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Chapter 200

‘I got four Apexes with this.’

Thanks to combining forces with the kids, we easily took down even the female Crystalwing. The speed was much faster than when playing the game itself.

‘Back then, I moved alone.’

If I had faced two Crystalwings alone, it wouldn’t have been easy. That’s it. Other player competitors aiming for them should also be cautious.

‘It would have taken weeks to catch both.’

But today, the situation was good. I had helpers, and there were no other competitors.

Meeting them in two days was also lucky.

‘And confirming Number 26’s potential was an achievement.’

As expected, it could only adjust attacks made up of ‘projectile forms’.

‘Abyssal Hue’, ‘Watcher of Terror’, a trait that launches fungal masses melting objects, ‘Acid Fungal Pods’. Number 26 could easily control these two traits. Like bursting flying spheres midway to create a spreading explosion or adjusting their flight speed, etc.

However, the basic Psychic Breath fired in a linear form couldn’t be adjusted. A similar attack style, ‘Divine Spectre’, would probably be equally uncontrollable.

‘I haven’t experimented with the enhanced Psychic Breath yet.’

In this situation, I intentionally didn’t use it, as I would need to leave corpses. Given its attack method similar to the Watcher of Terror, I think it would be feasible.

Apart from Number 26, Mother of the Sky and PS-111 fought as well as expected.

Mother of the Sky, who unlocked the Wendigo transformation ability, could use some of Wendigo’s traits. One of them is the ability ‘Spirit of Ice’, which, like Wendigo’s legacy that drove humans insane, Space Survival’s Wendigo can also interfere with other creatures’ minds.

Creatures affected by Spirit of Ice lose reason and become fixated solely on devouring other creatures. Techniques requiring concentration or traits activated consciously by the owner cannot be used.

For example, if I were affected by Spirit of Ice, I would become a cannibalistic monster fixated only on genetic essence, with all abilities sealed.

It is a very powerful personal debuff ability, but with equally great limitations. Depending on the opponent, its duration can fluctuate wildly. Moreover, while Spirit of Ice is active, the user cannot use other techniques or abilities, making it disadvantageous if physical capabilities are weaker than the opponent’s.

Simply put, it can be described as an ability that forcibly drags opponents into melee combat. Thanks to this effect, the female Crystalwing couldn’t mount a proper counterattack and lost without even trying.

“It would pair well with the High priest’s golden spear.”

Today, I left my equipment all in the nest, but it might be better to bring it along for the next hunt.

｢I thought I’d gotten stronger, but you’re amazing. I never knew the Sea Demon had such abilities.｣

｢Am I amazing? Amazing?｣

[Your Psychic Power Mastery has increased by 42% compared to before. Congratulations.]

｢I don’t know what that means, but thanks!｣

The creatures were pleased before the Crystalwing carcasses. I approached them with the male’s body in tow.

[ZZZZ (Well done)]

[Always interesting changes to see. Requesting samples for genetic analysis.]

[ZZZ (No)]

｢Can I eat some of the female’s heart and organs?｣

[ZZZZZ ZZZ (Because of the unlock conditions?)]

｢No. I need it to advance Griffin’s Divine Transformation stage.｣

Listening and seeing, memories returned. Just like Aemoph’s growth, there are stages to Wolf’s Divine Transformation. According to the setting, the higher the Divine Transformation stage, the closer they are to the gods of wolves.

The griffin is a hybrid creature combining an eagle and a lion. Specialized for land combat, it also has a brief flight ability. Therefore, powerful flight creatures are needed to raise the Divine Transformation stage.

Her growth is advantageous for my survival. I nodded.

[ZZ (Okay)]

｢Thank you.｣

‘Where should we start eating then?’

While Mother of the Sky was dismantling, I decided to start with the male’s carcass.

Its head was so huge that measuring it in meters seemed faster. I started by tearing off the beak and crest attached to its head. Then, I put the crest, still stuck with tendons and skin tissue, into my mouth.

“… ”

Its jaws, which split into two branches, chewed diligently on the crest. The unique texture, seemingly located somewhere between bone and cartilage, pleasantly filled my mouth with each chew. The slimy juices that flowed out with every bite made me unexpectedly satisfied.

‘It’s like a stewed gizzard.’

The broth of the gizzard bones had permeated well into the cartilage. It felt similar to dipping it in tangy soy sauce, though a more accurate comparison would emphasize its rich taste and flavor.

The intense spiciness that impressed me with the Ice Horror gave way to a more earthy sensation.

After quickly finishing the crest, I also chewed on the beak. Perhaps the earlier meal was too strong in flavor. There wasn’t anything particularly distinctive about the taste of the beak.

‘The texture gives a refreshing feeling, though.’

Chewing the beak felt crisp, like chewing on well-cooked cucumber. I tore off the entire head, chewing through the beak. After chewing up all the beak and swallowing it down my throat, I immediately started eating the male’s head, which made my tongue roll around.

‘Mmm, good’

When I saw the textures of the crest and beak, I expected them to be quite chewy, but they weren’t.

‘This feels like boiled pork.’

Unlike the strong taste and flavor of the crest, the overall head was mild yet had a smooth sensation. It would have been much better to eat them together without separating them.

‘But the tongue is the highlight.’

I’ve heard that the taste of a pig’s or cow’s tongue is unique. Since I haven’t tried it myself, the taste of the Crystalwing’s tongue was quite distinctive. Its moderately chewy and oily taste was truly an appetizing flavor.

Having eaten through the entire head, I waited for the predation effect to take place.

‘Huh?’

Even after waiting, the semi-transparent textbox showed no response. Could it be that I missed it when the effect appeared? I opened the textbox to check, but everything remained the same.

‘No way?’

I thought I was lucky, but it turned out otherwise. The Goddess of Luck once again abandoned me at a crucial moment. The joy I felt from a delicious meal quickly turned into despair.

I turned my gaze to the female’s carcass.

‘Now, I only have one chance left.’

The trait I was aiming for the most was the ‘Spaceflight’ trait. Next in line were abilities to handle stealth and detection waves, or perhaps the ability of rapid regeneration. However, among its other traits were some duds, like ‘Robust Vitality’ or ‘Enhanced Vision’.

‘… I didn’t consider this.’

Even though it was smooth sailing fighting against them, unforeseen difficulties awaited me.

At that moment, Mother of the Sky approached me holding something covered in blood.

｢What did you find… huh? Why?｣

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Another failure this time too)]

｢What?｣

She widened her eyes upon hearing that I hadn’t acquired the trait.

｢… Shouldn’t you try eating the entire carcass?｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (That’s unrelated to it)]

｢Still, since you failed once, the predation effect will surely kick in the second time.｣

When I heard that, I recalled the gambler’s fallacy, but I didn’t bother pointing it out. Perhaps she meant it as words of comfort for me.

‘Sigh. I guess there’s nothing I can do about what hasn’t appeared.’

I’ve done everything I could. There’s no point in being disappointed here; nothing will change. It would be more efficient to prepare for what comes after, anticipating the possibility of failure.

‘If I can’t get it this time, let’s prepare for other abilities.’

Targeting Sharkbear’s ‘Enhanced Endocrine Glands’ wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

I tore off the head of the Crystalwing female. Without separating and eating the beak, I chewed through it whole.

Just like with the male, it still tasted good, but the tension was greater this time. The hard beak cracked under my strong jaws, breaking through the skull that encased the brain. Its contents swiftly passed down my throat into my stomach.

‘Please!’

Now, all that remained was the part connected to the male’s neck. I swallowed it without chewing.

The moment I completely digested the male’s head.

[Predation effect activated! Successfully acquired ‘Spaceflight’ gene essence.]

[Extracted the ‘Spaceflight’ feature from the biological traits of ‘Crystalwing’.]

[Would you like to apply ‘Spaceflight’?]

Grrrr!

‘Great!’

As soon as the textbox appeared before my eyes, I roared with excitement. Holding my arms up, I startled Number 26, who was beside me.

｢Why are you acting like that, big baby? Are you hurt? Where?｣

｢It’s not because I’m hurt, but because I’m happy.｣

｢Is it that delicious?｣

｢Wouldn’t everything taste delicious to you right now?｣

Mother of the Sky’s laughter tinged with sarcasm echoed in my mind, but I had no room to care about such things right now.

‘Why does this make people so difficult? Accept!’

Seeing the trait I had longed for, I accepted its application.

[Spaceflight trait applied.]

[Can be fused with existing ‘Aerial Membrane’. Fusion of ‘Spaceflight’ and ‘Aerial Membrane’ traits. Evolving into ‘Enhanced Wings of the Monstrosity’!]

[Enhanced Wings of the Monstrosity: Inherits the ‘Spaceflight’ trait, reinforced.]

[*Note: Countless prey await you in space.]

Born in the cargo hold of a spaceship, I walked on alloy plates for the first time.

I swam with fins beneath the deep sea of Cult’s sacred planet.

Land, sea, and sky.

On this frozen star, I gained new strength.

The power to traverse the dark, infinite world filled with darkness.

***

“Ugh… Is everyone okay?”

“We’re, we’re fine!”

“Captain! Are you okay?”

“Damn it! Report to the administrator!”

“Major damage to the cannon! Damage also on the outer wall of the ship! Fortunately, the engine section has minor damage!”

“Casualties?”

“…Five missing among the fighter pilots, seven among the gunners.”

Cult’s captain, relieved that the engine damage was minimal, immediately regained his composure.

“This cursed planet is just like that!”

It had already been five days since the disappearance of the young priest Jason, whom they served. And now, the recent attack. With so many complex issues at hand, the captain felt his head might explode.

While they had recently faced a major failure, having a highly regarded talent sober up and then disappear on a suspicious planet not even registered on the routes was unprecedented in the Empire.

Normally, they would have continued waiting for contact from the priest, but this time, that wasn’t an option.

This was due to the entity that had allowed them to establish a camp issuing a prohibition.

The determined Black Gallagon didn’t wait long before driving them out when Jason didn’t return after several days. He claimed he had work to do and had no time to deal with trivial matters.

While others might have different thoughts, the captain personally thanked the Black Gallagon. As the days passed, the attitude of the Gallagons noticeably changed.

If they had stayed even one more day, they would surely have become prey for the hungry Gallagons.

Leaving the nest was fine, but the real problem arose afterwards.

As they prepared to leave aboard the ship left outside the nest, they were attacked by some creature.

“…Just answer me this. Do you think the Gallagons will leave us alone?”

“Considering the cowardly nature of those creatures, now that they’ve gotten what they wanted, they won’t target us.”

Even without stating it directly, it was clear that what they wanted were the 12 missing crew members.

“Why did it have to be the Garan Minos who…?”

Garan Minos, a giant dragon with the meaning of ‘shining wings’, is an extremely rare creature. Unless you’re a specialized monster-hunting Templar or a Cult smuggler, it’s not easy to encounter one in a lifetime.

When two creatures with such a name crashed into the ship just as it was taking off, the captain thought he must be dreaming. He came to his senses when the ship’s outer walls were breached and the crew sacrificed.

Thanks to the efforts of the 12 Templars who remained on board, they barely managed to drive away the Garan Minos.

“Captain, as much as it may seem unnecessary, we need to inform the Council as soon as possible.”

“I understand.”

The Templar urging for the protection of the crew annoyed the captain, but he managed to respond calmly. If it weren’t for that Templar, everyone on this ship would have been a meal for those violent dragons.

“How long will it take to repair the engines?”

“We won’t know until we start, but it seems like it will take quite some time.”

“We’ll spare no support, so repair the engines quickly. Close off the area near the outer walls and relocate the important materials to another section.”

“Understood.”

A stroke of luck was that the engines weren’t damaged. This planet is a remote place not even recorded on the routes. If they were to be stranded, it would be difficult to rely on rescue teams.

“They’ll probably all die before the rescue team even arrives!”

Surviving even one day on this planet, where Gallagons, Garan Minos, and all sorts of monsters lurk, is difficult. And that’s not all. The climate is also horrific; without reinforced suits, one wouldn’t last more than a few minutes.

“We’ll take care of external monitoring. Please repair as quickly as possible.”

“…We ask for your cooperation.”

All the Templars wear a special reinforced suit called Gallagon Scale Armors. Thanks to these ivory-colored reinforced suits, they can endure even the harsh cold.

If it were the captain or ordinary Cult crew members going out, they would likely freeze to death.

“May Providence! Please let nothing happen!”

The captain prayed silently as he watched the crew rushing around the situation room.