Ch.402Cocoon (2)

I returned to the star system where Gallergorn’s Nest was located and headed straight for the Gigacracker.

The massive spaceship moving along the orbit of the white planet responded immediately as I approached. The large gate connected to the mineral storage opened wide.

Inside, I noticed a mountain crawler the size of a hill among the piled minerals.

“Hello, Hard-shell!”

“Grrrr”

After hearing No. 26’s greeting, the mountain crawler blinked its four eyes and went back to sleep.

“Where did Seoa unnie go?”

As Isabelle mentioned, its owner was nowhere to be seen.

‘The treatment should have been finished by now?’

Just then, a mini screamer crawled over. A creature with a human woman’s head and thin, long metal legs stood still, looking up at me.

“Are you MPS-03?”

“Yes. Yes.”

When I asked using my mimicry organ to imitate a voice, MPS-03 wiggled its metal legs.

“Where is everyone?”

“Nest. ‘Little baby’ treatment. Treatment.”

“At Gallergorn’s Nest? Not on the Screamer support ship?”

“Nest. Treatment impossible.”

The moment I heard “treatment impossible,” my heart sank. Something was wrong.

“I’ll go down and come back.”

“Big baby, I want to go too!”

“Wait. We’ll go with you.”

I hurriedly opened the storage gate and went outside. No. 26 and Isabelle followed behind me.

‘With PS-111’s skills, removing an APNC should be nothing.’

She’s talented enough to design and create screamers. The probability of failing to remove a bullet is low.

‘Akira must have done something to the APNC.’

He planted a trap in his subordinate’s body to catch me. I struggled with it during combat too.

Perhaps the bullet that hit Adhigh was also specially treated. If so, it would be difficult to heal with conventional methods.

‘…No, I don’t know yet.’

My thoughts keep turning negative. No matter how serious the situation, I need to maintain composure. I focused only on descending to the nest, ignoring unnecessary thoughts.

I could feel the cold atmosphere of the frozen star above the carapace and tentacle bundles. Beyond the natural barrier of ice and wind lay a white land. On one side, I could see an entrance leading underground.

Passing through the hole and descending, a vast underground world appeared before me.

Down there, embedded in the ice and rising like a tower, was the Screamer support ship.

Normally I would have gone there first, but not this time. I flew at full speed toward the dragon’s nest.

Soon I arrived at the valley where Gallergorn’s Nest was located.

“Companion of the great Adhigh Orr”

The white male Gallergorn, Sha Belmarg, sensed my visit and came out to greet me.

[Zzzzz zzzzz (Where is he?)]

“This way”

I followed the Gallergorn’s guidance and crawled deep into a cave made inside the cliff.

The place I arrived at moments later was a cavity about four times my size.

Colorful, glowing mineral fragments were scattered across the floor, and dried vines and moss could be seen on the ceiling.

‘Is this Adhigh’s room?’

Any other time, I would have laughed at the scenery resembling a child’s secret base.

But now this place gave an indescribably strange feeling. It was as if something invisible was clinging to me, sucking away my energy. Since entering the space, an inexplicable sense of exhaustion had enveloped my entire body.

“You’ve arrived?”

“AMorph, you’re safe!”

A familiar voice and thought wave greeted me. It was the Sky Mother in the form of the Thunderbird, and PS-111 with various surgical tools attached to her arms.

“Unnie!”

“Middle baby hello! Friend hello!”

Isabelle and No. 26, who had returned alive from a life-threatening battle, expressed their delight at seeing them.

‘Neither of them seems injured.’

Apart from minor scratches, there were no signs of serious injuries. It was fortunate that both were fine, but Adhigh was missing.

“Where’s Adhigh?”

In response to my question, PS-111 extended a finger pointing to the center of the cavity. There, a huge ruby ore about 10 meters tall was embedded in the ground.

I approached the mineral resembling ruby. Looking closely, there was a long white object inside. Judging by the small size and uniquely graceful form, it was undoubtedly Adhigh.

‘What’s going on here?’

I couldn’t understand why Adhigh, who needed treatment, was inside a ruby. That’s when the Sky Mother sent me a thought wave.

“That’s not ruby. Nor is it any kind of mineral.”

“That substance is the result of energy released by ‘Little baby’ during treatment that has crystallized.”

“What?”

“The process up until the treatment began went according to ‘AMorph’s’ plan.”

PS-111 began explaining as I expressed my confusion.

“‘Middle baby’ successfully activated her limited genetic model modification ability. Through this, she was able to continuously inject healing fluids into Little baby, reducing the surgery failure rate to 16%.”

“In fact, PS-111 succeeded in neutralizing most of the APNC in Adhigh’s body.”

“Was there a problem with the APNC?”

“No. Apart from changing the bullet’s shape to increase penetration, there were no other peculiarities.”

“The problem occurred after the treatment was completed. Adhigh’s psychic power kept decreasing.”

“Psychic power?”

Absorbing the psychic power of the target is a characteristic of APNC. If the bullet was neutralized, the depleted psychic power should regenerate.

“Psychic power is being lost in Little baby’s body, and a new energy body is being generated. The substance currently protecting Little baby is the result of this overproduced energy body being discharged and crystallized.”

I looked at Adhigh sleeping inside the ruby-like rock. That color, like wine made from a blazing sun, was very similar to the red glow that appeared when he donned his Red Armor.

“Don’t touch it.”

I was about to extend my wing arm to see what would happen if I touched it, but the Sky Mother stopped me.

“Why?”

“Since Adhigh entered that state, he’s been continuously absorbing all energy. If you touch it directly…”

Just then, a new visitor entered the cavity.

It was Ham Oort, a Gallergorn with beautiful scales like carved obsidian. She slightly bowed her head upon seeing me.

“Adhigh’s companion” “Welcome” “I wish” “Now” “Difficult”

[Zzzzz (It’s okay)]

Perhaps returning from a hunt, she was holding a large carcass with her front paws. It was a Giganterium, which the Gallergorn pack had hunted before.

‘Why did she bring a carcass?’

She dragged the carcass over and placed it against the crystal containing Adhigh.

Then something bizarre happened. Like Gallergorns sucking fluids from their prey, the carcass rapidly withered and twisted.

In just a few seconds, only bare bones and skin remained around Adhigh.

“That’s how all energy gets absorbed.”

“The substance protecting Little baby demands continuous energy supply. If energy is not supplied as it is now, it indiscriminately steals energy from its surroundings.”

“That’s why Ham Oort and other Gallergorns keep bringing food.”

The weakness I felt when entering here—I wondered why, but this was the cause. Adhigh was unconsciously absorbing energy.

“Will his life be in danger?”

“The surgery was successful. As long as an energy source exists, the probability of Little baby’s life being in danger is currently calculated at 11%.”

“Isabelle?”

At my request, Isabelle examined Adhigh with her All-Seeing Eye.

“He’s currently in a ‘dormant’ state. As unnie said, there doesn’t seem to be any special problem as long as energy is being supplied.”

The Screamer sisters reached the same conclusion.

It’s fortunate that Adhigh has escaped the danger to his life, but it’s too early to feel relieved.

As far as I know, there’s no technique among Dragon Power abilities that absorbs like this. The current state of Adhigh should be considered an unknown state not seen in the game.

‘No, wait.’

Demanding large amounts of energy, forced dormant state, and secreting a special substance to protect oneself—all elements I’ve seen somewhere before.

‘When I evolved.’

Come to think of it, when Adhigh first gained the power of the Red Gallergorn, he told me something. That he was sorry for failing.

He was growing and felt strange, so he gave up becoming a Red Gallergorn. When I heard that story, I thought he wanted to stay by my side rather than become the Queen of Gallergorns.

Looking back now, he might have given up his power out of concern for a situation like this. At that time, we were facing a powerful enemy, Odd Grad. If he hadn’t participated in that battle, I wouldn’t be here now.

“About Adhigh’s condition. Could he be preparing for evolution?”

“Evolution? Ah!”

The Sky Mother widened her amber eyes upon hearing my words.

“An interesting opinion, but it appears to differ from previously recorded growth processes.”

“No, it might be right that it’s different.”

Considering what Adhigh is trying to become, it’s normal for it to be different from before.

“This is the first time he’s attempted to become a complete Red Gallergorn.”

“Red Gallergorn?”

“A Gallergorn that has completed all growth. The most superior being among all Gallergorns.”

PS-111 nodded with interest at the mention of the Red Gallergorn, a being she was hearing about for the first time.

“If genetic-level mutations occur similar to AMorph, having means to protect the body would be advantageous. Indeed, the substance secreted by Little baby is suitable for minimizing risks during the mutation process.”

“That’s right.”

“But this can’t be all. If becoming a Red Gallergorn were as simple as supplying energy, they wouldn’t be so rare.”

She’s right.

Simply entering a red crystal and absorbing energy seems too easy a method. There must be other conditions. Conditions that would be very difficult for an ordinary Gallergorn to achieve.

That’s when Isabelle joined the conversation.

“I once heard about Red Gallergorns from ‘Penelope unnie’.”

“From Penelope?”

“Yes. She said Gallergorns tend to believe they are descendants who inherited the power of stars.”

Looking at Adhigh alone, such a tendency is evident. When using Dragon Power or when I wielded strong power, he expressed it as the power of stars.

“Then what’s the way to become the most superior Gallergorn? She said it would be eating a shining star.”

“Eating a star? That’s physically impossible.”

PS-111 denied it, but the moment I heard the expression “eating a star,” something came to mind. The Sky Mother seemed to have similar thoughts as she met my gaze.

“Indeed, eating ‘that being’ is nearly impossible.”

“It would be difficult even with dozens of Black Gallergorns.”

If one cannot eat a star directly, then eating a creature that devours stellar energy would suffice.

And I know what being meets that condition.

‘Arcane Orca.’

The apex creature that lives by preying on stellar energy and the owner of the ‘Ether Core’ trait.

It is the sacrifice needed for a Red Gallergorn’s growth.