Chapter 101
Chapter 101
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: Ryuma Chapter: 101 Chapter Title: Tooth Fairy Nest ----------------------------------------------------------------- “How long until the repairs are done?”
“It... will... take... sev... er... al... hours.”
“Ugh, this is taking fucking forever. Oh, and the camera’s busted too. Fix that while you’re at it.”
I replied that I got it and cut off the comms. ‘Let’s go over this again.’ I mulled it over while crunching on the engineer’s arm. Before seizing control of the ship, what should I tackle first? The original plan was to infiltrate the pirate vessel and secure energy to hold onto control. I’d figured that if I ran low on energy after the erosion was complete, I’d lose my grip on the ship in no time. ‘But things have changed a bit.’ Back when I’d taken over the Mega Corp escape pod, I devoured the pirates. Not by biting and swallowing them myself, but by growing erosion tentacles inside the ship. ‘And the time I could maintain control after eating them got longer.’ I’d assumed it’d be impossible to stockpile more energy once the ship was under my sway, but I was wrong. Even devouring enemies with erosion tentacles boosted my energy reserves. ‘Feeding via erosion tentacles is the same as me eating prey with my mouth.’ The predation effect had popped up on one of the pirates, so it was pretty much confirmed. In other words, no need to obsess over securing energy just for erosion. ‘Still can’t just dive in headfirst.’ Erosion can’t be stopped midway, so I’d be stuck immobile for five hours straight. Couldn’t dodge enemy attacks flexibly in that state. ‘Better to play it safe, even if it means delaying erosion a little.’ About 300 meters long, this massive ship housed 85 pirates. The fewer of them, the better for me. ‘Gotta thin the herd first.’ What to target first? Justin had mentioned this ship carried a bunch of high-yield bombs. Used them to wipe out evidence after raiding other vessels. ‘Doubt they’d self-destruct over little old me, though.’ But cornered rats lash out unpredictably. Or the captain might’ve rigged bombs in secret and bailed solo in a fighter. ‘First, cut off their escape.’ Wreck the onboard fighters, and they’d think twice about popping off bombs recklessly. Clear the bombs after, and their leverage against me shrinks big time. ‘Fighters are in the hangar.’ I’d used Hijacking as material for Nightmare Horizon, so no hacking security cams right now. Fusing Hijacking again might work, but sneaking there at my size without eyes on me? No dice. But nothing’s impossible. ‘Time to build a nest first.’ I shoveled the rest of the engineer’s corpse into my maw and curled up. Black slime like what oozes during ship erosion seeped from holes all over my body. ‘It’s temporary anyway, so no need for perfection.’ Just enough to monitor every enemy within 100 meters of here. The half-solidified slime sprouted spores and tendrils, steadily expanding its reach. Once the nest exceeded the space I was sprawled in, I pressed the tip of my auxiliary organ against it. Felt like when I’d used erosion tentacles—my body getting sucked into the ship’s metal plating. Link with the nest confirmed, I checked its sensory range. ‘Perfect. Good enough.’ Small but functional nest done. On to the next phase. I’d picked up a trait from killing that pirate on the escape pod. Had chances to use it but held off. Now was the time.
⚙ TRAIT DESCRIPTION ⚙
S. Who the hell comes up with these names? Even before boarding the pirate ship, my carapace—minus the erosion tentacle ports—had been festooned with egg sacs. Those sacs housed the Tooth Fairy Swarm, my combat parasites. Tooth Fairy Nest fused Biting Force—a flesh-based trait—with Fleabite, an infection one. ‘Fleabite usually comes from wild beasts, so that was a surprise.’ High chance from furred critters, never expected it here. ‘Smuggler thing, maybe?’ One pirate from the escape pod was already infested. Swallowing him digested the fleas too, netting me the trait. ‘Fleabite itself is useless.’ Like Dwarfism, it’s a debuff—permanent itch debility while held. ‘Fuse it, though, and it’s a game-changer.’ Pair with Biting Force, and it becomes a killer infection trait. ‘Come on out, kids.’ Activating Tooth Fairy Nest burst the egg sacs on my back, unleashing black bugs. Child’s palm-sized, with massive teeth and mouths instead of eyes—otherwise, just like regular fleas. Unlike source Fleabite’s bloodsuckers, Tooth Fairies shred anything with those fangs. These loyal troops don’t care if it’s meat or metal. They just bite what I order. ‘Fall in.’ Dozens of Tooth Fairies assembled before me at my command. Specimen 026, munching on the suited engineer nearby, hopped over. “Whoa? Who’re these guys?” 026 twinkled curiously at the clustered Tooth Fairies. [Zu zu zu zu (Kids I made)] “You made them? Big baby’s babies?” [Zu zu zu zu zu (Kinda, but not quite)] “Not babies?” Like the tooltip’s range limit, Tooth Fairies were summon-like minions I spawned. Distractions or ambush tools from hidden spots—expendable. ‘Used ‘em like pros in games.’ Parasite Hordes were debuffs in-game; Tooth Fairies were combat summons. Huge boon for solo Aimorph play. ‘Specs aren’t amazing, though.’ Fast and bitey, but fragile as hell. Laser rifle? Dead. Hulk Mutant stomp? Splattered. ‘Gotta use ‘em smart.’ Bad news for pirates—I was a Tooth Fairy expert. ‘To your positions.’ The swarm boinged away up the cargo hold stairs at my order. Invisible to me, but their signals pinged my auxiliary organ nonstop. Destination: hangar bays with the fighters. ‘Hangar’s near the bow on deck 3.’ They hopped nimbly on sturdy hind legs up to deck 3, entering the corridor to the hangar. ‘Pirates ahead.’ Nest senses tipped me off; I warned the swarm. They gnawed into nearby vents and hid. <Motion sensor’s picking up something here?> <Nothing there?> <Fuck, ship’s haunted or some shit?> Pirates wandered the hall with beeping sensors before moving on. No more movement; I ordered, ‘Advance.’ Hopping down the corridor, the hangar entrance soon appeared. Two oversized guards loomed—smaller than me, huge for humans. One gorilla-esque monster, the other rhino-headed. Freakish gene-splices, but united by cybernetic metal plates grafted everywhere. ‘Hulk Mutants, huh?’ Bored sentries, they yawned hugely. ‘Too much for the swarm.’ I pulled them back. No contest—each swing would splat one. Even if winnable, no way. ‘Can’t waste prime gene juice.’ I’d handle those two personally later. For now, vents to infiltrate. A detour, but safer inside via ducts. Fleas marched two-by-two through the vents. Surreal sight to anyone else. ‘Vents, huh.’ Steering the swarm reminded me of going Aimorph. Started life in Yuseong’s research ship cargo hold. Skulking vents, dodging eyes, hunting. Now, hunting pirates on a way bigger ship—in reverse. ‘They’re in.’ Took time, but swarm reached the hangar ceiling vent unscathed. Fate’s joke: rotating fan blades, just like the research ship’s old cargo vent. ‘All in—chow down.’ Back then, I’d risked it all dodging those blades. Not now. Dozens gnawed the vent’s motor mounts. Sparks flew; blades slowed, stopped. Swarm cleared ‘em and dropped into the hangar. Star Union relics slumbered inside—outdated fighters. ‘Wreck ‘em all.’ Teeth bared, they swarmed undercarriages. Cams inside, but without close scrutiny, black palm-sized blurs? Easy to miss. Mistake for rats scurrying underneath. How much time passed? Thick hangar doors ground open; armed group stormed in. <Anomaly in the hangar!> <You idiots! Something’s wrong inside and you’re dicking around out here?> <We... we... guarded... hard! Unfair!> <Fuckin’ worse than monkeys!> They sniffed it out faster than expected. Flashlights swept for under-fighter fleas. <Gah!> <These psycho bugs!> Swarm pounced; pirates panicked, firing wildly. Red lasers flashed in the dark—Tooth Fairies popped. <Aaagh! Get this off!> <Gaaah! My face!> Survivors latched on, shredding flesh. Razor agony drew screams. <H-Help!> <Damn maggot! Get it off quick!> Swarm fought valiantly, but no pirate kills. Hulk Mutant guards ripped ‘em off barehanded. Swarm wiped in seconds. No big loss. <Shit! Fighters are trashed!?> Mission accomplished. ‘Escape sealed.’ And unbeknownst to them, not over. Fresh egg sacs burst on my carapace; new swarm surrounded me. ‘Fighters done.’ Next: bombs in the armory. Hunting ain’t just chasing prey. Prep—what, how much—before the hunt seals success. Know your quarry. Maneuver ‘em to your spot, your terms. They know zilch about me—where I am, what state. Three edges divide us. Prey from predator. ‘Once the bombs are gone...’ This lone lifebubble in void space. Shall become devouring darkness for foolish prey.