Chapter 25

Episode 25. Lone Wolf vs. Troll (3)

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Just before Icarus lost the Resource Zone.

Let’s rewind time a bit.

Meanwhile, our protagonist, Icarus, was in a period of rapid development.

Nearby, there was a commander who operated in a completely opposite style to Icarus.

While Icarus relied on a fleet composed of cheap and easily producible basic ships, supported by SSS-Class and near-SS-Class Superhumans,

this commander, on the other hand,

“Why bother focusing only on characters? It’s a fleet battle game after all.”

was a typical advocate of fleet supremacy.

Unlike Icarus, he had surprisingly drawn the SSS-Class Cruiser ‘Overseer’ from the gacha instead of an SSS-Class Superhuman.

As a result, he had a ship with firepower comparable to an S-Class battleship, two tiers higher than his current level.

Although the unique SSS-Class rating made it impossible for him to draw additional Overseers,

he started with a ship that had battleship-level firepower.

The overwhelming range and firepower of the Overseer completely suppressed the possibility of close combat, unlike other users.

Of course, having read the recent chat about the ‘Pirate Empress,’

he knew he had to prepare for close combat.

“But if I melt them from a distance quickly, wouldn’t the possibility of close combat disappear?”

This, in a way, was a very logical thought.

Unlike Icarus, his luck in drawing Superhumans wasn’t great,

and the grades of his Superhumans were only around A to S-Class.

So why is he being mentioned now?

Because he was the one who attacked one of Icarus’s Resource Zones.

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“Damn it, what a jerk.”

Since pirates kept appearing in the Resource Zones, he sent a fleet for escort.

At the same time, he tried to increase the amount of resources mined at once by using the transport capacity of the ships.

But due to another commander showing up with a large fleet to drive away the fleet near his base,

he, known as ‘Melon’ in the gallery, a notorious user,

was left with a bitter taste after losing his usual Resource Zone.

“What the hell is that guy doing sending a fleet to the Resource Zone?! Ugh, damn it!”

“Please, calm down.”

He wanted to take his main fleet, including the ‘Overseer,’ and crush the enemy fleet and pirates at once.

But the enemy’s main ships, although only SS-Class, lower than his,

had two of them, and their fleet was larger.

Despite his usual aggressive nature, Melon had to swallow his pride and give up the Resource Zone.

Of course, if that was the only Resource Zone he had found, he would have fought desperately.

“Maya, immediately redirect the fleet to the previously scouted location!”

“Yes, Commander!”

Fortunately, Melon and his fleet had already found a new Resource Zone and were eyeing it.

He moved the retreating fleet directly to that area.

But upon encountering a fleet mining resources there, Melon, already in a foul mood…

“Who the hell are these guys, mining the spot I had my eye on?”

uttered a suspiciously ignorant remark, observing the fleet busily collecting resources.

He sent a 1-on-1 chat to the fleet’s owner, calmly and peacefully asking them to leave, by his standards.

And the commander of that fleet, upon receiving the chat…

“What is this?”

Indeed, our Icarus was feeling his patience skyrocket at the audacious chat.

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-[Hey, you.]

-[?]

-[Is this fleet in the Resource Zone yours? (Resource Zone coordinates)]

-[Yes, but who are you?]

-[Oh, nothing much, but from now on, this is mine, so withdraw your fleet immediately.]

-[???]

After a moment of disbelief at the sudden 1-on-1 chat,

I shook my head in refusal.

-[Hey, you know this Resource Zone is so large that even five people could mine here simultaneously, right?]

Indeed, the area where one of my resource fleets was mining,

with its massive asteroids and endless mineral resources, was far larger than other Resource Zones.

How massive it was, of course, with just three ships attached.

Because of that guy who contacted me through the chat, even if two more users joined, it would still be manageable.

So, for me, I couldn’t figure out what the hell that weirdo was thinking.

I was completely clueless.

What’s the point of monopolizing such a huge resource zone that you can’t even handle alone, whether I’m there or not?

But contrary to my thoughts, the other side pushed forward with unimaginable stupidity.

-[Is that my problem?]

-[What???]

-[I don’t like people snooping around or taking my resources from my resource zone?]

-[What the]

-[If you’re not happy, fight me, you little brat who can’t even properly arm your ship.]

-[???]

I felt my mood rapidly souring at the sight of that, which was not at all undeserving of the term “sudden acceleration.”

“Commander, we just received information about the enemy fleet from the ships in that resource zone!”

“Display it on the main screen right away.”

“Yes!”

As soon as Jessica, who heard my words, displayed the fleet power comparison on the large monitor in the command center.

—————————————-

<Fleet Power Comparison>

<Allies vs Enemies>

<2 Destroyers (Transport Type), 1 Resource Mining Ship vs Cruiser 'Overseer', 3 Destroyers, 5 Escort Ships, 3 Resource Mining Ships>

—————————————-

‘Oh, crap.’

I realized that the guy had brought along a main fleet including an SSS-Class ship, fully intending to dominate.

The power disadvantage was so severe that I realized I had to play along with his actions for now.

Of course, no matter what, it was inevitable to feel annoyed.

-[Alright, okay, I’ll back off.]

-[Yeah, good luck.]

‘Heh, that uneducated brat.’

Feeling relieved that I only communicated with the guy through chat, so I didn’t have to manage my expressions.

I immediately closed the chat window and ordered Jessica to recall the resource fleet from that area immediately.

“Sigh, Jessica.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Over there… the fleet in resource zone 4, recall them to base before they get hit and end up donating resources.”

“Okay, I’ll do it right away.”

After giving the order.

I leaned back in my commander’s chair and sank into thought.

Of course, 50% of that thought was irritation towards the rude brat from earlier.

The rest was to evaluate his annoying strategy.

‘At first glance, it seems like he’s acting on his own whims… but thinking about it, he’s also acting based on some thought, right?’

Instead of coexistence, it’s the will to dominate me with overwhelming superiority.

Actually, it’s one of the strategies often used in this game in the past.

Intentionally ‘moderately’ hindering the growth of nearby users, and when they grow a bit, using their own fleet to devour them.

Given its nature, if the fleet doesn’t grow well, it’s easy to get screwed later.

Grudges pile up quickly, often coming back as karma, so later on, unless you’re part of a large clan, you don’t use this method lightly.

‘Is he acting up with an SSS-Class Cruiser? That’s not an easy move.’

I thought it wasn’t the first time someone acting like that had gotten their comeuppance.

Thinking that the guy would soon get his just deserts, I was about to order the returning resource fleet to be sent to another resource zone to mine together.

But right at that moment.

As I saw a new post on the community board ‘Concept Posts’ that I had left open, I unconsciously clicked on it, wondering what it was.

—————————————-

Title: Kicked out an idiot and got a resource zone, MTCH?

—————————————-

Seeing that title and the content inside.

I decided to throw away the rational thoughts I had just had and accelerate preparations to screw that damn guy over.