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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 364
"Did you get what you wanted this time?"
At Isabel’s question, I nodded.
Unlike with Dreadsong, I got lucky this time I obtained exactly the trait I wanted.
‘That’s because the Pyromancer comes with a trap card.’
Traits like the Metallic Gremlin wrap ability or Gigantism of the Sky Whale might seem beneficial, but they come with severe drawbacks that outweigh the advantages. The Pyromancer also has a trait like that one that can be more of a curse than a blessing.
Among its many abilities, the Pyromancer possesses a trait called ‘Hunger’. This trait dramatically increases the maximum amount of energy a creature can store, making it essential for something like the Pyromancer, which burns through vast amounts of energy.
‘But the downside is no joke.’
With the Hunger trait, stored energy constantly depletes over time. And if it drops below a certain threshold, the creature loses all control.
Just as the name suggests, it becomes completely consumed by hunger, rampaging mindlessly. That’s also why the Pyromancer never attempted to flee its hunger wouldn’t allow it.
Fortunately, the trait I acquired wasn’t Hunger.
｢Superior Homeostasis: Consumes a large amount of energy to drastically enhance natural regeneration. After activation, traits related to energy generation are weakened for a set duration.｣
The Pyromancer’s near-magical healing ability Superior Homeostasis was now integrated into my body.
‘It’s weaker than the original, though.’
Some traits acquired by an Amorph aren’t exact copies of the original but rather nerfed or altered versions. Superior Homeostasis is one of those.
Unlike the Pyromancer, I can’t instantly recover from injuries within seconds. If I could, the Amorph would be an unrivaled species.
But that doesn’t mean I’m disappointed. Superior Homeostasis is still an incredibly useful support trait.
Classified as an Internal Organ trait, it significantly boosts my body’s healing ability. Unlike passive regeneration traits, I need to activate it manually but once triggered, it rivals the original’s effectiveness.
For example, even if I were reduced to just my head, activating this trait would allow me to fully regenerate my body within ten minutes. That may sound slow, but considering my size, it’s an absurdly fast recovery rate.
‘With this, I can use Revenant Organ and Tyrantroid freely.’
Revenant Organ only activates when I’m on the brink of death, while Tyrantroid amplifies its effect based on the severity of my injuries. Both are great traits, but their effectiveness depends entirely on how much damage I’ve taken.
However, with Superior Homeostasis, that limitation is significantly reduced.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s without drawbacks.
When activated, Superior Homeostasis temporarily disables traits that pump energy, like Dragon’s Heart. The duration varies depending on the trait some might be sealed for an hour or two, while others could take a full day to recover. During that time, the only way to replenish energy is the primitive method: consuming and digesting prey.
‘There are regeneration traits without this drawback, but I can’t get those here.’
There is a Unique Trait that serves as a perfect superior alternative, but acquiring it is nearly impossible.
Right now, Superior Homeostasis is the best regeneration trait I can obtain.
"You seem satisfied. So, what’s next?"
[ZZ (Not sure.)]
I had planned for contingencies, assuming I wouldn’t get my desired trait right away. Originally, I expected to hunt at least three Pyromancers.
But since I obtained it earlier than expected, there was no reason to keep hunting them.
At least… not for now.
‘I need to wait until Mother of the Sky is here.’
When the others received traits from me, she also mentioned what she wanted.
There were two traits she desired: Revenant Organ and Superior Homeostasis.
Her special ability, Hunter God’s Shapeshifting Carapace, allows her to transform into various mythical beasts. However, the tradeoff is a 30-day cooldown for every transformation, except for the Griffon.
It’s an incredibly powerful ability, but that cooldown severely limits her tactical versatility.
‘If she combines Revenant Organ and Superior Homeostasis, she’ll be able to use her ability far more effectively.’
For now, the only trait I could pass on was Superior Homeostasis. I couldn’t obtain Revenant Organ here.
‘There is one possible substitute…’
Thanks to devouring the crystalline equipment of Si-Hyun Yujin on Verzan-02, I had acquired an ability similar to Revenant Organ.
The trait gained through the Plunderer’s Amorphous Polyhedron was called Void Dice. When activated, it resets the cooldown of all traits allowing me to use Revenant Organ again immediately.
‘I suspect it has other effects too, but I haven’t been able to test them yet.’
Right after acquiring it on Verzan-02, I used it once and then got hit with a 66-day cooldown. Since it's still inactive, I haven’t had the chance to experiment further.
‘…I can’t afford to give it away in this situation.’
Even after reconsidering, the answer remained the same. I knew it would help Mother of the Sky, but I couldn’t pass on Revenant Organ while Void Dice was still on cooldown.
‘Not when I have to face Magmasaur and Wolf Ranker soon.’
I’d have to put Revenant Organ on hold and only pass on Superior Homeostasis later—once the immediate dangers were dealt with and I could safely acquire the trait again.
[ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZZZ (Let’s mark potential Pyromancer habitats.)]
"What about Elemental Hozer?"
[ZZZZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZ (We’ll need to search the volcanoes that the researchers haven’t explored yet.)]
Isabel didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she scratched her chin with one of her many arms before pointing behind me.
"Why don’t Adhai and I handle the search instead?"
[ZZZ (Just the two of you?)]
She gestured toward Adhai and Number 26.
｢This one tastes good.｣
｢Disagree｣ ｢This｣ ｢tastes｣ ｢better｣
｢That’s good too, but this is the best!｣
｢Not much to eat｣ ｢Boring｣
The two of them were feasting on the remains of creatures slaughtered by the Pyromancer.
"Adhai and I are small enough that we won’t show up easily on radar."
[ZZZ (True.)]
Adhai, in particular, could fly fast enough to evade most radar systems. Isabel wasn’t as fast, but she had extensive knowledge of the Elemental Hozer’s ecology.
It was a good combination.
But I shook my head.
‘Splitting up any further would be dangerous.’
Unlike the team infiltrating Salman’s base, Adhai and Isabel couldn’t use parasites for communication. If something happened to them or to me we wouldn’t be able to stay in contact, which could be catastrophic.
[ZZZZZZ Z ZZZ ZZ (We could get picked off one by one. Not worth the risk.)]
"What if we keep a reasonable distance?"
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (Then what’s the point of splitting up in the first place?)]
At least until Mother of the Sky and PS-111 returned, it was best to stay together.
Isabel understood my reasoning and nodded.
[ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (If you're done eating, let’s move out.)]
｢Where are we going next?｣
｢Looking for｣ ｢new prey?｣
[ZZ (Exactly.)]
I gathered them and leaped into the sky.
Looking down, I spotted small Stoners returning to scavenge the corpses. The remains scattered around the lava lake would be cleaned up by them soon enough.
The lake itself remained unchanged just as I had first found it.
---
Meanwhile, behind a massive boulder, Mother of the Sky and PS-111 observed Salman’s base.
Multiple structures floated above the lava, supported by gravitational stabilizers. Each building was connected by long corridors and protected by shields.
The enemy base was far larger than expected, resembling a molecular structure with multiple interconnected buildings. It even had an aerial port capable of housing a full-sized battleship. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a space fortress built on the planet’s surface.
A facility of this scale… out here in the middle of nowhere?
You’d only see something like this on a wealthy planet like Verzan-02. No matter how powerful a Ranker might be, constructing such a massive floating fortress on an uncharted world was no small feat.
I don’t know the reason, but…
The why didn’t matter right now. What mattered was figuring out a way inside.
Her amber eyes locked onto one of the structures.
Among the floating buildings, some had large chimney-like structures protruding from their undersides.
Positioned close to the burning surface, these facilities absorbed heat and gas, funneling them into internal systems that converted the energy for use within the base.
It’s either that or the port.
The port, however, had too many eyes watching sneaking in unnoticed was impossible.
That left only one viable infiltration route, one that wouldn’t trigger the shields or attract unwanted attention.
｢What do you think? Doable?｣
"Success probability: 62%. The tunnel’s size is just large enough for myself and the ‘Little One’ to barely squeeze through. Precision flight control is required for entry."
A response fitting of a Screamer, half its brain replaced by machinery.
The odds weren’t great, but she was confident.
I’ve maneuvered through tighter spaces than that. This should be easy.
PS-111 might not know it, but Mother of the Sky was an exceptional pilot.
In the game, her fighter piloting skills were among the top five. There was a reason the Amorph had entrusted her with training Adhai in aerial combat.
She was simply more accustomed to ground combat because she had only recently regained her wings. But when necessary, she could still perform at her old level.
｢We’ll time it with the gas eruption below. If we ride the updraft, we can slip through without triggering the shields.｣
"Even for the ‘Little One,’ this is a difficult maneuver. Are you confident?"
｢I was the one who trained her, you know? Granted, that was when I was a Green Gallagon, but still.｣
"Understood. Based on the calculated emission cycle, the next eruption will occur in six minutes."
｢Good.｣
She nodded, mentally reviewing the plan once more.
As she went through the potential risks, PS-111 suddenly spoke up.
"I have a question regarding the Sub-Controller Amorph."
｢Huh? What is it?｣
"Is the Amorph’s gender male or female?"
For a moment, she thought the Screamer was joking. But when she didn’t respond, PS-111 repeated the question.
"Is the Amorph’s gender male or female?"
｢…Do you really need to ask that right now?｣
"The ‘Little One’ appears to process the Amorph’s thoughts quickly and efficiently. Since we are executing an operation together, I deemed it useful information to gather."
She stared at it in disbelief. But PS-111 wasn’t backing down. With its expressionless metal face, it was clear it would keep asking until she gave an answer.
Sighing, she relented.
｢As far as I know, it’s male. That’s what it said itself.｣
"Do you have biological evidence to confirm this?"
｢…….｣
She knew exactly what biological evidence it was referring to. And how one could verify it.
Back when she was in the real world, she had unfortunately come across certain Amorph-related images posted in online forums.
Why does everyone keep asking me this?!
First, it was Number 26 and Adhai. Now even the Screamer was pressing her on the same topic. It was as if they all assumed she had the answers.
｢Don’t ask me. Go ask it yourself.｣
"I did. It refused to answer."
｢That thing has no resistance to wait, hold on. Why am I even talking about this?!｣
A few minutes ago, this wasn’t the conversation they were having. They were about to infiltrate a heavily guarded enemy base with a Ranker inside how had they ended up discussing this nonsense?
Even in the real world, she wasn’t used to these kinds of topics. The whole thing felt surreal.
I need to change the subject.
Just then, as if answering her unspoken plea, movement occurred in the base.
From the once-silent port, multiple ships of various sizes began rising into the air.
｢Hide!｣
She and PS-111 quickly ducked down behind cover.
Destroyers and patrol ships lifted off in formation, speeding off in the same direction.
Why are they moving all of a sudden?
The base had been quiet until now, but the sudden urgency suggested something had gone wrong. It was as if they were scrambling to respond to an emergency.
Could it be…?
"The departing vessels are all high-speed models."
｢…Are they searching for the Amorph?｣
"Judging by their armaments, they appear to be preparing for a reconnaissance operation."
No matter what their objective was, unexpected enemy movement was never a good sign.
We need to warn the Amorph.
"Thirty seconds until the gas eruption."
Before they could send a warning, they had to get inside the base.
As a towering column of fire and gas shot up from the lava lake, she launched into action.
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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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