Ep. 104
White demons cling to the hull.
They bit the ship with their sharp teeth.
'It's already too late to avoid it.'
I hastily created erosion tentacles on the outer wall of the hull. My erosion tentacles rushed at them along with the bullets fired from the storm gun.
「 !」
Numerous tentacles clung to the metallic gremlins and ripped off their limbs or swallowed them whole. The rotting mold bag that had already been built on the outer wall also spewed out spores without stopping.
No. 26, who had returned to the ship's hull and was writing 'Terror of the Deep Sea', also fought against them.
Adhaj became green lightning and went through the gremlins, and No. 26 tied down the gremlins according to the storm gun's shooting trajectory. The black hull gleamed with the silver blood they had sprinkled on it.
We fiercely defended ourselves against the Metallic Gremlins, but it wasn't easy.
'There are too many.'
I removed the text box that kept popping up. As it catches and eats a huge number of metallic gremlins, the predation effect continues to increase.
Most of them were either the 'Metal Predator' trait that I had already acquired or the 'Dwarfing' trait that I did not need. Still, I was able to secure a few useful characteristics.
'If it had been any other time, I would have liked it, but…'
Things are not good now.
Although the number of them was reduced by about half with psychic breath, the number of them still exceeded several hundred. Because they were so numerous, no matter how many times we killed them, there was no sign of their numbers decreasing.
'Besides, we're out of ammo for the storm gun.'
If things continue like this, we will end up in total destruction at best.
While we kill hundreds of them, hundreds more are chewing on the hull, so the outer walls are already in tatters.
[Zuzuzu (Everyone Come Back)]
I can't put it off any longer.
If it is any later, it will become difficult to use faster-than-light navigation. Since super-light sailing puts quite a strain on the hull, if the entire ship is severely damaged, it may break into pieces during the voyage.
'There are still a lot of them…'
There are still over a hundred metallic gremlins clinging to me, but there is nothing I can do about it.
"Big baby! There are too many bad guys! 「
Enemy」「Infinite」「Me」「Fatigue」
I checked whether No. 26 and Aadhai, who came next to me, were okay.
They looked like they were tired from constantly fighting against numerous enemies. Fortunately, there were no major injuries to either of them other than minor wounds.
'The kids are here too, let's get ready.'
I changed the structure of the ship and made the walls as thick as possible in areas where important facilities, such as the reactor in our room, were located.
And the remaining energy in the nuclear reactor was turned into a speed-of-light engine.
The speed of light engine, which has been eroded by me and transformed into a black sphere, slowly wriggles as it breathes in energy.
Even as the engine was preparing for operation, the offensive of the metallic gremlins continued.
With Aadhai and No. 26 missing, it was becoming increasingly difficult to defend against their attacks.
I tried to swat them away with my tentacles as much as I could, but they crawled all the way inside the ship.
Those who broke into the ship ruined the facilities inside as if it were their own world.
If there had been more of them, the reactor would have been lost before the speed-of-light engine started operating.
As they were gnawing away at the outer walls of the reactor, the ship's heart signaled that all preparations were complete.
'it's okay!'
Finally, the speed of light engine roared.
The destination is an area where smugglers usually go. Near the destination, there is a jungle-type planet inhabited by various rare creatures.
Blue light envelopes not only us but the entire ship, and the starlight that was seen sparsely in the distance becomes strangely distorted.
And everyone inside and outside the ship jumped through space together.
'Huh?!'
The moment I recognized that fact, an enormous pressure came over my body. This was due to the shock that occurred as the ship exceeded the speed of light and entered the superluminal region.
The escape ship alone wasn't this big, but maybe it was because the ship was so big. Or is it because the ship was damaged by metallic gremlins?
The ship, which was protected by a hard alloy and a special slime created for erosion, was twisted like a twist.
I could feel it because my body was connected to control my stomach. The pressure currently being applied to the hull is not normal.
I spread my senses even closer to the slimy substance covering the alloy walls to check the condition of the entire ship. Then a pain that felt like my whole body was being crushed struck my brain.
「Pain relief activated!」
I want to disconnect the senses right away, but I have no choice because I have to check the condition of my stomach every moment.
'…I'll barely hold on.'
If the ship had split, it would have broken long ago. If we keep going like this, I think we can hold out until we land on the planet.
But that and pain are separate issues. Even though pain relief was activated, it was difficult to come to my senses as the pain that felt like my whole body was being squeezed continued.
"Big baby! Cheer up!"
"Great Adult!"
The waves of cheering from No. 26 and Aadhai can be sensed.
After receiving their support, I gritted my teeth again.
'I've never died like this in a game before.'
If community users hear the news that I was finally robbed by metallic gremlins, no one will believe it.
I somehow came to my senses amidst the pain and created erosion tentacles on the outer wall.
「■■?」
The metallic gremlins were confused as tentacles protruded from the half-damaged ship. I controlled the tentacles and struck them.
'We need to organize as much as possible before we arrive.'
The ones inside the hull are difficult to drop, but the ones on the outside are not.
「■■■■!」
Those who were on the outer wall and were hit by the tentacles let out pitiful screams and fell somewhere in space. They clearly showed signs of wanting to fight back, but they couldn't move carelessly.
If you make a wrong move and fall off the ship, you will end up like one of your own people getting hit by a tentacle.
The problem is the people inside.
They cunningly stopped infiltrating the reactor once the ship entered faster-than-light travel. This is probably because they know that if the nuclear reactor explodes along the way, it will be a big problem.
'I don't plan on leaving it like that.'
These guys will attack you as soon as you arrive. It's hard, but we have to reduce it somehow.
I created small turrets throughout the ship that would fire tentacles and then rot fungi.
「■■■!」
The guys who were gnawing at the wall from the inside turned their gaze towards a new enemy when it appeared.
I used erosion tentacles to kill those on the outer wall and kept them in check by blowing fungal spores at those inside.
From checking the condition of the hull to controlling the tentacles and rotting fungal organs.
There were so many things to worry about that I felt like my head was going to explode.
After such a hectic struggle, the journey at faster than light speed, which seemed like it would never end, came to an end.
'arrived!'
A blue planet is visible beyond the surrounding darkness. This is a planet where pirates infiltrate to capture rare animals.
'good! Let's hold on just a little longer!'
I entered the planet's atmosphere with the Metallic Gremlin on board. The entire exterior wall became hot and strong heat penetrated inside.
「Squeak!」
Metallic gremlins scream in the scorching heat.
It's not because it's painful.
Metallic Gremlins exert tremendous strength in outer space, but become very weak when they enter a planet.
By default, metallic gremlins have almost no eyes or sense of smell, but instead search for food with organs that detect metal.
Therefore, if you enter a planet with a large amount of metal mixed in, your excellent metal detection ability becomes poison. Your senses become confused because you sense metal all around you.
Additionally, they can only glide in the planet's atmosphere and have no propulsion to return to space. In other words, once you enter the planet, you cannot go out into space.
The only future left for the Metallic Gremlin trapped on the planet is to wander aimlessly within the planet and be eaten by other predators.
They know that fact, so they go on a rampage.
「Keeeeik!」
「Kick! "Kick!"
They make strange noises and try to run away.
In order to somehow escape, he used his teeth and claws to scratch at the wall near the outside.
'That doesn't work.'
These are the guys who have been bothering me a lot so far. Should I just let him run away?
I devoured those who tried to escape with my eroding tentacles without losing sight of them, and at the same time, I kept changing the location of the space where they were standing.
Even if they break through the wall, their location changes, so they have no choice but to keep wandering around inside the ship.
So I entered the atmosphere, toying with the metallic gremlins.
The blue sea, the dot-like islands in the middle, and the land covered with dense jungle seem small.
If various environments are mixed, the types of organisms that inhabit them will also be diverse.
This means that the range of genetic essence that I can acquire also expands.
As I was looking at where to land on the ground, an unpleasant scene passed before me.
"We were intercepted by the cult cruiser's main gun."
"The hull was split in two. It cannot be recovered.'
'The reactor exploded.'
'I am dead.'
'What?'
Realizing that what had just passed was a prediction of the future through my predator senses, I quickly turned the boat sharply to the right.
A huge heat ray came from inside the land and blew away the rear of the ship, that is, the part where the thrusters and situation room were located.
'this!'
The ship was under my control, but it could not maintain altitude flight even with the thrusters blown.
The boat carrying me and the kids went out of control and began to fall rapidly.
I quickly checked to see what was at our crash site. It was a shallow sea adjacent to land.
'If it's a cruiser's main gun, there is a waiting time. If I crash-land in the sea before that…'
But the mysterious enemy didn't seem to have any intention of letting me land safely. Navy aircraft resembling diamonds emerged from the jungle inside the land.
'What happened?'
The information left on this ship said that no forces other than pirates were coming. At least there were no records of the pirates I captured engaging with other forces on this planet.
'…It's another pirate.'
Seeing that they attacked without hesitation, it was clear that they were at least a higher-ranking cartel than the original owners of this trading ship.
I never thought other pirates would come here on the day I came. A group of gremlins are joined by a new group of pirates, so bad luck is befalling them one after another.
'Let's stay calm. If we keep going like this, we'll all die.'
We must decide to lament about our bad luck later and overcome the immediate crisis first.
'If we don't land before the main gun activates, it's over.'
However, there is no way the enemy aircraft would allow me to land safely. The ship is currently severely damaged, so it will be easily destroyed by plasma bullets fired by ship-borne aircraft.
'I can barely hold on.'
Unless a nuclear reactor explodes in the air, I won't die.
But not the ones with me now.
'…We need to get the kids out first.'
The problem is whether those aircraft carriers will leave the children alone.
If they happen to target Adhai and No. 26 and open fire, the kids will be in great danger.
Fortunately, Aadhai can fly, so he can run away, but not No. 26.
'It's the sea, so let's send the kids here first.'
The sea is the home ground of No. 26. If you go into the water, it will be able to run away with Aadhai on its own.
In my case, I secured a new means of escape by catching and eating the metallic gremlin. Therefore, even if you remain on the ship until the end after sending the children, you can escape.
'How can I attract attention… ah.'
While I was wondering if there was a way, an idea occurred to me.
Those metallic gremlins are running amok inside my boat. I guess I'll have to use them.
I modified the structure of the ship and drilled a large hole in one of the walls.
The blue sea was visible outside the hole, and the smell of the sea rushed in and filled the space.
[Zuzuz zuzuzu (You go first)]
「Big baby?」
「Adult?」
I transformed the shape of the metal walls to surround No. 26 and Aadhai. Number 26, realizing what I was trying to do, quickly fired a wave.
「Let's go together!」
[Zu zuzu zuzuzu zuzu zu (I'll let you go first)]
「You can't stay here! "It's dangerous!"
I didn't answer, but focused on how the situation outside was changing. The aircraft carriers were slowly approaching the ship.
'good.'
When the plasma launcher attached to the aircraft was aimed at the ship, I immediately removed the walls of some of the spaces inside the ship.
Then the metallic gremlin inside ran out. They glided at the same speed they were running at and clung to the aircraft carriers.
'Now!'
I struck the metal sphere created to protect No. 26 and Aadhai with my tentacles. Just before the sphere separated, a thin tentacle sprouted from No. 26 and touched my auxiliary organ.
At that moment, I could feel his thoughts.
The fear of what will happen in the future, the helplessness of not being able to do anything on one's own, and the earnest desire not to die.
This is how I responded to that message of mixed emotions.
I will never die.
And we will meet again soon.
"It's a promise!"
The moment he shouted, the sphere separated.
The sphere surrounding Adhai and No. 26 was ejected out of the ship through a pre-drilled hole.
I concentrated my mind and checked until they fell safely into the sea. The aircraft carriers did not react at all to the falling metal spheres, probably because they were distracted by the gremlin.
'it's okay.'
All I can do on the ship is done. After releasing the erosion tentacles, I ran towards the hole where the sphere popped out.
And jumped out of the ship.
In the distance, the main gun's heat rays can be seen flying from the jungle. The heat rays mercilessly penetrated the ship and a huge explosion enveloped me.
「Pain reduction activated!」
'Ugh!'
In the blazing fire, I spread out all my fighting arms and my tail.
This is to use 'gliding skin', one of the characteristics obtained from killing the metallic gremlin earlier.
「Gliding membrane: Helps you glide stably at high altitudes.' A
long membrane connected from between my fighting arms to the middle of my tail unfolded, and my body floated in the air flow.
The gliding skin imitates the gliding form of a wingsuit or a flying squirrel, but no one would think of this when looking at an Aimorph with four arms and a long tail.
As I was gliding through the sky while slowing down my fall speed, the aircraft carriers followed me.
The plasma bullets they fired grazed my head and back.
I quickly folded the film on my arm. My body fell quickly and the aircraft also followed me.
'You got caught.'
I expanded the glide film again to close the distance with the descending aircraft, and used the characteristics I gained from the Metallic Gremlin again.
「Radio interference: It emits waves that cause temporary errors in electrically operated devices.'
The characteristic is 'radio interference.'
I learned about radio interference earlier, which is one of the ingredients for hijacking.
Waves of damage to machinery flowed from the double corrugated plates on my back and enveloped nearby aircraft.
The aircraft's power went out and they began to fall helplessly.
Before they fall, pilots can be seen beyond the tempered glass, at a loss for what to do about the unexpected situation.
After neutralizing the aircraft, I quickly flew into the jungle using the glide film.
'The effect of radio interference is not long-lasting.'
If that's an experienced pilot, he'll regain control of the aircraft in no time.
As I expected, one of the planes that had fallen quickly took off again, and the rest ended up in the forest.
The aircraft tried to chase me, but I was already close to a forest full of large trees.
After folding the film, I fell into the jungle, breaking the tree.
After defeating numerous giant trees, I was able to land safely. As soon as I landed, I hid under a pile of fallen trees.
When the aircraft following me mistook me for a rock and tried to move on, I cast a fearful gaze on the pilot.
'I'm just going somewhere.'
The aircraft, which was flying safely, changed direction sharply and crashed into a tree. The aircraft, whose wings were half damaged, stumbled and spun in place before crashing to the ground.
Two pilots crawled out of the crashed aircraft.
One of them was a cult because it had horns, and the other was human.
They seemed to be dazed from the shock of the fall, but when I showed up, they started running away without hesitation.
Neither of them had any intention of letting go, so I launched my erosion tentacle and caught them.
"Now wait a minute! "Wait!"
"Please save me!"
Pilots struggling while being captured.
Normally I would have used parasites or something, but right now I have no intention of doing that.
Because it's been a while since the lid was properly opened.
"Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!"
"Stop that! Argh!"
The human was slowly devoured by its eroding tentacles, starting from its toes, while the cult grabbed its limbs with two tentacles and pulled them apart.
'You fucked me so hard.'
Isn't there a metallic gremlin swarm event that is said to have a lower probability than being struck by lightning twice?
I thought I had somehow avoided it, but this time the space dog will pop out.
At best, wouldn't the ship that was obtained so hard be blown up with the main gun?
'Besides, I almost killed Aadhai and No. 26.'
For this reason, I am in a very bad mood right now.
'You dared to provoke me in the jungle?'
The battlefield I am most confident in is neither a spaceship nor a space city.
After I wiped out four clans on a jungle planet.
Even the rankers of Space Survival didn't think about fighting me in the jungle, even though they would rather commit suicide.
In other words, guerrilla warfare in the jungle here is what I do best.
"Keeeeek!"
The cult that was being held by two tentacles screamed loudly and became quiet only after the upper and lower body were separated.
"Kkkkkkk…"
The other one let out a soft moan and was crushed to death by the tentacles.
After slowly killing and eating them both, I left the place.
The pilots still on the crashed aircraft. To kill them all too.
I will not leave a single pirate on this planet alive.
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