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Chapter 27

The wreckage of the cargo container lay in ruins, and within it was Elchen. His auxiliary heart had been destroyed by the attack from Garlic, but he still had one more heart, which kept him from dying.

The problem was that his current state was barely hanging on, to say the least. The auxiliary heart played a role in stabilizing mutated Hulks injected with various genes. A Hulk mutant without an auxiliary heart would die shortly.

He was an improved being, so that saved him; otherwise, his body would have been collapsing.

‘How dare you betray me? You damn bitch, I’ll make you beg for death.’

In reality, what made him angrier than the threat of death was the presence of the traitor. He wanted to capture and tear apart that traitor’s limbs right away, but there was something else to do first.

‘Damn it. Of all times for the device to malfunction.’

Even a clever person like Garlic knew that it was a shock-trigger detonator, yet she didn’t hesitate to break it. As a result, the timer attached to the nuclear reactor had already started. In exactly ten minutes, everyone on this ship would turn to dust.

‘Do you think I’ll die here? Don’t make me laugh! Do you know who I am? I’m Elchen Dvara.’

Even in his paralyzed state, he struggled with all his might. It was his unwavering determination to survive by any means necessary.

***

｢Baby, are you alright?｣ 26 asked as we ran. I could feel the little guy trembling in his small hand.

[ZZZZ (I’m already healed)]

｢Really?｣

I had the ‘Regeneration’ trait, so I could quickly restore my damaged exterior, which had been torn slightly. There were still injuries on my legs, but the bleeding had stopped.

While gently stroking Number 26 with my small hand, I contemplated how to attack Si-hyun.

‘A surprise attack will probably be difficult.’

Her eyes, the Terrors’ eyes, had the ability to see through things. Even if I tried to hide, she would probably see through it quickly. Moreover, from what I could tell, Si-hyun seemed to have an ability beyond just seeing through things.

‘I can feel her presence.’

Si-hyun had pushed me into a corner where I had to follow her. In that case, I had no choice but to go along with it for now.

‘Let’s start by eliminating the negatives.’

There were three disadvantages working against me: the time limit, weaker attack and defense compared to the enemy, and lack of information.

‘I can’t do much about the time limit right now. I have to focus on killing her.’

‘Information scarcity can only be solved by confronting her directly.’

If I had been a player who favored other races, I might have been defeated by her, but I was an Amorph player. The only people who knew more about the genetic traits than I did were the developers.

‘So, what’s left is my attack and defense…’

I considered going back to the control room to devour the cyborg, but that had its own problems. When I evolved to the next stage, my body would be completely immobilized for a minimum of several hours. If the bomb went off or I was discovered during that time, it would be over.

‘I’ll have to put my evolution on hold… Oh.’

Thinking about evolution reminded me of something.

‘The Psyonium!’

If I consumed Psyonium, I could use the abilities of Pre-saint for a short period of time. Si-hyun possessed Gallagon’s Claw, which allowed her to release a plasma-like energy called Windstorm, commonly known as ‘Sword Qi’ in the game. I had no resistance to Psychic Powers right now, so I couldn’t counter Gallagon’s Claw.

However, what if I become a Pre-saint here? If I become an ascendant, I gain the Psychic Power Resistance trait as an evolution bonus. If she’s really Gallagon, I’m not sure, but if she only transplanted Gallagon’s claw, I should be able to withstand it with my exterior.

‘Plus, I’ll gain a long-range attack method.’

While I have the Serrated Tentacles, they could only be used for mid-range deterrence at best. Facing off against Si-hyun’s Gallagon Claw with my tentacles would be inadequate. Moreover, our senses were linked, so if I extended my tentacles recklessly, she could easily counterattack.

‘Pre-saint’s long-range attacks don’t have such a drawback.’

If we were to nitpick, perhaps it consumed more energy? Anyway, I had to fight before the Psyonium’s effect wore off. There was no need to pay attention to energy.

I arrived at the lab nest and set 26 down.

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZZZ (Just wait a moment).]

｢Where are you going?｣

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZZ (I’ll keep an eye on it, don’t worry).]

｢Little one, it’s not okay.｣

[Zoom, zoom, zoom (Don’t worry about it).]

Despite my words, the little one didn’t move. It seemed like it had something to say but couldn’t bring himself to say it. Normally, I would have waited until it was ready to speak, but I didn’t have time for that now.

I left it behind and approached the lab refrigerator. Inside was a violet liquid. I pulled it out and swallowed it in one gulp.

‘Ugh!’

The searing pain coursing through my body felt as though I was being consumed by flames. Even during the times when they had forcibly administered medication to Number 26, the pain seemed far more intense than anything I had experienced before.

In the game, consuming Psyonium only resulted in a buff effect appearing at the top of the screen, but here, it was reality. I had to endure the process of my body being forcibly mutated by the drug.

Pain surged from my joints as if someone was forcibly pulling and stretching my bones, and my muscles felt like they were being inflated like balloons, tearing apart. The exterior covering my body also became significantly heavier.

In the face of excruciating pain, I kneeled down instinctively. I almost screamed, but I bit down on my lips to hold it in.

‘…I can’t pass out from this.’

How much time had passed? The pain that made me feel like I was undergoing several years’ worth of growth pains slowly subsided.

I successfully completed the transformation. I got up.

‘Success.’

Some of the changes in my abilities were visible. The reinforced exoskeleton I gained from the metamorph’s bonus had upgraded to a ‘Monster Skeleton’. My height had increased significantly due to the overlap with the Chitinous Exoskeleton trait. I was now slightly over 2 meters tall. The tail had grown longer, nearly reaching 4 meters.

‘And I have horns now.’

On my head, where the exoskeleton covered, magnificent horns resembling those of a yak had grown. Like the exoskeleton, the horns were made of chitinous material and had been reinforced, making them incredibly tough and sharp. Previously, the exoskeleton on my head had served only to protect my body, but now that I had horns, I could actively use them to charge or stab enemies.

When I checked my arms and legs, they appeared much thicker than before. One notable detail was the faint violet shine on the surface of my exoskeleton.

‘The Psychic Power Barrier.’

While the ability was in effect, a protective barrier that defended against Psychic Powers enveloped my body. This would shield me against Si-hyun’s Gallagon Claw.

‘And lastly, the Thorn Bone Launcher.’

My left lower arm had transformed into a different shape than before. Instead of four fingers, there were long, rod-like structures below my wrist. They resembled gun barrels and served as a type of biological gun.

‘Instead of bullets, it shoots thorn bones.’

It’s a system where thorn bones generated within the body are fired through small holes at the end of the barrel. It may not seem like much at first glance, but the Thorn Bone Launcher has some significant advantages.

‘The piercing power of the thorn bones is comparable to a plasma pistol.’

While the damage itself is not high, the piercing capability is immense, making it ideal for fighting heavily armored opponents. If I had faced the boss as an ascendant, she would have turned into a beehive as soon as the fight started.

‘Plus, I can apply special effects to the thorn bones.’

Just like the Contamination Organ, I can shoot acidic bones or poison bones. In other words, it’s like having a gun that allows me to choose the ammunition I want.

Although the number of Contamination Organs that spit out spores has decreased, unless I specialize in nests, this might actually be an advantage.

With that, the inspection of my new abilities was complete. The last thing I needed to check was the time limit.

‘I probably have about 5 minutes left.’

In the game, the Psyonium time limit was 5 minutes.

It’s not much time at all. I need to finish the fight as quickly as possible.

Just as I had finished all preparations, I sensed Si-hyun approaching within my detection range.

I linked to the nest and activated all the spores along her path. I needed to drain her as much as possible before fighting. Fortunately, becoming an ascendant seemed to make spore activation much faster and more accurate than my previous attempts.

‘She’s coming.’

With a loud boom, the entire spaceship trembled. If she encountered the mucus threatening her in the corridor, it should have been destroyed all at once.

I disconnected the link and immediately picked up 26, who had been standing next to me. The little one, who had been lost in some unknown worries until a moment ago, suddenly blinked in amazement as it saw my increased size.

｢Wow! The baby has grown again!｣

[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZ (I’m going to jump, so hold on tight).]

｢Wow!｣

I was headed to the location where the bombs were placed, namely the reactor. It was an extremely sensitive area, and even if she had absorbed a lot of genes, surviving a nuclear explosion was impossible. She would find it difficult to fight properly in the vicinity of the reactor.

I was running with 26 in my arms when she appeared in the corridor ahead.

“Where are you going?”

She had coated herself in acidic mucus, leaving her almost half-naked, but there wasn’t a scratch on her. She pulled out Gallagon’s claws from both hands as she stared at me.

‘Danger!’

I quickly threw 26 behind me. I had no reason to feel sorry for it. Her attack had already begun.

With a loud noise, a white blade cut through the air, and a crescent-shaped energy blade formed in mid-air. The blade struck my body with pinpoint accuracy, like a guided missile. It collided with my shield, causing sparks of violet light to fly, and then there was a sizzle at the point of impact.

‘Ugh.’

There was some pain because the shield didn’t completely block it, but it wasn’t too deep, and I could heal it with my regeneration ability.

“Oh?”

Si-hyun tilted her head in surprise. Apparently, she found it strange that I was unharmed.

I was just as surprised as she was.

‘I shouldn’t be able to see it normally.’

One of the reasons Gallagon’s claws were terrifying was that their attack trajectory couldn’t be seen. You had to predict where the attack was coming from just by looking at what the enemy was swinging, making it quite challenging.

I had never imagined that there might be a function like a Psyonium Organ because I had never encountered an enemy with such an ability in the game.

I had gained unexpected information, but now was a fighting situation. I will think about this later. I charged at her.

My enhanced legs slammed into the corridor. The combination of Type, Traits, and Evolution Status made my charge explosive.

Like a missile fired from a silo, my body shot towards Si-hyun. My movements were faster than she expected, and her pupils slightly dilated.

I had intended to pierce her abdomen with my horn, but she was no pushover. As she pulled out Gallagon’s claws from her other arm, she deflected my horn.

“Ha-ha-ha! That won’t work!”

I knew that too. Her posture had slightly faltered, but there was no sign of pain on her face.

However, my attack wasn’t over yet. With my tail wrapped around her, pinning her in place, my left lower arm aimed directly at her head.

“Huh?”

‘Fire.’

With the sound of twanging piano strings, a spike shot out from the end of the barrel attached to my wrist. The spike was aimed directly at her head, but she hastily used the Gallagon’s claw to block it just before it could pierce through.

“Nice try, but not enough to take me down.”

With those words, she struck my tail with Gallagon’s claw, anticipating my counterattack. I had already started to retract my tail in preparation.

At that moment, her black hair glowed red.

‘Red hair? Wait a minute, could it be?’

I quickly distanced myself from her, but I was slightly too late. For a very brief moment, less than a second, a drowsy sensation washed over my entire body. As I woke up from what felt like a dream, excruciating pain surged from my tail.

I managed to regain my composure and retract my tail, but it had been severed by almost a third of its circumference.

‘Wait a minute, that’s the ability of the Red Mist!’

The Red Mist was the apex predator that inhabited the jungle-type planets. It resembled a jaguar with red fur and could emit pheromones from its fur that induced hallucinations. On the surface, it might not seem like much, but once you were affected by those pheromones, there was no escaping, making it an extremely threatening ability. The only solution was to keep a distance to minimize the hallucination effect.

The White Gallagon was as rare as it gets, so I had no idea where she had obtained such genetic essence.

“You’re keeping your distance. Do you know about the Red Mist? You’ve piqued my interest.”

She smiled as if she liked what she saw.

‘She’s not an easy opponent, as expected.’

With the Red Mist’s hallucination ability in play, I had to find a way to finish the fight before the Psyonium effect wore off. When I turn into Metamorph, my long-range attack abilities will disappear.

‘At times like this, I need to stay calm.’

Panicking wouldn’t change anything. The only way for me to win was to patiently look for an opportunity.

After confirming that my tail had somewhat healed, I charged at her again.

“Kyahaha! That’s the way to come at me!”

She laughed as she kicked my arm. As my arm passed through the air, Gallagon’s claw dug into my chest.

Her attack, which was aimed at flipping me over, was thwarted as I twisted my waist. My lower arm hadn’t been idle during this time. From the holes between the four fingers, mucous projectiles were launched towards her eyes.

“Ugh!”

No matter how strong she was, it seemed that she couldn’t avoid the physiological disgust as she quickly closed her eyes. I didn’t let this opportunity slip away.

I had been aiming for her shoulder with my sharp horn, but unfortunately, it was a shallow hit. She quickly moved her shoulder, avoiding a deep wound.

“Do you want to keep playing around?”

Her hair began to glow red again, and I quickly backed away. While retreating, I launched thorn bones at her as a restraining measure.

“Tsk!”

She stopped her transformation, and once again, Gallagon’s claws were drawn to deflect the thorn bones.

‘Did she just…’

She retaliated by firing a crescent-shaped energy blade at me. I managed to avoid it by pressing my body against the floor and immediately focused on her.

‘I wonder…’

There was no visible change. She appeared unfazed, but I could sense an unnaturalness in her expression.

‘I guess she can’t use two abilities at once?’

I had finally found a clue on how to exploit her weaknesses.