I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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042 A Walk and a Deception

Shriek—!
Screech…!

In that moment of absolute crisis, the screams of Gyusik and Bokgu pierced through the darkness.

‘Damn it! Wait—I’ll save you!’

[Activating skill «Wind Blade».]

As Dito beat his wings forward, a razor-sharp gust of wind cut cleanly into the carnivorous plant’s trunk.

Whiiing!
Crack-crack-crack!

The sharp report echoed, but it only left a surface wound on the creature. It wasn’t enough to free Bokgu and Gyusik.
The wind attribute didn’t match well against that thing’s thick outer hide.
But Dito only had wind-element attack skills available right now….
Damn it. I had to save them no matter what.
I gathered my mana desperately once more and unleashed «Sonic Bombardment Level 2».

Boom-boom!

Useless. Of course it was—it was a crowd-control skill meant to disorient the enemy with powerful sound waves.
And through it all, I heard the monster’s enormous maw snap shut with merciless finality.

Gulp.
‘No, no, no!’

As those jaws closed, my heart sank.
Maybe at first they were nothing more than hosts for my survival, but that’s changed.
These two aren’t just tools or mounts anymore—they’re my friends. My companions.
I’ve shared life and death with them, weathered all the hardships and joys that come with it!

‘Ugh, I’ll save you, Bokgu!’

I can still see him the way he was—cast out by his own family in a single day, dragging his tail in defeat.
Then later, when a Holy Knight had me cornered, when Bokgu showed up in that moment of desperation—he was magnificent.
How could I let him go like this? So easily, so pointlessly?
It was impossible. Absolutely impossible.

‘I’ll find a way, I swear it… just hold on a little longer, Gyusik!’

And Gyusik—my first ever host.
That beast who used to love rotting meat, those foul-smelling toxic scraps… now his palate had grown so refined he wouldn’t touch ordinary prey.
And for all his cute appearance, he turned out to be loyal in ways I hadn’t expected. He waited for me at the end, even when I’d tried to jump to that black ox.
How could I abandon him after everything we’ve shared?

‘No! No!’
Peck-peck-peck!

I flew forward in Dito’s body and hammered the plant creature’s trunk with desperate pecks.

Peck-peck-peck…!

But those tightly sealed jaws never opened again.
No… this can’t be happening. This is impossible!
Bokgu and Gyusik… without you two, I….
What am I supposed to do now?
The thought that I might never see those two again made my chest tighten, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Peck, peck, peck…!

I was hammering away at it with everything I had when it happened.

A sickening lurch.

The plant monster’s body convulsed once, violently.
And then.

Whoooosh! Crackling flame—!
‘What—what is this?’

I shot straight up into the air in shock.
Violet flame had suddenly pierced through the monster’s body.
It rose straight up like a blade of fire.
Then.

Crackling! Whoosh!

The violet blade swept across, tearing the creature’s body lengthwise.
A fierce, searing flame that incinerated everything in an instant.
But the deep violet color meant it barely glowed in the pitch darkness around us.
Because of that, it didn’t draw the attention of the other demons nearby.
And so the plant monster collapsed, limp.

Thud!
Chirp…
Squeak…

From between the shattered remains of the plant monster, Bokgu and Gyusik crawled out, drenched in digestive juices.
Both of them were alive.

‘Yes…! They made it! They’re alive!’

Relief flooded through me in a long, trembling breath.
Of course, I wanted nothing more than to rush over and wrap my arms around them, but both were so thoroughly coated in that sticky digestive fluid that I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Still, being able to see Bokgu’s wagging tail and Gyusik’s stupid, innocent expression again was truly a blessing.
Now, finally, I could let my guard down.

‘Hah…’

It didn’t take long to figure out who had brought down the monster.
The jewel embedded in Gyusik’s forehead was blazing brilliantly.
That’s right. Morgul must have flexed his power.
It was easy to forget, but Morgul had been a grand Dark Mage in his former life—or rather, in his previous existence.
I offered him my thanks.

‘Sir, thank you for saving them!’
– Hmph. Nearly done in by such a pathetic creature. If it weren’t for me, these little fools would be dead by now!

From that point on, I let his endless scolding wash over me while I carefully examined Bokgu and Gyusik’s condition.
Thankfully, both were healthy with no major injuries.
Though soaked in the powerful acidic digestive fluid, their skin remained completely intact.
I noticed their skin gleamed faintly, which suggested Morgul had cast some sort of protective magic on them.

‘But sir, how did you create those violet flames? That was incredible.’
– It’s simple enough. Fire element magic that manifests from Yin mana circles has Dark attributes woven through it, which is why it takes on that violet hue. That’s how Dark Magic stands apart from standard elemental magic at a glance.

Ah, so that’s why you’ve been avoiding elemental magic in front of others—it would give you away in an instant.
With that color, anyone could tell it’s Dark Magic at a glance.
…But wait, thinking it over, that explanation alone doesn’t quite add up.

‘Sir, there’s no one around in the Black Forest anyway—why didn’t you help us sooner? We nearly died back there!’

Morgul bellowed in response to my question.

– Listen here, you little fool! I have to gather the magical power needed for my resurrection, don’t I? No matter how dense the ambient mana is, it’s useless unless I convert it into magical power! I’m still a long way from amassing the vast reserves required for my return!

Ah, so it was about his resurrection again?
That old man’s head clearly contains only two words: ‘resurrection.’
Well, I suppose bringing the dead back to life does require enormous amounts of magical power.
Especially since Morgul’s body has already been ground to pieces—it has to be rebuilt entirely, so it naturally demands even more power.

‘…All the same. Thank you.’
– Hrmph….

What else could I do, really?
Thanks to his Dark Magic, our precious Gyusik and Bokgu came back safely—I owe him gratitude for that.
Just then, a notification appeared in my status window.

[Companion ‘Gyusik’ has leveled up! lv 14 → lv 15]
[Companion ‘Bokgu’ has leveled up! lv 13 → lv 14]
[Host ‘Dito’ has leveled up! lv 15 → lv 16]

Oh, another burst of level-ups for them… wait, hold on.
What about me?! Why didn’t I get a level-up notification?
Did something go wrong in the middle?
I checked my status window more carefully.

Gyusik level 15, Bokgu level 14, Dito level 16….
I was still level 14….
All three of them leveled up, and I alone was left behind.
Not even one level—stuck in place while the others all advanced!

Fine. That’s enough.
We’ve survived the crisis, at least. Now I need to get back to work.
That work is filling the Genome Archive.
I can’t forget to collect genetic information every time I encounter a new monster.
Who knows when it might be useful? If I don’t gather everything carefully, I’ll always find I’m missing exactly what I need.
I hurried over before the corpse turned completely to ash.
I slipped out of Dito’s body and tore a chunk from the monster’s still-intact stalk.

[Using skill ‘Predation’.]

Crunch-crunch. Gulp.
I’d been worried about the thing’s grotesque appearance, but it actually tasted decent.
Like biting into a whole, mild onion—just enormous. The texture was crisp, and it was quite sweet, really rather palatable.
If I could farm these things, I’d make a fortune. They’d taste so much better than onions in a hamburger.
This is why you shouldn’t judge anything by appearances alone.

[You have acquired genetic information from ‘Abyss Nepenthes’.]
[Spontaneous ‘Genetic Transfer via Phagocytic Action’ has occurred.]
[You have acquired trait ‘Acid Resistance Lv 1’.]

Wait. What’s this? I’ve never seen this happen before.
‘Genetic Transfer via Phagocytic Action’?
I don’t quite understand the precise biological mechanism, but essentially—when I consume something with Predation, my main body can directly acquire the target’s genetic information, right?
Oh! It feels like I got one completely free? In the sense that I saved a Genome Point, that’s true.
And “Acid Resistance” no less—isn’t that just the perfect trait to use in this forest right now?

Of course, if the system worked so that genetic information collected in the Genome Archive applied immediately to my main body, that would be truly ideal.
Unfortunately, it seems that’s not possible.

Well, the main body’s genetics have capacity limits too, so I can’t just infinitely stuff in abilities.
And even if I could apply every genetic trait indiscriminately, the genes could clash with each other and create serious problems.
For example, if the genes of a monster the size of a mountain and a monster the size of a grain of millet were applied simultaneously, would that creature grow large or small?
Or if the genes of a creature with a beak mixed with one that has a normal mouth, what shape would the mouth actually take?
It would birth an absolutely grotesque hybrid.
From that perspective, this “Genetic Transfer via Phagocytic Action” is quite useful in that it only gains genetic information I can apply directly.
Though the probability does seem a bit low.

‘All right. I’ve survived the crisis and claimed a sweet reward, so shall we get moving? From here on, I need to watch my footing carefully.’

Once we finished our preparations, we began advancing carefully into the darkness again.

* * *

In the end, Belladonna decided to yield the path to the subjugation team after much deliberation.
Guided by the maid, the team advanced toward the northern exit.

Creak—creak—creak!

The enormous spider-silk walls moved of their own accord, and thanks to that, they were able to reach the northern exit of the Spider Garden smoothly.
As Bern left the Spider Garden, he gave orders to his companions.

“Right then. Search thoroughly for any wolf tracks or the like in the area.”
“Yes, sir!”

They began their search immediately.
Before long, one of the knights discovered something.

“Sir! Here!”
“What is it?”

Bern examined the traces the knight had found, studying them carefully, and nodded.

“Mm, good. Those are definitely wolf tracks. Quite fresh and clear. They passed through here not long ago. The direction is northeast.”
“Then let’s pursue them at once! Before they flee too far!”

The subjugation team immediately began tracking the wolf’s trail.
They crossed the forest rapidly, following the tracks.
Then, suddenly, Bern raised his right hand and spoke in a low voice.

“Wait. There’s something ahead.”

At Bern’s signal, the team members instantly gripped their weapons and took combat positions.
Something large was visible in the distance through the undergrowth.
Without a word, Bern drew his bowstring taut and took careful aim at it.
That moment.

“Wait! Please stop!”

A woman’s voice called out from beside the undergrowth.

“Mm?”

Bern immediately redirected his bow, taking aim at the woman.
She startled at once.

“Eek! Don’t shoot!”
“Hands up.”

Bern’s voice came low and steady.

“Hands up. Come toward me slowly.”
“Yes, yes!”
Rustle-rustle.

She emerged from the undergrowth, her face pale with fear.
What struck him first were her lower limbs.
Beneath her neat skirt, six spider legs extended from her body.
She was Emily, an Arachne Maid.

“What—what is this? An Arachne?”

The mage, recognizing her nature, lowered his staff in confusion.
Bern’s expression hardened as he, too, struggled to make sense of the absurdity.

“What exactly are you doing here? And with a wolf beast, no less….”

Emily offered an awkward smile, perspiration beading her brow.

“Ahaha…. Her Majesty said the wolf needed some exercise, so… I was taking him for a walk. Ralph, come here.”
Whine-whine. Bark-bark!

Indeed. On closer inspection, a strand of web extended from her hand to the wolf.
Ralph, who had emerged from the brush alongside her, trotted over and sat at her side, tail wagging.
As the group exchanged weary glances, Bern narrowed his eyes and asked:

“Did the spider queen order this herself?”

Emily nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. She said Ralph had gotten too fat, and told me to make him run north-northeast properly and come back. Oh, we haven’t done anything wrong!”
“Hm….”

The exhausted pursuit party exchanged silent glances with one another.
Finally, Bern nodded.

“This area is dangerous. Return quickly.”
“Yes, yes! We’ll be on our way.”

Emily and Ralph vanished rapidly in the direction of the Spider Garden.

“Hm…. Just when we thought we finally had her….”
“You don’t suppose the spider queen deliberately deceived us?”

The knight sighed, and the mage beside him voiced the suspicion aloud.

“What wolf needs a walk? She could have exercised him anywhere within the garden.”

He was right. The Spider Garden sprawled wide enough to accommodate a wolf’s exercise without difficulty—it encircled the area adjacent to the Black Forest.
Moreover, a walk with such a specific direction—north-northeast?
At precisely this moment, when the Magic Tower’s suppression party was departing from the Spider Garden?
It was a deliberate deception.
Belladonna had intentionally sent the wolf’s tracks north-northeast.
To delay the pursuit party’s advance.

‘How dare a mere spider deceive us?’

Crack.
Bern clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
It felt as though blood might surge backward through his veins at any moment, but he forced himself to remain calm and began to think.

‘Wait. If the Spider Queen deliberately misled us….’

In that instant, revelation blazed through Bern’s mind.

‘If she intentionally sent the maid northeast to buy time, then the true destination of those creatures is likely in the opposite direction.’

If so, there was only one answer.
They must have gone toward the Black Forest in the northwest.

“Hmph. Cheap tricks amount to nothing—prey, in the end, lies always in the hunter’s palm.”

This time, Bern swore to himself, he would not let them slip away.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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