Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 308
Only Noblemtl
Episode 308 – Traces (3)
–
“…Alshas, I didn’t know you would do this.”
Nern, wearing a cult-style purple military uniform, glared at his junior next to him.
“I also understand how you feel, senior.”
“You said you understood, but you dragged me here?”
“You brought me here? Do you know how important this place is?”
They were now at the mansion of Kissos, the leader of the reformers.
Four days ago, Alshas arranged a meeting between Sihyeon Eugene and Kisos at Nern’s request. Unexpectedly, Kisos took a liking to Sihyeon and promised to provide her with a stable supply route for equipment.
Nern was satisfied with the fact that the negotiations had been successful to this extent. As Shihyeon’s power grew stronger, the probability of him taking revenge on the ‘three-headed demon’ also increased.
So I was feeling safe, but I didn’t know I would get hit in the back of the head like this.
“I clearly said that I would not return until I had my revenge.”
“I’m not asking you to come back, senior.”
“The one over there is the Vice-President of the Eye of Revelation, and that one is the Commander of the Aur Watch. You brought them to a gathering of the most powerful figures on this planet and you say no?”
They weren’t the only ones invited to the party hosted by Kissos.
There were other guests at the banquet hall besides the two. They looked ordinary on the outside, but their positions were anything but ordinary. They were powerful figures in positions that he would not have easily encountered even when he was the captain of an imperial carrier.
“You know, Senior. Sihyeon Yujin has more than one enemy. Even if she has the relic, it is true that the road ahead is difficult. It is not bad to prepare in advance.”
“Do you think the Congress will leave me alone if they know I’m alive? They’ll try to use me in some way.”
“Kisos-nim will help with that part. Until Shihyeon’s role is completed, you will remain dead. You don’t have to worry.”
“her.”
Everything was over before he knew it. Nern glared at Alshas.
He did not look favorably on this kind of political maneuvering. This was partly because he was a natural soldier, but also because he had seen countless people die unjustly on the battlefield due to factional strife over vested interests.
If it were any other time, I would have been very angry, but this time I couldn’t.
Knowing that Alshas acted for his own benefit, if it had been the other way around, he would have tried to help his junior return somehow.
In the end, instead of getting angry, Nern sighed softly.
“… When should I greet you?”
“Once Sihyeon and Orabeoni’s turn is over, we can greet them separately.”
Currently, the host of this party, Kissos, was introducing Sihyeon to the guests. Although she was human, as expected from Noble Capital, she was dealing with the guests in a skillful manner.
‘Now that I think about it… .’
His gaze, which had been lingering on Sihyeon, moved to the silver-haired cultist in the corner of the banquet hall.
A man who not only resembles Alshas in hair color but also in his overall impression. He is Alkadi, the younger brother of the captain of an imperial carrier.
“Alkadi is here too.”
“You said it last time. I think you would do well as an assistant to the governor. Lord Kissos said that a good position has opened up.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that both siblings were this resourceful.”
Nern stuck out his tongue and stared at Alkadi. He kept bringing his glass to his lips with an expression that looked somewhat uneasy.
“You seem very nervous. Are you okay?”
“If I get close to my brother, he might say something different… .”
“but.”
“To be honest, I’m a little worried, but I think it’ll be okay.”
While the two were chatting, Sihyeon’s introduction was over. After she left, Alkadi, who had been drinking alone, moved towards the group of VIPs.
He is notorious for his annoying hobbies, but he is a very resourceful businessman. He would never act rudely to the planet’s key powers. It will probably end without incident.
“huh?”
I thought so, but something felt strange about the atmosphere.
The vice-captain of the Eye of Revelation priesthood suddenly stepped forward and stood between Alkadi and Kissos.
And then the vice-captain cut off Alkadi’s head with the sword on his waist. It happened so quickly that no one could react properly.
“Brother!”
Alshas, realizing that her brother had died, let out a scream.
She ran hurriedly towards her brother’s fallen body. Nern, who quickly came to her senses, followed behind her junior.
‘Why the vice-captain? ‘
“Vice-captain, what is this?”
Kissos’s cold voice pierced Nern’s ears. His voice was extremely cold, as the person he had invited had died at the banquet he had hosted.
If it had been someone else who had wielded the sword, they would have already been dragged out. The reason it wasn’t like that was because the one who pulled out the sword was the vice-captain of the Eye of Revelation Priesthood.
The Eye of Revelation Priests are one of the most elite military groups in the Empire, along with the Temple Guardians. While the Temple Guardians are experts at hunting monsters, the Eye of Revelation primarily deals with internal enemies, such as the Vortex One cult.
The nature of their work requires them to have strong physical and mental strength. The vice-president of such an organization would not act like that without any reason.
And the reason for the vice-captain’s sudden action was soon revealed.
“What is that?”
“Oh, brother?”
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Alkadi’s corpse, not on the vice-captain.
Instead of blood, something else was flowing out of the cleanly cut neck.
‘snake?’
Something with a long, black body began to move, then stopped moving. The vice-captain, who had been watching the monster, opened his mouth.
“It is judged to be a parasitic variant of Outspacer.”
At those words, the banquet hall froze.
–
As you can see, Berzan 02 is a desert planet.
Wherever you go, all you see is sand, and because there are two suns alternating during the day and night, the temperature is also very high.
However, if you look at the names of the major cities in Berzan02, many of them are related to water.
This is closely related to the fact that these cities were built on areas with large reserves of groundwater.
Even if the Cult had interstellar travel technology, transporting water from a planet would be a very cumbersome task, as the cost of transportation would increase as the planet became more developed.
Of course, it is not impossible for an empire that operates hundreds or thousands of space fortresses to move water. There is no reason to do such a thing when the water resources on the planet are neglected.
Anyway, the ‘Water Fortress’ is also one of the cities built on water and sand.
Unlike the above-ground areas of the biodome, there are extensive water lines and groundwater management facilities underground.
Water is an important resource on a desert planet, so it is as heavily fortified as the ground. From fortress cannons that you might see in a space fortress to all sorts of detection equipment, and a huge number of cultists are stationed in the management facility.
Even in the game, it was easier to sneak into the water fortress via the aboveground route than the underground route. I’ve only managed to sneak into the underground route once.
But now the situation and conditions are different.
I have the best stealth mode, ‘Smart Underdog’. And I have many ways to avoid enemy sight. If it were a game, I would avoid it, but here, it is more advantageous to use the underground route.
So I prepared to infiltrate the underground route of the Water Fortress during the cooldown of the clever underdog.
Digging a tunnel that leads directly to the fortress.
After becoming an adult, their body becomes unsuitable for moving underground, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dig.
In addition, the time given to me was 30 days. During the generous time given to me, I dug underground every day. During the day, I taught the children how to use their newly acquired characteristics, and at night, I created underground passages.
As a result of my faithful time, the tunnel I created is now close to the management facility beneath the water fortress.
During my journey here, the city did not respond in any way. The management facility’s detection system should have detected the vibrations I had created long ago.
There is a reason for that.
“…I didn’t know you could avoid surveillance in this way.”
The Heavenly Mother who was riding on my back shook her head. Even in the darkness of the underground, her two eyes were staring straight at the creature in front of her.
There are other creatures besides me and her on the passage I created now.
Of course, there is a red snake in front of me, as large as the Ice Horror I’ve met before. That creature is none other than an adult Red Worm.
“You’re imitating Red Worm.”
Redworm adults, whose strength is slightly inferior to that of Apex creatures, have sharply different perceptions depending on the species.
In Megacorp, the monster that mimics the voices of its victims and devours them is seen as a target for hunting, while the cultists try not to kill the Red Worm.
This is because red worms play an important role in the desert planet’s ecosystem.
‘To be exact, they are not red worms, but creatures that coexist with red worms.’
The body of this carnivorous earthworm, which is so large that it fills the width of its tunnel, is covered with insects the size of children. These insects, called ‘water beetles’, help maintain the planet’s environment by secreting substances that clean the water and make the soil fertile.
Water beetles only eat the keratin of adult red worms. If red worms decrease, water beetles will also decrease, and the planetary ecosystem will deteriorate. As a cult living on a desert planet, it is only natural that they protect adult red worms.
[Zuzuzuzuzuzu (Not bad, right?)]
“So that’s why the players didn’t know.”
My size in adult form is similar to that of a young red worm that has not yet fully grown. The detection system of the management facility will recognize my presence as a new red worm that has entered from outside.
As long as I don’t tamper with the aqueduct or the equipment, there’s little chance they’ll come for me.
Even the Mother in Heaven knew that and laughed in vain.
“Anyway, I wonder if anyone would say that he’s not Morphbak. He looks like he’s got a good head on his shoulders.”
[Zzuzuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzuzu zuzuzuzuzu (If you don’t do this, you won’t be able to get to 5th place)]
“… You did well.”
She was on my back, scratching her beak with her hand. The moment her hand touched her beak, the waves surrounding her body shook.
“I even prepared a reinforced suit just in case, but if this is what’s going to happen, I don’t think it’s really necessary.”
She is currently wearing an advanced reinforced suit. It is an advanced reinforced suit that she took from the raiders sent by Alkadi last time, and it has been modified to fit her body type. The existing stealth function has been strengthened, and a weak stealth effect has been added on top of the optical camouflage effect.
And while I was in charge of improving my equipment, I looked for a route that would allow me to safely enter the water fortress. Unlike me, I had free access to outside activities, so I went to many more places. The route she actually found was similar to the infiltration method I used in the game.
However, at this point, the underground route is safer than the aboveground route. Unless something unexpected happens, I won’t use the method she found.
‘Well, things in this world don’t always go as planned.’
Judging from the fact that the city didn’t react while we were here, the infiltration itself seemed to have been successful. She knew that, which is why she said that.
[Zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzu zuzuzu (This might help after infiltration)]
“If that’s the case, I think it’s better to not be of help.”
In fact, there were many parts of the information she had obtained while investigating that had changed from the game. Some of it would have been quite troublesome if I had not known about it. Her knowledge would be useful when I leave the city, or when I later have to conquer the planet.
‘Anyway, I guess we’ll stop here for today.’
It was difficult to dig any further because the red worms were still wandering around anyway.
It’s not that I’m scared of them, but I’m afraid that I’ll accidentally kill them. If the Red Worm, which plays a vital role in stabilizing the ecosystem, dies, the cults will react immediately, and the tunnel operation will be ruined.
Just as we were about to stop digging the tunnel and head back to the hover bus center.
A short but intense signal flew into my head. My body froze involuntarily as if it was a final warning.
“what’s the matter?”
The Heavenly Mother on my back asked me, but I could not answer.
A wave that just flew in.
It was the last signal from the parasite I had planted.
‘Is Alkadi dead?’
Something happened that I never expected.