138

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Ep. 138

–

Saintopia 02 What is the most powerful creature on the continent?

Famous scholars of the cult speak in unison.

'Gel Arma', the king of the swamp area, is called the Swamp King in the human language.

Innately strong resistance to psychic power, agile movements compared to its size, hard shell, high intelligence, and even the ability to neutralize protective gear. Cults have all kinds of difficult conditions to deal with.

If you say that only your abilities are strong, that is not the case. The swamp area where Swamp Kings live is the most dangerous place on this continent. You must fight this powerful monster while withstanding the miasma of the swamp that penetrates even your protective clothing.

If the visitor was sane, he would never set foot in the swamp.

Fortunately, swamp kings are extremely territorial creatures. This means that they do not care much about what happens outside their area.

I said so.

Now, that common sense was being shattered by a mysterious visitor.

–

Swamp King, who was sleeping deep inside the swamp, suddenly heard a sound.

Although it was my first time hearing the sound, its unique melody felt somehow familiar. It was similar to the sound made by the delicious prey he was lucky enough to catch when he was young.

It raised its four lantern-like eyes above the water and checked its surroundings.

"■■Give me. Who is ■■■…."

Hearing that sound again, he became convinced.

There is delicious food roaming around his territory.

Normally, I would hide in the swamps and surprise and eat approaching enemies, but not this time.

The highly intelligent Swamp King remembers. Those prey never travel alone. There is no doubt that they will gather in droves this time too.

He must go first and eat it all before other competitors do.

Deciding that it was time to go hunting for food for the first time in a long time, it raised its huge body.

It clicked its claws on the front of its body and followed the cries of its prey. Ten long legs moved diligently, stepping on the swamp bottom according to the will of their owner.

"No one is there!"

A sound is heard not far away. This time it was even clearer than before. All four eyes turned towards the direction from which the sound came.

"Please… I don't want to live like this!"

The sound was coming from a place where there were a lot of rotten old trees. It was a place where the heavy Swamp King did not go often because the water level of the swamp was low.

｢Giiiiii｣

He thought for a moment. Is that food really worth the risk of eating it?

After a few minutes, the guy's legs started moving. The prey he remembered, those with four appendages, had soft flesh and were rich in nutrients.

Moreover, they have a habit of flocking together in dozens at a time. It is such a high-calorie food that once you feast on it, you can sleep in peace for about a month, so I couldn't miss it.

Every time the bridges, which were over 10 meters long, moved, the old tree shattered.

As he was leading his heavy body, an open swamp appeared in front of him.

"Someone kill me!"

The person who made the crying noise was there.

However, its form was very different from what the Swamp King remembered.

Originally, the prey's body and four appendages should have been attached below its head. But now the body of the prey in front of him had gone somewhere and was stuck in an old black-purple tree.

｢Gii?｣

No, I thought it was an old tree, but I was wrong.

That's because the old tree doesn't move. Sharp teeth and two pure white eyes can be seen on a tree half buried in the swamp mud.

Moreover, I saw some familiar objects next to the old tree.

"Hi! Here we go again! "Here we come again!"

They were the corpses of the Swamp King. Three corpses of his compatriots, with their heads and internal organs ripped out, were piled next to an old tree.

Only then did the Swamp King realize that he had been lured by an unidentified enemy.

And then "that thing" that resembled an old tree opened its mouth.

"This, girl, four."

The Swamp King couldn't understand what it meant, but he knew one thing.

That sound never meant anything good to him.

–

'Is this the fourth time?'

Despite its dull appearance, the Swamp King is a very intelligent animal. By default, they never forget the smell, movement, or sound of prey once they have memorized it.

If so, you probably have memories of preying on the cult that came to this planet. If you're a guy, you probably know that cult tastes very good.

I decided to experiment by taking advantage of their high intelligence. This is due to the 'human-faced beast' trait acquired two days ago.

And my experiment was a success.

"You came! "I did as you asked, so now kill me!"

The face on my back cries out.

The face looked almost identical to the last MCAE pilot I caught at the research station. Except that his face was a little more pale.

The parasitic characteristics of the original Pale Mask and the human face characteristics applied to Aimorph have completely different effects. Neither hypnotic waves nor shock waves can be used on the human body formed on Aimorph's body.

'Instead, it has two effects.'

One is to copy some of the habits and memories of the highly intelligent humans or cult-like beings that I have preyed on, like now.

Even if the predation effect does not occur, the target's genetic essence is stored within my body. And I will use the genes I have acquired to make it into a human face tree.

Similar to the mimicry machine, only the information of the last person who ate it can be used to create a human face, but there are differences.

If the mimicry organ is the ability to embody the subject's state before death using pheromones, the human face copy the memory itself contained in the target's genes.

Simply put, it is convenient to think of him as a cloned human with only his head remaining.

That's why the face on my back was able to make noise as if it had an ego. Of course, I have control over it, so I can make it quiet at any time if necessary.

'If you mix it with a parasite colony, it can be quite helpful in espionage warfare.'

The Inmyeonsu feature can be used quite well when information is needed. Although a significant portion of memories are lost when genes are acquired, most recent memories are preserved.

Thanks to this trait, I was able to prepare the research base, or spacecraft, for departure before returning to the continent. Once your cooldown is over, you can take a spaceship and leave this planet at any time.

In any case, in addition to the function of acquiring information, the number of people has an effect directly related to battle.

'Sonic attack that paralyzes the enemy.'

If Pale Mask's hypnotic wave is a type of magic that seals some of the enemy's skills, the effect of my face water is very intuitive.

Temporarily paralyzing the enemy through sound waves. Paralysis time ranges from a few seconds to a few minutes. No matter how long it is, it should not exceed 5 minutes.

You may think it's shorter than you think, but it's not.

In a fight against a strong enemy, it is a technique that prevents the enemy from doing anything for a few minutes. It has a similar effect to the psychic power technique 'Binding', but the Inmyeonsu's paralyzing sound wave attack completely ignores the opponent's psychic resistance.

'It doesn't work against enemies without ears, though.'

No such enemy exists here. In particular, the crab-like monster Swamp King standing in front of me has very good hearing.

｢Giiii?｣

The four eyes on the guy wander. He's probably confused. The body floating on the surface of the water is much smaller than itself, but there are three corpses of its compatriots next to it.

'You'll be wondering whether to run away or attack.'

Unlike him, I'm not really worried. Like the three so far, it will take the same choice.

I waited leisurely, confident that he would attack.

｢Giiiiii｣

And what he chose was an option between attack and retreat. Immediately call the corpse catfish and have it attack first.

White eels came out from under the creature's armor and fell onto the swamp.

'That's clever.'

All three of the animals I've fought so far have either lunged at me or turned their backs and run away, but this one seems to be the smartest one.

'The corpse catfish created by the Swamp King makes an attack that ignores defense.'

Since I have become a semi-adult, my carapace's defense power has increased to a level different from before, but it is useless against the carcass catfish's digestive juices.

I responded by pulling out an erosion tentacle from its back sticking out over the swamp. Every time the long tentacles hit the surface of the water, the corpse catfish were cut into pieces.

｢Ki giiii｣

I think he thought it was worth it after seeing that I didn't use any other means of attack. A guy much bigger than my upper body approaches me quickly.

The two ridges attached to the front of the body crackle menacingly. I'm sure they're planning to rip my head off with that house development.

But nothing happens the way he wants.

'I guess this is enough.'

When I decided that he was at a reasonable distance, I launched a real attack.

"I don't like it…kigiii."

The beast under my control opened its mouth and made a strange sound. A second, swirl-shaped mouth protruded from inside the mouth.

Invisible sound waves were fired from the hideous-looking second mouth.

"Awesome?!"

The Swamp King stopped in the same way he was running. The guy didn't move as he opened his house. After paralyzing him, I launched a second attack.

My lower body and tail, buried beneath the swamp, wriggled loudly. My body, hidden underground, burst upward, shattering the ground where Swamp King was standing.

｢Giiii?｣

The Swamp King, as heavy as the Pale Mask, hit my tail and floated in the air for a moment. The guy barely supported his body, which almost flipped over, with his legs behind him.

However, it is already an established fact that the attitude has collapsed. My tail and lower body quickly wrapped around him.

The size of the Swamp King is quite large, but it is not comparable to my body. Even without the hunting symbol, its body length is well over 20m.

I wrapped my tail around its armor and lifted my upper body on top of it using the muscles in my lower back. Then, it grabbed all 10 of its legs with its eroding tentacles and fighting arms.

｢Geeeeee!｣

The leg carapace of the Swamp King is very hard. Even when it becomes a sub-adult, there are limited ways to break its leg carapace. Currently, there is no other way than to use the symbol of hunting to strengthen the body and then strike it down.

However, there is no need to break the bridge. All you have to do is make sure you can't move your legs.

After confirming that the tentacles and arms were firmly holding the creature's legs, I began to tighten the tail on its armor.

｢Giiiiii｣

Among the Swamp King's carapace, the part with the lowest physical defense is the carapace. Realizing that his life was at stake, he screamed and hit my back and tail with his claws.

'It's no use.'

If it had been before, the current attack would have resulted in significant injuries. In fact, when I attacked it as a sub-adult using the symbol of hunting, its claws almost broke my back arm.

But now I am a semi-adult. This level of attack cannot cause effective damage to me.

'That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, though.'

It's enough to endure. Ignoring its resistance, I gave strength to the tail wrapped around its armor.

｢Gi giiii! 'Kikikkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk'

A bursting sound similar to the sound of a walnut shell cracking comes from its shell. Swamp King screams in panic. I would never have dreamed that in my entire life, I would be crushed to death by something bigger than myself.

He struck me with his claws like he was beating a drum, but it was not enough to prevent me from fastening to death. A few minutes later, the shell was completely crushed and the animal died, its internal organs scattered.

It was a truly shabby death for someone with the nickname "king of the swamp." After confirming that he had stopped breathing, I relaxed.

'I hope it pops this time.'

This is my fourth Swamp King hunt.

I came here to obtain materials for nest-related fusion traits.

The others are in the nest I made in the forest.

The reason I hunt alone is because there are only 26 creatures that can withstand the poison of the swamp. Adhaina Sky Mother also has poison resistance, but not high enough to pass through swampy areas.

No. 26's resistance is high enough to swim through swamps, but it is not suitable for fighting Swamp Kings. Although it has become strong enough to be close to an adult Sea Demon, it is not strong enough to break the Swamp King's psychic resistance.

In the end, since there was no one in the group to come with me, I had no choice but to hunt alone.

'Please, just this time.'

The bodies have already been packed one by one to be given to the family. If this guy shows the predation effect, and if it shows the trait I need, today's hunt is over.

I ripped off the Swamp King's armor and stuck his head inside.

'It's delicious…'

Chewing meat with a flavor reminiscent of king crab is certainly enjoyable, but this is already the fourth time I've had the same meal. If you eat the same food three times a day, no matter how delicious it is, you will get bored.

After forcing myself to eat half of it, the text box I wanted came to mind.

"Predation effect activated! Succeeded in acquiring the claw gene essence.｣

｢Takeover the 'claw' among the characteristics of the 'Swamp King'.｣

｢Do you want to apply the 'claw'?｣

'Ah.'

Claws are a very useful trait in combat, but it wasn't the result I wanted. I sighed inwardly and applied the trait.

The shape of the two arms attached to the bottom of the upper body changed as the claw characteristics were reflected. With large and strong but small claws like the Swamp King's claws.

This claw also inherits the Swamp King's superpower resistance effect. Therefore, it overlaps with the 'Super Power Reflective Gloves' characteristic I have. This claw is probably the part of my body with the highest psychic resistance.

'It's an anti-superpower claw.'

I licked my lips and clinked my new claws together. The fact that the predation effect appeared the fourth time was good news, but it was only half a success.

Unlike the game, Swamp Kings do not spawn indefinitely here.

'How many more Swamp Kings are there?'

At most there would be about two. If it doesn't work even if you catch the remaining creatures, you should consider eating other creatures to gain fusion characteristics.

Since we are looking for nest-related fusion characteristics to use as transcendence level 2 materials, there is no need to create good characteristics.

I changed my plan and went into the swamp. While holding on to the body of the Swamp King that had been secured so far with its erosion tentacles.

And exactly 14 hours later.

I barely managed to get the nest-related fusion trait.

–

'Judge of Damos 08', the cult's planetary purification weapon and one of the mass-produced motherships.

The ship, which would normally be as quiet as outer space, was now very busy with sailors moving around.

"We'll be leaving in two days, so get ready everyone!"

"What happened to the psychic engine tuning?"

"We have completed coordination so that it can be operated in two days."

"Aircraft pilots who have completed mock training must not forget maintenance work!"

"The fleet sent by the Council will participate in the cleanup!"

"First, give permission to join and tell the captains to come to the mother ship's office. "I have something to tell you."

"All right!"

The captain looked at the complicated situation room with a satisfied expression.

Although all the crew members were busy concentrating on their own tasks, they had one thing in common. Everyone's face is full of vitality.

The captain always felt sorry that talented people were stuck in such a remote area and wasted their time. He couldn't help but feel even more sorry because they had voluntarily followed him, a war hero.

'Tsk. 'Once the Saigil 08 purification work is completed, I will have to go to the main castle.'

He is here because he is fed up with the council's secret struggle, but not his subordinates. To waste the empire's talented people in a place like this is tantamount to committing a crime against the empire.

'I heard that the priest of the Providence faction is rumored to be smart. Should I go see him?'

As the captain remembers, before the priests appeared, the Providence faction was a faction with a long history and nothing special. This is because the hegemony advocated by the Providence faction was not easy to receive support because it was an idea that did not take into account Megacorp or Star Union, the emerging powers of the universe.

Rather, the influence of the innovative faction, which emphasized exchange and enlightenment with intellectuals, was much stronger.

That all changed with the advent of a cult royal. He instantly made the Providence faction the best faction in Congress. Looking at this point, you might think that he is a cultist who is only good at politics, but surprisingly, he also has outstanding military talent.

Thanks to his excellent defense against the Outspacer invasion, the council unanimously appointed him a priest.

The captain also had a short career leading imperial carriers, so he did not know how capable the young priest was.

'There are rumors that his relationship with women is not good.'

There were rumors that he was sexually abusing female slaves, but the captain did not believe them. There are bound to be people who are jealous of successful people.

'…hmm. Still, just in case, I'd like to go down and look for a slave before work starts.'

A few days ago, the captain researched information about Saigil 08. On one continent of the planet live Wolffs who maintain a primitive level of civilization.

If the rumors about the priest are true, a female Wolf would be a good gift to win his favor.

'If the purification operation begins anyway, everyone will die.'

Rather, becoming a slave may be salvation for them. The civilization they built will be destroyed, but wouldn't it be better to live than to die?

'I'll have to tell my aide.'

The captain pondered how to win the priest's favor until the captains of the support fleet visited.

[🥳Check out my new fanfics— JJK Kaleidoscope: Divine Power Of Mangekyō, Naruto: Playing Minecraft In Konoha, Fairy Tale: With Sin Of Pride.]

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