Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 314
For those encountering Space Survival for the first time, if asked what the commonality is between the Amorph and Outsparcers, most would give a similar answer:
They were both inspired by famous alien creatures.
The resemblance isn’t limited to appearance. When you play as either species, they feel reminiscent of their original inspirations. For instance, the Amorph and Outsparcers exhibit traits like altering their forms based on the genetic makeup of infected organisms or running vast hives to collect more genes.
Let’s tweak the question a bit: What would experienced players say about these two species?
You’d likely hear this:
Both species use ‘Genetic Essence’ as a resource.
The Amorph and Outsparcers devour other organisms to extract the Genetic Essence embedded in their bodies. The essence is then specialized to enhance themselves or their hive, which is key to evolution.
So, when do players controlling the Amorph or Outsparcers struggle the most?
Without question, it’s when the core of their playstyle their traits runs into trouble.
This could happen when an acquired trait works against them, when death causes them to lose traits, or when a key trait becomes inaccessible for any reason. Such situations make gameplay nearly impossible.
For players fighting against these two species, the strategy should focus on preventing their use of traits. Options include physically disabling the organs that trigger traits or using equipment and skills to nullify their effects.
However, there’s rarely a way to deactivate or outright erase an opponent’s traits. If such a method existed, even I wouldn’t have made it as a ranked player.
‘There are traits with somewhat similar effects…’
But you won’t find those here.
Moreover, what Si-Hyun used wasn’t a skill or a trait, but a weapon.
｢Both of them were bait, huh.｣
I knew Si-Hyun herself was acting as bait. I assumed her strategy was to lure me out so her ally in strange power armor could snipe me.
I was only half right. Both of them tricked me to keep their hidden weapon concealed.
They relied solely on that weapon to challenge me.
‘...I got caught off guard.’
To be honest, I’d be lying if I claimed I wasn’t complacent. My focus was split between Si-Hyun’s identity and her plans, rather than the fight itself.
The cost of such distractions during a life-or-death battle was severe. My combat arm showed no sign of recovery.
‘Stay focused.’
What’s done is done, but I must tread carefully from here.
Just because Si-Hyun isn’t here doesn’t mean the battle is over. I replayed the moment when she used the weapon.
While I was preoccupied with her ally, Si-Hyun retrieved the weapon hidden on the ground.
More accurately, she grabbed its components.
‘It was a crystal-like object and a firearm resembling a vacuum cleaner.’
She assembled the two tools into one device. Once complete, the crystal emitted a rotating glow.
Then, a wave of radiant energy pulsed out from the weapon. Standing in an enclosed underground corridor, I was hit directly.
‘No, even in an open space, I wouldn’t have evaded it.’
The pulse reached me the moment I registered it. Avoidance was practically impossible.
As the warning in the text box indicated, the Parasitic Colony trait within my body was deactivated. Originally, the swarm was generated from my combat arm, and its failure explains why the arm is now incapacitated.
After delivering this devastating blow, Si-Hyun didn’t press her advantage. Instead, she retreated with her fallen ally.
That sums up the recent events. Now, what questions and insights arise from them?
‘Why did Si-Hyun act that way in the end?’
This is the biggest question.
If she had used the weapon one more time, I’d have been rendered completely helpless. She knew I wasn’t in peak condition.
The fact that she refrained indicates there’s some restriction on using that weapon.
After using the weapon, she spoke.
"Was it not an Outspacer?"
The content of the text box was similar.
It specifically stated that the genetic core of an Outspacer had been destroyed.
The Parasitic Colony had created a fusion trait using the characteristics obtained from preying on the Outspacer worker drones. This was the only Outspacer-related trait within my body.
In other words, her weapon was of the type that targets a specific individual. She had fired a wave that would only kill Outspacers, as designated by the user.
This raises the second question: why destroy the Outspacer’s genes?
No, that wasn’t it. She must have had no choice.
I do frequently use the Parasitic Colony, but I don’t believe she knew this when she fired.
Rather, it seems more logical that she had determined my identity as an Outspacer.
The user must have known about me as a precondition.
If this had been a game, the weapon would have activated by inputting my species name. But this is reality. It wouldn’t work that way.
It must create waves based on genetic information.
I suspect that in order for the weapon to fire a wave that could kill a specific creature, it would need to have that creature’s genetic data input. I can’t be certain, but that’s the most plausible theory at the moment.
However, even with this understanding, I can’t perfectly explain why she “didn’t attack me.” If she had targeted me with the weapon as if I were a Metallic Gremlin or another creature, it could have still harmed me.
Was it that she couldn’t do it, not that she didn’t?
From what I’ve seen, Si-Hyun Yujin isn’t the type of person to throw away a perfect chance to kill me for the sake of her teammates. If she were that kind of person, she wouldn’t have used herself and her team as bait in the first place.
It’s more reasonable to assume that there was some restriction preventing her from using the weapon.
Perhaps it has a cooldown after use, or maybe it consumes too much energy each time, making continuous firing impossible.
Whatever the case, that’s the weak point.
If the weapon’s energy consumption were significant, it would make sense why she couldn’t use it repeatedly.
From her perspective, once she missed the chance to kill me, it became a gamble. Without the certainty of killing me, she couldn’t afford to waste the remaining energy. If she exhausted it, she would be finished.
From the situation, it seems her plan only partially succeeded.
I’m confident that her weapon doesn’t have my genetic data. Even if it did, she wouldn’t know exactly what I am.
She must have considered me an Outspacer from the beginning, never anticipating this scenario. Because of that, she succeeded in hitting me once but failed to kill me. Now she’s trying to flee from me.
So what should I do now?
Down in the basement, there are cults eager to kill me. From the Auxiliary Organs, I didn’t sense any cults coming here.
But I can’t know how long this luck will last.
I need to make a choice.
Should I pursue her or retreat?
Chasing her while in less-than-perfect condition isn’t a great plan. If I run into more cults while pursuing her, it would be disastrous.
The problem isn’t the cults themselves. It’s the one commanding them, the ranker on this planet. If they know my current state, it would be a serious problem.
The reason I hesitate, though, is because of the weapon she holds.
Who created her weapon? Where did she obtain it? There are many questions, but there’s one more important issue.
What if she managed to obtain the Amorph’s genetic data and confronts me?
If that happens, I would be in deep trouble.
So I need to resolve this here and now.
The best course of action is to eat her. If I turn her into a human-faced beast, I can extract information about the weapon, which would be ideal.
Even if I failed to kill her, at the very least, I had to destroy the weapon itself. The weapon she held posed a serious threat to my survival.
I needed to deal with this in the basement, no matter what.
The problem is, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Now that I had exposed my hand, she would know what I would target first. She would do whatever she could to avoid facing me.
If I delay, the cults will find me.
It’s unclear what her relationship is with the cults of Verzan 02. The fact that she moves alone with her partner suggests it’s not a friendly one.
But from the cult’s perspective, Si-Hyun is just an unwelcome guest. They probably wouldn’t see her as a threat as dangerous as me. It’s clear where their loyalty would lie between her and me.
The longer the fight between her and I drags on, the higher my chances of losing become. I had to end this the moment I found her.
Resolving to chase after Si-Hyun, I pushed myself up. My battle-arm, now out of my control, dangled loosely, dragging toward the floor.
The restriction placed on the parasitic collective seemed to have severely damaged the arm’s function. Even after transforming the arm using the ‘variable-type bio-weapon’, it didn’t move properly.
I lost an arm, but it’s fine.
I still had my winged arms, legs, and tentacles. I extended one of my eroding tentacles from my back to steady my unsteady body.
Even if I fail to kill her, I have to deal with that weapon.
It’s hard to imagine that a weapon capable of firing waves that destroy specific genes would be mass-produced. Even if it could be made, it would require the time and cost of a superweapon or unique-grade equipment.
Destroy it or….
If the conditions were right, I wanted to devour her weapon.
With my new goal set, I moved, following the trail left by my enemy.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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