Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Bite Force
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I thought I was seeing things and checked again, but the translucent text window glowing in midair refused to vanish.
'It really appeared. It's a bit different from what I had in mind, though.'
I'd wanted a trait that reinforced my teeth themselves, but bite force wasn't a bad alternative by any means.
An Aimorph's bite force wasn't particularly weak to begin with. It could crunch through a human skull without issue, making it superior to most Earth animals.
But in the world of space survival, filled with armor and gear boasting sky-high defenses, that level of chomping power didn't stand out as special.
'An Aimorph's oral structure is kinda like a mix between a snake and a regular predator.'
It gaped wide to lock its teeth into prey like a snake, but then ground it up afterward like any carnivore.
'With a bite force trait, the bite itself could become a weapon.'
In the game, bite force was a solid, unremarkable trait. Not having it like a beast's claws wasn't a dealbreaker, but having it was always handy.
To use the transcendence system anyway, I needed 13 physical traits. Every single one I had right now was precious, so even something like this was way better than nothing.
'That'll make twelve with bite force. Just one more to go.'
As soon as I accepted, changes began rippling through my head.
My jaw tingled faintly at first, then bones ground together with a crackle as it swelled larger than before. My head expanded to match, growing bulkier overall. The auxiliary organ dangling beneath my jaw thickened and lengthened alongside it.
The transformation wasn't just about size. My teeth itched as their structure subtly shifted.
It wasn't a major mutation, so it wrapped up quickly. Once done, I checked my reflection in the subway's reinforced glass.
My head was noticeably bigger now, altering my overall profile. Before, it had a sleek, viper-like sharpness; now it carried the thick, heavy vibe of an anaconda.
My fangs had changed too—in human terms, the canines were longer, almost tusks if they grew just a bit more.
'They looked kinda cute in the game...'
Was it because this was reality? My new face was far more intimidating.
And it wasn't just for show. With my reinforced jaw, I could probably chew through the spaceship-grade alloys inside a vessel without breaking a sweat.
'Wanna test it out...'
Too bad it was time to get off.
The next station was just minutes away. I grabbed the bag the reporter had dropped.
'Now, how should I make my exit?'
According to William, this was the last train of the night. The next station probably wouldn't have anyone waiting, but one thing bugged me.
'That guy on the platform earlier.'
When the train pulled out, his vibe screamed "he called the cops."
I'd already activated mimicry back on the platform, so he'd seen me as a cop. Good that he didn't clock me as a monster, but bad that he'd watched me crawl up from the tracks.
'Better slip out the door on the opposite side of the platform.'
Moments later, the station announcement chimed. I crossed cars, heading to the farthest one from where the platform would be.
The train slowed with a screech of wheels grinding on rails.
'As expected.'
Hunched low, I peered out the window. Far off, subway guards waited for the train. I gripped the door on the far side with my combat arm. Aimorph strength made short work of it—it popped open easily.
Before we fully arrived, I leaped from the still-moving train. At full speed, maybe it'd hurt, but this? No problem.
I landed cleanly on the tracks and scurried off into the darkness before they could board.
Back at the nest, Specimen 026 and Adhai were awake. 026 batted at spores with its tentacles like toys, while Adhai preened its wings with its own.
Spotting me, 026 lit up its body in greeting.
「You're back?」
[Zu (Yeah)]
「Big guy's different somehow?」
Having noticed the change, 026 approached. Curious, it extended a tentacle to stroke my face.
「Big guy grew super fast!」
[Zu zu zuzu (Puberty hit hard)]
「Impressive.」
Adhai drifted over, curiosity piqued.
「Adult」「Changed」
[Zu zu (Yup)]
「Mouth」「Tentacle」「Cool」「Dignified」「Great young one!」
Adhai seemed especially taken with my newly thickened auxiliary organ. It broadcast waves proclaiming me the great young one, then crouched low.
'Galleron must like tentacle shapes. Wasn't in the lore.'
Galleron were rare NPC critters with scant ecological data. I knew their weak spots and what to watch for, but not much on habits.
'Whatever, if it likes me, that's a win.'
Unlike 26, Adhai was bound to me by contract. Goodwill from it was pure upside.
「Big guy still growing, so eat lots and get huge quick.」
[Zu zu zu (Thanks)]
「I wanna grow fast too.」
It climbed my shoulder, nuzzling my head—then deflated. Probably bummed I was sprouting while it lagged.
'Hmm.'
Looking ahead, speeding up 026's growth was key.
Even fighting those androids in the apartment last time had limits solo. With enough traits, maybe, but right now? Hunting leisurely wasn't feasible.
Without them, it'd have been way tougher. Bad luck, and I might've lost alone.
'Can respawn in game after death. Not here.'
A critical hit in reality crippled far worse than in-game. No respawn meant wounds upped loss odds, and loss meant death.
'To avoid that, gotta focus on 026's growth.'
Problem: I didn't know Seed Demon growth conditions.
Seed Demons weren't as rare as Galleron, but no pushover—players rarely studied their ecology.
'Inference works, though.'
They lived on ocean planets, deep sea only. Feed 026 critters like deep-sea fauna, and it might accelerate.
Until now, I'd fed them my scraps. Time to tweak: stuff unhelpful to me but good for 026.
Luckily, a few smuggling-list matches remained.
[Zu zu zu zu zu zu (Eat big, grow quick)]
「Really?」
[Zu zu zu zu (Yup. Let's check)]
「Yeah!」
「Me」「Hungry」
[Zu zu (You too)]
Guess I'd call William again.
E District apartments, residential zone.
A man killed time with virtual TV, face slack like most locals lost in stimulating VR.
His comm buzzed. His dull eyes sharpened instantly.
"......"
He shut off the TV and checked the device. The tiny screen held one short message.
「Operation prep」
"Finally."
The man, Jade Russell, muttered under his breath.
A year ago, Sihyun Yujin had given him one order.
Before the board meeting, smuggle disguised Galleron into the space city as Fairy Wing, then infiltrate alongside.
The meeting hadn't been public then, but as Akira Yujin's shadow, Sihyun got Noble Capital intel fast.
Disguising as Fairy Wing? Partial resemblance, but mainly because Fairy Wing smuggling was rare. Both knew special trade hubs saw frequent busts—better prevent it.
Prep done, Jade "smuggled" the disguised Galleron from the hub, got "caught" on purpose. Handed to smuggling animal control achieved phase one. He slipped the pound after.
"Time to put this ability to good use again."
Jade eyed his comm-holding hand. The battery died; the body crumpled, sucked into his palm.
Minutes later, it was gone—leaving metal dust and a jagged-toothed maw on his palm.
The Russell family: Yujin-grown, Sihyun-directed.
He assigned roles, supplied accordingly.
Arnold Russell got pricey Plasma Pistol; Jade, rare Metallic Gremlin genes.
Ship predator, feared by all crew. 30-80cm, furless ape-like, metallic skin, eyeless, huge suction mouth dominating the face.
Grotesque look aside, terror stemmed from habits.
Packs roamed space for prey: metal.
Spot a ship, latch on, devour hull mercilessly. So fast, a hundreds-meter battleship skeletonized in a day.
Tiny size dodged radars—trash or pebbles. Even lasers bounced off metal hides. "Dead" ones reattacked often.
Countless ships still fed them today.
Without Yujin backing, no one'd extract those genes.
'Made escaping the pound easy.'
Used the ability to break out, ally aid for surgery, hidden since.
'Time to retrieve the Galleron.'
Jade stood.
To fulfill Sihyun Yujin's command perfectly.
Container had high encryption? No issue—his power cracked it easy.
He messaged infiltration allies. Needed Galleron frozen before Sihyun arrived.
'Let's go.'
Everything perfect, he thought.
So he never imagined.
His plan's key Blue Galleron now roamed underfoot with weird monsters.