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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 358
The researchers who had come out of hiding and the airship pilots answered my questions sincerely.
As expected, they were subordinates of Wolf Ranker, Salman, on this planet. They had been dispatched by a ranker to investigate the sudden increase in volcanic activity and were roaming around here and there. They were probably looking for the Magmasaur, which only stays deep within volcanoes.
‘Magmasaur affects volcanic activity.’
I could roughly guess why they were trying to find the Magmasaur.
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZZ (What was Salman’s special ability again?)]
“‘The Beast God’s Snare’. It’s the ability to control wild animals.”
Isabel, who had been hiding, answered my question.
Isabel had the power to read information from anyone she had seen with her own eyes. She knew well the abilities, techniques, and equipment of the rankers I had met so far. Among them, the Returning Faction’s Wolf ranker, Salman, had received a special ability related to taming.
‘There were many requests for taming-related abilities or perks for Wolf in the game too.’
There were quite a few people who fantasized about controlling a wolf beastman with a jetpack on its back, charging into battle alongside a rhinoceros monster covered in reinforced exoskeletons.
It was something that could be somewhat recreated in the game, but it wasn’t particularly efficient. Emotional interaction, like the kind one might have with an NPC or a pet in the real world, wasn’t possible.
｢What a dream-like ability.｣
The Mother of the Sky, who had once been a Wolf player, unknowingly revealed her feelings.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ (You can only control animals that you’ve fought and defeated, right?)]
“Right.”
Creatures that are playable, like the Amorph or the Outspacers, cannot be controlled. Salman can only control animals he has fought and defeated.
“And when I saw him before, it seemed like he could only control them by directly touching them after winning the fight.”
Additionally, the special ability only activates when Salman is physically in contact with the animal after a victory.
Unfortunately, that’s all Isabel knew. She hadn’t spent much time facing Salman, so she couldn’t discern the finer details.
‘Still, this is a good enough discovery.’
It’s unclear just how far his control extends, but apex creatures like Vortex One seem to be beyond his reach. If he had help from other members, especially the one ranked 4th, it might be possible to capture a Vortex One. But since he hadn’t sought such help, that didn’t seem to be the case.
‘But it’s strange that they’re searching for the Magmasaur.’
If we compare just their combat power, the Magmasaur is a tier below the ‘Complete Ring of Agony’. It’s weaker than Vortex One, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy opponent.
In the game, Magmasaur, like Sea Demons, are considered semi-raid bosses. Even rankers would hesitate to hunt them alone.
‘A 1v1 fight, even with Wolf’s divine beast transformation technique, would still be tough.’
Judging from the information I’ve gathered so far, Salman doesn’t seem that strong.
To summarize, the enemy ranker is preparing to take on a semi-raid boss-level creature without the help of another player.
In that case, there’s only one possible answer.
‘He plans to use the creatures he controls to help him face it.’
Just like I did, using the help of others to fight a Gallagon or Vortex One.
‘The real question is how strong the creatures he controls are.’
Or maybe how many animals he commands.
Whatever the case, he should at least be able to fight the Magmasaur.
‘Anything beyond this, I’ll have to gather more information to know.’
I decided to wrap up what I knew about Wolf ranker for now.
I looked down at the humans trembling in their reinforced suits.
These guys were searching for the Magmasaur, so they were useful. By using them, I could figure out the apex’s location before Salman did.
Just as I was about to inject parasites into them, something suddenly crossed my mind, and I stopped.
“You mentioned ‘Dreadsong’s Territory’ earlier, right?”
“Eh? Yes, yes. That’s right.”
“Where is that place?”
“Uh, well….”
The researcher was flustered by my question. He probably thought that mentioning coordinates wouldn’t make any sense to me.
As I moved the parasites out from my combat arm, I flicked my fingers. PS-111, who had been behind me, approached.
[ZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Go inside the airship and check where Dreadsong is located.)]
“Leave it to me.”
[ZZZ ZZZZ (And take these as well.)]
I handed three parasites to PS-111.
The three humans, who saw the wriggling parasites, trembled even more. It was obvious they knew exactly where those bugs were headed.
Of course, I wasn’t planning to show them any mercy.
｢Are you planning to capture Dreadsong?｣
[Z ZZZZ ZZZZZ (Yes. We need it.)]
Both I and the Mother of the Sky need something from Dreadsong its genetic essence for me, and its body for her.
Among the equipment Wolf can use, there are items that can be crafted from Vortex One's body and Dreadsong's body. I planned to gather all the materials needed for those items.
Ten minutes later, PS-111 emerged from the airship after confirming the coordinates.
“I’ll guide you to the coordinates.”
[ZZ ZZZZ (Shall we depart then?)]
I crouched down and loaded the others onto my back, using my reinforced legs to push off the ground with great force. With my wings spread wide, I shot up into the sky.
The sky, filled with volcanic ash, made for a perfect hiding place. Even a giant creature like me could move undetected.
PS-111, nestled in my small arm near my chest, pointed in a specific direction with its clawed fingers.
‘I’ll land when we reach a suitable spot.’
I extended my neck and tail straight while stiffening the membrane of my wings. Thanks to the air currents, I didn’t need to flap my wings to maintain a gliding position.
｢This｣｢Silent｣｢Good｣｢Ambush｣｢Useful｣
[ZZ (Right)]
｢I too｣｢Possible｣
Adhai, who had been perched on the top of my head with her wings folded, now spread them out and started flying.
Her flight was silent and agile, like the futuristic fighter jets often seen in sci-fi films. Once, she and the Mother of the Sky had taught me combat techniques and flight maneuvers, but now she was far more skilled than I was. Every time I saw that small Gallagon’s growth, despite having fought alongside it many times, I felt a strange emotion.
[ZZ ZZZ (Watch out for lightning.)]
｢I｣｢It’s fine｣｢The Elder｣｢More｣｢Dangerous｣
Together, we flew into an area covered with black clouds. As expected from a volcanic planet, there were many active volcanoes scattered around. Thanks to that, our flight took much longer than anticipated.
After about six hours, the volcanic ash clouds started thinning rapidly. I adjusted my wings slightly to lower my altitude.
The wasteland stretched endlessly beneath me, covered in hardened, blackened lava. It was a stark contrast to the place we had been just six hours ago.
Here, instead of fire and magma, ash and sulfur rain fell an inferno.
I landed in this hellish place. As my feet touched the ground, the hardened lava surface caved in slightly, releasing red liquid and flames from underneath.
I walked, pressing down through the semi-hardened lava like I was walking through mud.
Acid rain poured from above, lava-covered land stretched endlessly, and giant lightning bolts constantly rained down through the dark clouds. If hell existed, this would be the atmosphere.
‘What’s fascinating is that there are still living creatures moving around in a place like this.’
I spotted a creature in the distance, resembling a bull, rolling over the hardened lava. It was a Bulkarox, the monster I had encountered when I first arrived on Asuka-44.
These creatures immerse themselves in lava and sulfur rain, cooling their bodies and hardening their metal shells. They do this to survive against the terrifying monsters that inhabit this hellish planet.
A red-hot metal bull noticed me and quickly scurried away. I wasn’t interested in chasing it, as I had other targets in mind.
“It’s soon the territory of Dreadsong.”
Hearing that, I focused my senses on the Auxiliary Organs beneath my chin. The heads on either side of me also lowered their necks and brought their auxiliary organs closer to the lava.
The Mother of the Sky, transformed into a griffon, kept her beak tight around a spear while glaring intensely ahead.
Dreadsong has a strong territorial instinct. No matter how powerful the enemy, anyone who steps into its domain will not be spared.
‘By now, it must have already detected us.’
Amid the faint rumble of thunder, I entered a space thick with toxic gas. The air was so saturated with the fog of death that I couldn’t see even an inch ahead of me.
「...I saw something moving 150 meters to the 2 o’clock direction.」
[ZZZ (Got it.)]
The Mother of the Sky, with her far superior vision, warned me. I focused the sensory organs in the direction she had indicated.
The long, thin sensory organs wriggled, absorbing all the surrounding information. As she said, I could feel movement from that direction.
At first, it felt like gas was seeping out from between the hardened lava. Similar natural phenomena were occurring right beneath my feet as well.
But I couldn’t trust that right away. Dreadsong often uses such camouflage when preparing to ambush prey.
‘We’ll strike first...’
I was ready to attack, but it was one step ahead. A long spear-like object shot out of the lava, flying straight toward us.
「!」
The spear, moving at high speed, aimed to pierce the griffon that had climbed onto my back. The Mother of the Sky moved to dodge, but Dreadsong’s attack was just a bit faster. If I didn’t act, she would surely be injured.
I quickly raised my wing-arm to block her, and the spear pierced through it. Thanks to that, I managed to delay the enemy’s attack. While I blocked it, the Mother of the Sky quickly leapt onto the hard black ground.
｢Amorph!｣
[ZZ ZZZ (Everyone, be careful.)]
The head on my right bent down, its mouth opening to bite the spear that had pierced my arm. The long spear swerved sideways, avoiding the bite from my right head. What had once seemed like a sturdy spear, now like a flexible rod, bent as it returned to the place it came from.
The black ground cracked, and the creature that attacked me slowly poked its head out.
Its broad, flat head, reminiscent of a toad, glowed red from the magma. It opened its mouth, retrieving the long spear or rather, its long tongue that it had shot earlier.
I extended the erosion tentacles hidden on my back to strike at its head. Six appendages lashed out, tearing through the lava in an attempt to shred the grotesque head, but the creature was already gone.
From dozens of meters away, it slowly pushed its head out again. In the blazing flames, four eyes were watching me intently.
As I moved to attack, it quickly vanished from its position.
‘As expected, it’s fast.’
The carnivorous toad-like Dreadsong, a creature that dwells in environments full of magma and sulfuric gas.
If the "Glacier Fiend" exists on an ice planet, then the Dreadsong is the predator of volcanic worlds, its reputation well-known. Its cunning nature, luring its prey slowly to death, and its strong territorial instinct make it quite similar to that creature.
‘But...’
I too am called a formidable hunter.
I’ve hunted that sly predator more times than I can count in games.
This world is no different. The hunting time and process may vary, but the fact remains: it will become my prey.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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