NOVEL WEB Chapter 182
Chapter 182. Bridge
In the darkness, a monitor shone faintly. The monitor floated in the air, a semi-transparent hologram.
On the monitor, a beautiful young knight in red armor faced a ferocious goblin monster.
She fought with a glowing blue magical sword. She swung her sword with the speed of the wind, while the goblin countered with a club.
The knight on the monitor swung her sword like a fan, completely missing her target. The goblin’s club hit her, but it couldn’t penetrate her defenses, dealing no damage.
A futile battle scene played out. In front of the monitor sat a girl rolling dice. She had side-tied blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cute, youthful face.
Despite her best efforts, the dice always landed on 3 or 4. A commonly known bad roll.
“This is strange. The dice have been rotten since earlier. It must be rigged.”
She pouted, complaining in a cute voice, but kept rolling the dice. Despite rolling two dice, the total never exceeded five.
“Hmph, a Fighter level 4 battling a goblin with a magic sword and armor is quite the feat, Fortune.”
“Shut up, Ares. This is an old game, so it’s probably full of bugs. Normally, I’d get all critical hits.”
The girl, sitting in the chair, became more annoyed by the deep male voice coming from the darkness and swung her legs, making a splashing sound as if stepping in water.
Ignoring the man called Ares, Fortune tried to shift her gaze back to the monitor when the ceiling lit up, illuminating the area. She covered her eyes with her hands, blinded by the light.
The illuminated floor revealed rows of semicircular tables with embedded panels and various devices. A huge monitor was set into the cream-colored wall, and a metal door was visible in the corner.
“It seems the engine has started successfully.”
A large man sitting a bit away from Fortune spoke calmly, his arms crossed. He was the man Fortune called Ares.
“Then they should be here soon. We need to earn 1500 experience points by then.”
Fortune spoke in a cute, chick-like voice, determined to clear the game, while Ares closed his eyes without responding.
In less than a few minutes, the door to the room opened with a whooshing sound.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Did I keep you waiting? I hurried, but you know how it is. I tried my best, but can you forgive me?”
A disheveled man in a wrinkled suit walked in, scratching his head and grinning. He stepped into a puddle, grimacing.
“This is too much. Isn’t it a bit messy here? It’s soaking wet. Fortune, you could have cleaned up.”
“Commander, why should Fortune clean it up? Ares made the mess. Is this sexism? Are you discriminating against women? I’m ready to file a complaint.”
Fortune glared, and the commander waved his hands in panic.
“Spare me. If I get fired for harassment at this age, I won’t survive. My life would be over.”
“Enough joking. But really, Ares, was there a need to make such a mess?”
A short man with fiery red hair and a barrel-like body entered behind the commander. His face was covered with a beard. Anyone familiar with fantasy would recognize him as a dwarf.
“I’m still not at my best. I couldn’t control my strength. Commander, I believe restoring our bodies should take precedence over mine.”
Ares glared at the commander with a gaze that could kill.
The floor was covered in blood, with chunks of what were once human bodies scattered around. Bodies were split horizontally, others vertically, with insides spilled everywhere. Some were torn to pieces, others exploded.
The scene was horrific, enough to drive an ordinary person mad with fear.
“But I’m only human, unlike you. When I was old, I had rheumatism and blurred vision. It was tough. So, I apologize, but I had to recover.”
The commander answered Ares’ glare nonchalantly.
“Taking risks is important. We should have been restored first.”
“Sorry, I’m an amateur. I wanted to bring soldiers, but it was beyond my ability alone. Besides, my rheumatism was so bad I needed a hot spring.”
Watching their tense conversation, Fortune, making a new character sheet, interrupted and asked the dwarf.
“Leave trivial matters for later. Did it work, Bacchus?”
“Yes, the ship’s energy is fully replenished with mana from the World Tree. There should be no issues with the startup.”
“The World Tree gave too much mana and absorbed it roughly, so it turned into a monster, but I don’t think it’s my fault. The people using that dangerous proto-element were to blame.”
The commander laughed, but Fortune spoke coldly.
“[Fate] says it was perfect for eliminating the obstructing star. So there’s no need to worry. Not that you seemed concerned anyway.”
“The people of this world aren’t citizens of the Earth Federation, so it’s smooth sailing. With you around, Fortune, we’re unstoppable.”
The commander, looking pleased, sat in the chair at the far end of the floor, folding his arms.
Fortune snorted at his words.
“To high levels, [Fate] is just a placebo, not all-powerful. And sometimes… Fortune’s [Fate] gets disrupted and disappears.”
Fortune bit her lip in frustration. Seeing this, the commander’s expression turned menacing, and he spoke in a chilling tone.
“You said the star that might hinder us in this world. Can’t we eliminate it with this?”
“[Fate] only draws possibilities closer. It just pulls the threads of an unclear future to our advantage. …But I’ll try again to pull the thread.”
Fortune stopped the game and stretched her hand toward the sky.
“[Fate]”
As she murmured, a bundle of sparkling, beautiful golden threads appeared. Squinting in concentration, she tried to grasp the thread of a future where the star would disappear.
“[Luck]”
She heard a small girl’s voice from somewhere, and the thread slipped through her fingers, dissolving into the air.
“…Useless.”
At the calm, quiet voice that followed, Fortune furrowed her brow and sighed deeply.
“Did you see that? It must be Silky interfering. When stars are involved, [Fate] often gets wiped out.”
“I understand Silky surviving. But it’s hard to believe the administrator privileges have been taken by the people of this world. They don’t seem that advanced. …Then, have other fairy mechanisms been taken too…? Even though it’s a new model, it can’t beat the old one. Is that it?”
The commander taunted, earning a sharp glare from Fortune. His face wore a mocking grin, a familiar sight.
“Fortune is doing well, unlike you. We’ve obtained this ship and changed fate to indirectly destroy the star.”
“Indeed. We were fortunate to recover the ship without injury, thanks to my repairs.”
Ares defended Fortune with a sullen face, and Bacchus puffed out his chest proudly.
“Is there no one on my side? Well, I apologize for my poor attitude. Sorry, Fortune.”
The commander bowed his head sincerely and tapped the panel in front of him. The front ceiling of the floor turned transparent, showing the outside.
“But the star will die in this battle, or at least be greatly weakened, right? You said so, Fortune.”
The monitor showed the world tree turned monster and a distant, unknown creature. Its body sparkled like a clear crystal, shaped like a Chinese dragon.
“It was supposed to.”
“Past tense?”
“The light has grown stronger.”
Fortune answered flatly, making the commander frown for the first time. Unfazed, Fortune continued, describing the future she had seen.
“It’s gotten stronger. In an unbelievable turn, the future where [Fate] was unclear.”
[Fate] showed abstract, vague futures. Never before had there been an unseen future with such a formidable enemy. There were times when every option led to defeat, but never an unseen future.
“Wow… Is it that kind of opponent? In history, stubbornly facing such an enemy usually ends badly. I’m aiming to be a savior, not a villain. Let’s launch the ship and leave this dangerous place.”
The commander shrugged and winked, giving orders with a wave. Bacchus, frowning, sat in the chair, avoiding the corpses.
“Understood. Summon Power and Angel. Prepare for launch and clean the bridge.”
“I’m the commander here. A little respect would be nice. Alright, the mature commander will comply.”
He seemed to give orders mentally. After a while, Power and the others arrived, cleaned the bridge, and began launch preparations.
Watching this, Fortune gazed at the monitor.
“There’s no sign of the old model.”
Only the beautiful, shimmering Chinese dragon and a middle-aged man in disguise, alongside a fox-eared girl, were visible.
“We will meet someday. It seems we’re now enemies, so we’ll see who’s stronger.”
Ares sat calmly, and Fortune smiled and nodded.
“The new model is definitely stronger. Fortune and the others are divine machines.”
“…We’ll see. But having something to look forward to is good. I’ll take on Pixie. Don’t interfere then.”
“That sounds like a death flag. Pixie would laugh. Sorry, but we’ll give it our all. That’s war, right?”
“Hmph, indeed.”
Ares smirked, closing his eyes, signaling the end of the conversation. Fortune chuckled, watching the monitor.
“For now… that creature is unique to this world. Record it.”
Determined, Fortune sat back in front of the monitor to create a new character.