Became an Evolving Space Monster

In Space Survival, the Wolf species stands out as quite unique.

Initially, when starting in a beast-like form, their development is akin to humans or cyborgs: working as mercenaries to acquire ships, hunting for better weapons and equipment, and following a path similar to human-like species.

But when they advance toward deification and unlock the ability to transform into mystical beasts, their playstyle becomes far more varied. In beast form, they gain extraordinary physical abilities and powerful innate traits, allowing them to decimate enemies without special weaponry.

Usually, they fight in their beastman mode but can transform into their mystical beast form when they need to overwhelm foes with raw power.

In essence, the Wolf is a hybrid species, combining traits from both humanoid and monstrous races.

While hybrid races in other games often end up as jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none by late game, the Wolf avoids this pitfall. This is thanks to their unique system, known as The Path of Primordials.

As players meet the requirements for what is commonly called deification, their mystical beast powers become stronger. By late game, Wolf players often fight predominantly in mystical beast form.

Of course, by this point, the quality of the weapons and equipment used in beastman mode also improves. They take down powerful enemies with their strengthened mystical beast mode and craft rare materials into powerful gear, making Wolf characters stronger as their two modes synergize.

However, this also comes with the drawback of having a lot to manage. To perform well, a Wolf must master fighting both in beastman and mystical beast forms. Lacking proficiency in either results in a character that falls short in every aspect.

In any case, the Mother of the Sky has advanced to the upper ranks of deification. Compared to the Amorph, she is somewhere between a sub-adult and an adult form. Her combat power is slightly lower than mine just before reaching the Dragon’s Nest.

Yet, there’s one area in which she surpasses the Amorph.

She can travel in space without restriction.

Her wings, an entrancing agate-colored glow shimmering like drifting sand in the wind, have the allure of gemstones. Thanks to these wings, she could make it all the way here.

‘It truly is a sight.’

Even with her increased level of deification, her appearance hasn't drastically transformed like the Amorph’s. The head of a white-tailed eagle, the body of a lion with golden fur—aside from the wings, she’s mostly unchanged.

But one thing is certain.

Seeing her fly, fighting with those beautiful wings, is astonishingly majestic.

The Griffin with agate wings soars amidst a swarm of metallic gremlins. The silver-colored gremlins lunge to bite, yet not a single one could touch a hair on her.

｢■■■!｣

Some metallic gremlins jumped ahead, anticipating her path. Unfazed, she swung the golden spear held in her beak.

｢■?!｣

There was no way that rabble could withstand the Priestess’s Golden Spear, soaked in the blood of countless lives. In one strike, she cut three metallic gremlins in half and gracefully slipped out of the enemy’s encirclement.

｢■■!｣

Then, Wolfram Goblins behind her raised their arms, aiming in her direction.

'Not on my watch.'

I extended my winged arms fully. My membrane, folded like the sails of a ship, opened wide. With a powerful beat of my wings, now three times their size, my body surged forward at a terrifying speed.

The metallic gremlins ranged from 30 to 80 centimeters, while my current body size approaches a hundred times that. Spread out with wings, I appear several times larger.

And when combined with the propulsion from my wings? The resulting destructive power is beyond imagination.

In a flash, my body collided with the silver swarm.

Like silver paint splattered on black canvas, my shell shimmered silver—all from their blood. The force of our collision shattered them to pieces.

Skewered on my head horns and tusks at the sides of my mouth, the Wolfram Goblins dangled like meat on a spit. Some fell into my mouth.

Had they not been Alloy-Skinned Wolfram Goblins, this would have ended worse for them. As it is, they fared better than the lesser metallic gremlins, who’d have been reduced to a puddle.

｢■■■■■!｣

A Warpboy began preparing a Warp Guide, panicked at the sight of his kind turned to pulp. Hidden tendrils of mine, corrupted and ready, swiftly reacted, launching toward him. They were long, even beyond my body length.

｢■■?!｣

His mistake was not accounting for my size, much larger than before using Bone Beast. The corrupted tendrils didn’t just capture him—they devoured the silver monsters around him as well.

｢■■■■!｣

｢■■■!｣

｢■■■■■!｣

Silver scavengers who narrowly escaped climbed atop my body. Hundreds of metallic gremlins clung to me, biting down.

As I shook to throw them off, they suddenly burst like mosquitoes slapped against a hand. Those watching their comrades crushed by some invisible force stopped biting and scrambled off.

The force didn’t spare them. The runaways twisted and shriveled one by one.

‘It’s the Mother of the Sky.’

I glanced at her from nearby as she fought. From the edges of her wings, minute particles spread into space.

This is her new power, gained with her advanced deification.

‘The ability to manipulate pressure.’

Within the range of those particles, she can create or control pressure on any object. The metallic gremlins twist and are crushed when they touch or accidentally inhale these particles.

Though these creatures can survive without oxygen, there’s no way to endure extreme internal pressure distortions. Even the tough skin of the Wolfram Goblins is helpless before these particles.

‘Though, players don’t usually rate this power too highly.’

The ability is indeed powerful, but the fact that the particles are visible becomes a major drawback. Enemies can avoid the areas where the particles are spread. This means that for the wolf with pressure-control abilities, the key is to find a way to conceal it and lure the enemies into range.

However, those metallic gremlins don’t know this. Ignorant of the particle's danger, they charged headlong and were annihilated.

The Mother of the Sky, who had smashed the gremlins that attacked me, flew close, scattering particles around.

｢Was that an unnecessary intervention?｣

[ZZ ZZZ ZZZZZ (No. It was perfectly timed support.)]

She shrugged, eyes fixed on the silver predators.

｢Still not thinning out. I suppose we’ll have to locate their leader?｣

[ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZZ (Yes. We need to capture it as soon as possible.)]

｢Because of the fortress?｣

Behind us, Kesha Arma, under the control of PS-111, was battling the metallic gremlins. The Mother of the Sky seemed concerned about the fortress collapsing, but my worry was elsewhere.

[ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (A high-ranking one is in the fortress.)]

｢What?｣

[ZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ (I subdued it, but who knows when it might escape.)]

｢…So, we need to drive these creatures away first, don’t we?｣

Her amber eyes narrowed. She’d been through enough to understand well what could happen if Cynthia escaped.

｢I don’t know who it is, but I won’t just let them run wild.｣

[ZZZ (Right.)]

｢But if it’s a Titan Boss, it won’t reveal itself easily. Do you have a plan?｣

[ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ (I’ll scatter them. You focus on finding it.)]

The Mother of the Sky has the best eyesight among us. If anyone can spot the Titan Boss hiding from my sensors, it would be her.

Understanding my intent, she nodded. Moving slightly ahead, I prepared a means to sow chaos among the enemies.

Meanwhile, they re-formed their formation, extending into a long line like a snake, bypassing us to head toward the fortress. Perhaps they decided fighting us would incur too many losses.

‘I won’t let them do as they please.’

I unleashed a psychic breath at the tail of the gremlin-snake formation. The energy exhaled by this massive 80-meter beast far surpassed the flames of a mythical dragon.

It was like the flares emitted by the sun.

‘The energy cost is enormous, as expected.’

As a tremendous amount of energy drained away, dizziness overtook me. Since gaining the dragon’s heart, I hadn’t expended this much energy in such a short time, except when fighting the Gorgon Swarm.

The gargantuan psychic breath, like a violet solar flare, raced toward the silver snake near Kesha Arma.

Even a body robust enough to fight fleets meant nothing before these mythic flames. The tail of the snake was incinerated instantly by overwhelming force.

｢■■■!｣

｢■■■■!｣

｢■!｣

Even for the fearless metallic gremlins, the death of thousands of their kind shocked them. Many abandoned their formation in a panic.

Some held their ground, but they, too, felt the same fear. The body of the now-headless snake glowed blue as they prepared for hyperspace travel to regroup.

I urgently called out to the Mother of the Sky.

[ZZZ (Have you found it?)]

｢I’m still searching!｣

It seemed I would need to get closer. Grabbing her with a combat limb, I charged toward the swarm.

[ZZZ ZZ (There’s no time left.)]

｢I know!｣

This time, none of them lunged at me with bared fangs. The psychic breath had so shaken the Titan Boss’s control that they lacked the strength to confront me.

‘But they’ll recover soon enough.’

The metallic gremlins’ minds are simple, far from the complexity of typical organisms. Even after the death of thousands, the tens of thousands still alive would quickly overcome their fear.

As I flew through the creatures surrounding me, the Mother of the Sky tapped my combat limb with her forepaw.

｢That way!｣

In the direction she indicated, a small creature blended into the darkness of space itself—a metallic gremlin with a skin black as a black hole, unlike its silver kin. This was their leader, the Titan Boss.

Releasing the Mother of the Sky, I extended a corroding tendril toward it, smashing aside the silver creatures blocking my path as I reached out with six gripping appendages to seize it.

｢■■■■!｣

Just as I was about to grab it, the creature glowed blue and disappeared. A warp boy behind it had whisked the leader away. Instead, my tendril devoured the warp boy.

｢Predation activated!｣

‘Where did it go?’

The notification of predation flashed, but I had no time for that now. The creature was the leader of this horde and had to be somewhere nearby.

The Auxiliary organ beneath my jaw detected its presence about 200 meters behind me.

I was about to react, but someone moved faster.

The Mother of the Sky had already launched herself toward it, spear clenched in her jaws.

Her spear grazed it as it aimed for its neck.

｢■■■!｣

｢Tch! Too shallow!｣

The attack aimed at its neck had only grazed its chest. The Titan Boss vanished again, along with all the metallic gremlins around us.

They reappeared some distance away, cloaked in blue light.

｢…It’s my fault. I should have moved faster.｣

[ZZ ZZZ ZZ (No, it wasn’t.)]

The Mother of the Sky had accurately anticipated their teleportation point and acted faster than I did. She had no reason to blame herself.

‘This just got annoying.’

Having narrowly escaped, the Titan Boss would now be even harder to catch if it started behaving cautiously.

‘A different strategy this time….’

I was devising a new approach when the metallic gremlins’ movements became erratic.

‘Hm?’

｢What’s up with them?｣

Even the Mother of the Sky tilted her head at the odd behavior.

Though they had previously moved in a disciplined manner even under the psychic breath’s impact, they now appeared completely different.

‘Are they scared?’

The Titan Boss was indeed wounded, but it was still intact.

So their erratic movements were still under its influence, as if the leader’s personality had changed suddenly. Where they once acted like an army, now they resembled a mob of wild beasts.

‘Well, this works in my favor.’

With them scattering, I could inflict severe damage.

Just as I was about to resume my attack, the silvery cloud they formed glowed blue and then vanished entirely.

The ones attacking the fortress behind us also disappeared.

｢They’ve left.｣

The metallic gremlin swarm that had besieged Kesha Arma finally retreated.

With that, the intense battle inside the fortress also came to an end.

‘Not quite. One still remains.’

Cynthia, the cult leader in the fortress.

Our fight with her is yet to come.