Mutagen

<strong>Day 250 - 3:21 PM - Unnamed Mountain, Province of Catanduanes</strong>

Mark, Mei, and Amihan went out of the central hut and left, flying towards the open sky.

The situation was quite urgent. It was not in the way that it was a dangerous one. However, Mark wanted to confirm something, and it was better to encounter the [Mechid] before it reached the village or got into conflict with its residents outside.

With the three leaving the place without a word, Ilia and Chimetrice probably noticed it. It would not be much of a problem since they would know that it would be something urgent. Spera would certainly chirp about it, though. After all, she had the personality of a slightly annoying, needy little sister that did not want to be left out by her siblings.

Back to Mark's trio, they already flew towards the southeast direction, straight towards where they saw the [Giant Mechid]. If they went this way, there was a higher chance of encountering the incoming [Mechid].

Amihan waved her hand. It caused the group to fly faster as she removed the air resistance around them.

But then, Mark could not help but focus below them. A blurry figure could be seen moving even faster than they were flying. The person then overtook them and stopped some distance in front of them.

It was Deriellio, the leader of the [Yasaw] and the one who reported the situation to Diwata Iraya.

Deriellio's intention was immediately conveyed to Mark as the small guy waved his hand as he turned his back on them. Then, the [Yasaw] turned into a blur that shot forwards in a direction slightly away from the original path that the three were taking.

"Amihan, on my shoulder."

Mark said to Amihan, who immediately grabbed his shoulder. He then held onto Mei's right hand with his left.

And then, Mark's eyes glowed purple as the three of them turned to a surge of black mist that followed closely behind the leader of the [Yasaws].

By the speed that Deriellio was moving, it was clear that he was waiting for Mark's group to reach him. And when they arrived just about two feet above the leader of the [Yasaws], he fully sped up and engulfed the three with his ability.

It was the racial ability of the [Yasaws] allowing them to move fast as if they were shortening space itself.

No matter how many times Mark saw this, it looked amazing. In Otaku terms, this ability could be something akin to [Shukuchi] or [Ground Shrink]. These were skills that would reduce the spatial distance between two points and clearly were what they were seeing right now.

Without needing to use his [Shadow Mist Movement], Mark's group moved forwards with Deriellio at inhuman speeds. Despite flying at normal speeds, the scene around them blurred as if it was the world that was moving and not them.

And in around half a minute, the whole group reached the peak of the next mountain southeast of where the village was.

Deriellio immediately stopped at the peak allowing the three to land safely. Then, the leader of the [Yasaws] pointed somewhere at the southern foot of the mountain they stood.

"Enemy, there."

Deriellio said with certainty.

How Deriellio was sure where the enemy was something to be curious about.

But as Mark concentrated on the surroundings, it became clear how Deriellio knew where the enemy was despite being the person to deliver the news.

All around the place. There were over a hundred [Yasaws] watching for threats. Around a dozen of them were keeping their eye on the enemy at a safe distance.

Being the same race created by the same curse, it was no surprise that [Yasaws] could connect to each other. This must be how Deriellio was certain where the enemy was despite his absence in the field. After all, they were former children lost in the woods, turned into magical beings by Demons as servants, and were granted some abilities. The ability to communicate with each other even from far away must be one of them. Or maybe, it was Deriellio's unique skill as the most powerful among their race.

In any case, how Deriellio did things was not the urgent thing right now. Knowing where the enemy was, Mark, Mei, and Amihan flew down the mountain.

Mark then called out to the [Photokinesis Mental Crystal] and made the three of them invisible to the surroundings. This would make it harder for most enemies to see them. This made Mark glance at Amihan. It would be nice if she would be able to control the temperature of the air around them. But in her current state, her use of her magical energy would become more of an enemy beacon than concealing them.

It did not take long for the three to find the enemy. After all, it was moving straight in the opposite direction.

Like what Deriellio reported, it was a new [Mechid] with eight legs. Even Mark's group that fought [Mechids] before had never seen such a [Mechid].

A [Mechid] with eight legs. It was definitely a spider. It was the first time they had seen a [Mechid] shaped like a spider. It was about the size of a family van, having the width of an entire two-lane street from the toe of the longest leg to the other.

Attached on the second section of the [Mechid's] body, the spider's cephalothorax, was a pair of mounted weapons. It seemed to be laser weapons similar to those of most [Mechids]. However, the weapons were bulkier and had two emitters each.

A huge mechanical spider with bulky laser weapons sure was a menacing sight.

Mark signaled the two and led the way to an area in the distance where the [Spider Mechid] would likely pass by in a few moments. This way, they should be able to have a closer look while keeping a safe distance as it passes by.

It did not even take time, and the [Spider Mechid] came. It was fast at moving through rough mountain terrain despite its size due to its spider-like structure.

Mark frowned as he focused on the [Spider Mechid's] body.

The [Mechids] had a distinct feature. It was something present among all [Mechids] they encountered so far.

It was the classy smooth white-colored exterior that the [Mechids] had, probably due to the main components that made up their bodies.

From what Mark had seen, that component was likely the reason why even normal [Mechids] could withstand bullets and explosions. The very reason why these space robots were hard to fight and destroy.

But this [Spider Mechid], even Mei and Amihan could tell it was different.

The [Spider Mechid] had a grayish copper-colored exterior. Its body looked classy and smooth, but it seemed to be made of mixed metal compounds different from other [Mechids] they had seen before.

This confirmed Mark's suspicion.

In fact, Mark already felt weird when he heard about the attacks coming from the [Giant Mechid].

Even the human soldiers, all equipped with high caliber weapons and explosives, were having a hard time dealing with [Mechids]. But from the story they just heard before coming here, the magical creatures of this forest managed to deal with the [Mechids] while having the least casualties possible.

These magical creatures were physically superior to humans and had magical abilities. However, these advantages did not necessarily mean they would overpower [Mechids], which had superior technology even compared to humans that these magical creatures feared.

With bodies that could withstand explosions, there was no way that these magical creatures would be able to fight [Mechids] with only a few casualties and injuries. There was no way their spears and arrows would pierce through the [Mechids'] bodies. Magic might work, but it would depend on what kind of magic. Unfortunately, the magic of creatures they had seen so far was undeveloped and more like the use of raw magical energy. It was something that would barely deal with [Mechids].

It was unless there was some other factor. A factor that a [Mechid Factory] could possibly pull.

Using Earth's metals to create new [Mechids].

The appearance of this [Spider Mechid] confirmed Mark's suspicion. A [Mechid] made up of Earth's metals.

And since it was made with materials different from the original [Mechids], it was less durable. But that fact did not diminish the threat that [Mechids] brought. In fact, it was more dangerous than before.

It was because [Mechids] was now proven capable of reproduction using Earth's resources.

If the [Giant Mechid] stuck in the mountains was left alone, it could likely amass an army of its own. Not only that, but it would not stop producing new [Mechids] as long as it could find resources around it.

But aside from the material that the [Spider Mechid] was made off, Mark also noticed one other possible problem.

Since the start, Mark did not really pay much attention to this issue. After all, it was not easy to notice, considering they barely had any knowledge about [Mechids]. But as the group fought more [Mechids] during their journey, the issue became more and more noticeable.

[Mechids] had no resemblance to any creatures on Earth. Bipedal [Mechids], which looked humanoid, did exist, but it did not necessarily mean they were based on humans.

All the [Mechids] they encountered and fought so far had appearances that looked more inclined to raw geometry than resembling living creatures. For example, the [Giant Mechid] looked like a giant prism with legs.

There was only one instance where the [Mechid] resembled an animal. It was near the New Infanta Settlement. The [Shark Mechid] in the river stopping the people there from drawing water.

This [Spider Mechid] was definitely the only other time they saw a [Mechid] closely resembling a living creature from Earth so far.

If what Mark had in mind was right, it just meant that the [Mechids] were also changing. And the center of that change was the [Mechids] that could serve as factories to create more of their kind.

But why would they change?

While the change of materials to build the [Mechids] might change due to the resources available on Earth, why would the [Mechids] choose to develop into something that resembled creatures from Earth?

"Adaptability, huh..."

Mark murmured.

The body structures [Mechids] had were not that efficient and effective in traversing Earth's current terrain.

Since the artificial planet that the [Mechids] came from might not have these natural features such as mountains, their original designs were not suitable for Earth's natural geography. Thus, hindering their movements and capabilities.

Encounter with [Mechids] in the middle of the mountains was also rare since they could not effectively traverse the mountains. It was worse for [Mechids] that use wheels to move. Wheeled kinds of [Mechids] were basically non-existent in mountain areas.

But since the [Mechid] before them had the form of a spider, the issue with mobility through Earth's rough terrain was solved. It was moving up the mountain unhindered due to its legs, allowing it to climb steep slopes and uneven terrain.

Mark, Mei, and Amihan stared at the [Spider Mechid] as it passed by. It did not even spend time under their stares as it rushed up the mountain towards the magical village.

"Gege, what are we going to do?"

Mei asked Mark, waiting for his orders.

Mark shrugged with a frown.

"Shoot it," Mark decided. "Just try a normal bullet first. Pierce the head, but try not to destroy the weapons."

Mei nodded to Mark's words as she moved to where the [Spider Mechid] passed by just now. She then aimed at the spider's back and shot.

<strong>BANG!</strong>

As Mark ordered, Mei fired a regular sniper bullet first.

And to their surprise, a hole was punctured through the [Spider Mechid's] body. The bullet pierced from behind through its body and out of its head.

Without showing any kind of resistance, the [Spider Mechid] collapsed in one shot. It never moved again, indicating that it was basically destroyed.

Black pungent liquid spurted out of the hole made on the [Spider Mechid's] body. But that was it.

The battle against the new [Mechid] ended strangely, leaving more questions and speculations for Mark to find answers for.