Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Raider's Irregular Polyhedron
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After absorbing Muriel's essence, I'd gained a new trait.
'What the hell is this?'
It was a type I'd never seen before—and one that hadn't existed in the game, either.
'Absorbing equipment abilities...'
The Psionic Organ I'd gained as a Juvenile was also something unavailable in the game, but this was on a whole different level.
'This trait completely defies Aimorph conventions.'
Aimorphs, Outsiders, and Metallic Gremlins boasted superior physical prowess and potent utility abilities, but they came with the handicap of being unable to equip gear.
Even if some workaround allowed them to utilize equipment abilities, it was limited to standard gear or consumables—unique-grade items were out of reach.
But with this trait, I could specialize in even a unique-grade item, if only one at a time.
'There's no precedent for something like this.'
In the game, killing players never granted special new traits.
From gene-modded humans, you'd extract the essence of whatever bio-genes they had; from Cults, you'd get psychic-power-related traits. That was it.
Despite devouring countless players over time, this was the first trait that veered so far off the norm.
I double-checked the translucent text box.
A new category called 'Mark of the Strong' with an asterisk had appeared below my trait list.
'Mark of the Strong?'
Turning my attention to the asterisk brought up a new message.
From the description alone, the 'Raider's Irregular Polyhedron'—a Mark of the Strong trait—seemed like an entirely new category, distinct from standard physical or psionic traits.
'The "mighty prey" it refers to must mean players.'
Muriel's perk allowed her to acquire symbols from other species and modularize them. Equipping a modularized symbol changed her species.
'That's how she could wield Cult powers as a cyborg.'
The Raider's Irregular Polyhedron let her devour gear and specialize in its unique abilities—a concept echoing Muriel's perk of modularizing other species' traits for equipping.
Hunting various types of "mighty prey" would likely yield entirely different marks.
'A war with other players, huh.'
When interrogating Muriel, I'd asked if there were other players besides us.
According to her, there were two players aligned with her cause.
Including the Mother of the Sky and me, she knew of seven players total.
'She said there used to be more...'
But she wasn't sure how many remained now. A long-ago war among players had wiped out many.
'News of special rewards for killing other players must've spread back then.'
By the time Muriel arrived in this world, the war was over, and the survivors had formed factions.
Some adapted and tried to survive peacefully; others hunted fellow players for perks; still others treated it like a game and ruled as tyrants.
'They crossed over at different times.'
Muriel had arrived three years ago; the Mother of the Sky had been here over a decade. Among those Muriel knew, some had lived over a century.
'Having survived in their own ways for so long, it's no surprise factions formed.'
But one mystery lingered: despite their tenure, no one had reached an ending.
'That ancient war was probably players fighting over endings.'
If Ascension was the Aimorph ending, other species likely had analogous unique endings.
To achieve them, you'd need to defeat players of rival species at a similar power level.
'More precisely, assassinate the rival species' leadership.'
For example, Mega Corp and Star Union endings both required eliminating the other's top brass. A player ascending to Mega Corp CEO would need to kill the Star Union Grand Chieftain to trigger theirs.
In the game, players dominated those leadership roles across species, making the condition tantamount to player-vs-player combat.
Someone in that past war must have met those criteria.
Yet from what Muriel said, no one had seen an ending.
'Is there something I don't know?'
This being reality, not a game, players might not have climbed high enough to unlock ending triggers—death was permanent here. Even the boldest would play it safe.
'Gotta ask the Mother of the Sky about this.'
She'd survived far longer than Muriel; she might know something.
'Either way, future encounters with other players will likely be hostile.'
Muriel had sent a distress signal to her allies before I caught her. So her comrades viewing me as an enemy was a given.
Players hostile to her group would learn of my actions through some channel, too.
Depending on their factions, they'd either target me or try to use me.
The postscript nailed it.
The whole universe watching me.
I had no idea how players would approach me.
'Doesn't matter. I need to get stronger.'
Power ensured survival and immunity to manipulation.
From the Transcendence System to player hunting.
I didn't know the intentions of whoever sent me here, but uncovering them required staying alive first.
I checked one last time for new messages, but beyond the asterisk explanation, nothing else appeared.
Racking my brain without more info was just wasted time.
Figuring out how to use this new ability was far more productive.
'Raider's Irregular Polyhedron can turn any equipment's ability into a trait.'
But only once per item.
Common gear could be reused across multiples, but uniques were one-shots.
'Muriel's gear...'
I picked up the High Priest's golden spear and the Conductor from the ground.
The Thunder God and Blood River were back at camp, too.
I didn't know exactly how the unique abilities would manifest as traits, but on paper, all were useful.
The golden spear would amplify my strength endlessly; the Conductor granted five absolute evasions.
Thunder God would cover my lacking ranged and anti-air; Blood River would supercharge my battlefield control.
'Should I test on some random gear first?'
Better to devour something expendable from camp and see how it works. I grabbed the spear and Conductor to head out.
Then a thought struck me, and I paused.
'...'
I gathered nearby stones and piled them where I'd been standing, creating a small cairn in the clearing before leaving.
The Cults' sacred star, 'The Guide.'
This was the spiritual homeland of Cults scattered across the galaxy.
In truth, The Guide had desertified entirely eons ago, making it scarcely livable even in flattery.
Without their advanced psychic tech, it would've been abandoned long ago.
Amid the crimson sands blanketing the planet stood ancient cities.
One was the city of 'Prophet's Stone.'
Even roadside ornaments here dated back tens or hundreds of thousands of years—it was the oldest city.
Passing buildings clad in ivory walls and purple ornaments, a central tower loomed in the city heart.
At the tower's pinnacle, where the noblest Cults resided, a male Cult with antler-like horns traversed a long corridor and opened the prayer room door. Inside, diamond-shaped tombstones linked by cables lay toppled on the floor.
"... "
The male Cult snapped his fingers wordlessly.
Two of the tombstones lit up and floated into the air.
A girl's voice emanated from one stone—bright and bubbly like an anime character, clashing with the room's grim atmosphere.
The other evoked a stern middle-aged man.
Jason didn't reply, waiting for more stones to activate. After a few seconds, none did.
With only two lit, Jason—the antlered Cult—sighed.
"...I said it was urgent, and only two of you show?"
"You little shit—wait, hold up? You're here, so why didn't that edgelord chuunibyou show? He's the most important."
"Fuck. Should've gone Mega Corp last time. Banging housewives gets old—this place is boring as shit."
As Jason chatted with the girl's stone, the middle-aged voice cut in.
"A player we don't know killed her. An 'Aimorph' player."
The stones fell silent the moment "Aimorph" left Jason's lips.
"Shit, I hope it's fake too."
"That's what she said before comms cut out. A Wolf player and an Aimorph player were after her."
Jason transmitted the logged comms records to those beyond the stones.
Moments later, their fury erupted from the stones.
"Probably Beom-ho."
"Like you could've? You never beat him in the game either."
"Yeah. Only one Aimorph in the top 40. And any Aimorph strong enough to take her? Has to be that guy."
The girl's stone flared as she responded.
"Muriel was hired by me to capture Choi Seo-ah. Maybe the morph fucker crashed their fight?"
Only then did those beyond the stones grasp why Jason had summoned them.
"Obviously. Leave him be, and we're all dead."
"Think Muriel didn't mention you before dying? If I were that Aimorph, you'd be top on my list."
"How about we all go kill it ourselves? Sending underlings feels unreliable, and besides..."
Jason pondered.
Those present could manipulate the cosmos in real-time.
Calling them heavenly sovereigns wasn't hyperbole. Could such beings fail to take down one Aimorph?
But those beyond the stones thought differently.
"Hey, hey! Don't twist my words—it's not about solo survival. With our power combined..."
"... "
The stones cut Jason off mid-sentence.
Their responses, haunted like trauma victims, left Jason speechless.