Ch.6262. Awakening

After unintentionally acquiring the second of three pieces of @%%:×/, I could finally fully comprehend and understand the meaning of this incomprehensible cluster of special characters.

‘…Does this indicate the direction of what kind of Rank 0 monster… or rather, what kind of being I will become?’

@%%:×/, as I surmised, was about the direction I would take moving forward.

Monsters with sufficient power to evolve to Rank 0 determine their direction according to their desires and needs, and become beings close to what they wish to be.

If they want a large body, they grow larger; if they desire transcendent psychic abilities, they gain such powers. And if they want certain physical changes, they transform in ways quite similar to those changes—that was my hypothesis.

And in my case… judging from my memories as a human, perhaps a mentally complete transcendent being, a kind of godlike entity, was the direction I desired.

‘…Ah.’

The moment I confirmed this fact, I finally became aware of the gaze of some higher-dimensional being watching me—presumably the one who sent me to this world.

Perhaps I should be angry at the being who dropped me, once an ordinary person, into this world as a monster where humans cannot live properly, but…

‘…!’

The moment I felt that gaze, I somehow understood why I needed to be in this world.

This was a terrible coincidence.

By chance, one soul from this world flew to another dimension due to the hobby of an ultra-dimensional being, causing the eternal quota of souls meant to reincarnate within this world to be short by one.

And as luck would have it, I died from an electrical short circuit at exactly the same moment, possessing a soul with the same density as that person, allowing my soul to be brought here. Thus, the higher-dimensional being of this world brought in my soul.

…Actually, rather than a higher-dimensional being, it’s closer to a spiritual system that maintains the total quantity of souls in this world.

That gaze isn’t so much looking at me as observing this world itself, as if contemplating it from beyond a monitor.

So, there’s only one thing I can do.

That is to decide which direction I will take from now on.

※ ※ ※

To be honest, my desire can be summarized in one sentence.

I want to live freely without interference from anyone.

When I was human, I lived oppressed by various practical problems, just like everyone else.

Education, employment, specs, and various other issues and incidents.

These problems, which anyone could relate to, continued to pressure me even after becoming a monster, just in different forms. But now it’s different.

I’ve gained enough power to live according to my will, and I can grow as much as I want if I put in the effort.

So I set my goal to live without ever bending my will—

‘…Ah.’

[Currently possessing pieces of @%%:/ (3/3)].

[Awakening @%%:×/.]

The moment I made that decision, I could feel my senses expanding and directly experience the changes occurring within me.

Unlike previous evolutions, no dramatic phenomena occur.

It simply calmly explains what kind of being I’ve become, as if imprinting it on my sense of self.

Knowledge about what the non-scientific substance called a soul is becomes imprinted, and my soul becomes a being that transcends the flesh and begins to color its surroundings.

My once flesh-covered base is now covered with clean biotiles, giving it a modern atmosphere, and the messy orange psychic amplifiers scattered around have transformed into clean LED-like structures.

Additionally, changes occur in the minds of monsters connected to my mind in the form of a hive mind.

Unlike before, when they had intelligence but no souls and such weak self-awareness that they were essentially “body parts moving according to commands,” these beings now have small but definite souls due to my influence.

Of course, since these souls originate from my power, if those monsters die, their souls won’t disappear but will return to me, their source of power.

And the final change is in the biological facility “throne” where I had placed my main body to supply and receive energy, and in my main body itself.

My main body integrates with the throne and transforms from my true physical form into just one of many biological facilities—albeit an important one located at the core—for management purposes.

And my consciousness-soul, freed from what was once my main body, has grown substantially by absorbing the knowledge, information, and souls of creatures I’ve devoured.

I am no longer just a slightly powerful soul, but a proper minor deity (god).

Name :: ???

Species :: Hive God

Rank :: 0

Level :: 100

Stats

Strength :: –

Agility :: –

Vitality :: –

Intelligence :: 10000

Resistance :: –

Energy :: 50000

Command :: 50000

Traits (120/???)

Monster Factor(EX), Imperturbability(A), Hive God(S), Psychic Lifeform(A)

*Expand

Skills (1347/???)

*Expand

Bio-weapons

None

My soul, which could be called my main body as a Rank 0 being, has gained various powers through the new trait Hive God(S).

Replacing the previous Subordinate Species Control(A), it gives me the power to control my monsters, who can be seen as a kind of followers, and I’ve evolved beyond the collective intelligence of Hive Mind(A) to become a kind of spiritual entity (Hive God).

As a result of becoming a spiritual entity, I’ve gained Soul Predator(A), allowing me to devour not just flesh but souls as well. And while I am a psychic lifeform like other Rank 0 hive minds, I don’t exist in the psychic dimension.

My main body exists in a spiritual space, a so-called Small Dimension, formed using the souls I’ve absorbed, with my mind as the axis.

No, to be precise, the Small Dimension itself is my main body.

Perhaps this was formed from my goal and desire to live without being influenced by others, but… that doesn’t matter now.

‘…It’s heavy!’

Right now, I just need to endure the insane influx of information and spiritual mass flowing in as the souls of beings I’ve killed in the past are bound to me and absorbed.

From the souls of various minor monster individuals to the soul of the Dolphinman that I ate but couldn’t digest, and even the souls of humans with firm self-awareness and large amounts of information that are burdensome.

Souls that were absorbed into the hive mind during the digestion process but not fully digested have until now just been overlaid with commands and used as operating mechanisms for monsters.

But having realized how inefficient this approach is, I began to methodically digest these souls, even if it takes some time.

The mass of monster souls I’ve eaten so far… since they weren’t even human to begin with, most weren’t worth treating with any consideration.

I completely digested and absorbed the lower-ranked souls into my self-awareness, strengthening my power, while setting aside a tiny minority that were somewhat useful.

On the other hand, those of middle rank or higher often had value due to their combat experience as veterans.

After gently persuading and educating these creatures, I place them in the bodies of mid-rank monsters to use as weapons, and for some of the more intelligent or exceptional ones, I plan to promote them to my direct staff or elite guard with high-rank bodies.

Ah, as for the Dolphinmen’s souls, I simply preserved some memories and reincarnated them as Dragonians—the species that were once Lizardmen.

Unlike these monster souls, I had to be more careful when dealing with human souls.

There were hardly any people from “that country” that I despise, or those steeped in strange ideologies or who committed serious crimes; most were ordinary people you could commonly see anywhere.

So, after deep contemplation regarding these ordinary souls, I was finally able to decide their treatment.

Most of the souls killed by me were soldiers or hunters, so I decided to expand the scope of the Ghost Project I had started earlier.

I partially restore their lifetime specs, modify their equipment to give the impression they’ve “returned from death,” inject their actual souls, and appropriately distort their memories.

Using information obtained from military officials I’ve replaced, I deliberately put the acquaintances of the deceased in danger, then deploy the individuals themselves.

By proving these heroes have returned from death—and even allowing them to speak occasionally—it becomes perfectly convincing.