BXBX NOVEL Chapter 139
Chapter 139
It took some time, but with this, all the conditions have been fulfilled. I captured two more Swamp Kings, but the desired traits didn’t appear. I had no choice but to wander through the swamp and hunt whatever came my way to gather materials for Nest Fusion traits.
‘Thanks to that, it took a whopping 14 hours. Still, I’ll have to console myself with the fact that I obtained good traits like the pincer-like ones.’
｢Big one, can we really eat just it?｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (I’ve eaten a lot, so it’s okay)]
I nodded cautiously to Number 26, who asked. Having completed the preparations to enter Transcendence Stage 2, I returned to the nest with the corpses of three Swamp Kings.
‘This delicious food would be a waste if I ate it alone.’
When I was separated from them, I wanted them to taste this Swamp King meat.
｢Swamp King, huh? Haven’t had it in a while.｣
｢Me｣ ｢Curious｣ ｢This｣ ｢Delicious?｣
｢It suits my taste.｣
Surprisingly, it seems like the Mother of the Sky has preyed on Swamp Kings before. As far as I know, in her stage, there is no way to defend against the toxins in the swamp.
Unless there is someone’s help.
‘Seems like there’s a story.’
The griffon looked at the corpse with a bitter expression. Judging by her appearance, I could roughly guess what happened. Presumably, her husband, the father of the Earth, must have hunted the prey and they had eaten it together.
‘Unfortunately….’
She has to eat this. The flesh of the Swamp King is necessary to elevate the Wolf’s sanctification stage.
Currently, the Mother of the Sky is cooperating with me, but fundamentally, our relationship is a contractual one. She pledged to give me everything in exchange for revenge.
And I need a Wolf that has reached the highest stage of sanctification. Not immediately, but it might be insurance after I reach the Ascendent stage.
I extracted a piece of flesh from the tough exoskeleton and handed it to her.
The Mother of the Sky glanced at me once and took the meat into her mouth.
‘Lucky.’
Previously, when I treated her, I implanted parasites in her head. After killing Muriel, I judged that the possibility of the Mother of the Sky betraying me was very low. So, I lowered the interference stage of the parasite to the minimum, allowing her to move autonomously.
However, the fact remains that there is a parasite in her head. Whenever I give the command, she has no choice but to obey me.
But doing so would completely ruin our relationship. She is a quite capable combatant, and not utilizing her would be a waste.
Until I reach adulthood, or rather, until Adhai grows into a White Gallergon, I need her cooperation.
｢Tasty?｣
｢Fairly. Just eat without asking. You should try it too.｣
｢Affirmative.｣
She chewed the meat, understanding my intention. Perhaps she was recalling her deceased family. The pumpkin-colored eyes were filled with an indescribable emotion.
Still, there was no resentment towards me.
Starting with the Mother of the Sky, Adhai and Number 26 also began to eat one corpse each.
｢Delicious!｣
｢Yeah!｣
Adhai used her tentacles like straws to suck blood, while Number 26 tore the flesh with its tentacles and fins and put it into its body. Both seemed to enjoy the Swamp King’s meat fiercely.
｢It suits their taste; that’s good.｣
As they just started their meal, I informed them of an important fact.
I plan to enter Transcendence Stage 2 from now on. So, I’m asking them to protect me.
‘I don’t know if Transcendence Stage 2 will fit into the cocoon or not. Even applying the unique traits obtained through the transcendence system, such as ‘Perfect Organism’ and ‘Horizon of Nightmares,’ took almost as much time as regular growth. There’s a high possibility that Transcendence Stage 2 will take just as long.’
｢Big one, growing again?｣
｢Me｣ ｢Envy｣ ｢Adult｣ ｢Growth｣ ｢Fast｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (If Adhai eats a lot, she’ll grow quickly)]
｢Affirmative｣ ｢Me｣ ｢A lot｣ ｢Eat｣ ｢Eat｣
Number 26 and Adhai, who already know what happens when I use the transcendence system, didn’t ask separate questions.
｢Already evolving? You probably haven’t fulfilled all the conditions for ascension yet.｣
On the other hand, the Mother of the Sky has never seen me use the transcendence system.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t I tell her about it?’
The transcendence system wasn’t part of the game. Even for a ranker like her, it’s not strange not to know something that didn’t exist in the game.
I briefly explained the transcendence system to her. It’s a new ability that combines multiple traits to create a single one.
After hearing my explanation, she nodded.
｢Indeed. I’ve heard that later on, dealing with too many traits becomes a headache for Amorph or Outspacers.｣
[ZZZ (That’s right)]
｢But maybe that’s your advantage.｣
[ZZZ (Maybe)]
All the players who came to this world received one advantage each. Muriel’s advantage is in my possession. The Mother of the Sky also has an advantage, and I know what advantage she holds.
‘It might be quite useful for a Wolf.’
Unfortunately, the advantage she holds is not compatible with mine. To be precise, it could be considered a downgraded version of Amorph. Of course, like Muriel, if I eat it, it might adapt to me. Honestly, I’m curious about what would happen if I eat it, but as mentioned earlier, keeping her alive for now is more advantageous.
In any case, she seems to understand the transcendence system as a unique advantage of Amorph. I am also half-confident about that.
‘I didn’t receive anything other than that from the system.’
Considering the ‘Predator Sense’ and ‘Tentacles of the Monster,’ they can be considered to have performance equivalent to advantages.
‘Of course, the likelihood is low.’
Apart from the radical performance, it’s ambiguous to consider it as an advantage since it was obtained as a trait through the predatory effect. According to what Muriel and the Mother of the Sky said, information related to advantages came in the form of messages.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ (When using this system, I will enter a cocoon)]
｢Like during evolution, right? In that case, the weaknesses might be similar.｣
[ZZZ ZZ (That’s right)]
“Why are you carrying a sea demon and a Gallagon around?”
The griffon smiled slightly. As a former ranker, she knew well when Amorph faced the greatest crisis.
Honestly, there was no intention to do that at all. Acquiring Number 26 initially was an act of goodwill, but as the possibility of her being a demon increased, my thoughts changed slightly. It was an undeniable fact that I thought about raising her to use for my survival.
Adhai was clearly judged to be beneficial, so I took her in.
‘But now it’s different.’
As I roamed the battlefield with them, a deep bond formed between us. It’s almost difficult to decide immediately if asked whether I can sacrifice their lives for my own. However, I didn’t tell her that fact. It’s embarrassing to say it out loud, and she seemed to have sensed what I was thinking.
After patting their heads once, I entered the burrow in the center of the nest.
After returning from the island to the continent, the first thing I did was to create a safe nest. I found suitable land for the nest, dug underneath, and created a massive communal space. I dug enough to comfortably accommodate me, and the surrounding area was on the verge of forming a new hill made of soil.
After digging everything out, I laid down the nest to prevent it from collapsing. Thanks to the sturdy mucous, it could withstand a considerable impact unless it was too severe. The nest was created in preparation for Transcendence Stage 2.
I lay on top of it and activated a semi-transparent text box.
[‘Transcend (Stage 2)’: Unlocks a new type-related trait by combining five fusion traits. The traits used as materials must all be related to different types. Information about the new type will be unlocked.]
[Available trait list: Bloodsucking Tentacles (Fusion), Ghost Claws (Fusion), Contaminated Fungus Organ (Fusion), Protective Color (Fusion), Variant Enhancement Virus (Fusion)]
[Additional reward: The golden restriction imposed in Transcendence Stage 1 will be lifted.]
[*Note: You can replace the traits used as materials for the breakthrough with other traits. Keep that in mind.]
‘Good.’
As the explanation indicates, for Transcendence Stage 2, fusion traits related to different types are needed as materials. I can choose from the traits I possess to use as consumed materials.
‘In terms of physical traits, I’ll use Bloodsucking Tentacles.’
After obtaining Horizon of Nightmares, the frequency of using Bloodsucking Tentacles has significantly decreased. As a mid-range deterrent weapon, Acidic Tentacles are much longer and sturdier. Therefore, it is a suitable choice for material consumption.
‘It’s a shame about Ghost Claws, but there’s no choice when the competition is fierce.’
The competitors for Ghost Claws are Predator Sense, Monster’s Tentacles, Observer of Fear, and Psychic Reflection Gloves. Unfortunately, Ghost Claws seem to be the material that needs to be used.
Similarly, all the infection-related traits were useful, but I chose Contaminated Fungus Organ, which is the least versatile.
‘Contaminated Fungus is only effective against biological-type enemies.’
The special defense trait, ‘Protective Color,’ was chosen as it has limited usability. And the last material, ‘Variant Enhancement Virus.’
As the name suggests, Variant Enhancement Virus stimulates forced mutation in specific organisms. If I stay in the nest where this fusion trait is activated for a long time, one of the possessed traits will permanently change.
‘Frankly speaking, it’s like a random box for traits.’
On the surface, it doesn’t look bad, but in reality, this trait has negative effects as significant as its advantages. The reason is that the changing traits are entirely random, and even I, the trait user, can be affected. If unlucky, traits like Predator Sense or Monster’s Tentacles might disappear, replaced by something like Robust Vitality or Minification.
‘If only I could designate the target for mutation.’
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to change traits as I wish. There were times when I didn’t know this fact, and I had to create a new character.
Because of this, I only used the Variant Enhancement Virus when fighting against players stronger than me, especially Outspacer rankers. Since it can seal one of the opponent’s main or useful traits entirely, it is useful.
However, you should be prepared to become mortal enemies with the player who received this trait.
‘I should quickly use it as a material and get rid of it.’
After completing the trait check, I took another look at the materials.
[Would you like to unlock Transcendence Stage 2?]
‘Yes.’
The moment I answered the question from the unlocking text box, I lost consciousness.
Two hours have passed since Mofupak entered evolution. Unlike Amorph, who needed to absorb nutrients as quickly as possible, there was no urgent creature here.
So, the three leisurely enjoyed their meal for a long time.
｢Middle one, not eating more?｣
｢I’ve gotten everything I can, so it’s okay.｣
“?”
｢It means｣ ｢full｣ ｢Ugly friend｣ ｢eats less｣ ｢growth｣ ｢delayed｣ ｢’problem｣ ｢ugliness｣ ｢deepening｣ ｢regret.｣
“…”
Mother of the Sky had been suppressing the urge to squeeze the nagging lizard’s head since earlier. It was all because of the small Sea Demon, Number 26, in front of her. For some reason, the little Sea Demon had become incredibly powerful after something happened underwater. If she were to fight it one-on-one, she would have to endure significant bleeding.
So, she kept quiet, but Number 26 pulled out his tentacles and hit Adhai’s head.
｢Don’t tease the middle one.｣
｢I｣ ｢actually｣ ｢said｣ ｢ugly｣ ｢truth.｣
After getting hit in the head, Adhai retaliated, and Number 26 swung its tentacles again. This time, the target was not Adhai but Redwood nearby. When the tentacles hit the tree with a diameter of several meters, it easily split as if it were a ripe fruit.
Mother of the Sky and Adhai were astonished to see centuries-old giant trees falling after being hit by the small tentacles. 26 commented,
｢Noisy.｣
｢Agree｣ ｢I｣ ｢made a mistake｣ ｢silence.｣
Number 26’s terrifying power made Adhai immediately quiet down. Mother of the Sky internally adjusted her assessment of Number 26’s danger. She considered it a formidable opponent who might cause fatal injuries rather than just significant bleeding.
‘I thought Sea Demons were supposed to be quiet.’
Although Sea Demons were intelligent beings, they were treated as quasi-boss-level creatures due to their ferocity. They never stopped killing any creatures entering their territory until everything was dead. Once marked by them, you had to worry about Sea Demon attacks every time you entered the sea.
While Number 26 had a personality almost like an angel compared to regular Sea Demons, it was not entirely docile. At least, it seemed strict when it came to hierarchy issues.
As Mother of the Sky was lost in thought, Number 26 suddenly called her.
｢Middle one, I have something to ask.｣
｢Huh?｣
｢Little one, have you ever been a mother?｣
The griffin with the head of a man with a mangrove thought for a moment. She was named to match her departed husband’s name. The wolves on this continent referred to them as the Father of the Earth and the Mother of the Sky, combining them as the parents of all beings.
‘But what should I say in response to this?’
Although they married and formed a family, she had not experienced childbirth. For some unknown reason, they had not been able to have children. So, Mother of the Sky raised the indigenous wolves like her own children. Both she and the wolves called each other mother and child in this context.
｢…Embarrassing, but yes. I’ve played the role of a mother.｣
｢Wow! Middle one, you’re amazing!｣
Number 26 sparkled at her words. The innocent reaction of the little one made her awkwardly avert her gaze. Then, Number 26’s following question made her even more uncomfortable.
｢I have something I’m curious about!｣
｢What is it?｣
｢How are babies made?｣
｢What?｣
For a moment, Mother of the Sky thought the pink slime in front of her was joking. In fact, despite the serious reaction of Number 26, it seemed like a joke. However, Adhai also chimed in.
｢I｣ ｢curious｣ ｢I｣ ｢adult｣ ｢know｣ ｢want.｣
As Adhai often communicated as a synesthete, the Mother of the Sky often received direct impressions of what she was thinking. According to her feelings, Adhai’s statement was 100% sincere.
With 2Number 6’s serious reaction and Adhai’s curiosity, the situation became so perplexing that Mother of the Sky remained silent.
Even though she seemed in a bad mood while saying that, Mother of the Sky was not well-versed enough to know the Sea Demon’s method of expressing emotions in detail. Moreover, she was too flustered by the questions of these two small monsters to even think about Number 26’s feelings.
‘Are they asking me to give sex education to Sea Demon and a Gallagon?’
As far as she knew, Sea Demons and Gallagons were creatures in the game whose methods of reproduction were not disclosed. Furthermore, the fact that Sea Demons had bodily fluids was something she learned for the first time after seeing Number 26.
‘Adhai seems like a female… no. Leaving that aside, can Sea Demons also give birth to offspring?’
｢That, um…｣
｢That?｣ ｢I｣ ｢curious｣ ｢curious.｣
Seeing these two sincerely interested in reproductive activities, Mother of the Sky felt her mind fading. While pondering what to say exactly, she sensed something with her extraordinary eyes and looked into the dense forest. Her highly developed sense of detection, as well as her ears and nose, moved fiercely according to the owner’s will.
｢Wait.｣
｢Wait?｣
｢Oh no! Enemies!｣
Both Number 26 and Adhai immediately reacted to her emotions. They quickly dispersed and hid behind trees and rocks in the vicinity.
｢Enemies? Bad guys came?｣
｢I｣ ｢not visible｣ ｢enemies｣ ｢where?｣
｢…It’s quite far from here, but they might come this way.｣
Except for the Amorph, who was underground in a cocoon, she was the monster with the most outstanding detection abilities in this place. She could sense that there were fully armed cult warriors several kilometers away. They were moving as if searching for something, meticulously searching through the forest.
｢You should be able to sense them too. Focus.｣
｢Got it. I’ll try.｣
｢Concentrate.｣
Cultists emitted a powerful psychic power due to their racial characteristics. Sea Demons and Gallergons were the most sensitive creatures to psychic power. Even if they were far away, they could detect it sufficiently.
As expected, Number 26 and Adhai quickly detected the mysterious cultists.
｢Amorph… um, Big One can’t move yet. It’s in the middle of evolution.｣
｢That’s right. Big One said not to touch it when it’s growing.｣
｢Affirmative｣ ｢We｣ ｢enemies｣ ｢intrusion｣ ｢defense.｣
Mother of the Sky looked at Number 26 and Adhai with a serious gaze.
｢Yes. We have to stop them.｣
Her words were short, but the two small monsters immediately understood the meaning behind them.
Their most beloved being was in danger.
Purple flames flickered in Number 26’s body and Adhai’s eyes.