Became an Evolving Space Monster

‘Ah, I almost forgot.’

After the Gallagon herd left, I emerged from the burrow and checked the text box.

During the battle with them, the Predation Effect had triggered. Normally, when I don't use the Mark of Formidable Foe, the chances of obtaining a genetic essence are very low, but this time I got lucky. And it wasn’t just any Gallagon's essence, it was from a White Gallagon, not a Green one.

When I opened the text box again, there were only 10 seconds left to make a choice. Startled, I quickly selected the trait acquisition.

｢You have acquired the trait 'Gallagon's Horns' from the 'White Gallagon.'｣

｢The 'Gallagon's Horns' trait has been applied.｣

‘Phew, that was close.’

As the trait was applied, the horns on my head began to mutate.

The six horns grew significantly larger than before. While my head carapace remained the same, the enlarged horns made my head feel noticeably heavier.

For one, thin scales sprouted in reverse across the surface of all the horns. These scales had a white tint, making it look as if the black horns were cracked with white fissures.

Moreover, two of the six horns had been broken before the mutation, and this was reflected in the change.

Originally, there were two main types of horns on my head: a pair twisted into spirals, pointing forward, and four spike-like horns protruding sharply, aligned along my head carapace.

Due to Odd Grad's breath attack, the left spiral horn and the last of the four aligned horns had been damaged. They were in the process of regenerating, but with the mutation applied, their size and shape became uneven.

The right horn was thick and robust, while the left one had jagged scales sticking out like saw blades. The same went for the four aligned horns.

‘Hmm.’

It was an unexpected change, but it didn’t seem to hinder their use as weapons. I reached out and touched my now even more grotesque horns.

‘Gallagon's Horns, huh?’

The psychic trait associated with the 'Gallagon's Horns' is very straightforward.

It completely negates the effects of psychic power techniques.

For example, take 'Reflection,' which often annoyed me.

Even if an enemy uses Reflection to protect themselves, my horns can pierce through it. The horns penetrate the Reflection barrier without resistance. Not just Reflection—any other psychic power shield technique is also nullified.

The nullification is limited to the horns. So, if my head carapace touches Reflection, my whole head will be repelled. However, the horns are so large that it’s not much of an issue when fighting regular cultists. Each horn easily exceeds 1 meter in length, which is only natural.

‘This trait is extremely useful when fighting cultists.’

Unfortunately, when battling Gallagons, there's little opportunity for these horns to shine. They don't use techniques like Reflection.

After confirming the changes to my horns, I also reviewed the messages that had appeared during the fight.

Although I failed to kill Odd Grad, this battle was still highly rewarding. I had successfully hunted 28 Apex creatures by now.

The Apex condition only counts creatures I kill directly. Thanks to using 'Divine Spectre' against the Gallagon herd, I was able to meet the quota all at once.

'Just two more, and I'll have met the Apex condition.’

Of course, that doesn't mean I'll stop hunting Apex creatures afterward. I still need to obtain 10 unique traits and 6 different types.

The Transcendence System has made acquiring unique traits somewhat easier, but it wasn’t always like this.

In the game, the traditional way to obtain unique traits was by hunting creatures that possessed them. This involved hunting high-tier Apex creatures like the Black Gallagon or killing players who had unique traits.

The latter involved killing enemies who utilized genetic essences, such as Outspacer players or genetically modified MegaCorp players.

Naturally, even a Black Gallagon is extremely difficult for a player to hunt alone. Creatures like the Red Gallagon or Arcane Orca are far more formidable.

And players who manage to obtain unique traits from hunting these creatures? Needless to say, each one of them is an elite, ranking among the top-tier players.

Therefore, acquiring unique traits in the game was never easy.

So much so that fewer than ten people, including myself, managed to reach the adult stage of the Amorph. It was an incredibly tough barrier to overcome.

‘In that sense, the Transcendence System is really groundbreaking.’

It hasn't even been a year since I arrived in this world, and I’ve already become this strong. As I was thinking that, my body suddenly floated into the air.

Number 26 was using its psychic power to lift me, likely to move my injured body.

[ZZ ZZZ (You’re okay now.)]

｢No, I’ll carry you since you’re still hurt, Big Kin.｣

The lower part of my tail hadn’t fully regenerated yet. My wing arms were also in the process of bone regeneration.

‘I might as well accept its help for now.’

After wobbling a bit, it seemed to get the hang of it and began to carry me properly.

Soon after, PS-111 arrived, dragging the Gallagon corpses along, and lifted them as well.

‘Impressive.’

It showed no difficulty in lifting both me and the Gallagon corpses with its psychic power. Truly befitting of a creature at the quasi-raid boss level.

We carefully moved, carrying the Gallagon corpses with us. There was no choice since Odd Grad could send more pursuers at any time.

I had already informed Adhai and Nel Germa to meet at the nest. They were probably hiding somewhere in the forest, moving cautiously.

About half a day after we started moving, the bones in my wings had nearly healed. So, I asked Number 26 to let me down.

｢Big Baby, you’re still hurt. You should rest when you’re in pain.｣

[ZZZ ZZZ (I’m fine now.)]

The pincers on my tail still had a long way to go before fully regenerating, but they didn’t hinder me much from moving on the ground. I received a few Gallagon corpses from Number 26 and secured them tightly with my corrosive tentacles.

"Those tentacles seem very versatile and useful."

[ZZZZ (They are indeed.)]

"If we want to incorporate this into future upgrades, we’ll need genetic information."

[ZZ (No.)]

I flatly refused its request and continued to move with the Gallagon corpses. Other than feeling a bit off-balance due to my lower body, I seemed fine.

After a brief rest, we resumed our journey toward the nest.

Since I was now moving on my own, our pace had picked up considerably, though it was still slower than flying. After nearly an entire day of travel, we finally arrived near the nest I had built.

As we approached the nest, Adhai and Nel Germa, who had arrived earlier, emerged from the forest.

"Sub Controller 2 confirmed as Little Baby. It's good to see you."

｢Hello, Little Baby!｣

｢Little Elder｣ ｢Wounded Child｣ ｢Safe｣ ｢Relief｣

Adhai greeted Number 26 and PS-111 before noticing me, with my still-regenerating tail, and looked startled.

｢Great Elder｣ ｢Injury｣ ｢Severe｣ ｢Are you alright?｣

[ZZ ZZZZ (I’ll be fine soon.)]

｢Rest｣ ｢Necessary｣ ｢Return｣ ｢Qui...｣ ｢?｣

She stopped mid-thought, tilting her head in confusion. Her lavender eyes, like flowers on the snow, were fixed directly on my horns.

｢Horns｣ ｢Different｣ ｢Feeling｣

[ZZ ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (They broke because of Odd Grad earlier.)]

｢Broken｣ ｢Different｣ ｢Horns｣ ｢Changed｣

[ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ (They changed because I consumed prey.)]

｢One side is bigger.｣ ｢The other sharper.｣ ｢It’s got a wild charm.｣

｢I agree.｣

Adhai nodded, seemingly more pleased with the current appearance of my horns. Beside her, Nel Germa sent a telepathic wave of agreement as well.

｢Do you like it when your appearance get bigger?｣

"Some species of males use elaborate tails or horns to attract mates."

｢I don't understand what you mean.｣

[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Enough with the chit-chat. Was everything okay at the nest?)]

At my words, Adhai suddenly remembered something, and her telepathic waves came flooding in.

｢Great Elder｣ ｢There’s something important.｣ ｢Very, very, very important!｣ ｢We need to go to the nest right now!｣

[ZZ ZZ (What’s going on?)]

｢Nel Germa｣ ｢Daughter of the Meteor｣ ｢Agrees｣ ｢Black kin｣ ｢Home｣ ｢Must check｣

Seeing the usually composed Nel Germa act this way made me uneasy.

‘Could something have gone wrong at the nest?’

Or perhaps something severe had happened to the Mother of the Sky. I quickly checked the parasite in her head. Seeing it intact, I realized that there wasn’t a critical issue with her body.

‘Then why?’

[ZZZ ZZZZ (Is something wrong with the nest?)]

｢Nest｣ ｢No problem｣ ｢Problem｣ ｢Something else｣ ｢Hurry｣ ｢Confirm｣

Following the frantically urging Adhai, I rushed to the nest.

Between the trees in the distance, the entrance to a half-buried underground cave came into view. Beside the entrance was something massive, red, and white.

‘Huh?’

Just as the shape started to feel familiar, someone emerged from the cave.

It was a beast with a thin, skeletal black body, massive antlers like those of a stag, and the head of a wild animal, resembling a skull.

This creature looked just like the malevolent Wendigo from “Space Survival”.

And that Wendigo-like beast stared at me. From its empty eye sockets flickered an all-too-familiar amber flame.

The Wendigo was, in fact, the Mother of the Sky disguised in the ' Camouflage of the Huntress'. She had successfully returned from observing Odd Grad’s nest.

As soon as she saw me, she gestured urgently.

｢There’s no time! The injuries are too severe; it won't last much longer! You need to use the Symbiotic Bio-Spores immediately!｣

It wasn’t until she spoke that I realized what the massive object at the cave’s entrance was.

Tattered wings, broken and twisted limbs, a torn tail, and shattered horns. This was the body of a brutally injured White Gallagon.

And I had encountered this Gallagon before.

‘Ham Ort? How?’

Adhai's mother, whom I thought was dead, was still alive.

‘No, I have something more urgent to do first.’

This creature is a critical source of information. I can ask how she survived and why she's here later.

I created symbiotic bio-spores and applied them to the dying body of Ham Ort.

As I attached them, I touched her body, but there was no movement. I couldn’t even feel it breathing, making it clear the creature was on the brink of death.

It was likely left outside the nest because the numerous harmful elements present within my nest could be lethal to any creature without my permission.

Due to the traits I possess, the nest emits many harmful substances to other organisms. While these aren't strong enough to threaten a White Gallagon's life, Ham Ort was critically injured. If she were left inside, she would most certainly become nourishment for the nest.

‘Now that I’ve attached them, let's move her inside.’

Once the Symbiotic Bio-Spores were attached, Ham Ort could begin to benefit from their healing effects. I carefully lifted her body with my corrosive tentacles and gently placed her inside the nest.

Perhaps it was due to the warmth rising from the nest, but I could sense a faint return of vitality in Ham Ort’s body.

[ZZZ ZZZ (What happened?)]

｢It’s a long story. I’ll explain it later, so you should rest as well.｣

She was right, my tail injury hadn’t fully healed yet either. Without another word, she left the cave.

‘There’s a lot to think about, but….’

As the tension eased upon returning to the nest, I began to feel the weight of fatigue.

‘For now, let’s rest.’

I closed my eyes above the warm mire.

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