Chapter 17

chapter 17

bears, lions, wolves.

these are carnivorous animals we easily encounter through the media. in the media, they are often portrayed as killing machines or as incarnations of unrelenting violence.

in reality, predators are not ruthless terminators but rather closer to cowards. this isn’t meant as an insult; their cautiousness, bordering on timidity, is what makes them true hunters.

as someone who enjoyed playing as amorph, i had deeply ingrained the lessons that nature had taught me. no matter how powerful my abilities were. even if i had more information at my disposal than anyone else.

‘without caution, you’re useless.’

i remembered this fact as i scouted the enemies. arnold’s heartbeat was steady. his earlier tension had clearly been an act. people would have likely analyzed me and taken action while others were dying.

while they might not know that i possessed enhanced abilities like a biometric radar, they did know that i had some kind of heightened sensory perception.

‘quite impressive.’

i had deliberately killed the soldiers brutally to intimidate them, but it had no effect on arnold. he emitted the scent of a seasoned hunter, unlike me, who had learned from nature. who could be his mentor?

the plasma pistol fired again. the high-energy blob incinerated the spot where i had been just moments ago. i raced across the bridge with sturdy legs like a wild horse, contemplating how to attack the enemy.

‘first and foremost, the enemy’s biggest weakness is the location.’

this was the bridge command center, filled with sensitive electronic equipment. although the plasma pistol might be considered a relatively weak plasma weapon, it was still a powerful weapon that could penetrate even thick alloy plating. one wrong shot, and it could trigger a catastrophe.

‘i didn’t originally plan to use this, but...’

even in the future shown by the predator sense, arnold pulled out the pistol just before he was about to die. he was aware that using the pistol inside the ship was not appropriate.

“crisis management officer! remember that we’re in the command center!”

“be careful not to hit any machinery!”

“...understood.”

captain samuel and the other officers offered their advice, but arnold seemed uninterested in holstering the pistol.

‘fine. i guess it’s me before the ship, then?’

it seemed that, in his eyes, i had a higher priority than the safety of the ship. it was understandable. i was the only obstacle in his plan. even if the ship was damaged, capturing me here would be more favorable.

however, despite having a powerful weapon, arnold had disadvantages. at this point, his main duty was to protect the captain and the officers. he couldn’t go to c-08 alone, so some of them were essential for navigation.

‘he has many weaknesses, but...’

my situation wasn’t ideal either. this open space provided a good firing angle, and if it weren’t for computer-like cover, i might have been hit by the pistol earlier. even now, whenever i tried to approach an officer or the captain, arnold would restrain me with his pistol.

when i hid behind the computer, he stopped shooting.

“you little rat.”

arnold cursed from a distance. it seemed like he was irritated or annoyed, but i could understand.

‘that’s a ruse.’

arnold was hoping for a prolonged standoff. while he was keeping me in check, he used the communicator to call for the ship’s personnel.

“this is the bridge command center. the creature has attacked this location. all available personnel, gather here.”

‘i wonder if that’s how it will play out?’

the bear-like fox over there was using his formidable weapon to buy time. he wanted to capture me in this spot, but he definitely intended to leave the task of harming me to his soldiers.

certainly, my movements had become passive due to that pistol of his, so his plan seemed to be working quite well.

‘well, it’s amusing to be deceived like this.’

with this level of judgment, he would rank above average among space survival players. those who only hunted gentle prey and suddenly encountered a wolf among them would undoubtedly be tense.

since becoming a metamorph entity, this was the first crisis i had faced, and it was against a formidable adversary.

one of the soldiers finally made up their mind. the muzzle of their laser pistol, held in suspicion, was aimed at the figure in the mist. a crimson flash cut through the extinguishing agent.

after a trajectory of light that human eyes couldn’t follow, the smell of burning flesh permeated the air.

“aagh!”

arnold let out a groan mixed with agony. the right shoulder area of his body had been charred by the laser. his hand holding the plasma pistol was limp, but it was enough damage without losing his entire arm.

‘it’s my chance.’

targeting the soldier instead of him was a success in the jamming operation. in combat, having more personnel doesn’t necessarily mean an advantage. out-of-sync allies are worse than enemies.

instead of attacking me, he should have chosen to leave the situation room with the others.

his biggest mistake was starting the fight with the intention of killing me directly.

“y-you bastard!”

he didn’t give up; instead, he clumsily gripped the pistol with his left hand.

it seemed like he was determined to resist until the end, even with his limbs damaged. his unwavering spirit was a true testament to a soldier, but unfortunately for him, he had chosen the wrong opponent.

thanks to the ship’s ventilation system, the extinguishing agent gradually dispersed. i hid myself within the remaining white cover and made my move.

“grr! where are you?”

perhaps because of his severe shoulder injury, he couldn’t aim properly, and the plasma round passed just by my side. it was a close call, but the intense heat left a long burn mark on my combat arm.

for a moment, the pain filled my mind to the point where i could scream, but i managed to hold it in.

there’s no time to hesitate. the enemy isn’t going to wait for me.

the vibration from the energy charging of arnold’s plasma pistol, held in his hand, is detected.

only a few seconds remained before that small harbinger would pronounce my death sentence.

meanwhile, there was still some distance left for my tail to reach his body. that’s why i decided to play my final card.

muscles in my back, where equivalent to a human’s trapezius would be, moved. a split opened up in that area, revealing a dark, massive something slowly emerging from within.

this was something i hadn’t summoned since becoming amorph – my first acquired attribute since becoming a metamorph.

two enormous wings unfurled, and in an instant, my body closed the remaining distance to him.

his face rapidly enlarged, and in his dilated pupils, he saw the image of amorph with its wings spread, teeth bared.

in his reddish-brown irises, emoph is reflected, showing its teeth.

with all my might, i thrust my tail, which had been hiding behind me, towards him.

the deadly plasma round in his hand roars, but it will never reach its target.

from behind, the plasma round loses its target and impacts against the alloy wall. it sounded like a salute to my victory.

with arnold’s head firmly clamped in my mouth, i’ve got my meal for the day.

“officer!”

one of the communication soldiers finally regained his senses and aimed a laser gun at me. i looked at him with arnold’s head still in my mouth.

“...grrr!”

i wish i could savor the meat, but i don’t have time. the auxiliary devices are warning me that the soldiers are closing in, so i’d better hurry.

it looks like i’ll have to postpone dinner for later.

i passed by the soldier. he stood there frozen like a deer in the headlights. until i crawled into the ventilation duct, he couldn’t move at all.

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