Chapter 24

chapter 24

as soon as i entered the workout room, lasers started flying. lasers couldn’t harm me. i walked calmly through the beams, and the pirate cursed at me in frustration.

“why the hell isn’t this working?”

unfortunately, this swearer wasn’t a cyborg. he seemed like a regular human from the megacorp, with no mechanical enhancements whatsoever. he tossed aside his useless laser rifle and pulled out a thick rod from his waist. he pressed a switch, and a blade sprung out from the rod, turning it into a short sword.

i stopped in my tracks when i saw it.

‘a sonic blade.’

the sonic blade was a weapon that incorporated ultrasonic vibration technology. it was easy to carry and had exceptional cutting power, making it a favorite among megacorp officers.

when i didn’t move, he must have thought he had the upper hand and yelled energetically.

“i’m the fucking vice captain of the dvara cartel!”

his previous fear seemed to have vanished. typical pirate behavior, i guess. it was evident that he lacked both forethought and strategy.

the sonic blade could potentially pierce my outer shell, but that only mattered if it could actually hit me. if it couldn’t touch me, it was useless.

if he were someone skilled in martial arts, it might have been different, but unfortunately, he wasn’t. my auxiliary systems confirmed that. he was just an ordinary guy in his early thirties, starting to suffer from adult-onset diseases. his body was filled with blood and fat extracted from the victims he had looted.

i lunged at the vice captain. startled, he tried to stab me with the sonic blade, but his movements were unskilled.

‘the sonic blade isn’t durable enough for stabbing.’

i had no intention of accommodating his foolish attack. i deftly evaded him and kicked him in the abdomen. he coughed up blood and fell to the ground.

“damn it!”

with his internal organs likely ruptured, he didn’t release his grip on the weapon. he glared at me with venomous eyes.

‘what a surprise.’

i had thought he was just showing off, but he was surprisingly tenacious. regardless of his species, most beings tended to beg for mercy when faced with a fatal wound. this was the first time someone had shown this level of determination since arnold.

‘should i end his suffering without pain?’

i flicked my tail, striking the vice captain’s hand. startled, he let go of the sonic blade, which clattered to the ground. my tail, still curved, pierced through his eye. as his brain was destroyed by the thorn on the tip of my tail, he became a lifeless body, incapable of feeling any pain.

one out of five had died. now, there were four pirates left. the remaining ones didn’t seem scared; perhaps they were hiding in the locker room.

i leisurely began to dissect the human corpse.

once i had finished consuming everything and was left with the ankles, a translucent text box appeared in front of me.

[predation effect activated! successfully obtained ‘human nature’ genetic essence]

[extracted ‘human nature’ from the biological traits of ‘human’.]

[do you wish to apply ‘human nature’?]

‘human nature?’

i was perplexed by a trait i had never seen before.

‘what could ‘human nature’ be?’

based on the name alone, it seemed overly encompassing. was it referring to human emotions, rationality, or perhaps unique human qualities? it was difficult to discern its meaning from the name alone.

‘do i need to accept it?’

in space survival games, there were thousands of different traits, but not all of them benefited the host. for example, the hulk mutant’s ‘berserk’ trait enhanced physical abilities but made the player uncontrollable. there were traits where the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.

in my experience, traits with vague and ambiguous names were usually traps.

‘it’s a bit disappointing to have just one trait...’

to deduce the nature of this trait, i recalled the pirate i had killed. he undoubtedly had some unique aspects compared to other prey.

‘a never-give-up spirit.’

could “human nature” refer to an indomitable spirit that got back up even when knocked down?

no, i shook my head. it was too early to make a judgment.

the world of space survival was far from a place where human values thrived. it was more like a dystopian realm where all sorts of ruthless creatures roamed. the starunion enslaved people and turned them into machines, while megacorp genetically modified genes without hesitation, creating monsters. in such a world, there couldn’t possibly be a trait that extolled human potential.

‘what should i do?’

i decided to narrow down my thinking. if the predation effect had been triggered, then this trait would directly affect me.

‘let’s first look at the advantages it offers.’

perhaps ‘human nature’ was a trait that influenced the mind. in that case, it likely fell into the category of enhancing psychic abilities since most traits related to psychic powers had a strong connection with the mind or telekinesis. these types of traits were not easy to acquire, so having one was an advantage.

‘now, the drawbacks...’

this was a new trait, so i had no idea what effects it would have. if it enhanced human emotions, such as ethics or compassion, it would be a negative trait for me.

i was an amorph, a species that could only evolve by consuming other beings. if i suddenly couldn’t eat human flesh, it would be a significant problem. it wouldn’t just halt my growth; it would pose a considerable threat to my survival.

the door closed, leaving an unpleasant silence to linger in the changing room. an invisible terror crept into the pirate’s chest, making it feel as if cold sweat were pouring down his back.

he’s inside the changing room. is the pirate waiting to spring a trap on me? despite likely being a biological entity, he didn’t make a single sound. his inhuman appearance only deepened the cyborg’s fear.

as he waited for the pirate to emerge, he finally moved when the pirate didn’t show up. thud, thud followed his footsteps a few times, and then he began opening the lockers one by one.

creak!

slam!

the pirate felt like his heart was about to explode. the sound was getting closer. finally, the man reached the locker adjacent to his hiding place.

through the bars of the locker, he caught a vague glimpse of the man.

brownish skin, closer to black, a beast with teeth stained by the blood of his comrades. there was a strong scent of blood emanating from the man.

the man lingered briefly in front of him and then disappeared.

as the foul smell of blood drifted away, the cyborg pirate breathed a sigh of relief.

he thought to himself, ‘once this looting is over, i need to sneak away. boss elchen won’t spare me, but the universe is vast. if i escape into the starunion’s territory, even the dvara cartel won’t be able to touch me.’

while contemplating his escape, a sudden thunderous noise echoed, and he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

when he lowered his head, he saw a long spear piercing through the locker’s door and through his belly. the spear, or rather the man’s tail, was pulled out of his abdomen and slipped outside.

four hands tore the door open. the sight of the man’s mouth gaping wide was the last thing the pirate saw before his consciousness faded.

***

‘why were you trying to hide?’

the cyborg who dared to deceive my senses had his limbs severed by my combat arms and died. eating his flesh brought me closer to completing my evolutionary requirements.

‘now, i just need one more.’

among the twelve cyborgs who had boarded this ship, only one remained. according to my nest’s data, he was in the bridge command center.

‘of course, it had to be the command center.’

the command center was home to someone i’d rather not face—an engineered human likely from the yujin family.

‘should i start with the boss?’

exiting the workout room with number 26, my auxiliary systems urgently sent me a danger signal. i quickly propelled myself to the ceiling.

almost simultaneously, a massive fist struck the spot where i had been. the impact left a hole in the alloy plate, as if it had been hit by plasma energy.

“found you! you son of a bitch!”

the perpetrator of this immense display of strength was the pirate boss, a hulk mutant.

i knew he’d be big, but seeing him in person, his imposing presence was truly remarkable.

standing over three meters tall, all muscle with no hint of fat, and even red fur around his neck, reminiscent of a wild animal. his appearance was terrifying, like one of the four heavenly kings guarding a buddha.

“that damn bastard killed my subordinates?”

behind the roaring leader were his subordinates and the medical team. i knew they had survived, but i never expected them to join the pirates’ side.

‘well, this works out nicely.’

i had planned to devour the boss first anyway, and he had come to me instead.

if he was a hulk mutant, he likely possessed valuable genes. it wouldn’t hurt to replenish my genetic essence before dealing with the formidable opponent.

i leaped down from the ceiling.

[zzzz (stay hidden for a moment)]

「danger! be careful!」

[zzzz zzzz zzzz (don’t worry)]

「baby, stay safe!」

after reassuring number 26, i sent it away. it remained motionless, blending into the wall with its camouflage ability. however, i still sensed its underlying unease.

seeing the worried 26 in its shrunken state made me want to laugh, but unfortunately, my amorph physiology didn’t allow for it.

confirming that 26 had hidden itself, i turned to face the boss.

at just over five feet tall, i estimated the boss to be roughly twice my height. to an onlooker, i must have appeared significantly disadvantaged.

‘a genetically enhanced hulk mutant, huh? let’s see what you’ve got.’

i savored the sight of the hulk mutant, who was like a treasure trove of genetic essence.

***

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