Chapter 182

Chapter 182 Chapter 182 In the tunnel, echoing like a cry, the enemy’s shouts were heard. The emotion contained in his voice was solely one, intense rage. ‘Alright.’ With that, the possibility of the enemy retreating decreased. The enemy player would never consider going back until they’ve killed me. “Amorph” The opponent was the third player I encountered after Muriel and the Mother of the Sky. Unlike when facing Muriel, I had limited information about the enemy. It was going to be a tough fight. ‘Not that I’m planning to lose, though.’ I ran across the solid ice, reassessing the cards I held. The tetanus vine I had prepared to ambush the enemy had just been used. The tetanus vine is a characteristic infection related to a motif of carnivorous plants often seen in classic horror movies. Its method of infection is similar to using parasites. Within my combat arm, there is space where parasites and tetanus vine seeds can inhabit. Just as parasites can emerge from small holes in my arm when needed, tetanus vine seeds come out from holes inside my palm. The difference is that unlike parasites that enter the opponent’s body automatically, the tetanus vine cannot. It exists in seed form within my body, so I have to inject it directly into the opponent. Once inside the opponent’s body, the tetanus vine, which consumes nutrients, grows at a very fast rate. It fully matures in as little as 5 minutes, or at most 10 minutes, and then prepares for reproduction. ‘It becomes a human bomb right away.’ The tetanus vine, spreading through the bloodstream, explodes itself when a new host appears nearby. It’s akin to cutting a branch of a plant and planting it in the ground, resulting in new growth. Of course, it’s obvious, but the host dies during the explosion process. It’s no different from a grenade detonating inside their body. Thanks to these characteristics, I often used parasites and tetanus vines together for large-scale skirmishes or surprise attacks shortly before a battle. Many players with experience fighting against me have often killed players controlled by parasites as a precaution. So, the cult players chasing after me won’t be fooled anymore. ‘It served well as a provocation and bait.’ Aside from the tetanus vine, among other hidden cards, there are the Bone Beast and Revenant Organs I acquired recently. Both traits play a crucial role in Amorph’s battles. They are traits I frequently used in the game. The Bone Beast can be thought of as a combination of the effects of “King of Monsters” and “Symbol of Hunt” that I obtained. Of course, it doesn’t become significantly stronger like when using King of Monsters or Symbol of Hunt. The effects of the Bone Beast can be summarized into two major aspects: enlargement and reinforcement of defense. Since it’s a trait made from the Giant Creature trait and Bone Axe trait, it inherits both effects. When the Bone Beast trait is activated, my body becomes slightly larger than when using the Giant Creature trait alone. Currently, my body length is around 28m, and it increases by about three times from here. Of course, as the body grows, so does the strength. Up to this point, it’s similar to a regular enlargement, but there’s an additional aspect in the Bone Beast state. That is, a hard bone glove is added to the surface of the body. It’s similar to when using Symbol of Hunt, where exoskeletons grow all over my body. With thick gloves and additional spike-like bones, I can collide with opponents of similar caliber and deliver blows. ‘But there’s no increase in speed, though.’ It’s disappointing to think that the speed doesn’t increase when using Symbol of Hunt, but rather decreases. ‘If it’s as good as the Symbol of Hunt, then that’s a problem, too.’ Expecting the same level as a transcendent trait gained through the transcendence system for a Bone Beast trait that’s merely a ‘fusion’ trait is excessive greed. Although it’s not at the level of Symbol of Hunt, a powerful Bone Beast saved as a hidden card. It can be used when facing enemy players. Plus, I currently possess the special state trait, King of Organic Evolution, which allows me to transform. ‘Thanks to consuming Ice Horror, I have abundant energy.’ The energy to sustain the Bone Beast is sufficient due to the situation where a creature several hundred meters in size is inside me. Let’s use King of Monsters, which consumes extreme energy, depending on the situation. ‘And the Revenant Organs.’ As the name suggests, the Revenant Organs are traits related to resurrection. ‘It doesn’t really bring back the dead, though.’ This fusion trait, made from the “Ghost State,” functions differently from other traits. Most of the traits I possess are either constantly active like passive traits or provide special effects when activated. In contrast, the Revenant Organs only work conditionally. Although not visible, there’s a very small secretion organ attached to my heart. If the conditions are met, this organ activates on its own and secretes special hormones into my heart. Even for someone like Amorph, who can actively regulate activities within the body, the Revenant Organs were uncontrollable. It’s a trait that, like in the game, only operates when conditions are met. And that’s not all. The effectiveness of the Revenant Organs varies depending on how powerful I am and “what state I’m in.” If I fail to meet these conditions properly? Even if I activate it, it’s useless. ‘Plus, the cooldown is incredibly long.’ Due to these difficult conditions, there are hardly any players in the game who have properly utilized this trait. At most, it was players like me and the 4th Outspacer Ranker who enjoyed this trait. ‘But when they see me now, there’s no joker card like this.’ If properly activated, the Revenant Organs are a powerful weapon that can immediately turn the situation around. If used well, it can seriously give cult players a hard time in battle. ‘Then let’s prepare from the Divine Spectre...’ While checking my last options, I felt a familiar yet strange sensation in front of me. Countless images appeared and disappeared in front of me as if the video speed was doubled. At the same time, the auxiliary organ under my jaw trembled. ‘An unknown danger is approaching.’ [■■■■■■ is targeting my ■■■■.] ‘Predator Sense!’ As I ran through the corridor, I quickly pressed my body to the ground. A sinister energy mass barely grazed my back and the exoskeleton above my neck. When the energy bullets hit the corridor wall, the spot where they hit evaporated with a sinister sound. “Fucking Cunt! Where do you think you’re running!” Angry voices from behind. They were cultists. Then, I felt ominous energy bullets flying towards me. ‘Tch!’ The cultists protecting the player had fired demolishers at me. The demolisher bullets were precisely aimed at my auxiliary organs. They knew that was my weakness. “What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Or do you have traps or nests set up around here? Or maybe that Wolf slave of yours.” “What do you mean?” “Do you think I wouldn’t know? That Griffin Wolf, you ate it, right? Ha, whatever. First, deal with yourself, then think about it.” As soon as his words ended, the cultists in front of him raised their weapons. The Demolisher, aimed at my auxiliary device, seemed like it would fire energy at any moment. But I was also ready. I lowered myself to the ground, bringing my upper body as close to the floor as possible. The Inmansoos on my back were preparing to attack. Inmansoos* are positioned on the back when not transformed into symbols of hunting. Due to their body structure, to attack smaller enemies like this, I had no choice but to lie down like this. [* TL/N- Well I too do not understand this word but it was like this in the raws I’ll make the PR do some research on it and he’ll change it.] [PR/N- “–“] ‘Fire.’ The Inmansoos unleashed their sonic attacks. The small monsters in the shape of cult heads emitted sound waves towards the cultists holding Demolishers. ‘Tsk.’ The player lightly clicked his tongue as he watched. The cultists controlled by him quickly avoided the attacks, but they couldn’t all dodge. Three cultists holding Demolishers were paralyzed by the sonic attacks and collapsed to the ground like boiled dolls. ‘Seems like they can’t reflect sound waves.’ I stored that fact in the corner of my mind. Meanwhile, my body moved diligently. The tip of my tail aimed at the cultists who had evaded the sound waves. As I spread the pincers at the end of my tail, the thorns packed inside shot towards the cultists. ‘Here we go.’ Anticipating this, the cultists holding Champion Shields moved agilely. Approaching the Demolisher gunners in an instant, they used their shields to block the thorns. Then, other cultists cast Gravity Control on me. The gravity around the space I was standing in changed drastically, putting pressure on the entire chamber. It seemed like the cultists had unleashed all the limiters with Ultra Control, and the output was tremendous. I was forced to keep my head down, unable to do anything but drive it into the ground. “You acted like a jerk in reality, and you’re doing the same here. Know that you’ll never get away with it.” Despite the lackeys casting Gravity Control, bleeding from their eyes, noses, and mouths, the player paid no attention at all. Seeing him act so cockily, I struggled to say a word. “You thought you could mess with me like this?” “This damn Amorph -bastard, catching you was easier than I thought, huh?” “Is that so?” “Still, Alia, she was a decent one. Thinking about it pisses me off again.” As he irritatedly gestured, a cultist with a Demolisher fired an energy blast at my head. Part of the tentacles of the monster, struck by the energy blast that dismantled everything, was cut off. [Pain Nullification Activated] ‘Ugh!’ “Does it hurt? You little piece of crap.” Unintentionally, a scream escaped my lips due to the pain beyond imagination. Seeing this, the player chuckled. “You know, the longest I’ve tortured someone like you is a year? Let’s see how much longer you can hold out.” The player seemed pleased at the thought of torturing me. But there’s one thing he doesn’t know yet. I’m not just sitting still because I’m afraid of him or because I have no way to fight back. While he’s off guard, the preparation for his trait is complete. “Forget... everything I’ve said.” “What?” Instead of answering, I raised my head slightly. And then, I opened my mouth wide. From the moment I fired the thorns, the power of my brain’s preparation surged from my chest. The massive energy, dormant in my chest like a beast with a collar, received the signal and surged forth. A brilliant golden beam, illuminating the dark underground chamber, the Divine Spear, erupted from my mouth. “What?!” The player, seeing this, was startled, spreading his arms. It seemed he intended to deploy Reflection, as he did when blocking Psychic Breath. However, the Divine Spear I fired flew towards the wall far above them, not towards him. It created a huge hole in the ice ceiling, powerful enough to destroy an imperial battleship. The remaining energy spread through the underground chamber like lightning in the night sky, traveling along the ice walls and ceiling of the chamber. As a result of being hit by the Divine Spear, the underground chamber shook as if there had been an earthquake. “Ha, hahaha! You crazy bastard! That missed!” As the power of the brain was expelled, I felt my strength drain from my body. Seeing me drop my head, the player grinned. “Missed, did it?” Well, did it really? “Anyway, your lightning attacks won’t be able to block... huh?” The player, who was mocking me, fell silent. It was understandable. The vibrations occurring within the chamber were abnormal. “I never aimed for you in the first place.” He probably doesn’t know why I fought here in the first place. When I first entered, I should have been wary after seeing the corpse of the Ice Horror behind me. Fighting the Ice Horror, the place was in a precarious state. Above our heads lay a vast expanse of ice several hundred meters thick. The reason this underground world had been sustained was simple. There hadn’t been an impact large enough to upset the balance. But since I started fighting the Ice Horror, that precarious balance had been completely shattered. The ice walls, like the mythical Atlas supporting the giant ice masses, were all a mess, and the ice ceiling above our heads had cracks larger than the intact areas. In such a state, using the Divine Spear was impossible to endure. “First, let’s deal with your lackeys here and then leave.” “This damn bastard?!” The startled player spat out curses and tried to use Reflection, but it was woefully inadequate to block the massive ice chunk descending upon him. Watching him exerting all his effort to block, I drew the next card. ‘Now’s the chance.’ The bone beast, turning Amorph into a giant monster. Its trait was activated. Within the collapsing chamber, my body began to grow rapidly.