I Got a Monster Spaceship from the Tutorial Tower - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 16
Episode 16
Tutorial Tower Floor 10.
Before novice Pilots could even enter the Boss Stage they would face for the first time.
Seo Yeon-woo, commander of the Space Battleship, found himself confronted with a grave crisis.
“That’s… Hades, isn’t it?”
Uelka nodded at Yeon-woo’s reluctant question as if to say there was no doubt about it.
“It’s the same Hades we raided the Raid Portal with last time. The Pilot would be someone named Shin Ha-yun.”
There was no need to confirm it so precisely.
“Hmm…….”
Yeon-woo fell silent for a moment.
Why, of all times, was Hades parked right in front of the Space Battleship’s command deck like it had just pulled up?
“Perhaps she wishes to conduct a raid together with you, Commander?”
“Out of nowhere?”
No matter that they’d crossed paths during the Raid Portal.
That hardly made them the sort of acquaintances who would wait without warning or word.
‘Floor 10, then…… It’s certainly a tough challenge.’
A truly talented Pilot could clear all the way to Floor 9 solo.
But Floor 10 meant facing a Large Unmanned Drone alongside nearly ten Medium Unmanned Drones, plus an even greater number of Small Unmanned Drones as a bonus.
On top of that, the obstacle set included Gravity Fields, Formation Barriers, missiles, and Stealth units—a comprehensive showcase of every Unmanned Drone they’d encountered so far.
So even though Ha-yun had cleared Floor 9 and was resting, people had not found it particularly strange.
‘The standard protocol is to enter with a full five-unit Formation after all.’
They assumed the Mangho Clan was either waiting for other promising recruits to reach Floor 9, or negotiating with another clan.
Why not simply call in Pilots who had already cleared Floor 10?
‘Not if it means letting Ha-yun shine on her own.’
Ha-yun was not merely a Pilot of the Mangho Clan alone.
If such arrangements were made, the Control Bureau would apply immediate pressure.
In any case, Ha-yun’s presence on the platform was hardly unusual, with or without a Floor 10 raid.
“Maybe she just happened to be there and ran into us.”
Yeon-woo decided to think nothing of it.
But unfortunately for Yeon-woo.
Ding!
A communication request from Hades came through at once.
Ordinarily there was chaos every time the platform opened, so he’d set a blanket block on all incoming calls.
But Hades had prior communication history, so it went through—Uelka explained.
‘Should I take it?’
Yeon-woo hesitated, but only briefly.
The hesitation was short-lived.
Having fought alongside her during the Raid, ignoring her here would look strange to anyone.
“Go ahead and patch her through.”
“Yes, Commander.”
The moment Yeon-woo gave the order, Ha-yun’s image appeared on the observation window of the command deck.
Uelka, naturally, had stepped discreetly out of view so she wouldn’t appear on the communication screen.
— Hello.
“Ah, hello.”
Ha-yun’s expression was so cold you could mistake her for a machine, just as it had been the last time they met.
‘Is she going to complain about why I cut things off last time? What if she wants another round?’
A slight worry crossed his mind, but fortunately Ha-yun’s business was not of that sort.
— Would you like to tackle Floor 10 together?
She was indeed asking for another round.
Against the Unmanned Drones of Floor 10.
For an ordinary Pilot, this would have been cause for great joy.
In fact, there would be a line of Pilots who would consider raiding in Formation with Ha-yun an honor.
But Yeon-woo could only manage an ambiguous expression.
‘Why, though?’
Of course, in pure terms of firepower, there was no reason to refuse.
Though Makross and Gudru possessed considerable piloting skill, Ha-yun was talent second to none.
Hades, an S+ Rank Mecha, would be an enormous asset.
They’d already synchronized tactics through the Raid Portal before.
But.
‘Back then I was too flustered to give it much thought, but if I’m going to raid this properly, I’ll need to communicate more actively.’
The real problem was that Yeon-woo was conducting the raid using monsters.
It was also the biggest reason he hadn’t registered as a Pilot yet.
Why did Pilots enter the Tutorial Tower and risk their lives fighting?
To stop the monsters’ invasion.
Yet fighting alongside those very monsters was something difficult to accept.
…Though in truth he’d grown fairly accustomed to it, Yeon-woo still found his subordinates terrifying.
‘Right. I don’t need help to clear a floor on my own, anyway. Turning this down is the smart move.’
Even though Floor 10 was a Boss Stage, with the Space Battleship’s Main Cannon and the refitted carrier aircraft at full strength, it was manageable.
Besides, if Ha-yun joined, the stage itself would become slightly more difficult, making her assistance unnecessary.
“I’m sorry, but…”
Just as Yeon-woo was about to voice his refusal.
Ha-yun, who had been watching him with an icy expression, cut him off and spoke.
— I’m referring to the last Raid Portal.
“…?”
An uneasy feeling suddenly gripped him.
Why was she bringing up the Raid Portal all of a sudden?
— Your Main Cannon was extremely powerful. I fled far away, but the shockwave reached where I’d stopped. And the combat skills of the Fighter Pilots accompanying you…
“…!”
Yeon-woo stared at Ha-yun as she calmly recounted her experience in that perfectly measured tone, his eyes trembling.
Her meaning came through loud and clear.
‘So there was a reason she never mentioned me in any of those interviews!’
Every interview Ha-yun had given about the Raid Portal ended with abstract generalities.
That it was only possible because so many helped, that they were lucky, that kind of thing.
She’d been saving all of it—every detail—as a card to hold over him before Floor 10.
‘Why does she care so much about raiding Floor 10 together with me?’
The thought filled him with genuine dread.
Uelka, arriving at a similar conclusion, gaped in horror, her expression turning positively goblin-like.
A message from Uelka flashed in the corner of Yeon-woo’s vision.
— What a shockingly wicked person. I never would’ve thought it.
If a goblin was saying that about someone, what more needed to be said?
Though of course, this was entirely a misunderstanding on Yeon-woo and Uelka’s part.
Ha-yun had indeed sensed that Yeon-woo was about to refuse.
‘Even if he won’t join the raid, I’d really like to tell him how impressive it was.’
But her reasoning was simple common sense: complimenting the other party made them far more likely to accept any request.
And truthfully, the majesty of the Space Battleship had genuinely impressed Ha-yun.
But before Ha-yun could even finish speaking, Yeon-woo hurriedly nodded and stepped forward.
“Y-yes, let’s raid it together! Of course we should!”
In Yeon-woo’s mind, the one holding the sword hilt was undoubtedly Ha-yun.
She knew what he looked like, and she could easily destroy his reputation—and the Space Battleship itself—through public opinion manipulation.
Moreover, the way she’d brought up the Pilots made him wonder if she’d already figured out their true nature.
To keep her silent, he’d have to give her whatever she asked for.
Ha-yun, for her part, was delighted by his eager response.
Though that joy never surfaced beneath her cold expression.
‘He’s embarrassed about receiving praise.’
…And so Ha-yun constructed an entirely mistaken theory all her own.
Being of a similar (?) temperament, she seemed to understand Yeon-woo’s heart completely, a small smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth.
‘What a terrifying person.’
Though from Yeon-woo’s perspective, it looked exactly like a cold strategist celebrating a successful and sinister scheme.
Judging the atmosphere sufficiently settled, Ha-yun gathered her courage and broached her second matter.
— And our Clan Leader asked me to invite you to visit sometime.
“…Why would he?”
— Probably about what happened at the last Raid Portal…
“I’ll give it serious consideration.”
A terrifying Clan member, and apparently a terrifying Clan Leader as well.
Yeon-woo clicked his tongue and gave a reluctant nod.
‘What are they planning to do to me by using this opportunity?’
No matter how dangerous a situation might be, he couldn’t afford to reveal his identity carelessly.
How could they weaponize pure patriotism like this?
Yeon-woo couldn’t hide the gloom that settled over him.
‘He’s really kind. It could have been an unreasonable request.’
Shin Ha-yun, for her part, wore a soft smile for the first time in ages.
For whatever reason, her partner hadn’t yet revealed his identity publicly.
Yet she never expected him to accept her request so readily, even as a comrade-in-arms from the Raid Portal.
To Shin Ha-yun, it was something to be deeply grateful for.
She would have to do her absolute best to ensure she wasn’t a burden in the Floor 10 raid.
— So, shall we enter Floor 10?
Having resolved all of Jin Yong’s burdensome requests, Shin Ha-yun asked lightly as she sent a Formation Raid request from the Space Battleship.
Seo Yeon-woo felt his energy drain before the raid had even begun.
“I suppose so…….”
He accepted the Formation Raid request with a deflated expression.
* * *
Whoosh.
Floor 10.
Seo Yeon-woo’s enormous Space Battleship emerged into the boundless expanse of Outer Space.
This time, Hades accompanied him as well.
Though Hades was quite massive for a fighter, pressed against the side of the Space Battleship, it looked like nothing more than a toy.
Before entering, Seo Yeon-woo had requested that they not engage in Live Streaming.
Ordinarily, clans support their Pilots’ activities in exchange for a portion of the Hero Broadcast Revenue from Earth, and the Mangho Clan was no exception.
So most affiliated Pilots are obligated to stream live, but Shin Ha-yun had already obtained permission from Jin Yong beforehand.
If she could raid alongside the Space Battleship, what did Live Streaming matter?
And Seo Yeon-woo had given strict instructions to Makross and Gudru as well.
Given the nature of the raid, communication with Shin Ha-yun was essential.
“Whatever you do, don’t let it slip that you’re Monsters. Actually, just say what’s absolutely necessary and nothing more.”
— Aw, that’s harsh, Captain.
“What’s harsh about it?”
— You’re really ashamed that we’re Monsters?
“Yes.”
— That’s seriously too much…….
There was no need to let the other Pilots here know that his team consisted of a Harpy and a Troll.
Even if they got suspicious, he could simply play dumb and move on.
It wasn’t a matter of shame—it was a matter of survival.
Unlike Makross, who grumbled, Gudru readily agreed without complaint.
Seeing this, Makross also caught on and quietly agreed to comply.
“Then I’ll open the Formation Communication Channel, Captain.”
“Go ahead.”
The Space Battleship, Thunder Hound, Fullmail, and Hades were added to the communication channel.
Seo Yeon-woo could see Makross and Gudru’s forms, but Hades could only receive audio from the channel.
The strategy didn’t differ much from Seo Yeon-woo’s solo raid approach.
“I’ll intercept the Large Unmanned Drones with the Main Cannon. After that, I’m counting on you.”
As Seo Yeon-woo outlined the basic plan in a suddenly serious tone, Shin Ha-yun nodded in acknowledgment.
— Understood.
Large Unmanned Drones possessed defensive and offensive capabilities rivaling those of a decent Orc Cruiser.
Even the C-rank Attack Fighter Ghost couldn’t pierce through them in a short time, and there was no disagreement that they were notorious Boss-class mecha.
But what made them troublesome went beyond mere specifications.
Uelka spoke up.
“They’re beginning to deploy, sir.”
“Yeah.”
Through the Master Ball, Seo Yeon-woo felt it too.
Unlike before, the Unmanned Drones didn’t charge headlong from the start.
Instead, leveraging their overwhelming numerical superiority, they began to form a three-dimensional encirclement—a crescent formation—surrounding Hades and the Space Battleship.
The Large Unmanned Drone was controlling the others.
An imposing sight designed to intimidate novice Pilots accustomed to dealing with Drones that only charged recklessly.
However.
— Give the charge order whenever you’re ready.
No such hesitation came through from Shin Ha-yun via the communication channel.
True to her namesake, the master of Hades, the god of death.
Shin Ha-yun was prepared to deliver eternal demise to these lifeless Drones at any moment.
Seo Yeon-woo, standing on the bridge of the Space Battleship, felt the same.
Even knowing the Large Unmanned Drone was the coordinator, there weren’t many tactical options available.
The standard approach was to methodically clear the medium and small unmanned drones first, then finish by sinking the large one—and until now, the speed of that sequence determined success or failure. But what if—
‘Why bother?’
What if he simply eliminated the big one first?
Yeon-woo’s grip tightened slightly on the Master Ball.
Whirrrrr…!
At the same moment, energy began to surge within the Space Battleship’s Main Cannon.
The very weapon that had half-annihilated an Orc Cruiser—a thing incomparable to any Large Unmanned Drone.
A monster whose appearance on mere Floor 10 felt absurdly out of place.
“Formation, launch.”
Roooaarrr!!!!
The queen of unmanned drones—a swarm comparable to ants—bared its fangs.
Shrieeeek!
And so the carrier-based fighters launching from the Space Battleship’s runway and the Hades gliding forward might be called the talons of that monster.
Only three machines, yet as Yeon-woo watched the formation whose presence yielded nothing to the drone armada, he furrowed his brow.
A crew message window flickered in the corner of Yeon-woo’s vision.
— Makross: COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOO!!!
— Gudru: Even through text, loud as a Harpy…
He’d explicitly warned them never to let slip that they were monsters, yet now Makross was making a racket through the messaging system.
Doubtless he was screeching at full volume on the comms channel too, just beyond Yeon-woo’s hearing.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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