Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 56: Not a Fan of Jumpscares

With the drones and nanobots spread around, my terminal currently had an extensive map of our surroundings. Although still incomplete, it updated with every passing second.

Thanks to this, I was able to "slightly" calm my nerves.

{BOO~!}

"...!"

If not for the tricky bitch behind me.

I clutched my chest, my heart pounding like a piston engine, almost as if it planned to leap out of my ribcage. I whipped around, only to find Eva grinning from ear to ear.

{Well, well. Looks like you’re an even bigger scaredy-cat than I am.}

She chuckled.

{Where’s the oh-so-brave Arthur from when we explored that abandoned ship while rescuing Major Terrence~?}

"..."

I couldn’t even refute her words!

Back when we explored the Vernal Torrent, I was genuinely fearless… After all, from my knowledge, there was nothing in there. No aliens, no monsters, not even ghosts. The appearance of a Detonid back then was completely outside my expectations.

But this place was different.

This was an unknown dimension—probably governed by unknown, mysterious universal rules. In this situation, it wouldn’t even be strange if ghosts suddenly appeared, chasing us from behind!

If given the choice, I’d have Eva take the lead instead. However, since she was busy helping Cassandra navigate, that left only me to take point and scout ahead.

’Still, remember this, Eva... No matter how long it takes, I’ll definitely have the last laugh!’

That thought, along with my irritation and a burning desire for revenge, slightly eased my nerves, allowing us to push forward.

{To the right… then left…}

And with Cassandra’s intermittent guidance, we progressed smoothly.

To ensure we wouldn’t lose our way back, I left portable, blinking light sources on the walls every few dozen meters—or at every corner. With this, even if our maps failed, we’d still be able to navigate back effortlessly!

"STOP!"

I raised my left arm, clenched in a tight fist—a simple hand signal.

"Multiple alien signatures ahead!"

Without hesitation, I grabbed the Plasma Blaster, gripping it tightly in my left hand, while my right hand secured the Railgun. This way, I accounted for both physical and metaphysical attacks, praying that at least one of them would be effective.

"Eva, protect Cassandra! I’m moving in...!"

I kicked off the tunnel wall, launching myself toward the T-junction ahead—where the enemy lay in wait. I swung my blaster toward their position and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

*ZIIIN!*

A powerful beam lanced forward, searing through everything in its path.

As I hurtled toward the end of the crossroad, I caught a glimpse of our foes.

They were black, two-meter-long creatures, their bodies gleaming like a slick, wet surface—slippery-looking. Fins ran down their spines, their heads large, with wide, gaping mouths but no teeth and no eyes.

"This eel-like monster... A Gallbrion!" I gasped.

Thankfully, it was a familiar alien. If it had been some nightmarish, ferocious-looking creature, I might’ve cried...

Nah, just kidding.

Me, brave man! Me no cry!

Regaining my composure, I continued firing the blaster at the remaining enemies. Fortunately, they weren’t heavily armored or protected by a thick carapace—one well-placed shot was enough to roast their brains, taking them down instantly.

After roughly five seconds of one-sided attacks, I let out a relieved sigh.

"Alright, all clear!" I announced.

A few moments later, Eva and Cassandra approached, peeking warily around the corner. Eva’s wary expression, however, quickly shifted into gleeful excitement upon seeing what I had just hunted.

{Woah! Five pieces of solid 100k!} She cheered, rushing forward. {What a windfall…!}

Seeing her sudden change in mood, I decided to leave the cleanup to them for now.

I returned to where we had stopped and began dragging my supply crate forward again. Of course, I didn’t forget to swap out the cartridge of my blaster—always reload after combat, just in case.

When I returned to the scene, however, Eva’s earlier excitement had suddenly turned sour. Her gaze as I approached nearly made my heart skip a beat—in a bad way.

{Tsk… Let’s go…} She clicked her tongue.

Watching her stomp ahead grumpily floating away and leaving the alien corpses behind, I immediately understood the cause of her frustration.

’It’s impossible for us to drag all of these carcasses along…’

They were simply too large to carry back in bulk.

I shrugged, tapping a few buttons on my terminal before chasing after the two beauties ahead.

"Wait for me…!"

Of course, I kept quiet about what I had just done—keeping it a surprise would be far more entertaining later.

Anyway, we have no idea how deep we’d have to delve into this place. I prepared my heart and mind for the long road ahead.

---

Hours passed quickly.

With our pace, we had already covered about 60 kilometers of complicated passage in total. By estimate, we’re about 30 kilometers away from the Range Falcon in a straight line.

Along the way, we encountered many alien species, but most were the same as those found in the Kariki System.

Of course, the more we hunted, the deeper Eva’s frown grew. To her, we were basically throwing gold down the drain by leaving all the monster corpses behind.

’At this rate, she might explode in the next few hours. I just hope there are enough aliens around to absorb her anger by then…’

As for me, I was slowly getting used to our space dungeon delving. There were still moments when my heart leaped—especially when aliens popped out from unseen corners—but other than that, everything was proceeding smoothly.

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"Cassandra, any idea how far we should go?"

Worried that Eva might explode on me sooner than expected, I decided to ask.

Cassandra, hearing my question, quickly turned her head, then nodded.

{... I think we’re close. The voice is getting clearer than before.}

"I see..."

I pressed a section of my suit, causing two straws to pop out from within my powered armor. One was for liquid intake—a.k.a. drinking water—while the other was for liquefied rations, allowing consumption while wearing a spacesuit.

I checked my terminal, glancing at the map and time simultaneously. Exactly 15 hours had passed since we began.

Although we were simply floating through the zero-gravity environment, that didn’t mean we were immune to fatigue. If we pushed on any further, I was sure our combat potential would begin to decline.

"Then, let’s set up camp here for now."

Luckily, we had arrived at a large cavern, a dome roughly 15 meters across. As long as we blocked the five tunnels leading into it, we should be able to rest safely and get some much-needed sleep.

{... Got it. I’ll block the paths, you set up the camp.}

Eva responded grumpily, knowing exactly what she needed to do.

She pulled a small cylinder from her suit’s pocket and then pointed it toward the cave’s entrances. A tiny drop of liquid emerged from the tip, sticking to the metallic walls—before rapidly expanding, sealing off the openings.

What she used was the same kind of foam-like material designed to patch hull breaches—but one that expands upon contact with any matter through absorbing the "heat" they produce.

Of course, she used the minimum amount necessary, as expected of a purse pincher like her.

Once she finished, she walked back to where I was—where I had already set up a small, portable, pressurized cabin, a part of the supply I was carrying. It was a tent-like space equipped with an artificial gravity inducer, ensuring a comfortable sleep for humans.

After all, it wasn’t exactly pleasant trying to sleep in zero gravity.

The cabin had a low ceiling of two meters, with dimensions of about 2.5 x 3 meters. It would be tight for three people, but since we couldn’t sleep all at the same time anyway, it wasn’t an issue.

"Alright, we’ll take turns on guard duty, Eva. I’ll cover the first shift—four hours long."

Even though we had blocked the entrances, there was no telling if some weird alien could phase through matter—like a ghost. If such a creature existed, and we were all asleep, we’d be doomed.

Of course, even though Cassandra was now "part" of the Knights of Camelot, I still found it hard to think of her as one of us. To me, she was still the Crazy Princess, an object of fear instead of trust.

{Got it. Press the emergency button if things go south.} Eva grumbled before stepping into the cabin.

{Uhm…}

"Huh?"

Cassandra, on the other hand, looked as if she wanted to say something.

She hesitated, shifting her lips, her expression unsure—before finally lowering her head in embarrassment.

{I-I… It’s nothing.} She stuttered before following after Eva.

A moment later, the cabin’s entrance was sealed shut, making the inside airtight. The artificial gravity should have kicked in by now.

Being left behind felt lonely—and a little unsettling—but with the mountain of weapons at my back, I wasn’t afraid.

I leaned against my supply crate, staring at the camp while propping myself against one of the cavern’s walls.

I set a timer for four hours, marking the end of my shift, before letting out a deep sigh.

"I just hope nothing appears while I’m on watch..."

I silently prayed.