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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 469
When I woke from my nap, the nest had expanded considerably.
The broad farmland spread in front of the factory had turned pitch‑black, and the once‑clear air was now tinted gray with toxic particulates.
A human could never survive in such a lethal environment but to me, it was nothing short of comfortable.
‘At this rate, I’ll only have to wait another ten minutes.’
By then, the nest would hit its growth limit. That would be my chance to test Terramorph.
‘Come to think of it… where are Number 26 and Adhai?’
They usually stay by my side after we fall asleep together, right until I wake up. This is unusual.
‘Out for breakfast, maybe’
｢Big one’s awake.｣
Speak of the devil, the two of them appeared in the distance.
｢Look, look! I made this!｣
Number 26 swam toward me, its fins each the size of a small car working furiously. Balanced on its back was a two‑meter‑wide calorie block, studded like a candelabrum with genetically‑modified plants.
It must have gone to the factory to make this.
｢Here! You eat!｣
[ZZZ (Thanks.)]
Number 26 presented the calorie block with a proud, triumphant air.
Appearance‑wise, it was… less than appetizing like a giant’s lopsided cake molded from dirt and wood.
It didn’t look delicious at all, but it probably served its purpose as fuel. I bit into half the “cake” in one go.
‘…Not bad?’
The corn‑shaped modified plants tasted like strongly spiced cinnamon biscuits, which mellowed the otherwise foul taste of the calorie block enough to make it edible.
[ZZZ (This is good.)]
｢Really? Wow!｣
｢Big one, this｣ ｢tastes｣ ｢even better｣
At that, Adhai barged in and shoved a metal can of meat juice straight into my mouth.
The moment I bit down on the container, savory liquid spilled out across my tongue.
[ZZZ ZZZ (This one’s nice too.)]
｢There’s more, so drink up!｣
Before I could even swallow, another calorie block was shoved into my mouth, this one with chunks of meat embedded inside.
｢Taste｣ ｢good, so｣ ｢eat｣ ｢more｣
I didn’t have time to savor the texture before another can of meat juice came flying in.
Was it just me, or did it feel like they were competing to feed me?
‘Well, I am hungry, so… works for me.’
I’d expelled a lot of black mucus before sleeping, so the hunger was already gnawing at me. I accepted whatever they gave, gulping it down without hesitation.
‘Once I check the Terramorph, we should probably get moving.’
We were only here for a short rest.
Our destination wasn’t this place, it was Megacorp’s scrapyard.
I’d heard from Shinobu, a Space Dock ranker of the Dominion Faction, that Akira made regular visits to the scrapyard in secret.
The plan was to slip in and prepare an ambush before he noticed. That was the whole purpose of this trip.
Along the way, I’d learned something else: the Returner Faction’s top combatant, an Outspacer ranked fourth overall, had launched an all‑out offensive against Megacorp.
Which meant Akira was too busy with Outspacer threats to focus on anything else.
In other words, right now was the perfect time for a covert entry into the scrapyard.
While I mulled over the next steps, the nest finally reached its growth limit.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (I want to try something. Can you step back?)]
｢What? What is it?｣
｢?｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (I’m going to make something with the nest.)]
Before beginning the experiment, I sent them out of the nest entirely, then connected the secondary organ beneath my jaw to it.
｢Transformation to Terramorph possible.｣
‘Good.’
A welcome message appeared. I activated the trait immediately. The ground around me began to quake the entire nest trembling, along with the soil beyond it.
Black mucus surged upward like water from a fountain, towering pillars rising on all sides to coil tightly around my body.
Vision vanished behind solid walls of black like being inside a cocoon only this time, the link to everything outside remained intact.
I could sense everything happening beyond the darkness.
The vast nest dominating the farmland was rapidly contracting toward me, thickening at its core. Mucus piled beneath, lifting my position higher and higher off the ground.
Within minutes, the sprawling nest was gone. In its place, on the barren land, stood a massive black sphere.
Larger than a Gigacracker-class warship, this organic structure was my new body.
Inside its vast bulk were organs reshaped into strange, alien forms lungs crammed with stacks of smog towers, a stomach where black mucus and acid pooled like a swamp, a circulatory network pumping the pitch‑black fluid through every vein.
And amid those colossal organs sat a single chamber in my chamber.
This was the Terramorph’s heart and brain.
‘…Enormous.’
It was so massive that I could barely recognize it as part of myself.
Although… Perhaps because of that size, just existing drains an immense amount of energy in real time. If not for Dragon’s Heart, I wouldn’t have been able to hold the form stable.
‘I wonder… Can this even move?’
Externally, for all its internal complexity, the structure was nothing more than a featureless sphere with no visible limbs.
The moment I thought that, my second body, the Terramorph, began to shift. The Twisted Abhorrence field lifted the giant sphere into the air.
‘The field’s stronger than before…’
Strictly speaking, the Terramorph reinforced the control of the energy field surrounding my core body. As long as the field didn’t dissipate, I wouldn’t have to focus consciously to keep it aloft.
Still… given the energy cost, direct combat in this form was something best avoided.
The Terramorph’s duration was tied directly to my energy reserves.
For now, Dragon’s Heart was barely keeping it stable.
If that balance broke, it would collapse in short order.
“An earthquake? All of a sudden what the… is that?”
“Observation confirms it’s a substance similar to Amorph’s secretions.”
｢Big one made it! Huge, right?｣
｢Agree｣
Their voices carried through the energy field reached me from below.
It wasn’t just the Screamer sisters from the factory; even the ones who had been watching me looked shaken.
A natural reaction after all, from the outside, my new form was so massive it couldn’t be taken in at a single glance.
‘I wonder… Can I bring them inside?’
Since the Terramorph had been created using the nest as raw material, altering its shape should be possible.
Instead of focusing on the energy field, I focused my consciousness on the body itself.
Immediately, the surface responded.
From beneath the sphere, three hook‑shaped pillars thrust downward into the ground.
The densely packed teeth crushed huge rocks without pause, while fine grains of soil were carried along mucus channels into the digestive tract.
｢New house is shaking. Wobblyfun!｣
“This bio‑structure is extremely fascinating. The Amorph’s secretions are being organically reshaped to sustain the structure itself.”
The motion of the organs sent vibrations through the heart chamber.
Number 26 rode the streaming mucus like a surfer, while PS‑111 followed, diligently collecting samples.
｢Feels｣ ｢weird｣ ｢too｣ ｢sticky｣
Adhai, unlike the others, seemed annoyed by the constant shaking, flicking her wings.
‘So that’s… all Harvest Mode does?’
A rather dull result for such an imposing name.
And since the soil here had already been drained of nutrients, the energy payoff was minimal.
I was just starting to feel underwhelmed when a new text box appeared:
｢Harvest effect triggered! Extracted Gene Essence: ‘Pollution Organ’ from terrain type ‘Contaminated Wasteland’｣
｢Harvest Mode entering dormancy. Time until reactivation: 23:59:59｣
‘Oh?’
The moment the message showed, the mouths went still and the three hook‑pillars retracted back into the sphere.
‘I got a trait without eating a living creature?’
My earlier disappointment evaporated; it was a startling result.
In Space Survival, there’s only one known way to gain a trait without consuming a living organism: ingesting a Gene Sample. There has never been an alternative.
‘Is that the Terramorph’s true ability?’
To consume minerals or soil and draw out the Gene Essence mixed within.
A once‑per‑24‑hours limit was a drawback but the potential was enormous.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (PS‑111, have you finished resupplying?)]
The Screamer paused in its sampling of the chamber wall and nodded.
“Yes. I’ve absorbed all the energy the factory’s reactor produced. We can make the jump to our destination without issue.”
[ZZZ ZZZ Z ZZZ (Then… could you move something large?)]
“Large object…?”
It blinked, understanding what I meant.
No sense using it just once, then dismissing it. I wanted to test it more before the energy ran out.
“I cannot confirm if this bio‑structure can withstand a jump.”
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (No need to worry. It’s plenty durable.)]
“We will have to stop mid‑voyage to rest and resupply.”
[ZZZZ (That’s fine.)]
I’d have to pause anyway for testing and during those breaks, feeding PS‑111 more mucus would resolve the energy issue.
“In that case, it’s possible.”
[ZZZ (Good.)]
“Shall we depart now?”
[ZZZZ (Please do.)]
Receiving my request, PS‑111 rose into the air.
The twin circular wings mounted on the back of its head began scattering warp particles.
Moments later, blue light swallowed the entire Terramorph.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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