I Became an Evolving Space Monster
Chapter 438

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 438

“…Why did it suddenly get so quiet?”

Inside a bunker enclosed by thick metal walls, six men and women stared uneasily at a flickering ceiling light.

They were the former administrators of the Edgerton Resource Management Hub.

Former, because the city they were supposed to protect had already fallen.

It hadn’t taken long for the last line of defense to collapse.

As soon as it broke, they abandoned their posts and retreated straight to the bunker.

Strictly speaking, a bunker wasn't exactly an ideal shelter in a space-city. But what choice did they have?

Trying to escape in a shuttle would’ve just made them easy prey for the Outspacers.

Their best shot at survival was to hide deep inside the facility.

“Maybe… they left?”

“Could it be that the quarantine chief actually succeeded? He said he had a way to control the Outspacers.”

“Ha! If that were possible, they wouldn’t have attacked in the first place. Think before you talk, will you?”

“What? Say that again!”

“Quiet!”

Xavier, the acting overall manager, silenced the room and pressed his ear to the wall.

The faint tremors they’d felt earlier were completely gone.

Everyone knew: Outspacers don’t leave survivors.

Even after combat ends, they scour every inch of a facility to consume anything human.

Assuming they’d just missed the bunker was… optimistic.

They’d only been quiet for a few minutes too soon to be thorough.

“…Strange.”

After nearly five minutes of careful listening, Xavier pulled away from the wall.

“So… they really did leave?”

“Then shouldn’t we send out a distress signal now?”

The bunker was equipped with essential emergency systems, including a beacon for rescue transmission.

The logistics officer suggested activating it, but Xavier shook his head.

Outspacers were highly sensitive to signals.

If they were still in the city, the beacon would give them away instantly.

“If they’re still around, even partially, they’ll pick up the signal.

We wait until we’re absolutely sure.”

It was a reasonable argument, and the others agreed.

A wise decision because moments later, the entire bunker shook violently.

The shockwave was so intense it knocked them all off their feet.

Not just the bunker the entire city must have trembled.

Then… nothing.

No more shaking. No more sounds.

For the next hour, absolute silence.

“Maybe it’s time to activate the beacon?”

“We can’t just sit here doing nothing forever.”

“……”

Everyone but Xavier nodded at the food officer’s comment.

Fear of death made their expressions tight, desperate.

They all looked like people searching for any excuse to believe they might survive.

To make things worse, the earlier shock had damaged the bunker’s oxygen system.

They still had access to atmospheric oxygen from the remaining city reserves, and emergency oxygen capsules…

But long-term, the damage was unsustainable.

There were no repair tools inside.

Someone would have to go out and bring back what was needed.

“…I’ll go check the situation outside, and we’ll activate the beacon after I return.”

“You’re leaving? Are you serious?”

“I need to assess the city. And if we want the oxygen system fixed, someone has to go out anyway.”

Xavier began suiting up into the bunker’s protective armor.

“Since I doubt there are any volunteers… I’ll make assignments myself. Logistics Officer. Medical Officer. You’re with me.”

“Wh-what? Why me…?”

“P-please wait! On what grounds are you forcing us to go?”

“You logistics are the only one who knows where the tools are. And you medical are backup in case something goes wrong.”

“But if the medical officer leaves, we’ll be in trouble if someone gets hurt in here!”

“Then how about you go instead, food officer if not, keep your mouth shut.”

Unwilling to walk into certain death, she fell silent.

The others averted their eyes.

Not long after, the three suited up and left the bunker.

｢Damn… the place is trashed.｣

The underground train they used to reach the bunker had derailed.

Even at a glance, the tracks showed heavy damage.

｢We’re suited up, so let’s move on foot.｣

The three followed the old rail line, running along the tracks.

Here and there, they spotted traces of Outspacers but none of the creatures themselves.

‘Had they really left?’

If there was one thing they’d learned from the invasion, it was this:

Outspacers were no mere beasts.

They operated with structure and strategy.

It was entirely possible they'd withdrawn in order to pursue a more important target.

｢We don’t know when they’ll be back. Let’s pick up the pace.｣

For now, it seemed safe.

Xavier increased his speed, the metallic footfalls of the three echoing faintly down the tunnel.

Eventually, they reached the surface.

｢Oh… my god.｣

｢What the hell happened here?｣

What greeted them on the surface was worse than the underground ruins.

The command tower was half-blown away, standing precariously like a broken tooth.

Most high-rises were the same, their upper floors completely obliterated.

Worse still, the dome that enclosed the city had been compromised.

A new fissure, large enough for a warship to pass through, yawned open in its shell.

Through it, they could see oxygen and debris being sucked into the vacuum.

The damage to the inner surface of the dome had also wrecked the artificial sky.

Atmospheric lighting panels blinked wildly, casting the whole city in an eerie, unstable light.

｢So that’s what caused the tremor earlier…｣

｢You think it was the Outspacers?｣

｢………｣

By the time they’d evacuated, the city had already fallen.

There hadn’t been any fighting since then, certainly nothing that should’ve caused this kind of damage.

And Xavier… had never seen an Outspacer capable of doing this much destruction alone.

‘That meant one thing .’

Something new has appeared here.

Not good.

The odds that this new arrival was friendly? Slim to none.

They had to move quickly.

｢Where can we find repair tools?｣

｢There’s a temporary logistics depot nearby. That’d be the best place to check.｣

Xavier nodded to the medic, and the three began moving again more tense than before.

The streets were choked with rubble.

The gravity stabilizers were still online, so collapsed buildings had left wreckage piled high in the roads.

Yet nowhere could they sense even the faintest sign of life.

｢Isn’t it weird we haven’t seen a single survivor yet?｣

｢There are other bunkers… they could still be hiding.｣

｢Yeah… maybe that’s it, huh?｣

The two speculated aloud, but Xavier’s thoughts were elsewhere.

‘Where are the bodies?’

After the defensive line collapsed, countless people died.

And yet… not a single corpse in the streets?

Even more unsettling…

‘Where are the Outspacers?’

Humans had certainly taken the brunt of it, but the creatures hadn’t come through unscathed.

At least a few Outspacer bodies should be lying around but there was nothing.

It’s like someone cleaned the place up on purpose…

｢Administrator. That building there.｣

The medic’s voice snapped Xavier out of his thoughts.

He pointed his weapon toward a small, low-rise building.

It looked mostly intact probably because it wasn’t tall enough to take the brunt of the damage.

Cautiously, the three entered.

The inside, much like the outside, was surprisingly undamaged.

Some glass and lighting were broken, crates of supplies were scattered about, but the structure itself had held firm.

｢Plasma cutter, metal injector, portable toolmaker those three are the priority. If there's time, grab medical supplies too.｣

｢The tools are stored on the third floor. Let’s head up.｣

The three administrators, clad in their reinforced suits, moved carefully, their boots crunching over shattered glass.

Whether it was the crackling lights or the echo of breaking glass, the atmosphere was deeply unsettling.

Thankfully, despite the mood, nothing alarming occurred.

They reached the third floor without incident and began searching the rooms.

｢No plasma cutter in here.｣

｢Wait this might be worth taking. It’s got some side effects, but it’s effective for pain.｣

｢Alright. Next room.｣

｢Gah?!｣

Just as they finished the sweep, the logistics officer screamed

He had opened a door and found the room beyond filled with corpses.

｢D-Did the Outspacers do this?｣

｢We have to get out of here now!｣

｢Wait!｣

Xavier stepped between them and entered the room, inspecting one of the bodies.

｢...Something's not right.｣

｢What do you mean?｣

｢The bodies are too... intact.｣

Outspacer claws could tear through hull plating and a human body would be shredded.

Yet the corpses here were strangely unscathed, save for the blood around their heads.

No torn limbs. No mutilation. Just a quiet, almost peaceful kind of dead.

And the positions… the way they were arranged…

Every corpse lay face down, heads turned toward the window

As if they had bowed before something outside.

Unease crept in as Xavier approached the window.

Aside from the clear view of the dome's breach, there was nothing there.

Still…

｢You think… humans did this?｣

｢I can’t say.｣

｢Either way, this place isn’t safe. We need to ｣

Suddenly, one of the “bodies” by the door began to move.

What they thought was a corpse slowly rose to its knees.

｢Shit! He gouged out his own eyes!｣

“W-Who's there?”

The man’s face was hollow bloody sockets stuffed with his own torn-off fingernails.

Even Xavier felt his throat tighten at the grotesque sight.

“I.. I can’t see! Who’s there?!”

The eyeless survivor flailed toward them blindly.

｢Easy stay calm!｣

“P-Please! Please help me!”

｢We’ll help you just stop right there!｣

“It...it’s still here! I...I don’t want to see it again!!”

He suddenly lunged at them, staggering forward in panic.

Startled, the logistics officer fired his laser rifle.

“Urgh!”

A flash of red.

The smell of scorched flesh filled the air.

The man collapsed, a smoking hole in his stomach.

“Sky… the sky…”

He murmured something incomprehensible before dying.

｢You shot the one person who might’ve known what the hell is going on! What were you thinking?!｣

｢H-He just charged at us, I panicked!｣

｢Damn it…!｣

A regular man could never harm someone in a reinforced suit.

But now they’d lost a potential lead because of one man’s fear.

｢S-Sir, we need to get out of here. This place isn’t safe.｣

｢…Tch.｣

The medic was right.

They still had a job to finish.

They left the room full of corpses and resumed their search.

Luckily, they quickly located the necessary tools to repair the bunker.

Together, they carried the equipment out of the building.

The path back was the same as before, no signs of life, no sign of Outspacers.

They reached the entrance to the underground levels without incident.

｢Whew… I was worried we’d run into them again. Glad we didn’t.｣

｢Yeah. Me too.｣

The logistics and medical officers both let out a sigh of relief. Even Xavier, who had been quietly plagued by a sense of foreboding since they left the supply depot, finally began to relax.

｢Let’s take a short break before heading down.｣

｢Yes, sir.｣

Even with reinforced suits, carrying heavy and bulky tools like plasma cutters was exhausting.

｢Ugh, I’m dying here… All this without boosters.｣

The logistics officer stretched his back as he put the gear down.

｢Please. Have you forgotten how nasty the side effects of those boosters are?｣

｢Sheesh, it was just a joke huh?｣

As he looked up to stretch, the medical officer followed his gaze and froze.

｢Let’s get moving ｣

｢Wait, what’s that?｣

｢Was that thing there before?｣

｢What?｣

The two pointed upward.

Xavier slowly lifted his head.

Above them flickering lights, shattered debris, the massive rift in the dome pulling in oxygen and rubble.

All the same as before.

Except now… something white was hovering above.

‘A cloud?’

It shimmered at the edges like heat haze, like a halo caused by light distortion.

‘Cloud? Light anomaly? Who knew.’

It shouldn’t have mattered.

And yet, Xavier couldn’t look away.

Neither could the others.

The three of them remained still, heads tilted back, eyes locked.

The phenomenon in the sky began to move toward them.

As it drew near, a burning pain seared through their eyes.

Tears poured down uncontrollably.

And then, Xavier remembered the final words of the survivor.

Now he understood.

｢Ah… Aaah… aah…｣

｢Aah… a… ah…｣

……

‘Stop! I don’t want to see it!’

The phenomenon was now right in front of them.

And the pain wasn’t just in the eyes anymore.

Every sensory organ that perceived it was starting to dissolve.

Amidst the agony, one truth rang clear:

It was watching him.

‘Don’t look! Don’t look at it!’

He couldn’t hear the others anymore.

Was it deafness or had they already died?

The phenomenon leaned in close.

‘Ah.’

And in the instant his eyes met that shimmering light,

Xavier’s mind short-circuited.

All sensation ceased.

***

｢The dwarf’s dead.｣

[ZZZ (Really?)]

｢Yep. Brain. Leaking. Out.｣

Adhai landed softly and poked the fallen human with her forepaw, but he didn’t move.

With my newly shortened arm, I picked up the corpse.

Blood and liquefied brain poured out of the melted helmet.

[ZZZ (Yikes.)]

｢Big Baby, too rough. People go ‘ow’ if you do that.｣

[ZZZ Z (Sorry.)]

｢It’s okay! Study hard and you’ll get better!｣

｢Big One｣ ｢Has talent｣ ｢You can do it!｣

[ZZ ZZZ (Thanks, both of you.)]

Encouraged, I shoved the body into my mouth.

The flesh dissolved instantly before I could even taste it.

‘Study, huh.’

It had been a month since the Arcane Orca hunt, when I forged my latest Unique Trait.

The transformation was immense greater than anything I’d experienced, even compared to evolving through life stages.

And the power of the new trait matched that magnitude.

Easily one of the most powerful I’ve ever acquired.

But with that strength came complications.

One such side effect? Humans' brains melt the moment they see me.

‘…Tch. Not sure this is something I can fix with effort.’

Suppressing a sigh, I opened the newly altered Textbox.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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