After finishing my conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Banol, I offered a brief parting gesture and stepped out of his office.
"I'll be going now."
"Take care. I'll contact you separately about the team."
"Alright."
As I exited, one of Lieutenant Colonel Banol's CP soldiers approached me.
"Carl Marcus, sir. Quartermaster Gedwin is waiting for you."
"Understood."
Just as the soldier said, once I stepped outside the building, Gedwin was already there waiting for me.
"Did everything go well?"
"Thanks to you."
"I'm glad to hear it. Then... let's start with this."
Gedwin reached into his coat and pulled out a very familiar item.
The very thing I had been waiting for—the ICE-54 Plasma Cooler.
──────────────
[ICE-54 Plasma Cooler] [★★★★★★★ (7-Star)]
— Plasma cooler of the Ark.
— Releases cooling energy at absolute zero.
"View Details"
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'As expected...'
The ICE-54 Plasma Cooler.
A weapon that emits high-density, powerful freezing energy—essentially a must-have tool in the late stages of The Defense.
Its true potential shines when used in conjunction with a Plasma Launcher.
You freeze enemies with the ICE-54, then melt them with plasma to deal exponentially more damage—a classic freeze-then-burn combo.
'It's a textbook combo in the late stages of The Defense.'
Plasma Cooler and Plasma Launcher.
Together, they were a deadly combo, even viable in high-end stages.
'I got it sooner than expected.'
Which just meant the contribution points I earned from this boss stage had far exceeded expectations.
'Now then...'
I turned my gaze to Quartermaster Gedwin.
"What about the rest of the supplies?"
"Due to the volume, they've been staged at the entrance of Red-17 Gate. Shall I escort you there now?"
"No, once I've finished up, I'll pick them up myself."
"Understood."
There were soldiers stationed near the Red-17 Gate entrance anyway, so there was no risk of theft. It wasn't that there were no petty thieves in the Ark—it's just that no thief capable of such a thing could even get close to the Gate.
'Now that I've got plenty of credits, it's time to visit Maybell Pilgrim.'
With that, I started walking.
*
"Yo, long time no see. You rude bastard, Carl Marcus."
No sooner had I stepped into the Special Purpose Weapons Research Lab than a familiar face greeted me, as if he'd been waiting.
It was Brigadier General Victor.
"We keep bumping into each other."
"Right? Coincidence? As much as I like you, you following me around like this is a bit much. I'm not into hugging dark-haired dudes."
"Nice joke."
"Not that funny from the look on your face."
"Because it's not."
"Haha!"
Why the Commander of Blue Line's defense forces always seemed to be hanging around here was beyond me—but I decided not to care.
Victor, of course, had no intention of ignoring me.
"I heard you did something incredible."
Apparently, news of me taking down the Rotting Body, Opacum had spread throughout the Ark.
Not surprising. The appearance of a region-lord-level monster like Opacum would've triggered alerts in every line.
"I just did my job."
"Your job? That's odd. Last I checked, you didn't have a job like that. You may be an honorary citizen, but you're not part of the Ark's military."
He wasn't wrong.
Even if I was moving on the Ark's behalf, I had no obligation to do so.
But the reason Lieutenant Colonel Banol and the others hadn't stopped me was simple—it benefited the Ark.
And that was still true now.
"So? Is that a problem?"
"Nah, not really. It's just... odd. I can't figure out why a guy like you would go so far for the Ark."
"Do I have to explain?"
"No, not really. But personally, I'd like to hear it."
Victor's gaze fixed on me.
"Carl Marcus, you rude bastard. Why do you go that far for the Ark?"
Truthfully, I'd always known the answer.
It was the answer I'd had even before I came to this world.
To clear The Defense.
But I couldn't exactly say that to Victor. So, I twisted the truth a little.
"Because that's how I survive."
"Survive, huh... survive what?"
"Dunno. Hard to name just one threat outside the Ark, isn't it?"
Victor chuckled lightly.
"Survival, huh... Not a bad reason."
Then he said it like it was nothing:
"In that case, you don't have to stick with the Red Line, do you?"
"True."
"Well then, how about it? Come to the Blue Line. You may be rude, but you've got the skills. I could find you a decent position."
I figured he'd say that.
And while I might take him up on it someday, now wasn't the time.
"I'm leaving the Red Line."
"See? Even better. That means you can come to the Blue—"
"I'm going to the Orange Line."
Victor blinked.
He clearly hadn't expected that answer.
"...Why?"
"Because it's time."
"Time, huh... I really don't get it. You'd be more than effective on the Blue Line."
"Maybe someday. But not now."
"'Someday,' huh... You're starting to intrigue me."
He gave up surprisingly easily.
Just like I expected—he wasn't the type to cling.
'Or maybe he already clings enough as it is?'
Well, anyway...
"I'll be going then, Carl Marcus, you rude bastard. I look forward to our next meeting."
"Not sure I do."
"Haha! See? You're rude but entertaining."
Victor laughed heartily as he left the Special Purpose Weapons Lab.
Even if he backed off for now, I'd be crossing paths with Möbius again sooner or later.
Though not as powerful as the Shadow Order, Möbius was still a force that couldn't be ignored.
'Hmph...'
I quietly watched him leave, and once his figure had fully disappeared, I turned toward the elevator.
Ding─
The elevator arrived, and I stepped in, pressing the button for the floor with Maybell Pilgrim's lab.
The elevator moved swiftly, and I soon arrived.
Her lab was quiet.
The desk attendant didn't stop me, so she wasn't out—but I didn't see her anywhere.
'Where'd she go?'
I stepped deeper into the lab.
And then—
"Kyaa!"
A sudden shriek and a small explosion came from deeper inside.
Thunk!
I quickly gripped my Ark-34 Automatic Conversion Rifle and rushed toward the sound.
For a moment, I thought it might've been an ambush by an underground beast.
But...
That wasn't what appeared before my eyes.
"...What are you doing?"
"Oh... you're here?"
Maybell Pilgrim looked up with a sheepish grin, her face smudged with soot.
Judging from the situation, the explosion earlier was just a minor accident.
"I have something I want you to work on."
"Ah... give me a sec. I'm in the middle of testing something."
With that, she returned to her workbench, tinkering away.
I was curious, of course. But barging into a researcher's project felt rude, so I just waited quietly near the entrance.
Creak—
Boom! Boom!
Loud mechanical noises echoed from her workstation.
After some time, Maybell finally came out.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Busy, huh?"
"I'm running a few experiments. I should be able to show you something soon."
"I'll look forward to it."
"Right?"
Maybell grinned brightly.
I had only said that to be polite, but she seemed so confident that I found myself genuinely curious.
'If it's around this time... hmm. Maybe she's developing something I don't know about?'
Normally, Maybell didn't develop anything groundbreaking during this phase.
But a lot had already changed—her research evolving was only natural.
And that was good news for the Ark.
'Well, anyway...'
I spoke.
"I've got something I want to commission."
"Sure, what is it?"
"This."
"This is..."
When I handed her the ICE-54 Plasma Cooler, Maybell's expression shifted to surprise.
Understandable—given its enormous cost, it wasn't something you often saw around the Ark.
"One moment."
"Oh, and use this too."
I pulled out a sealed container from my coat.
"What's that?"
"You'll know when you see it."
Inside was the Frost Crystal of a Grade-3 Flying Beast—the Sky Whale.
A cooling organ used to regulate internal heat generated by constant motion.
I intended to use it to upgrade the ICE-54 Plasma Cooler.
"Hmm... not bad. With this, I can definitely boost the ICE-54's output."
"Do it."
"Leave it to me."
Maybell took the Plasma Cooler and the Frost Crystal and headed to her workstation.
'Hmm...'
The ICE-54 shared a common flaw with the Plasma Emitter when upgraded—
It became incredibly fragile.
'No way... it won't break, right?'
I'd worked hard to maintain good relations with Maybell for exactly this reason.
So, it should be fine. Really, it should be fine...
'...It will be fine, right?'
I couldn't help but recall the times I'd placed water in front of a monitor and prayed.
All-powerful, merciful Maybell Pilgrim... please let my weapon be successfully upgraded...
THUD!
KRAAANG──!
["What's going on?"]
'...Nothing.'
["'Nothing' he says, while twitching his shoulder and shaking his hands..."]
'Don't worry about it.'
After what felt like an eternity of hellish waiting—
Tap, tap, tap─
Maybell Pilgrim's footsteps echoed through the lab.
"Alright—"
At last, the result of my desperate prayers made its appearance.