The hallways of Artemis-5 were dim with the subtle amber glow of post-class hours. As the final bell echoed through the ship, students poured out of the classrooms with a buzz of relief. Some were excited about the break, others just glad the long lectures were over.
Saurai walked silently beside Bryn, who was ranting about the strange aftertaste in the seaweed stew they had at lunch. But Saurai wasn't really listening. His mind was a whirlpool of thoughts and on a memory that had returned, a memory chip had been hidden, and his heart was pounding.
As soon as the day's obligations were done, he parted ways with Bryn with only a brief word.
"I'm heading in early."
"No holo-arcade?" Bryn asked, mock offended.
"Too tired today."
Bryn raised a brow but waved him off. "Suit yourself. See you at dinner time then my friend."
Saurai made his way through the winding corridors, his steps faster than usual. He ignored the soft laughter from students lingering outside their rooms, the chime of vending panels, and the occasional overhead announcements. He reached his room, keyed in his pass, and stepped inside.
The door hissed shut.
Silence.
He went straight to his bed and pulled out his bag from beneath it. There, tucked deep within a false lining, was the black memory chip. Which was cool, smooth, and pulsing faintly with blue light.
He sat down at his desk, took a deep breath, and removed his cadet-issued watch from his wrist. The device was standard a multifunctional tool every student wore. It served as ID, location tracker, class scheduler, and access portal.
Though he'd never opened it before, his fingers moved with strange familiarity. As if something buried deep in his subconscious guided him. He unscrewed the base cover, exposed the core slot, and gently slid the memory chip into the hidden port.
A soft click.
The watch vibrated.
> System rebooting... Unauthorized protocol detected...
Then the screen went dark.
Saurai held his breath.
For several seconds, nothing.
Then the screen flickered to life.
The standard interface, it was Luna, the ship's central system which was still there but at the same time Replaced by a sleek, dark interface with glowing glyphs and shifting symbols.
> Welcome, Saurai.
> Proteus Ω OS initializing...
A glowing sphere hovered above the screen before expanding into a complex UI of spiraling menus, rotating diagrams, and real-time energy simulations.
> Biological Access Level: Researcher Tier 3
> AI Subroutine Active: Proteus
> All communications routed through private server. Artemis-5 tracking disabled unless you grant permissions.
Saurai blinked.
So I'm invisible now...
Proteus continued.
> Module Overview:
1. Monster Anatomy and Adaptive Traits
2. Nutritional Alchemy Recipes
3. Rare Flora and Abyssal Resources Database
4. Field Metabolism Boosters
5. Ship Map - Full Internal + External Layers
6. Resource Location Catalog (External Zone)
He tapped on the first module.
A 3D diagram of a Viperfin Leviathan appeared, rotating slowly. He zoomed in and saw its nerve clusters, its bio-luminescent glands, its ultra-dense muscle nodes. Each organ was annotated with energy profiles, extraction potential, and synthesis possibilities.
Next, he opened the "Nutritional Alchemy Recipes" section.
> Recipe #0041: Leviathan Bone Powder + Sea Fern Resin + Heat Orchid = Neural Acceleration Tonic (temporary focus boost, +12% sensory range, 45-minute duration)
> Recipe #0298: Abyssal Ink + Coral Root Pulp = Anti-radiation blood thickener (useful during deepwater expeditions)
> Recipe #1035: Spineback Blood Crystals + Sylph Moss = Muscle Recovery Gel (stimulates cellular regeneration + fatigue flush)
Hundreds of entries appeared.
Saurai's eyes widened.
These weren't basic notes from class. This was... advanced research. Beyond anything the academy had shown. Even some terms were marked [RESTRICTED: CIVILIAN ACCESS BLOCKED].
This data wasn't meant for public eyes.
Saurai leaned back in his chair.
Were my parents behind this? he wondered.
It would explain their secrecy.
His watch chimed again.
> System Override: Luna Protocol Suppressed Monitoring Disabled. Proteus Private System Active.
He was secure now. No one on Artemis-5 could monitor his activity unless he allowed it. Not even the instructors. Not even Luna.
Curious, he opened the ship map.
What loaded wasn't just a floor layout.
It was the entire map of Artemis-5, with detailed subsystems and ventilation tunnels, supply ducts, AI relay nodes, power grids, unused cargo bays, and even a few places labeled "RESTRICTED - Internal Research Labs."
Beyond the ship's borders were exploration maps.
Islands. Oceanic zones. Areas marked with color codes:
Green Zones - Harvestable Flora (List of useful plants)
Blue Zones - Monster Migration Paths (Predictable cycles)
Red Zones - High-Danger Monster Activity
Black Zones - Unknown; No Data; Marked Avoid
There was even a tag marked: "Legendary Biomass Detected - Verification In Progress"
His eyes darted over location after location.
There was more data than he could absorb in one sitting.
Then came a buzz.
Bryn: You dead or something? Dinner's now. Come before Coral eats everything.
Saurai blinked. It was already evening?
He rubbed his face, changed into a fresh uniform shirt, and slipped on his shoes. Before leaving, he made sure the chip was secure. The watch now looked normal and the Proteus interface hidden behind a basic screen. Just in case.
He met up with Bryn and Coral at the cafeteria.
They grabbed a tray and sat at a table near the large hydroponic window where bioluminescent kelp swayed in the tank.
Coral grinned at him. "You look like you didn't sleep for a week. Study again?"
"Something like that," Saurai replied.
Bryn munched through his meal and said between bites, "The weather systems are going to stabilize tomorrow. Two full days of clear skies, apparently. That means the upper-deck market will be open."
Coral clapped her hands. "Finally! I need to get new thread for my wrist wraps. And real coffee if they have it."
Bryn looked at Saurai. "You're coming, right? Don't tell me you've never been to the top deck in recent days? It Changed alot."
Saurai blinked.
Sky.
He had never seen the sky since he arrived in this world.
Not since the transmigration.
He smiled, genuinely this time. "Yeah. I'll come."
They began making plans for tomorrow. which booths to visit, what to eat, what to avoid. Coral mentioned a rumored monster-part trader who had illegal charms carved from Spineback bone.
Saurai listened with quiet excitement. The sky. The deck. Fresh air.
That night, as they parted ways at the dorm hall, Saurai looked out a nearby port window. Only darkness stared back.
But tomorrow...
If He can stay till nightfall maybe he would finally see the stars again.