Chapter 157 – Mother of Monsters

Swish—

The colors that formed the Dream Fantasy World organized themselves, sketching out Henrietta’s Colony.

This was a Dream Thread that reproduced Rough’s memories, and at the same time, a door connecting to Henrietta’s dream.

Thud.

“Wait just a little while, Blundell. My journey will be but an instant to you…”

Using the authority of the Dream Fantasy World’s master, Rough, who had slowed the time around Blundell to a near-standstill, moved with Mirkala towards Henrietta’s dream.

“…Echidna?”

Upon seeing Henrietta appear within the Colony, Mirkala muttered a certain name.

Immediately after hearing the name, the image of a giant monster with a serpent’s lower body and the upper body of a beautiful woman surfaced in her mind.

But why? In the woman’s form that constituted Echidna’s upper body, she saw Henrietta’s likeness.

Not exactly the same, but appearances resembling each other like blood relatives.

As her thoughts deepened at that moment, Mirkala corrected herself as if she had been mistaken.

“No, it’s not Echidna. At best, she might be a descendant.”

“What kind of being is Echidna?”

“In short, she can be called the ‘Mother of Monsters.’ Most of the famous monsters in Arpelgia originated from her.”

“Ah…”

‘Mother of Monsters’ was also a Keyword Henrietta had unlocked.

Both in appearance and identity, the connections between Echidna and Henrietta seemed significant.

‘Come to think of it, Henrietta was a child swapped by a fairy’s mischief.’

Among those children changed into Changelings, she was special.

The monstrous aura she possessed was a unique characteristic not found in other fairy children.

But what if that aura originated from Echidna?

“Indeed, Henrietta might be a descendant of Echidna.”

More precisely, it was highly probable that Echidna’s Factor manifested during the fairy’s Changeling process.

A speculation that arose as Rough, having swallowed numerous Nightmares to create the Dream Fantasy World, had come to understand the principles of Changeling to some extent.

‘Changeling wasn’t actually swapping a fairy child with a human child.’

Its true nature was the fairy imbuing the chosen child with a fairy Factor that could transform into anything.

During that process, the form in which the fairy Factor manifested was utterly random.

It could manifest as a normal human Factor, or as the Factor of another animal or monster.

By that logic, Henrietta was very lucky.

Among countless probabilities, she manifested the Factor of Echidna, a True God-level Divine Spirit.

The moment Lee Hanseong organized his thoughts about Henrietta.

[Keyword ‘Echidna’ has been unlocked.]

A new message appeared above Henrietta’s head.

It was a higher-level Keyword that would accelerate her growth even faster than the ‘Mother of Monsters’ Keyword.

* * *

“So, what do you plan to do now?”

“Let’s observe for now.”

Mirkala and Rough settled in a corner of Henrietta’s Colony and watched over her.

For now, it was difficult for them to influence her or the other monsters in the Swarm.

While they could observe other times and spaces through the Dream Fantasy World, intervention was ultimately difficult because it was a dream.

“Anyway, all I need is inspiration, and they already have a Divine Artifact that will help them.”

“Understood.”

Of course, intervention isn’t completely impossible.

Like a Daydream, covering reality with a dream could bring about slight changes.

The only problem was that the consumption of dreams required for that was not insignificant.

As the dreams constituting the Dream Fantasy World decreased, the dream wall shielding them from Prometheus’s Tracking would also thin.

He intended to minimize intervention as much as possible.

Thus, the gaze of the two beings residing in the Dream Stratum fell upon Henrietta’s Historical Alteration, guided by the Yeto Divine Banner, of which she was unaware even in her dream.

Her previous Historical Alteration had ended with giving birth to Gobhan as a new being.

Flutter—! Flutter—!

In sync with Henrietta’s vigorous swings of the Divine Artifact Yeto Divine Banner, the monsters of the Colony swarmed in orderly ranks like an army.

And the moment all monsters belonging to her Swarm gathered in one place.

“Defile, Yeto Divine Banner.”

The base of the flagpole struck the ground.

Thud. Rumble rumble rumble rumble—

Centered on that point, mud resembling slime or flesh—Yeto—spread out like a flood.

The Myth Skill <Yeto Divine Territory> was unfolding.

“Gurgle.”

“Kerruk.”

Even as the wave of mud surged over them, the monsters neither resisted nor feared it. They simply closed their eyes and quietly accepted the Yeto.

There was no resistance even as the Yeto, penetrating inside their bodies through their mouths, made breathing difficult.

No, from the start, there was only a slight foreign sensation; breathing itself wasn’t a problem.

Pshhh— Tssss—

The Yeto was breathing on their behalf, supplying oxygen.

Thus, before long, all monsters of Henrietta’s Colony were enveloped in Yeto cocoons, similar to Gobhan who had achieved Rebirth.

“Rebirth.”

Henrietta murmured.

An Awakening Skill applied all at once without needing to cast it separately on each individual due to the connection through Colonization.

And Henrietta herself was no exception to the target of this Rebirth.

Rumble rumble.

Finally, even she, holding the Yeto Divine Banner, was buried in Yeto, forming a cocoon.

Thump— thump—

In the Colony transformed into a Hatching Ground filled with countless cocoons, only the sound of cocoons pulsating echoed.

They were as if asleep now.

And sleep is a door leading to dreams.

“Uncle Rough?”

Henrietta’s consciousness stepped into the stratum of the Dream Fantasy World where Rough was and discovered him.

Perhaps because it was a dream, Henrietta blinked her eyes at Rough with a dazed expression.

“This works out well. Thanks to this, I can help without even needing to exert much effort.”

Rough approached her with a smile.

Thud.

Because it was a dream, Rough closed a distance of dozens of steps in one stride and took Henrietta’s hand.

“First, receive this.”

“This is…?”

Lee Hanseong’s previously pioneered Unique Skill <Evolution Theory> was transmitted through the connected consciousness, causing changes in Henrietta’s reality as well.

Thumpthumpthumpthump—!

The sound of cocoons pulsating quickened.

It seemed the Swarm’s evolution accelerated as Henrietta acquired Evolution Theory.

Perhaps due to that influence, Henrietta’s eyes, which had been dazed in the dream, gradually grew clearer.

It meant she was waking from the dream.

“Ah… Thank you. You’ve helped me again this time.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“I think I should be getting back now.”

“Just go and do what you need to do, Miss.”

Nod.

Having grasped the situation and expressed her gratitude, Henrietta’s consciousness left the dream stratum and returned to the cocoon in reality.

Yet Rough could still observe her through the Dream Fantasy World.

Inside the cocoon, her Rare Skills were also undergoing integration under the influence of Yeto Divine Territory and Evolution Theory.

[<Crossbreeding (Rare)> + <Monster Summoning (Rare)> = <Fusion Summoning (Unique)>]

[<Mutation (Rare)> + <Symbiosis (Rare)> = <Omni-Cell (Unique)>]

Skill integration through a different combination than Lee Hanseong’s.

<Fusion Summoning> was, as the name implied, a skill to summon monsters belonging to the Swarm by summoning two or more monsters at once in a fused state.

<Omni-Cell> was a skill that produced a kind of universal biological resource capable of combining with any Factor, mimicking the Yeto of Yeto Divine Territory.

An Omni-Cell that could replace lost body parts or form Factors needed for new environments.

Upon confirming Omni-Cell following Yeto, Lee Hanseong could be sure of the meaning held within Yeto Divine Territory.

As expected, the essence of the world as interpreted by the Clay Constellation is ‘impurity’.'”

It wasn’t that impurity was wrong.

Rather, that impurity was important.

The impurity accumulated by pure souls living in this world, the Yeto, was, in other words, ‘Achievement’ and the totality of life.

The Clay Constellation’s interpretation valued life itself.

‘That’s why the Clay Constellation’s Transcendent Species became monsters that do not abandon their bodies even after Transcendence.’

Anyway, although all of Henrietta’s skills had also reached Unique Grade or higher, her Vessel was not yet fully filled.

Due to the ‘Blessing of Transcendence’ applied through the medium of the Yeto Divine Banner, Henrietta, currently 5-Star, had two empty Unique Skill Slots.

Perhaps her Rebirth would be completed only after filling those.

“Then, it will be soon.”

Originally, a process of accumulating Feats to obtain skills would have been necessary.

But Yeto Divine Territory was the totality of Achievements accumulated by countless lives from the past to the present.

Thump!

Henrietta could directly take the necessary Achievements from there.

[Conditions met. Legendary Skill <Erosion Assimilation> Blooms.]

The result was precisely the Legendary Skill that was the Fungus Demon King’s First Awakening Skill.

* * *

Crack—!

As Henrietta’s two Unique Skill Slots were filled with one Legendary Skill, the projection of the Yeto Divine Banner occupied her Treasure Vessel slot, and the cocoon that had enveloped her split open.

And starting with her cocoon, the cocoons enveloping the other monsters also began to split open one by one.

They too, like Henrietta, had obtained new higher-level skills from the Yeto Divine Territory.

Grooooooow!

A Rebirth that secured not only vertical evolution but also skill.

Simultaneously, Omni-Cells resided in all of them, connecting the Colonization even more tightly.

If Colonization linked through resonance via spiritual Starlight Waves, Omni-Cells amplified that resonance.

Perhaps because of that, even though Henrietta’s monsters had transformed into forms with distinct individualities, they all exuded a similar aura.

As the aura they exuded resonated, a heavy silence permeated the entire Colony.

[Feat, ‘Swarm Group Evolution’ achieved….]

[Clay Constellation records Henrietta’s Feat and altered history….]

[Fifth Awakening Skill 《Adaptive Evolution》 Blooms….]

.

.

.

[Conditions met. <Empyrean Earth Constitution (Unique)> Blooms.]

Along with the completion of Henrietta’s 5-Star Promotion, a message quietly passed before her eyes, announcing the completion of her Body Reformation as well.

Soon after.

“We greet our true Mother!”

Gobhan, who had evolved into a ‘Red Hob Goblin King’ not long ago and now, through Rebirth via Yeto Divine Territory, became a 5-Star ‘Black Ogre Lord,’ knelt and bowed his head towards Henrietta, shouting.

It was ironic that despite lowering his posture, his line of sight was still higher than Henrietta’s due to his increased size.

“”””We greet Mother!””””

Thud thud thud thud thud!

All the other monsters also knelt and bowed their heads to Henrietta, shouting.

Henrietta, who had been gazing at her children with a bewitching smile, softly opened her mouth.

“All of you, rise. And go outside to bring new family members.”

As she spoke, Henrietta’s gaze was directed towards the southern continent, still filled with monsters she had not yet absorbed.

“I will be with you.”

Then, as Henrietta tightly gripped the Yeto Divine Banner embedded in the ground.

Rumble rumble— Swoooosh—!

Omni-Cells poured out from beneath her feet, spreading like a wave.

The Omni-Cells soon began to continuously expand the Yeto Divine Territory, which had only covered her Colony, replacing the Yeto.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa—!

A scene reminiscent of Arcadia’s Fungus Demon King unleashing a flood of spores to dye the Great Flood pure white.

Only, whereas the Fungus Demon King eroded the Great Flood with white spores, Henrietta was eroding the continent with black Yeto and Omni-Cells.

* * *

“Up to here. Let’s skip the rest quickly.”

Falalalala—

Having confirmed up to that point, Lee Hanseong adjusted the dreams of the Dream Fantasy World to rapidly progress Henrietta’s present.

Scenes flowing like a Panorama over the Dream Fantasy World’s landscape.

Scenes of Henrietta’s children absorbing monsters from all over the continent, expanding their forces.

The scene where <Evolution Theory (Unique)> and <Omni-Cell (Unique)> integrated to complete <Phylogenetic Tree (Legendary)>.

Scenes illuminating Henrietta’s monsters, growing increasingly diverse through the Phylogenetic Tree.

…….

After the Phylogenetic Tree was completed, Henrietta’s Swarm, now able to create all organisms that had existed, exist, and will exist on the continent using Omni-Cells, spread across the continent with Overwhelming Momentum.

Of course, Henrietta still couldn’t produce Transcendent Species yet, but even so, it seemed nothing could stop her forces anymore.

Because Rough’s observation was sharing the fate of the <Protagonist> with her.

But.

“…Huh? Suddenly?”

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, coincidentally, Gobhan, who had encountered an Apostle of the Wind Constellation, died.

It seemed Rough’s <Protagonist> skill couldn’t exert its power because the opponent happened to be an Apostle of the Wind Constellation.

He was momentarily taken aback by the sight of Gobhan dying even with his Colonization severed, but soon calmed down upon seeing the following scene.

Seeing Henrietta bring the <Memory Inheritance> skill through Yeto Divine Territory, he could guess her plan.

‘Oh, so that’s what she intends.’

<Memory Inheritance> was a skill Lee Hanseong had the Mountain Hermit learn through the Stone of Inheritance obtained from the Black Market by Jin Yuseong.

Lee Hanseong was well aware of its effect.

Sure enough.

In the next scene, Henrietta took Gobhan’s Achievements from Yeto Divine Territory and his memories through <Memory Inheritance>, imbuing them into a new body created by the Phylogenetic Tree.

“Please… open your eyes! My child.”

Flash.

The next moment, Gobhan opened his eyes in the body of a 6-Star ‘Lesser Demon.’

It was a resurrection, no, a Reincarnation achieved not by a Miracle of Light, but by the power of Yeto.