Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

EP.83 Elftenium

A part of the universe, a space about 2.5 billion light-years in diameter, designated as ‘Zone Z’ by the Galactic Union.

There, at present, some kind of change was about to occur.

“Gather according to the will of the Transcendent Being.”

“This is our new home…”

“Kieek, it’s a bountiful place.”

In a distant part of the universe, different from the Galactic Union.

A massive collective connected as a single species came here to establish a new home.

Some were wolf-like monsters with a bizarre structure: huge blade-like forelegs, two middle legs, and hind legs with extremely developed thighs like those of insects for jumping.

Others were monsters with elongated heads extending backwards, long serrated jaws in front, and bodies long and segmented like centipedes.

There were also strange tentacled monsters with gas-filled bodies floating and flying around, with enormous forms reaching tens of kilometers in size.

While their appearances were all different, they were all of the same species.

If there was one common trait, it might be that they all possessed indescribably bizarre and horrific appearances.

It’s unknown why they traversed hundreds of billions of light-years of distant space to come here.

They simply came here as if drawn to it.

Their ruler, the massive being called the ‘Transcendent Being,’ came here as if entranced, seemingly having received some great will.

[ Our power grows stronger here. In a short while, we will gain influence incomparable to before. ]

He was full of hope.

The reason was that the Transcendent Being had made contact with a great entity existing outside this world.

By contacting that great entity, it received power.

Power and knowledge truly befitting the name ‘Transcendent Being’!

It received fragments of cosmic truth.

Now it could propagate its species on a scale incomparable to before.

Previously, they could barely manage a single galaxy, but now they had the potential to dominate cosmic structures spanning hundreds of millions of light-years. Ŕ

[ Great entity, we shall propagate our species throughout this universe according to your will. ]

They had been chosen.

By the great entity outside this universe that held its fate!

Now, only success lay ahead.

That’s what the Transcendent Being thought.

“Great Transcendent One, bestow your orders upon us.”

“Kiieek, orders! Orders!”

A vast species system connected mentally and spiritually to the enormous Transcendent Being.

The species’ executives, known as ‘Elites,’ awaited the Transcendent Being’s orders.

[ Propagate the species. And if there are intruders, kill them all. ]

Simple and clear.

But it was an order that precisely dictated all their future actions.

“As commanded.”

“Kikikik! Kill! Kill them!”

“Intruders, could there be such things?”

The bizarrely-shaped Elites, following the Transcendent Being’s orders, began to spread out to numerous planets to propagate their species.

In 20 years.

In just 20 years, they would spread to become an enormously vast power, dominating over 20% of Zone Z.

And the Galactic Union had scheduled their exploration of Zone Z for 10 years from now.

#

This time, I took inspiration from a race called the Zerg that appears in StarXraft.

Well, it’s obvious when you look at it.

To be honest, it’s a bit ambiguous to say I created them, as there was already a similar alien race living in a different part of the universe, somewhat distant from where the Galactic Union is.

They were weaker than the Kapteri race, which has a similar concept, with only enough power to consume a single galaxy.

But like the Zerg, their potential was very strong.

Their evolution is very rapid, and the form of the species changes dramatically depending on the method of evolution.

From small insects of 10cm to giant monsters tens of kilometers tall.

This level of variation couldn’t be seen even in the Kapteri race.

Moreover, the fact that a huge psychic brain called the Transcendent Being commands all the species as their leader was exactly like the Zerg.

Of course, their species value is very low at around 300, and in their current state, they’d be wiped out in 3 seconds if they encountered the Galactic Union.

But I have the ability to strengthen them.

I made contact with the Transcendent Being, the head of the species, and enhanced their abilities.

It wasn’t anything too special, just boosting their ability scores.

In terms of potential alone, they were far superior to the Kapteri race, so I thought they’d do well on their own if I just boosted their abilities and moved them to Zone Z.

Of course, it’s not just a simple boost.

[ I raised them from a 300-level species to a 670-level species, so their abilities have been multiplied several times. ]

Without giving any special abilities, just by enhancing their capabilities, their species value more than doubled.

I couldn’t even gauge how much stronger they’d become without taking a proper look.

I’ll be able to gather more data depending on how much stronger they become in this experiment.

Hehehe, 10 years, is it?

That’s how long it will take to reach Zone Z.

How much will the Zerg be able to expand their influence by then?

I wonder how the battle with the Galactic Union will unfold with that expanded influence.

All-out war?

Or will Eugene and friends step in again to quickly resolve it?

It won’t be that easy this time.

It’s going to be quite tough.

Of course, the Galactic Union side has also gained quite a bit this time.

They discovered a new metal called Elftenium while occupying Zone Y.

How should I explain this… I guess you could think of it as something like mithril from fantasy novels?

It has extremely high energy conductivity, is very light, and has strength surpassing tungsten alloys.

It’s very difficult to process, but if it can be processed, it’s such an excellent metal that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a dream material.

It seems the elves discovered it and named it ‘Elftenium’.

I’d prefer if they just called it mithril for easier understanding, you know.

They’ve just made the name unnecessarily complicated.

Anyway, if they research Elftenium and use it to create ships and various weapons… they might be able to win more easily than expected?

Just how strong have these guys become?

At this rate, we might need to bring in a low-level outer god to make it a real trial, don’t you think?

Did I mess up the balance settings… Who’s in charge of balance?

Oh, right, it’s me.

Well, anyway.

Shall we wait and see for now?

If it looks too difficult, I could create another similar species and make them form an alliance.

One 700-level species would be a worthy opponent, but they won’t react to two 670-level species.

Come to think of it, the balance on this side is a mess too.

#

“How is it going? The research.”

“Well, we’re still in the research phase, but… even what we’ve discovered so far is incredible.”

Elftenium.

It’s a new metal discovered by the elves during the development of Zone Y.

Who would have thought we’d still discover a new metal in this universe? It just goes to show how vast space truly is.

Moreover, experiments have revealed that this metal is an extraordinary substance.

First, its strength.

It’s harder than any metal that has existed until now.

Yet it’s also flexible and doesn’t break easily, making it arguably the ultimate in durability.

And it’s lightweight too.

Remember when plastic was first developed, and it was called a dream material for being hard and light?

It’s exactly like that.

What’s more, since this metal is also heat-resistant, it’s truly the best material for space industry.

But that’s not all.

“The energy conductivity is also very high. It’s much higher than silver for electricity, and similarly surpasses most metals for other types of energy as well.”

The energy conductivity is also high.

Thermal energy, electrical energy, and so on.

It has an incredibly high conductivity for energy transmitted through various media.

And the energy loss is almost negligible.

It’s no exaggeration to call it a dream material.

‘Surely this isn’t another of the entity’s tricks?’

Eugene momentarily wondered if this might be a reward for overcoming a trial.

Following the Xenomorph’s outer shell, could this incredible metal be another gift?

Without thinking along those lines, the existence of such a perfect metal was almost unbelievable.

‘Whatever it is, this is an opportunity.’

There are still many who doubt the need for zone expansion.

They question whether it’s really necessary to expand.

Including the Xenomorph’s outer shell, there’s no better material to convince such skeptics.

Look, in this vast universe, there are still substances we haven’t discovered.

This time it’s a metal, but it could be a new type of energy, or organic resources from life forms.

That’s why we need to expand the Galactic Union’s management zone.

This argument would be met with almost universal approval, and negative opinions would disappear.

‘Of course, the advancements from the metal will naturally follow.’

The discovery of a new metal.

And one with such incredible properties?

It was only natural that various fields utilizing metals would advance.

Moreover, with its excellent energy conductivity, we could expect significant progress in the energy industry as well.

‘Good. Everything is going well. We’ll finish this development and start exploring Zone Z in about 10 years.’

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten about the entity’s existence.

This time, he intended to make thorough preparations before venturing into Zone Z.

‘This time, you won’t have your way. I don’t know what trials you’ve prepared, but we’ll be ready.’