The Demensys Battlecruiser
The first time he truly laid eyes on the Demensys battlecruiser, it was breathtaking.
Its sleek, streamlined hull, the special outer plating that could shift from brilliant silver to pitch black for perfect camouflage, the transparent dome-shaped bridge positioned near the center, and the elegantly placed engine nozzles, antennas, and weapon systems throughout—it was the very embodiment of every vague romantic notion that came to mind when one thought of the term space warship.
In front of the ramp connected to the cruiser’s landing platform, a non-commissioned officer was already waiting to greet Han Yujin and the two other new recruits.
As a side note, he had only exchanged brief introductions with the other two recruits after arriving at the starport on Planet F-76.
Once the soldier assigned to the starport facilities finished guiding them, a gray-haired man in his late thirties wearing a master sergeant insignia on his shoulder spoke up.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Master Sergeant Orton, administrative support officer assigned to the Demensys battlecruiser.”
After a short greeting and a few words of caution, he began leading the three new recruits on a tour of the ship’s interior.
The inside was so remarkably comfortable that it drew involuntary gasps of admiration.
With an environment like this, living here long-term wouldn’t be a problem at all.
It didn’t feel the slightest bit cramped or sterile. Although much of it was made of metal, it felt more like stepping into a hotel with a slightly unconventional concept.
This was especially true of the crew living quarters, which included sleeping areas and lounges. It was enough to make one naturally realize just how much the Empire cared about the welfare of its space forces.
Jjik-! Jjik!
Mu-yong seemed to like it too, letting out cheerful squeaks. Suddenly, Han Yujin felt Master Sergeant Orton’s gaze turn toward them.
“It’s not every day someone brings a pet with them when they receive their unit assignment.”
“…Will that be a problem?”
“No. I’m glad to see she seems well-adjusted.”
Han Yujin had wondered if there might be some absurd regulation here as well, but from Orton’s expression, it really seemed fine.
After completing one full circuit of the ship, they were taken to the administrative office located between the central and living sectors. There, they registered their personal identities with the ship’s system and received several types of additional supplies.
After that came assignment based on specialty.
Han Yujin was naturally assigned to the combat division, while the other two recruits were sent to the medical and navigation divisions respectively. This was something applicants could choose to a certain extent when volunteering for the exploration fleet.
The other half depended on test scores and training performance, which could result in assignment to a different division despite one’s preferred specialty—but that had nothing to do with the current situation.
“I’ll show you to your quarters. You’ll have a meeting with the captain shortly afterward, and you can greet the rest of the unit after that.”
Han Yujin was the first to be shown his quarters and was able to unpack. It was a single room roughly the size of a bedroom in a modern Earth apartment.
A single room for a new recruit?
He was incredibly satisfied. Given the cruiser’s size—which even incorporated spatial distortion technology—and the total crew complement of around three hundred, such welfare was apparently possible.
A short while later.
After receiving a call on his newly issued military Nexus Band, he met up with the other two recruits in the shared lounge and encountered Master Sergeant Orton once again. They were immediately escorted to the captain’s quarters in the central sector.
“Come in.”
The captain greeted the three new recruits with an attitude that could not have been more welcoming. While Master Sergeant Orton stepped outside, she even personally offered them refreshments. It seemed that whether in this world or on Earth, commanders being kind to new recruits was a universal truth.
The meeting proceeded smoothly. Since she had likely already reviewed most of their personal information in the files, the conversation was closer to casual chatter meant to ease their tension.
However, the atmosphere shifted slightly once she began speaking with Han Yujin in earnest.
“I have high expectations for you, Yujin. Have you taken the elixir yet?”
“Not yet, ma’am.”
“Wise choice. The effects are best when consumed in a high-level ether training room. Therefore, I will allow you exclusive use of Level 5 training room whenever you decide to take the elixir. Unfortunately, anything higher would likely do more harm than good.”
This was an additional reward on top of the Level 4 ether training room access ticket he had already obtained. He expressed his surprise and gratitude with repeated bows.
“Thank you. I will certainly live up to your expectations.”
“As you already know, your talent is by no means poor. In fact, it’s exceptionally good.”
Until now, he had disguised his talent as being at the very top of the middle-upper tier within the Cheon Young-geun range. Considering the extreme rarity of true Cheon Young-geun, he had judged that level to be just right—elite enough to stand out without causing unnecessary complications.
His judgment had clearly been correct; Lieutenant Colonel Brenar was showing him plenty of interest.
If I had revealed my true Cheon Young-geun talent, I might have been assigned somewhere other than here.
The exploration fleet’s battlecruisers had a strongly independent nature, which perfectly suited his tastes. Being assigned to another unit might have put him at a disadvantage.
Especially since she had already promised to promote him quickly.
She then asked him several questions about his past—specifically about life among the nomadic tribes, something that couldn’t be fully understood from documents alone, unlike the other two recruits.
It was clearly not out of suspicion, but rather an attempt to gauge his values and mindset. Throughout his meticulously crafted story, Lieutenant Colonel Brenar listened with a gentle smile, nodding continuously.
Although the other two recruits had been reduced to wallflowers, they didn’t seem particularly upset. Instead, they kept glancing at Han Yujin with renewed interest, as if determined to get closer to him.
“Alright then.”
When the conversation briefly paused.
Lieutenant Colonel Brenar pulled a bottle of liquor from her spacer ring. Just the label made it obvious that this was no ordinary drink.
The glasses that appeared afterward were unusual—made of a soft, smoky-gray stone rather than metal or glass.
The liquor poured into the stone cups was honey-colored and emitted a faint glow, giving it a profoundly mystical quality. The aroma that spread with it was so pleasant that even Han Yujin was genuinely impressed.
“This is a precious brew. The first glass has the effect of weakening trauma and strengthening the mind. The benefits become more pronounced after about two weeks of consistent physical training, so keep that in mind.”
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
Since it was clearly an expensive drink, everyone answered in excited voices and carefully drank.
As the color suggested, it tasted sweet and nutty. There was also a light acidity, and the finish was remarkably full-bodied.
“This is hands-down the best alcohol I’ve ever tasted,” one recruit blurted out in reflexive admiration. Han Yujin, too, was inwardly impressed as he felt the subtle effects spreading through his body.
The fact that it had even a slight effect on him—considering he possessed the Dream Dragon Dao Body—was truly astonishing.
“It’s a liquor made by my family.”
Lieutenant Colonel Brenar then began to boast—not that she called it boasting. It turned out that the Ebenrak Family she belonged to was a famous nectar-brewing house ranked 87th in name recognition across the Empire.
Nectar was this world’s term for a lord of the spirit world.
“Try this one too. It’s not quite nectar, but the flavor is similarly excellent.”
For some reason, she brought out another bottle and refilled their empty glasses. The three recruits, unable to refuse, ended up sampling a succession of expensive liquors.
And then, at some point.
A powerful wave of intoxication washed over them.
It was strong enough that anyone below Level 3 spiritualist would struggle to stay composed. They weren’t drunk enough to act like animals, but it was enough to make controlling minor actions difficult.
For a moment, Han Yujin felt a flicker of irritation, wondering if she was trying to test their true natures like this. But he soon realized his assumption was wrong.
If her acting wasn’t exceptional, she simply seemed to enjoy drinking with no ulterior motive. In other words, she might just be an exceptionally heavy drinker.
The way she kept talking about alcohol only reinforced that impression.
She’s the type who doesn’t particularly suppress her impulses.
It was a personality and behavior that suited the captain of an independent-minded exploration fleet cruiser perfectly. Perhaps her involvement in the selection test had been an extension of that same temperament.
Then, suddenly, something ambiguous—whether accidental or not—occurred.
As Lieutenant Colonel Brenar shifted her posture and crossed her legs, one of the recruits, his eyes slightly unfocused from the alcohol, unconsciously stared at them intently.
It had only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was a gaze no spiritualist could possibly miss. The recruit himself realized his mistake and jerked his head away in a panic, but Han Yujin could only click his tongue inwardly.
Fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Brenar simply let it slide as if she hadn’t noticed anything.
The thought was obvious.
It’s just the mistake of a greenhorn not even worth calling a bloodbag. Why would she bother getting worked up? Especially since he’s one of her own recruits.
Because of the incident, however, he found himself taking a closer look at Lieutenant Colonel Brenar’s appearance.
She was clearly hundreds of years old, yet undeniably beautiful. The heavy aura typical of high-ranking officials that she usually carried had faded considerably in the current relaxed atmosphere, making it even more apparent.
Despite her considerate attitude, the recruit still seemed unable to shake off his blunder.
Following her natural lead, the gathering was brought to a close. Han Yujin felt a slight pang of regret at losing the chance to keep tasting such high-quality liquor.
The schedule for his first day in the unit passed uneventfully in that manner.
Although he ended up greeting the rest of the unit while quite drunk, they all welcomed him with knowing laughter, as if they had been through the same thing. The overall atmosphere was far more relaxed than one would expect from a military unit.
That said, it was unlikely they would maintain such laxity during actual missions. If they did, the Demensys battlecruiser would never have earned its reputation for outstanding performance.
Since it was his first day in a new environment, time flew by in a blur until night had already fallen.
In the privacy of his single quarters, Han Yujin finally dropped all his disguises. He sprawled comfortably on the bed and played with Mu-yong while various thoughts drifted through his mind.
I wonder if I could get the nectar brewing recipe from the captain later?
The thought suddenly occurred to him. It also made him realize once again how much he himself enjoyed drinking.
He took out some of the equipment he had been issued and examined it closely. They were the Luminous Sword and Phase Armor he had already used in his illusions.
He had already analyzed them and derived several useful spell formulas. Although he hadn’t completely deciphered the materials, he had gained quite a bit of insight.
It was impressive that he was already reaping decent rewards without even having properly begun exploring the Galactic Empire’s knowledge.
It really is a world on a much larger and more impressive scale than the martial world of the strong and the weak.
Just vaguely imagining all the varied harvests he would gain in the future made his heart race.
I need to stick to the lieutenant colonel as much as possible.
Of course, performing his duties well was important, but if he could properly offer her things like spiritual wine, jade dew wine, and blood spirit transformation wine, he was sure he could earn a great deal of favor.
After indulging in a bit more daydreaming, he took out the Five Elements True Spirit Great Stone he had stored inside the Mountain Sea Pearl and began refining it.
Due to various matters that had kept him busy, the process had taken longer than initially expected, but it was now nearly complete.
The day when he could truly begin cultivating the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture was right around the corner.