Ch.19Nest (2)

‘I was lucky.’

I acquired a total of 3 characteristics from the laboratory.

I consumed over 500 samples, but the predation effect only activated 3 times. Anyone would see this as unlucky, but I was still satisfied.

‘I met the type acquisition conditions, and moreover…’

I secured useful characteristics too. Not just filling up numbers, but characteristics I could actively use in combat.

The new characteristics I gained were ‘Natural Recovery,’ ‘Serrated Tentacle,’ and ‘Contamination Organ’ – these three.

Among them, the Natural Recovery characteristic merged with Robust Vitality to become ‘Regeneration (Fusion).’

‘This was what I was aiming for after psychic-related characteristics, so that worked out well.’

AMorphs can’t wear armor or otherwise protect their bodies, so healing-related characteristics are especially precious. They allow for quick recovery from major injuries.

With the ‘Regeneration’ characteristic, I won’t die unless my brain is destroyed. Depending on the severity of the injury, it might take some time, but I’ll eventually recover.

The only exceptions are attacks using psychic powers or special weapons.

‘Serrated Tentacle and Contamination Organ are also good characteristics.’

I flexed the upper arms among my combat limbs.

Thin, long tentacles shot out from my palms like whips. These tentacles, covered with saw-like protrusions on their surface, could tear apart anyone they wrapped around.

‘Normally, this would be a characteristic rarely used due to its low durability.’

But getting a type changes everything. When upgraded by the Physical Enhancement Type, the serrated protrusions become sturdy enough to pierce a ship’s outer hull. Ordinary soldiers would find it impossible to defend against.

I retracted the tentacles extending from my hands.

‘Finally, Contamination Organ.’

Now it was time for my lower arms, not the upper ones.

I bent down and placed my palm on the floor. From the opening in my palm, dark brown mucus and spore clusters flowed out.

‘Contamination Organ’ simply put, makes me a walking nest. Whenever I want, spores identical to those in the nest are discharged, just like now.

One difference is that I can apply some of my characteristics to the spores created by the Contamination Organ.

In other words, I can create spores that emit neurotoxins or spores that secrete acidic liquid. Or I could make spores that enhance my body’s regenerative effects.

With this ability alone, it’s not impossible to turn an entire ship into my fortress. It’s perfect for fighting powerful enemies.

Tentacles and spores – each ability would terrify any sane human, but I was quite satisfied. After checking each of my newly acquired characteristics, I briefly set No. 26, who had been on my shoulder, down.

A translucent text box was waiting for my response. There was only one response I could give.

‘Accept.’

As soon as I accepted, changes began in my body.

The bones inside my body twisted and broke through the chitin exoskeleton. The outer shell swelled up as if soaked in water.

Since all these changes were natural, there was no blood splatter or pain. It felt like my outer skin and muscles were stretching to accommodate the changes, similar to doing stretches.

Unlike evolving into a Morphlet, the type-induced changes didn’t take long. When the mutation was complete, a translucent text window appeared before me again.

「Species: Unidentified Agressive Space Morph

Status: Morphlet

Objective: Survive (1 successful evolution).

Characteristics:

-Physical (Type Applied): Wings, Chitin Exoskeleton, Regeneration(Fusion), Neurotoxin Gland(Fusion), Reinforced Exoskeleton, Acidic Blood, Enhanced Leg Strength, Mimicry, Serrated Tentacle, Contamination Organ

-Psychic: Predator Sense(Fusion), Psychic Organ

Type: Physical Enhancement Type」

「Currently available types for specialization: 1」

「Psychic Enhancement Type (2/6)」

With the acquisition of my first type, all characteristics were reclassified according to type conditions. Thanks to acquiring the physical-related type, the message “Type Applied” appeared next to physical-related characteristics.

Also, looking below, I noticed that the number of characteristics needed to secure the Psychic Enhancement Type had increased from 3 to 6.

‘Tsk. Type penalty.’

I knew about this, but seeing it was still slightly disappointing. AMorphs have no limit on acquiring types, but there’s a penalty as the number of types increases.

The number of characteristics needed to acquire a new type doubles.

For example, if I had acquired the Psychic Enhancement Type first, the Physical Enhancement Type would have increased from 10 to 20 required characteristics.

Or if I unlock another type before the Psychic Enhancement Type in my current situation, the required number for Psychic Enhancement Type becomes 12.

‘That’s why some deliberately delay unlocking types.’

You might end up unlocking inefficient types randomly and miss out on important ones.

If this were a game, I would have thought more carefully about the timing of type acquisition.

The requirement for psychic-related characteristics increasing to 6 is burdensome, since they’re difficult to obtain.

But this is reality, and a fight with pirates awaits. There’s no point in postponing getting stronger when danger is imminent – you might end up dead.

‘Anyway, let’s see what’s changed.’

I’ll have to rely on the Physical Enhancement Type for a while, so I should check how much better I’ve become.

The first sensation I felt was heaviness. Before, I felt agile and flexible, but now it’s different. My entire body feels massive and solid.

How should I explain this? It’s like going from a leopard to a rhinoceros.

‘Well, of course I’d be heavier. With these things added.’

Currently, my head was covered with thick carapace similar to the exoskeleton on my chest. My arms and legs were also encased in thick, solid bio-armor except at the joints.

Perhaps to support my heavier body weight, I’d grown taller too. Previously around 1m tall, I now exceeded 1m 50cm. My legs, enhanced with the Leg Strength characteristic, were much thicker than other parts.

When I placed my hand on the wall, I found I could still climb walls or crawl on ceilings. However, the loud thumping sound was unavoidable. Strategies involving silently ambushing enemies were now impossible.

Finally, my tail, one of my main weapons, had also grown due to the type’s influence.

The tail’s length was just under 2m – almost twice as large as before.

‘A medium-range attack method. That’s good.’

Several times I’d been in danger when ambushing targets because of distance issues.

For me, tentacles and a tail were like rain in a drought.

「Big! Big!」

While I was checking my body, No. 26 beside me expressed surprise. To him, I must have appeared to suddenly grow.

[Zzzz (I’ve grown)]

「Growth? What does that mean?」

[Zz zzzz zzzz (A baby becoming an adult)]

「Baby? I see, a baby. Big baby! Baby!」

No. 26 kept calling me a ‘baby.’

‘Calling me a baby.’

Well, it wasn’t wrong. As a Morphlet, I’m biologically an immature individual, so I fit the definition of a baby.

Of course, parents raising an AMorph baby would probably be suicidal.

I’d like to explain my changes in detail, but it seems impossible with his limited vocabulary. I’ll have to teach him when he learns to speak properly.

I put No. 26, who was bouncing around excitedly, back on my shoulder to head to our next destination.

「Baby. Where go?」

[Zzzz (Armory)]

Heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor with a thump, thump, thump. If crew members were here, how would they react? Would they burst into tears at the sight of a monster beyond their control? Or would they rush to the escape pods?

‘Let’s find out from now on.’

Whatever happens, one thing is certain.

They will witness the nightmare born from space and regret. Regret why they ever thought of boarding this ship.

–

A day had passed since the catastrophe in the bridge’s situation room.

At any other time, all crew members would have mourned those who met a tragic end, but now they had no such luxury.

The metallic gremlin, or rather something even more terrifying that had been spreading through rumors, was rapidly devouring all life on the ship.

Humans are resilient animals, but when faced with something unbearable, they lose their minds.

Less than a day after the catastrophe, another monster attack occurred. This time it attacked the cafeteria, slaughtering over 50 unarmed soldiers.

With more than half the forces protecting the research vessel dead, Captain Eusung took the remaining soldiers and leadership and locked themselves in the captain’s quarters.

The pretext was concentrating defenses in one place, but it was essentially abandoning the remaining personnel. Indeed, those left behind were rapidly diminishing.

Whether it came from outer space or was born in a laboratory, the unidentified monster had turned the research vessel’s interior into hell itself.

In the recovery room of the medical bay.

That’s where Acting Research Team Leader Wei was.

Thanks to Megacorp’s advanced medical technology, he had quickly regained consciousness. As a result, he had to face his situation unwillingly.

Permanent loss of sight and smell, damage to half of his facial skin, loss of taste due to neurotoxin aftereffects, and severe speech impairment.

Wei wished he was dreaming. What sin had he committed to deserve such suffering?

He was just an ordinary human who had lived a life similar to others at Megacorp. Of course, many people had died by his hand on his way to becoming a senior researcher, but that’s how everyone lived. It was natural to die if you lost in competition.

Wei wanted to commit suicide, but the life support systems in the recovery room wouldn’t let him. The only action permitted to him was to look down at his miserable appearance.

Perhaps because he had spent every second, every hour in agony? He recognized the changes around him a beat late. The doctors’ footsteps that had been torturing his ears until just now had completely disappeared. Apart from the signal sounds of the vital-checking machines, there was no sound at all.

‘What? What’s happening?’

Such silence when there’s a critical patient in the medical bay is never a good sign.

The ominous silence that seemed endless was broken by something’s footsteps. Wei thought it was the sound of military boots.

But it wasn’t. Those footsteps were the sound of something much heavier than a person moving.

Thump, thump, thump – vibrations that shook the entire medical bay.

With each tremor in the recovery room, Wei’s body shook violently.

Something approaching him was certainly not friendly. He wanted to escape but couldn’t. The painkillers automatically administered by the life support system made his body unresponsive.

Finally, the footsteps stopped.

Though Wei couldn’t see, he could feel it beside him.

Its breath, its growling. He instinctively knew that the thing beside him was the monster that had attacked him in the situation room.

It had come all the way here to end his life.

Something climbed onto his trembling head. He thought it was going to kill him now, but his expectation was wrong.

The entity that climbed onto his head was fluffy and soft. It flowed down like chocolate syrup poured on a round bread, covering his entire head.

The strange sensation that didn’t match the atmosphere was momentary; he felt terrible pain across his entire face. It felt like someone was burning his face with fire. With the sensation of his head melting entirely, he screamed internally.

‘Aaaargh! Someone! Someone please kill me!’

If not for the oxygen respirator attached to his mouth, Wei would have suffocated to death in less than 5 minutes.

Or if not for the painkillers and recovery agents being injected into his body, he would have died immediately from shock.

The bubble amoeba on his head, the creature he had called “Subject No. 26,” would have taken his life more quickly if it had grown just a bit more.

Coincidentally, all these factors were against his wishes. Fate did not grant Wei an easy death.

Wei was finally granted eternal rest after an hour.

–

[Zzzz (Have you finished eating?)]

「Yes.」

I placed No. 26, who had finished his meal and revenge, on my hand. Perhaps because I’d fed him to bursting over the day, his body had visibly gained weight.

[Zz zzzz (How does revenge feel?)]

「Revenge? What’s revenge?」

[Zzzz zzzzzz (Eating the person who hurt you)]

「Food. Delicious.」

It seems No. 26 doesn’t have higher emotions like revenge. I’m not sure if it’s something he hasn’t learned yet or if such thinking is inherently impossible for him.

‘This is reality, so who knows.’

Originally a creature that couldn’t speak is now calmly conversing with me. Plus, seeing how the researchers were particularly interested in him, there must be something special.

‘I hope he’s not evolving into a Sea Demon or something.’

Sea Demons, like bubble amoebas, are creatures that only live on ocean planets. They look similar to bubble amoebas but are over 30m in size and hide multiple tentacles inside their bodies.

Due to their similar appearance, the community occasionally suggested a connection between bubble amoebas and Sea Demons. Of course, this game had many similar-looking creatures, so it was a meaningless claim.

No. 26, completely unaware of what I was thinking, sent me a wave.

「Baby. I full.」

His body emitted a soft light. As far as I knew, that was an expression of fatigue.

I placed him on my shoulder – now more “plump” than “bouncy” – and left the medical bay.

Outside the medical bay, the corridor no longer showed any trace of its previous clean, futuristic appearance.

The corridor was filled with filthy, fungus-like dark brown stems. From the ceiling and walls, spores sprayed mucus as if watering this cursed garden of life. It resembled less a sterile metal passage and more the inside of a rotten hollow tree teeming with all kinds of insects.

Inside the nest that had taken over half the ship, I set out to find my next prey.