Chapter 7

chapter 7

what is the essence of amorph play?

space survival games ensure high freedom, but they aren’t without established gameplay styles. for example, starting as a megacorp noble capital, the conventional approach is to use initial funding to hire mercenaries or buy ships and roll the snowball, as it’s optimized for using mercenaries or slaves due to racial characteristics.

so, what’s the conventional way of playing amorph? what sets amorph apart from other races?

‘they are hunters.’

gathering enemy information in advance, laying traps, luring them, and ambushing them from behind. no matter how many genetic essences you accumulate and become stronger in the late game, the essence of amorph remains that of a hunter.

even in the late game after finishing essence farming, the same formula holds. the reason i could become the best in the game as amorph was simple.

‘i was good at hunting.’

unlike other players, i had to fight alone without party members.

my physical abilities weren’t better than young players. i had fewer equipment and attributes than long-time players. yet, amidst all these unfavorable conditions, i always trampled over them.

i made the genes of those whining and protesting against me my own and copied their unique traits.

as trophies of my hunts piled up, my hunting expertise accumulated as well. the more foolish victims didn’t give up and continued to challenge me, making me stronger.

in this endless cycle, i became the most infamous predator in the world of space survival.

that’s why i’m now targeting a new prey.

“damn! it’s taking too long for the stabilization process.”

keisaragi yujin vented her anger, slamming her desk.

she had been observing from above the laboratory for a while, but she hadn’t noticed my presence. her sharp instincts were dulled by anger.

she wasn’t alone yet; the guards were outside, and the soldiers were patrolling.
“damn it...”

she muttered irritably as she got up from her seat, which had been fiddling with the machine. she went to another laboratory and started manipulating the terminal.

i didn’t know what she was trying to do, but it didn’t seem pleasant for the creatures inside the laboratory. every time she passed by, the experimental subjects writhed in pain.

“this bastard, and that bastard too...”

what she was doing was not an experiment but torture for venting her anger. the laboratory was filled with silent screams.

“by the way, you’re here too.”

in front of her was experiment subject 26.

i could sense its unease even from here. when keisaragi pulled out the psyonium, subject 26 trembled.

was she satisfied with the fact that the subject was afraid? she smiled distortedly.

“this is an experiment.”

she injected all the psyonium. subject 26’s entire body was torn apart, and its body color faded in an instant.

bubbling foam inside the test tube seemed to vividly reflect the subject’s screams.

after the experiment, which was nothing more than sadistic torture disguised as research, subject 26 came back to life.

keisaragi pulled back her tongue and left the lab as it was.

‘...’

a woman who only chooses things she doesn’t like until the end.

i was about to move to track her, but experiment subject 26 sent a ripple my way.

「greetings.」

even in moments like this, it greeted me as usual. i didn’t respond and continued on my way.

there was no need for conversation between us. i intended to provide the one thing it truly needed instead: revenge.

i left the lab and followed keisaragi. she was heading for the captain’s quarters, with two guards following closely behind her. they seemed displeased, to the point where there was no need for my auxiliary systems to confirm. keisaragi appeared to sense this as well but didn’t say anything.

the tense atmosphere escalated even further when we arrived at the captain’s quarters.

“it’s been two hours. what’s the progress?”

“we’ve just started the search. please wait a little longer.”

“captain, or should i say, yuseong samuel. are you defying the will of noble capital?”

the captain, yuseong samuel, hardened his face at her words. it looked like he was angry to anyone watching, but it was just for show. judging by the dilation of his pupils, the sweat trickling down his neck, and the trembling of his legs inside his pants, he was clearly in a state of panic.

he may be the captain of the ship, but keisaragi is part of megacorp’s ruling class. the hierarchy is completely different, so it’s natural for him to be afraid.

“i am the captain of this ship. research officer, please be cautious with your words.”

“that captain’s position can be relinquished.”

“even if it’s noble capital, we cannot tolerate abuse of power. i have the right to detain the research officer.”

“what? you’re saying you’re going to detain me now?”

“anyone who disrupts the order on this ship can be detained at the captain’s discretion.”

“are you insane, yuseong samuel?”

the situation was getting interesting. it seemed like there had been conflicts between them even before i started observing.

well, with the inhumane keisaragi and the captain, who usually avoids confrontation, it might have been an expected outcome.

they stared at each other for a while. in the end, keisaragi was the one who averted her gaze.

‘is this somewhat expected as well?’

if keisaragi makes a mistake, the fate of the ship’s crew will end there. but laws are distant, and fists are close. this is the middle of space, and even if the captain loses his temper and tries to kill her, she won’t be able to resist. despite her superior intelligence compared to the others, her body is that of an ordinary woman.

“...we’ll see about that later.”

‘so, this is how it operates?’

it was like showing events that would happen in the future, similar to a movie. except for the fact that it only activated in times of danger, it was a powerful ability.

anyway, the timing for the security guard to enter was imminent. i leaped behind the door and concealed my body.

from the future i had seen through the predator’s sense, i knew that there was only one security guard who had attacked me. the other one had not yet returned from the bathroom.

‘should i run?’

if the security guard found out about my presence, it would be disastrous. even if kisaragi died, i wouldn’t be able to evade pursuit.

‘the security guard must be dealt with here.’

fortunately, there was only one opponent. if i launched a surprise attack, i could kill him.

my body entered combat mode once again. i pressed my body against the bathroom door, causing it to slowly inch open.

i could see the tip of a military boot beyond the door. gradually, his entire body entered the bathroom.

“gasp!”

a voice of surprised human.

he was fixated on the corpse lying on the floor.

i, hiding behind the door, sprang towards him. my body stuck to his shoulder, and i could sense his shock.

he should have reached for his gun immediately, but he didn’t. instead, he brushed his shoulder.

in a way, it was a very realistic response. anyone would react like that when something winged and resembling a desert spider attached itself to their shoulder.

however, considering the situation, such an action was not wise. the price of a wrong choice was death. thanks to the time he gave me, my tail was able to pierce his ear.

my tail, having penetrated his ear, was slowly withdrawn. he had been instantly killed by the paralytic poison injected close to his brain. as he collapsed to the floor, the bathroom door closed.

not long after kisaragi’s death, another unfamiliar security guard also met his end.

outside was quiet. no one had witnessed the deaths of the two people.

‘i need to hurry.’

soon, his colleague would return. i quickly restored the grille of the ventilation duct to its original state and hastily left the bathroom.

i took a winding route instead of going directly to the nest because there might be unexpected means of tracking.

when i arrived at the nest, i activated the text box.

[‘hatchling->metamorph’ evolution conditions have been met. would you like to evolve?]

the time for evolution i had been waiting for had finally come.

after one last look around, i accepted.

mucus for evolution flowed from my body like water. it poured out in such quantities that it encased my entire body. the liquid solidified into a hard shell, layer by layer.

if someone were to see me now, they would probably think i was inside some kind of cocoon.

‘it’s strange.’

inside the cocoon, there was a peculiar sensation that was hard to put into words. to describe it somehow, it was a feeling of being ‘different.’

a sense that i was becoming an entirely different being.

inside the cocoon, the secretions were reassembling me into something foreign.

if i had memories from my fetal stage, this might be what it feels like. if i could perceive the process of my mother’s womb creating my existence, it would surely feel something like this.

i wanted to open my eyes and see for myself, but it was impossible. since entering the cocoon, i had completely lost control over my body.

the sensation i’m feeling, is it rooted in physical sensation, or does it stem from something like my spiritual existence, perceiving the changes in my body? i don’t know.

‘i guess i’ll have to think about it. let’s wait patiently.’

i’ve done everything i can. i decided to rest in this cozy cocoon until the evolution is complete.

***

above the cooling room, in the ventilation duct.

it was a place that until recently had been filled with contaminated air and disgusting fluids pouring out of spores.

it had been a space full of impure humidity, but now it was so dry that it was hard to imagine its previous state.

all the spores had dried up, and the mucous tendrils that had clung to the walls like spider webs had withered like dry branches.

in the midst of the ruined nest, there was a cocoon about the size of a young boy.

despite the cold air rising from the cooling room, the surface of the cocoon was rough, like desertified soil.

it seemed to be absorbing the moisture from its surroundings.

then, the cocoon shook. something was moving inside, trying to come out.

after a few more shakes, a crack appeared on the surface of the cocoon. the shell fell to the ground, and something black emerged from the inside.

it was an alien form, covered in black chitinous exoskeleton, resembling a human arm. at the end of the arm were four long fingers, reminiscent of the talons of a bird of prey.

starting with the first arm that protruded, several more arms emerged from the cocoon, breaking through the shell.

finally, the entire cocoon was discarded, revealing its true form.

with four long arms, two smaller arms near its chest, thick and sturdy legs, and a long tail that was about 1.5 times the size of its body, it opened its eyes.

with shining ashen eyes, it looked down at its body.

「grgrgrgrgr.」

it seemed to smile contentedly.

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