I Got a Monster Spaceship from the Tutorial Tower - Chapter 19

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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 19
19
「Seo Yeon-woo
Strength: 5
Reaction Speed: 5
Cardiopulmonary Endurance: 5」
“Phew, so this is Complete Awakening?”
Yeon-woo had raised all his ability values to 5 in one go and returned home.
The cap was 10, but for now, raising his stats wasn’t particularly difficult anyway.
Climbing the tower was one floor per day, so there was no rush.
The crew members weren’t seeing dramatic effects like Yeon-woo, but they were still gaining some benefit from it, so he’d left the management entirely to Urelka.
Back in his room, Yeon-woo caught his reflection in the mirror hanging on his wall.
They say exercise is the best cosmetic surgery.
His jawline seemed sharper somehow, and his shoulders looked more defined.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
When he threw punches into empty air again, the sound of the wind was noticeably different from before.
“That’s not just mouth sound anymore.”
Boom! Boom!
Yeon-woo, excited and throwing several more punches,
Beep-beep-beep-beep. Squeak.
“Son, we’re here——?”
He regretted it immediately.
“No, Mom, Dad, what brings you here so suddenly?”
His parents, who should have been at the Main House, had walked in with bright faces and caught the whole scene.
Yeon-woo lowered his fist carefully and greeted his parents.
After an awkward moment, Su Hyun, Yeon-woo’s mother, smiled and spoke.
“We heard you’d Awakened. Your father and I both took a day off to come up.”
His father, Jin Hwon, felt the same way.
“That’s right. I should’ve come to check on you sooner.”
But as the two entered the house, they tilted their heads at the sight of Yeon-woo.
“Son, have you been working out lately?”
“Now that you mention it, your body does look a bit bigger?”
Yeon-woo’s mouth corners twitched upward.
“Actually, I have started exercising…….”
“Well, when you Awaken, your body does get a bit healthier, they say.”
“Right, I heard even illnesses get cured?”
No!
If you ask me, that’s the effect of the training facility equipped with the latest technology of the Space Battleship!
Yeon-woo’s fingers itched to correct them, but for now, he held back.
‘That’s right. I’ll tell them once I register. Just once I register.’
His parents had nearly fainted just hearing he’d Awakened—what would happen when they found out their son was the captain of a Space Battleship?
They might need to find a hospital room before they even looked for a new house.
Still marveling, Su Hyun felt Yeon-woo’s arms for a moment, then headed to the refrigerator with her hands full of side dishes and groceries.
“There’s nothing in this refrigerator. It’s just full of convenience store food.”
“Well, that’s because I’ve been working a convenience store shift…….”
“Even so, you should cook your own meals. You’ll get sick if you keep this up.”
Someone might have called it a nagging bombardment from the start, but Yeon-woo couldn’t help but laugh softly.
It felt like it had been far too long since he’d heard such nagging.
As lunch time came around, the three of them sat closely around a modest table with food laid out.
Naturally, the conversation centered on Yeon-woo.
“Is piloting worth doing?”
At Jin Hwon’s question, Yeon-woo nodded.
“Yes, I’m still on the lower floors.”
“Right, these days people usually climb up to floor 20 or so. Have you joined a clan?”
“Not yet…….”
As Yeon-woo trailed off, Su Hyun nudged Jin Hwon’s arm.
“Don’t pressure the boy. He’ll do fine on his own.”
“I know, but…… I worry. They say there are strange places these days, so be careful.”
Jin Hwon smiled awkwardly, his weathered face creased with years of hardship, and changed the subject.
Neither Su Hyun nor Jin Hwon had much interest in the tower or piloting as usual.
Both of them had an aversion to anything dangerous, after all.
Ha Yoon, at least, had appeared in recent news often enough that Yeon-woo knew her name.
But then.
“These days, people keep talking about that Space Battleship thing. All the customers are buzzing about it.”
“That’s right. You know about it too, don’t you, Yeon-woo?”
“Well, yes. I know it quite well, actually.”
Yeon-woo hadn’t expected the conversation to turn to the Space Battleship so suddenly.
He took a large spoonful of braised beef and rice into his mouth, speaking with deliberately casual ease.
Well, he did know it quite well.
He rode in it practically every day.
More than just rode, though.
He piloted it too.
Fired its main cannons.
He’d even grown reasonably close with the crew inside.
“There was that Raid Portal that opened nearby recently, wasn’t there?”
“Goodness, your father saw the footage too. Without that Space Battleship, things could’ve gone very badly.”
“Ha, yes. Things could’ve gone very badly indeed.”
Yeon-woo nodded along, feeling an odd swell of pride at his parents’ awed conversation.
Mother, Father—I’m actually the captain of that Space Battleship that saved Incheon and Seoul from crisis…….
“But you mustn’t even think about going anywhere near something so dangerous, understood?”
“That’s right! You haven’t even joined a clan yet, have you? Even A-rank Pilots crash sometimes.”
……I’ll have to tell you about that a bit later.
“Ahem, well, of course. Don’t you know me, Mom and Dad?”
“That’s true enough.”
“Yeon-woo wouldn’t take on anything dangerous, even if it meant getting kicked out of a clan.”
“……Mm. This tastes good.”
Yeon-woo felt a strange pang watching his parents so naturally acknowledge their son’s timidity and move on without a second thought.
Well, that was that.
Having gathered in one place for the first time in a while, Yeon-woo’s family soon fell into easy conversation.
Before long, evening had fallen, the sun sinking low toward the horizon.
Yeon-woo, who had come to see Su Hyun and Jin Hwon off at the Bus Terminal, spoke up.
“Let’s all live together now. I’ll work hard and earn money. You two shouldn’t have to do such difficult work anymore.”
“What are you talking about? Your father’s still strong.”
“So am I.”
“I saw you putting on patches earlier.”
“Ahem! That’s just…… a kind of charm, you know.”
Su Hyun and Jin Hwon quickly averted their eyes from Yeon-woo’s gaze.
He knew well enough that they were both doing grueling work, no matter what they said.
Every night they must be applying patches to each other—what more was there to say?
‘Either way, I need to find a way to register the money discreetly and soon.’
It was an unavoidable step if he wanted to properly use the money coming in from broadcast royalties.
Without hesitation, Yeon-woo transferred some money to Su Hyun and Jin Hwon via his phone, then ushered them onto the bus.
“Use this for spending money when you get home.”
“Huh? No, why are you giving us so much, Yeon-woo?”
“The bus is about to leave! Go on, hurry!”
Not long after, the bus doors closed, and his parents waved from the window as they pulled away.
“Phew. That was a long day.”
From the 10th Floor onwards until now.
Yeon-woo let out a sigh and opened his phone for the first time in a while.
Originally he checked it from time to time to see his own clear videos being posted and to gauge people’s reactions.
But then.
“……?”
After opening the news portal, Yeon-woo was taken aback by the flood of breaking news and headlines filling the screen.
‘Well, I suppose I saw this coming to some extent…….’
[Mangho Clan Succeeds in 10th Floor Team Strategy with Hades and Space Battleship! Clan Leader Says Will Continue Building Relations.]
└ But seriously, how did they pull that off?
└ I heard Hades entered the Platform at dawn and just waited?
└ ㄷㄷ They definitely did something during that last Raid Portal
[Mangho Clan Leader: “I Don’t Know the Space Battleship Pilot’s Identity Either, Will Respect Their Secrecy…… Public Curiosity Explodes”]
└ This is a matter of national security! The Mangho Clan must disclose the Space Battleship’s identity!
└ So he’s the heir to the Osung Group?
└ Seriously? ㄴ
└ ㄹㅇ It does make you curious…… If he were someone that important, wouldn’t he have a reason not to bother registering as a Pilot?
└ But wait, who’s flying the Carrier Aircraft anyway?
Back when she’d been running Solo Clears through the Tutorial Tower, he’d seemed like a distant star she could never reach.
But now that word had spread she’d attempted a Team Strategy with Ha Yoon, the rumors had become utterly insatiable.
‘Background nothing. It was coercion, plain and simple…….’
In any case, it seemed the Mangho Clan itself had no intention of saying anything about Seo Yeon-woo, which was a relief.
Even looking at the Earth’s Heroes leaderboard, the footage of the Space Battleship—automatically registered—stood proudly at rank one across the entire global standings.
Ha Yoon apparently hadn’t uploaded any video of her own.
“Really, she’s impossible to figure out.”
Did it mean she kept her promises scrupulously?
It left him a bit unsettled, but he still didn’t think she was a bad person.
In combat, she was the type to shoulder the dirty work without complaint.
Seo Yeon-woo returned home after browsing the internet, then lay in bed thinking.
“The tenth floor’s a Boss Stage anyway, so that’s expected.”
Starting from the eleventh, Ha Yoon would probably go back to Solo Clears, wouldn’t she?
The Unmanned Aircraft were finished.
From now on, for a while, she’d be fighting Slimes.
Given her skill level, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult.
“Well, that goes for us too, I suppose.”
Perhaps it was the effect of seeing his family after so long.
Seo Yeon-woo fell into an even deeper sleep than usual.
* * *
Meanwhile, after clearing the tenth floor, Ha Yoon finished her cool-down stretches thoroughly before seeking out Jin Yong.
Jin Yong greeted her with what could only be called an enormous grin.
“The Mangho hero! The pride of Mangho!”
“……?”
Though Jin Yong was always kind, he wasn’t usually one to make such a fuss, so Ha Yoon paused just inside the Clan Leader’s Office.
Jin Yong seated her, then asked without bothering to hide his excitement.
“How did you manage a Party raid? Honestly, I didn’t think he’d agree so easily.”
“Well…….”
Ha Yoon took a moment to consider, then offered an answer after reviewing the situation in her mind.
“He said he was grateful from the last Raid Portal, so he agreed to it.”
“Kya! I always say honesty is the best policy!”
……It was quite different from what Seo Yeon-woo had been thinking, but from Ha Yoon’s perspective, that was the truth.
Jin Yong clapped his hands together several times in admiration, then asked again.
His earlier exuberance had settled considerably; now his expression was grave.
“What was the Space Battleship actually like? Of course, you saw it during the Raid Portal too.”
Ha Yoon answered in kind, her tone equally measured.
“The Space Battleship is…… a Space Battleship.”
If she wanted to, she could have attached tens of thousands of descriptors to it.
But Ha Yoon ended her assessment there.
A craft fundamentally different from what she—what everyone—had ever known as a fighter.
It wasn’t just because of its sheer size.
No matter how many times she saw it, the firepower of its main cannon was extraordinary.
“The skill level of the other Pilots exceeded my own, I believe.”
The Carrier Aircraft, which handled the actual offensive capability, were no less impressive.
In truth, what Ha Yoon had sensed during the tenth floor was far more than that alone.
‘Even better than before…… superior.’
The Full Mail that had protected her, and the Thunder Hound that had saved so many Pilots.
The piloting skill had been exceptional even then, but this time through the clear, something had changed.
The movements had become more refined, more polished—something she could feel distinctly.
Especially near the end of the battle, when they’d swept up a handful of Unmanned Aircraft together, her suspicion became certainty.
Jin Yong, hearing it again and again, leaned back against the sofa’s cushion as if he still couldn’t quite believe it.
“Phew, I can accept the Space Battleship, but where on earth did those other Pilots come from?”
From what he’d gathered, even the Control Bureau was struggling with that question.
A single Irregular might appear from anywhere.
But the existence of more allies being added one by one—that was incomprehensible.
Hiding the identity of one person and hiding three were entirely different matters.
‘It’s not as if I’m spending twenty-four hours aboard the Space Battleship…….’
Still, the fortunate part was that Jin Yong, Ha Yoon, and the Mangho Clan had drawn closer to the Space Battleship than anyone else.
Jin Yong leaned toward Ha Yoon again and spoke.
“In any case, you did brilliantly. Thanks to you, the clan won’t need to spend advertising fees anymore—and honestly, sponsorship inquiries are pouring in…… It means your bonus as a Pilot is going to skyrocket!”
But before Jin Yong could finish, Ha Yoon cut him off, having already anticipated what he was about to say.
“So you’re saying I should keep doing team strategy raids?”
After just one successful raid yielded such enthusiasm, she naturally assumed that’s what he’d want.
But Jin Yong raised one index finger and shook it side to side.
“No. The opposite, actually.”
“?”
Ha Yoon tilted her head in confusion.
“If we cling too hard to each other, it’ll look odd, won’t it? To others as well. The push and pull strategy is what matters, you see.”
“Push and pull…….”
“Yes. Since the Space Battleship side is already talking with you, let’s keep some distance and approach gradually.”
Ha Yoon’s smooth brow furrowed slightly.
‘If we’re helping each other, why can’t we just keep going?’
Ha Yoon held the conviction that her own skill wasn’t lacking enough to be a burden to anyone.
Jin Yong caught the subtle shift in her expression and smiled knowingly.
“Just trust me on this once. I suspect they’ll be wishing for you soon enough.”
“Ah…… All right.”
Ha Yoon nodded, and it was Jin Yong’s word, after all, so she deferred to his judgment.
Yet doubt still lingered in her mind.
What was there to gain by making the other side hungry for you?
* * *
Meanwhile, the next morning, Seo Yeon-woo entered the Platform in high spirits.
The first thing he checked was Hades’s presence.
“She’s not waiting for us today, is she?”
“No, it doesn’t appear so, Captain.”
Urelka nodded.
“Phew.”
Seo Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief.
So she truly was a Pilot worthy of the next generation Ace of South Korea—one who understood honor and integrity!
This way, he could proceed with solo clearing Floor Eleven without worry.
Meanwhile, on the Bridge, Markross and Goodru, who had similarly been waiting for Seo Yeon-woo, looked visibly dejected.
“What’s wrong?”
When Seo Yeon-woo asked, Markross answered listlessly.
“What did we do wrong, Captain?”
“Goodru fought hard. Black aircraft doesn’t come.”
“……?”
Apparently, the fact that Ha Yoon wouldn’t be joining them today was quite disappointing.
‘Wait, that was only her second time, and it’s gotten to this?’
If anyone heard this, they’d think a blind date had gone silent for a whole week.
“Thanks to her, we cut down on maintenance time too. It’s a shame, Captain.”
Even Hwa Ryun seemed a bit concerned, though not quite to that degree.
When even Hwa Ryun spoke up that way, Markross suddenly jumped to his feet and exclaimed.
“I should never have muted the comm channel! That was the mistake! I needed to show my true charm……!”
“That’s not it, so stay quiet.”
“Yes, sir.”
Seo Yeon-woo shut down Markross’s nonsense as if to say it made no sense whatsoever.
No matter how unique Ha Yoon might be, liking a harpy made no sense at all.
……It seemed Jin Yong’s push and pull strategy was producing an effect somewhat different from what had been anticipated.
Seo Yeon-woo clicked his tongue lightly and spoke.
“Still, is everyone ready for combat? From here on, it’s the real deal.”
At that, Markross and Goodru, who had been so downcast, instantly snapped back to their usual selves.
“Of course, Captain. We fight trolls.”
Goodru was reliable.
“S-s-scary, though…….”
“Get down to the Hangar. Now.”
Markross, on the other hand, was far less reassuring.

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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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