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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 469
When I woke from my nap, the nest had expanded considerably.
The broad farmland spread in front of the factory had turned pitch‑black, and the once‑clear air was now tinted gray with toxic particulates.
A human could never survive in such a lethal environnt but to , it was nothing short of comfortable.
‘At this rate, I’ll only have to wait another ten minutes.’
By then, the nest would hit its growth limit. That would be my chance to test Terramorph.
‘Co to think of it… where are Number 26 and Adhai?’
They usually stay by my side after we fall asleep together, right until I wake up. This is unusual.
‘Out for breakfast, maybe’
｢Big one’s awake.｣
Speak of the devil, the two of them appeared in the distance.
｢Look, look! I made this!｣
Number 26 swam toward , its fins each the size of a small car working furiously. Balanced on its back was a two‑ter‑wide calorie block, studded like a candelabrum with genetically‑modified plants.
It must have gone to the factory to make this.
｢Here! You eat!｣
[ZZZ (Thanks.)]
Number 26 presented the calorie block with a proud, triumphant air.
Appearance‑wise, it was… less than appetizing like a giant’s lopsided cake molded from dirt and wood.
It didn’t look delicious at all, but it probably served its purpose as fuel. I bit into half the “cake” in one go.
‘…Not bad?’
The corn‑shaped modified plants tasted like strongly spiced cinnamon biscuits, which llowed the otherwise foul taste of the calorie block enough to make it edible.
[ZZZ (This is good.)]
｢Really? Wow!｣
｢Big one, this｣ ｢tastes｣ ｢even better｣
At that, Adhai barged in and shoved a tal can of at juice straight into my mouth.
The mont I bit down on the container, savory liquid spilled out across my tongue.
[ZZZ ZZZ (This one’s nice too.)]
｢There’s more, so drink up!｣
Before I could even swallow, another calorie block was shoved into my mouth, this one with chunks of at embedded inside.
｢Taste｣ ｢good, so｣ ｢eat｣ ｢more｣
I didn’t have ti to savor the texture before another can of at juice ca flying in.
Was it just , or did it feel like they were competing to feed ?
‘Well, I am hungry, so… works for .’
I’d expelled a lot of black mucus before sleeping, so the hunger was already gnawing at . I accepted whatever they gave, gulping it down without hesitation.
‘Once I check the Terramorph, we should probably get moving.’
We were only here for a short rest.
Our destination wasn’t this place, it was gacorp’s scrapyard.
I’d heard from Shinobu, a Space Dock ranker of the Dominion Faction, that Akira made regular visits to the scrapyard in secret.
The plan was to slip in and prepare an ambush before he noticed. That was the whole purpose of this trip.
Along the way, I’d learned sothing else: the Returner Faction’s top combatant, an Outspacer ranked fourth overall, had launched an all‑out offensive against gacorp.
Which ant Akira was too busy with Outspacer threats to focus on anything else.
In other words, right now was the perfect ti for a covert entry into the scrapyard.
While I mulled over the next steps, the nest finally reached its growth limit.
[ZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (I want to try sothing. Can you step back?)]
｢What? What is it?｣
｢?｣
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ (I’m going to make sothing with the nest.)]
Before beginning the experint, I sent them out of the nest entirely, then connected the secondary organ beneath my jaw to it.
｢Transformation to Terramorph possible.｣
‘Good.’
A welco ssage appeared. I activated the trait imdiately. The ground around began to quake the entire nest trembling, along with the soil beyond it.
Black mucus surged upward like water from a fountain, towering pillars rising on all sides to coil tightly around my body.
Vision vanished behind solid walls of black like being inside a cocoon only this ti, the link to everything outside remained intact.
I could sense everything happening beyond the darkness.
The vast nest dominating the farmland was rapidly contracting toward , thickening at its core. Mucus piled beneath, lifting my position higher and higher off the ground.
Within minutes, the sprawling nest was gone. In its place, on the barren land, stood a massive black sphere.
Larger than a Gigacracker-class warship, this organic structure was my new body.
Inside its vast bulk were organs reshaped into strange, alien forms lungs cramd with stacks of smog towers, a stomach where black mucus and acid pooled like a swamp, a circulatory network pumping the pitch‑black fluid through every vein.
And amid those colossal organs sat a single chamber in my chamber.
This was the Terramorph’s heart and brain.
‘…Enormous.’
It was so massive that I could barely recognize it as part of myself.
Although… Perhaps because of that size, just existing drains an imnse amount of energy in real ti. If not for Dragon’s Heart, I wouldn’t have been able to hold the form stable.
‘I wonder… Can this even move?’
Externally, for all its internal complexity, the structure was nothing more than a featureless sphere with no visible limbs.
The mont I thought that, my second body, the Terramorph, began to shift. The Twisted Abhorrence field lifted the giant sphere into the air.
‘The field’s stronger than before…’
Strictly speaking, the Terramorph reinforced the control of the energy field surrounding my core body. As long as the field didn’t dissipate, I wouldn’t have to focus consciously to keep it aloft.
Still… given the energy cost, direct combat in this form was sothing best avoided.
The Terramorph’s duration was tied directly to my energy reserves.
For now, Dragon’s Heart was barely keeping it stable.
If that balance broke, it would collapse in short order.
“An earthquake? All of a sudden what the… is that?”
“Observation confirms it’s a substance similar to Amorph’s secretions.”
｢Big one made it! Huge, right?｣
｢Agree｣
Their voices carried through the energy field reached from below.
It wasn’t just the Screar sisters from the factory; even the ones who had been watching looked shaken.
A natural reaction after all, from the outside, my new form was so massive it couldn’t be taken in at a single glance.
‘I wonder… Can I bring them inside?’
Since the Terramorph had been created using the nest as raw material, altering its shape should be possible.
Instead of focusing on the energy field, I focused my consciousness on the body itself.
Imdiately, the surface responded.
From beneath the sphere, three hook‑shaped pillars thrust downward into the ground. Original content can be found at n0velfire
At the end of each hook was an opening ringed with sharp, thorn‑like spikes.
‘So that’s a mouth.’
I called it that because those openings were linked directly to the internal organs inside.
｢Terramorph ‘Harvest Mode’ activating. Comnce harvest?｣
‘…Huh?’
A text box appeared without warning. I hurriedly chose Cancel.
I didn’t know exactly what “Harvest Mode” ant, but I did know it wasn’t sothing to try while the others were standing right under .
The pillars halted their advance toward the ground; the array of spikes folded down flat.
｢Let in!｣
Reading my intent, Number 26 leapt into the air and slipped into the mouth, with the others following close behind.
I adjusted the Terramorph’s interior to speed their approach it wasn’t as freely malleable as a standard nest or an assimilated vessel, but I could at least reshape its web‑like corridors at will.
I linked a direct passage from the mouth to my chamber.
Thanks to that, everyone reached the heart in short order.
“So, this is the new power you’ve gained. An ability that strengthens your nest almost the opposite of your original function.”
Isabel, scanning as she ca in, sounded intrigued.
“I thought it would be an ability tied to Gene Essence acquisition.”
[ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ (Don’t know yet. Need more testing.)]
“That ‘Harvest Mode’ notification you got just now?”
If the Terramorph now had a mouth, that ant it could consu things.
It was possible, perhaps even likely that Harvest Mode was related to the Essence Collection.
Still, the mouth’s massive size made it ill‑suited to ordinary predation; it was far too large to catch small prey.
‘Since everyone’s inside safely… maybe I should find out now.’
Like before, I manipulated the Terramorph’s form.
The modified passage reverted to its original layout, and the halted hook‑pillars began moving again.
They descended until they struck the desert‑like earth, then bit deep into it with their great mouths.
The densely packed teeth crushed huge rocks without pause, while fine grains of soil were carried along mucus channels into the digestive tract.
｢New house is shaking. Wobblyfun!｣
“This bio‑structure is extrely fascinating. The Amorph’s secretions are being organically reshaped to sustain the structure itself.”
The motion of the organs sent vibrations through the heart chamber.
Number 26 rode the streaming mucus like a surfer, while PS‑111 followed, diligently collecting samples.
｢Feels｣ ｢weird｣ ｢too｣ ｢sticky｣
Adhai, unlike the others, seed annoyed by the constant shaking, flicking her wings.
‘So that’s… all Harvest Mode does?’
A rather dull result for such an imposing na.
And since the soil here had already been drained of nutrients, the energy payoff was minimal.
I was just starting to feel underwheld when a new text box appeared:
｢Harvest effect triggered! Extracted Gene Essence: ‘Pollution Organ’ from terrain type ‘Contaminated Wasteland’｣
｢Harvest Mode entering dormancy. Ti until reactivation: 23:59:59｣
‘Oh?’
The mont the ssage showed, the mouths went still and the three hook‑pillars retracted back into the sphere.
‘I got a trait without eating a living creature?’
My earlier disappointnt evaporated; it was a startling result.
In Space Survival, there’s only one known way to gain a trait without consuming a living organism: ingesting a Gene Sample. There has never been an alternative.
‘Is that the Terramorph’s true ability?’
To consu minerals or soil and draw out the Gene Essence mixed within.
A once‑per‑24‑hours limit was a drawback but the potential was enormous.
[ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (PS‑111, have you finished resupplying?)]
The Screar paused in its sampling of the chamber wall and nodded.
“Yes. I’ve absorbed all the energy the factory’s reactor produced. We can make the jump to our destination without issue.”
[ZZZ ZZZ Z ZZZ (Then… could you move sothing large?)]
“Large object…?”
It blinked, understanding what I ant.
No sense using it just once, then dismissing it. I wanted to test it more before the energy ran out.
“I cannot confirm if this bio‑structure can withstand a jump.”
[ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (No need to worry. It’s plenty durable.)]
“We will have to stop mid‑voyage to rest and resupply.”
[ZZZZ (That’s fine.)]
I’d have to pause anyway for testing and during those breaks, feeding PS‑111 more mucus would resolve the energy issue.
“In that case, it’s possible.”
[ZZZ (Good.)]
“Shall we depart now?”
[ZZZZ (Please do.)]
Receiving my request, PS‑111 rose into the air.
The twin circular wings mounted on the back of its head began scattering warp particles.
Monts later, blue light swallowed the entire Terramorph.
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[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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