Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Thunder God's Descent
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Cruiser's situation room.
Upon hearing my voice, the pirate boss clamped her mouth shut.
I could hear her swallowing shallowly. She seemed utterly shocked.
｢...Aimorph, rank 5.｣
She murmured in a voice that trembled faintly.
The boss—no, the player—had finally spoken, and unexpectedly, it was about my identity.
She knew exactly who I was.
'Well, after the commotion I caused.'
It wasn't self-importance or anything. There weren't many Aimorph players who waged psychological warfare by skinning corpses and leaving them for the enemy.
If she'd been playing the game long enough, she would've heard of me at least once.
｢You've got guts. Do you even know who I am?｣
"Hu-man-i-ty... Rank-ing... 20th... right?"
｢You know your stuff.｣
After taking over the situation room, I'd been reviewing the pirate boss's info stored on the computer while waiting for the comms to come in.
The pirate boss—the woman talking to me over the intercom—was named Muriel.
The same name as the Space Dogs player who'd hit rank 20 in the game.
'Never met her in person, though.'
She'd only recently climbed the ranks when I quit due to academic probation. So, no direct fights with Muriel.
Of course, I'd gathered intel on other rankers even without battling them. I knew her race, faction, and clan.
'She wasn't a Cult member originally.'
As far as I knew, rank 20 Muriel was a cyborg Space Dogs. That's why I hadn't suspected the pirate boss was a ranker until confirming her name on the computer.
'Sure, there are Cult Space Dogs, but...'
That one was a guy—an American ranker at 11th who'd clashed with me a few times. I remembered him well.
Anyway, the photo on the monitor showed a female Cult unmistakably—a Cult with deer antlers, the mark of Cult royalty.
'No idea why a deer-antler Cult is pirating around.'
If she was a ranker, she'd know what those antlers meant in Cult society.
She wouldn't be cruising in a cruiser; she'd have brought an imperial mothership.
'Gotta dig into that step by step.'
I knew next to nothing about players in this world. Was she the only other one besides me? Or were there more? Too many unknowns.
That's why I needed to extract solid info from this conversation.
｢Your rank being higher than mine was just in-game stuff. You really think a mere subadult like you can beat me?｣
She sounded confident now, like she'd decided there was no need to stay tense.
Losing the cruiser hadn't shaken her; she clearly had something to rely on.
I knew she'd been spouting crap about queen bees and such.
But even so, she was a Space Survival ranker.
Unless she was an imposter posing as rank 20, she had an ace up her sleeve.
'Let's chat a bit more.'
"You... stole... our... cruiser... but... you're... so... arrogant."
｢Hmph. That ship was just a fraction of our power.｣
"Our?"
What did her "our" mean?
It might refer to the Humanity Cartel, but the nuance didn't fit. Thanks to my Aimorph super sense, I could pick up the emotions laced in her voice.
'Feels like she's talking about comrades, not underlings.'
That implied another player—or someone on that level—shared her goals.
While I mulled it over, she kept talking.
｢Impressive that a subadult tracked us to this planet, but that's as far as it goes. If you'd stayed quiet, I might've let it slide.｣
"Don't... get... the... wrong... idea. You... fired... on... my... ship... first. Not... something... you... should... say."
｢Idiot. Why would I let an unknown intruder roam free? Especially a weakling like you. Weaklings don't get to complain to me.｣
Her words sounded childish, but they nailed the core of this world.
Space Survival was a dystopia ruled by survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle.
'No point talking more.'
Her attitude about "weaklings" killed any chance of negotiation.
For details, I'd have to meet her in person and make her spill. I had plenty of tools to ensure she told the truth.
"You... seem... really... into... this... world."
｢Ha. Stick around here long enough, and everyone does. You know what kind of place this is, right?｣
I was about to end the call, but she dropped a key hint.
'Long enough?'
I'd been here less than half a year.
Sure, nonstop action made it feel longer, but not "long enough" territory.
'...Muriel and I arrived at different times.'
She'd clearly been here much longer than me.
'That's intriguing.'
One more reason to capture her.
｢And get this—you probably think I'm just blabbing mindlessly, right?｣
"What... do... you... mean?"
｢You think I'm that stupid? That I left the cruiser completely unprepared?｣
She scoffed like it was ridiculous, implying she'd rigged something aboard.
"You... mean... the... bomb?"
｢Huh?｣
"You... Space... Dogs... sure... love... your... bombs."
Before seizing the situation room, my tooth bugs had scouted and reported a remotely detonated bomb near the reactor.
It was hidden expertly, no record in the ship computer—likely Muriel's contingency for if the ship got hijacked.
Without my past run-in with Space Dogs on the research vessel, I might not have thought of bombs. Planting one on the ship's heart, the reactor? Wild idea.
｢...Ha. For real. Definitely rank 5 material, huh?｣
The bomb's wires were already cut, disabled.
Realizing that, Muriel let out an exclamation.
But the emotion in her voice wasn't what I expected.
Not surprise or shock—relief.
｢Smart, sure. But you think that was my only prep?｣
｢Unidentified energy surge detected in planetary orbit! Danger! All hands, evacuate immediately!｣
Her words barely ended when the situation room alarms blared.
'Orbit? No way.'
｢A shame about the ship. But using it as bait to snag a ranker? Profitable trade, don't you think?｣
I bolted from the situation room without hesitation.
One thing an orbital energy surge meant: orbital bombardment.
Fleet-based strikes would've been flagged as such by the cruiser's AI. "Unidentified" meant no ships involved.
'Unique-grade weapon!'
Cults had exclusive access to unique-grade weapons, including a satellite that enabled orbital strikes on specific zones.
Its name: Thunder God.
A satellite weapon fueled by the owner's psionic power, slamming massive lightning bolts onto targets.
Don't let "lightning" fool you—destructive power exceeded nukes. One strike vaporized everything in the area.
Downside: 14-day cooldown. But preemptive use against strong foes guaranteed wins, making it hugely popular in-game.
'An adult might survive, but not now!'
Even as a near-adult, a direct hit meant instant death.
I dove through the hole I'd bored under the cruiser, burrowing into the ground.
'Not deep enough.'
Over a hundred meters down, but no safety yet. My nest had sealed the tunnel after me, but it wasn't sufficient.
I dug deeper frantically.
Hundreds of meters in, my links to the tooth fairies snapped.
Then, intense vibrations from above.
The Thunder God's bolt had struck.
"Whew, what a spectacle."
Even from far away, the Thunder God's lightning was blindingly fierce. The night sky cleared as clouds vaporized from the orbital strike.
Where the bolt hit, the cruiser's reactor detonated, birthing a massive nuclear cloud that billowed upward.
Not even the redwood-choked jungle, hundreds of meters tall, could withstand this cataclysm.
A colossal fire demon devoured the forest and its creatures.
Watching countless lives snuff out, Muriel clapped delightedly.
"Thunder God lives up to the hype."
｢.......｣
Sky Mother gritted her teeth at the sight of the Thunder God activating for the second time.
It wasn't the first activation on this planet. Muriel had used it to catch Earth Father and Sky Mother before.
Earth Father, a Volph named with insane defense, couldn't tank the lightning.
Moreover, he'd shielded Sky Mother, taking the bolt meant for her.
One hit left him near death, and Muriel finished him with a beheading in their fight.
"Heh, even rank 5 can't survive that lightning, right? Heck, Earth Father? Dropped in one shot."
｢.......｣
"Still, better safe. Gotta see the corpse myself."
Muriel summoned a few underlings.
"Boys, go check with Sky Mother here."
｢...Don't make me laugh. You think I'll obey you?｣
"Huh? Isn't it obvious?"
With that casual retort, Muriel unslung the short spear from her back and impaled a young male Volph without a second thought.
｢You bitch!｣
"Got 'family' to spare?"
｢I'll kill you! Somehow, I'll rip you apart!｣
"Ooh, scary. But before you get me, these cute kids might die first."
｢Grr!｣
"Want to save your family? Obey me. Rank 15."
｢Damn it...｣
Faced with Muriel's threat, Sky Mother had no choice but to bow her head again.
'Thought I was done for.'
I'd dodged the Thunder God's range, but safety wasn't guaranteed.
The reactor explosion plus bombs unleashed hellfire that seeped into my tunnel.
Luckily, near-adult evolution hardened my carapace enough to endure the onslaught.
The quake from the lightning collapsed my tunnel, blocking the pursuing heat.
I waited underground until the shockwaves faded, then surfaced.
The redwood and brush-packed area was now a barren wasteland.
The cruiser site was literally sand; distant jungle still blazed fiercely.
'So that's how you play.'
I'd devoured countless lives, humans included.
Still, deep down, I'd thought: they're not from my world, so it's fine.
Maybe that's why I'd been ambivalent toward her, a real person—despite knowing she'd threatened me, Specimen 026, and Adhai.
That hesitation was gone now.
'Dropping lightning on people's heads? Killing her's self-defense, right?'
Emerging from the earth, I raced toward the burning forest.
Couldn't tell if the heat radiating from my body was fallout or rage.
Didn't matter.
'Thunder God's cooldown: 14 days.'
Her ace? Or more hidden cards? No clue.
Irrelevant now.
'Won't kill her right away.'
Too much info to extract.
Instead, I'd teach her something scarier than death.
Using every strategy and tool at my disposal.
She'd soon learn how terrifying an pissed-off Aimorph could be.