Level 4 Human in a Ruined World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 755: Voyage (2)

As the word "Planetary Ship" suggests, objects made to traverse space are generally called ships.

And this ship moving toward somewhere is referred to as a voyage.

In other words, spacelings compare this vast universe to a single ocean.

Wouldn't the "Woven Sea" I heard about from Tanimu Monra not too long ago be in the same vein?

Therefore, it might have been only natural that the space I faced when tearing down the 'Wall of Status' was expressed as a sea.

After all, countless beings existing in the universe perceive this world as a giant ocean.

Perhaps that was why.

Swaaaaaaaash……!

Yeongwoo, too, was floating on the sea in his dream.

No, to be exact, it was more accurate to say he was being swept away.

Because a tremendous current was continuously carrying him somewhere.

‘What is this, where am I? The Sea of Existence?’

He thought he might be seeing that problematic sea again, even if only in a dream, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Currently at the very peak of Class 5, if this place really were that sea, shouldn't there be an array of beings represented as great mountains lined up behind him?

If not that, then massive structures reflecting the individual characteristics of Class 4 entities should have been towering in the front.

However, in the place where Yeongwoo was currently being swept away towards.

‘There's… something there, right?’

There weren't structures large enough to be recognized from afar like in the Sea of Existence, but there was something else instead.

It was because things looking like tiny buoys were swaying precariously amidst the massive waves rising from all directions.

And it wasn't just one or two; dozens of them were visible in his line of sight.

Of course, before Yeongwoo could even properly grasp their shapes, most of them were carried by high waves and disappeared beyond his vision, or swiftly slipped away behind him altogether.

Then, finally.

Craaaaaaash!

He saw two buoys approaching side-by-side, riding the middle of a wave surging high in the front.

“……!”

At this, Yeongwoo widened his eyes to clearly see the approaching buoys, and soon he was able to see them right before the wave carrying them crashed over his head.

Namely, that two completely different kinds of drawings were depicted on each of the two buoys.

The drawing style itself was crooked, as if drawn reluctantly by someone with absolutely no talent for art.

Drawn on one side was a bird flapping its wings toward the sky.

And on the other side was a massive shield…….

“Subua. Kengdal Subua?”

Subconsciously recognizing the meaning of the drawings, Yeongwoo voiced out loud in his dream.

If so, the owner of the buoy with the bird drawn on it was naturally.

“That must be Neheren Salzeo.”

The moment Yeongwoo confirmed the identities of the two buoys, the wave carrying them crashed over him.

Crash!

A tremendous pressure crushed down on his head for a moment, and then his head soon shot back up above the water's surface.

“Gah!”

As he inhaled, the seawater lingering in his nostrils was sucked in.

And in the meantime, Neheren and Kengdal's buoys were disappearing far behind him like lightning.

‘Could this be…….’

Neheren and Kengdal's buoys, still closely sticking together as they faced yet another wave together.

Then they soon completely disappeared from Yeongwoo's sight.

They had gone very far away.

‘At least they're arriving safely at Hezara.’

Of course, Yeongwoo had no way of knowing whether this space was some sort of ‘Sea of Destiny’, a prophetic dream, or on the contrary, just a nonsense dream.

However, one thing was certain.

‘What is that now?’

The fact that the end of this dream was approaching.

Shweeeeeek!

A very foreign sound came from the empty air above the sea, which was heavily overcast with pitch-black clouds.

At the very least, it wasn't the sound of seawater rising fiercely, and if he had to pick the most similar sound…….

“It couldn't possibly be a missile, right?”

The moment Yeongwoo muttered this while floating on the seawater, the inside of the dark clouds flashed briefly.

And then.

Shriiiiiieeeek!

Along with a much angrier sound than before, a missile pierced through the clouds and lunged straight toward Yeongwoo.

“Wh… what?”

The exterior of the missile was even unique.

Because unknown patterns were embossed on the missile's brass-colored metallic body, making it look more like a luxurious ornament than an actual missile.

Of course, regardless of its appearance, it was definitely a missile.

Because the brass-colored missile that struck Yeongwoo soon exploded with a massive roar.

KABOOOOOOOM!

And at the same time, Yeongwoo's body was also shaken so violently that he wondered if his neck would snap off.

「Wake up! Wake up, you punk!」

Accompanied by a loud voice that seemed to shake the heavens.

‘…Huh?’

He felt as though his mind had been split into dozens of spaces before merging back together.

Then, a voice with a vastly different audio quality from earlier rang out as if striking his ears.

―Wake up! I'm telling you we're literally about to get hit by a shell!

“Mother.”

As Yeongwoo barely opened his eyes, he saw Song Jiseon's fierce white hair and dragon-shaped helmet covering more than half of his vision.

“I got it, so please stop shaking me. I feel like my whole spine is going to break.”

As Yeongwoo, whose senses had returned a bit, waved his arm, Jiseon let go of the hands that were gripping her son's torso.

―Get up quickly. Hurry and put your armor on first.

“What in the world is going on? Did a shell really fly at us? There's no way such a thing could happen inside the Relay Tunnel.”

However, having just had a rather unusual dream, Yeongwoo lacked confidence in his tone.

―I don't know the details either. What's certain is that someone found us, is flying alongside us, and is even aiming their muzzle at us.

“Who is it?”

At Yeongwoo's counter-question, Jiseon shrugged her shoulders.

―How would I know. But the opponent seems to know you.

“What?”

―They called your exact name. Said they came to duel you. They kept rambling on about smashing nameplates or something.

“Oh my god.”

Yeongwoo, who swiftly equipped his gear, headed to the bridge while repeatedly muttering ‘Oh my god’.

「Those who covet great deeds will see your name. On the first line of the fifth registry, at the very top of the ash-gray nameplates.」

The contents of that transcendental message he had seen while acquiring the Fragment of a Great Deed had become reality.

≡ Valiant challengers will try to defeat you. Because the fastest way to reach the end of the Great Path is to strike down the one standing at its end.

Just as ‘Evil’, one of the Emissaries of the Great Deed, had said back then, the powerhouses walking the Great Path had sought out the one positioned at the very top of the nameplates.

Namely, the Planetary Shipmaster Jeong Yeongwoo, who was currently at the highest point among Class 5 entities.

‘But I never dreamed it would be today, at this exact moment.’

Furthermore, weren't they currently in the middle of moving toward the black hole that would send the Earth Ship to Hezara?

Since they were passing through the Relay Tunnel for an interstellar jump, it was hard to imagine encountering anyone in the midst of this.

Chshhhh!

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Eventually, as Yeongwoo stepped into the ascension passage and appeared while opening the door leading to the bridge, Mantero came running as if he had been waiting.

-Sh-Shipmaster.

“What on earth is going on? I heard someone is aiming at us.”

-Yes, while we were passing through the Relay Tunnel, another ship intruded.

“Wait, is that even possible? Even during combat, if you enter a Relay Tunnel, they can't chase after you.”

-That is correct. Unless the destination is known in advance, chasing the target's coordinates that change at ultra-high speeds is close to impossible.

At that, Mushio, who was sitting in the combat navigator's seat on the other side, stood up.

-Generally, that is true, but there are always exceptions.

“Exceptions?”

-If the opponent is being provided with the real-time coordinates of the Earth Ship… no, of the Shipmaster, it is theoretically quite possible. The event of two vessels meeting inside a Relay Tunnel, that is.

“Ah.”

Truly a navigator who had served a Great One.

He already knew.

That the opponent was a challenger currently walking the Great Path, and the Planetary Shipmaster before his eyes was in the position of receiving that challenge.

-Of course, it is by no means an easy feat. At the very least, two conditions must be met.

“What two conditions?”

-First, they must possess a ship sturdy and fast enough to intrude into a Relay Tunnel that is already maneuvering at ultra-high speeds.

He then added a subsequent remark.

-Simply being fast is not enough. The instantaneous acceleration would have to be about thirty times that of a standard high-speed airship.

“……?”

-And second, at the moment they recognized the target's real-time coordinates, they must have already secured a sufficient distance and position.

“I don't quite understand the second one.”

-In truth, merely receiving the real-time coordinates of an object that has entered a Relay Tunnel does not carry much meaning. Just because you shot a gun into the air and are watching its trajectory, doesn't mean you can catch up to the bullet, right?

“Generally, that would be the case.”

-Therefore, to catch up to an object moving inside a Relay Tunnel, you cannot approach from behind or the side.

“Then what? Do you have to wait far ahead and then enter?”

-That is correct. Furthermore, if you misjudge the point of entry even slightly, you will miss the target, so you must enter the Relay Tunnel from the exact location at the precise moment.

“Then… you're saying the opponent met all those conditions and appeared near us? With that level of passion, aren't they an incredibly precious guest?”

At this, Mushio slightly shook his head.

-This is not something that can be resolved with simple passion. It is only possible with the help of the Framework.

“Literally? Or metaphorically?”

At Yeongwoo's question, Mushio looked out the window at the Relay Tunnel.

-This is likely an opportunity bestowed upon the opponent by the Great Path. There must have existed someone who was already lingering on the Earth Ship's future route early on, and at the appropriate moment, the Great Path provided him with the Shipmaster's coordinates.

This meant it was impossible for the power of the Framework not to have acted in this entire process.

Mushio then added a meaningful remark.

-Not everyone who places their name on the nameplates is designated as a challenger.

“Then?”

-At a time no one expects, someone is given the opportunity to challenge. Of course, the right to refuse the challenge also exists.

“Then that guy who appeared outside didn't refuse that opportunity.”

-Generally, the opportunity to challenge is given to one who has everything prepared.

The moment Mushio answered like this, countless pitch-black horizontal lines appeared on the bridge window reflecting the outside, and a rough, noise-filled voice echoed.

「The highest one among the ash-gray! I have come to exchange my position with yours!」

“What are they saying? The audio quality is too bad.”

As Yeongwoo furrowed his brows, Mantero explained in a low voice.

-Originally, communications do not reach well inside a Relay Tunnel.

“Is that so?”

In the meantime, the window once again turned as if it had been shattered black, and that same voice rang out.

「Jeong Yeongwoo! Open the door! Shouldn't I make you realize the meaning of your name!」

Because the sound was so loud and static-filled, Yeongwoo half-plugged his ear with his index finger and asked Mushio.

“Open the door? What are they trying to do?”

-It means to deactivate the protective shield so that they can land.

“And if I don't deactivate it?”

-With that tiny ship, they won't be able to pierce the Earth Ship's shield. On the contrary, it is entirely possible for us to shoot them down.

Upon hearing this, Mantero freaked out and shoved his body between Yeongwoo and Mushio.

-N-No, you cannot!

“Cannot what?”

-Essentially, are they not someone who has requested a fair duel? To shoot down a ship inside a Relay Tunnel on top of that… they will absolutely not survive.

“Shooting them down is inherently telling them to die anyway.”

At Yeongwoo's remark, Mantero uncharacteristically yelled out.

-It is a highly dishonorable act! There is no way that person has seen a Planetary Ship before. Thus, the moment they intruded into the Relay Tunnel for the challenge, they must have realized that many things went wrong.

“Right, they probably didn't expect a Planetary Ship to be at the place the Great Path pushed them to fight at.”

-Even so, are they not still demanding a duel? That person is an honorable and valiant one.

“Well, it definitely seems like they have guts of steel.”

As Yeongwoo muttered this and covertly glanced at Mushio, he spoke with a cold-blooded expression.

-In a duel upon the Great Path, every process is an individual trial. The risk of being shot down even before meeting the challenge target is also a trial the challenger must bear.

In other words, it meant that even if Yeongwoo decided to shoot down the ship here, his nameplate wouldn't suddenly plummet to the bottom.

However.

“A trial, you say…….”

Yeongwoo had already approached the window and was looking at the problematic ship, which appeared as a small dot far away.

“If you put it that way, wouldn't this temptation to easily shoot down the opponent and bypass the problem be my trial?”

-…….

“Above all else, if it had been the Chairman, I don't think he would have shot the opponent down with naval guns.”

Furthermore, Chairman Dogo was already a Great One himself.

Following that, Yeongwoo placed his hand on Bastard at his waist.

“He probably would have dropped their head himself using Bastard. Saying, 'The problem is solved!'”

At that, Mantero hurriedly moved to the captain's seat and asked.

-Shipmaster, shall we open the door?

To this, Yeongwoo nodded without hesitation.

“Open the door, and send out guide lines to the center of Gwangjin-gu. We will receive the guest there today.”

Then, Earth, who had been keeping quiet until now, interjected.

『You're going to fight in Gwangjin-gu? If you do that, an enormous crowd will flock there. How about looking for a secluded planet nearby instead?』

“You're telling me to waste more time finding a duel location in the middle of all this? Just call the Strongest Swords of Seoul and have them block the paths leading to the arena.”

『…Will it be controllable? It's going to be absolute chaos. A space challenger and Earth's representative are dueling a stone's throw away, and they can't watch it?』

At Earth's words, Yeongwoo tilted his head.

“Why can't they watch it? Isn't it our first home-ground duel in a while? Only attending in person will be difficult, but we will broadcast this live across all of Earth as well.”

『And what if, by some million-to-one chance, you lose?』

“Then everyone will realize it. That from the very beginning, there never was a representative who could replace me. Who on the Earth Ship could possibly face a powerhouse strong enough to kill me?”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]