Ch.13The Result of the Second Gacha…!

But just as I was about to post a boastful message on the community.

A thought briefly crossed my mind: Is what I’m doing right now really okay?

‘Wait a minute, couldn’t this lead to serious trouble?’

My shattered mental state had rapidly recovered, and dopamine was flowing, making me feel good.

But as my weak rationality grabbed hold of my senses, I increasingly realized this could be too dangerous.

After all, this game was fundamentally PVP.

The server(?) had been open for less than a month, and I was going to brag based on just one level 1 SSS-rank character?

This wasn’t an anonymous chat where I could hide—the community displayed author names clearly.

True to the saying that Koreans get upset even when their neighbors buy a house…

Users with forces incomparably stronger than pirates might swarm in and utterly demolish my base.

But that thought didn’t last long.

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-[I got an SSS-rank, yeah](6,233)

-[Shouldn’t we block people who don’t even have Two-S or Three-S?](63,998)

-[LOLOLOLOL damn, this guy and that guy are all pulling them, FFS](12,623)

-[There were too many SSS-ranks to even curse about](91,585)

—————————————-

After glancing at the “Gallery” and seeing far more SSS-rank verification posts than expected.

I realized my worries had been completely unnecessary.

==========

A little while later.

“Hmm?”

“Ah, you’ve arrived, Commander.”

Upon reaching the hibernation room, I was greeted by Ignis, who hadn’t been at the command center.

I felt my head tilting in confusion, and I asked what she was doing here.

In response, Ignis scratched her cheek and casually began to explain.

“Ahaha… Actually, I’d been waiting at the command center since morning, but you weren’t coming out at all.”

“Hmm…”

“So I asked Jessica to call me when you arrived, and I was patrolling the base. While passing by this area, I happened to notice the hibernation system had activated.”

“…I see.”

“Yes, so I thought I’d come greet you as a newcomer and help anyone who might be confused after waking from hibernation.”

As she scratched her cheek again, looking somewhat embarrassed.

I nodded, showing that I understood.

And while Jessica, who had followed me in, saw Ignis and wailed that she’d forgotten to call her—a minor fangirl meltdown—

Anyway, as I tried to enter the gleaming hibernation room accompanied by Jessica, Ignis, and Pashtra, who had been awake for less than a day.

—————————————-

<Returning Player Special Reward Event>

<Each time you complete a base upgrade, one randomly selected character hibernating in your base will return to you!>

<However, to match with new recruits, all previous skills and levels have been reset, so please take note!>

<You don’t need to enter the hibernation room—they’ll come out on their own if you wait outside!>

—————————————-

“Hmm.”

I couldn’t help but let out a grumble at the event message that appeared at such a late timing.

“What’s wrong, Commander?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

Seeing my subordinates worry immediately upon my reaction, I shook my head to indicate it was nothing.

<Hibernation capsule random opening confirmed>

<The person released from hibernation will appear shortly.>

As if telling me to prepare in advance, this message appeared, and in this brief moment.

‘I wonder who’s coming out.’

I decided to enjoy a pleasant moment of speculation about who might appear.

Of course, as the message said “shortly,” my contemplation didn’t last long.

As the firmly closed hibernation room door opened.

I could hear the sound of boots stepping firmly, and someone quite tall emerged.

And I saw her like that.

With a short haircut reaching down to her nape, wearing a sturdy-looking techwear-style military coat.

With an officer’s cap on her head and high-heeled boots, she appeared and saluted me with perfect form.

“It’s been a very long time, Commander.”

“Oh?”

“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed at all since before hibernation, Commander.”

“Hmm.”

“Allow me to introduce myself again. Doll Master ‘Berial.’ From now on, I’ll follow your orders, Commander.”

As soon as the character who identified herself as “Berial” finished her introduction.

—————————————-

<Berial>

<Level 1>

<Type: Army Mid-Range>

<Characteristic: Doll Manipulation>

<Stats>

Health: A

Attack Power: C+

Physical Defense: S-

Magic Power: SSS

Magic Defense: SS+

Mobility: S

—————————————-

Looking at the status window that naturally appeared, I nodded and uttered words of welcome.

“It’s been a long time, Berial, just like with Pashtra.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Watching Berial nod stoically, I recalled from when I quit the game three years ago.

All kinds of unfair situations that could happen while playing the game.

Especially how Berial had excellent abilities in preventing assassinations of ranged firepower specialists like Pashtra by superhumans.

As memories I had forgotten began to resurface.

At the same time, before I even felt the need for someone to fill the mid-to-long range gap created by Ignis and Pashtra.

Seeing her appear as the very person to take that responsibility, I felt quite complicated emotions.

But regardless of these thoughts, I couldn’t just stand here blankly.

“Let’s go to the command center and have a detailed conversation.”

“Understood, Commander.”

I decided to take Berial and the others to the command center for a proper discussion.

==========

A little while later.

“Nice to meet you, senior.”

“Umm… your name is?”

“You can call me Ignis, Ms. Berial.”

“Nice to meet you, Berial. I owe you so much from before…♡”

“Hmm…”

Sitting in my designated seat in the middle of the command center, I was checking the status of various quests while watching the three women engage in girl talk.

It’s not like we were under attack right now.

And unlike Ignis, I didn’t know any shortcuts to level up Pashtra or Berial.

So while the three of them were having their girl talk, I was checking quests, including daily quests.

—————————————-

<Daily Quest Completion List>

<Expedition Resource Mining 1 time> (Completed)

<Resource Mining 3 times> (Completed)

<Resource Mining 10 times> (In Progress)

<Ship Construction 1 time> (In Progress)

<Old Ship Dismantling 1 time>

<Base Upgrade 1 time>

<Superhuman Upgrade 1 time>

—————————————-

The daily quests were proceeding as smoothly as always.

The resource mining ships moved automatically, so the resource quests were being completed on their own.

As for the ship construction quest, like the posts I’d seen in the community recently.

Since we never knew when a large-scale invasion might come, I was constructing one ship each time the cooldown reset.

For the old ship dismantling, every single ship was precious right now, so it was meaningless.

As for the base upgrade.

—————————————-

<Available Base Upgrade Facilities>

<Shipyard> (300)

<Resource Warehouse> (100)

<Research Facility> (500)

—————————————-

‘Only these are left already?’

It clearly seemed like something that should be under “Regular Quests” rather than “Daily Quests.”

But due to the incomprehensible policies of the developers, it was set up however they wanted.

I slightly raised my head to look forward.

-Chatter chatter chatter chatter

‘Hmm.’

Thinking that the girl talk would likely continue for a while.

I lowered my head again and resumed focusing on these damn quests.