CH 10

There are two major methods for utilizing bone parasites in The Defense.

The first involves directly transplanting the bone parasites into the body using special surgery and drugs in order to control them directly.

Although the risk is great, the efficiency is undeniable once successful.

'The power of the bone parasites can be controlled at will. The destructive force that can release bones from any part of the body is unparalleled in both offense and defense...'

In fact, there is a special unit called the Skull Knights that specializes in operating these bone parasite soldiers, which were born from Violet Line, Ark's frontline.

The second method involves using the heart of a demon as a core.

The general method is simple.

First, inject a special drug into the demon's heart and induce the bone parasites to parasitize the heart.

This is to suppress the instinct of the demon and make it controllable by humans.

When the demon's heart, now combined with the bone parasites, is connected to an energy core of level 2 or higher, the bone armor, a device that indirectly uses the power of the bone parasites, is born.

"Although not as good as the first method, this is still a usable method."

If this were a game, I would have chosen the first method without hesitation.

The efficiency is overwhelmingly better than the second method, and even if it fails, since it's still the early stages of the game, I could just start over from the beginning.

It's like a bone parasite reset.

But now the situation has changed.

Transplanting bone parasites into the body is one of the riskiest surgeries in Ark, a world where perfect preparation is necessary.

Of course, there is a method of simply transplanting the bone parasites into the body without using any special drugs or relying solely on one's own willpower and strength, but frankly, it wasn't a very appealing option.

Based on experience, the probability of successfully controlling the bone parasites without the help of Ark is roughly one in ten attempts.

If there were countless opportunities like in a game, it might be worth the gamble, but risking one's life for just one chance was not a probability worth taking.

"Opportunities only come once."

What will happen to me if I die in this world? There are several hypotheses.

The first is to return to the world where I originally lived,

The second is to face death as it is.

Of course, I had no intention of betting my fate on such a ridiculous gamble.

Therefore, the option I chose was the second one.

No, there was no choice from the beginning.

"First, the heart of the Ma-su."

Obtaining the heart of a Ma-su itself was not a difficult task.

If you just go down a little from the mountain peak, you will find the corpses of the Hellhounds I hunted last night scattered around.

Among them were numerous corpses that I intentionally left alone without destroying their hearts.

"If I can't find a strong one, I can just use one of those, but..."

If possible, I wanted to use a powerful Ma-su's heart.

The power of a bone parasite depends on the type of Ma-su's heart that the bone parasite inhabits.

Naturally, using a powerful Ma-su's heart would be advantageous in many ways if I could.

"Although it makes control more difficult... it's not comparable to directly transplanting it into the body."

That level of risk is beyond the risk axis.

Of course, because of the nature of a bone parasite, I could always change the Ma-su's heart when needed, even if I used a Hellhound's heart for now.

However, the problem was that I had to repeat the initial process every time.

"The number of type 55 painkillers I currently have is three in total."

The ingredients of type 55 painkillers can also be used as a drug to control bone parasites in a similar way.

In the first place, the reason why I asked Imocia for type 55 painkillers was because of this.

However, Imocia, who gave me the type 55 painkillers, would never have imagined such a use.

"I can get them separately later, but..."

Still, depending on the situation, I may have to use them for their original purpose, so I wanted to use them carefully if possible.

After all, you never know what will happen in front of people."Is it time to hunt?"

Naturally, my objective became to retrieve the strong beast's heart.

Having options to choose from and not having any options at all were two entirely different stories, which is why I created choices before making any decisions.

"This should be enough."

Before leaving my dwelling, I set up a disguise for the hot springs and caves.

Located in the rough terrain of the middle of Noah, it was not an easy place to discover, but it was necessary to be sure just in case.

In the world of The Defense, even the slightest carelessness could have major consequences in the future.

I could not afford to be careless.

"Let's get going."

After ensuring that I was fully prepared, I began my journey.

Unlike when I first climbed Noah, I had laid down my heavy armor, which made my steps much lighter.

My current possessions included basic solo armor, an Ark-15 rifle, an HE2050 pistol, a smell machete, a water container filled with hot spring water, a multi-calorie bar, and an empty armor.

My steps could not help but be light.

Perhaps because it was before the main wave arrived, climbing the mountain was not too difficult.

Beasts or demons do not approach Noah recklessly.

I could not help but feel pleased with this statement.

As I climbed the mountain, I suddenly felt the morning sun rising and the dawn fading away.

The sunrise beyond the horizon signaled the end of the day in this world.

"Another day has begun."

So much had happened in the meantime.

Every day spent here was likely to be like this.

While traveling, I chewed on a multi-calorie bar for breakfast.

I wondered if humans were truly adaptable creatures, as the brick taste I had initially experienced had now transformed into a chocolate bar taste.

"After I finish my bone parasite work, I'll need to procure some rations."I still have a few months' worth of multi-calorie bars left in my possession, but the number two months was not as reliable as I had hoped. Due to the priority of other tasks at hand, I had no choice but to delay the procurement of food. However, this was a serious problem.

"If I think about what's ahead, it's best to save the multi-calorie bars as much as possible."

Multi-calorie bars are small in size, yet provide sufficient nutrients and calories compared to consumption time. As there is no better emergency food item, I wanted to save them if possible.

In The Defense world, there are three main ways to procure food: through the Arc, external merchants, or direct procurement.

Purchasing food from the Arc or external merchants was obviously rejected. Although I still had spare bullets, they needed to be saved for more crucial situations.

Therefore, my only option was direct procurement.

"Although it may be difficult to acquire food within Noah... it may not be the case near there."

Volcanic ash is known to be a good fertilizer for plants. Although there are few plants in Noah, on the opposite side of the Arc lies a vast forest known as the Great Forest.

Although it would take a considerable amount of time to get there due to the vastness of Noah, the existence of such a place was a positive sign for food procurement.

"Stocks are just the corpses of Ma-su, after all."

Ma-su corpses are inherently toxic, but by using a few plants that can be found in the Great Forest, the toxicity can be neutralized and consumed. In-game statistics show that it is decent food that can satisfy hunger, but I couldn't help but be bothered by one line that appeared in the description of Ma-su meat.

────────── It tastes terrible. ──────────

Well... I'll make it work somehow.

After a few hours of traversing the middle of Noah, I could finally see my destination through the clouds, illuminated by the rays of the sun.

"I need to be careful from here on out."

Noah is vast, and although there are areas of defense against the Arc, there are also areas without protection.This was one of those places.

The owner of this place was not human.

They were monsters and demons.

Complacency leads directly to death.

"Then..."

I began to explore the surroundings with my 36x scope at maximum zoom.

Generally, monsters and demons become stronger as their rank increases.

This is because the classification itself is structured that way.

However, a higher ranked and stronger monster does not necessarily mean it is difficult to hunt.

Depending on the situation, even a high ranked and strong monster could be an easy catch.

The criteria were simple.

A huge body.

Thick skin to match.

However, relatively slow movements.

If you have the skill to aim for bullets and vital points as much as its huge body, it is an easy catch.

Fortunately, the monster that met all these conditions was easy to find.

Perhaps it was due to its unique appearance, but most of all, its massive body was impossible to miss.

"Found it."

A 6th rank monster, Kuf of Moss.

It was the owner of the heart I was going to take.

The End of "Bone Armor"