Chapter 7 – Remodeling and Evolution (2)
Great Carthia is a representative medium-sized Mana Beast that lives in the Demon Forest.
Its size is certainly not small, and its unique poison serves as an excellent means of both attack and defense, even against larger predators.
They also breed well, making them truly fearsome beasts that dominate lower-ranking Demons.
What about the Black Rot Insects? Compared to these insect-type monsters that represent the forest, the Black Rot Insects are merely tasty snacks.
The nests where Black Rot Insects gather are nothing more than dining halls filled with prey to the Carthias, who are encased in sturdy shells and emit potent toxins.
“—.”
Likewise for the Carthias. Recently, suitable prey had been dwindling, while the Black Rot Insects had been expanding their activity range.
That was unacceptable. Though Carthias usually act independently, three of them who shared the same thought banded together.
And after tracing the distinct smell of the Black Rot Insects, they quickly found their nest. Naturally, Black Rot Insects gathered from all around to protect it.
Even though the Black Rot Insects targeted by the Carthias were larger and tougher than usual, their movements clearly appeared different. But the Carthias weren’t cautious enough to consider such details.
“These crazy centipedes!”
Without hesitation, the enemies attacked. The Queen gritted her teeth and commanded her soldiers.
Without undergoing enhancement, these soldiers had no hope of defeating the Carthias in normal combat. To counter enemies with overwhelming physical strength, they needed to target their weaknesses.
“Where was that weak point… was it the belly? But does an in-game weakness even matter?”
Carthias, much like the Black Rot Insects, were creatures that appeared in games. As a Player who had fought them endlessly, she knew their weak points.
However, knowing the weak points and actually exploiting them in real life were two different things.
[A battle is starting.]
The Carthias, confident that there was no need to hesitate against four foes, relied on their massive, bus-sized bodies, strong muscles, and tough exoskeletons as they charged headfirst.
“Surround them and attack at once! Aim for their legs!”
Simultaneously, under the direct command of the Queen, Black Rot Insects rushed in from all directions.
Using their mandibles, they attempted to bite off the Carthias’ legs, causing the giant centipedes to twist in frustration as they tried to shake them off.
“This is insane… why are they so strong.”
The strength of the Carthias was overwhelming. Even when five or six insects latched on, they were easily thrown off with a single thrash.
Instead, the Carthias’ venomous fangs efficiently shattered the workers’ exoskeletons, injecting poison that melted their insides.
Moreover, the toxic gas they exhaled poisoned and slowed down those without venom resistance.
“It’s a disaster.”
She shuddered on unsteady legs.
Within mere seconds, one of their group members disappeared. While the numberless legs of the Carthias accumulated in piles of severed limbs, the Carthias themselves, unable to penetrate deep into the nest, remained largely unharmed.
There was a fundamental difference that couldn’t be bridged by mere size.
[new soldiers have fully grown.]
“Finally!”
Thus, they needed new weapons. Totally new weapons capable of overcoming this fundamental gap and overturning an established order.
And the Black Rot Insect cluster’s new weapons successfully hatched, miraculously at the right time.
She, trembling with the fear of being torn apart by the Carthias, was overjoyed as she felt one by one her new creations connect to her consciousness.
“Only half as many battle units, but still…!”
Out of the fifty new Black Rot Insects, only half were specifically designed for combat.
But they were proportionally much stronger.
Without even letting their bodies dry from their birth fluids, they all rushed forward together to protect the nest and the Queen, hurling themselves toward the Carthias.
“—!?”
The Carthias paused in confusion as they saw these Black Rot Insects, with forms they’d never seen before, charging at them.
They were completely different from the ones they’d just killed moments before.
First of all, they were larger. They had firm yet somewhat thin bodies and legs, making them extremely agile.
Their sharp venomous fangs appeared to possess venom themselves, and their front legs, oriented opposite to the others, looked like pointed spears or sickles.
“—!”
Despite this, the Carthias rushed toward them as if to say, “So what? They’re still just worker-class Black Rot Insects.”
Thinking that no matter how much the victims changed, they were still mere workers of Black Rot Insects.
“Where…?”
Simultaneously, she smirked.
The cost of underestimating the remodeled and evolved fighters was devastatingly clear: the Carthias took direct hits on their bodies.
*
[Our soldiers are biting into the Carthias.]
The new soldiers were inherently agile, so they avoided the Carthias’ attacks quite well.
They each carried two types of weapons. Their sharp venomous fangs and the spear-like front legs could break through the Carthias’ hardened shells.
Suppressing their strength, the soldiers targeted the relatively weaker undersides of the Carthias, repeatedly stabbing them and tearing them with venomous fangs, causing their intestines and bodily fluids to burst out as foam flowed out of their mouths.
“Keep latching on!”
Without letting their guard down, they thoroughly killed the last remaining Carthia.
When numerous combat soldiers clung on to them and ruthlessly tore apart their bodies, it took only a few seconds for the remains of the giant centipedies to fall into a pool of bodily fluids.
“We’ve won.”
Having concentrated all my attention into monitoring and directing the battle, I muttered blankly.
Though it wasn’t necessarily a hunt we had planned, it was the first time we had slain an enemy of Tier 2.
[Achievement: Hunt(3) has been unlocked. As a reward, you have received 1 attribute point.]
[Achievement: Spirit of Challenge(1) has been unlocked. As a reward, you have received 1 attribute point.]
This was recognized as an achievement. It was the reward for defeating an enemy stronger than ourselves.
“Hurry up and clean up. Collect the food and clear the area.”
Without immediately checking the rewards, I immediately assigned the newly born workers to collect other spoils.
The spoils I mentioned included the corpses of the “hunted” Carthias. Also included were the remains of our fallen soldiers.
Unfortunately, once dead, they were just organic matter.
Using them as nutrients to be re-incorporated into the colony would fulfill their duty of contributing to the colony even in death.
“Now we can hunt Tier 2 beasts.”
I turned my gaze to elsewhere.
The re-modeled soldiers quickly proved their worth and ability in this battle, faster than I had expected.
Therefore, there was no need to waste time. More food, more battles!
We would continue to evolve and re-model using them. After all, this giant centipede we just hunted is now a part of us.
「Consciousness Enhancement 2-1」
「Reproduction Enhancement 2-3」
For this, I spent the points obtained from the last hunt in enhancing consciousness and reproduction.
Since physical strength could be improved through re-modeling, points were invested primarily in increasing numbers.
[If this trend continues, the area you have claimed as territory will soon face a shortage of food.]
“Yes…if that happens, we’ll simply expand our territory and hunt more food.”
It’s not my responsibility or privilege to worry about ecological imbalances in the Demon Realm.
If necessary, I, or rather we, will eliminate everything around here and grow anyway.
“Even though we’re omnivores, there are more plants we can’t eat, aren’t there? There are so many plants around.”
My first desire was to expand the range of food that our kind could use as nutrients.
Although most beings of the Demon Realm tend to be carnivorous, the plants here in the Demon Realm are tough, bizarre, and not very numerous compared to the lush forests on Earth.
Still, plants are still the most abundant source of food.
If we could consume and digest these plants, how much more nutrition could we secure?
[To achieve this, you would need to completely overhaul the genes related to digestive organs.]
“So I’ve been thinking… do we really need a ‘digestive organ’? It’s such a hassle having to eat food directly.”
I smirked at the system message.
Unlike me, who receives nutrients through an artificial digestive system, watching the others actually chew and swallow food through their mouths had led me to think along these lines already.
Besides, the workers and combat units don’t even have reproductive organs.
If we remove their digestive organs as well and convert them purely into instruments of physical movement, it would significantly reduce the nutrients required.
Of course, this might require us to redesign the entire nutrient supply system from scratch.
Something akin to recharging a battery – they would go to a designated spot when they run out of energy and be supplied with nutrients via tentacles.
‘It’s worth a try.’
No one is giving hints, but surprisingly creative ideas keep arising.
And I currently possess the power to turn these seemingly impossible biological experiments into reality.
