Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 299:

‘That was close.’

I almost got caught. Thanks to the perfect timing, I managed to board the battleship successfully.

I’ve snuck into places before, even to take down the Berzan02, but I’d never seen such a thorough search before.

‘And the detection systems have been upgraded.’

They were using all sorts of detection equipment and psychic power techniques to pierce through the "Dark Veil". If I had stayed in my adult form, there’s a high chance I would’ve been detected.

While the Dark Veil disrupted the enemy’s detection network, I used the ability ‘Organic Evolution’ to change my body into an entirely different form. I reduced my size to under 5 meters and transformed into ‘Clever Weakling’, which provided a cloaking effect.

‘Is this the first time I’ve transformed into a Clever Weakling after becoming an adult?’

Hanging on the outer wall of the massive warship, I checked my new form.

My body resembled a centaur's when I last transformed into a Clever Weakling. Even now, the general shape was similar after evolving into my adult form. Two battle arms and a smaller set of arms around my chest remained, but the rest of my arms had transformed into legs. My entire body was covered in dense fur.

The difference now was in my head and neck. Before I transformed, I had long, extended necks, but after transforming, they had shortened considerably. In particular, the two heads on either side were pressed tightly against my shoulders, and the necks were nearly invisible.

Both heads had a common trait: the backplate had greatly shrunk. The head armor was gone, but the secondary organs, fangs, and horns underneath the jaw remained intact. The tentacles attached to the neck and back of the heads flowed down between the fur, tangled like hair.

The other noticeable change was in my tail.

I still had two tails, but they had become thinner and shorter. The biological cannon attached to the left tail had disappeared, and it had transformed into a snake-like tail. The right tail, which had pincers, had shrunk in size.

‘Now that I’m inside the shield...’

I reverted the shape of my horn, which I had used to pierce through the shield before. The horns that had once been sharp and angular like a Gallagon’s now curved and thickened. This was the result of the ‘Transformable Bio-Weapon’ ability, which allowed me to change parts of my body at will.

‘Gallagon’s horns can neutralize psychic shields.’

Thanks to that, I was able to pierce through the shield even with my smaller form.

‘If the horns had disappeared after I transformed, that would’ve been a real problem.’

The only special abilities that can’t be used while in the Clever Weakling form are ‘Nightmare Horizon’, ‘Complex Spectrum’,‘Black Devourer Cannon’, and ‘Medusa Organs’. Additionally, the absence of wings in this form meant I couldn’t use any abilities related to FTL travel.

The Transformable Bio-Weapon ability was also limited. Since my headplate had been drastically reduced and my wings were gone, I couldn’t change into things like the Ice Horror’s headplate or the Gallagon’s wings.

‘Some parts can’t be changed, but at least this is something.’

As I checked my horns, I noticed Mother of the Sky quietly pulling her head out from beneath my legs.

?You know what happens if you get caught between the shield while it’s being restored, right??

[???? ???(You’d get sliced in half.)]

?You might survive getting cut, but that’s the end for me, you know??

Taking the form of a gryphon, she had hidden herself between my four legs to avoid detection by the fleet’s systems.

[?? ?? ??(You were lucky.)]

?Lucky? Didn’t you calculate everything earlier??

[????? ?? ?? ????(That’s just how I put it. Let’s start moving.)]

?Ugh.?

She shot me a scornful look with her captivating amber eyes before crawling back under my body.

We synchronized our movements, staying close to the outer wall as we moved.

The Clever Weakling’s ability, ‘Alien Fur Cloak’, provided a cloaking effect through the long fur covering my entire body.

She didn’t have any cloaking abilities herself, so I had to cover her and protect her as we moved. If she ventured beyond the protection of my fur, she would be detected by the external cameras, so we had to move slowly.

[ZZZZ ZZ (Doesn’t it feel cramped?)]

?I’m fine. What about you, aren’t you uncomfortable??

[ZZ (Not really.)]

For a while, she would remain in her beastman form. To compensate for the lack of combat strength, she had brought the necessary equipment. In the backpack strapped to her back were the Priest's Golden Spear and the MPS-05.

Thanks to that, the short, folded spear poked my front legs, but it wasn’t enough to be worth worrying about.

Between the black sky and ivory-colored ground, she and I walked together.

One of the unique features of the Cult's ships is their extravagant decorations and beautiful colors. The ship we boarded reflected the typical traits of a Cult vessel. The hull, made of Moon Silver alloy, gleamed brightly in ivory, and geometric patterns covered its surface.

These patterns weren’t merely for decoration. Beneath the surface, the intricate designs hid mechanical components. The decorations on Cult ships served a functional purpose: they acted as devices to amplify the psychic power capabilities of shields and other systems.

‘Including the external cameras, of course.’

Avoiding the lenses camouflaged by the complex patterns, I continued to search for a passage that would allow me to enter the ship.

‘It should be around here somewhere.’

While walking with my body lowered, I noticed a part of the Auxiliary Organ that protruded slightly.

‘Found it.’

At first glance, it didn’t look any different from the other parts of the outer wall, but inside, there was an empty space. This was a spot used for anti-aircraft guns necessary for small ship defense.

‘Let’s enter here.’

I transformed my right arm into a Hellside Hornet's arm. The joints twisted, and four fingers were sucked into the exoskeleton, folding inward. A massive bone, resembling a scythe, emerged where the palm used to be.

Now, in my hand, I held the terrifyingly sharp scythe of a Helside Hornet. I thrust the scythe’s tip into the exposed section.

The plywood covering the anti-aircraft gun sparked and cracked open. I wedged my front legs and left arm into the gap and pried it open.

Despite the difficulty, there was enough space for Mother of the Sky to slip through. She quickly read my intent and darted inside.

After sending her in, I forced the plywood open further and followed her in. As soon as I let go, the plywood automatically closed behind me.

Inside the ship, the first thing I saw was an anti-aircraft gun about the size of my body. Next, I noticed the stunned face of a Cult marksman behind the gun barrel.

He was staring at us, seemingly confused. Judging by the cup in his hand, it seemed like he had just stepped out for a break and was coming back.

“Wha…!”

His eyes widened in surprise as his body began to move. The drink cup fell from his hand, and his hand reached up to grab something else—a headset communication device hanging from his horn.

At that moment, Mother of the Sky thrust the Priest’s Golden Spear at lightning speed. The golden spear pierced his throat, and all that could be heard from his mouth was the sound of wind.

“…Hah!”

His suffering was brief. I used my scythe-arm to decapitate him and held his head aloft. I removed the communication device caught on his horn and swallowed the remaining head whole.

?15th Gun. What’s going on??

I answered the softly transmitted voice coming from the communicator.

“It’s nothing. There seems to have been a malfunction in the protective barrier.”

?A malfunction??

“The shield was damaged and collided with a meteorite.”

?I see. Make sure to report it to the knowledge manager.?

“Understood.”

After finishing the conversation, I shut off the communicator.

Mother of the Sky, who was standing beside me, let out a relieved sigh.

?Of all the times to run into a marksman…?

“Tell me about it.”

To eliminate the evidence, I began devouring the headless corpse.

Perhaps due to the three heads, the food in my hand disappeared in an instant. There was no trace left where the Cult marksman had been.

?What was that, again? The camouflage organs, right? They’re always so creepy.?

“This thing’s incredibly useful.”

?...Forget I said anything. Anyway, we’ve arrived, so take it.?

“Thanks.”

She took out a mini-Screamer, about twice the size of a human face, from her backpack. The MPS-05, as it was called, contained interstellar communication devices separated from the Screamer support lines.

‘That’s why it’s a bit larger than the others.’

However, perfectly implanting the communicator into this small body was impossible, even for it. Sending signals to far-off devices like Gigacrackers, located on the other side of dozens or hundreds of star systems, was no easy feat.

So, for now, it was hiding on an asteroid in a neighboring star system near the Aurus system. The distance was manageable for the mini-Screamer to maintain communication, as it had calculated.

I rotated my arm back to its original form and took the mini-Screamer from her.

Like a princess from a fairy tale, it was in a dormant state, its eyes closed. The lack of response was because it had entered sleep mode.

Thanks to the interstellar communication function that had been implanted, MPS-05 could receive commands from the main body, even from a great distance. However, if it tried to operate within the ship, the emitted signals could easily be detected by enemies.

To prevent this, I had implanted two special traits into it.

‘Neural Junction and Wave Mimicry.’

Wave Mimicry, an environmental adaptation trait, was something I already had, while Neural Junction was an internal organ trait I had acquired when disturbing the Gallagon’s underground kingdom. Without these two traits, I wouldn't have even considered bringing it along.

I followed the method PS-111 had outlined for me.

‘First, connect the circuits and supply power.’

As I tore out the chair in front of the anti-aircraft gun, I found neatly arranged cables beneath the plywood. I separated a portion with my small arm and connected it to the port on the back of MPS-05's head.

‘Next…’

While I worked, Mother of the Sky kept watch for any approaching presence.

After connecting all the cables and mechanical devices to it, I inserted my finger into the creature’s mouth.

Unlike humans, it had a dry interior, and when I pressed a manual switch, MPS-05 began to tremble.

?Is it done??

“It needs a little more time.”

I had set it up so that when MPS-05 received energy, the Neural Junction would activate automatically. The trembling was caused by its body being tuned to match the ship’s systems.

‘Along with that, Wave Mimicry should be setting up too.’

It was analyzing and mimicking the various signals and waves emitted by the ship to ensure it could communicate with the outside without being detected. Unless the Machine Council directly analyzed every signal, finding MPS-05's mimicked signal would be nearly impossible.

‘As long as it has that trait, it won’t get caught.’

After about ten minutes, it opened its eyes. The red camera lenses blinked several times before focusing on me and Mother of the Sky.

“Link. Confirmed.”

“Success.”

?Well, that works, huh??

“It’s a special one.”

“Special! Special!”

With that, the preparations for the Berzan 02 infiltration mission were complete.

Now, the remaining task was to search through the ship’s stored information to find a suitable vessel for entering Berzan 02 safely.

For this, I needed two things.

‘Computer hacking, and…’

The knowledge manager. He was necessary.

The Knowledge Manager, a position unique to the Cult, is both a living computer and a repository of knowledge. Especially for those aboard ships that monitor star systems, a Knowledge Manager would likely possess invaluable insight into Berzan 02's defense systems.

‘And, they should also have information about the planet's internal affairs.’

What are its weaknesses? Which enemies or factors should I be concerned about? What has changed since the game?

All of these are essential pieces of information for the planetary conquest. While the immediate goal is to meet with the 22nd, it wouldn't hurt to gather intelligence on the invasion in advance.

“Leave the computer work to you. I’m counting on you.”

“Leave it to me. It’s possible.”

The next target for me and Mother of the Sky is the Knowledge Manager aboard the ship.