HEL SCANS
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Adhai stood before the Queen of Pure White, Ham Ort.
She lay on the ground, basking in the warm heat emanating from the depths of the cave. It was clear she felt no threat from Adhai.
Adhai felt a slight annoyance at her complacency.
｢Lie down｣
Ham Ort commanded, her words tinged with a hint of irritation.
Reluctantly, Adhai complied and lay on the ground. Just as Ham Ort had said, the floor was very warm, enough to make her forget the winter chill outside the cave.
Seeing Adhai obey quietly, Ham Ort closed her eyes in satisfaction.｢Follow my words｣
She began.
｢Do you know your father, the Great Odd Grad, the Black Gallagon?｣
｢Yes｣
Adhai replied. Ham Ort and Odd Grad, the mighty black Gallagon, were her parents.
On the day Adhai was born, a brilliant meteor shower filled the sky, leading Ham Ort to name her ‘Daughter of Meteor’ Adhai, with her exceptional memory, vividly recalled the joy on her mother’s face as she looked at her. But now, those memories were irrelevant, as her parents had banished her for being a mutant.
Just as Adhai was about to ask why she was bringing up the past, she was startled by a sudden wave of intense anger from Ham Ort.
｢Odd Grad deceived us for decades, maybe centuries.｣
Adhai couldn’t understand. Among her kind, the concept of deception was almost non-existent. They communicated through thoughts, with emotions blending seamlessly into their telepathic exchanges. Deceiving a telepathically sensitive being was nearly impossible.
｢Odd Grad possessed a special stone that blocks emotional leakage.｣
｢A stone?｣
｢Yes, a special stone that hides the owner’s emotions. With it, I and the other gallagons couldn’t read Odd Grad’s mind.｣
Adhai started to grasp the situation. During her travels with her elder, she had seen ugly creatures carrying strange metal objects, some of which held great power. These creatures used the metal for various miraculous feats, sometimes to torment her and her elder, and other times to mimic the powers used by her kind.
Perhaps Odd Grad also had such a peculiar metal object, one that enabled him to hide his emotions.
｢Why did he do that?｣
Adhai inquired, curious.
｢Odd Grad is old. There should be a new successor, a new black Gallagon.｣
｢I agree.｣
｢But｣
Ham Ort continued,
｢In Odd Grad’s brood, there is no successor, no black kin.｣
Her words were true. Adhai couldn’t recall seeing any black kin other than Odd Grad. In hindsight, it was strange. In Ham Ort’s brood, there were many white kin. Given how much longer Odd Grad’s brood had existed, it would make sense for there to be black kin as well, but there were none.
｢For decades, the flow of the stars has changed, and yet no black gallagon has emerged｣
Ham Ort explained.
Adhai, though not very old, understood that what Ham Ort was saying was not normal. She herself had transformed from a light green to a full green within a short time by consuming a variety of prey. In a nest where all the conditions for growth were met, the absence of black Gallagon was unheard of.
｢Odd Grad does not want a successor｣
Ham Ort said.
｢He abandons any gallagon with the potential to grow.｣
｢?｣
｢I have seen it.｣
Ham Ort continued.
｢Odd Grad secretly eliminates his own kin.｣
｢!｣
She didn’t need to say more for Adhai to understand. The old leader had crushed young sprouts to maintain his position, not just through banishment but by hunting down and killing abandoned kin. But Ham Ort wasn’t finished yet.
｢Odd Grad knows｣
she said,
｢That the Daughter of the Meteor has potential.｣
｢Potential?｣
｢I have researched our kin’s legends｣
Ham Ort said.
｢An elder spoke of a need for a savior.｣
Ham Ort pointed her paw at Adhai.
｢You, Daughter of the Meteor, have the qualities. You could be the true savior.｣
This was something Adhai had never imagined.
***
Like all apex creatures, the Crystalwing possesses unique characteristics that set it apart. It has undergone distinctive evolution to survive in harsh environments and among stronger competitors.
One of its most notable features is its sensory organs, especially its eyes. As a creature that flies at high altitudes, the Crystalwing has exceptionally sharp vision, capable of spotting small creatures over 10 kilometers away. Unlike the desert-dwelling Terradevil, which has a “x-ray vision” ability, the Crystalwing simply has superior eyesight.
However, its true strength isn’t in its vision.
‘It’s like a flying radar.’
Every time the Crystalwing breathes, it emits unique electromagnetic waves from its body. These waves, similar to radar, reflect off the surroundings, allowing the Crystalwing to locate other creatures.
This extraordinary ability is due to a substance secreted by the Crystalwing. Before it reaches full maturity, it instinctively coats its body with this secretion. Over time, the secretion hardens and transforms into a unique metallic substance that generates the electromagnetic waves.
These waves are not only useful for hunting prey but also serve as a defense mechanism. They create a semi-permanent stealth effect, making the Crystalwing undetectable to other radar equipment.
‘That’s why Crystalwing secretion is so valuable.’
Considering the Crystalwing’s ecological characteristics, hiding under a tree or rock is pointless. Unless you bury yourself deep underground, there’s no escaping its detection.
“The usual strategy is to use signal jamming or hijacking, but…”
Signal jamming and hijacking are traits that generate waves to disrupt electronic equipment. Although Crystalwings are living creatures, they use electromagnetic waves, making them vulnerable to these traits. The main tactic is to nullify or disturb their wave abilities before launching a surprise attack.
I don’t have either of these traits currently, but I have something that can substitute for them.
‘Unknown Creature Fur.’
This trait, granted by the ‘Intelligent Weakling’ perk, nullifies various detection devices, traits, and technologies. With this, I should be able to avoid their detection.
‘Hiding won’t be a big issue.’
The crucial part is how to ambush them.
With my thoughts organized, I called the team together.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (We need bait to lure them when they come)]
｢Right. They’re sensitive and easily scared.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (So, I was thinking.)]
I looked at Number 26.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Can you adjust your energy so it’s not visible?)]
｢Yes, I can.｣
Upon my request, Number 26 manipulated the psychic power flowing through its body. The energy that had been distorting the surrounding air was absorbed entirely into its body. The purple glow that had faintly flowed over its pink body also vanished.
‘Perfect.’
The being before me was no longer a terrifying sea monster but the popular Space Survival pet, the Bubble Amoeba.
｢Is this good?｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Very well done)]
｢Thanks!｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (When the winged ones come, lure them in)]
｢Leave it to me, big baby.｣
Such a reliable creature.
There are two reasons I chose it as bait. First, apart from myself, Number 26 is the best at concealing its power. Its ability to handle psychic power surpasses mine, so pretending to be weak is no issue. A creature with hidden power will look exactly like a harmless Bubble Amoeba—a pink, innocuous balloon.
“This should deceive even the wary Crystalwing.”
Second, its body color. A bright pink creature atop a snow-covered peak is sure to catch the eye of the visually sharp Crystalwing.
I picked it up and placed it near the nest. It wiggled its tendrils, signaling me to trust it.
I gently patted it with the back of my hand, conveying my gratitude, and then, leaving the quivering creature behind, I retreated from the nest with Mother Sky and PS-111.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (How about digging a pit behind that rock?)]
｢Rather than that, it might be better to ambush them near that cluster of trees.｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Not a bad idea. Let’s do that.)]
｢Let me help.｣
PS-111 and I dug into the ground near the trees surrounding the peak. Before long, we had completed a large pit about 2 meters deep and 3 meters wide.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (Get in first and wait.)]
｢To avoid detection? Got it.｣
The creature was a mutant Screamer, with half of its body being mechanical. Since it emitted faint electromagnetic waves, the Crystalwings would spot it instantly. That’s why I planned to hide it at the very bottom. Once I confirmed it was lying at the bottom of the pit, I called Mother of the Sky.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Are you ready?)]
｢Yes.｣
She had transformed from her Griffin form into a humanoid one. Having embraced the power of the Wendigo, her appearance had slightly changed. While she still had the head of a white eagle and golden fur covering a muscular body, there were new additions. Two small horns had sprouted from her head, black bone-shaped tattoos adorned her body, and her once bulky muscles had slimmed down, highlighting her feminine curves.
If her previous look was that of a fierce warrior, now she resembled a shaman from a primal tribe.
With nimble movements, she lay on top of PS-111, who was already lying in the pit. In her current form, she was much smaller than her Griffin form, making it easier for her to conceal herself.
‘Perfect.’
I then lay my body over them, covering them like a blanket. My full length, including my tail, was about 5 meters, making it easy to completely cover the entrance of the pit.
‘This should keep us hidden from their detection.’
I knew it wasn’t a flawless plan, which is why I had set up Number 26 as a decoy to divert their attention.
Now, all we could do was wait.
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Aren’t you hungry?)]
｢I’m fine!｣
[I need an energy supply. Requesting small parasites generated from Amorph’s body.]
“You just ate earlier, and now again?”
[I require a continuous energy supply to withstand the ongoing load.]
｢…Do you want to die? I’m not that heavy, you know?｣
We passed the time with idle chatter.
｢I think I can handle one of the two Crystalwings.｣
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Using the power of the Wendigo?)]
“Yes. but if it’s an adult, I won’t be able to hold it for long.”
[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Target the female then; the male has stronger resistance.)]
Or discussed our battle strategy.
｢Amorph’s features seem quite similar to my model.｣
[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZZ (Maybe those who created you were inspired by me.)]
｢Have you met my developers?｣
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Well, let’s say we’ve crossed paths.)]
｢If the developers see ‘Amorph’ they would never just stand by.｣
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Neither would I.)]
We passed the time discussing matters we hadn’t talked about before. None of us were creatures with physical limitations, so being immobilized for a long time wasn’t a life-threatening issue. However, the boredom was unbearable.
For the first day, we had various conversations, but by the second day, everyone had fallen silent. PS-111 went into sleep mode to conserve energy, and Mother of the Sky also dozed off. Number 26, our decoy, was playing with gem fragments it found in the nest.
I had taught it a game of air juggling to keep it entertained, knowing it would get bored without any sleep. At first, it seemed awkward, but once it got the hang of it, it became completely engrossed. Even now, it was tirelessly tossing and catching dozens of gems with a single tentacle.
‘A Sea Demon playing air juggling, huh.’
In the game, it used to juggle people instead of gems.
‘Well, it’s good that it’s having fun.’
With Number 26 happily occupied, I focused back on my task. I had been monitoring continuously since yesterday, waiting for the Crystalwings to return. The auxiliary organ under my chin had been tirelessly detecting any changes in the black sky above the peak for two days.
‘This brings back memories.’
In the game, I used to wait for long periods to capture a Crystalwing, setting up camp near its nest just as I was doing now. It was less boring back then, though. The fluid crystals produced by Crystalwings were extremely valuable, attracting many competitors. For them, keeping the Crystalwings alive and harvesting their fluids was more profitable. Their approach was entirely different from mine, as I aimed for their lives.
‘Thanks to them, I was never bored, constantly fighting off others.’
For me, the more I fought with players, the more genetic essence I gained.
‘…Though there were some odd ones too.’
I recalled a Megacorp ranker who, having lost to me, decided that if he couldn’t have something, no one could. He brought a spaceship and initiated an orbital bombardment, costing me a unique trait when I was hit and killed.
As I reminisced about the past, the designated time was drawing to a close.
‘Just one hour left.’
I looked up at the dark sky. Besides the white snowflakes and black clouds, there was nothing to see.
‘Should I find another way?’
I had come to capture a Crystalwing aiming for its apex predator and spaceflight traits. However, if all I wanted was the wings, there were other ways. While there weren’t many winged creatures on this icy planet, there were some.
‘Maybe I should go down, get some wings first, and then come back for the Crystalwing…’
As I was contemplating waking the others, my auxiliary organ detected something. It was a faint sensation, different from the strong winds blowing over the peak, like a gentle breath from someone nearby. It was faint, but I didn’t miss it.
It was the same feeling I got near the engine room or the central computer of a spaceship.
Something you wouldn’t expect to feel on this desolate, white peak, devoid of machines or people.
It was unmistakably an electromagnetic wave.
‘They’re here!’
The entity we had been waiting for—the Crystalwing—was finally returning to its nest.
HEL SCANS
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