I Got a Monster Spaceship from the Tutorial Tower - Chapter 43

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

Episode 43
Chapter 43
The next day.
“Sigh…….”
Yeon-woo exhaled deeply from his room.
Stretch.
He drew out a portion of Lapis cradled in his arms, elongating it.
Flick.
Then released it, repeating the motion over and over.
“I never thought I’d miss Markros.”
The space war between the Alliance and the Empire that Urelka had told him about.
And the secrets bound up in the Tutorial Tower had dealt Yeon-woo an enormous shock.
When he pressed Urelka on why they shouldn’t alert the entire world immediately and halt all Conquest attempts, she shut him down decisively.
=The current silence actually lowers the likelihood of the Empire catching on. And even if we told them, there’d be no way to act on it anyway.
Apparently, the Tutorial Tower was a largely closed system operated independently even on the Empire’s side.
The Spaceship itself was half-embedded in the Empire’s databases, allowing it to evade the Screening Algorithm.
But if rumors reached Earth that the Tutorial Tower was some kind of Imperial training ground, the situation would change entirely.
The Empire’s administrators would sense abnormal activity and begin investigating the cause.
Once discovered, closed system or not, they’d find any means necessary to intervene.
So Urelka’s advice was that Yeon-woo’s best path forward was to climb quietly and steadily, building strength in the Tower.
“I get it, intellectually.”
Yeon-woo pulled and released Lapis again, heaving a long sigh.
Intellectually, yes—but his heart raced, his hands trembled.
It was only moments ago that his toes stopped shaking.
It seemed he’d need to spend the next four days, until Markros woke, earnestly steadying his mind.
‘So that’s what Markros meant when he spent a day preparing his heart before the third-floor Conquest.’
Now that he thought about it, Markros really was a kind harpy.
Even when others drew axes and daggers, he never once showed anger.
Even when mistreated, he simply accepted it.
But once Yeon-woo learned his own place in this world, all those worries about vast sums of money and finding a house to shelter his parents suddenly felt worthless.
Like specks of dust scattered across some boundless cosmos.
Pop-pop!
Just then, Lapis, who had been sitting quietly in Yeon-woo’s arms, bounced gently.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Lapis?”
— There’s no point in sitting still! You should get out and about!
“…….”
True enough—there were things in this world that the mind could grasp but the heart could never accept.
For Yeon-woo, going out was one of them.
There was no real reason to leave.
Stretch. Flick.
Yeon-woo silently stretched Lapis out and let go.
Though Lapis felt no pain, she seemed to think her opinion was being dismissed.
Boing. Boing!
Lapis slipped free from Yeon-woo’s arms and began bouncing lightly around the room.
“Ah, even you, Lapis.”
Yeon-woo reached out toward her with a look of genuine regret.
Then.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell of Yeon-woo’s one-room apartment—which rarely saw visitors besides delivery drivers—chimed.
“Gasp! Could it be an Imperial assassin?!”
Deflate…….
In response to Yeon-woo’s panicked cry, Lapis let out a deflating sound.
From the round, soft slime came a palpable aura of contempt.
Truly the expressive power befitting a Blue Slime of royal blood, even a forgotten one.
“That can’t possibly…… right?”
Yeon-woo stood and moved toward the intercom.
On the small screen was the face of Jin-yong.
“Clan Leader?”
He’d written down his address and contact information when registering with the Clan, but had never expected the man to actually show up.
As Yeon-woo opened the door, Jin-yong first glanced left and right to check if anyone was nearby, then stepped inside.
“I apologize for the early hour. It’s just that… huh?”
He tilted his head, picking up on the peculiar atmosphere emanating from Yeon-woo and the interior of the room.
When they’d met at the Clan Annex or the warehouse, there had been a certain timidity to him, yes, but also the vitality you’d expect from the captain of a Spaceship.
“Is something the matter?”
Now the air felt decidedly stale—as if he hadn’t set foot outside his home in a week.
“Well, that is…”
Yeon-woo started to unburden himself, then shook his head.
He’d thought that resolving one secret would bring relief, but instead another weight had taken its place.
“It’s nothing. Please, have a seat. The room’s small, but…”
“Of course.”
Yeon-woo unfolded a small table, settled Jin-yong on one side, and brewed coffee to set before him.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
Yeon-woo took the seat across from Jin-yong.
Plop!
Lapis couldn’t be left out of the occasion.
“Pfffup! That’s… what is that?”
When Lapis, whom Jin-yong had taken for nothing more than a soft doll, suddenly came to life and moved, he nearly jumped out of his skin, his coffee cup freezing midway to his lips.
“Ah… this is Blue Slime Lapis. She’s our navigator.”
“A… navigator, you say?”
Jin-yong’s disbelief was entirely justified.
The fact that Yeon-woo commanded a crew of several people was nonsensical enough to begin with.
Piloting was the pilot’s responsibility; there was no place for a navigator in the equation.
“Yes, she has remarkable ability. A+ Rank.”
“A+… well, I see.”
At Yeon-woo’s introduction, Jin-yong regarded Lapis with newfound interest.
How in the world could such a tiny slime operate that enormous Spaceship?
Squish-squish!
Pleased at Yeon-woo’s introduction, Lapis puffed herself up greatly and projected letters within her gelatinous body.
— Nice to meet you!
“Whoa!”
That alone was rather astonishing.
“Would it… be all right if I touched her?”
“Sure. She doesn’t dissolve your fingers or anything.”
Tap.
At Yeon-woo’s words, Jin-yong carefully extended a finger toward Lapis.
“At least not mine.”
“…”
And at that follow-up remark, he hastily withdrew his hand.
‘Should’ve led with that.’
Jin-yong’s expression stiffened somewhat.
Meanwhile, Yeon-woo’s shoulders sagged as he posed his question.
“So, what did you want to speak to me about?”
“Ah, forgive me. I wondered if you’d already begun a Conquest Attempt, so I’m glad to find you home.”
“Yes, something came up. I think I need to rest for about three days.”
While waiting for Markros to return, and preparing myself mentally as well.
“That works out well, actually. The thing is… it’s a delicate matter for us.”
Jin-yong’s expression brightened, but his hand hesitated in his pocket.
Finally, as it emerged, it held a photograph.
“I imagine you’ve seen the news of Hades’s failed Conquest Attempt on the twentieth floor.”
“Ah, yes.”
Yeon-woo nodded and leaned in to examine the photo on the table.
Hades’s first failed Conquest Attempt.
Given the nature of the opponent, it was something of an expected outcome.
After that, the Spaceship had succeeded in a Conquest Attempt, and the matter had faded somewhat from public memory.
Yet Ha-yoon, who had been challenging a new floor every day just as Yeon-woo had, hadn’t shown his face in the tower since then.
In the photograph Jin-yong handed over, Hades was visibly damaged.
“It looks more severely destroyed than the broadcast footage showed.”
“That’s correct.”
Jin-yong nodded grimly in response to Yeon-woo’s observation.
The broadcast footage of Earth’s heroes moved at such speed that viewers couldn’t realistically grasp the precise details.
Only Ha-yoon and the Maeng-ho Clan staff knew how badly Hades had been damaged in the failed conquest attempt.
“Actually, Pilot Ha-yoon is also currently recuperating without training. He insists he’s fine, but the medical team strongly recommended it.”
“That’s only natural.”
There was no way the pilot could be unscathed after the fighter took that much punishment.
“According to the Clan’s maintenance team, full repairs will take at least a month. Since it’s S+ Grade, the work is particularly delicate, and they’ll need several more days to verify normal operation after repairs are complete.”
“Hmm…….”
Several holes punched clean through the wings alone.
Accounting for all the impacts and damage scattered across the frame, a month seemed reasonable enough.
“From the Clan’s perspective, it’s a critical gap. Since Pilot Ha-yoon is essentially their figurehead, if he disappears for more than a month, all manner of rumors will circulate. Disproving them isn’t difficult, but the rumors themselves become a burden for the Clan.”
“Yes, I see.”
Yeon-woo could understand that.
Rumor videos pouring in from every channel were the biggest headache for Clans.
And for a pilot of Ha-yoon’s caliber, the malicious speculation would be even more vicious.
“So……we thought perhaps if you had your own maintenance team, faster repairs might be possible, and that’s why we’ve come.”
“If that’s what this is about.”
Yeon-woo wanted to help, generally speaking.
Ha-yoon was hardly a stranger—they’d conquered together several times now, more like comrades-in-arms than anything else.
If Hwa-ryeon were here, she could give a more precise assessment.
“Ah.”
There was no need to hesitate.
Jin-yong had already met Hwa-ryeon before.
Besides, Hwa-ryeon was small enough in frame that summoning her inside the one-room apartment would be manageable.
If worse came to worst, she could endure some discomfort hiding her tail and ears.
Whoosh!
Yeon-woo immediately opened a portal and summoned Hwa-ryeon.
“You called, Captain? Oh my, the Clan Leader is here too?”
Hwa-ryeon greeted them, her voice carrying a feline lilt.
“Pfft! Cough! Cough!”
Jin-yong, who had just taken another sip of coffee, choked worse than before and broke into a fit of coughing.
Whether his face was flushed red from the choking or from Hwa-ryeon’s presence was impossible to tell.
“Are you alright?”
Pat, pat.
Hwa-ryeon, startled, began patting Jin-yong’s back.
“I’m, I’m fine. Cough! Take your hands away for three seconds! Cough! One, two!”
Jin-yong issued the warning in an appropriately stern voice, even as he coughed.
“Huh! Cough! One! Two!”
Pat, pat?
“Quickly! One! Two!”
“Why won’t you count to three?”
“……Ahem. I’m really fine now.”
Thanks to Hwa-ryeon’s ministrations, Jin-yong finally managed to stop coughing and straightened his posture.
Yeon-woo slid a photo toward Hwa-ryeon. “Hwa-ryeon, how long do you think it would take to repair damage like this?”
“Hmm…….”
Hwa-ryeon studied the photograph carefully, then spoke with an unusually serious expression.
“Two days?”
“……?”
Was that something to say with such a grave face?
Yeon-woo and Jin-yong, who had just been discussing how it would take a month and the implications for the Clan’s reputation, fell slack-jawed.
“The damage is worse than I initially thought. We’ll need fine-tuning after repairs, and the antimatter systems are tricky. Is that too tight a timeline?”
Hwa-ryeon, misinterpreting their expressions, asked apologetically.
Jin-yong reached for Hwa-ryeon’s hand, then hesitated.
Snap!
“No, Clan Leader, why are you trying to hold my hand…….”
At the last moment, he executed a clean pivot that would have startled even the sleeping Markros, and grabbed Yeon-woo’s hand instead.
“I’ll pay three times the standard repair fee. No—five times.”
“?!”
Five times?
Yeon-woo’s mouth fell open even wider.
He didn’t know much about repair costs, but he understood perfectly well that five times the rate was not an offer made lightly.

“No, no—that’s more than necessary, really.”
“I operate on a simple principle: fair work deserves fair compensation. If I could give you more, I would!”
Faced with Yeon-woo’s lukewarm response, Jin-yong—who had been pressing him moments before—suddenly scratched his chin and muttered to himself.
“Come to think of it, it would’ve made so much more sense to bring him in as part of the maintenance crew rather than as a pilot….”
‘What’s he going on about by himself like that?’
Yeon-woo gently extracted his hand from Jin-yong’s grip and asked.
“In any case, we’ll handle the repairs. But you won’t be returning to active duty as a pilot yourself?”
“Ah, right. I should have mentioned this to you earlier, Pilot Yeon-woo.”
Jin-yong emerged from his private reverie and offered a rueful smile as he spoke.
“The truth is, I’m grateful beyond measure that the fighter has come back, but I’ve decided to focus on my duties as clan leader from now on.”
Jin-yong was someone who ordinarily radiated warmth to those around him.
But now it seemed as though he were cycling through deep contemplation, surfacing briefly, only to sink back down again.
“A fighter that’s already received a Total Destruction Judgment coming back? That’s going to cause an absolute uproar. Everyone will be asking who on earth repaired it.”
“Ah….”
Yeon-woo nodded in understanding.
His intentions had been good, but if the truth came out, there was no telling how the threads might unravel.
“And frankly, I’m getting too old to be considered active duty anymore. Besides….”
Jin-yong trailed off, then glanced at both Yeon-woo and Hwa-ryeon in turn before breaking into a warm smile.
“I’ve accumulated too many people depending on me to be flying fighters just for my own satisfaction.”
Jin-yong was still unmarried.
So when he spoke of family, he meant not blood relations but the clan’s employees and affiliated pilots.
“Still, I’m truly grateful for repairing the fighter. It’s lifted a weight from my heart, and now I can focus better on running the clan. Of course, if the nation faces a serious crisis, I’ll have to step up—but surely there’s no need for someone like me to be involved in every emergency. Ha ha ha!”
Pilot Jin-yong had suffered a deep wound that was difficult to heal.
But after Yeon-woo mended that wound, he had been reborn as Clan Leader Jin-yong in truth.
‘There’s real satisfaction in this.’
Yeon-woo answered with a nod.
A Fighter Core was an extraordinarily precious item, but wasn’t it better to have someone indebted to him than to let it gather dust in a warehouse?
Besides, there was no telling what butterfly effect this kindness might set in motion someday.
Just then.
Ring-ring-ring!
A bell chimed from Jin-yong’s phone.
After confirming the caller was from the clan secretary’s office, Jin-yong rose from his seat and asked.
“By the way—does Pilot Ha-yoon know about those… monsters as well?”
“Yes, we’ll need to tackle the conquest together anyway.”
“Understood. Then I’ll have Ha-yoon sent to the warehouse to take possession of the Hades. I should head back to the clan.”
After exchanging brief farewells, Jin-yong left Yeon-woo’s apartment.
As Yeon-woo closed the door, he spoke to Lapis.
“Running a major clan sure keeps you busy. Phone calls all the time.”
Bounce-bounce!
Lapis agreed, bouncing lightly in affirmation.
Meanwhile, as Jin-yong stepped out of the building, he answered his phone and asked.
“What is it? I thought there was nothing scheduled for this morning.”
— Well, Clan Leader….
The secretary’s voice came through the line—unusually hesitant for someone who rarely faltered.
After hearing the secretary’s account, Jin-yong tilted his head in confusion.
“Those people are at our clan? Why?”
But even after hearing the secretary’s explanation, the mystery remained unsolved.
— I’m not entirely sure myself. They suddenly appeared asking for Zhuge Gongming….
“???”

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