I Became a Hive Mind in the Game

As the Hive Scout returned to the base, I dispatched monsters to retrieve the 7-meter class Giant Armor from its location.

Of course, due to its large size, the recovery took almost all day, but in the end, I was able to drag the Giant Armor into the main base.

‘Open the hatch.’

And right after that, upon opening the cockpit cover and observing the inside—as expected, the pilot inside was already dead.

The pilot was a brown-haired woman in a blue tights (body synchronization suit). While the external appearance of the corpse was intact, a detailed examination (plop into the Digestive Gland) revealed that the brain was completely crushed.

It was impressive that only the brain was shattered, to the point where I wondered what kind of monster could have touched it to leave the machine intact but crush only the human brain.

Anyway, while analyzing the human genes I was handling for the first time with a part of my split consciousness, I began the restoration work on this Giant Armor.

I filled the artificial muscles that had crumbled from age with muscle fibers from monsters using Superhuman Strength (E), and restored the mostly damaged joint areas as delicately as possible using flexible exoskeletons.

Additionally, I gradually absorbed some of the monster’s organ and nerve tissues used in the armor’s construction, and as a result, I obtained a total of 4 genes and the corresponding body organs.

[Trait ‘Psychic Core (C)’ has been acquired.]
[Trait ‘Miniature Fusion Reactor (C)’ has been acquired.]
[Trait ‘Barrier Generator (C)’ has been acquired.]
[Trait ‘Bio Core (C)’ has been acquired.]

The Psychic Core that produces psychic energy almost infinitely if there’s enough bio-energy. The Miniature Fusion Reactor, a biological nuclear fusion organ that supplies that bio-energy.

The Barrier Generator that forms constantly deployed defensive shields or barriers using the produced psychic energy, and the Bio Core—the monster’s heart that combines all these three organs into one.

With information on the three organs essential for producing medium-grade monsters entering my mind, I even thought it might be okay to aim for evolution to grade 4 soon.

[Biological Weapon ‘Energy Shooter (C)’ has been acquired.]

In addition to this, the energy cannons (shooters) attached to both arms also became my spoils. As this weapon, mainly used as a tank’s main gun, was a modified version of a monster’s, it was possible to reverse engineer it without difficulty.

For me, the structure of the Giant Armor was also sufficiently worth referencing. The system for distributing produced psychic energy throughout the body and the principles of maintaining and focusing the barrier were recorded in the internal nervous system.

Anyway, after carefully examining and modifying the Giant Armor, I managed to somehow restore its combat power to about 70% of the original.

And since the repairs were completed, I connected to the custom monster for piloting inside the Giant Armor and tried moving it directly, allowing me to understand how to use this Giant Armor.

‘One short-range energy cannon on each arm, three medium machine guns as secondary weapons, and suppression claws… It’s the hunting-specialized balanced combination that was popular back then.’

Suppress small low-grade monsters with medium machine guns, and when encountering medium-grade monsters, fire the short-range energy cannons on both arms in rapid-fire mode to keep them in check and wear down their armor.

Then, when the enemy’s barrier seems destroyed, quickly approach, step on them, fix the enemy in place with the claws, and finish by firing the energy cannon at the head with maximum single-shot output.

It boasts absolute superiority against individuals smaller than itself, and even though it’s specialized for balanced combat, it can hold its own in close-range bombardment combat. I even remember using it as a field hunting setup in the past.

‘Good, with this…’

Although it’s inevitable that damaged parts need to be replaced with biological ones every time it’s used due to the lack of maintenance facilities, and the combat power decreases the more this process is repeated.

But even considering that, it’s not much different from having one combat force at the level of a grade 5-6 monster join, so for now, I’m just happy to have a way to deal with medium-grade monsters.

※ ※ ※

While I was excitedly trying out the Giant Armor, my Split Thinking (D) informed me that the analysis of the human body-genes of the person who had just been in the Giant Armor was complete.

‘Already?’

Feeling both surprised and pleased that it was completed so quickly despite being a completely different structure, I immediately started reading the genetic map diligently—and was able to find out the approximate state of this human.

‘Brain damage and destruction due to psychic waves, over 60% of internal organs non-functional… Yeah, definitely dead.’

While inwardly feeling relieved that the last bit of human nature in me hadn’t killed a living person, I could draw one conclusion from looking at the analyzed genes and body.

‘Let’s… give up on a human body.’

Although the structure of the genes itself more or less matches, the components that make it up are fundamentally misaligned with monsters, meaning it’s completely impossible to regain a complete human body for the time being.

Well, that doesn’t mean I don’t need a humanoid body at all. As they say, half a loaf is better than no bread, so I decided to try creating a monster that at least looks human on the outside, since I already have the genetic map.

And the result was this monstrosity right in front of me.

‘………..’

Creak… Creeeak.

By making only the external appearance look like that pilot and filling the inside with that of a Hive Commander, the joints and such didn’t synchronize, and it was wriggling while making strange noises.

It can only move like a ghost chasing the player in a horror game, in other words, its movement is bizarre and not very efficient.

Splash!

Hisssss…

‘Sorry, Nina 1. Live hard in heaven.’

Therefore, I immediately discarded this model. Then right away, I started trying to create a monster with a human appearance using various methods.

I tried maintaining the appearance and synchronizing with other monsters, or even creating a custom body from scratch.

At times I felt doubtful about what I was doing, but that was fleeting, and eventually, I was able to create a somewhat usable result.

This alien monster, whose base genes were completely newly composed and not synchronized with any monster I can currently produce.

On the surface, it perfectly mimics a human woman’s entire body, and from biological responses to heartbeat, breathing, brain waves, and psychic flow, it’s not much different from a human.

But its true nature is just a monster that’s only human on the outside, merely ‘reproducing’ these functions through imitation, unable to speak, only pretending to have a heartbeat, and none of the external functions working normally.

In addition, I embedded various biological weapons throughout this humanoid monster’s body, intending to use it for rear infiltration and assassination if a battle with humans were to occur.

There are spikes that protrude from the bottom of both wrists, and in an emergency, the arms themselves can split open to reveal Hunter Claws (D) folded inside for combat.

It can move quickly in urban areas using Thorn Tentacles (D) crammed where internal organs should be, and in case of emergency, it can self-destruct by detonating the built-in externally-isolated Psychic Storage.

Nina 7
Grade :: 7
Level :: 32
Abilities
Strength :: 10
Agility :: 25
Vitality :: 10
Intelligence :: 5
Resistance :: 10
Energy :: 10
Leadership :: 0
Traits
Monster Gene (E), Predator (E), Hive Mind (E), Subjugation (EX), Close Combat Expert (D), Human Mimicry (D), Psychic Storage (D)
Skills
Wave Blocking (E), High-Speed Maneuvering (E)
Biological Weapons
Thorn Tentacle (D), Hunter Claw (D)

And this is the completed grade 7 monster, Nina 7.

Named after an animation character that greatly scarred my childhood, and as you can roughly tell, it’s the 7th model I’ve produced.

Although it has the disadvantages of low intelligence and inability to retract its biological weapons once it enters combat mode, I was still very happy to have obtained the humanoid body I wanted.

…Even though I have no immediate use for it.

※ ※ ※

After dealing with the Giant Armor spoils and the corpse, the base returned to its usual pattern.

I spent time busily expanding the cave area, dispatching scouts, sending out monsters to collect nutrients and genes, and hunting wild animal-type monsters.

There were accidents in between, such as the cave collapsing while digging, monsters from outside invading the ant nest, or dispatched monsters being hunted in reverse, but there were no accidents serious enough to endanger my main body.

And after spending about two weeks monotonously like this—

‘…It’s done.’

Finally, I gathered enough energy to evolve into a higher species.