Chapter 198
Translator: uly
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Eve's Pleas and the Master's Challenge
I had gathered the cores for a different purpose from the start.
Of course, I was confident I could keep collecting them steadily going forward, and I couldn't just dump them straight into the space fortress construction right away—otherwise, progress would stall—so I opened the warehouse. Still, that didn't make the heartburn any easier to bear.
In the midst of all that, the two Space Crawler cores I'd obtained were like a tonic.
Alien cores were generally considered two ranks below those from hatcheries of the same grade. But for the goal I had in mind, these actually held higher utility.
"Captain!"
"Leonard!"
As I was examining the sealed cores, a group came rushing out from inside the garrison.
It was the superhumans, including Giz and Runshin.
"Where'd you disappear to without a word, Captain? You scared us."
"Big Guy's right. A captain shouldn't be wandering around alone without escorts."
"There was a command meeting."
"That could've been handled over comms."
"This was too important for that. It was something only I could resolve, so I went and came back quick."
Ever since that disappearance incident, their attention on me had spiked.
Not that it had been lacking before.
They'd always shown plenty of respect and reverence for their captain—just not much concern for my safety or protocol.
Normally, a superhuman unit captain would have aides, escorts, and at least one or two superhumans shadowing them at all times.
The reason I didn't was because our unit was still provisional, and all that felt like unnecessary baggage.
Plus, most of our members were young guys fresh out of the academy.
They were too junior to fuss over authority.
"From now on, Big Guy and I will be your escorts. If you're heading out, even if it's a hassle, let us know."
"What about Team 1?"
"We took heavy casualties this time, so we need to restructure the whole unit anyway."
Teams 3 and 4 had been completely wiped out in the incident.
They were the talented elites from our cohort, the ones meant to grow into the unit's mid-tier backbone. It was a painful loss.
"Fair enough. But Giz aside, Runshin too...?"
"What, you got a problem?"
"Not a problem, exactly."
"I'm not thrilled about it either, so wipe that look off your face. I only stepped up because no one else was suitable. And as the heir to the Ryu Clan, I can't just watch while our captain drops dead on me. If you wanna die from now on, you'll need my permission first."
Runshin's face flushed red mid-sentence, and he turned his head away.
Then Giz muttered just loud enough to be heard from the side.
"Aw, look at him blushing."
"...Big Guy! I can hear you!"
The two started bickering again.
They really were a perfect pair.
But just then, a tickling sensation crept into my mind.
'Again?'
I headed inside the garrison.
As I moved, Giz and Runshin stopped arguing and fell in right behind me, with the rest of the unit close after.
"Get back to your duties. I'll be staying inside the garrison for a while, so no need to follow."
"You can't just vanish without a word again, Captain."
"I got it. You blocked access to the perimeter like I ordered?"
"Amorf's troops have the guards posted. No one's getting near by accident."
"That wasn't necessary... but good work anyway."
I shook off the two who were still trying to tag along and entered the area I'd designated as a secure zone.
This was where my quarters were.
An isolated space, the only place in the garrison where I could hide the egg without raising suspicions.
I passed through the living room and opened the bedroom door.
"You again?"
There on the bed, nestled in a cushion, sat the egg.
The fluid inside had first reached out to me two days ago.
To be precise, it wasn't words so much as emotion-laden mumblings—which I called "speech" because Breeders lacked a true language system.
To a Breeder, this was "speech."
As it grew, it would convey more vivid emotions and information.
At any rate, the fluid had been showing goodwill from the start.
Did it realize I was its protector?
It wasn't mere fondness—it was a blind, desperate clinging born of survival instinct.
The problem was how it reached out at all hours. Once, when I ignored it out of annoyance, it started bombarding everyone around indiscriminately and got us in trouble.
One might wonder why fuss over mere mental outreach.
But Breeder communication differed from human speech, and that made it dangerous.
What was just chatter to a Breeder could become a mental assault on non-Aliens or those without psychic defenses, especially with persistent attempts.
I'd experienced it once with the Infection Lord: higher intelligences' psychic interference could neutralize even superhumans in an instant. A potent weapon.
No way to let my guard down.
Of course, an unhatched fluid couldn't possibly have that capability yet.
But given how multiple crew members reported headaches and dizziness on the way back to Acheron, it wasn't something to dismiss lightly.
"Stay quiet for a bit. You're not a baby—why are you so needy?"
-Beep! Biologically speaking, Eve qualifies as a baby.
"That's a human term. You're a Breeder, Eve."
I'd named it Eve just yesterday, since calling it "this" or "that" every time got old.
It had a somewhat feminine vibe, and considering Breeder traits, the female image fit better, so it worked.
Eve seemed to understand that was its name.
Every time I said "Eve," a unique emotion came through.
"Got it. I'll stay here, so cut it out."
-What did you say?
"I'm not going anywhere."
-Just like a kid calling for its mom. Beep!
Should I really treat Eve like a child?
That clashed with my image of Breeders entirely.
Breeders and humans were fundamentally different from birth.
Right now, it might feel affinity toward me due to the internal energy I'd injected, but as it grew, it'd become something irreconcilable with humanity. Obvious.
'That's why I'll kill it before it gets out of control.'
Ziiing!
Suddenly, my head throbbed intensely.
Eve, sensing the threat like a ghost, clung desperately, all traces of whining gone.
Pure desperation.
I hadn't realized feeling emotions directly could be so exhausting.
'...If you're going to threaten humanity, then never hatch at all.'
Even though I could sever the link, I left it connected.
That was the best I could do for Eve.
*
After self-returning from the Astral Dimension, the next two weeks were a blur.
The Alliance fretted that Tethys and Arcstar—visited by the Space Crawler—might become new invasion routes, so they deployed fleets, and we had to provide support.
But could I just send the team and sit idle?
If we didn't clear the hatcheries fast, they could turn into signal beacons, so I had to handle it personally.
Scouring those two planets twice over took a full week.
Back on Acheron, sending the wrecked flagship home for repairs, expanding the unit, and inspecting Space Fortress No. 1—which was ready for trials—ate up another three days.
"I thought I'd die waiting."
"It was only two weeks."
"Two weeks too many."
Roze and I faced each other at a distance.
The spot was a deserted mountainside far from the garrison.
Roze grinned and started stretching.
Her face was flushed with excitement.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this."
"Not any less on my end."
Reaching a new realm.
I was itching to test the unknown power slumbering in my body.
Raiding hatcheries on Tethys and Arcstar? Mere early 2nd-gen hatcheries and parasitic Aliens weren't worthy opponents.
"No. You're wrong this time, Lemon. You couldn't even imagine this."
Roze countered, her face still unable to hide the thrill.
As I'd said before, martial arts required a minimum training period to reach realms.
Roze was humanity's unparalleled martial genius, but even she had taken nearly twenty years to reach her current level.
I'd been properly training for less than four years.
Even if my vessel was complete thanks to her help, filling it had no shortcuts—it was daunting.
She'd predicted at least five years to my next breakthrough, even at my fastest.
Under normal circumstances.
The issue was that my vessel had expanded far beyond human limits, incorporating Alien factors and traits.
Even Roze hadn't foreseen that.
Sure, filling it would let me wield power surpassing others instantly, but was that consolation?
Without that stroke of fortune, I might've stagnated for decades—or forever.
"You know what I thought when I saw you that day?"
"What?"
"I was jealous. Your talent made me jealous, Lemon."
I was speechless for a moment.
Roze—of all people—saying she envied my talent.
As far as I knew, no one matched her genius. Was she serious?
Roze continued in a low voice, undeterred by my shock.
"But later, I realized something embarrassing. I've watched you all along, Lemon. I know how much you sacrificed your body and fought tooth and nail to get here. Realizing I'd barely put in half the effort made me ashamed."
I never imagined hearing this from her.
Not that her effort fell short of mine, as she claimed.
Didn't they say those who grind can't beat those who enjoy?
Roze wasn't a grinder, but she lived and breathed martial arts.
Hyperbole: she probably thought of it even while eating or shitting.
And she called her effort lacking? Ridiculous.
"That's too much."
"Right? Way too much."
I'd said it out of disbelief, but she took it differently.
"Yeah. Unfair. So, go easy on me today?"
"No can do."
My half-joking reply got a sharp retort.
"I'm your master, aren't I? The only way to atone for that shame is to fulfill my role. And masters don't lose. ...Besides, I might not hold back today either."
"You don't have to—"
"You want to test yourself too, right? So today, go all out. Clash with everything you've got."
Roze lowered into stance, finishing.
"So you leave no regrets."
Boom!
Sand and dust exploded outward.
In the world slowed to a crawl, Roze's movements were still too fast to track with the eyes.
'But I can see it.'
The power in her swinging fist could kill a superhuman outright.
True to her word, she wasn't treating this as mere sparring.
"Guh...!!"
The first exchange cost me.
She knew I'd seen it and threw a feint.
Realizing too late the kick was real, I raised my arm—but the impact flung me aside.
A clean hit would've snapped it.
Two barrier layers spared me unscathed.
I yanked myself free from the hillside and stood.
The air was humid, yet dust already clouded vision.
Through the haze, I glimpsed something emerging.
'Here it comes!'
One wrong move, and I'd die.
That thought flooded my mind as a makeshift crimson cannon fired from my right hand.
Roze chose frontal assault.
The shockwave blasted the dust away, revealing her perfectly.
She was already upon me.
KABOOM!!
Fist met fist in collision.
At impact, something pierced through my body from fist to back.
Muscles and bones screamed in agony.
No time to mind the pain.
Before I could reset my rebounding fist, the next exchange hit.
Knee to elbow.
Fist to head.
Forearm to shoulder.
Every body part clashed mercilessly.
Dozens of blows in just over three seconds.
Each packed enough force to sever tendons or shatter bone.
'I'm losing ground.'
My completed body's specs already outpaced Roze's.
But her power focus, burst speed, and combat smarts left me in the dust.