation.

‘It was definitely like that…’

Currently, the Mother of the Sky’s appearance reflected some of the Wendigo’s traits, but it wasn’t bad at all.

She had the head of a bald eagle, magnificent tusks, and a body covered in golden fur, all similar to a lioness, but with a few additions. Two black horns sprouted from her head, and black wavy patterns adorned her body.

All these changes were thanks to her special skill.

‘The camouflage of the Huntress.’

Normally, when a Wolf reaches the level of divine transformation, they choose which phantom beast they will transform into. According to the setting, once this choice is made, it cannot be changed.

However, the special skill possessed by the Mother of the Sky, the “camouflage of the Huntress,” does not adhere to this restriction.

As she explained it, she could transform into one of four additional phantom beasts besides the Griffin she initially chose.

If the conditions necessary for transformation are unlocked, one can transform into a phantom beast unlocked once a month. For example, if she were to transform into a Wendigo here, she wouldn’t be able to change into a different animal until a month has passed.

The duration one can maintain the transformation varies depending on the phantom beast. It’s said that a Wendigo’s transformation can last up to five days.

So she’s refraining from transforming into a Wendigo for now.

‘Since some traits of the unlocked phantom beast are reflected even in Griffin form.’

Like how she now has antlers on her head. Also, she doesn’t feel any cold at all now, thanks to Wendigo’s cold immunity.

‘Since she has unlocked two additional phantom beasts, only two remain.’

The materials needed to unlock transformable phantom beasts are generally of a difficulty similar to that of the Wendigo. In other words, one must hunt Apex-level monsters.

It might be good to look for monsters that could help her along with Number 26’s growth in the future.

‘Come to think of it, she unlocked another phantom beast before the Wendigo. How did she obtain that?’

While pondering this sudden question, the Mother of the Sky called out to me.

｢Where do you intend to start from? It’ll take a while if you start searching randomly.｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Let’s head north.)]

｢North?｣

Our nest is in the middle of a forest near the beginning of the mountain range. If we go north, we’ll encounter the mountains forming the range.

Today, we plan to investigate one of those many mountains.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Didn’t you see them from the twin peaks?)]

[According to the report received before losing terminal functionality, yes.]

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I asked PS-111 if it had seen the creatures I was looking for.

The mutant screamers, acting as intermediate terminals, remembered the information relayed by lower-level screamers. It seems that PS-111 remembers what the lower-level creatures had encountered.

‘If sighted from the twin peaks…’

The target this time has a very extensive hunting ground. If sighted from the forest near the beginning of the mountain range at the twin peaks, then we should consider everything in this vicinity to be the enemy’s activity range.

‘Since the enemy nests only in very high places, there might be nests up above.’

The twin peaks are so high that they can be seen from the ice plains. We’ll have to go there and check it out, but it’s not unlikely that the enemy might inhabit such places.

‘Anyway, to rescue Adhai, we must capture the enemy.’

Fighting against a Gallagon requires a skill that is absolutely necessary.

That is, the ability to fly.

Not just any flight, but a level of ability that allows for high-speed movement and space navigation.

Gallagons start from hatchlings and the entire species can fly. As seen with Adhai, flight abilities are actively used in combat by Gallagons.

Moreover, White Gallagons have aerial combat utility in addition to the ‘hyperspeed’ ability possessed by Green Gallagons.

To stand against such creatures, I too must possess powerful flight abilities.

‘If it’s about flight abilities, Skywhales also have them, but…’

Skywhales are beings that live by absorbing intangible energy naturally present. Since this planet has a nest of dragons where psychic powers are highly concentrated, it’s possible to encounter Skywhales here.

The problem is, those creatures never come down to the ground until they die. Without the ability to fly, even meeting them isn’t easy.

Capturing a Gallagon would grant flight-related traits, but the issue is that they live in groups.

Ultimately, the only option left is the entity we’re trying to find at the Twin Peaks, the ‘Crystalwing.’

[Today’s goal is to find the Crystalwing nest.]

｢To think I have to do that tedious task even here.｣

The Mother of the Sky shook her head as if she were annoyed. At that moment, Number 26 lightly jabbed my head with his tentacles.

｢Big guy, what’s a Crystalwing?｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (A creature with shimmering wings.)]

｢Wings?｣

It seemed like a foreign concept to him, as it signaled that it didn’t know.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (It’s attached to Adhai.)]

I wanted to spread out my wingsuit to show it, but in the state of being temporarily disabled, the wingsuit couldn’t be used. Nevertheless, as an intelligent being, Number 26 quickly understood what I was trying to convey.

｢It flaps its wings! Flap, flap!｣

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (That’s right.)]

Number 26 extended two tentacles and waved them around.

In reality, Adhai’s flight was more akin to graceful floating in the air. Although different from what it described, the meaning was conveyed, so it didn’t matter much.

So we continued northward towards the Twin Peaks.

As we approached the mountains, the surrounding scenery gradually changed. Instead of trees diminishing, the terrain became rugged.

There were ice chunks sticking out of the ground for tens of meters, and bottomless crevasses whose depth couldn’t be fathomed. It was pure nature itself. If I were human, I would never want to come here.

‘Of course, it doesn’t apply to us.’

I firmly planted my foot on the ground. My body soared through the air, leaping over crevasses spanning tens of meters wide.

｢It’s fun!｣

Every time, Number 26, who was on my head, seemed to enjoy it. The Mother of the Sky and PS-111, who were behind me, also leaped lightly and followed suit.

Everyone had exceptional physical abilities, so the rugged terrain was no problem at all.

After reaching the mountains, cliffs, or rather, steep slopes greeted us. Again, it was no problem. Our pace remained steady without any decrease in speed.

When hunger struck, we hunted the wildlife roaming the mountains. Snow Banshees cautiously moving along the cliffs became the main prey.

｢There’s one more over there.｣

[I’ll attack.]

When the Mother of the Sky spots prey with her keen eyesight, PS-111 attacks it with the demolisher attached to her tail.

Crunch!

A Snow Banshee struck by the energy projectile disintegrated. Its body, falling towards the cliff below, stopped in mid-air as if suspended.

｢Got it!｣

When Number 26 waved its tentacles, the creature’s body trembled before bursting with a popping sound, splitting into four pieces. The shattered body parts transformed into chunks of meat, resembling meatballs. The spilling blood defied the laws of physics, being sucked into the meaty chunks.

‘Impressive.’

As befitting a Sea Demon, it adeptly controlled the psychic power. Jason, who we fought a few days ago, probably wouldn’t have shown such skill.

Number 26 handed us the chunks of meat that were once Snow Banshees, hanging on the cliff.

｢Big baby, have this.｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Thank you)]

Despite not needing to, it directly fed the meat chunks into my mouth.

The slightly chewy texture, infused with a hint of soy sauce, filled my mouth. Like yesterday, the meat of the Snow Banshee tasted like jerky and dried squid.

‘It looks like a tadpole, but it’s fascinating.’

Having filled our bellies intermittently during the journey, we finally arrived near the Twin Peaks after quite some time.

Above, the sky was filled with ash-colored clouds, while ahead, another peak was visible, aligning with this one. Behind that peak, a vast ridge stretched out, parallel to the Twin Peaks.

Looking down from the peak, the frozen ground below was stunningly picturesque. I hadn’t seen such a magnificent landscape since meeting the Bubble Amoebas with Number 26.

‘If I hadn’t come to this world, I would never have seen anything like this in my life.’

Admiring the grand sculpture crafted by nature wasn’t just me. The Mother of the Sky beside me was also lost in contemplation of the scenery.

｢Friend, aren’t you cold?｣

[I am designed to function normally even at temperatures below negative 150 degrees Celsius.]

｢I don’t understand what you’re saying, but that’s amazing!｣

[Thank you for the main controller’s praise.]

Despite the emotional response being quite different from ours, Number 26 and PS-111 were unaffected.

Anyway, since we had reached our destination, we explored the area near the peak together. It didn’t take long after we started wandering before we found the desired traces.

｢As you said. There’s a Crystalwing nest nearby.｣

She placed the branch she had been pecking with her beak on the ground. They were branches from the trees that made up the forest around the mountain. However, there was a difference; jewels were embedded in the branches.

‘These are branches brought to build the nest.’

The jewel-like substances were material formed when the saliva of Crystalwings dried up.

Over time, Crystalwing bodily fluids transformed into substances resembling jewels. While they looked like gems, they weren’t actually minerals.

‘In fact, it would be an insult to compare them to gems.’

Since the creature’s bodily fluids were overwhelmingly expensive, the fluid crystals were used as materials for advanced alloys or spaceship computers. If I weren’t Amorph, just discovering this nest alone would earn me enough money to buy a battleship.

With meaningless thoughts in mind, I followed the glittering branches. The sporadic gem branches became more numerous, and before long, a shining jewel nest appeared before us.

In the case of Gallagons, they also lay gems in their nests, but they don’t make them in that form. That’s definitely a Crystalwing nest.

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Alright. We found the nest.)]

I briefly set down Number 26 and, along with the Mother of the Sky, examined the nest. Seeing frozen, mirage-like corpses in the nest indicated that it had been empty for quite some time.

｢How many do you think there are?｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (From what I see, at least two.)]

｢Two? But there’s no trace of eggs being laid?｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (This part indicates reinforced traces. The male built the nest.)]

｢They must be a young couple.｣

The minimum number is two. It’s a newly formed pair, just meeting each other.

After mating, Crystalwings have the male build the nest while the female prepares to lay eggs. If eggs are produced, the female cares for them while the male goes out to hunt for food.

As I mentioned, there are clear signs of the male reinforcing this nest. However, seeing no signs of either male or female suggests they went out together to hunt for food.

‘It didn’t seem like food was that scarce.’

Now that the nest is built, one of them should stay to guard it, which is unexpected.

‘Maybe because of the Gallagons, the hunting range has narrowed for them.’

Gallagons and Crystalwings vie for the top predator position in the wild. They immediately attack upon seeing each other since they are competitors for food.

However, Crystalwings are stronger than Green Gallagons but weaker than White Gallagons, so when they clash, usually the Gallagons, known for forming packs, emerge victorious. Knowing they are at a disadvantage, Crystalwings are cautious even though they are the top predator.

The problem is that there are at least two Gallagon packs on this planet. Considering that each Gallagon occupies twice the territory, it’s not easy for Crystalwings to find food.

｢Even if they settle down, it’s still a problem. If they’ve gone hunting, we don’t know when they’ll return.｣

[ZZZ ZZ (That’s true.)]

Once Crystalwings go out for a hunt, they don’t return to the nest for a long time. They roam outside for a week at the shortest, up to six months, searching for food. If they were in the egg-laying phase, this period would be significantly shorter, but we can’t count on that stroke of luck now.

｢What should we do? Wait? Or try to find another nest?｣

The Mother of the Sky asked, but I didn’t answer immediately.

‘Which option is more advantageous?’

If Adhai hadn’t been kidnapped, I might consider waiting for a long period, but in the current situation, that’s not possible. I have limited time.

‘But finding another nest isn’t easy either.’

There are over hundreds of peaks in these mountain ranges. Including other suitable habitats for Crystalwings, there are easily over thousands of places to search. It’s impossible to check all of them one by one.

‘Once the nest is found, there’s only one option left.’

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Let’s wait for two days.)]

The Mother of the Sky nodded, indicating her respect for my opinion.

If Crystalwings don’t come back even after waiting, there’s no choice. We’ll have to risk it and aim for the Gallagons, or perhaps catch other winged creatures.

With the nest made, the issue of homelessness was solved within less than a day.