Chapter 30

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Translator: Silver Dragon

Chapter: 30

Chapter Title: If You Get Caught, You're Fucked (2)

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The place reeked of gloom and doom.

It gave off vibes like you absolutely shouldn't set foot inside.

'Why the hell does this ship even have a place like this?'

My instincts kept blaring warning sirens.

But I couldn't bring myself to turn back.

– Thud... thud!

I advanced slowly.

On the right side of the corridor, there was a door slightly ajar.

My feet naturally carried me toward it.

Right then.

"Gah, fuck! You scared the shit outta me!"

I jumped and yelped in shock.

Inside the room, a blue-skinned Xeno was chained up and imprisoned.

"What the hell is this now?"

I approached the creature cautiously.

As I got closer, it started moving.

"R... run..."

He repeated the same words in a tiny whisper.

Run away.

I tried talking to him more, but...

He just kept mumbling the same thing, like he was out of his mind.

I backed away, then snapped a photo.

The comments were mostly reactions of shock and curiosity.

Then, one galler dropped a new comment.

He wasn't the only one feeling that nagging familiarity.

Other gallers chimed in with the same sense of déjà vu.

Then, Void Traveler commented at me directly.

I did as asked and got a close-up of his face.

The gallers scrutinized the photo I uploaded.

He finally recognized the Xeno's face.

Finally, the other gallers started recognizing him too.

But something felt off.

The Belid general should've been killed right after losing to Ragna.

So why was he alive, shackled in the bowels of Ragna's ship?

The gallers started speculating.

Soon, a solid theory emerged.

The moment I read that comment...

I took another look at his cell.

Sure enough, I spotted a note on the wall that seemed left by her.

[Belid Fleet Commander Nahvil]

[Seems good for Deco Spot 1]

'Deco Spot 1?'

A note with cryptic meaning.

Right after, I stood up and moved to the next room.

Stepping inside revealed a similar scene.

Everything was identical, except for the imprisoned Xeno.

"Kieeeek!"

This one was a raptor-like Xeno.

Wings on its back, razor-sharp talons evolved into hands.

As I approached, it raised its claw-like hand to slash at me.

"Gaaah!"

I lost my balance, fell flat on my ass.

Just as its claw was about to reach me...

– Whirr!

The barrier of the containment device activated.

The thing just uselessly scraped at the energy field over and over.

I checked the other rooms too.

Same story in each one.

Every imprisoned Xeno was once a big name in the galaxy.

They'd all shown hostility to humans, attacked humanity...

And got utterly crushed after crossing paths with Ragna.

Seeing "Deco" labels with numbers in each room, it looked like Ragna kept them as souvenirs.

Recklessly wandering the basement, I soon found the largest, most important-looking room.

Heading straight for it without fear...

– Grab!

Someone seized my shoulder from behind.

"Newbie..."

A very familiar woman's voice followed.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"What are you doing on my ship...?"

Ragna stared at me with a forced smile.

Ragna, who'd been posting on the gall, closed it.

She looked at me and said,

"You're not a kid! How could you not wait those few minutes and wander off alone?"

"Well, you were taking forever, so I got curious and came out... then the others said to check this place out."

Ragna scolded me for a good while.

Eventually, she asked sheepishly with an embarrassed look.

"How far did you get?"

I defended myself.

"I just looked at the Xenos! I didn't touch anything, I swear."

"Really?"

Her blue eyes scanned me up and down.

Her gaze flicked between me and the facility.

Finally deciding to trust me, perhaps.

Warmth returned to her face.

"Here, take this."

She handed me a chip.

I took it.

"What's this?"

"Account with the loot from the Wakains this time."

That was why Ragna had been late.

"I thought about it, and just sending you off empty-handed felt wrong."

After finishing the ship repairs...

Ragna had pondered other ways to show her gratitude.

Eventually, she came up with a clever idea.

Make an account for me, who didn't even have one yet.

"You need at least one account to get by in the galaxy. Setting one up now will help a ton."

Ragna pressed a button, opening the elevator doors.

"Oh, and I fixed your ship too. Go check it out. I tweaked the performance while I was at it."

"Tweaked?"

"Found some spare parts from my old ship. Used 'em to upgrade your ride. Check it out—should be way better than before."

I was genuinely touched right then.

I'd snuck around her ship without permission...

And she'd been preparing all this for me in the meantime.

"Thanks, Ragna. I owe you big time."

A twinge of guilt hit me.

I wanted to shake it off.

"Uh...?"

I removed my helmet, revealing my face.

I saw Ragna's eyes widen.

I pushed her against the wall.

She looked flustered and said,

"We can't do this... You've already stacked up so much... This'll cause big trouble later..."

"Doesn't matter."

I didn't give a damn about that anymore.

Anomaly or whatever—if it shows, I'll rip it apart.

But this moment? Gone forever once it passes.

"Letting you go like this... I'd regret it."

A flush crept over Ragna's face.

Soon, she seemed to accept what was coming.

She quietly closed her eyes.

And I claimed her lips with mine.

Ragna struggled to calm her lingering excitement.

Her pale face was still flushed red.

Her body trembled from the unfamiliar touch of a man.

To forget him, she soaked in the tub.

He was gone, but his presence lingered stubbornly.

"Hoo, this won't do."

Ragna finally got out of the tub.

She dressed and took the elevator down.

[Floor 1.]

[Doors opening.]

Where Ragna stepped out was none other than the first floor.

She strode purposefully somewhere.

Where she stopped...

– Whirr!

Was the place the newbie had tried entering just before being stopped.

As Ragna stood before the facility, the gate opened.

She entered without hesitation.

"Almost got caught here too."

This room was different from the others.

It was filled with tools of unknown purpose.

In the center was a cylindrical isolation chamber.

It was structured like a prison of sorts.

Ragna approached the chamber, her face flushed with excitement.

Up close, the chamber's label came into view.

The text read:

【Newbie's Room ♡】

She couldn't show him everything yet.

But if enough time passed...

Someday, wouldn't he accept his fate too?

Hoping for that day, Ragna began decorating...

Newbie's Room today as well.