The Interstellar Delivery
Nyx lay sprawled across the cold floor, her body rising and falling in shallow, ragged breaths as the deep ache in her lungs burned like fire.
Her vision blurred, yet in the haze Kaien’s face hovered above her—calm, unreadable, radiating nothing but quiet satisfaction. No trace of pity. No hint of exhaustion.
‘Damn it… This can’t be happening. How did this…’
Nyx lifted a trembling arm with effort, pressing it wet and clammy against her forehead.
She had always carried a fierce pride in her hand-to-hand mastery—perhaps even arrogance. Even during her time with the Union Army, her close-quarters prowess had ranked at the absolute pinnacle, proven countless times in blood and steel.
Yet Kaien had crushed every ounce of it in one merciless display, as though laughing at the years of technique, experience, and agony.
That she had been toyed with without ever touching her properly was almost unbelievable.
“Why? Still not enough? Want to continue?”
Kaien’s voice remained steady, untouched by the fight’s end.
“…No… not yet.”
Nyx’s own formal tone startled her. She tore her gaze away and turned her head sideways, the icy floor’s chill doing little to douse the flames of defeat.
Purely on raw physical strength, she might have held an edge. Her body, forged by youth and endless battlefield drills, should have been superior.
But the result looked nothing like that.
‘Experience… I see now. This is what seasoned fighters possess.’
Nyx could faintly feel it. The overwhelming gulf.
Kaien’s every motion carried the wisdom of countless brush-with-death encounters. The unpredictable deviations that no textbook could predict were woven perfectly into her being.
“I’ll keep my promise.”
Nyx let out a long, heavy sigh, groaning as she finally pushed her upper body upright.
“Oh? It seems your manners have been thoroughly drilled in. Quite impressive.”
Kaien walked forward slowly and stopped directly in front of her, eyes gazing down with a faint trace of satisfaction.
“You said you’d become a dog. Really… were you prepared to do anything?”
A playful glint crossed Kaien’s voice.
“Yes… a promise is a promise.”
Kaien’s lips curved into an even sharper, mischievous smile.
“Hmm, good. Then, right here and now—if I order you to strip everything off, including your undergarments… will you do it?”
“!”
Nyx’s face flushed crimson in an instant. She stared at Kaien with wide, unbelieving eyes, but the words wouldn’t come. Only her lower lip between her teeth, chewing nervously.
Shame and rage collided in a storm.
After several seconds that felt like hours, Nyx gave up entirely. Her trembling hands slowly reached for the hem of her clothes.
That was when—
“Huhahaha! Just kidding, just kidding! Whoa, she really meant it—looks like she’s about to strip everything off!”
Kaien clutched her stomach and laughed heartily, then wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with a finger.
“Dog? You’ve got nothing of the sort. Even if you’re a soldier, you lack flexibility. Just help me out as a handy assistant from below. Your skills are too good to waste.”
Nyx stared blankly at Kaien, then quickly understood the situation. She released a deep sigh and leaned back against the floor, tension draining from her body.
“…Understood. And… if we ever fight again, I swear I won’t lose.”
It wasn’t shame or anger anymore. New fire burned in her eyes.
Kaien watched her with a satisfied smile.
“I’ll be waiting whenever you’re ready.”
****
The **Data Ghost** skill upgrade had been completed successfully. I opened the store interface.
Asura’s basic repairs and customizations would require Scarlet’s direct involvement, but I needed to scout the reinforcement parts in advance. It was a matter of survival.
My eyes first landed on the armor category—something I had painfully learned from the previous battle.
Most of the top-tier components remained locked, yet among them I found usable ones within my current budget and situation.
Not just raw defense, but parts that would synergize with my evasion-focused combat style.
**[Kinetic Reactor Coating Frame (Grade: A)]**
**[Effects]** • 20% reduction in **Kinetic Flow** skill energy consumption. • 15% increase in propulsion system response speed and efficiency while **Kinetic Flow** is active. • 10% boost to base energy recovery rate.
**[Penalties/Requirements]** • Physical defense –25% • Energy defense –15%
**[Price: 320,000 CR]**
Seeing the name of the part I had loved in the old game, I felt a strange rush of nostalgia.
‘Giving up a huge chunk of defense, but since my main style is evasion, this penalty is acceptable.’
Considering synergy with my skill, I carefully examined the others too.
**[Vector Control Thruster Pack (Grade: A+)]**
**[Effects]** • Allows ultra-precise attitude control in extreme maneuvering situations. • Maximizes mobility through seamless integration with the **Kinetic Flow** skill.
**[Penalties/Requirements]** • High energy demand (offset by Kinetic Reactor Frame). • Requires pilot skill and adaptation time for precise control.
**[Price: 420,000 CR]**
**[Hawk-Eye Long-Range Detection and Targeting System (Grade: A)]**
**[Effects]** • Detects and analyzes distant targets, simultaneous multi-target tracking. • Maintains detection in bad weather and powerful jamming environments. • Maximizes hit rate when linked with precision strike assistance systems.
**[Price: 280,000 CR]**
**[Cipher Active ECM/ECCM Suite (Grade: B+)]**
**[Effects]** • Broad-spectrum enemy sensor disruption and communication jamming. • Strengthens friendly communication security and blocks enemy interference attempts. • Bonus success rate for enemy system penetration and disruption when using **Data Ghost** skill.
**[Price: 190,000 CR]**
The locked parts still left me a little disappointed, but I selected the combination I believed was optimal for the current situation.
‘Next is armaments.’
This was a lesson I learned the hard way: having the right weapons and using them properly is crucial.
I had been too casual before.
‘Particle Accelerator Rifle was too greedy. Hard to control and terrible energy efficiency.’
My right arm’s Power Bunker was already a near-finished destructive close-range weapon.
The problem was the long recharge time, during which I had no good countermeasure.
The recoil was too severe, and with a nimble opponent, it would be easy to miss.
Worse, it didn’t match the energy-efficiency concept of the Kinetic Reactor Coating Frame I was building.
I needed something more versatile, capable of sustained firepower while preserving my mobility.
‘Something usable in multiple roles… Ah, there’s exactly what I need.’
**[Item: Acrylite Variable Beam Magnum (Grade: A)]**
**[Effects]** • Precision Sniper Mode: Maximizes single-shot power and long-range hit correction. Medium energy consumption. • Burst Mode: Significantly increases firing rate, sustained medium-range firepower and suppression ability. High energy consumption. • When linked with Hawk-Eye targeting system, massive boost to accuracy and effective range.
**[Penalties/Requirements]** • 0.5-second delay during mode switching. • Temporary overheating risk when using Burst Mode excessively (requires cooling).
**[Price: 250,000 CR]**
‘My situation awareness will definitely improve. The link with Hawk-Eye is attractive too.’
I nodded in satisfaction and added it to the wish list.
I had solved the left-hand weapon. Now the shoulder area.
A pulse-type shield would suit the left shoulder—something to reinforce defense.
My primary style was evasion, but if I could deflect attacks or deploy a barrier at the decisive moment, survival odds would rise sharply.
**[Egis Pulse Short-Response Shield Generator (Grade: B+)]**
**[Effects]** • Automatically or manually deploys a single high-output pulse shield upon impact detection. • Perfectly blocks one instance of physical/energy attack (defense reduced against higher-grade attacks). • Slight increase in shield deployment speed and defense strength when **Kinetic Flow** is active.
**[Penalties/Requirements]** • Cannot be used continuously (15-second recharge time required). • Temporary system overload risk (3 seconds).
**[Price: 170,000 CR]**
‘One perfect block in a crisis situation. Perfect for me.’
Finally, the right shoulder. I wanted to add aggressive utility here.
**[Schakel Integrated Disruptor Missile Pod (Grade: B)]**
**[Effects]** • Simultaneous launch of two small disruptor missiles (total capacity 8). • Temporary massive reduction in target sensor effectiveness and evasion rate for 5 seconds. • Multi-missile simultaneous guidance for area denial and allied support.
**[Penalties/Requirements]** • Missile capacity limit (requires resupply). • 10-second reload time per pod.
**[Price: 150,000 CR]**
The Schakel missile pod. While lacking direct killing power, nothing else could tie down an enemy’s legs or create openings as effectively.
It would also buy time for my next Power Bunker strike or assist with Acrylite Magnum aiming.
“Hoo… Good. This should be more than enough.”
I double-checked the parts in my wish list. The total cost was substantial, but the value was more than worth it.
[Would you like to purchase all the parts listed in your wish list?]
‘Buying here would probably cause some awkward situation.’
Until now, purchasing from the store had been like summoning magic—components appearing instantly in front of me.
Scarlet’s forces and Nyx’s mercenary band were all watching nearby. If massive parts suddenly dropped from a transport ship… just the thought made me uneasy.
[Recommended Delivery Destination: Scarlet’s Workshop (Estimated Arrival Time: Immediate)]
‘Eh?’
When I reached to close the wish list window, a small line I hadn’t noticed before caught my eye.
‘Delivery is possible? To a specific location?’
Curious, I tapped the ‘Destination Selection’ button. An alert flashed, and a huge credit amount vanished from my account along with a purchase confirmation.
[Thank you for your purchase, Player Kang Jinwoo.]
And almost immediately, another notification popped up.
[Notification: All requested components have been safely delivered to Scarlet’s Workshop.]
‘…Is this interstellar delivery? Beyond rocket shipping?’
I couldn’t neatly explain it, but one thing was clear: this privilege was something only I, a transmigrator, could enjoy.
A smile tugged at my lips.