I Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 150

“Why did MegaCorp’s Noble Capital come looking for me?”

This place is on the outskirts of the galaxy on which planet PH-101 is located. Though it is practically indistinguishable from the desolate mountains, it remains untouched by the influence of the Cult Empire, yet significantly distant from MegaCorp’s jurisdiction.

Nerun quickly surveyed the surroundings. Not only were there Cult-style escape pods, but also various types of ships and spacecraft scattered across the docking bay of this colossal spaceship. From the dry white warship of Mars’ Prime Capital to the rectangular frigate created by the renowned Noble Capital family, famous for space city construction, and even the spacecraft predominantly used by the Star Union.

As far as Nerun knew, MegaCorp’s Noble Capitals were highly exclusive entities. Even if they operated ships of the same class, they went to the extent of customizing detailed armaments and internal structures.

“If you’re truly of the Yujin family, you wouldn’t be operating such a diverse fleet. It’s suspicious.”

“It seems you know quite a bit about my family.”

“MegaCorp is a potential threat to the Cult empire, so it’s only natural to be informed.”

The words seemed to please Si-hyun Yujin as she slightly raised the corner of her mouth. She withdrew the knife pressed against Nerun’s neck and, in an instant, her arm with the sharp blade returned to its original state.

The peculiar presence in the bizarre suit holding Nerun’s subordinate on the side also released its hold.

“…What’s going on?”

“We have something to discuss, so please follow me.”

With no choice, Nerun obediently followed Si-hyun Yujin. The presence in the strange suit handed over control of the crew to another officer and stuck close behind Nerun.

“He’ll be treated as a guest, so you don’t need to worry about him.”

Si-hyun Yujin assured Nerun, who kept glancing back.

Passing through a neat white corridor, Si-hyun Yujin led Nerun to an elegant reception room. She naturally went to the chair in front of the mahogany table and sat down. The presence in the strange suit, showing disinterest, leaned against one wall.

‘I thought it was a subordinate.’

Wearing a peculiar suit that covered not only the body but also the face, it was impossible to determine the race or even the gender of this being.

“Please, have a seat, Captain Nerun.”

Regardless of whatever relationship they had, it wasn’t crucial at the moment. Nerun reluctantly sat on the opposite side of the table. Si-hyun Yujin pushed a cake plate towards him.

“You must be quite hungry. Have some of this first.”

“…What do you want? There must be a reason for bringing me all the way here.”

Nerun’s question went unanswered. She just gestured towards a piece of cake.

Feeling the atmosphere that suggested no answers until after eating, Nerun reluctantly used a fork to cut a piece of cake and put it in his mouth.

And then, he was surprised.

“This is a high-calorie chocolate cake developed for both taste and energy supply. Someone who shares our intentions should be treated generously.”

Si-hyun Yujin’s gaze briefly shifted towards the presence in the strange suit, but Nerun couldn’t pick up on that fact. As the soft cake crumbs slid down his throat, he suddenly felt a surge of vitality coursing through his body.

“There is only one reason why I brought you here. To acquire information that only you have.”

As he absentmindedly ate the cake, she began to address the matter at hand.

“Information?”

“Captain Nerun, you led a battleship and prevented the invasion war by Outspacers in the past. For your valor, you were appointed as the captain of the Imperial battleship ‘Judicator of Damocles 08.'”

“You seem to have done quite a thorough investigation. I don’t see any obligation for me to answer.”

“As I delved deeper, something peculiar caught my attention. How is it possible to defeat a massive Outspacer force with just a few battleships?”

“…”

“Even for a skilled strategist, it’s no easy feat. So, I investigated further.”

Nerun’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing those words.

“There are records indicating that the Cultists aboard the battleship used an unidentified artifact during that time. The one who thwarted the Outspacer force disappeared immediately, leaving only the artifact with depleted energy behind.”

“How do you know about that…?”

“How I know is not important, Captain Nerun. The crew of the battleship at that time deemed the artifact dangerous and decided to store it at a specific location on a very perilous planet. Am I correct?”

Upon hearing her words, Nerun understood why she had sought him out.

“You’re after that artifact.”

“Yes. You just need to tell us the location of the artifact.”

“Do you think I’d just spill the beans?”

“Yes. I can provide you with what you desire.”

“Hah, how do you, a human, know what I want?”

Nerun chuckled.

However, his expression stiffened at Si-hyun Yujin’s following words.

“Perhaps the Council will decide not to send the Imperial battleship back to planet PH-101, fearing the consequences of the prophecy.”

“What?”

“With no ship and no connections in the Council, you’ll retire as you are. You’ll have to live a lifetime harboring hatred for that monster.”

“…”

Nerun did not deny her words.

“You know the power of that artifact. With it, you can reduce that so-called ‘monsters’ to dust.”

“I could go find the artifact myself without helping you.”

“Well, the location where the artifact is stored is very perilous. Even if you were the captain of an Imperial battleship, you cannot go there now.”

“Damn it. You really know everything.”

Nerun muttered a curse under his breath.

“If I reveal the location of the artifact, you’ll take care of that creature?”

“Yes. I will seek revenge against that ‘Three-Headed Devil.'”

“Hmph, I’ll join you in killing that creature instead of letting you do it alone. I’ll personally guide you to the location of the artifact.”

Seeing his hatred-filled eyes, Si-hyun Yujin faintly smiled.

***

‘What is it?’

Despite being connected to a metallic mass with sensory functions, this is the first time I’ve felt an itchy sensation in my ear.

‘Come to think of it, Amorph doesn’t have ears.’

Amorph lacks ears and a nose, but instead, it has slender tentacles hanging below its jaw, functioning as auxiliary organs.

This organ can detect the flow of air, allowing it to sense sound and smell simultaneously. Moreover, it can even detect intangible energy flows like electromagnetic waves or psychic powers, making it an almost universal sensory organ.

Perhaps thanks to these auxiliary organs.

Even while integrated with the Cult escort ship through the Nightmare Horizon attribute, I could monitor this elongated rhomboid hull in minute detail, much like my own body.

That’s not all. This auxiliary organ, more precise than any detection sensor within a spaceship, didn’t miss a single obstacle in space.

Even now, the corrosive tentacles attached to the outer hull are constantly sweeping away space debris and rocks flying towards us.

Currently, we are flying through the endless darkness, not the surface of a planet.

A few hours ago, the cooldown of the Nightmare Horizon ended. We, who had completed all preparations before that, finally left the Cult’s sacred place, PH-101.

One left its family, while one left the sad memories of her deceased family members.

But no one expressed regret.

The Mother of the Sky wanted to be buried on the planet after completing all vengeance.

‘She knows what my plan is, though.’

Being a Ranker, the Mother of the Sky has a vague understanding of Amorph’s ascension conditions. That her own life could be the foundation for my evolution as well.

Nevertheless, her desire for revenge outweighed her will to live, so she chose to accompany me.

‘Of course, I don’t know what the future holds…’

If, by any chance, she has to be used as material for evolution, I will ask her again at that time.

Whether she wants to die for revenge.

Originally, I had no intention of asking, but now things are different. I owe her a favor..

‘I expected her reaction, but Number 26’s attitude was more unexpected.’

I know that it chose me over its kin.

Still, I thought it would be a bit melancholic when leaving the planet, but it seemed rather excited.

After taking control of the ship, I shot a pulse and asked, and it replied like this.

It would eat new prey, become stronger, and then inform its kin about it. Ot hoped for the prosperity of his kin in the planet’s seas.

‘It has a new dream, too.’

Dreams are a privilege of intelligent beings. Abstract yet long-term, a kind of future plan.

Not long after meeting Number 26, I hoped that it could meet his kin someday.

The goal was partially achieved. Number 26 inherited the power of the deceased Sea Demon and communicated with other bubble amoebas.

But this time, Number 26 announced its own ambitions to me first. It set a new goal for itself.

‘It’s not only growing physically but also mentally.’

Is this what it feels like to be like a parent raising a child?

During my days as a human, I didn’t have many pleasant memories of a family or parental love. My childhood was filled with the scent of hospitals, disinfectants, and pain.

But now, whenever I see the growing Number 26, a lump of emotions swells in my chest. Perhaps this is the kind of emotion parents feel when raising their children.

｢Adult?｣

Lost in emotions, whether it’s nostalgia or bitterness, I was awakened by a gentle touch of Adhai’s tentacle.

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (What is it?)]

｢I｣ ｢Explain?｣

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (Sorry. I was thinking about something.)]

｢Adult｣ ｢Tired｣ ｢I｣ ｢Later｣ ｢Explain｣ ｢Possible｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ (It’s okay.)]

The reason we haven’t set out on FTL* travel even after leaving the planet is that we need to figure out the route to our next destination. [*Faster than light]

Now, our destination is a place not recorded in the regular routes of ordinary spacecraft. It’s an extremely remote and dangerous place, almost like the abyss of space.

‘Gallagon’s Nest.’

When I saved Adhai in the T&C Special Trade Hub, I made a deal with her. She promised to show me the way to the Gallagon’s Nest if I kept her safe.

And now, it’s time for her to keep that promise.

‘Gallagon has an instinct to find its nest.’

Even if Gallagon’s nest is far away, it quickly senses in which direction it is. Whether it knows through exceptional psychic power or through the instinct typical of beasts, the cause is unknown.

‘It might take some time.’

We’ve stocked up on provisions on this ship. If necessary, we can hunt down another ship on the way and supply ourselves with food. There are plenty of ways to find food, so even if it takes time, it’s not a big problem.

While thinking about this, Adhai’s mental pulse touched my mind.

｢I｣ ｢Need｣ ｢Map｣

[ZZZ (A map?)]

｢Shiny｣ ｢Shiny｣ ｢Light｣ ｢Map｣

She raised her forepaw and drew a circle in the air.

‘Is she talking about a hologram map?’

Before taking control of this ship, Adhai had explored the ship with me. I did it with the intention of finding survivors or useful tools, but it seems that Adhai saw the remnants of holograms in the situation room at that time.

‘Let’s try displaying it.’

This ship is almost like my body. A hologram composed of atoms identical to mine, accompanied by psychic power, appeared next to me.

｢There｣ ｢Enlarge｣ ｢Request｣

Adhai pointed to a certain point on the map. When I enlarged that point, she looked at it with round eyes and poked a specific spot with her forepaw.

‘Could it be?’

Each time I enlarged and moved the map, Adhai pointed to new locations using her wings and forepaws.

After repeating this dozens of times, a certain sector appeared. Adhai flapped her wings towards the planet located on the outer edge of the sector.

｢Here｣ ｢Gallagon’s Nest｣

‘Huh.’

Actually, I’m not usually easily surprised, but this time is an exception. I had planned to use Adhai as a living navigation system using Gallagon’s unique instinct, but she actually created a path from here to the Gallagon’s Nest.

Even though I was watching in real-time, I couldn’t believe it, so I asked him,

[ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (How did you make it?)]

｢I｣ ｢Constellation｣ ｢Remembered｣

｢Constellation?｣

｢Stars｣ ｢Location｣ ｢Map｣ ｢Comparison｣ ｢Easy｣

She responded as if it was nothing special.

“…I thought she was a dwarf mutation, but it seems like there’s no mutation in intelligence, she is already very clever”

If other Gallagons in the Gallagon’s Nest have this level of intelligence, I don’t have confidence in facing them as opponents.

As I pondered silently, Adhai added an explanation.

｢Kin｣ ｢Constellation｣ ｢Don’t know｣ ｢Interest｣ ｢None｣

[ZZZ ZZ ZZ (Is that so?)]

｢Kin｣ ｢Strength｣ ｢Strong｣ ｢Memory｣ ｢Needed｣ ｢None｣ ｢Head｣ ｢Needed｣ ｢None｣

From what Adhai said, it seemed that the Gallagons in the Nest were not as intelligent as her. In other words, Adhai was a living example of the saying that if the body is bad, the head suffers.

‘Well, it’s a relief.’

｢Adult｣ ｢Question｣

While feeling relieved, Adhai called me with her psychic power.

｢I｣ ｢Gallagon’s Nest｣ ｢Explanation｣ ｢Adult｣ ｢Contract｣ ｢End｣

‘Huh?’

｢Adult｣ ｢I｣ ｢Abandon?｣

Although she was in a half-lying posture as before, her body was stiff. Judging from the slight trembling of her wings, she seemed tense.

‘Of course, I contracted to save you in exchange for showing me the way to the nest.’

It seemed like Adhai thought that I might abandon her.

‘Maybe I would have if it were the past.’

But not anymore.

Since I couldn’t stroke her directly in the fused state, I extended the corrosion tentacles and gently caressed her head.

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ (You are the most precious beings to me.)]

｢Really?｣

[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (There will never be a day when I abandon you.)”

｢Thank goodness!｣ ｢Joy!｣ ｢Joy!｣ ｢Joy!｣

Feeling my emotions, Adhai happily flapped her wings. she wagged her tail around my surroundings, where it was attached to the atomic nucleus with a hint of white scales visible near the back of her neck.

‘Thanks to Adhai, we’ll arrive soon.’

Though the distance is considerable, it should only take a few months with superluminal travel, which is not a problem.

‘Shall we depart, then?’

I entered the coordinates and route provided by Adhai into the corroded computer of the ship.

The next target to conquer is the ‘Gallagon’s Nest.’