I Became an Evolving Space Monster
Chapter 433

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 433

I snatched up the falling Arcane Orca.

Its energy skin had vanished, leaving behind only bone resembling a freshly unearthed fossil. Only the head and parts of the spine remained, and even those were cracked in multiple places.

Compared to when it was alive, the creature looked pitiful. But one should never judge by appearance alone.

The Arcane Orca, which subsisted on stellar thermal energy, had a body perfectly suited for storing vast amounts of power. Even in death, that stored energy didn’t vanish it remained.

In other words, these bones still contained the power of a being that once dominated the stars.

‘If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t have considered using it for Adhai.’

As I stared at the bones, that thought crossed my mind.

I’d been lucky to hunt it down early maybe I should just eat it here and now. Or maybe just consume the head and take the rest with me.

The Arcane Orca doesn’t offer many traits when consumed. But if I used the Hunting Emblem, there was a high chance I could obtain the trait I was after: Aether Core.

Aether Core was one of the components required for synthesizing a Unique Trait. If I obtained just this, I could synthesize one immediately.

‘That might let me meet the Info-Entity again.’

The mysterious being I encountered while in cocoon state the Info-Entity. There was still a lot I needed to extract from it.

Even if I couldn’t meet it again, it wouldn’t be a loss. Given what lay ahead, the more Unique Traits I had, the better.

‘But that means Adhai and the Gallagons would have to endure a bit longer…’

Maybe it was because I finally had the chance to gain the trait my hunger surged.

‘…No.’

I turned my gaze away from the corpse.

Bringing it to Adhai posed less risk than eating it here.

I’d succeeded in the hunt earlier than expected, but there was no guarantee this kind of luck would strike again. If I gambled and failed, Adhai’s pack could suffer a catastrophic blow.

‘And there’s no guarantee the Aether Core will even drop.’

A high probability doesn’t mean certainty. I could eat it and still end up with a different trait.

"Target shows no movement. Is it dead?"

Just as I abandoned the idea of feeding, PS-111 flew over to me.

"Despite the cessation of bodily functions, immense energy is still being observed."

[ZZ ZZ (That’s how it’s supposed to be)]

"Fascinating body structure."

Drawing close, it examined the corpse, its red camera lens glowing.

‘Come to think of it, I never did get Prometheus…’

The reason was unknown, but judging from PS-111’s current form, it was obvious that it had merged its body with the superweapon.

It looked drastically different from what I remembered. Only its metallic female face remained the same; everything else had changed.

What used to resemble a fusion of spider and scorpion now looked more like a beetle.

Beneath its abdomen was a human-like upper torso, and on either side of its main body were eight arms, all folded inward mid-flight.

Its head had changed drastically as well. The cables that had once dangled like hair were gone, and the back of its skull now jutted out grotesquely like the head carapace of an Amorph.

The elongated skull connected to two enormous circular (員形) wings.

Starting from the back of its head, the wings curved outward and downward, their ends pointing toward its rear. From a distance, it resembled a flying saucer.

‘Prometheus had the nickname ‘Flying Saucer’ too.’

Two sleek plates layered vertically warp particles ejected from vents between the layers; it was nearly identical to Prometheus. The only difference was scale; this one was much smaller.

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Analysis can wait. Let’s move we’ve got what we came for.)]

"Understood."

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (Explain what happened on the way there.)]

Now that the battle was over, the Mother of the Sky would likely be waiting for us. I also had to release the Volfs and Ranker I was holding in my mouth, so it was time to move.

I flew toward Zaks Beta, which had landed at the harbor, with PS-111 in tow. On the way, it explained what had happened.

"…And for those reasons, I ended up like this."

[ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (You transplanted the High Councilor’s body too?)]

"I’ll show you."

As it spoke, the protruding part at the back of PS-111’s head split open. The head linked to its wings opened to reveal a metallic brain with multiple attached cables. It was a second brain, transplanted from the High Councilor.

"Although most of the functions and memory data were wiped, it works fine as a sub-brain like this."

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (So you’re using this to control Prometheus?)]

After closing the head again, it nodded.

Even with that brief explanation, I quickly understood what had happened.

‘I never expected the High Councilor to be rigged with a self-destruct function.’

It probably had something to do with Pyra Eleven, the High Councilor I killed earlier. This was likely a safeguard to prevent sensitive data from leaking.

Still, PS-111 hadn’t been able to fully analyze Pyra Eleven’s data. Much of what remained on the Screamer support vessel was heavily encrypted.

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (With this, you might be able to decrypt the data you couldn’t before.)]

"I agree. Once we return to White Stone, I’ll attempt it right away."

At any rate, now I understood why PS-111 had integrated Prometheus into its body. With the core operational key gone, it had no choice but to fill the role itself.

‘It’s a shame I can’t consume it anymore…’

This wasn’t the outcome I expected, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad one either.

If I used Predator’s Amorphous Polyhedron to specialize Prometheus, it would overwrite my existing trait, Void Dice.

Void Dice was a trait that reset all cooldowns on my traits once every certain period. It was incredibly useful for surprise maneuvers and hard to part with.

In that case, it was better for PS-111 to have Prometheus while I kept Void Dice.

Besides, I saw it utilize warp particles in battle. It wasn't bad. A bit clumsy at first, but it was clearly improving.

As I conversed with it, we eventually reached the port.

Across the wide landing strip, several ghost ships lay scattered, battered and damaged in varying degrees. Among them was the Zaks Beta, a trident-shaped vessel stretching hundreds of meters in length.

‘That ship managed to survive too, huh.’

While Zaks Beta was durable, it wasn’t designed to withstand a clash with an Arcane Orca. The fact that it suffered only this much damage meant it had been very lucky.

[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (I saw you using unfamiliar drones in the fight.)]

“They’re modified APDs originally designed for anti-psychic warfare, but these were upgraded to absorb plasma energy as well. The ‘Middle One’ deployed a large stock of them from Zaks Beta’s cargo hold.”

‘So those were brought specifically to take down the Arcane Orca.’

I wasn’t sure which faction had built them, but their performance had been impressive. Many were destroyed in the battle, but thanks to them, Zaks Beta survived. If this were a game, such an outcome wouldn’t have been possible.

“I’ll analyze the remaining drones when I get the chance.”

[ZZZ ZZZ (Please do.)]

PS-111 and I landed on an open stretch beside the ship. Then I lowered my head and let out the guests I'd been carrying in my mouth.

Ten Wolf cubs emerged, drenched in saliva, dragging the heavily injured 25th Ranker with them. Though they had minor burns, none of them had sustained critical injuries. Still, judging by their expressions, being jostled around inside my mouth had clearly taken a toll.

Yet the moment they stepped out, they all bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Divine One!”

Hearing the heartfelt gratitude from the young Wolves left me with a strange feeling.

‘To think I nearly ate them.’

If Zaks Beta and PS-111 hadn’t arrived at the right time, they along with the Ranker would’ve become nutrients for my body.

｢They’re all alive!｣

A wave of psychic thought came from the ship; it was the Mother of the Sky.

She had taken the form of a griffon beastman and descended from the vessel, walking toward us. The cubs scampered over to her in a hurry.

｢Thank you for protecting the children. When I saw the nest being bombarded, I honestly thought it was the end….｣

Was it amazement at their survival? I could sense a faint tremble in her psychic voice as she checked over the little ones.

The truth was I saved them mainly because I was already taking the Ranker but there was no need to mention that.

｢That one must be the Ranker.｣

“That’s right.”

Once she had confirmed the cubs’ condition, her eyes locked onto the 25th Ranker.

｢…Thinking about what that bastard did makes me want to kill him on the spot.｣

“I told you before we can’t. Not yet.”

She glared at the charred figure of the Ranker for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

｢Becoming the Amorph’s servant might be the most fitting punishment.｣

“Is that so?”

｢Have you ever seen anyone come out okay after getting involved with it? Especially the ones who got infested they all met grim ends.｣

“That’s a fair analysis. The subject’s future is indeed predictable.”

Since it was the truth, I had nothing to counter with. Instead of arguing, I changed the subject.

“We got what we came for. Time to leave.”

｢Huh? Already?｣

“With the High Councilor dead, the Star Union won’t stay quiet. Just like last time, they’ll send a pursuit squad.”

It had already been several hours since the High Councilor’s death. It was only a matter of time before the enemy forces descended on this location.

That was why I urged a swift departure but PS-111 shook its head.

“There is no need to worry about that.”

“Why not?”

“After integrating the High Councilor’s body, I transmitted a message stating it had been destroyed in the battle with the Arcane Orca. Until they realize the message is false, they won’t dispatch a fleet.”

Good. Thanks to its efforts, we had some breathing room.

｢If we have time, I’d like to repair the ship and take it with us.｣

“Hmm… but it’s pretty banged up. Can we even move it?”

“If everyone lends a hand, we can complete repairs within three hours.”

“Divine One, we’ll help too!”

And so, after making preparations together, four hours later

We departed from the abandoned Megacorp colony, AG-01.

***

An unnamed star system, unregistered in any known route.

At the farthest edge of uncharted space, untouched by intelligent life, a pale, frozen star hangs in silence.

Despite the harsh environment where light touches the land only once every thirty days a functioning ecosystem exists. Beneath the icy surface lies an underground kingdom.

Below an ice ceiling embedded with glowing moss sprawls a massive fungal forest. Towering mushrooms, the size of trees, stretch high as a figure soars above them.

It is Isabel, a mutant Screamer with the body of a centipede and the head of a human woman. She was flying with dozens of colorful mushrooms held tightly in her many arms.

After gliding over the vast fungal forest, she descended into a valley where heat and gas spewed from the earth.

Her destination was a cave hidden within a cliff wall of the valley. On her way in, she passed a Green Gallagon, one of the valley’s guardians but it made no move to stop her.

She navigated the labyrinthine cave structure with ease and arrived at a large chamber.

This was the sanctuary of the valley’s ruling Gallagons, a sacred place where their most precious things were kept: unhatched eggs and Blue Gallagons.

｢Little friend! Hello!｣

Number 26, caretaker of the young Gallagons and guardian of the eggs, greeted her cheerfully. Isabel set down the food she had brought in front of the great, pink, jellyfish-like being.

“Brought something to eat.”

｢Wow!｣

Number 26 glowed faintly with joy. The tentacles lining its lower body moved swiftly, sweeping up the mushrooms. It pierced holes in them, then handed them one by one to the Blue Gallagons cradled in its arms. They sucked out the juices with the tentacles around their mouths.

｢Is it tasty?｣

｢Good｣

｢Good｣

｢Little Flappy-Flaps, eat lots!｣

The blue-scaled hatchlings fluttered their tiny wings, clearly pleased. Number 26 shook its tentacles in delight as well.

｢Little friend, you eat too.｣

“I already ate before coming. I’m fine.”

Declining the offer, Isabel turned to inspect the eggs nestled in the nest.

None of them had died yet but they weren’t in good shape either. Most looked like they wouldn’t last much longer.

‘They’re deteriorating faster than expected.’

Ham Ort, acting pack leader, had estimated that Adhai would take around 60 days to completely absorb the energy from this place. But at the current rate, the end would come far sooner.

Now, not just the White Gallagons but even the newly matured Green Gallagons were being forced to venture outside for food. Their efforts were barely keeping things stable but no one could say how long that balance would hold.

‘And Number 26 is at its limit too.’

It was obvious from a glance Number 26 was in bad condition. It was pouring all its energy into keeping the young and the eggs alive. Its once-pink body had faded almost to white from the constant, massive expenditure of energy.

‘We have to find another solution, and fast…’

Just then, Number 26 who had been feeding the hatchlings suddenly paused. Its pale, exhausted body began to glow with a bright light.

｢Wow!｣

Isabel also turned around, sensing a familiar presence behind her.

There stood the being the Gallagons had longed for with all their hearts.

｢Big One, hello!｣

[ZZZ (Hello)]

The hunt was over. The Amorph had finally returned.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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