Chapter 168: 168
Ep. 168
Early in the morning I came up to the nest with my heavenly mother.
A significant amount of snow had accumulated overnight on the block of ice placed above the entrance to the nest. After clearing away the chunks of ice, I waited for a moment in the passage through the ice.
Heavenly Mother went out before me. This is so that she, who has better vision than me, can see if there is anything dangerous in the sky.
After looking at it for a few minutes, she waved the lion's tail to signal that it was safe.
After clearing away the snow and ice, I went up and saw that the scenery had not changed at all from before I came in yesterday.
The difference is that the snow wind that is so sharp that it tears off bare skin has stopped. Thanks to this, Heavenly Mother was feeling less cold than yesterday.
'But I can't stay for long.'
When I looked up, it was still full of clouds. We had to hurry because we didn't know when snow and hail might fall again.
"What did you say you had to get?"
｢Winter Walker is the heart of ice horror.｣
Winter Walker and ice horror. Both are creatures that only live in the polar regions of ice planets or terrestrial planets.
Adhai also knew about creatures that looked similar to the two animals. He said he saw Winter Walker himself and heard about Ice Horror from another Gallagon.
'It's fortunate that both of them are on this planet…'
Although there are difficult attack conditions such as the cold environment, the specifications of the two creatures are by no means poor. Among them, Ice Horror is a particularly powerful enemy.
"It won't be easy."
"huh. "Winter Walker is okay, but Ice Horror is the problem."
That's exactly what she said. Ice horrors are one of the most dangerous predators in cold regions.
Although it is weaker than Sea Demon or Black Gallagon, which are treated as semi-raid bosses, it is considered a difficult enemy due to its unique habits and superior gang specs. I also had the experience of failing several times while trying to catch a guy in the game.
'But there are four of us.'
It is a combination of Gallagon Sea Demon Aimorph Semi-Adult Deification Wolff. If we join forces, we will be able to defeat him.
'I have to catch Ice Horror anyway.'
In my case, to go from sub-adult to adult, I need to hunt 30 powerful creatures classified as APEX. Ice Horror is classified as Apex, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to take this opportunity to count one.
"The question is where to find him."
"yes. "Because it doesn't walk on the ground."
Rather than wandering around looking for food, the Ice Horror has the habit of digging traps within its territory and hunting creatures that enter it. To put it simply, it can be said to be a spider that lives in cold regions.
'It looks very different, though.'
Anyway, it takes quite some time to find ice horror.
It lives wherever there is food, but is a master of stealth. I'm pretty good at hiding, but I'm nothing compared to that guy. They decorate their territory and traps so convincingly that it is impossible to confirm unless you get close.
'If it's close, it's worth trying to lure it in.'
If it isn't nearby, you may have to travel very far.
"Ice horror takes a long time, so let's find Winter Walker first."
"That's a good idea."
Heavenly Mother made the same judgment as me.
Unlike Ice Horrors, Winter Walkers are creatures that actively hunt. It is said to be wandering around so often that even Aadhai has seen it, so you should be able to find it quickly.
After setting our goal, we ran through a plain full of snow and ice.
A golden griffon runs next to me as I crawl through the ice and snowdrifts.
The sapphire pendant around her mane and neck swayed wildly in the winter wind. On the lioness's body beneath the mane, the muscles hidden under the fur stood out. Her movements were very agile, as if her dense muscles were not just decoration.
She moved as fast as the wind, but I was no slouch either.
The six fighting arms became legs and pulled my body forward, shattering the ice on the ice. From behind, the tail and blunt claws scattered throughout the body pushed the massive body forward.
It was a noisy movement compared to her walking on the air, but the speed was fast.
Moving as fast as a high-speed train, we quickly got closer to the mountain range.
The black mountains perched on the white horizon felt like a structure built by an unknown being. The nature that created that mountain is also a transcendent being, so my feelings may be true.
Along with the amazing scenery, the black mountains had a strong scent of life. Long trees were growing densely on the hard-packed soil.
Perhaps because they were plants grown in a special environment called a cold region, the trees all had similar appearances. The trunk was long and thin, but the branches became more complex as it went up. The branches were intertwined with other trees and held each other tightly.
It may be a form adapted to the environment here, where strong winds blow frequently.
'I have to be careful.'
If there is a forest, it means there is plenty of food. It is a good environment for winter walkers and gallagons to roam around in search of food.
I slowed down and moved while concentrating on my auxiliary organs. Heavenly Mother, who was next to her, also walked while keeping an eye on her surroundings.
The four auxiliary organs under the chin wriggled and grazed the ground as if licking. Every time that happened, the things happening around here flowed through my organs and into my brain.
'Based on the vibrations felt from the ground, there are two or three enemies.'
Looking at the intensity of the vibration, it seemed to be a bit far away, but there was something unusual. The vibrations were intertwined with each other and then falling and repeating.
What does this mean?
'fight.'
I lifted my head off the ground.
As long as you feel the movement of the presumed target creature in the forest, you must move quietly from now on. Instead of using my mimicry organ to make a voice, I used the monster's tentacles to call out to the Heavenly Mother.
"There's a fight up front?"
[Zuzuzu zuzu (just keep the distance)]
"I should check, right?"
Judging by the vibrations they felt, they were both land animals. Since Gallagon was capable of flight, the vibrations would have been felt more sparsely than now.
Heavenly Mother and I moved carefully, following the vibrations.
As we got closer to the epicenter, we heard the sound of trees breaking and the howling of animals in the distance.
That low sound, similar to the sound a tiger makes when it growls, is the sound of the Winter Walker. He's fighting his prey.
We stopped moving when we heard the sound. Because if I get closer from here, they will notice the sound of me moving from over there.
"I'll check from above."
The Mother of Heaven climbed up the tree with light movements.
The trees here are not strong enough for me to climb on. I placed the auxiliary machine on the ground again and overheard the sounds and vibrations of the enemies.
'The enemies that Winter Walker faces are small and agile.'
The size seems to be roughly similar to that of the Mother of Heaven, and the legs are…
'between eight and nine.'
As far as I know, no living thing on the ice planet has eight legs. It may be a creature with hundreds of legs or no legs at all.
'Is this a species I don't know about?'
At that time, the Mother of Heaven, who had finished scouting, jumped from the tree.
[Zuzu (Did you see it?)]
"One side is Winter Walker. "The other one is…"
She hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"It looks like a Screamer."
[Z(What?)]
Why is Star Union's mechanical monster Screamer here? If what she said is true, it means that this is Star Union territory.
'How many of Star Union's ships have been swallowed? 'I've never seen a route that leads this far.'
[Zuzuz (Are you sure?)]
"To be honest, I'm not sure. "Winter Walker is fighting a creature that resembles a Screamer."
I guess I'll have to see it in person to find out. Me and her moved again.
Running through the trees, there was Winter Walker and a mysterious monster.
No, I will correct it. It is said to be a monster that resembles the 'decapitated' corpse of Winter Walker and a Screamer.
"Hostile creatures eliminated."
The guy standing on the empty lot that had become a sea of blood was the first monster I had ever seen, even after playing the game for a long time.
'That's a screamer?'
It was the same as the Screamer in that it had a human head and torso attached to a tube and a metal mechanical tail and crawled on the ground on six legs made of a metal skeleton, but there were more differences.
Simply put, it looks less machine-like than the original.
A regular screamer has a tube inserted into their mouth, so instead of speaking, a mechanical device makes the sound for them.
On the other hand, there was no tube connected to the guy's mouth and his mouth was exposed. He was able to make sounds at will and did not make any harsh breathing sounds caused by the tube.
The face was fine except for being as pale as a human face, but starting from the back of the head, it had a biomechanical appearance with a tangle of living tissue and tube mechanisms. Unlike the Screamer, where there was a clear distinction between the machine and the bare body, there was no such distinction in the bastard's body.
The same was true for the eight legs extending from the body. Legs with red muscles and tubes intertwined on a metal skeleton. Instead of feet, three sharp alloy claws sprouted from under the long, thin legs.
If the original screamer reminded me of a scorpion, the one in front of me was a shaman spider. A hybrid spider created by mixing living things and machines.
'It's not just the appearance that's threatening.'
Winter Walker died with his head cut off. If he killed Winter Walker single-handedly, it means he had considerable skills.
However, it seems that he was not completely overwhelmed.
Two of the legs looked like they were not moving properly as the metal skeleton was greatly crushed, and dark red blood was flowing from the area around the body where the machinery and flesh were tangled together.
"Need to replenish insufficient energy. "Start self-supply."
After muttering that, it opened its mouth and began to eat the Winter Walker.
'There's no need to wait any longer.'
You just have to check his identity for yourself. Like Aimorph, in Aimov's way.
'If you eat it anyway, everything will come out.'
Heavenly Mother read my signs and immediately jumped up the tree. At the same time, I rushed towards the guy who was eating.
"Danger detected."
The guy who was focused on the meat read my surprise attack without even looking at me. It leaped into the air in the same posture it was eating. I rushed out like a runaway truck and hit Winter Walker's body.
"Confirmation of hostile creatures. Overpower…."
"Where!"
The spider monster was trying to shout something from above, but could not achieve its goal.
This is because the Mother of Heaven, who rushed out from between the trees, swung her front paw at the bastard's head. The guy's neck was bent to a bizarre degree and he narrowly avoided the attack.
"Tch!"
The Mother of Heaven landed, regretting that the attack had failed. The spider monster, which avoided all of our ambushes, landed on the ground and immediately widened its distance.
'Isn't it a screamer?'
A Screamer would have attacked me as soon as I got my bearings, but he didn't. He nodded and glared at the two of us as if he were searching.
"Hostile creature 2 confirmed. Left creature. 89% match with special target C type. "The one on the right…"
When he saw me, his red eyes widened. It stared at me with blood-red eyes and bobbed its head menacingly.
"75% consistent with set goals. Main controller 'Pira Eleven' command delay. Requires own judgment. Target suppression begins."
The guy who was talking incomprehensibly lowered his body and took a fighting stance.
I also prepared to attack without taking my eyes off its movements.
I don't know if it's really a Screamer or a new type of weapon. However, if the guy is a screamer, the problem becomes more serious.
'The possibility of Screamer walking here alone is close to zero.'
There is a very high possibility that he has reinforcements somewhere that I don't know about. Since there is a Gallagon nest on this planet, it is likely that they entered as an elite few, but that does not mean they can be at ease.
'I need to sort it out quickly and make a decision.'
The moment I thought that, it leapt like lightning and rushed at me.
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