Chapter 70

“I’ve been shamed by a youngster. “But this ends now. Whatever trick you used, it’s time for your demise.”

Rustila swung her sword at the nearest pillar, but it passed right through as if it were an illusion—or something else entirely. Frustration gripped her as she realized that a physical attack was futile.

“What in the world is this?” Rustila murmured, her hand trembling slightly. Despite her powerful exterior, she was still prone to moments of vulnerability, especially when faced with such irregular threats. She was, after all, still a student. I had no solutions either. In simple terms, we were in deep trouble. After all, the incarnate in front of us wasn’t a character from the story.

Despite the dire situation, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “We’ve bought enough time, though.”

“What?”

A distant rumble interrupted us—the sound of the orbital elevator coming to life from the direction of the second ship. I had anticipated this moment even before the battle had begun, calculating whether or not support would arrive. My conclusion was optimistic.

“…!”

Yoodles likely didn’t even register his impending doom. Sparks erupted throughout the area, and in an instant, his head was severed.

is being deactivated.

As the dark, dome-like veil lifted, Isaac Clark emerged in a heavily armored suit. He was already extracting and smashing the core of the Yoodless.

“Instructor!”

“You all held out so well.” He approached us with a relieved expression.

Since I couldn’t go to the ship, I immediately asked Isaac about the number of monsters and casualties. Nearly a thousand S-grade monsters had appeared, yet miraculously, no one inside the ship had been injured or killed.

“Haa.” As soon as she heard the good news, Rustila collapsed, her head landing softly on my shoulder.

“Let me borrow your shoulder for a moment.”

“……”

“It’s nothing serious. I’m just drained from using all my ether. It was tough protecting you. You know that, right? Hm.”

Rustila began making excuses out of nowhere, though I hadn’t prompted her. The way she self-praised was unexpectedly charming.

“Haha, you two seem to get along very well.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying. She’s already taken.”

“…Ugh!”

I chuckled and began to organize the status window.

You have cooperated in defeating the Incarnate ‘Yoodlesl’ and obtained 80,000 Pron.

Although I hadn’t dealt the final blow, I still received a substantial amount of Pron for cooperation. Probably because this creature must have been stronger than Lyzlactia.

The has been severed.

You can no longer establish a in the same manner.

Once the condition ended, I immediately took steps to prevent Cartesia from ever exploiting a fraudulent contract again. However, that didn’t mean I lost the benefits I had earned this time.

The ‘God of Purity and Persistence’ expresses gratitude to you.

You have received 30,000 coins in sponsorship.

Coins—unlike Pron, the star energy bestowed by the Constellations—are limitless in accumulation and uniquely versatile, allowing investment in various stats such as stamina or strength. If I remember correctly, it’s 100 coins per level. Yet, I had no immediate need to enhance my stats using these coins.

The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ shows interest in your coins.

Outer Gods covet coins because they can harness the energy from them to sustain and expand their existence. Indeed, their invasions across the universe, the slaughter of constellations, and the devouring of stars are all motivated by their lust for these coins.

“Cartesia, calm down,” I said softly, handing over all 30,000 coins.

The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ is greatly surprised.

If Vega saw this, she’d probably clutch her throat and keel over, but that was of no concern to me now.

Cartesia feels immense gratitude for your gift. She will overlook the wrongs you committed moments ago. Also, according to the laws of ‘Contract’ and ‘Compensation,’ she will refrain from imposing any penalty quests on you for the time being.

“Look at this. Didn’t it all end well in the end?” I glanced down at Rustila, who had fallen asleep against my chest, her breathing even and calm.

Isaac approached, his lieutenant Kizel in tow, and commented, “It seems she’s exhausted all her ether. Such a reckless child. She should learn to use it gradually; depleting it all at once puts a strain on the body, as I’ve mentioned countless times in class.”

Kizel smirked, adding, “By the way, isn’t she quite exceptional at handling incarnates? Once this girl graduates from the academy, we should consider just recruiting her.”

“I’m already prepared to write a recommendation letter. If she’s interested, we can enlist her right away next year.”

“Wow, Captain, you’re more ruthless in your recruitment tactics than I am.”

The thought of military enlistment, especially early enlistment, sounds terrifying. But I guess it is a good path for some, similar to how some couldn’t fathom why I was pursuing graduate school.

Changing the subject, Kizel said, “We’ve cleared the first and second ships, but shouldn’t we move on to the third ship immediately?”

“Contact with Ship 4 has been lost as well. Damn it, my wife is on that one.”

“Don’t worry,” Kizel reassured him, “Your wife is incredibly strong. She’ll handle the situation swiftly and return safely.”

Ah, right. Ceti. I need to know what happened as soon as possible. I gently leaned Rustila against the wall before standing up. Isaac will go to Bay 3… I’ll search for Bay 4.

Just then, a chime sounded.

Ding!

The status window flickered to life with new information.

The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ has updated the ongoing quest information.

The Incarnate of Ship 4, ‘Oligos’, has been erased by the .

The ‘God of Wisdom and Curiosity’ has gifted you 150,000 Prons!

I stared at the screen, bewildered. “What is this?”

“Haa, haa.” Zelnya spat out a mixture of blood and saliva, panting heavily. Before her, a monstrous snake, its scales shimmering like gold, flicked its tongue menacingly. The feeling in her hand was fading fast; below the twin puncture wounds left by the snake’s fangs, her hand grew numb and cold, rendering her sword nearly impossible to wield.

“Regret your incompetence”

The snake hissed.

Struggling to maintain her fading consciousness, Zelnya couldn’t help but wonder: How did it come to this?