Chapter 104

Chapter 104 Chapter 104 The metallic Gremlins cling to the hull. They tore through the ship with their sharp fangs. ‘It’s too late to dodge.’ I quickly generated corrosion tentacles on the outer wall of the hull. My tentacles rushed at them along with projectiles launched from the Storm gun. “■!” Numerous tentacles clung to the metallic gremlins, tearing off their limbs or swallowing them whole. The already existing contaminated fungus turrets on the outer wall relentlessly spewed fungi spores. Adhai, who had returned to the hull, and Number 26, wielding the “Terror of the Abyss,” fought against them too. Adhai transformed into a green lightning, disrupting the gremlins, while Number 26 bound the gremlins in the trajectory of Stormgun’s shots. The black hull shimmered with silver blood sprayed by the metallic gremlins. That’s how we defended against the metallic gremlin horde, but it wasn’t going to be easy. ‘There are too many.’ I dismissed the recurring text boxes. Consuming a massive number of metallic gremlins kept triggering the predation effect. Most were either the ‘Metal Predation’ which I already possessed or the ‘Insufficient Digestion’ trait that I didn’t need. Still, I managed to secure a few useful traits among them. ‘It would have been great if they came at any other time...’ The situation isn’t favorable now. Despite reducing their numbers by half with Psychic Breath, the gremlins still numbered in hundreds. Killing them seemed futile, as their numbers showed no sign of decreasing, and Storm gun’s ammunition is depleted too. ‘At this rate, we’ll be annihilated.’ While we were killing hundreds, another batch was tearing the hull apart, rendering it in a shabby state. [ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ(Come back, everyone)] There’s no more time to delay. If we wait any longer, using FTL (faster-than-light) travel will become difficult. FTL travel can be risky if the hull is heavily damaged, as the ship may shatter into pieces during the journey due to the strain on the hull. ‘There are still many of them, but...’ Over a hundred metallic gremlins were still clinging to the hull, but there’s no other choice. 「Big guy! There are too many of these bastards!」 「Enemy」「Infinite」「Us」「Blood」 I checked if Number 26 and Adhai, who approached me, were okay. They seemed tired from fighting non-stop with numerous enemies. Fortunately, apart from minor injuries, they didn’t seem heavily wounded. ‘Now that the kids are here, let’s get ready.’ I modified the ship’s structure, thickening the walls of the section where we were, and the walls of important facilities like the reactor. Then, I diverted the remaining energy in the reactor to start the FTL engine. Even as the engine prepared to start, the metallic gremlins continued to assault relentlessly. With Adhai and Number 26 absent on the hull, defending against the gremlins’ attacks was becoming increasingly difficult. I did my best to fend them off with the corrosive tentacles, but they sneakily crawled onto the ship. They wreaked havoc on the internal facilities as if it were their own world. If there were more of them, we might have lost the reactor before the FTL engine could start. Just as they were gnawing at the reactor’s outer wall, the ship’s heart signaled that all preparations were complete. ‘Alright!’ Finally, the FTL engine roared to life. The destination was an area frequented by smugglers, and near our arrival point was a jungle-type planet inhabited by various rare creatures. A blue light enveloped not only us but also the entire ship, and the starlight in the distance warped strangely. Everyone inside and outside the ship jumped into space together. ‘Ugh?!’ The moment I realized this, an immense pressure hit me from above. It was due to the shock caused as the ship entered the realm of FTL beyond the speed of light. Even the escape pods didn’t experience this level of intensity, so was it because the ship was larger or damaged by metallic gremlins? The ship, protected by sturdy alloys and special mucus created for corrosion, twisted like a pretzel. Since my body was connected to control the ship, I could feel that the pressure on the hull was abnormal. I spread my senses even more intimately into the slime covering the alloy walls to check the overall condition of the ship. As a result, a pain akin to my entire body being twisted struck my brain. [Pain nullification Activated!] I wanted to immediately disconnect the sensory organs, but I had to monitor the ship’s condition constantly so it was impossible for me to disconnect them. ‘I’ll barely hold on.’ If the ship had torn apart, it would have broken much earlier. At this rate, I might be able to endure until we land on the planet. However, enduring it and the pain were separate issues. Even though pain reduction was activated, the agonizing pain that felt like my entire body was being squeezed continued, making it difficult to stay focused. 「Big Baby! Hang in there!」 「Great adult!」 I sensed waves of encouragement from No.26 and Adhai. Encouraged by their cheers, I gritted my teeth once again. ‘I’ve never died in the game like this.’ If news of me being defeated by metallic gremlins spread in the gaming community, no one would believe it. Somehow regaining my composure amidst the pain, I created corrosive tentacles on the outer wall. “■■?” The gremlins were bewildered as tentacles protruded from the partially damaged ship. I manipulated the tentacles to strike them. ‘I need to tidy up as much as possible before we arrive.’ However, the same cannot be said for the kids with me now. ‘...I need to get the kids out first.’ The problem is whether those fighter jets will leave the kids alone. If by any chance they aim and shoot at Adhai and Number 26, the kids will be in great danger. Adhai can fly away, but Number 26 can’t. ‘Since there’s a sea here, let’s send the kids away first.’ The sea is Number 26’s home ground. If it goes into the water, it can escape with Adhai. In my case, I could easily secure a new means of escape while devouring metallic gremlins earlier. Therefore, even if I stay on the ship until the end after sending the kids away, I can still escape. ‘How can I attract attention...’ While pondering if there was any solution, one idea came to mind. The guys causing a commotion inside my ship, the metallic gremlins. I had to use them. I altered the structure of the ship, creating a large hole on one side of the wall. Outside the hole, the blue sea was clearly visible, and the scent of the sea rushed in, filling the space. [ZZZZ ZZZ (You guys go first)] 「Big Baby?」 「Great Adult?」 I transformed the shapes of the metal walls to encase Number 26 and Adhai. Number 26, who quickly understood what I was trying to do, emitted a signal. 「Let’s go together!」 [ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZ ZZ (I’ll send you guys first and follow behind.)] 「You can’t stay here! It’s dangerous!」 Without answering, I focused on how the situation outside was changing. The fighter jets were gradually getting closer to the ship. ‘Okay.’ When the plasma launcher attached to the fighter jets aimed at the ship, I cleared away part of the wall inside the ship. Then, the metallic gremlins inside rushed out. They flew at the same speed they were running, sticking to the fighter jets. ‘Now!’ To protect Number 26 and Adhai, I swung the metallic sphere I had created with tentacles. Just before the sphere separated, a thin tentacle emerged from Number 26 and touched my auxiliary organ. At that moment, I could feel his thoughts. Fear of what would happen in the future, helplessness at not being able to do anything, and a desperate plea not to die. To the message of these complex emotions, I replied like this: I will never die and we will meet again soon. 「Promise!」 At the moment it shouted, the sphere separated. The sphere that surrounded Adhai and Number 26 was ejected out of the ship through the pre-made hole. I concentrated my mind to ensure they safely landed in the sea. The fighter jets did not react at all to the falling metal sphere, probably disoriented by the gremlins. ‘Done.’ Everything I could do from the ship was over. After releasing the corrosive tentacles, I headed towards the hole where the sphere had popped out. And I jumped out of the ship. In the distance, I could see the heat rays from the main gun coming in the jungle. The heat rays mercilessly pierced the ship, and a tremendous explosion engulfed me. [Pain nullification Activation!] ‘Ugh!’ In the midst of the blazing flames, I spread out all my combat arms and tail. I used one of the characteristics I gained by devouring the metallic gremlin earlier, the ‘Wings,’ to enable stable flight at high altitudes. [Wings: Aids in stable flight at high altitudes.] A slender membrane unfolded between my combat arms and extended to the middle of my tail, and my body floated upward, riding the airflow. Although the Wings imitated the flight forms of wingsuits or flying squirrels, it wouldn’t remind anyone of an Amorph with four arms and a long tail. While reducing the descent speed, I soared through the sky, and the fighter jets followed closely behind. Plasma blasts they fired grazed over my head and back. I quickly retracted the membrane attached to my arms. My body began to fall rapidly, and the fighter jets also accelerated to pursue me. ‘Caught you.’ Expanding the Wings again, I closed the distance with the powerful fighter jets. Once again, I utilized a characteristic obtained from the metallic gremlin. [Electromagnetic Interference: Emits waves causing temporary malfunctions in devices powered by electricity.] That characteristic was none other than ‘Electromagnetic Interference,’ one of the ingredients for hijacking. Waves disrupting machinery emanated from the double plates rising on my back, enveloping nearby fighter jets. Their power shut down instantly, and they began to free fall helplessly. Just before they crashed, a scene of unexpected events unfolded behind the reinforced glass. The pilots seemed unsure of what to do before the crashing jets. Having neutralized the fighter jets, I used the wings to swiftly fly into the jungle. ‘The effect of Electromagnetic Interference won’t last long.’ If they had a skilled pilot, they would regain control of the fighter jets quickly. One of the falling jets swiftly took off again, while the others crashed into the forest. Although the pursuing fighter jet tried to follow me, I was already close to a dense grove full of tall trees. Folding the wings, I smashed through the trees and landed safely inside the jungle. After toppling numerous trees, I could land safely. As soon as I landed, I hid my body under the fallen tree trunks. When the following fighter jet mistook me for a rock and attempted to proceed, I used the Terror Gaze toward the pilots. ‘Where are you going?’ The seemingly intact fighter jet abruptly changed direction, crashing into a tree. The half-damaged jet staggered in place for a moment before crashing to the ground. Two pilots crawled out of the crashed jet. One had horns, probably a cultist, and the other was human. Appearing disoriented from the impact of the crash, they began running as soon as they saw me reveal myself. Both had no intention of escaping, so I released corrosive tentacles to restrain them. “Wait! W...wait!” “S...save us!” The restrained pilots struggled. In normal circumstances, I might have used parasites or something for leverage and use them, but at the moment, I had no such intentions.