Chapter 74

Chapter 74. Shouting “First Strike Wins” Doesn’t End Well. (1)

—

Some time before Icarus received the sudden news of a user invasion.

About 4 days prior.

—

“Shouldn’t people naturally choose their homeland, Earth?”

“I agree, Commander.”

—

Commander Pierre, after diligently browsing through the gallery, felt satisfied with his choice of the Earth Federation. It was the most popular choice among users and beginner-friendly.

He liked the stability of the hexagonal faction and found the ship designs of the Xenobia Empire too avant-garde for his taste. The grotesque appearance of space monsters and the messy Pirate Alliance paled in comparison to the “normal” shape of the Earth Federation.

The lack of “outstanding external differences,” as often criticized in the gallery, meant nothing to Pierre. After joining the Earth Federation, he enjoyed conversations with his assigned officer, who proudly showcased the majestic Jörmungandr-Class Super Dreadnought and Yggdrasil-Class Super Carrier. These massive ships fulfilled the typical “big ship, big gun” trope common in sci-fi, making Pierre dream of one day commanding such vessels.

However, this happy life didn’t last long. After most factions had finished recruiting, Pierre accidentally learned through another Earth Federation user about the presence of a top-ranking user from a different faction nearby.

—

“AAAAAHHHHH!”

“C-Commander?”

“Why, of all things, is there a top-ranking user from another faction near my base? And they’re ranked 3rd!”

“Maybe you should calm down first, Commander!”

—

Pierre felt his mental state trembling. While there were no immediate conflicts between factions, it was only a matter of time before clashes occurred. The fear that the rank 3 user from the Monster Force might attack him first was a rational yet terrifying thought.

But Pierre didn’t stay paralyzed by fear for long. As expected, his adjutant Maya was there to boost his morale.

—

“Commander, calm down… How about asking for opinions in the gallery or chat?”

“Ah… you’re right! I can ask others for a way to break through this situation!”

—

Following Maya’s advice, Pierre immediately posted a whiny thread in the gallery.

—

**Title:** I’m Screwed, a Top-Ranker Lives Right Next to Me

**Author:** Pierre

**Content:** [Image of a fleet taken from a distance by a scout ship], [Ranking chart image]

And of all things, they’re from a completely different faction.

What should I do?

If the rank 3 attacks me, how do I stop them?

—

“Phew, this should be enough, right?”

“Excellent, Commander.”

—

Soon, the thread received a significant number of replies.

—

**Comments:**

– [Why are you scared of a ranker?]

– [Isn’t that the guy who lost fleet power to a newbie last time?]

– [Oh right, his name was Icarus, wasn’t it?]

– [This is a preemptive war situation, for real.]

– [Don’t be scared, just strike first. First strike has always been the answer.]

– [You crazy people, what are you saying to a newbie?]

—

While there were mixed opinions, most comments advised against being intimidated by a ranker. Encouraged, Pierre pulled himself together and sent out a scout ship, set for reconnaissance, toward Icarus’s territory. Of course, it was a cheaply configured scout ship, so its durability was quite low.

Because it stinks, I sent out several ships considering that several would be sunk.

As a result.

“Maya, for some reason, the fleet seems really small, doesn’t it?”

“That’s right, Commander.”

Despite having an overwhelmingly high ranking compared to myself.

The fleet found in the territory of a user named Icarus was surprisingly small for someone ranked 3rd.

To be precise, it wasn’t just the ‘number’ that was small…

“Sigh… but why are the only ships coming out of the gacha ‘Overseer-class heavy cruisers’ and nothing else?”

“Hmm… maybe the ships fixed by causality are hidden in the base as the main fleet?”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

The ‘gacha’ ships, which are mainly used in users’ fleets, were nowhere to be seen except for the mentioned Overseer-class.

The rest were all basic production ships.

Pierre himself had only 3 ships above S-class from the gacha.

Even the flagship ‘Baltazar-class light cruiser’ was an SS-class top-tier ship.

Except for the Overseer, the fleet looked so shabby that it even made him a bit wary.

But after blowing up about 3 patrol ships and continuing to scout the surrounding area.

Pierre was finally able to draw a conclusion.

“That guy, for some reason, hasn’t built enough fleet docks, so his fleet size is small.”

“Is that so, Commander?”

“Yeah, and the reason there’s nothing from the gacha… it’s not because he’s holding back his main force, but because he’s just unlucky, definitely.”

“Commander, isn’t that last part a bit of a stretch?”

“…Uh, is it?”

When his adjutant Maya pointed out the common sense part, Pierre hesitated for a moment.

But that was only temporary.

Just in case, Pierre searched for information about Icarus in the gallery.

And reassured Maya with a loud voice.

“No problem! That guy’s ship gacha was a complete bust, and the Overseer-class was acquired from someone else!”

“Is that so?”

Once his intuition proved correct, the fear that had made him tremble disappeared.

Overflowing with pride, a healthier(?) Pierre immediately started giving orders to Maya.

“Maya! Mobilize the fleet and everyone else right now!”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Now is the chance since there’s a clear difference in fleet size between us and them! It seems they prioritized base development over fleet expansion!”

“Understood, Commander.”

“Let’s go!!!”

Of course, despite what he said.

Pierre’s fleet was also spread out near the area to protect the resource zone.

And similarly, because he had sent out ‘superhumans’ for training.

After gathering the scattered fleet and superhumans, and thoroughly preparing.

It was 3 days later that Pierre’s fleet finally invaded Icarus’s territory.

==========

And now.

Inside Icarus’s base command center…

—————————————-

[Warning!]

[Fleet approaching base confirmed]

[Fleet identified: Commander ‘Pierre’s fleet]

—————————————-

“Oh crap.”

“What should we do, Commander?”

While smoothly completing daily quests and upgrading the base, I was steadily accumulating gacha resources.

Faced with a user who chose to invade without any declaration of war.

Feeling quite annoyed, I hurriedly started preparing a response.

“Jessica! Immediately call Ignis, Belial, and Pashtira and assign them to the fleet!”

“Got it.”

“And before that, send out a vanguard of 5 destroyers and 20 escort ships to buy time until the main fleet can launch!”

“Understood!”