Chapter 222
Chapter 222
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Ep. 222
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I woke up in the hospital after clearing Space Survival.
My parents, who had split up after I became an adult, hugged me tightly and sobbed. They kept murmuring over and over how grateful they were that I was alive, refusing to let go.
It might be commonplace for some, but it felt utterly foreign to me. Even when I was in the hospital, they had only ever blamed each other.
But had I secretly longed for a harmonious family like this? For some reason, tears welled up in my eyes, and I ended up crying alongside them.
Once my parents finally calmed down, they spoke to me.
"Let's start over."
Legally, we were already strangers, but they said it would be nice to slowly rebuild our relationship.
Seeing that, I realized an unwelcome truth.
I was dreaming right now.
My parents loved me, but their relationship with each other was irreparably broken. Even if I died, they would never get back together.
The moment I realized it was a dream...
I opened my eyes above the swamp.
'How long was I asleep?'
I checked my lower body and tail. The tail, slathered in mucus, was perfectly fine without a single scratch. Even the pincer that had been completely obliterated had fully regenerated.
Maybe because I'd glimpsed my human reality through the dream, I suddenly thought it would have been nice to have this kind of recovery back then. If I had, my parents' divorce never would have happened, nor would the lonely life of holing up at home without a single close friend.
'...Pointless thoughts.'
I had no idea why memories from my past suddenly surfaced in a dream when I wasn't even evolving. It just left me in a foul mood.
I shook my head, flinging off the mucus along with the negative thoughts. The ripples spreading across the swamp's surface from my movement were blocked by an object in front of me.
It was Ort, the White Galleron, lying there with symbiotic spores attached to him.
He looked much better compared to when he'd entered the nest, but not quite out of the woods. His broken legs and torn tail had healed, but his wings hadn't even regenerated halfway.
The horn on his head was still broken off. He might recover with more time, but I couldn't rule out the chance it would never grow back.
After checking on Ort's condition, I got to my feet. The first thing I saw upon emerging from the nest was a massive jellyfish glowing bright pink.
It was No. 26, her body inflated to its maximum. Peeking through the gaps in her pink tentacles were the heads of Gallerons covered in blue scales. Just like on the cruiser, she was cradling a bunch of cold-vulnerable Blue Gallerons.
"Big baby, does it still hurt?"
[Yeah. I'm good now.]
Spotting me, she raised one tentacle and waggled it gently.
Looking around, I noticed several pits that hadn't been there before I fell asleep. They were covered with branches on top.
'They must have been hiding in there.'
After the cruiser left, the Green Gallerons and Blue Gallerons must have dug these pits. I'd used a similar method with Jason after our fight to maintain body heat, so I recognized it right away.
Now, instead of Green Gallerons, the pits contained the corpses of other creatures.
"Middle baby caught them. Eat if you're hungry too, big baby."
Body recovery and an empty stomach were separate issues. I gladly took her up on the offer and pulled a corpse from one of the pits.
It was a Snow Banshee, its body grotesquely twisted and tongue ripped out. The chill from its flesh suggested it had been dead for quite a while.
I'd eaten a few before. It had tasted like a mix of jerky and dried squid.
I popped the meat into my mouth and chewed. It was already close to bar snack territory, so even cold, it wasn't half bad.
Chewing the chilled Snow Banshee, I asked No. 26,
[Where are the others?]
"The flappy ones went hunting. Middle baby said she had something to discuss with little baby and big flappy."
The "big flappy" she meant was Nel Gherma.
As she communicated via vibrations, No. 26 pulled out one tentacle and pointed toward the forest.
"They went that way together."
[Thanks.]
I quickly devoured the corpse and slithered in the direction she indicated.
A forest appeared like a chessboard, black and white only. Shallow snow covered the ground, black trees rising from it. Dim light filtered through the densely intertwined branches.
As I passed through the dank woods, I sensed three creatures of varying sizes moving about.
And the smell of blood too.
The thick, familiar scent low to the forest floor was White Galleron blood.
'Adhai ate a Galleron corpse.'
They noticed me too, and a small creature approached. Soon, the Mother of the Sky in Wendigo form emerged from between the trees.
"You're here? How's your body feeling?"
[Great. Thanks to you, my stomach's full too.]
"I wasn't sure when you'd wake up, so I stocked up a lot. Glad to hear it."
[How'd you bring Ort here?]
"Well, before that, there's something about that Adhai..."
[Come to think of it, where's Adhai? Did the growth finish?]
She fell silent at my words. She scratched her skull with a black-furred hand.
"Hard to explain. Just see for yourself."
She beckoned me with a finger to follow.
For a split second, I wondered if something had gone wrong, but her demeanor didn't suggest danger. It was more like the awkwardness of having witnessed something unexpected.
Following her led to a small clearing. Amid chunks of meat scattered on the ground stood the white Galleron, Nel Gherma. She dipped her head slightly upon seeing me.
And behind her was a Galleron I'd never seen before.
About 4 to 5 meters long? A bit larger than the Mother of the Sky in griffon form.
Six horns on its head, long clusters of tentacles dangling from its mouth, a serpentine body. All classic Galleron features, but one crucial difference.
The wings. This small Galleron had four, not two.
Galleron wings are positioned on the back near the chest. The ones behind Nel Gherma had large wings in the same spot near the forelegs.
But there were additional small wings near where the hind legs met the tail.
In the game, only one kind of Galleron had four wings.
The strongest of the Gallerons, a creature as powerful as a Vortex One: the Red Galleron.
'But...'
Red Gallerons have red scales, as the name implies. They use a unique energy system called Dragon Power instead of psychic power, their scales gleaming with a mystical luster like red diamonds.
But the Galleron behind Nel Gherma wasn't red.
Or more precisely, the red diamond color was limited to the wings and horns. They shone crimson, as if soaked in the Galleron blood pooling on the ground.
But everywhere else remained pure white, like the snow piled in the clearing.
A faint thought wave emanated from the red-and-white hybrid Galleron.
｢Big Lord｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Failed｣ ｢Sorry｣
Hearing half-grown Adhai's apology, I was at a loss for words.
Disappointment? I'd be lying if I said I felt none, but that wasn't the reason.
What threw me was how incomprehensible the situation was.
'A half-evolved Red Galleron.'
No such thing existed in the game. Not even as an event.
Red Gallerons were raid bosses, transcendent beings ruling all Gallerons. They couldn't have halfway growth states.
And if a transition from White to Red failed, wouldn't it naturally become a Black Galleron? I couldn't understand why Adhai ended up with a 50/50 mix of White and Red traits.
My mind reeling, I examined it again. No matter how I looked, it had four wings. They sagged limply over its eyes, but undeniable. The wings and horns were blood-red.
Then our eyes met. Its amethyst pupils, beautiful like jewels embedded in ice, brimmed with anxiety.
I flinched, remembering eyes like those from long ago.
Whenever my parents fought, I'd hide in the closet. Each time, I'd face the mirror on the door.
This creature's gaze mirrored the one reflected back at me then.
'...Calm down.'
Forcing my composure, I sent it a thought wave.
[What happened?]
｢Me｣ ｢Big Lord's expectations｣ ｢Betrayed｣
[No. I've never once thought you betrayed my expectations.]
It was true.
No. 26, Adhai, Mother of the Sky, PS-111.
I'd never felt disappointed in any of them for helping and supporting me. They'd all exceeded my hopes and filled in my shortcomings.
Feeling my emotions, Adhai seemed to calm a bit. Seeing it stabilize, I asked again.
｢Corpse｣ ｢After predation｣ ｢During growth｣ ｢Bad feeling｣ ｢Felt｣
[Bad feeling?]
｢Growth｣ ｢Complete｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Savior｣ ｢Change｣ ｢Savior｣ ｢Race's only king｣ ｢Red Queen｣
[Yeah. You'll become one of the red race.]
Adhai shook its head and looked at me with sad eyes.
｢Then｣ ｢Me｣ ｢No longer｣ ｢Big Lord｣ ｢Side｣ ｢Can't protect｣
[What?]
｢Red Queen｣ ｢Race｣ ｢Prosperity｣ ｢Must lead｣ ｢That｣ ｢Only mission｣ ｢Big Lord｣ ｢Little Lord｣ ｢Friends｣ ｢Sick child｣ ｢All separate｣
That sparked a realization.
By lore, Red Gallerons were akin to kings of Gallerons. They commanded all and reigned supreme.
And a king couldn't exist apart from its kingdom.
｢Me｣ ｢Worried｣ ｢Race｣ ｢Ort｣ ｢Hate｣ ｢But｣ ｢Death｣ ｢Don't want to see｣ ｢So｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Savior｣ ｢Path｣ ｢Walk｣ ｢Thought｣
Adhai kept sending thought waves toward me as I listened quietly.
｢Me｣ ｢Chose｣ ｢Savior｣ ｢Big Lord｣ ｢Both｣ ｢Will have｣
[So you gave up becoming a red Galleron?]
Adhai denied it with a thought wave.
｢Me｣ ｢Red Queen｣ ｢Mission｣ ｢Can't refuse｣ ｢Just｣ ｢Postponed｣
[Postponed?]
｢Me｣ ｢Red Queen｣ ｢Still｣ ｢Lacking｣ ｢Big Lord｣ ｢Side｣ ｢Much to learn｣
It approached me from behind Nel Gherma. Then, it politely bowed its head before me.
｢Me｣ ｢Big Lord｣ ｢Force｣ ｢Belong｣ ｢Big Lord｣ ｢Me｣ ｢Accept?｣
While I slept, Adhai had made a crucial choice.
It was a snap decision in a short time, but it didn't feel rash. Even if it was, I couldn't belittle it.
It had forsaken the throne to stay by my side.
'Adhai will be useful to me.'
I didn't know how strong it had become, but surely superior to a standard White Galleron. With luck, it might wield Dragon Power, the Red Gallerons' signature.
It would be invaluable against Odd Grad, and future foes too.
'...But that's not all.'
If I'd planned to let it leave, we wouldn't have come this far. Same with No. 26—I'd never hand either over to others.
I approached and extended an arm. As it flinched, I stroked its head and said,
[You're welcome anytime.]
Whether it could later become a Black or full Red Galleron was uncertain. But "postponed" suggested growth wasn't impossible.
Black Galleron evolution might still be viable later, Red or not. Though I had no clue how.
'We'll figure that out step by step.'
Adhai in its new form.
It'd be handy against Odd Grad. Even if not stronger, no issue.
Red horns and wings.
The Gallerons would know what that symbolized better than me.
'Might even spark infighting.'
With those thoughts, I kept stroking Adhai's head.