These were the fearsome “UBMs,” which were further split into tiers: “Epic,” “Legendary,” “Ancient Legendary,” and “Mythical.”
These were as much a classification as a valid description. For example, “Mythical” were “monstrosities with power that could be spoken of in myth.”
However, there were two classifications that were above even that—“SUBMs” and “Irregularities.”
The former stood for “Superior Unique Boss Monster,” and they were the pinnacle of UBMs.
Every one of them was truly one of a kind—a massive raid monster of unmatched power.
The control AIs had so far released five of these into the world.
The first was “Lone Yet Unmatched, Greatest One”—the ultimate gargoyle, made of the hardest material in the world.
The second was “Biframe White Whale, Twin Moby Dick”—a massive whale possessing inexhaustible regenerative powers and weaponry.
The third was “Tri-Zenith Dragon, Gloria”—an all-powerful dragon that extinguished the unworthy with its aura of light and its physical strength.
The fourth was “Tetra-Beast of Creation, Suling”—a godbeast that used four bodies to achieve the apex of four different skills.
The fifth was “Penta-Phased Destroyer, Horobimaru”—an entity of perfected equipment, both the wielder and the wielded, wearer and worn.
All of these were much more than other UBMs—and “more” could not be a more fitting word, for there was something tangible these monsters possessed that the others lacked.
By default, a monster’s maximum level was 100, but SUBMs ignored this limit, and that was exactly what made them deserving of the title “Superior.”
However, they were not the only monsters that were capable of this feat.
“Irregularities are like SUBMs in that they have surpassed level 100,” said Humpty. “However, they aren’t under our control.”
Those words made Shu think back to something she’d said earlier.
“So you’re not controlling Abyss Shellder, huh?”
“No. Jabberwock made it a UBM, but it was a series of coincidences afterward that made it what it is now. That is what I meant when I said we were only involved at the start.”
Hearing that put a frown on Shu’s face. “Clean your own messes, damn it.”
“Unfortunately, we rarely kill UBMs ourselves since release. We wouldn’t want to take away a Master’s chance to grow.”
“...Right.” Humpty had told him something like that many times before. That was why she usually ended up sending him into all kinds of hellish encounters, after all.
“That isn’t why I got you involved in this one, though. Simply overcoming challenges like this isn’t enough to make you stronger anymore.”
“And I have you to thank for that,” Shu complained, his mind wandering to the many dangerous circumstances he’d lived through.
“So there it is—I simply want you to solve this one. In all honesty, the situation is pretty dire, and the only Masters who can do anything about it are you and Dryfe’s King of Beasts.”
“Hm? Why’s that?” Shu asked. The fact that he’d ended up here at all was proof that he could handle this, but why was KoB the only other person? Infinite Dendrogram had two other “Apices” besides King of Beasts—Caldina’s “Magical Apex” and Tenchi’s “Technical Apex,” both of whom Shu had fought, and both of whom would presumably be just as well suited for this task.
“I can’t tell you. It relates to Abyss Shellder’s specific powers.”
“If ya want me to take care of this, at least tell me its weakness or somethin’.”
“Oh, I could never. What kind of developer leaks a boss’s weakness? And to just one player, at that?”
“...Well, you have a point.”
About a month later, a certain cat would do exactly that—but these two had no way of knowing this.
“There are two things I can say, though,” Humpty went on.
“Those bein’?”
“First is the name—in this case, it’s significant. The monster is called ‘Abyss Shellder’ for a reason.”
“Hm?” There were multiple ways the UBMs of this world received their names. Some retained the names they had before evolving; others were given names by the people who encountered them. And sometimes, monsters were named by the Control AIs themselves, often in a way that referenced their powers.
Because of this, one could sometimes guess what a UBM was capable of based on its name.
Corpse Stronghold, Abyss Shellder, eh? Shu thought. “Abyss” is self-explanatory. The sea’s got lots of monsters that can live in the deep, so it’s a pretty common name element around here. Then there’s “Shellder”... Is that like a portmanteau of “Shell” and “Shelter?” It’s got a “D” instead of a “T,” though... It’s not like it’s a damn Pokémon...
Immediately upon hearing Humpty’s hint, Shu began to theorize...
“And there’s the second thing.”
...but she continued talking, stopping his train of thought.
“If you don’t get involved, everyone on this ship will die.”
They were heavy words, spoken lightly.
“Oh, and I don’t mean that we’ll do something,” Humpty clarified. “It’s just what our calculations say. I just analyzed the powers and abilities of both sides, and that’s the only possible result. They have no chance. Even those words you like don’t apply here. They’ll all end up in a watery grave or become food for Abyss Shellder. That’s the only ending in store for them.”
Shu silently pondered those words—the conclusion Humpty had foretold so certainly.
While Humpty was the Control AI in charge of Embryos, there were certain factors that made her use less processing power than her colleagues. Because of this, she had a lot to spare for calculations like this. That made her predictions very precise, especially when they concerned combat.
“Even with your help, the chances of victory aren’t terribly good.” Humpty had a higher opinion of Shu’s ability than any other Control AI. However, her words made it clear that her faith was not blind. It was simply another result of her cold, objective calculations.
Still...
“Your help will make room for those words you like.”
“That so?” Shu said as a fearless smile crossed his face. “In that case, I’ll show ya a happy endin’.”
“I’ll look forward to that,” Humpty said, returning his smile. “And with that said, here’s your opening battle,” she added—right before the ship’s siren rang out.
Shu’s eyes widened as he turned to the source of the noise for just a moment. When he turned back, Humpty was nowhere in sight.
Setting aside the Control AI and her words for now, he rushed out of the cabin.