057

Ep. 57

Although 'metal absorption' was applied, there was no significant change in appearance.

This change occurred inside the body. The organs inside became hot as if they were boiling, but quickly calmed down.

Now, if I activate metal absorption and consume metal, I can apply the unique properties inherent to the metal to my outer shell.

'Shall we try it?'

My nest is located in a secret passage underground. The ceiling and walls are all made of hard alloy.

With the trait activated, I scraped the wall with my fingernail.

As soon as I put the piece of metal that had fallen from the wall into my mouth and swallowed it, a change occurred. The outer shell, which was made of a shiny material unique to chitin, was changed to a material that had a hard, rugged feel that was unique to metal.

When I poked the skin with my fingernail, it was just like the wall.

'I think the intensity is similar.'

Even if the metal is too hard to chew, the effect will be applied as long as it enters the body.

For example, what if you activate metal absorption and then swallow a tungsten bullet from a Gauss rifle? The strength of my outer skin becomes as strong as tungsten, and my weight also increases.

'The metal absorption seems to be working well.'

There are no problems with the characteristics, so what remains is the transcendence system.

A system that did not exist in games.

'If I think about it again, if the goal is to solve the problem of having too many characteristics, wouldn't it be okay to revamp the fusion system?'

Fusion characteristics can only be created by combining unfused characteristics 1:1. If the fusion conditions are solved, the problem of having too many characteristics will be easily solved.

But what does it mean to introduce such a new system?

'It may be related to the conditions for future evolution.'

The conditions for evolution did not change much until it reached the subadult stage. The conditions for evolving into a semi-adult were the same as in the game.

Considering that the transcendental system has emerged at this point, it may be a necessary condition when evolving from a subadult to an adult or when reaching ascension.

'No matter how much you worry, nothing is certain. Let's give it a try and think about it.'

｢'Transcendence' system: Combines three or more characteristics and changes them into a new 'unique' characteristic. The newly acquired characteristics are completely new characteristics that did not exist before.

List of available talents: Chitinous Coat Monster Skeletal Strength Enhancement

*PS: This is not necessarily a benefit. Choose carefully."

"Would you like to use the transcendence system?"

Finally, to the text box asking my intention, I answered that I would use it. As soon as I answered, mucus started flowing out of my body as if it were evolving.

'what?'

The mucus instantly solidified and covered my body. As I was inside that huge cocoon, the translucent text box came to mind again.

｢Transcendence system activated! Acquired the unique trait 'Complete Organic'!"

"Applying trait."

This was my first time doing something like this, so I was a little embarrassed.

Usually, even if you gain new characteristics, you do not enter a cocoon like this and have your entire body completely changed. Except when it evolves to the next level.

'Is this a characteristic comparable to evolution?'

Thanks to this, I realized one important thing.

Unlike other characteristics, characteristics obtained through the transcendence system seemed to be applied after cocooning, similar to evolution. If I had accepted the transcendental system anywhere other than the nest, I would have been at great risk.

'I'll have to be careful from now on.'

This place where I am is a nest, so there are no particularly dangerous elements. I decided to wait leisurely.

–

"You lost contact with Jade?"

Sihyeon Eugene's butler Minseok Eugene asked back with an incredulous expression.

The subordinate nodded and delivered the message left by Jade's subordinate Hope to Minseok.

The message included news that all members of the team that had infiltrated the T&C Special Trade Center were killed, and the appearance and general specifications of the creature that attacked them.

"All the people infiltrated by an unidentified creature will be wiped out…"

No matter how many times I checked, there was no way the already recorded message would change. Minseok sighed at the completely unexpected news.

'The young lady hasn't been feeling well lately.'

Originally, Sihyeon was a machine-like woman whose emotions were worn out. This is because emotions have been worn away due to the remodeling procedure that turns it into a shadow.

In addition, since she had been working as a spy assassin under Akira Eugene's orders for a long time, most of the emotional scenes she showed were acting.

For those who run and control individuals and organizations, the absence of emotions is not a particularly bad factor. Si-hyeon was a strong yet cool-headed leader who never let his emotions get the better of him.

'That's right…'

Sihyeon, who was resurrected as a clone, was different from before.

Their master had been suffering from nightmares ever since his resurrection. Although she never spoke directly about the nightmare, Minseok guessed that the dream may have been related to the entity that killed her.

'The lady is afraid of death.'

There are currently no clones to replace her. Creating clones is not an easy task, and the cult's secret technique of transferring souls is also a skill that requires a lot of time.

If I die this time, it really is the end, so it was a situation worth fearing, no matter how powerful the vision was.

But Minseok shook his head.

'The execution of the cause cannot be postponed because of petty emotions.'

Sihyeon is the rightful successor to the Eugene family and the only irreplaceable ruler.

For the sake of those who follow her, she must follow Jungwoo Eugene's lead.

In fact, Sihyeon did not rule out the possibility that his clone would behave differently than expected.

When the clone was created, Minseok had already received instructions from Sihyeon on how to deal with it.

If the clone reacted negatively upon hearing of Jade's death, such as refusing to go to the space city, Minseok had no choice but to use force.

'It would be better not to use that method if possible, but…'

Minseok glanced at the safe in the secretary's office. After thinking for a moment, he ended up not touching the safe.

"I'll leave the report to you."

"All right."

Minseok left the secretary's office and headed to the laboratory. Due to new genetic modifications, his owner was staying in the laboratory.

When he arrived at the laboratory, the researchers bowed their heads in silence.

He winked and the researchers quietly left the laboratory.

Only he and his master, Si-hyeon, remained in the laboratory. Sihyeon had just been implanted with a new gene and was floating in the test tube.

Her appearance became even more bizarre than before.

The original pure white skin without any blemishes looked rough and hard like the skin of an animal, and a sharp horn had also grown on the left side of the forehead.

Minseok called out to the owner whose eyes were closed.

"miss. "I have something to report."

"What?"

She opened her eyes. Her left eye was replaced with an animal's eye, giving her a somewhat eerie feel.

"I'm in the process of coordinating things, but seeing as you came here, I guess it's urgent."

"Yes. "Contact with those who infiltrated the T&C Special Trade Center has been lost."

"You lost contact with Jade?"

She frowned as if Jade's death was unexpected.

"He is the one who transplanted the genes of the metallic gremlin. It would be difficult for regular police officers or androids to eliminate him, right?"

"According to the emergency message from Jade's subordinate Hope, the person who wiped them out was not human."

"Couldn't it be that Gallagon has already gone on a rampage?"

"After checking through sources, that's not the case. "It seems that Team Jade was attacked by something completely unrelated to our plans."

"It's an unrelated entity…"

The annihilation of the Jade team that would carry out the operation was unfortunate, but it was fortunate that the enemy had nothing to do with Noble Capital.

"What would you like to do?"

｢…Hmm.｣

Minseok's question made Sihyeon silent.

If the board meeting was cancelled, it would not be easy for her to obtain new information about the board meeting.

Because she was currently known to be dead, information gathering activities were restricted.

Although she could have her subordinates collect information, it was obvious that there would be a huge gap between the information she obtained from Akira's side and the information they obtained.

In other words, if they missed this board meeting, it would be nearly impossible to seize the opportunity to collectively eliminate Noble Capital in the future.

'But pushing ahead with the plan here is also risky.'

If, by any chance, any member of the Jade team had not died and been taken prisoner by the T&C family, all information about the operation would have been leaked.

Noble Capital's torture is beyond imagination, making it impossible for even the most intensely trained agents to withstand it.

If the TNC family knew of her plans, they might have set a trap.

'You need to know who your teammate is fighting with.'

Minseok told her that she was not human, but both he and she knew. That the enemy that annihilated Team Jade was not an easy being.

Of course, Team Jade is a team dispatched to prepare for a terrorist operation, so its own combat power is low. However, it is not at a level where they can be wiped out so easily.

Therefore, the enemy that would annihilate them was very likely to be someone related to Noble Capital. To confirm, she asked Minseok.

"Who is the guy who wiped out Team Jade?"

"It is said to be an unidentified creature that has not been discovered until now. "I will display the last message Hope sent."

Minseok inserted the data chip into the terminal next to the test tube. After a while, a holographic message window appeared on the surface of the test tube.

｢!｣

Her pupils dilated when she saw the message. Her body trembled violently as if she had received an electric shock.

"miss?"

Minseok was also taken aback when she reacted more violently than expected.

The equipment in the laboratory shook violently and the test tube she was in began to crack. Because of her psychic power and her master's agitation, she had an effect on those around her.

In the end, the test tube could not hold up and broke. At the same time, the surrounding devices were swept away and Minseok was also blown backwards.

"Ugh!"

"You bastard! "He's in the city!"

Si-hyeon shouted after breaking out of the test tube. Her expression seemed both frightened and happy.

"Oh, lady?"

"The plan will proceed as is. Those who will carry out the operation are dead, so prepare a new team right away. "The enemies in the city are formidable, so select only the best elites."

"Oh, I understand!"

"And prepare my armored suit."

"Do you mean White Maiden?"

She nodded.

That means she will personally visit the space city and lead the operation.

She showed no signs of fear of death, as if the concerns she had before coming to the laboratory were unfounded.

Minseok left the laboratory, feeling glad to see his owner back.

After sending his subordinate, Sihyeon looked down at his own body. The soles of her feet were bloody from shards of glass from the test tube, but she felt more foreign than pain.

Although her subordinates and even her butler did not know this, she was unable to overcome the strangeness she felt in the clone's body.

She tried to maintain Sihyeon Eugene's thoughts and habits, but as each day passed, her inner self was becoming different from the original.

One of the things that made her different from the original was her nightmares.

Memories of the main body being killed by an unidentified monster in Yoo Seong's spaceship. That memory haunted her in her nightmares every day.

she knew He said he would never feel stable until he confirmed his death.

However, in this vast universe, it was nearly impossible to find a monster whose identity was unknown and whether it was dead or alive was unknown.

Even if I ordered my subordinates to look for it, I didn't know how long it would take.

So her nightmare was going to become an incurable disease that she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

If it weren't for the message she saw today, she probably would have done that.

'I will definitely kill you this time.'

She smiled with joy as she finally got the chance she had been waiting for.

–

｢Application of the 'Complete Organic' trait has been completed.'

Unlike evolution, the application time for the transcendent trait was not that long. It felt like about 2 to 3 hours.

I tore through the cold cocoon and came out. The mucus inside the cocoon poured out like water from a burst water balloon.

After shaking off the mucus and cocoon shell from my body, I stretched out.

'what?'

The ceiling of the secret passage, which was about 5 meters high, felt closer than before.

I lowered my fighting arm and checked. The external appearance of the combat arm has changed significantly from before.

In common, all four arms changed from an appearance similar to a human arm bone to one with attached muscles. Compared to before, it can be said to have become 1.5 to 2 times thicker.

The shape of the hand also changed. The fingers at the end of a pair of fighting arms attached to the upper shoulder area have become so large that it would not be strange to call them claws.

Among the lower arms, the left arm, which was in charge of the spine projectile organ, became thick and vicious enough to remind one of a mortar. Of course, the size of the little finger at the end also grew in proportion to the changes in other parts of the body.

Perhaps because of his growth, the small arms on his chest have now grown to the size of those of a 7-8 year old child. At this size, it was easy to hold and shoot a pistol-type weapon.

The outer shell covering the chest and back was also much thicker, reminiscent of the carapace of a mountain crawler. The weight seemed to have increased a lot, but I was wondering if I would be able to fly with wings in the future.

'So much has changed?'

The overall shape itself has not changed much from the sub-adult form influenced by the physical enhancement type, but there has been a significant change in details that can be called a semi-evolution.

I opened the text box to see a description of the change.

｢Species: Unidentified hostile space organism

Status: Subadult (Transcendence Stage 1)

Goal: Survive (successfully evolve twice).

Characteristics

① Physical-related (type in effect): Wings (unusable) Regenerative power (fusion) Neurotoxin gland (fusion) Acid blood Mimic organ (fusion) (unusable) Saw blade tentacle Spiny bone projectile organ Beast's claws Dental grip metal absorption Complete Organic (unique)

② Superpower-related: Predator sense (fusion) Monster's tentacle (fusion) Humanity clairvoyance Superpower resistance

③ Infection-related: Parasitic colony (fusion)

Type: Body enhancement type

｢Perfect organism: Your body is optimized for slaughter and evolution It is done. Strengthens the effect of the type you have. It is intimidating to all kinds of intelligent beings. It can evolve into 'Hunting Symbol' once a day.

*'Symbol of the Hunt': When applied, the probability of the predation effect increases significantly. The effects of all possessed characteristics are strengthened. Resistant to all types of attacks. Lasts 10 minutes.

*Note: The Stealth and Flight perks cannot be used while in full organic form.

*PS: There is no end to evolution.｣

"A new message has arrived."

'What is this?'

As soon as I activated the text window, numerous letters greeted me.