Chapter 257:

Chapter 257:

-

After the Wolf who had been commanding the Satuah members left the port, five pirates approached the ship. Although they pretended to be looking elsewhere, their eyes kept glancing at the vessel.

“Am I right or what?”

“...It’s definitely strange that there's not a single guard watching the ship.”

While the ruling Marcio Cartel would never tolerate chaos within its territory, they didn’t crack down on every minor crime. The guards at the port conducted only the most basic checks, not caring about each ship's security.

In other words, every ship had to take care of its own defenses. Looking around, pirates or mercenaries could be seen guarding their ships.

But there was no such thing around the Satuah Cartel's assault ship. There was no movement outside or inside the vessel.

It was as if the ship was completely deserted.

“Looks like we could go in.”

The wide-open door beckoned the pirates, urging them to come in without worry.

After ensuring no one was watching, the five pirates climbed the steps leading to the entrance of the ship.

“Heh, this is going smoothly.”

“We could just take this ship and leave, don’t you think?”

“Don’t get carried away, you idiot. How the hell would you even pilot such a huge piece of crap...”

As they exchanged banter, the pirates went silent the moment they stepped inside.

Only minimal lighting illuminated the corridor. As expected, there was no one inside, but none of the five expressed any joy.

There was something unnervingly unsettling about the dim-lit hallway.

“...Goddamn, this place is creepy.”

“Are they nuts? They came here in this thing?”

If it had just been dark, none of them would have been afraid. They were, after all, space dock regulars who roamed the infinite darkness.

But this ship was different. There was an inexplicable sense of dread lurking within.

“Let’s check things out quickly and get out.”

The pirate with dyed green hair suggested, and the others nodded without a word.

They all felt the ominous air but couldn’t bring themselves to leave empty-handed. They started moving down the shadowy corridor.

The temperature inside wasn’t particularly low. The life-support systems were still running. Yet, the pirates felt an inexplicable chill, as if cold air seeped into their very bones with every breath.

The smell was another strange factor. It wasn’t the unwashed stench of pirates or the odor of smuggled animals. There was an odd, unsettling scent pervading the entire ship.

It was the kind of smell that should have hit them the moment they set foot on the metal steps. Yet, none of them had covered their noses before crossing the doorway.

It felt as though the ship had been waiting for them to board. They didn’t speak of it, but all shared the same thought.

Despite their instinctive fear, nothing actively threatened them. As they moved forward unhindered, they finally came upon a large iron door.

“This should be the cargo hold, right?”

“...Let’s see what’s in there.”

A pirate with a cybernetic eye pulled out a terminal. Connecting it to the door's cables, he quickly hacked through the lock.

The heavy iron door creaked open, revealing a pitch-black cargo hold.

“Turn on the lights.”

“Not sure we can do that without messing with the ship’s computer.”

“Damn it, really?”

Cursing, the pirates drew their laser pistols, each equipped with a small flashlight on the end.

“Damn, it’s dark in here.”

“Maybe it’s the paint? That’s probably where that smell is coming from.”

“Quiet, both of you. Let’s split up and search.”

“Agreed.”

If the flickering hallway lights had been unsettling, this room was much darker and far more disturbing. Staying here any longer would surely drive them mad. They spread out to search for valuables as quickly as possible.

‘...It felt fine when I first came in.’

The green-haired pirate, relying on the light from his gun, regretted his decision as he moved between the iron cages.

It wasn't as if they were raiding a rich ship, and this vessel mainly dealt in slaves. Why had he thought it was worth checking out?

In hindsight, it was suspicious that the Satuah bastards didn’t leave any guards behind. Those guys had visited this place more than once.

“Come on, there’s got to be something... huh?!”

He gasped. His light had fallen on something inside one of the iron cages.

“A statue?”

At first, he thought it was a person and was startled, but upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t.

Inside the cell was a statue, a human figure sculpted from a translucent, crystalline mineral.

“Damn, thought it was a person.”

The green-haired pirate stepped into the cell and touched the statue. It felt cold and solid, just like any inorganic mineral.

‘It's incredibly well-made.’

The craftsmanship was so exquisite that the statue almost seemed alive. Especially the expression—it had its eyes and mouth wide open, as if it had witnessed something terrifying, making it look full of life.

It was as if a living person had been instantly turned into a statue.

‘This could be worth a fortune.’

“Hey! Come over here, you guys!”

He wasn’t the only one who had caught the scent of credits. He stepped out of the cell and ran to where his comrades were.

And thus, he failed to notice that the eyes of the statue were now fixed on his back.

-

“We could make a tidy profit even if we just take a few of these.”

“Don’t be greedy. If we take too many, they might notice. Let’s just grab three for now.”

Inside the scattered iron cages were statues that resembled humans. There had to be at least a hundred of them.

He was too terrified to look up, but his curiosity refused to obey his fear.

Slowly, he raised his head.

There, ‘something from hell’ was staring down at him.

-

「You have a twisted hobby.」

Mother of the Sky sighed as she observed the five newly added pirate figurines.

‘Do I?’

I hadn’t really done much to those who had boarded the ship. I ended things quickly, only using two of my recently acquired unique traits.

「Herald of Chaos: Reality is dictated by perception. Spread psychic power to distort the senses of all sentient beings within a 500-meter radius. Randomly implant a 'Madness Bomb' in one of the affected beings.

*‘Madness Bomb’: Disrupts the target's senses and mind, turning them into a lunatic. When they die, the 'Madness Bomb' effect transfers to the nearest sentient being.

*Note: Effect is reduced on creatures with psychic resistance. Agility significantly decreases while using this trait.

*P.S.: Don’t trust reality too much.」

「Medusa Engine: Injects silicon-based microorganisms into the target, altering their genetic makeup. The altered being crystallizes in stages over time.

*Note: This can only be used upon direct contact with the target.」

One of these is a transcendent system trait, while the other falls under the 'Environmental Adaptation' category. There’s another unique trait I’ve developed recently, but it's not something suitable for this situation.

‘Obtaining the Medusa Engine was a real hassle.’

I had to face off against a Black Gallagon, one almost as strong as Odd Grad. The fight took two whole weeks.

But the reward was well worth it.

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZ (You know they’ll be useful.)]

「...Yeah, I suppose you’re right.」

I wrapped one of the statues with an invasive tendril.

‘This one should do.’

It was one of the pirates who had intruded into the cargo hold while I was resting.

After the others had fled, I stayed behind, using ‘Herald of Chaos’ to distort their senses, ensuring they couldn’t escape.

The pirates, whose cognitive abilities had completely deteriorated, were either running in circles on the spot or wandering aimlessly along the walls of the cargo hold. They probably thought they were escaping effectively, but that wasn't the case at all.

‘Once they're inside, they’re trapped in the palm of my hand.’

Clinging to the ceiling, I used the tendrils equipped with the ‘Medusa Engine’ to turn the maddened pirates into quartz statues one by one.

The Medusa Engine worked by implanting silicon-based microorganisms into the target's body. These microorganisms would rapidly transform whatever they infected into a substance resembling crystal.

In other words, as the name implies, it turns the target into a mineral lump. The only way to prevent this was to remove the microorganisms before they could spread.

If they couldn't stop it? They'd be trapped forever in a prison of flesh, just like the statues in this cargo hold. This wasn't a trait that could be obtained from anything less than an apex predator stronger than even a Black Gallagon.

‘It pairs well with my other traits.’

The opponents crystallized by the Medusa Engine became quite useful in various ways. For example, they could serve as raw materials for the Mimicry Organ.

I opened my mouth wide and bit into the crystallized pirate. The hard crystal shattered, and a sweet, juicy flavor spread through my mouth, much like biting into a candy with liquid inside.

The body of the pirate, who once had green hair, slid down my throat, past my digestive tract, and began to nourish me. During this process, my dormant Mimicry Organ awoke and absorbed his genetic information.

After dropping from the ceiling, I landed on the floor without making a sound and walked toward the pirate who had wet himself in terror.

“W-who are you...?!”

The pirate with the cybernetic eye was trembling with fear and confusion.

Right now, he would be seeing me as his green-haired comrade. His mind might recognize that I wasn’t truly his companion, but his body would reject that interpretation.

Thanks to the ‘Form Dominator’ trait I acquired a few months ago, the efficiency of my Mimicry Organ had improved significantly.

Previously, I had to rely on pheromones to confuse the target’s senses. But now, the psychic power seeping from my pores cloaked my body in a false image, using telekinetic energy as a sort of living optic camouflage.

It was as if I wore a psychic-powered optical device, making me nearly undetectable to cameras. Even if photographed, I’d only appear as a distorted shape, much like a ghostly image, but that’s far better than being captured as a monstrous figure.

Ever since I left the Dragon’s Nest, I had traveled across multiple star systems, devouring countless sentient beings. For the more important individuals, I preserved their genetic data using the Parasite Worm Organ within my body, while those of lesser value I turned into statues using the Medusa Engine, just like now.

These were all meant to be tools for future invasions of other planets or ships.

“What about the others?”

「They're in the container. Number 26 is staying still, but Adhai seems hungry.」

“I should bring her something to eat.”

Using my wing-arms, I lifted the pirate with the cybernetic eye. Trembling, he started begging.

“P-please, spare me! Please, spare me! Please, I beg you....”

I had initially planned to offer him to Adhai as a snack, but a better idea suddenly struck me. I asked Mother of the Sky in a gentle tone.

“We’re visiting this place in our reality for the first time, right?”

「Yeah. Originally, this was a cult's space fortress. I’m not sure why it’s changed like this.」

“In that case, we’ll need a guide.”

“W-what?”

His eyes widened at my words.

Though I had used parasites to dominate the guards, I still had a few left.

The illusion covering my body wavered slightly, and a black, eel-like creature crawled out from my combat arm. The pirate's face turned ashen at the sight of the wriggling parasite slithering toward him.

“W-wait! Hold on! Wai—aaahhh!”

The parasite coiled around his face, and then, with a swift movement, burrowed into his throat. As it wriggled through his throat and toward his brain, the pirate's eyes and nose began to bleed.

A moment later, with a blissful smile, the pirate bowed his head to me.

“I serve my new m-m-master, master Amorph! I serve Amorph! Long live Amorph!”

「...Wow.」

Now that I had moved to a different fishing spot, it was time to change the bait as well.

Adhai's snack would be replaced with the fish we caught using this new lure.