Morning broke.
After dealing with the fallout of last night's ambush, we headed toward the building at the center of the refugee camp—the former city hall.
It was a battered structure, though its reinforced concrete bones remained sturdy. Anti-air machine gun nests were perched on the rooftop; apparently, the crew stationed there were the ones who had given us such a "warm welcome" during our descent yesterday.
"It should be in here," I muttered, picking my way through the debris-strewn corridor.
No matter how backwater this planet was, an administrative facility of this scale had to have certain amenities. I was looking for interstellar communication equipment—the kind capable of referencing large-scale coordinate systems, far too bulky to be mounted on a standard ship.
If the locals hadn't been communicating with the outside world, the array was likely trashed. Destroying comms was a textbook opening move in any conflict.
We reached the communication room on the top floor.
As expected, it was a wreck.
A massive hole had been punched through the ceiling, offering a clear view of the blue sky above. It looked like the room had taken a pinpoint artillery strike. The communication array that should have dominated the center of the room was buried under slabs of fallen concrete, its monitors shattered and its wiring scorched into useless carbon.
"...Physical damage rate is 85%. Circuit burnout confirmed. It is beyond repair, Master," Lucia delivered her cold diagnosis.
Normally, she’d be right. Even with a team of specialized engineers and a warehouse full of spares, a restoration like this would typically take weeks.
"Do we have materials?" I asked.
"If you mean junk parts, we have the salvage the recovery drones brought back yesterday."
"That’s enough. Bring them in."
I rolled up my sleeves and flipped open my toolbox, eyeing the mountain of scrap metal.
Structure? Theory? I had the knowledge in my head—the circuit diagrams were practically floating in my vision. But when I actually reached out to work, it was a strange, complex sensation. It was as if my intuition was jumping straight to the solution before my logic could even process the problem.
My hands simply knew the optimal path.
Click. Snap.
My fingers moved with a life of their own. I bypassed severed cables with scraps of junk, bridged the few living sections of scorched circuit boards, and forcibly synced a handheld terminal to serve as a makeshift monitor.
Under normal circumstances, these parts were completely incompatible. I didn't care. I bent them into shape and throttled the voltage, forcing them to synchronize through sheer technical willpower. I wasn't rewriting the laws of physics—I was just making the circuits hold together through a delicate, high-wire balancing act.
"...I cannot believe it," Lucia said, her eyes wide as she watched me work. "That connection is non-standard. The voltage load should cause an immediate short-circuit... yet it is maintaining equilibrium at the very edge of the capacitor's capacity. However, Master, the operating time in this state will be extremely limited."
"I know. I don't need it to last forever. I just need a few dozen minutes to get a message out."
This was the power of a maxed-out Repair Perk from my game days. It allowed for the kind of "impossible" field repairs that defied common sense.
In less than an hour, the pile of rubble had been transformed into a functional, if eerie, patchwork machine.
"Lucia, open a line. Target the Asteria Chamber of Commerce—get me that Branch Manager."
"...Connecting. Encryption code bypass successful."
After a burst of static, the Branch Manager's face flickered onto the small screen. He looked like death warmed over, as if he’d either just rolled out of bed or was in the middle of a waking nightmare.
『Wh-What?! This frequency... it's coming from the Ignis System?!』
"Yo, Mr. Branch Manager. Sleep well?"
When I spoke, the man nearly jumped out of his skin.
『A-Akito?! Impossible... you're alive? No—you actually arrived? You made it through that blockade fleet?!』
"Yeah, no thanks to you. I received a very enthusiastic welcome."
I stared at him through the monitor, my gaze cold. The Branch Manager’s eyes darted frantically. It wasn't just shock; I could see the raw panic of a man whose calculations had just gone up in smoke.
"Let’s get straight to the point. We were a decoy, weren't we?"
The Branch Manager gasped.
The military force they had concentrated on my ship was overkill. It was as if the enemy knew exactly when and where we would appear. While they were busy with us, the "real" objective must have slipped through via a different route—be it a weapons shipment to the rebels or some backroom deal with the government. I didn't much care which.
『I-It’s a misunderstanding! I simply had the utmost faith in your abilities...!』
"Don't play dumb with me."
I dropped my voice. I didn't shout; I just kept it low and heavy.
Back in the game, I had maxed out every perk I could get my hands on. One of my favorites from the negotiation tree was 'Intimidation'. My proficiency with it was on an entirely different level than his petty corporate posturing.
"I have the fleet's comm logs intercepted by Lucia. I also have the location data your trading company leaked to the enemy behind the scenes. What do you think happens if I forward all of this to the Mercenary Guild and, for good measure, the military's Audit Department?"
『Hie...!』
It was a total bluff, of course. I didn't have any of that. But on the other side of the screen, the Branch Manager turned pasty white and began to shake.
In this universe, the Mercenary Management Organization took breaches of contract and the "good faith" clause very seriously. Strength was justice here, but if a client was caught intentionally leading a mercenary into a lethal trap, it could bankrupt their entire trading company.
"Look, I'm not a monster. I finished the job, and I’m willing to protect your reputation."
"...Wh-What are your demands?"
"The three million reward, obviously." I held up a single finger. "Plus, another two million as hazard pay and hush money. Furthermore, I want refueling rights in this system and priority procurement rights for all supplies."
『F-Five million?! That's preposterous!』
"Preposterous? We put our lives on the line to clean up your dirty laundry. If anything, I'm giving you a discount." I paused, then tilted my head with an exaggerated look of confusion. "Actually, you're right. I don't seem to recall receiving the down payment. Must have been the combat adrenaline—it wiped my memory clean. Let's make it an extra million."
I leaned into the camera and grinned. To him, I probably looked like a demon closing in for the kill.
"Or, if you prefer, I can show your favorite fleet exactly how I managed to sink two of their cruisers."
『I-I understand! I'll pay! Just stop!』
The Branch Manager let out a pathetic yelp and began frantically tapping at his terminal. A few seconds later, a cheerful chime echoed from my pocket.
Deposit confirmed. A total of 6 million credits.
"Pleasure doing business with you. Next time, try to come up with a more convincing lie."
I cut the transmission.
A split second later, the makeshift terminal emitted a sharp crack, a plume of smoke rose from the scorched boards, and the machine went silent. It had reached its limit. Its final duty was done.
"Splendid work, Master. Your heart rate didn't even flicker. Are you a professional extortionist?"
"That’s a bit uncharitable. I was merely requesting legitimate compensation for my labor."
I gave the dead machine a final pat. That settled that. My pockets were finally heavy enough to breathe easy.
"...Actually, maybe it’s time we looked for some crew," I murmured.
Running a ship as massive as the Sperm Whale with just two people was reaching its breaking point. Even the last battle would have been significantly easier with a proper operator at the station. Now that I had the capital, I could afford to hire some real talent.
"Alright, Lucia, let's move out. We’ve got the funds. Next on the list: shopping."
"Shopping? In this star system, Master?"
"Hardly. There’s no decent food in this warzone, and certainly none of the 'entertainment' I’m craving."
I grinned and walked toward the exit. Having broken the merchant’s abacus and settled the debt, my mind was already racing toward the next objective.
"We're heading for a commercial colony. We'll find some real food, and then I'm going to buy every game and movie I've missed out on since I got here."
"Understood. Appropriate consumer behavior is highly recommended for the restoration of your mental health parameters."
The goal was set.
With six million credits in the bank, it was time to spend a little and wash away the grime of this backwater world.
A game protagonist has to be able to pick any lock, hack any terminal via a mini-game, and craft whatever they need out of the most obscure materials.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider leaving a "★" rating! It might just help Akito upgrade his dinner tomorrow. Thank you for reading!