Ep. 241
Space Survival has a uniquely large number of NPC species among VR games released at the same time.
The various NPCs, created by appropriately mixing the characteristics of real-life animals and alien creatures appearing in various science fiction-related media, were considered a unique charm of space survival.
Therefore, some players focused on studying the ecosystem and the habits of various creatures in the game. The settings of numerous creatures have been revealed by players, from small and cute creatures like the bubble amoeba to the space whale Skywhale.
However, there was no one who flew alongside the Gallagons, the so-called dragons of space.
I am now doing something that no one else has been able to do.
Next to me is Gallagon, who appears to be wearing a red dress over white skin. A red and white Gallagon Adhai is flying next to me, flapping its four wings.
Behind us, flying at the same speed, was a female Black Gallagon. The appearance of Ham Oort, who became Black Gallagon in the morning, reminded me of a sky god driving dark clouds.
Next to Ham Oort, 4 White Gallagons and 9 Green Gallagons are flying together at the same speed. Me and 15 Gallagons are forming a formation and flying over an endless snow field.
If you lower your head slightly, you can see the white plain below. It was the ice plain we first encountered when we came to this planet.
When I first came here, I hid to avoid encountering other enemies, but not anymore.
“Big baby, big baby. “Look over there.”
Number 26, riding on top of my head, sent a wave to me. In the direction he pointed with his tentacle, I saw a place where the ice had collapsed and created a large hole.
This is the place where a thick sheet of ice collapsed during the fight with Jason. A lot of time had passed since then and a lot of snow had piled up, but traces of our fight still remained.
After passing the large pit, we flew for a while longer.
By the time we could see the end of the plain filled with nothing but snow and ice, it was already approaching evening.
‘Is it over there?’
Located in the opposite direction of the mountain range, it was a very large canyon. At that size, it would probably be possible to observe it from outside the planet.
Looking at its shape, it was a deep underground canyon with no bottom visible even when viewed from above.
‘I’m sure that’s enough to hide the ship.’
The Sachs Alpha battleship has a battlefield length of just over 1km. The canyon was vast and deep enough for the fearsome monster to hide in.
Since coming to this world, I have never fought on a battlefield as wide as this. Moreover, this time we are not luring the enemy, but rather ambushing them. Unless he was an idiot, he would have prepared a defense.
‘But…’
I gave the signal to Ham Ort. The guy who received my signal raised his head and looked at the sky.
As the six black horns sparkled purple, the clouds in the sky began to move quickly. The clouds, which were swirling in a swirling shape, soon turned into a waterspout and poured down to the ground.
‘Maelstrom’, a psychic technique that Black Gallagon can use. A power close to a natural disaster is in Ham Ort’s hands.
No matter what kind of trap he set up, it will lose much of its effectiveness in front of the Maelstrom.
A waterspout fell around the canyon, and lightning made of psychic power penetrated deep into the space.
Purple lightning flashed across the canyon floor and walls. A purple spider’s web spread out over the pitch black darkness where no light was visible.
Then, thick smoke rose from the walls and invisible floor inside the canyon along with an explosion.
‘As expected, a drone was installed.’
“It’s APD.”
The Mother of Heaven riding on Ham Oort sent a thought wave.
Pyrrha Eleven hid the APD (Anti Psychic Drone) on the canyon wall in case I brought Gallagon with me.
APD is a drone used by Star Union warships to fight Gallagon and cults. It can absorb various energies, including psychic power, so it is mainly used as a means of defense against energy-based weapons.
And Gallagon’s flight is achieved through a combination of wing flapping and psychic power. When psychic power cannot be used due to APD, flight speed drops significantly.
‘Then the screamers will hit.’
It was clear that they had been planted to attack us as soon as we entered the canyon. Now that the APD has been neutralized, the hidden screamers will come out.
I waited for them to come out to attack.
However, even though the supernatural lightning continued to fall, there was no response from inside the canyon. I concentrated all my senses on the auxiliary organs, but I could not feel any movement.
[Zuzuzuzu zzu (Can you see anything?)]
「No. “Nothing.”
Heavenly Mother shook her head at my question.
As a griffon with an eagle’s head, she can see distant objects day and night. Moreover, she is also a ranker like me. No matter how well the enemy hides himself, there is no way he would know.
‘What happened?’
Looking at the situation, the only risk factor within the observable range at this location was APD.
Looking at the APD installed, it is clear that they were trying to prepare for an attack by Gallagons. But there’s no way he doesn’t know that drones alone can’t subdue Gallagon.
“What are the chances that we lost all of the screamers?”
“It’s slim. If that were the case, Pyrrha Eleven would consider the mission a failure and choose to retreat.”
The androids of the Mechanical Council know their worth. To a large extent, they try to avoid damage.
Pyrrha Eleven will also choose to run away if she is in a disadvantageous situation. If that were the case, APD wouldn’t have been installed in this canyon.
In other words, it didn’t run away. He wants us to come inside.
‘hmm.’
Thanks to the light from the lightning, the inside of the canyon was confirmed to be wider at the bottom than at the top.
Would you say it is similar in shape to a gourd? It is a structure that is easy to enter but difficult to retreat from.
‘We need to change the strategy.’
Waiting for them to come out is inefficient and dangerous. If you give it time, Pyrrha Eleven will produce new Screamers.
We thought about destroying the canyon, but it didn’t seem easy because it was so large. To completely collapse it, you would have to pour in your psychic breath non-stop for several days. This is not a good method as it not only takes a long time but also consumes a lot of stamina.
‘You have to go in yourself.’
I have encountered this situation many times when playing games.
Aimorphs who operate alone often infiltrate enemy bases and attack in this way. There is nothing more disadvantageous than fighting on the enemy’s home ground even though you are weaker than the enemy.
However, the reason why I always won is simple.
‘Taking advantage of the enemy’s advantage.’
He thinks this glacial dungeon will be to his advantage. It’s not wrong, but there’s something he doesn’t know.
I have the means to take advantage of this guy’s advantage. This is a card that was not taken out even when fighting screamers.
[Zuzu, Zuzuzu, Zuzuzu, Zuzuzu (Let’s find a place we can walk into)]
“Is there a way?”
[Zu (Yes)]
We were floating in the air, turned and flew in the direction of the ice plain. At the end of the canyon, there was a place that could be considered an entrance.
The entrance to the frozen canyon had walls that were narrow at the top and wide open at the bottom. Rather than the entrance to a canyon, it was closer to a dungeon or cave where monsters lived.
I landed on the ice and looked around at the gallagons.
For the operation I came up with, the fewer people there are, the better. This is because if you make a mistake, your allies may also attack you.
[Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu (Only we will go in. The rest should wait outside)]
「Ham Ort」「Daughter of the Meteor」「Protect」「Alone」「I will not let you go」
[Zuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu (No. Ham Ort has work to do)]
Among us, he is the only one who can freely intercept enemies in the air without restrictions. If you want to provide support fire, it is better for Ham Oort to wait outside.
[Jazzzuzuazuzuzzuzzzzzuzzters (don’t worry. Adhai won’t be injured])
He hesitated for a while and eventually followed me. 111 entered the canyon with me.
As the walls got narrower at the top and the structure was deeply caved at the bottom, almost no light came into the canyon. As time was running out, this place was completely dark. In addition, there was no light coming in through the opening at the top
. Because of the wind, there was a constant, ominous sound. It sounded like the roar of an animal or the sound of thousands of people whispering at the same time.
The good news was that none of us were afraid of it.
I was standing a little away from where we entered. I stopped. And from there, I prepared a trap to counterattack Pyrrha Eleven.
‘Anyway, I don’t need what I set up before anymore.’
There are two cards I plan to use when dealing with Pyrrha Eleven. One of them is the nest.
I It went around and sprayed black slime. The slime that fell on the pure white ice instantly solidified into a tumor shape and polluted the ice.
This is not a very good place to place a nest, but it doesn’t matter. As long as it expands enough to cover the area, the bastard and It will be able to deliver a fatal blow when fighting.
“Are you going to do something like when you fought the 4th place player in the game?”
[Z (Yes)]
The Mother of the Sky immediately figured out what I was planning.
“What are you going to do when you don’t have any characteristics?” 」
[zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzuzu (since this is the situation, I have to adjust)]
「…I’m going to insult you.」
「What is it? Teach me too.」
「I」「I’m curious」「Me too」「Tell me」
「You’ll know later. .”
After finishing all the work, I and the kids set off again. The deeper
we went, the steeper the floor sloped inward. Rather than a canyon, I should say it was closer to a passage leading underground. It was like entering the ice lake of hell that appears in classical literature. “
It feels strange. ”
“A strange feeling?” “I” “I don’t feel it.”
“I don’t know either.”
“Pack it up here and there.” It doesn’t feel fun.”
About halfway through, No. 26 seemed to be in a bad mood. Its body, which was usually bright pink, turned a dark red similar to a cherry.
“I can’t see anything.”
Heavenly Mother and I looked around diligently, but we couldn’t see or feel anything. The surrounding area was full of only ice and stalactite-like rock formations that stretched out like snakes.
‘There’s no way he would say something like this for no reason.’
As a Sea Demon, he is sensitive to various aspects such as the flow of energy. There’s definitely a reason why he feels strange.
As I was wondering what the problem was, PS-111 made a sound.
“A weak electronic signal can be felt 1.5km ahead. It is believed to be an XAX01 class battleship.”
“what?”
The ship they hid is already right around the corner. However, there are no enemies in sight at all. Even if they were hiding, it was time for them to come out a long time ago.
‘That can’t be possible. There’s definitely something…wait.’
No. 26’s reaction to the battle with Outspacer, as told by Heaven’s Mother, and the current situation.
Something flashed in my head and my gaze was drawn to a chunk of rock that looked like a snake.
It was a huge object that looked like the Ice Horror had died and turned into a fossil. Until recently, I thought it was just a simple rock, but now it wasn’t.
I quickly approached the lump. Then I gently placed my auxiliary organ on the surface.
A cold chill was felt first, followed by a faint earthy smell.
And….
‘Metallic smell!’
After removing the auxiliary organ, I raised my head and glared at the canyon wall. Now I know why I didn’t notice this.
There is a very faint metallic smell coming from the entire canyon surrounding us.
The kids who saw me knew right away that the situation was not good. Before I could say anything, they quickly got ready for battle.
[Zuzuzuzu (Get everyone ready)]
The moment the wave was sent through the monster’s tentacles, the snake-shaped rock mass in front of me shook greatly.
The ice and dirt covering the inside of the canyon are breaking apart. Inside, a snake, or rather a huge alloy hose, writhes.
Several metal hoses protruded from the floor, as if a demon submerged in an ice lake popped its head out. At the end of the hoses was a being made of synthetic metal tubes and biological tissue mixed together to form a gigantic face.
The face of a mechanical giant opened its eyes. A pair of red camera lenses stared down at us.
“Pira Eleven. Judgment. Special Objective A, who was observing, noticed it faster than expected. “Change of plan. Continue with mission.”
As he opened his mouth, a mechanical sound so loud that my auxiliary organs felt numb came out.