Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 261
Only Noblemtl
Ep. 260
‘It’s a mirror.’
I picked up the bloody shard of mirror. On the cracked surface of the mirror, I saw the image of a spider-like monster appear, then fade to a hazy color.
The ‘mimetic organ’, which has been strengthened by the ‘Shape Dominant’, cannot be properly captured on camera. This is because pheromones and psychic powers are sprayed together from the microscopic holes spread throughout the body, disrupting advanced machinery from properly detecting them.
Because of that, when the camera takes a picture of me, the light reflects wrongly and it looks blurry. Of course, that part can be solved with the ‘Gremlin Moss’ that can be sprayed in the form of fog thanks to the ‘Great Infectious’. If it’s the Gremlin Moss that breaks down the machine, it can disable the camera.
‘Of course, if you use this too often, it will get annoying.’
That’s not a big risk factor, since I can solve it if I control it well. The bigger problem is the mirror. There’s nothing I can do about the image reflected in the mirror.
‘But still, how often will I get caught in a mirror?’
The mimetic organs create a sense of discomfort in the opponent. It is only natural that a creature with a body size of over 20 meters would imitate a human being less than a tenth of its size.
But this time, the cyborg I caught, the one named Gidkyu, didn’t feel any strangeness in my appearance. This was because the pheromones and psychic powers worked in tandem to perfectly embody the appearance of the ‘green-haired pirate’ he remembered.
‘Unfortunately, the item cannot be implemented.’
Although the performance of the mimetic organ itself improved, its fundamental limitations were unavoidable.
Even in the slave market I visited before coming to Kesha Arma, it wasn’t easy to cheat on things, if anything. I even got caught wearing a disguise and pretending to be a pirate, but I didn’t have a weapon.
This time, the thing noticed me because I didn’t have a flashlight. I couldn’t help but be suspicious of someone trying to find something in the dark without any search equipment.
The weakness of the enhanced mimicry apparatus is that the camera appears foggy, and that it cannot completely fool people, including their doubles.
Of course, it’s already much better than the in-game mime. It would be greedy to hope for more improvement here.
“Still, it was a fun experiment. And I’m glad you were able to help.”
I licked the blood off the mirror. Then the bug monster sitting on my winged arm started to wiggle.
Six legs with claws, a body that is a mix of a mantis and a fly, and two wings on its back. Up to this point, it is no different from a typical bug monster. Except for one thing.
“■ ■■■!”
Instead of the head of the bug, the head of an adult male emits an unintelligible sound. The man’s face closely resembles the pirate I just ate.
Cyborg Gidq has become a human-faced creature bound to my will.
Originally, I thought about ruling it as a parasite rather than eating it. However, it requested support on its own without my asking.
‘Then there’s no need to leave him behind.’
It’s ironic. He may have acted quickly to save his own life, but it ended up shortening it.
‘I think it’s about time his colleague came.’
I called out to the servants who were scattered and hovering around.
‘Guests are coming. Get ready to welcome them.’
My loyal servants, who consider their only happiness to be in following my orders, submit to my will. They have begun to hide in abandoned buildings in order to launch surprise attacks.
‘There are five parasites left.’
Those who wish to serve me are coming here.
“You have work to do.”
The human-faced creature lowered its head as the voice of the cultist once called Jason flowed from my throat.
–
“You fucking drug addicts, what the hell is going on in the middle of the night?”
“They told me to handle it as quickly as possible from above.”
Ten pirates entered the armory area.
Uncharacteristically, they were armed with mid-level armor and gauss rifles or psychic rifles. Some even brought psychic shields and medical kits used by cult warriors.
The reason why such good equipment can be used on the pirate theme is because the Marcio Cartel acquired the weapons left behind by the Cult Empire when they left in the past. Montana Marcio used the credits from selling the captured weapons to purchase a large quantity of enhanced suits.
Thanks to this, the mid-level reinforced suits that were only available to Megacorp’s armed police and lower-ranking officers could be worn by ordinary pirates.
“Where did KidQ contact me?”
“We have to go a little further.”
“Wasn’t he a cyborg? He could handle a drug dealer on his own.”
“Don’t you know Jonas got hurt? He got hurt even while wearing the armor.”
“Tch. That’s because he’s stupid. If I were you, I’d dodge like this when that kid charges at me…”
As they moved along, chatting, the pirate in the lead raised his hand. It was a signal that someone was approaching from ahead.
Then the pirates immediately took up their weapons and stood guard around them. As they were people whose livelihood was plunder and crime, they had a lot of combat experience, if nothing else.
The pirates, who had instantly transformed into seasoned soldiers, looked ahead. There was something beneath the shadows cast by the abandoned buildings.
It definitely wasn’t Gidque, because that cyborg pirate was one person, not many like now.
“It’s them!”
Was the pirate’s shout a signal? Those hiding in the shadows rushed toward the pirates in their armored suits.
The pirate in the lead pulled the trigger of his Gauss rifle. The tungsten bullet, fearsome in both price and destructive power, mercilessly pierced the enemy’s abdomen.
No human being can survive with a fist-sized hole in their chest. The pirate, who thought he had finished off his enemy, tried to help others, but his judgment was wrong.
Because the drug dealer who had been hesitating after being hit by a tungsten bullet rushed at him again, and he did so with a smiling expression on his face.
“crazy!”
He quickly swung the barrel of his gun and struck the laughing madman in the face. There was a crunching sound, and the man fell backwards. He fired again at his enemy who tried to get up.
The other pirates were in a similar situation. They were panicking because of the enemies who were rushing at them even though their limbs were flying away.
“What the heck! What the hell did you eat?!”
“Aim for the head instead of the body!”
The only good thing was that the pharmacists’ physical abilities were nothing special. The pirates calmly dealt with the pharmacists.
“Are there any injured pups?”
“I’m okay.”
“Wait, what? Why are there only six?”
“Huh? Huh, huh? You were behind me just now?”
When ten people showed up but only six were visible, everyone panicked. They checked the bodies, wondering if they had accidentally shot their comrades, but their comrades were nowhere to be found.
“What happened?”
“I’ll contact you.”
The moment one of the pirates picked up the terminal and tried to send a communication.
They witnessed an unbelievable sight.
“what’s this?”
“It’s foggy?”
Before they knew it, a thick fog had settled over the street where they were standing. Only the tops of abandoned buildings were visible amidst the gray clouds.
“The life support equipment might have failed!”
“Damn it! Everyone, ask for oxygen capsules!”
The pirates quickly put the oxygen capsules on their suits into their mouths. The capsules slowly dissolve and supply oxygen, allowing them to survive until they can escape the area.
“… I don’t think we can solve this on our own.”
“I will report it to the higher ups.”
The four missing comrades were already forgotten in their minds. This was a space fortress that moved along the planet’s orbit. The problem of malfunctioning life support equipment was much more important than strange potions or missing comrades.
The pirate who took out the terminal was about to report to the top when he saw something beyond the smoky fog.
“uh?”
“What is that?”
He wasn’t the only one who witnessed it.
At first I thought it was an abandoned factory building, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I was wrong.
The building wasn’t moving, but “that” wasn’t moving.
The spider-like creature approached them without making a sound.
–
“Damn it! Why won’t it listen to me?”
“Try again.”
“Fuck, why do you keep doing it when it’s not working? You do it!”
“Does this son of a bitch want to get laid?”
The four pirates, separated from their companions, hid in a nearby abandoned building. They had to evacuate in a hurry when a fog suddenly appeared from somewhere while they were hunting the drug dealers.
Any problems with life support equipment are very serious. I tried to report it urgently through the terminal, but the machine was completely dead.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just go out and run?”
“What? Do you know what’s mixed in that fog?”
“Both of you shut up.”
Everyone fell silent when the pirate with the longest career in the organization warned them in a cold voice.
“What did you hear? Shut up.”
“sound?”
“Are they pharmacists?”
Everyone was silent as he spoke, looking out the broken window. The fog was thick, as if gas had leaked out. In the midst of it, someone’s voice was heard, just as the pirate had said.
The organization that had called the pirates here, Gidque, was asking for their help.
“Is that KidQ’s voice?”
“What should I do?
It’s not that I’m going to rescue you because of a sense of camaraderie. It’s to figure out the strange phenomenon that’s happening here. Gidkyu, who requested assistance, would know best what’s going on.
“Let’s bring that kid over first and then think about it.”
“Damn, if this was going to happen you should have said something sooner.”
The pirates moved cautiously, cursing at Gidque. Following the voice, they arrived at a half-collapsed abandoned building.
“I heard you here, where did you go?”
“This way!”
The cyborg’s shout is heard as if in response. The pirates look around to see where Gidq is.
“Over here!”
“You crazy bastard. You have to tell me exactly where it is so I can know.”
All four of them went upstairs when they heard a voice from the collapsed stairs.
“This way! This way!”
“Look here!”
Gidkyu was nowhere to be seen, and only his voice echoed here and there. Mixed in with the sound of a large insect flapping its wings was the sound.
Only then did the pirates realize something was wrong.
The owner of that voice. It’s not KidQ.
“Hey, we have to get out of here! Now!”
“What the fuck is this fucking situation!”
“Huh? Hey hey hey, why are there only three? One?”
“What the heck are you talking about… Huh?”
“Fuck, shit!”
There were clearly four of us when we came up the stairs, but now only three were left.
“Why is everyone like that?”
“I told you I was here?”
In the abandoned building where there was no one else but them, Gidkyu’s voice continued to be heard. And the sound of wings flapping among the voices also grew louder.
“Stick together!”
Thick fog, unidentified voices, and the disappearance of a comrade. The three remaining men barely held back their urge to cry and picked up their guns.
Their eyes, back to back, rolled around without rest. Their fingers on the trigger trembled slightly.
Perhaps they noticed the guard. The inside of the building fell silent.
“Go, did you go?”
“Wake up, you idiot!”
“He’s still here.”
The moment the most timid one among them swallowed his saliva, the floor they were standing on caved in.
All three were so tense that they couldn’t even scream and fell downstairs.
“Everyone, be careful…!”
The veteran pirate barely managed to come to his senses and shouted for caution. Before he could finish his words, a long black arm shot out of the fog and snatched him away.
“Hee, heeeek!”
“Eww!”
The two who witnessed this scene in its entirety let out screams that were almost like tears. One of the pirates started shooting wildly into the fog with a Gauss rifle.
Unlike his comrades, the timid pirate chose to run away instead of fighting. He left the building in a panic and ran down the street on all fours.
“Eww… Ouch?!”
The gunshots heard behind him suddenly stopped. He knew very well what that meant.
The timid pirate ran down the street with all his might.
Even when he confronted the underboss of the Marcio Cartel, he wasn’t this scared. He was a fearsome figure within the realm of his perception.
But the being in the fog is not like that. An indescribable fear. A blasphemous, mud-like horror. In the face of the incomprehensible being, all he can do is run away and cry like a child.
As we were running away, the fog cleared away. In the distance, we could see the boundary signs erected between the districts. If we just go past there, we would reach the entertainment district where there were high-class entertainment facilities. Once we got there, we could ask for help from other members of the organization.
A ray of hope blossomed in his heart consumed by fear. He took a powerful step forward. If only his legs had moved.
“?”
Was his legs frozen from fear? He panicked and tried to move his legs, but they wouldn’t budge.
Along with that, I felt a hot sensation in my ear hole. I tried to touch my ear with my hand, but my arm wouldn’t listen. I tried to scream, but my mouth wouldn’t open.
A familiar sound of flapping wings reached his ears, his entire body completely paralyzed. The being that had been imitating Gidkyu’s voice landed in front of him.
When he saw that sight, cold sweat ran down his entire body.
Just now he had thought that the fear of the incomprehensible was the true fear, but he was wrong. This universe was full of things he could not dare to imagine.
For example, a bug with the head of his colleague.
“Sir, he is an acquaintance of the life support facility manager.”
The bug with the head of a kid-cube spoke.
Then a gun fell from above his head. The sound of it hitting the ground sounded like thunder in my ears.
That Gauss rifle was the gun my comrade was holding while fighting the monster.
And he felt a bad breath on the back of his neck. Despite being paralyzed, his senses were still vivid. So it wasn’t hard to tell that the breath was thick with the smell of blood.
“You seem useful.”
A man’s voice that feels soft, if not calm.
But the timid pirate could not rest easy.
He doesn’t know what awaits him next.
The fact that something terrible would happen to him is beyond words.
Even my poor imagination could easily imagine it.