I Became an Evolving Space Monster

Chapter 108

“The preparation is complete.”

“Copy that.”

Upon the report of the deputy chief, Dylan stood up from his seat. Currently, he was wearing an upgraded high-grade reinforced suit on his body and a mask with a unique design on his face. The mask, resembling a death mask with a silver surface that looked like a human face, was named ‘Indomitable Mask.’ It was specially bestowed to him by the leader, providing the wearer with concealment against detection devices, and immunity to psychic powers affecting poison and the mind.

Moreover, the Indomitable Mask had the incredible advantage of being compatible with any equipment. For instance, the auto-plasma gun attached to his shoulder could automatically shoot at enemies and remain undetectable by conventional detection devices, thanks to its connection with the mask.

Among the gear he wore, nothing was cheap, but Dylan didn’t mind. The opponent they were about to face was far from easy. When Dylan emerged from the tent, 30 heavily armed pirates were waiting for him in the open space of the campsite. All of them were clad in high-grade reinforced suits, each holding a Gauss rifle in their hands. Additionally, they carried portable plasma rocket launchers and purple spray guns as infantry support weapons.

“What about the Heavy Walker?”

“It’s already on board.”

Furthermore, there was a Heavy Walker clad in thick armor, armed with a storm gun and a plasma launcher. Cartels that could deploy such high-level equipment throughout the entire space dock were not very common.

“Alright. Let’s proceed with the encircling tactic as usual.”

“Understood.”

Dylan always divided his team into three during hunts: a reconnaissance team to search for prey, a driving team to lead or lure the prey, and finally, a striking team to deliver the blows. The reconnaissance team consisted of six members, including the deputy chief; the driving team had 10 members, and the striking team, including Dylan and the walker, had 16 members. In total, 32 members executed the hunting operation together.

The pirates’ reinforced suits and weapons were also tailored to their teams and roles. For example, the reconnaissance team wore lightweight reinforced suits with stealth capabilities, while the driving and striking teams were armed with armor that increased their defense.

“Let’s go then.”

“Alright. Everyone on board!”

Following Dylan, the pirates boarded the large transport ship one by one. The transport ship, carrying the walker and the pirates, soared through the morning mist. The damp air peculiar to the jungle quickly filled the transport ship. The pirates silently double-checked the equipment they brought, their faces frozen in tension, but there was no sign of fear.

For a long time, the pirates of the Humanity Cartel had fought against formidable enemies. They had experienced defeats at times, but they always emerged as the survivors.

“Unknown monster? Whether it’s a monster or not, let’s show it who the real monster is.”

“Yes!”

The pirates responded enthusiastically to Dylan’s words. The large transport ship, flying swiftly, soon reached the airspace above the landing point.

“Boss, we’re almost there.”

“Good. Once we’re down, everyone will start their search from Camp 17’s perimeter.”

As the large transport ship prepared to land on the expansive clearing, the pirates finished their preparations by loading weapons or boarding the walker. And just as the landing gear of the transport ship touched the ground, Dylan heard something.

“Huh?”

He realized it was the sound of a mine detonating, but by then, it was already too late. A massive explosion engulfed those aboard the transport ship.

***

‘It’s begun.’

In the distance, pillars of fire shot up into the sky. The mines I had planted earlier had exploded. I had interrogated pirates captured before their arrival to learn the landing zones of the enemy’s transport ships in advance. Then, I collected defensive mines stored at the camp and strategically placed them in the anticipated open spaces where the enemies would come.

‘They’ll likely be wearing high quality reinforced suits, so they won’t die from that.’

Maybe there will be two to three casualties at most? I didn’t expect too many pirates from that, but just blocking the enemy’s retreat is a significant achievement. With the objective achieved, I leaped from the treetops.

‘Next is…’

I sprinted through the misty forest, breaking small trees as I went, startling small creatures that scurried away. As the moisture in the air thickened, the trees suddenly cleared, revealing a wide riverbank.

There, hundreds of creatures resembling Stegosauruses had gathered. They were Plant Lizards, creatures I had once preyed upon in the space city. Though they resembled herbivorous dinosaurs, they were classified as plant-like organisms.

Their ecology matched their appearance; they obtained nutrients in well-lit areas during the day and came to the water’s edge like this at night to consume moisture.

‘Sorry to disturb your leisure, but…’

I needed the help of my forest friends now. I roared vigorously towards them.

Roar!

A tremendous roar echoed throughout the entire forest, emanating from a body that approached 12 meters in length, including the tail. Sleeping gallagon herds atop the trees were startled and leaped into the air, while roars of other predators guarding me from within the forest were heard.

Upon hearing my roar, the herd of Plant Lizards all woke from their slumber.

“Kiee?”

“Kiee! Kiee!”

The largest male, measuring 10 meters, looked at me and emitted a short roar. Upon hearing that sound, the entire herd began fleeing in the opposite direction.

‘Good.’

I pursued them, brandishing my tail and roaring to instill fear. The male, in the middle of the herd, occasionally stood his ground, attempting to drive me away to protect the group.

During those moments, I pretended to attack the male without directly confronting him, targeting other Plant Lizards behind him. If the male tried to protect the family, I threatened another, and as he moved, I targeted yet another.

As this repeated, the Plant Lizard herd continued to run away desperately.

‘Let’s keep it this way.’

My intention was to make the herd overrun the pirates while fleeing. Plant Lizards didn’t have any means of attack except for the spikes on their tails, but when gathered in a herd between 5 to 10 meters in size, they became formidable.

Even heavily armored walkers would stand no chance if they were overwhelmed by such a herd.

‘And I’ll target the enemies in the meantime.’

Although they would likely recover quickly due to their profiles, my strategy didn’t end here. I still had over dozens of ways to deal with them.

‘We’re almost there.’

The auxiliary organ under my jaw whispered to me.

The ignorant fools were approaching.

***

“2 casualties in the reconnaissance team, 1 injured in the driving team, 1 walker immobilized.”

“…Damn it, aren’t you including the casualties on the transport ship and the pilot? Can’t you do your job properly?”

“Sorry, sorry!”

The damages Dylan’s party incurred before entering combat were significant. Particularly, their primary firepower holder, one of the five Heavy Walkers, was damaged and wasn’t able to function properly. Now, only four Heavy Walkers remained.

“Damn it!”

Someone had made a makeshift scarecrow using a skinned corpse hanging from a tree. They should have anticipated our arrival and us utilizing bombs and weapons.

It was a mistake to think only about fighting dangerous beasts.

“Disband the reconnaissance team, and tell the remaining members to all join the driving team.”

“Understood.”

“Boss, what about the injured?”

Upon hearing another pirate’s question, Dylan approached the injured member of the driving team. Given the twisted state of his legs, walking seemed impossible.

Without hesitation, Dylan shot him with the auto-plasma gun strapped to his shoulder.

“We don’t need injured in our cartel.”

No one among Dylan’s subordinates protested against his actions. Being alone in this hellish forest in an injured state was essentially a death sentence.

The pirates gathered their tools, ammunition, and other essentials from the wreckage of the transport ship and headed towards Camp 17.

When they were close to the camp, the deputy chief at the forefront sent a signal.

“……”

At that signal, all the pirates came to a halt. While other pirates vigilantly scanned their surroundings with night vision goggles integrated into their reinforced helmets, Dylan activated the concealment detection function of the Indomitable Mask.

A violet flame flickered in the eyes of the mask, and the forms of creatures hidden in the forest were revealed completely within his field of vision.

“Check direction at 11 o’clock.”

Upon hearing the deputy chief’s words, the pirates’ gun barrels all pointed in unison towards the 11 o’clock direction. Dylan’s auto-plasma gun, attached to his shoulder, also moved in alignment with his sight.

“Krugh!”

Roar!

Beastly roars echoed from a distance. Everything seemed normal in the surroundings – the dense fog, the unknown animal sounds. However there was one exception.

In the extremely tense atmosphere, the pirates sweated coldly down the back of their necks.

As the roars grew louder, Dylan raised his finger on the trigger to intercept the approaching threat.

At that moment, he felt a subtle tremor in the ground.

“An earthquake?”

He placed his palm on the ground, feeling the vibrations rising through his knees. What initially started as a gentle shake escalated into a more pronounced tremor.

“No way? Damn it! Scatter!”

As Dylan shouted, massive reptilian creatures with a dark green glow emerged from the thick fog.

A herd of Plant Lizards, adorned with impressive dorsal plates, ambushed the pirates who were waiting.

“Aaargh!”

“These bastards! Everyone scatter behind trees! Don’t engage in a direct fight!”

Reacting to Dylan’s orders, the pirates quickly jumped behind trees or rocks. Surprisingly, the Plant Lizards passed them without attacking as if the pirates weren’t even there.

“Huh?”

However, the heavily-armored Heavy Walkers, who due to their large size, couldn’t move quickly. One out of the four was caught by the charging Plant Lizard herd while trying to shoot them with a plasma launcher, missing the timing to evade.

As a result, the Heavy Walker was overwhelmed by the rushing Plant Lizards.

Even with the thick armor, facing hundreds of creatures weighing over 10 tons each was an impossible feat.

It crumbled as the herd trampled over it, the protected control seats were destroyed, and the pilot inside was crushed without even putting up a fight.

“Damn it!”

Yet, their ordeal wasn’t over. Something with a jet-black exterior burst out from among the Plant Lizard herd and charged towards one of the remaining walkers.

With momentum from the charge, it collided with the Heavy Walker, and two thick horns penetrated the reinforced glass of the walker’s control seat.

“It’s here!”

“Open fire!”

The pirates immediately started shooting at the monster who was attached to the walker. Piercing rounds formed a lattice from gauss rifles, and a purple flame erupted from the purple spray gun.

As soon as the creature withdrew its horns, it evaded the pirates’ assault and vanished into the opposite side of the forest.

“Where’s the Walker pilot? Confirm his condition quickly!”

While the assault and striking teams were firing at the monsters, one pirate from the reconnaissance team checked the interior of the Walker.

“What happened?”

“He accurately penetrated the pilot’s chest.”

Dylan’s face twisted in a grimace upon hearing the report. The battle hadn’t even started, yet they had already lost three valuable Heavy Walkers.

“Ugh…aaaargh!”

Dylan’s scream echoed through the forest, a cry filled with frustration.

***

‘At this point, they must be pretty pissed.’

Hearing the enemy leader’s angry shouts, I couldn’t help but feel strangely satisfied. The more they lose their composure, the more advantageous it is for me.

‘I expected it, but they came with some good equipment.’

Although I suspected that the Humanity Cartel had a lot of money, their equipment exceeded the usual pirate category. With Heavy Walkers armed with plasma launchers on both arms, they could kill me, even when I was in the state of the ‘Symbol of Hunt’.

Therefore, my top priority was to eliminate the Heavy Walkers. The unfortunate part was that I could only take out two of them.

Originally, I planned to take advantage of the chaos to ambush and clear the other Walkers, but unexpectedly, the enemy’s onslaught was fierce.

‘They brought the Purple Spray Gun.’

The Purple Spray Gun was a kind of a psychic flamethrower. It was just like my Psychic breath though its power was half of it, however it increases the range of the attack making the spray cover a wide distance. Although I had psychic resistance, it wasn’t a weapon to be taken lightly if I were to get hit.

Currently, there were two Walkers left, and the pirates with the Purple Spray Guns were still intact.

I needed to somehow finish off the Walkers with the next trap. Only then could I focus on dealing with the pirates wielding the Purple Spray Guns.

‘Alright. Let’s go and check the… huh?’

As I tried to move to the next trap, the auxiliary organ warned me. It detected something in the vicinity.

‘Is it invisible?’

Even with my exceptional vision, I was not able to see anyone. Since the auxiliary organ wouldn’t lie to me, I concentrated for a moment.

The scent of soil on the ground, the smell of moss clinging to rocks, the moisture composing the fog, the sound of trees absorbing water and breathing, the scent of sweat…

‘Wait, the scent of sweat?’

A strange scent mingled in the air. Extremely faint, almost impossible to detect without concentration, but it was undoubtedly the scent emitted when a human was tense and nervous.

I slightly flicked the end of my tail in the direction of the sweaty scent. The thorn hairs stuck to something transparent.

The thorns hit the target and rendered it immobile causing it to fall to the ground..

It was a man wearing a cloaking device similar to the invisibility-enhanced camouflage suit that a sniper had worn in a previous battle in the space city.

‘A cloaking device?’

This was perfect. Originally, I had prepared another trap after this. However, obtaining such a valuable item fell into my hands unexpectedly, and it sparked an amusing thought.

‘You’ll be a valuable asset.’

I picked up the man in the invisibility-enhanced suit and moved on to the next location.

The pirates who entered this forest still had a lot to see.