Chapter 284
Chapter 284
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: Metamorphosis (1)
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“Hey, ■■, what's wrong?”
Eh?
A familiar voice jolted my mind awake. Before my eyes was a dining table laden with mouthwatering food on white plates.
Along with it came the cold sensation from my palm. Looking at the fork in my hand felt strangely unfamiliar for some reason.
“...Don't you like it? I wasn't all that confident since it's been so long since I last cooked.”
“I splurged on premium Hanwoo beef, so it'd be a problem if you didn't.”
“Oh, come on, even on a day like this? You were like this before too...”
“No, it's not that! Dad! I was just lost in thought for a second!”
Just like before, my father and mother were on the verge of arguing again.
I quickly stabbed the bread on the table with the fork I was holding. With a crisp sound, a hole pierced through the bread, and thick juices oozed out from the gap.
Drawn in by that intense aroma, I grabbed the bread with my bare hands and shoved it into my mouth. It was scorching hot enough to burn, but the flavor was so incredible I didn't feel the heat at all.
“Eating like a savage with your hands? What'd you even pick up that fork for?”
“How is it? Delicious? Out of this world, right?”
I chewed and swallowed ferociously before silently giving a thumbs-up.
Father broke into a wide grin at the sight.
“I've already given my gift. Now it's Mom's turn.”
“I know.”
“A gift?”
I froze, having sucked every last drop of juice from my fingers.
Mother rarely ever gave me presents. Ever since I was hospitalized, it was hard enough just to see her face. Being a famous actress kept her perpetually busy.
“Mom got me a gift?”
“Yeah, she did. I was surprised too... Oh, hold on. I'll be right back.”
Father stepped out with his phone, leaving just Mother and me in the kitchen. She hesitated for a moment before pulling something out from under the table.
The large box, illustrated with what looked like a headgear machine, was a product I knew well. It was that VR device advertised everywhere. I dazedly accepted the gift from her.
“I asked my manager what was popular these days and bought it.”
Mother's voice sounded a bit awkward, unlike her usual self. I couldn't find any words.
“It's not a bad thing just because it's expensive... Hey, are you crying?”
“Huh?”
Sure enough, I felt warm liquid trickling from the corner of my eye. Wiping it with the back of my hand did nothing; the tears kept coming.
I was happy about the gift, sure, but not tear-your-eyes-out happy. What the hell was this?
“Honey!”
I set the gift down and bolted to the bathroom. I heard Mother's startled voice, but I couldn't turn back.
Locking the bathroom door, I turned on the faucet.
The rushing water seemed to calm my rollercoaster emotions bit by bit.
I think I knew why I'd reacted that way.
Having spent my childhood in hospitals, I'd always dreamed of happy family times. Everyone gathered at the table, eating in a warm, harmonious atmosphere. When that dream came true, tears had spilled out unbidden.
I splashed water on my face and looked in the mirror.
“Hm?”
A small Post-it note was stuck in the corner of the mirror. I could make out a three-letter word scribbled on it.
The moment my finger unconsciously touched the Post-it, the bathroom plunged into darkness.
The water on my face turned into sticky mucus, and my clothes became a suffocating cocoon squeezing my body.
'What was that just now?'
All the visions I'd seen through the cocoon so far were fragments of past memories.
But this one felt different.
I'd never once had a family meal where everyone laughed happily together. Both Father and Mother were always too busy. By the time I started college, they were already living separately.
'And finally.'
That Post-it.
It felt like a crucial word, but I couldn't remember it. Everything else was intact, but that part alone had been wiped clean.
'...Maybe I'll see it again when I evolve to Adult?'
I always saw visions entering the cocoon, so surely next time too.
I tore through the cocoon and emerged.
The moment I felt the chill air, the scene before me was a wide-open container door and a gryphon beastkin standing in front of it.
The sky mother, about to bite into the apple in her hand, locked eyes with me.
｢...What? Why?｣
She reacted like someone caught red-handed boiling ramen at dawn, crunching into the apple awkwardly.
｢I know exactly what you're thinking. You were dying to evolve as fast as possible.｣
She was right.
After leaving the dragon's nest, I'd roamed everywhere scraping up gene essences. Now that Mega Corp and Star Union rankers knew of my existence, I couldn't predict when they'd come hunting.
Besides, all my enemies were the top powers in their factions. To face them, I needed to become an Adult too.
It was true I'd been rushing a bit, so I couldn't deny her words.
｢Out with PS-111. They wanted to watch it eat metal.｣
No wonder I hadn't felt the faint vibrations in the ship's inner walls.
The ship had landed on some nameless dwarf planet. Before heading to attack Kasha Arma, I'd scoured for a spot where I could evolve to Adult without interference.
This planet was far from its star, receiving almost no light. Its crust was made of ice and metal, and the atmosphere so thin no ordinary life could survive.
I'd thoroughly checked it out before going to Kasha Arma to confirm it was perfect for evolution.
And it passed with flying colors.
On this small, dark planet, I would become an Adult.
｢Not waiting yourself?｣
I shook off the clinging mucus and stood. My body was larger than before, and my two long tails dragged across the floor. My new Unique Trait had changed my form.
'I'll be Adult soon anyway. I can check on them then.'
｢Don't worry about it.｣
Having devoured the apple already, she was pulling out frozen grapes.
As I turned to leave her behind, an impulse made me send her a wave.
｢Yeah? What?｣
｢Visions?｣
Now that I'd asked, regret crept in. No guarantee she'd experienced the same, especially since we were different species. Why bother asking?
Before I could say no need to answer, she spoke first.
｢I did.｣
｢Yeah. Memories from my human days. Guess you saw some too.｣
To be precise, except when evolving to Juvenile. No vision then that I recall. Whether I just forgot or it was an exception, unclear.
Anyway, she seemed to see visions during growth spurts too. Maybe other players had similar experiences.
｢Not a fun experience, huh. Or maybe yours are different?｣
She fell silent at my question.
Fiddling with the grapes using her golden-furred hand, she finally spoke.
｢I've only seen visions twice so far. And they were exactly the same both times.｣
｢Yeah. Memories of being bullied in middle school. I tried to forget, but they kept popping up.｣
Her answer was unexpected.
The sky mother was the only player I knew who'd adapted well here, even gotten married. Personality and social skills seemed smooth compared to me or others—no rough edges. I'd assumed her real life was smooth sailing too. Didn't expect this pain.
｢Don't look at me like that. It's ancient history.｣
｢What about you? Asking means yours aren't great either, huh.｣
I didn't answer right away.
Back as a human, I'd been asked countless times about my face. Each time, I'd explain at length.
The reactions were always the same: awkwardness, disbelief, cheap pity.
The sky mother might react similarly.
'No. She opened up first about her pain.'
So it was only fair to be honest in return.
I explained the visions I'd seen and the major accident from my past. She listened quietly to the end.
When I finished, she let out a short sigh.
｢...I had no idea you went through that.｣
｢Here, take this at least.｣
She snapped off half the grape bunch and handed it to me, swallowing her half in one go.
'Toasting instead of glasses, huh.'
Understanding the intent, I popped the grapes into my mouth the same way. Despite the mood, their tangy sourness tickled my whole mouth.
The brief silence from eating broke when she spoke.
｢By the way, I didn't know your mom was that famous actress. Heard she even won at some international film festival before I came here.｣
｢Acting skills a family trait?｣
She tossed a light joke before fixing me with a serious gaze.
｢This is just my guess. What if the visions change based on the goals we set?｣
｢You aimed for Ascension from the start. Mine was a bit different. I liked this world more than 'reality.'｣
｢Unlike me, you saw an ideal future instead of bad memories. Way more 'motivating' than before, right?｣
Her point: visions adapt to our personal goals.
'Visions tied to our goals.'
Too few cases to declare certain, but intriguing.
The vision when entering for the Unique Trait: an ideal family I'd never had. To grasp that happiness? Return to reality.
'So why show these visions?'
She called it motivation, but not the whole story. There had to be a reason we both saw them.
'...Gotta look into this too.'
Visions made of memories. Could tie to why we ended up here—separate from Ascension goal.
No more clues, so our talk ended. Still helpful, so I thanked her.
｢No big deal. Just a few words.｣
｢...Cut the sappy talk. Go get ready to become Adult.｣
Apparently my earnest thanks embarrassed her; she turned away. I bowed once to her turned back and crawled out of the ship.
A barren metallic surface greeted me. Almost lightless, like the void of space, but I had auxiliary organs for sight.
I crawled toward the spot I'd scouted. Not far off was a crater from an ancient meteor impact. Inside the massive pit, I found a suitable nook and settled in.
'Alright.'
I've waited so long for this.
The semitransparent text box always asked in the same tone.
My answer was always the same.
Before the mucus from the last cocoon could even dry, my body prepared for the next stage.
I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, the black abyss was gone—replaced by a space brimming with light and color.
Before me was a familiar iron door.
'Where's this?'
A rusty-hinged, polished-knob old door. It was my studio apartment door.
From inside came someone yelling furiously.
“You bastard! Daring to interrupt my evolution? I'm not gonna kill you nicely!”
That voice—very familiar.
As if entranced, I reached out and gripped the doorknob. Déjà vu hit hard. Feels like I've done this before, but no memory.
The knob turned, the door opened.
On the bed in one corner of the studio with its attached bathroom lay a man wearing a headgear.
His build looked average, but his body wasn't. Dressed casually in a tank top and shorts since he was home, the scars were plain: long burn marks from right leg up through arm, shoulder, and neck.
“How many times is this now! Why do you always tail me? Am I that easy a mark?”
Completely unaware of me, he kept shouting.
His looks, his actions—everything felt familiar.
'Something's wrong here.'
I needed to get out now. But against my will, my body moved. My elongated wing-arms removed his VR gear.
“What the—huh?”
He emerged from Space Survival's world and saw me. His eyes widened in horror.
'...Shit.'
That face, scarred on the right side.
It was the face I saw every morning in the bathroom mirror.
“Aaaah! M-monster!”
The screaming man was none other than me.