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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s Disciple]
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Chapter 174
[Conditions for evolution from ‘Quasi-saint’ to ‘Saint’ have been partially met. Apex monsters hunted (APEX) 1/30 (incomplete).]
‘Sigh.’
I sighed as I looked at the fallen Ice Horror on the ground. While I succeeded in capturing one Apex, my heart wasn’t at ease.
‘It’s definitely tough.’
Even in the game, hunting Apex creatures wasn’t easy. From Gallagons to Sea Demons, only the most formidable beings were classified as Apex.
But that was just a game after all. While the death penalty in space survival games was significant, it didn’t compare to real-life death. Engaging in a struggle for life wasn’t as easy as one might think.
‘It would’ve been tough without them.’
Adhai, who had helped me in this fight, sat down beside me. Number 26, whom I rode, and the Mother of the Sky descended beside me as well. All three of them had been a great help in capturing the Ice Horror.
｢Big baby, are you okay? The big guy got hurt a lot.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ I’ll be fine in a bit)]
As always, Number 26, who had returned to its small size, was more concerned about me.
｢Formidable Enemy｣ ｢Hunting｣ ｢Success.｣
｢…We managed to capture this.｣
Adhai jumped around on the corpse, seemingly excited. The Mother of the Sky looked at the corpse as if she couldn’t believe it.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (Let’s eat quickly. We don’t have much time)]
The underground shelter we were in was barely holding up. With the Ice Horror and me having clashed, it could collapse at any moment.
‘If this collapses, it’ll affect the outside too.’
If this collapsed, it was evident that the ice plains above would collapse, creating a massive sinkhole. Given that the solid ice had sunk, the Gallagons would also find it suspicious.
Moreover, I didn’t have much time left.
The duration of the hunt’s manifestation was 20 minutes. Since I had spent most of the time fighting the creature, there was only about 5 minutes left.
The Mother of the Sky, hearing my words, looked at the wall of gold and nodded.
｢Indeed. It won’t hold out for long.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Take out its heart)]
｢Got it.｣
I picked up the High Priest’s spear from the blood and threw it to her. She effortlessly caught it and walked into the wound I had prepared.
｢Mid baby, I’ll help you.｣
｢…Thank you.｣
While Number 26 and the Mother of the Sky were inside the creature’s belly, I prepared to eat the head of the Ice Horror.
‘The exoskeleton is too tough to eat as is’
I opened its jaw and crawled inside. Passing through sharp teeth and hard spikes, I entered its throat, where soft flesh awaited me.
The flesh surrounding my body, they’re all edible parts. I started tearing into the meat spread around me while lying on my stomach.
‘Hmm.’
I thought the meat would be tough due to the creature’s exoskeleton, but surprisingly, it wasn’t. Even though half of its teeth were broken, the flesh went down the throat without much resistance.
‘Spicy.’
The Ice Horror’s meat boasted the spiciest taste among all the prey I had ever eaten. It was to the point where tears would well up if Amorph had tear ducts.
‘Is it because of the venom?’
The venom spat out by the Ice Horror was much stronger than the neurotoxin I possessed. Curious if other parts also contained it, I tasted the flesh deep inside.
‘This part is a bit milder.’
It seemed like only the throat and esophagus area where the venom sacs were located were affected. Among the creatures here, none were immune to venom.
So, I thought it would be okay, but just in case, I should warn the others.
[ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Be careful because the meat is poisoned)]
｢Why is it so spicy? It must be because of the venom after all.｣
The Mother of the Sky was eating the heart of the Ice Horror she had harvested. Through the auxiliary organ, her appearance was that of a Griffin. She had detected the venom while tasting in humanoid mode and transformed into a Griffin which had poison immunity.
However other than her, none of us have immunity to the venom. While I and Number 26 had the highest resistance to venom, Adhai could only eat the Ice Horror’s meat as long as she avoided the risky parts.
However, waves of pain and exhilaration poured out from Number 26 and Adhai because of the spiciness.
｢It’s spicy! It hurts! But it’s delicious!｣
｢Thrilling｣ ｢Novelty.｣
Number 26 seemed to continue eating despite the pain, while Adhai seemed to enjoy the new sensation.
‘It’s good to see everyone enjoying themselves.’
Seeing Number 26 eating something spicy, I honestly wanted to watch it, but I still had things to do.
Before the Symbol of Hunt ended, I had to eat all of the head.
‘I wonder what will come out this time.’
Since the creature was several hundred meters long, its head size easily exceeded 20 meters. I swiftly ate the meat covering half of my body from the neck onwards.
While I was eating my way up to where the brain should be, the Mother of the Sky called out to me.
｢Come out for a moment after you’re done eating everything.｣
[ZZZZ ZZ (Why?)]
｢I found a Screamer in the Ice Horror’s entrails.｣
[ZZZ (What?)]
I was taken aback by her words.
｢Don’t worry. Only the remains of a deactivated Screamer are left.｣
Although I felt slightly relieved at her subsequent words, I wasn’t completely relaxed yet.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Are there any nearby?)]
｢That’s unlikely. Judging from the corroded state of the deactivated Screamer, it’s been quite some time since it was eaten. Almost three weeks.｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (It was inside for three weeks?)]
｢Looking at the remaining metal skeleton, it seems similar to the one we saw earlier.｣
Listening to the conversation, it seemed that modified new-model Screamers had also entered this underground. They met the Ice Horror and were all wiped out.
‘Could the one we saw in the forest above have been the one fleeing from here?’
Come to think of it, it didn’t look so good when we met. At the time, I thought it was because of the battle with the Winter Walker, but perhaps it was chased by this creature.
‘But for now…’
For now, eating takes priority. I responded to her and resumed my predatory activity.
By speeding up, I was able to completely devour the creature’s head with exactly 10 seconds remaining.
And then.
[Predation effect activated! Successfully obtained ‘Gigantism’ genetic essence from the ‘Ice Horror’.]
[Extracted ‘Gigantism’ from biological Charecteristics of ‘Ice Horror’]
[Can be fused with the ‘Bone Axe’ previously possessed.]
[Fusion of ‘Gigantism’ and ‘Bone Axe’ traits. Evolving into ‘Bone Beast’ trait!]
[Bone Beast: Inherits and strengthens the existing characteristics of Gigantism. Once a week, the host can transform into a very powerful ‘Bone Beast’ for 60 minutes.]
[*Caution: Cannot be used with ‘Symbol of Hunt’.]
[*Note: The exoskeleton is not exclusive to certain species.]
[A new message has arrived.]
With the announcement of a new message, the famous trait ‘Bone Beast,’ beloved by all Amorph players, came into my hands.
***
Jason
He was a cultist with many nicknames.
Respected as the ‘High Priest’ of the Empire, the ‘Leader of Sublime’s Guardian’ upholding tradition, the ‘Hero of the Rebellion’ who defended the capital from the onslaught of Outspheres.
It was a fitting title for him, who was ranked 10th.
But recently, his compatriots added a letter to the front of his title.
That letter was ‘Former.’
Due to a recent mistake, he fell from the status of an admired hero to that of a villain who shook the security of the Empire.
In fact, he could endure that much. His body may be a cultist, but his mind is human. And humans make mistakes as they live.
But what truly drove him insane was the presence itself that greatly contributed to his downfall.
Ranked 5th, Amorph.
Whether in reality or in this world, Amorph was the being Jason hated the most.
The feud between Jason and Amorph had been quite long. In reality, he had created his characters several times because of him.
The reason he actively hunted Amorph’s eggs in this world was because he had suffered a lot from Amorph. Even though he knew his actions would hinder the quest completion.
Yet, the guy survived. No, he didn’t just survive, he thoroughly humiliated Jason.
The day he heard the news of the destruction of the Imperial flagship and the fleet, he realized.
Unless Amorph’s head is stuffed and hung in the bedroom, he won’t be able to sleep comfortably.
So, unlike his colleagues, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
High-tier equipment that could only be obtained by clearing late-game quests, loyal subordinates following him, and even a dedicated warship. He thoroughly prepared to the extent that even a mature Apex wouldn’t pose much of a challenge.
But that’s not all. Akira Yujin also provided support with a sub-boss-level creature, the Black Gallagon. At this point, unless one deliberately ignores it, it would be strange to lose to Amorph.
Until he first set foot on the frigid star of ice, he was full of confidence that he would finally be able to kill Amorph.
However, that confidence shattered after encountering the Black Gallagon introduced by Akira Yujin, ‘Great Old Grahd’.
“Damn it! When the hell is he going to show up? He’s not someone an ordinary Gallagon can defeat!”
Wearing dragon armor made from Gallagon scales, Jason screamed inside the vast cave.
He wasn’t suddenly losing his mind and screaming alone. In front of him lay an enormous creature.
A black Gallagon lying on various sparkling minerals. He was the emperor of the Gallagons that inhabited this planet, the Great Old Grahd.
｢The Great Old Grahd has spoken of an important endeavor will kill the traitor.｣
Old Grahd lazily replied as he ate the prey brought by young Gallagons. Despite his calm and lazy demeanor, Jason was burning with rage but managed to suppress it.
“You stupid lizard kid! That White Gallagon isn’t an opponent that ordinary Gallagons can defeat!”
Jason was shouting inside the cave, wearing dragon armor made from Gallagon scales.
When he arrived, the herd of Old Grahd was in a state of division.
When Gallagons mature and become adults, or Black Gallagons, they gain the right to challenge the leader of the herd.
For a long time, he had been the only Black Gallagon in the Old Grahd herd, but there was a problem.
The second-ranked White Gallagon female began to aim for his position. It was unusual for such a thing to happen after becoming a Black Gallagon, as it was common for a new Black Gallagon to emerge after Old Grahd became the leader.
“Why are you hesitating when everything will be sorted out once you step forward?”
｢Old Grahd speaks.｣ ｢Traitors gather.｣ ｢Waiting.｣
There were beings among the herd who questioned why adult Gallagons weren’t appearing. They thought that Old Grahd, the only Black Gallagon, had done something crafty and were rebelling.
Old Grahd planned to eliminate the Gallagons who rebelled against his rule during this opportunity. Pretending to take refuge in the cave was also an intention to deceive his enemies.
But that’s the Gallagons’ business.
To Jason, who knew that an unprecedented danger as a 5th-ranked Amorph Ranker was approaching, it looked like pathetic politics.
“When Amorph grows up, you’re all done! You damn skink!”
As Jason cursed Old Grahd silently, a Gallagon flew into the cave from outside.
The Gallagon with white scales folded its wings and bowed its head in front of Old Grahd.
“I, the Great Old Grahd, have been informed.”
“What does that mean?”
｢Old Grahd speaks｣ ｢Insignificant beings’ desired ones have been found.｣
“What? Is that true?”
Though he was called an insignificant being, Jason paid it no mind. Right now, catching an Amorph was more important.
｢Old Grahd has an important endeavor.｣ ｢Prepare.｣ ｢Follow.｣
“…He’s not going to show up until the end, is he?”
With those words, Old Grahd raised his front paw, indicating that there was nothing more to say, so leave.
It felt like a king gesturing to his subjects, and Jason gritted his teeth. He didn’t like how arrogantly Akira Yujin’s pet came out on the topic, but there was nothing he could do about it.
If Jason wanted to, he could kill Old Grahd, but then he would have to fight all the Gallagons here. If they fought, Jason’s group would suffer immense losses.
‘If that happens Amorph will tear us apart!’
Thanks to his reckless behavior in the game, his alliances were often destroyed. He had no intention of reenacting what happened in the game in real life, so he said no more and left the cave.
Once the rebels were expelled, even that unfortunate Black Gallagon would have no choice but to help him. Since it was Akira’s command, he also had an obligation to help Jason.
But waiting for Old Grahd’s help was running out of time. If Amorph was indeed here on this planet, then they were in a very dangerous situation right now.
“Hey, tell me the place that damn lizard told you about.”
｢Understood.｣
So, for now, he had to act alone.
Jason headed to the camp with the White Gallagon and his subordinates.
***
I woke up lying in the nest, focusing on recovery.
‘I haven’t been sleeping well lately.’
It wasn’t because of nightmares or unresolved worries like last time. It was because of the message I received after devouring the Ice Horror during the day.
After unlocking Transcendence Level 2, a new system called ‘Trait Enhancement’ was unlocked. At that time, even though it was unlocked, it wasn’t activated, so I forgot about it, but it was activated today.
‘I didn’t think there would be such a system… huh?’
As I tried to examine the Trait Enhancement system, movement was detected in my auxiliary organ.
There were no other creatures in the nest besides us. I quickly linked to the nest to see what was moving.
‘Number 26?’
It’s the one who said It’d go to bed early as he had consumed a lot of energy during the day.
Thinking that his disrupted sleep pattern was because of going to bed early, his behavior was strange.
Number 26 came out of the nest and disappeared beyond the passage.
‘What’s going on?’
It rarely act alone. Unless it’s an urgent combat situation, he always tells me what he’s going to do or what he wants to do.
But now, he sneaked out in the middle of the night, which was clearly suspicious behavior.
I got up and cautiously followed him. He seemed completely unaware that I was following him.
After he moved quite far from the nest, he suddenly stopped and began to take something out of his body.
｢Eat this.｣
[PS-111 deeply appreciates the dedication of the newly registered main controller.]
I couldn’t stay hidden any longer at the sound of the voice in front of Number 26. I hurriedly approached him.
｢Huh? Big guy?｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (What’s that?)]
｢Well, um, this is, uh…｣
Number 26 hesitated, I couldn’t pay attention to that fact. The small object in front of him. It was strikingly similar to what I had seen not long ago.
[PS-111. Unknown lifeform detected.]
It was that of a human woman, with machine parts and tubes attached.
It was the new type of Screamer we fought before, but with only the head remaining.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s Disciple]
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