Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Deep-Sea Reunion
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"Wow! We won!"
"Me"
"Victory"
"Cool"
With the carcass of the oceanic monster right in front of it, Specimen 026 extended just two of its tentacles into a triumphant V-sign. Adhai clambered atop the beast, spreading its wings wide as it basked in the thrill of victory.
"I thought I'd lived quite a while in this world, but this is a first for me."
The Sky Mother, transformed into a griffin, watched the pair's victory celebration with admiration.
[Zuzzuz zuzuzzuz (Smart kids, aren't they?)]
"...I had to borrow it during the fight. Here, take it back."
As I approached, she returned the short spear she'd been holding in her beak.
'They sync well with Adhai. Might as well let her keep borrowing it.'
Adhai was still a young green Galleron hatchling, and a mutant at that, so its body remained small. It would grow much stronger as a white Galleron, but that would take time.
Having the Sky Mother cover for its shortcomings wasn't a bad idea.
I was mulling over lending her the priest's golden spear someday when Specimen 026 approached us.
"Big Baby! We punished the bad guy!"
[Zu zuzz (Yeah. Good job.)]
"Yup! But who's the friend next to you?"
The battle had been too hectic to introduce the Sky Mother. I gave Specimen 026 a quick rundown on who she was.
"So she's the family boss too?"
"...No. I have no family."
"Why? Aren't you a mom? Moms have to protect their babies."
"All my children are dead. My husband too. I'm alone now."
"I see."
Sensing the Sky Mother's grief, Specimen 026 emitted a dim pink glow. Come to think of it, it might have gone through something similar.
'Its kin all died in experiments, after all.'
Specimen 026 was the last surviving Bubble Amoeba from the research ship. Among us, it alone could truly understand her sorrow.
It paused thoughtfully for a moment before sending out another pulse.
"Moms have to be strong enough to protect their babies."
"...Yes."
"So I'll call you Middle Baby."
"What?"
The Sky Mother blinked in confusion, as if she'd misheard. Ignoring her reaction, Specimen 026 continued pulsing.
"You're a mom-friend, but you couldn't protect your babies, so you're still a baby. Middle Baby."
"Uh..."
Her eagle eyes flickered with bewilderment. Her gaze darted side to side before settling on me.
I showed no reaction, so she had no choice but to accept it. As she nodded, Specimen 026 flashed briefly and added,
"Let's all get strong together so Middle Baby can protect the family too!"
"......"
Those final words from Specimen 026 seemed to strike a chord. The reluctance in her eyes faded.
"Thank you."
Specimen 026 and Adhai communicated solely through their unique pulses or thought waves. The Sky Mother used a special necklace around her neck to send thought waves in response.
This time, her thought wave carried more genuine warmth than before.
After finishing with the Sky Mother, Specimen 026 turned to me.
"Big Baby, there's somewhere we need to go."
[Zuzz (Somewhere to go?)]
"Yeah. If we don't hurry, we might be too late."
Some urgent business.
I pondered what its pulse meant.
'We took down Pale Mask, so no new threats... Ah.'
That's right—Specimen 026 had mentioned it before. In its words, the "bad baby" (Pale Mask) had put its friend's family in danger.
'Friend's family.'
Context pointed to "friend" meaning a Sea Demon. But "family" probably didn't mean other Sea Demons.
'No way. A Sea Demon—or a group of them—wouldn't lose to Pale Mask.'
It had to refer to the Bubble Amoebas living with the Sea Demon.
Honestly, I had no interest in Bubble Amoebas. Even if they held unknown gene essences, I couldn't devour them in front of Specimen 026.
'But I can't just ignore it.'
There must be something I didn't know about, or it wouldn't want me along. I nodded.
'Gotta wait 30 minutes anyway before I can use Hunt anyway to devour Pale Mask.'
Handling other business in the meantime was fine.
Before leaving, I told Adhai to eat.
"Me"
"Head"
"Eat"
"No?"
[Zuzzuz zu zuzzuz zuzuzzuz zuzzu zuzz (Poison in the head. Don't eat it.)]
"Got it"
"Ugly friend"
"Together"
"Eat"
"Hold on. Ugly friend—you mean me?"
"You"
"No tail"
"No horns"
"Ugly"
"...Ha."
Leaving the Sky Mother and Adhai to their bizarre banter, Specimen 026 and I dove back into the water.
"This way."
Specimen 026 spread its elongated fins wide, guiding me deeper into the ocean. It swam past the deep-sea research outpost and into a seafloor trench below an undersea canyon.
Following it inside, an impossibly thick darkness greeted me.
'Just like space.'
We often describe space with water-related terms—spaceships, navigation instead of spaceflight.
This lightless void was another kind of cosmos, mirroring the one above.
Then, ahead, Specimen 026 glowed like a self-luminous star in space. Its light wasn't the sun's harsh blaze or the moon's pale reflection.
It was a soft, mystical glow that felt comforting, parting the curtain of dark.
How far down did we go? I beheld an astonishing sight.
Tiny specks of light appeared in the distance.
'Stars?'
Amid the black void, stars shining vivid pink like Specimen 026.
They were its kin—Bubble Amoebas—pulsing in resonance with it.
"Friend's family is alive!"
Specimen 026 pulsed with relief at the sight.
It sent sporadic lights toward the Bubble Amoeba cluster. Unlike the simple pulses it used with me, its body now flowed with a mix of vibrant colors.
'Must be how Bubble Amoebas talk to each other.'
I communicated via monster tentacle waves, so it made sense it'd be different.
They responded with flashing multicolored lights. Nearby clusters joined in after spotting its glow.
The sight of the Bubble Amoebas lighting up en masse for communication resembled a meteor shower or a starry Milky Way on a clear night.
In this dark, heavy ocean floor where no life should thrive, the frailest creatures shone brightest.
Even the driest soul would feel awe at this.
'...Beautiful.'
On a stage draped in black, a riot of colorful lights danced in stunning beauty.
No game captured this. Even in VR, could it convey 1% of this allure? No way.
The eternal-seeming symphony of lights and colors ended abruptly. Specimen 026's body returned to plain pink.
"Everyone's okay."
Their guardian Sea Demon was dead, but so was their rival, Pale Mask. They were safe now.
Other humans might intrude, but with Muriel—connected to the Cult's elite—dead, surveillance on this planet would likely slacken.
From here, they'd follow nature's cycle: fleeing or falling to predators, forming groups with new kin to thrive.
But its next words revealed the conversation wasn't so simple.
"Friend's family asked me something."
[Zuzz (Asked?)]
"They want me to be their mom."
I knew exactly what that pulse meant.
'It's staying here?'
The realization hit hard. The sudden pang of loss at the thought of parting was bigger than I'd imagined.
As I fell silent, its pulse continued.
"Friend's family is weak. Without a leader, it'll be tough if bad babies come."
I wanted to argue—that was nature's way, their ecology.
"I know the pain of losing family. It hurts when family hurts."
Specimen 026's species was Sea Demon.
Like Aimorphs stealing gene essences, it was born to live in the deep sea with its kin, other Bubble Amoebas. That was natural for it.
'But.'
With unknown dangers ahead, I couldn't afford to lose its skills here.
Yet I respected its will.
'...What to do?'
Unable to decide, it chose for me.
"But I said no."
[Zu (What?)]
"I have a family to protect too."
Specimen 026 extended a tentacle to stroke my head.
Where it touched, I felt its emotions plainly. It cherished us as much as we did it.
"Big Baby grows fast and is stronger than me, but still a baby. I have to protect you."
Only then could I send a heartfelt pulse.
[Zuzzuz zuzuzz (Same here.)]
"Yup!"
Short, but packed with feeling—I was sure of it. Understanding my earnestness, it glowed brightly with joy.
Business in the deep sea done, I prepared to ascend.
The Bubble Amoebas' lights were mesmerizing, but lingering might tempt it to stay, stirring unease.
Specimen 026, however, had more to do.
"Big Baby, friend's family says go deeper down."
[Zuzzuzuz zuzuz zu zuzz (Deeper than this is dangerous.)]
Further down was the trench floor, home to dread hydras. Mere prey for Pale Mask, but not weaklings.
Yet Specimen 026 pulsed negation.
"Friend left treasure. They say take it."
'Treasure?'
What treasure lay at the ocean's abyss? A Sea Demon's, no less—unimaginable.
'Might as well check.'
Maybe rare gear from a quasi-boss like a Sea Demon. I agreed to go deeper with it.
We pushed through crushing pressure toward the ocean's profound depths.
After a long descent, Specimen 026 halted. Before its gentle swim loomed a massive shape.
'This is...?'
It resembled Specimen 026, but incomparably huge.
The terror that breathed in the abyss, the ocean's devil.
The dead Sea Demon awaited us at the world's bottom.