257

Ep. 257

–

After Wolf, who was leading Satua members, left the military port, five pirates approached the ship. His head was turned somewhere else, as if he wasn't interested, but his eyes glanced at the ship.

"Am I right?"

"…It's definitely strange that there aren't any cubs guarding the ship."

The fortress's ruler, Marcio Cartel, never tolerates disturbance within its territory, but it does not catch even the smallest criminal acts. The guards at the military port only do minimal checks and do not even care about the security of the ship.

In other words, each docked ship must take care of itself. If you look at other ships, pirates or mercenaries are diligently guarding them.

But the Satua Cartel's assault ship had nothing like that. There was no movement at all, not only outside the ship but also inside it.

As if there was no one on the boat.

"I think it's okay to go in."

The wide open door without a guard attracted pirates. Don't worry, just come in.

The five pirates checked one last time to make sure no one was watching and then stepped onto the stairs attached to the ship's door.

"Are things going well?"

"Can't we just take this boat and fly?"

"Don't overdo it, you bitch. How to control such a big ship….

The pirates on board all fell silent as they chatted.

There was only minimal lighting in the interior hallway. As expected, there was no one on board, but none of the five people expressed joy.

The atmosphere in the dimly lit hallway was unusual.

"…It's fucking eerie."

"You crazy bastards. "You came on a ship like this?"

If it had just been dark, no one would have been scared. Because they are space dogs roaming in infinite darkness.

But something about this ship was different. There is something dark lurking that cannot be described in words.

"Let's check quickly and leave."

The pirate with his hair dyed green spoke and the four nodded silently.

Everyone felt ominous, but no one asked to leave. I felt like I would feel at ease if I held something in my hand and left. They started walking down the shadowy hallway.

The temperature inside the ship was not particularly low. This is because the life support system is operating. However, the pirates were feeling an inexplicable cold. Every time I took a breath, the cold air seeped into my skin.

What was also strange was the smell. It's not like the smell of an unwashed pirate smuggled animal. A strange odor permeates the entire ship.

At this level, my nose should have been tingling from the moment I stepped on the iron stairs. However, none of the five held their hands to their noses before crossing the door.

Doesn't it seem like the ship is waiting for them to come up? Although they didn't speak to each other, everyone shared the same thoughts.

Apart from the instinctive anxiety they felt, no one threatening them appeared. As they moved without any restraint, a large iron door appeared in front of them.

"Does this front look like a cargo bay?"

"…Let's see what the hell is there."

The pirate, who replaced one eye with a prosthetic eye, took out a terminal. After connecting the cable to the door, he easily hacked the door.

The large iron door rattled open and a cargo compartment filled with darkness welcomed outsiders.

"Try turning on the light."

"I guess it would be difficult without touching the ship's computer directly?"

"Actually."

The pirates cursed and pulled out the laser pistols from their waists. A small flashlight attached to the end of a pistol illuminated the cargo compartment.

"It's dark as fuck."

"Isn't it a paint problem? "I think that's why it smells like this."

"Both of you are quiet. "Let's spread out and search."

"I agree."

The hallway with the flickering lights was eerie, but this was a much darker and more eerie space. I felt like I was going to lose my mind if I stayed here any longer. The pirates dispersed as quickly as possible to retrieve their valuables.

'…I thought it was okay when I came in.'

The green-haired pirate, who was making his way between the iron prisons by relying on the light on his gun, regretted his choice.

Rather than plundering a rich ship, I don't know what they were thinking of coming into a ship that was selling slaves and making a living.

Looking back, it was suspicious that the Satua guys didn't set up security. They probably haven't been here once or twice.

"Something comes out…huh?!"

He was scared as he was basking in the light of the light inside the iron prison. Because there was something in the prison.

"A stone statue?"

At first I was surprised and thought it was a person, but upon closer inspection it wasn't.

Inside the prison was a statue. A human statue carved from a translucent crystal-like mineral.

"I thought it was someone from Ha."

The green-haired pirate opened the prison door and went in to touch the statue. I could feel the unique coolness of minerals and the touch of hard minerals.

'It was very well made?'

The statue was so elaborate that it made you think it was a living person. Especially that expression. The statue's face was full of life, with its eyes and mouth open, as if it had seen something fearful.

It was as if a living person had been turned into a statue all at once.

'Isn't this going to be a bit expensive?'

"hey! "Come over here!"

It seemed he wasn't the only one who smelled the credits. He got out of the prison and ran to where his colleagues were.

So he didn't know.

The statue's eyes are looking at his back.

–

"It would be salty to take just a few."

"If you take too many, you might get caught, so let's just take three first."

The iron prisons scattered around contained human-like statues. The number of statues seemed to exceed a hundred at best.

It was worth wandering around this shitty place. The five pirates expressed their satisfaction with the statue in front of them.

There's no way they would notice that one or two statues are missing because the security on board is so messed up. The pirates felt relieved and began moving the statue.

"If you count to three, you lift them at the same time. One, two, three!"

"Ugh, it's fucking heavy."

"Listen carefully…Ugh!"

The statues were very heavy. Even with four adult men clinging to it, it was not easy to move it. In the end, one pirate made a mistake and the statue fell to the floor.

"This crazy bastard is real!"

"sorry."

"Everyone shut up! "If it breaks, the value drops."

The pirate wearing the prosthetic eye checked the fallen statue to see if it was still intact. Fortunately, there were no broken parts. The pirate, who was looking at the statue with relief, suddenly felt a strange feeling.

A dynamic human sculpture that looks as if it will scream at any moment. Because that face somehow looked familiar.

"…Is there anyone here who is in contact with the Poncha kids?"

"Poncha? "Weren't they caught by their cult and subjugated?"

As the green-haired pirate said, it has already been a month since contact with the Ponza Cartel was lost. Even pirates with prosthetic eyes know that.

However, the reason I brought that up was because the appearance of the fallen statue looked very similar to someone else.

'He's definitely from the Ponza Cartel.'

A statue that looked identical to a member of the Ponza Cartel, which was said to have been subdued a month ago, was found on a boat belonging to the Satua Cartel, which had been out of contact for two months. What does this mean?

'…What the fuck is this?'

Even when things go wrong, they go wrong for a long time. His instincts were screaming that he had to leave this place immediately.

Then the green haired pirate called to him.

"…hey."

"why?"

"Were those statues originally looking this way?"

"uh?"

The pirates who heard those words all raised their heads.

The light of four lights was directed into the iron prison that was spread out in the cargo hold. The statues were standing inside the cage, looking the same as before.

The only difference was the eyes.

All the statues' eyes were focused on the direction they were standing.

"Fuck you!"

"Don't shoot! "You idiot!"

"Everyone needs to get out now! "It's dangerous here!"

"wait! "If you leave like this, you won't get anything!"

"shit! "Hurry up… Where's that guy?"

Come to think of it, there were five of us when we came in, but now there are only four here.

"Uh, when did it disappear?"

"Fuck! "Does that matter now?"

"Let's do the credits and run away quickly!"

"He will come out on his own!"

Instead of looking for their missing colleague, they ran toward the cargo hold door.

The cargo space is not wide. It is not difficult to escape outside.

It didn't take long to realize that that idea was wrong.

'There's no end, right?!'

Even though I ran until I was out of breath, I couldn't see the door. The pirate wearing the prosthetic eye adjusted the lens to night vision mode, but could not see the door.

'What about the kids? 'Where has everyone gone?'

The colleagues I was running with just now also disappeared. He looked around frantically. In the cargo hold, instead of my colleagues, there were only statues glaring at me with an obnoxious intensity.

Faced with a horrifying gaze, he trembled and tightened his grip on the hand holding the pistol. I don't know how much the small weapon in my hand would help, but without it, I felt like my heart would fail and I would die.

"…gulp."

He swallowed once and carefully walked between the iron prison cells. Every time he took a step, the eyes behind the bars followed him.

He has been subjected to the hateful gaze of those who have been plundered throughout his life. But those eyes watching him were so scary.

As he walked trembling, a person jumped out in front of him. It was a green-haired pirate who disappeared while running away.

He screamed because he almost shot his colleague.

"You almost shot me!"

"…."

The green-haired pirate staggered closer without answering.

When he saw the face of the person getting closer, he thought his heart would freeze.

"…! …! …!"

The translucent crystalline substance seen on the statues in the cargo hold covered the green-haired pirate's neck and mouth.

He didn't intentionally not say anything. It was because he was unable to make sound.

The green haired pirate grabbed him by the collar. His body quickly stiffened as he desperately gestured for help.

"Ugh!"

The pirate with the prosthetic eye pushed his companion and stepped back. Now he knows what these statues are made of.

This ship is a cursed ship. I don't know what the Satua guys did. What is clear is that this ship has returned from a visit to something darker than hell.

The moment he thought that, the gazes of the statues around him that were glaring at him went up. The gaze of his colleague, who had fallen on the floor, also looked above his head.

The pirate with the prosthetic eye sensed that there was something above his head.

He was too scared to raise his head, but his curiosity refused to control him.

His head slowly rose.

There, a 'being from hell' was looking down at him.

–

"It's a bad taste."

Sky's mother sighed when she saw the five newly added pirate figures.

'is it?'

The guys who came on board didn't really bother us and ended it briefly. Because I only used two of the newly acquired characteristics.

"Herald of Chaos: Reality depends on the senses. Spreads psychic power to distort the senses of all intelligent beings within a 500m radius. Plants a 'Insanity Bomb' at random among affected creatures.

*'Insanity Bomb': Shakes the target's senses and mind and turns them into a madman. When you die, the 'Insanity Bomb' effect is transmitted to the nearest intelligent being.

*Caution: The effect is halved for creatures with psychic power resistance. Agility decreases significantly when using the attribute.

*P.S.: Please do not trust reality too much."

"Medusa Organ: Silicon-based microorganisms are injected into the target to mutate their genes. Beings with mutated genes crystallize in stages over time.

*Caution: It can only be used when in contact with an opponent."

One is a characteristic created through the transcendence system, and the other is a unique characteristic belonging to the newly acquired type 'Environmental Adaptation'. Apart from this, there is one other newly created unique characteristic, but it is not a characteristic that will be used here.

'I had a really hard time getting this Medusa organ.'

Black Gallagon had a really hard time catching an enemy that was comparable to Odd Grad. It took two weeks just to catch it.

Of course, the reward was very sweet.

[Zuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzu zuzu zuzuzu (You know they're useful)]

｢…Well, that's right.｣

I wrapped one of the statues with my erosion tentacles.

'This guy will do, right?'

This guy is one of the pirates who broke into the cargo hold where I was resting.

After the kids left, I was left alone and used 'Messenger of Chaos' to distort their senses to prevent them from escaping.

Those whose cognitive abilities were completely messed up were running around in circles in the same spot or wandering around the cargo bay along the walls. They might have thought they were running away, but they weren't.

'As long as you come in, it's in the palm of my hand.'

Attached to the ceiling, I turned the crazy pirates into quartz statues one by one using the erosion tentacles with the 'Medusa organ' built into them.

The effect of the Medusa organ is to transplant silicon-based microorganisms stored within the body to the other person. Enemies or objects hit by microorganisms are instantly transformed into a substance similar to crystal.

In other words, as the name suggests, it turns enemies into lumps of minerals. The only way to prevent this is to remove microorganisms before they spread.

What if you can't stop it? Like the statues in the cargo hold, they must remain trapped in the prison of the body. It is not a trait that can be obtained from Apex, who has more power than Black Gallagon for no reason.

'Still, it matches well with other characteristics.'

Opponents petrified with the Medusa Engine are very useful. For example, it can be used as a material for mimicry organs.

I opened my mouth wide and bit into the crystallized pirate whole. Like when you bite into a juice-filled candy, the hard crystals break and the sweet juice moistens your mouth.

The body of the pirate, who had green hair in life, passes through the digestive system below the neck and is converted into nutrients. In the process, dormant mimicry organs wake up and acquire genetic information.

I was stuck on the ceiling and jumped down onto the floor. I landed without making the slightest noise and walked over to the pirate who was urinating.

"You…?!"

The pirate wearing the prosthetic eye was feeling fear and confusion at the same time.

Now, to him, I will look like a perfectly green-haired pirate. Your mind will recognize that you are not your comrade, but your body will reject that interpretation.

Thanks to the 'Shape Ruler' trait acquired a few months ago, the effectiveness of the mimicry organ has been further strengthened.

Previously, only pheromones were used to disrupt the other person's senses. However, now the psychic power flowing from the pores of my outer skin overlays a false image of supernatural power on my body.

It's like wearing optical equipment powered by some kind of psychic power, so the camera doesn't capture it properly. It comes out distorted, like a picture of a ghost, but it's probably better than being photographed as a monster.

After leaving the Dragon's Nest, I traveled around various star systems and preyed on countless intelligent beings. Among them, the most important people have genetic information stored in their bodies with human body organs, and the slightly weaker people have their statues made with Medusa organs, just like now.

To use it when attacking other planets or ships like now.

"What about the kids?"

"It's in the container. No. 26 stayed still, but Aadhai seemed hungry. "

I guess I should at least get him something to eat."

I picked up the pirate with the prosthetic eye with my wing arms. The one held in my hand trembled and begged.

"Please save me! Help me! Help me! Please save me…."

I was planning to use it as a snack for Aadhai, but a good idea suddenly occurred to me. I asked the Heavenly Mother vaguely.

"Is this your first time coming here in our reality?"

"uh. Originally, this was the cult's space fortress. "I don't know why it changed like this."

"Then I guess I'll need a guide."

"yes yes?"

The guy's eyes widened at my words.

Parasites were used to control the guard, but there were still a few left.

The hallucinations that covered my body distorted slightly and a black eel-like creature crawled out of my fighting arm. When he saw the parasite slowly approaching, his face turned dark.

"Now wait a minute! wait! Wait…Waaaaeak!"

A parasite wrapped around its face with its long body burrowed into its throat. Blood poured from the pirate's eyes and nose as the parasite burrowed through his throat and into his head.

After a while, the pirate bowed his head to me with a very happy smile.

"I serve my new lord, Lord Amov! We serve Aimov! Long live Aimov!"

｢…Wow.｣

Since you have changed your fishing spot, you also need to put in new bait.

The kids' snacks will have to be replaced with fish caught with new bait.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

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