Chapter 286: The Galaxy Was Already Boring Enough, Then Space Pirates Decided to Ruin My Day!

The endless space... the endless damned space had sounded so much cooler when I read about it than when I actually entered it.

It had been nearly a week since I, in all my glory, had decided to conquer the whole damn galaxy and create some chaos in A.S.S. but nobody had told me it would take this long.

Unfortunately, unlike how they showed it in various sci-fi movies and anime, the damned spacecraft in this world didn’t allow for instantaneous travel across every route.

Especially the one we were currently taking.

It was filled with scattered meteorites and according to Bearlina, if we used warp drive in an area like this, there was a high chance those rocks, stronger than some of the rarest materials, would smash this entire ship to pieces.

So, for the past several days, these fuckers had been telling me we were close... and then close again... while moving slower than a carriage pulled by two old donkeys.

"Ahhh! Why is life so cruel?"

I was currently in the captain’s room, staring at the scenery, which had grown far too boring after a while but thankfully, we hadn’t encountered any enemies so far, which was a plus at least.

Morvana’s aura gauge was already down to seventy percent and I was sure I was going to need every bit of it during my struggle to get my hands on

Soulbloom on Alavanta.

So, I hoped I wouldn’t have to waste it unnecessarily.

But as usual, fate hated me and I should have known better than to jinx myself because that thought had barely settled in my mind when Bearlo came running in from the other side.

"My liege! My liege! We are in trouble. We have encountered space pirates!"

Immediately, the whole spaceship started shaking, making me lose my balance but thankfully my ever-so-rebellious cloak steadied me before I crashed down pathetically.

"What the hell? What space pirates?"

For a moment, I couldn’t understand.

"I don’t know, my liege," Bearlo continued. "But apparently it’s a band of Murgins, according to Bearlina. A notorious group known for looting weak people regardless of race. Their captain is said to have a bounty of one million Astrad."

During my time in space, I had once again learned that Astrad was the currency used by these A.S.S. bastards, which had naturally been mentioned in the novel as well.

As for Murgins... well, that was a race I hadn’t heard of before. But I wasn’t surprised because these damned A.S.S. was a conglomeration of countless races, so not knowing a few of them was normal.

"Hmm, is there no way to escape without a fight?"

I asked, hoping to find an easy way out.

Bearlo looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words, so I just shook my head and walked out of my room.

"Let’s just go to the cockpit. I am sure Bearlina would know something."

With swift steps, I arrived at the cockpit, only to find it already in complete chaos. Semo, Bearlina’s father, was running around with a terrified expression plastered across his face.

Even the ever-composed Bearlina had cold sweat trickling down his forehead, while Arza sat in a corner, munching on chocolates as if this entire mess barely concerned her.

"What’s happening, Bearlina?"

Before he could answer, Semo’s trembling voice came from the other side.

"We are doomed, benefactor. We are simply doomed. These Murgins are a cruel warrior race, infamous for their merciless nature. They don’t care who they loot and more often than not, they capture their victims alive just to sell them as slaves."

A loud metallic sound echoed throughout the ship, followed by another violent tremor as the lights flickered for a brief second.

Bearlina’s fingers danced across the control panel, his expression growing darker with every passing moment.

"...They have locked onto us."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that running by normal means is no longer an option." He replied without looking away from the screen.

Semo let out another terrified scream.

"I told you... I told you we were doomed."

"Would you stop saying that?" I sighed. "You are making it sound like we have already been skinned alive."

"You don’t understand, benefactor!" Semo nearly cried, repeating himself over and over. "The Murgins are monsters! They will strip this ship clean, chain up everyone they find, and if they think someone is valuable, they’ll auction them off."

"I don’t care about my own life but I can’t imagine what they would do to my beautiful son. Murgins have always hated us Furbarians. Oh Lord Biribri, please have mercy!"

He immediately clasped his hands together and started praying.

I didn’t know much about these pirates but I sure got the urge to throw this guy out into space after watching him act like this.

Still, I didn’t lose my cool.

Meanwhile, Bearlo unconsciously took a step closer to me.

"My liege..."

I waved a hand dismissively.

"Relax, panicking has never solved anything. Bearlina, you said we can’t escape normally, so what do we have to do to get away? And approximately how many ships are there?"

If possible, I still didn’t want to use the auras stored in Eidolon’s Tear. They were far too precious to be wasted on some space pirates.

Bearlina hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Although I am trying to weave through this stretch of meteors, there are simply too many of them to shake off, especially since they are already locked onto us unless we accelerate to light speed."

He continued in the same grave tone.

"As for their numbers... at first glance, there seem to be around ten ships. It seems we have unknowingly wandered into their territory or something."

"What about their strength?"

"Although their captain is said to be a notorious A-Ranker, this doesn’t appear to be his flagship. It seems to be one of the fleets operating under him and a Murgin fleet captain is at least C-Rank. As for the ordinary crew members, they are generally below that."

Okay, so this is manageable.

I noted in my mind.

"What are the chances to escape safely with light speed?"

"We are mostly out of the belt of meteorites and the remaining few I can try to weaken. Although we will take some damage, the chances of survival are highest that way."

"So, what are we waiting for!"

I asked.

"I need some time to activate the warp drive—" He stopped mid-sentence and turned toward one of the screens. "They are opening a communication channel."

The cockpit instantly fell silent.

"...Should I accept it?" Bearlina asked.

I shrugged.

"Accept it and make preparations for warp immediately, I will try to stall for some time."

He nodded and pressed a glowing rune as the central crystal above the console shimmered before projecting a translucent image into the middle of the cockpit.

A massive figure appeared.

He was nearly three meters tall, broad enough to make the cockpit seem cramped despite only being a projection.

Crimson feathers covered his muscular body while a crimson comb crowned its head. He had a pair of alert amber eyes above a sharp beak.

Looking at a projection, only a few words came to my mind.

"... it’s a damn chicken!"