Episode 19 – Choice (4)
“Monster! Monster!”
“Fighting goblins is getting kind of old now.”
A goblin village unaffected by the Player’s influence is nothing more than a meager meal for us now.
I swept over them like a wave, watching as the soldiers finished them off and retrieved the spoils while I stifled a yawn.
In reality, similar events are happening simultaneously in other areas.
The increase in reconnaissance range and the number of troops I can command has expanded our world.
Moreover, I no longer need to focus on just one thing. Having lost nearly a thousand troops, I’ve fully recovered within a few days and produced even more. I’ve sent troops to all areas secured by reconnaissance and am currently engaging in simultaneous battles.
“Fully secured areas: 20. Areas being cleansed: 11. Areas still under exploration: 31.”
Despite this, I can’t keep up with the pace of discovering and reconnoitering new areas.
The region where I began seems to be in the ‘borderlands,’ so most newly discovered areas contain little of importance, only vast nature and mana beasts.
Now that we can devour almost all demon realm flora, these things can provide us with quantity but not quality nutrition.
What I seek is qualitative growth, and for that, I must hunt and kill higher-level beings. Otherwise, it’s just a cycle of stagnation leading to eventual extinction.
[The test subject’s growth has ended.]
That’s why I prepared this to solve it.
With a satisfied look, I tore apart the cocoon, gazing down at what emerged, soaked in thick mucus.
“Having this much accumulated mana still left, creating just one Syla is inefficient.”
The fallen figure was a silver-haired woman with a pale body, an exact replica of my own face—a kind of doppelgänger.
This specially crafted doppelgänger will act as an interface allowing me to remain active outside.
Since it was created with leftover mana allocated for Syla, it’s quite powerful.
Furthermore, unlike Syla, who had my cells transplanted into her body, this clone is entirely composed of my cells, making it possible for it to contain more mana per unit weight.
In essence, this is the strongest body I can currently create with my current technological capabilities.
“Alright. Let’s see how it performs.”
Leaving the fallen body behind, I moved towards a chair. Sitting down, I concentrated.
Even while simultaneously commanding countless troops, transferring my consciousness is not a difficult task for me now.
“…”
Before long, I opened my eyes not in the seated original body, but in the clone lying in a pool of mucus.
[Achievement: Voluntary Evolution (4) achieved. You have been rewarded one Stat Point.]
“Alright.”
Still feeling unfamiliar with the new body, I stood up with wobbly legs akin to a newborn fawn, smirking as I viewed the status window before me.
Another version of me, seated on a chair with her tendrils connected, also smirked.
Even with my present status as the Queen of a hive, it’s still quite an odd sensation to exist simultaneously in two bodies.
“Let’s put this to a real test.”
I observed the black leather and carapace gradually covering my pristine white skin. I hadn’t made this body merely to guard the nest.
Unlike Syla, this body was created to be the main force of our hive, just as she operates outside now.
Fighting directly is scary both as per the instincts of the hive’s queen and personally for me, but this body is, after all, just a clone.
If it is destroyed, I can recreate it. My original body remains safe in the deepest part of the nest, managing all necessary tasks.
[4-Tier Mana Beast Armored Crab]
“Perfect prey.”
Just as a hunting squad nearby discovered a suitable target, I effortlessly climbed atop a worker as it leisurely approached the nest entrance.
I transformed cells on my back into a vast, membraneous wing akin to a bat, unfurling it.
The omnipotent cells—exclusive to me—are highly inefficient for troops but were one of the reasons I made a clone personally.
‘Anything is possible.’
With a single beat, I soared into the skies, grinning at the fresh sky and breezy wind, so different from the damp, sinister cave I had come from.
When I first fell into this world after creating some fan art, it was utterly despairing, but now, I can clearly see there are definitely benefits.
It’s certainly a gamified world.
Rewards and consequences are certain.
Thus, wanting more of them is by no means strange.
*
“…Your Majesty.”
Syla, who had been operating nearby, arrived here with a group of troops.
As she expected, the queen was there.
Standing atop the corpse of a massive crab split in half, with her dark red mana swirling and her brilliant silver hair flowing, she wore an identical mask.
The mask slipped off, revealing her feminine face, clearly suited to her curvaceous body.
Syla knew this was a clone of the queen. However, to Syla, whether it is a clone or the real queen doesn’t matter.
Even the grotesque soldiers around her could become the queen if she so desired.
“All things within the Legion belong to her.”
Additionally, Syla knew that this armor now fused into her body moves exactly as the queen’s will dictates.
“Your management of mana has been of great reference to me, Syla. However, I find wielding a spear doesn’t suit me. I probably can’t fully copy it just by watching, at least not without dedicated training.”
“To be of any aid, that alone brings me great joy.”
“That’s true. It is indeed helpful.”
With a jump, she gracefully landed before Syla.
Syla flinched as her legs transformed into reverse joints as she leapt.
Not only wielding mana, but using the omnipotent cells to manifest all her genetic information, this was the queen’s true power.
“Thanks to reconnaissance units exploring towards the southeast, we’ve discovered a city of demons. Residents spotted so far include goblins and kobolds. It might belong to a significant faction governing the territory.”
Removing Syla’s mask with her hand, the queen transferred the images the scouts had sent.
The information sank into Syla’s mind, and soon she could see the same images.
“I think I know where it is. I was sold from that city to a goblin village.”
“Is that so? Then these must be your enemies to avenge.”
As Syla retrieved fragments of her memories, the queen seemed pleased with a wide smile.
The queen was planning to wage war against them under the banner of Syla’s vengeance.
However, Syla believed it was merely an imitation.
From her perspective, the queen evolved originally from a single Black Rot Insect.
‘Entitlements such as righteousness are meaningless.’
Their origins resemble those of a Black Rot Insect variant, showing many characteristics akin to beasts.
There was nothing wrong with that. They are fundamentally different; they must devour everything and continuously evolve while growing larger to endure.
They are individuals incapable of surviving otherwise.
“If we harvest from there, we could evolve another step.”
From beginning to end, the queen’s purpose remained the same.
Despite learning and acquiring much, Syla felt her essence would never change.
“?!
“Did you feel the impact? Get used to it. We need to prepare as much as possible for the upcoming war.”
Soon after, Syla flinched from a mild shock suddenly hitting her entire body.
The queen, who had been focused on the void, smirked at Syla’s reaction with apparent amusement.
「Consciousness Enhancement 3-3」
「Physical Enhancement 3-1」
「Reproduction Enhancement 3-2」
What the queen was doing, of course, was allocating points from previously gained attributes to enhance characteristics.
Though familiar to the queen, Syla could not help but feel estranged every time a characteristic was forcibly imposed upon her.
