Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 361
Only Noblemtl
“How was it? Did you succeed this time?”
“Move to the next object?”
[Zuzuzu zuuzu zuuzu zuuzu (It’s okay. This is enough)]
Since I’ve acquired the trait and obtained the materials needed for Heavenly Mother, there’s no need to go hunting for more.
‘Plus, I happened to get a good trait.’
The text box awaits my choice. When I select Accept Trait, the text box disappears and the digested genetic essence spreads evenly throughout my body.
The flow of essence that would fundamentally change my body reached the biological pipe.
As Aimorph grows into an adult, he develops long and short pipes all over his body. These biological pipes are used to secrete special chemicals, such as the superpower-related fusion trait ‘Dark Veil’.
As Dreadsong’s genetic essence was applied, the pipe began to change. Its black color turned a dark red, and it took on a rough, lava-like appearance over its unique biomechanical form.
Not only that, but the area where the pipes were sprouting, the outer skin that covered my entire body, also developed dark red streaks, like lava that had flowed out of a volcano and was starting to harden.
Until now, the rest of the body except for the wings and head shell were all black, so it felt a bit boring. However, with the addition of accents to various parts of the body, it has definitely become more impressive.
“Big Adult” “Color of Stars” “Similar” “Looks Strong”
Adhai tapped my ankle with his forepaw. He pointed to his red wings with the bundle of tentacles on his snout. He seemed to like me because I looked like him.
‘Let me show you what effect it has.’
Now that the biopipe has been fully mutated, it’s time to experiment.
This characteristic can be seen as operating through two major mechanisms.
‘First things first.’
It excretes chemicals produced in the body through biological pipes.
All the pipes sprayed gray liquid into the air. Like water sprayed from a sprayer, the liquid that clung to the floor and my skin quickly vaporized. Soon, a gray gas reminiscent of the sulfuric fog that covered Dreadsong’s habitat enveloped me.
Since the substance that makes up the gas is highly acidic, it can damage other equipment or buildings just by coming near it. You can think of it as spreading characteristics like ‘acid skin’ or ‘acid fungus glands’ in the form of gas.
But if it ended here, it wouldn’t have been called ‘Visions of Hell’.
[Zuzu zuzuzu (Everyone step back)]
This is step 1. I have distanced myself from the kids. From now on, they may also be harmed.
‘Now step 2.’
I opened my mouth with the gas wrapped around my body and lightly clacked my teeth together. Then, sparks flew and ignited the gas. In an instant, my entire body was covered in a huge flame, and the temperature inside my body rose rapidly.
This highly acidic substance that makes up the ash-colored gas has a very low flash point, so it catches fire easily. The temperature of the flame also rises so high that it can extinguish even a small bullet before it touches my body.
As the name Hell’s Welcome suggests, I myself become a monster burning in endless flames.
‘It has characteristics that are very different from the original’s power.’
In the case of Dreadsong, it inhales naturally formed gases and explosive substances, causing a strong explosion. On the other hand, Hell’s Visions are a form that creates toxic gases on its own, but is a weakened form of its destructive power and aggressiveness.
‘It’s not that bad right now, though.’
Since it has the characteristic of surrounding the body with fire, it is useful when fighting enemies specialized in close combat.
It is useful not only against small and weak enemies, but also against heavily armored or highly defensive enemies. It is because it can continuously inflict damage on nearby enemies, just like the saying, “You don’t know your clothes are getting wet in a drizzle.”
No matter how strong an enemy’s defenses are, continued exposure to acidic gas and high-temperature flames will inevitably result in increased damage.
‘High level of heat dissipation is a bonus.’
With Hell’s Welcome applied, the heat dissipation effect of my outer skin has been greatly increased. There is no need to worry about my internal organs and flesh being cooked by the fire. It is also useful when fighting monsters that live on volcanic planets such as Magmasaurs.
“Big baby, it’s so hot.”
“Big Star” “Strength” “Slightly” “Feel”
“Analyzing the composition of the gas, we confirmed that it contains a mixture of acidic and flammable substances. Please be careful as there is a risk of fire if you come into contact with the substance.”
The guys are curious to see my burning body.
“Seeing that reminds me of something that happened before.”
“What happened before? Ah, ahhh!”
“I see, Sister Seo-ah, you know too. ‘Space Bomber.’”
“It’s so famous that there’s probably no one who doesn’t know about it. That’s why the kids who have it these days tremble at the sight of Aimov.”
The Heavenly Mother and Isabel looked at me and whispered among themselves, perhaps remembering old memories.
‘Space bomb.’
I was briefly called that back in the day when I was really into games.
Here, I got this trait after becoming an adult, but in the game, I got it when I was a semi-adult. Back then, I would somehow sneak into the space fortress and immediately run to the oxygen supply facility.
‘And it became light.’
A confined space, a lot of oxygen, and even a gas made of flammable materials. It’s a perfect environment for self-destruction. If you blow up the fortress, you won’t get the genetic essence, but at the time, I was so focused on giving the enemy fear that I didn’t really care.
‘Looking back, it was a bit too much.’
I’ve blown up my good genetic essence more than once because I got the fun out of bombing. After I got the unique trait, I stopped self-destructing, but before that, many players had blown up their fortresses and quit the game because of me.
‘Come to think of it, there was a unique trait synthesis formula that I unlocked before, right?’
Aside from the synthesis formula unlocked by killing Vortex One, there is one more synthesis formula that was unlocked a long time ago. The Hellish Vision trait that I obtained this time was one of the materials for that synthesis formula.
‘I’ll have to move from my seat and check it out.’
As I decided to release the trait, the pipes in my body locked up. The wildly burning flames also slowly died down.
[Zuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuzuz (Let’s go to a safe place)]
“Where are you going?”
“On the way here, we found a huge pit. Given the structure of the entrance, it is highly likely that it leads underground.”
I picked up the kids and followed PS-111’s directions to the pit.
As I flew back the way I had come over the desolate black ground, I saw a very large hole. It was wide enough to easily fit a destroyer. Also, judging from the fact that I couldn’t see the bottom when I looked down while flying, it seemed to be quite deep.
‘I guess there’s no lava inside.’
There is no steam or gas rising, only the sound of a strong wind.
I descended down and entered the pit.
When I saw the entrance, I thought it would be wide, and it was as expected. Inside, there were small tunnels here and there, and the shape was quite complex.
Looking at it, it seemed like a space that was naturally formed as lava and gas filled up. Over time, the contents moved to other places or erupted outside, leaving behind such a huge structure.
When I reached the bottom, I saw a passage where the lava had drained. The entrance was large enough for me to enter and hide.
‘I have to hide there.’
I crawled into a natural tunnel created by the lava flow. Inside were the corpses of several animals that had died because they couldn’t find their way out.
‘And there’s something suitable to eat.’
The kids who got off my back each took care of getting food without me having to say anything.
“If I have this, will my friend get better?”
“An organic material that looks useful for tail repair.” “I’ll help you too. What do you need?”
“Food” “Dry”
“Should I bake it for you?”
“Rejection” “The Method” “Eating” “Uncomfortable”
I told the kids that I had something to check, then went inside and took a seat.
‘Where then… .’
I lay down comfortably and checked the translucent text box.
「’Transcendence’ Material List: Inorganic Digestion, Harvester’s Maw, Bone Beast, Hell’s Vision, Ultra Control (not obtained)」
「’Transcendence’ Materials List (NEW!): Demon Machine, Tyrantroid, Unconfirmed, Unconfirmed, Unconfirmed」
‘I originally came here because of the second fusion ceremony.’
I came here because I saw the imperfect trait ‘Demon Machine’ that emerged after preying on ‘Ring of Agony’ and decided that hunting Apex creatures would be a clue.
‘Originally, I was going after Magmasaur and other high-level Apex creatures.’
I never thought I’d catch Dreadsong until I got here, but things have changed a bit. Now that I’ve gotten the Hell Vision, all that’s left is the trait I can get from the Staghorn Cult, ‘Ultra Control’.
‘There’s just a problem.’
It was quite some time ago that I unlocked the first fusion, as the key trait was ‘Digest Inorganic Matter’, which I acquired while hunting the powerful Apex creature ‘Gorgon Swarm’.
Then why did I neglect it until now? The reason was that it was very difficult to obtain one of the many materials, the ‘Harvester’s Mouth’ again.
The Harvester’s Mouth, a flesh-related fusion trait, is made by synthesizing the ‘Essence Harvester’s Jaw’, which only Amorph quasi-adults or special Outspacers possess. If the Harvester’s Mouth is used as a material, the ability to obtain genetic essence by consuming only the head will be lost.
‘There was no room for consideration since it was a semi-adult at the time the fusion ceremony was held.’
Other materials such as ‘Digestion of Minerals’ and ‘Bone Beast’ are not easy to obtain either. I had the same concerns when collecting a large amount of genetic essence from the space fortress ‘Kesha Arma’ and gave up.
‘But now the circumstances have changed.’
As an adult, I have grown so large that it is difficult to deliberately aim for the heads of other creatures. There are not many creatures larger than me now. I can swallow most creatures in one bite or eat them in a short period of time.
Therefore, it is safe to say that the risk of having to eat the enemy whole has been reduced.
‘If you think about it this way, it may not seem that important… .’
If you change your mind a little, it’s not like that.
‘It’s a hassle to have to eat the entire body when fighting something like Vortex One.’
Without the Harvester’s Maw, it becomes difficult to gain traits through preying during combat. You have to consume the meat of any creature, even those with a small amount of mass, even if they are enemies that can be swallowed in one bite.
‘Besides, it will be difficult to experiment on other guys.’
I looked at 26 and Adhai, who were sharing the food. They were feasting on food that they would never have eaten if it were a game. Thanks to that, they both gained new strength.
Besides the guys, the twin sisters and the Heavenly Mother also need the bodies of Apex creatures to become stronger.
If I eat everything, I’ll be taking everyone’s chance away.
‘I would never have thought of this in the past.’
Whether in the game or in reality outside the game, I lived only thinking of myself.
In Space Survival, all beings were seen as prey. In reality, no one interacted deeply with anyone.
When I see myself feeling affection for those little monsters and thinking of making concessions, I think I’ve changed a lot.
‘… Well, this method is more advantageous for survival.’
First of all, the first fusion formula must be sealed as before. It won’t be easy to obtain Ultra Control on this planet anyway.
Let’s focus on the second fusion ceremony, just like when we decided to come to Asuka44.
‘There has never been a case of duplication among the fusion materials so far.’
Among the unconfirmed ingredients of the second fusion, the Hell’s Vision must be excluded. The Magmasaur will take more time as the parasite-infected researchers are diligently searching for it.
‘The next enemy worth targeting is….’
A few species come to mind that are worth eating.
I kept my eyes closed and thought about what to do next.
–
“What? The earthquake destroyed the Dreadsong’s habitat?”
Salman tilted his head at the communication that came from the expedition team.
Earthquakes are not a particularly unusual natural phenomenon in Asuka44, where volcanic activity is active. The gravity control device installed in the building where he stays is also intended to minimize damage from earthquakes.
Salman knew that fact, but there were some parts he couldn’t accept.
‘The Dreadsong are notorious for their cunning. They never make their home in places where earthquakes occur.’
Even if they lose the territorial battle and have no choice but to live in a place where earthquakes occur frequently, it is still a problem. Since they live underground, they can predict earthquakes faster than anyone else. If an earthquake is expected, they will evacuate to a safe area in advance.
‘But there was no sign of that.’
If Dreadsong had moved his territory, his eyes spread across the planet could not have missed him.
‘… Vulcarox, that’s what he said. There was a giant unknown creature near the Dreadsong territory.’
As I thought about that, one thing came to mind.
A being that preys on all sorts of vicious beasts and takes their power. If ‘that guy’ came here, he would most likely start by looking for Dreadsong.
‘no way?’
Salman suppressed his ominous thoughts and gave the order.
“Check all areas of Dreadsong that have been confirmed so far. If you encounter any suspicious creatures, report immediately.”
“All right.”
After ending the call, he immediately opened the drawer.
‘If he’s here… .’
It has not yet been revealed whether the guy is actually here, but who knows. Considering the guy’s notoriety, it is impossible for Salman to deal with it alone. He has absolutely no intention of dying here.