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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s Disciple]
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Chapter 110
“Damn it! Screw this!”
Dylan cursed incessantly. His subordinates beside him cast uneasy glances as he muttered under his breath.
“I underestimated the enemy too much!”
After a prolonged escape, they were momentarily taking a break behind a rock, hidden from sight. Only six people, including Dylan, were able to survive. The fate of the other subordinates was uncertain. However, judging by the complete cessation of gunfire that was heard from afar just a few minutes ago, it was easy to imagine the grim outcome they might have faced.
“Damn it!”
Including Dylan and the Deputy chief, 32 people had come here, along with five heavy walkers. Now, only six people are left. Even if they managed to escape unscathed, it was inconceivable for Dylan, who had caused such chaos, to go unpunished.
“…Contact the cruiser.”
Despite the circumstances, Dylan chose to contact the cruiser, as it seemed to be the most viable option for his survival. Dylan believed that even enduring torture was better than dying.
Dylan disconnected the wire from the terminal attached to his wrist and connected it to a socket on a mask resembling a death mask at the corner.
Then, he pressed the button on the terminal, and communication with the cruiser was established. A short connection sound emanated from the terminal, and a communications soldier received his transmission.
“Dylan here. Where’s the leader?”
[She left for the continent this morning. Apparently, she got information about a treasure from The Mother of Sky.]
“Oh, really?”
Upon hearing the communications soldier’s words, Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. The pirates listening nearby also showed relieved expressions.
Without the leader, Dylan would become the top member of the Human Cartel. If they captured the monster with the forces of the cruiser before the leader returned, the severity of the punishment for them would likely be reduced.
“There’s a top-grade danger creature here. I’ll send the information, so record it in the ship’s database.”
[Sure, understood!]
As Dylan manipulated the terminal, the video information about the monster recorded by his mask was transmitted directly to the cruiser’s computer.
[All information has been transmitted.]
“Good. Our lives are in danger, so we need to act right away…”
[zzz…zzz.zzz..zzz]
Dylan tried to request support, but suddenly, noise interfered, and the terminal became unresponsive.
“This bastard! Bring the cruiser here immediately!”
[zzz..zzzz…zz…zzz.z]
“Damn!”
In his anger, Dylan was about to strike the terminal, but then he heard the sound of trees breaking nearby.
It was a sound that the pirates in this place were quite familiar with.
“…….”
Everyone trembled, with their mouths agape in fear. It’s not like they lacked the weapons to inflict harm on the creature. They had a grenade launcher, the purple spray gun Dylan was holding, and an auto-plasma gun. The problem was that using all of these they could only cause harm to the creature, but not kill it. Everyone knew what happened when that creature retaliated against other pirates. That’s why they chose to hide and endure rather than confront it directly, hoping the creature would pass by without realizing they were there.
Thud, thud, thud.
The wet ground vibrated every time the creature’s heavy footsteps were put on it. As the sound of footsteps grew louder, Dylan reached a point where he couldn’t tell if the noise was the creature’s footsteps or his own heartbeat.
The seemingly eternal sound of footsteps came to a stop. In contrast, Dylan’s heartbeats reached their peak.
*Growl*
The creature growled. Hearing it so close, they could pinpoint its location. The creature was behind the rock where they were hiding.
‘What the hell should I do? What’s the best course of action? Damn, should I attack now? No, what if it goes wrong? Screw it! I don’t want to die!’
Dylan, in an extreme state of tension, seemed on the verge of losing his mind. His subordinates beside him were similarly trembling visibly, with their arms and legs shaking.
“Grr”
The instigator who had terrified the pirates like this moved its steps again. With each step, the reverberation felt from the creature’s heavy feet gradually subsided.
Only then did the pirates breathe a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing. Some pirates were so tense that they even vomited on the spot.
Despite the nauseating smell, Dylan didn’t blame his subordinates. Even he, a powerful cultist with a strong mental will, wanted to vomit but managed to hold back.
The pirates hiding behind rocks started to stand up one by one, surveying the surroundings. Dylan, after a deep breath, also got up from his position.
The creature was nowhere in sight, perhaps it was already gone.
Thinking it was fortunate, as he stretched, tilting his head back.
“…….”
Dylan realized the true meaning of the expression ‘heart froze.’ A purple mass was vividly glowing on a dead branch beside the rock.
“Fo..un..d…yo..u”
As soon as he grasped that fact, Dylan felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. A thorn, about the size of a kitchen knife, flew from the creature’s tail and embedded itself in his shoulder. Another thorn pierced the auto-plasma gun mounted on his shoulder, causing it to malfunction.
“Ugh!”
“Cough!”
Not only did Dylan get hit, but the pirates nearby also emitted short screams. They stumbled backward without energy.
‘Poison!’
“Co..me…o..n”
Seemingly unexpected, the creature smirked. Thanks to the unyielding mask, Dylan was not poisoned by the toxin. He quickly ran in the opposite direction. As he fled, thorns flew towards his back and stuck into the ground.
Dylan, reinforced by an enhancement drug in his reinforced suit, used every ounce of strength to run. Despite never using it before due to its side effects, now was not the time to consider such things. He had never witnessed such a vividly terrifying situation in his life. Even when he first met his leader, who massacred countless lives with a smile, it wasn’t as terrifying.
The term ‘monster’ was too mild for the creature. It was the embodiment of the primal fear that all sentient beings possess.
“Heuk…heuk…heuk…heuk…”
Running breathlessly, Dylan realized there was no sound of footsteps behind him and glanced back. Although the creature was not visible, he didn’t stop running. With his ears ringing from the mad dash, the sound of the wind seemed too faint to be a fighter jet, and there was no fluttering sound characteristic of a dragon.
Turning his head to identify the source of the sound, Dylan could finally make out the creature’s form. Flying through the trees, it had four arms, thick legs, and a tail much longer than its body, connected by a membrane between its arms and tail.
“Damn, it can fly.”
Dylan gave up the escape. While standing there dumbfounded and swearing, the creature landed in front of him.
***
‘So it was because of this.’
I examined the mask in my hand, it was an equipment I obtained from the deceased pirate leader with a folded waist. It was a silver mask resembling a human’s death mask, and I knew the identity of this mask.
‘It’s the Cult Quest reward, but how did he manage to get it?’
Known as the Unyielding Mask, it grants immunity to poison and mental attacks to the wearer, as well as the ability to see hidden targets.
It’s not a common piece of equipment, as it’s a reward obtained from clearing a Cult Quest, though not of the unique grade. Obtaining the Unyielding Mask requires clearing a relatively complex dungeon.
‘Are there other players here besides me?’
Players might naturally accept quests, but this is the real world. It was hard to imagine that the pirate in front of me fully understood the system of quests and obtained this equipment.
‘If there are other players besides me, how did they come in?’
Until now, I thought I was the only one who entered the world of Space Survival, never considering the existence of other users. If there were, it would pose a significant problem.
‘How should I deal with them?’
I don’t have much to say after devouring countless people, but when the target is a player, it becomes a different matter. They grew up and lived in the same world as me. Frankly speaking, they are closer beings than those in this Space Survival world. So, if by any chance they declare hostility towards me, would I willingly fight against them?
The reason I ponder this is because I am Amorph. If they are players who have enjoyed the game for a long time, the likelihood of them trying to kill me is high. Moreover, for my ascension, I inevitably have to be hostile to other players.
‘Because the conditions for ascension dictate so.’
Similar to Amorph’s ascension, other species also include the subjugation of beings from different races in their ultimate goals. If other players aim for ascension, the possibility of having a friendly relation with them is very low.
‘…No. The information is still too scarce.’
It’s premature to decide how to deal with other players. It’s much more productive to gather enough information and make a decision with a clear mind. I should probably ask the pirates I paralyzed earlier about it. Where and how they obtained the Unyielding Mask. If it was obtained through looting, then from whom, etc.
I grabbed the mask and devoured the body of the cult leader without leaving anything behind.
‘Other players huh…’
If players exist somewhere in this world, I should meet them after becoming as strong as possible. Even if I decide not to be hostile towards them, they might be hostile towards me. If I meet them in a weakened state, I’ll only become a slave or prey. The thought of becoming someone’s slave or prey is intolerable for me.
So, I immediately did what only an Amorph can do: hunt, prey, and evolve.
‘I must become more powerful than anyone to make decisions freely at the moment of choice.’
With that in mind, I retraced my steps. The paralyzed pirates are probably still eagerly waiting for me. However, what awaited me was not the pirates.
“Grrrrrr.”
Seeing them, I quickly crouched down. The protective coloration effect activated, changing my body color to a shade similar to the nearby reddish deadwood.
“Grr?”
A large theropod with horns on its head, a 20-meter body length and a height of 9 meters to the hip, looked away from devouring pirates and glanced in my direction. It was a dangerous creature, a Horned Gigrant, positioned high in the food chain of this forest.
“Grrrrrr?”
Although it couldn’t see me, it sensed a different scent coming from my direction. However, the scent of cult blood from my body seemed to mix with the scent of the pirates’ blood, making it difficult to clearly distinguish.
While one focused on finding me in hiding, the other tried to secretly snatch a pirate.
“Grrrrrr.”
“Graaaaaah!”
“Grrr….”
The one that had been staring at me finally stopped paying attention and roared at another, implying not to stare at me. They devoured all five pirates around the rocks and leisurely left.
‘Oh no.’
Confirming their departure, I stood up.
‘The Horned Gigrant came all the way here.’
I considered trying to confront them, but at my current level, it’s challenging to deal with them.
‘I could somehow kill one, but….’
Horned Gigrant is already a powerful predator, and it has a fearsome unique ability.
‘It’s difficult to deal with when it goes into Frenzy Mode.’
Horned Gigrant always travels in pairs, and if one of them dies, the remaining one’s stats become significantly higher. It’s already tough exterior becomes even tougher, making it nearly impossible to inflict damage with my psychokinesis breath. Its jaw strength also becomes so powerful that it can easily crush my head.
Even if I manage to win in a fight, if the injuries become too severe, it would be a loss. Because there are still enemies left for me to fight with.
‘I should move again once they leave.’
Originally, the habitat of Horned Gigrant is far from here. They probably came here due to the bomb I used while hunting pirates, attracting their attention.
They will probably return to their habitat when they are satisfied with their meal.
‘But seriously, they ate everything without leaving anything?’
Because Horned Gigrant devoured all the pirates, there’s no one left to ask about the origin of the mask.
‘However, there are dozens of nearby camps.’
If I roam around and hunt pirates, I can somehow gather information. If that’s not enough, I might have to aim for a cruiser.
‘Let’s rest until the Horned Gigrant leaves.’
I’ve wiped out the pirates, and although I don’t know how significant a stake they had in the Humanity Cartel, they are currently annihilated. It will take some more time until the enemies come looking for me again.
Climbing up a tree, I crouched down.
Confirming the activation of the protective coloration, I quietly closed my eyes.
Since entering this continent, I parted ways with the kids, hunted pirates with strange names, and obtained unexpected information about the player.
The jumbled thoughts inside my head gradually became blurry, and drowsiness started to overwhelm me.
‘Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I slept alone.’
I’ve always had Number 26 by my side all this time. It’s been a while since I’ve closed my eyes alone.
Feeling somewhat lonely for reasons unknown, I slowly drifted into sleep.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s Disciple]
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