The proctor adventurer and the others did not know why these unusual black crabs marched towards the unfinished village. At a glance, their craggy steps and clacking pincers seemed to strangely depict excitement.
Seeing this, and being unable to make of such an unprecedented situation, before they could even pull out their respective weapons, Princess Quintella let out an amusing chuckle, prompting them to look at her with their questioning gaze.
"It's okay, they're part of this village. In fact, they were this village's first inhabitants before Mister and I found you."
'Minus the Goblin Undeads, though.' She inwardly thought.
They doubted their ears, understandably so. After all, the marching black crabs numbering exactly three hundred and thirty (330) had abnormal size in terms of physicality. It was as though they had undergone a strange mutation.
"Is that true, Princess? But how..." Winter asked, her curious sapphire eyes alternating between the incoming battalion of genetically modified crabs and the abandoned royal princess, finding no fault in the latter's unwavering expression.
"Did Boss Grey tame them? I mean, they're under the category of low-rank intelligent aquatic monsters, which also falls into the neutral category, unlike the Goblins or Orcs." Khan mumbled, letting the others hear his thoughts.
"If that's the case, then we have nothing to worry about. I guess that's what the small ponds are for, huh?" The eldest among all, Rahk, chuckled.
Hearing his remarks, the other six adventurers eventually realized the sole reason for the creation of small ponds, which fell under the general houses in Grey's blueprint of village development.
As they stood side by side, waiting for the approaching entities clacking their respective pincers, Grey silently arrived behind them.
Woom.
'Krishnaya, mass scan them.'
[Scanning the Crabs of Dim Waters.]
After less than two seconds, Krishnaya informed him of the gathered information.
Ding!
[The modified DNA, "ME–0±" or Monster Evolution Gene has been progressing smoothly.]
If there was one thing that Grey and Krishnaya had discovered upon experimenting on these aquatic subjects, it was that an existence called DNA ME–0± was something that exists within the Ori Shard or Ori Core.
In other words, back to Earth, these circumstance and discovery could be compared to the theory of the renowned naturalist, geologist, and biologist known as Charles Darwin—Theory of Evolution, which stated that humanity evolved from primates.
Moving on, Grey and Krishnaya had microscopically observed that the Monster Evolution Gene was active in every monster they had caught so far. It meant that if they were left for a long period of time, they would naturally evolve to the next level.
With this in mind, through the utilization of [DNA Modification] and [Beyond Sense], Grey modified this gene for every Crab of Dim Waters, making their evolutionary process to be accelerated at an exponential degree.
He was not certain if such an extraordinary evolution had already occurred at the depths of the Dark Lands, where the vast territories of the Demon Lords were located. After all, it was more feasible to think that before any of the low-rank unintelligent or intelligent monsters could evolve, they were already preyed upon or perished through some mysterious circumstances.
"The more I see it, the more everything keeps on being intriguing." Grey's sudden voice from behind almost sent every adventurer and even Princess Quintella into shock. It was as though their hearts were about to jump out through their chest.
"M–Mister!"
"Boss!"
"You're here, Sir Grey!"
Grey swiftly dismissed their informal greetings and acknowledgment of his presence. Instead, his purple eyes were focused on the nearing hundreds of black crabs walking under the afternoon and unrelenting black sun.
***
"M–Master, w–we have returned!"
At that moment, chills suddenly ran down every listener's spine. Even Grey couldn't help but involuntarily gulp upon hearing the hoarse voice from the leading black crab, which after scanning was identified as [CS#33], short for Crab Subject #33.
In front of him, Grey scrutinized CS#33. His vision scanned the evolved black crab monster standing at an imposing four feet tall, similar to that of an average Goblin's posture. Its obsidian black carapace was dimly gleaming, as though it was serenely absorbing a minute amount of light emitted by the heavenly body hovering above this cursed land.
In the eyes of others, this mutated creature whose body was filled with alien technology known as Nanobots could be perceived as eerie due to its unusually massive claws that could crush a powerless human arm in a snap.
What's more, CS#33 faced its seemingly perceived creator while standing on four legs, while the remaining four legs seemed to become its rear defense. If not for the obvious difference, it was almost human-like, terrifyingly so.
Furthermore, Grey thoroughly witnessed its subservient crimson eyes under considerably medium antennae sprouting from its head, twitching and swaying at the slightest touch of the cold winds.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, sensing the silence of its master, Crab Subject #33 opened its mouth, "H–how c–can we be of help, M–master?"
Its words snapped Grey out of his little reverie, a testament to his inward interest in these creatures.
He then responded, "All of you have grown. Anyway. I will observe if you are capable of practical learning."
'It is certain that they can adapt, that's what evolution's about.' He inwardly said before instructing Rahk and the other adventurers to guide these black crabs to their homes—the small ponds.
However, with their unexpected size that even Grey had not accounted for, Rahk opened up the concern which resulted in the sudden revision of the blueprint.
After a few moments, Grey then came back with another blueprint plus an extra one. He then explained the second one, where the detailed map of their current location was printed behind the parchment.
"If the Crabs of Dim Waters are capable of quick adaptation and excellent cognition, use the second blueprint to expand the village up to Lake Stonia."
With his command, the Alien Village development peacefully resumed.
But before Grey returned to the Anon Oriken spacecraft, he addressed the Crab Subject #33 with a straight face.
"I don't know why you were the decided leader of your kin, but from now on, you will be called Krabs."
***
————————————————
[Subject Status]
Given Name: Krabs
Age: 7+ Years Old
Natural Name: Crab of Dim Waters
Natural Habitat: Lake Stonia
Race: Monster (Aquatic)
Element: Rock
Monster Rank: Intermediate
Monster Skills: [Pincer Attack]
Subject Identification: [CS#33]
Gene-Edited: [Monster Evolution Gene]
ET–Evaluation: [After letting CS#33 live in its natural habitat without any discreet observation for around two months, the edited gene has taken effect along with its companions. However, the interesting part lies in the fact that this particular subject led the other subjects.]
ET–Remarks: [It needs to be observed, Master.]
————————————————
Throughout the time that Grey punished the captured Goblins, Orcs, and Trolls through merciless yet necessary process, he once asked Krishnaya to make a [Subject Status] for the subjects of the experiment irrespective of the test's nature, which led to this particular holographic screen keenly being read by the host of the alien ship at this very moment.
"I've put Nanobots in their bodies just in case something harms them... But I wonder what happened with these little crabs?" Grey let out a smile, uncharacteristically so—a sign of excitement.
After that, he then asked the Extraterrestrial System, "By the way, let's do what you wish, Krishnaya. Let's observe them discreetly."
[Yes, Master. Also, I'd like to suggest something.]
"Huh? What is it?"
She then elucidated her plan, which Grey approved of upon hearing the reasoning behind it.
[Sending the commands to the Pseudo-Alien Archive.]
***
Ding!
Something that only Princess Quintella could hear entered her ears.
[Princess, I have received a command from the Main System.]
'Okay, let me check it.'
When the holographic screen flashed, her crimson eyes involuntarily constricted. She couldn't help but mutter, "Sigh, what's with these now? I wonder what Mister's up to. Well, these might also be Miss Krishnaya's suggestions."
Her gaze then landed on the seven adventurers individually guiding the groups of black crabs about construction work—a truly bizarre sight to behold.
Seeing this, Princess Quintella was again reminded of the time she questioned her own modified Extraterrestrial System.
"Honey Mallows, even though I find these experiments fascinating, I can't seem to understand the results about the undead Goblin Chief. Do you perhaps have any idea why Mister is conducting these experiments? But first, I'd like to make it clear that I do not hold any empathy for these monsters, I'm just curious."
[Princess, you will find them useless at a glance, but these scientific experiments, if they can still be called that way, have something to do with how this world works. I'll explain to you the final result of the experiment about the undead Goblin Chief, then you should try applying it using the Augmented Reality.]
"Okay, help me understand."
"I guess I'll see that this is about..." Her first impression upon seeing the list of commands was then changed to that of anticipation.
After a few hours, when the black crabs were proven to be helpful and adaptable, scarily quick at that, Princess Quintella looked at Krabs while a hundred others either went to their temporary lodgings or stood on the perimeters of the village.
"Mister Krabs." She paused for a moment. Meanwhile, the other's attention was fixated on the fish soup being cooked through a bonfire. "Do you know what this is?"
[Activating the Skill: Dark Fireball.]
Witnessing the sudden surge of dark energy coagulating on her grasp, Krabs stumbled with its back from its seat, surprising everyone.
'I see, so Rock Element Monsters fear fire, huh?'
[Crabs of Dim Waters—Follow-up Experiments]
[1] Test the subject's weakness...