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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Essence of Aemorph Play
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Ep. 7
What is the essence of Aemorph play?
Space Survival guaranteed a high degree of freedom, but it wasn't without so-called standardized playstyles.
For example, starting as a Mega Corp Noble Capital meant using initial support funds to buy mercenaries or ships and snowball from there—that was the meta. Their racial traits were optimized for utilizing mercenaries or slaves.
So what was the meta for Aemorph play? What set Aemorph apart qualitatively from other races?
'Hunter.'
Gathering enemy intel in advance, digging traps, luring them in, ambushing from behind.
No matter how much Gene Essence you farmed to grow stronger, an Aemorph's core was always the hunter.
In the late game, after essence farming, you could massacre hordes of players—but even then, the formula held.
The reason I became the best at Space Survival as an Aemorph was simple.
'Because I was good at hunting.'
Unlike other players, I had to fight solo without party members.
My physical skills weren't as sharp as those of younger players.
I lacked the gear and traits of veterans who'd played longer.
Amid all those harsh conditions, I always crushed them and came out on top.
I turned the genes of whiners and complainers into my own, copying their unique traits.
The more trophies from my prey piled up, the more my hunting expertise grew. The stupider the victims who kept charging in without giving up, the stronger I got.
Through endless repetition of that cycle, I became the most infamous predator in the Space Survival universe.
And now, that same me was eyeing fresh prey.
"Damn it! Stabilization's taking way too long."
Kisaragi Eugene slammed her fist on the desk in frustration.
She'd been watching from above the lab for a while now, but she hadn't sensed my presence. Her keen instincts had dulled under her rage.
She was alone, but it wasn't time yet. Guards stood outside, and soldiers patrolled around.
"Goddamn it..."
She fiddled with the machinery, then stood up irritably and headed to another lab, starting to manipulate a terminal.
I didn't know what she was up to, but it didn't look pleasant for the creature inside. Every time she passed by, the test subjects writhed in agony.
"This one, that one."
What she was doing wasn't experimentation—it was torture for venting her anger. The lab filled with silent screams.
"Oh, right. You're here too."
In front of her was Test Subject No. 026.
I could feel its anxiety from here.
When Kisaragi pulled out the psionicium, No. 026 started trembling violently.
Maybe seeing the test subject terrified satisfied her. She flashed a twisted smile.
"This is an experiment."
She injected all the psionicium. No. 026's body tore apart, its color bleaching out in an instant.
Bubbles boiling up in the tank seemed to echo the test subject's screams.
Once her sadistic torture disguised as an experiment ended, No. 026 survived once more.
Kisaragi clicked her tongue and stormed out of the lab.
'...'
She always picked the most infuriating actions right to the end.
I started to move to tail her, but No. 026 sent a psionic wave my way.
Pleased to see you.
'...'
Even now, it greeted me the same as always.
I didn't respond and left.
Conversation was pointless between us anyway. Instead of empty words of comfort, I planned to give it what it truly needed.
'Vengeance.'
I left the lab and followed Kisaragi.
She was heading for the captain's quarters. Two guards trailed behind her.
I didn't even need my auxiliary organs to see their displeasure—it was obvious. Kisaragi seemed aware but said nothing.
The icy tension thickened once they reached the captain's quarters.
"Two hours have passed. Any results?"
"We've just started the search. You need to give us a bit more time..."
"Captain—or should I say Yuseong Samuel—are you defying a Noble Capital's will?"
The captain's face hardened at her words. Anyone could see he was furious, but it was a bluff. His contracted pupils, sweat trickling down his neck, trembling legs in his pants—he was clearly in a panic.
He was the ship's captain, but Kisaragi was Mega Corp elite. The hierarchy was worlds apart; of course he was scared.
"I'm this ship's captain, Research Team Leader. Mind your words."
"I can have you removed from that captain's seat."
"Even a Noble Capital can't overstep like that. I have the right to detain you."
"Ha. Detain me? Did you just say you'd detain me?"
"Anyone disrupting order on this ship can be detained by the captain's authority."
"Have you lost your mind? Yuseong Samuel?"
Things were getting interesting. There must've been bad blood between them even before I started watching.
Not surprising—an arrogant Kisaragi like her wouldn't hesitate to chew out the captain. This blowup was probably inevitable.
They glared at each other for a long while. In the end, Kisaragi looked away first.
'Predictable, in a way?'
If anything happened to Kisaragi, the crew's fate was sealed.
But laws were distant, fists were close. This was deep space. Even if something happened to her, Mega Corp was light-years away.
Worst case, if the captain snapped and tried to kill her, she couldn't fight back. Her intellect outshone others, but physically, she was just an ordinary woman.
"...We'll see about this later."
Kisaragi ground her teeth and stormed out of the captain's quarters.
The moment she left, the captain summoned his aide and bellowed to find that damn cat right now.
'He's desperate.'
As things stood, the captain was dead meat the moment they hit a planet or space station. Threatening to detain a Noble Capital? No escaping that.
His only lifeline was finding the cat and resolving this.
'Too bad it's already dead.'
The captain was on my hit list anyway. Whatever he did, he couldn't dodge his fate.
After that, Kisaragi rampaged through the ship, bullying the crew.
The more they hated her, the better for me. The less attention on her, the easier my job.
Her final stop after tearing through the ship was the bathroom. With her two guards in tow, she said,
"Gonna hit the restroom real quick."
"Yes, ma'am."
By protocol, at least one guard should've followed her in.
But after enduring her tyranny all day, they didn't.
Whether she noticed their emotional insubordination, she didn't like them either and said nothing.
"Hey, I gotta go too."
Right on cue, one of the two guards stepped away for the bathroom.
She was alone in the women's restroom, with just one guard outside.
'Opportunity.'
No security blocking my moves in the bathroom. From the ventilation duct wrapping the outer wall, I prepared my ambush.
I unscrewed the bolts with two claws, carefully removing the grate. I walked with my claws raised high to stay silent.
She was washing her face at the sink. The splashing water swallowed my sounds.
I approached, careful not to reflect in the mirror.
She finished, turned off the faucet, and swept back her wet hair.
I needed to close the distance for a single leap.
My four pairs of legs moved with unprecedented caution. My tail tip filled with paralytic venom. Like with the cat, my body primed for a one-shot kill.
"Hoo."
Kisaragi stared blankly into the mirror. Then suddenly, she wrinkled her nose.
'Damn!'
Did washing her face clear her head? Her senses picked me up.
A danger signal fired from her brain, spreading through her body. Muscles in her neck twitched in response. In one second, her head would turn my way.
No more delaying.
My legs slammed like steel pistons. My body launched like a bullet from a barrel straight at her.
Still some distance left. Time to use my wings.
The wings I'd eagerly awaited unfurled at my command. My faltering momentum surged upward.
The chitinous wings, gleaming dark brown, beat powerfully.
Distance down to 50cm. My tail drew its hidden stinger.
Kisaragi's eyes turned to me.
Her face twisted violently. Shock, disgust, danger, fear—a cocktail of negativity consumed her.
When sudden crisis hits, people instinctively shield their faces with their hands. Her arm started rising.
When her forearm half-covered her face, my tail slipped between her arms.
The flexible tail neutralized her defense. Its tiny needle pierced her carotid artery.
"Ack?"
A short cry escaped her lips. She couldn't scream longer even if she wanted—the venom spread instantly, paralyzing her whole body.
Until the antidote kicked in, all she could do was breathe.
"... "
She collapsed in front of the sink. Face-down on the floor, she looked like a mannequin molded in her image.
I approached the woman barely breathing, her eyes trembling uncontrollably. My alien form—human-head-sized—dripped saliva. It loomed larger, revealing razor-sharp teeth.
What was she thinking right now?
Fear of the monster before her?
Rage at her predicament?
Or terror of death?
Didn't matter. Kisaragi Eugene was dead anyway.
Crunch.
My teeth sank into her neck.
The light faded from her eyes. Through my jaws, I felt her breathing slow.
'Farewell.'
My powerful jaws snapped her neck bone in one go. I shook my head while clamped, tearing her neck clean off.
Her short life ended there.
No more Mega Corp Noble Capital on this ship.
Just a decapitated woman's corpse.
Human blood flowed down my throat. On the biological conveyor belt of my gut, only the genetic data extracted.
The moment the info hit my brain, I knew.
One puzzle piece of my dormant potential had clicked into place.
Instinct told me: the genes making up my being could rearrange under evolution's spiral.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 'Hatchling → Juvenile' evolution conditions met. Proceed with evolution?
One agreement, and I'd start evolving right there. I was about to accept.
If not for my auxiliary organ blaring alarms.
🔮 PREDATOR SENSE 🔮
Guard hears Kisaragi collapse and enters.
His gun barrel points at me.
Bullet pierces my body.
I die.
'What the hell was that?'
Like reality filmed and fast-forwarded dozens of times, scenes flashed by. Without my enhanced senses, I couldn't have processed it.
'Predator Sense!'
What I'd seen was an incoming crisis. Predator Sense had foreseen and warned me of the future.
'So that's how it works?'
Showing future events like a movie. Incredibly powerful, except it only triggered in crises.
Either way, the guard was about to barge in. I leaped behind the door to hide.
In the future Predator Sense showed, only one guard attacked me. The other hadn't returned from the bathroom yet.
'Run?'
I spotted the vent on the opposite wall.
'No. No time.'
No way he'd miss me fleeing unless he was blind.
He couldn't learn of my existence. Even if Kisaragi died, it'd make evasion impossible.
'Take out the guard here too.'
Luckily, just one. Ambush, and he's dead.
My body shifted back to combat mode. Pressed tight against the bathroom door, it began inching open.
Through the gap, I saw the tip of his military boot. Soon, his full body entered.
"Gasp!"
A startled voice.
His attention fixed on the bloodied corpse.
I lunged from behind the door.
My body latched onto his shoulder. I felt him jolt.
He should've raised his gun immediately—but didn't. Instead, he tried shaking me off.
Perfectly realistic reaction. Anyone would if a winged desert spider clung to them.
But in this situation, unwise.
The price of a wrong choice: death. His delay let my tail stab his ear.
My tail withdrew slowly from his pierced ear. With paralytic venom injected near the brain, he dropped dead instantly.
As he hit the floor, the bathroom door swung shut.
Minutes after Kisaragi's death, the unfamiliar guard met his end too.
Outside was quiet. No one saw the two deaths.
'Gotta hurry.'
His partner would return soon. I repositioned the vent grate and slipped out of the bathroom fast.
In case of unforeseen tracking, I didn't head straight home—took a winding route.
Back at the nest, I activated the text box.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 'Hatchling → Juvenile' evolution conditions met. Proceed with evolution?
The moment I'd waited for: evolution time.
One last scan of the surroundings, then I accepted.
Mucus for evolution poured from my body like water.
It enveloped me fully, hardening into a solid shell that layered into a chrysalis.
If anyone saw me, they'd think I was inside a cocoon or egg.
'Feels weird.'
Inside the chrysalis, an indescribable sensation. If I had to put it in words, something was 'different.'
The sense that I was becoming an entirely new being.
Mucus secreted within was reassembling me into something alien.
If I remembered fetal stages, it'd feel like this: aware of my mother's womb shaping me.
I wanted to open my eyes and see, but couldn't. I'd lost all control over my body since entering.
Was this sensation from fleshly nerves, or some mental entity perceiving the changes? No clue.
'No point overthinking. Just wait.'
I'd done all I could. I resolved to rest cozy in this chrysalis until evolution finished.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Ventilation duct above the cooling chamber.
Until recently, it brimmed with spores spewing contaminated air and foul fluids.
Once thick with filthy moisture, now it was bone-dry—impossible to imagine its former state.
Spores shriveled, mucus strands like spiderwebs crumbled like dry twigs.
In the ruined nest's center sat a boy-sized chrysalis.
Despite chill air rising from below, its surface was rough like desertified earth.
As if it'd absorbed all the ambient moisture.
Then the chrysalis trembled.
Something inside moved to emerge.
A few more shakes, cracks spiderwebbed the surface.
The shell fell away, black tendrils bursting out.
Human arm bones cloaked in black chitinous shell—alien, yet arms. At the ends, four long fingers like raptor talons.
Starting with the first arm, more burst through, shattering the chrysalis.
Finally, fully shed, it revealed itself.
Four long arms, two small ones near the chest, thick sturdy legs, a tail 1.5 times its body length. It opened its eyes.
The black being gazed down at itself with ash-gray glowing eyes.
"Grrrrowl..."
It chuckled in satisfaction.