Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 326
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The time when the sun of the night covered Verzan-02.
Isabel, having finished a difficult task, returned to her quarters.
She sat down on the old bed and began to remove the bandages wrapped around her feet. As she unwound the bandages that had been wrapped tightly all day due to her work, her toes, which were regenerating beneath the hardened scabs, became visible.
Coldbloods possess unique internal characteristics specific to their species. Thanks to this, they can adapt well to harsh environments and survive for long periods without food. Even if parts of the body are lost, they can recover as long as they consume sufficient nutrition over time.
"......"
Despite her far superior physical abilities compared to humans, she wasn’t happy. No matter how great the crisis, she had survived because of this cursed body. It was always her responsibility to watch her loved ones die.
'But it's almost over now.'
After re-bandaging her recovering toes, she sat at the table in the corner of the room and took out a stone from the drawer.
It was a stone resembling the diamond suit of a deck of cards.
She pulled out the wires running under the table and connected them to the stone. The stone then began to emit light and floated into the air.
｢It's late.｣
The voice emanating from the stone was modulated, making it difficult to tell whether it was male or female. Of course, Isabel knew who the voice belonged to.
“Sorry, I was delayed because there was a lot of work.”
｢How is the ‘tool’ performing?｣
“The compatibility has risen to 65%.”
｢65%? Why has it slowed down so much all of a sudden?｣
“I can’t verify that. However, based on the physical reactions, it’s slowly improving.”
At the end of each day, it was her duty to report matters related to the ‘plan’ to the figure on the other side of the stone. Today was no different.
But the other party didn’t seem to think so.
｢There must be no deviation from the plan. The plan is already shaken due to unforeseen variables. If there’s another mistake here, there will be deserters.｣
“......”
｢The reason we saved you is because of your ‘eyes’. If your eyes were to fail, there would be no reason to keep you.｣
At the cold warning from the stone, Isabel closed her mouth.
The fact that she, being chased by the rankers of the Dominion Rankers, was able to hide on Verzan-02 was due to the person she was currently in contact with.
The reason the other party hadn’t killed her yet was because of her abilities.
｢Name: Telepathic Communication Stone
Status: Operational
...(Additional information available)｣
The world Isabel, ranked 22nd among the Coldbloods, saw was different from others.
What she perceived as the world was information itself. What others saw as just a floating stone in the air was something entirely different to her eyes.
She could see its name, its status, its purpose, the identity of the person she was communicating with, and more. All the details related to the stone were transmitted to her brain through her eyes.
‘The All-Seeing Eyes.’
Her special ability allowed her to read hidden information about objects. She could tell if someone was a ranker, what abilities they possessed, and if they approached her with hostile intent.
However, since she could only see through her eyes, it wasn’t a perfect power.
In fact, the reason she became a fugitive from the rankers was that she couldn’t resolve this weakness. The rankers of the Dominion attacked her comrades with overwhelming power. Only thanks to her special ability was she able to barely escape.
The problem, however, was with the people she had been protecting. Moving secretly with dozens of individuals wasn’t an easy task. If she had abandoned them, she could have escaped safely, but she hadn’t.
Letting go of precious beings right in front of her was something she could never do again.
Thanks to her ability, she managed to escape with up to forty of her kin for a long time. But eventually, she was caught by a Cult ranker.
At the moment when she thought all was lost, the person who introduced herself as Cynthia made her an offer she could not refuse.
To serve their plan. If she did that, they would give her what she desired.
｢We are mobilizing all available resources for the success of the plan. If you fail, we’ll have no choice but to reconsider retrieving your twin sister.｣
When the other party brought up the matter of the contract, Isabel stood up from her chair and bowed deeply in front of the floating stone.
“…I will make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”
The stone didn’t have the ability to show the appearance of the one contacting her, but it didn’t matter. She was being watched through hidden surveillance devices in her quarters.
As expected, upon seeing her submissive posture, a small sigh could be heard from the other side of the stone.
｢Fine. The ‘tool’ won’t deviate from the path of the plan. There’s no need to do anything unnecessary. Just report the status to me.｣
“Understood.”
｢Ah, and one more thing. Why did your toe get injured?｣
At the question, Isabel hesitated. Her fingertips trembled so slightly that it was almost impossible to notice unless viewed up close.
Eventually, she spoke.
“I was preparing food at the hotel and got pricked by a cactus thorn.”
｢A cactus? Should I send you some medicine?｣
“It’s fine. I’ve already removed the necrotic tissue. With this body, it will heal quickly.”
｢Tch, be more careful.｣
She lied without hesitation.
The wild cacti growing on Verzan-02 carried a potent paralyzing toxin. Despite that, they were used as high-end liquor ingredients, leading to frequent accidents like the one she described. That’s why the other party didn’t seem suspicious.
｢Well then, let’s end it here for today.｣
“Thank you.”
｢Ah, and the thing I said earlier... I said it harshly on purpose because it seemed like you were wavering. Don’t take it too seriously.｣
“It’s alright.”
｢Good. Just remember that we are the only humans in this world. The plan is for all of us. Understand?｣
“Yes.”
With those words, the light of the stone went out. She stood up and put the stone away.
“Ugh.”
Due to the surveillance devices in her quarters, she couldn’t even express her anger freely. The only thing she could do was to grit her teeth cautiously, like she had been doing.
‘Just a little longer.’
If the secret plan she had been working on succeeded, it would eliminate one of the factors she had to worry about. That would give her much more freedom of action.
‘The arrival of Seoa and Amorph was unexpected.’
She had thought they would come eventually if they were alive, as she still had the communicator Seoa had given her.
But she hadn’t expected the timing to be so perfect. Moreover, Amorph, who had been her nemesis in the game, was with her.
‘The orbital bombardment from earlier. It must have been because of him.’
She had also seen modified Thunderbeasts firing on other cities. It wasn’t common for an orbital weapon to strike the most prosperous planet in the Empire. The Cult must have gotten involved to kill Amorph.
‘They think Amorph is dead over there.’
He had used his camouflage ability to survive. But instead of reporting this fact, Isabel chose silence. It was to her benefit.
‘It would be good to ask for help, but that’s unlikely.’
If it were Seoa, it might be different, but Amorph would never help her.
There had been many instances of players who had fallen to corruption in this world. Given Amorph’s notorious reputation, it was more likely that he would be worse rather than better. She considered herself fortunate that he hadn’t asked for her genetic essence or special abilities.
‘It’s the same as always. I have to finish this on my own.’
She placed the stone back in the drawer and lay down on the bed.
‘Wait. This time, I will definitely…’
Isabel closed her eyes, thinking about her past the twin sister who had become her life and goal and drifted off to sleep.
---
The Mother of the Sky and I spent the night aboard the airship and moved earlier than the time Isabel had promised.
It was to gather food for the Coldblood slaves she was hiding.
‘Whatever happens, I need to make sure they’re at least somewhat healthy again.’
Coldbloods can survive without food and water for extended periods. However, this only means they can stay alive. If they are injured or fall ill while hungry, they can easily die.
Whether the plan is to raid the ships, or follow an entirely different strategy, it doesn’t matter. With bodies like theirs, it would be difficult to use the power of Vortex One.
“This, this, and that. Let’s get these and head to the next shop.”
As expected of the Water Fortress, even in areas mostly frequented by slaves, the quality of the food was far from bad. There were local products like edible cacti and desert-dwelling beast meat, along with fruits and vegetables imported from other planets. I gathered a variety of foods.
‘It takes me back.’
Before the accident, my father would always take me along when he went grocery shopping.
Since he enjoyed cooking, he would always ask me what I wanted to eat before going into the store. Having learned from watching him, I would sometimes clumsily prepare meals for my mother when she came home late.
‘Those were the days.’
But everything changed completely after my accident. My parents’ relationship deteriorated, and the only time I went out with my father was to visit the hospital.
Even after my body healed, though my father occasionally cooked for me, I could no longer enjoy it with the same pure happiness.
｢You know a lot about groceries, huh?｣
While I was lost in these memories, the Mother of the Sky spoke to me.
“Is that so?”
｢Yeah. I wouldn’t have expected an Amorph to care much about food.｣
“Well, they’re both sustenance, so it’s good to know a bit about them.”
｢…….｣
“I’m joking.”
Though she said it was a joke, her amber eyes, filled with suspicion, were still fixed on me. I casually avoided her gaze and placed a piece of meat into her backpack.
“This is Sandraptor meat.”
“Thanks.”
As MPS-05 began to eat, the backpack shook slightly.
As we roamed, gathering food for the slaves, it was soon time for our meeting. We headed toward the alley where I had met Isabel yesterday.
When we arrived, a small Coldblood was waiting for us.
“I clearly told you to come at the time we agreed on yesterday, didn’t I?”
“As you can see.”
I lightly waved my hand holding a basket, now puffed up and full of food.
｢I was late because I was gathering food for the slaves.｣
“Thanks, but…”
Isabel, who was about to speak to the Mother of the Sky, suddenly stopped. Her eyes fixed on the Mother of the Sky’s backpack, growing wide in shock.
｢Isabel?｣
Instead of answering, Isabel raised a finger and pointed at the backpack. Her eyes were wide open, and her trembling finger gave off the appearance of someone who had just seen a ghost.
“T-that… on your back…”
｢This?｣
The Mother of the Sky looked at me, asking silently if it was okay to show it now.
‘I was planning to show it later, but I think it’s fine.’
I nodded, and she placed the backpack on the ground. From inside, a being resembling a woman’s face with spider-like metal skeletal limbs crawled out.
“Liberation. Comfort.”
｢I brought it on purpose because I need to revise the plan. This is from a mutant screamer…｣
“U-unnie…!”
｢Hmm?｣
Just as the Mother of the Sky was about to explain, Isabel suddenly rushed toward her. The Mother of the Sky quickly stepped back.
But Isabel wasn’t aiming for her, or even me. She reached for MPS-05, which had just crawled out of the backpack.
“Aaah-- Aaaahhh--”
Isabel was crying.
Coldbloods cannot shed tears, but she was expressing sorrow and despair with her entire body. The scales covering her body had turned pale, and a strange, inhuman wail echoed from her mouth.
‘What’s going on with her?’
I’d been through all sorts of things, but I couldn’t make sense of the situation.
｢Is she calling MPS-05 her sister? No way.｣
At first, the Mother of the Sky seemed as confused as I was, but seeing her reaction, it seemed like she had realized something.
“Do you know why she’s acting like this?”
｢…I’ve heard before from a clan member. There’s a famous ranker with twin sisters.｣
“T-twins?”
Hearing her words, something clicked in my mind.
Jason had once mentioned that he missed 22nd place but had captured the companion instead.
And the species of PS-111 wasn’t human it was Coldblood.
More specifically, it was a ‘clone’ of some Coldblood.
The being that Isabel was holding was a lower terminal of a mutant screamer made from the cloned DNA.
What does this mean?
‘Isabel is closely connected to the original of PS-111.’
“Warning. Detection of physical attack from another lifeform.”
While I was lost in thought, MPS-05 continued to struggle.
But Isabel never let go.
Her scales had turned pale, and she clung to it, oblivious to the fact. She looked like a child who had just reclaimed something precious.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
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