Ch.4242. Monsters of the Sea

First, the ecosystem stabilization issue is actually very simple.

We place Hive Mind monsters that mimic native kaiju along the coastlines, and in areas with high influx, we build monster production facilities on land that humans call outposts.

Naturally, these coastal monsters are at a disadvantage against land-type monsters in forests or mountainous areas, and the production facilities can be equipped with protective monsters and defensive installations.

This way, we can block land-based monsters without arousing human suspicion, while simultaneously deterring potential human naval attacks without raising alarm.

However, compared to the relatively straightforward coastal attack problem, reclaiming lost underwater territories is expected to be extremely difficult.

This is because we cannot apply human technology or tactics/strategies to monsters fighting marine kaiju—to understand why, we must first learn about the characteristics of marine monsters that differ from land monsters.

Marine monsters, operating underwater, are less affected by terrain. As a result, they tend to be much larger than typical land monsters.

Both in the Project Monster series and in reality, larger size means stronger physical abilities and durability, as well as more capacity to incorporate additional functions into the body.

Additionally, the ocean contains more than enough nutrients for these monsters to feed on.

There are seaweeds that have overgrown and mutated into various forms due to monster influence, and even monsters that function as micro to small life forms like krill, plankton, or sardines in the changed marine ecosystem.

As a result, the already vast ocean supports even more monster growth, and the quality of marine monsters is generally higher compared to land monsters.

A mid-tier monster that might dominate a territory on land would merely be a middle predator in the ocean, prey to even more powerful monsters.

To control a specific area in the ocean, one must be at least a high-tier monster, which is why high-tier monsters exist in similar proportions to mid-tier ones in the sea.

In the East Sea alone, there are at least 32 high-tier monsters, some of which appear as bosses in coastal raid events in the game.

In the Pacific Ocean, there are even hundreds of giant psychic whales traveling in groups, with adults being high-tier monsters—effectively, the oceans have completely fallen into monster control.

In these seas that resemble demonic realms, conventional naval vessels are nearly powerless.

In the early stages of the monster crisis, most active warships and their weapons were designed for attacks against surface, air, or land targets, with few exceptions.

Therefore, weapons designed to combat thinly armored ships or submarines were ineffective against marine monsters—living warships with thick energy fields—and this trend continues today.

No matter how advanced the technology, vessels floating on the sea surface have inherently limited anti-submarine capabilities against monsters that lurk in the deep, targeting surface objectives.

Even Giant Armor made from marine monster corpses for underwater use can barely match monsters two tiers below, let alone equal-tier marine monsters.

Most hunters, specialized for land combat, become less than half as effective underwater without relevant tech.

For these reasons, human technology is meaningless in the ocean, unlike on land.

Rather, in the sea, conventionally strong marine monsters created by absorbing marine monster genes, like other Hive Minds do, are more efficient.

Therefore, while dealing with Dolphinmen and other monsters continuously entering through underground passages, I began creating new monsters using previously collected marine monster genetic information.

Hive Piranha

Rank :: 7

Level :: 91

Stats

Strength :: 15

Agility :: 25

Vitality :: 20

Intelligence :: 5

Resistance :: 10

Energy :: 20

Command :: 0

Traits

Monster Gene(E), Predator(E), Hive Mind(E), Subjugation(EX), Underwater Combat Expert(D), Cooperative Combat(D), Lightweight Reinforced Scales(D)

Skills

Swimming(E), Heat Detection(E)

Bio-weapons

Energy Horn(E)

First, there’s the Hive Piranha.

This piranha, with a body length of 1 meter and a horn on its head suitable for charging and stabbing, is simply a versatile marine version of the Hive Infantry.

The horn is both an energy weapon that increases power by flowing energy on its surface and an energy shooter that can fire energy bullets from its tip—a dual-purpose weapon.

Its speed is exceptionally fast among low-tier monsters, and its durability is decent thanks to defensive skills, making it effective in both close and ranged combat.

And if there’s a Hive Piranha serving as the ocean’s Hive Infantry, naturally we need monsters to fulfill the roles of tanks or heavy armored units.

The monster serving as the ocean’s Hive Tank is called the Hive Tuna, which, as the name suggests, closely resembles a tuna.

Hive Tuna

Rank :: 5

Level :: 91

Stats

Strength :: 225

Agility :: 225

Vitality :: 300

Intelligence :: 100

Resistance :: 255

Energy :: 100

Command :: 0

Traits

Monster Gene(E), Predator(C), Hive Mind(C), Subjugation(EX), Bio Core(C), Underwater Combat Expert(C), Psychic Resistance(C), Tireless Stamina(D), Superhuman Strength(D), Bio Lightweight Armor(D)

Skills

Swimming(C), Charge(C), Hardening(D), Endurance(D)

Bio-weapons

Great Energy Horn(C), Energy Horn(C)

To summarize this creature in one sentence, it’s a marine monster designed to look like a knight with armor plates covering its skin, a gigantic tuna with a body length of 10 meters including the large horn on its crown.

As its appearance suggests, this giant tuna uses its horn to charge at enemies like a medieval knight as its primary weapon.

The armor plates—outer skin—are arranged in a hydrodynamic structure with thin, sturdy crustacean-like shells, providing excellent shock absorption without hindering swimming due to weight.

Combined with the Endurance skill that allows it to twist its body just before impact to minimize damage, and the ability to harden its outer skin by consuming bio-energy, its defensive capabilities are exceptional.

Its body structure, designed with modern technologies like hydrodynamics, along with powerful muscles, naturally guarantees high speed and advantages in close combat.

The horn serves as both a melee psychic weapon and a ranged psychic shooter/blaster, allowing for versatile combat, and additional auxiliary horns along its back can keep surrounding enemies in check.

And while the Hive Tuna has abilities and roles similar to a sea knight as its appearance suggests, this monster—the Hive Octopus—is a psychic-specialized monster unlike the creature it’s modeled after.

Hive Octopus

Rank :: 5

Level :: 91

Stats

Strength :: 105

Agility :: 225

Vitality :: 220

Intelligence :: 100

Resistance :: 255

Energy :: 100

Command :: 0

Traits

Monster Gene(E), Predator(C), Hive Mind(C), Subjugation(EX), Bio Core(C), Underwater Combat Expert(C), Versatile Psychic User(C), Octopus Regeneration(C), High-speed Calculation(C), Shock Absorption(D)

Skills

Swimming(C), Psychic Healing(C), Psychic Stealth(C), Psychic Barrier(C), Telekinesis(D), Psychic Construct(D), Energy Supply(D)

Bio-weapons

Suction Tentacles(C), Laser Blaster(C)

Its appearance is simply that of a giant octopus. An enormous octopus with eight tentacles exceeding 20 meters in length and an oval-spherical body about 8 meters long.

Therefore, it might appear to be just an extremely large, vulnerable monster like a giant squid, but… that’s far from the truth.

With the Tier 1 physical defense trait Shock Absorption(D), the Octopus Regeneration(C) trait which is an upgraded version of super regeneration exclusive to octopus monsters, plus various psychic skills…

The Hive Octopus is a rare type of tank monster that’s durable not because of high defense, but because of its ability to take hits and recover.

In addition to this tanking ability, the Hive Octopus is equipped with various psychic and support skills.

Psychic Stealth(C) and Psychic Barrier(C) for increased survivability, Telekinesis(D) and Psychic Construct(D) for self-defense, plus Psychic Healing(C) and Energy Transfer(D) for support.

Add to this the fact that support skills become more effective against targets contacted by its suction tentacles, and this Rank 5 monster will serve as both a tank and supporter in my naval forces.

※ ※ ※

While diligently developing these new monsters, after completing the Hive Octopus, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

That is, in my current situation, I simply cannot produce high-tier marine monsters.

I already have 6 high-tier monsters excluding myself and Seo Seo-rin, and maintaining them consumes considerable resources, making it somewhat burdensome to increase their numbers.

Additionally, even if I were willing to bear that cost, I don’t possess any genetic material from high-tier or above marine monsters.

I could cobble together a monster from lower-tier marine monster genes… but that would waste energy, and such a monster would be limited to Rank 3.5 at best.

Therefore, after much deliberation—I decided to give Theo a diving suit to wear over her Valkyrie Suit and assign her to underwater combat.