I Got a Monster Spaceship from the Tutorial Tower - Chapter 20

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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 20
20
“Entering Tutorial Tower 11th Floor.”
Tutorial Tower 11th Floor.
The starting point where pilots graduated from unmanned aircraft and encountered genuine monster combat vessels.
The first adversary was a squadron of ten Slime Scout Aircraft.
They came equipped with a single Laser Gun as standard armament, but the Slime-class fighters possessed a peculiar appearance and equally distinctive tactics.
Dense greenish mucus coated their entire frames.
Drawing close to enemy fighters, they deployed an eerie and horrifying assault—dissolving their opponents with that same caustic substance.
Once covered in that mucus, even emergency ejection became impossible.
Though they ranked among the lower-tier monsters, they were a nightmare to pilots—a terror that haunted their dreams.
Yet.
— Cluck-cluck-cluck! Cluck-cluck-cluck! Cluck-cluck-cluck!
— Harpy, quiet down. Nobody’s listening.
— I’m scared! We’re melting! Melting, I tell you!
…Contrary to Markross’s fussing, the Space Battleship’s complement of fighters was conducting the battle with surprising smoothness, driving steadily toward victory.
Of course, their fighting method differed from before.
Markross specialized in brushing past enemy aircraft at the closest possible range and unleashing a torrent of machine-gun fire.
Gudru had made a habit of simply hammering enemy fighters to pieces with his Barrier Activation.
“You two fight pretty well at range, don’t you?”
As Yeon-u’s admiration testified, they were now employing an entirely different strategy—maintaining strict distance from the enemy fighters and racking up kills in an outboxer’s style, methodical and deliberate.
Urelka nodded, a satisfied smile crossing her face.
“It won’t compare to close-quarters combat, but Slime Scout Aircraft are far beneath our current capability, Captain.”
When higher-tier combat vessels appeared beyond these scout craft, that might change—but for now, raw specifications alone gave them the advantage.
Hwa-ryeon, twirling a Spanner in one hand, added her voice.
“I told them to be prepared in case even a drop of that acidic substance splashed back on them, Captain!”
“…Right. Well done.”
“Hehe.”
Yeon-u offered the praise in a lukewarm tone to Hwa-ryeon, whose expression seemed to ask, ‘I did good, didn’t I?’
Cold to the other crew members without exception, yet affectionate whenever Yeon-u was involved—that was Hwa-ryeon’s nature.
Now Yeon-u began to understand a little better how Markross and Gudru maintained their safe distance so reliably.
— Get out of here! Cluck-cluck-cluck! I’m dying!
Markross’s shrieks seemed to carry an entirely different meaning now.
With Markross already prone to flight anxiety, add Hwa-ryeon’s threatening reminders on top of that—no wonder he was terrified.
In any case, the battle moved swiftly toward its conclusion.
Of the ten enemy scout aircraft that had been arrayed before them, only two remained.
Yeon-u spoke into the comm.
“Remember what I told you earlier? Start withdrawing.”
— Yeehaw! Withdrawal! Withdrawing now!
Markross, more delighted than anyone else.
Gudru, by contrast, smacked his lips with visible reluctance before banking his fighter away.
He’d been given explicit orders to leave a couple of targets standing and conclude the engagement.
Zzzziiing… Booooom!
‘I’ll handle one with the Main Gun first.’
— Cluck-cluck-cluck! Captain, I’m done for!
“Even if I wanted to use Blink to hit it, I’m too far away.”
— You’re lying! Lying!
Once he confirmed the carrier aircraft had safely returned to the runway, Yeon-u channeled his will into the Master Ball.
“Barrier Activation.”
He intended to test the Space Battleship’s Barrier Engine, which he’d acquired through directional learning last time.
Yeon-u, his expression slightly anxious, turned to Urelka and Hwa-ryeon.
“The Slime’s acidic substance can dissolve full-body armor, right?”
“Yes, Captain. It corrodes most barriers.”
“Once it gets on you, you’re in real trouble. Without chemical treatment, the corrosion never stops.”
“You’re really sure it’ll be fine?”
He’d heard that the Space Battleship’s Barrier Engine operated on a different order of magnitude than common barriers.
Both Urelka and Hwa-ryeon had assured him that such acidic substance could never breach it.
And yet doubt lingered.
What if the barrier failed and the Slime attached itself to the Space Battleship…?
That was when it happened.
A deep vibration emanated from the depths of the Space Battleship.
Whoooosh!
A blue barrier began expanding outward across the Space Battleship’s enormous surface in all directions.
“?!”
Yeon-u, who could sense it clearly through the Master Ball, jumped in surprise.
‘What on earth…… is this feeling?’
It was nothing like the barrier he’d imagined.
Spreading at rapid speed, the barrier soon encircled the Space Battleship in an elliptical embrace.
How could he even describe the sensation?
If a normal barrier was like a shield,
then the Space Battleship’s barrier……
was like a fortress.
An impenetrable, unassailable iron citadel that would never crumble.
The existing Space Battleship, clad in thick metal and incomparable to other fighter craft, already offered a sense of stability unlike anything else.
But the barrier operated on an entirely different plane.
‘If this keeps up……’
Yeon-u set aside his earlier unease and watched the Slime Scout Aircraft still hurtling toward the Space Battleship.
The Slime Scout Aircraft must have noticed the barrier unfurling as well.
But regardless of who the enemy was, slimes trusted their potent acidic secretions and launched indiscriminate assaults.
So this time they’d make an excellent test for the Space Battleship’s barrier……
Screech.
“…… It stopped?”
Yeon-u stared at the Slime Scout Aircraft, which had come charging forward only to halt abruptly in place, utterly baffled.
Those creatures weren’t normally the type to do that?
“Yes, that’s correct, Captain.”
Urelka nodded as if this was entirely predictable.
From Yeon-u’s perspective, it seemed she was asking, ‘Did you really expect them to charge blindly at a barrier like that?’
‘It’d be strange if they didn’t stop, wouldn’t it?’
Yeon-u had his own thoughts on the matter, but——
either way, a brief, awkward silence stretched between the Space Battleship and the Slime Scout Aircraft.
Screeeee!
The Slime Scout Aircraft, apparently accepting that it had no other option, began picking up speed again.
And then——
Thud!
It made contact with the barrier in a bold rush,
“…….”
“…….”
but once more, an awkward moment descended.
Even throwing an egg at a rock would look more convincing than this.
Yeon-u found himself cursing his own earlier worry—what if the slime’s acidic secretion pierced straight through the barrier?
It felt like a single drop of acid rain falling onto an vast ocean.
The barrier’s status transmitted through the Master Ball looked no different.
There was definitely an impact, but the barrier remained wholly intact.
In fact——
Tsss, tsss, tsss……
‘Wait, it’s…… absorbing it?’
The barrier began to counterattack, completely smothering the Slime Scout Aircraft’s secretion.
It actively absorbed the slime’s acidic substance, systematically erasing the deep green that had defined the Slime Scout Aircraft.
Splurt! Splurt!
The scout aircraft realized something had gone terribly wrong and attempted to retreat, but it was no use.
Hwa-ryeon, standing beside Yeon-u, offered a subtle smile and spoke.
“You underestimated the Barrier Engine.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The barrier module provides only simple defense, but the engine is capable of basic learning.”
“?!”
Yeon-u’s jaw dropped as if the wind had been knocked out of him.
Learning? What on earth was she talking about?
“To be more precise, the Barrier Engine is currently analyzing the acidic substance of the slimes.”
“Insane.”
Yeon-u offered a terse observation.
Listening to Hwa-ryeon’s words, Yeon-u turned his attention back to the Barrier Engine.
A new window materialized before him.
「The Barrier Engine is learning a new substance.
Target: Slime Acidic Substance
Progress: 4%」
So once this learning was complete—
“The barrier could take on acidic properties going forward? That’s what you mean?”
“Hehe, truly befitting of a splendid captain like yourself.”
From now on, any foe weak enough to be dissolved by slime acid would melt instantly the moment it touched the Space Battleship’s barrier.
…….
Yeon-u felt the conviction settle over him once more.
‘This is absolutely broken.’
The defensive capacity alone was already beyond reason, but this learning capability took things dozens of steps further still.
Though admittedly, they’d been fortunate enough to encounter a slime—a conveniently compatible adversary.
「Progress: 6%」
Unfortunately, a single slime scout aircraft could only teach the engine so much; six percent was the limit.
The mucous coating that had covered its surface now stripped bare, the scout aircraft’s fragile core was exposed and, unable to withstand the barrier’s overwhelming output, exploded in an instant.
Crack!
And with that, the Tutorial Tower 11th Floor was cleared.
「Tutorial Tower 11th Floor.
S+ Grade Clear.」
「11th Floor Clear Reward.
Scrap: 20.
S+ Grade Achievement Bonus: 80 additional Scrap awarded.」
「The Space Battleship has advanced one level.」
The reward notifications came in rapid succession.
The others were the usual repetitions.
‘The Scrap acquisition rate doubled.’
The amount of Scrap they’d been receiving in fifties had jumped to a hundred—a notable gain.
“This much Scrap should suffice, yes?”
“Of course, Captain. Consumption will gradually decrease as we move forward. Once the pilots’ ‘maintenance-friendly’ piloting habits become properly established.”
Smile.
Behind Hwa-ryeon’s radiant smile, Yeon-u felt an inexplicable chill creep up his spine.
Was this the nature of the Nine-Tailed Fox, then?
Bzzt.
“Captain…… we’ve returned…….”
“Slimes easy. Barrier easier.”
At that moment, the Bridge door slid open, and Markross stumbled in, followed by Gudru’s heavy, measured footsteps.
“Whew, flight really doesn’t seem to suit me. Every time I’m done, my whole body feels drained…….”
‘That doesn’t sound like a matter of aptitude at all.’
Yeon-u was beginning to piece together what Markross the Harpy was really made of.
In truth, there was little to analyze—the man spent the entire battle screeching like a rooster; if that didn’t drain his energy, something would be deeply wrong.
If anything, Gudru, who had to fight in that murderously tight cockpit, seemed far more physically taxed by comparison.
“You all did well. There shouldn’t be any concerns going forward.”
Still, without those two, clearing this would have been impossible.
Markross proved his worth in combat with uncanny precision, so Yeon-u harbored no real complaints.
At Yeon-u’s praise, both Markross and Gudru broke into wide grins.
‘I’ll save the summons for a bigger pull later…….’
Today’s clear was done; Yeon-u was already thinking of heading back.
Even without him, the Space Battleship’s interior would remain busy.
“Right then, let’s head back to the Hangar.”
Especially with Hwa-ryeon and the pilots taking the lead.
“Bawk-bawk! Again?!”
Markross jumped straight up.
“You’re complaining an awful lot for someone who just learned how to tighten a bolt.”
“But, we just finished the clear—can’t we rest a bit……?”
Tap, tap.
The moment Markross showed signs of whining, Hwa-ryeon drew the Spanner from her hip and tapped her opposite palm with it.
“Bawk-bawk-bawk! Captain! Why is it that the moment anyone opens their mouth on this battleship, you all reach for a weapon?!”
“Well, I suppose…….”
Markross was perpetually the one taking the beating.
But whether it was the goblin who kept pulling rusty weapons from his pack out of nowhere,
or the Nine-Tailed Fox who stood ready to use tools meant for machinery on a person instead,
even Yeon-u found them frightening.
“Heading to the Hangar. Troll, fun.”
“My, Pilot Gudru—learn from him. See how sturdy and conscientious he is.”
“Ugh…… How could you compare me, fragile Harpy, to a troll?”
Markross had a point—the comparison did seem rather harsh.
In the end, Markross trudged out of the Bridge after Hwa-ryeon and Gudru.
Urelka turned to Yeon-u.
“We still lack enough hands to assist Hwa-ryeon. Once we bring in a support mechanic, things should improve.”
“Ah, yeah, that makes sense.”
Yeon-u understood well enough.
Last time he’d watched Hwa-ryeon put on quite a show of maintenance, even employing fox fire.
But honestly, handling two fighter aircraft on her own would be grueling.
“Tch. We need to move up faster, at least for now.”
The moment Yeon-u said this, Urelka’s expression brightened noticeably.
“An excellent plan, Captain!”
“…… I only said to move up faster, didn’t I?”
“The detailed planning, I shall handle.”
Was that so?
Yeon-u tilted his head, but she had a point.
“Well…… then I’ll head to the Training Room for some exercise before I go.”
“Yes, Captain. Until tomorrow.”
Left alone on the Bridge, Urelka smiled deeply to herself, gazing at the spot where Yeon-u had departed, and murmured softly.
“We ought to climb higher, floor by floor, before the Empire takes notice.”
A Super Carrier that grew markedly stronger with each floor ascended.
But beyond mere power gains, there was another reason they had to rise through the Tutorial Tower as swiftly as possible.
A secret beyond the Tutorial Tower that Yeon-u—that the entire world—had no inkling of.
For now, it was better that he climb with an innocent heart.

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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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