Chapter 151
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Aditi
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"Damn it!"
Unpleasant sensations seeped through my skin—it was impossible not to curse in a situation like this.
'Fuck, I can't move.'
Just like being swallowed by a snake, my body was squeezed by layers of flesh, undulating as it carried me somewhere.
'You fucking monster! Where the hell are you taking me?!'
An ominous thought crept in: what if I ended up digested like this? It was a grim imagination, but I couldn't shake it.
On top of that, it seemed completely cut off from the outside—no sounds from beyond reached me at all.
I was compressed so tightly I couldn't move, but at least I could still breathe. Small mercies.
"Urk..."
Squelch—
After a brief, nauseating ordeal, I was spat out somewhere.
'Where... is this...'
The problem was that "somewhere" wasn't the outside—it was the interior of the Birth Cocoon.
"What the hell..."
The ground where I stood on my own two feet was a bizarre space of writhing black matter pulsing like a heartbeat.
...It looked like the core of the cocoon's interior.
The floor, walls, and ceiling throbbed like pumping blood—grotesque didn't even begin to cover it.
Anyone faint of heart would pass out just from looking.
'First things first... calm down. I'm alive, at least. Why the hell did this monster bring me here?'
It wasn't killing me or digesting me.
I had no idea what its purpose was in dragging me to this place.
'Does this thing even have any intelligence?'
I scanned around for an escape route, but everything was sealed tight—no way out in sight.
"What..."
Then, about ten paces ahead, the flesh began to ripple and form a human shape.
The sight was something beyond human comprehension—utterly alien.
I had no clue why it was taking on a human form, but from my perspective, it only filled me with tension and dread.
'...What? A woman?'
The figure that emerged was female.
A black-haired woman with her eyes closed, her features so exquisitely sculpted they seemed out of place in this hellscape.
Beautiful? Not the word that came to mind.
Instead, the contrast with this grotesque environment only amplified the unease and revulsion.
I stood frozen, unsure what action to take in this madness, when the woman slowly opened her eyes.
"Hmm... I wonder if this is how you humans speak."
'Shit... what the...'
Goosebumps erupted across my skin in an instant.
It wasn't just shock at her speaking—though that was part of it. No, the real chill came from something else.
When I look at people, I always check their eyes first. Human gazes hold so many emotions and tells.
Of course, this woman wasn't human.
I wasn't dumb enough to miss that.
But since she had taken a human form, I instinctively met her eyes—and felt myself being pulled into an endless void.
"Pull yourself together. Staying like that is dangerous."
Her words snapped me back to reality.
'Damn it, don't look into her eyes.'
Staring into them made my mind slip away, like being sucked into the depths of space.
I carefully averted my gaze and asked,
"Who... are you?"
"Who am I? Hm... You've been attacking me quite vigorously until now, haven't you?"
Her youthful appearance clashed with her archaic speech, but that wasn't the issue.
Her response made me curse inwardly.
It meant she was the Birth Cocoon we'd been fighting—the very monster itself.
I tried using my Unique Trait to check her info, but...
"Urk!"
Pain stabbed my eyes, and it failed.
[Cannot confirm due to low Unique Trait rank.]
[Cannot confirm due to low Unique Trait rank.]
Failure was failure, and her next words only worsened things.
"Hm, I'd prefer you not use those eyes on me. That ability of yours wouldn't work anyway, and it's just unpleasant."
'Fuck... what the hell is this? Is it even a monster?'
"You're feeling fear. Am I that frightening?"
"What... who the hell are you? Are you even a monster?"
"Your speech is rude. Not that I mind."
Her tone, gestures, and shifting expressions were eerily human.
"Why did you bring me here?"
She chuckled softly in response.
"Bring you? What are you talking about? You came here yourself. I had no intention of bringing you. The one I wanted was that human woman by your side."
'...She was after Seo Yu-ju?'
"Why..."
"Didn't you kill my beloved children? I poured affection into them, raised them with care."
'...The White Glutton and Black Glutton.'
"You destroyed my prized creations, so I merely sought a replacement."
"What... what the hell does that mean? A replacement?"
"Oh? Discarding even basic courtesy now?"
"Just answer me. What do you mean by replacement?"
To me, it sounded like she planned to turn Seo Yu-ju into a monster.
"What else? I mean to make her mine. But you ruined that. Who'd have thought you'd let yourself be swallowed to save that human girl? Unexpected."
"..."
"I was in a deep slumber when you barged into my children's territory and slaughtered them. It soured my mood."
'Damn it...'
Apparently, in the first timeline, Seo Yu-ju had pioneered the Swamp of Oblivion later than now.
In this second round, we'd arrived before Aditi fully awoke, killed her "children," and triggered this mess.
No way Seo Yu-ju would've pushed for exploration with that monster looming.
"But... you're an interesting one. I was displeased you got swallowed instead, but upon closer inspection, you have potential too."
"What... are you talking about..."
"I want to propose something different to you."
"...Propose?"
I had no idea what this monster could possibly offer, but my instincts screamed to refuse.
'Of course it's not normal.'
"You seem stuck behind some wall. And your mana pool is pathetically small, even by human standards."
She saw right through my status at a glance.
"I can't fix your talent. But I can expand your mana capacity."
'...Expand my mana?'
"Yes. It will hurt, though. I'll have to rework your body. And I see you handle chimeras. I can provide materials to aid that too."
The trial-and-error from mana shortages had been endless frustrations.
If she could truly solve that, it'd be more valuable than anything.
Honestly, it sounded too good to be true.
And even if true, no favors come free.
Especially not from someone holding all the power here. I couldn't fathom her motives.
'...What do you want from me? There has to be a price. And how can I trust you? I don't even know what you are.'
"So suspicious."
"Can you blame me? If you want something, just take it. Why bother with this?"
She raised one finger and spoke.
"First, you possess something rare. Yes, I could take it by force, as you say. But I'm more fair than you think. I'd rather have a proper trade."
'Something rare in me? What the hell does that mean?'
She extended another finger.
"Second, I see potential in you. That girl I wanted radiated golden promise, but you hold a different kind."
'...No clue what you're on about.'
"Doesn't matter if you don't understand. What matters is whether you accept my offer. Refuse, and I'll claim that woman instead."
"...What?"
"She was my original target. Accept, and I'll leave her be. After all, I wouldn't want my contractor—or partner—to hate me."
'Fuck... no choice here. You bitch...!'
It was blackmail, plain and simple.
I didn't know what "claim" meant exactly, but refusal meant bad news for Seo Yu-ju.
'...Tell me your identity first. What should I call you?'
"Hehe... Suddenly polite again? That girl must mean a lot to you."
'Fucking bitch.'
I wanted to tear her apart right there.
Not that I could.
"My name is Aditi. As for identity... think of me as the mother of those two children you slew."
She gave her name but dodged the rest.
'...What exactly is your offer?'
I swallowed hard in tension. She might demand my soul or life next.
She pointed at my face.
"Your eye."
"Pardon?"
"I want one of your eyes. The other will seal our contract."
'What?'
"An eye? What... you mean pluck it out?"
"Yes. No need to worry. I'll extract only the ability and return it. You'll just lose vision in that eye."
Her words turned my stomach. It sounded like she was stealing my livelihood—my Unique Trait.
Reading my horror, she laughed lightly.
"No need to fret. You won't lose the ability. We'll simply share it."
'Goddamn it...'
Keeping the power was a relief, but losing an eye? No thanks.
'...What's the contract?'
"I've grown curious about the outside world. There were no humans with powers like yours back then... I want to see how the world has changed."
"Then just go out and—"
"I cannot leave here."
"What..."
She looked up suddenly. The ceiling was flesh-covered, yet she gazed as if at the sky.
"Normally, I can't leave. Unknown forces sealed me here."
"..."
"But through you, I can. I want to view the outside via your eye."
"Via my eye..."
"Nothing scary. When I reimplant it, we'll simply be linked."
'Fuck...'
"Well? Do you accept?"
The words I usually spat at others—or my experiments.
No choice. Ironic that it applied to me now.
I hesitated, and she sighed in mild frustration.
"Decide quickly. Your companions are raging outside since you got swallowed."
"......"
"Dragging this out... one of them might die. Their fierce attacks are hard even for me to temper."
"I accept."
'You fucking bitch...!'
She smiled and approached. Naked, but it stirred no arousal—only chills.
"...One condition."
She halted.
"A condition? What might that be?"
"...Don't attack my group. Let us go."
"Hehe... Of course. That was the plan. Now, brace for pain."
Before I could retort, black flesh engulfed me.
"What the fuck! You bitch, you said you'd let me live!"
"Not killing you. Just extracting the eye and boosting your mana. Endure it."
As her words ended, agony exploded in my gut and eyes.
But I couldn't scream. Buried in flesh.
I could only pray it ended soon.