Chapter 333

Chapter 333. Ouroboros (2)

The appearance of the ship displayed on the main screen inside the base command center was… something else. It reminded me of the Earth Federation-style super-large ships like the Hreðsvelgr currently docked at our base’s facilities, but… compared to the other ships in the photo, even at the smallest estimate, it seemed to be on par with or even surpass the Hreðsvelgr.

Moreover, the ship’s hull had these bizarre, unbalanced attachments—like a massive cannon or a crossbow with its bow and body reversed. It gave off this vibe… like, “The Earth Federation is obsessed with big ships and big guns, but I don’t think they were into *this* kind of big ship and big gun…?”

It felt like catching my wife making a face she’d never show me while she’s with Golden Sun at a motel. But it wasn’t just a simple “cannon, bridge, and engine slapped together” like the human ships from that famous SF game where the sergeant major smashes everything. No, it was way more nuanced.

In another photo and video, the gun barrel located on the lower part of the hull opened up, and the armor plates connected to it spread out like heat sinks. From what looked like ventilation ducts (?) scattered around, massive amounts of steam (or something) spewed out, instantly freezing into ice crystals due to the cold of space.

The ship shook violently from the steam, and to stabilize it, thrusters on the opposite side of the heat dissipation fired continuously. Watching this, I couldn’t help but think that any gearhead who loves complicated machinery would instantly fall head over heels for it.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now.

—

“Hmm… no matter how much I think about it, I don’t remember this ship.”

“Then maybe it was updated during the time you were taking a break, Commander?”

“That’s highly possible.”

As Jessica said, if this ship was added during the time I wasn’t playing the game, it’s natural I wouldn’t know about it.

“Commander Arcadia might know something about this ship, right?”

“Well, Arcadia probably joined while playing this game, so… they might know something.”

I immediately opened a chat window with Arcadia to ask about the ship. But just then, a sudden doubt popped into my head…

“Wait, if I ask Arcadia, won’t they find it weird?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, think about it. If I, a higher-ranked player, admit I don’t know, it’ll hurt my pride.”

“…”

At my protest, Jessica made a face that clearly said, “Maybe you should let go of that kind of thinking sometimes.”

But that was short-lived.

“Just kidding, Jessica.”

“…”

“It’s best not to let others know what I don’t know, right?”

“Well… that’s true.”

If a lot of users found out I didn’t know about the latest ships, they might bring out some weird ships I’ve never seen before during PVP and use unconventional tactics to mess with me.

Of course, with my solid fleet of Kraken, Hreðsvelgr, and Nerañzara, plus the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of mercenaries to crush them with sheer numbers, it’s not a big deal… but still, why bother with unnecessary trouble?

So, I decided to first ask Arcadia for permission to upload the ship’s image to the gallery.

—

<Event Chat Window>

-[Me]

-[Hey, can I ask if it’s okay to upload this to the gallery for verification?] (Icarus)

-[Huh? Sure, go ahead.] (Arcadia)

-[Thanks] (Icarus)

—

Once I got permission, I immediately threw the image into the gallery, hoping our jokesters would bite and provide some clues.

“What are you planning, Commander?”

“If someone pretends to know the ship’s name, I’ll use that to gather information.”

“Huh.”

Of course, if the community gallery had an “image search” feature, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble. But the devs, who’ve managed to captivate hundreds of thousands of users, apparently don’t have the ability—or just can’t be bothered—to add such a feature. So, here I am, putting in the tedious effort to gather intel.

—

Meanwhile, while Icarus was busy gathering intel (or trying to), Arcadia, looking at the chat log, had a sullen expression.

He was doing it.

But the reason was…

“You don’t know… but I do…”

Anyway, it was common knowledge among those in the know that Icarus belonged to the group who had quit the game.

In fact, Arcadia even knew exactly *when* our protagonist had quit the game.

Though they played along with Icarus’s attempts to hide it.

Arcadia could’ve just asked them directly instead of digging through the gallery, but instead, they were whining about it.

Of course, unless Arcadia themselves revealed it, Icarus would never know about this pure-hearted move.

And around the time our obsessive, love-struck Arcadia was wailing their hollow affection toward Icarus while being comforted by their adjutant…

==========

—————————————–

Title: 5th Round Boss Special.jpg

Author: Icarus

Content: [A single shot obliterates the ships it hits, dealing splash damage to nearby ships and wiping out a third of the fleet.jpg]

Pain.

So much pain.

[Image of a ship taken by Arcadia’s patrol ship.jpg], [Image of a ship taken by Arcadia’s patrol ship2.jpg], [Image of a ship taken by Arcadia’s patrol ship3.jpg]

But judging by the size of the cannon, it’s understandable why it hurts.

Comments:

– [This isn’t something to just brush off as “pain.”]

– [What kind of fight are you even in this time?]

– [Wow, that cannon is HUGE.]

– [How is the beam that thick? With the fleet spread out like that, wiping out a third is insane lol.]

– [Isn’t that an annihilation ship? That attack style is totally annihilation ship-like.]

– [It’s similar, but it’s bigger than most annihilation ships. No idea what kind of ship that is.]

– [Holy moly.]

– [Controversy arises: “It hurts.”]

– [That’s not the kind of joke to make here;;;]

—————————————–

“Huh, the reactions are different from what I expected.”

“Indeed, Commander. It seems more people than expected don’t know about that ship.”

I had already gotten permission to use the images.

So I immediately posted in the gallery… well, more accurately, I dealt with the pile of reports first before posting.

After posting, I was waiting for someone to mention the ship’s name…

But, as expected from the usual jokesters who’ve never been helpful, most users this time didn’t help at all and just reacted like elementary school girls going “Hueeeeh.”

All I could do was shake my head in disappointment.

‘Your name is…’

But like how something submerged in water will rise if you push it up from the bottom,

Just as my hopes were diving into the mantle, a veteran passing by finally mentioned the ship’s name.

—————————————–

Title: Isn’t that thing Icarus posted an Ouroboros-class?

Author: GrandFarmMaster

Content: [Screenshot of Icarus’s post.jpg]

Judging by the distinctive tactical radiator deployment, it seems to be one.

Comments:

– [Probably correct.]

– [The overall shape matches, and the firepower description in Icarus’s post is similar to its focused mode.]

– [Wow, that thing was a nightmare during the event, and now it’s here again.]

—————————————–

“An Ouroboros-class, huh.”

“It’s got its name back.”

After waiting for a long time (3 minutes), I sent a telepathic (?) thank you to the savior who appeared.

Then, while proceeding with fleet control, I decided to search the gallery wiki tab to find out what an Ouroboros even was.

After reading through the ship’s information…

“Partia.”

– “Yes, Savior.”

“Let’s claim that ship for ourselves.”

– “Leave it to me. I’ll make sure that ship ends up in your arms, Savior.”

I felt an intense desire to own that big-freaking-beam-shooting ship.