[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Thala]
Skywhales are highly sought-after prey.
Their wings, capable of firing photon cannons, are used as materials for MegaCorp’s weapons, while their internal organs, including the gallbladder, are utilized in cult rituals and ceremonies. The oil accumulated within their bodies is said to be useful for cleaning delicate mechanical devices such as android brains and spaceship computers.
Because they are beneficial to various species, there were always battles wherever skywhales were found.
Moreover, skywhales are a delectable prey for species that gain strength from traits like Amorphs and outspacers. This is because skywhales rarely have useless traits. Abilities like space flight, being a giant creature, and generating photon cannons are all extremely useful.
Could ‘energy absorption’ be considered useless? In fact, even this trait has its uses under the right conditions. If one has already acquired enough useful traits and no longer needs new ones, the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.
In any case, to every player, skywhales are considered Christmas presents. The trait I gained from it was not energy absorption. It wasn’t space flight or being a giant creature either.
‘I never expected that trait to appear.’
In fact, I had hoped for the skywhale’s photon cannon attack trait, but this trait isn’t bad either. Thanks to it, I was able to fuse it with my existing traits and gain a new fusion trait.
However, what astonished me right now wasn’t the trait.
The Gallagon, whose ecology is mostly shrouded in mystery, was currently molting in front of me.
While eating the skywhale, Adhai’s scales began to fall off bit by bit. At first, I thought she was just shedding old scales, but that wasn’t the case.
What started as a few scales soon came off in chunks, and new scales as white as milk emerged underneath.
That was the beginning.
She stopped eating and spread her two folded wings to cover her body. Although her large wings enveloped her body, I could deduce her transformation through the sounds I heard. The popping sound, like popcorn, was the sound of bones growing.
The wings also grew larger to match the body’s growth. The green scales on the outside of the wings shed like dead skin, falling to the ground, and new scales took their place. The thin film turned pure white, as if painted with white paint.
｢Big baby, little baby is acting strange.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (She’s growing.)]
｢Is little baby getting bigger too?｣
｢Energy of little baby is rapidly increasing.｣
Under everyone’s watch, Adhai continued to grow. Despite the sudden increase in size, she didn’t seem to feel much pain.
‘Is a special substance being secreted?’
In the case of Amorphs, their entire body is restructured in a cocooned state. Thanks to the mucus filling the cocoon, they don’t feel pain from the transformation.
Perhaps the Gallagon undergoes a similar process, secreting substances in its brain that alleviate growth pains.
‘First a sea demon, now a Gallagon.’
I must be the only player to have directly witnessed the growth of two rare creatures.
And how much time had passed?
A white lotus blossomed atop the bloody water. The transformation was complete.
The newly molted wings looked like perfectly crafted diamonds. They were both beautiful and undoubtedly strong.
Adhai had grown into a white Gallagon. Although her body length had significantly increased, it was still much smaller than her kind. Even compared to white Gallagons of the same stage, and regular green Gallagons, it was smaller.
‘4 meters? It’s slightly smaller than Mother of the Sky.’
Her body length was shorter than the griffin form of Mother of the Sky. Of course, if you included the wings, Adhai would be larger.
‘She feels quite different because of the body change.’
Previously, she had a delicate appearance like a young deer. However, now she seems much more mature. Perhaps the head remained the same size while the body grew larger.
Below her small head, her slender body had developed appropriate muscles, giving her a healthy look. Her long neck and waist now had a more elegant curve. The tail, which used to be plump and cute, had become fuller and more magnificent due to its lengthening. This gave it a pleasingly full look, not an overweight appearance.
Despite her small size, she boasted a beauty far surpassing other Gallagons. Additionally, she had a feature unseen in her kin.
‘She has red markings on its body?’
From the crown of its head to her neck, back, the inner membranes of her wings, and down to her tail, there were vivid red wave-like patterns. The striking red markings on the spotless white scales made it stand out.
The savior mentioned by Ham Ort, and the red markings, brought something to mind.
The ultimate creature, the Red Gallagon, the mightiest of all Gallagons, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Vortex One.
I have hunted a Red Gallagon in the game. In my memory, it was larger than any other Gallagon. Adhai, with her naturally small build, couldn’t be more different.
Moreover, the Red Gallagon, like the Vortex One, used a unique energy system. Adhai before us had no such mysterious power.
‘And in this state, She couldn’t beat the Black Gallagon.’
No matter how special or White Gallagon she is, the size difference is too vast. Plus, Adhai had just grown and hadn’t learned how to fight as a White Gallagon. I don’t know what Ham Ort was thinking, but her fighting Odd Grad now would be a sure defeat.
‘I’ll have to ask her directly.’
To understand Adhai, capturing Ham Ort seemed necessary.
｢I never thought I’d see a Gallagon’s growth in person.｣
｢Little baby, you’ve changed somehow.｣
[Comparing registered sub-controller2 ‘Little one’ with current compatibility 72%. Adjusting target features.]
Noticing our gazes, Adhai slowly folded its fully extended wings. The way she neatly folded its long wings was unmatched by other Gallagons in elegance.
It could be likened to a young bride in a wedding dress.
｢You look magnificent.｣
｢Yes, the little baby grew up splendidly!｣
Satisfied by the barrage of compliments, she emitted a wave of happy thoughts. Then, she looked at me. Meeting her amethyst eyes, I sent a wave back.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (You’ve grown splendidly.)]
Pleased with my praise, she wagged the tip of her tail.
With Adhai’s growth complete, we finished processing the remaining Skywhale meat. She consumed a lot of blood, possibly due to the energy used in her growth.
Even though the meat had lost its juices, becoming dry, it didn’t matter. None of the apex creatures disappointed me, Skywhale included.
‘It had a very unique taste.’
It was like a strong lemon-flavored Blue Hawaii drink turned into a firm jelly. The texture was almost like gum, making it fun to chew.
‘Not exactly a meal feel, though.’
After the feast, I called Adhai. I wanted to ask for directions to the nest.
｢I know the nest’s location.｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Good to hear.)]
While thinking everything was going smoothly, it cautiously sent a thought wave.
｢Big Baby, I have a request.｣
｢The nest has many young kin. Can you spare water-colored kin?｣
Adhai looked up at me with trembling eyes. I did not answer immediately.
Previously, Number 26 had shown compassion for her kind multiple times. Not just towards the Bubble Amoebas, but also for PS-111, which it cared for because it smelled like its kin.
So, I thought Adhai might behave similarly someday. Despite being abandoned by her kin, Adhai, possessing delicate emotions, might develop a sense of kinship, though less intense than Number 26’s.
‘Blue Gallagon, huh.’
All Gallagons are classified as Apex creatures. When I first contracted with her, I intended to wipe out the entire nest.
‘I never thought I would get so attached.’
Now, I hold affection, big or small, for everyone around me. No matter how many times I reflect on myself, this is undeniable. As long as it doesn’t threaten my survival, I want to fulfill their requests.
However, this situation is different.
Whether to exterminate the Gallagons or not is tied to my survival. To acquire traits and meet the conditions for evolution, I must kill Gallagons.
Even if I only kill the adults to meet the evolution conditions, there’s no reason to spare the young ones. There are still traits to be gained from Blue Gallagons.
Adhai has spent considerable time with me. She likely knows my thoughts. She’s highly intelligent. Thus, she’s probably proposed a compromise, suggesting sparing only the young while accepting the others’ deaths.
From her perspective, it’s a reasonable proposal. Unlike the kin who abandoned her, the newly born young are innocent.
‘What if I refuse here?’
Adhai has chosen to become one of my kin. Given the contract, she wouldn’t refuse my request to be led to the nest.
However, the impact would be inevitable. Exterminating the Gallagons would shatter our relationship. Not only would our relationship be ruined, but expecting her to perform in battles as she did before would be impossible.
‘Which option benefits me more?’
Should I sacrifice my relationship with Adhai and kill the Gallagons?
Or should I meet the evolution conditions and spare her kin, thus honoring her request?
As I was about to make a decision after much deliberation, Adhai, who was in front of me, widened her eyes and flew up into the sky.
In an instant, she flew so high she became a small dot. Shortly after, Number 26 came hopping over.
｢Big Baby! Bad guys are here!｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Bad guys?)]
｢Yes! Flapping bad guys!｣
After receiving its telepathic wave, my auxiliary organs finally reported the abnormal situation in the surroundings.
A powerful psychic power was echoing from above.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ (I’ll be right back.)]
｢Huh? Hey, where are you…!｣
I quickly flew up with Number 26 on my back. As I ascended, I saw what was happening above.
The sky was clouding over again.
A white Gallagon and ten green Gallagons were battling in the gray sky above the battlefield.
The old black dragon, the great Odd Grad, was in a rather good mood.
He had finally removed the thorn that had long been a nuisance. The rebels who opposed him had fallen, and the ones who fled would soon be dealt with by his subordinates.
The leader of the traitors, Ham Ort, would never see the outside world again. She would be confined to a dark cave, laying eggs until her death.
At last, everything had returned to normal. Now, Odd Grad’s pack would move according to the perfect order he had established.
He lay down on the glittering minerals spread across the cave floor. Just as he was about to drift into a pleasant sleep, a vision appeared before his eyes.
A black kin attacked him and slit his throat. He couldn’t resist at all. All he could do was helplessly fall to the ground.
The vision ended as he crashed onto the hard floor.
Odd Grad, now fully awake, quickly got up.
｢Future vision? Why?｣
Odd Grad glimpses the future through dreams or visions. Usually, these futures appear in dreams. It’s very rare for them to appear as visions like now.
A future that appears as a vision is an extremely dangerous one. Based on his experience, he only saw such future visions when death was very close.
｢Rebel. Ended. Or not?｣
There are no more kin who can grow into a black kin. The closest is Ham Ort, but she is currently trapped in a cave, dying.
As he pondered this incomprehensible situation, a subordinate hurriedly entered from outside.
｢Great Odd Grad, report.｣
｢Black kin, discovered.｣
The report came from a kin with green scales.
The vision he had seen was no lie.
A foreboding death had taken one step closer to him.
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Thala]