Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 287
Only Noblemtl
Episode 287 – Fable (4)
A space monster type that opens up when entering the second stage of transcendence.
This type has the unique feature of giving additional rewards each time the stage is raised, unlike other types that are only available once obtained.
Even the first stage of the Space Monster perk is like that. The ‘Essence Rearrangement’ that nullifies the type penalty is a reward that cannot be found in the game.
Amorph’s identity is to prey on as many creatures as possible and store their genetic essence in his body.
This aspect is systematically implemented as a type penalty. It forces you to collect as many genetic integers as possible, regardless of whether they are good or bad.
However, with integer rearrangement, we can escape these restrictions, because we can select only the features we need.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I can stop collecting traits, nor do I intend to. After all, the more cards you have, the easier it is to outwit your opponents.
Anyway, after getting the stage 1 reward, I was wondering how great the stage 2 reward would be, but it turned out to be something much more unique than I expected.
‘A trait that strengthens friendly creatures.’
Like the parasite, the tooth fairy, and the human-faced bug, Aimorph is not without the trait of dealing with servants.
However, most of them only assist Amorph players. The ‘Symbiotic Spore’ that I like to use is actually a trait that is used to heal Inmyeonchung and Tooth Fairies.
‘I thought rearranging integers was groundbreaking, but this is….’
I can transplant the traits I possess into other creatures.
It was a privilege that could only be seen in Outspacers, who could modify and strengthen the genes of individuals belonging to the legion, and Metallic Gremlins, who could determine the course of their kind belonging to the pack.
‘In some ways, it might be better than that.’
Outspacers, like Amorphs, are a race that utilizes genetic essence, but they have limitations. There are limits to the traits that can be applied to each individual, and the effects change randomly each time they are applied.
For example, let’s say I transplant the pincer trait I have into a worker bee.
Outspacer worker bees have two front legs that look like pincers, so they can be grafted with pincer traits. However, the results when successful are hit or miss. The pincers may only become stronger, or they may acquire pincers with strong psychic resistance like mine.
However, the ‘Double Helix Monolith’ does not seem to have such limitations. From the description alone, it seems like it could completely transfer its characteristics to other creatures.
‘Let’s take a quick look.’
There are some things you should know before transplanting.
In the case of ‘Starlight Coordinates’, only ‘friendly creatures’, that is, objects with symbiotic spores, could be moved. This time too, only friendly creatures were allowed, so I brought the auxiliary organ to No. 26 as before.
“This is an object that can have its characteristics transplanted.”
‘good.’
Then Adhai, PS-111 all got the same message. The only thing left is Mother in Heaven.
‘Is it possible for players to do this too?’
Honestly, I thought it was highly unlikely and brought her an assistive device.
I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw the text box that appeared right before my eyes.
“what’s the matter?”
She, who had been feeling uncomfortable with my approaching face, blinked her amber eyes when I surprised her in return.
‘Is this possible?’
Of course, there is no ability to transplant traits to players. Not even the boss creatures Vortex One and Red Gallagon have such powers, let alone the unique traits.
The only thing similar is the genetic manipulation system that is unique to Megacorp. This also involves transplanting genes into your own body and the bodies of NPCs, and you cannot arbitrarily change the bodies of other players. Naturally, transplanting traits is also impossible.
I explained to the Heavenly Mother about the double helix monolith.
“… You can give me a trait? To me too?”
[Zuzuzuzuz zuuzuzuz zuuzuzuzuzuzuz (I can give you up to 2 of the characteristics I have)]
“You can transplant characteristics without restrictions. It’s like an upper-compatibility between Outspacer and Megacorp.”
She seemed to feel the same way as I did. She crossed her arms and thought about it again.
“With such a strong force, there must be no limitations. Isn’t there some kind of weakness?”
[Zuzuzuzuz zuuzuzuz zuuzuzuz zuuzuzuz zuuzuzuz zuuzuzuz (There is no separate explanation on the tulip tip. Of course, it would be difficult to believe it completely)]
“My words.”
Just looking at the description in the text box, there are two things that can be considered disadvantages.
The only trait that cannot be transplanted is the permanent application of the transplanted trait.
‘The latter is the part you need to be careful about.’
If I transplant a trait into my children and it turns out to be useless or even has a negative effect, then that would be a big problem. Most of the traits I have are useful, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll be the same for my children.
It is also currently unknown how the trait will work after it is applied.
For example, what would happen if we transplanted ‘three heads’ onto No. 26? Since he has no concept of a head, it is impossible to predict how it would be applied.
‘Looking at it that way, I guess you could say it’s a hidden limitation.’
I don’t know what the results will be after the transplant. So, I think we need to judge what traits are suitable for the children and give them the traits so that there are no side effects. I think this part needs more research and consideration.
‘By the way, things that break my common sense are happening one after another.’
And then there’s the fight with the ‘me’ from my human days. These are all things I’ve never experienced before.
I looked at the postscript in the text box.
‘Will you be a leader or a destroyer?’
Seeing this message in that situation felt completely different.
In terms of setting, this choice is meaningless to Aimov. When he ascends, the purpose of Aimov’s existence is revealed, and when you look at it, Aimov is closer to being a destroyer than a leader.
‘Ascension.’
I looked at the text box other than the special content. The new evolution conditions that were updated upon becoming an adult appeared before my eyes.
“‘Eucharist’->’Ascension’
Flesh Essence: Megacorp CEO/Wolf Incarnation, choose 1 (unachieved)
Essence of the Mind: Choose 1 of Cult High Priest/Vortex One (Unachieved)
Essence of Wildness: Choose 1 of Aimorph Adult/Outspacer Queen (Unachieved)
Test of Ascension (Unachieved)
Unique trait 10/15 (not achieved)
Type 6/9 (not achieved) held
There were others who achieved Aimorph Adulthood in the game, including me. There were even players who achieved Adulthood earlier than me.
But they all fell out before reaching ascension.
The reason was precisely because of the goal of collecting three ‘essences’.
In fact, it means that you have to fight the top leaders of each force, so it is a huge challenge from the start. The moment you set out to kill them, you start fighting the entire force.
Not only that, these top leaders are mostly filled with players, especially rankers.
Breaking through the enemy forces’ defenses and facing the objective is not the end. A crazy gate awaits Aimov, where he must fight a ranker supported by the entire force.
Among the requirements to achieve the Essence of the Mind, Vortex One is the only NPC creature, but they are no slouch either.
The Vortex Ones vary greatly in strength from individual to individual, but even the weakest one has the strength of Red Gallagon. It’s as hard to catch the Megacorp CEO or the Cult High Priest.
‘The easiest target is the Aimov adult…’
Since there aren’t many Aimorph players, targeting an adult is like trying to catch a needle in a haystack. I even tried to catch Aimorph but failed and ended up changing my target to Outspacer.
When you achieve all three integers and the remaining conditions, the ‘Ascension Test’ opens, and clearing it is the ending.
‘Easy said.’
It’s really hard and time consuming to get here. The unique trait and type acquisition conditions feel like nothing.
‘Because of this, I saved my mother in heaven.’
My original plan was to raise her to the highest level of deification, the ‘incarnation’, and then eat her. That way, I could start by achieving one of the ascension conditions as soon as I became an adult, so it would be advantageous.
‘I don’t think I’ll do that now, though.’
We have come too far to sacrifice our heavenly mother.
I glanced at her and then turned my gaze back to the text box.
Regardless of the difficulty, my goal was to achieve ascension, because I thought I wouldn’t be able to return to the real world after seeing the ending.
But that goal is now wavering. I am troubled by the vision I had before becoming an adult.
‘I don’t know what that vision means, but it’s most likely related to ascension.’
Why did he show me the fantasy of fighting with my real ‘self’ while I was growing up? And what if I lost? What would happen to me now if my real ‘self’ won?
Or, on the contrary, what if I had eaten ‘me’? Then, would the real ‘me’ disappear and only the current me remain?
I feel like I’m wandering in the fog because nothing is certain.
‘… Transcendence. Could this be the key?’
Transcendence that allows you to overcome the limitations of Aimov.
Aimov’s ultimate goal is ascension.
Looking back, the two seemed to be compatible, but there were also many parts that didn’t. There were many times when I worried about whether to prioritize evolution conditions or to first obtain unique characteristics through the transcendence system.
As both require specific characteristics, the structure of ascension and transcendence often appears to be one of competition.
‘I thought it was a coincidence, but it wasn’t.’
As I look at the rewards I get as I level up the space monster type, I’m convinced that there’s some kind of connection between the two. I’m not sure exactly what it is though.
‘I still need more information.’
Since the illusion and ascension are suspicious, I think I need to gather related information. I think I’ll have to hold off for the time being until I confirm that the ascension is not harmful to me.
‘I have to tell Mother in Heaven later.’
She hasn’t gotten to the point where she’s fighting with her real self yet. It’s not certain, but it’s possible that she’ll have similar visions when she ascends to the incarnation. I’ll have to hold off on that until it’s confirmed, because the visions might have a negative effect on her.
‘Check with Jason too.’
He also cleared the quest system, which is unique to the cult, to a fairly high level. Then he must have had similar experiences to me. He might know something.
‘Then finally, the new unique trait you have acquired… .’
The moment I thought I should check, a slight abnormality was detected. The heads on both sides raised their long necks and looked upward. The auxiliary organs under the two heads were tense and hovering in the air.
‘What is this?’
What the auxiliary organs picked up was a wave of energy. An explosion of energy that had originated from a very distant place and had reached here.
‘Superluminal travel?’
Focusing my senses on my two heads, I stared into the black void. Nothing was visible, but the auxiliary organ under my chin still felt subtle energy waves.
From what I could sense, it was clear that a ship had flown near this desolate planet. Judging from the energy flow that could be felt here, it seemed like a fairly large ship had attempted to travel at superluminal speeds.
‘I don’t know who you are, but it’s good.’
The two new unique traits, ‘Variable Bioweapon’ and ‘Black Devourer Cannon’, coincidentally are both combat-related.
Now that a new enemy has appeared, it might be a good idea to experiment on them.
–
Megacorp, the power that rules the universe today.
The seven families that formed the center were not mega-corporations from the beginning.
The Eugene family started out as a small agricultural company in the peninsula country, and TNC was one of the more common companies in the financial sector. Others include Carmelda, who started out as a watchmaker, and Edgerton, who started out as a gunsmith, not to mention a company.
Today, most of the seven families are very different from when they were founded.
Eugene, who is skilled in genetic manipulation, Garmelda, a leader in the development of enhanced suits and weapons, TNC, a master of colony management including terraforming, and Edgerton, who possesses outstanding ship development technology. Not many people will recall their past appearances when they see these people who command the universe.
However, there are some families whose main business sectors have not changed much from the past.
Noble Capital ‘Veda’ started out in the semiconductor business and is now in charge of developing ship AI.
And there is Noble Capital, ‘Saint K’, which is in charge of procuring resources for Megacorp.
Long ago, St. Kay was the most influential diamond company on Earth.
In the past, mining machines and miners mined expensive diamonds, but now they mine on a planetary scale, guiding giant spaceships.
Just like their ancestors, they traveled all over the universe and diligently mined minerals. That was the characteristic of Saint Kay.
“How about that goal?”
“After analyzing it, it says that it has ‘rich hypertite deposits,’ but other than that, there are no particularly impressive minerals.”
“Haven’t the prices of hypertight gone up a lot these days because of the war? Considering that, wouldn’t it be profitable enough?”
“The energy consumption rate and time of the ‘Giga Cracker’ must also be taken into consideration.”
The conference room of the giga mining ship, Gigacracker.
There, several team leaders gathered and exchanged opinions.
“There is something that everyone should be aware of. It would be a problem if we forget that we also have quotas.”
“I thought the quota was already filled a week ago?”
“That’s true, but on the other hand, they say they’ve achieved more than twice that. If we continue like this, we might get a negative evaluation at the end-of-month report.”
“Hmm. That’s not wrong.”
The atmosphere in the conference room was not bad, which was not suitable for a society of megacorps divided into several capitals. There was no shouting or the shameful act of asking each other about capital.
The reason had to do with the phase of the gigacracker.
The Giga Cracker is a super weapon that uses a giant ion cannon to split asteroids and dwarf planets and then scoop up the minerals. It boasts superior performance to any mining ship, and its price is ridiculously expensive. Even the world’s greatest Saint Kay only has 20 Giga Crackers.
Since even one ship with a problem could cause serious damage, Saint Kay strictly managed the crew of Giga Cracker. All the team leaders in the conference room were people who had received special management from Noble Capital since childhood. They shared the same past and the same goal, so naturally there was no reason to fight.
“What do you want to do, Captain?”
Captain Tyran St. Kay, who was from Noble Capital, thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“As the captain of the navigation team said, we can’t be at ease just because we’ve achieved our quota. We’ll be operating the Giga Cracker.”
“Okay… .”
As the captain made his decision, a red emergency light suddenly turned on on the ceiling of the conference room.
“Unidentified energy attack detected! Everyone, please brace for impact!”
As soon as the emergency announcement ended, the conference room shook violently.