Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 127: World-One Once Again

Though neither of them voiced it, both Eva and Cassandra were visibly relieved as well. The absence of alien horrors in their field of view was a blessing.

Without delay, the Range Falcon glided through the rift and continued drifting forward. The turbulence during transition wasn't nearly as bad as we expected. That was a good sign. With this level of stability, we could probably make use of the key a few more times without consequence.

"Electrical systems remain online. No energy fluctuations detected." Cassandra reported crisply as the last of the ship passed through.

As expected, the Perpetual Engine continued to function even in a parallel universe. Not surprising, considering it's long been suspected to originate from one in the first place.

Eva wasted no time adjusting the waypoint toward the location of the Kariki Star System.

But with how massive that chunk of rock and metal was, it would've been impossible to miss even without navigation. It sat like a colossal, drifting Rubik's Cube in the void, casting a dark silhouette against the glowing backdrop of distant nebulae.

In the vacuum of space, our depth perception was naturally skewed. Judging size became tricky. Who would've guessed that the fist-sized cube we saw from here was actually the size of an entire star system?

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"Waypoint set. All thrusters at maximum output. ETA is 10 minutes." Eva announced firmly.

She seemed tense, on edge—eager to move faster.

I understood her urgency. She was desperate. But rushing could get us killed. I offered a quiet reminder from behind her.

"Eva, slow down and stay alert. If something bizarre suddenly appears next to us, we won't get a second chance to react."

Based on our past encounters, we already knew that this universe was filled with eldritch entities—creatures so alien that just glimpsing them might shatter someone's sanity. We still didn't know if they were hostile or merely indifferent to us, but I wasn't interested in being the one to find out.

"...Got it."

Her tone was reluctant, but she complied—easing off the thrusters and settling into a cruising pace. This way, we'd have a better chance to respond to any sudden anomalies that might appear.

Contrary to my fears, though, the entire three-hour journey to the cube was uneventful. The stretch of space we traveled through was eerily quiet, almost too quiet.

Still, peace—no matter how unnerving—was something we wouldn't complain about.

Eventually, we approached close enough to begin scanning the giant cube with our radar. From up close, it resembled a monolithic wall of cosmic metal, stretching endlessly in all directions.

Unlike Kariki System, which had a rough appearance like Swiss cheese, this structure looked like a perfect, polished cube. Its surface was nearly flawless—just a few small holes scattered across it, no more than flecks on its otherwise smooth exterior.

The interior was likely the same—filled with endless interconnected "caverns" to navigate through. Just like the one we got trapped in during our first forced transfer into this realm.

"There's no entry point on this side," Eva muttered with a frustrated sigh, shaking her head. "Should we check the other sides?"

"...You do realize each face is the size of an entire solar system, right?" I asked, more to confirm that she understood than anything else. "We can't afford to spend weeks circling this thing..."

And besides, why should we waste time searching for entry points… when we can just make one?

I tapped the panel, activating one of the turrets we have—the Brionac! With its immense latent power, combined with the near-limitless energy provided by the perpetual engine, we should be able to reach a full 1000% charge without breaking a sweat!

"Let's set the angle like this... and..."

I worked quickly, tapping through the keyboard, calculating the ideal trajectory for the shot. We needed a path that cuts deep, close to the core, but not one that directly bisects the central structure. Just grazing past the inner section should be more than enough.

After running a few calculations and simulations, I pressed the enter key with finality.

Responding instantly, Percy's automated system took control of the Brionac, realigning its aim with pinpoint precision. Then, the charging sequence began. The turret started pulling in energy from across the ship like a black hole swallowing light—siphoning it into its chamber at a staggering rate.

50%... 100%... 500%...

The charge level kept climbing, surging upward, as the energy color shifted—from white to yellow, then orange, and finally into a menacing red hue. The photons themselves began getting red-shifted by the overwhelming force accumulating within the weapon.

After two intense minutes of steady build-up, the Brionac reached its theoretical max—drawing out 90% of the Perpetual Engine's current output just to fuel this one shot. One thousand percent charge!

"Brace for impact!" I warned the others, gripping the handle of my seat tightly before pulling the trigger with a shout. "Brionac... Fire!!!"

As the trigger clicked, the ship jolted backwards slightly under the immense recoil. A vivid red, prismatic laser erupted forward with terrifying force. The cockpit trembled violently, as if we'd been caught in the middle of an earthquake.

The strength of the full-powered shot was beyond anything I had anticipated!

Brionac discharged a single, uninterrupted beam of destructive energy that lasted for over 15 seconds. And when the beam dissipated, the aftermath revealed itself to us.

A massive, red-hot tunnel had been blasted straight through from one face of the cube to the other—nearly a hundred meters in diameter. It carved a path that skimmed close to the very center of the colossal structure.

"...That was quick." I sighed, impressed by how easy it seemed.

With this, we now had a clean passage to the heart of the construct—no more obstructions in our way!

Just as I prepared to move us forward, Cassandra's voice made me stop.

"This place... is the same as Kariki Star System, right?" she asked, tilting her head with an innocent curiosity. "They're parallel universe counterparts, after all..."

"Yes, they should be." I nodded, intrigued by where she was going with that.

Cassandra gave a small nod, then pointed ahead of us with her index finger. "Then, don't you think we can find some... What was it again? Herticalcium? Here too?"

I... froze. My brain stalled for a moment.

Turning to Eva, she and I locked eyes with the exact same stunned expression—then nodded simultaneously.

"That's right! Surely, there's Herticalcium here too!" Eva exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I think so too. And the best part is, we can mine freely here without restrictions, since no one's claimed this place yet!"

Well, to be exact, there were alien entities dwelling here, acting as the system's natural inhabitants. But realistically, nothing would be too much trouble with the Range Falcon on our side.

If needed, we could vaporize entire clusters of enemies in seconds!

Even though Herticalcium wasn't directly tied to curing Eva's mother in reality, it remained one of the rarest and most valuable materials in existence. The kind of mineral people read about in legends. In truth, Herticalcium was believed to be extinct in our own universe—completely absent from circulation.

That alone made it a "priceless" find.

Add to that its unparalleled utility in medical science, and its value could soar to billions of credits per gram. We weren't exactly short on funds, but having more never hurt—especially for what we're planning.

"Then, let's head to the center of this place first." I ordered, nodding toward Eva. "Once there, we'll blast holes in all four directions and deploy the drones to survey everything."

"Got it, captain!"

Eva gave a crisp salute, then began programming new coordinates and upgrading the survey software for the drones. Cassandra, having already contributed her big idea, simply sat back contentedly.

As for me, I... didn't have anything urgent to do either.

Percy was already guiding the ship on autopilot, following Eva's newly set destination, so I could take a breather.

Even if I was idle, I didn't want to waste the opportunity.

While waiting, I opened the scanners and began examining our immediate surroundings—mapping the terrain, analyzing for signs of lifeforms, and anything else that could prove useful. At the same time, I began constructing a detailed 3D model of the entire cube. A project I planned to expand fully later.

We spent an extra hour reaching the exact center of the structure, where the ship came to a stop.

Then, using the Brionac once more, I fired in four additional directions—carving a perfect three-axis passage through the cube. With that, we had direct access across all its vast internal regions. Exploration just got a whole lot easier.

"But first..." I exhaled, steadying myself, suppressing the growing excitement and greed bubbling inside. "Gotta go get that egg."