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Chapter 107

“Why is this happening again?”

The pirate helmsman at the control seat suddenly struck the malfunctioning communication device. He tried hitting it a few times, turned it on again, but the communication device seemed completely broken, refusing to function at all.

“Seems like something sent by the guys.”

Although he didn’t know what it was, it was clearly a communication from his colleagues who had visited Camp 17. The helmsman called out to a fellow pilot outside to move the transport ship.

“Hey, got a message from the guys. They’re leaving, so hop on quickly.”

“I’ll just grab this and get in.”

“Hurry up!”

“Sure thing.”

Confirming that his colleague, who had gone out for a smoke, had boarded, the helmsman prepared for takeoff.

Just as the transport ship was about to take off, the vessel shook as if it had collided with something.

“What’s going on?”

The helmsman quickly checked the warning lights on the dashboard and found that the cargo compartment door at the rear of the transport ship was not properly closed.

“I told that idiot to close the door and come in.”

The helmsman turned on the communication device to call the colleague who had boarded.

“We’re about to depart, so close the door properly and get in quickly.”

“Zzz zzz.”

“I said close the door!”

Instead of a response, a red light indicating the cargo compartment door setting on the instrument panel changed to green. The cargo door had closed.

“Should’ve closed it earlier. We’re leaving, so hold on tight!”

As the helmsman pulled the control stick, the transport ship ascended into the sky.

***

“Yes…yes. It’s true! Their skin was peeled off and hung on the tree… What? Oh, yes. I’ll take a picture and send it right now.”

Reporting to the higher-ups through the communication device, the pirate activated the small camera attached to his helmet.

The camera, mounted next to the lantern, moved and transmitted the image of the bodies lying on the ground to the headquarters.

Thanks to the wire rope connected to the structure, retrieving the bodies was not difficult.

“W…what kind of devil would do such a thing…?”

Like any space cartel, humanity’s pirates had their share of brutality. Even before coming here, they had committed horrific acts against innocent Wolfen to the point where it was unspeakable.

However, even among them, the idea of hanging a fully skinned human on a tree was unprecedented.

While his colleague reported and recorded the video, a sharp-eyed pirate scavenged the blood-soaked corpse.

“…Seeing warm blood, it hasn’t been long since they died.”

That means the perpetrator who committed such a horrific act might be nearby.

“Shit, was there nothing caught on the bio-scanner?”

“If it’s unregistered information, it won’t be detected.”

The genetic makeup of the creatures inhabiting the Utopia-02 continent has been mostly cataloged by the Humanity Cartel, but if there are beings from outside, they can’t be avoided. The pirates involuntarily shivered at the thought of an unknown enemy, especially a monster preying on humans, being nearby.

“When is the transport ship coming?”

“I called them, and they told me that they would be here soon… Ah, there they are!”

The branches and leaves of the trees shook vigorously. Along with a deafening noise, the light from the transport ship illuminated the depths of the forest.

“Alright. Let’s all move.”

There’s only one open space suitable for the transport ship to land around here, and that’s outside Camp 17. The pirates naturally thought the transport ship would fly in that direction.

“Huh?”

“Why is it acting like that?”

The smoothly flying transport ship started to stagger and quickly descended in altitude, as if it were about to crash into the ground. And the direction the transport ship was heading was where the pirates were standing.

As the distance between the transport ship and the pirates rapidly decreased, the pirates’ faces turned pale.

“Everyone, get out of the way!”

The pirates quickly hid behind nearby trees and rocks.

The walker also tried to evade belatedly, but it was too late. The descending transport ship crashed mercilessly onto the walker.

The transport ship, crushing one walker, exploded, and flames shot up above the trees. The roar echoed throughout the entire forest, startling the avian creatures that were peacefully sleeping, making them all take flight into the sky.

“W…what’s happening!”

“Our transport ship!”

The pirates, who had taken cover behind trees or rocks, stared in dismay at the flaming wreckage of the transport ship.

As the transport ship carrying them was now in ruins, they cried out in despair.

However, their misfortune was not yet over.

A pitch-black creature emerged from the flames and attacked the walker.

Because it was much larger than the walker, it overwhelmed the walker without resistance, and the pirate sitting in the cockpit was pierced by the tail spikes. The spikes were so long that the pirate died instantly without even screaming.

Then the creature who incapacitated the walker then leaped into the forest.

The events happened so quickly that the pirates were just staring dumbfounded. It was only after the creature disappeared that the pirates, now regaining their senses, screamed in horror.

“Aaaah!”

“Sons of bitches!”

“What the hell was that just now!”

“I don’t know!”

In an instant, losing two transport ships and a walker, the pirates were completely plunged into panic.

“This…this place is dangerous!”

“Everyone, head to Camp 17!”

Among the pirates present here, the ones with the most firepower were the two walkers equipped with plasma launchers. In this forest, numerous dangerous creatures roamed around fearlessly, challenging them without a walker was very difficult, hence they decided to retreat back into camp 17.

Now, besides the unknown creature, the inhabitants of the forest would also be targeting them. Moreover, the area reeked of the scent of blood from the skinned corpses, indicating that monsters would soon come here due to the smell of blood. Anticipating the imminent danger, the pirates sprinted.

Eight pirates dashed through the thickets. Numerous eyes watched them through the leaves above their heads.

“We’re not far from the camp! Just a little more, and—!”

The leading pirate couldn’t finish his sentence. A snake-like creature descended from the trees, grabbed his head, and dragged him away. The pirates behind could only watch helplessly as their comrade disappeared into the treetops.

“A…Ambush…!”

Just as they were about to react, another snake descended, snatching another pirate. Bone-chilling sounds of bones breaking echoed from above, accompanied by splatters of blood.

“Defend yourselves!”

“A..ahh!”

The remaining six pirates pulled out gauss rifles and began shooting into the treetops. Among the dark trees, the massive form of something moved unpredictably.

“Darn it! I Can’t see a thing!”

The pirates continued firing at the perceived targets, but the creature continued moving unperturbed. Furthermore, the monsters on the trees were not the only concern.

“Aaah! Help!”

“W..what?!”

Dozens of bugs attached themselves to one pirate who had been focused on shooting upwards. Palm-sized insects, with sharp white teeth, chewed through the reinforced armor the pirate wore.

“E..eek!”

The reinforced armor worn by the pirates was a specially upgraded intermediate-level armor with high defense. Thanks to it, the armor wasn’t pierced, but that didn’t mean they could ignore the pain of having their flesh bitten.

“I’ll help you!”

Another pirate stopped shooting and shouted toward his comrade. It turned out to be his final words.

“Be careful!”

“Huh?”

A bright red snake descended from the tree and dragged him away. Other pirates turned around and looked to the spot where the snake had appeared, but thorns flew from the darkness and impaled their throats.

“Ugh!”

“Gah!”

They staggered like intoxicated people before collapsing.

Now, only two pirates remained.

They lowered their guns without hesitation and ran straight toward the camp. In truth, there wasn’t much they could do by going to the camp, but they didn’t have the luxury for such rational judgments. As they fled, they heard heavy footsteps following them from behind.

Initially faint, the footsteps rapidly grew louder, now sounding right behind them. Perhaps due to the pressure, one pirate, running frantically, got entangled in branches and fell.

“Help!”

“…It’s been nice working with you.”

“This son of a b*tch… Aaah!”

Leaving behind the cries of his comrade, the pirate continued running.

“Damn…damn.”

They ran for a while, but the camp was still out of sight. Above, the tree branches shook ominously, and all the visible trees looked the same. It felt as if the entire forest was mocking him, daring him to escape once.

However, they couldn’t afford to stand still. The creature would catch up with him in no time. Just as he thought about it, something furry attacked him from behind. The pirate collapsed on the ground, and the creature that attacked him, with eight legs, pressed down on his back.

“Don’t…please! S…spare me!”

Though the pirate pleaded with the unseen foe, the response that came back was sharp teeth. The creature’s sharp teeth pierced the pirate’s neck. The venom spread through his bloodstream, causing excruciating pain throughout his entire body.

“Nooo!”

In agony as his veins melted, the pirate screamed.

The monster that attacked the pirate, the Nightstalker, confirmed that the prey had been neutralized and felt satisfied.

In the next moment, as the creature was about to devour its prey, something grabbed its head.

“Huh?”

“What… is… this?”

With an unheard dissonance from the forest, the creature could no longer continue its thoughts.

‘Why are you eating that?’

I looked at the pirate in front of me, holding the partially crushed Nightstalker corpse.

‘He’s dead.’

Unfortunately, the pirate fell victim to the Nightstalker’s venom. Corpses not killed directly by me are treated the same as genetic samples. In other words, there’s a very low chance of the predatory effect occurring on corpses I didn’t personally kill. Even if I use the ‘Symbol of hunt’, I can only use it as a transcendent system material unless I gain the same effect twice, and I can’t enjoy any benefits.

‘The problem lies in this forest.’

Because there are many competitors other than me, if I don’t move quickly, I’ll lose prey like this.

I calmed my irritation by eating the Nightstalker’s corpse.

‘Meh, not bad.’

The taste of the Nightstalker’s internal organs, which remained intact, could be succinctly described as a croissant with pepperoni. Its internal organs were firm yet had a unique flavor. Whether it was due to the venom glands or potent digestive enzymes in its body, it had a distinct taste.

‘It’s delicious, so I’ll let it pass this time.’

Anyway, it’s already dead. After consuming the Nightstalker’s corpse, I collected the pirate corpses. Even though I couldn’t eat them, I could use these pirate corpses to instill fear in my enemies.

‘I wondered if the tactic of skinning before eating would work in reality.’

In a space survival game which gave its players extreme freedom, it wasn’t impossible to skin corpses. Players with butchering skills could obtain leather from the carcasses of rare animals. This leather was often used as material for reinforced armor or to accomplish important missions.

‘…Though there’s no need to use it to instill fear in enemies.’

Amorph could also skin animals, but with the primary goal of acquiring genetic essence, there was no reason for it to bother with obtaining leather. However, I utilized this method for effective hunting. While the skinned corpse didn’t directly debuff players, it was effective in delivering a psychological impact. Not many people would enjoy seeing a corpse with all its muscles exposed.

‘Especially those who host internet broadcasts really hated it.’

Because of me, the broadcast levels were forcibly elevated. Anyway, I had fun with this tactic several times and used it effectively during the battles on four different planets in the past.

Since it became less effective as people stopped fearing it, I eventually stopped using it. In a game, it might not have worked, but this was reality. Enemies were greatly shaken by the exposed bones of the unfamiliar corpses, making it easy to annihilate them.

‘There are still more enemies left… Hm?’

I slung the pirate corpse over my shoulder, and I noticed a faint light shining from the helmet. It was a small camera for recording footage.

“Better this way.”

I grabbed the helmet with my combat hand and exerted force. The metal helmet crumpled, and blood flowed from the pirate’s head inside.

‘They must have seen me through the camera, so they’ll come after me.’

In this forest, there are easily over a dozen pirate camps. Searching for each camp one by one would be cumbersome, and if they set traps with powerful weapons on the other side, there was a high chance I’d fall into them.

‘It’s not like other times when I’d go there directly.’

Not this time. Making them come to me, stepping into the traps I set— that’s the essence of this fight. They must have been on high alert after seeing the corpses hung in the trees; the camera on the helmet would have caught it all. Somehow, they’d put in extra effort to capture me.

Certainly, if enemies from all directions press me with powerful weapons, it would be an unfavorable situation, but fortunately, that’s impossible.

‘It’s difficult to move here with transport ships. The landing points are limited.’

Even the pirates who came to the camp with the lost contact landed in a distant clearing before proceeding. To capture me, they would ultimately have to land in predetermined locations and move on foot. In other words, predicting their movements is not challenging for me. Unless they decide to burn the entire forest with a battleship, everything is within my grasp.

‘Well then, let’s get ready.’

I moved while carrying the pirate and Nightstalker corpses. Behind me, a group of paralyzed pirates followed, pulled along.

“…”

The pirates, dragged with imprints on the ground, seemed eager to escape somehow. However, after witnessing me casually chewing on a colleague’s head like eating a snack, they quieted down.

The night is not long. There are many traps I need to create using the Walkers, the remaining tools at the camp, and the pirates.

“…”

Temporary headquarters camp devised by Humanity’s Cult division’s leader Dylan. Inside the command tent, there was a static atmosphere. It was due to the video sent by the team that went to investigate Camp 17.

After rewatching the video multiple times with cold eyes, Dylan summoned his deputy.

“Gather my equipment and select 30 of our best fighters.”

“Do I not need to inform the leader first?”

“Damn it, I’m in charge here. If I don’t deal with this shit, do you think the leader will just leave me be?”

Although Dylan was a cult figure beloved by the Cartel leader, he wasn’t showered with so much love that he could cover up every mistake. The leader of Humanity considered all her subordinates expendable. Dylan, too, was just a toy receiving affection from her. If the leader knew there was a problem with the camp, she would immediately strike him down.

“Anyway, I’ve already cleared all the Wolf villages around here. If I crush one damn bird before going, there won’t be any issues.”

“Understood, boss.”

After receiving the orders, the subordinate left, and Dylan replayed the video. It was to grasp as much as possible about what type of creature it was, its attack methods, or habits.

“Daring to provoke me? Do they know who I am?”

Although treated as a toy by the leader of the Humanity cartel, Dylan, as the leader of all the cultists in the humanity, was a formidable figure in hunting dangerous creatures. While waiting for his subordinates to bring his exclusive equipment, he repeatedly reviewed the video. However, even with the preparations, a lingering unease remained in a corner of his mind.

A monster slaughtering pirates in the darkness. Somehow, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the creature smelled similar to the leader of Humanity.