Chapter 349
Chapter 349
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 349
Chapter Title: Secrets of the Return Faction
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After arriving at the hangar, I questioned Alshas about everything I was curious about.
The bastard did his utmost to satisfy me with his answers. There wasn't a trace of the mocking attitude he'd shown back on Berzan 02.
Moreover, desperate not to die, he spilled everything—not just about Cynthia, but his comrades too. Thanks to that, I learned quite a few intriguing facts.
'The 4th and 7th ranks have joined forces.'
I'd suspected as much when Alshas received support from the Outspacer. An Outspacer ranker and the 7th-ranked Cult ranker, Beomho, were in a cooperative relationship. Outspacers and Cults were fundamentally incompatible, but whatever price Beomho paid for that alliance remained unknown.
According to him, Beomho had persuaded the 4th to join their side.
'More than that, the 4th has been in this world for over 30 years. That's bad news.'
In the game, the 4th was the type who steadily grew a swarm to overwhelm opponents. Outspacers were weak individually but grew rapidly in numbers. The 4th's playstyle suited his species perfectly.
With 30 years of consistent growth, the swarm's scale had to be beyond imagination. Plus, the ranker at 37th—the other Outspacer player—had joined the 4th's swarm.
With two rankers combined, they might even crush the Cult Empire in one fell swoop.
'I've become an outlier myself, but I still need to be cautious.'
After 30 years, they'd amassed immense genetic essence, plus a special perk. If it came to a fight, I'd need to prepare thoroughly.
'At least now I know who the Return Faction members are.'
Alshas said there were two more rankers besides himself, the two Outspacer rankers, and Beomho. One of them—a Wolf ranker—was managing the faction's equipment.
"The Wolf ranker... do you mean the 9th?"
"The 9th is dead. The one handling our gear is someone else."
The 9th was the highest-ranked among Wolf rankers. Unlike the Mother of the Sky, who excelled in combat via transformations, this one preferred operating fleets in beastman form.
His confident declaration of death suggested the Return Faction might have killed him.
"Where's that bastard hiding?"
"In Aska 44 of the Dorane Star System. An uncharted volcanic planet."
"A volcanic planet, huh."
I'd been planning to craft dedicated gear for the Mother of the Sky using Wolf-specific equipment. Perfect timing. I already had the key ingredient—Vortex One flesh. The remaining mineral materials could come from there.
'Might as well swing by for Isabel's pistol while I'm at it.'
"Good. I know the Wolf ranker's location now. Where's the last one?"
"I-I don't know the details. I just know they went off on another mission under Beomho's orders."
I scraped the hangar floor with my combat claws, and he hurriedly added more.
'Looks like Beomho's the brains of the operation.'
I'd expected as much.
He excelled at exploiting variables to strike enemy weaknesses. In that sense—favoring bizarre tactics—he was similar to me.
"Where's Beomho's base?"
"He wanders constantly, so even I don't know where he is now."
"What's his special perk?"
Alshas hesitated before answering my question.
"I-I never discussed it in depth with him..."
"Is that so?"
I wasn't disappointed by his claim of ignorance.
Beomho was a player with a mindset like mine. Even in the same faction, he wouldn't share his info—that much I'd anticipated.
"Following someone you know nothing about. You're more trusting than I thought."
"That's not it."
"It's not?"
"Beomho knows a way to send us back to the real world. That's why I'm following the Return Faction's cause."
"A way back... you mean the ending?"
Alshas shook his head at my question.
"Seeing the ending the game way is impossible."
"Impossible? How would you know that?"
"Before the Return Faction formed, Beomho challenged the final mission with other rankers—and failed. That's when the 9th died."
Come to think of it, the Mother of the Sky had mentioned something similar.
A while back, the 1st and others had attempted the final mission.
They'd somehow met the conditions using some method. Looking back, they'd probably used their special perks.
But they failed, sparking strife among the rankers afterward.
"Fascinating. So what's their plan for the ending?"
"I don't know that either."
"You don't?"
"Only Beomho knows the full plan. Can't risk leaks."
"Lying to me isn't wise."
"I-I'm not lying! He only shares parts of the plan as needed, so I barely know anything!"
I had ways to detect lies—parasites or turning them into face parasites.
As a ranker, Alshas knew that, so he wouldn't dare deceive me.
That said, even if truthful, one thing puzzled me.
'Neither Cynthia nor Alshas seems the type to trust others easily.'
Cynthia was a double agent; Alshas sold out his comrades for survival. Earning their trust couldn't be easy.
'Or maybe there's another factor.'
Something even Alshas didn't realize about Beomho—a perk, or brainwashing tech I didn't know.
'Whatever it is, I need to stay wary.'
I'd confirmed most of the essentials.
I posed my final question.
"During quest clears, have you ever seen illusions?"
"Pardon?"
"They say real-world memories appear as illusions nearing the ending. Who did you see in yours?"
He fell silent briefly before speaking.
"I became my human self. In this world, in my mansion, I killed the enemy manifested as Cult flesh."
The opposite of Jason. Jason, in Cult form, killed 'his human self'.
"When did that happen?"
"Why ask?"
"You're in no position to question me."
"...When I cleared quest stage 10."
Jason saw his at stage 10 too. Same timing, different choices.
"After that?"
"According to Beomho and the 4th Empress, later illusions show returning to real-world lives."
"Real-world lives?"
"To prepare us for smooth adaptation, they said."
I hadn't expected much from the question, but the answer was surprisingly compelling.
Three Return Faction members saw reality-linked illusions. The faction tied to illusions seemed certain.
'And the illusions help adapt to reality.'
Perhaps illusions shifted based on chosen identity nearing the ending. Human form? Real-world life. This world's form? Space survival life.
'I'll discuss this with Isabel once she wakes.'
"Good. No more questions."
"R-Really?"
I'd gotten plenty of useful info. I stood up.
Alshas, lying before me, looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Hey, you promised. Answer my questions, and I'd let you live."
"Yeah."
"Th-then I'll be going now."
Limb-less and half-torso gone, he crawled toward the remaining shuttle in the hangar.
I blocked the maggot-like crawl with a combat arm. He forced a grin and tried sidestepping, but I was faster.
I pinched him up with four long fingers. My central head gaped wide. Seeing my maw, his face drained pale.
"Y-you promised to spare me!"
"Yeah. I did."
"I-I won't attack again! I won't upset you, Aimorph-nim!"
I brought his remaining flesh to my mouth. Dangling helplessly, he thrashed desperately.
'Pointless.'
"P-please let me go! I don't want to die!"
"You won't die."
"Huh?"
"Just a change in form and personality."
"N-no way?"
I'd meant it about sparing him.
But leaving him like this risked betrayal anytime. Just a 'minor measure.'
"Kyaaak! N-no, not face parasites! No! Please, don't!"
He flopped like meat on a hook. But even with limbs, he couldn't escape—now, impossible.
His once-beautiful Cult face smeared with tears, saliva, and fluids. No trace of the sneering ranker from Berzan 02.
I flung him into my gaping mouth.
"N-nooo! I don't want to die like thiiiis...."
Clamping shut silenced the scream. Sweet aroma flooded my tongue, palate, teeth—like cool mint candy, refreshing.
Tempting to savor, but I couldn't forever. I swallowed what was Alshas down my throat.
And then.
The text box from the dragon's nest long ago.
A new 'Mark of the Archfoe' awaited my choice.
'It's been a while.'
First time since devouring Jason on the ice planet.
Back then, I fused one of two traits with the player's perk to create a new Mark of the Archfoe. That's how 'Abyssal Hues' was born.
'It demanded traits of contrasting natures then too.'
I chose the psychic-related 'Flames of Hallucination' over the infection-type 'Cosmic Bacteria' for Abyssal Hues. Picking the former would have yielded something entirely different.
'This time, choose between a body trait and a nest trait.'
The former: 'Three Heads', rewarded upon evolving to Adult. The latter: standard trait 'Smog Tower'.
Like before, utterly different natures. Unpredictable outcome—choose carefully.
'Ideally, something akin to Alshas's perk.'
He created duplicates wielding his main body's powers. In my current situation, that versatility would shine.
'Which to pick for something close to the original?'
'Three Heads' was body-related. Aimorph Adults owed multiple heads to it.
Side heads obeyed the central but moved independently too. This might rebirth into a trait crafting 'new Aimorphs'—mirroring Alshas's perk.
'That'd be ideal, but there's a catch.'
'Three Heads' was rare, hard to reacquire.
Targeting another Adult Aimorph was a pipe dream. Even Vortex Ones with three heads were riskier than Torment Rings—tough win now.
'Using it here means ages to regain.'
Like 'Harvester's Maw' upgrading from 'Essence Harvester's Jaw', fusing 'Three Heads' could yield something stronger.
Such fusions were potent—wasted here.
'Smog Tower has no such risk.'
The nest's toxic fog trait wasn't crucial now, and reacquiring it was feasible.
But the result might stray far from desired—like Abyssal Hues.
Jason's original power extruded special matter to form golden shapes. Using Cosmic Bacteria then might've mirrored that.