Ch.207Whom the King Fears (4)

“Great Elder”

The creature that had been rubbing its horns against my body suddenly lifted its head. It called to me through thought waves.

[Zzzzz (Are you hurt?)]

“Denial” “Pain” “None” “Absent”

I wondered if there might be an injury I hadn’t noticed, but that didn’t seem to be the case. The creature hesitated and kept its distance from me.

The creature that had been so happy to see me just moments ago was now showing an awkward attitude. It wasn’t just its behavior. Negative emotions were flowing out of its body through thought waves.

‘Why is it suddenly acting like this?’

As if answering my question, the creature sent thought waves.

“I” “Apology” “Need”

[Zzzzzzz (You’re apologizing?)]

“I” “Ham Oort” “Followed” “Great Elder” “Abandoned” “Sorry”

What the creature brought up was about when it first met Ham Oort and followed him. I knew what intention it had when it left, but it seemed that point had been bothering it all along.

“I” “Great Elder” “Kin” “Again” “Want” “Please”

The creature lowered its front legs and bowed its head. It was a respectful gesture I had never seen before.

‘Hmm.’

I had intended to get the creature back from the beginning. So I didn’t think much of meeting it again.

But from its perspective, things were different. Adhigh had once been banished from its kind. Because it was small and weak.

‘Come to think of it, it was being overly cautious even before coming here.’

After guiding us to the nest, it asked if it could stay with us. I had naturally assumed so, but the creature didn’t. It worried whether it should leave because it was no longer needed.

It’s the same now. Moreover, this time it left us to save itself. From its perspective, it made sense to feel uncomfortable about returning.

‘…This isn’t something that can be resolved with long talks.’

I know well how past pain can strangle one’s life. The agony of having your mind still dwelling in the past while your body lives in the present.

So I decided to do what I wanted most when I was struggling.

I gently grabbed the creature with my wing arm and hugged it tightly to my chest.

[Zzzzzzz zzzz (You’re back, that’s all that matters)]

“Great Elder” “Me” “Forgive?”

The creature trembled anxiously, but I shook my head to deny its words.

[Zzzzzz zzzzz zzzzz zzzzz zzzzzzzz (You did nothing wrong, so there’s nothing to forgive)]

“I” “Kin” “Abandon” “Wrong”

[Zzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzz zzzzz zzzzz zzzz zzzzzzzz (You chose to protect yourself. If anything, I was wrong)]

“Denial!” “Great Elder” “Wrong” “None”

[Zzzzzzzz zzzz zzzz zzzz zzzzzzzz (Let’s say fairly that neither of us did anything wrong)]

“I” “Again” “Kin” “Possible?”

[Zzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzz (You never left in the first place)]

I sent waves with a firm feeling. Reading my sincerity, Adhigh finally relaxed its tense body.

I gently stroked its head with the small arms on my chest. The creature turned its head as if ticklish and fixed its gaze on my wing arms.

“Wings” “First time seeing”

[Zzzzz (Is that so?)]

I did have wings when I met the creature, but not in their current form. They were more like a beetle’s, covering my back, and I could barely use them due to the transcendence penalty.

“Cool!” “Cool!” “Very” “Cool!”

Adhigh tapped me with its front paws and nodded vigorously. It seems to really like my transformation.

[Zzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz (Let’s go back. The others must be waiting)]

“Small Elder” “Ugly Friend” “Weak Child” “There?”

[Zz (Yes)]

Hearing my words, Adhigh slipped out of my arms and climbed onto my back.

I took the creature back to where I had left the others.

“What happened?”

The Sky Mother asked as soon as she saw me return with Adhigh.

[Zzzz zzzzz (I was deceived)]

“…It seems so.”

“Little baby!”

“Subcontroller 2 ‘Little baby’ confirmed. Nice to meet you again.”

“Everyone” “Happy to see”

According to the settings, Gallergorn doesn’t lie. As a species modeled after dragons in legends and myths, they value contracts. If there hadn’t been such a setting, I wouldn’t have believed Adhigh so readily when making a contract.

So I believed what Ham Oort said too, but who would have thought a Gallergorn would lie.

‘…Still, I’m glad Adhigh is safe.’

In this case, it’s fortunate that it was a lie. Apart from feeling bad about being deceived by the Gallergorn.

At that moment, Adhigh, having finished greeting everyone, scurried in front of me.

“Sky King” “Great Elder” “Hunt?”

[Zzzzzzzz (Sky King?)]

The creature pointed with the tip of its horn at the Sky Whale whose entire body had burst open.

‘But why did the two of them come here?’

Even if Ham Oort had a reason, Adhigh doesn’t match well with Sky Whales. Not only is psychic technique use prohibited, but its small size makes it impossible to land effective hits.

Conversely, it’s very easy for a Sky Whale to kill the creature. Whether by firing a photon cannon or approaching and striking with its wings, Adhigh would die instantly.

‘It must know that.’

As if to answer my question, Adhigh continued to emit thought waves.

“Ham Oort” “Said” “Sky King” “Need” “I” “Said” “Great Elder” “Already” “Hunt” “End” “Sky King” “Hunt” “Useless”

Adhigh spread its wings proudly. From what it’s saying, it seems Ham Oort was targeting the Sky Whale. Then midway, when it learned I was here, Adhigh told him hunting the Sky Whale would be impossible.

[Zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzz zzzzz zzzz (I understand needing the Sky King, but why did you come together?)]

“Ham Oort” “Said” “I” “Sky King” “Must Eat” “Savior” “Condition”

[Zzzzzzzz zzzzz zzzzz (You must eat the Sky King?)]

Now that I look at Adhigh with its wings fully spread, it does look different from before. I had only checked for injuries earlier and missed it, but looking again, it was definitely changed.

‘White spots have appeared on its wings?’

There were many white spots like grains of sand embedded near the wing membrane. Rather than looking like something caused by illness, they appeared natural, like spots forming on the body.

‘White color, huh.’

Suddenly I had a thought. Could Ham Oort be trying to evolve Adhigh?

The growth conditions of Gallergorn are unknown. Even I don’t know how Adhigh grew. While it was molting into green scales, I was far away.

“Ham Oort” “Snake King” “Brought” “Great Elder” “Hunt” “Snake King” “Much” “Bigger”

‘Snake King? I gave it? That can’t be…oh.’

Now that I think about it, there’s something that makes sense. The first apex creature I hunted on this planet was the Ice Horror. Considering its size and appearance, it could certainly be called the Snake King.

‘To become a White Gallergorn, does it need to eat apex creatures?’

As a hatchling, a Blue Gallergorn absorbs natural psychic power rising from the nest to grow. Then, when it becomes a Green Gallergorn, it begins hunting wild animals in earnest.

Usually, planets with dragon nests have multiple apex creatures, so they inevitably have to fight them.

‘Apex creatures are generally nutritionally rich.’

Ice Horror, Glacier Fiend, Crystal Wing. They’re all beings containing enormous energy. Perhaps they eat these monsters and accumulate that energy in their bodies to grow into White Gallergorn.

‘Of course, I’m not certain…’

If my reasoning is correct, there should be more White Gallergorn in the dragon’s nest. Since that’s not the case, there’s likely something more that I don’t know.

‘Maybe Adhigh is special.’

Ham Oort said he took Adhigh because the creature was special. That’s why he said it was needed to fight the Black Gallergorn group.

Of course, it’s unclear why he would simply hand over such an important being to me now.

[Zzzzzzzz zzzzz zzzzzzzzzz (Will you change if you eat the Sky King?)]

“Ham Oort” “Said” “Change” “Possible” “I” “Snake King” “Absorb” “Change” “Happen” “Power” “Stronger”

The creature pointed to the spots on its wings with its front paw.

‘Testing it would make things clear.’

According to him, there should be some change after Adhigh eats the Sky Whale meat.

‘Anyway, Ham Oort and the Gallergorn are in my hands.’

Adhigh should know where they live. If there’s anything uncertain, I can just capture him and ask directly.

I approached the Sky Whale’s corpse.

I activated the Emblem of Hunt on the slick blood and entrails scattered on the ground.

A head with carapace covering the eyes, bone scythe arms tearing through the back membrane, small claw-like centipede legs on the lower body and various parts of the body.

All these were changes that occurred when I used the Emblem of Hunt before, but there were two differences.

Perhaps due to the influence of Berserker Synapse, which drastically reduces energy consumption, my body length didn’t increase as much as before. My current body length is about 45m. Considering that using the Emblem of Hunt usually makes me grow at least twice as large, this was remarkably small.

‘In terms of size, there’s nothing to be disappointed about yet. Maybe it’s even beneficial?’

The other difference was that red patterns had formed on the membrane of my arms and wings.

Red patterns like blood vessels spread from inside my combat arms and wing arms along the muscle grain all the way to the wing membrane. While the original black wings were cool, this had its own charm.

“Great Elder” “Wings” “Cool”

“Yeah. They are.”

“?”

“What? Why?”

Having completed my transformation, I bit into the head of the Sky Whale, which was leaking its contents. The others also approached and began to taste the space whale’s meat.

–

While Odd Grad’s group is unusual, original Gallergorn value their young highly. Gallergorn don’t lay many eggs, and even those they manage to lay often fail to hatch due to the harsh environment.

Since the few babies that are born from these scarce eggs are precious, the entire group is desperate to protect them.

Whether male or female, those not out hunting guard the nest. Since there aren’t many individuals outside due to hunting, most members guard the nest.

There are only two cases where babies die in a nest guarded by the entire group: when predators like Sky Whales appear, or when a stronger Gallergorn group attacks.

And now.

The group following Ham Oort was on the verge of annihilation.

The forest covering the area around the nest was burning as if it had been bombed. Gallergorn with scales of various colors lay fallen in the raging flames.

The cave that served as a home for baby Gallergorn had its ceiling completely torn off. Inside, Gallergorn corpses were piled like mountains.

Most of the corpses were blue hatchlings.

The leader of the nest, Ham Oort, was watching this terrible scene. It wasn’t because she was cold-hearted or lacked affection for her kind.

Her body was literally in tatters. Her beautiful white wings, like a bride’s dress, were completely torn off, and her tail was cut, with only a third remaining.

Three of her four gorgeous horns were broken, and half of the tentacles around her mouth had fallen off. It was hard to find any bones in her body that weren’t broken.

The one who had reduced her to this miserable state was floating leisurely in the sky.

Six horns, scales as black as the night sky, and an overwhelmingly larger body than Ham Oort.

The most powerful Gallergorn on this planet, the great Odd Grad.

He was holding a Blue Gallergorn with his front paws and sucking out its bodily fluids.

The sight of him tearing apart a newly born hatchling with his purple tentacle bundles was exactly what Ham Oort had tried to prevent.

After devouring the hatchling in an instant, he threw the withered corpse in front of her.

“Evil Odd Grad!” “Young Kin” “Killed!” “Originally” “Group Kin” “Killed!”

Angry thought waves burst from Ham Oort at the terrible death of the young kin. It was true that the two groups were fighting, but there was no reason to kill innocent hatchlings.

Moreover, Odd Grad’s group had split in two when she rebelled. When they could use every single one back, killing them all like this was absolutely not a good decision.

“Young Kin” “Sin” “None!” “Cruelty!”

To her primal expression of anger, Odd Grad calmly replied.

“Odd Grad” “Declares” “Traitor” “Seeds” “Must Be Eliminated”

“!”

“However”

He landed on top of Ham Oort. As the much larger being crushed her entire body, she screamed.

“Traitor” “Will Not Die”

“Ham Oort” “Will Not Submit!”

“Doesn’t Matter” “Traitor” “Pain” “Much More Needed”

He stepped on each of her legs with his front paws, breaking them one by one. She was in such extreme pain that she couldn’t even scream, only moan.

“Odd Grad” “Commands” “Traitor” “Take Away”

“Confirmed”

“Companions” “Escaped Traitors” “Find” “Kill”

Other Gallergorn who heard his thought waves grabbed Ham Oort.

Being dragged away in a dazed state, she thought.

It was fortunate that the last hope hadn’t been caught.

She hadn’t told the daughter of the meteor, but to become the savior, there was one more sacrifice needed.

That was to devour a white kin.

Originally, she had planned to take responsibility and sacrifice herself. But before that could happen, Odd Grad attacked her nest, disrupting the plan.

Therefore, she had no choice but to ask another kin, Nel Germa.

Nel Germa was also a female who had come out to resist Odd Grad. Even in this urgent situation, she immediately took action after hearing Ham Oort’s request.

While she drew attention, another white kin, Nel Germa, safely escaped with the surviving kin. It was to fulfill the final mission Ham Oort had given.

Now Ham Oort had done all she could.

What remained was what choice her daughter would make.

She had only made wrong choices so far. There were only two choices she could confidently say she had made well.

But she hoped her daughter would make a wise choice. Until she lost consciousness, she kept praying.