Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Smuggled Blue Galleron
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In the world of Space Survival, there are thousands of known non-playable creature species.
With hundreds of planets available for players to explore, it might even seem like a small number by some measures, but compared to other online games, it's relatively abundant.
The creatures in the game each have unique habits tailored to their habitats. Thanks to reflecting the behaviors of real-world wild animals in similar ecosystems, they feel convincingly lifelike.
Sapient NPC races are modeled after specific cultural motifs, allowing players to immerse themselves with a high sense of realism.
That said, since Space Survival is still just a game, not everything is perfectly realistic—there are exceptions.
For instance, the Galleron.
Motived by dragons from mythology, Gallerons exhibit habits that diverge significantly from ordinary creatures in many ways.
Behaviors like hoarding treasures and artifacts in their lairs or obliterating nearby cities with powerful psychic powers are far removed from typical animal instincts.
Among these alien traits of the Galleron is an obsessive affection for their young and kin.
Rather than acting independently, Gallerons form prides similar to lions and live together in groups.
A typical Galleron pride consists of one male and seven to eight female Gallerons, with the weakest member—the Blue Galleron—receiving protection from the entire group.
This dynamic is implemented in the game as the Blue Galleron's unique trait: summoning kin.
By lore, Gallerons are linked through their distinctive psychic powers, allowing them to call upon each other no matter the distance.
In gameplay, this is expressed as a summoning skill, enabling the Blue Galleron to arbitrarily call forth its pride mates.
Though the Blue Galleron itself is extremely weak, it becomes a notoriously tricky hunt because you have to face it alongside the other Gallerons.
One might think high-rankers could easily snag hard-to-find Gallerons thanks to this, but the summoned kin are treated as non-standard entities—no items or traits can be looted from them.
'That's why most hunters target Green Gallerons or White Gallerons above the Blue ones.'
Starting from the Green Galleron—equivalent to the Juvenile stage for Aimorphs—the summoning trait disappears.
Of course, that doesn't make them easy prey by any means, but it's far better than battling a whole pack of Gallerons.
At any rate, if things followed the game's lore, I'd be in extremely grave danger right now.
The creature slumbering before me was unmistakably a Blue Galleron, no matter how I looked at it.
'But it's awfully small.'
Blue Gallerons are at least over 2 meters tall, yet this one barely exceeded 50cm.
If you didn't know better, you could mistake it for a fairywing.
'Forget mistaking it—what the hell caught this thing?'
Asking me, now a Subadult, to capture one alive would be an impossible task.
'...There's something I don't know here.'
A Blue Galleron isn't some pushover a mere criminal could smuggle.
Not unless backed by a top Space Dogs cartel or a Mega Corp Prime Capital-level faction or higher.
'Someone's plotting to destroy the special trade hub.'
A Galleron pride could easily raze this place—the T&C special trade hub.
It might be defensible against a space fortress with a full fleet garrisoned, but military power here isn't particularly formidable.
There is a defense fleet, but it couldn't hold off enraged Gallerons.
To uncover the truth, I summoned Sander.
"...You called for me?"
"Do you know what this creature is?"
"Isn't it a fairywing?"
I asked in the voice of the man next door, but Sander seemed oblivious to any issue.
'Gallerons are rare enough that he might not know.'
Even in the game, only top-tier players encountered them directly; low-rankers knew them from community screenshots or videos.
This being reality, most people here probably had no clue Gallerons even existed.
"Who smuggled this creature?"
"Uh, from what I recall, it was a guy named Jade? Jade Russell."
"Russell?"
"Yes. He was locked in the detention center but broke out not long after."
Russell. The name rang a bell—like I'd heard the surname before.
'Ah.'
After a moment's thought, I remembered where.
'Arnold Russell.'
Sihyun Yujin's confidant, the Crisis Management Team Leader aboard Yuseong Samuel's research ship.
Sihyun Yujin, whom I'd fought, had gained Galleron claw traits from transplanting White Galleron genes.
She couldn't have raised them herself, so her faction must know Galleron habitats and lair locations.
Thus, smuggling one in via her subordinate wouldn't be especially difficult.
In other words, a Yujin Family Noble Capital enforcer had tried to attack a peer T&C Family city.
'Feels like a scene I've seen before.'
I'd witnessed similar scenarios often in the game.
The event Mega Corp players looked forward to most.
'Civil war.'
By lore, Mega Corp is ruled by seven massive families.
The five Noble Capital families and two Prime Capital families compete fiercely to claim sole dominance, sometimes erupting into armed blood feuds.
"Is there a festival in the city?"
"Pardon? Are you referring to the board meeting...?"
"Board meeting?"
"Yes. The Prime Capital directors are gathering to decide the next Mega Corp CEO. Twenty-three days remain until the board meeting, starting today."
Sander's words confirmed my suspicions.
Mega Corp's supreme leader is chosen by election. The five Noble Capital families nominate candidates, and the two Prime Capital families' directors vote.
In the game, Mega Corp players strived to get their faction's candidate elected for the massive perks, or sabotage rivals to keep them off the ballot.
'If it was like that in game, it must be even worse in reality.'
Sihyun Yujin had likely smuggled the Galleron via her subordinate before the board announcement, planning to unleash it on the meeting day.
The T&C Family was a rival, after all, so her motives made sense.
'Though she's dead now anyway.'
Twenty-three days until the board meeting.
The missing Jade was probably hiding somewhere in the city, waiting to kill the Blue Galleron on that day.
His master was gone, but whether the plan proceeded was unknown.
'What to do.'
Releasing it as is posed problems, but devouring it myself did too.
Galleron traits were highly desirable, but timing was an issue. Without the board meeting, I'd eat it and flee to another planet—but not now.
As I pondered, the tail of the supposedly frozen Blue Galleron twitched.
I hurriedly tried to reseal the cryo tube, but the Galleron opened its eyes.
'Oh no.'
Its glowing purple eyes scanned the surroundings, pausing on my face. Then it began trembling violently.
'Damn.'
I swiftly scooped up #26 and shielded it.
Young as it was, it was still a Galleron. A potent psychic thought wave grazed my body.
Thanks to my Psionic Resistance trait, it did me no harm. #26, under my protection, escaped unscathed too.
"H-hic, guh...!"
Unfortunately, unprotected Sander took the full brunt. He convulsed like he'd been electrocuted and passed out.
At my words, it ceased firing thought waves.
Not a lie. I couldn't kill it right now anyway. If I were to eat it, I'd need to wait for a chance to escape the city first.
Regardless of my inner thoughts, it seemed to decide to trust me. Its thought waves, previously screeching like an electric guitar, now flowed gently like calm ripples.
'Adult?'
Gallerons communicate solely via thought waves in the game too, conveying words or concepts. From the terms it used, it apparently saw me as an elder of the pride.
'Because of this?'
The 'Monster's Tendril' protruding from the back of my head.
Different location aside, it looked identical to a White Galleron's tendril.
'Come to think of it, is the communication possible thanks to the Monster's Tendril too?'
In the game, Gallerons occasionally spoke to players, but players' words went unheard by them.
I shouldn't be able to converse with one normally either, but the tendril enabled it.
'Anyway, it thinks I'm a White Galleron.'
For now, I'd roll with its misconception. I questioned the now-stabilized creature.
It uttered something unexpected.
'Exiled as a mutant?'
As far as I knew, Galleron variants existed, but differed slightly from typical mutations in other species.
Variants were monsters grotesquely warped by overconsuming psychic power, shunned by their kin. Think the corrupted evil dragons from myths and media.
'Doesn't seem like a variant.'
As a hatchling Blue Galleron, it wouldn't have overconsumed psychic power. Given its much smaller size compared to kin, it was likely exiled as a true mutant, as it claimed.
'Sihyun's lackey wasted his effort.'
If exiled from its home, its kin wouldn't come when called—their plan was foiled.
'Wait, doesn't that mean I can eat it without issue?'
It still had the summoning trait, but if none answered, there was no reason not to devour it.
Sensing my shift, it hurriedly broadcast another thought wave.
An Aimorph had no need for treasure—gene essences or artifacts were irrelevant. Seeing my skepticism, it continued.
At that, I lowered the stinger I'd raised to impale it.
'It knows a dragon lair?'
Treasure was irrelevant, but a dragon lair was different.
After reaching Near-Adult, I had to hunt Gallerons without fail.
It was essential for evolving to Adult and acquiring rare traits.
Dragon lairs, home to Galleron prides, were ideal for farming Galleron genes.
'Info on dragon lairs is premium-grade.'
I weighed two rewards.
With the summoning risk nullified, eating it posed no major issue.
I currently lacked psionic traits, so devouring it wasn't a bad move.
'Though no guarantee of a Predation Effect.'
Conversely, sparing it granted dragon lair intel. I didn't know how a hatchling knew, but Gallerons didn't lie.
'It's telling the truth.'
It waited meekly, leaving the choice to me—showing no resistance or ulterior motives.
'Kill it? Or spare it?'
My tail swayed, mirroring my conflicted heart.
After minutes of deliberation, I made my decision.