137

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Ep. 137

So far, I have mainly used 'Hunting Symbol' as a means of acquiring characteristics.

This is because when you eat a corpse you kill, it greatly increases the probability of predation.

Even if you eat a genetic sample or a corpse that you didn't kill, you can only gain 0.5 traits instead of the full traits, but it's still better than nothing. Because it can be used as a transcendence material.

However, my guess is that the main purpose of the original hunting symbol was not the probability of predation.

Hunting and slaughter no matter what. The purpose would be to specialize in cornering, crushing, and killing enemies.

If you look at the description of a complete organism, there is a sentence like this.

My body is optimized for slaughter and evolution.

In fact, my body now is subtly different from the semi-adult body in the game. It has no six fighting limbs, so it has to crawl using its lower body and tail, and its blunt claws hanging here and there on its body are the same as in the game.

However, its size and head carapace are larger than those of the game, and its fighting arms are also quite long. In general, it can be said that it has changed to be much more advantageous in combat compared to games.

What would happen if we further strengthened our hunting and predatory abilities?

Although it was temporary, my transformation into a better being was very different from before.

First, body size.

Compared to before the mutation, it seemed to have almost doubled in length. As evidence of this, the position of the gaze has changed.

Since becoming a semi-adult, he has been moving his lower body and tail along the floor, so my eye level itself has not changed much compared to before. You could roughly say it's between 7m and 10m.

But now it feels like looking down from a height of over 15m. It would be so bad that the Mother of Heaven in front of me would be covered by my shadow.

'If you look at the length of its body, it looks similar to Pale Mask.'

Although the change in size was the most noticeable, there were also quite a few changes in detail.

First of all, if you look at the head, the chin, which was previously split on both sides, has become much thicker and stronger. There was space between the jaw and the neck, allowing the mouth to open wide like a snake. If it were this big, wouldn't it be able to swallow a human in one go?

As the jaw has been strengthened, the teeth have also become stronger, so it seems that it can easily chew enemies with thick skin such as the Sea Demon.

And there is one big difference. The carapace covered the auxiliary organs under the chin for protection.

The most vulnerable part of my body is the auxiliary organ under the chin. Because it is a delicate organ responsible for detection, it is not protected by an outer shell or shell.

'This was a major weakness in the game as well.'

The carapace, which appeared to be made of the same material as the bone sickle attached to the end of the arm on my back, was wrapped around the auxiliary organ, so its shape was similar to a bone sickle.

In other words, it seems that the cutting power is surprisingly high.

The sight of me with four blades hanging under my chin reminded me of the land monster Ulxraxx that appears in a classic science fiction strategy game.

Each of the blade carapaces covering the auxiliary organs could move freely as I wanted. When you turn your head, you can swing the blade to decapitate the enemy, or when fighting a large enemy, you can attack by biting and cutting the enemy with the blade at the same time.

In this way, the auxiliary organ became a new means of attack, but the detection function did not decline at all. The reason was because of the tiny holes that were drilled throughout the blade of the carapace.

Perhaps it is not just a hole, but the originally excellent cognitive ability has been further strengthened. By reading the humidity in the air, I was able to sense when it would rain.

As before, the eyes were invisible because they were wrapped in the head shell, but the performance of the auxiliary organs was improved enough to replace them, so there was no problem.

'The head shell has also changed a lot.'

Before becoming a sub-adult, the back of the head is splendidly spread out in the shape of a crown. Even now, the shape of the back of the head is still the same, but it is different in that there are elongated spines and jagged bony plates protruding from the layered carapace.

The carapace covering its head appears to have at least three layers, greatly increasing its defense power. In addition, new thorns and bone plates were created, making it possible to maximize the destructive power of the so-called charging tactic of stabbing the enemy with horns.

'Has my overall impression become worse?'

It's not as dignified as before, but it's not bad from an efficiency perspective.

If the change in the head was literally cataclysmic, how would the body change?

First, the back evolved into a double-covered carapace similar to the head, and bone plates and thorns sprouted between them.

If the enemy used the strategy of pressing me down with their body weight like when the Pale Mask attacked me, I was certain that they would be stabbed by my bone plates and thorns and end up in a dying state.

And as I had expected before, a new arm with a bone scythe appeared on my back. Out of the eight holes covered with a swirl-shaped film, only two holes did not have erosion tentacles coming out, and these were the holes where the bone sickle arms came out.

The overall shape of the bone sickle arm sticking out was similar to before.

First of all, unlike a regular arm that has one joint between the humerus and radius, the arm is long enough to have an additional joint in the middle and can move freely.

The difference from before was that, except for the increased size, the bone scythe at the end of the arm was split into two. Bone blades rise up and down like claws, and can move freely according to one's will. The length of the bone sickle extending up and down was over 3 meters, so it was very intimidating. Its sharpness and hardness have also improved incomparably compared to before.

The change in the bone sickle arm is quite interesting, but personally, the biggest change that has occurred in my body is in the lower body.

As I became a semi-adult, I developed claws here and there on my body that I mainly used to crawl or dig on the ground or move underground or underwater.

Those claws have turned very vicious.

If you grow a centipede to about 50m, will it look like this? What used to be blunt and stubby claws have changed into short legs. Thanks to the numerous legs, my lower body and tail were slightly off the floor.

'At this level, movement will be much faster.'

In addition, the gliding membrane that was originally only between the arms is also between the small legs, so it may be able to float on the water like this.

Lastly, the upper body.

Unlike the head and lower body, which clearly mutated, the changes in the upper body were not particularly special.

The fighting arms remained the same except that they became thicker and longer. Correspondingly, the skin hidden between the arms has also grown larger?

As I moved around to check my newly mutated body after semi-adult, the Mother of Heaven in front of me flinched.

"I don't think it's the Eucharist." What kind of ability is it?"

[Zuzuzu Zuzuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu (I can't tell you because it's my secret weapon)]

"It's my secret weapon. Is it perhaps a privilege? It doesn't make sense if it's a special privilege, but to become this strong…"

Heaven's mother understands it on her own even though she doesn't answer.

Now she was greatly intimidated by my majestic appearance.

The neatly arranged fur stood stiffly, perhaps due to tension, and the eyes slightly fluttered. I could also feel her heart beating strongly through the auxiliary organs.

Even when I first met her and when she fought with Muriel, she never lost her dignity, and now she is afraid of me.

At that time, No. 26 and Adhai also came to the side.

｢Big baby has grown big again?｣

[Zuzu zuzuzuzu (he has grown bigger for a moment)]

｢Big baby can change his body, so he is just like me.'

Number 26, which I like because we have something in common.

Aadhai, on the other hand, just looked at me blankly.

｢Me｣｢Adult｣｢Question｣

[Zuzu (What is it?)]

｢Me｣｢Adult｣｢Tail｣｢Female｣｢Judgement｣

[Zuzu (Huh?)]

The guy pointed backwards with the tip of his wing. On the side where the wings were facing was my huge tail.

Then he pointed his wing at my horn.

｢I｣｢Judgment｣｢Error｣｢Adult｣｢Horn｣｢Plenty｣｢Nice｣｢I｣｢Question｣｢Adult｣｢Male?｣｢Female?｣ 'Hmm.

'

Gallagons are sexually dimorphic animals, so their appearance is different for each sex. Males have thick and long horns, while females have plump tails instead of horns.

As I became a semi-adult, my tail changed the most. By Gallagon standards, even the expression that it is sturdy is not enough.

'Oh, come to think of it?'

When I was going to rescue No. 26, he hesitated and spoke to me. At the time, I thought it was because of guilt.

'Looking at it now, I don't think that's the case.'

I think he was probably trying to ask if I was male or female.

Since wearing the hunting symbol, my horns have grown significantly. Because it's about 2m long. At this size, it is superior to Black Gallagon. It would be safe to say that among the compatriots that Aadhai had seen, they were of the highest rank.

In other words, by Gallagon standards, my appearance would be very strange. The horns are big and the tail is also thick.

Still, it was such an absurd question that I was contemplating what to answer, but Heavenly Mother answered first.

"This guy is a man in name and reality. This change… khuhm, this guy can't be a girl."

"A man?"

"He's a male."

[Zuzuzu (I'm a male)]

Adhai tilted his head to the words of me and the Mother of Heaven. The guy who looked at my horn for a moment sent a thought wave indicating that he understood what I meant.

｢I｣｢Understanding｣｢Adult｣｢Male｣｢Sure｣

[Zuzu (Yes)]

｢Adult｣｢The best｣｢Cool｣｢Block｣｢Head｣｢Possible｣

[Zuzuzu (Thank you)]

｢… "Ha."

I expressed my gratitude for Adhai's compliment. Of course, ignoring Heavenly Mother's empty laughter.

It seemed like everything was roughly explained to them, so I finished the inspection.

Now is the time to do what you originally intended.

It's Pale Mask Predation.

'Tsk. 'It's a shame that I only use it to feast on something this good.'

I know that the symbol of hunting is a trump card, but it's hard to avoid feeling like it's a waste every time I transform. If it weren't for the limitation of 20 minutes in duration and 1 week cooldown, I would have actively used it in battle, but it's a shame.

'I wonder if things will get better once we enter the second stage of transcendence.'

The condition for the second stage of transcendence is to use five fusion characteristics related to different types as materials.

Thanks to the characteristics I acquired while wandering around the swamp, I have already cleared the conditions for transcendence level 2. However, since we need to use 'Symbiote Spores', a nest-related fusion characteristic, as a material, we are waiting to obtain a new nest-related fusion characteristic.

'Let's get the bird's nest-related fusion traits before leaving this planet.'

Although it was a bit damaged, the spaceship was ready and 26 and Aadhai were all gathered together. I should aim to obtain nest-related fusion characteristics before I can use 'Nightmare Horizon' again.

'I'll think about that later.'

Now is the time to enjoy feasting. I approached the body with No. 26.

'where.'

I opened my jaw wide and bit down on Pale Mask's head. My mouth opened wide, like that of a great white shark or a boa constrictor, and ripped off a large handful of Pale Mask's flesh.

'hmm.'

Is it because the jaw has been strengthened or because the teeth have become stronger? When I was fighting it, it felt tough, but now it feels like it's melting in my mouth.

'This is another fun taste.'

There are two kinds of marine life meat I ate here. Fishrian and Sea Demon.

Both boasted unique flavors, but the taste itself did not fall outside the category of seafood.

But what can I say about this male pale mask meat here? It had a different flavor from seafood.

'I think it's closer to lamb.'

The Pale Mask meat boasted the oiliest texture of any meat I've ever eaten in my life, perhaps because it was mixed with brain oil. If you look at it like this, it can feel greasy, but I didn't think it was particularly greasy, perhaps because of the strong meaty scent.

'Plus, the taste comes in stages.'

When you first chew, the fat and juice burst out and the strong meaty aroma takes over your mouth. The more you chew the meat, the more it mixes with the oil and becomes softer than before. At the end, it turns into a sweet, sweet taste like melted ice cream in your mouth and then disappears down the back of your throat.

Unlike Sea Demon meat, which has a unique and natural feel, Pale Mask's meat is intuitive. It could be said to be the difference between a high-end seafood buffet and an American steakhouse.

'I had a hard time catching it, but I'm glad it tastes good.'

So me and No. 26 enjoyed the Pale Mask meat to our heart's content.

It took about 10 minutes to eat the entire head.

The moment I licked the last drop of brain fluid, the text box I was looking forward to came to mind.

"Predation effect activated! Succeeded in obtaining the human face gene essence.｣

｢Taken away 'human face count' among the characteristics of 'Pale Mask'.｣

｢Do you want to apply 'person face count'?｣

The characteristic I acquired is 'person face count'.

It was a trait that created parasites that resembled the Pale Mask's mascot.

Unlike the Pale Mask, which uses hypnotic waves and shock waves, the face water applied to Amorph has a different effect. Personally, I felt glad because it was a feature I had put to good use, but I also felt a lot of disappointment.

'I was aiming for a giant creature.'

The 'giant creature' trait is a trait shared by creatures that are over 50m in size. If you obtain the Giant Creature trait, you can use the ability to grow giant. If I were to use gigantism as a symbol of hunting, it would not be an exaggeration to say that my physical abilities were truly invincible.

It may sound childish, but I wanted to see it at least once. This is my gigantic figure wearing the symbol of hunting.

In any case, you have to catch creatures belonging to Apex to evolve. Most of the creatures in Apex are large, so there are many opportunities to obtain giant creatures in the future.

I shook off my regrets and applied the Pale Mask's legacy water feature.

–

A universe of infinite darkness.

A huge structure was floating in the space where the only light was from stars that were dozens or hundreds of light years away.

The shape of the structure resembles a refined diamond. Surprisingly, the identity of this structure, decorated with gold and special metals on an ivory-colored hull with a diameter of 3km, was a spaceship.

Its identity is the Imperial Mothership, a mass-produced weapon that integrates the ancient technology of the Cult Empire.

Until just a few thousand years ago, imperial carriers were in active service in numerous battlefields.

The Imperial Mothership had no time to rest in order to enlighten countless planets and native populations in order to protect the 'providence' that could be said to be the foundation of the cults.

Of course, that is all a thing of the past now. The Cult Empire has been suffering from civil war for over a thousand years. Even at this very moment, numerous factions were engaged in a meaningless war of words in the Imperial Diet for their own political gain.

In other words, the war with the outside has ended and the internal struggle has begun.

Times have changed, and there is no longer room for powerful weapons like imperial carriers. Some retired from military service, while others performed defense work on the outskirts of the empire.

The imperial carrier 'Judge of Damos 08' here was also one of the ships that avoided decommissioning and was driven to the outskirts.

A frontier of frontiers where no one comes, not even monsters like Metallic Gremlins or Outspacers. There, the captain of the imperial carrier was repeating meaningless route calculations again today.

If the cult aide hadn't jumped at him in a huff, he would have had a normal day.

"Captain, this is a message from the council!"

"If it were a request to join a faction, I would have told you to decline."

"That's not it! It is said that a cleanup order has been passed by the National Assembly and is currently being considered by the Council of Elders. "I think the order will come within a week or a few days at the latest."

At the aide's words, the Yakhorn Cult turned its head.

"Purification order? Is it really an out spacer? When did they invade? Where is being attacked? "Is this a serious enough problem that a conspiracy must be mobilized?"

"Oh, I don't think that's it. The Intelligence Department was monitoring Star Union and received information that the sacred site was contaminated. "It has not been revealed which race did this."

"Holy place?"

"This is Saegil 08, a sacred place."

"It's the road between…"

The captain was interested in espionage activities and information gathering, and did not hesitate to interact with inferior intelligences. Therefore, I was well aware of the fact that humans and cyborgs call Saigil 08 PH-101.

"The Holy Land has been polluted, but the machines knew about it before we did? "The Congress is also rotten."

Not only the captain, but also the more intelligent cult leaders were well aware of the extreme corruption of those running in the council.

There are also those who make money through piracy or smuggling.

"…It smells disgusting."

"What would you like to do?"

He shrugged his shoulders in response to the aide's question.

"Whatever. We are warriors. A divine warrior who follows providence and is loyal to a cult, not a faction. "If it's an order from Congress, I have to follow it."

"Captain…"

"Inform the entire crew. "Be prepared in advance."

"All right."

The aide left and the captain started calculating the route again. The universe embodied by psychic power resurfaced before him.

However, its shape was slightly different from before. The space floating in front of the captain was similar to the star system to which the PH-101 planet belongs.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

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