Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 279
Only Noblemtl
Episode 279 – Collapse (4)
“… Did you refuse because I am a spy? If so, I can explain in more detail.”
It was the words she managed to utter as she was flustered by the unexpected answer.
I think you still misunderstand, but I didn’t reject her because she was a spy for another faction.
Space Survival is a brutal dystopian world. No matter how good the conditions or the perks, it is not easy to survive. In terms of games, it is like running to the end with one life.
You’ve survived so far in these harsh conditions without resorting to such deception? That’s a lie.
The reason I declined is very simple.
Her faction is a gathering of those who aim for the ending. And the cult’s ending condition includes hunting Aimov.
Before seeing the ending, the final quest that the cult must complete is ‘Kill the monster that threatens the universe’. You must capture one of the Aimorph adults, the highest species of metallic gremlin, or an Outspacer that controls 10 queens.
Conversely, Aimorphs, like the cult, must prey on racial leaders who fall into the ‘three major categories’ in order to ascend. These include the High Priest, who is considered a potential emperor in the cult society.
I don’t know how powerful and influential the faction that Cynthia belongs to is, but I don’t think it’s great enough to resolve such difficult conditions.
‘If that were the case, I would have seen the ending a long time ago.’
If you don’t, you’re recruiting me as a colleague? I can’t help but think you’re looking at me as a pig to be slaughtered.
It’s not that I don’t understand, because I’ve done similar things to them.
When I decided to save Heavenly Mother, I considered her as insurance. Wolf also falls into one of the ‘three categories’ that Eimov must hunt.
Of course, now I’ve changed my mind a lot. Instead of using her as a sacrifice for ascension, I’ve found another way. So I’ve also gotten rid of the parasite.
But this is because I had continued to interact with her, so my mind changed. If my mind had not changed, her ending would not have changed.
So what about them and me?
At this point, there is no mental communication between them and me. Their power is superior to mine.
Cooperation is something that is done on equal footing. If you join that faction here, there is a high chance that you will be reduced to slavery.
Actually, even if you look at Cynthia, it is the same.
It was clear that she did not enjoy killing other players, yet she joined the player hunters and acted as a spy. That gives us an idea of the mood of the other faction.
“Do you think you can see the ending alone? Even the number 1 ranking failed… .”
“You won’t know until you try it yourself.”
“Are you crazy because you became an Aimov?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m being perfectly rational right now.”
“Reason? Oh, reason? You don’t know anything.”
“Yeah. That’s right. I don’t know anything. Not yet.”
You can find out from now on. Luckily, I have a good source of information.
Cynthia’s expression became extremely cold as she understood what I meant.
“Disgusting. You are no different from Jason. You are a murderer who has forgotten reality while being absorbed in this game world.”
I didn’t respond.
Me, who took countless lives for survival, Jason and Muriel, who killed others for personal desires. Even if the motives are different, the result is the same. If the real me were to see ‘my current self’, I would think of them as crazy, murderous monsters.
However, I at least don’t treat the guys who are with me like objects.
Number 26, Adhai, Heavenly Mother, and PS-111, who joined relatively later.
Whether this world is a real game or reality, they are precious to me and something I must protect.
‘The negotiations have broken down.’
I checked on Cynthia’s condition as an assistant.
Her breathing is becoming increasingly unsteady due to lack of oxygen.
The cult’s physical abilities are inferior to those of humans. Judging from the fact that she failed to attack me, her perception is also already in shambles.
There is no way she can get away from me.
“… I admit it. I can’t beat you. I have no means or strategy to kill you.”
Cynthia glares at me with reddened eyes.
“But it might get you in trouble.” ‘Huh?’
With those words, she took out the arm she had been tucking into the chest of her clothes. In her hand was a small silver jewel.
‘what?’
As soon as I saw the object for the first time, I spread my wings and jumped backward.
It’s unlikely that she’ll pull out a lethal weapon now. If she had one, she would’ve used it a long time ago. But just in case, I kept my distance from Cynthia.
“It wasn’t originally intended for my use, but….”
Her voice and the silver orb resonate. A small sphere the size of three fingers briefly glows before quickly turning dull black.
It was obvious what had happened, but nothing had changed. The moment I thought that, alarms rang out throughout the fortress.
‘Alarm sound? No way?’
If you hear that sound in the space fortress, one of two things will happen.
A horde of Outspacers attacked, or something… .
“In five minutes, a horde of metallic gremlins will storm this place.”
“what?”
You can hear that alarm sound when a large horde of metallic gremlins appears.
The orb she’s holding. I think that’s what summoned the Metallic Gremlin.
‘Are you planning to blow yourself up with me?’
When the Metallic Gremlin attacks Kesha Arma, it’s Cynthia who’s in more danger than me. I can survive falling into space without dying, but she can’t.
But her face was not that of one who had given up. When I saw it, I realized.
‘You’re after the kids I’m bringing with me!’
“You probably don’t have time for that. If you don’t want to see your precious ‘pet’ die, then hurry.”
She laughs at me as she dies in real time from lack of oxygen.
Unfortunately, she is right now.
The 26th and PS-111 are not suitable for fighting metallic gremlins bare-handed, although they may be fine while on board a ship.
In addition, the Heavenly Mother has not yet completed her ascension to the deification stage. If she is attacked before her growth is complete, she will die 100% of the time.
In the end, I had no choice but to postpone catching Cynthia.
But that doesn’t mean I’m going to just take it and go on like this.
I unleashed my psychic breath towards the floor that was not protected by the shield. The floor, which had been barely holding on due to the continued fighting, eventually collapsed.
“!”
As the floor gave way, the transport ship and she began to fall to the lower levels.
There is a shield so neither the transport nor she will take damage. However, escaping through the silo is impossible. If you want to leave this fortress, you will have to find another way.
“You better hope I don’t come back.”
I spread my wings as I warned her with her expression completely distorted. My body quickly rose and flew up the long silo above the command center.
As soon as the cold steel tracks end, a sea of stars greets me. Beneath my feet, I see the panoramic view of Kesha Arma, a massive space structure built by the cult.
Normally, the city should be completely visible due to the reinforced glass. However, the entire fortress was now covered with a shield wall in preparation for battle. The huge turrets at the bottom and top of the fortress were also moving busily to prepare for the imminent incursion of the enemy.
One of the turrets, as large as my body, took aim at me and began to move up and down. The way the turret moved, as if nodding, told me who was in control.
‘It’s PS-111.’
The 2nd Command was destroyed by my hands, so there is no command. The 1st Command will be out of their minds because of the 26 I sent away earlier.
‘Because I asked you to go with Adhai and take over.’
With mutants and madmen roaming around, and even Sea Demon and Gallagon, the First Command will be struggling to stop them. In the meantime, PS-111 will have taken control of the entire fortress’ defense facilities.
I left the rear to the guy and watched the dark front.
A black space at the end of which it was unknown what would happen. A blue flame was ignited there.
What started out as a small spark grew so large that it engulfed entire mountains and cities.
After the fiercely burning blue fire died down, what was left were not ash, but countless grains.
What looked like uncooked rice scattered on black paper was a swarm of metallic gremlins.
A large flock, probably thousands, if not at least ten thousand, is flying towards Kesha Arma.
–
‘Fuck….’
Cynthia cursed inwardly.
The plan was completely ruined because of Aimov, who kept fooling around until the end.
The name of the Orb used as a last resort is ‘Savage Orb.’ It is an item that allows you to issue commands to ‘specific monsters’ when the conditions are met.
This item, made by the strongest space survival player in the past, was in Cynthia’s possession. It was to fulfill the conditions for using the item.
‘I barely managed to control a horde of metallic gremlins!’
Because of that, she was willing to kill players. But to be consumed like this. The relics that were meant to be used for the grand plan of the ‘Returning Sect’ were wasted.
Originally, the Savage’s Jewel was an item that was to be used by ‘those who were guided by the Returning Sect’.
While Cynthia waited in Kesha Arma, her colleagues were trying to get the rightful owner of the item to come here.
If they had waited a few more days, she, or rather ‘her’, would have participated in the auction held at the fortress under the guidance of the Returners. At that time, Cynthia was to hand ‘her’ the Orb of Savagery and guide her to find new relics.
That was the scenario for the Return Squad, but it was ruined by an unexpected black market ticket. In order to reactivate the orb that had turned black, you have to get your hands dirty again.
‘… For now, the priority is to get out of here.’
The only good thing is that he chose to attack the metallic gremlin rather than her.
He seemed to cherish the sea demon he brought with him, judging by the way he immediately retreated when one of its tentacles was damaged by her shield.
Moreover, it was visibly unpleasant when the word ‘pet’ came out of her mouth.
‘You dirty pervert.’
Anyway, thanks to him leaving, her life was extended a little longer.
However, we cannot be completely at ease yet.
He’s the most notorious being in Space Survival. The number of metallic gremlins that come here is not small, but who knows. If he comes back after slaughtering them all, she’s definitely dead.
If you want to survive, you have to get out of this fortress somehow.
“Hey, Cynthia. Is he gone?”
Then a familiar voice called her from behind. When she turned around, she saw Montana and the guards disembarking from the transport ship.
“It’s not like I’m completely gone.”
“Then what should I do?”
Who would have thought that this man, trembling and panicking, was the one who ruled the space fortress just a few dozen minutes ago?
Cynthia spoke to Montana, who was half-dead.
“I’d better go to the First Command. The transport ships there should be fine.”
“I see! That’s an excellent choice!”
Cynthia cast a psychic spell on Montana and the guards, allowing them to levitate, before jumping down onto the hole Aimov had created.
She went down to the first floor in one go and searched through the reinforced suit that was submerged in a sea of blood. She took out the oxygen capsules and put one in her mouth.
“Phew.”
This slightly delayed the time until death. Cynthia left the command center after giving Montana and the guards a capsule each.
The interior of the fortress was pitch black due to the shielding walls built to combat the metallic gremlins. The only light was the flames rising from various places.
It’s the end of the century. The symbol of glory, Kesha Arma, is no more. Only ruins remain, fallen and collapsed.
“This can’t be happening….”
Montana, who lost everything in an instant, let out a deep sigh.
“There is no time for this. I must live now so that I can seek revenge later.”
“Ugh, that’s right.”
Cynthia and Montana got on a nearby hover bus. The inside of the bus was a total mess. The glass was all broken, the floor was littered with torn-off corpses, and the engine was completely drained of energy.
If she were human, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything, but she’s a cult. A deer antler cult with immense power.
As she placed her hand on the engine, the hover bus rose into the air.
“There are enemies on the road, so it’s dangerous. I’ll take this.”
“Can’t we protect it with something like that special membrane?”
“If you use that ability, you will be unable to move.”
After briefly answering Montana’s question, she piloted the hover bus and began flying to the First Command. She deliberately slowed down, so there was barely any sound. Instead, she could faintly hear something exploding below and people screaming.
Look at what this guy who is completely obsessed with this world has done. Isn’t this no different from a mass murderer?
What’s even scarier is that this kind of mentality is also good. Cynthia, who fought him directly, felt this fact deeply. If there had been no orb, if the guy didn’t have a pet, she would have died for sure.
‘… we need to change our plans.’
The members of the Returning Faction seem to be considering the Fifth Place Plan as part of theirs, but it would be too reckless. It would never be easy to control someone as dangerous as Akira, the leader of the Ruling Faction.
As Cynthia’s mind grew increasingly confused, she saw the First Command through the broken window. From a distance, the cylindrical shielding wall was still intact.
“The barrier at the entrance can be lifted from the outside, right?”
“Of course. I have made it so that I can pass through the major facilities of this city using my eye recognition.”
“We’ll be there soon. When we get off, everyone get ready to run.”
At that moment, everyone who heard those words became tense.
The hover bus collided with something and was destroyed. The body of the bus split in two, throwing the three people inside it out.
‘this!’
As she was falling sharply to the ground, she quickly used her levitation technique. Just before she hit the ground, her body stopped in midair.
Unlike her, the other two did not have the ability. Their bodies were shattered when they fell from tens of meters in the air.
In particular, Montana, who boasted a body larger than that of an ordinary person, had an indescribably horrific appearance. The end of the leader of the Spacedog cartel, who was one of the most powerful in the world, was truly miserable.
“… … .”
There are more important issues at stake right now than Montana’s death.
The entity that attacked the bus is nearby. She quickly deploys the ‘Phase Protection Mantra’. A purple mandala unfolds in a dome shape, covering the metal floor she is standing on.
‘Who is it? Who did this?’
Her eyes darted around frantically.
The ground around them was in shambles, as if an earthquake had occurred. Buildings had all collapsed into the ground, and roads had been turned upside down.
The corpses of people and monsters were strewn across the ruined area.
She had felt creepy when she flew in the hover bus, but it was a completely different feeling when she actually stepped on it. She had seen people die many times before, but this was the first time she had felt this creepy.
‘It’s just a game. There’s nothing to be afraid of.’
As Cynthia was comforting herself, a red light quickly passed over her head. It was so fast that she couldn’t see it properly.
She hurriedly prepared the colored night. In the meantime, something flew in again. She heard the sound of wings fluttering in her ears.
‘Eimov?’
The thought occurred to her, but she quickly denied it. The noise it made when it flew was louder than this. The thing that flies is smaller than that.
And the sound of wings flapping grew louder. The red light approached her at an incredible speed. The colored night in her left hand was belatedly fired at the enemy, but it was too late.
It had red horns and wings and slammed its horns into the shield she had spread out.
Normally, not only the opponent’s horns but also his head itself should have disappeared, but surprisingly, the bastard was unharmed.
“Gal, Lugon?”
The four-winged snake-like monster tilted its head and disappeared from sight. The moment she realized the identity of the monster that had surprised her, she felt a sharp pain in her right hand.
“uh?”
A thin pink vine sprouted from the ground and pierced her right hand.
She habitually used her right hand when reciting the mantra of phase protection.
So, the fact that my right hand was hit made the shield adjust more slowly than usual. Even so, it was only for a moment. It was an error that could only be blinked once.
But was that margin of error enough time for someone? The pink vine that had pierced her right hand stabbed her eye at lightning speed.
“!”
She tried to scream at the pain that felt like a needle had stabbed her in the middle of her eye, but the pain did not last long.
Cynthia felt that the world she saw was suddenly becoming darker.
It wasn’t the lights going out in the fortress, it was a sign that a life was going out, but she never realized it.
–
While she was taking the little one to do something the older one asked, she saw a bad guy.
The bad guy who had been bullying the older child was wearing a strange shell and was heading towards a large boulder.
When I told the little one that there was a bad guy inside that shell who was torturing the big baby, the little one got angry and hit the ground with his plump appendage.
Anyone who bullies a big kid deserves to be punished.
Anyone.
So I scolded him.
She transformed the tentacle into a very thin shape and hid it underground, pulling it out from the bad guy’s body. The bad guy, with the hole in his body, did not move, with his appendages hanging out.
“I” “Thanks to” “I won”
The little baby landed next to the bad guy.
He often says the wrong thing because he’s young, but this time he was right. If it weren’t for the little kid, I wouldn’t have been able to scold the bad guy so easily.
So she decided to give in to the little one this time. She wrapped the bad guy around her tentacles and handed him to the little one.
“The little one is right. This time, you eat it.”
“really?”
“huh.”
The little baby wiggled the part with all the tentacles. After a while, the little baby spoke.
“Enemy” “Strong” “Me” “Alone” “It’s hard” “So” “Together” “Let’s eat”
“are you okay.”
“Little adult” “Strength” “Thanks to you” “I won” “Big adult” “Eating” “Together” “Doing” “I like it”
As she said this, the little girl gently pushed her tentacles towards the part where there were many tentacles.
Seeing the young but admirable baby yielding made her feel good too. So she gently stroked the little baby with her tentacles like the older baby did.
“good job!”
“I don’t like it” “Don’t do it”
I liked it when the older kid did it.
She almost felt a little bad, but she held back. She was an adult, not a little kid, so it was right for her to hold back at times like this.
So the two of them started eating the prey they had hunted together.
“it’s good!”
“It’s okay”
“I feel good when I eat it.”
“Agree” “Power of the Stars” “I’ve Become Stronger”
The bad guy’s meat was pretty good even by her standards. Every time she ate it, she felt her body fill with energy. The little one seemed to like it too, shaking her ‘flap flap’ vigorously.
While she was eating, something round and hard entered her body, but she didn’t really care. Once it entered her stomach, it would be digested.
“Let’s go now that we’ve eaten.”
“huh”
After eating all the food, she and the little one headed back to the large rock.
There was nothing to indicate that there was a bad guy there.