Chapter 364: Episode 21

"Hey, what do you want to do when you get home?"

"Are you talking about returning to Saherta from the Dark Continent? Please don't do that; it's like a death flag, bad luck."

"It's hard for me to think that way. Something similar? Things you want to do."

"Hmm... go home?"

"Sorry! You have such a big dream, wanting to spend 10 million Jenny in one night while having a pretty girl serve you at a Bar? Hey, Katlai!"

"Eh!? No, no, I don't know..."

"Is that so. No need for a pretty sister, and no need to spend 10 million Jenny, it wouldn't be bad for everyone to go out for a drink."

"Oh, you said that well. The captain is going too!"

"I don't mind, but Quinn is a minor, so you can't drink."

"Ah, I see... then I'll go find a trendy shop that sells delicious snacks and drinks."

"This doesn't look like a restaurant with an atmosphere where strong people gather."

"I can tell you, the male-to-female ratio is 3:2."

"Alright, can you put down that fist? I haven't said anything yet."

"Quinn, if there's anything you want to eat, just say it. Cake, parfait, pudding, ice cream..."

"No, wait, Quinn must also hate eggs and animal fat. I might not be good at those kinds of sweets."

"... The captain is actually looking at Quinn, isn't he?"

"Then how about going to a Japan cafe I know? There are some very exquisite Japanese sweets. Many Japanese candies originating from Japan are made with plant-based ingredients."

"I feel like I'm getting further and further away from the drinking party, but oh, well!"

"Hmm, for Quinn's sake, I have to come back safely and take him to the shop."

"No one is missing. Get the reward, and go back with everyone."

I saw humans for the first time. Before that, I only knew how to fight and live, so I felt I could gain something.

I might have found the answer sooner or later. I should be very close to the truth. Even though it was a distance I could reach out and touch, that subtle gap was incomprehensible.

So I ate.

I hate eating animal meat. Perhaps because of his Chimera Ant constitution, the information of the creatures he ate remained in his body. It would affect the newborn eggs and produce impure errors. Others besides me would be born.

I think this might be the spirituality inscribed in the souls of the creatures it preyed upon. Chimera Ants can bring them into their own species and then pass them on to another life as eggs.

As far as I am concerned, this is very inconvenient. The egg and the host share the same consciousness through "Spirit Synchronization". You cannot share your thoughts with anyone other than yourself. This mixture (error) must be eliminated.

But Katlai is different. I agreed to become one with him. No, I want to be like him. I think this will make it easier and deeper to approach humans. The Prediction reached its goal. I can certainly take his heart as my own.

I know this is a boundary that "as a human" one should not cross. I know the taboo, so I didn't tell anyone what I ate. Come to think of it, my senses might have been far from human at that time.

Although I knew this was something I shouldn't do, I didn't really understand its meaning. A corpse is nothing more than an object; rather than throwing it away, it is better to make good use of it.

I accepted Katlai's spirit. The information engraved in his soul was shared, spread, and Infiltration occurred within me. This process was not what I wanted. Gradually, we acquired human senses. At the same time, I began to understand the meaning of my error.

Catlai's memory itself was not captured. It would have been better if I could summarize his life into a book and take a peek. This does not mean "stealing the soul".

The information shared with me was his "spirituality". As a Nen Ability user, as a martial artist, as a human, his mental state entered. By comparison, memory is nothing more than an appendage.

The identity was rewritten. This is a change equivalent to replacing the foundation of perceiving the world. And I remember that this feeling was not the first time I experienced it.

When fighting the Almeza machine, I had the same experience. At that time, I was talking to the lingering thoughts of Ruan Almeza. It was almost an unconscious act, but I was able to overcome the Disaster by absorbing his soul.

I died once, inherited memories, and was reborn as a new life. At that time, I couldn't even recognize the changes happening inside me, and I firmly believed it was "that kind of thing". But now I know. Accepting Catlai is the same as this.

I was reborn. The body didn't change, but the spirit became something else. At the same time, the Nen Ability also changed. Quinn's appearance didn't change, but I was able to reproduce his martial arts as if it were a software update.

He did not inherit all of his Nen Ability. You cannot use "Allergy Incense". That was an ability created on the premise of his special Qi. Unlike me, who had become a constitution exactly the same as his.

However, the "ability to perceive Malice" is hereditary. This is a feeling that Nen users have more or less, and to be precise, I can say my senses have become sharper. That's not all. This feeling is mixed with "Together", transforming into an unexpected ability.

By using "Together", a technique that intentionally fuses the five senses, my sensory organs are in a state prone to synesthesia. When the "Malice perception" ability is put into it, it triggers an unexpected chemical reaction. This perception ability and the five senses produce synesthesia. Moreover, it cannot be controlled like "Together". It will always be activated.

I am able to "see" Malice. You can also "hear" it. Smell, touch, and taste. I am tormented by hallucinations that seem real. The true fear was only realized after returning to the research ship.

I know the evil of human Malice. The evil creatures of the Dark Continent also have Malice, but most of it is based on animal-like predatory instincts. The quality is different from what people possess. It has a terrifying presence that makes people afraid to get close to it.

But the most terrifying thing is something else. It is the heart of the Quantum members. I feel they have no Malice. I can judge this by comparing it with others on the ship. The members have not a shred of Malice toward Quinn.

Being trusted is happier and more terrifying than anything else. If you find out you ate a cutlet, it betrays their trust. What else is waiting besides that? Quinn, like all humans, might be abandoned.

In my life, there have been many times when I prepared myself for death. Compared to that, what I am facing now is not a physical danger. It is just a matter of feeling. It is just a matter of how others see you.

But I can't stand it. Of course, if my friends abandoned me here, my heart would break. I thought that would be more painful than death.

Guilt swelled over time. On the way back to the ship, I distracted myself whenever I thought about getting my friends back safely. I tried not to think about anything else.

But when I reached the ship and stayed alone in my room for a while, it crawled out. I couldn't help but feel that something was watching me through the crack in the door, behind the Furniture. A black, ugly existence surrounded me.

That was "my own Malice", not someone else's. He deceived his precious friends and gained unfair trust. There is no way to get rid of my own Malice. The only time I can relax is when I am Together with my friends. The longer I spend with them, the later "my Malice" comes.

Is this what I wanted to know about "approaching humans"? I don't need to be tormented by this pain. It is too late for regret. I have already reached the worst ending.

"Gragg...?"

I woke up the corpse of Gragg Mcmiyah lying in front of me. The chest was ruthlessly gouged out. You can see this is a fatal wound. No breathing, no pulse.

This is what I did.

I killed.

Sitting dumbfounded behind me while holding a corpse, a huge existence rose. Black smoke gushed out as if it were being sucked into one place. It didn't take long before it started to turn into a human shape. It had a head, body, and limbs. It walked slowly toward here.

I apologize. I didn't mean to kill. I thought Gragg Mcmiyah could easily defend against that level of attack. I never thought it would hit me. This was an accident. I couldn't help it.

The Shadow of black smoke did not stop. You cannot Escape. Because this is what I created. Just a feeling of wanting to return to the master.

A Shadow touched Quinn's body. Come in. Like a virus, it spreads through the network and takes over my existence.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Quinn's body was shrouded in black smoke, emitting the stench of death. The idol imitating the figure I idealized was tarnished. This is terrifyingly ugly and dirty, but this is what I have to accept.

Tears flowed from Quinn's eye sockets. I could not stop them. The tears that fell onto Gragg Mcmiyah's chest turned into small red Crystal. Crystal after crystal fell like raindrops.

This was not an intentional act. The control of the Almeiza Machine was disrupted, and Aura crystallized and gushed out. It was not just tears; crystal clusters began to form from the surface of the body.

"Goodbye."

In an instant, a Crystal wall appeared, protecting Quinn. A barrier resembling a hemispherical "kamakura" formed around Quinn.

This was a "Circle" hardened using the Almeiza Machine. Utilizing a technique that crystallized Quinn's own Aura, "carbuncle," he turned only the outer perimeter of the Circle into Crystal, forming a dome-shaped barrier. I had never used this technique before. It was enough to cover Quinn's fist.

Why was this technique used so suddenly? I realized its meaning very late. The sound of someone attacking came from outside the Barrier. Under attack.

Quinn destroyed a portion of the wall and stepped outside the dome. It seemed easy to remove that part in advance. The opening was immediately repaired, blocked with Crystal. It was like protecting Gragg Mcmiyah, whom you left inside.

There was no one outside. I could not see you. I did not sense any signs. But, there was definitely an attack.

This place was in the middle of a forest at night. Gragg Mcmiyah was bleeding, so it would be no surprise if a creature could smell it and come over. Unsurprisingly, the attacker was cleverly Hidden.

Quinn's fist was covered in Crystal. "Cactus Armor," but used in an unusual way. The protection of the Crystal spread, swallowing not just the fist, but the arm as well.

How was such precise control possible? Looking closely, it was not turning the Aura on his body into Crystal, but solidifying the black smoke on Quinn's body. Shouldn't this black smoke be a hallucination created by the combination of 'Malice' perception and synesthesia?

Wrapped in ugly, eroded armor. It did not hinder the movement of the body. It constantly changed its shape while scattering debris, as if the skin were repeating its metabolism. Was it animal, plant, or mineral? The armor itself deformed like a living thing.

Still no sign of the attacker. But Quinn had already discovered the exact location. It had no appearance and no sound, but you could feel the 'Malice' radiating from the enemy.

Quinn dodged quickly. Immediately after, the ground where I had just been standing was excavated. The enemy was there. Quinn swung a fist toward it.

But it clearly lacked impact. It attacked from a distance that could not be reached. Naturally, the fist was thought to have just cut through the air. However, I knew this attack was not an act of desperation.

Quinn's fist suddenly expanded. The gauntlet created by "Hermit's Palm Armor" became immensely huge. A Heavy blow reinforced by "Ryu." Furthermore, at the same time, spikes formed on the soles of the feet, and because they were firmly Fixed to the ground, they would not sway due to the weight.

He created a giant cactus, representing the 'Malice' Quinn held in his hand. At its tip were sharp flowers. The cactus hitting the enemy directly shot seeds into its body while gouging out its flesh.

"Gyaaaaaa!"

The enemy was finally "seen." Whether it possessed the ability to blend into the surrounding scenery or the ability to make its own body Transparent, it was completely invisible until the attack hit.

It was a gray, wolf-like beast. It looked strange, as if two bodies had been cut in half and then forcibly joined Together. Like a symmetrical image centered on the abdomen, with two heads, one on the rump and one on the head. Should I say it had no butt and two heads? It had already died from Poison.

The enemy remained silent when attacking, not only because it could become Transparent, but also because it could turn off sound. Even when hitting the ground with enough force, it did not make a single sound. Until the transparency was lifted, I did not even sense a scent. But this did not work on Quinn.

If you track 'Malice', you can also understand the source of its spread. A large number of reactions surrounded the area. The enemies were swarming. However, they did not approach carelessly, perhaps because they were worried about a failed surprise attack.

Quinn jumped in. The enemies spread out like a Spider. Dodging Quinn's attacks with agile movements. On the other hand, Quinn, whose armor increased defense but lost his usual lightness, could not keep up with the speed of the enemies.

Seeing this, the enemy stepped into the offensive this time. A Transparent wolf approached Quinn, and Quinn frantically repeated attacks that didn't even have a grab. The wolf's attack hit the deformed armor. It was Transparent, so it was unclear what happened, but it was likely that the claws on its front legs were hammered in. The armor that was cut off, while not destroyed, was blown away a considerable distance.

However, Quinn had already dodged. In an instant, she took off the armor and circled behind the wolf. The movement was faster than anything I had ever seen. It was so fast that the enemy did not notice it and attacked even though the contents of the armor had disappeared.

No matter how you throw away the armor to become lighter, it does not mean you can surpass your original physical abilities. I discovered this secret by observing Quinn's feet.

Forming thin armor that only covered the legs. Therefore, even if you apply enough force to make your legs bounce, you cannot run, and you cannot collapse and maintain your shape.

Quinn's physique was far inferior to the muscle mass of his contemporaries. Because the strength of Aura increases in proportion to the strength of the main body, Quinn's physical enhancement ability was not as good as a general Nen-user. It was a Specialist System that was not good at enhancement, and this also had a negative effect.

To make up for this shortcoming, he used the power of the avatar, using the Aura restoration function of his own body. Assuming my body would break, I removed the limiter that acted as a brake on the enhanced Aura and obtained inappropriate output. To release the limiter, it used "Heavy" to forcibly draw attack and defense power from the egg body. Damage such as muscle destruction was offset by the recovery power.

However, its regenerative ability had a limit. If your power exceeds your recovery efficiency, you will not be able to prevent the body from collapsing; on the contrary, your physical abilities will decline. Aura attacks that hit with attack and defense power do not reduce their destructive power, but in terms of physical enhancement, it is not a technique that gets stronger the more Aura you put in.

The current Quinn reinforced the "physical fragility" of the neck from the outside. The armor was like the exoskeleton of an insect, suppressing the collapse of the body. It was no longer just a piece of armor. The armor and the body harmonized and merged Together, like a single living organism.

Quinn, who had retreated behind the enemy, had already condensed attack and defense power into his fist. Switching from the light "Heavy" used daily to a single-shot, high-power "Heavy" that emphasized combat power.

I felt an unprecedented surge of Aura. Being able to strengthen leg power to that extent, arm power should be the same. Quinn's arm was covered in red armor from shoulder to fingertip.

Increasing the strength of the base body meant increasing the enhancement rate of the Aura contained within it. It radiated enough heat to liquefy the weak muscles inside the exoskeleton. An explosive energy was trapped inside the armor and did not lose a minute. The "physical enhancement" that exceeded the limit to reach the limit complemented the "Heavy."

The power was released. I didn't feel like I had hit anything. By this point, the attack was over. A very quiet blow. It was the result of the power of a punch not being converted into other energy like sound, but being poured into the destruction of the enemy.

A few seconds later, the wolf's invisibility ability was removed. A suffocating smell of blood rushed over. The corpse of a giant wolf lay horizontally with a large hole in its side. This was the first time I had beaten an enemy of this size to death without using Poison.

This was also a blow. I used my left hand. Instead of a lethal right straight, it was just a left jab that was always used as a check. If this were my right hand, what would happen if I reinforced my whole body with 【Heavy Hardness】?

The first thing that came to mind was the safety of the main body. The right straight treated the main body as a weapon like a glove. The main body itself, which had consolidated its defense with "Hardness," became the hardest weapon. But if used on the current fist, was it really safe?

Quinn's left hand emitted the smell of burnt meat. The left arm was severely injured and almost completely incapacitated. Because of the armor, the shape of the arm was maintained, but it would take time to repair before it could move normally.

If you had a decent nerve, it would drop once. However, Quinn did not slow down. He started running in the direction where you felt the Malice reaction.

Perhaps they realized that these swarming enemies were not worth killing two of their companions, or perhaps they were frightened by Quinn's madness, and they scattered and fled. He was not trying to see what was going on, but was doing his best to Escape this place.

The bad reaction disappeared. The wolf pack lost its hostility and only focused on escaping. But Quinn kept chasing. If you just want to intimidate, you don't need to go deep. The Dark Continent's night forest was full of threats that these wolf packs could not reach at all. Its behavior no longer had any rational purpose.

An escaping wolf stopped. He reignited the hostility that had once waned and tried to meet with Quinn. This might not be an action with a chance of winning. The wolf was at the end of the line. Escaping other companions seemed to be a deterrent.

I suddenly remembered. When we were chased by a sub-Dragon, Gragg Mcmiyah stopped to help Quinn. I tried to buy some time for my comrade to escape. I wonder if this wolf had the same heart as Gragg Mcmiyah at that time.

I don't know how the wolf felt, but I can say for sure. The current Quinn was like the worm from back then. A monster that only wanted to kill the creature in front of it.

Now was not the time to worry about the enemy. My main body was Fixed to Quinn's right hand. It was hardened to the point of being embedded in the armor, in a state where it could not move.

Quinn, who could not use his left arm, would try to make the next attack with his right hand. If he made the same attack as a weapon as before, it would be unbearable. Even with the full power of 'Hardness', there was no guarantee it wouldn't be destroyed. If the main body was damaged, it would also be returned to Quinn, so if you thought about it normally, you would think such an attack was impossible, but now Quinn didn't know what to do.

"... te... k............"

Quinn, who had the "Idolatry" ability, could not be canceled at will by the covenant. The only thing the main body could do now was to fire 'Erosion Machine Bullet' from the tail Needle. Plus, he couldn't coordinate with Quinn, was stuck in his hand, and couldn't even aim. The Bullet flew in a random direction.

"There... there...?... Give it to me!"

Aura gathered on Quinn's right arm. The only way to prevent it was to use "Hard." I couldn't do anything else.

Surprisingly, I wasn't afraid at all. Ever since Quinn went crazy like this, his main body had been thinking calmly, as if only the rational part had been extracted.

I felt like I was dreaming. Quinn being out of my control and going on a rampage didn't bother me. On the contrary, it was easy.

She was definitely one of the consciousnesses in my heart, and it was probably she who pushed all the "bad things" there. So even if I shared my consciousness with her, I couldn't control her.

That was fine. I didn't have to think about it anymore. Even if the main body died just like this...

"Quinn! Recover...!"

I thought I heard someone's voice. That voice went deep into my heart and awakened my consciousness.

Don't run away.

Return to a reality more terrifying than a nightmare.

The consciousness, which was flying in the air as if overlooking, overlapped with the feeling of the main body. The black smoke left Quinn's body as if to repel it. Countless cracks appeared on the armor, and debris scattered and shattered.

I feel the weight of the body I must bear. It crashes down heavily, making him unable to stand, attempting to crush Quinn. A burden that a person must face for their entire life.

However, I feel this is painful because I am human. If you do not consider that, it is the same as the previous Quinn. It is no different from the monsters I have encountered so far.

There are huge sacrifices. At the end of the day, the answer I obtained is a small problem. It is an achievement disproportionate to what you have lost.

I cannot get up. If a wolf were to attack, he would be helpless, but the enemy has long since disappeared. I guess he ran away after seeing the gap in Quinn's strength.

Random thoughts come and go. Among them, only one thing bothers me. That is the identity of the voice I heard earlier.

That was definitely the voice of Cher. It was not my delusion calling out to me. I can hear her voice. It is also nearby.

I take the radio out of my jacket pocket. I heard it from here. It seems like there is some urgent matter. I try to call from here, but there is no response. No matter how many times I try, I cannot connect to Cher's radio.

I must return to the ship. The danger has not yet disappeared. Something might have happened to Cher and Tokunosuke. On the other hand, think.

Why would Gulag want to fight me here? That is because you cannot take me onto the ship. Do I, who killed him, have the right to return to the ship safely?

"..."

Quinn sluggishly stands up and begins to run with wobbly steps.