Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Chapter 57

I applied ‘Metal Absorption,’ but there wasn’t any apparent change in appearance. This time, the transformation occurred within my body. The internal organs seemed to heat up, but it quickly settled down.

Now, activating Metal Absorption and consuming metal would allow me to apply the inherent properties of that metal to my exterior.

‘Should I give it a try?’

My nest is located in a secret underground passage, constructed entirely of sturdy alloys. With the trait activated, I used my nails to scrape the wall.

As I ingested the metal fragment that fell from the wall, an immediate transformation occurred. The chitinous texture of my skin changed to the tough and rugged feel of the metal’s material.

Poking my skin with my nails, it felt exactly like the wall.

‘The strength seems similar.’

Even if it’s a metal so hard that I can’t chew it, once it enters my body, the effect is applied. For example, if I activate Metal Absorption and swallow tungsten bullets from a Gauss rifle, my skin’s strength would increase to the level of tungsten, and my weight would also increase.

‘Metal Absorption seems to work well.’

With no issues in the trait, the next step is the transcendence system.

A system not present in the game.

‘Now that I think about it, if the purpose was to address the problem of having too many traits, they could have just revamped the fusion system, right?’

Fused traits could only be created by combining two non-fused traits. If they released the fusion conditions, the problem of having too many traits could be easily solved.

However, the introduction of this new system implied something else.

‘It might be related to the conditions for future evolutions.’

Until reaching the Pre-saint stage, there haven’t been any changes in the evolution conditions. The conditions for evolving to the Pre-saint stage were the same as in the game.

‘No clear answers, no matter how much I ponder. Let’s try it first and then think.’

[The ‘Transcendence’ system allows you to combine three or more of your existing traits to create a completely new and unique trait, referred to as a ‘Unique’ trait.

Available trait list: Chitinous Exoskeleton, Reinforced Exoskeleton, Enhanced Reflexes

Note: It’s important to be aware that not all combinations will result in advantages, and there may be potential drawbacks.]

‘Let’s use the Transcend system.’

I replied affirmatively to the last text box asking for my intention. As soon as I responded, slimes flowed out of my body, just like when I evolved.

‘What’s this?’

The slimes solidified instantly, enveloping my entire body. Once again, a semi-transparent text box appeared.

[Transcend system activated! Acquired the unique trait ‘Perfect Organism’!]

[Applying the trait]

This kind of event was completely new and somewhat bewildering. Typically, when acquiring a new trait, the entire body doesn’t undergo such a transformation, except when advancing to the next stage of evolution.

‘Is this a trait surpassing evolution?’

Thanks to this, I realized an important point. Unlike other traits, those obtained through the transcend system seemed to be created first in the form of a gooey state before being applied. If I had accepted the transcend system in a place other than my nest, I could have faced significant danger.

‘I need to be cautious from now on.’

Since my current location is the nest, there aren’t any dangerous elements. I decided to wait patiently.

***

“Jade lost contact?” Minseok Yujin, the butler of Si-hyun Yujin, questioned with an incredulous expression. The secretary nodded as he relayed the message from Jade’s subordinate Hope, who stated that all the team members who infiltrated the T&C Special Trade Center were wiped out. The message included details about the appearance and general specs of the creature that attacked them.

“All the members perished against an unidentified creature...”

No matter how many times Minseok checked, the recorded message wouldn’t change. This sudden turn of events left Minseok sighing.

“Miss’s condition hasn’t been good lately.”

Originally, Si-hyun was like a machine with worn-out emotions due to the emotion-dulling modification during the shadow-making procedure. Moreover, most of the emotional displays she showed were acts, given her long history of working as a spy and assassin under the command of Akira Yujin.

“However....”

“It’s him! That guy is in the city!”

After breaking the experimental tube, Si-hyun shouted. Her expression seemed to be tinged with fear, yet she also looked pleased.

“Miss?”

Seeing her react more violently than expected, Minseok was also bewildered. Si-hyun, who sent her subordinates, even the butler flying, didn’t know, but she couldn’t overcome the unfamiliarity felt from the clone’s body.

What Si-hyun didn’t know was that even though she maintained Si-hyun Yujin’s thoughts and habits, her inner self was gradually changing from the original.

One of the factors making her different from the original was the nightmares. The memory of being killed by an unknown monster on the research ship. That memory haunted her every day in nightmares.

She knew. Until she confirmed his death, she would never be stable.

But in this vast universe, searching for a monster whose identity was unknown, and whether he was alive or dead, was nearly impossible. Even if she ordered her subordinates to find him, it was uncertain how long it would take.

So, her nightmares were destined to become an incurable disease that she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

If it weren’t for the message she saw today, it would have been like that for sure.

‘This time, I will definitely kill him.’

Having finally seized the opportunity she longed for, she smiled with exhilaration.

***

[Complete integration of the ‘Perfect Organism’ trait has been accomplished.]

The application time for the transcendence trait was not as long as evolution, taking approximately between 2 to 3 hours. I tore through the cold, torn cocoon and stepped outside. The slime that was inside the cocoon poured out like water bursting from a burst water balloon.

I brushed off the slime and the cocoon shell from my body and stretched.

‘Huh’

The ceiling of the secret passage, which was about 5 meters high, felt closer than before. I lowered my combat arms and checked. The external appearance of the combat arms had changed significantly from before.

In general, all four arms now had a structure similar to human arm bones with attached muscles. Compared to before, they had become about 1.5 to 2 times thicker.

The shape of the hands had also changed. The fingers at the ends of the combat arms attached to the upper shoulder were so gigantic that they could be considered pincers.

The left arm, which was responsible for the Spine Projectile Organ, had thickened and become more monstrous, resembling a cannon. The size of the small fingers at the end had also increased in proportion to the changes in other parts.

Perhaps due to the increased size, the small arm that was on the chest had now grown to the size of a 7- to 8-year-old child’s arm. With this size, it would be possible to hold and shoot pistols comfortably.

The outer covering that enveloped the chest, back, and head had also thickened significantly, reminiscent of the armor of a tank. I wondered if it had gained enough weight to fly with wings in the future.

‘Too much change?’

While the overall shape itself did not change much from the appearance of an entity influenced by the physical enhancement type, there were considerable changes in detail. I opened the text box to confirm the explanation for the changes.

[Race: Unidentified Aggressive Space Morph.

Status: Pre-Saint

Objective: Survive (2nd Evolution Successful).

Possessed Traits –

1)Physical-Related (Applied Type): Wings, Chitinous Exoskeleton, Regeneration (Fusion), Neurotoxin Glands (Fusion), Reinforced Exoskeleton, Acidic Blood, Enhanced Reflexes, Mimicry, Serrated Tentacles, Contamination Organ, Spine Projectile Organ, Predator’s Claw. Metal Absorption, Perfect Organism (Unique).

2)Psychic-Related: Predator Sense (fusion), Human Nature, Monster’s Tentacles, and Clairvoyance, Psychic Resistance.

3)Infection-Related: Parasitic Colony (Fusion)

Type: Physical Enhancement Type]

[‘Perfect Organism: Your physical body is optimized for slaughter and evolution. It enhances the effects of the possessed type. It instills intimidation in all sentient beings. You can evolve once a day into the ‘Symbol of Hunt.’]

[Symbol of Hunt: Increases the probability of predation effects significantly during application. Enhances the effects of all possessed traits. Gains resistance to all types of attacks. The duration is 10 minutes.

*Caution: In the state of the Perfect Organic Being, the traits of concealment and flight cannot be used.

*Note: Evolution has no end.]

[A new message has arrived.]

‘What is this?’

As soon as I activated the text box, numerous characters greeted me.