Became an Evolving Space Monster

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 305

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"No movement detected inside."

"No movement? There should be at least two of them."

"It's possible there's a jamming device inside. Detection isn't functioning properly."

"Have you checked with the energy detection mode?"

"There's a faint trace of psychic energy coming from the underground, but it's unclear."

In front of the hover-bus station, 12 individuals clad in Megacorp made advanced exosuits and were having a suspicious conversation.

"A jamming device? I had my suspicions, and it seems I was right."

"Could they be cultists?"

"Even if they aren't, we need to make them look like cultists. That's the only way we can seize the slaves."

Within the Empire, cultists belonging to the Vortex One sect were met with severe punishment, regardless of their rank. Even the Staghorn Cult faced the loss of all rights and the severing of their horns if declared heretical.Naturally, their assets were also confiscated.

The Leopard-Headed Wolf often conducted illegal activities like this for its master, Arkadi. Framing rival cults as heretics was a crime even graver than actual cult activities, yet the Wolf had never been caught.

Partly thanks to Arkadi's power, but also due to the Wolf’s meticulous methods.

For instance, the Wolf ensured that no cultist equipment was ever used during illegal operations.

Instead, they relied on commonly available gear from Megacorp or Star Union. This gave the appearance that external troublemakers were responsible.

Even now, none of the equipment carried by those present was of cultist origin. The exosuits and weapons were from Megacorp, while the communication and detection devices were from Star Union.

"Activate stealth mode."

"Confirmed."

"Check communication status."

｢Communication is stable.｣

With a press of their exosuit pads, the bodies of the Leopard-Headed Wolf and its subordinates began to vanish. Nine faint red shadows moved toward the hover-bus station, while the remaining three stayed behind for sniping and support.

The nine entered the station cautiously. Inside, they found nothing but sand. Not only was the floor covered in sand, but the cracked, untended walls made it clear that no one could possibly live here.

If not for the footprints on the ground, they might have believed they had come to the wrong place.

"These footprints... Wolf, it’s clear they’re here."

Facing off with a female Wolf, the Leopard-Headed Wolf quickly identified the trail.

"Wait, what are these marks?"

In addition to cultist and Wolf footprints, there were other unusual traces:

Tracks as if a round object had dragged itself across, and tiny footprints resembling those of small spiders—marks not often seen.

"These look like animal tracks."

"They could be escaped animals from the market. Stay close; you never know when they’ll show up."

At the Wolf's command, the others regrouped. But as the Leopard-Headed Wolf counted his allies, something felt off.

'Eight?'

Nine had entered, but including himself, only eight were present now. The others began noticing the missing companion and grew uneasy.

"He was right behind us just moments ago!"

The Leopard-Headed Wolf tried to communicate but received no response. Even contacting the two snipers stationed outside the building yielded nothing.

'They couldn’t have been taken out in such a short time.'

"Where did you last see him?"

"Over there!"

Following the indicated direction, they approached a large pile of sand in a corner. Amidst the heap, they found a discarded gauss rifle.

'No other traces… Wait.'

The Leopard-Headed Wolf noticed a strange disturbance in the sand. Then, from behind them, came the sound of shifting grains. All eight heads turned at once.

From the red sands rose a serpent, massive and coiled. It resembled a desert predator, the Redworm, but its lighter pinkish skin marked it as something else entirely.

Its many glinting eyes locked onto them, and the Leopard-Headed Wolf instinctively knew—Run.

The moment he moved, dozens of serpentine heads erupted from the sand. Those who failed to react in time were seized and dragged beneath the surface.

There were no screams.

The serpents acted too quickly, pulling their prey into the sand before a sound could escape. The sight of blood soaking the sand vividly conveyed the slaves' grim fate.

As five of them met this bloody end, the Leopard-Headed Wolf and two others managed to flee. Two ran deeper inside, while the Wolf headed outside.

"Snipers! Respond!"

He yelled into his communicator, but no answer came. Instead, an ominous flapping noise echoed from the blood-red sky above.

Sometimes close, sometimes distant. He glanced upward but saw no sign of wings.

Suddenly, a loud tearing sound came from the sand in front of the building. Something had fallen from the sky.

The Leopard-Headed Wolf’s eyes widened as he recognized the fallen object.

One of the snipers.

The body remained intact thanks to the exosuit, but the sniper’s condition was horrifying. Completely desiccated, as if all blood and moisture had been drained, leaving behind only a mummy-like husk.

"Damn it!"

He realized the building was compromised. His legs trembled as he forced himself to run.

He had to warn his master of the dangers lurking here. With his master's power, they could summon an army to cleanse this place of its monsters.

But the Leopard-Headed Wolf misunderstood one crucial thing.

Once inside the monsters' domain, his life was no longer his own. The predators never let their prey escape.

One of the new rulers of these ruins appeared to block his path.

Beneath the crimson sky, a golden spear gleamed brightly in the Wolf's grasp. Her white, hawk-like face was crowned with black horns resembling a warrior’s helm. Below her head was a body as sturdy as if forged from molten gold.

They had met earlier that day, but now she exuded a completely different aura. Standing tall with her spear against the sands, she seemed untouchable.

Without hesitation, the Leopard-Headed Wolf aimed his gauss rifle at her.

As his finger squeezed the trigger, she moved. The tungsten round barely missed her head.

'She dodged?'

He was cloaked in a stealth-enhanced exosuit. Unless she had a specialized detection device, there was no way she could see him.

The battle had already begun. As he hesitated, she rapidly closed the gap.

A second round left his rifle, aimed straight for her chest. At this range, dodging would be impossible.

The enemy's hand, gripping a spear, moved like lightning. A golden flash of electricity sliced through the incoming bullet. The split bullet whizzed past her and buried itself in the sand.

"What?!"

The man gaped in disbelief at the sight before him. The spear that had cut through the bullet was now thrusting toward his throat. He frantically raised his Gauss rifle to block, but his opponent was overwhelmingly faster.

"Ku... kuh…"

A thin stream of blood splattered onto the sand. A small hole had formed in the reinforced armor protecting his neck.

The leopard-headed wolf dropped his rifle and clutched at the wound, but it was futile. His life drained away as rapidly as water rushing through a breached dam.

｢What did you call me? A mere female slave?｣

Had he been enslaved for so long that he'd forgotten even the most primal instincts?

The leopard-headed wolf locked eyes with her furious amber gaze and suddenly recalled a legend he'd heard as a child from his kin.

A tale of great gods who had fallen.

The one standing before him was no slave.

She was the goddess of the hunt.

“Damn it! Why did we come this way?!”

“Shit!”

Two slaves, hoping to escape through the center to the exit on the opposite side, quickly regretted their choice. Every door was blocked by sand and debris.

The only open path led underground. With no other options, they reluctantly descended the stairs leading to the lower levels.

Unlike the floor above, the underground was illuminated.

The flickering, irregular lights cast eerie shadows on the exposed steel beams and wires of the ceiling and walls, amplifying their unease. The two slaves grew more tense with every step.

A fleeting thought crossed their minds—yet another poor choice—but it was too late to turn back. Guns raised, they pressed forward cautiously.

At the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves in a vast cavern. It was an unfinished subterranean space, connected by numerous passageways.

"There are too many paths. What now?"

"Let’s keep to the right and—"

They fell silent simultaneously. Both had heard something from the darkness enveloping the cavern.

Clank, clank. A rhythmic clashing of metal.

“…….”

Hands trembling, the slaves pressed the buttons on their wrist pads, switching their helmet displays to thermal imaging. Turning toward the source of the noise, they made their third and final mistake.

Amid the ashen thermal landscape, they spotted something lurking.

In the center of the cavern crouched a massive spider.

“Hi… hiiik!”

The short gasp of one of the slaves drew its attention. The spider, adorned with the head of a human woman, turned its head a full 180 degrees toward them.

"Two targets?"

Its cold, mechanical eyes moved like camera lenses, scanning the intruders.

"One will be eliminated."

The monstrous spider, which had been resting in the cavern, began to rise.

It didn’t take long for the screams echoing from the stairs to fall silent.

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[ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ (The massive mansion at the end of the street?)]

“Mansion. Mansion.”

As expected, the cult master’s slaves were quickly dealt with. From the lone survivor, PS-111 extracted information, transmitting it to me through MPS-05, revealing the location of their master.

Perched atop a building, I picked up MPS-05 and began moving toward the cult master's mansion.

When entering the "Clever Weakling" state, my body not only shrinks in size but also becomes significantly lighter. Combined with the "Stealthy Mobility" effect I acquired from Adhai's homeland, my footsteps were nearly silent.

Even as I darted across rooftops on four legs, my long tail swaying behind me, no one below seemed to notice. Even if someone did, they’d likely dismiss me as just another cult soldier stationed above.

Venturing deeper into the slave market, I saw, in the distance, walls that dwarfed even the buildings around them.

That must be it.

As I drew closer, I noticed that the mansion had been partially fortified. Surveillance cameras and detection systems adorned the walls, while Star Union-manufactured storm guns monitored from above.

But none of this matters before me.

I tensed the muscles in my four legs and powerfully kicked off the rooftop. Like a shell fired from a cannon, I soared swiftly through the air, clearing the wall.

Beyond the wall, an armed guard came into view. Dressed in reinforced suit armor and a poncho emblazoned with an overlapping triangle and rhombus, he was clearly from the cult’s elite “Warrior Corps.”

The patrolling guard failed to notice me landing silently behind him.

“Hm?”

A sound from directly behind him made the warrior react. Before he could turn his head, my tails moved.

The pincer at the end of my right tail swung and struck his head with tremendous force. The sound of a watermelon bursting echoed as his skull shattered. Before his body could collapse, the serpent-like left tail coiled around his torso.

Using all three of my heads, I quickly devoured the corpse. The cult’s distinctive sweet flavor filled my mouth, though there was no time to savor it now.

The heads on my shoulders ravenously tore into the body, while the central head licked up the blood. Inside me, the Mimicry Organ absorbed the newly acquired genetic data and began reconstructing a completely different pheromone profile.

From this moment forward, I was no longer a bombardier for the Surveillance Corps. I was now a guard from the Cult’s Warrior Corps.

Though my own eyes see no change.

I strode forward with MPS-05 in hand. Passing through the lush, expansive garden within the walls, I was greeted by a mansion resembling a pyramid.

Around the mansion were other cult members dressed identically to the guard I had consumed. Ignoring their glances, I approached the building. Some tilted their heads at me but showed no other reaction.

The guards at the entrance, however, were a different matter. Two cultists blocking the doorway stepped forward to stop me.

“You’re not assigned to the mansion, are you?”

“They said to inspect the new specimens.”

“Ugh. Get in, then. Quickly.”

The two guards clicked their tongues and opened the door, acting as if this were a routine occurrence.

And so, without any resistance, I entered the mansion.

Now, where would you be?

I activated the Auxiliary Organ beneath my jaw to survey the mansion’s interior. Despite the late hour, the place was bustling with activity—likely slaves and guards.

So, I searched for the opposite: a place with little movement. That arrogant master wouldn’t be working late into the night.

The Auxiliary Organ began analyzing the mansion’s airflow, sounds, and scents. Soon, it identified a peculiar movement emanating from a single location on the topmost floor.

Found you.

Unlike the bustling movements of others, the stillness here was unmistakable—it could only be someone asleep. With my target identified, I stepped into the elevator.

Upon reaching the top floor, the doors slid open to reveal an ornate doorway, heavily influenced by cult aesthetics. Two armed cult guards stood vigilant at their posts.

“You’re not assigned here, are you?”

“The master wishes to inspect the new specimen,” I replied, repeating the same excuse from the entrance.

This time, their response was different.

“Alkadi retired to his chambers over an hour ago.”

“And there were no orders about bringing any specimens.”

“Oh, really?”

It would have been better if they’d let it slide. Pity. They made the wrong choice.

With a swift motion, my right tail lashed out, striking one guard, while my combat arm restrained the other before he could call for reinforcements.

“Ugh!”

“Gah—?!”

The guard hit by my pincer folded at the waist like a snapped branch, crashing into the wall. The other flailed helplessly, his face caught in the crushing grip of my combat arm.

Even the battle-hardened Warrior Corps were utterly helpless, thanks to my mimicry organ. The pheromones it emitted disrupted their senses, preventing them from perceiving my true form.

To them, my extra tails, arms, and heads were invisible. From their perspective, attacks like this felt as though they came from nowhere—a phantom assault.

“Y-you… what are you—?”

I clenched my hand, shattering the cultist’s skull. His horns and cranium crumpled, and the viscous contents within coated my palm.

With the nuisance dealt with, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The source of my irritation lay oblivious to the chaos outside, peacefully asleep. I set MPS-05 down and crawled onto the lavishly adorned bed.

Sensing my presence, the target stirred, opening his eyes. They widened in shock at the sight of me.

Before he could react, my combat arm shot out, seizing his head in an unyielding grip.

“……!”

The Cultist’s expression shifted from confusion to terror. Why was a Warrior Corps soldier here? Why couldn’t he move his body?

I deactivated my mimicry organ, revealing my true form. Leaning close, I whispered into his ear, my voice low and chilling.

“Weren’t you prepared to pay a price beyond your imagination?”

“?!”

His entire body trembled. Was it regret for his actions? Or fear of facing a monster in his once-safe haven?

It didn’t matter what he felt.

What mattered was how much he could offer me in exchange for his life.

Whether he was willing or not was irrelevant.

He would give me everything.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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