I Became a Hive Mind in the Game

‘…We’re screwed.’

After defeating the raptor that suddenly invaded the base, I was agonizing over the devastating damage it had inflicted on us.

The number of dead monsters alone exceeds 40%—over 3,700, and the internal facilities have been devastated by the raptor and the Giant Armor.

The floor has become a mess due to the recklessly fired energy cannons, about half of the psychic amplifiers have been destroyed, and most of the facilities are in an overloaded state.

Therefore, I had to make a decision.

Whether to use part of the vast amount of energy gathered for evolution to recover the damage, or to evolve into a grade 4 monster now.

…Of course, the answer was decided from the beginning.

It has been confirmed that there are cases where the repelling effect of Autochthon’s molted skin is meaningless, so I needed to acquire the ability to deal with medium-grade or higher monsters.

[Hive Core (Grade 7) has evolved into Hive Factory (Grade 4).]

That’s why I chose to evolve.

Moreover, to be able to restore the monster corps quickly with less energy, I evolved into a Hive Mind specialized in monster production—Hive Factory.

※ ※ ※

The moment I chose to evolve, the first part to start changing was, of course, the main body.

Unlike before, when it had an appearance like an overturned ripe persimmon, the Hive Factory changed to look like the flesh of that persimmon-like form had split open, revealing the flower inside.

In addition, the gene pool also increased in size by more than twice, various facilities grew significantly, and above all, my status also became more powerful.

Name :: ???
Race :: Hive Factory
Grade :: 4
Level :: 41
Abilities
Strength :: 0
Agility :: 0
Vitality :: 100
Intelligence :: 100
Resistance :: 500
Energy :: 500
Leadership :: 500
Traits (41/???)
Monster Gene (EX), Predator (B), Composure (A), Hive Mind (B), Versatile Psychic User (B), Subjugated Species Control (B)
*Expand
Skills (36/???)
*Expand

Various basic traits and psychic skills that have risen to B rank, overwhelming abilities showing the power of a boss monster. And finally, myself, who has entered the ranks of grade 4.

In other words, I have obtained specs that can be treated as a stage of genuine threat to humanity.

‘…Well then, shall we begin.’

And now that I’ve completed this evolution, I was thinking of decomposing the raptor’s corpse to obtain genes and nutrients, and then using those nutrients to create my first medium-grade monster.

To create a medium-grade monster, I would have to pour in all my nutrients, but in return, if this monster I create hunts medium-grade monsters, I can accept that level of loss.

‘Alright, let’s put it in~’

The medium-grade monster I was going to create using the nutrients obtained by pushing the piled-up corpses of low-grade monsters into the Digestive Gland with the Giant Armor, I decided to produce in an original way.

In the game, medium-grade monsters of Hive Minds are classified into heavy armor types with thick armor and large builds, high-speed mobile types with small builds and tremendous speed, and special types that mainly use special abilities like psychics.

This is defined in the game for compatibility relationships and role classification on the battlefield… but now that it has become reality, there’s no need to be bound by such things.

So the first medium-grade monster I’m going to create is just a weapon of humans made of living cells, not much different from just being called a monster.

The motif for its appearance is a turtle. This turtle, wrapped in thick armor and walking on four legs also equipped with hard armor, was planned to have weapons mounted on its shell.

From large-caliber energy blasters (C) that can be fired in all directions to dozens of laser shooters (C) for dealing with small fry.

The name of this medium-grade monster, which had to be produced as a grade 5 monster due to insufficient capacity during the process, is called the Hive Tank.

Hive Tank
Grade :: 5
Level :: 41
Abilities
Strength :: 205
Agility :: 65
Vitality :: 341
Intelligence :: 20
Resistance :: 255
Energy :: 100
Leadership :: 0
Traits
Monster Gene (E), Predator (C), Hive Mind (C), Subjugation (EX), Bio Core (C), Bio Heavy Armor (C), Psychic Resistance (C), Tireless Stamina (D), Superhuman Strength (D), Regeneration (D)
Skills
Rapid Regeneration (C), Endurance (C), Concentrated Fire (D)
Biological Weapons
Energy Blaster (C), Laser Shooter (C)

Over 5 meters in height, hundreds of weapons mounted on its shell, and even space inside for troop transport.

It’s called a tank, but in reality, it was closer to a monster that would play a role similar to an infantry fighting vehicle or such armored vehicle.

…Well, in reality, it’s just a copy of a monster that often appeared in the game before, with various things stuck on it.

Anyway. The Hive Tank completed like this is not quite ready to be immediately deployed outside…

The more accurate role of this monster I excitedly created is closer to a mobile fortress. Of course, it won’t stand out too much in this Gangwon-do mountain region (presumed) made up of giant trees dozens of meters tall, but…

Even considering that, it’s too slow to be used for hunting unless it’s an all-out war.

In the first place, there’s no passage to send it out, either.

‘…Sigh, can’t be helped.’

So, I had no choice but to dispose of the monster I had worked so hard to create by putting it in the Digestive Gland, and then started designing a monster for hunting monsters again.

The target is a monster about the size of a Hunter Raptor. Taking the body structure of the existing raptor as it is, I started creating an agile hunter monster that embodies my ideal.

First, since the monster to be created is a low-cost mass-production type for hunting, I lowered the nutrient consumption from grade 5 to grade 6, and then completely twisted the body structure to be able to move through trees for overall flexible mobility.

Here, I equipped Armored Scales (D) to compensate for the lack of defense, removed Anti-Psychic (D) which would break the Hive Mind’s control if possessed, and instead added more additional traits.

Finally, after filling in the genes with the orthodox hunter combination, it’s completed by inserting the biological weapons provided by becoming a Hive Factory this time.

Hive Raptor
Grade :: 6
Level :: 41
Abilities
Strength :: 85
Agility :: 155
Vitality :: 127
Intelligence :: 45
Resistance :: 55
Energy :: 65
Leadership :: 50
Traits
Monster Gene (E), Predator (C), Hive Mind (C), Subjugation (EX), Bio Core (C), Born Hunter (C), Cooperative Hunting (D), Tireless Stamina (D), Energy Conductive Skeleton (D), Armored Scales (D)
Skills
Pursuit (C), Psychic Detection (D), Ambush (D)
Biological Weapons
Hunter Claw (C), Shock Lance (C)

The Hive Raptor was a versatile monster that downgraded the Hunter Raptor while compensating for some weaknesses.

From the design stage, it was made to compensate for abilities belonging to the lower end of grade 6 with multiple cooperative tactics, and I also added a trump card that the Hunter Raptor didn’t have—the biological weapon Shock Lance (C).

The Shock Lance (C), which was added to target the slow high-firepower builds that dominated the PVP scene in the 3rd installment, is a derivative of the shock cannon that fires shockwaves and a kind of close-range anti-tank weapon.

Usually, it’s treated in a form that looks like a spear blade as its name suggests, and its operating method is simply that when you stab with the blade, a shockwave bursts from the blade, giving high penetration damage that ignores defense.

Although it looks like it’s single-use, it’s not the blade that explodes but the psychic energy, so it can be used continuously if charged, and it’s also possible to seal the explosion and use it as just a high-power close combat weapon.

And the Hive Raptor was a monster with a combination close to the orthodox setting of a hunting player, keeping this Shock Lance (C) as a kind of trump card, and usually fighting with the Hunter Claw (C) on its legs.

‘I’ve reduced the production cost as much as I can… but 4 of them?’

I lowered the performance for cost-effectiveness, but I was still surprised that I could produce 4 of these, which are clearly medium-grade monsters, from the nutrients of one Hive Tank… Well, the more the merrier.

Anyway, it didn’t take long for the Hive Raptors to be produced. It took only about 10 minutes from the flesh on the floor swelling into quite large cocoons, to those cocoons splitting open and each cocoon revealing a Hive Raptor.

Crack!

Creeak, creeeak!

The raptors that emerged as the cocoons split open are observing their surroundings, looking around with low growls. As I was watching this scene for a moment, just as I was about to order them to go outside and hunt.

‘…Oh.’

Through the Hive Mind, which had improved in performance after becoming a grade 4 monster, a certain signal and information was transmitted to the main body’s consciousness.

[This place is still a living hell…]

[What are you getting sentimental about? Let’s finish the job quickly and go.]

[Yes, understood.]

‘This is…’

It was a pair of human male and female—hunters, I predict—armed with equipment and weapons made of monster materials, accidentally discovered by a Hive Scout that was on reconnaissance.