Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Hunting Winterwalker
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Early in the morning, I climbed up onto the nest alongside the Mother of the Sky.
A hefty pile of snow had accumulated on the block of ice I'd placed over the nest entrance overnight. After clearing it away, I waited briefly in the passage within the icy barrier.
The Mother of the Sky ventured out first. Her superior vision allowed her to scout the skies above for any dangers.
After surveying for a few minutes, she wagged her lion's tail, signaling that it was safe.
I brushed aside the snow and ice, emerging to find the landscape unchanged from before we'd entered yesterday.
The only difference was that the razor-sharp winds capable of flaying bare skin had finally died down. Thanks to that, the Mother of the Sky seemed less chilled than the day before.
'Still, we can't stay out here long.'
Looking up, the sky remained choked with clouds. With no telling when the snow and hail might resume, we needed to hurry.
"What is it we need to obtain again?"
｢The heart of a Winterwalker or an Ice Horror.｣
Winterwalkers and Ice Horrors. Both were creatures that inhabited only icy planets or the polar regions of terrestrial worlds.
Adhai knew of creatures similar to the two. He'd seen a Winterwalker himself, and heard about Ice Horrors from other Gallerons.
'Lucky they're both on this planet, at least...'
The harsh cold environment posed a tricky challenge, but these beasts' specs were no joke either. Among them, the Ice Horror was a particularly formidable foe.
"This won't be easy."
｢Yeah. A Winterwalker might be manageable, but the Ice Horror is the real problem.｣
She was right. The Ice Horror was one of the most dangerous predators in frigid zones.
Weaker than raid bosses like Sea Demons or Black Gallerons, but its unique habits and superior raw stats made it a notorious pain. Even I had failed to hunt it multiple times back in the game.
'But we've got four of us.'
A Galleron, a Sea Demon, an Aimorph Near-Adult, and a deified Wolf. Pooling our strength, we could take it down.
'I need to hunt an Ice Horror anyway.'
To evolve from Near-Adult to Adult, I had to hunt 30 creatures classified as Apex predators. Since Ice Horrors counted as Apex, bagging one now would be a nice bonus.
"The issue is finding the damn thing."
｢Exactly. It doesn't roam above ground.｣
Ice Horrors didn't prowl for prey. Instead, they dug traps in their territory and ambushed anything that wandered in. In short, they were like spiders of the frozen wastes.
'Though they don't look much like spiders.'
Anyway, tracking down an Ice Horror would take time.
They could lurk anywhere with prey nearby, but they were masters of camouflage. I was pretty good at hiding myself, but I couldn't hold a candle to them. They disguised their lairs and traps so convincingly that you wouldn't spot them unless you got right up close.
'If one was nearby, we could try luring it out.'
Otherwise, we might have to roam far and wide.
｢Since the Ice Horror will take too long, let's hunt a Winterwalker first.｣
"Good call."
The Mother of the Sky had reached the same conclusion as me.
Unlike Ice Horrors, Winterwalkers actively hunted. Adhai had spotted them frequently, so they should be easy to find.
With our target set, we raced across the snow- and ice-covered plains.
Crawling through ice sheets and snowdrifts beside me was the golden griffon, charging forward.
Her mane and the sapphire pendant around her neck whipped wildly in the winter gusts. Beneath the lioness's fur, dense muscles rippled visibly. Far from mere decoration, they fueled her agile movements.
She moved like the wind, but I wasn't slouching either.
My six combat arms served as legs, shattering the ice and propelling my body forward. From behind, my tail and blunt claws sprouting from my body shoved my massive bulk ahead.
It was noisier than her aerial grace, but my speed matched hers.
Thanks to our high-speed travel—like a bullet train—we rapidly closed in on the mountain range.
The black peaks looming over the white horizon felt like structures erected by some unknown entity. Given that the nature which forged them was transcendent, my impression might not be far off.
Amid the awe-inspiring vista, the black mountains reeked thickly of life. Sturdy soil supported dense clusters of tall, sprawling trees.
Grown in this frigid niche, the trees shared a uniform shape: slender trunks branching into complex canopies higher up. Those branches intertwined with neighboring trees, locking them firmly in place.
An adaptation to the frequent gales, no doubt.
'Gotta stay cautious.'
Where there were forests, prey abounded. Prime hunting grounds for Winterwalkers or Gallerons.
I slowed down, focusing my secondary organs as I advanced. The Mother of the Sky matched pace beside me, scanning our surroundings.
The four appendages under my jaw writhed, brushing the ground like tongues. Each touch funneled data from the vicinity straight to my brain.
'Two or three hostiles, judging by the vibrations from underground.'
The intensity suggested some distance, but there was something odd. The vibrations kept entwining and separating rhythmically.
What did that mean?
'A fight.'
I lifted my head from the ground.
With potential targets stirring in the forest ahead, stealth was key from here on. Instead of my mimicry organ for speech, I used my monster's tentacle to signal the Mother of the Sky.
｢A fight up ahead?｣
[Zzt zzt zzt zzt (It's a ways off)]
｢We should check it out, right?｣
The vibrations indicated terrestrial beasts. A Galleron would fly, making the pulses more sporadic.
The Mother of the Sky and I crept toward the source.
As we neared, sounds of snapping trees and beastly roars reached us from afar.
That low growl, like a tiger's rumble, belonged to a Winterwalker. It was battling prey.
We halted upon hearing it. Pressing further would alert them to my movements.
｢I'll scout from above.｣
With lithe grace, the Mother of the Sky scaled a tree.
These trees weren't sturdy enough for me to climb. I pressed my secondary organs back to the ground, eavesdropping on the foes' sounds and tremors.
'Whatever the Winterwalker's fighting is small and nimble.'
Size roughly matched the Mother of the Sky's, legs numbering...
'Between eight and nine.'
No ice-planet creature I knew had eight legs. Hundreds, sure—or none at all.
'An unknown species?'
Then the Mother of the Sky dropped from the tree, reconnaissance complete.
[Zzt (See anything?)]
｢One's definitely a Winterwalker. The other...｣
She hesitated, then continued.
｢Looks like a Screamer.｣
[Zz (What?)]
Why would a Star Union mechanical monster like a Screamer be here? If true, this meant Star Union territory.
'I've swallowed several of their ships. No routes extending this far.'
[Zzt zzt zzt (You sure?)]
｢Honestly, not entirely. It's a Screamer-like creature fighting the Winterwalker.｣
We'd have to see for ourselves. The two of us pressed on.
Bursting through the trees, we found a Winterwalker—and a mystery monster.
Correction: the 'headless' corpse of a Winterwalker, and a Screamer lookalike.
"Hostile organism elimination complete."
Standing amid a sea of blood in the clearing was a monster even I, with my extensive game hours, had never seen.
'That's a Screamer?'
Human head and torso fitted with tubes and metal devices, a tail, and six metal-legged limbs for crawling—similarities to a Screamer. But differences abounded.
Simply put, this one looked less mechanical.
Standard Screamers had tubes plugged into their mouths, forcing machine voices. This one's mouth was unobstructed, capable of natural speech without raspy tube-breathing.
Its face was pale like a jiangshi's but otherwise normal. From the nape back, however, biomechanical chaos ensued: flesh, tubes, and machinery intertwined. Unlike the distinct metal-flesh divide in Screamers, this hybrid blurred all lines.
Its eight protruding legs followed suit. Red muscles and tubes woven over metal skeletons. At the ends of those long, slender limbs sprouted three sharp alloy claws instead of feet.
If the original evoked a scorpion, this was a shaman spider—a grotesque fusion of organism and machine.
'And it's not just looks that are threatening.'
The decapitated Winterwalker had fallen to it. Solo-killing one meant serious power.
That said, it hadn't dominated unscathed.
Two legs had their metal frames badly crushed, barely functional. Dark red blood oozed from its torso where flesh and machine merged.
"Insufficient energy detected. Commencing self-resupply."
Muttering that, it gaped wide and tore ravenously into the Winterwalker.
'No need to wait longer.'
Its true nature? I'd learn by Aimorph methods.
'Eating it will reveal all.'
Reading my intent, the Mother of the Sky leaped into the trees. Simultaneously, I charged the feasting abomination.
"Threat detected."
Too engrossed in meat to even look, it sensed my ambush. It vaulted skyward mid-bite. I barreled like a runaway truck—straight into the Winterwalker's corpse.
"Hostile confirmed. Subduing—"
｢Not so fast!｣
The spider-thing's cry from above went unfinished.
The Mother of the Sky exploded from the branches, slamming a forepaw into its head. Its neck twisted grotesquely, narrowly dodging.
｢Tch!｣
Regretting the miss, she landed. Having evaded our pincer, the spider settled and immediately widened the gap.
'Not a Screamer after all?'
A real one would've counterattacked instantly upon recovering. This probed, head cocked, glaring at us.
"Two hostiles confirmed. Left organism: 89% match to Special Target C-Type. Right one..."
Locking eyes on me, its red orbs widened. Bloodshot gaze menacingly tilted its head.
"75% match to designated target. Main controller 'Pyre Eleven' command delayed. Autonomous judgment required. Target subjugation initiated."
Spouting cryptic nonsense, it crouched low into combat stance.
I fixed on its movements, prepping my assault.
Screamer or novel weapon? Unknown. But if Screamer, trouble brewed.
'Screamers don't wander solo. Odds near zero.'
High chance reinforcements lurked somewhere unknown. With Galleron nests here, likely a small elite force—but no room for complacency.
'End it quick, then assess.'
The moment that thought crossed my mind, it bolted like lightning—straight at me.