I Became an Evolving Space Monster

Episode 309 – Traces (4)

I’ve lost parasites several times so far, but most of them were intentional.

Parasites are consumables used to deceive or control enemies. After you achieve your goal, dying isn’t a big problem.

However, only once did I experience a crisis due to parasites.

William, a detective who ruled T&C’s space city. He cut himself to make my presence known. Because of that, my plan went awry.

And now a similar thing has happened again.

‘No, it’s actually worse.’

Today Alkadi went out to an important event. From what I heard, it was a meeting with high-ranking officials such as the captain of an imperial carrier or the director of the surveillance office. For today, it would be safe to say that I went to the safest place on this planet.

So I was relieved, but then he suddenly died.

That’s not the only problem.

‘I don’t know why he died.’

The parasite sends a signal to me when great harm comes to the host or when the host acts against my will. In William’s case in the past, I was able to tell that he had harmed himself because the parasite sent waves to me.

But this time there were no such foreshadowings at all.

That means that the parasites in Alkadi’s body were killed instantly in an unexpected situation.

Safest Place Unexpected Situation Parasites that die before they can send waves. What do these mean?

‘…Ranker.’

It is not that difficult to find parasites that have formed a ‘parasitic colony’. If there is a detector or technology that examines the inside of the body, it will be detected immediately.

In other words, it can be said that parasites truly exert their effects ‘when no one is aware of their existence.’ The more people know about it, the more difficult it becomes to use parasites for espionage or deception.

Therefore, until now, I have worked hard to not let others know about the existence of parasites. It was in this context that she went to the hospital after finding out that William had harmed himself.

Looking back at Alkadi’s case, he was not tested for parasites at the gathering. He also refrained from doing anything that might raise suspicion in others.

Nevertheless, the fact that he was caught means that the person who killed him had the ability or means to detect parasites. And the fact that it immediately kills its host shows that it knows how dangerous it is.

This is an absolutely impossible action unless you know the existence of parasites or have been harmed by parasites many times. After all, the opponent is likely to be a ranker.

‘I thought it would happen for sure, but I never thought we’d meet so soon.’

Even before infiltrating, I fully expected that there would be cult rankers.

Berzan 02 is a key point for Cult in the game. It won’t be much different here. Just as I, as an Amorph, know very well which traits are useful and which creatures to catch, so do the cults.

That’s why he secretly came to the planet to avoid the cult ranker.

Despite such efforts, I got caught in an unexpected situation.

‘…I can’t help what has already happened.’

Rather than panicking now, it’s better to think about what to do later.

‘It’s only a matter of time before the hideout gets caught.’

If you investigate the whereabouts of the person infected with parasites, you will find out where I am hiding. He will find me within a week, if not a few days at the earliest.

“are you okay? “What’s going on?”

Heaven’s mother seemed to be worried when I suddenly stopped moving and jumped off my back.

[Zuzuzzu Zuzuz (Alkadi is dead)]

｢What? When?｣

[zuzu zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu zuzuzu (just now. It was so instantaneous that the parasite couldn’t even send the information properly)] ｢Didn’t you say you were

going to a meeting held at the Water Fortress today? But he died?」

[Zu (Yes)]

She also recognized the seriousness of the situation and stiffened her body.

｢Could it be that there is a ranker?｣

[zuzu zuzuzu zuzu (there is a high probability of that happening)]

｢…It’s a pain in the ass. What are you going to do? ｣

[zuzu zuzu zuzuzu (I’m thinking about it now)]

There is only one thing I can do now that I have parasites.

Enter the ‘Water Fortress’ where the Cold Blood Ranker is hiding as quickly as possible before the chase begins.

However, it is very difficult to avoid the gaze of enemies with the body of the Eucharist. I didn’t wait for 30 days to transform back into a ‘clever weakling’ for no reason.

‘Should I fight him instead?’

The reason I came to find the 22nd ranked cold blood ranker is to collect information about the illusion. This is because, although our opponent is not as good as Mother of Heaven, she has been in this world for quite a long time and is likely to treat us in a friendly manner.

However, I have now become aware of the existence of a new ranker. One way is to aim for the cult ranker before reaching 22nd place.

‘It’s a goal modification.’

A ranker who killed parasites. My guess is that he has been active in this world for quite a long time. So much so that I was officially invited to a meeting attended by Berzan 02’s powerful figures. It can be said to be an appropriate subject for interrogation.

‘…no.’

I thought about it for a while, but an all-out war is definitely not a good idea.

He doesn’t know me, but neither do I. I can only assume that the cult ranker is a powerful person, but other than that, I don’t know anything else. If the ranker targeting me here is 7th, it will be quite difficult.

Beomho, the 7th ranked cult ranker, mainly uses unpredictable strategies similar to mine. They must have prepared a trap from the moment they recognized my presence.

Even if we assume that the enemy ranker is not a fan, it is a problem. There is no guarantee that there will be only one enemy. There is a very high probability that there will be other fellow rankers, so it is dangerous to fight blindly.

‘And if you make a mistake and the 22nd falls on the enemy’s side, you’ll be in trouble.’

All the other players who saw me fighting against rankers helped other rankers, not me. The reason is that I have a big or small grudge relationship with most of the rankers.

Taking that into account, 22nd may also act the same way in the game. Even if Heaven’s Mother belatedly steps in to stop him, it won’t be easy to change the other person’s judgment. Rather, they will think that she is being controlled by parasites.

‘It actually happened to me, so it’s not something I’d say.’

In any case, in order to prevent ‘misunderstanding’ from the Cold Blood Ranker, at least the first encounter must be peaceful.

‘In the end, what matters is how you fight.’

First of all, an all-out war is not possible, and even a manned war is not easy.

This is the enemy’s home ground. Luring enemies underground and catching them causes more harm than good. Even if I annihilate the enemies, reinforcements will continue to arrive. The situation is different from when we caught Jason.

“How much time is left before transformation is possible?”

Sky’s mother, who had been silently contemplating, opened her mouth.

In response to her question, I checked how much time was left before the cooldown of ‘Organic Evolution’ expired. Less than 7 days remaining. That’s enough time for the cult to find me.

[Zuzu Zuzu (less than 7 days)]

｢They will find our hideout before then, right?｣

[Zu(Yes)]

｢How about I sneak into the water fortress before then?｣

[Zuzu(alone?)]

“huh. It’ll take a few days for them to find his hiding place, so I’ll find him as soon as possible. If you find her early, you can take her with you and leave here.”

This is how she meets No. 22 on her own.

It’s not a bad method, but it still has a problem. What if #22 doesn’t follow her? If she resists when there is no time left, it will be a pain in the ass.

‘If I just resist, it’s fortunate.’

If you change your mind and attack her, it will be quite a pain.

I don’t think the Mother of Heaven will lose, but she is also a ranker. There is no way the battle will end quietly unless one side is completely overwhelmed.

‘It would be a big deal if I got caught by a cult ranker while fighting.’

Not only Coldblood’s life, but also her life is in danger.

Her amber eyes shined brightly even in the dark and illuminated me. She knows she is putting herself in danger. Since the situation was not good, he probably spoke out with the intention of taking the risk.

‘I can’t leave her here.’

Heavenly Mother is someone who helps me survive. This card is too precious to be used up here.

[Zuzuz Zuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzuzu Zuzu (There is no guarantee that we will find number 22 before the chase team comes, so it is not possible)]

｢Fighting with them is also dangerous. If you fight the cult, he’ll be on the other side, right? To be honest, your image is not good.”

[Zuzu Zuzu (I know)]

I knew that, but it made me feel strangely bad to hear words criticizing her image come out of her mouth. It was even more so because he said it with serious eyes and not in a joking manner.

‘My reputation is so crappy… Wait a minute. image?’

An idea suddenly occurred to me.

Just as I don’t know about my enemies, there are many things they don’t know about me. Just as I guess the enemy’s capabilities in advance, the other side will act similarly, but it is impossible to predict perfectly.

For example, things like sending the Mother of Heaven into the water fortress are things I wouldn’t have even attempted if it were a game.

Me in the game and me now.

This gap may be a clue to a breakthrough.

[Zuz zuzu zuzu zuzu zu (I just thought of this, how about this?)]

｢Huh?｣

I started explaining the idea that popped into my head. At first, she listened with her head tilted, but by the end of the explanation, she was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

[Zuzu (What do you think?)]

｢…Honestly, it seems ridiculous, but it might work surprisingly well.｣

[Zuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu zuzuzuzu (Because it’s something I can’t do if I’m in the game)]

｢Of course. “It’s something you would never do.”

She nodded as if she exactly agreed with what I said.

“But there are still a lot of issues. I think we need to adjust the parts that rely too much on luck.”

[Zuzuzuz (of course)]

Time is tight to prepare before they come. I put her on my back again and quickly set off for the center.

In the game, I overcame several challenges that everyone said were impossible. When it was not a ranker, it hunted rankers, and even when it was only a sub-adult, let alone an adult, it devoured many clans.

Even after coming to this world, I was on the verge of death more than once, but I survived.

It’s the same this time too.