BXBX NOVEL Chapter 225
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Chapter 225
The effect of the \'Mimicry Scales\' provides a high level of resistance against certain energies.
Now that I\'ve secured resistance against psychic power, Odd Grad\'s breath attack shouldn\'t pose too much of a problem.
‘It will be painful, but I can handle it.’
Odd Grad\'s breath is overwhelmingly stronger than that of other Gallagons. The chances of absorbing the shock completely are slim.
However, it’s not enough to threaten my life. There\'s no longer any need to keep dodging and running from his breath.
‘The problem is with his danger-sensing ability…’
I\'ve prepared methods to disperse his forces and withstand his attacks, but one issue remains.
How do I outmanoeuvre an enemy that can foresee the future?
I kept thinking as I returned to the nest with Adhai and Number 26.
In Space Survival, there’s no such thing as skills or traits that can read the future. It’s an online VR game involving countless players, so that’s only natural.
The so-called \'Future Sight\' or \'Prophecy\' only enhances evasion abilities or marks enemy movements on the minimap.
So it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Odd Grad is the first incomprehensible enemy I\'ve encountered in this world.
‘No, wait. There is a clue.’
I have encountered a future-sensing ability before: my \'Predator’s Senses\'.
Thanks to this trait, which is close to precognition, I’ve escaped danger multiple times. Without this trait, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
In my experience, the future range that the Predator’s Sense shows me isn\'t very long. It’s just a few minutes ahead, showing me events that are about to impact my body.
The only exception is when I use the \'Symbol of Hunt\'.
‘When in the Hunting Icon state, the scope of future sight expands.’
I first felt this when escaping from the hospital at T&C Special Trade Hub. The Eden Knights were moving to surround the hospital, but sensing it in advance allowed me to escape safely.
This is likely because the Symbol of Hunt amplifies the traits and effects of the abilities it holds.
‘Considering that, Odd Grad\'s ability is peculiar.’
His ability certainly involves foreseeing dangerous futures. However, the range is quite ambiguous.
This is because it predicted that I would target the White Gallagon on my hunt and came to attack.
Yet, whenever I used the \'Abyssal Hue\', he always sensed it and tried to evade it, even though he had never seen it before.
‘That means it can see beyond immediate threats…’
In the long run, hunting White Gallagons could pose a threat to him. After all, my ultimate goal was to kill him.
This would explain why he didn’t attack me immediately upon my arrival on this planet. Although I came here to hunt Gallagons and Apexes, my intent wasn’t solely to kill Odd Grad.
"...Let\'s rethink this."
Odd Grad has already surpassed the boundaries of the game. I need to broaden my perspective.
"What if he can see multiple types of futures?"
For instance, like me, he might see specific futures only in certain states, while others are visible more generally.
In summary, there are two types of futures he can see.
‘Immediate dangers and distant, threatening futures.’
Based on the information at hand, this assumption seems reasonable.
And here lies the crucial part.
Odd Grad set a trap to kill me because I posed a threat to his life. As I got entangled in his schemes, I had to fight in an imperfect state, revealing most of my trump cards.
However, he didn\'t foresee that he could die fighting me. In fact, he nearly died because of the Abyssal Hue and the Divine Spectre.
Taking this into account, a new hypothesis can be formed.
‘The futures he sees have limits.’
First, let\'s consider the ability to detect long-term future threats.
He likely only sees these during specific cycles or situations, not frequently in everyday circumstances. That’s why he couldn\'t account for changes in the future that occur mid-course.
‘The second ability is to detect imminent, short-term dangers.’
Since this is similar to my Predator’s Sense, he probably has similar limitations. While it helps in dealing with a specific threat when it arises, it doesn’t allow one to avoid the dangerous situation itself.
Therefore, to kill him, I need to exploit the gap between these two types of future visions.
‘If I act rashly, he will catch on.’
I have many cards to play: Ham Ort’s escape, Adhai’s growth, information about the ring he possesses, and the Mimicry Scales. But if I use them carelessly, he will detect my intentions in advance.
‘If I make a mistake, he might escape.’
Odd Grad is the only Black Gallagon on this planet. If I lose him here, I\'ll also lose one of the unique traits.
‘I need to create a future that isn’t unfavorable for him.’
As I pondered how to strike him, we arrived at the nest.
At the entrance, I saw Mother of the Sky sitting, and beside her was a wounded White Gallagon lying down.
｢Ham Ort?｣
Adhai sent out a telepathic wave. Sensing her, Ham Ort lifted her head to look at her daughter.
The violet eyes of the mother, who had seen her daughter, were filled with confusion.
｢Daughter of the Meteor｣ ｢Savior｣ ｢Did you fail?｣ ｢Why?｣ ｢Why?｣
｢I｣ ｢Rejected the savior｣
Upon hearing Adhai\'s response, Ham Ort suddenly stood up. Mother of the Sky, who was beside her, also rose to her feet.
｢Be careful. Your wounds haven’t healed yet.｣
｢Why?｣ ｢You｣ ｢Made the wrong choice!｣ ｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Can’t be stopped!｣
Ham Ort seemed shocked that her daughter had refused to transform into a Red Gallagon. She, who had remained calm even in battle, now openly displayed her anger.
Responding to Ham Ort\'s passionate telepathic waves, Adhai didn’t back down and sent her own in return.
｢I｣ ｢Chose new kin｣ ｢Past kin｣ ｢Important, but｣ ｢This side｣ ｢Is more｣ ｢Important!｣
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Will kill｣ ｢All kin｣ ｢Young kin｣ ｢Adult kin｣
｢Worry｣ ｢Unnecessary｣ ｢Great Elder｣ ｢Small Elder｣ ｢Ugly Friend｣ ｢Sick Child｣ ｢All kin｣ ｢Will fight together｣
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Strong｣ ｢Black kin｣ ｢Victory｣ ｢Impossible｣ ｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Will kill｣ ｢Black kin｣
｢Great Elder｣ ｢Is not weak｣ ｢Don’t insult Ham Ort!｣
｢Ham Ort! Calm down!｣
Ham Ort seemed ready to leap at Adhai at any moment. If her wings and body were intact, and if Mother of the Sky hadn’t restrained her, she probably would have.
｢Disappointment｣ ｢Disappointment｣ ｢I am disappointed!｣ ｢Daughter of the Meteor｣ ｢You abandoned the blessing!｣ ｢You abandoned our kin’s expectations!｣
｢Disappointment?｣ ｢I’m more disappointed｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢You abandoned me｣ ｢For being weak!｣
｢Denial!｣ ｢Never abandoned weak kin!｣
｢Liar!｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢You’re a liar｣ ｢You abandoned me｣ ｢For the savior｣ ｢You forced the salvation of our kin｣ ｢It’s shameful!｣
｢!｣
As their emotions escalated, their telepathic waves became increasingly primal. The mixture of Ham Ort’s disappointment and anger with Adhai’s sorrow and resentment made my monster’s tendrils tingle.
Number 26, who is sensitive to wave detection, also seemed affected, as its body color turned a dark pink.
｢I｣ ｢Will step out｣
In the end, Adhai was the first to retreat. She kicked the ground with her hind legs and flew into the forest.
“What happened?”
PS-111, who had been tending to a Blue Gallagon infected with symbiotic spores inside the nest, walked out.
｢The Little One fought with the Flappy Mom.｣
“After analyzing the surrounding environmental factors, I see no evidence of a battle between ‘The Little One’ and ‘Ham Ort.’”
｢I don’t understand what you’re saying, friend. It’s too complicated.｣
While PS-111 and Number 26 engaged in their unintentional banter, Ham Ort simply stared blankly in the direction where her daughter had disappeared. Her emotions, uncontrolled and raw, were spilling out.
｢This forest is safe, but just in case, bring Adhai back, both of you, Number 26 and PS-111.｣
｢Okay. I’ll protect The Little One. Let’s go, friend.｣
“Understood.”
Number 26 shrunk itself down and climbed onto PS-111\'s back. The Sea Demon and the Mutant Screamer then vanished into the forest.
Only after they left did Ham Ort seem to regain her senses, dropping her head. The chaotic flood of emotions that had been emanating from her gradually subsided.
Finally calming down, Ham Ort lifted her head and looked at me.
｢You｣ ｢Black kin?｣
[ZZZ (Yes).]
｢Daughter of the Meteor｣ ｢Talked｣ ｢A lot about you｣ ｢Said you taught her｣
It was true, so I nodded, and Ham Ort slightly bowed her head, bending her front legs.
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Thanks you｣ ｢For saving｣ ｢And looking after the Daughter of the Meteor｣
Expressing her brief gratitude, she then straightened up. Her amethyst eyes reflected a complex mixture of emotions.
｢But｣ ｢Because of you｣ ｢The Daughter of the Meteor｣ ｢Abandoned the savior｣ ｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Will kill｣ ｢All our kin｣
[ZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (That won’t happen)]
Because I will stop it before it comes to that.
Ham Ort shook her head, denying my words.
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Lies｣ ｢Deceives our kin｣ ｢Deceived companions｣ ｢And young kin｣ ｢Our kin｣ ｢Follow Odd Grad’s orders｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Black kin｣ ｢Not strong enough｣
[ZZZ (Is that so?)]
｢Black kin｣ ｢Is strong｣ ｢But｣ ｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Has more｣
Having fought me before, she knew how strong I was. She must be trying to point out the numerical superiority of the enemy forces.
And she wasn’t wrong. If I had fought Odd Grad when I faced her, I would have lost.
‘Not anymore, though.’
However, unaware of this, Ham Ort seemed desperate to persuade me to avoid the fight. Her telepathic waves were filled with urgency.
｢Odd Grad｣ ｢Is strong｣ ｢I believe｣ ｢You think｣ ｢The Daughter of the Meteor is precious｣ ｢If so｣ ｢Survival｣ ｢Is more important｣
[ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZ (To save Adhai, I must kill Odd Grad)]
｢Black kin｣ ｢Won’t you give up?｣
[ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZ (No, Odd Grad will die by my hands)]
｢…｣
Ham Ort no longer sent any telepathic waves and simply stared into my eyes.
I could sense her anxiety. However, my resolve was unshaken. I was determined to kill the black dragon that had wronged me, no matter the cost.
｢Understood｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Will trust the Black kin｣
[ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Good. Tell me about the situation when you fought it)]
｢Ask whatever you want｣
After staring at me for a long time, Ham Ort finally gave up on convincing me otherwise. I began to ask the questions that had been on my mind, one by one.
---
Beyond the frozen plains lies a vast canyon.
As one approaches this deep canyon—so vast it is better measured in hundreds of meters, or even kilometers—a strange sound can be heard. It resembles the agonized screams of suffering animals, but in reality, it is the sound of the wind passing through the massive ice chasms.
Although a natural phenomenon, the eerie noise is so unsettling that most living creatures avoid the canyon altogether. The only entity that freely enters this territory is the Beast King, who rules the area.
However, even the Beast King has not been seen recently. Whether it is in seclusion or has left the canyon is unknown.
In its place, strange, alien entities have occasionally ventured into the canyon. These beings seem unaware that this territory belongs to the Beast King, indiscriminately slaughtering any nearby creatures. Whether plant or animal, anything that moved was killed. As a result, this canyon, already sparsely populated, has become a completely dead zone.
Today, once again, the grotesque entities entered the canyon, dragging along chunks of meat after their latest slaughter.
Deep within the canyon, where there should only be thick darkness, red lights began to flicker as they descended.
Finally, the creatures reached what could be considered the canyon floor. Hanging precariously, they threw the chunks of meat down.
In response, an enormous red light, far larger than before, opened its eyes and devoured the meat in an instant.
[Mission to scout the surrounding area and secure energy sources: completed.]
[Current inability to assess the threat within the supervolcano. Investigation ongoing.]
[Traces of humanoid activity detected on this planet. Believed to be humans affiliated with ‘Megacorp,’ who have come to investigate the supervolcano.]
[Unusual atmospheric phenomena occurred on this planet two days ago. Comparative analysis with accumulated meteorological data suggests this anomaly resulted from a battle between native lifeforms.]
[While monitoring the nests of native creatures, discovered…]
The beings—or rather, the Mutant Screamers—continued their mechanical reports. Normally, after their regular reports, they would exchange the information they had gathered amongst themselves, but today was different.
The red light that had consumed the chunks of meat flickered again.
[Pira Eleven. Orders.]
As the red light murmured quietly, all of them fell silent.
[The entity responsible for the meteorological anomaly matches 82% of the profile for Special Target A, according to the Starlink database.]
The red light—no, the android, which was undergoing repairs due to significant damage—was one of the top members of the Star Union Mechanical Council, known as Pira Eleven.
[Pira Eleven. Highest priority command issued. Eliminate Special Target A. All remaining 189 S-Model units and 20 PS-Model units in the canyon are to engage.]
[Order confirmed.]
[Order…]
At Pira Eleven’s command, countless dormant red lights opened their eyes.
The chilling sound of the wind in the canyon was now accompanied by an even more ominous noise.
[Proofreader – Draxx]