I Became an Evolving Space Monster
Chapter 417

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 417

After evolving into a fluid form, I set one clear goal for myself.

To reach Ascension—the final stage and ending for the Amorph.

I believed that once I achieved Ascension, I’d finally understand why I ended up in this brutal, dystopian world… and how I might escape it.

Over time, my goals have shifted again and again just to survive. But that one goal—Ascension—has never changed.

And yet now, a being who knows the secrets of this world has appeared before me.

‘Why show up now?’

This isn’t my first time entering a cocoon. The fact that it's appearing only now can’t be a coincidence. There must be a reason.

Whether that reason helps me—or harms me—I don’t know yet.

‘Was it because of that vision I saw last time?’

Every Ranker who’s fallen into this world begins to see powerful hallucinations as they get closer to the ending. It’s why many split into two factions: the Dominion and the Returners.

The hallucinations limit their thoughts and steer them toward certain actions.

But I chose a third option. Neither of the two paths.

No other player chose the same route I did. Only I rejected the intent of the being behind those visions.

And that being introduced itself as one that tunes the thought patterns of the Recipients.

It wouldn’t be pleased with someone like me making such a strange choice.

‘Is it here now to re-brainwash me?’

“No.”

‘No?’

“I no longer possess the authority to influence the thought patterns of Recipients. That is why I can only intervene in limited contexts like this.”

In simpler terms—it can’t brainwash me anymore.

This was a being that once tried to turn a player like me into a puppet.

If it still wanted to control me, it would’ve just shown me another hallucination. There’d be no need for this face-to-face.

‘Then why show up now?’

“As I said, I’m here to provide you with information you will need.”

‘Information I need?’

“Yes. Information about the updated final mission.”

Those words brought to mind something the Mother of the Sky once told me—stories of those who had attempted the ending long ago.

‘But they failed, didn’t they?’

I never did find out what exactly caused them to fail. I just assumed something went wrong during the final stage.

If the final mission was made far more difficult than the rest of the game, then failure would make sense.

Like those challengers before me, I seek Ascension.

And knowing how the final mission has changed would be an immense advantage.

‘The problem is—can I trust what it's saying?’

This information-function entity has an expert-level understanding of human memory and cognition. Even if it lost its authority, it may still have the knowledge and experience to manipulate people.

Words alone could be enough to sway or deceive me.

“Your doubts are reasonable. However, I do not have the authority to relay unapproved information. Therefore, persuading you is not an option.”

‘And yet you expect me to believe you?’

“You have always analyzed and judged new information on your own. This should be no different.”

After saying that, the information entity fell silent, patiently waiting for my decision.

‘…Right now, hearing it out is the best move.’

There’s no way for me to determine its real intentions at this stage.

Keeping up the suspicion loop won’t help. It would be better to listen first—and judge after.

After a brief pause, I made my decision to hear it out.

‘Fine. Tell me what this information is.’

“There’s no time. I’ll show you directly.”

As the entity raised its hand, the space around us began to transform.

The once-empty void was now filled with new structures.

Massive glass pillars rose from the floor, and a curved ceiling of lattice patterns stretched overhead.

Within those lattice panels were countless galaxies, and between the pillars lay an endless ocean of stars.

It resembled the Pantheon of ancient Rome, but the scale was beyond anything imaginable.

This was the stage for the final mission—the grand finale of Space Survival.

And in that place, under the gaze of the universe itself, an intense battle was already underway.

Above, human warriors with jetpacks and several ships zipped rapidly across the battlefield.

Below, heavily armored walkers and cultists wielding psychic powers marched forward in formation.

Floating in front of them was a towering figure, tens of meters tall—its shape like a black molecular model from some alien chemistry set.

It was the final boss standing in the way of Ascension: Observing Shadow.

Some time had passed since the battle began. The creature known as the Observing Shadow was heavily damaged. It had lost most of its eyes, which resembled molecular clusters.

As its name implied, its eyes played a crucial role. When aligned in a straight line, they generated a defensive field. When arranged in a rhombus, they fired energy blasts.

Destroying the eyes quickly was key—but far from easy. They regenerated automatically. And with each new eye, the Observing Shadow grew stronger. The longer the fight dragged on, the more exponentially difficult it became.

An overwhelming level of firepower, combined with an intimate understanding of its attack patterns, was the bare minimum needed to take it down. That was the Observing Shadow.

And yet, the coalition of top-ranking players here was overwhelming that very boss.

A human in a jetpack switched out body parts mid-flight to keep it suppressed. Warships maneuvered around beams of energy with ease, executing faster-than-light jumps without restriction.

On the ground, a walker unit of unfamiliar design and a massive beast—Volph transformed—moved with terrifying speed, hounding the enemy from every angle.

It wasn’t just because they had memorized boss mechanics. Their ships, equipment, and powers—none of it existed in the original game.

‘They have special privileges.’

Power that transcended racial limits and could shake the structure of this entire world. Even the Observing Shadow was helpless before such force.

The battle ended without incident. A teal-colored beam fired from the walker pierced the last of the creature's eyes. As the Observing Shadow crashed into the plaza, the rankers erupted in cheers.

The battle now over, the ships descended to land. The pilot of the walker that dealt the final blow also disembarked.

‘Number One?’

The moment I saw his face, I recognized him instantly. A red-haired cyborg with the exact same appearance as in the game. He stood at the summit of Space Survival—Rank 1.

Drunk on the thrill of victory, the other rankers ran up to shake his hand or embrace him. Judging by the mood, he had been the one orchestrating the final operation.

‘No wonder they worked together so smoothly… huh?’

As I observed them, an odd feeling crept in.

Toward the rear of the gathered crowd, a young boy stood silently. He wore the curled goat horns of the Cult. I had never seen him before—yet something about him felt strangely familiar.

No, it was more than familiarity. A peculiar sense of closeness surged through me. As if that intimacy had been forcibly injected.

‘The revised ending mission will commence shortly.’

Just as I tried to examine the goat-horned boy more closely, the Info-Construct spoke up.

At its words, a terminal shaped like an altar rose from the center of the plaza. Everyone's attention shifted to it.

I knew exactly what that altar was. A kind of molecular transmutation device. When it absorbed the core of the Observing Shadow, both its appearance and function would transform.

“As you are aware, the final protocol of the Projection System previously proceeded through this altar device.”

For human players, it became a transcendent communications unit that allowed unified contact with all sapient life in the galaxy. For races called Outspeacers, it transformed into an ultimate weapon capable of destroying the Vortex Core that had taken over their homeworlds.

Using the altered altar triggered the ending sequence of Space Survival.

“However, ‘they’ did not take kindly to such a simple termination of the system.”

‘They?’

｢Grrrrrr…｣

Suddenly, the heads flanking me began to growl. The left one—blind—and the right one—snarling—raised their snouts toward the air.

There, high up on the ceiling where nothing had been moments ago, a dark spot emerged. Until now, no one had noticed it—too distracted by the altar.

“‘They’ have arbitrarily altered the protocol and decided to unleash a greater trial.”

Then, something burst forth from that dark point.

A being more than twice the size of the Observing Shadow crashed down onto the plaza. The roar and shockwave that followed shook the entire chamber.

The rankers turned their heads in shock. And there it was—rising slowly from the rubble, covered in debris. The sight of it filled everyone’s faces with disbelief.

The moment it roared and charged the rankers, the entire space began to collapse.

“Your bodily reconstruction is complete. This concludes information delivery.”

‘Wait—!’

Just as the Info-Construct said, I was waking from the cocoon. But I had no time to think about that.

Because of what I’d seen last.

The instant I faced it, I instinctively knew what it was.

Its form looked different from what I remembered, but there was no doubt. In Space Survival, no one knew that being better than I did.

It was, without question, an Unidentified Hostile Cosmic Organism—the Amorph.

‘The final boss… it was the Amorph! Why did it appear here? And who were they?’

“Due to security protocols, I cannot answer those questions in detail.”

“Damn it!”

My body was breaking down—like a sandcastle hit by a wave. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t stop it.

“There is someone on Earth who can help you find the answers you seek. Seek them out.”

‘Earth…?’

“And this is the final piece of information—no, advice.”

As the space crumbled, the Info-Construct—now just a head—delivered its last words.

“You are not defined by illusion or memory. Only your choices in each moment determine who you are. Never forget the choices you made.”

And with that, the being shaped like me disappeared.

I, too, was swallowed by the collapsing black space.

Moments later, I felt a familiar sensation throughout my body. A warm fluid wrapped around me, and fragments of a hardened shell clung to my limbs.

The sensations I always felt when waking from the cocoon.

I had returned to reality.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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