episode_0012

Setting out to find the damper like this was tantamount to suicide.

‘First, I need to secure the means to protect myself.’

Entrusting Scarlet with a proper modification was something for after finding the damper.

For now, securing at least a minimal combat capability was the top priority.

I changed direction and headed back into the junk shop alley.

Before long, I found a place operating several 24-hour self-service maintenance bays in a relatively quiet area.

It was a place where I could use basic tools and lifts by paying an hourly fee.

I rented one of the innermost empty bays for 4 hours, then remotely controlled the Bugbear parked in the hangar and moved it to this maintenance bay.

Then, I opened the system window and activated the [Shop] interface.

It was time for survival shopping.

I had to put aside fantasies like a pile bunker for a moment; what I needed now was practical weaponry.

‘I’ll need one melee weapon. And at least some ranged armament to keep approaching enemies in check.’

I carefully scanned the parts list. [Item: Standard Plasma Blade (Grade D)] Purchase complete. -4000CR [Item: Small Interceptor Missile Pod (Grade D) x2] Purchase complete. -5000CR [Item: Reinforced Armor Plate Set (Partial)] Purchase complete. -3000CR [Item: Improved Combat Sensor Suite (Basic)] Purchase complete. -3000CR

I had spent a total of 15000 credits more.

Now, I had truly almost spent all my money.

But it wasn’t a waste. This was an investment for survival.

As the purchased parts appeared on one side of the maintenance bay, I immediately began the installation work.

A few hours later, the basic armament and defense reinforcement work was complete.

I stepped back for a moment and looked at the Bugbear’s changed appearance.

The gleaming plasma blade and the missile pods on its shoulders exuded a rather threatening aura, and the added armor made the machine look tougher.

Of course, compared to cutting-edge machines like the Silvera, it was still toy-level, but at least it now looked formidable enough to deter careless attacks in the back alleys of Terminus.

I climbed into the cockpit and rechecked the system.

The newly installed armaments and sensors were recognized normally, and energy distribution was stable.

The reactor booster’s output was still robust.

“Good. This much should at least allow me to protect myself.”

I muttered, gripping the controls.

A bit of confidence returned.

I checked the remaining maintenance bay usage time and briefly moved the machine to get a feel for the new armaments.

The sensation of drawing the plasma blade and slicing through the air, the feeling of testing the missile pod’s targeting system.

It was still awkward, but I would get used to it quickly.

I moved the Bugbear out of the maintenance bay.

#

Sipping cheap beer in a corner of a tavern called ‘The Rusted Goblet,’ I listened to the surrounding noise.

I had an idea of where the damper might be, but wanting to be thoroughly prepared, I was conducting an undercover investigation here, where many mercenaries came and went.

However, only time passed, and most of what I heard was just the worthless bragging or complaints of mercenaries.

Then, as my beer glass was almost empty, a loud shout erupted from the table right next to me.

Two rough-looking men in work clothes, seemingly very drunk, were pointing fingers at each other and arguing.

“That’s what I told you! We shouldn’t have gone towards Titan’s Tomb! We went to pick up a few pieces of junk and lost half our comrades! What did we even gain? Just a few strange energy signals and broken circuit fragments!”

The man shouted, his face red.

The other man slammed his glass down on the table, countering.

“Mark, we were almost there! If it weren’t for those damned automated defense drones… But that energy signal, I’d never seen anything like it. It must have been something incredible!”

“You probably saw things because you were drunk, or your mind got messed up from the radiation!”

Titan’s Tomb.

That name caused my internal game database to blare a loud warning.

Atlas V Graviton Damper, ancient artifact, dangerous zone, automated defense system. All the pieces fit together disturbingly well.

‘It’s certain.’

I couldn’t just leave now.

I needed to get more detailed information from them.

There was risk involved, but I couldn’t miss a clue like this.

I took a 100-credit chip from my personal terminal, held it in my hand, and approached their table.

At my sudden approach, the two men, who had been raising their voices, both turned to look at me.

Their faces were flushed with drink, and their eyes were full of wariness.

It was an atmosphere ripe for a quarrel if I touched them the wrong way.

I put on as businesslike an expression as possible and placed the credit chip I held in my hand on the table.

“Excuse me.”

I spoke as politely as possible.

“I just overheard you talking about Titan’s Tomb. I’d like to hear more about it. I’ll pay for the information.”

The two men alternately looked at the credit chip on the table and my face.

Mark, who had been shouting earlier, asked with a suspicious gaze.

“Who are you? Suddenly showing up, what do you want with information about that hellish place? It’s not a place for a rookie to go.”

The man next to him subtly pulled the credit chip towards himself, stopping Mark.

“Calm down, Mark. He’s offering money.”

He grinned at me.

The stench of alcohol wafted strongly.

“Alright, what do you want to know? Going on a tourist trip to Titan’s Tomb? Do you have multiple lives or something?”

“The coordinates, the dangers you encountered there, and what you said about that strange energy signal.”

I calmly requested.

“If you tell me everything you know, I’ll give you 200 more credits.”

At my offer, the two men’s eyes wavered slightly.

Especially the man who had been excited about the energy signal seemed eager to speak immediately.

The man named Mark hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

It seemed he couldn’t resist the temptation of the credits.

“Alright. I’ll tell you.”

The man excited by the energy signal spoke first.

“Titan’s Tomb is the deepest canyon zone in the Ash-gray Wasteland. The coordinates are…”

He manipulated his old terminal to bring up the coordinates and showed them to me.

“The coordinates are here, but the problem is the ancient defense system. There are swarms of killer drones that appear from nowhere. We lost four reconnaissance drones and two armed vehicles. And our comrades, damn it.”

He took a gulp of his drink.

His subsequent explanation reminded me of the characteristics and dangers of the Graviton Damper as described in the game.

The probability of it being there became even higher.

As I nodded and processed the information, Mark, who had been quietly drinking next to me, suddenly looked at me closely and spoke.

“Wait, I’ve been looking at you since before, and your face seems familiar. When did you come to Terminus? Are you a rookie?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Hold on…!”

Mark’s eyes suddenly widened.

He pointed a finger at me and shouted.

“Are you perhaps that guy that’s been the talk among mercenaries lately? That crazy guy who fought the Silver Witch of Icarus with some old Bugbear at the Chronos mercenary base a few days ago!”

Had the rumor already spread this far?

Indeed, Terminus was a place where all sorts of information flowed, so it wasn’t strange.

However, my identity being known already was by no means a good thing.

It could attract unnecessary attention and danger.

The man next to him also looked at me with surprised eyes.

“What? You’re that…?”

I hid my expression and stood up.

Then, I casually placed the promised 200-credit chip on the table and spoke as if nothing was amiss.

“The information was helpful. It proved useful.”

To avoid getting further entangled with them, I circled around and left the tavern.

I heard murmuring behind my back but ignored it.

Having completed all preparations, I returned to Landing Bay 7 and boarded the Bugbear.

As soon as I sat in the cockpit, I input the coordinates for Titan’s Tomb into the navigation system and turned the nose towards the most dangerous zone of the Ash-gray Wasteland.

Getting control permission from Terminus Station was surprisingly simple.

Perhaps it was an unwritten rule here not to interfere much with madmen heading towards dangerous zones.

I completed the brief takeoff procedure and once again soared into the hazy sky of the Ash-gray Wasteland.

How long had I been flying?

Finally, the navigation system indicated I was near the destination.

Before my eyes, the remains of an unknown ancient structure, looking like a colossal mountain range, towered towards the sky.

It must have been named ‘Titan’s Tomb’ because it resembled the tomb of a colossal Titan that had fallen and gone to sleep.

It was the exact scenery I had seen in the game.

I cautiously entered the canyon that appeared to be the entrance.

‘Just as I thought… it’s the same as the game.’

I was tense, but at the same time, I had a strange confidence.

This was one of the dungeons I had frequented countless times to farm rare parts during my ‘Galaxy Titans’ days.

Of course, reality and games were different, but there was a high probability that the basic structure and mechanics would be similar.

Sure enough, as I went a little further into the canyon, the first obstacle appeared.

An energy barrier blocking the passage.

In the game, it was a structure that could only be deactivated by operating the surrounding control consoles in a specific order.

Perhaps those Mark guys wasted time here or tried to force their way through, activating the defense system.

But I remembered the order precisely.

‘Delta, Gamma… wait 3 seconds… Alpha bypass…’

I piloted the Bugbear to fire low-output energy pulses at each console with the correct sequence and timing.

Then, with a hum, the energy barrier vanished as if by magic.

“Just like the game, after all.”

I snorted and entered the next section.

This time, it was a wide cavern.

Hidden pressure panels were scattered across the floor, and automated turrets lay dormant on the ceiling.

It was a notorious section where attacks would pour in from all directions if one stepped on the wrong panel or flew into the air.

The ‘killer drones’ they mentioned were probably those turrets.

I accurately remembered the safe route from the game.

I crossed the cavern with minimal movement, carefully stepping only on specific panels.

The turrets on the ceiling didn’t stir.

I had preheated the missile pod’s targeting system in case of an emergency, but fortunately, there was no need to use it.

The final gate was a radiation leakage zone.

I had to pass through a corridor where strong radiation periodically erupted.

It was a place where both the machine and the pilot would be in danger if the timing was off.

I watched the radiation level changes on the dashboard, waiting for the safe passage timing I had memorized from the game.

The very moment the radiation level dropped sharply, I briefly ignited the reactor booster and swiftly broke through the corridor.

After breaking through all the initial gimmicks, I finally arrived in front of a massive steel door leading to a huge internal space.

In the game, beyond this door lay the main dungeon and powerful boss-level entities.

And clues related to the Atlas V Graviton Damper were also right inside.

The sensors detected a stronger and more unstable energy reaction beyond the door.

I took a moment to breathe.

Up to this point, I had progressed smoothly thanks to my game knowledge, but from here on, it was uncharted territory.

Reality could be different from the game, and even more dangerous.

I drew my plasma blade and approached the colossal steel door.