Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Muriel's Demise
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'Is this it, then.'
Muriel's body was pristine, without a single scratch.
But the suit enveloping her was a different story. It was riddled with holes in places, exposing her pale white skin.
The Nano Spartan Module was top-tier among defensive modules—no exaggeration—but it wasn't invincible. In that level of damage, it would need a resupply of nanomachines to fully repair.
'But she's probably already used up her spares.'
You could tell from those trembling eyes of hers.
She had hardly any cards left to play.
'I've already checked all the gear and tech the Sky Mother told me about.'
Before fighting Muriel, I'd also reviewed my memories of battling the Rankers, one by one.
What species they were, what tech they had, how strong their equipment was, what strategies they favored.
That let me predict the modules she had equipped, or what psychic power tech she'd use in given situations.
'She put up a decent fight, I'll give her that.'
Muriel's skills weren't bad at all. For whatever reason, she'd come with the cheat combo of Cult and Cyborg hybrid, so calling her a formidable opponent was no stretch.
If she'd known even a bit more about my condition or abilities, she wouldn't have gone down this easily.
'She would've at least waited until she could pull out a trump card like Brain God.'
If Muriel had seriously tried to run from the start, catching her wouldn't have been easy for me.
This massive camp we were in had transport ships for long-distance travel. Even if she couldn't leave the planet, hopping to another continent would've made pursuit impossible.
'But...'
She'd had multiple chances to flee for her life, yet she hadn't taken them.
And now.
Payback was coming due.
"...Ugh!"
A short grunt escaped Muriel. The confident smirk from our first clash was long gone.
With only one Harmonizer use left, she'd lost all will to fight.
She had only one path left besides battle.
"Damn it! You'll regret this!"
Muriel screamed and jabbed buttons on her neck with her mechanical arm.
Her body blurred like smoke, then vanished into the mist. Perfect stealth, as if she'd never been there.
'Not even visible to my eyes.'
Even my auxiliary organs couldn't detect her properly.
If not for the vibrations from her breath or footsteps hitting the ground, I wouldn't have known which way she'd bolted.
The Sky Mother, with vision far superior to mine, kept swiveling her head, searching for Muriel.
"That bitch still had something up her sleeve."
"A... stealth... module... this... good... I've... never... seen... one... in... any... game."
"...She's gone from my sight too, for now."
Not using a stealth module this advanced until now meant it had limits in combat or a usage restriction.
"What now?"
The Sky Mother turned to me, unable to spot Muriel.
'What now?'
What a pointless question.
"Catch... her... and... kill... her."
"...Fine."
No matter how advanced her stealth gear was, she was still in the palm of my hand.
'This is my nest, after all.'
My auxiliary organs alone couldn't pinpoint her right now.
But the traces she'd left behind? Link them to the nest, and they'd lead right to her.
'I've said it time and again.'
Running before fighting me was the only way Muriel could've survived.
-
'Fuck fuck fuck fuck...'
In the fog-shrouded forest.
Muriel hid atop the branches of a towering redwood, hundreds of meters high.
This module was an experimental one developed by a Mega Corp Ranker who shared her ideals.
Made from 'Giant Chameleon' materials, it granted advanced stealth to the wearer. Invisible to the naked eye, undetectable by scanners or tech.
But being unfinished, it was unstable.
Fine for cautious movement, but intense combat action or taking hits canceled the effect immediately.
Even the Ranker who'd made it said it was best saved as an emergency escape tool.
She'd escaped her foes for now, but problems remained.
That vicious Aimorph or the Sky Mother with her grudge wouldn't give up the hunt. Zero chance.
'...No time to wait for Harmonizer reset.'
Time worked against both sides equally. She had no choice but to hide for 24 hours, but they did.
'That morph freak might burn the whole forest down.'
A guy who'd hang corpses from trees? Yeah, he'd do it.
Recalling her subordinates' gruesome fates made her flinch involuntarily. Felt like those flayed bodies were her future.
'Can't stay here.'
She used the lingering Psionium boost to scan around. Her enhanced senses picked up no nearby enemies.
'Didn't want to use this, but...'
Life on the line, no choice.
Judging the coast clear, she pressed a button on her neck. A thin tendril shot from her Nano suit—covering down to her chest—and plugged into her ear.
The device she'd activated enabled interstellar comms.
Before fighting the Aimorph, she'd fused a military communicator from her safe with the Nano Spartan Module.
Originally for ordering her off-planet subordinates to bring a ship post-battle.
Why not during? Interstellar comms guzzled energy. Ending the call would likely drain the module dry and auto-deactivate it.
'Pick up, please!'
This one call was her lifeline.
After a brief tone, a sudden gust roared in her ear.
Like massive wings flapping, then gone.
'What the?'
She looked up, scanning the treetops. Nothing.
Time to move? Right then, the comm beeped.
A man's silky voice followed.
"My Honey? Didn't I tell you comms could be tapped? What's up?"
"Oppa!"
She'd always found his voice sleazy, but now it was a godsend. She barely held back tears.
"Oppa, I'm in deep shit! Help me, now!"
"What?"
"Lost all my guys and the ship to those bastards—I'm on the run! Hurry!"
"Fuck, them again? Truce my ass, those dogs... Wait, hold up. What about my request? I asked you to snag those female wolf players for me."
Even in crisis, his slave talk pissed her off.
"Fuck no! Oppa! Your little sis is about to die— that's not the priority! And it wasn't them, someone else! Just two, but they're no joke—come prepared!"
"Two? They took on My Honey with just two?"
"One's a wolf player I was gonna give you, the other's an Aimorph player!"
"...Aimorph?"
"Yeah! Some Ranker #5!"
She spilled on her pursuers, and he went quiet.
"Anyway, no time! Get ready fast... Huh? Oppa?"
"......"
"Oppa?"
"Oh, shit..." click
"Oppa? Oppa! Fuck! It cut off?!"
The abrupt disconnect made her redial frantically. Just tones—no answer.
"Damn it! No, wait—sis might...!"
Desperate for aid, but her wrist glowed red.
Nano Spartan Module deactivating. The suit vanished, collapsing into a small disc device.
Nearly naked now. Tough cyborg or not, useless against her monstrous hunters.
The experimental module's stealth lingered, but not forever. When it ended, so did she.
"N-no! Nooo!"
Half-mad, she shook the disc, trying to reactivate it. No energy meant no nanomachines, but reason had fled her.
"This can't... Eek?!"
Slamming the disc into the tree, she heard leaves rustle below. Something approached her hiding tree.
Only two creatures roamed this toxic fog so casually.
Moments later, a griffon appeared: sleek, muscled lioness body, eagle head.
She scanned surroundings and treetops with keen raptor vision.
Muriel held her breath, still as death. The griffon passed her tree, vanishing into the mist.
"Phew."
Only then did she exhale.
'...Gotta move.'
No telling when it'd return. Naked melee with a griffon wolf? Suicide.
'No sign of that damned morph freak either.'
Time to bail.
She retrieved the disc from the tree.
"Huh?"
Black slime coated it. Her gaze shifted to the gash in the bark.
Sap-like goo oozed out—sticky black.
'......'
She knew what that black fluid was.
An Aimorph nest secretion.
Meaning this tree—her hiding spot—was contaminated by the nest.
'Come to think of it, earlier...'
Suddenly, she recalled the wingbeats before the call.
Nothing alive in this forest but those three.
So whose wings were they?
Cold dread chilled her blood.
Not just a feeling—her body shivered like doused in ice water.
Slowly, she looked up. Just dense branches and leaves above.
Trembling, she tossed the disc upward.
It should've soared, but hit something midair and dropped.
Shudder shudder
Like a haunted woman, Muriel quaked as it revealed itself above her.
A long, serpentine body coiled around the redwood, staring down at hidden her.
"H-heek!"
She tried to flee, but it was faster. A tentacle shot from its back, snaring her leg.
"L-let... gooo—Kyaaah!"
Six sharp barbs on the tentacle gripped her leg and shredded it. More tentacles seized her arms and legs.
"S-spare me! Please!"
"You... said... you'd... gut... me... and... show... my... entrails."
"Th-that was! Aaaargh!"
Her intact limbs slowly crushed, the light faded from her glowing purple eyes. Agony canceled her psychic cast.
"Guh... guh..."
"I've... been... killed... before... but... never... thought... about... it... like... this."
It looked ready to make good on her words, so she blurted desperately.
"W-wait! L-let's talk! Just give me a sec!"
"Talk?"
The Aimorph paused at her plea.
Realizing the keyword was her last hope, she pressed on.
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"I-I've got good cards! It'll benefit you for sure! S-so let's negotiate!"
Life hanging by a thread, she begged submissively. I retracted my tendril.
'Negotiate, huh.'
Way too late for that word. She'd threatened me multiple times; her goons tried killing 026 and Adhai.
Plus, she knew too much about me now.
'Can't let that leak to other players.'
I'd overheard her comm call via the suit's device—she had player contacts.
To prevent info leaks, Muriel had to die by my hand.
'That said...'
Info on those other players piqued my interest.
"I-if you want, I-I'll serve you! Y-you know Aimorphs can do that too!"
Thinking my pause meant interest in her offer?
I grabbed Muriel and descended from the tree instead of answering.
'She still doesn't get me.'
Ignorance let her spout such arrogance.
"A-anytime's fine, just spare me... Hek?!"
I hoisted the erosion tentacle on her leg high, then slammed her body into the ground.
"Kragh!"
"Don't... get... the... wrong... idea."
Black blood spewed from Muriel.
Ignoring it, I raised the tentacle again. Pain and terror filled her eyes, but I didn't hesitate.
"Gek!"
"All... your... body... can... do... for... me... is..."
"N-no, aah! Guh!"
"Pro... vide... fresh... meat."
"A-Aimorph nooo—Gek!"
After ten-plus slams, bones, mech parts, and modules burst through her skin.
'Cyborg, so this won't kill her.'
Not time to kill yet—just enough to snap her spine.
"Kgh, grk, kuhk, grugh..."
Sprawled and moaning, Muriel looked like a dissected frog, nerves barely alive.
No more jade skin, beauty, or horns—just a busted, ugly mech doll.
"You... begged... to... negotiate...? Fine... I'll... listen."
She laboriously lifted her head at my flat tone.
"Y-you'll... spare... me...?"
"In... exchange... for... conditions."
"A-anything! I'll... do... whatever... you... say!"
No need to say that much—she'd obey anyway.
In her view, I activated the parasite swarm. The Type-enhanced parasite stretched happily in fresh air.
"Th-that! W-wait nooo!"
I pinned her head, sending the wriggling black parasite into her nostril.
"Kheg! Koff koff! Kraaagh!"
"Normally... I'd... probe... your... mind... as... is."
I explained her future to the coughing wreck.
"But... you... harmed... me... and... insulted... me. I'll... make... you... pay... that... debt."
"Wh-what...?"
"From... now... on... every... time... I... ask... a... question... you'll... scratch... your... spine... once... with... this... hand."
"What?"
She stared blankly, uncomprehending. She'd get it soon enough, wanted or not.
"Until... all... my... questions... are... answered."
"W-wait wait wait!"
"FYI... lies... are... useless."
Seeing Ghost Claw activate on my hand, her face drained to blue.
As a Cult, she'd know what these claws could do.
"Who... was... that... on... the... comm... earlier?"
Interrogation began as my sharp nails gleamed purple.
-
Six hours into our deadly game, I'd extracted all useful info from Muriel.
'Impressive tenacity.'
Her spine scraped hundreds of times by Ghost Claw, yet she didn't snap. Showed her fierce will to live.
'Almost died a few times from defiance, triggering parasite penalties.'
Thanks to Symbiote Spore, she survived. Good or bad for her? Debatable.
"No... more... questions... worth... asking."
"...Th-then... you'll... spare... me...?"
"No."
"Y-you can't!"
Her eyes screamed "But we had a deal!"
I shook my head.
"My... interrogation... is... done... but... the... next... person's... waiting."
"Next?"
I stepped back; the griffon appeared behind.
"Muriel..."
"A-ah, aaah."
The Sky Mother held a young wolf player's clothes in her beak. Seeing it, Muriel shook like a leaf.
"You really did kill my family."
"N-no! Th-that's a misunderstanding...!"
"When you beheaded my lover, when you tortured me, I hesitated. Wondered if killing you was right."
"W-wait! Sia sis! W-we were close, right?!"
"Yes. Two years ago, I saved you. Thought you human like me... but..."
She gently set down the clothes.
Bloody tears streamed from her eyes.
"I was wrong. Players like you need to go extinct."
While she spoke, I checked the symbiote on Muriel.
"I'll... give... you... six... hours... too... Don't... kill... her... I... need... to... eat."
"Got it."
"Th-this breaks the deal! You said you'd spare me!"
She wailed at my departing back.
Why break the promise?
'Never promised to spare you.'
I said I'd let her pay her debt—not live.
No need to point that out.
Six hours later.
I returned to the spot.
"H-heek, heek, heek..."
Muriel clung to life with just head and torso left. Sky Mother was gone.
Whatever their tie, she didn't want to watch Muriel die.
'No need to call her.'
I scooped up the fallen Muriel.
"Mommy..."
Her faint last words.
My jaw unhinged wide, swallowing her whole.
Thus ended Space Dogs Ranker #20, Muriel.
Predation Effect Activated! Successfully stole perk from 'Muriel (Han Su-bin)'! Can fuse with existing 'Metal Absorption'. 'Muriel (Han Su-bin's)' perk fuses with 'Metal Absorption' trait. Evolves into 'Raider's Irregular Polyhedron' trait! Raider's Irregular Polyhedron: Devour one piece of equipment to specialize in its unique abilities. Usable once per equipment; previous effects vanish upon devouring new equipment.
P.S.: You are death itself, destroyer of the cosmos. But beware—the universe now watches you.
The sweet taste of premium cake slammed into my mind alongside new trait text boxes.