Chapter 26: Skipping Through Danger and the Queen’s Challenge

We hopped through several wormholes.

Since we had So-jin, our first mate, there was neither hesitation nor worry. With his exceptional insight, he read the flow of the wormholes and shortened our travel time.

However, there was a slight problem.

Rumble—!

Our ship occasionally grazed other vessels nearby.

“I’m sorry!!”

The helmsman made mistake after mistake. Even in the monotonous dark waves, the ship would drift out of alignment.

“It’s fine. Just get used to it quickly.”

“I… I will do my best. Please, just don’t kill me.”

The newly recruited helmsman looked like he was about to burst into tears. It was likely due to my reputation.

In any case, this wasn’t something that could be solved in a short time just by trying hard.

It was only natural. The tuning was incredibly sensitive. An average helmsman could hardly handle a ship tuned by Yang Maru.

Swoosh—!

That was when Chris timidly raised his hand.

“Me too…”

“It’s a resting stretch, so give it a try.”

“Yes!!!”

There was no need to swap seats at the helm like before. Through the tuning, I had prepared a separate station exclusively for Chris. It wasn’t a manual control stick but a neural connection type, so it didn’t matter.

“Communicate to the entire fleet. We’re heading to Planet 4 first, so tell them to follow. Chris, take off.”

Chris connected to the ship.

Thump-thump!

His mind synchronized with the vessel. It was a strangely excited feeling. Looking over, I noticed a slight flush on the first mate’s face as well. When people connect to a ship, their emotions mix slightly. Of course, the captain has the most influence.

“Hehehehe.”

But what if it’s a crazy guy like Chris? The influence is quite significant.

Zzzzzzt—!

Our ship glided forward as if sliding on ice. A dizzying sensation traveled from my tailbone to the crown of my head.

Gasp!
Huff, huff!!
Ugh…!!

Everyone clenched their teeth. Everyone except for one person.

“Whoaaa! I, Sudongtae, feel very good.”

Only Sudongtae remained composed. Ever since his curse was lifted, this guy had become a monster. He was even standing instead of sitting. He was enduring the G-force through pure physical strength.

Boom—!

The ship raced through the sea of stars using its acceleration drive. It had long since exceeded the speed limit. Everyone’s faces were turning blue.

“Cap… Cap… Captain! Planet 4… used as the… wormhole junction… is ahead!”

The observation officer shouted through gritted teeth. It was an ordinary super-planet in a wasteland star system, roughly twice the size of Earth.

“Chris. Don’t slow down. Approach the planet at a 3-degree angle.”

I gave the command while clenching my jaw.

“It’s dangerous! The skip phenomenon will put a massive strain on the ship.”

The first mate was startled. The skip reentry phenomenon occurs when a ship bounces off the atmosphere when entering at an angle between 0 and 5 degrees.

“I guarantee there will be no strain.”

This ship was coated with a special dark matter. And I had the Eyes of the Shadow Stalker. On top of that, Chris’s piloting skills were quite impressive.

By utilizing these three factors, we could achieve a stone-skipping effect. Think of it like skipping a stone across the surface of the water.

“Roger! Guidance lines identified.”

Chris also read the flow I intended. Everyone tensed their bodies in anticipation.

Thud—!

“Entering planetary orbit!!”

Ugh!
Huff, huff, huff!
Oof! Gack!

However…

The ship failed to enter orbit and immediately bounced upward.

Thud, thud, thud!

Just when it seemed like it was being sucked back into the planet, it would bounce out again.

“Hehehehaha!”

Chris was the only one enjoying himself while everyone else suffered.

‘I’m never doing this again.’

I regretted it as I held my spinning head. But Chris murmured happily.

“Tokki-tokki. Skip it up. Tokki-skip it up!”

***

The Lord of the House, having arrived at the Lucifel Star Cluster, quickly prepared for war.

“As of this moment, all merchant ships are requisitioned!”

The station was swarming with residents trying to flee the star cluster. It was also overflowing with traders trying to squeeze high fares out of them.

“Go… Governor! We are a merchant ship of the Homier family! You cannot forcibly requisition us like this.”

“This is a state of war. Send your invoice to the Marshal’s Office separately.”

Merchant ships can be used for military purposes if modified. You can mount a couple of cheap cannons, and if you ram them, you can even engage in boarding actions. Though their durability is so weak you wouldn’t get a second chance.

“From now on, we modify the merchant ships. Also, anyone within the colony who knows how to handle even a bit of Force will be conscripted.”

Lord Park immediately accessed the database and sent notices to all able-bodied men under the age of 450. He handed them a weapon and stationed them on the modified merchant ships. Most of them were people who had never fought a day in their lives.

“Are the fortress modifications finished yet?”

“That is… we are short on resources.”

“Tear down the factories if you have to! Secure the dark matter!”

“If we do that, the economic power of our colonies will…”

“It will all be destroyed once the war starts anyway.”

He would hold out as long as possible.

There would be no surrender. If he could build even a little bit of reputation, it would help his son rebuild the family—if that boy ever grew up, that is.

“Governor!!! A fleet of hundreds has been detected on the outskirts of the galaxy.”

“Already…?”

Lord Park slumped into his seat. He hadn’t even finished half of the preparations. Those hundreds of ships were likely just the vanguard. The main force would arrive soon.

“Goddess of the Moon. Are you truly not going to give us a single chance to fight?”

Lord Park closed his eyes and lamented to the deity of their home world.

“Governor! A communication is coming in.”

“Tell them there is no surrender.”

“It’s… it’s your family’s butler, sir.”

“What?! Why…?”

Lord Park leaped to his feet.

[Lord! I have arrived.]

“You! How did you return?!”

[I have come by the Young Master’s command.]

“What on earth does that mean? And what are those ships?”

[I will explain everything once I arrive.]

A short while later.

“My Lord. This is the butler of the So family.”

The So family butler bowed politely.

“A pleasure. What brings you here?”

“Our Lord has placed himself under the protection of the Young Master of the Park family.”

Lord Park blinked, stunned. Then he turned his head to look at his own butler.

“Well… I don’t know where to begin…”

The butler calmly laid out everything that had happened.

“You’re not telling me to actually believe that, are you?”

“It seems the Young Master has finally grown up. Even when we visited the capital, he didn’t cause any significant trouble.”

The butler told him about the events in the capital. At most, his subordinates got into a brawl and he was escorted in by the military police. Eating a luxurious meal at the station wasn’t even worth mentioning.

“Has he really matured?”

It was a massive improvement. It was truly a praiseworthy development, but…

“Why did that brat send you all here? A war is about to break out.”

“First, please accept this.”

It was parchment specially processed by the Marshal’s Office. It was used for official documents that were impossible to forge.

“This is…”

The Lord checked the contents and frowned.

“The Young Master has been granted a territory.”

The parchment bore Pak-yu’s handwritten signature. A signature carries the trace of one’s Force. It was evidence more certain than any fingerprint.

“That brat finally went and caused a massive scene!”

“It was unavoidable. If he hadn’t accepted, he would have been held as a hostage.”

“True. Given Marshal Humildas’s personality, that might have been the case.”

The Lord frowned.

“Thinking about it, the situation hasn’t changed. But why come here?”

“The Young Master has prepared 105 light maneuver ships.”

It was surprising. To negotiate with a Marshal, receive support from a following family, liquidate the family assets, and prepare a large-scale fleet…

But…

“That is nowhere near enough. You cannot defend this place from Marshal Imperium with that.”

“The Young Master did not raise an army to defend against Marshal Humildas’s attack.”

“Then? What is he plotting?”

“Soon, the alien race will strike. We estimate their numbers to be a thousand ships.”

The Lord frowned at those words.

“Where did you get that information?”

“That fellow Sudongtae was actually a slave of the Ant race.”

“That strong fellow Yu used to drag around as a personal servant?”

“Yes. The story is too consistent to disbelieve.”

Sudongtae wasn’t smart enough to fabricate such a story.

“You must prepare for the alien attack. While we hold them off, the Young Master will decapitate their Queen.”

“Can Yu really accomplish such a great feat?”

Lord Park wondered if he was dreaming. It felt that unrealistic. At that, the So family butler spoke with a look of confusion, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“The Master Pak-yu I saw is a genius. He seemed like someone fully capable of achieving any plan he sets.”

Hearing that, the Lord felt even less certain.

‘A genius? I’d sooner believe a dog could stop eating its own filth.’

Yet, he couldn’t just ignore it.

“Very well. I shall hurry the defenses.”

***

The 105 ships passed through the wormhole.

“Captain. Our fleet has arrived at the target star system.”

“Any enemies observed?”

“None yet.”

“Move toward the target point covertly.”

The fact that the flagship was gold-colored was a bit of a problem. Dark matter usually doesn’t interact with light, but this stuff was a little peculiar.

Boom—!

The other ships surrounded our flagship. It was unavoidable to hide the golden color.

“Captain! We are nearing the target point.”

In the distance, a massive gas planet appeared. Seven moons orbited it. One of them was a fake.

“Dongtae. Which one of those is the nest?”

“That one. The one with a slight blue tint is the Queen’s nest-ship.”

From the outside, it looked like a natural satellite. In reality, it was just a skin.

“They’re serious about the camouflage.”

When moving, it could transform and pass through wormholes. However, its speed was abysmal.

“All ships, prepare for the assault.”

***

Another peaceful day in the Ant Queen’s nest. The Queen, standing nearly 4 meters tall, was busy laying eggs today.

“My Queen. A large-scale fleet has appeared.”

At those words, the Queen turned her head.

“Have we finally been discovered?”

“I am not sure. There are a hundred ships.”

“That’s too few for a subjugation force.”

“What shall we do? Do we pounce? Or do we pretend not to notice and let them pass?”

The Queen fell into thought for a moment.

“A hundred ships… that’s a bit disappointing.”

Too much time had passed since they invaded this galaxy. It had been a long time since they received supplies.

“We must eat. I think we’ll have to move our habitat after we feed.”

By engaging in small-scale piracy, they had gradually collected news from the outside. The situation here, where they had settled in hiding, was too unstable.

“More importantly, does it look like Imperium will attack the Lucifel Star Cluster?”

“It seems he won’t be coming this way. I heard his vanguard was blocked by a patrol led by someone named Pak-yu.”

“This Pak-yu must be quite skilled.”

The Queen knew the terror of Marshal Imperium, having faced him during the invasion war.

“In that case, we give up on raiding the Lucifel Star Cluster. For now, let’s just devour those hundred ships.”

“Understood!”

The Queen licked her lips. She felt good thinking about feasting after such a long time.

***

We charged toward the Queen’s nest. If at least 30 ships could ram their bows into that thing, we would win.

“Captain! Enemy ships appearing.”

Enemy vessels that had been hiding among the seven moons began to pour out. This was expected.

However…

“The enemy ships! There are too many. Their numbers are continuing to increase.”

“What?!”

My mind momentarily fell into confusion. Most of the enemy ships should have moved toward the Lucifel Star Cluster.

‘Ah!!’

I think I know why this happened. It was because I had pushed back Sagitta’s fleet at the Pepe Star System. Marshal Imperium does not use attack routes where scouting is impossible.

‘The Queen has fought him, so she would know.’

And the Lucifel Star Cluster isn’t far from the Pepe Star System. The Queen had gathered this information.

“In the end, it’s because of me.”

She had given up on the Lucifel raid. That meant all one thousand ships were right here.

“What do you mean by that, Captain?!”

“Nothing. All ships, maximum speed! Follow me.”

“Message relayed. All ships, behind the flagship!”

Our fleet turned its prow away from where the enemies were pouring out.

[Young Master! What do we do?!]
[If we go this way, we’ll move further from the Queen’s nest.]
[There are too many enemy ships!]
[Requesting a retreat.]

Countless pieces of advice flew in from each ship. I almost panicked for a moment.

“If we run away pathetically, maybe half of us can get out of here alive. But…”

For some reason, the corners of my mouth kept twitching upward. Why does a situation like this make me feel so excited?

“Will you be satisfied with that? It seems everyone has forgotten why we came here.”

I asked the captains while stroking my crowbar. I asked them if they were really okay with going back without gaining a single thing.