Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Ep. 112
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In Space Survival, planets with ecosystems that aren't as extreme as rocky or ocean worlds—ones where various environmental elements are evenly distributed—are classified as Earth-type planets.
PH-101 lives up to its Earth-type billing, boasting vast quantities of water and a diverse, abundant array of flora and fauna.
So far, it sounds like a great place to live. But there's a catch.
While PH-101 has a well-established, livable ecosystem, the creatures inhabiting the planet as a whole are far from weak.
Take the Plant Lizards, which are individually feeble but form packs of hundreds or even thousands. Or the Hond Giants, whose physical specs rival those of top-tier players.
Not a single creature here is easy to deal with, and on top of that, the planet features a host of environmental hazards and events that make human survival a nightmare.
Things like rare magnetic storms sweeping across the entire planet, or the massive volcanic eruption event on Saintopia 01, a continent separate from the one I'm on.
Right now, I'm in the swamp region of Saintopia 02 continent, which ranks among the planet's most dangerous environmental hazards—easily in the top ten.
Mushrooms that ceaselessly spew deadly toxic spores, poisonous gases from the decay of toxin-killed animals, and a vicious cycle where swamp dwellers absorb those toxins and evolve even deadlier venoms. It's turned this place into a demonic realm where even hazmat suits fail after five minutes.
'If this were a game, I'd have come here after reaching Near-Adult.'
In reality, it's the opposite—I've become a Near-Adult out here.
"Kieeeek!"
A 4-meter carnivorous centipede writhes in my tentacle's grip.
Its name is Smogpad. It's low on the swamp's food chain but no creature to take lightly.
Smogpads can spray acidic bodily fluids in a mist. This acid fog can melt gas masks, synergizing perfectly with the swamp's toxin-laden air.
'Not that it matters to me.'
My erosion tentacles, gripped by six appendages, sucked in the Smogpad with crushing force. Its tough back carapace shattered, its elongated body crumpled, and it was pulled into my tentacle.
Toxic blood and fluids poured from its body, but the tentacles waiting below lapped up every drop.
Even as my tentacles fed, my main body stayed busy. My combat arms and tail swatted away the insects lunging at me.
'Having Nightmare Horizon makes this a breeze.'
Aimorphs have plenty of arms, but only one mouth, limiting predation efficiency.
Now, with seven mouths, I was devouring faster than I could hunt.
Since entering the swamp, I'd stockpiled so many traits that I now had two Types ready for specialization.
'Just one more Infection-related trait and two more Nest-related ones, and I'll have all the Types needed for evolution.'
Aimorphs double the required count for each new Type acquired.
Originally, I planned to prioritize Infection Enhancement, then Special Defense Enhancement.
But so many Nest traits dropped that I switched: Infection first, then Nest.
After a quick check of the text box, I pressed deeper into the swamp.
To snag a rare trait unique to this place.
As the swamp's water deepened, the number of visible creatures dwindled. In their place, massive bones from giant beasts littered the area.
The fog blanketing the swamp grew thicker with toxicity—air you could call pure venom.
Without Hunting Emblem and my enhanced traits, I'd have succumbed to poisoning long ago.
'About time it showed up.'
The water had risen to my chest, yet I moved as naturally as on land—thanks to a new trait I'd picked up here.
'Who knew I'd get webbed feet and fins here.'
True to their names, my hands and feet now sported webbing, while thin, broad fins protruded from my combat arms' wrists and my tail.
On land, they fold flat and deactivate, but in water, they fan out like this to aid movement.
'Swimming like this would be tough, though.'
My body's too heavy for deep-water swimming; they're only useful for quick darts through the swamp like now.
As I swam about halfway through the swamp, my auxiliary organs detected movement below.
In the still heart of the swamp, a faint will-o'-the-wisp flickered up. The pale light swayed gently, froze upon spotting me, then...
'Here it comes.'
The will-o'-the-wisp—or rather, the massive creature lurking beneath—vanished back under.
Then the water churned violently as it surfaced.
First came ten elongated, spider-like legs bursting from the swamp. Each was clad in solid carapace, nearly 10 meters long.
Next, two claws rose alongside them.
Or could you even call them claws?
Each one was a whopping 2 meters across—vicious enough that even I'd struggle to tank a hit.
Its legs and claws were already enormous, but the body dwarfed them. Spider-like legs contrasted with a crab-like oval torso armored in thick plating.
Of course, no one would liken a 15-meter-wide shell to a crab.
Spikes the size of an adult's forearm bristled densely atop the shell, while palm-sized holes dotted the underside.
At the front: a vortex of teeth like a moray eel's maw, flanked by four will-o'-the-wisp eyes.
This crab-spider hybrid was the Swamp King.
The deadliest creature in Saintopia 02's swamp.
Its four eyes fixed on me.
The instant I felt its gaze, its two claws shot toward my head at unbelievable speed.
My auxiliary organs had sensed the attack coming; I bent my knees and dove into the swamp. The weighty claws grazed the crown-like carapace of my head.
Before it could follow up, I kicked off the muddy swamp floor and leaped upward.
It was more quagmire than solid ground, so no great height, but mounting it would suffice.
Atop it, I unleashed my arsenal on its shell.
I gaped my jaws to tear at its hard eyes, raked with combat arms, and smashed the plating with my bone axe. Spikes atop the shell sheared off as I swung.
｢Giiiieeeek!｣
It shook irritably, like riding a bucking rodeo bull.
To hold on, I plunged the bone blades on my back arms into its shell.
When shaking failed to dislodge me, it twisted some leg and claw joints backward to strike directly.
Target: me on its shell.
Its leg-tip claws were as tough as the claws but with insane piercing power—enough to punch through my head carapace easily.
Before the claw impaled me, I leaped off the shell.
But the strike was blindingly fast; one erosion tentacle tore free.
A sharp pain stabbed my head, like a rod to the back.
｢Gii?｣
'Tough one.'
As apex predator of the swamp ecosystem, it was no pushover.
It's fully immune to poisons, parasites, viruses—none of my new Infection traits from the swamp work.
Its carapace resists all psionic powers.
I didn't use Phantom Claw when raking its shell earlier because it'd be useless. Even Psionic Breath would only crack it.
One way to take it down.
'Gotta overpower it with raw strength.'
Fast attacks, immense power.
Thick shell, high psionic resistance, toxin immunity.
Sounds perfect, but it's not.
'I can win.'
After the exchange, its shell was damaged, while I lost one tentacle.
Seems like my loss, but I was relieved.
'As expected. I can pierce that shell.'
Surprisingly, that tough-looking shell is its weakest point.
Swamp creatures hunt with bizarre, unconventional methods.
Swamp King included.
Seeing its crab body and spider legs, you'd think to target limbs or claws first. Wrong.
Legs and claws shrug off plasma heat blades without a scratch.
Practically indestructible; aiming there is pointless.
The shell, though? Less tough than the legs. Strong physical force can shatter it.
And right now, I've got that force.
｢Giiiieee｣
It now saw me as a threat, growling without advancing rashly.
I circled slowly, waiting for an opening.
During the brief standoff, it struck first.
｢Gik, Gii, Gii｣
White, snake-like corpse maggots wriggled from holes under its shell. Like the ones I'd seen in the space city's sewers.
'More like an upgraded version.'
These were leagues beyond those sewer horrors.
In-game, Swamp King's maggots ignored defenses for fixed damage, secreting acids that melted anything.
This is reality—who knows how it's changed.
'No reason to test it on myself.'
The maggot swarm swam to devour me.
I whipped my submerged tail hard, cleaving them like the Red Sea. Fragments exploded into the air from the impact.
Before the waves settled, I lunged forward, belly-down.
Four arms and two legs propelled me off the mud; my body rocketed ahead.
｢Giiiieeeek!｣
The Swamp King roared, swinging claws to crush me.
As they descended on my head, my bone-bladed arm intercepted.
A deafening rupture echoed over the swamp—unbelievable from living flesh colliding.
'Nngh!'
The blade held decently but couldn't grapple long.
Cracks spread; the entire back arm twisted grotesquely.
The arm went limp, but it altered the claws' path. They barely missed, slamming the bottom.
A split-second opening on the Swamp King.
I focused my momentum into my head, ramming its shell's underside. My two horns pierced through.
｢Kkuk, Kkik!｣
Caught off guard, it panicked. Ultra-acidic digestive juices gushed from the wound.
'I can take it!'
Head carapace: my toughest part. Time to trust it.
I drove my legs harder, shoving horns deeper. Its rust-red blood mixed with acid, soaking me.
｢Kiiiik!｣
Unfazed, it spread its claws to grab my waist and legs.
2-meter presses clamped down.
One leg snapped instantly; my waist slowly crumpled under brute force.
If human, I'd suffocate before pain.
Instead of retreating, I wrapped erosion tentacles around its shell, pulling myself closer. Horns plunged deeper, shredding organs.
｢Giriririk!｣
Visceral agony made it shriek.
Claws loosened; I shoved them with lower combat arms.
Maggots swarmed to protect it, but I held firm.
Upper combat arms plunged into the shattered shell.
Unlike the carapace, soft innards yielded.
I yanked them out.
｢Giiiieee!｣
Some legs stabbed at me.
I released shell tentacles to grab the legs.
Still, their power was no joke. It tore a tentacle free and clawed my back.
｢Kkuk, Kkigik!｣
｢Grurrr｣
Now it was a test of endurance.
Without regeneration, without Type, Hunting Emblem, and Nightmare Horizon boosting my body to extremes...
The survivor might've been different.
｢Giiiieee…｣
The Swamp King uttered its death rattle and toppled sideways. It spat rust-red blood foam from its mouth a few times, then stilled.
I planted a foot on its head and roared triumphantly.
To declare the swamp's lord dead by my hand.
To claim its corpse as mine.
Onlookers hoping for scraps scattered in fright.
With thieves gone, I shoved my head into its belly.
Erosion tentacles could've sufficed, but after all that effort, I wanted to savor it.
I tore tender inner flesh with teeth, chewed lightly.
'Oh.'
Just in my mouth, it felt extraordinary. I swallowed before it melted on my tongue.
'Mm.'
Top of my meals so far: Sihyun Yujin, undisputed.
I'd theorized well-tuned, high-gene-essence prey tastes best.
Wrong.
I'd expected crab-like meat, but that was dead wrong.
Its flavor was so sublime, I felt guilty for doubting.
'Best part...'
Sihyun was delicious but scant—human-sized, after all.
This? A 15-meter luxury king crab.
'Never tried crab as a human, but here I am devouring it.'
Without Hunting Emblem's time pressure, I'd have lingered days.
'Tch. The kids would've loved this.'
Next time with 26 and Adhai, revisit purely for gourmet joy—not essence farming.
I hastily scraped every bit of flesh and organs from its shell interior.
Couldn't crack leg carapaces, so tentacles sucked out the meat.
Finally, its will-o'-the-wisp eyes. Devoured clean, the Predation Effect window popped like always.
'Perfect.'
Evolution was close.
With Swamp King's gene essence secured, I roamed the swamp, picking off others.
Injuries weren't light, but nothing left could threaten me.
Thus, I secured two Types. With ~3 minutes left on Hunting Emblem, I exited the swamp.
Combat arms and five erosion tentacles carried various corpses.
I stashed them in a pre-scouted cave.
'No more rampaging outside from side effects.'
Before Emblem ended, I rechecked the swamp message.