Chapter 136
In the game, the size of Sea Demons is approximately around 20m to 30m. In other words, think of it as being about the same length as my body.
You might think it’s relatively small for a sub-boss-level creature, but there’s a trap here. Sea Demons can adjust their size and form as they wish. In their usual mode, they are only about 20m, but when they enter combat, they can inflate their bodies up to 100m. Its threatening saw blade tentacles also grow in proportion, and the range of their unique ability, ‘Abyssal Terror’ expands.
As seen with Number 26, Sea Demons generally possess high intelligence. This means they actively utilize their abilities even during combat. So, for players responsible for tanking, the calculations they need to consider multiply exponentially.
‘Even considering all that, this guy is incredibly huge.’
Perhaps it’s because it has lived for a long time. At a glance, its corpse was easily more than twice the size of an average Sea Demon. It even surpassed the 50m-sized Pale Mask, which is considered quite large.
Moreover, large and small scars dotted its pinkish exterior, clearly indicating that this creature was no pushover.
‘If it weren’t for the spaceship collision, it wouldn’t have died so easily.’
As evidence, there were wounds on its torso larger than my body. Even a powerful monster like this couldn’t recover from injuries sustained in a collision with a spaceship.
While looking down at the Sea Demon’s corpse from a distance, Number 26 approached. Dozens of tentacles emerged from its body and attached themselves to the corpse.
‘What’s it doing?’
I thought it might be a form of mourning, but judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like that. After attaching all the tentacles to the corpse, Number 26 remained still.
After a while, a violet light began to shimmer on the surface of the giant corpse. The energy, even making me, with my psychic reflection gloves, shudder with its tremendous intensity, moved along the surface. The tentacles attached by Number 26 were the focal point of the immense psychic power.
Using the tentacles like straws, Number 26 absorbed the energy, and a violet radiance emanated from it. The intensity of the light was almost indistinguishable from when the creature expressed emotions, but my auxiliary systems denied it. Massive psychic power was swirling around in Number 26. The amount of energy it absorbed far surpassed my psychic breath.
And then, the creature’s body began to crack as if the shell was breaking. Witnessing this, I was momentarily taken aback.
There was no sign of pain or distress from the creature, which was a relief, as otherwise, I might have intervened.
‘This might be something important.’
I quietly observed the creature’s transformation.
The golden exoskeleton that formed on its surface began to crack, and the creature, now concentrated with psychic power, swelled significantly. The body, which had shrunk to 3m while confined in the research facility, rapidly grew to about 10m.
The psychic power was so intense that even with my auxiliary systems, I couldn’t fully grasp the creature’s appearance, but from what I could see, it closely resembled the dead Sea Demon.
‘Indeed. It seems to be like this.’
Many players in the game speculated on the relationship between Sea Demons and Bubble Amoebas. Some believed that the two creatures were genetically closely related.
Among them, some players thought that Bubble Amoebas would grow into Sea Demons. There was a theory that the weakest creature in the ocean would grow into the strongest. There was some basis for this.
Most wild NPCs in the Space Survival world had a mechanism of growing from juveniles to adults. So, it was reasonable to assume that Sea Demons might have a fluid phase.
Despite countless players thoroughly exploring the ocean planet, no one had discovered the fluid Sea Demon. Therefore, the speculation arose that Bubble Amoebas, which looked similar in appearance, might transform into Sea Demons.
‘Of course, hardly anyone took it seriously.’
Many players kept Bubble Amoebas as pets. Everyone knew that even if Bubble Amoebas grew, there wouldn’t be any significant changes.
‘But now, seeing this spectacle…’
Looking at the scene unfolding before my eyes, it seemed challenging to dismiss the growth theory completely.
Number 26, or the offspring of the Sea Demon, looked almost identical to a Bubble Amoeba. Since it could hide its tentacles and fins inside its body, it appeared smaller.
The delicate, fluid state Sea Demon lived among Bubble Amoebas, protecting them. In the process, it would hunt down predators threatening the group, gradually growing. When the time came for the Sea Demon’s power to be inherited, it would undergo a mutation and transform into an adult.
‘No wonder no one knew about this.’
Bubble Amoebas were kept as pets, not combat support creatures. Even if someone luckily obtained Sea Demon fluid, they wouldn’t force it into a fight. So, it couldn’t grow.
Not to mention bringing it to a battle with the formidable sea monster, the Sea Demon? If one thinks about it, they would consider that a Bubble Amoeba with no combat abilities would be a guaranteed death in a battle with such a powerful creature. Unless someone takes joy in killing their own pet, they would naturally refrain from bringing it.
One must fulfill the condition of rescuing a Sea Demon offspring that looks identical to a Bubble Amoeba and bringing it to the corpse of a deceased Sea Demon. In reality, it’s an almost impossible-to-verify method.
While I was lost in thought, Number 26 continued absorbing the legacy of the Sea Demon.
However, at some point, the absorption rate began to slow down. Despite still having plenty of energy, the speed was gradually decreasing.
Eventually, the creature stopped absorbing energy. The 10m-sized violet luminescent body attached to the corpse slowly fell away.
The psychic power remaining in the Sea Demon’s corpse faded away as well.
‘What a waste.’
It felt a bit regretful to miss the essence of pure psychic power right in front of me. I scratched my recovered combat-ready head after shaking off the disappointment.
Even after the energy disappeared, 26 continued to glow. The light emitted by the creature was gradually diminishing.
No, it wasn’t just the light that was decreasing; the body itself was shrinking.
From 10m to 5m, and then 1m. The creature, which seemed infinitely small, stopped at a size of around 50cm.
‘Huh?’
It was a size small enough to perch right above my head. Its appearance returned to a slime-like form, excluding the fins that came out for swimming.
‘A pattern has appeared.’
If one were to point out the most significant change from before, it was that patterns had emerged on Number 26’s body. A spiral pattern of violet waves gently undulated on the deep pink surface.
Here, in the deep trench where sunlight doesn’t penetrate, it remains dark. However, if it were to receive sunlight, wouldn’t it shine like a pink sapphire?
The transformed creature approached me, fins fluttering.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Is it over?)]
｢Yeah!｣
Just like usual, Number 26 energetically responded with waving psychic waves.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ (A new friend will now protect the family since the old friend has died.)]
｢Yeah. I can’t because I have another family. I only took a little to give the rest to another friend.｣
Listening to its words, it seemed that the scattered energy from earlier was being transferred to another Sea Demon fluid in the water.
There was no need to bother with the mid-level tentacles of the monster, and it was unnecessary to mention that it had climbed halfway. Although the words suggesting whether one should have just eaten everything reached the monster’s tentacles, there was no need to say it.
Thanks to the Sea Demon and its consideration, somewhere deep in the sea, a new monster would be born.
｢Since my friend’s job is done, the big one can eat it now.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Is that okay?)]
With a positive meaning, the creature shone its body. Looking at this aspect, 26 was definitely different from humans. If it were a person, they would try to salvage the friend’s corpse.
‘Is mourning the death of one’s own kind separate from dealing with the corpse?’
Certainly, 26’s appearance was closer to that of highly intelligent wild animals with a social nature than to humans.
I gently stroked Number 26 with my combat-ready arm. The creature, seemingly pleased after being stroked for the first time in a while, glittered its body.
After petting it once, I looked at the Sea Demon’s corpse.
‘I can use the symbol of the hunt, but…’
With the effect of ‘Horizon of Nightmares,’ the duration of the symbol of the hunt increased to 20 minutes. It would be enough time to eat the head of the Sea Demon, which reached almost 50m. However, there was a problem.
‘I need to go up and eat the Pale Mask too.’
It took almost an hour to come down from above. Even with the drastically improved physical abilities due to the effect of the symbol of the hunt, there was not enough time to climb up to the top.
‘Besides, I didn’t kill the Sea Demon.’
The creature suffered from wounds that it couldn’t heal, likely caused by a collision with a spaceship. It had been languishing in agony and died. And quite some time had passed since its death.
‘It’s highly unlikely that I’ll gain any special abilities just by eating it.’
Certainly, due to the nature of the deep sea, the temperature is extremely low, so the corpse itself has hardly decomposed. However, since I didn’t kill it, the chances of gaining benefits from devouring are extremely low. Even if I use the symbol of the hunt and eat it, any creature I didn’t personally kill is treated as equivalent to a genetic sample. Eating the sample while under the effect of the symbol of the hunt only grants a 0.5-level trait, not the full trait.
‘On the other hand, it’s not the same for the Pale Mask.’
It was a loot that we hunted together, unlike the Sea Demon. If I use the symbol of hunt, as usual, I can almost guarantee obtaining traits close to a 100%.
‘Let’s put the symbol of the hunt on hold.’
After a brief consideration, I decided to eat the Sea Demon’s corpse as it is. Using the symbol of the hunt would result in more losses than gains. Even if I were to gain a 0.5-level trait by eating the Sea Demon here, it would be a disaster if I couldn’t make it up to the surface in time to obtain the Pale Mask.
‘Since the cooldown for the symbol of the hunt is a week, it’s impossible to wait and eat.’
The area we are in is close to a tropical climate. Even two days would be enough for the genetic essence of the Pale Mask to be completely damaged.
‘It’s a shame, but let’s consider this as nutritional supplementation.’
Approaching the Sea Demon’s corpse, I swung my combat arm. Cutting through the water currents, my sharp claws pierced the Sea Demon’s outer shell.
‘Indeed, it’s tough.’
Contrary to its seemingly soft appearance, the Sea Demon’s outer shell was quite thick and sturdy. Its durability was even greater than the Pale Mask, so biting into it wouldn’t be effective. Until I obtained traits related to jaws or teeth, I had to use my arms to tear off the flesh for consumption.
‘Tentacles of corrosion are good for swallowing, but cutting power is lacking.’
Now was the time to use primitive methods. I used my sharp claws like knives and began to cut through the Sea Demon’s corpse.
Although I wondered if Number 26 would find it awkward, it paid no attention to the fate of its kind. It simply played around, tapping the thorns on my tail end with its fins.
Having lost interest in it, I began to tear the flesh of the Sea Demon. No blood flowed; it had already coagulated since it died a while ago.
‘Let’s try it.’
I put a piece of the flesh into my mouth.
‘Mmm.’
The taste was as amazing as the strength of this marine monster. Contrary to the appearance resembling a jellyfish, I expected a taste similar to jellyfish salad or cold jellyfish, but it wasn’t. The flesh was more like salmon sashimi, with a slightly oily flavor. Additionally, there was a fragrant lime-like aroma.
‘Overall, it feels quite sophisticated.’
The only slightly disappointing part was that it lacked distinctiveness compared to what I expected. Perhaps it was because it wasn’t a freshly caught Sea Demon. Besides the striking lime fragrance, it seemed to be just a tasty dish.
Thinking so, I continued to tear off pieces of flesh and put them into my mouth.
‘Hmm?’
The moment I ate a particular part, I couldn’t deny that I had just made a terribly reckless judgment.
‘The taste is different here?’
Surprisingly, the Sea Demon had distinct flavors depending on the part. The flesh I just ate tasted exactly like snail soup. It was the taste I had experienced at a buffet in my childhood.
The common point was that even in this part, there was a lime scent.
‘This is quite fascinating.’
Amazed, I began to eat the Sea Demon’s meat. The deeper I went inside compared to the outer shell, the more the taste became intriguing. The blood had coagulated over time, and the overall low temperature prevented the taste from being fully appreciated—disappointing.
With a series of astonishments, I finally managed to devour the entire head and brain of the Sea Demon, excluding the fins.
‘Sigh. It didn’t activate after all.’
With the effect of the Essence Harvester, just eating the head would activate the predatory effect, similar to consuming the entire body. Despite having consumed the entire head, the predatory effect did not activate.
I had anticipated that the conditions were not favorable, but it was still difficult to completely shake off the disappointment.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Let’s go now)]
｢Are you not eating?｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (It’s okay)]
I left some parts of the body and fins uneaten. Even with just the meat I consumed, it far exceeded my body size. Any more nutrients would be unnecessary.
With that, 26 and I left the remains of the Sea Demon and headed back up.
As we left, the Bubble Amoebas behind us bid farewell, emitting light. After saying goodbye to them, 26 stuck by my side, swimming together.
｢It’s nice being with the big baby.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (I feel the same)]
While 26’s size was much larger than when we first met, proportionally, it felt similar to carrying it on my head as before. Perhaps it was due to nostalgia. Even retracing our steps didn’t feel boring.
After an hour of swimming, we were able to resurface on the island.
What greeted us upon resurfacing was the corpse of the Pale Mask, which had lost about one-fifth of its body. Beside it was Mother of the Sky, sorting its fur.
‘It took longer than I thought.’
Mother of the Sky greeted me with eye contact. I turned my head and surveyed the surroundings.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (What about Adhai?)]
｢Just a moment ago, she was lying down, but suddenly she jumped over there.｣
She pointed to a large rock. Behind it, I sensed Adhai hiding.
Through the submandibular apparatus under its jaw, I could feel the heartbeat of Adhai. Seeing it beat rapidly, I realized Adhai was currently in a state of fear.
‘Why the sudden change?’
Despite the absence of any apparent threat, I didn’t know why Adhai was behaving like this. While searching for the cause, Adhai’s mental waves touched my tentacles.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (There’s nothing dangerous here. Why are you like this?)]
｢Little Adult｣ ｢Died｣ ｢Because｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Adult｣ ｢Death｣ ｢Death｣ ｢Death｣
Unsettling mental waves. After a moment of contemplation, I realized why Adhai was scared.
‘Could it be because of Number 26?’
Having absorbed a considerable amount of psychic power, Number 26 possessed substantial strength. Although not yet a complete adult, it had the power to contend with most psychic beings, like the White Gallagon and possibly even the next stage, the Black Gallagon.
Adhai was highly sensitive to psychic power. She might mistake Number 26 for a White Gallagon or the next stage, a Black Gallagon.
As I pondered this, Number 26 above my head called out to Adhai.
｢Little one! It’s me.｣
｢Little adult?｣
｢Yeah.｣
Seemingly having the same thoughts as me, Number 26 reassured Adhai.
After a few minutes of conversation, Adhai, now relieved, came out from behind the rock.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Many other parts are left)]
｢…How big is that thing? It’ll take days to eat all of it.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (It seems so)]
｢By the way, can it transform? Does that mean it can become the Sea Demon’s adult form?｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (It’s not perfect, but yes)]
｢Sigh. It really has become a monster.｣
Mother of the Sky sighed, raising her head in either admiration or disbelief. ‘Monster,’ she says. She doesn’t know anything. She’ll be even more surprised when she sees what’s coming.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Now you’ll be even more surprised)]
｢What?｣
Instead of replying, I activated the symbol of hunt.
｢What…?｣
Mother of the Sky, who had been looking at me, lying down, widened her eyes in amazement.
Like its name, the symbol of hunt, used for the first time since becoming a Quasi-Saint, began to transform my body into an optimized form for hunting and predation..
