Ch.348Secret (1)

Isabelle, who had been strangling Alshas, soon lost consciousness. This was because her body wasn’t in normal condition after having her brain transplanted so recently.

“Confirming that signals from young mistress’s brain are being amplified beyond necessary levels. Switching to external support system until she can stabilize herself.”

PS-111 began calibration by connecting cables and various electronic devices to Isabelle’s collapsed body.

She passed out again shortly after waking up, but I’m not particularly worried. If the calibration process succeeds, she’ll wake up again.

‘Good. Then…’

I pointed the tip of my snout toward Alshas who was sprawled on the floor.

The gun Isabelle had been demanding before she passed out. She must have been referring to the weapon she used to fight enemies in her past memories.

I suspect Cynthia took it after deceiving him.

Jason mentioned before that Cynthia collected the equipment of the Rankers they hunted. And this guy had hunted at least two Rankers with Jason until now.

‘When we fought at the space fortress, he wasn’t carrying any weapons.’

He wouldn’t have simply discarded the equipment obtained from Isabelle, Penelope, and other Rankers. He must have hidden it somewhere.

And the person who might know that location is right in front of me.

The guy who nearly died stiffened when he felt my gaze. He trembled as I moved my head closer.

“We still have some accounts to settle, don’t we?”

“I, I really don’t kn-know anything. R-really! Please believe me!”

Based on the circumstances, it was Cynthia who forced the slave contract on Isabelle. And at some point, Alshas took over Isabelle’s management authority from Cynthia.

Cynthia, who was playing double agent, wouldn’t entrust a Ranker’s management to someone she didn’t trust. Even if they were colleagues in the same faction. If they were close, he would probably know where Cynthia hid the acquired equipment.

‘Now that I look at him, he seems mentally sound.’

Since communication is possible, there shouldn’t be any issues extracting information.

“Cynthia, who entrusted Isabelle to you. Tell me everything you know about him.”

“C-Cynthia? He’s just my colleague, what I know is…”

“If you don’t know anything, there’s no reason for you to stay alive.”

“…Will you spare me if I tell you?”

“Yes. You won’t die. I promise.”

Sky Mother, who was helping PS-111 take care of Isabelle, glanced at me. Her eyes said, “Are you starting this again?”

“Let’s change locations.”

“Yes… eek?!”

I picked up Alshas with my combat arm.

“Where big one going?”

“I” “go” “too”

“I have some business to attend to. Come to think of it, the Coldbloods Isabelle brought haven’t eaten yet. Could you two help them?”

“Humans with many appendages hungry?”

“Cute” “dwarves” “will help”

“Not what we eat, but bring them food stored in the cafeteria.”

“Okay.”

No. 26 and Adhigh Orr, who were about to follow me, left for the cafeteria to bring food to the 40 Coldbloods.

‘Ah. I should also think about what to do with those 40 people.’

I can’t keep carrying them around on the Gigacracker. I need to drop them off on a safe planet so they can survive on their own.

‘A safe place, huh.’

There is the hideout Isabelle told me about, but the situation has changed.

Now the Coldbloods know a lot about us. If by chance they come into contact with other Rankers, information about us could leak out.

Therefore, it’s better to place them somewhere they won’t encounter players.

‘Should I send them to the dragon’s nest?’

The frozen underground kingdom ruled by Ham Oort in place of Adhigh Orr. It’s a planet that doesn’t appear in the game, and to reach the underground world, one must drill through thick layers of ice. Even if a passing ship accidentally discovers the planet, it won’t be easy to check the underground world.

‘The underground beneath the ice isn’t bad for Coldbloods to live in.’

Plus, they can receive protection from the Gallergorn, making it safer than any other planet.

‘This would normally be impossible.’

Looking at Adhigh Orr, it’s hard to believe, but Gallergorn are naturally ferocious. They are hostile to all creatures not of their own kind. They’re not modeled after Western dragons for nothing.

Of course, we’re the exception. The kids and I are considered members of Adhigh Orr’s group. If I ask Ham Oort to protect the Coldbloods, he’ll agree.

‘I’ll have to think about what to make them do, though.’

I should discuss this with Sky Mother later.

After organizing my thoughts, I moved to the hangar with Alshas.

“Let’s start with what you know about Cynthia.”

After arriving at the hangar, I questioned Alshas about what I wanted to know.

He did his best to answer to satisfy me. There was no trace of the mocking attitude he had shown on Beryan02.

Moreover, he was so afraid of dying that he spilled everything not just about Cynthia but about his colleagues as well. Thanks to that, I learned many interesting facts.

‘So the 4th and 7th ranks joined forces.’

I had suspected it when Alshas received support from the Outspacer, but the Outspacer Ranker and the 7th-ranked Cult Ranker Bumho were cooperating with each other. It’s unclear what they exchanged for cooperation, given that Outspacers and Cult are incompatible.

According to him, Bumho persuaded the 4th rank to join their side.

‘More importantly, the fact that the 4th rank has been in this world for over 30 years is a big deal.’

In the game, the 4th rank was the type to steadily grow their swarm and overwhelm opponents. Outspacers are a species that is weak individually but quickly becomes stronger when gathered in numbers. The 4th rank had a playstyle that best suited their species.

Having grown steadily for over 30 years, the swarm’s size must be beyond imagination. Additionally, the 37th-ranked Outspacer player has also joined the 4th rank’s swarm.

‘I’ve become an irregular existence too, but this won’t be easy.’

If I’m going to fight, I need to be fully prepared.

Anyway, now I’ve confirmed who the members of the Return Faction are.

According to Alshas, besides himself, the two Outspacer Rankers, and Bumho, there are two more Rankers. Among those two, a Volf Ranker manages the faction’s equipment.

“By Volf Ranker, do you mean the 9th rank?”

“The 9th rank is dead. The one managing our equipment is someone else.”

The 9th rank is the highest-ranked among Volf Rankers. Unlike Sky Mother who prefers to fight in transformed state, he preferred to operate a fleet in his therianthrope form.

Given how definitively he states the 9th rank is dead, it seems the 9th rank was defeated by the Return Faction.

“So where is this Volf Ranker hiding?”

“On Askha44 in the Dorane system. It’s an undiscovered volcanic planet.”

“A volcanic planet.”

I was planning to make Volf-specific equipment for Sky Mother, so this works out well. I’ve already obtained the most important material, Voltex One’s body, and I can get the remaining mineral materials from there.

“Good. I know the Volf Ranker’s location. Where’s the other one?”

“I, uh, I don’t know the specific details. I only know they went to do something else under Bumho’s orders.”

When I scratched the hangar floor with my combat claw, he hastily added more.

‘So Bumho is indeed the brains of the operation.’

I had expected as much.

He’s skilled at exploiting various variables to strike at the enemy’s weak points. In terms of enjoying unconventional tactics, he could be considered similar to me.

“Where is Bumho’s base?”

“He’s always on the move, so even I don’t know where he is now.”

“What’s his perk?”

Alshas hesitated before answering my question.

“I’ve never had deep conversations with him, so…”

“Is that so?”

Though his answer was that he didn’t know, I wasn’t particularly disappointed.

Bumho is a player with a similar disposition to mine. Even within the same faction, he wouldn’t share his secrets.

“Following someone you know nothing about. You’re more trusting than I thought.”

“That’s not it.”

“No?”

“Bumho knows how to return us to the real world. That’s why I follow the Return Faction’s cause.”

“By return method, do you mean the ending?”

Alshas shook his head at my question.

“Seeing the ending as per the game’s method is impossible.”

“Impossible? How do you know that?”

“Before the Return Faction was formed, Bumho attempted the final mission with other Rankers and failed. The 9th rank died then too.”

Come to think of it, I’ve heard something similar from Sky Mother.

In the past, several Rankers, including the 1st rank, challenged the final mission.

At that time, they used some method to fulfill the conditions required to challenge the mission. Looking back, I suspect they used the perks each Ranker received.

However, the challenge ended in failure, and afterward, discord began among the Rankers.

“Interesting story. How do you plan to see the ending?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“You don’t know?”

“The only one who knows the method perfectly is Bumho. It’s because it would be troublesome if the plan leaked.”

“Lying in front of me isn’t a wise move.”

“I’m not lying! Bumho only tells us what we need to know when we need it, so I hardly know anything!”

I have several means to detect lies. I can use parasites or turn someone into a face parasite.

A Ranker like Alshas would know this, so he wouldn’t try to lie or deceive me.

However, separate from not lying, there’s one point that puzzles me.

‘Neither Cynthia nor Alshas seem like the type to trust others easily.’

Cynthia was a double agent, and Alshas is selling out his comrades for survival. It can’t be easy for such individuals to trust someone.

‘Or is there some other factor?’

There might be something about Bumho that even Alshas himself isn’t aware of. Perhaps a perk, or some mind control technology I don’t know about.

‘Whatever it is, I need to be careful.’

I’ve mostly confirmed the important things.

I asked him one last question.

“Have you ever seen visions while clearing quests?”

“Pardon?”

“I heard that as you get closer to the ending, memories of the real world appear as visions. Who did you become in your vision?”

After hearing my words, he was silent for a moment before speaking.

“I became my human self. I killed an enemy embodied as Cult in this world, in my mansion.”

He was the opposite of Jason. Jason saw a vision of killing his “human self” in a Cult body.

“At what point did this happen?”

“Why are you asking that?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to ask questions.”

“…I saw it when I cleared quest stage 10.”

Jason also said he saw a vision at stage 10. Both saw visions at the same point, just with different choices.

“And after that?”

“According to Bumho and the 4th rank Empress, after that, we see visions of returning to our lives in reality.”

“Lives in reality?”

“They said it’s to prepare us to adapt safely.”

Though I didn’t expect much when asking, I got an unexpectedly interesting answer.

Three members of the Return Faction saw visions related to reality. The connection between factions and visions is almost certain.

‘Plus, he said the visions help adapt to reality.’

Perhaps as one gets closer to the ending, the visions change according to the identity one has chosen. If you chose a human form, you see life in the real world; if you chose your form in this world, you see life in Space Survival.

‘I should discuss this with Isabelle when she wakes up.’

“Good. I have no more questions.”

“Is, is that so?”

With this, I’ve gathered enough helpful information. I stood up.

Alshas, lying in front of me, looked up at me with expectant eyes.

“Hey, you promised, right? You said you’d spare me if I answered your questions.”

“Yes.”

“Th-then I’ll be on my way.”

Having lost all limbs and part of his lower body, he crawled toward the airship remaining in the hangar.

I blocked Alshas, who was crawling like a grub, with my combat arm. He tried to slip aside with a forced smile, but I was faster.

I picked him up with four long fingers. Then I opened my mouth wide with my central head. His complexion rapidly turned pale.

“Y-you promised to spare me!”

“Yes. I promised.”

“I-I won’t attack you again! I won’t do anything to displease AMorph!”

I brought his remaining body to my mouth. Dangling from my fingers, he struggled desperately to escape.

“You won’t die.”

“What?”

“Your form and personality will change a bit, but…”

“N-no way?”

I was sincere when I said I would spare him.

However, if I leave him as is, I don’t know when he might betray me, so I’m just taking “some measures.”

“Aaaaargh! N-not a face parasite! No! Please don’t do this!”

He flops around like a fish out of water. But if he couldn’t escape with limbs, there’s no way he can escape now.

His face, which was very beautiful as befitting a Cult, was now stained with tears, saliva, and various secretions. The dignity of the Ranker who had sneered at me on Beryan02 was nowhere to be found.

I tossed him into my wide-open mouth.

“N-nooooo!”

As I closed my mouth, his screams abruptly stopped. A sweet scent spread throughout my tongue, palate, and every corner of my teeth. It was a refreshing scent that made me feel good, like eating a cool mint candy.

I’d like to keep savoring it, but I can’t do that forever. I swallowed what used to be Alshas.

And then.

“Predation Effect activated! Successfully stolen perk from ‘Alshas (Olivia Greene)’!”

“Can be fused with your ‘Three Heads’ and ‘Smog Tower’. Please select characteristics. The selection result will be influenced by the characteristics used as materials.”

“P.S.: You are at a critical crossroads. Please choose wisely.”

“Time remaining until characteristic selection: 24:00:00”

“You are eligible to use the characteristic enhancement system. Would you like to use the system?”

The text box I saw in the dragon’s nest before.

A new “Trophy of the Mighty” awaits my choice.