"Alpha and Beta?"
["...Are you serious?"]
"What's wrong with that?"
["Ugh..."]
Esther looked at me with genuine disgust, as if she couldn't believe what I just said, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
"Bone One and Bone Two?"
["You said you didn't like Bonehead and Bonesy."]
"That's different."
["Are you seriously saying that?"]
For some reason, I was starting to feel stubborn.
"Then how about Snow and White?"
["What is that? Not even Snowy and Whitey... Oh, wait, Whitey sounds kinda cute."]
"...Ground and Sky?"
["I get what you're trying to do here. I'm not the only one who thinks this, right?"]
Hmm...
But weren't Alpha and Beta or Snow and White pretty decent?
"...I don't know anymore."
["Just go with Bonehead and Bonesy, I'm telling you. They sound like siblings."]
"Rejected."
They're not even siblings, so why bother giving them names like that?
Ugh...
As expected, naming the bone parasites wasn't going to be easy.
Honestly, I felt like pushing it off for later.
But I knew I'd just end up in the same situation again, so I forced myself to think a bit more.
In the end, I just started spouting whatever came to mind.
"...Skull and Bone?"
["If your name was Human or Person, how would that feel?"]
"Probably wouldn't care much."
["Sigh..."]
Another round of pondering.
"Summer and Winter?"
["Oh! I like it. Sounds cute."]
For once, she seemed positive about it.
Problem was, the names didn't suit those monsters at all.
"Now that you've said it, it sounds worse."
["Hey, why?!"]
Esther's obsession with "cute" things came purely from her deep-seated behavior of manipulating others.
I doubted even she realized it herself.
Basically, when listening to Esther's suggestions, it was best to filter them a bit.
'There's got to be something better.'
If I didn't decide soon, they really might end up as Bonehead and Bonesy.
I had no choice but to make a decision.
"Janus and Horus."
Bone Armor would be Janus, and Alcazar's new form would be Horus.
["I don't like it."]
"Why?"
["They're not cute."]
It wasn't exactly a refined naming sense.
Janus was a god from Roman mythology, while Horus was from Egyptian mythology.
Still, I didn't want to spend all day naming them, so I had to compromise somewhere.
"That's final."
["...If you were just going to do whatever you wanted, why'd you even ask?"]
"Because gathering opinions is important."
["Then why even bother if you're just going to ignore them?"]
"Well, at least I didn't go with Bone One and Bone Two."
["Hmph."]
Esther took a deep, exaggerated breath.
Since ghosts don't actually breathe, it was more of a gesture than anything meaningful.
"Then..."
I looked at the Bone Armor and the White-Scaled Alcazar that had been taken over by the bone parasite.
"Your names from now on are Janus and Horus."
[You have given a name to 'Bone Armor (Bone Parasite).']
[The name of 'Bone Armor (Bone Parasite)' has been changed.]
['Bone Armor (Bone Parasite)' → 'Janus']
[You have given a name to 'White-Scaled Alcazar (Bone Parasite).']
[The name of 'White-Scaled Alcazar (Bone Parasite)' has been changed.]
['White-Scaled Alcazar (Bone Parasite)' → 'Horus']
[You have tamed 'White-Scaled Alcazar (Bone Parasite)'!]
['White-Scaled Alcazar (Bone Parasite)' now follows you.]
[You have given independent names to the domesticated bone parasites!]
[Loyalty of 'Janus' and 'Horus' has increased.]
Did they like the names?
As if to signify their rising loyalty, Janus — the bone armor — and Horus — the transformed Alcazar — stretched their bone tendrils toward me and rubbed against me.
[Giggit!]
[Giiiit...]
It felt almost like having a couple of overly affectionate puppies.
Though the visual was more terrifying than cute.
'Guess I'm not one to judge appearances.'
Now that I'd completed one of my tasks, the next step was cleaning up after the wave.
This time, I'd fought up front at the Red Line, so there weren't many monster corpses around Noah to collect, meaning fewer spoils.
But the significant amount of achievement points I had gained made up for it.
'Let's start with this.'
I pulled out part of Ouroboros' Reverse Scale from my pocket.
I had saved it just for this moment.
"Eat up."
When I offered the half of the Reverse Scale, Horus hesitated for a moment before taking it.
Crunch, crack—!
As the Reverse Scale was consumed, the bones that had been shining white slowly turned pitch black.
It was proof that Horus was absorbing the power of Ouroboros' Reverse Scale.
[Giggit, Giiiiit...!]
Horus' entire body trembled.
A bone parasite empowered by the Grade-3 Heart of the Long-Necked Admon.
A body formed from the Grade-2 Named Beast, White-Scaled Alcazar.
And now infused with the power of Ouroboros' Reverse Scale, Horus had become one of the strongest monsters among the Grade-2 tier.
["...Guh!"]
Even Esther, once a Grade-1 Ghost-Type, flinched at the intense presence.
Though she'd lost much of her power, it was enough to gauge how formidable Horus had become.
'Impressive...'
I couldn't help but be a little impressed.
The White-Scaled Alcazar might not have been classified as a dragon-type, but its appearance had always resembled a pale wyvern.
Now, with the bone parasite taking over and absorbing the Reverse Scale's power, Horus looked like a miniature Bone Dragon, exuding a presence akin to a regional lord-tier monster.
["...Why did you make such a monster? It looks like it'd eat a ton."]
"Relax, I'm not making you take care of it."
As I bantered with Esther, Janus — the bone armor — let out a pitiful whine.
[Giiit, Giiit...]
Apparently, it wasn't happy that only Horus got to eat the Reverse Scale.
"You already ate yours last time."
[Giggit! Giggit!]
Now it's even starting to rebel.
["This is why raising two kids is tough. You have to do the exact same thing for both of them, or else they get jealous."]
"...You talk as if you've actually raised kids."
["You don't have to raise them to know that, do you?"]
A bit annoying, but she wasn't wrong.
Even though Janus had eaten Ouroboros' Reverse Scale before Horus was created, that was then and this is now.
"Alright, let's go."
["Go where?"]
"To get some food for these guys."
As I stood in front of Horus, it seemed to understand my intention.
The clever creature crouched down, retracting the black bones on its back into its body and adjusting its shape to form something like a backrest.
"Smart."
[Giggit!]
Using the sturdy black bones as foot supports, I climbed onto Horus' back and grabbed two of the protruding black bone handles that looked like reins.
"Let's move."
[Kieeeek!]
With a powerful leap, Horus kicked off the ground and took to the skies with a strong beat of its bone-clad wings.
Boom!
Ascending swiftly, Horus flapped its black, bony wings and gradually picked up speed.
Flap! Flap!
The wind was so sharp it felt like blades cutting through my skin, but that didn't make me want to slow down.
'Impressive...'
As Noah's vast landscape unfolded beneath me all at once, I couldn't help but recall that famous saying:
'Indeed, a flying mount is the best.'
Part of me wanted to head straight to the Red Line and let Janus and Horus feast on the monster corpses scattered everywhere.
But doing so would expose Horus to Ark, which I definitely wanted to avoid.
'Now that I think about it, the skies are relatively open for travel.'
Even with Ark's advanced technology and resources, they don't deploy fighter jets or bombers.
The reason is simple — the skies outside Ark are as wild as the land, filled with aerial predators.
In fact, Ark's air defenses are among the most fortified, given how exposed the skies are.
'And during waves, the airborne monsters cause the most damage to soldiers.'
Our destination was the Great Forest.
Normally, it's too far to bother with, but at this speed, a quick stop wouldn't be a problem.
Of course, I didn't plan on going too deep.
If a monster like Horus lingered too long, it'd inevitably provoke the forest's ruler.
"Let's go."
*
Upon entering the Great Forest, I hunted a few monsters and beasts to feed Janus and Horus.
Some were over Grade-6, which would have been a massive struggle before, but now it was hardly challenging.
I also gathered useful herbs, edible plants, and a good amount of forest soil in a large plastic bag I had brought.
The amount looked overwhelming, but for Horus, it wasn't much of a burden.
["Huh? Why are you taking that?"]
"I'm thinking about setting up a farm in Noah someday."
["...A farm? Here?"]
It wasn't surprising that Esther looked stunned.
It's a well-known fact that plants barely grow in Noah.
'But if you meet a few conditions, it's possible.'
I'd never tried it myself, but one dedicated player from the user community had managed to successfully farm in Noah after countless failed attempts.
I didn't remember all the details, but the key was using the soil from the Great Forest.
Despite being adjacent to Noah, the Great Forest had managed to become a massive jungle, proving the soil's viability.
'If I can farm, I won't have to eat those awful multi-calorie bars or monster meat anymore.'
When that time comes, I might even try my hand at cooking for real.
'Now then...'
After gathering what I needed, I guided Horus back to the hideout.
I led both Janus and Horus to feed on the monster corpses scattered around Noah.
While it would have been fine to just leave them to it, feeding them fresh carcasses was always better than rotten ones.
──────────────
[Bone Armor (Lv.5)] [Janus] [★★★★★★★★★★ (10 Stars)]
— A defensive armor that connects the power source of the standard officer protective gear (Lv.5) from Ark to a domesticated bone parasite.
— The armor has been named Janus.
— The heart of the Grade-6 Named Behemoth Monster,Mossback Kupf was used as the host for the bone parasite. Powers of both the bone parasite and Mossback Kupf can be utilized partially.
— By consuming the flesh and blood of Mossback Kupf, the range of powers available from it has increased.
— Absorbed the fang of the Beyond Grade Dragon, Ankelenth but has not yet fully assimilated its power.
— Able to declare "Ankelenth's Domain" for a limited time.
— Current Ankelenth's Fang Absorption Rate: 26.6%
— Upon surpassing 15% absorption rate, the ability to summon "Ankelenth's Spear" has been unlocked.
— Absorbed the reverse scale of the Beyond Grade Colossal Beast, Ouroboros.
— Able to partially utilize the power of Ouroboros.
— Has fully absorbed the abilities of:
Completely absorbed the flesh and blood of the Grade-6 Named Subterranean Monster, 'Mule, The Tunnel Digger'. Able to fully utilize the abilities of the 'Mule, The Tunnel Digger'.Absorbed the Grade-5 Named Primate monster, 'Moog, The Stone Thrower'. Able to fully utilize the abilities of 'Moog, The Stone Thrower'.Absorbed the Grade-3 Named Aerial Beast, 'Sharkdon, Sky Predator'. Able to utilize the abilities of 'Sharkdon, Sky Predator'.
"View Details"
──────────────
Since most high-grade corpses were on the Red Line, I couldn't fully maximize the feeding, but I did manage to score a Grade-3 Named Aerial Beast, 'Sharkdon, Sky Predator'.
This was one of the best materials I'd acquired so far, aside from Ankelenth's Fang and Ouroboros' Reverse Scale.
Thanks to that, Janus' power increased significantly, and the absorption rate of Ankelenth's Fang also rose.
'Almost at 30%... Should unlock a new ability by then.'
Meanwhile, Horus had also grown stronger by feasting on the scattered corpses around Noah, approaching Grade-1 in strength.
Though not quite as formidable as a true Grade-1 monster, it was still a remarkable achievement.
'With that level of power, it can be a reliable means of transportation even outside.'
Of course, I wouldn't use it openly during wave battles, as it would draw Ark's attention.
But outside, it would be virtually untouchable.
'First things first... I should go see Gedwin.'
I left Horus near the hideout and made my way to the Red Line on foot.
It felt a bit annoying to walk after just securing a mount, but I had no choice.
I couldn't afford to expose Horus to Ark.
'Besides, I might need to ride Horus when acting as the Skull Turncoat.'
When I reached the Red Line Gate, I called for Gedwin.
My identity was already known to Ark, so there was no issue.
["Please wait a moment."]
Surprisingly, Gedwin wasn't alone.
There was someone else beside him, though I recognized the face.
"Long time no see."
Emerging from the shadows, a woman with fiery red hair appeared.
It was none other than Red-17 Gate Manager, Lieutenant Imosha.