Chapter 105
The Hyper Express for body modifications expanded to an appropriate size, its side smoothly splitting open as the exploration team monsters stepped out from within.
[Father! I missed you!]
[We're baaack~!]
Kinogine Arachne and Bastet Daong. Behind them marched the Necro Puppeteer and his puppets in a line.
[Daaad...]
The Blood Jellyfish Princess still couldn't support her own body and was being carried on Arachne's back.
Arachne carefully handed the Princess over to me.
"Good job, Princess."
[Yeah... I did good work...]
I scooped the Princess up in both arms and carried her into the crystal orb house. After laying her down on a soft mattress, Melody Fox slipped in silently behind me, her footsteps soundless.
[Kyuuu.]
"Gonna nurse her by her side?"
[Kyuu.]
"Alright, I'm counting on you."
[Kyuu kyuu.]
After entrusting the nursing to Melody Fox, I stepped back outside and called out to the Hedgehog Summoner God while drawing blood from Zapan.
"Dochi."
[Duumba! You called, yot?!]
"Like I'm doing now, draw some blood periodically and take it to the Princess inside the house? I think replenishing her blood will help her recover."
[Duumba! Leave it to me, yot!]
Hedgehog took the PET bottle filled with blood, balancing it atop his head as he trotted toward the crystal orb house. I warned him not to overdo the blood transfer. Blood was the Princess's source of power and practically a nutrient supplement, but in her weakened state, too much at once could cause side effects. The best treatment was slow, steady doses over time.
Omega, who had emerged from the Hyper Express late, was now greeting the other monsters.
[Nice to meet you. I'm Omega. Pop pop.]
[Pleased to meet you. I'm the centaurides assigned as the explorer's mating partner and recently put in charge of assisting with the monster compendium.]
[Nice to meet you. Omega. Pop.]
[Sruuung.]
[Beep!]
She exchanged greetings one by one with all the monsters, seeming especially fond of Snake Head.
[That guy's here too. Pop.]
"You know Snake Head?"
I sidled up to Omega and asked. She set down the mechanical parts she'd brought and replied.
[I got inspiration from that guy to make the cyborg dolphin. Pop pop.]
Ah, so Snake Head was the motif for the cyborg dolphin. No wonder their overall structures looked eerily similar.
[More importantly, who wants body mods? Pop.]
"Azeras and Zapan. You already said hi, right?"
Azeras needed an arm. Zapan needed legs. Omega nodded casually, as if it were no big deal.
[Got it. First, though, I'll install a warp device. Might need parts suddenly during mods. I brought most of the important mechanical components, but you never know. Can't have the flow interrupted mid-mod. Pop pop.]
"Do whatever. It's not urgent, and installing a warp device doesn't take long anyway."
Omega glanced around, scouting a spot for the warp device. Then she pointed at the ground next to the crystal orb house.
[Mind if I put it there? It's right in the center of this grand chamber—perfect spot. Pop.]
"Go ahead."
[Great. Installation starting. Purrong.]
And with that, Omega began setting up the warp device right beside the crystal orb house.
With the warp device installed, the long-awaited body modification time finally arrived.
Omega first spread a large mat on the floor. Its stark white color suggested it was for something like an operating table.
[Azeras. Zapan. Lie down here. Pop pop.]
Azeras lay down on the mat herself. For Zapan, who couldn't move from his spot, I gently lifted and placed him down.
"Yangyang. Looks fun, wanna do it too yang. Lemme lie down next to them yang."
"Merino, go play somewhere else."
"Yangyang... "
Merino slunk off into the crystal orb house with a pout.
[Zapaiaan!!! I'm so nervous!]
"P-please... do your best... "
The two lay side by side on the mat, their faces etched with clear tension. Omega approached, swishing her cable tail.
[Who wants to go first? Pop?]
At Omega's question, Azeras stayed silent. Zapan subtly pointed at her with a finger, eyes fixed elsewhere.
In the end, Azeras went first for the body mod.
[Alright then... commencing body reconstruction. Purrong.]
Omega knelt beside the prone Azeras, coiling her cable tail forward. The orb at its tip opened, revealing tools of various shapes.
[Azeras. Tell me if you need anesthesia. Pop.]
"No... need."
[Good. Proceeding without anesthesia. Pop pop.]
Stab! A sharp tool plunged roughly into Azeras's arm stump. She let out a pained groan.
"Guh... I... think I need... anesthesia... "
[......]
Omega gave Azeras a cold stare before jabbing a massive syringe into the stump. That was probably the anesthetic.
[For someone like you, I need to inject a massive dose of this special anesthetic I made myself. Pop pop.]
She pushed the plunger, and the anesthetic surged into her body with a gurgle.
[Release all the powers wrapping your body. Needs to be defenseless for the anesthesia to work properly. Pop.]
"G-got... it... "
[Oh, and... can I remove those monster lumps on your head? Want them as samples. Pop.]
[......]
[Don't want to? I won't if you say no. Purrtong.]
"If... you can... go ahead. But... anesthesia... definitely... "
They agreed to remove the monster lumps on Azeras's head too. Honestly, I was all for it. They were an eyesore aesthetically. Omega administered anesthetic to the lumps as well.
[Hmm. These lumps are tough. Might not remove them all cleanly. Pop pop.]
Whatever couldn't be fully removed would get mechanized, she added. With that, Omega's full body reconstruction began.
An hour into the reconstruction.
"Guhk...! "
[Like this here... ]
"Kuhk! The anesthesia... it's wearing off...! "
[It's not. Pop pop.]
About 90% of the monster lumps on Azeras's head were gone. The remaining bits that had encroached on her brain and face were injected with some unidentified black liquid, transforming them into metal. Then she tinkered with the metalized parts for a good while.
A bit more time passed, and Azeras's facial reconstruction finished. The small metalized lumps had been smoothly shaved down. It wasn't just decent—it was extremely satisfying. Before, it looked like grotesque monster blobs dangling from her head; now, it was like a sleek mechanical monster ornament perched lightly atop.
Next came the arm transplants. Omega injected anesthesia into the stump, then deeply embedded countless wires into it. They were red at first, but had turned green while she worked on her head.
[This'll be quick. Pop pop.]
Omega began carefully connecting the pre-prepared mechanical arm. Surprisingly, it didn't look artificial at all on the surface. She'd scanned Azeras's skin tone and wrapped the arm in matching synthetic leather. As long as the skin didn't peel, no one would suspect it was mechanical—it was that natural.
[Connection done. Just need to fit it now. Purrong.]
After linking the arm's wires to the stump's, Omega gripped the mechanical arm, adjusted it bit by bit, then shoved it firmly upward, attaching it cleanly to Azeras's body. She repeated the process for the other arm. Finally, she applied flesh-toned paint to the seams and stood up.
Azeras craned her neck slightly to look up at her.
"Is... my mod done...?"
[Yes. Arm functions after Zapan's done. Pop pop.]
Azeras sighed in relief now that it was over. Beside her, Zapan trembled in terror.
[Zapaaan... looked like it hurt so much, can I just... skip mine...?]
[No. Pop pop.]
Omega moved to Zapan's side and knelt down, immediately continuing the body mod.
[Zapaiaaaaan!!!]
A scream echoed through the grand chamber as cola erupted from Zapan's lower body like a geyser.