Ep. 142
As soon as I came to my senses, what I felt was liquid surrounding my body. That feeling, thick and warm like amniotic fluid.
I tried to move my arm, but it didn’t move as if it was paralyzed. My whole body felt sluggish, as if I had taken a ton of painkillers.
‘It looks like the mutation hasn’t been completed yet.’
I quickly grasped the situation and was convinced.
I can’t see because I can’t move my eyelids, but my body is probably still in a flaccid state right now. All kinds of chemical reactions are taking place inside the cocoon, transforming my body.
‘I guess I have about an hour or two left.’
Normally I would have fallen asleep at this time, but for some reason I didn’t feel like it. I think I saw something important before seeing my old memories, but I couldn’t remember it.
‘It was definitely important…’
It seems like something is blocking it in my head and I can’t remember it at all. Even after thinking about it for a while, I couldn’t remember anything, so my frustration only piled up.
‘…Let’s quit.’
If it’s an important fact, it will come up someday. I forced myself to stop paying attention to the memories.
‘Rather than that, let’s check what everyone is doing.’
To relieve the frustration building up in my heart, I turned my attention to those on the ground. To detect what was happening outside the cocoon, we focused on auxiliary organs.
Is it because we are in the process of evolving? The limit was my ability to feel what was happening on the ground above my head.
And there was no one on the ground. All I can feel is the Swamp King’s hard leg shell.
‘Where has everyone gone?’
The moment I am most vulnerable is when I evolve and utilize the transcendence system. So, before entering the second stage of transcendence, I asked them to protect me.
It’s hard for me to say this, but my relationship with these guys isn’t bad.
Not to mention No. 26, who spent the most time with me, Aadhai envies me.
I’m also trying to avoid doing things they don’t like as much as possible. If there’s something they want, I want to listen to it to the best of my ability.
Heavenly Mother may be a bit ambiguous, but she also has goals and is unlikely to betray me. If you were going to betray me in the first place, you would have struck me as soon as I entered the cocoon.
There’s no way they’ll leave me without a reason. So in this case there is only one thing.
‘There are dangers around.’
It was clear that something that could harm me had come up and I was off to get rid of it.
‘If there is any element that could attack me here…’
The first thing that came to mind was the Hond Gigant couple.
Their habitat is a long way away from here, but ever since they caught and ate the pirates last time, they kept coming into the forest. They must be snooping around because they know that the taste of human and cult meat is a new world.
‘I made the nest in a safe place on purpose, so it can’t be them.’
Another risk factor is that there is a rescue team that came to rescue the personnel at the deep-sea research base, but this is also unlikely. Because my nest is a long way away from the base.
‘Or perhaps they are Muriel’s colleagues?’
When I was interrogating Muriel before, I heard that there were players supporting her. And that her calls for help were ignored before she died.
‘I erased as many traces as possible.’
That they were wary of me could be easily judged from Muriel’s detailed phone call. Still, just in case, I organized the traces I left behind as best I could.
Before leaving the camp, all artificial structures and weapons were ‘incinerated’ or buried underground.
There are traces of a cruiser that exploded after being hit by a thunderbolt, but that fact alone makes it nearly impossible to find my nest.
‘Because my nest is in the ground.’
It’s possible that players discovered the nest using techniques I don’t know about. But that also doesn’t make sense.
‘If they found the nest, I would already be dead.’
Two players of the same level or higher than Muriel should be able to defeat No. 26 and Aadhai Sky Mother without difficulty. It’s been four or five hours since I entered the cocoon, so it’s already time for the situation to end.
Therefore, the fact that I am still alive means that the two players did not come in person. The level of the mysterious enemy should be considered to be one that can engage with children.
‘In the end, we’re back to square one.’
I guess I’ll have to go look for it as soon as the mutation is over.
–
The Mother of Heaven is a ranker.
Although I don’t have a particularly extroverted personality, I still have experience running a large clan and have been in charge of leading raids to hunt boss-level creatures.
Leading the subjugation of the Sea Demon, a semi-boss level creature, or participating in the subjugation of the Red Gallagon Vortex One, which only a ranker can dare to attack, etc.
Although she prided herself on having gone through all the hardships of childbirth, the scene she was seeing now was very surreal.
“Aaaah!”
“Everyone run away!”
A sea demon that has grown to over 10 meters is randomly slaughtering cult warriors in the middle of the forest. Each time the tentacle, which was thicker than a log, swung once, the upper body of the cult warrior disappeared, and each time the eyeball-shaped pattern glowed on the body, the cult members began bleeding from their eyes and ears.
As soon as their leader encountered the Sea Demon, he was hit by a tentacle and died. My whole body was twisted like a fly being hit by a fly swatter.
“Shield deployment! “Shield deployment!”
A female cult member screamed as she dodged the tentacles. Perhaps because she was the second-highest warrior after the leader, the other cult members urgently deployed their shields.
However, the shield was meaningless to Sea Demon, who was as good at using psychic powers as Gallagon.
“Lord, are you dying?!”
A warrior wearing a shield and running out bravely came to a shaky halt in the air. And the limbs and waist began to move as they please, betraying the will of their owner.
“Kwaaaaaak!”
Is this really what it would be like to see a child pulling out an ant’s leg? A warrior who received 5 layers of Sea Demon’s ‘binding’ soon had not only his limbs but also his upper and lower body separated.
“So it’s no use…argh!”
Meanwhile, another warrior was hit by the thick tentacle swung by the Sea Demon and was thrown into a tree. His neck was bent in a strange direction, he blinked a few times and then stopped moving.
It was clearly a scene of horrific slaughter.
However, the reason why Heavenly Mother felt surreal was because of the waves that Sea Demon No. 26 gave out every time it attacked the cults.
“Bad human! Bad human being!”
“Ahhhh!”
「Who would beat up a middle-aged baby?」
“Hey!”
In between screams, No. 26 repeated the word “bad human beings” while murdering the cult members. This was because they could not distinguish the difference between a cult and a human being.
“shit! “Block off its tentacles first!”
At the female cultist’s words, two cultists holding weapons similar to spearguns stepped forward.
‘this!’
Heavenly Mother, seeing this, quickly jumped from the tree.
The net fired by that spear gun quickly shrinks the moment it hits the prey, which has the effect of constricting it. That alone wouldn’t be enough to pierce the Sea Demon’s hard shell, but the cult’s net is made of black silver.
‘If it’s Black Silver, No. 26 could get hurt!’
If No. 26 gets even the slightest bit hurt, the sleeping monster will never like it.
But what she feared did not happen.
The moment it reached the net, No. 26’s body shrunk and changed into a small balloon-like shape. The smaller one easily avoided the net and then grew larger again, swinging its tentacles.
One of the cult members who shot the net barely escaped, but the other was hit by a tentacle and his upper body was blown off.
The surviving cult members looked relieved for a moment, but it was still too early to feel relieved. Stones and metal fragments on the floor trembled and flew into his face at high speed.
He also ended up walking down the same path as his colleague with a hole in his face.
‘It’s pretty good.’
Despite his childish tone, No. 26 was fighting very well as a Sea Demon. By actively applying the skills you have.
‘I guess there’s no need to stay here any longer.’
The Mother of Heaven left the scene, leaving behind the sight of No. 26 destroying the cults.
The place where her steps are heading is where Aadhai is fighting.
Currently, Aadhai is in the process of slaughtering the cult members of other teams. Among Amov’s colleagues, Adhai, the only one capable of high-altitude flight, used his organs to catch cult members and drop them to death.
‘There is a flying technique among the psychic power techniques, but…’
It is impossible to avoid Aadhai’s attacks, which fly faster than a bullet. If you run into that guy’s lunge, you’ll be sent straight to the underworld.
Moreover, all of the cultists who entered this forest are now insane. This is because of the ‘fear of the deep sea’ used by No. 26.
‘It has better application than the game’s Mr. Demon.’
According to the setting, the fear of the deep sea is a type of phenomenon that occurs when the powerful psychic power energy contained in the Sea Demon leaks out. So, the closer you get to it, the more the other creature’s mind will be adversely affected and it will collapse.
However, No. 26 embodied the fear of the deep sea by spreading psychic power thinly and widely like a spider web. Most of the enemies were almost completely sane, but their means of communication and some of their psychic power techniques were disabled.
Creating an environment in which people can block contact with each other and defeat each other. That was what No. 26 intended.
Of course, the effect was not perfect because it had not yet become an adult.
Since he started fighting directly, the fear of the deep sea effect he used has been shaking erratically. If you’re unlucky, there may be those who get out of control.
Still, the tactic itself was effective enough that the Heavenly Mother had no choice but to hold her tongue.
‘…I wonder if someone isn’t Moff Park’s friend.’
If No. 26 becomes an adult, it will become an enormous monster.
‘In a way, I should say it’s fortunate.’
Should I be relieved or worried at the thought that that scary monster is my friend?
While she was thinking that, she heard a sound above her head.
It was a scream.
The Heavenly Mother immediately stopped running. A few seconds later the cult warrior fell through the branches and onto the ground.
There was a loud sound as if a bomb had exploded, and his body was completely shattered.
A green dragon gracefully landed on an unrecognizable piece of meat.
The impressive dragon, with its long, slender body measuring up to 2 meters, wings that were bigger than its body, four horns, and a plump tail, was Adhai.
Aadhai, who had defeated one cultist, was holding the other cultist with his front paws. The Cult that was caught was probably hit by super acceleration, but its body was crumpled in half even though it was wearing a reinforced suit.
「Here」「Organized」「Completed」
「It’s quick.」
「Me」「Great」
「Okay. “Good job.”
One team has already been organized and the other team will be organized soon.
There were a total of three teams of cult warriors she detected. Now only one team remains.
「Enemy」「Remaining」「Hunt」「Start」
「Wait a moment… Oh no.」
The remaining team tried to organize it together, but Adhai flew away first. She shook her head as if there was nothing she could do and ran after Aadhai.
–
“Huh huh huh huh…”
Cult Warrior Olai hid behind a tree and took a deep breath.
‘Damn it! All of them, including the warrior leader Edrin Isabel, were warriors…’
The warriors who came to this planet were annihilated except for him. It was thanks to the tools he had that he was able to find out about this despite not being able to contact him.
Unlike other cults, Olai was a so-called innovative cult that used the equipment of primitive races without hesitation.
Before the mission began, he handed out small chips to other warriors. It was a military tracking chip mainly used by Megacorp. It may be difficult to use for ultra-long-distance missions, but when operating around a specific area on a continent like now, it could be detected without problem.
Additionally, the reinforced clothing he was wearing now was not the reinforced clothing worn by regular cult warriors. It was a special custom reinforced suit obtained from the Garmelda family of Megacorp.
Although this reinforced suit had a relatively low body protection ability, it had a strong hiding effect, making it perfect for infiltration missions.
In addition, Olai had acquired a psychic power technique that erased the presence of the body, so he was literally no different from a ghost.
‘shit! Why don’t you listen to me when I say let’s share some of these good things…!’
Although he was always looked down upon because he only liked monkey toys, he was able to survive thanks to the equipment made by those monkeys.
‘You can live as long as you reach the transport ship.’
There were three monsters he had seen so far, but there could be many more dangerous monsters. These are probably variants that occurred due to contamination. The purification work must be done as quickly as possible.
After confirming that there were no monsters nearby, Olai moved again.
‘Just past here!’
There is a transport ship beyond that bush. While moving around making as little noise as possible, he quickly ducked. A black shadow flashed on the floor and then disappeared.
His colleague Edrin proved what that means.
‘Why is Gallagon here?!’
He moved carefully, thinking of his comrade who was caught by the Green Gallagon and fell several kilometers above.
And when he finally made it through the bush, the transport he had been waiting for was ahead.
However, the condition of the transport was very different from what he expected.
“Krrrrrrr.”
“Crung.”
Two large theropods with huge horns on their heads were destroying the transport ship and chewing on the pilots inside.
Their true identity was a predator called ‘Manuk Arma’ in the language of the cult, and Hond Gigant in Megacorp. Monsters that were indigenous to Saigil 08 and that lived in volcanic areas had entered the forest.
“Krr sniff? “Sniff.”
“Krrrrrrr.”
One of the manuk armas sniffed something. His head turned towards exactly where Olai was standing.
It has a very sensitive sense of smell. You can’t miss the smell of him drenched in sweat.
Olai stepped back without a sound. He went behind the bushes and ran away at full speed. He heard the roar of the guys behind him, but he ignored it and ran like crazy.
‘Jeeeeeeenjaaaang!’
Unfortunately, his escape did not last long. Green Gallagon, circling in the sky, attacked him without missing a beat.
Olai was willing to do anything to survive, but he couldn’t do anything about his luck.
He collided with a 2m tall object flying at a speed exceeding the speed of sound and became like an insect that had been hit in the palm of his hand.
–
“Hide and Seek” “End”
She nodded with satisfaction as she looked at the fragments of what had been her enemy just now.
Recently, she felt that her relationship with her elders had become more estranged than before. Little adults and ugly friends often do things together with older adults, but she didn’t really do anything with older adults.
So she thought.
Let’s make a great achievement and receive praise from our elders.
Today, she hunted more than 10 prey alone. With this level of effort, there is no doubt that even adults will pay attention to her.
She licked the blood from her body and tried to go back. That would have been the case if a new enemy hadn’t attacked her.
“Kaaaaaa!”
“Pain!”
She collided with the monster that suddenly appeared and fell to the dirt. Thanks to the reaction before the collision, fatal injuries were avoided, but one wing was severely torn.
“You,” “Me,” “Pain,” “Zoom,” “Kill.”
Nevertheless, Adhai did not lose his fighting spirit and stood upright on all four legs and glared at the guy. Currently, the little adult and the ugly friend are far behind.
It was because I was in a hurry and went too far ahead.
So you have to hold out until they come.
“Krrrrr!”
「Two?」
The frustrating truth is that there wasn’t just one guy.
One of them, the one who rammed her with his horns, lunged at her. I was barely able to avoid the attack because of my torn wings.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to avoid the tail of the second attack. The creature’s thick tail sent her flying and crashing into a tree behind her.
“Pain!”
Blood was flowing out from the tentacles attached to the head due to the shock. She tried to get up, but her four legs were shaking and she had no strength.
“Krrrrrrr.”
Before I knew it, the guy who was approaching opened his mouth wide. Teeth that stand out sharply. In just a moment, those teeth will tear her fragile body to pieces.
「Death」「No!」
“Kaaaaaa!”
It’s still too early to give up.
She fired purple lightning with all her might. Purple lightning pierced its eyes and blood splattered out.
Even though the pain must have been considerable since his eyes were burst, he did not back down. On the contrary, the attack seemed to have made him angry, and even though he was struck by lightning, he tried to bite her with his mouth.
「Big Adult」「Sorry」
I did my best until the end, but it seemed like this was the end. Sensing death, she closed her eyes.
But I felt a vibration somewhere. I didn’t feel any pain at all, considering it was just being chewed by my teeth.
The vibration was slight at first. It grew bigger and bigger, and at some point, her body shook violently, as if someone was holding her and shaking her.
「What is it?」
“Crung?”
“Krrrrr?”
She wasn’t the only one who felt the earthquake. The two animals also looked embarrassed by the sudden earthquake.
and.
The ground exploded and the beast that was gaping in front of her was thrown out of the tree.
[Zuzuzuzu zuz (How dare these crazy people!)]
A huge dragon that lets out an earth-shattering roar.
He is the big adult she has been waiting for.