Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 128: Overkill for Peace of Mind

As soon as all axial paths were "created," Eva didn't waste a single moment and deployed the drones immediately. Naturally, that included the OB Nexus 1000 Stealth Nanobots—my personal favorites, the ones I always keep on standby.

Each of them was equipped with the freshly upgraded surveying program Eva had just forked over, allowing them to operate with intent, precision, and incredibly high efficiency.

All of them moved with only one singular mission in mind—locating any possible deposit of Herticalcium.

I monitored the situation closely, keeping a watchful eye on the data streams until the search patterns were fully established. Once the mission was running smoothly, I figured it was okay to step away for a bit.

"Alright." I muttered under my breath. "Then, I'll go step out for a bit."

Jumping out of my seat, I turned to Cassandra and made a request. "Cassandra, can you open up a portal for me? Just wide enough for me to slip through safely."

"Huh? I can, but... Wait, are you seriously infiltrating the Kariki System's core area alone?!"

Realizing what I was about to do, Cassandra gasped in disbelief. "No way, I can't let you go through with that! It's way too dangerous, especially if you're doing it without a ship!"

"She's right, Arthur!" Even Eva joined in, her voice concerned as she stepped closer. "If you're going no matter what, then take me with you! At least that way, I can protect you while we're out there!"

"Nah, I'll be fine on my own..."

I waved my hands calmly, trying to deescalate their rising panic.

"The Core Area should be safe. There shouldn't be any alien lifeforms or automated defenses set up in there. And besides, the fewer people going in, the lower our risk of being detected."

More accurately, rather than saying defenses aren't "set up" there, it's closer to the truth that defenses can't be set up in that area at all.

The core area of the Kariki System is essentially a sealed cube—a confined space the size of a large stadium.

Normally, you'd have to follow a questline and defeat the designated "guardian" monster that watches over the core. A beast that's practically immune to every form of conventional weaponry from the current era.

After that, you'd carefully break open a vulnerable corner of the core using mining lasers to create an improvised entrance, and finally, explore the hidden space within.

But with Cassandra's abilities, we could bypass all that tedious work and simply open a clean, instant portal directly inside. As long as we avoided touching the inner walls, there shouldn't be any risk involved.

In other words, not only was it not dangerous, it was significantly easier than going the intended route in the game.

"No!" Cassandra wasn't backing down. "If you're going in there, then you have to take both of us with you—or I'm not opening the portal!"

"She's right. Take us with you, or we stay here, and that's final!"

"..."

How bothersome...

Still, it wasn't like the place was dangerous, so I guess having them come along wouldn't be a problem... right?

Wait a second—didn't we face a similar situation before? A place we thought was safe, only to run into unexpected threats...?

No, that was probably just a rare exception. The game's plot and real-life events tend to diverge quite a bit, but in this specific case, there's no way any lifeform could survive inside the core—aside from the "egg," of course. So it should be perfectly safe.

"Alright, alright. You two can come with me." I gave in, though I raised a finger for emphasis. "But you'll both follow my rules. Safety comes first. We all go in fully armed, and you follow every command I give, no questions asked. Got it?"

"No problem."

"There's no way I'd disobey your orders, anyway."

Eva and Cassandra nodded in unison, their expressions resolute.

Hm? Why do we need to arm up if it's supposed to be safe? Well... better safe than sorry. There are no absolutes in this universe, after all.

Leaving control of the survey drones to Percy, the three of us made our way to the armory to gear up in our usual powered suits.

Thankfully, the suiting process went quicker than expected.

Next came weapons.

We each selected a primary weapon, a sidearm, and a few supplementary tools.

For myself, I chose a mining laser as my main weapon, an EMP blaster for close encounters, a set of pulse grenades, and a compact mini-blackhole generator as an emergency ace.

Eva didn't hold back either. She grabbed a Laser Gatling gun with multiple backup batteries strapped to her side. Her sidearm was a reliable Ion Laser gun, and she filled her pockets with stun grenades for crowd control.

Finally, there was Cassandra. While she wasn't trained in firearms, she still armed herself appropriately.

She took a Molecular Blade, elegantly forged in the shape of a katana, for her main weapon, and a sleek laser dagger for emergency. To round out our group's firepower, she also picked a pistol-style grenade launcher loaded with D-32 Annihilation Rounds.

With our combined arsenal, we were equipped well enough to take on an entire alien battalion—maybe even wipe out a small army without breaking a sweat.

Definitely an overkill setup for what's technically just a simple item retrieval mission.

"Alright, let's go!"

With everything ready, we exited the Range Falcon and began drifting toward the center. The earlier shot from the Brionac had been carefully calculated to graze just the outer edge of the core.

Ahead of us, we could now see the core structure clearly—its surface partially melted and charred, revealing a gaping pitch-black interior.

"Keep pace with me. Single file." I ordered. "Cassandra, prepare to use the key at any moment now."

{Roger.}

Both girls responded instantly and without hesitation.

As we approached the massive opening—wide enough for Eva's Hunter Frigate to cruise through—we instinctively began to slow our movements. The headlights on our powered suits were strong, designed for deep-space exploration, but even their combined output couldn't illuminate the entire space in front of us.

It was just that vast... and that dark.

"Eva, Cassandra, listen closely. Whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances, touch the inner side of the wall. Consider yourselves dead the moment you do. So be very careful."

{...Noted.} Eva acknowledged the warning, though I could detect a slight unease in her tone.

Cassandra, however, raised a question—innocent, but valid. {Why...? Is the inner wall actually dangerous?}

I figured she'd ask. Her doubt was reasonable. But I didn't want to drag things out with a long explanation, so I answered her plainly and directly.

"The inner walls are radioactive. So radioactive, in fact, that your suit will melt the moment it touches them, and the radiation will spread to your body—until you dissolve into a goopy mess. Keep your distance, understood?"

*GULP!*

I heard Cassandra's exaggerated gulp over the radio link. She probably pictured it vividly, and the mental image alone was enough to freak her out.

"...You can still back out, you know?" I offered, just in case. "I can handle this part on my own, no problem."

{N-No way! I'm definitely coming along!}

She shot that down almost immediately.

{In a place this dark, with no witnesses around... there's no way I'm leaving you and Eva alone! What if something happened between the two of you?!}

"..."

So that's what you're worried about? Of all the things that could go wrong right now... That?

I held back a sigh, brushing off the thought. "Alright then. Just keep my warning in mind, and stick close behind me."

We resumed our approach.

I led the group, with Cassandra directly behind me, and Eva watching our rear. It was the optimal formation for our team, based on our roles and capabilities.

Soon, we arrived near the core's edge. The gigantic hole yawned ahead of us, only a few meters away. Its inner surface was coated in what looked like hair-thin threads—almost moss-like—glowing faintly green.

Just one look and you'd know something was off. Dangerous.

The suits' Geiger counters were already screaming, their readings climbing over 100,000 CPM. And that was still from several meters out.

"Cassandra, once we're ten meters in, open the portal. No delays." I reminded her firmly.

{G-Got it.}

She hesitated slightly, eyes fixed on the eerie green growth on the walls. Still, she retrieved the key—keeping it safely inside her suit, of course.

Its placement didn't matter. What mattered was that it came into contact with "space" itself.

Once we were exactly ten meters in, Cassandra thrust the key forward and twisted.

Immediately, a purple rift tore itself open, shimmering with unstable energy.

"Eva, lock and load. Be ready for a fight as soon as we pass through." I warned, already powering up my mining laser. "Cassandra, you're last in. Watch our backs and seal the portal behind you."

{No need to tell me twice.}

Eva's voice was sharp and steady, the familiar whirr of her gatling's spin-up echoing through the comms.

Cassandra gave a small nod, silent and focused, her hand still gripping the key embedded in warped space.

Without any further hesitation, I flew into the rift. My vision twisted for a moment—space itself warping around me in waves. The familiar disorientation hit, but it passed quickly.

Seconds later, clarity returned.

I swept my light in all directions, scanning the immediate area.

{All clear. No bogeys in sight.}

Eva emerged right after me, doing the same. Her suit turned slowly as she examined our surroundings.

The green-tinted walls weren't far away, allowing us to keep our orientation. But the radiation? It was skyrocketing.

Our Geiger counters were screaming past a million CPM—well into catastrophic levels.

The heat spiked instantly. Even through the suit, I could feel the rising temperature from the sheer density of gamma and neutron radiation in the environment. Exposure without protection? Instant death.

"...This is more dangerous than I thought it'd be." I muttered. "We need to grab the Egg and get out of here—fast."

{I was just thinking the same thing.} Eva agreed, her tone serious.

The barrel of her gatling was already glowing red from ambient heat alone. She hadn't even fired a single shot yet.

A few tense seconds later, Cassandra stepped through the rift and sealed it behind her.

She took one slow look around, swallowing nervously as she observed the surreal, darkness-filled space. Then, with a tremble of fear and awe in her voice, she pointed ahead.

{What is that?}

"Huh?"

I followed her finger, turning my suit's lights toward the "ceiling"—relative to our current orientation.

And then, I saw it. Something that wasn't there just moments ago.

I couldn't believe what we were looking at.

"Shit! Run!"

That was all I could say before raising my mining laser... and pulling the trigger.