I Became an Evolving Space Monster
Chapter 415

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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Chapter 415

A toxic cavern beneath the surface, filled with hazardous pollutants.

There, a massive cocoon—easily over 100 meters long—lay anchored to the ground. Shaped like a pitch-black egg, it pulsed slowly, oozing a tar-like liquid that dripped continuously.

Approaching the living black hill was a small creature reminiscent of a spider: a biomechanical hybrid, MPS-03.

“Extraction. Extraction.”

The mini Screamer repeated the word with a glass tube clamped in its mouth. It gently tapped one of its metal legs into the liquid dripping from the cocoon. After collecting a droplet, it stored it in the tube, repeating the action several times.

When the tube was finally filled, MPS-03 gulped it down, storing it in a compartment within its throat.

“Sample secured.”

Far from the subterranean chamber, PS-111 muttered quietly as it remotely piloted the mini Screamer.

“To protect the Controllers, I must upgrade my functions.”

PS-111 had recently experienced a bitter defeat in battle.

It had never once neglected its own enhancements, yet the enemy continued to outpace it.

If this continued, one day, it might fall—its systems shut down for good.

If that happened, it would no longer be able to protect the Little Sister.

Without PS-111, her sister Isabel would not survive. PS-111 was the only one capable of calibrating her physical body.

To guard against any possible danger, it needed to become even more effective.

“If I can mimic the Amorph’s evolutionary capability, I can improve my own systems.”

To PS-111, the Amorph was a singularity in genetic engineering—so far ahead of even the most advanced mutant Screamers that calling it centuries beyond would still be an understatement.

Even if it couldn’t fully understand the mechanism behind the sample it just collected, that was acceptable. Partial analysis alone could significantly enhance its own design.

“Sample collection complete. Now resuming the primary mission.”

With the most important task out of the way, PS-111 used a communications satellite to send out a signal. It was calling the Middle One, who had left the system to track down the dangerous creature known as the Arcane Orca.

The Middle One had taken MPS-05, a unit specialized in hacking and communication. A simple signal would trigger an immediate response.

As expected, MPS-05 quickly replied.

But the contents of the reply were unexpected.

“Already in transit?”

The Middle One, who had gone to meet the native Wolfrans on U-08, had already left the planet days ago.

“Secured a critical lead. Requesting support?”

After a brief moment of consideration, PS-111 contacted the mini Screamer en route to Zer-11.

It asked what was needed.

***

“Why do you look like that?”

A mesmerizing voice brushed against its ears. It opened its eyes without thinking.

Standing before it was a woman with black hair. Her face was obscured, yet she gave off a strange impression of beauty. There was also a feeling of familiarity, as if they had met before.

The alluring woman reached out, gently stroking its cheek.

｢Still groggy? You look tired.｣

Something was off.

Despite being touched by someone whose face it couldn’t see, there was no sense of discomfort.

｢Tired? I was just thinking.｣

A voice that was at once familiar and strange emerged from its mouth.

｢What could you have been thinking about so deeply that you didn’t hear me call?｣

｢Breakfast.｣

｢Oh? Really?｣

｢Felt like cooking again after a long time.｣

Its body moved naturally as it chatted with the unknown woman. It was cooking something.

There was a familiar mark on the arm holding the lightly oiled frying pan: a red, crinkled burn scar, exactly like the one in its memories.

But the arm itself was different from what it remembered. Back when it was addicted to VR games, its body was in terrible shape—weak and sickly. This arm, with lean muscle and strength, was unimaginable then.

｢I always liked the food you made best, big brother.｣

｢Yeah?｣

｢Well… not just that.｣

She leaned closer, wrapping her arm gently around its waist. Her invisible face came nearer, and ‘it’ responded naturally.

That voice—familiar, yet subtly more mature. The burn scar, identical to its memory, and yet a new, unfamiliar body. And the kiss with the faceless but beautiful woman.

A thought crept in: this was me, and yet… not.

Maybe this was what it had always wanted. Maybe this was...

An ideal future.

And with that thought, it woke up.

The warmth on its lips vanished, along with the cozy kitchen. In their place were the cold walls of a glass chamber filled with green fluid, and a chokingly strong chemical odor that dulled its senses.

It recognized this place—it had been here before, each time it entered the cocoon.

But never before had it experienced a vision like that.

‘That wasn’t the reality I know.’

Until now, every hallucination it had seen was rooted in its own past—memories of childhood, or of the moments just before it was dragged into the world of Space Survival. Nothing had ever strayed from its lived experience.

‘Technically… that was closer to the future I hoped for.’

Whether in the game or the real world, it had rarely held a proper conversation with another person. A kiss with someone? That had never happened.

Besides, its real body was far from appealing—scarred head to toe, frail and weak. No one would have found it attractive.

Truth be told, the Amorph’s current body felt far more impressive.

“Now that I think about it, Alshas said something like that once.”

As the ending nears, people start seeing illusions that reflect their future in reality. Two of the top returnee rankers—Rank 4 and Rank 7—experienced such illusions.

In contrast, Jason, a ranker from the Dominion faction, directly killed his real-world self inside the illusion. Since he gave up on reaching the ending, he never had another illusion afterward.

I went through a similar situation myself. When I entered the cocoon to mature into an adult form, I saw an illusion where my real self tried to kill me.

But I made a different choice. I didn’t kill the real me, nor did the Amorph version of me die.

From what I can tell, the illusions vary based on which faction you’re leaning toward—whether you’re getting closer to the real world or to this one.

So then… which side am I on? Could what I just saw be tied to the choices I’ve made?

“The illusion isn’t over yet.”

I raised my head and looked around. Countless green tubes filled the space. Every time I entered a cocoon, I ended up in this massive chamber.

This is a place I have no memory of, neither in the real world nor in this one. But the fact that I keep coming here must mean something.

“Let’s check it out.”

I pushed strength into both legs and stood up.

My body had grown significantly since becoming an adult form, but right now I was roughly the same size as the many experiment tubes surrounding me. I remember being about this size back when I was a quasi-adult. It seems the illusion adjusts my size accordingly.

“…Hmm?”

There was one clear difference from before—my two side heads.

Since maturing, I’ve had three heads. The two side heads normally obey my control, but they can act on their own if needed.

And right now, both were pointing their snouts upward.

“The ceiling?”

This space was too vast to gauge its width—same for its height. Looking up revealed only darkness, not a ceiling.

“Up there, huh.”

Now that I think of it, I’ve always crawled along the floor. I’ve never actually tried looking up there.

“Might as well find out.”

I turned toward the wall, intending to climb, when I noticed a long, folded wing-arm stretch out. The membrane was tucked in.

“Think I can fly?”

I spread the wing membrane wide and gave it a test flap. My body lifted slightly with the rush of wind. Though I had shrunk, flying didn’t seem like a problem.

With my wing-arms, I propelled myself upward in the direction the heads were pointing.

As I rose, the sharp chemical stench and clinging humidity gradually faded. The further I went, the more the pitch-black space above began to change.

Amid the darkness—like black paper draped across the void—green capsules came into view. Just like on the ground, they were embedded up here as well.

And below them, floating in midair, was a black spherical structure.

“What’s that?”

It was a structure I hadn’t seen before. I circled it to get a closer look.

That’s when both my left and right heads extended their necks straight toward the sphere.

“Hm? You want me to get closer?”

The heads bobbed their snouts up and down.

As I approached, I saw just how massive the structure was. At a glance, the diameter must’ve easily exceeded several hundred meters. Its surface gleamed like polished obsidian—smooth and flawless, not a single blemish.

Flapping my wing-arms, I reached out with my combat limbs and touched the sphere’s surface. It rippled like a pond struck by a pebble, and my fingertips slipped through with no resistance.

“Looks like I can go in.”

There must be a reason the Amorph’s heads led me here. I dove into the sphere.

The moment my body passed through its membrane, the scenery shifted in an instant. Just seconds ago, I had been flying—but now, I stood in complete darkness, not a hint of light anywhere.

“…This place?”

Every time I moved, circular ripples radiated across the floor. The sight jogged my memory.

“…This is where I came when I grew into a sub-adult.”

The first time I ever saw an illusion was when I entered the cocoon to become a sub-adult.

Back then, I’d arrived in this space in the body of my human past. I wandered here for a long while before meeting the Amorph in its fluid state—and then I woke up.

Maybe I’ll meet someone again this time, too.

“Might as well walk.”

Just like the first time, I set off across the empty, barren landscape.

I don’t know how long I walked. I simply followed the pulsing ripples beneath my feet—until something appeared in the distance.

A human.

A man, his face marked by severe burn scars. My ‘real-world’ self.

I tensed instinctively, wondering if I’d have to fight again, but “I” spoke first.

“No. I won’t fight you.”

What?

“I’m not trying to deceive you.”

The ‘real me’ raised both hands as if to show he meant no harm. Though I hadn’t said a word, he spoke freely—like he could read my thoughts.

“That’s correct.”

He nodded, confirming my suspicion.

“I intervened at a moment when your brain was being reconstructed. Because of that, I can read your thoughts. I’ve also taken this form for that reason.”

Who… are you?

“I’m an information function entity. I handle candidate selection and cognitive alignment within the Projection System. I’ve come to deliver critical information.”

Projection System? Wait… don’t tell me…

System. Candidate. Selection.

Those three words sparked a sudden realization.

“I’m unable to give a detailed answer due to security restrictions.”

Even though he said he couldn’t answer, that alone was answer enough.

This being, calling itself an information function—

It was almost certainly the one responsible for summoning rankers into this world.

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[Translator – Seraph]

[Proofreader – Draxx]

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