Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Hond Giant Slaughter
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‘I had my suspicions.’
While I was inside the cocoon, I’d worried that something might have happened outside. Maybe Hond Giants or players threatening the kids.
So after finishing my evolution, I didn’t head upward. Instead, I dug straight through the ground to move. If players had really shown up, traveling on the surface would be too dangerous.
As I traveled that way, I realized my fears hadn’t come to pass. There were no traces of the kids amid the blood scent my auxiliary organs detected.
Still, just in case, I kept up my speed and followed the blood trail.
‘Good thing I didn’t dawdle.’
En route, I sensed Adhai’s thought waves. His waves, laced with pain. If I’d let my guard down and slowed even a little, I would’ve missed them.
I immediately veered toward Adhai’s position.
Thanks to that, I saved him by the skin of my teeth.
“Grrrrrrr...”
“Gr... grrr...”
The Hond Giants spotting me growled. Their voices dripped with clear hostility, but their bodies told a different story.
Trembling legs and shaky eyes. These apex predators of the continent—one of the strongest—were terrified at the sight of me.
‘Can’t blame them.’
I hadn’t checked the changed text boxes or new messages in my rush. But I couldn’t ignore the changes to my own body.
I’d completed Transcendence Stage 2, but my body length hadn’t grown as dramatically as before. It stretched a bit, from 27 meters to around 28, but nothing like doubling.
The real shifts were in my physique.
First, my head.
It had grown massively overall compared to before.
It wasn’t just the carapace expanding—the horns, jaws, everything scaled up, boosting the proportion my head took up on my body. My jaws especially now evoked the heavy image from Predator’s Mark, resembling a massive theropod.
‘Perfect for aggressive combat.’
With jaws this beefy, I could crunch tougher foes. For anything smaller, a head slam would deal massive damage.
And the horns. Their number jumped from two to six. The new four sprouted in a line from the center of my head back along the carapace to my nape.
‘Horn reinforcement.’
For me, who loved goring strong or bulky enemies with my horns, this was a welcome upgrade.
‘And they’re bigger too—way deadlier.’
As my head bulked up and grew heavier, my neck adapted naturally, thickening and lengthening. Now my long monster tentacles draped around it like a lion’s mane.
The next big change was my arms.
My smaller chest arms had elongated considerably, sprouting thin carapace plating. A former weak point alongside the monster tentacles and auxiliary organs—now shored up.
My main combat arms, my go-to weapons, thickened and lengthened like under Predator’s Mark.
Maybe two meters longer, give or take. They gained the same thick covering as my head carapace. No more fretting over them getting sliced.
‘Hell, I could use them as weapons now.’
I’d wielded my head carapace like a ram before. Now claws weren’t the only option—swinging the arms themselves would work fine.
These changes let all three pairs of combat arms serve as both arms and legs. Just like my hatchling days with six limbs.
My current stance mirrored that hatchling form too: six combat arms and tail propping me up.
The difference? Back then, I held my tail scorpion-high. Now, I dragged my massive lower body and tail along the ground. Though if needed, I could still rear up, planting my lower half and tail like before.
‘Finally, the tail.’
The claws meant for my lowermost arms had migrated to my tail.
The tip, once home to my bristle launchers, now split into two prongs. Massive claws—taller than an adult man—took their place.
Against foes immune to paralysis or with hides too thick for bristles, my tail hadn’t done much. I’d only used it to constrict or whip occasionally.
Now with claws, its utility soared.
The bristle launchers hadn’t vanished, though. Spread the claws, and bristles bristled densely inside. Fire them at range, or clamp a foe and unleash a volley point-blank.
‘Intriguing upgrade.’
Overall, weaknesses patched, strengths tailored to my fighting style. Tempting to check those text boxes and messages, but not now.
Enemies right in front of me.
｢Grooooooo｣
A heavy roar rumbled from my throat, matching my new form. Even to me, it brimmed with intimidation. To foes? Unbearable.
The two Hond Giants flinched.
“Gr... grr, grrrrr.”
“Grrrrr, grrrrrr!”
They seemed torn—attack or not? They eyed each other, snarling.
“Grrrrr!”
“Raaaagh!”
Decision made: attack. They roared at me.
Twenty-meter body, nine-meter hip height—a colossal theropod charged. Thundering the earth, head and back stretched straight.
Like a bull ready to gore. The Hond Giant’s signature stance: charge and impale with its twin massive head horns.
Funny thing—I used the same tactic often. So I charged right back. My log-thick six arms pounded the dirt, tail gouging a trench.
Two beasts colliding shook the world. As our heads neared crash, I dipped low.
“Grung?”
Its horns grazed my nape carapace and back, sparks flying. Expecting a head-on smash, it panicked. Its sturdy hindlegs slammed my body; its stance crumbled.
“Raaaagh!”
True to predator instincts, it lunged from the fall, jaws gaping for my back.
That’s when my real strike landed: the new claw-tail.
My tail arced high over my back. The tip-claws snapped shut on its neck as it lunged.
“!”
Vitals clamped, it couldn’t cry out. It yanked its head desperately—but too late.
My claws were just shy of Swamp King’s size. Defense and grip strength nearly identical.
‘Claws that shredded starship plating? No contest.’
I flexed the tail-tip muscles. Its neck snapped like dry twigs. Tongue lolling, instant death.
“Gr... raaaaaaaaagh!”
The survivor saw and bellowed a scream-roar. Its hide flushed red, muscles bulging.
Berserk mode. But even enraged, it couldn’t beat my Near-Adult Transcendence Stage 2 self. Still, unconscious Adhai lay here.
‘Kill it before berserk finishes.’
Mid-transformation, it froze—perfect opening. I hurled the corpse aside and charged.
This time, mid-charge, I whipped my tail to rear my upper body. Then slammed down from above.
“Raaaagh!”
Berserking or not, it backpedaled, dodging the body press. It lunged for my nape carapace.
‘Not today!’
I shoved with ground-touching combat arms, flinging my body sideways. Its massive jaws clamped air with a menacing snap.
Then I seized its head with combat arms. It tried opening wide again, but my grip prevented it.
Seizing the exchange lull, its completed berserk whipped its tail wide.
A berserk tail rivaled a master-forged blade—could cleave thick redwood.
But I knew and didn’t dodge. Instead, I gaped wide and bit the incoming tail.
“!”
It hadn’t doubted its tail would shatter my teeth and jaws. Shock hit—everything intact.
‘Too early for panic.’
Still biting, I gulped its tail straight down my throat.
My jaws already split wide for bigger-than-head prey. Now jaws and throat reinforced for even larger swallows.
Like a python gulping whole, I swallowed tail-first. Realizing it was heading alive into my gut, it thrashed wildly—useless.
It tried goring with head horns, but without momentum, they were just tough bludgeons. Insufficient against my hide and carapace.
My jaws and throat worked relentlessly. Tail first, then hips and hindlegs. Bones cracked, muscles tore—no screams, my arms clamped its maw.
Lower body pulverized, it vomited guts from its mouth and died. I sensed death but kept swallowing.
By the time No. 26 and Sky Mother emerged from the brush, I’d gulped even its horns.
｢Big Baby! You’re awake!｣
[Zuz(Yeah).]
｢Huh? Why’s Little Baby sleeping?｣
No. 26 questioned the injured, passed-out Adhai. Sky Mother beside him stared blankly at me, then startled at Adhai’s state.
｢W-Wait!｣
I brushed past No. 26, grabbing Sky Mother with combat arms. She dodged the arm, but not the assimilation tentacles bursting from my back.
They latched her griffon legs and neck.
“Still got words?”
Voices of base survivors I’d eaten spilled from my mouth. Mimicry organ restrictions lifted—I could voice human speech properly again.
｢S-Stop! Th-This is…｣
Even choked, Sky Mother tried excuses. More disappointing.
I’d entrusted the kids to her before sleeping. Not full trust, but no reason to betray.
Plus, she synced well with Adhai. Ideal to support the novice.
I was wrong.
Any later, and Adhai would’ve died.
He’s the sole path to the Galleron gravesite. His death meant huge loss.
‘…And.’
Not just that, but no need to voice it.
Sensing death, Sky Mother squeezed her eyes shut.
I ignored, gaping to swallow her.
｢Big One｣｢Wait｣｢Please｣
If Adhai’s thought waves hadn’t hit then, I would’ve.
｢Big One｣｢Friend｣｢No Fault｣
[Zuzuzu zuz zu zuzu zu zuzuzuzu zuzuzu(No. She failed to protect you).]
｢Deny｣｢Me｣｢Friend｣｢Words｣｢Ignore｣｢Me｣｢Mistake｣
Bleeding profusely, Adhai kept sending waves.
‘Mistake?’
[Zuzu(Mistake?)]
｢Me｣｢Merit｣｢Lots｣｢Set Up｣｢Big One｣｢Attention｣｢Need｣｢Hunt｣｢Lots｣｢Success｣｢Big One｣｢Joy｣｢Friend｣｢Caution｣｢Advice｣｢Me｣｢Ignore｣
I mulled Adhai’s waves.
‘Craved recognition?’
Summary: Adhai hunted multiple Cults in the forest for my notice.
‘Damn.’
Come to think, my time with Adhai had dwindled lately. Save for before rescuing No. 26, we’d been apart constantly.
No. 26 handled himself fine long-term, so I figured Adhai needed less attention.
‘My mistake.’
I didn’t know exactly how he saw me, but he equated me to an Adult Galleron. One like that ignoring him for the outside? Lonely, surely.
That cooled my boiling rage.
I quietly shut my gaping jaws and eyed Sky Mother. Rational now, her eyes painted the picture.
Adhai overreached for attention; she chased him frantically. Griffon flight wasn’t as fast as Adhai’s.
She had ways to fly faster, but they took time to prep.
‘She did her best.’
I released the griffon. Throat freed, she hacked and coughed.
Adhai, trying to explain, had passed out again. I approached, implanting symbiotic spores.
‘Straight to the nest.’
Auxiliary organs sensed his wounds. Not just torn wings—broken ribs. Delay risked worsening; needed quick treatment.
Sensing the mood, No. 26 tentacled Adhai onto my back. Confirmed secure, it climbed my head.
Carrying them to the nest, Sky Mother followed.
‘Owe her an apology.’
As I formed sorry words, she called first.
｢Wait!｣
“What?”
｢Not the time! Something you need to see now!｣
“What?”
｢The Cults we caught belong to the Imperial Mothship! Muriel’s allies sent it here!｣
Hearing that, my neck tentacles stiffened.
The Imperial Mothship—one of the Cults’ top-tier weapons.
Its own armaments were elite, but its deadliest feature was elsewhere.
The onboard Cosmic Bolt. One of the Cults’ planet-purging arms.
“...Lead the way.”
｢Follow me!｣
Sorry, Adhai—this took priority.
Imperial Mothship orbital strike on this planet? We all die. No matter how deep I burrow, Cosmic Bolt’s range is inescapable.
‘At least need to know when.’
I hurried after Sky Mother.