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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 352
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In the world of Space Survival, countless creatures exist. The number of animals discovered and cataloged by players alone is in the thousands, and when you include plants, fungi, and other entities, that number multiplies several times over.
The Outspacers, among these numerous NPCs, are one of the few species confirmed to have come from another universe.
Their unique mechanisms such as the entire colony being under the control of a queen and their habit of consuming other creatures to assimilate their traits are a result of their origin from a different universe.
However, if they were merely alien and strange, they would never have adapted to this universe.
Like other creatures, Outspacers prefer planets rich in resources. A diverse ecosystem and the organic material needed to generate energy are essential for quickly growing their colonies.
Of course, planets teeming with life are often already conquered by or on the verge of being taken over by intelligences like humans, cyborgs, or cults. Settling in such places, the colony is often doomed to be destroyed by raiding forces before it can even begin to grow.
In this regard, the Outspacer queen, who settled on the barren planet OW-33 in the Z-10 system, can be seen as both fortunate and unfortunate.
The planet where she was born is off the radar of the great powers, but it is far from being an ideal place for growth.
Outspacers migrate to another habitat once they have consumed all the resources of a planet. If they do not accumulate enough energy for migration before the planet dies, the colony collapses. The queen of OW-33, too, was one of the many individuals struggling with scarce resources, on the verge of dying out.
Had she not possessed superior intelligence compared to other queens, she would certainly have perished.
Now, 40 years after her birth, she leads the largest colony of Outspacers.
Known as ‘Her Majesty’ by her subordinates and the queens of other colonies, she finds herself now on her homeworld. Once a remote and ancient planet, it has now been fully corrupted, both its surface and its interior.
The one responsible for this corruption remains deep within the planet, conversing with an old companion.
｢How long must we wait? How long must we watch our people die?｣
A massive computer, looted from the Star Union, is embedded in a sticky, membranous surface. Thin, long tentacles rise from the surrounding membrane, connecting the computer to a diamond-shaped monument.
When the nest’s owner inputs a message into the computer with its tentacle, the monument glows red.
｢Message received.｣
Soon after, the other party’s message is transmitted via the monument.
｢You say there is little time left? You said the same when our people died last time. Yet look at the result. Olivia, who devoted herself to your plan, lost her life as well.｣
The monument and the computer relay the Queen’s anger to the recipient. The monument flashes briefly and then falls silent.
After a moment, the monument glows again as it transmits the response from the other party. The Queen, upon reading the message, seethes with frustration.
｢You tell me to be patient? Patience? I’ve lived in this alien female body for 40 years. How much longer must I endure?｣
｢Message received.｣
｢He’s completely beyond our expectations. The more our people die, the stronger he becomes. Do you still believe he’s controllable? I cannot understand this.｣
｢Message received.｣
｢Very well. We’ll do our best. My patience, too, is reaching its limit.｣
｢Message received.｣
｢Communication terminated.｣
Once the contact is cut off, the tentacles connected to the monument and the computer detach.
‘...Beom-ho.’
The individual she had just communicated with was the leader of the Return Faction, Beom-ho.
All of the Return Faction’s plans originated from his mind. If everything went according to plan, he would be able to return to the homeland he yearned for.
‘The problem is, things are not going as planned.’
There had already been two major setbacks recently. As a result, two valuable members of their people had lost their lives.
Yet Beom-ho insisted that the overall plan was still on track. The deaths of their people were unfortunate, but if the plan succeeded, everything could be restored.
In truth, no one in the Return Faction longed to return home more than the Queen herself.
The only Outspacer that players can choose to play as is the Queen. She is the only one who has experienced a complete transformation changing not just her species, but also her gender.
He, who had the identity of a 34-year-old German man, had lived as a monster queen for an additional 40 years in this other world. Over the course of those years, he had produced countless offspring. No matter how many new bodies were created, the fundamental concept of the queen as the mother of the legion could not be removed.
He had no intention of living this way until his death, so he had put in a lot of effort to reach the ending on his own. If not for Beomho, who had come to him 30 years ago, he would have already attempted to reach the ending by now.
‘Damn it. I never thought it would take this long.’
The queen knew that Beom-ho was right when he spoke of the need for patience. She understood that accomplishing the plan required a long time.
But now, the time she had spent as a monster mother had surpassed the time spent in her original human form. Her self-identity was strong, but how long it would last, no one knew.
‘I need to start preparing for the ending now...’
Just as she was lost in thought, a red light flickered on the monument.
Thinking it might be Beom-ho, she checked, but it wasn’t. Someone had sent a communication to all those who possessed the communication monument.
‘Who is it?’
Previously, Jason from the Ruling Faction had sent messages in this way. Of course, she hadn’t responded to such trivial messages from someone ranked 10th, as they were of no interest.
But this time, it was different. The one who had sent the message was someone far stronger than someone ranked 10th.
‘Rank 3?’
The CEO of Megacorp, one of the major powers that dominate the universe.
The leader of the Ruling Faction, who had built a force as powerful as the queen’s.
Akira Eugene was calling upon the rankers.
----
"Li Zhao, what are the results of the JS prototype experiment?"
The Mercury Weapon Research Station, one of the seven families of Megacorp, Chloe Garmelda was receiving a report from another family’s researcher in her family’s residential quarters.
｢It’s quite interesting. The combat ability, flexibility, and psychic power adaptation are all outstanding. Even in its current state, it is expected to show strategic utility exceeding that of the Green Gallagon.｣
The new model of the Screamer, created by adding a new material, was nearing completion.
Li Zhao, the lead researcher who had worked alongside Chloe on the Screamer development project, was currently conducting the final experiment in the Zhao family’s colony.
"Not bad. But it’s not perfect, right? What are the downsides?"
｢Its combat intelligence is lower than the PS model. It lacks sufficient learning ability, making it vulnerable to unexpected situations.｣
"So, in short, it’s dumber than the previous model?"
｢That’s correct.｣
"Hmm."
Chloe tapped the armrest of her levitating chair with her finger. Quickly organizing her thoughts, she spoke to the hologram of Li Zhao.
"Actually, this works out well. They had pointed out low autonomy as a flaw over there too. It’s a relief that we don’t have to manually lower the intelligence."
｢Understood. I will continue the experiment as planned.｣
"Good work. Please send me the related files. I’ll run them through Garmelda’s simulation program for inspection."
｢I’ve already sent them.｣
"Great. Oh, and please thank the head of the Zhao family for letting us borrow the experiment facility."
｢Of course. I’ll contact you again soon.｣
The handsome Asian man bowed his head, and the hologram ended.
"When I heard about Cynthia’s death, I was wondering how things would turn out, but things are going well."
She hummed a tune as she pressed the buttons on her levitating chair. The files sent by Li Zhao were synced with the computer in her space and played back as a hologram.
Just as she was about to check the floating graphs and data, a flash of red light appeared from the floor. She turned her gaze and saw that the diamond-shaped monument with connected wires had lit up.
"Huh? Is it Jubaka?"
The fact that he, who always claimed to be busy, had contacted her this time made Chloe furrow her brow as she checked the monument.
“Ugh, it’s that old man, isn’t it?”
The one who called was Akira Yujin, the CEO of Megacorp.
Since Jason's death, Chloe hadn’t communicated with Akira through the monument. She hesitated, wondering whether to ignore him or not, before deciding to activate the monument.
"Old man, long time no see. I heard you've been busy lately. What’s up?"
｢Oh, Chloe, is it you? How have you been?｣
"Well, you know, I’ve been busy playing with toys on Mercury... Huh?"
As Chloe spoke in a playful tone toward Akira’s monument, other monuments began to activate one by one.
｢Akira, I’m a busy person. Don’t waste time with nonsense.｣
｢Is this monument even working properly? Hey, can you hear me?｣
From the newly activated monuments, Chloe recognized the voices of two men: one was a dignified voice of a man, and the other was the voice of a playful young man.
"What’s this? Jubaka and the brat? Who called for us?"
｢Jubaka and Shino-kun were called by me, Chloe.｣
｢Oh, Chloe. Long time no see. How many years has it been? Two? Three? Time in space just makes everything feel so vague. By the way, I just remembered something. The other day, I visited a planet and...｣
｢...Hey, you brat. Shut up. Akira, why are you suddenly calling the members together?｣
｢Don’t rush. There are still others to join us.｣
As soon as those words were spoken, a dust-covered monument rose into the air.
Chloe was taken aback as she saw a monument that had never lit up before now activate.
‘Could it be that monument?’
｢Daring to call me... You’ve got guts, Rank 3.｣
｢Heh, long time no see, Rank 4.｣
The final participant was the greatest force of the Return Faction, the Rank 4 Outspacer ranker, who opposed the Ruling Faction.
---
Thanks to her conversation with Isabel, Chloe now had a new goal.
However, there were still things to take care of, which was why she and her group had come to the planet where Adhai’s faction was staying.
This planet, referred to as the ‘White Stone’ by the Gallagons, is covered by a thick ice layer ranging from dozens to hundreds of kilometers. It appears lifeless, but if one breaks through the ice and descends below, a unique ecosystem unfolds.
Beneath the frozen sky, the planet is teeming with plants that resemble giant versions of mushrooms and rainbow grasses. Nearby, animals adapted to subterranean life scurry about.
After passing through the vast underground plant colonies, a long rift valley appears. The Gallagons can be found in the misty area created by an acidic river flowing through the valley.
Near the rift, among the clusters of plants resembling oyster mushrooms, Adhai introduced the new arrivals to her kin.
｢Cute little dwarfs｣｢Eggs｣｢Protection｣｢We’ll help｣
Forty Coldbloods, members of the Coldblood faction, bowed before Ham Ort, the beautiful female Gallagon with obsidian scales.
The Coldbloods were all wearing Megacorp-made powered suits, making them quite tall, but to the Gallagons, who were dozens of meters in size, they still looked like mere dwarfs. Ham Ort gazed down at the new visitors with cold eyes.
｢Dwarfs｣｢Raiders｣｢All｣｢Must kill｣
｢Reject｣｢Cute dwarfs｣｢Kind｣
｢Dwarfs｣｢Lies｣｢Competent｣｢Kin｣｢Dangerous｣
｢Negation｣｢Cute dwarfs｣｢Family｣｢Will protect｣｢Sworn to it｣
｢Family?｣
Ham Ort’s gaze turned toward Chloe. Chloe nodded in response, locking eyes with the Gallagon’s gem-like purple eyes.
｢Dwarfs｣｢Adhai’s mate｣｢Offspring?｣
｢Negation!｣｢Absolutely not｣｢Negation!｣
[ZZZZ ZZZZ (They are family to our new friend)]
Ham Ort tilted her head, alternately looking at Chloe and Adhai. After a moment, she seemed to come to an understanding and nodded in approval.
｢Adhai’s companion｣｢friend｣｢fellow of the same kind｣｢friend.｣
[ZZ (Yes)]
Since the acting leader, Ham Ort, has accepted, the Gallagons no longer need to fear that the Coldbloods will attack recklessly.
The Coldbloods, who had been lying on the floor, cautiously stood up. The Mother of the Sky, who had transformed into a griffon-like beast, approached them and handed over a mechanical device the size of a shoulder bag.
｢This is a translator made by PS-111, which analyzed Adhai's thought waves. I taught you how to use it before, but if you don't remember, feel free to ask now.｣
"Great friend of the Savior, we remember it perfectly."
｢If any issues arise...｣
The Mother of the Sky proceeded to teach the Coldbloods how to survive in the Gallagon nest.
In the four days since we arrived here, we made preparations for the Coldbloods to safely relocate.
‘To be precise, PS-111 did most of the work.’
While its main body was occupied with Isabel's coordination, MPS-01 remained behind to manage the planet and create equipment for the Coldbloods. Unlike MPS-05, which specializes in communications and hacking, MPS-01 is a mini-screamer specialized in equipment repair and modification.
Synced with its main body, MPS-01 repaired damaged fighter jets left on the Screamer support ship or created the Gallagon thought-wave translator. Thanks to me and Number 26 working diligently, the task was completed quickly.
‘Isabel’s coordination is almost done, too.’
｢Everyone is motivated, so I think we can rest easy.｣
I was thinking it was time to head to our next destination when the Mother of the Sky approached me.
｢Communication might still be an issue, but Ham Ort has offered to help with that, so I feel relieved.｣
[ZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (It would be better if you had more of those necklaces.)]
｢This?｣
Hearing my words, she pointed at the sapphire necklace around her neck with her finger.
The necklace that Muriel had forced her to wear after an attack was an item that didn’t exist in the game. Thanks to it, even in her transformed state as a divine beast, she could communicate with the Gallagons through thought waves.
｢As you know, this is something Subin... no, Muriel brought. If it’s something made by a player, it’s probably hard to mass-produce.｣
[ZZZ (What a shame.)]
｢Perhaps the one who manages the equipment of the Return Wave might have more of them.｣
[ZZZ ZZZZ (That would be nice.)]
The next destination in my mind is the planet Asuka-44, where they say the manager of the Return Wave’s equipment is hiding.
‘It’s a volcanic-type planet, right?’
Coincidentally, there are also Apex creatures that can be found on volcanic planets. It would be perfect to collect their traits while hunting down the Return Wave’s rankers.
[ZZ ZZZZ (Shall we head back then?)]
｢Great one｣｢Me｣｢I’ll listen.｣
[ZZZ (Alright.)]
Adhai, likely wanting to check on her fellow Gallagons in the nest, left with Ham Ort for the canyon. After I loaded the Coldbloods onto my back, I spread my winged arms wide. I could feel the Coldbloods gripping the scales on my back, tightening their hold. The eldest Coldblood, despite his fear, thanked me.
"Great three-headed dragon, thank you for providing us with a sanctuary."
[Z ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ (Yeah. But could we change that nickname?)]
"If you command, I will change it."
[Z ZZZZ ZZ (Just call me Amorph.)]
"I will obey. Great Amorph."
I grimaced at the awkward nickname. The two heads on either side seemed to like the new name, standing even straighter as we flew.
｢Why? I think it’s a good name. Isn’t ‘Great Three-Headed Dragon’ much better than ‘Amorph’?｣
[ZZ ZZ (No, not at all.)]
The griffon flying beside us seemed to be having a great time, clicking its beak as it watched my awkward reaction.
‘Ugh. I should wrap this up and leave quickly.’
Thinking that, I headed toward the Screamer support ship with the Mother of the Sky.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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